Best known as the founder of Beast Gear, Ben Leonard is the classic millennial entrepreneur. He built a business on a laptop, in a cupboard, in his spare time. The difference? Ben grew an international 7-figure business and successfully exited after 3 years which is the business holy grail. Now Ben is doing it all over again and helping others to do the same with his ecommerce consultancy and ecommerce brokerage.

We discuss:

• How to sell the business when you’re the business [02:38]
• Less about you and more about the transformation [05:30]
• The fear of productizing knowledge [07:16]
• The mistake consultants do when creating a subscription model [11:37]
• Main measures of business performance [16:31]
• Why everybody knows who the owner of Tesla is [19:09]

Learn more about Ben at https://www.ecombrokers.co.uk and LinkedIn.

Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth.

We discuss:

• Why everybody is going solo today [03:50]
• The going solo mindset: employer vs worker [07:15]
• Rockstar successes from Covid going forward [10:05]
• The keys to make companies responsive [11:30]
• Unexpected changes as a result of open communication [13:35]
• The hedgehog principle applied to knowledge workers [17:15]
• How to find the true greatness of people [19:15]

Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He’s the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption.

He’s been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Learn more about Mark at https://opplab.com/.

Paul Sherman is a dynamic C-suite leader with finance, strategy, operations excellence, customer success, and business development experience in healthcare services and technology, commercial real estate and multi-unit restaurants.

We discuss:

• The basics of relationship-building [02:52]
• The givers, takers and exchangers [4:58]
• The fine line between helping for free and helping for money [6:23]
• Not a template of questions but a natural flow [07:45]
• What adds more meaning to being a solopreneur [12:32]
• What your grandma wants to know about your business [14:34]
• What keeps your ideal clients awake at night [17:43]
• The person that says “no” most of the time [19:20]

He has operated in PE, public and family-owned companies. Paul has a passion for developing talent, professionalize and transform highly motivated teams to exceed expectations.

Learn more about Paul at LinkedIn.

Named “Top Startup Coach in the World” at the Thinkers50/Marshall Goldsmith Global Coaches Awards, Alisa Cohn has coached startup founders into world-class CEOs for twenty years. Rated the number one Global Guru of Startups in 2021, she’s worked with Venmo, Etsy, DraftKings, Mack Weldon, and Tory Burch.

We discuss:

• The music in your head [02:12]
• Zero clients, zero business [04:26]
• The second day of a new coaching career [06:11]
• The perspective of your younger self against your older self [11:08]
• The journey from founder to CEO [13:00]
• How to articulate between two niches [15:27]
• Executives who don’t know what their problem is [19:11]
• Keeping your North star in mind [21:50]

Learn more about Alisa at https://www.alisacohn.com/, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Chris Weller is an award-winning storytelling expert. He’s the co-creator and producer of the Netflix Original Documentary “Spelling the Dream,” an Ironman triathlete, and a crossword puzzle aficionado. He is currently a senior editor at Insider, overseeing coverage that explores the human side of work and business.

We discuss:

• The time when podcasts were not even a thing [05:03]
• The impression that consistence creates [08:11]
• The evolution of audio on demand [11:30]
• Why content creators don’t have to be everywhere [15:33]
• Spelling the dream with the spelling bee [18:20]
• The value of looking for intersections [20:40]

Learn more about Chris at LinkedIn.

Following a 36-year career as a public-school teacher, Dena is continuing her love for education as a humanitarian educator, running a non-profit organization she founded 18 years ago. The Dream School foundation supports public education in Nigeria with infrastructure and resources to teach and learn.

We discuss:

• Opportunities are often unexpected [02:13]
• Taking a chance on a career transition [05:18]
• How to be efficient when working for your mom [08:20]
• How to do good work in a damaged system [10:46]
• Feeling like Ben Franklin in Nigeria [12:30]
• Depth before breadth [16:09]
• The perseverance to stay where you’re needed most [18:27]
• Walking off into the sunset [19:55]

Learn more about Dena at www.dreamschoolfoundation.org, Facebook and Instagram.

