Jim Roddy is the President and CEO of the Retail Solutions Providers Association. He has been active in the retail IT industry since 1998, including 11 years as the President of Business Solutions Magazine, six years as an RSPA board member, and several years as an industry business coach.

We discuss:

• The journey of a volunteer to becoming the CEO [02:41]
• Technology as a differentiator in retail [05:26]
• How to make competitors part of the same team [08:38]
• The core of leading a community or a membership [12:26]
• The consequences of lacking in-person events [15:44]
• Tips on what may foster engagement in an online format [18:27]
• A great resume versus high character [24:08]

Jim has been recognized as one of the world’s Top 100 Retail Influencers and is regularly requested to speak at industry conferences on SMB best practices. He is the author of two books – The Walk-On Method To Career & Business Success and Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer – and is host of the award-winning RSPA Trusted Advisor podcast.

Learn more about Jim at www.gorspa.org, www.jimroddycba.com, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Carl Ficks helps busy professionals get back in the fitness game so they can be less stressed and a lot more productive. His “Ficks System” is a proven road map for athletes and weekend warriors alike.

We discuss:

• Trial work as an extension of athleticism [02:49]
• How to mix skills and attributes as an artist [04:53]
• Stitching the net together before jumping [06:42]
• Litigation is the art of imitation [11:15]
• Why many folks can never escape the home office [12:28]
• Professionals who know what fitness can do [14:48]
• What works well for speaking and coaching in times of pandemic [17:14]
• Why you don’t need fancy equipment to do a great workout [18:58]
• A walk at the airport [20:14]

A former trial attorney for 30 years, Carl has presented to diverse audiences, including the Connecticut Bar Association, the Travelers, and the Wyoming State Bar. His bi-weekly newspaper column and weekly LinkedIn posts, both titled “The Friday Ficks,” provide strategies, tools, and inspiration to stay resourceful and resilient, regardless of the circumstances.

Learn more about Carl at www.carlficks.com.

Sajad Husain is the CEO of Cause and Effect Consulting. He is a persevering, enterprising, and top-performing executive and former attorney with expertise in vision-setting, project oversight, development, and implementation, compliance, internal and external communications, relationship management, legal and policy review, resource, and people-management, community outreach and organizing. He is an analytical and broad-minded influencer focused on solving problems, mediating disputes, and resolving matters to ensure ultimate project success. Sajad is a highly sought-after mentor/coach and sounding board for ideas and key advising.

We discuss:

• The moment Wendy’s turns you down [02:02]
• A framework to keep you organized and productive [08:17]
• What other people notice after you’ve taken thousands of tiny steps and pivots [16:30]
• How to run a business from the road [18:01]
• Entrepreneurship is a fantasy [19:56]

Learn more about Sajad at https://causeandeffectconsulting.com and LinkedIn.

Kellan Is the Ultimate Catalyst for Personal transformation. Author of 15 books, Creator of the “Ultimate Life Transformation Experience.” If you really want to change your results, Kellan’s Experience and System will get you there.

We discuss:

• A method to tell your story in a powerful way [02:05]
• Your power is proportional to your vulnerability [05:19]
• An unbelievable invitation to change [09:33]
• Nothing to hide, nothing to fear [11:57]
• How telling the truth can relieve those who suffer [14:40]
• What’s the worst thing that could happen if [16:20]
• An example of putting an end to mediocrity [19:30]

Learn more about Kellan at www.kellanfluckiger.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/.

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.

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.

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/.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/.

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.

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/.