Between Two Tablets

With the end of summer among us and cooler weather creeping in, that also means staying inside and cozying up on the couch...which means less exercise. Kristi sits down with Monica to talk about all the ways #tech can be used to improve your #health. From a #smartwatch counting your steps to using your #iPad for watching workout videos, you're sure to learn a new way you can use your everyday technology in a healthy way!

This week, Bonny shares all about how Techcycle Solutions has been involved in the #community from Chamber of Commerce events and golf tournaments, to #donating iPads to those in need. She explains why community involvement is an essential tool to growing your business but also to create bonds in the community you never knew you needed.

#School is back in session! This week, Monica shares 5 of many ways TCS helps to Keep Life Moving for schools. From #advancedrepairs to cart wiring #whiteglove services, she goes back to the basics of what we do as a company and how we can help ease the minds of many IT professionals in the #education sector.

Host, Monica, shares about why #bronze medalists in the #Olympics are reportedly happier than #silver medalists. The reason why? #Comparison. Listen in to hear why 3rd place winners are reportedly happier than 2nd place winners and how Monica helps to connect this bizarre finding with daily life.

Jaime joins us this week to talk about the importance of properly disposing #E-Waste. Whether you are ready to get rid of an #electronic device such a #smartwatch, #iPhone, #tablet, #MacBook, or #laptop, we share how you can declutter, save the #environment, and, who knows, maybe make a buck or two with our #ITAD program!

This week, Kristi and Trey discuss the value and importance of meeting customers in person. They share about their own experiences and successes with how they've been able to build trust with their potential customers and land deals by going the extra mile (or a few) to meet in person.

Will and Joe team up this week to answer 16 tech questions that are guaranteed to surprise you. For instance, worldwide, about how many million tons of e-waste is generated every year? Listen in to find out what they answered!

This week, Ben sits down with Monica to share the following #AllStarGame key takeaways: 1. #Teamworkmakesthedreamwork.

Monica shares about #goals that can be achieved within 14 days and how to achieve them using the S.M.A.R.T. method.

Ever wondered what kind of warranties we offer here at TCS? Wait no more, for we have Holly, the expert, who explains all you need to know about our ProTech Plus and ProTech Infinity warranty plans. Our ProTech Infinity plan includes a case from one of our partners, Brenthaven. They have a fun way of 'proving their case' when it comes to the durability of their product. Listen in to hear how they demonstrate their trust in their cases and all you need to know about our warranty plans!

BONNY IS BACK! Well, for this episode at least. Bonny and Monica chat about the importance of #networking, how you can do it, and how it can be beneficial for you to stay plugged in to your #community! They also discuss how to #standout amongst a sea of others at networking events. Tune in to hear about all the fun opportunities that await your presence and how they can build your network to further grow your business.

This week we are wishing all you dads out there a #HappyFathersDay! Take a listen to hear the team at TCS share about their favorite piece of advice, shared activity, or tradition with their dad. Enjoy your Father's Day weekend!

You've definitely from Trey on previous episodes but have you heard about him? This employee spotlight covers all sorts of things from Trey's professional career, to his parents' bee-keeping business, to his hobby of hunting waterfowl, and much, much more. This episode is sure to give you a laugh as he and Monica navigate through the most random of topics in order to learn what Trey is all about.

Have you heard about the recent graphics card shortage? Listen in to hear Jaime and Joe break down all there is to know about graphics cards and the recent shortage we've seen in the industry. You will hear about why this is so important and how it could affect prices of computers, smartphones, and even cars!

Sam is one of our new account managers here at TCS! She shares all about her journey joining our team, fun details about her family, hobbies, and of course, her superpower of choice. *Hint* You might be able to relate to her choice in superpower if you have more than one child... or maybe even just one. Tune in to meet Sam!

If you're like Ben and Monica, when you hear 'bottleneck', you probably think of beer. On this episode, while we do talk about beer production on an assembly line, we're actually delving into bottlenecks as they pertain to processes within a company. Ben breaks down in a 'help me help you' way how bottlenecks can be avoided to ensure our customers are getting the most out of our services at TCS.