John Neral helps mid-career professionals prepare, position, and promote who they are and what they do, so they can SHOW UP to find a job they love or love the job they have. He’s the author of the newly published book “Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What’s Next.” He and his spouse are the proud parents of a rescue cat named, “Amy Farrah Meowler” named after their love of the show, the Big Bang Theory.

We discuss:

• The fear of being stuck [02:44]
• What to do with your unique professional value [04:32]
• The people we hurt when we don’t make our offers [09:32]
• No place is a party [12:54]
• The role of a coach for planning a coaching career [16:18]
• The things that make the coaching fit easy [19:11]
• The most fascinating part of the career journey [22:55]

Learn more about John at https://johnneral.com, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Gina Covarrubias is the founder of Deliberate Doing, an exclusive STEM coaching service dedicated to teaching engineers and other technical professionals how to defeat career despair.

We discuss:

• Engineers are famous for figuring things out [02:45]
• How to get out of the corporate bubble [06:33]
• How college teaches you to be an employee [11:10]
• A great solution for STEM professionals who want more of their career [13:00]
• Leaving versus staying in the engineering world [15:09]
• The first step to making the external world as great as you want it to be [16:17]
• What rocks the STEM world [18:42]
• Happy people make happy employees [21:02]

Her distinctive background blends life coaching expertise with 12+ years engineering/technology experience in the government, academic, and corporate environments, all within the aerospace sector.

As an Engineering Life Coach, Gina’s mission is simple: to help STEM professionals be happy.

Learn more about Gina at https://deliberatedoing.com.

Christy Metcalf helps women rewrite their story from former corporate yes girl to successful entrepreneur on their terms.

We discuss:

• The problem with being conditioned to our 1% salary increase [02:13]
• The key to sticking to your value [06:01]
• Why McDonald’s don’t sell tacos [10:28]
• Nobody knows who you are [12:23]
• How to deal with the fear of showing up [16:28]
• Money is all around if you’re willing to ask for it [19:05]
• Riding the bike to make yourself successful [22:31]

A reformed yes girl, people pleaser, and workaholic she made the leap from corporate employee to successful entrepreneur two decades ago, and now she helps other women do the same thing. Now she uses that same winning framework to educate and support new female entrepreneurs as they step into their new role as CEO and rewrite their story.

Learn more about Christy at www.2smartgirls.com, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Judy Schoenberg and Linda Lautenberg are the co-founders of EvolveMe.

We discuss:

• Paying it forward to women in their 50s [1:55]
• How to make a pivot after taking an 18-year-break from work [03:57]
• An opportunity to take ownership of your career [07:43]
• The key to putting one foot in front of the other when times get tough [10:25]
• Major challenges for women trying to make major pivots [13:47]
• The importance of clarity and confidence in job search [16:45]
• The power of having a story to tell [18:18]
• A step-by-step process to repack yourself [19:53]
• A future talent pipeline for companies [23:15]

Learn more about Judy and Linda at www.EvolveMe.work

Dan Bennett was born and raised in the gritty city of Flint, MI. He is the Founder of 1 Minute Media, a company that empowers individuals to tell their stories with great video through coursework and private membership. He is also a digital media freelancer who offers direct consultation for companies as well as decades of experience in video production, video editing, motion graphics, sound design, graphic design and digital content development.

We discuss:

• Back and forth between left and right side of the brain [02:24]
• The love of creativity and newfound energy [05:06]
• Take the wheel and see what happens [08:52]
• The great band-aid rip of 2020 [11:19]
• The medicine in the cheese [16:34]
• Accidents that work out pretty good [19:09]
• The members that don’t pay you anymore [20:55]

Learn more about Dan at https://imtheantipreneur.com/linkstack.

Julie Erickson is an executive and career coach who started her own business 15 years ago after being fired from a job and realizing she needed to take another path.

