The Corporate Escapee: Helping GenX find their What's Next!
Brett Trainor
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Welcome to The Corporate Escapee hosted by Brett Trainor, a podcast dedicated tor GenX professionals and management consultants yearning to break free from the 9-5 grind. Our goal is to guide 10,000 GenXers on their journey to exit corporate life, achieve work/life balance, and command their futures, all while maintaining their financial stability. This show is your roadmap for transitioning from corporate confines to flourishing in solo or expertise-based ventures, utilizing decades of experience.
Embark on your corporate escape and redefine your professional journey. We focus on building and optimizing the solo business/solopreneur career path.
Subscribe to Corporate Escapee Podcast define your legacy in the world of business today.
Join us and transform your expertise into a thriving, fulfilling business outside the traditional corporate confines.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
2 days ago
Exit Strategy: The Godfather of the Freelance Economy on Shifting from Corporate to Freelancer w/Jon Younger
In this conversation, Jon Younger discusses the future of work and the rise of freelancing and gig work. He explains the difference between freelancers and gigsters, and the growth of the freelance economy. Jon also shares the four phases of early freelancing and the challenges individuals face when transitioning to freelancing. He discusses how enterprises are starting to think about freelancers and the importance of workforce architecture. Jon emphasizes the need for companies to adapt to the changing landscape of work and the opportunities that freelancers bring. He also provides insights on finding opportunities on freelance platforms. In this conversation, Brett Trainor and Jon Younger discuss various aspects of freelancing and entrepreneurship. They explore the importance of reframing sales as problem-solving and how to effectively ask for the business. They also emphasize the value of taking action and building a business, even without prior experience or talent. The conversation concludes with closing remarks and the possibility of future updates on the freelance world.
Jon’s Bio: As the “Godfather of the freelance economy”, Jon has been the leading voice for the freelance revolution through his Forbes column, advising, and research with the University of Toronto. A former Head of HR and Chief Talent, Jon is the go to for every marketplace executive.
Takeaways
* The freelance economy is growing rapidly, with millions of people working as freelancers or gigsters.
* Transitioning to freelancing requires careful planning and consideration of income volatility, benefits, and the potential for loneliness.
* Enterprises need to rethink how they resource their operations and build a flexible, impermanent workforce.
* Freelancers should focus on their unique skills and problem-solving abilities to stand out in the market.
* Freelancers can find opportunities on freelance platforms, but it's important to differentiate oneself and solve specific problems. Sales should be reframed as problem-solving, focusing on the importance of solving the client's problem rather than selling features and benefits.
* To convert conversations into clients, it is crucial to learn how to ask for the business and confidently state the price.
* Taking action is key to success in freelancing and entrepreneurship, as many people hesitate or do not take any action at all.
* Building a successful business does not necessarily require talent or experience, but rather a willingness to try and learn from the process.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:00 Defining Freelance and Gig Work
07:00 The Growth of Freelancing
10:00 The Shift from Employment to Freelancing
15:00 The Phases of Early Freelancing
18:00 The Future of Work for Enterprises
25:00 The Challenges for Enterprises in Working with Freelancers
32:00 The Rise of Fractional and Interim Work
40:00 The Changing Landscape of Work
45:00 Finding Opportunities on Freelance Platforms
46:01 Reframing Sales as Problem Solving
47:16 Asking for the Business
48:31 Taking Action and Building a Business
49:37 Closing Remarks and Future Updates
Links:
Jon Younger LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-younger-phd-57a41455/
The Human Cloud: https://humancloud.work/
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Nov 22, 2023
Going Solo Decoded: Understanding Its Meaning & Monetizing Your Corporate Experience
In this solo episode I define what going solo means, the ways to monetize your experience, who is buying your experience and what you can expect to earn
Find more information here: https://linktr.ee/bretttrainor
Transcript
Welcome back to another episode of the Corporate Escapee Podcast. I'm your host, Brett Trainer. And today we're going solo and it's kind of fitting because that's the topic that I want to talk about. Uh, you've heard me, if you follow this podcast or if you follow me on LinkedIn or any of my social channels, I talk a lot about escaping the corporate grind and going solo. But what does that transition really mean? And you know, for many Gen Xers.
corporate professionals, manager consultants who feel burned out, you know, or if you're laid off, you know, what does that really mean? So in this episode, I want to unpack what going solo, in my opinion, actually means. So let's get into it and also get into why I think this is a game changer and it's not a huge departure from maybe what you're doing in corporate in the sense of work related. You don't have to reinvent yourself. You're not opening up a
a flower shop or a cafe can if you want to, but it's not a requirement. So to get started, let's really understand what going solo means. And to me, it's all about leveraging your corporate experience, right? If we're talking Gen X, you've got probably 20 years, 30 years of corporate experience. And how do you use that expertise, that well-earned time, the skills that you've
right, or even if you're more of functional, a doer than a leader, you know, how do you leverage all that time and effort that you've already built? And the good thing is there is an absolute multiple ways that you can do this. And so when I'm talking about solo, this is what I'm talking about. You can, you can open up any kind of shop you want. You can build the next tech giant, Google, Facebook. But what I'm preaching is, you know, there's a simpler path.
to get started and that's just leveraging your experience. It could, like I said, it could be anything from sales, marketing, CRM, financial analyst, operations, you name it, specifically I'm mostly talking about B2B businesses, if you've been doing a job or a function, there's an opportunity for you to take that and use that skill set and go solo. So saying with that all being said, right.
Brett Trainor (02:21.358)
who's in how to do it, who's actually consuming this experience, right? So if you have these skills, I hear quite a bit, who's actually gonna hire me, I don't know how to sell. The good thing is you really don't have to. There's need and the need is growing by the day as more and more organizations are figuring out the power and the value of leveraging this experience that you do have. And...
Right now, the most common places I see this are small businesses, small and medium sized businesses, right under, you know, 500 million, but down to his 2 million in revenue, right, or 5 million up to 25 million. Historically, they have not been able to afford to hire people with extensive experience and the business may not be ready for them. But now they're starting to embrace and welcome, right, folks like you.
that have this experience into their organizations. I would also include startups in this mix, right? As they're growing, they may not have the budget or the need for somebody full-time. And consulting firms. I think I read somewhere that 20% of firms, both Boutique and the Big Four, leverage almost 20% fractional or freelance consultants.
as part of their practice. So if you don't want to sell them, it potentially can get hooked up with one of these firms that can leverage your expertise against engagements that they currently have. And with the state of all the layoffs and everywhere else, I think you're gonna see a bigger emphasis from these consulting firms to leverage folks more on a fractional basis so they don't have people sitting on the bench when they don't have engagement. So, sorry, a little bit of a tangent there, but I think, you know, just wanted to give you an idea of who is leveraging and using.
these skill sets, right? And so maybe that's a good transition into, what are the various paths that you can take and leverage your skills? So I'm gonna go through a few of these with the details. You may wanna jot this down, not necessarily you won't be tested, but as you start to talk to organizations about, using your skills, it's helpful to have kind of a different frame for each of them.
Brett Trainor (04:40.054)
First one, and I think the most popular, which makes the most sense is fractional leadership. Most of the time we talk about fractional leadership, but it could just be fractional. And this is really where you offer your expertise to a company on a part-time basis, but you're really a part of that team. This really started kind of with chief marketing officers or heads of marketing, but it's moved into sales, customer success, operations.
you name it, if you're a leader within your organization, there's businesses that need that. So the way I look at fractional leadership is, you're just, you're part of that management team, you're part of that organization, but just on a part-time business. And the way I sell it is you get the good parts of me and you don't get the inefficiencies, right? So you're hyper-focused on what's gonna help them move their business forward and not a lot of the unnecessary meetings, the unnecessary time working on
you know, projects or just busy activities that aren't pushing the business forward. So again, I think this is the backbone where we can leverage a lot of our experience, but it's not the only path. The second one would be consulting, which folks have been doing for a while, right? And consulting is just that this is more of a fixed time, fixed price. Hey, this organization's got this problem. We need to set up this structure. We need to implement this technology.
You can go in there as a consultant and provide that leadership or project management to help them deliver that. A third path is advising, right? So maybe one of these organizations is going through a growth mode. They're not ready to hire somebody either fractionally or full-time, but yet you can provide the advice because you've been through the battles for 20 years. You know what to expect and you can share what you've learned with these businesses.
I think this is a big opportunity again. I don't think we need to structure everything in a box that says This is the way we do it X Y and Z You can tailor these offerings to what the business needs and what you want, right? A lot of this comes down to how much effort you want to put into it you know how much time you want to work how much money you want to make and Where is the business that you're working with where they add and what do they need? So?
Brett Trainor (07:02.882)
Get creative, think outside of the box, you can structure different relationships. The last one I wanna talk about is kind of skills as a service. This one I still think is very underappreciated and has an opportunity to grow. And this is where you package what your expertise is. Again, I'll use, typically we've done design or marketing where on a monthly retainer, basically.
you provide your service to these organizations, in most cases, multiple organizations, and you can diversify your portfolio or work with different companies for a fixed fee. But there's no reason why this can't apply against anything. Again, back to project management, back to process, back to technology, back to sales, back to marketing. Anything that you can package as a service that somebody's gonna use on a monthly basis, you can put a fee around it.
and basically charge you think of all the subscriptions you have but just now apply your services to it. This one is still developing but again think outside the box you have the opportunity and again these companies are hun…
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Oct 25, 2023
Refuel to Reignite: Practical Health Tip for Business Owners w/ Emma Terrazas
The typical HFG episode focuses on how to grow our solo businesses but today I want to focus on taking care of ourselves.
Emma Terrazas joins me on the podcast to help us jumpstart our approach to wellness and overall performance
Emma works with CEOs and business owners helping them build healthy fitness & nutrition habits in order to optimize their businesses.
If you are not where you want to be physically or mentally this episode is for you.
Links to Emma's Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-terrazas-3a383298/
Website: https://emmaterrazas.com/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/emma_terrazas/
Transcript:
Brett Trainor (00:01.163)
Hi Emma, welcome to the podcast.
Emma Terrazas (00:03.702)
Hey there, thanks for having me.
Brett Trainor (00:05.323)
No, no, it's definitely my pleasure. And, you know, one thing on this podcast, we talk a lot about, you know, the Gen Z what's your next, and it's almost all about the business, right? Which is important, right? What do we do with the revenue streams? Where are those things that come? But I don't talk nearly enough about the, what I would guess, the personal side of it, the wellbeing side of this. And so who better to have on the podcast than you to, to kind of help us rethink or.
think differently about how we approach the health and wellness now that we're on our own and nobody's telling us what to do anymore. So anyway, with that intro, maybe to start just let the audience know a little bit about who you're working with and the type of work that you do with them and then we'll get into
Emma Terrazas (00:38.455)
Hehehe
Emma Terrazas (00:49.322)
Yeah. So hello, my name is Emma Terazas. I'm a health and life coach for entrepreneurs, CEOs or high level execs who really wanna take control back over their health and have maybe put their health on the back burner because life has just happened, which we all can attest to, especially after COVID and during COVID. That was a really rough time for all of us. And what I really helped them do is create
and reframe what health could look like for them through routine creation, mindset shifts around how to eat, more education about food and nutrition, and ultimately really just solidifying how you want to show up every day and then taking actions to make sure that you're eating right, working out, and again, in a way that is sustainable and fits your lifestyle, not what...
you know, your neighbor did, or your best friend's sister, how she lost weight is gonna work for you. Like, it's all personalized, so that you can truly show up powerfully in your life as you.
Brett Trainor (01:58.099)
Yeah, I like that. I think that's, it's so important because too often we see just, you know, lift heavy weights, don't worry about cardio or do cardio. Don't put heavy weights, eat all eat the Mediterranean diet. No eat nothing, but, um, no carbs, those types of things. And you're doing the research on you. You take more of a holistic approach to all of it, right? It's just not one thing. And I think that's, you know, where.
Again, I've spent a lot of time trying to amateur sleuthing into this, but so maybe, maybe take us, what are some of the common things your, your clients that are coming to you, what have they recognized and said, Hey, I'm doing this wrong or I'm not doing it. Um, to get to, you know, obviously they're, they've realized something, but I'm guessing the vast majority of us don't realize we're doing something wrong that makes sense.
Emma Terrazas (02:46.238)
Yeah, yeah. It really, it depends on the person. And a lot of people do know what they're doing wrong, but it's just so hard to stop and change. And like you said, like doing research and trying to change, it takes up a lot of time and energy when you're already stressed with family life, work life. So it's like, of course, things just kind of get put on the back burner. And it's, I just want people to know that it's okay. Because I think
we really judge ourselves and people feel really guilty and that just doesn't help, right? You're not helping yourself. So instead I really try to invite people to look like, okay, let's just take a breath and see what's actually going on, right? Like, can we look at your day and say, okay, this is exactly what I'm doing. This is what I'm eating. But anyway, so back to your question, kind of scrambled for a second, but.
what people in this day and age are coming to me with is that COVID really kicked them to the ground, right? And again, I want to, I think people forget that this was a huge event and it's not like we can just snap our fingers and everything's back to normal. So I wouldn't, I'm not surprised that everyone is in, and some people are different, right? But we're still trying to move through this and some of my clients now have gained 50.
pounds plus a little less, a little more, depending on the person during COVID. And they're just really trying to get back to feeling like themselves, feeling healthier, eating more consistently. That's something else I see is a lot of people skip breakfast and then they get home at the end of the day or they're done working and they're exhausted because they haven't eaten all day. And then how do you give time and space to your family if you don't feel good? So it's really...
The nutrition, I would say, is a huge part of the work that we do together.
Brett Trainor (04:45.083)
Okay. Now it's awesome. And you're right. It was, you know, kid got two ways. I like to be outside. So COVID didn't necessarily hurt it too much. But just getting out of that routine. And, you know, one of the things that I found when I left corporate was structured in a sense, right, you know, the days were this and you could build a workout in before or try to get at lunch or after or not at all, right, and those types of things. But one of the things that I found when I transitioned into working for myself was you do have a
a whole lot more free time. So you're thinking perfect, right? I'm going to get in the best shape of my life. I'm going to eat well, all these other things, but yet it tends to either. We just focus on the business or we never get to the actual health, you know, and the fitness piece of it. So, so how do we, how do we fix that? Is there a way to fix that?
Emma Terrazas (05:34.754)
Yeah, that's exactly what happened to me too. I was in a nine to five coaching lacrosse at the school and then I still worked in their office while I was growing this business. And I thought the exact same thing. Okay, I was a former athlete. I know exactly what to do to work out and like eat better and I'm gonna have all this time. And then it's like business, business. And the next thing you know, you're like, oh my gosh, I don't feel good. Like I really don't like the way I look in the mirror that much, my pants don't fit, my clothes don't fit.
Brett Trainor (06:00.844)
Yeah.
Emma Terrazas (06:04.598)
And you never think it's gonna happen to you, but it inevitably does, exactly. And think about it, like our lifestyle just changes so much and it makes sense that you have to go back to the drawing board with your health and your routines, right, if you're living two completely different lives at this point. So it's all an experiment is something I really invite my clients to think about when...
Brett Trainor (06:07.893)
until it does.
Emma Terrazas (06:34.802)
And in this case, your audience, you're changing again, lifestyles, like, because going back to like the pressure and feeling guilty, if you're not perfect, and it's like, if it's an experiment, then you don't have any really judgment, you're just simply seeing what's going to happen. And then you taking action is what's going to lead to more motivation. And what I love to think about too, is a lot of people feel like they failed their diets, or they
They fall off the wagon really easily. But a good thing about these particular experiences is that you now have…
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Oct 16, 2023
Unlock LinkedIn: Kait LeDonne’s Guide for Corporate Escapees Turning Business Owners
Kait LeDonne Links:
https://kait-ledonne.mykajabi.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitledonne-personalbrandingexpert/
Episode Intro
I am thrilled to have to have Katie LeDonne on podcast
This is a must listen for folks thinking about corporate and those of you that already have.
Kait is one of if not the top expert on building and leveraging your personal brand on LinkedIn
Kait's Background:
* Personal Branding Expert
* Speaker,
* Workshop Facilitator
* & Personal Branding Coach
Her mission is to help you Become Your Industry's Go-To Expert
I am a big fan of Kat’s 1:1:1 framework for newbies
1 problem, 1 platform and one prospect type- keep it simple and grow.
Make sure you have a note pad or however you take notes
Let’s chat with Kait
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Oct 6, 2023
The Future of Solo and Small Business: Flexible Staffing w/Jens Gould
Today we are talking about the future of how to grow a company- I don’t want to call it the future of work but I do think it is the future of growth.
I have had guests on the pod talking about virtual assistants, John Arms talking about fractional leadership and today I welcome CEO of Amalga Group Jens Gould
Jens launched and is running a staff augmentation company that leverages offshore talent. These resources can be a replacement for full time equivalents. If you are a solo business that is ready for some help or a small or mid-size company that is expanding, this solution may be an interesting fit
As you will hear in this podcast Jens shares the benefits, best practices and how to get started.
A few of the advantages:
* They are not employees- Jen’s handles all of the employment logistics
* They are Full time but not a long term commitment
* And it is roughly 50% of the cost of an FTE
I think we will see scenarios quickly where Fractional leaders will partner with companies like Jens to provide turnkey teams into orgs.
Amalga Group: https://www.amalgagroup.com/
Jens Gould: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jens-erik-gould/
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Sep 26, 2023
Think Bigger: How the Right Mindset Unlocks a World Beyond the Corporate Confines w/ Anne O'Neil
Anne is a former WNBA player and Division 1 Academic and Athletic All-American at Iowa State University.
Following a stint in Division I basketball coaching, Anne transitioned into international business focusing in on research and training in the neuroscience and performance psychology fields- mindset is everything!
Today she coaches and consults athletes and executives looking to elevate their performance by focusing skills/mindset training development.
Anne btw, is also a TV Analyst and Sideline Reporter for Women’s and Men’s Basketball games.
She is the host of a great podcast called Get Busy Livin where the conversations focus on a growth mindset and giving back.
This episode is 100% focused on the mental side of transitioning into new things ie. Escaping corporate. For those of us with 20-30 years in corporate this mind shift is critical.
A couple of key takeaways to listen for:
* Think bigger and what’s possible and NOT what could go wrong
* The power of keeping it simple
* Animal intuition- Lions, Elephants and Sea Turtles - it is spot on
* Short term vision to drive long term success
* And a lot more
Make sure to listen until the end as this episode was packed from beginning to end
Links:
* Website: https://www.anneoneil.co/work-with-anne
* Get Busy Livin’ Podcast
* Anne’s LinkedIn
* Anne’s Twitter
* Anne’s Instagram
* Article: https://community.thriveglobal.com/three-ways-animal-intuition-led-me-to-my-dream-job/
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Sep 14, 2023
The Chief Evangelist Mindset: Boosting Your Business with Personal Passion with Ethan Beute
In this episode we discuss the power and value of the chief evangelist role in corporate, as a fractional and within our own business. This is a powerful and underappreciated concept. In my opinon it is essential to growth
Links:
Ethan Beute LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanbeute/
Website: https://www.chiefevangelist.com/
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/ethanbeute
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Sep 6, 2023
Striking the Balance: Purpose, Profit, and the Path Forward w/ Author Minter Dial
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Aug 29, 2023
The Solo Business Owner's Guide to the Go-Giver Mentality w/ Bob Burg
Bob Burg Info: https://burg.com/. This link will take you to Bob's content, books and contact information
One of the benefits of having a podcast is the ability to connect with folks you really want to learn from and have conversations with
This episode of the Hardwired for Growth 2.0 podcast is a great example
I read the book the Go-Giver on a Saturday and reached out to the author Bob Burg later that night and within in 3 weeks he was a guest on the podcast
I wanted to have Bob on to talk specifically of how we as solo business owners could approach and leverage the "Five Laws of Stratospheric Success”:
1️⃣ The Law of Value: Success is not about the profits we make, but the value we provide to others.