Dogecoin to the moon! Listen as Trey, Joe, and Jaime break down all the whos, whats, whens, wheres, whys, and hows of cryptocurrency. From the well-established #Bitcoin and rising #Ethereum, to the trendy #Dogecoin which started out as a joke, you'll want to hear why cryptos are getting so much attention!

On this Mother's Day special tribute, cohosts Bonny and Monica chat about the similarities between mothers leading a family and leaders leading a team. Listen to hear who made an impact on their lives and how they are different moving forward as leaders...*hint* moms play a big role.

When you find a great resource, why not share it?? This weeks' episode is all about sharing what platforms and programs we use the most within TCS. We share how we use them, why we use them, and who else could benefit from using them! Trey joins us to give his insight from a business development perspective as well. Be sure to check out our recent blog covering all of these platforms in detail with links included!

Take a listen to find out some exciting news about the Between Two Tablets show, and how it's going to see some changes in the near future!

"One man's trash is another man's treasure" -- that's our quote of the day and the basis of our ITAD (formerly Buyback) program. This week we sit down with Ben Guertin to learn more about ITAD, our processes and the value it brings to people. Listen to find out how we play a part in the circle of (device) life. Reach out to us today if you have a closet full of old devices you are wanting to get rid of -- we are here to #keeplifemoving! -> itad@techcyclesolutions.com

Coming at you with another employee spotlight - featuring Joey! Hear about his 8+ years in the industry, and how he has played a role in pretty much every side of the business. Stay tuned for his extremely well-thought out superpower of choice at the end!

Take a deep breath - smell the pollen and freshly mowed grass - that means it's baseball season. Today we are coming at you with an #openingday episode featuring none other than the famous, Ben Guertin! Get his outlook on the season and hear who his top two favorite Royals are this season. **Not recommended for Tigers, White Sox or Twins fans**

Technology has changed the world. It flipped the Education industry upside down, especially last year during the global pandemic. This week, we welcome Anna McVeigh-Murphy from CoderZ, a company who has changed the coding and robotics learning game. Anna brings her insight, expertise and future predictions within the education technology space. Be sure to check out The Hechinger Report that she references for continuous information on the rapidly changing industry. You can also check-out Anna's own podcast, K12ish, to hear more from her!

Do you want to win a $150 Amazon gift card? Do you love the thrill of March Madness craziness? Either way - this weeks' episode is for you! We are hosting a TCS Bracket Challenge where our TCS Team Members are challenging YOU - our listeners, customers, partners and any other random person who stumbles across this - to a March Madness bracket challenge. Take a listen as we chat about the details with Ben, and hear some of his favorite March Madness memories from Vegas. Click HERE to enter for FREE and use the following login info: Group: TCS Bracket Challenge 5567088 Password: TCS2021 May the best bracket win!

March means it's almost Spring Break time for our Education customers - and boy do they deserve it! However, just because it's a 'break' doesn't always mean that everyone gets a break. In fact, that's often a busy time for some departments. Especially the tech departments. With no students needing devices right away, breaks offer a unique time to get some device maintenance done. That is the topic for today's conversation, and we sit down with Business Development Specialist, Trey Flick, to gain insight into some of his education clients and how they strategically utilize breaks in the school year.

Meet Joe! He is our Intake / Repair Tech / QA / Shipping machine. Take a listen to hear how he got his start doing phone repairs at Sprint (RIP) and why we are so thankful he landed here at TCS. You won't want to miss his super power of choice at the end, and stay tuned for some possible future episodes with Joe on conspiracy theories!

We've said it before and we will say it again - working remote is the new norm. While there are pros and cons to working remote, here at TCS we've observed some really positive outcomes from this new normal. Take a listen to this conversation with Ben, our Managing Partner, on the top ways this new normal has changed our company for the better!