We discuss:

• A Monday morning get going meeting [02:48]
• How to go where it’s warm [05:39]
• The dark hallway in-between they never tell you about [06:42]
• How to speed up your recovery from a job loss [13:25]
• Why family is not great in terms of helping someone in their job search [14:58]
• Why women are better storytellers [15:50]
• Promoting oneself while still being in the tunnel space [18:51]
• Why first-time entrepreneurs should aim to use their core value proposition [21:00]

She’s helped many job seekers start their own businesses when they realize they would rather be their own boss. Julie ran two non-profits, has an MBA in leadership and graduated from Smith College. She is co-author of the recent book Betrayed by Work: Women’s Stories of Trauma, Healing, and Hope After Being Fired.

Learn more about Julie at https://myrightfitjob.com.

Jonathan Keyser is the founder of Keyser, one of the largest independent, occupier services commercial real estate firms in the country. Additionally, Keyser is a founding member of EXIS Global, the largest independent, commercial real estate organization in the world committed to exclusively representing corporate end users.

We discuss:

• Changing the mechanics of a whole industry [02:45]
• The universe can’t handle an imbalance [06:35]
• Why you should start using the L word in business [09:08]
• Reinvention from the inside out [12:26]
• The biggest accountability mechanism [16:26]
• Just a commercial real estate guy from Arizona having a dream [21:58]

Jonathan focuses his efforts on changing the business world through selfless service and his efforts manifest in his content and thought leadership. He was named “The Commercial Real Estate Disruptor” by USA Today, a #1 Multi-Category Best Selling Author on Amazon and the Wall Street Journal for his book, “You Don’t Have to be Ruthless to Win”. He is a frequent keynote speaker, a thought leader featured on over 150 articles, publications, and podcasts, and is recognized as one of the Top 20 Virtual Keynote Speakers in the country.

Learn more about Jonathan at www.keyser.com and https://ruthlessbook.com/.

Gail Robertson has a degree in Journalism and a Masters in Curiosity! After building a background working in Media, Fundraising, Advertising, Public Relations, and even as the owner of a Bed and Breakfast on Pelee Island, Gail uses her diverse skills to build and grow brands that last a lifetime and beyond.

As the owner of GailNow she is a powerhouse connector, strategic brand consultant and keynote speaker.

We discuss:

• Getting ahead of the curve by planning your exit strategy [02:44]
• Listen to the train in the distance [05:37]
• Why having a schedule is key for entrepreneurs [07:11]
• Embracing competition: the value of lifting other people up [09:14]
• How to prequalify prospects that align with your values [12:40]
• Be curious, not judgmental [18:11]
• How to keep the doors open when going to networking events [19:46]
• The tool that will help you move your sales in a virtual world [21:14]

She has developed a niche in Manufacturing Marketing – with a particular focus on moldmaking and automation. She is on the board of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers and works closely with its partner organization, Automate Canada.

She was also nominated in the Top 3 Professional of the Year of the Windsor Essex Chamber Business Excellence Awards.

Learn more about Gail at https://gailnow.com/, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

David Crysler is the founder of the Crysler Club and host of the Everyday Business Problems Podcast. Having spent nearly 20 years working for a publicly traded corporation that grew through acquisition provided Dave with the opportunity to grow several different businesses during his career.

We discuss:

• A different way for small business owners to build a business [02:24]
• What large corporations do best [06:46]
• The four pillars of scaling [09:53]
• The common problems that trading and manufacturing businesses have [11:00]
• How to deal with the fear of laying out cash for some help [15:16]
• How to differentiate yourself in a field with a low barrier to entry [17:36]
• Shifting from working in your business to working on your business [21:33]

Entering entrepreneurship, Dave quickly realized there was a tremendous need within small businesses to have access to the tools and support that were commonplace in a large corporation. It was during this time Dave developed his operations framework that he uses to solve everyday problems and free business owners from working in their business so it can grow.

Learn more about David at https://thecrysler.club, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

Bob Goodwin is the founder of Career Club.