2️⃣ The Law of Compensation: Our income is determined by how many people we serve and how well we serve them.
3️⃣ The Law of Influence: Our influence grows as we prioritize others' interests above our own.
4️⃣ The Law of Authenticity: Authenticity is the most valuable gift we have to offer.
5️⃣ The Law of Receptivity: To effectively give, one must be open to receiving.
If you read the book, you will love this interview and if you are unfamiliar with Bob's work this will be a great intro
Give it a listen and let me know what you think!
Details in the comment or just search for the Hardwired for Growth 2.0 podcast on your favorite platform
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Aug 22, 2023
The GenX Revolution: The Rise of the Solo Business
Welcome to Hardwired for Growth 2.0, the ultimate podcast guiding GenX business owners to 10x their revenue and lives.
Host Brett Trainor dives into the revolutionary trend reshaping business and GenX's pivotal role in the solo business model surge. Uncover startling stats: GenX comprises 47.2% of US business owners, with 85% running solo businesses.
Discover why GenX leads this movement through experience, tech prowess, independence, meaningful work, and financial stability. Join us as we decode this transformative shift, spotlighted by innovative leaders and a rising solo business landscape.
Subscribe, share, and be part of the GenX Revolution!
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Aug 7, 2023
Growth Lessons with the Author of Teenage Wastebrand- Evelyn Starr
I am your host, Brett Trainor. Today, I welcome our guest, Evelyn J. Starr. She is an author, and I recently came across her insightful book called Teenage Waste Brand: How Your Brand Can Stop Struggling and Start Scaling.
I would also like to mention that she has a fantastic newsletter on this topic which I highly encourage everyone to check out. As we have this conversation, I'm eager to explore more about who she collaborates with today, the types of brands she is helping to shape, and the strategies she is currently advocating. In light of Evelyn's initial comments, it seems she wants to reassure our listeners not to let the challenges of branding send them into panic mode.
In essence, she appears to emphasize that success in a service business largely comes down to earning the trust of your customer base.
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Aug 6, 2023
Welcome to Hardwire for Growth 2.0: Stop Guessing, Start Growing
Welcome back to Hardwired For Growth 2.0!
We're excited to unveil our new direction and refocused approach. After exploring a wide range of topics, we've realized that growth-related content truly resonates with our amazing audience – that's you!
In this revamped version, we're bringing you even more value. Expect in-depth interviews with industry experts, sharing their actionable strategies and insights on branding, marketing, sales, and other growth-related areas. We believe that learning from the best can accelerate your journey to success.
Moreover, I'll be sharing my personal growth journey, including the ups and downs, the trials and errors. By sharing these experiences, we hope to empower you on your own path and help you achieve your revenue and life goals faster than if you were to navigate it alone.
Stay tuned for exciting episodes, packed with market insights, practical tips, and thought-provoking discussions. We are committed to being your go-to resource for growth in…
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Jun 6, 2023
Why Your Company Hates You & the Future of Work with John Paul Rollert
Today I'm chatting with John Paul Rollert, a Professor of Behavioral Science at Booth School of Business. John Paul's teaching and research focus on the intellectual history of capitalism, the ethics of leadership, and the application of empathy to law, business, and politics.
Connect with John Paul
https://twitter.com/jprollert
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May 15, 2023
LinkedIn Unleashed: JD Gershbein's Strategies for Corporate Escapees
Today I'm chatting with JD Gershbein, the creator of THE LINKEDIN STYLE GUIDE. In this episode, we'll talk about organic LinkedIn marketing and the surprising ways to bring your personality into your profession.
Connect with JD
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdgershbein
https://twitter.com/jdgershbein
https://jdgershbein.com/
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Apr 26, 2023
5 Pillars to Guide Life Outside of 9 to 5 with Anna Lundberg
Today I'm chatting with Anna Lundberg about her practical guide to reimagining success, giving you freedom, flexibility and fulfillment.
Connect with Ana
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaselundberg/
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Apr 17, 2023
How to Do LinkedIn Right with Anthony Blatner
Today I'm chatting with LinkedIn Expert Anthony Blatner. In this episode, we'll talk about the three fundamentals of LinkedIn marketing: Organic, Sales Navigator, and Paid Ads.
Connect with Anthony
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyblatner/
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Apr 12, 2023
How to Pick Your Lane as a Fractional Executive with Bruce Roles
Today I'm chatting with Bruce Roles, a Contract Manufacturing COO. In this episode, we'll talk about the importance of sticking to one specialty while staying away from labels.
Connect with Bruce
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceroles/
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Apr 6, 2023
A Marketing Masterclass for Escapees w/ Ali Schwanke)
Today I'm chatting with Ali Schwanke. She helps people understand, plan, and grow their marketing results. In this episode, we'll talk about how to style your LinkedIn profile and your offering to create consistency and clarity--and close more deals.
Connect with Ali
30 day LinkedIn plan
https://alischwanke.com/linkedin-30-day-posting-plan/
9 sources of revenue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT41Tz4Rg2o
How to win client business book
https://www.amazon.com/Client-Business-When-Where-Start/dp/1119676908
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Mar 23, 2023
Why the Franchise Model Could Be Your Path to Freedom with Mike Waller
Today I'm chatting with Mike Waller, a veteran of corporate America who now coaches others on finding business ownership and financial freedom by becoming franchisees. In this episode, we'll talk about misconceptions about the franchise model and why it may be a better fit for your goals than you think.
Connect with Mike
https://mwaller.esourcecoach.com/meet-career-coach-mike-waller/
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Mar 13, 2023
The One Revenue Strategy Most Escapees Are NOT Using with Brandon Mateika
Today I'm chatting with Brandon Mateika, an escapee who jumpstarted his journey by leveraging partnerships to establish credibility as an expert within months. Find out how he did it in this episode.
Connect with Brandon
https://www.salesandmarketingus.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmateika/
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Mar 6, 2023
Create Your Process with Paul Shirley
Today I'm having a radically honest conversation with repeat guest Paul Shirley. Paul is the author of The Process is the Product among other books. I want to find out how creating a process can save you hours of work in the long run--and how to align that process with your goals.
Connect with Paul
https://www.createyourprocess.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-shirley-360b1649/
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Feb 27, 2023
It's Not Sales; It's Problem Solving: A Framework for Getting Your First Client
One of the biggest blockers for folks considering leaving corporate and going solo is the lack of confidence in their ability to sell. When I meet potential corporate escapees, I hear them say things like, I'm not good at selling or I don't know how to sell.
I have a little secret. You don't have to be good at selling to be successful outside of corporate. In this episode, I'll share my approach to sales that has been highly effective.
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Feb 13, 2023
How to Build Confidence Quickly with Victoria Tretis
Today I'm talking to Victoria Tretis about how she turned her job as a VA into a business. It wasn't a straight path and what I want you to get from this episode is how a self-identified introvert overcame her fears and pushed businesses out to the world one at a time until she found what worked.
Connect with Victoria
https://www.victoriatretis.co.uk/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriatretis
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Feb 6, 2023
186. How to Get Customers Without Selling with Kim Laughlin
Connect with Kim
Mastermind: https://go.culturalapexcoach.com/mastermind167476
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Jan 30, 2023
185. A Recent Escapee Shares Her Story with Diana Martinez
Today I'm chatting with Diana Martinez. She recently had a rough exit from her corporate career and with a new baby at home (and four other children) she launched her journey into being a fractional entrepreneur. Find out how she got her first client in this episode.
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Jan 23, 2023
184. How to Get the Most Out Of Fractional Work with John Arms
Connect with John
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnarms/
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Jan 16, 2023
183. Why Being Different is Better than Being Better
Connect with Jon
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonselig
https://jonselig.com/
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Jan 9, 2023
182. An Inspiring Case Study of a Corporate Escapee with Carole Issa
Connect with Carole
https://leadershipactivators.com.au/
https://au.linkedin.com/in/caroleissa
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Jan 2, 2023
181. Growing a solo business through bold authenticity with Annie Leib
Connect with Annie
https://annieleib.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annieleibmba
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Dec 26, 2022
180. How to Make Behavioral Psychology Your Secret Weapon with Nancy Harhut
Connect with Nancy
Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses
https://www.hbtmktg.com/
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Dec 19, 2022
179. The Tools & Tech You Need for Your Solo Business with James Clift
Connect with James Clift
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jclift
https://twitter.com/jamesclift
https://durable.co/
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Dec 12, 2022
178. 5 Must Read Books for Solo Business Owners
My Top 5 Books
1. They Ask You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach to Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, and Today's Digital Consumer
2. Time Rich: Do Your Best Work, Live Your Best Life
3. The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
4. Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork
5. The Process Is The Product
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Nov 30, 2022
177. The Future of Work and the Rise of the Solo Business
On this episode, I focus on the future of work and why this is a huge opportunity for folks looking to escape corporate or who have already left corporate. The three things I want you to take away from this episode i:
1) Perspective on what the future looks like if you've been in corporate for more than 10 years, 15 years, or in cases like my own, up to 30 years
2) Specialization versus Generalization and why specialization typically equals higher margins and more focused work
3) How to leverage the future of work to jumpstart your escape from corporate and build some momentum
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Nov 8, 2022
176. It's Now or Never: Having the Freedom to Believe
In the last episode, I outlined a five-part plan to successfully exit the corporate world. It's a guide that I used, refined, and now use to help others make the transition to entrepreneurship. In this episode, I'll go deeper into the Part One: The Freedom to Believe. And if you missed last week's episode, I encourage you to go back and listen.
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Oct 26, 2022
175. Demystifying Social Media for Solo Entrepreneurs with Brooke Sellas
Connect with Brooke
https://twitter.com/BrookeSellas
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookebsellas
https://bsquared.media/
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Oct 17, 2022
174. The 5-Step Process to Leave Corporate America (and stay out)
Today I want to share the five step process that I have built after a number of years of trial and error. There are no shortcuts but my hope is that this guide will shorten the learning curve for folks looking to leave corporate America.
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Oct 10, 2022
173. How an Expert Freelancer Built a Global Company
Connect with Jill
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillkbishop
https://multilingualconnections.com/
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Oct 3, 2022
172. 5 Misperceptions About Personal Branding for Your Business (on Powerful Personal Brand)
I was recently on the Powerful Personal Brand podcast with Claire Bahn to talk about personal branding in small or freelance businesses. It was a great conversation, and I think it'll help you better understand how to leverage your personal brand or reputation with your own specific freelance business.
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Sep 26, 2022
171. How to Grow an Expert-Based Business in 2023 with Michael Haynes
Connect with Michael
https://listeninnovategrow.com/
Listen, Innovate, Grow: A Guidebook for Startups and Small Businesses Looking to Acquire and Grow Business Customers
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Sep 22, 2022
170. 100 Days to the New Year and a New You
We have 100 days left in 2022 so I thought this was a perfect time to help you strategize these last 100 days.
In this episode, I outline four steps that you need to take this year to leverage your expertise for freedom, flexibility and financial independence.
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Sep 12, 2022
169. Small Bets & Multiple Revenue Streams are Keys to Your Freedom with Karl Becker
Connect with Karl
Improving Sales Performance
LinkedIn
Revenue Equation Methodology
Set Up To Win
Sales & Marketing Alignment
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Sep 5, 2022
168. From Corporate to an $85k/Month Expert Business with Paul Higgins
Today I'm talking to Paul Higgins about his journey from a corporate life at Coca-Cola to building his own consulting company and community.
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Aug 29, 2022
167. 5 Things You Can Do Today To 3X Your Income
Today's topic is 5 Things You Can Do Today To 3X Your Income. These five tips will help create more freedom and flexibility in your life.
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Aug 22, 2022
166. Here's Why You Don't Need to Be a Marketer to Get More Leads
Today I'm talking with Michael Schein, author of The Hype Handbook. In this conversation we talk about the contrarian and counter-cultural way to get attention for yourself and your business without being a marketer.
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Aug 8, 2022
165. Bronson Ma's Agency of One: A Trendsetter in Freelancing
Today I'm talking with Bronson Ma, the owner of Bronson Ma Creative. His agency is 19 years strong and I want to find out how he thinks about getting clients and keeping clients.
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Aug 1, 2022
The Breakthrough Freelancer
The audience has spoken! I've been hearing from listeners that the focus of late on helping service-based freelancers and contractors stop fighting the money for time battle is really hitting home. So, I'm doubling down on it. I recorded this short update about the new direction for the pod.
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Jul 18, 2022
164. Scaling a Consultancy with Faheem Moosa
Connect with Faheem:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faheemmoosa/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/faheemmoosa
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
Website: https://dianamitchell.me/
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Jul 11, 2022
163. Mindset: When to Think Big and When to Think Incrementally
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
Website: https://dianamitchell.me/
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Jul 4, 2022
162. The Freelance Entrepreneur's Process for Growth: Delegate, Automate, Eliminate
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
Website: https://dianamitchell.me/
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Jun 28, 2022
161. Content-Based Networking: Why Freelance Entrepreneurs Should Think of Themselves as Media Companies
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
Website: https://dianamitchell.me/
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Jun 20, 2022
160. A Better Business Model for Freelance Entrepreneurs
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Jun 13, 2022
159. How to Outsource Your Weaknesses (So Everything Gets Done)
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Jun 6, 2022
158. Measuring Wins and Loses (Both Business and Personal)
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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May 31, 2022
157. Designing Your Life as a Solo Freelance Entrepreneur with Kati Ryan
Connect with Kati:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiryan
Web site: https://www.apositiveadventure.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiryan
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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May 23, 2022
156. How to Build a Business Leveraging a Network of Freelance Entrepreneurs with Nicole Wood
Connect with Nicole:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolewoodalv/
Web site: https://alvcoaching.com/
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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May 16, 2022
155. Video-led Growth with Rafer Weigel
Connect with Rafer:
Website: https://weigelmediagroup.com/team/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaferWeigel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafer-weigel-mediaman/
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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May 9, 2022
154. Case Study: Scaling an Agency of One with Mike DiCioccio
Connect with Mike:
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/mikedicioccio
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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May 2, 2022
153. Get the Most Out of the Early Stage of Your Business
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Apr 26, 2022
152. An Introduction to Content Strategy for Freelance Entrepreneurs
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Apr 19, 2022
151. How to Build Your Business to Sell (Biz Models, Hiring Strategies, Data Tracking, and more)
Episode Resources:
Flippa - Buy and Sell Online Marketplaces, Apps and Websites
FE International - Professional M&A Advisor
Microaquire - Startup Acquisition Marketplace
DesignJoy.co - Brett William's Agency of One
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Apr 12, 2022
150. Best Practices for Building a Company to Sell with Brian Casel
Episode Resources:
Flippa - Buy and Sell Online Marketplaces, Apps and Websites
FE International - Professional M&A Advisor
Microaquire - Startup Acquisition Marketplace
Connect with Brian:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CasJam
Podcast: Bootstrapped Web
Company: https://zipmessage.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancasel
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Apr 5, 2022
149. Goal Setting and Planning (To Get the Right Things Done)
Books mentioned:
Essentialism by Greg McKeown
Deep Work by Cal Newport
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport
A World Without Email by Cal Newport
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Mar 29, 2022
148. How to Take Advantage of The Great Resignation
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Mar 29, 2022
Introducing BizOwner360 2.0 with Co-Host Diana Mitchell
Connect with Brett:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brett_Trainor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bretttrainor/
Connect with Diana:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamitchell716/
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Mar 22, 2022
147. Why Most Bootstrapped Businesses Get Stuck (& How to Break Through) with Steve Hoffman
If there’s a perfect time to start a business, it’s in this new normal when everyone’s set on an almost equal footing with everything else going digital.
But how do you make sure that the business you’ll be building has got what it takes to reach the ultimate $10 million dollar goal?
Today, I sat down with Steve Hoffman, a.k.a Captain Hoff, CEO of Founders Space, a worldwide innovation hub for entrepreneurs, businesses, and investors with more than 50 partners in 22 countries.
Be it growing a startup through bootstrapping or venture capital, you name it, Steve has done it.
So hit the play button now to not miss this chance of learning from this Captain Hoff.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The role of ideas in starting a business in 2022 [03:45]
* Need-to-haves vs. want-to-haves: Coming up with the perfect product [10:06]
* How having the right team is the key to reaching the $10 million mark [14:27]
* Why you should set strict guidelines in doing b…
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Mar 15, 2022
146. Overlooked Opportunities to Amp Your Growth with Michael Haynes
The challenge of getting stuck in the growing stage is one that many business owners face.
But what most of owners and founders don’t know is that there’s actually a swarm of opportunities for growth out there that they are missing out on.
Today, we’re going to explore those opportunities with Leading SMB Growth Expert Michael Haynes as we talk about common growth hindrances in 2022 and how to address them.
Do you find it difficult to adjust your B2B business tactics? If yes, then this episode is definitely for you.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* What your areas of focus for growth in 2022 should be [04:49]
* Michael’s A.I.R. concept and the issue of content overload [08:09]
* The best approach to determining your biggest growth opportunities [10:07]
* How you can conduct an effective customer research [12:30]
* Building a sense of community to connect with your prospects [16:03]
* Integrating collaboration and co-creation into your growth strat…
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Mar 8, 2022
145. Is Your Mindset Limiting Your Business’s Growth?
We talk a lot on this podcast about business strategies and tactics but not very often about the personal side which includes wellness, physical health, and especially mindset.
So today, we’re having Teresa Buruni, founder and CEO of Less Fear More Flow, who helps entrepreneurs and business owners with their personal transformation, mindset, wellness to unlock their true potential.
Teresa shares tips on how we can preserve our wellness so we never get lost amidst burnout while achieving our goals for our businesses.
This episode is a breath of fresh air and will surely enlighten you on how to attain the freedom you’re aiming for through your business so hit the play button now!
We talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Entrepreneurs’ DONTs that need to be reevaluated [04:12]
* To have your sleep in one go or to break it down in periods? [07:36]
* 45 minutes of laser focus and 45 minutes of break outside [09:59]
* Finding balance through different types of meditation…
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Mar 1, 2022
144. Why ABM Is the Key to Unlocking Your Bootstrapped Businesses Growth with Jeff MacGurn
Account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the most effective strategies for B2B sales but many founders are still missing out on the awesome benefits that it offers.
Today, I have just the perfect person to help us understand what ABM is really all about, BusinessOnline Chief Operating Officer Jeff MacGurn.
Jeff shares the different ways that ABM boosts sales. He also gives insights on how to get started with ABM and how to target the right audience with the right type of content.
Are you looking to learn more about ABM and how you can get the most out of it? Jump into this episode now!
We talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The current landscape of digital marketing for small businesses [03:38]
* Dealing with the changes in buyer expectations [07:14]
* How ABM helps businesses in 6 different ways [10:17]
* Are you in front of the right audience? [17:34]
* How to have a targetted marketing if you’re under $10 million [21:43]
* Coming up with content that connects wi…
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Feb 22, 2022
143. How a Virtual Financial Expert Can Help You Accelerate Growth with Joe Manganelli
As you’re earning your first million, your costs of doing business become more complicated if you haven’t built a financial structure from the get-go.
Today, we’re graced by the presence of Joe Manganelli, founder of Calculate, a company that offers a multitude of financial services from nitty-gritty bookkeeping to big-picture strategies and forecasting.
Joe and I touch on the different aspects of operating a business from a financial perspective.
Joe also shares his insights on scaling a startup through efficient use of resources and putting up checks and balances.
If you’re looking to set up a solid structure for the management of your business’ finances, then this episode is a great place for you to start!
We talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Joe’s road to founding Calculate [02:20]
* How Calculate started to gain momentum [05:17]
* Calculate’s services and how they sell it to their prospects [7:27]
* Best practices on scaling from the financial side…
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Feb 15, 2022
142. How to Get Sh!t Done to Grow Your Business On Your Own Terms with Alex Batdorf
When businesses fall short of their set goals, is it because of poor execution or is it because the direction taken was wrong in the first place?