Did you know we offer a customizable white glove service? We understand that our customers' time is often better spent on improving their school or organization, not wiring carts or putting asset tags on devices. This week our Sales Manager, Holly, joins us to share more information on our white glove service - take a listen to find out exactly what we have done plus what we are capable of helping with (hint: pretty much everything!) Be sure to reach out if you have any questions or interest regarding our services -> sales@techcyclesolutions.com

Happy almost Valentine's Day! Love is in the repair here at Techcycle Solutions, and we wanted to share our love of technology with you. This weeks' episode is short and sweet, just like the flavor of sweet tarts. Take a listen as our TCS team shares the technology and devices that they LOVE - everything from drones to phones to lamps...yes lamps. Feel free to share with us what technology you love - we'd LOVE to hear it! #LoveIsInTheRepair #TechWeLove #ValentinesDay

Tune into this Employee Spotlight episode to hear all about Kristi's story! As a Business Development Specialist here at TCS, she loves people and is passionate about serving others. Listen to learn how many places Kristi has lived, how many 14'ers she's climbed, and her Kansas City restaurant recommendations!

Over 40% of Americans are working from home; half of our office alone is working remote as well! This week, we sit down with a few of those working remote to hear what it has been like. They share the good, the bad, the ugly - and the fun! Stay tuned until the end to hear their best tips for anyone else working from home. Guest Starring Holly Paperi, Monica Casanova, Matt Paperi and Trey Flick. References: Eisenhower Matrix Blog Employee Spotlight Podcast

We all have that part of the business that rarely gets talked about, but without it, we would fail. For us, that's purchasing. Kevin Wilson is our Purchasing Manager, and since he is a bit camera shy we sat down with Ben to hear more about what Kevin and his team does. Listen in to find out about both domestic and foreign partnerships, how we navigate those, and how we support the #RightToRepair movement.

Everyone, meet Jen! Our current Operations Manager who went from working in customer service to leading a team of technicians. This week, we hear Jen's story, the obstacles she overcame and the lessons she has learned working in the device repair industry. Stick around for the end to hear what her superpower of choice is!

This week, we did a fun re-cap of some of our favorite episodes from the past year. We share clips from some episodes you might have missed or may want to revisit. We also give a teaser at the end as to what this new year has in store for the Between Two Tablets podcast, so don't miss that. Thanks for getting through 2020 with us - here's to another year!

We made it to the end of 2020!!! This week, our TCS team shares not only what their NYE plans are - but what their 2021 resolutions are! You'll find out who likes resolutions, who doesn't, and what they mean. We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to share with us your resolutions (or non-resolutions) for 2021. Wishing you all a wonderful 2021 - Happy New Year!

This episode is a holiday special where we do some Q&A with the TCS Team, Christmas style! Take a listen to find out favorite Christmas movies, holiday shopping challenges and traveling destinations! Our hope is to spread some joy and laughter as we wind down from this crazy year. Thanks to the team who joined in the holiday fun - Monica, Nate, Jaime, Matt and Holly!

This week, we welcome Kent Corser - Director of Technology Operations at Blue Valley School District. "Culture is a very important part of what we do. And a big part of that culture is the commitment to customer service and taking on that challenge and that responsibility is something that you have to have within you to tackle something as big as what we have here. But everyone that works here has that, so that's what makes the engine run. It's really powerful when its all working together like that." Kent shares a valuable perspective as it relates to technology in (and out of) the classroom. He talks about how Blue Valley Tech operated pre-COVID, as well as how they strategically maneuvered the drastic shift to remote learning for their 23,000 students and remote working for their 3,000 staff. All while leading a team, keeping a positive outlook, and seeing this as an opportunity for growth and change.

It's about time for those dreaded end-of-year evaluations. Did you hit your goals? Did you crush your boss' expectations? While they might look a bit different this year (thanks COVID), they are still a crucial part of building, growing and improving. Take a listen as Ben talks about our TCS version of those that we call "Pedal Forwards" - because that's what it's all about right? Pedaling forward, no matter what!

WE MADE IT TO YEAR THREE! That in and of itself is an accomplishment and one that we celebrated just a couple weeks ago. In this episode, we get Ben's perspective on what it took to get here, COVID and all. He also offers some great advice on how to maintain a positive and forward-thinking mindset during this crazy time. Feel free to reach out to Ben on his LinkedIn page - he's always willing to connect!

Happy Thanksgiving! We challenged our TCS team to find the positive things from this crazy year and share what they are thankful for. Take a listen, and take the challenge yourself to reflect on what you have to be thankful for in your life!