We discuss:

• Making job search your job [01:21]
• You can’t shoot a target you can’t see [03:02]
• How come the job candidate is unarmed [06:11]
• A back door entry into companies of interest [09:09]
• The best learning is the unexpected one [11:20]
• How people should manage their professional network [14:45]
• Trends in flexible work arrangements [19:07]

Learn more about Bob at www.career.club

As the official Zig Ziglar Small Business Lawyer and a Ziglar Legacy Certified Trainer, it’s no wonder that Scott Reib is known as “America’s Legal Coach.” For the last two decades, Scott has been helping business owners, entrepreneurs, and coaches “shatterproof” their businesses by implementing specific strategies for structure, growth, and protection. Over the last three years, Scott has been sharing these strategies with business owners and coaches, and watching them grow and succeed!

We discuss:

• The beginning of all of the subscriptions we see nowadays [02:10]
• How to [not] lose your Friday [04:14]
• The pep talk you need to give yourself before a sales call [06:10]
• The signs telling you to hire a business coach [08:44]
• Different coaches for different seasons of life [11:10]
• Helping businesses grow in a protected way [13:26]
• What business owners don’t know what they don’t know about getting an LLC [15:02]
• The issues in front of multistate entrepreneurs [18:35]
• The death of the billable hour [20:08]

Learn more about Scott at https://reiblaw.com/.

Josepha started Strathos Coaching and Consulting in January 2021. It was a big leap after working for an employer for her entire 30-year career. Josepha is passionate about helping people and organizations see possibilities, leverage strengths, and achieve goals.

We discuss:

• There is more to life than the financial side [02:07]
• A very clear North star [05:54]
• The barriers we hit as employees [07:25]
• The push and pull of being an entrepreneur [08:52]
• Going between ways of being and learning [11:18]
• Braver than you thought [13:35]
• Caution: know when you should start charging [15:33]
• How to be strong in your values [16:27]
• A really good foundation for moving forward [18:03]
• Who do you want to be when you grow up [19:54]

Before starting Strathos, Josepha worked in public service holding various roles at all levels of government. She is a strategic planner, communications specialist, change leader and committed coach.

She lives, learns, and works in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ People.

Learn more about Josepha at https://strathos.ca/.

Gary Ireland helps executives in transition to maximize income and benefits when joining a company and enhance severance and asserting rights when they’re leaving. Gary has helped many clients in financial services, banking, law, media, technology and higher education, among other fields. He also works with start-ups.

We discuss:

• The best thing about employment law [01:26]
• A relationship is a two-way street [04:56]
• An [im]proper way to terminate a relationship [06:36]
• Becoming a consultant to your former employer [10:20]
• Creative solutions for maximizing profit and employee engagement [13:58]
• Everybody that’s around an employee [15:35]
• Best in something but still out of work [17:06]
• Who are the most successful individuals [19:25]
• The skills that help you prevail [21:24]

Learn more about Gary at http://irelandlaw.net.

Sarah Baker Andrus is the founder and CEO of Avarah Careers, a career coaching business.

We discuss:

• What makes it really hard to plan the next move [02:23]
• An introspective experience that helps you do what you do [05:25]
• Why you should say “no” to temporary gigs and interim roles [06:55]
• What to call yourself during the period of self-reflection [09:54]
• The only career decision we will ever make [12:35]
• A massive gap between reality versus structure [14:53]
• Skills hidden in high point stories of achievement [15:47]
• A commitment is not just the hours [19:31]

She’s worked on all sides of the hiring equation. After twenty+ years in recruiting and PR with the same company, she got the itch and jumped to a shiny new dream job. Within weeks she knew she had made a huge mistake.

18 months later, she received a gift in the form of a layoff. She started Avarah Careers in 2014 and hasn’t looked back. Her favorite thing? Helping others figure out what kind of work will make them feel great about getting out of bed in the morning.

Learn more about Sarah at www.avarahcareers.com.

Jeff helps organizations build better products and executives build the cultures that build better products. Through the use of concepts like Design Thinking, Lean UX and agile software development he brings a new approach to running organizations and the departments within them, most recently focusing on Human Resources and how they can be more agile as well as support agility in the organization.