We’ll answer that in this episode with Alex Batdorf, CEO and Founder of Get Sh!t Done, a platform focused on centralizing access to growth resources for female entrepreneurs.
Alex and I take a deep dive into the common challenges that her collaborating companies face and how she thinks these should be addressed.
We also discuss the importance of a founder’s wellness to the business and the unending quest for innovation for companies today.
Alex unloads fresh nuggets of wisdom in this episode so make sure to catch them all by tuning in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The kid who wanted to rule the world through entrepreneurship [01:56]
* Bootstrapping vs. Venture Capital: How to create sustainable and scalable businesses [10:49]
* The biggest bottleneck that Alex sees the most in the startups she works with…
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Feb 8, 2022
141. The Difference Between Average and Elite with Former NBA Player & Best-Selling Author Paul Shirley
Entrepreneurs and business owners are constantly in scramble mode. So amidst all the chaos in your working space, how do you maintain balance to prevent everything from falling apart?
My guest today, Paul Shirley, is the founder of The Process, a co-working facility and virtual platform whose theory is discussed in his book, The Process is the Product.
Paul shares with us about his experiences as a former professional basketball player and author. He reveals how he learned to add process to the chaos of a working environment and get more done in less time.
This part of productivity focus has been a game-changer for me, and I think it can really help you as well. So get your pen and paper ready as you listen to this episode.
We talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The reasoning behind Paul’s book, The Process is the Product [03:46]
* Knowing when to go back to life while in your flow state [08:14]
* Is it better to know when you’re having an off day? [12:12]
* Why int…
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Feb 1, 2022
140. How to Bootstrap Your Business to 7-Figures With Only 2 Employees Featuring Esben Friis Jensen
There is no right or wrong path when raising money for your startup. You just have to understand the trade-offs for whichever choice you make.
Today, I welcome Esben Friis-Jensen, Co-Founder of Cobalt and Userflow, who has raised a bunch of money through bootstrapping to give us different perspectives on scaling.
Esben and I dive into the principles that he had as he was co-founding and growing his two multi-million dollar companies, which you all will surely learn from.
Hit the play button now if you want to scale your business in the most effective way!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Esben’s first company, Cobalt, and his transition into Userflow [01:50]
* What urged Esben to start his own company [04:05]
* How Esben and his co-founders raised $40 million for Cobalt [6:40]
* The rationale behind founding Userflow [09:51]
* Growing Userflow with two full-time employees and one freelancer [11:53]
* Differentiating yourself through your product [14:36]…
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Jan 25, 2022
139. Who Not How: Why Virtual Specialists are the Keys to Growth in 2022 with Laith Masarweh
You'll have to expand outside yourself at some point, no matter how skilled you are at growing your business on your own.
Today we’re going to talk about how exactly you can do that and I have just the perfect guest for you.
Laith Masarweh is the founder of Assistantly, a company that offers virtual team member staffing solutions with a focus on workplace culture.
Laith and I dive into the value of having virtual team members or what he refers to as “Unicorns” and how we see it as the best way to scale in 2022.
This episode offers a lot of insights on growing your business this 2022 so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* How Laith founded a VA company without any idea what a VA is [02:47]
* Industries that Assistantly caters to [08:30]
* The value of having VAs in your team [10:18]
* Part-time vs. full-time: How should you hire for your organization? [13:55]
* Why Laith believes he can start a third company [18:33]
* Should you hire a cli…
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Jan 21, 2022
BizOwner360 Series Ep 8: Support Your Customers - Success, Experience, & Service
When in doubt, start with the customer. If it doesn't make sense for them, you're probably doing it wrong, or you shouldn't be doing it.
Today, we touch on the last part of the A-C-E-S framework which is support.
It's a three-part strategy for your customers with three different areas of focus: (1.) customer success, (2.) customer experience, and (3.) customer service.
This should really be a part of your playbooks so tune in now and learn how you can ensure your success in these aspects of support.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/…
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Jan 18, 2022
138. A Sales System to Unlock Revenue Growth in 2022 with Karl Becker
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when your sales organization stalls. So when you face this problem, what should your focus be?
Today, I welcome Karl Becker, CEO and Founder of Improving Sales Performance and author of “Set Up To Win: Three Frameworks to a High-Performing Sales Organization.”
In this episode, we dive into the revenue equation he came up with which helps businesses diagnose problems in their sales and marketing strategies to further optimize them.
This conversation has been long overdue and I’ll definitely have Karl back to provide us more valuable wisdom about revenue growth so be sure to not miss this one!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Recent changes in the B2B world that Karl has observed [5:03]
* A powerful story about delegation from Karl [9:18]
* Karl’s concept to the revenue equation [12:29]
* Why your value needs to be clear to scale [17:39]
* What’s next after you got your messaging aligned? [23:43]
* Understand…
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Jan 14, 2022
BizOwner360 Series Ep 7: Enabling Your Prospects & Customers
From a customer acquisition standpoint, it’s such a huge waste not to have a procedure in place for when your prospects finally engage with you.
After all you’ve gone through to have them engage with you, it should be your priority to follow through with processes that will enable your target customers in easily availing your services and products.
So what comprises this customer enablement process? And how should you approach it?
Tune in as I introduce you to the 3rd framework in our A-C-E-S Zero to Ten Growth System.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrainorBrett
Twitt…
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Jan 11, 2022
137. How to Kick A$$ in 2022 with Sean Rosensteel
A new year knocks on our doors but our business goal remains the same. Now, what about our game plan?
Today, I welcome Sean Rosensteel back to the podcast to chat about how to kick some ass in 2022 and really drive growth in your business.
Sean and I each share three ideas or areas that we're focused on as keys for success in 2022 each of which we discuss in detail.
We share some strong opinions and differing ideas at times but are mostly aligned on what will and will not work this year.
This conversation went so great that we felt we had to do a Part 2 and I am sure you will feel the same way so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
1. Introduction [00:00]
2. The one thing our owners should be focused on for a great 2022 [2:21]
3. Crushing the new year by throwing out conventional wisdom [9:40]
a. The amazing benefit of hiring contractors [12:21]
4. The #2 in Brett and Sean’s 2022 Priority List [20:02]
5. Knowing what works best for your unique situation [26:18]
6. How steppi…
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Jan 7, 2022
BizOwner360 Series Ep 6: Connecting with Your Ideal Prospects
Only 3% of your ideal prospects are in "Buy Now" mode, therefore it's critical for you to be there when they're ready to buy.
After covering the concept and strategy of creating alignment, we now proceed with the 2nd framework, Connect which is critical to going from one-to-one to one-to-many sales.
You can complete the other frameworks but you will not be as effective so if you have not done the alignment exercise yet, I highly advise you to do so before moving on.
Tune in now to get better at creating awareness and providing value for your customers through this framework!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
F…
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Jan 4, 2022
136. How Ryan Kugler Built and Runs Three 7-Figure Companies with Five People
Starting and scaling a company is hard enough. Imagine having to do it with more than one.
It does seem to require a lot of effort but Ryan Kugler made this seemingly insurmountable feat achievable after growing his three companies to 7 figures.
What makes this stint more interesting is he only has five full-time employees to run the three businesses which are all in different industries
Learn how Ryan did it and what his biggest takeaways were by tuning in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [0:00]
* Ryan’s first company and his decision to start another one [02:32]
* The rationale behind Ryan’s small team for his “layered” company [04:43]
* How Ryan got started in the marketing industry [9:19]
* Opportunities that Ryan is looking into for his fourth business [11:39]
* Lessons that Ryan earned as he was growing his three companies [12:34]
* How Ryan allots time among his businesses in the new corporate setup [15:38]
* Expanding your company through del…
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Dec 28, 2021
135. Do Your Best Work in Half the Time: Learning How to be Time Rich with Best-selling Author & Podcaster Steve Glaveski
In our second re-broadcasting for the holiday break, we have the episode with top-rated podcaster and author, Steve Glaveski, who shared where he came up with the idea for his book, “Time Rich: Do Your Best Work, Live Your Best Life.”
Steve and I also discussed the necessity of establishing an entrepreneurial mindset in children, as well as how it extends to situations beyond business.
Finally, we look back to pre-COVID working circumstances and analyze how businesses are dealing with the current difficulty of working from home.
Let’s look back at this episode that teaches us to be more productive. Tune in now!
We talked about:
* Steve’s professional experience [02:07]
* Teaching an entrepreneurial mindset to kids [05:49]
* The idea behind Time Rich [9:36]
* Flow state: Avoiding time and productivity waste [14:40]
* Tim O’Reilly’s business model for the new economy” [22:23]
* The power of the rule of two [29:36]
* Presence and significance of the Pareto…
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Dec 21, 2021
134. How to Optimize Your Revenue Engine: Strategies & Tactics with Chris Walker
We're taking a short break over the holidays so I've chosen to re-air a couple of the most impactful episodes - impactful both from a business and a personal perspective.
So today, we have the episode with Chris Walker of Refine Labs where we went over his company’s ways of helping B2B companies grow through marketing.
Chris comes from a very unique background (engineering) which allows him to look at the full revenue ecosystem rather than breaking it down into silos.
If you want your revenue acquisition process to rely on digital to create demand, Chris is the man to call.
Join me as we look back to this very insightful episode!
We talked about:
1. How an engineering background gave Chris the advantage in marketing [01:36]
* Losing his own money as a vital point in his experience [04:20]
2. The gap in the marketplace that Chris saw [06:00]
* Removing assumptions that are no longer true [07:53]
3. The benefit of working with a blank slate [08:54]
4. Barriers preventing…
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Dec 17, 2021
BizOwner360 Series Ep 5: Aligning the Company & Your Offerings for Max Impact
In the last episode, I led you through the Zero to Ten growth approach, which is divided into four frameworks: ACES (Align- Connect- Enable- and Support).
Today, I'll delve deeper into the first framework's essential components and consequences - alignment.
Believe me, it’s much more difficult to market if your company and offerings are not aligned from the get-go, especially to those who do not know you.
So hop into the episode now and rid your company of that trouble!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Have of a copy of Anthony Condouris’ book “run_frictionless” (https://runfrictionless.com/buy-run-frictionless/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsET…
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Dec 14, 2021
133. How to “Read the Room” by Reading Facial Expressions with Dan Hill
The face is the mirror of the mind and this is why it is important for everyone, even for business owners, to have at least a bit of knowledge in reading facial expressions.
So today, Emotions Expert Dan Hill gives us a mini-masterclass on the most important emotions to look out for and how you should interpret and properly react to them.
This can be really powerful for you, especially in a digital-first zoom first world that we're in to better understand what the other side is actually thinking versus what they're saying.
Tune in now to enable yourself to communicate better with the people around you!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The rationale behind Dan’s new book “Blah Blah Blah” [2:19]
* What Dan is working on today [5:22]
* The basics of facial coding [8:16]
* Why emotions are more powerful than the dollars [10:40]
* What you should look out for when facial coding as a business owner [12:23]
* Interpreting happiness in the business world [1…
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Dec 10, 2021
BizOwner360 Series Ep 4: The Zero to Ten Growth Framework
Because B2B growth is nuanced, you must grasp the various revenue levers. You can't just hire a sales leader or a marketing leader and expect to solve your growth problems.
So in this episode, I'll walk you through the Zero to Ten System, which will help you break past owners' capacity and go from one-to-one selling to one-to-many selling.
This system is a combination of my experience in helping grow startups from 0 to 10 million dollars in 2+ years which I have improved with the insights that I got from my interviews with subject matter experts..
You’ll surely get a lot of value from learning this framework so hop into the episode now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouT…
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Dec 7, 2021
132. How to Start Connecting with Your Ideal Prospects Using Personal Video Marketing with Nina Froriep
Video marketing offers a lot of amazing and exclusive business benefits but entrepreneurs rarely use it to grow their businesses.
If you’re one of those entrepreneurs, I’m telling you, you’re missing out a lot.
Today, I'm pleased to have Clockwise Productions’ Nina Froriep to teach us how to attract ideal clients through video marketing.
Nina also shares the DOs and DON’Ts of video marketing which you can use as a guide once you decide to try it out for your company.
Tune into this episode now to learn how you can empower your brand through video marketing.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Nina’s beginning in filmmaking and the goal she developed with it [1:48]
* People’s reluctance to try out video marketing [6:03]
* Sharing what makes you stand out from other businesses in your industry [10:19]
* The first steps that Nina take when helping someone start with video marketing [13:20]
* Why Nina prefers working with businesses in the $120k-$50…
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Dec 3, 2021
BizOwner360 Series Ep 3: Buyer’s Preferences & Digital First
In this episode, I want to share some of the biggest changes in buyer expectations in the B2B landscape and how you can use them to your advantage.
I touch on why you need to think about business growth the way an ecommerce company would even if you're a services company, which is ultimately digital-first.
Lastly, I talk about the mismatch between buyers and the traditional buying process brought by the pandemic and how you can align with the new normal undertakings.
I’m very thankful for how you have welcomed this new series and may you keep having me as your guide on your way to your $10-million revenue. Tune in now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.…
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Nov 30, 2021
131. What’s Hot in B2B & Bootstrap or Raise? with Eva Nahari
In this episode, I welcome back Eva Nahari, a principal at DNX Ventures, an early-stage Venture Capital firm investing in B2B Startups.
Why am I bringing venture capitalists back to the program?
Eva is on the front lines of new technologies within the B2B space from which you can get potential business ideas or areas you can move your business into.
You’ll surely learn technologies that can help improve your business in efficiency and growth from everything that Eva shares in this episode.
Eva also gives her two cents on scaling through bootstrapping and raising which will help you decide on which between the two should you adopt for your business.
This episode is loaded with insights on the hottest B2B SaaS platforms and growing your startup so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Eva’s transition to B2B investing and mentoring [3:39]
* Squadcast and its workflow-based UI-guided tool [5:54]
* Quark.ai and how it provides better customer support…
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Nov 26, 2021
BizOwner360 Series Ep 2: Owners Capacity - How to Overcome the #1 Growth Blocker
Today, I'm diving into the #1 blocker that keeps businesses from getting to the $10-Million revenue which is.. the owners’ capacity.
No matter how good you are at growing your business on your own, there will come a time that you’ll have to go beyond yourself.
And what’s great about it is you don't have to overcome that learning curve by yourself.
Join me in this episode as I help you figure out how you can conquer this obstacle.
If you have any questions regarding growing your business, drop a comment and I will try to answer them in the upcoming episodes.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg
Facebook: ht…
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Nov 23, 2021
BizOwner360 Series Ep 1: Why $10 Million is Your Growth Target
Why should your ultimate goal be $10 million in revenue?
Today, I welcome you to Episode 1 of the BizOwner360, a new B2B Zero to Ten series to guide you as you grow your businesses to $10 million.
If you have been listening to this podcast, you’ll know that the tactics and success stories we share are all for our goal of reaching the $10 million revenue mark.
But why exactly $10 million?
Take a listen as we kick off this very special series.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Tune in to the Podcast Ep. 69 with Domenic Rinaldi (https://bretttrainor.com/2020/09/22/what-founders-need-to-do-to-maximize-their-startups-value-with-sun-acquisitions-managing-partner-domenic-rinaldi/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:
Email: BT@BrettTrainor.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bretttrain…
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Nov 23, 2021
130. BizOwner360: Another Resource, Same $10 Million Goal
Welcome to a special episode of the B2B Zero to Ten Podcast.
Today, I want to introduce “BizOwner360”, a new weekly series that will serve as another resource for you as you break through and grow your businesses to $10 million.
This will air every Friday in addition to the current regular weekly episodes and will also be available on my YouTube channel.
Here, we start with Episode 1 where I tell you why $10 million in revenue should be the objective of every business owner.
Tune in now and let’s get this started!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Tune in to the Podcast Ep. 69 with Domenic Rinaldi (https://bretttrainor.com/2020/09/22/what-founders-need-to-do-to-maximize-their-startups-value-with-sun-acquisitions-managing-partner-domenic-rinaldi/)
Connect with me and learn more about growing your business:…
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Nov 16, 2021
129. 5 Ways Digital Marketers Rip-off Business Owners and What to Do About It with Sean Rosensteel
There are many ways digital marketers rip-off business owners that you should be wary of if you want to attain the ROI you deserve in the “digital marketing first” space we’re in.
We will be talking about 5 of these schemes and how you should deal with them with Sean Rosensteel who becomes our show’s second third-timer.
Sean also brings to the table his company’s sure-fire digital marketing framework that you can easily adapt for your own business.
After this episode, you’ll surely be able to work out with your digital marketer the corporate success that you’re aiming for so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
1. Introduction [00:00]
2. The one time when Sean got ripped off [2:23]
3. The issue in digital marketing specializations [6:00]
4. The biggest way digital marketers can rip business owners off [8:40]
5. What you should take note of when meeting with a digital marketer [10:22]
6. Two reasons why digital marketers recommend expensive technology [12:58]
7. Def…
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Nov 9, 2021
128. Profit-Generating Business Decisions Through Data & Analytics with Govind Balu
It's never too early to build your data infrastructure. You can always start small and scale it.
Today, I welcome back Govind Balu, Founder of QuaXigma, to chat about the power in the strategic value of data analytics, and ultimately machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Govind and I dive into ways on how to set up a business for a smooth sailing data & analytics system. Govind also shares how his firm helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation by creating customer-centric solutions.
You’ll surely come out of this episode with the perfect idea on how you’ll do data analytics for your business so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Data challenges that Govind see in SMEs [04:11]
* Govind’s data organization tip for small companies [6:21]
* Having the right data on making business decisions [11:47]
* Keeping your database clean starting from the early days [14:02]
* Including data strategies to customer journey roadmap [1…
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Nov 2, 2021
127. Baking Made Easier: BāKIT Box’s Recipe for Rapid Growth
With the simple goal of making the process of baking easier and more fun for everyone, our guest for today was able to build a fast-growing brand.
So if you’ve always known that you’re going to end up in the entrepreneur world but just don't have the idea as to how yet, this episode is for you.
Today, I welcome Shelley Gupta, co-founder of BāKIT Box, a new company that is modernizing the way of baking and is currently gaining a lot of traction.
Shelley and I break down the origin of BāKIT Box and how she went from being a singer-songwriter to working as a management consultant to ultimately co-founding BāKIT Box.
There's a lot of interesting learning and you can hear the tactics and the approach Shelley and her partner took in their early days so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* How Shelley got started with BāKIT Box [03:01]
* The inseparability of owners from their brand [5:18]
* Shelley’s journey from working for Accenture to founding…
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Oct 26, 2021
126. How the Pivot From Consulting to Tech-Enabled Services Skyrocketed Growth for Garreth Chandler
Without fully understanding the various factors that surround a business problem, you will never develop the best solutions to them.
This is the key philosophy that Garreth Chandler, who joins me in this episode, uses in delivering the needs of their clients and employees in his company, The Evolved Group.
Garreth and I talk about the business decisions that he had to make to help The Evolved Group succeed, including his huge pivot from consulting business to a tech-enabled services company.
He also touches on the biggest changes that he has observed in the consulting and technology industry and how he adapted to them.
This episode is a valuable guide for you if you’re looking to start a B2B business so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* What motivated Garreth to build The Evolved Group [02:33]
* The customers that Garreth targeted at his company’s early growth stage [6:31]
* The flow of business that Garreth had in his company’s beginning [7:…
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Oct 19, 2021
125. From Freelance Consultant to Building an International Organization: Kobi Simmat’s Incredible Zero to Ten Journey
There are no shortcuts when it comes to setting up your company for success. It takes building a winning culture that works best not just for your market but for your team as well.
Best Practice Biz CEO and Founder Kobi Simmat joins me in this episode to share his Zero to Ten journey from a freelance consultant to the CEO of a multinational company.
Kobi also talks about the most important principles that he teaches to business owners who seek his advice on growing their company.