We have some exciting news -- we are launching a new mini-series and we need YOUR help! Find out how you can be part of the show and win some FREE products from Gumdrop! Call in -> 913-735-9934 We can't wait to hear your devastating device stories!

After a crazy day - we got to sit down with one of our (now) Lead Technician's, Will. From joining computer club in high school to repairing iPads and Chromebooks for TCS today, hear his story of how he got to be where he is. Will shares some common repairs and some crazy repair stories, like finding gum in an iPad - no joke! He also talks about his hobbies of Mechanical Keyboards - be sure to check out our blog on it from a few months back!

Coming to you with another fantastic episode with Managing Partner, Ben Guertin - he talks all about our "Act Fast Learn Fast" mindset here at Techcycle Solutions. Ben goes through how he developed that mindset, what it means to him and our company, and how you can start to incorporate it in your personal or professional life. Ben mentions a book that helped him in his journey - The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. Be sure to check out his blog - Habits Schmabits - for some added insight as well!

For a guy who doesn't like candy - he sure knows a bunch of random things about Halloween. This weeks' episode is brought to you by Will's random knowledge base. We cover the history of Halloween, how it's celebrated in different parts of the world, and how you can celebrate it right here in the KC Metro Area! We apologize in advance for the bloopers, but they were too good to leave out, enjoy! *We are not experts on Halloween, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Blue, Yellow, White, Red -- Which color is your personality?? In this weeks' episode, we have another great conversation with Monica - but this time we are talking about the Color Code Personality assessment we recently went through as an office. We breakdown the different Colors (aka. personality types) that come from taking this test, and we also go through the conversation our team had together to understand the differences in Colors. Listen in as we discuss some key ways this assessment drastically improved our communication and ability to work together as a team. Take the FREE assessment here: https://www.colorcode.com/free_personality_test/ Learn more about the Color Coder Personality Assessment: https://www.colorcode.com/

This week is another TCS Employee Spotlight, featuring Jaime! Hear the story of how he got his start in the industry - from modifying and enhancing his own systems, to helping out friends with repairs, and now doing trainings and technical documentation on a national scale. Jaime is self-taught in most of his foundational knowledge and has only grown since he first started. We are lucky to have him on our team!

Ever wish you would have had a case? Maybe it could have saved you a broken screen or two, and allowed you to keep life moving. That is exactly the goal of one of our amazing partners, Brenthaven / Gumdrop. This weeks' episode we sit down with their Sales Director, Jay Banker, and learn more about what they do. When your devices are down, that can be costly and inconvenient, so their goal is to minimize that impact. Whether it's allowing a teacher to continue in the classroom with lessons after a dropped laptop, or making sure students have extra protection when it counts.Their products offer a first-line defense, and they partner with us to help with any repairs if and when that time comes.

Phones, gaming consoles...lamps...we have seen it all! This week we sit down with Managing Partner, Ben Guertin, and do a deep dive into our repair processes and crazy talented technicians. Listen in as we talk about how our processes have changed and adapted with the growing and changing industry itself, and also how we source our technicians and what we look for as we continue to build a team that "drinks the kool-aid".

An exciting episode as we bring in our first guest outside of TCS - Sam Weiss! Sam is a Solution Partner Manager at JAMF, an MDM for Apple Products, who hosts the world's largest gathering of Mac System Admins at the JAMF Nation User Conference (JNUC). We hear from Sam an overview of the conference, which is virtual this year, and the various sessions that are covered including product reviews, new apps including Assessment by JAMF, a Work From Home session, and their new virtual labs with hands-on exposure to the latest technology. JNUC is happening September 29 - October 1 and registration is FREE! Check out the links below to join over 10,000 others at the virtual conference! JNUC Registration: https://www.jamf.com/events/jamf-nation-user-conference/2020/ JAMF Website: https://www.jamf.com/ Solution Partner Program: https://www.jamf.com/community/

From being a 'goof' in high school, to traveling the world through her service in the Air Force and gaining a new perspective on life. Monica has now brought her talents, skills and strong character to the TCS team. In this episode we discover some of the valuable lessons she has learned and how she applies them in her everyday life as an Account Manager here at Techcycle Solutions. References: The Eisenhower Matrix The Ed Mylett Show