Designer Sheryl Hammontree left the corporate world in 1993. Over the years, she realized that leaving corporate doesn’t necessarily mean you left the corporate habits back at the office. She was successfully going solo at her studio, but, the addiction to being busy and the need for approval left her feeling unfulfilled. Sheryl recently hired a business coach and rewrote the story she’d been telling herself for so many years. Today, she’s the owner of Thoughtful Threads, a custom-designed apparel line spreading messages of empowerment, equality, love and kindness.

We discuss:

• Addicted to being busy and proving you could do it [02:35]
• The one more thing that would make you happier [08:33]
• The control to completely overload yourself [10:26]
• Longing for all the reasonable elements of a career life [14:37]
• Five intentions to follow when choosing a project to work on [16:38]
• The open mind is the only kind [18:26]
• Ways to monetize your experience [21:17]

Learn more about Sheryl at https://www.thoughtfulthreadsco.com.

Carol Schultz is a talent equity and leadership coaching and advisory expert, and Founder/CEO at Vertical Elevation. Over the past 29 years, she‘s honed her expertise and formed an intrinsic understanding of successful recruiting and alignment processes.

We discuss:

• The most important department in a company [02:33]
• People leave managers, not jobs [06:04]
• The area in which coaching works best [11:41]
• The one thing that prevents all the councils in the world to help you change [14:19]
• Don’t be cheap and think you can do it all [18:15]

Recognized for her proficiency in corporate leadership, Carol has helped executives gain clarity in their careers, created a culture of performance for their teams, and made bold leadership moves. A firm believer in supporting executives to become more confident leaders, she has advised countless individuals and companies from Pre-Seed stage startups to publicly traded companies.

Learn more about Carol at https://verticalelevation.com/.

Ben Wolf, founder and CEO of Fractional Leadership, is the author of Fractional Leadership: Landing Executive Talent You Thought Was Out of Reach. He wrote his book and created www.FractionalLeadership.io to educate business owners and leaders on what Fractional Leadership is, how it works, and to help them find right-fit Fractional Leaders. As background, after building a tech-powered healthcare startup from zero to the largest organization of its type in New York State, he “went solo” and created a Fractional Integrator (outsourced COO) firm, Wolf’s Edge Consulting.

We discuss:

• How fractional leadership is easing the frog-kissing process [02:23]
• The three main factors why fractional leadership is exploding more now [07:10]
• The means to help you be the center of gravity [13:28]
• Prevalent budgeting models for fractional leaders [16:16]
• Who is fractional leadership for [19:55]

Learn more about Ben at https://www.fractionalleadership.io/.

Michael Bauman is the CEO of Success Engineering, a Tony Robbins certified coach and he helps entrepreneurs feel that they are enough and know they are not alone.

He is also the host of the podcast, Success Engineering, where he interviews experts and industry leaders, from Broadway Directors and actors to multi-millionaire CEO’s, to neuroscientists and more to uncover how they define success, how they create it on a daily basis and explore the challenges they have overcome both internally and externally to achieve their personal definition of success.

We discuss:

• The difference between a technician and a business owner [02:54]
• How to create the feeling of success [04:28]
• The five whys every entrepreneur should ask themselves [07:55]
• The different layers of success [11:48]
• An expert in pain for social disconnection [15:05]
• How research can help you become an expert in a particular area [18:05]
• Where to find the best avatar for your first audience [19:47]
• Making sure your ladder is leaning up against the right building [22:50]

Learn more about Michael at www.successengineering.org.

Frank Agin is president of AmSpirit Business Connection, which empowers entrepreneurs, sales representatives and professionals to become successful through networking.

We discuss:

• Jumping from a great job into the great unknown [02:00]
• How to start making a pathway to becoming successful [03:20]
• If you can’t bring in new business, you’re not running a business [07:58]
• The only direction to go in is success [11:00]
• Anything but the truth [13:48]
• Why getting referrals is much easier than direct communication [15:50]
• The benefits of a 90-minute workshop versus a week-long [17:45]

He also hosts the Networking Rx podcast, which has insights and interviews related to better business relationships. Frank is the author of several books, including Foundational Networking.

With 27 years of B2B marketing and sales experience ranging from mid-sized local companies to enterprise organizations, Darrell has diverse experience across the sales and marketing landscape. He has trained thousands of salespeople in solution selling, created digital marketing strategies for hundreds of companies, and consulted with Fortune 500 technology companies. He knows what works—and what doesn’t.