This episode imparts best company practices and philosophies that you can also apply for your business so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Kobi’s life before building Best Practice Biz [06:05]
* Problems that Best Practice Biz solves [12:14]
* Lessons that Kobi gained when he was starting to scale [15:18]
* Reviewing your business activities in the previous week [23:24]
* The easiest way to create a grant culture [30:04]
* The value in helping people do the work th…
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Oct 12, 2021
124. How Being “20% More Human” Can Dramatically Drive Growth with Ethan Beute
As we get caught up in how much the modes of communication have advanced today, we tend to forget the most important aspect which is you, the human.
In this episode, BombBomb Chief Evangelist Ethan Beute talks us through his new book, “Human-Centered Communication” which provides insights on building a better reputation for your company from the communication side of doing business.
Ethan also gives his take on dealing with prospects that are yet to go “buy now” mode and balancing our focus between the emotion and the message when communicating with our market.
Ethan unloads so many valuable bits of wisdom on how you can drive growth to your business so jump into this episode now.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The benefit of video messaging to businesses [04:19]
* What motivated Ethan to write his second book [9:35]
* The value in prioritizing helping over selling [15:34]
* Dealing with leads that are not yet on the “buy now” mode [23:28]
* T…
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Oct 5, 2021
123. The “Starting Point”: How a Services Company is Scaling via SaaS w/ Ray McKenzie
In the B2B world, we experience almost the same kind of problems. So sometimes, all it takes is thinking of your own situation to come up with something that delivers your market’s needs.
This is how Ray McKenzie developed an incredible software called “Starting Point,” a platform that compliments his first company, “Red Beach Advisors.”
Along with Digital Marketing Expert Sean Rosensteel, who co-hosts this episode with me, we touch on the principles and processes that Ray applies to provide a great customer experience through their software services.
Ray also talks about common challenges in delivering Software as a Service (SaaS) and ways that he deals with these obstacles.
This episode provides tons of wisdom and inspiration on scaling a SaaS business into a $10-million company so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The beginning of Ray’s management consulting firm [04:57]
* How Ray allocates resources on his two companies [11:25]
* Ra…
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Sep 28, 2021
122. The ROI of Building Hassle-Free Websites for Your Zero to Ten Journey with Sean Rosensteel
Is your website not generating enough ROI despite all the money and effort that you’ve poured into it? You might have fallen to the trap of conventional marketing strategies that no longer work.
Today, Digital Marketing Guru Sean Rosensteel exposes web development mistakes and myths that you should avoid if you want your business to stay on top.
Sean and I weigh in on the right mindset to have when starting a business website. Sean also provides useful alternatives and his own lead generation framework that is so easy to follow and surely going to work for you.
Tune in to this episode now to learn new and effective ways to generate more ROIs through your website!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* A great way to lay the groundwork for your digital business [07:05]
* The missing big ingredient in business websites today [14:04]
* The Story Brand Framework [16:08]
* SEO writing in WordPress vs. other platforms [24:20]
* Is SEO still a conducive strategy for y…
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Sep 21, 2021
121. “Lee London” on Designing a Brand that People Love and their Zero to Ten Journey
People don’t spend their money on a product or a service. What they buy are the life-changing solutions that they will get from whatever you are offering.
So how do you get your clients into trusting you with providing answers to their lives’ biggest problems?
That’s what User Experience Specialist Valerie Kent and I address in this episode where she shares the philosophy she had behind her iconic webcam covers and when she built her women tech-focused company, Lee London.
We also touch on the business pivots that Valerie had to take and how he managed her way through them.
This episode is full of insights on how you can come up with a brand that your customers will love on your way to your $10-million revenue goal so tune in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* The start of Valerie’s entrepreneurial journey [03:30]
* The first business lessons that Valerie learned [10:53]
* Why Valerie went through retailers instead of individual consumers [12:36]…
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Sep 14, 2021
120. Growing a B2B Business in 2021 With Top SMB Expert Michael Haynes
Are you having trouble adapting your B2B business strategies to today’s disruptive world? If you answered yes, this episode is for you.
Leading SMB Growth Expert Michael Haynes joins me to talk about how you should strategize to keep your company on top amidst constantly changing consumer needs.
We cover topics such as understanding the demands of a market, overcoming weaknesses of a company, and Michael’s new mastermind program called “Empower.”
Tune in now to make sure your company never stops growing with the tons of wisdom that Michael unloads in this episode!
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* What’s going on in the SMB world? [05:30]
* Michael’s take on sales and marketing alignment [07:56]
* Going digital with sales and marketing strategies [11:29]
* Collaboration and co-creation beyond alignment [16:00]
* Understanding and delivering the needs of your buyers [18:47]
* Thinking bigger to drive business growth [20:21]
* Knowing when to d…
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Sep 7, 2021
119. Ideas that Last - From One Aha! Moment to $10 Million
One brilliant idea can result in a product or service that customers patronize.
But coming up with an idea is just the first step. It takes great development, adaptation, harmonization, and execution of several ideas before you finally end up with something that your clients will keep coming back to.
In today’s episode, I welcome Danielle Gillespie, founder of Ideas Last, a tech geek who has thrived on building rock solid products that people love for 25 years.
Danielle and I talk about the approaches she does to help companies propel to success starting from one business idea. She also provides useful tips on getting the most out of business ideas and how to adapt or ditch them according to customers’ needs.
If you have an idea on how you can start a business that will bring you good fortune but you’re lost as to how you will maximize it, this episode is the perfect guide for you.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* How Danielle’s framework helps startup ide…
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Aug 31, 2021
118. What Now? How M&A Can Impact Your Zero to Ten Journey
Closing a merger and acquisition deal is just the beginning. Majority of M&A deals fall short of pre-deal expectations, and the key difficulty is ensuring that the deal delivers the value that prompted the decision to get into the agreement in the first place.
In today’s episode, I am joined by none other than the M&A Whisperer herself Jennifer J. Fondrevay who has been a part of three separate multibillion-dollar merger and acquisition deals.
Jennifer and I chat about ways of pulling through mergers and acquisitions, a subject that she also covers in her book “NOW WHAT? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving through Mergers & Acquisitions.”
Most companies that undergo mergers and acquisitions do not get the valuation that they originally intended. Majority of these deals also fail because of the workforce being unable to pivot and adapt as rapidly as the leadership expected.
If you’re worried that yours could end up the same, then this episode will help you find a way to change t…
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Aug 24, 2021
117. “The Juice” on the Value of Content for B2B and their Zero to Ten Journey
By now everyone knows how crucial content marketing is. Effective content marketing connects your business to the right customers and amplifies your brand message. But while B2C brands are nailing it, B2B businesses are having a much harder time finding and distributing their content.
Today we have Jonathan Gandolf, Co-Founder and CEO of The Juice, sharing with us his unexpected journey from craft beer to content marketing and how he envisions the future of B2B marketing.
Find out the most common problems marketers have, how content marketing has evolved over the years, and what you can do to make your vision a reality.
We’ll talk about:
* Introduction [00:00]
* Jonathan’s career background [02:18]
* Getting involved with High Alpha [04:12]
* How Jonathan’s craft brewery cut through the noise [05:19]
* Who High Alpha is and what they do [08:23]
* The problem with B2B content distribution [13:35]
* The vision for The Juice [16:09]
* Becoming the co-founder of…
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Aug 17, 2021
116. Special Announcement: Zero to Ten
What does Zero to Ten even mean?
If you’ve been listening to my podcast, then you know how often I talk about scaling a startup from 0 to $10 million in revenue. That’s the goal I’ve been helping startups to reach.
So as I do a rebrand of my podcast, I find it fitting to make that a part of my podcast name. In this short and special episode, I’ll tell you what pushed me to make this change and what you can expect as we head towards 120 episodes and beyond!
We’ll talk about:
* Why I’m making this change [00:41]
* What to expect [01:38]
* The history of my podcast [02:38]
* It’s not a traditional podcast [03:51]
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.
Connect with B2B Founder:
Subscribe on Youtube: https…
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Aug 10, 2021
115. The Ultimate Guide to Hitting the $1M Revenue Target (and beyond)
Reaching the $1 million threshold is a milestone for all entrepreneurs. But that doesn’t mean everyone actually gets there. In fact, less than 2% of all American businesses have been able to get past this marker. And with the right approach, you can also be a part of that elite group.
In today’s episode, we take a deep dive into the millionaire mindset with Chicago-based business consultant Brad Farris.
Brad leads his team of consultants at Anchor Advisors to get creative services firms reach their million-dollar objective through strategic decision-making and goal realignment.
Learn the most common pitfalls of expanding your business, why you can’t reach that $1M mark, and what you can do to ensure unlimited growth.
We'll talk about:
* Anchor Advisors [1:57]
* The Value of Specialization [5:56]
* Higher Client Qualification [11:19]
* Becoming Attractive to Clients [12:26]
* Challenges of Reaching $1M [3:55]
* Solving Burnout [13:55]
* The Art of Selling Servi…
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Aug 3, 2021
114. How to Create High-Performing Teams From One of the Top Prep Coaches with Coach Gene Heidkamp
What does it take to build a high-performing team? Is it about getting the best talents? Or building the best program?
We have a unique episode this time as I interview Gene Heidkamp, the basketball coach at Benet Academy. The Redwings netted the 3rd most wins in Northern Illinois from 2010-2020 making them one of the most successful high school basketball programs of the decade.
I believe B2B startups can learn several lessons from Coach Heidkamp’s approach. From how he built the program, getting the team to buy in, dealing with adversity, to setting the expectations for the season, this interview definitely gives us an insider look into the mind of a great leader.
Be sure to catch this episode as it’s a must listen!
We’ll talk about:
* What made the Benet Program successful [04:50]
* The importance of sacrifice in the success of the program [06:09]
* Coach Heidkamp’s philosophy [07:53]
* Why defense is the backbone that leads to wins [13:06]
* The key is to be…
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Jul 27, 2021
113. The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Live Your Best Life with Michael Easter of Men’s Health & Outside Magazine
Has staying in your comfort zone made you stagnant?
We’re living in a very developed world that has granted us comforts our ancestors likely couldn’t even imagine. But this has somehow impacted our health and our ability to grow.
Today’s episode is going to be very different from my usual, but I guarantee the message will resonate with a lot of B2B founders. Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, comes in to talk about what’s really causing the physical and mental health issues we’re seeing become more prevalent, despite modern science.
Michael gives us the blueprint for leveraging the power of discomfort so that we can tap into our evolutionary instincts and our need to be challenged. Doing this will allow us to dramatically improve our health and happiness.
For the startup founders there who’ve been neglecting their health and have been feeling stuck, don’t miss this episode.
We’ll talk about:
* Michael’s inspiration for writing the book [02:08]
*…
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Jul 20, 2021
112. How Eppione Scaled Their Tech Startup By Empowering Employees with David Kindlon
The global workforce is fast becoming remote and borderless.
The current technologies in the human resources space pose so many challenges for companies like Eppione, but along with it comes the enormous potential for scale and profitability as well.
In this episode, David Kindlon, shares with us how their company is catching up with the demands from HR tech platforms and how they are disrupting the insurance industry through their SaaS.
We’ll talk about:
* How David started in the HR tech space [01:49]
* Finding the RIGHT co-founders in business [08:25]
* From mere idea to actual product with early adopters [10:03]
* SaaS is where the future of money is for Eppione [11:45]
* The insurance industry is still using old tech stacks [15:08]
* Global remote work changes the landscape for HR technology [16:53]
* The pivot directed by user feedback [19:19]
* What David would have done in the early stages of the business [21:38]
* Be ready with a plan before getting fun…
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Jul 13, 2021
111. Founder-led Selling: Science-backed Solutions for Break Through Growth with David Priemer
The world of selling has changed so much. It’s no longer just putting up a website and a couple of clicks later - Bam! You just made a sale.
David Premier comes back to the show as we get knee deep into founder-led selling. Why are we seeing founders struggle and face a lot of inefficiencies? David goes over the little, but actually big misses that stop startups for getting over that hurdle.
From the image you need to present the prospective buyer to how you make that discovery call, learn what’s going to make your customers buy. So tune in now.
We’ll talk about:
* A quick background on David [02:17]
* Why you need to look at how you speak to a customer [04:30]
* Being consistent with your mission and vision will get you farther [08:54]
* How to move from features & benefits to problem solving [11:58]
* Think about how you can sound different [16:52]
* People buy the product that aligns with their mental image [18:08]
* Think about that unknown, unspoken [24:33…
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Jul 6, 2021
110. Advice From a Former Stripper Turned Fitness Coach Who Gained 35K Followers on LinkedIn & How It Can Help Your Startup Scale with Gav Gillibrand
In a busy world of entrepreneurship, staying fit and healthy has always been quite a struggle.
In this episode, Gav Gillibrand, takes us back memory lane to his journey from being a male stripper back in the ’90s to being a Fitness Instructor and now to being a Fitness and Nutrition Coach. Learn how he was able to scale a one-on-one, service-based profession to a highly scalable and highly profitable Fitness and Nutrition Coaching business.
Learn how working less but making more can be made possible by knowing
We’ll talk about:
* How Gav transitioned from the world of stripping to the world of fitness [01:37]
* Scaling the personal trainer profession [09:30]
* LinkedIn as the best B2B platform to connect with ideal clients [13:04]
* Power of video for fitness and nutrition coaches [17:38]
* People want to buy from a person not a company [21:51]
* It’s okay to say things some people disagree with [24:20]
* The benefits of staying healthy for busy entrepreneurs [3…
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Jun 29, 2021
109. How to “Outrank” a Billion-Dollar Company & Why SEO is the Key to Startup Growth with Damon Burton
Getting known, getting leads, and getting sales are all part of online marketing. But the popularity of paid ads shifted businesses to think of marketing as merely budget considerations.
However, SEO pioneer Damon Burton believes that SEO is making a full circle as more entrepreneurs get burned out by paid ads.
Damon has been in the SEO space for almost 15 years and has seen its evolution over the years. He has worked with a wide variety of businesses from mom and pop stores to multi-billion dollar companies and startups.
Listen to him as he shares why SEO remains a strong choice for long-term online marketing efforts and how SEO should be done right over a period of time to experience its full benefits.
We’ll talk about:
* Damon as an early adopter of SEO [02:13]
* The evolution of SEO and paid ads [04:26]
* Why SEO is more stable and scalable than paid ads [05:38]
* Long term and short term objectives of SEO [09:17]
* Understand your audiences when doing paid ads [14…
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Jun 22, 2021
108. How to Use Hype to Break Through the Noise and Get Your Startup Noticed with Michael F Schein
For years, entrepreneurs focus on the benefits and features of their products and services. However, many are equally baffled why they are hardly hitting their sales targets.
In this episode, Michael F. Schein brings to the discussion table how the Power of Hype is making people act on something with much gusto. Being good enough at what you do is not enough to make people buy from you these days. Entrepreneurs must find that formula to set themselves apart from the norm and make a solid following from like-minded, loyal followers.
Find out the strategies on how to use hype for business success and increase your sphere of influence.
We’ll talk about:
* How Michael got started in this business [02:20]
* What led Michael to write his book The Hype Handbook [03:01]
* Founders tell stories to sell [06:26]
* Tools and principles on how to hype things up [09:25]
* Crafting a story when selling features and benefits doesn't work anymore. [13:00]
* The importance of authentic…
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Jun 15, 2021
107. Transitioning from Founder-led to a Scaleup: Lessons Learned and What’s Next with CampfireSocial’s Erica Bishaf
Are trade shows now a distant memory?
In today’s time and with the climate brought about by COVID-19, trade shows look like a thing of the past.
But one entrepreneur saw the opportunity to fill the gap in the space and modernize what used to be so common. CampfireSocial’s Founder and CEO Erica Bishaf shares her journey so far as a startup in its early stages. As the first omnichannel platform designed solely for industry verticals and organizations, they are at the forefront of what could be revolutionary.
The path from startup to scaleup often starts with solving a problem. So this episode is sure to help you see what challenges a young startup faces as it builds and grows.
We’ll talk about:
* Erica’s background and why she started CampfireSocial [01:20]
* What are trade associations and what are they for? [05:31]
* How Erica is modernizing the trade show [06:42]
* Applying the same idea in the pet space to trade associations [08:51]
* Her first priorities durin…
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Jun 8, 2021
106. Turning Chaos Into Clarity: The Power of Content, Processes, and Connecting with the Right Customer with Priscilla McKinney
Growing a startup at this time is different from what it used to be.
It will take more than the sales call and networking and promoting features and benefits.
In another episode focused on digital transformation, digital marketing, and branding, Little Bird Marketing’s own Momma Bird, Priscilla McKinney gives her own take on what every founder should be doing now to scale their startup.
It’s time to get with the times, so tune in to grab these awesome digital marketing takeaways.
We’ll talk about:
* Priscilla’s amazing work on marketing [02:35]
* How companies can cut through the noise [04:59]
* Getting the branding and message aligned [10:50]
* It’s no longer sales enablement because the buyer has control [15:59]
* Ask yourself how you can help your customer [18:35]
* Your team doesn’t want the company reliant on the founder [23:04]
* How startups can connect with their audience [26:05]
* Why you shouldn’t sell: Two things that happen before a buying…
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Jun 1, 2021
105. How to Use Customer Insights to Accelerate Your B2B Startup’s Growth with Mary Claire Mandeville
Do you know why your customers choose you? Sure, your sales rep may have told you why, but do you really know for sure?
Today’s episode will take you on a deep dive into customer insights. Vennli’s CEO Mary Claire Mandeville gives us lots of reasons why B2B companies need to start leveraging customer feedback more, what you should be doing about market research, customer insights, and even customer experience no matter what stage your startup is, and how this can help startups as they start to scale.
Start with the customer and you can’t go wrong. So tune in now.
We’ll talk about:
* Mary’s journey from sales to CEO [01:27]
* The core competencies of Vennli [04:08]
* Why B2B companies aren’t leveraging services more [05:56]
* Building a company starts with the voice of the customer [09:48]
* Why you should want to hear not so good news [11:58]
* Leadership need to always stay in touch with customers [16:28]
* Two important factors key to scaling to $10 mill…
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May 25, 2021
104. The Rise of the Inbound CEO: Here’s Why Founders Need to Tell Their Story with Marti Sanchez
The sales first approach isn’t going to cut it anymore.
When the market is filled with stiff competition, it’s time to bring out your key differentiator- your CEO.
For today’s show, I finally have the real proof why content is king. Inbound CEO Marti Sanchez shares with us what he does and how he helps B2B CEOs build their personal brands and create trust through high-quality content.
Listen to this episode and find out why content is definitely king!
We’ll talk about:
* How Marti went from ghostwriting to personal branding for CEOs [02:02]
* Why content is important for founders [08:09]
* Content is about providing value and building trust [10:05]
* Everyone has ideas, execution is what matters [11:41]
* Start with 1-2 long-form pieces to build trust [16:22]
* How early-stage founders can get started on content [13:32]
* Speed of execution is key [18:17]
* Inbound revenue should be the only metric you look at [21:23]
* Most of your leads aren’t the on…
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May 24, 2021
Bonus Episode: How To Break Through The Business Growth Plateau
In another bonus episode, I’m sharing my second time to be a guest at M&A Unplugged, which is hosted by Domenic Rinaldi. For this episode, I talked about my strategy for helping B2B startups achieve scalable growth.
I’ll be talking about my template for analyzing a company’s growth barriers, strategies for growth, and how to implement those strategies without making bad investments that won’t provide a return.
Whether you are an existing owner of a business or you are contemplating your business acquisition and want to grow it, you wouldn’t want to miss this episode.