We discuss:

• Giving up on a dream of becoming a famous rock musician [02:12]
• Life was good until 2008 happened [04:11]
• Adventures in becoming forever employable [07:51]
• How to take your power back in the job hunt [09:38]
• How to create a career safety net [11:50]
• Planting your flag: experience, expertise and passion [12:23]
• Opportunities to solve a problem and become a thought leader [14:24]
• What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas [20:27]

Learn more about Jeff at https://jeffgothelf.com/.

Recovering corporate HR executive turned activator for leaders who want to show up as the best versions of themselves and advisor for organizations focused on creating workplaces that people want to be part of.

We discuss:

• All of the things you [don’t] want to do [01:38]
• Not necessarily a money maker right up front [04:17]
• Strategy opposed to execution [06:00]
• Why we should be talking about performance day to day [07:51]
• The people who already know they have an opportunity to step up [11:34]
• Rather try it and fail, than not try it at all [12:40]
• What “ready” means for Melissa [14:14]
• Why not be the differentiating thing someone needs [15:28]
• How to deal with feeling insecure about sales [16:18]
• The trap of buying everybody’s course or strategy [17:45]

Learn more about Melissa at https://crimdellconsulting.com/ and LinkedIn.

Bob Kulhan is an elite improviser, an adjunct professor at Duke Fuqua B-School, author of ‘GETTING TO YES AND’, and the Founder & CEO of Business Improv® – a 22-yr-old consultancy linking improvisation to business through behavioral sciences and ROI for blue-chip companies. BI is a world-class leader in experiential On-Site, Virtual (synchronous), Online (asynchronous), Blended (both), and Open Enrollment programs.

We discuss:

• The human on the other side of the transaction [01:59]
• A Sherpa’s level of customer devotion [04:00]
• Bridging the gap between two cultures [06:55]
• What it feels like to be thrilled at the core [10:09]
• How coaches and consultants can improve their customer experience [11:30]
• The weight of a long-term business relationship [14:08]
• The benefit of having different custom segments [15:17]
• Why it’s important to serve the customer earlier in their journey [17:43]
• Why a client gravitates towards a particular coach or consultant [19:27]

Learn more about Bob at www.BusinessImprov.com and LinkedIn.

Carl Landau has started 3 media companies and 5 magazines. He also has created hundreds of live conferences and trade shows.  Probably more importantly he has sold his 3 companies. His media companies were in the Software Development, Craft Brewing and Niche Media industry.

He sold his last business 2 years ago and has started Pickleball Media. Carl is the host of the “I Used to be Somebody” podcast. It targets 50+ year old former Entrepreneurs, Consultants and Corporate types who don’t want to retire but, want to do something new. More fun. More meaningful.

We discuss:

• The challenges about going solo even when you have figured out the money part [02:37]
• The disturbing feeling of your inbox being empty [05:18]
• The exciting discomfort of starting something new when you’re not 25 anymore [07:13]
• How to pick business areas in growth mode [08:44]
• The thing first-time solopreneurs worry about most [12:28]
• How to start planning growth without having a business yet [14:46]
• A real business or glorified hobby [17:02]

Learn more about Carl at https://pickleballmediahq.com/.

Ten years ago, Vinay left his corporate job to learn more about how businesses can grow by uplifting the lives of their customers. He crisscrossed the world and drew insight from large corporations, far-flung markets, mountain Sherpas, and street vendors. These experiences inspired a unique approach to customer experience that he then put to the test as an entrepreneur in Cusco, Peru. Now back in New York, Vinay teaches his system through social media, coaching, and online courses through his business, GrowthWallah.

We discuss:

• The human on the other side of the transaction [01:59]
• A Sherpa’s level of customer devotion [04:00]
• Bridging the gap between two cultures [06:55]
• What it feels to be thrilled at the core [10:09]
• How coaches and consultants can improve their customer experience [11:30]
• The weight of a long-term business relationship [14:08]
• The benefit of having different custom segments [15:17]
• Why it’s important to serve the customer earlier in their journey [17:43]
• The most critical reason why a client gravitates towards a particular coach or consultant [19:27]

Learn more about Vinay at www.growthwallah.com and Instagram.