We discuss:

• The contrast in feelings when you finally pull the plug [02:17]
• The moments of anxiety everyone has in their career [06:15]
• Why it’s more secure to have your own business versus having an employer [08:02]
• How to become an expert in revenue growth [10:06]
• How bringing in people with opposite skillsets helps the business scale [14:37]
• The two numbers every business owner needs to know [20:16]

As a member of the Forbes Business Council, Darrell works with executives to create growth strategies. He co-founded Convergo, where he serves as the Chief Innovation Officer, helping companies develop revenue growth strategies.

Darrell is the co-founder of the Kingdom Missions Fund, providing resources to innovative Christian missions projects. He also leads the ManAlive EXPEDITION team. Darrell is the host of the Revenue Growth Podcast and the co-host of the Selling From the Heart Podcast. Darrell is a frequent podcast guest, keynote speaker, and contributing author.

Learn more about Darrell at https://www.revenuegrowthengine.net/ and LinkedIn.

Katherine Ann Byam (MBA, FCCA) is the wing-woman to your genius and a business resilience / organic growth consultant. As a strategic partner to leaders, she helps businesses design and embed effective strategies for responsible brand stewardship, to deliver outcomes that favor a wider stakeholder view.

We discuss:

• The queen of transitions [02:36]
• How to deal with the glass ceiling effect [04:02]
• A psychological battle of wills [07:00]
• Freeing up time and capacity for innovation [10:14]
• How to move forward when things get tough [13:09]
• How to manage the cycle of your energy [15:16]
• Employees are the greatest innovators in the world [19:58]
• The things to learn before you start pitching [23:38]

Learn more about Katherine at https://www.whereideaslaunch.com/, LinkedIn, Medium and Facebook.

Diane Tarshis is a seasoned business advisor and founder of Startup Distillery. Working with entrepreneurs across the US and around the globe, Diane uses her unique mix of finance, retail, manufacturing, and operations experience to help entrepreneurs distill their ideas into profitable, growing businesses.

We discuss:

• Shifting from corporate life to small business life [02:32]
• A double-edged sword or a fantasy [05:30]
• A DIY kit for entrepreneurs [07:22]
• Reasons to write a business plan [11:38]
• The difference between growth and scaling [13:03]
• The pressure for growth and scaling [16:38]
• How to grow a consulting business and still keep it solo [18:20]

Learn more about Diane at https://startupdistillery.com/.

Karen Gershowitz started her career as a marketing researcher at American Express and Emery Worldwide. She was then a partner at BAI Global, a marketing consulting and research firm. In 1991 she founded Strategic Action Inc., a marketing strategy consultancy working with Fintech, performing arts and other not-for-profit institutions.

We discuss:

• Trying not to be the best-kept secret in the United States [02:44]
• The structure of Score: where to start when growing a business [06:21]
• Why a consultant can’t be a jack of all trades [09:02]
• Why consultants should be partners as well [12:42]
• The importance of having a good political radar [17:18]
• The three big things consultants can do that employees can’t [21:15]
• Out there lonely with the worst demons [25:11]

Since 2017 she has been a mentor at Score NYC. Her clientele are mainly individuals looking to start or grow a consulting business. Karen teaches three webinars on consulting for Score. Karen is also the author of Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust.

Learn more about Karen at https://newyorkcity.score.org and LinkedIn.

Jaime Jay is the founder and managing director of Bottleneck Distant Assistants. Founded in 2016, Bottleneck is an outsourcing agency that helps businesses identify, hire, and cultivate their workforce through a carefully designed systematic approach to growth. A veteran US Army paratrooper who received the Army Achievement Medal for Meritorious Service, Jay’s additional business experience includes a twelve-year career in corporate America and advanced education in Business Administration and Management at Florida Institute of Technology.

We discuss:

• Three reasons to write a book other than anything else [03:02]
• What makes 184 pages much more than new authors think [06:24]
• A very affordable way about finding a hybrid publisher [09:15]
• What it feels like going through the different levels of editing [11:18]
• Thinking about thinking about leadership [13:17]
• The seven-year itch in business [15:35]
• The little things that make writing a book worthwhile [17:03]
• The best way for book authors to get feedback from readers [19:34]
• How crazy other people’s lives are [21:30]

Jaime likes networking with big-picture thinkers and proudly proclaims he is unemployable. In his spare time, he enjoys playing hockey, camping, boating, playing guitar, shooting guns, traveling, and spending time with his wife, Sara.