Here are the topics we covered:
* Intro to this episode [01:15]
* The stats in the startup space & what Brett found out about what’s preventing scalable growth [03:08]
* Why will Brett’s methodology work for any company [06:22]
* The three levers to look at when it comes to growth [07:11]
* Brett’s discovery process for finding where the plateau is [08:38]
* Most of the time the owners aren…
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May 18, 2021
103. How Being Yourself Makes You a Better Leader and Why This is Critical to Growth with Minter Dial
As a founder, you are a critical component to your startup’s ability to grow and succeed.
And I’m not talking about who you know. This time, it’s all about how well you know yourself.
Leaders lead and pave the way for businesses to reach new heights. Today’s guest is very passionate about helping entrepreneurs transform their organizations by first looking within and leaning into their personalities and finding that meaningful purpose to tap into that powerful energy that will drive growth.
Dive into this inspirational episode to help you build the backbone of a business built for success. Tune in now.
We’ll talk about:
* Minter's life and global background [02:05]
* Companies need to have a purpose [03:24]
* What led to him writing his book, You Lead [04:47]
* Why entrepreneurs should lean into their personalities [11:41]
* Create a brand that is real for people [16:39]
* Make your purpose meaningful [16:49]
* The two components needed for long-term succe…
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May 17, 2021
Bonus Episode: How to Build a Four-Point Demand Gen Strategy
In this bonus episode, I’m sharing my guesting at the B2B Growth podcast.
I get to talk with Lesley Crews of Sweetfish Media about how to shift your mindset and focus on growth. On top of that, I share my four-point plan for growth - something that I encourage B2B startups to use as a framework as early as now.
Here are the topics we covered:
* What exactly is demand generation? Why do we need to have an organizational approach to it? [01:35]
* The need to shift our mindset from a sales perspective to a buyer’s perspective [02:42]
* Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. [04:06]
* The one thing B2B marketers need to stop doing [05:25]
* Why there’s no such thing as a marketing-qualified lead & why you shouldn’t force your prospect through the buying process [07:23]
* The four-point framework to move from startup to scaleup [10:17]
* How to get started on building a demand gen framework [16:11]
* How startups get demand gen wrong [18:42]
Resource Links:…
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May 11, 2021
102. How This Serial B2B Entrepreneur has Changed Growth Strategies and Why Content is the Key to Scaling with Norman Crowley
Climate change is a controversial topic for many.
But let’s face it. We all want to continue living on our planet.
Imagine combining capitalism and climate change. Serial entrepreneur Norman Crowley is at the forefront of climate capitalism as he pushes forward with his Cool Planet Group. Norman talks with me today about his own entrepreneurial journey and the tough lessons he has picked up.
Get to know this inspirational startup founder who has already successfully sold 3 businesses by tuning in now.
We’ll talk about:
* Starting his entrepreneurial journey at 15 [01:38]
* Energy efficiency through Clarity [04:59]
* Electrify: Converting classic cars to electric cars [06:01]
* The future of food with Cell Ag [06:45]
* From gaming to climate change [04:22]
* His approach to growing his B2B ventures [08:21]
* You have to jump with both feet and learn new stuff all the time [13:56]
* Ask yourself this: Would you want to go drinking with this hire? [19:27]
* Ho…
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May 4, 2021
101. How to Dominate: Raving Fans, Innovation & a Yellow Tux with Jesse Cole
Standing out when tons of other companies offer similar products is a challenge.
But in this day and age, it pays to be creative. And it pays to be different.
Today, we have a very unique guest, Jesse Cole is the owner of the baseball team, Savannah Bananas. And I believe he has the blueprint for businesses to stand out and separate themselves from the crowd.
When different is better than better, you want to make sure you are highlighting what makes you YOU.
Get to know this passionate entrepreneur and learn what it takes for your startup to stand out.
We’ll talk about:
* How Jesse is changing baseball through differentiation [01:12]
* Constraints force creativity, but you learn by doing [05:19]
* Own the problems [08:37]
* Create Noise [09:26]
* The 3 Loves [09:55]
* Why do you do what you do [10:53]
* The blueprint for becoming the ONLY [08:10]
* Different is better than better [14:01]
* Why you should create the ‘Wow’ factor [19:41]
* Make sure you…
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Apr 27, 2021
100. Why Experience and Differentiation Are Key to Grow from a Startup to a Scaleup with Tim Caito
Selling to a founder’s network is very different from selling to those outside the network.
As startups reach that threshold, they find that what worked before is no longer getting them the leads to scale and grow.
So for my 100th episode, I got back my first guest, Tim Caito. Tim and I revisit what he talked about before, the value and power of differentiation. Now, I believe this has become increasingly valuable as buyer expectations have become much higher.
In this digital-first world we’re in, what are the things startups need to do as they’re planning to scale?
Well, you’d have to tune in to find out.
We’ll talk about:
* Tim’s background and the work he does [02:36]
* Sometimes founders end up as barriers to their startup’s growth [04:54]
* Selling is just problem solving [08:40]
* Crazy founder syndrome is real and it’s a problem [15:03]
* What makes you different makes you relevant [22:35]
* Tim’s process of reverse engineering and forward eng…
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Apr 20, 2021
99. Startup to Scaleup: A 4 Part Plan to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million
Reaching $10M in revenue is a very important milestone. And why wouldn’t it be when less than 1% get there.
Any startup already making half a million to a million dollars in revenue is most likely thinking about scaling. But if you’ll be using the same tactics and sales strategy then you might not give yourself the best chance.
In this guest-free episode, I’ll be sharing my 4-part framework which I’ve used to help companies grow to $10M in revenue. After speaking with quite a number of subject matter experts, I’ve been able to tweak and refine what’s worked, especially as we move to a digital-first approach where flexibility is necessary.
Why wait any further? Get into the episode now.
We’ll talk about:
* Why $10M in revenue is a critical milestone [01:33]
* What’s stopping startups from getting to that milestone [03:52]
* The 4 parts of my framework: ACES [04:39]
* A: Align your company, customer, and offer [05:36]
* C: Connect with your prospects [09:0…
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Apr 13, 2021
98. How This Founder Bootstrapped His Startup to a Scaleup with Ofer Yourvexel
The story of Pepperi is a story of success.
Being in business for almost 12 years, this B2B sales platform has reached heights that most B2B founders dream of.
What did it take to get there? That was a question I wanted to dive into.
So I got Pepperi’s CEO and Cofounder, Ofer Yourvexel, to tell us himself. From offering one unified business logic to the ‘Wow’ factor that got the attention of customers, Ofer reveals that they don’t even do outbound calls.
How did he build the momentum that got Pepperi to where they are today?
You’d have to tune in to this episode to find out.
We’ll talk about:
* Ofer’s personal and work background [01:23]
* What Pepperi offers that others don’t have [05:15]
* Making a pivot to get things right [08:07]
* The benefit of being profitable and not needing investors [10:18]
* The key selling proposition that hooked their first customers [11:35]
* Nurturing customers instead of chasing them [14:26]
* The impact of COVID-19…
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Apr 6, 2021
97. How to Leverage Digital Transformation to Thrive in the New Economy with Lynda Roth
The saying hindsight is 20/20 holds true most of the time.
Learning from the mistakes made by businesses that have either gone up or gone under is a worthy exercise.
In this nearly hour-long episode, digital transformation expert, Lynda Roth, takes us back with stories from companies that rode the wave of technology change and those that didn’t and sunk in the process.
We hear about companies such as Sears and Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix, and even a little sewing pattern maker who craftily built a business digitally.
Don’t get left behind and grab the lessons you can pick up in this episode. Tune in now.
We’ll talk about:
* Getting into and being a pioneer in I.T. [01:58]
* Stories of success & failure in the midst of technology change [08:05]
* The contents of her book - Digital Transformation [16:56]
* Comparing Sears to Amazon [19:31]
* Comparing Sears to Emerson Electric [23:58]
* Whatever business you’re in, start as a digital company [26:59]
* Ho…
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Mar 30, 2021
96. How to Optimize Your Revenue Engine: Strategies & Tactics with Chris Walker
Marketing is no longer what it used to be.
Forget coaxing customers to attend a demo. Using education to raise buyer awareness is now key.
Chris Walker from Refine Labs joins me today as we go over their own way of helping B2B companies grow through marketing. Chris comes from a very unique background (engineering) and this gives him an advantage of looking at the entire ecosystem of revenue and not broken down into silos.
So if you’re looking into transitioning your revenue acquisition model to drive demand from digital, Chris is just the right man to help you make those crucial changes.
Tune in to this episode to grab insights from this highly disruptive demand marketer!
We’ll talk about:
* How an engineering background gave Chris the advantage in marketing [01:51]
* Losing his own money as a vital point in his experience [04:33]
* The gap in the marketplace that Chris saw [06:13]
* Removing assumptions that are no longer true [08:06]
* The benefit of working wi…
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Mar 23, 2021
95. Eva Nahari’s Journey from Cloudera to Venture Capital & What She's Looking to Invest In
It’s an exciting time for the B2B startup world.
With so many opportunities present and probably triggered by the current climate, we’re seeing trends rising for innovative companies to get the spotlight.
What are those and what should you do to get one step ahead of the competition?
Today, I got Eva Nahari from DNX Ventures. As a Principal at DNX, we go over what’s she’s working on, her thoughts on the difference between AI and ML, the areas of her focus, and how automation & streamlining processes are key at this time.
Jump into this powerful episode to find out what this venture capitalist sees coming up next.
We’ll talk about:
* The journey from Sweden to DNX Ventures in California [01:40]
* Moving from angel investing to VC [09:18]
* Her role and what’s she’s working on at DNX [13:44]
* Key things to think about when scaling [19:00]
* Select & prioritize where you put resources [21:32]
* Put confidence in your pipeline [22:43]
* What Eva looks fo…
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Mar 16, 2021
94. How This Venture Capital Firm Has Pivoted and What’s Next with CoFounders Capital General Partner Tim McLoughlin
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly did a heavy number on the B2B startup space.
We’ve seen businesses reach accelerated growth. And we’ve also seen businesses shut down.
What does this mean for the venture capitalist world? And what can we expect as we push forward into 2021?
Cofounders Capital’s Tim McLoughlin comes back one-year post-pandemic. We catch up as he shares how they have shifted in the current climate, the opportunities coming out that startups should grab, and what else he sees in the tech space.
Jump into this powerful episode to find out what this venture capitalist sees coming up next.
We’ll talk about:
* Cofounders Capital investments in North Carolina [01:58]
* The amount of deal flow they get [04:34]
* Don’t do this in your pitch email to VC funds [06:18]
* Putting a COVID lens on startups [09:47]
* The opportunity present in building the culture for a remote workforce [12:53]
* A look ahead to 2021: Will the acceleration of certain trends c…
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Mar 9, 2021
93. Fast Track Revenue Growth by Prioritizing on Your Customer’s Success with Kathleen Marcell
The success of a company is dependent on its customers staying with them.
But when you’re too focused on chasing new leads, customer success often takes a back seat. Well, there’s no longer room for doing that.
In this specialized episode on customer success, Kathleen Marcell joins me as we go over what startups can do to start building that into their process.
Kathleen consults with companies helping them grow faster through increasing revenue from current customers. So this episode certainly provides a load of strategies growing companies can use.
We’ll talk about:
* Kathleen’s background and work [01:55]
* Kathleen’s definition of customer success [05:57]
* Put yourself in your customer’s shoes [08:45]
* How to get started on building in customer success [07:47]
* Kathleen’s process for onboarding [12:20]
* Smoothing out the transitions to another department [14:29]
* Balancing customer success and revenue [19:05]
* The right time to put in a Cust…
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Mar 2, 2021
92. From Startup to Scale Up: How Patrick Comer Was Able to Grow Lucid to a $100 Million Business
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Lucid Website (https://luc.id/)
* Check out Patrick Comer’s Podcast (https://luc.id/lookingglass/)
In today’s data-focused, consumer-driven market, having insights into the customer mind is priceless.
Getting access to that data though is another thing. But this is where innovation steps in.
A pioneer of the restech or research technology landscape, Patrick Comer combines research, data analysis, and technology in his company, Lucid. We talk about their startup to scale-up story, the learnings they’ve picked up on, the shifts they’ve made, plus more.
Don’t miss this episode on this extraordinary startup making waves in the industry.
We’ll talk about:
* Lucid and the work they do in the research tech space [01:33]
* Why insights are now part of an enterprise’ competitive advantage [03:46]
* Patrick’s re…
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Feb 23, 2021
91. Why Your Personal Brand Matters for Founders with Brand Strategist Claire Bahn
With today’s CEOs being like celebrities and coming out as the face of their brand, personal branding is now even more important for startups.
Thus, founders need to understand that it is in the best interest of their company for them to get out there and get loud.
Personal brand strategist, Claire Bahn, joins me in today’s episode on branding. Find out what you need to do to get started, the common pitfalls people make, and lots of tips for building your personal brand.
The right time to build your personal brand is now, so don’t miss this valuable episode!
We’ll talk about:
* Claire’s journey to becoming a personal brand strategist [01:38]
* What exactly is personal branding [02:54]
* The move from features and benefits to the face behind the brand [05:15]
* Your brand is already out there [06:16]
* The first step is to plan it out [08:14]
* You are your biggest advocate [11:20]
* Niche down first and own your space [14:19]
* You’re not just selling y…
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Feb 16, 2021
90. Founder Led Selling- A Process for Founders to Land New Business Consistently with Faheem Moosa
Landing a new customer outside of a founder’s network is one of the biggest hurdles faced by B2B companies looking to scale.
So in our first Tactical Tuesday episode, we take a look at this problem from a management consultant’s perspective.
Faheem Mossa and I go through his process for getting high-paying clients. Faheem shares a ton of insights on what selling is all about, dealing with multiple buyers in a company, and much more. Don’t miss out on this strategic episode by tuning in now!
We’ll talk about:
* Faheem’s background and the value of a management consultant’s expertise [02:10]
* Sales is about understanding the problem & empathizing with the prospect [04:24]
* There are multiple buyers within a company with different things they care about [06:13]
* Faheem’s recommended approach for dealing with multiple buyers [09:49]
* You have to speak your customer’s language [13:15]
* Start slightly broad, understand the market, then pick one vertical […
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Feb 9, 2021
89. This Startup Just May Be the Blueprint on How to Build & Scale a B2B Business in 2021 with Johnathan Grzybowski
The future of B2B startups is going to be fascinating. I’ve seen how companies have risen and transformed the traditional strategies already set in place in the industry.
One such example is Penji. This on-demand graphic design service as a service company catering to businesses has shown what is possible when you instigate change.
In today’s episode, I get to pick the brain of Penji’s Co-founder, Johnathan Grzybowski. We talk about the need to trust the process, growing without using sales reps, how they built customer success into their culture, the importance of putting processes in place to expand, and so much more.
Listen to this very special episode as we dissect the blueprint to the future of B2B!
We’ll talk about:
* The mistake that led to Penji [02:05]
* There’s no overnight success: Be resilient and trust the process [05:38]
* The 4 stages to growing beyond your network [11:23]
* Growing without using sales reps [16:50]
* Building customer success ear…
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Feb 2, 2021
88. Rev Up Your Revenue: Why Process is Key to Scaling Your Growth with Andrew Millet
As a business grows, the ability to do things more efficiently is key to scaling up successfully. But oftentimes, the plan to automate processes gets little priority.
When is the right time to adopt technology to get rid of those manual processes? And how do you go about updating your internal infrastructure?
These are just some of the questions we cover today as process consultant Andrew Millet joins me today to help founders who may have found themselves stuck and in need of ways to streamline their process to meet buyer preferences, improve the customer experience, and improve retention and profitability.
Jump into this episode to grab valuable insights on process and automation.
We’ll talk about:
* Andrew’s background and the start of Process Pro Consulting [01:19]
* What led them to the B2B space [02:12]
* The reason for automating your processes [04:33]
* Setting up your infrastructure to scale [10:56]
* Don’t forget onboarding and organization of process aft…
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Jan 26, 2021
87. Why a Fractional CMO Could be the Key to Unlocking Your Startup’s Growth with Mark Coronna
Startups looking to scale face challenges on every side of the business. How do you grow beyond your network? Where do you find the people you need to help you reach that goal?
If you do things without a plan, you won’t get the maximum results you could have gotten. But insights from someone with years of experience might help you get there faster.
In today’s episode with a fractional CMO, Mark Coronna gives his own views on buyer enablement, building diversified revenue streams, and much more. With his storied background, his perspectives on growth, planning, and execution are lessons startups wouldn’t want to miss.
Tune in as I pick the brain of this very practical CMO!
We’ll talk about:
* Mark’s storied background that led to him becoming a fractional CMO [01:36]
* Should startups consider getting a fractional CMO? [03:31]
* Insights on how growth has changed since the COVID pandemic [06:03]
* Long-term growth planning shouldn’t take a backseat [08:58]
* T…
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Jan 19, 2021
86. Quit Selling & Start Helping Your Prospect’s Buy: How to Grow Your Startup in 2021 with Bob Lambert
Successfully selling to your prospects is at the core to scaling your startup. But at an age where greater focus is needed towards buyer enablement, the hard sell is no longer selling.
If you’re a startup looking to grow your business, what are you to do then? Well, I’ve got the answer for you in our supersized episode today with my special guest.
As Founding Partner of the Samurai Business Group, Bob Lambert has spent two decades helping small and mid-size businesses improve their growth. Today, he and I talked about everything from strategy and tactics to what folks to hire for sales roles to setting up your business for scale.
Make this year a year of tremendous growth for your business by tuning in now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Samurai Business Group Website (https://samuraibizgrp.com/)
We’ll talk about:
* Bob’s sales, marketing, and en…
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Jan 12, 2021
85. New Year, New Opportunities: A Quick Look Back & What to Expect with the B2B Founder Podcast in 2021
2020 was definitely a year we won’t forget. But with 52 episodes in 52 weeks and the continued support from my podcast listeners, the re-branded B2B Founder podcast has grown, and it’s all thanks to you.
In today’s mini episode, I want to go over the year that was. Let’s take a look back at what we covered and what my listeners can expect this new year.
Join me as we turn over to the start of another new year full of new and better opportunities. Tune in now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
We’ll talk about:
The last year was a year of diverse content [01:05]
What were the changes we did with last year’s rebrand [01:47]
Why you should listen to my interviews with growth experts [03:01]
The privilege I had getting the perspectives of over 16 authors [03:41]
What’s new you can expect in 2021 [04:37]
Now is still the best time to start a business…
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Jan 5, 2021
84. Ethics: The Link Between Culture and Growth with TEDx Speaker & Author Yonason Goldson
Success and scalability stem from the ethical application of business practices. But, in a fast-paced, revenue-driven world, it’s almost just become an afterthought.
In almost every company, there is a written or unwritten code for how people should behave in the workplace. But without carefully examining and applying a work culture that reflects ethical standards, company culture may just as well be another set of words plastered on the wall.
World-renowned TEDx speaker, Yonason Goldson, shares with us the importance of business ethics in the foundation of healthy work relationships and success. He tells us why startups also need to prioritize business ethics, the significance of creating a positive employee experience, and the role that trust, teamwork, and accountability play in paving the way for scalability.
If you want to build a healthier, happier, more successful work environment, tune in to this episode today!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrai…
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Dec 29, 2020
83. How PR can Accelerate Growth in Your Startup: Tips and Tactics with Brittney L Lynn
As your business is starting to take off, how do you create brand awareness and reel more customers in?
The answer lies in media publication and podcast exposure. But the challenge is pitching yourself to journalists and podcast hosts.
Let the world know about you and your business as Brittney Lynn, Founder and CEO of Britney Lynn PR, joins us today to talk about public relations for founders and business owners. Learn how you can pitch yourself more effectively to reach your target audience and get word out about your business. We’ll also hear some amazing and practical tips to help get you started with PR and get down to the nitty gritty of Brittney’s business.
Find out how you can grow your business through the power of media by tuning in to this episode now.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Take the Kolbe A Assessment (https://www.kolbe.com/)
* Britt…
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Dec 22, 2020
82. Unlock Your Startup's Momentum through Branding with Tacklebox Founder David Kelbaugh
B2B startups may not see branding as crucial at the start. With half in the space focusing on features and benefits, you could be missing out on a powerful tool for building momentum for your business.