In Quit Repeating Yourself, author Jaime Jay shares how he built a seven-figure business by focusing on the power of creating systems and processes so he could stop doing the wrong things and focus on doing his best work. After other business professionals kept asking him to explain what he was doing differently, Jay compiled his best strategies and systems, hoping readers could learn from his successes and his mistakes. Through personal stories and professional examples, he teaches leaders how to build a strong company foundation using small and actionable steps.

Learn more about Jaime at https://bottleneck.online, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

With a doctorate in clinical psychology and extensive studies in life coaching and consultancy, Dr. Andy Garrett has created a revolutionary personal development protocol – with his Authentic Growth Blueprint signature course. Dr. Andy also has a successful private practice in Newport Beach, CA – where he lives with his wife and two children.

We discuss:

• The difference between having a choice and having an obligation [02:31]
• A narrative of self-efficacy [05:44]
• The type of motivation that is better than others [06:50]
• How to understand your unique character strengths [11:16]
• The number one regret people have [12:54]
• The clarity that makes everything flow in the same direction [18:07]
• Why saying no is a much more important decision than saying yes [22:57]

Learn more about Andy at www.therealyoumatters.com and www.Ag-thrive.com.

With over two and a half decades of strategic communication, employee brand engagement, and internal brand development, Suzanne’s inside-out brand-building strategy creates the clarity and actions necessary for her clients to drive consistency, distinction, and advocacy long-term.

We discuss:

• The many expectations of a logo [02:24]
• A framework that helps you say “no” [06:45]
• What marketers miss when they’re out there marketing [09:37]
• The good and the bad news about personal brands [12:02]
• The misalignment between consultants and their prospects [15:22]
• Clarity is the basis of action [18:38]

Because her Brand DNA approach is radically different, she is paving the way companies and personal brands elevate their value position and actually reduce marketing costs while growing market share. As author of The 6 Myths of Small Business Branding and co-author of Brand DNA; Uncover Your Organization’s Genetic Code to Competitive Advantage, also published in China and her newest book; Personal Brand Clarity, Identify, Define & Align to What You Want to Be Known For, she is helping to pave the transformational highway to grow by conscious, strategic design; not by DEFAULT!

Learn more about Suzanne at www.BrandAscension.com.

Robin Merle has been a senior executive for billion-dollar nonprofit organizations. She’s raised more than a half-billion dollars in philanthropy during her nearly forty years in the field.

We discuss:

• How to be resilient in the face of major career challenges [02:42]
• The path to adding meaning somewhere to somebody’s life [05:48]
• Why involuntary exit is more prevalent than many people think [08:16]
• The first 24 hours of being fired [10:06]
• The people who will not add drama to your trauma [12:58]
• Longer than you think: stages of grieving in children [15:48]
• The biggest killer of a new business [19:55]
• The thrill of not hearing from your clients anymore [21:17]

Robin has been Vice-Chair of National Philanthropy Day in New York 3 times, served on multiple nonprofit boards, and was named Woman of Achievement in 2017 by Women in Development, New York. She recently, voluntarily, left her last executive-level position at a major university to promote her new book, Involuntary Exit, and expand her nonprofit consulting business.

Learn more about Robin at https://theprofessionalguide.com and LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Gio Marcus is copywriting mentor who teaches high-converting copy to entrepreneurs who want to reach millions and make millions.

We discuss:

• How to become your brand’s own best copywriter [02:32]
• A copy that’s more than a static set of words on a page [05:51]
• What makes people bolder in their copywriting [07:06]
• The first thing to do to get your copy generating revenue immediately [10:12]
• The price of effectively communicating your value [11:51]
• The missing element in LinkedIn [16:37]
• The basis of every great movie, novel or TV commercial [17:09]
• How to show the reader that you understand them [19:11]

Gio’s copywriting clients are guests of Oprah, Marie Forleo & Sir Richard Branson; regularly featured on major TV shows and magazines, stars of their own Netflix documentaries, and winners of Oscars nominations for their health documentaries. Between them, Gio’s clients have written over 35 New York Times bestselling books, translated into 190 languages. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Learn more about Gio at https://giomarcus.com.

Doug C. Brown is the CEO of Business Success Factors, international best-selling author of the book Win-Win Selling: Unlocking Your Power for Profitability by Resolving Objections, and a nationally recognized sales revenue growth expert and consultant.

We discuss:

• Lessons from the nonlinearity of careers [02:02]
• The dots that make career transitioning easier [06:11]
• What the business of consulting is [not] about [07:38]
• Focus on acquisition of clients versus focus on delivery [08:48]
• The quickest and fastest way to cash for new consultants [13:10]
• The type of website that consultants need [19:20]

Learn more about Doug at LinkedIn.

Tom Bailey is the founder of Succeed Through Speaking and he spent the first 25 years of his life becoming an expert at AVOIDING public speaking, presenting and being in front of groups of people. However, since overcoming his life-limiting fear of speaking and presenting he has experienced first-hand how people can succeed through speaking. He now helps other Entrepreneurs, Experts, Coaches and Consultants use speaking to raise their profile and gain new clients.

We discuss:

• An expert at avoiding public speaking [02:19]
• How the fear of speaking is hurting your personal and professional life [04:37]
• The wrong decisions that keep you in your comfort zone [05:59]
• Confidence comes from competence [09:44]
• How to use speaking as a platform to attract more clients [11:41]
• The five P’s that help experts be great at speaking [13:00]
• How to increase the visibility of someone who is hiding behind the brand [16:01]
• How to connect the dots between speaking and business [17:36]
• Why you should never say you’re the greatest speaker in the world [20:50]

Learn more about Tom at https://www.succeedthroughspeaking.com.

Tamara Lashchyk is a Career & Business Coach who helps mid-late career professionals reinvent their careers.

We discuss:

• Struggling with the culture of HR [02:38]
• Why you can’t outsmart your boss [04:52]
• Reasons to quit a job even when you’re the top performer [09:08]
• The number one reason for job dissatisfaction [12:54]
• Life is a blank sheet of paper [14:07]
• The question that nobody, including yourself, asks you [20:26]
• What older generations can learn from millennials [24:10]

Before establishing her coaching business, Tamara had a successful career on Wall Street where she spent a total of 26 years at firms such as JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank.

Tamara is the Author of the book Lose the Gum, A Survival Guide for Women on Wall Street, Main Street & Every Street in Between.

Learn more about Tamara at https://tamaralashchyk.com/ and https://nextlevellifeseries.com/.

Aurora Winter is an award-winning, bestselling author. She is a successful serial entrepreneur, media trainer, creator of the Spoken Author™ method, and founder of Same Page Publishing.

We discuss:

• Leveraging the number 3 search engine [02:00]
• The secret to producing hundreds of podcast episodes [03:39]
• How the Spoken Author method helps non-writers fill in the blank page [05:29]
• Those who tell the stories rule society [09:18]
• How to add significance to your stories [11:21]
• The essence of a person gathered in a wave form [13:37]
• The distance between a good communicator and a great one [16:21]
• The neuroscience behind communication [17:34]
• The worst way to make a million dollars with a book [20:17]

Learn more about Aurora at www.aurorawinter.com.

Wayne has helped some of the world’s best brands with award-winning design and customer experiences. Unemployment found Wayne in October 2019 and by January 2020 his business was up and running.

We discuss:

• How to springboard into creating opportunities [02:23]
• A few push-ups away from what’s obvious [04:27]
• The opportunity behind offering a multichannel strategy [08:10]
• How to build out and own your priorities across projects and clients [11:09]
• The comfort level with what the 90-day forecast look like [14:43]
• From services to products: a story about expertise [17:19]
• Don’t ride the waves of emotions [19:04]

Learn more about Wayne at https://resonantpixel.co and Twitter.

Evan Rabin was born and raised in New York. After working in Corporate America, doing enterprise sales at Oracle and Rapid 7, he formed Premier Chess in September 2017. Premier Chess currently runs programs in 80+ schools and companies including the law firm Kramer Levin. He is a US Chess National Master.

We discuss:

• What it means to be analytical in sales [02:09]
• Why entrepreneurs don’t make good fits as employees [06:09]
• The most important prerequisite to run a chess company [07:56]
• What made Evan start the sales company first [11:22]
• Learning business and life lessons through chess [13:24]
• The speed we need to go through an unexpected situation [15:35]
• Why players should not let a domino effect happen [18:13]
• How to use unexpected situations to your advantage [19:41]

Learn more about Evan at https://www.premierchess.com.