Today’s episode is all about branding. Tacklebox’s David Kelbaugh covers the different misconceptions involving branding. What is his definition of it, and why your end goal should be to turn customers into your advocates. We also talk about the tactics that no longer work such as lower funnel performance marketing, and the steps any startup can take to build their brand.
It’s time to take action on your company’s brand. So tune in and grab some amazing insights on what you can do.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Tacklebox Brand Partners Website (https://tacklebox.us.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
David’s background in advertising [01:20]
The type…
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Dec 15, 2020
81. The Power of Unleashing Your Primal Brain with Evolutionary Psychologist & Digital Marketing Guru Tim Ash
Most of our work as business owners involves a lot of thinking. But how much do we really know about our brain power and mental capabilities?
There’s so much of our brain that we don’t understand yet, but the propensity to do the things that we do goes all the way back to our primal instincts. However, what does understanding our brain have to do with marketing and business?
Let’s unravel the mystery as Tim Ash, world-renowned keynote speaker and author of Unleash Your Primal Brain, joins us in today’s scintillating episode on the psychology of marketing and business. Today’s topic is all about the brain as we dissect and examine why getting a good night’s sleep is essential, why you’re not really multitasking the way you think you are, and what finding and creating your own tribe means to your business.
Start learning and working more efficiently by tuning in to this episode now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The…
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Dec 8, 2020
80. Do Your Best Work in Half the Time: Learning How to be Time Rich with Best-selling Author & Podcaster Steve Glaveski
It is one thing to be financially rich and another to be time rich. What does it take to become the latter?
In today’s new episode, top-rated podcaster and author, Steve Glaveski, shares where he got the idea for writing his new book, Time Rich: Do Your Best Work, Live Your Best Life. Aside from that, Steve and I also talked about the importance of instilling an entrepreneurial mindset among children and how it applies to situations outside of business set-ups. Interestingly, we also explore the history of the pre-COVID working condition as we discuss how companies are coping with the current challenge of work-from-home situations.
Join us as we talk about
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/
* Steve Glaveski Website (https://www.steveglaveski.com/)
* Download the Time Rich’s first chapter and automaton guide (https://www.timerichbook.com/)
* Know more about n…
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Dec 1, 2020
79. Why Buyer Enablement is Critical to Grow Your B2B Startup with Joey Knecht
The end-user may not be the buyer making the decisions in the company. While customer enablement has empowered the product or service users, forgetting to transform value for the buyer could result in failing to maintain important relationships.
Today, we’re all about buyer enablement. Startup mentor, Joey Knecht, advocates for engaging with the buyers within an organization. With the shift in the B2B buying environment, maybe you’ve dropped the ball in maintaining those connections. If so, how do you pivot to create a process that not only drives growth but leads to new business for your company?
Say goodbye to customer enablement and hello to buyer enablement by tuning in to this episode!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Proteus Website (https://www.proteus.co/)
We’ll be talking about:
A brief introduction on Joey and Proteus [01:45]
The journey towa…
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Nov 24, 2020
78. Tech Enabled or Tech Centric? Leveraging Technology for B2B Startup Growth with Mentor & Investor JC Garrett
Technology is a central component we see in startups nowadays. But the part technology plays in the business is an area that deserves better focus.
In today’s episode, startup mentor, JC Garrett, talks about the importance of defining the role of technology in any startup, whether it is tech centric or tech enabled. While there is no right choice, having that clarity is key, as we are seeing paradigm shifts accelerated by the current COVID pandemic. We also discuss the opportunities that come up during these difficult times and why now is the right time to start a business.
Find out how the balance of business and technology play together by tuning in to this episode.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* FarShore Partners Website (https://www.farshore.com/)
* Dash Fire Website (https://dashfire.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
What led to JC being an advocate…
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Nov 17, 2020
77. Why This VC is Betting Big ($315M) on B2B Start-ups W/ DNX Ventures Managing Director Q Motiwala
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* DNX Ventures Website (https://www.dnx.vc/)
* Check out Ep. 68: A Deep Dive Into the Mindset of a B2B Venture Capital General Partner: Who Gets the Money and Why with Tim McLoughlin (https://bretttrainor.com/2020/09/15/a-deep-dive-into-the-mindset-of-a-b2b-venture-capital-general-partner-who-gets-the-money-and-why-with-tim-mcloughlin/)
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought down businesses globally, it didn’t stop one venture capital firm from closing a $315M fund.
Based in Silicon Valley and in Tokyo, DNX Ventures focuses solely on B2B companies. Today, we have Managing Director Q Motiwala who discusses with us the opportunities in the B2B space and what they look for in startups and their founders.
Q’s perspectives share some consistencies and differences with those shared by Tim McLoughlin of Cofounders Capital which I inte…
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Nov 10, 2020
76. Best Practice Guesting Strategies to Grow Your Business with Top-Rated Podcaster Jeremy Ryan Slate
The goal of any B2B founder is to expand and strengthen the company’s network.
With today’s technology, public relations and marketing strategies are no longer restricted to written and printed ads. The rise of new media has led to new ways of reaching a wider audience. This is where podcasting steps in as more founders realize the impact and reach of this new platform.
Today, we have top-rated podcaster Jeremy Ryan Slate who emphasizes the role of podcast guesting as not just a public relations but also business development tool. We cover the do’s and don’ts and how to get maximum value.
Tune in to this mini masterclass on how to get on a podcast and leverage that.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Create Your Own Life Podcast (https://www.jeremyryanslate.com/podcast-2/)
* Jeremy Ryan Slate Website (https://www.jeremyryanslate.com/)
* Command Your…
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Nov 3, 2020
75. Blazing the Future of Startup Growth: How This Venture Builder is Reimagining Venture Capital with Kurt Johnson
Businesses are no longer single units. Businesses are ecosystems.
In today’s podcast episode, Kurt Johnson of 11.2 Ventures will discuss how the gears run within the company when it comes to building small businesses and products and how it fits into all the other enterprises that they manage.
We will also talk about the shift in the marketing perspective and technologies from ten years ago, around the time that Kurt started dipping in the B2B business circle, up to the present. Also, he presents how the B2B market is not only a business nor a product, rather, it is an entire platform.
If you want to hear more about the business ecosystem, listen to today’s episode now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* 11.2 Ventures Website (https://www.11-2ventures.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
Kurt’s involvement in B2B startups [02:07]
Transitions in B2B sales met…
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Oct 27, 2020
74. Selling with Comedy - Using Humor to Grow Your Business with Jon Selig
Cold calls and hard sells need to say goodbye.
As sales reps, there is a very short timeframe to capture your prospects’ attention. Don’t bore and put them off by acting as if you are presenting the solutions to problems that you don’t even know about.
In today’s episode, we learn a thing or two about how humor improves rapport-building for sales reps, executives, and founders from Jon Selig, who does comedy and sales for a living. We learn how to create effective jokes specifically for your clients.
If you want to know more about this refreshing take at sales talking, this episode is for you!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Jon Selig Website (https://www.jonselig.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
Jon’s professional background [01:40]
Parallels between standup comedy and sales [05:19]
What exactly is a joke [08:10]
Great comedians and founders st…
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Oct 20, 2020
73. Succeed Without Selling: A Modern Approach to Accelerating Startup Growth with Chief Improvement Catalyzer Diane Helbig
What works before may not work now. Upfront and distant hard selling hardly ever brings in clients anymore.
The approach in dealing with clients has long evolved and salespeople need to let go of textbook strategies.
Today’s podcast episode will feature an in-depth conversation with Diane Helbig, a growth accelerator and the host of the Accelerate Your Business Growth podcast. We talk about her newest book, Succeed Without Selling, and how this global pandemic actually accelerated the shift in the role of salespeople, and how fast the sales perspective is changing.
If you want to close sales and gain profit by doing things effectively, this episode is for you!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Helbig Enterprises Website (https://www.helbigenterprises.com/)
* Accelerate Your Business Growth Podcast (https://www.helbigenterprises.com/resources)
* Succeed wi…
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Oct 13, 2020
72. Refocus, Reignite, and Rise: Jumpstarting Growth in 2020 with B2B SMB / SME Adviser Michael Haynes
As the year is coming to a close, how do you plan on re kick-starting your business?
Founders experience 2020 in different ways. But the one thing they need to focus on is how to quickly adapt to the changing times as buyers’ preferences have changed with it.
Listening to your buyers’ needs can be a game changer for your business as we focus on being buyer-centric with SMB / SME adviser and my repeat guest, Michael Haynes. We talk about touching base with your customers as well as with your team to make sure your business rises back up as we kick-start the second half of 2020!
Refocus, reignite, and rise in these challenging times by tuning in to this episode now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Listen, Innovate, Grow Website (https://listeninnovategrow.com/)
* Listen, Innovate, Grow by Michael Haynes (https://amzn.to/345oxLa)
* Listen to Podcast Ep 8…
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Oct 6, 2020
71. Transform Your Startup from Mundane to Awesome! with award-winning brand expert David Brier
With over 6,500 branding books on the market, how do you identify what truly works and which tactics are merely a waste of time?
Branding is the key to scaling a business regardless of whether you’re B2B or B2C because at the end of the day, it’s about talking to another human.
A 40-year veteran of branding, David Brier, walks us through his process for achieving differentiation, the brands that have successfully stood out and those who have failed, his perspective on growing beyond your network, and so much more.
Transform your startup from the mundane into awesome by tuning in to this episode.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Brand Intervention: 33 Steps to Transform the Brand You Have into the Brand You Need by David Brier (https://amzn.to/36jZwi2)
* Rising Above The Noise Website (https://www.risingabovethenoise.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
40 y…
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Sep 29, 2020
70. Differentiate Then Dominate Using the Apollo Method with Best-selling Author Theresa Lina
Can your business stand out in an ultra competitive and rapidly evolving business space?
In a market filled with businesses that offer the same things, the same service, and the same value, making sure your customers notice you is a tremendous task to achieve.
Market dominance is our goal today as the author of a #1 Amazon bestseller, Theresa Lina, goes over the four pillars for owning the market. We discuss the need for differentiation and the constantly changing environment that means this process has to be continuous.
Find out how your startup can become the go-to and even charge more. So tune in now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* Download The Growth Readiness Checklist (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Apollo Method Website (https://apollomethod.com/)
* Get the book Be the Go-To: How to Own Your Competitive Market, Charge More, and Have Customers Love You For It by Theresa Lina (https://amzn.to/3kzvaMi)
We’ll be talking…
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Sep 22, 2020
69. What Founders Need to Do to Maximize their Startup’s Value with Sun Acquisitions Managing Partner Domenic Rinaldi
If worse comes to worst, how much would you be able to get for your business?
Most founders fail to appreciate the importance of planning ahead. When the time comes for them to exit their company, they get disappointed by how much their startup is valued.
In today’s episode, I talk with Domenic Rinaldi, President & Managing Partner at Sun Acquisitions, about why founders always need to think of maximizing their business’ value and how it ties in with their end game.
Don’t let those years of business-building go to waste. Increase your market value by tuning in to this episode!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Sun Acquisitions Website (https://sunacquisitions.com/)
* K2Adviser Website (https://k2adviser.com/)
* M&A Unplugged Podcast (https://sunacquisitions.com/podcasts/)
We’ll be talking about:
Domenic’s journey into the M&A sp…
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Sep 15, 2020
68. A Deep Dive Into the Mindset of a B2B Venture Capital General Partner: Who Gets the Money and Why with Tim McLoughlin
When it comes to startups looking to grow, funding is a crucial part of their journey.
But deciding which startup or founder to invest in is a question not easily answered. Venture capital firms are faced with throngs of companies vying for their attention. What are the parameters they look into? What sort of metrics do they want?
In my first interview with a venture capital firm, Tim McLoughlin from Cofounders Capital shares with us what they look for in the early-stage B2B startups they invest in. We also discuss insights on why he thinks startups fail.
Tune in to this episode to find out the perspective of a VC fund on who to give their money to!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Cofounders Capital Website (http://cofounderscapital.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
Tim’s roots in North Carolina and getting involved in startups there [01:13…
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Sep 8, 2020
67. Future Proofing Your Startup: Why People are the Key to Enabling Sustainable Growth with Best-selling Author Lisa L. Levy
Is having better technology the first answer to scaling your business?
At the start of the 21st century, people got so caught up in relying on technology to make their lives easier and their business processes better that they forgot the basic and most important building block of all: people.
This week, we’ll be putting more emphasis on the people side of the business with Lisa L. Levy, author of Future Proofing Cubed, and why founders need to prioritize it above all else.
Learn how you can build a stronger, more customer-centric business by tuning in to this episode today.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Future Proofing Cubed by Lisa L. Levy (https://amzn.to/3lFJNPs)
* LCubed Consulting Website (lisalllevy.com)
We’ll be talking about:
Lisa and the LCubed Consulting [01:33]
The people component is still essential despite technologica…
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Sep 1, 2020
66. Why Content is no Longer Optional & Other Key Marketing Strategies for Startups with Diana Mitchell
Getting word out about your product is one thing. But getting your buyers to hear your message is another.
Nothing has been more relevant in this day and age than the use of online marketing tools to connect with your buyers. Simply spreading the message without putting too much thought in the value you’re giving in your interactions with prospects is just not going to work anymore.
In this episode, we’ll talk about making your content crispier for your prospective clients with Diana Mitchell, Digital Marketing Consultant at Peoplemover.
If you want to find out what makes your customers tick, then this episode is a gold mine of incredible and insightful information for you.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* HEY Email Platform (https://hey.com/)
* Diana Mitchell Website (http://www.dianamitchell.net/)
We’ll be talking about:
Being a fr…
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Aug 25, 2020
65. School’s in Session: Intentional Living is the Key to Real Success with Author Sean Rosensteel
Rising up from bankruptcy to finding your true path is an amazing achievement.
Just as we’re facing uncertain times in our lives, a lot have started to reconsider their priorities and how they’ve been living their lives.
Which is why we have a very timely episode today with Sean Rosensteel, who shares why it’s so important for founders to become more intentional with their lives. You’ll get not just the reason for living intentionally, but also how you can do so.
No matter where you are in your life’s journey, this episode has so much value for you!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Grab the book and get a ton of bonuses! (https://www.seanrosensteel.com/b2b)
We’ll be talking about:
Overview of Sean’s new book and the journey to writing it [01:59]
How the COVID-19 pandemic affected the release of his book [03:07]
The things tha…
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Aug 18, 2020
64. The 4Qs: A Sales Framework for Predictable & Repeatable Revenue with Anthony Coundouris
Getting a customer to buy your product after trying for so many hours, days, or weeks is a priceless feeling. Imagine if you can do it in just minutes.
Most entrepreneurs make the rookie mistake of building a business without a framework in mind. Thus, the client intake and sales process become a massive mess that creates a lot of friction and will eventually tire them out in the years to come. However, it’s not too late to unravel the chaos.
Today, Anthony Coundouris, author of run_frictionless, shares with us the 4Qs that will help solve your sales problems.
Make things easier for you and your client by tuning in to this show now!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* run_frictionless by Anthony Coundouris (https://amzn.to/3fI5uui)
* run_frictionless Website (https://runfrictionless.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
Overview of today’s topi…
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Aug 11, 2020
63. How Founders Build Startups that Can Run Without Them with Dave Jenyns (Part 2)
One of the biggest myths in business is that you, the business owner, have to be the one to manage it day in, day out.
However, by setting the wheels of systemization in motion, you’ll see how your business can run without it being too dependent on you.
Today is Part 2 with Dave Jenyns as he shares about the six stages of SYSTEMology that will allow you to remove yourself from your business from time to time.
Enhance your business process by tuning in to this episode!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* SYSTEMology by David Jenyns (https://www.systemology.com/book/)
* Business Processes Simplified Podcast (https://www.systemhub.com/podcast/)
We’ll be talking about:
The six steps of the SYSTEMology process [01:00]
Define stage: Mapping out the Critical Client Flow [02:20]
By systemizing your process, you can remove yourself from the busi…
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Aug 4, 2020
62. How Founders Build Startups that Can Run Without Them with Dave Jenyns (Part 1)
The sad reality faced by startups nowadays is that they’re unable to build systems in place that allow them to run smoothly.
Most think of systems in terms of the ones used by big corporations, which do not fit the needs of small businesses.
Thus, I invited Dave Jenyns to share how he was able to systemize himself out of his company which later allowed him to pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
We have a phenomenal episode here that continues on to Part 2 next week. So stay tuned!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* SYSTEMology by David Jenyns (https://www.systemology.com/book/)
* Business Processes Simplified Podcast (https://www.systemhub.com/podcast/)
We’ll be talking about:
The business of creating systems [02:22]
A business system as the last piece to scaling [05:41]
The importance of having great people [09:06]
There is val…
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Jul 28, 2020
61. The One Role That Could be Rocket Fuel to Your Growth with Best Selling Author Mark C Winters
Do you ever wonder why no matter how great an idea you have, you struggle with making it click? A perfect dream is just that unless you can turn it into reality.
But all it probably needs is the right person to work on your vision.
In this week’s podcast episode, Mark C. Winters joins us in an informative episode on the execution problem faced by most startups, the integrator as key to solving that, the relationship between visionaries and integrators, and how to find the right partner for your business.
If business hasn’t grown as much as you like then this episode is a must for you!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters (https://amzn.to/3jtlfbv)
* Entrepreneurial Leap by Gino Wickman (https://amzn.to/2DcJAlj)
* Mark C Winters Website (https://www.markcwinters.com/)
* Find Out If You’re A…
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Jul 21, 2020
60. Is Your Startup Ready to Grow? Find Out with My Startup Fundamentals Checklist
You’ve heard from B2B founders who have successfully scaled their businesses, but have you taken a look at the fundamentals that allowed them to get to the point of scaling their business?
In today’s episode, I’m going to share with you a checklist you can use to make sure startup fundamentals are covered and to verify that activities have been covered.
Get ready to find out how you can if your startup is ready to grow.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
We’ll be talking about:
What are the objectives and vision you’re driving towards? [01:44]
Document your risks and restraints [02:29]
Identify customer pain points [03:12]
Communicate the value drivers of your products or services [04:52]
Do a competitive analysis of others in your space [06:31]
Pick a single vertical to dive into [07:05]
Check how big the market is [07:57]
Breakdo…
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Jul 14, 2020
59. Employee Experience Can Mean the Difference Between Success and Failure with Gil Cohen
Most startups prioritize customer experience above all else. While that’s something to strive for, it isn’t easily ingrained into your employees. So how do you make sure your employees start valuing your customers more?
The answer? By improving employee experience.
Today’s subject matter expert, Gil Cohen talks about creating a positive employee experience that translates into a positive customer experience, how values go hand-in-hand with hiring the right people, and how to improve employee connections in a remote work setting.
If you are struggling with keeping your employees engaged, then let this episode serve as your guide and tune in!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Employee Experience Design Website (http://employeeexperience.ca/)
We’ll be talking about:
His history with employee experience and how it shaped his company [02:1…
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Jul 7, 2020
58. How to Grow Your Startup, even in a Recession with Kristin Zhivago
The travel industry is one of those most affected by the current pandemic we’re on. We anticipate that the recession we’ve entered will likely kill many businesses in this industry.
Surprisingly, there is one travel company that’s growing in the midst of all stalemate in travel. But we find that their ability to thrive is based on their use of mindset-driven marketing.
Which is why we continue on the theme of buyer enablement in today’s episode. Revenue coach Kristin Zhivago is here with us as we talk about leveraging your customer’s mindset to grow your business, looking at the customer’s perspective on why they’re buying from you, why sales and marketing cannot be isolated, and much more.