Brad Flowers co-founded Bullhorn, an agency that builds impact brands with language and design. Brad leads naming and language generation at Bullhorn. He has a degree in literature, which he finds more useful than he expected. He co-founded the non-profit bike shop, Broke Spoke. Brad is also the author of The Naming Book. He lives with his wife and two kids in Lexington, KY.

We discuss:

• How a literature degree can make you unexpectedly successful [02:31]
• Cash is king or cash is queen [05:14]
• The seed of a naming book [07:14]
• How to pitch a name to your family [09:50]
• The biggest problem in naming your business [13:00]
• A pretty good name for a florist [15:33]
• Criteria for choosing the best name for your company [17:54]
• Some of the most interesting names for consulting businesses [20:33]
• The whole point of thinking more widely [22:07]

Learn more about Brad at https://www.thenamingbook.com/ and https://bullhorncreative.com/.

Terri Maxwell is the Founder and CEO of Share On Purpose, Inc, a business cultivator that created six innovative brands using her Conscious Business Growth Platform™. She also started a Speculator Fund to invest in social ventures focused on making the world better. In an entrepreneurial career that spans almost 30 years, Terri has launched, owned, sold, rebranded, or turned around more than 50 brands. Her latest concept is https://shiftco.global/ a business growth platform for conscious entrepreneurs.

We discuss:

• Using teaching skills to build a successful salesforce [02:58]
• How to make the world better and make money at the same time [04:05]
• Truly [in]authentic business growth techniques [06:56]
• The four F’s: authentic demand generation [09:29]
• A powerful story of nineteen criminals [13:33]
• The most authentic parts of the world in terms of entrepreneurship [15:31]
• The purchasing power of millennials turning the tide [17:35]

Learn more about Terri at LinkedIn.

Rock Robinson is an accomplished Sales Executive with 40 years of achievement growing revenue with the likes of McGraw-Hill, Sallie Mae, Stericycle & the Univ. of Phoenix.

We discuss:

• The right time to apply for credit [03:24]
• The five questions you need to ask during networking [05:47]
• How to store and save good intelligence [12:22]
• Why even busy solopreneurs should not stop networking [14:52]
• Hamster wheel and burn out as qualifying skills [16:16]
• The need for people who want to coach [18:44]
• Characteristics of a company that wants to coach [20:24]
• Why a coach’s job is never to stay too long [21:58]

In 2015, after being severed for the 3rd time & experiencing a personal tragedy, he took a leap of faith & formed Rock SOLID Sales Consulting. For the last 7 years, he has provided services as a Fractional Sales Leader & Coach to Sales Leaders.

Born & Raised in the Detroit suburbs, Cincinnati has been his home for the last 30 years.

Learn more about Rock on LinkedIn.

Lynn is a tax attorney-turned consultant who finds innovative and novel ways to create fiercely loyal clients and employees. As employees uncover their untapped potential, they become deeply engaged and excel at delighting customers. Consequently, these businesses achieve higher levels of profits, growth, and retention!

We discuss:

• Organizations that [don’t] care about their employees [02:14]
• The obstacles that stand in the way of a change agent [05:46]
• How to see the answers that are right in front of us [07:36]
• Why disruption is not a measure in the financials [10:40]
• The employees you can’t overwhelm [16:43]
• What happens when senior managers don’t talk to customers [19:18]

Learn more about Lynn at https://www.thomasconsultingwins.com and LinkedIn.

Neil Thompson is a product development engineer who decided he didn’t want to be in the cubicle anymore, so he went solo. His company, Teach the Geek, works with STEM professionals who want to improve their speaking skills so they can communicative effectively with non-technical people. He also hosts a podcast, the Teach the Geek podcast, where he speaks with STEM professionals about public speaking.

We discuss:

• The moment when your services are no longer needed [02:12]
• Ask Uncle Neil why is my hair curly [05:30]
• How to identify a unique need [06:50]
• Communication lessons for scientists and engineers [09:17]
• How to get enough “yesses” for an idea you have [12:04]
• Why people are no longer afraid to move to greener pastures [15:50]
• The hardest part about starting something new [17:34]

Learn more about Neil at https://teachthegeek.com/ and YouTube.