If you’re a B2B company interested in approaching growth this way, then this is just the right episode for you!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/…
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Jun 30, 2020
57. Why LinkedIn is Your Secret Weapon to Scale your B2B Startup with Anthony Blatner
With 400 million users, LinkedIn has become the most useful social network for B2B marketers. It's a platform for people to connect with colleagues and learn more about their industry.
LinkedIn is an excellent source of traffic that is underutilized by most. One main reason is because of the unfamiliarity with leveraging the opportunities there.
In another series featuring subject matter experts, we have LinkedIn expert Anthony Blatner with us as we talk about best practices for targeting niche audiences at scale, organic vs. paid advertising, upcoming new tools, and much more.
Learn more about his wonderful and important LinkedIn tips by tuning in to the show!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* Modern Media Website (https://modernmedia.io/author/admin/)
We’ll be talking about:
Working in an undervalued area as a LinkedIn focused agency [02:…
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Jun 23, 2020
56. Utilizing Facial Coding and Emotion to Scale Your Startup with Dan Hill
Sales is often focused on pushing the product or trying to understand the customer's needs. But there is one aspect that is often overlooked, emotions.
Emotions let us know when someone is happy or not. Being able to read your customer’s emotions is a powerful skill that startups should learn.
How do you read emotions? Today, we chat with emotions expert Dan Hill, who breaks it down for us. We talk about prospecting the customer experience, customer success, employee engagement, and so much more.
Find out how to interpret emotions to benefit your business by tuning in to the show!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* “Famous Faces Decoded” by Dan Hill (https://www.sensorylogic.com/famous-faces)
* Sensory Logic Website (https://www.sensorylogic.com/)
We’ll be talking about:
Dan’s background and what he’s working on [02:06]
The valu…
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Jun 16, 2020
55. When Your Sales Tactics Don't Work, Learn to 'Sell The Way You Buy' with David Priemer
Founders often push their products by highlighting the features and functions they offer. While it’s best to create a product that solves a problem, the right way to reach and engage your customer requires a different approach altogether.
You might be pushing your product or service too much that you’re creating unnecessary friction for your customer. So take a step back because there is an art to modern selling.
Why do buyers buy? Today, we chat with David Priemer, a research scientist turned tech entrepreneur. We go over the importance of messaging, focusing on pain points, how to build trust, the value of having a natural conviction towards your product, and more.
Get into the show now to learn the science behind sales.
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
* “Sell the Way You Buy” by David Priemer (https://cerebralselling.com/book/)
* C…
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Jun 9, 2020
54. Growing Beyond Your Network With IntelligenceBank’s Tessa Court
Entrepreneurs are always told that the best way to start a business is to solve a problem. Scaling the business to grow beyond the network you have is a different problem.
Relying solely on the people you know won’t get you to your goals. But there is no shortage of successful businesses we can take inspiration from.
Today, we have IntelligenceBank CEO, Tessa Court. We talk about how she scaled her business beyond her network, doing it profitably, how she priced her offering, adding credibility through big logos or brands, and so much more.
Head on over to find out how this founder scaled her business to reach that million dollar mark!
Resource Links:
* Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
* “3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
We’ll be talking about:
Introduction to IntelligenceBank [02:15]
Building a business from something you know [03:27]
When starting a business, tap into a growing market [05:0…
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Jun 2, 2020
53. The Power of Building A Community with Sangram Vajre
Founders are often faced with the question of how to scale their business to reach that million-dollar mark. Are you still doing your marketing and sales correctly? Is your network working to your benefit?
The right question here is what are the tactics needed to be able to build your business to achieve the high levels you want. Today, we pick the brains of a B2B subject matter expert.
In this episode, we have a chat with Terminus Co-founder and Chief Evangelist, Sangram Vajre. We talk about his thoughts on why sales and marketing sucks, why customer success should be your first hire, the conversation you should have with your customer, and so much more.
Whether you have stalled in your efforts or are about to start scaling, get into this episode now.
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
“3 Stages of Startup Growth and How To Breakthrough” (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
We’ll be talking about:
Which should you focus on: product-market…
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May 26, 2020
52. How iZooto Grew to Over $1 Million in Annual Reoccurring Revenue in 3 Years
Vivek Khandelwal is the co-founder and COO of high growth software company, iZooto.
In this episode, we discuss how iZooto was able to gain early momentum and validate their offering. We also discuss the key tactics and strategies as they scaled their business to over $1 million in annual re-occurring revenue in less than 4 years.
(By the way, they process over a billion notifications a day.)
We also talk pricing, workflows, customer success and many other topics including how to divide and conquer with 3 other co-founders.
One of my favorite quotes from this episode from Vivek was, “Founders can scale a business, but it is not sustainable."
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May 19, 2020
51. "Don't Be Sold!" How This Advice to Prospects Helped Drive 10x Growth
John Vuong, CEO and Founder of LocalSEOSearch, joins the program to discuss his journey to the 5% Club.
John’s sales and marketing background allowed him to gain traction early, but the business really took off when he made the investment in on-boarding and customer success.
We discuss how he was able to scale without taking VC money, why his business model focused on reoccurring revenue and cash flow was a priority.
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May 12, 2020
50. Lessons Learned: How Huckabuy Scaled Beyond the Founder’s Network
Huckabuy CEO and founder Geoff Atkinson discusses how he was able to get his business “unstuck” after a very successful launch. He shares what he did, what worked, and most importantly, what he would have done differently. He also alludes to how Huckabuy is growing even during the pandemic.
Huckabuy is a fast-growing tech startup based in Park City, Utah. They are a SaaS company that is changing how organizations grow their organic search channel through a technology-forward SEO approach.
Prior to Huckabuy, Geoff was the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Analytics at Overstock.com where he developed expertise in SEO and managed everything from pricing algorithms to content generation. He was named Advertising Age’s “Top 40 Under 40” list
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May 5, 2020
49. All Good Things Come to an End... Here's What's Next
In today’s short solo episode, I discuss the “big” announcement regarding the podcast (no, it is not going away, but you will have to listen) and what is next.
Thank you all for your continued support. We do appreciate it.
Until next week, cheers!
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Apr 21, 2020
48. Helping Entrepreneurs Become the Best Version of Themselves
On this episode, we welcome Gregory Skeete to the program. Gregory helps entrepreneurs and business owners to 'engineer' their best selves and systematically achieve results that are both successful and significant while maintaining their ideal work-life balance and lifestyle.
Gregory’s unique background has allowed him to provide a unique and powerful perspective on how entrepreneurs can become the best versions of themselves and not only transform themselves but also their businesses.
Stay tuned next week for a big announcement!
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Apr 14, 2020
47. How to Grow and Scale a Startup (Even If You Don't Enjoy Running One)
On this episode, we welcome Martin Hill to the program. Martin is the CEO, Founder and inventor of The Beebo: a free hand bottle holder designed to enhance the feeding time between you and your baby. On this episode, Martin shares his unbelievable growth journey. It was an amazing combination of ingenuity, timing and a successful pitch on the shark tank. Plus, Martin even announces that his company is for sale at the end of the show.
Twitter: @the_beeboInstagram: the_beebo
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Apr 8, 2020
46. How to Achieve 30-50x ROI by Implementing a Customer Win-Back Program
On this episode, we welcome back Dan Pfister to the program. Dan is the founder of StrategicWinBack.com.
He’s also the co-founder of two other businesses where he's helped generate over 50,000 customers, and has worked with brands like Fidelity Investments and people like Tony Robbins.
Strategic Win-Back’s sole focus is re-engaging and re-activating lost, forgotten and disengaged clients. To learn more about the exceptional ROI that winning back past clients can generate.
Website: https://www.brightmove.com/
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Mar 31, 2020
45. Going from Class Project to High Growth Services Company
On this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. David Arrington — author, speaker and the Principal and Chief Operating Officer of Arrington Coaching. They fundamentally help executives realize their vision and create sustainable change through 3-dimensional coaching. David shares his journey as a first-time founder and the key lessons he learned. He also shares leadership and culture best practices.
Key 1st Time Founder Lessons:
* “I would argue that it's all pivots….if you're not pivoting, you're probably not moving forward”
* “Everybody wants to make a million dollars with their business, very few people do, because most people don't have plans. They just have an aspiration”
* “Stop reading books about growing your business and just work on your business”
* I love the Colin Powell, quote, he would say that when he had 70% of the information, he would make a decision, he would move forward. This is when he was a general in Battlefield situations”
* When…
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Mar 24, 2020
44. How Performance Marketing Can Solve Your Growth Bottleneck
On this episode, I have a conversation with Jack Chen, the CEO and Co-Founder of SWIDIA (a performance marketing partner for high-growth companies and venture-funded startup). Jack worked for 10+ years in the content and influencer space before co-founding SWIDIA.
Jack and team are changing the way brands are thinking about growth marketing.
They take a four-pronged approach to growth: Strategy, Media Planning, Conversion Centric Creative and Analytics. The results have been incredibly impressive. They are working with brands such as Cameo, Dude Wipes, Radish and many others.
Key 1st Time Founder Lessons: - The keys to really scale a company, you need to make sure that everything you're doing is trackable, measurable and scalable. - How complimentary skills between the co-founders (Creative & Analytics) was the right combination for SWIDIA. - Don’t copy someone else’s story, create your own. - The difference between performance marketing and traditional agency marketing and how…
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Mar 17, 2020
43. (Re)humanize Your Business to Improve Customer Experience and Accelerate Growth
On this episode, I have a conversation with Ethan Beute. He’s the Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, an innovative and high growth software company. Ethan is also the Host of the very popular The Customer Experience Podcast, and co-author of Rehumanize Your Business, which is a hands-on guide to adding simple videos into your communication mix in order to build trust, save time, and truly connect with people.
On this episode:
The powerful psychology behind why video flat out works to grow any business.
How to use video to communicate more clearly, connect with people more effectively and get higher conversions.
Video messages are highly valuable and simple to do and why this is a competitive advantage
Why ALL companies need a Chief Evangelist leading the charges.
Bonus, that we don’t discuss in the episode, Ethan has a great post/mini-white paper on how first-time authors can write a book. It is a can’t miss resource on his web page.
Also be sure to check out BombBomb's…
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Mar 10, 2020
42. Why Data & Analytics Could Be the Difference Between Success and Failure for Your Startup
On this episode, we welcome Govind Balu, Founder and CEO of QuXigma. Govind has over 3 decades of experience in the data and analytics space. He was the lead data scientist at companies such as Bank of America and Allstate prior to starting his own company.
His mission is to make data and analytics accessible to all companies and help them prioritize on value and customer experience. We discuss not only the why but more importantly how companies of any size, but especially startups can and should be leveraging data, analytics and ultimately machine learning.
#LessonsInGrowth:
* Data in itself, is not valuable; it is converting the data into information that allows the business to make better decisions.
* Two keys for startups- build a data foundation to collect and consolidate all of your data and start converting your data into information
* 3 key areas of positive impact- targeting the right prospects, sales conversion rates, up-sell/cross-sell and customer retention.
* Th…
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Mar 6, 2020
41. Lessons in Growth: The Top 5 Reasons Startups Scale
This is the second installment of our new weekly series: Lessons in Growth.
Each week, Brett will share thoughts and perspective on a single topic. This could be something top of mind, in the news or questions I receive from my customers or audience. Feel free to shoot me a note if there is a topic you want me to cover.
In today’s episode, I share my perspective on the top 5 reasons startups successfully scale.
I hope you continue to enjoy the new segment. We will still have the longer form interviews every Tuesday.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor
www.BrettTrainor.com
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Mar 4, 2020
40. Competitive Analysis: The Foundation to Accelerate Revenue Growth
On this episode, we welcome Brandon Mateika, the Founder and CEO of Sales and Marketing Inc. a growth agency dedicated to taking the confusion out of sales and marketing. This is Brandon’s second visit to the show. In episode 2, Brandon and I discussed the importance and the foundational need of product/market fit. If you haven’t listened to it yet, do yourself a favor and go back and listen. It is still one of our most referred to episodes.
Today, Brandon and I go deep on the what, why and how of competitive analysis. This is a must listen if your business growth is stalled or you are in the early stage of starting your business. Brandon shares in detail how to perform your own analysis and the eye-opening results you will experience.
Key #LessonsInGrowth:
* Competitive analysis will drive your messaging, positioning and in many cases your offerings.
* Identifies the 13 key variables you need to measure against customer importance and competitive strength and how to use thi…
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Feb 26, 2020
39. Lessons in Growth: Why Data is a Potential Superpower for Startups
If you are a regular listener to the show, you know that I usually have discussions with guests.
This is the first in a new weekly series where I do a deeper dive into a single topic. This could be something top of mind, in the news or questions I get from my customers or audience. Feel free to shoot me a note if there is a topic you want me to cover.
In today’s episode, I take deeper dive on the power and the potential competitive advantage that data and analytics can provide a startup.
I hope you enjoy the new segment. We will still have the longer form interviews every Tuesday.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor
www.BrettTrainor.com
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Feb 18, 2020
38. How a Failed Merger Was the Key to Accelerating Growth
On this episode, we welcome Sue Tyrrell and Kala Liebe to the program. Sue is the founder and CEO and Kala is the Chief Experience Officer for a company called Hands Up Communications.
Hands Up is a single point of contact for language access needs. They offer offer a mixture of interpreting, translating, and captioning solutions.
Their story is an interesting one. Sue started the company, merger with a company in 2015 then took the company back and partnered with Kala to build what is now known as Hands Up Communication. It is a cautionary tale about failed partnerships and ultimately having the right complementary management team. Key #LessonsInGrowth:
* Why the keys to success are having a very solid executive team
* The pros and cons of strategic partnerships (and mergers) and what to look for
* Why dissolving the merger was a better path to growth for Hands Up
* How a complimentary skill set allowed Hands Up to flourish
* Warning signs that a potential partnership may…
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Feb 11, 2020
37. Become an Expert on Your Customers Problems to Unlock High Growth
On this episode, we welcome Tim Caito. Tim is a Senior Partner at ForceManagement. He combines more than 30 years of sales, management, professional development and business consulting experience to help selling and buying organizations, challenged by dramatic shifts in market conditions, win better deals and improve critical seller-buyer relationships. He helps companies define and articulate their unique differentiators and value drivers.
Key #LessonsInGrowth:
* Messaging must come from the perspective of your customer not your company
* Understanding the Zero Moment of Truth for your customers
* Why you MUST be an expert on your customer problems
* How to avoid the common disconnect between sales and marketing
* If technology or pricing is your differentiator you are on a race to the bottom
* These are only scratching the surface of what we discuss.
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Feb 4, 2020
36. Today’s Buyers Are In Control, Here's How to Be Prepared
On this episode, we welcome Pam Didner. She is an author, speaker, podcaster, adjunct professor, marketing strategist and a Fortune 100 Marketer. She leads a boutique-consulting firm that trains, coaches and provides strategic guidance on audience development, messaging, editorial planning, content creation, media buys and social media outreach on a global scale
Key #LessonsInGrowth:
* Who do you hire first, sales or marketing (the answer might surprise you)?
* The power of word of mouth referrals
* How startups should think about sales enablement (and what is it).
* How to think about and execute account-based marketing (ABM)
* Why there are only TWO types of qualified leads. and buyers are buying on their own schedules, not yours!
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Jan 28, 2020
35. How Persistence, Intuition and Relentlessness Propelled a $10 Million Business
On this episode, we welcome Ricardo Regalado, the Founder and CEO of Rozalado Commercial Cleaning Services, plus 3 other companies including his latest venture Route, an end to end software platform for service providers.
Ricardo shares his personal journey from buying his uncle’s franchise commercial cleaning business where he and his wife were working 18 hours a day to a soon to be $10 million company that was featured on Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies, which is a rare feat for a cleaning services business.
Key #LessonsInGrowth:
* How scaling to $1 Million was different than from $2M to $4M and from $4M to $7M.
* How he successfully balanced family and business (he has 17 family members working in the company).
* How he was able to scale from 5 employees to over 300 and keep the culture.
* How intuition, persistence and relentlessness were the key drivers of success
* Plus numerous other words of wisdom for entrepreneurs
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Jan 21, 2020
34. How Podcast Guesting Can Drive Substantial ROI to Your Business
On this episode, we welcome Kelly Glover, founder of The Talent Squad.
The Talent Squad is a boutique podcast agency that book podcast tours for entrepreneurs. Kelly started podcasting in 2007 and has an 18-year track record working in media and talent management. Kelly knows what producers want because she's been one! With a background in commercial radio, Kelly has walked her talk and hosted her own syndicated radio show, worked as a talent agent, celebrity interviewer, and has produced award-winning podcasts.
Key #LessonInGrowth:
* Podcast guesting, yes, it is a thing, is an unbelievable opportunity to jump start growth (if you are prepared)
* Why launching your own podcast is a long tail growth strategy while guesting is a shorter term strategy?
* Podcast guesting- it is not about you, it is about the audience
* Size doesn’t always matter when pitching a show- make sure you can add value to the audience
* How to effectively pitch to guest on a podcast- hint-…
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Jan 14, 2020
33. How the “Barefoot Spirit” Propelled the Founders of Barefoot Wines from a Laundry Room to the Board Room of E&J Gallo
On this episode, we welcome Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey to the program. Michael and Michael & Bonnie are the founders of Barefoot Wine, America’s #1 Wine Brand. Their New York Times Business Bestseller, The Barefoot Spirit, is now required reading in more than 50 schools of entrepreneurship
In this episode Michael and Bonnie shares their remarkable journey from a laundry room of a rented farmhouse to the boardroom of the world’s largest wine company, E&J Gallo and how that journey paved the way for their future endeavors and the creation of a new category of audio books called Audio Theater.
Key #LessonInGrowth:
* The Barefoot Spirit equates to an entrepreneurial mindset (West Coast Style)- opportunistic and problem solving
* Not being an “expert” on insider allowed them to ask dumb questions to break out of “this is how it has always been done” mentality
* Consistency in the wine/product was a differentiator to the current model.
* Why 500 Cases of Wine/y…
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Jan 7, 2020
32. How Co-Founders Turned an Idea into a $100 Million Business
On this episode, we welcome Phil Hollyer to the program. Phil is the Co-Founder, former CEO and now Executive Chairman for Bounteous. Bounteous creates big-picture digital solutions provider that helps drive growth for their clients.
In this episode Phil shares the Bounteous journey from a 2-person startup to a high growth company that has been featured in Inc.’s fastest growing companies. Bounteous now has over 300 employees and is closing in on the $100 million in annual revenue.
We go deep on how Dominos became one of their first customers how their partnership launched both companies to the next level, especially in the digital revolution in the early 2000’s.
Questions we answer:
* How Phil and Bounteous were pioneers in creating a virtual organization
* How working with a couple of large, enterprise customers, Ceridian and Domino’s proved to be the right strategy
* How Bounteous was at the center of the digital revolution with Dominos
* Why they chose a…
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Dec 31, 2019
31. The Storm Warrior: Applying Lessons from Surviving a Category 5 Hurricane
On this episode, we welcome Christine Perakis to the program. Christine, AKA the Storm Warrior, is a serial entrepreneur, business coach and author.
Christine’s first entrepreneurial venture was a fragrance company. Since then, she has started, grown and expanded 9 others as well as advised 100s of clients on five continents.
Her remarkable journey includes surviving two record-breaking category 5 hurricanes, including the first one that left her buried alive for nearly 24 hours and forced her to survive without electricity, running water and telecoms for a couple of months on an isolated adopted-island nation.
The leadership and resilience lessons that she learned have been incorporated into her next book, The Resilient Leader, which is being released in 2020.
In this episode Christine offers strategies that anyone can use to weather the inevitable storms of life and business and come through thriving.
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Dec 24, 2019
30. Why VA’s Could be the Missing Link to Your Productivity
On this episode, we welcome Victoria Tretis to the program. Victoria is a former executive assistant that became a virtual assistance before starting her current company- VA Matchmaker.
VA Matchmaker helps take the confusion and complexity of using virtual assistants. She matches entrepreneurs with the skill set they need.
In this episode Victoria breaks down the What, the Why, and the How of using remote resources to drive efficiency and value in your growing organization. She also provide tips on what not to do.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoriatretis
Website: https://www.victoriatretis.co.uk/
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Dec 17, 2019
29. How to Go from Apprenticeship to a $7 Million Business w/Matt Morse
On this episode, we welcome Matt Morse to the program. Matt is the Founder and CEO of Precision Today. They are a Chicago based plumbing services company that started over 25 years ago.
In this episode Matt lays out a blueprint for scalable growth. He shares what worked and what didn’t work during his growth journey. Even though this is more of a traditional main street type of business Matt really is a modern visionary on how to grow a company in the digital era. His company enjoys a 4.9/5.0 Google review rating with over 1380 reviews!
Key take-a-ways:
* Top priority is creating an employee centric culture
* Always have a plan!
* Why buying out his co-founder was the right strategic move
* Expansion for expansion sake is not always the right move
* Hiring folks that aligned values to company vision
* Transitioning from the day-to-day operations allowed the company to thrive
* Plus many additional lessons
Email: matt@precisiontoday.com
Website: https://www.precisi…
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Dec 10, 2019
28. How to Leverage Storytelling as a Competitive Differentiator w/ Jo Johnson
On this episode, we welcome Jo Johnson to the program. Jo is known in Australia and Worldwide as the Content Coach. She turns Experts into Thought Leaders - one story at a time.
She raises the visibility of entrepreneurs and small business owners through using the art of storytelling. Aligning your Brand values with effective storytelling is a powerful combination that can energize your customers to take action.
In our really informative conversation, Jo breaks down what, why, and how to incorporate storytelling into all aspects of your business.
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Dec 3, 2019
27. Helping Entrepreneurs Become the Best Version of Themselves w/ Gregory Skeete
On this episode, we welcome Gregory Skeete to the program. Gregory helps entrepreneurs and business owners to 'engineer' their best selves and systematically achieve results that are both successful and significant while maintaining their ideal work-life balance and lifestyle.
Gregory’s unique background has allowed him to provide a unique and powerful perspective on how entrepreneurs can become the best versions of themselves and not only transform themselves but also their businesses. This was a really interesting discussion.
Questions we answer:
* Why you need to build your business “with the end in mind”
* Why process and documentation are fundamental to scalable growth
* Why benevolence is important for the entrepreneurial journey
* Why inspiration is better than motivation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gsskeete
Website: https://www.gregoryskeete.com/
The Exact Instruction Challenge (PB&J Instructions)
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Nov 27, 2019
26. The 3 Stages of Startup Growth and How to Breakthrough (w/ Brett Trainor)
If you are a regular listener to the podcast, you know I usually have discussions with guests.
In this episode, we're going to be doing something a little bit different. Today, I'm not interviewing anyone, and I'm actually going to host and guest on my own show.
I review the 3 stages of startup growth, the common thresholds where founders get stuck, and how to prioritize focus for each stage of growth.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor
www.BrettTrainor.com
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Nov 19, 2019
25. How to Jumpstart Your Marketing from A Shark's Perspective (w/ Kenneth Kinney)
On this episode, we welcome Kenneth Kinney to the program. Kenneth is the host of “A Shark’s Perspective,” a nationally recognized podcast featuring the "who’s who" of experts and thought leaders in marketing, and he's the VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy at Ai Media Group, a leader in performance marketing. Kenneth is a highly accomplished and creative marketer, growth executive, consultant, and speaker. He is passionate about lead generation, leveraging data in omni-channel strategies, driving growth, digital marketing, advanced TV, and helping make marketers better.
Here's what we cover in today's episode:
* Why you need to invest in marketing early
* How smaller companies can compete with bigger brands
* Why you need to have a marketing strategy
* Don’t create content to just create content
* Why data is critical
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Nov 12, 2019
24. How a Serial Entrepreneur Cracked the Code on Word of Mouth Marketing w/ Bill Bice
On this episode, we welcome Bill Bice to the program. Bill is the CEO and Founder of Boomtime. Boomtime built the world's first marketing-as-a-service platform: fuse.
Bill is a serial entrepreneur, he is passionate about helping small businesses grow. Bill started his first company at age 18, growing ProLaw Software into the largest law firm automation system for small and mid-size law firms. Bill's goal at Boomtime is to enable smaller businesses to more effectively compete with their larger competitors.
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Nov 5, 2019
23. Customer Experience as a Differentiator w/ "The Godfather of Customer Service," Bob Furniss
On this episode, we welcome Bob Furniss to the program. Bob is the Godfather of Customer Experience. He spent his entire 30+ year career helping companies of all sizes better connect with their customers. Bob was awarded the ICMI Lifetime Achievement Award and has also been recognized as a Top 50 Contact Center Thought Leader. He is also an author and a keynote speaker.
You can reach Bob at bob@bobfurniss.com or follow him on Twitter: @bobfurniss.
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Oct 29, 2019
22. How to Grow and Scale a Startup, Even If You Don't Enjoy Running One (w/ Shark Tank Winner, Martin Hill)
On this episode, we welcome Martin Hill to the program. Martin is the CEO, Founder and inventor of The Beebo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CK4izXDxLA
The voice you heard a moment ago is that of Martin Hill. Martin is the CEO, Founder and the inventor of the The Beebo. The Beebo is a free hand bottle holder designed to enhance the feeding time between you and your baby. On this episode, Martin shares his unbelievable growth journey. It was an amazing combination of ingenuity, timing and a successful pitch on the shark tank. Plus, Martin even announces that his company is for sale at the end of the show.
Questions we answer:
* How he was able to get an investment from Shark Tank investors Lori Griener and Ashton Kutcher
* How he scaled a fast-growing company with only a couple of employees
* Why Martin doubled down on understanding the flaws with his design
* How he was 1 of 100 that were selected out of 50,000 to appear on Shark Tank
* How he leveraged outsource partner…
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Oct 22, 2019
21. Modernizing the Coaching & Leadership Industry w/ Nicole Wood
On this episode, we welcome Nicole Wood to the program. Nicole is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ama La Vida. Ama La Vida is an innovative leadership and career coaching company. They believe that there doesn't need to be a tradeoff between success and happiness and that with the right tools, coaching and accountability, everyone can find meaning and purpose in their work.
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Oct 15, 2019
20. How iZooto.com Scaled to Over 15,000 customers in Less Than 3 Years w/ Vivek Khandewal
On this episode, we welcome Vivek Khandelwal to the program. Vivek is a co-founder and COO of iZooto. iZooto is the World's First Owned Audience Marketing Platform that helps media publishers and retailers to own, build and engage their audience using web push notifications. Over 15,000 marketers push over 18B notifications every month to engage their audience and drive repeat traffic.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/khandelwalvivek
Website: https://www.izooto.com/
Twitter: vivekk
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Oct 8, 2019
19. How Podcasting Drives an 80% Response Rate w/ James Carbary
On this episode, we welcome James Carbary to the program. James is the Founder and CEO of Sweet Fish Media. Sweet Fish Media produces podcasts for B2B companies. Their service allows you to partner with your ideal clients to create industry specific content through an interview-based podcast.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamescarbary
Website: SweetFishMedia.com
Twitter: jamescarbary
Book Referenced: https://www.tablegroup.com/organizational-health
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Oct 1, 2019
18. How Conversational Marketing Increased a Company’s Sales Pipeline by over 300% w/ Lindsay Kelley
On this episode, we welcome Lindsay Kelley to the program. Lindsay is the Vice President of Content and Digital at Telit. Lindsay is an inbound and marketing expert that has is using conversational marketing to help drive large increases in qualified, new business leads to her organization’s sales teams.
Lindsay has over 20 years of experience in marketing, both from the start-up world and large enterprise organizations.
She has been at the forefront of marketing innovation, whether it was the early days of marketing automation on the current revolution of chat bots and conversational marketing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaykelley/
Twitter: lvkelley
Website: https://www.telit.com/
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Sep 24, 2019
17. How SocialBee.io Grew From 0 to 30 Employees in Less Than 2 Years w/ Ovi Negrean
On this episode, we welcome Ovi Negrean to the program. Ovi is the Co-Founder of Chief Executive Bee of SocialBee.io
SocialBee.io offers which offers social media management tools, training and teams.
LinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/socialbee.io/about/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ovidiunegrean
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OviNegrean
Website: http://socialbee.io/
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Sep 17, 2019
16. How to Achieve 30-50x ROI by Implementing a Customer Win-Back Program w/ Dan Pfister
On this episode, we welcome Dan Pfister to the program. Dan is the founder of StrategicWinBack.com.
He’s also the co-founder of two other businesses where he's helped generate over 50,000 customers, and has worked with brands like Fidelity Investments and people like Tony Robbins.
Strategic Win-Back’s sole focus is re-engaging and re-activating lost, forgotten and disengaged clients. To learn more about the exceptional ROI that winning back past clients can generate.
Website: https://www.brightmove.com/
LinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customerwinback/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danmpfister
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Sep 10, 2019
15. The Ten Year Overnight Success w/ Dave Webb
On this episode, we welcome Dave Webb to the program. Dave is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BrightMove, Inc. – pioneers of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) – and now one of the fastest growing global providers of hiring and recruiting software within the HR Technology industry.
While working in the evolving digital economy, David and his colleagues discovered a market opportunity in recruiting and staffing highly specialized information technology professionals for large scale projects. They also decided to build their own ATS solution with the granular-reporting and data-analytic features that would result in better- informed business decisions – for themselves and their clients. Thus, licensing the ATS software, which they called BrightMove, became a business of the same name in 2005.
Website: https://www.brightmove.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightmove-inc./
LinkedIn Dave Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwebb/
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Sep 3, 2019
14. How One Company’s Chatbot Platform Increases Lead Conversion Rates by 50% w/ Ish Jindal
On this episode, we welcome Ish Jindal to the program.
Ish is the Founder of Tars,. which helps businesses boost their PPC conversion rates through Conversational Landing Pages.
Chatbots built on the Tar’s platform help businesses give their customers an experience that is far more engaging and far more human than a boring old form. The end result is a higher conversion rates, more quality leads and most importantly, a happier customer.
To date, our product has enabled over 9,000 creators to build over 16,000 bots that have together completed over 12 million conversations.
Website: https://hellotars.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ish-tars
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Aug 27, 2019
13. The “How to” Playbook on Partnering with Enterprise Organizations w/ Michael Himmelfarb
On this episode, we welcome Michael Himmelfarb to the program.
Michael Himmelfarb is co-founder of InnoEQ, an analytics and advisory firm that shows companies how to be more successful with collaborative innovation i.g. working with enterprise organizations. InnoEQ provides seasoned product marketing leadership to B-to-B startups that want to accelerate their growth, and also advises corporations on how to effectively engage with startups.
Previously, Michael was an SVP and general manager at the research company Nielsen, where he transformed series of mature businesses into high performers leveraging startups and innovation. At Nielsen he also started and ran an incubator in Africa, India and China, and launched a corporate “Shark Tank.”
Before Nielsen he scaled series of startups while serving in various product and business development leadership roles.
Website: www.innoeq.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelhimmelfarb
Follow up materials:
Da Vinci Biography by Walter I…
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Aug 20, 2019
12. The Journey from Sales Rep to Founder w/ NLP Group CEO, Nicki Perchik
On this episode, we welcome Nicki Perchik to the program.
Nicki is the founder/CEO of The NLP Group, a boutique Executive Search Firm based in Chicago. NLP works with Senior and Executive level professionals on opportunities covering a broad spectrum of industries and functional areas. NLP’s clients span the entire United States and globe, ranging in size from early stage start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. NLP has consistently been recognized for outstanding performance, exceptional results and unmatched levels of service and support.
Website: https://www.thenlpgroup.net/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicoleperchik
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Aug 13, 2019
11. Transition from Start-up to High Velocity Growth w/CEO Tessa Herd-Court
On this episode, we welcome Tessa Herd-Court to the program.
Tessa Herd-Court is the CEO and co-founder of IntelligenceBank, a smart content management platform that helps businesses streamline processes and put governance around digital content. IntelligenceBank is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in the US and Canada.
In 2013, IntelligenceBank was named a Deloitte Asia Fast500 winner and Tessa was named as a finalist in the NAB Women’s Agenda Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
IntelligenceBank Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLYvrwegGWE
Website: https://www.intelligencebank.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessacourt/
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Aug 6, 2019
10. The Power of Brand Messaging w/ Diana Finley
Branding is one of the first things that companies work on when they start to do business, and yet it is one of the last things that ever gets finalized within the organization.
From explaining to clients and customers what a company's value is, to making sure that their positioning in the marketplace is well represented, branding accounts for a lot of a company's ability to succeed.
Diana Finley the Co-Founder of InnerView Group and today’s guest on the Hardwired for Growth podcast, knows a thing or two about the power of a strong brand. She works with internal brand representatives to help organizations rethink and imagine the way that they are organizing their teams around their marketing messages.
Website: https://innerviewgroup.com/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diana-finley-4692026
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Jul 30, 2019
9. Advice and Lessons Learned From a #1 Ranked Inc. 500 CEO w/ Dan Weinfurter
On this episode, I am thrilled to have Dan Weinfurter join the program.
Dan was the Founder of GrowthPlay, an integrated sales effectiveness services business that grew rapidly to be ranked #22 on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies. In Dan’s 25 years as a serial entrepreneur, he has built three prior private equity-backed companies from start-up to considerable scale, including Parson Group, his first startup that landed #1 on the coveted Inc. 500 list.
He is the author of Second Stage Entrepreneurship, Ten Proven Strategies to Drive Aggressive Growth (Macmillan/Palgrave, 2013).
Dan was an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Dan is currently a Director at Mentor Group UK. Mentor is a London-based global technology-enabled services firm that delivers solutions focused on improving sales productivity, leadership capability and revenue growth.
Visit: www.mentorgroup.co.uk and…
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Jul 23, 2019
8. Listen, Innovate, Grow - A Blueprint for Acquiring Business Customers w/ Michael Haynes
Michael Haynes is a B2B Growth Accelerator.
His passion and focus is helping start-ups and Small-Medium Businesses (SMEs) to use buyer driven approaches to develop products, services and solutions that business customers want thereby enabling them to acquire the corporate customers they seek.
Originally from Toronto, Canada, Michael has been living in Sydney Australia for over 19 years.
Michael has over 23 years’ experience working with companies in Australia, Brazil and Canada across a range of industries including Financial Services, Professional Services, IT and Telecommunications to develop and implement customer driven strategies and initiatives to drive business growth and performance.
He has been interviewed on international podcasts including Accelerate Your Business Growth and The B2B Growth Show here in the US, the Start-up Canada Podcast as well as the Making It Count podcast in Australia.
Michael is also the author of the book, Listen Innovate Grow: A Guidebook for S…
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Jul 16, 2019
7. Using Content and Social to Build a (Highly) Engaged Following w/ Rachel Clapp Miller
Rachel Clapp Miller is the Vice President of Marketing and Digital Engagement at Force Management. She leads digital marketing campaigns and has worked to build the brand’s content strategy to target both c-level executives and salespeople focused on closing opportunities. She brings an extensive television and media background to her marketing role. She has earned two Emmy awards and six Emmy nominations for her producing work.
In addition to her role at Force Management, she also runs Content Hacks, a website and social brand dedicated to helping people produce content easily and effectively.
Rachel earned her Masters in Communication from Wake Forest University. Her Master’s research focused on effective social media communication by organizations. She also served as a faculty adjunct at Wake Forest teaching relational communication in the undergraduate school, as well as Communication for Business Professionals in the Executive Program at the school’s Charlotte Center.
Rac…
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Jul 9, 2019
6. A Masterclass in Leadership w/ Jim Vaselopulos
Jim Vaselopulos is a C-level executive with a proven record as a rainmaker and new business development expert. With a reputation for principled leadership, strategic vision, and effective execution, Jim has built successful new enterprises and turned around underperforming organizations. Jim has been a consultant to many companies across nearly every industry. An entrepreneur at heart, Jim has started many companies, managed partnerships and participated in several well-orchestrated exits.
As the founder of Rafti Advisors, Inc., Jim helps early stage companies get off on the right foot, growth stage companies push through plateaus and mature companies with strategic shifts and complex challenges.
Jim is a sought after executive coach focusing on leadership, business development, effective communications and professional development. He is a frequent speaker on leadership, sales, professionalism, networking and innovation. Jim volunteers regularly with veterans groups and business in…
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Jul 3, 2019
5. Why Culture is the Backbone of a Growing Business w/ Teresa Marzolph
One third of our lifetime is spent at work. Great leaders see this as an opportunity to revolutionize the human experience by making work valuable. Teresa has dedicated her career to this concept. Having spent the past 14 years helping companies attract, engage, recognize, and retain the employees driving their companies to be successful, Teresa has worked with some of the best companies in industries ranging from media to tech.
In 2017 she founded Culture Engineered, an employee feedback tools & services company helping small and mid-sized businesses improve business performance by creating a thoughtful, unique, employee experience. Committed to advancing SMBs, Teresa hosts monthly events featuring employers with outstanding company cultures, connecting traditional businesses with modern people strategies – that work.
Teresa’s Social Channels:
* LinkedIn
* Website
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Jul 2, 2019
4. Power of Building a Learning and Development Platform w/ Kati Ryan
Kati has built a world class, award-winning training programs for companies like Instacart, Gannett, LivingSocial, and others. Founding A Positive Adventure, an L&D consultancy business based in the Bay Area, Kati is a highly respected leader in the industry.
She is a professionally trained and engaging public speaker and subject matter expert. She has spoken at industry conferences including Training Industry Conference & Expo, ATD International Convention, contributed content to publications such as ATD Blog, #GirlBoss.com, and been quoted in Fast Company on effective team building practices.
Kati’s passion is making learning stick, enjoyable and helping employees and companies reach their full potential through learning.
Kati’s Social Channels:
* LinkedIn
* Instagram
* Twitter
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Jun 25, 2019
2. The Power and Value of Differentiation w/ Tim Caito
Why is different more impactful than better?
On this episode, I am thrilled to have Tim Caito join the program. Tim and I break down the importance and value of understanding your company’s value drivers and why it is critical that the entire organization and not just your sales team is aligned around them.
Tim is a Senior Partner at ForceManagement and responsible for their Customer Strategy and Success Center of Excellence.
This center provides Force Management customers guidance on how to align their sales effectiveness strategies with their overall growth strategies, creating a success roadmap for achieving sustained sales productivity.
Tim Caito combines more than 30 years of sales, management, professional development and business consulting experience to help selling and buying organizations, challenged by dramatic shifts in market conditions, win better deals and improve critical seller-buyer relationships.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Bowlin…
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Jun 25, 2019
3. Why Product/Market Fit Should be the First Objective of any Organization w/ Brandon Mateika
Forty-three percent of start-ups fail because of a lack of product/market fit.
Brandon Mateika is passionate and a tad bit unrelenting when it comes to helping business owners achieve their business goals and objectives.
Brandon breaks down the steps new and existing businesses should take to validate product/market fit. He shares a number of real-world examples of success and learnings from the companies he works with.
Brandon is the CEO and founder of Sales and Marketing Inc., a growth agency dedicated to taking the confusion out of sales and marketing. He specializes in the SMB market, but has worked with numerous Fortune 500 and Inc. 5,000 companies across the United States and globally, including companies as large as Google.
In addition to running Sales and Marketing Inc., Brandon works with America’s SBDC of Iowa, 1 Million Cups, Kirkwood Community College, and the University of Iowa as a mentor and business coach. Due to this outreach, he has helped over one-hundred busin…
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Jun 20, 2019
1. What You Can Expect From Hardwired For Growth w/ Brett Trainor
Brett Trainor gets you ready for his new podcast, “Hardwired for Growth” by letting you know what to expect when the podcast debuts on June 25.
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