Club E Podcast

Club E is joined by Pete Steege once again to discuss marketing for a small business. In this episode, Pete shows the listeners what marketing is on a small scale. What is your company's story? How do you convince investors and customers to choose your company? How do you put your personal touch on your business? Pete Steege and Rick Brimacomb have the answer to these questions. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro2:16 Pete's Experience 4:55 What is a True Story? 7:17 Why is a True Story important? 9:29 How does a Company Develop its True Story? 12:07 Building a Story Brand - https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329 13:30 How to take a True Story into Marketing? 15:43 What are the Implications of a True Story beyond Marketing? 18:03 Examples of using a True Stories. 24:11 A Lesson Pete has Learned through doing Business. 26:37 Key Takeaway Pete Steege (“Steggy”) B2B Clarity Pete.steege@b2bclaritymarketing.com B2bclaritymarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesteege/ Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue. Rick Brimacomb https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickbrimacomb/ clube.com For Business Consulting: https://brimacomb.com/ Mr. Brimacomb began advising and investing in early-stage and emerging companies as a venture capitalist in 1991. Prior to that time, he covered and worked with early-stage companies as a research analyst and investment banker. For over two decades, Mr. Brimacomb has helped numerous companies develop into “investment grade” opportunities, attract funding and create shareholder value.

This event will provide you with practical knowledge of how to become a partner for companies looking to finance an ESOP transaction.Learn how financing an initial ESOP can benefit the lenders by being in a good position to maintain an annuity of lending opportunities in the future. This will include a walk-through of governance (valuation, legal, trustees, etc.)About Sue: As the founding executive director of the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership, a nonprofit 501c3 organization created in 2020 to serve as a free and unbiased hub for education and resources on all forms of employee ownership, Sue has successfully introduced the growing nonprofit organization to more than 500 business owners and their advisors throughout Minnesota.Prior to joining MNCEO, Sue served as the executive director of the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of The ESOP Association for 30 years.  About Hillary: Hillary Hughes joined Prairie Capital Advisors in 2011 and is a shareholder in the firm. She provides strategic insights to assist business owners and boards of directors to address long-term ownership transaction goals. Hillary has been highly involved in the structuring and valuation related to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on behalf of ESOP Trustees as well as business owners. Hillary provides financial advisory services to clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to large multi-national conglomerates. She specializes in the valuation of businesses and business interests for purposes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), ESOPs, gift and estate planning and strategic planning. Hillary is also instrumental in developing Prairie's trust-side ESOP practice.About Jeff: Jeff Cairns, a partner at Stinson LLP,  advises employers and administrators on ERISA and employee benefit matters, including qualified and nonqualified pension and profit sharing plans, ESOPs, welfare and fringe benefit plans. Jeff, who is a certified public accountant, also provides tax and compensation planning advice for owners of closely held businesses and for executives of public and private companies. Jeff is a frequent lecturer for Minnesota Continuing Legal Education and other legal education programs and a regular contributor to the firm's Benefits Notes blog.About Brock: Brock is Managing Director and part of the National Commercial Banking team, and has been with CIBC for roughly 5 years.  Brock has a portfolio of existing clients and is responsible for the day-to-day portfolio and relationship management of those clients, in addition to business development responsibilities for the MN, ND and SD markets including heading up the ESOP banking efforts for CIBC in those markets.  Previously Brock was with US Bank for 13 years, and also was the VP of a 100% employee-owned regional industrial supply distribution company directly prior to his time at CIBC.Contact Information: scrockett@mnceo.org - Sue Crocketthhughes@prairiecap.com - Hillary HughesJeff.cairns@stinson.com - Jeff CairnsBrock.peterson@cibc.com - Brock Peterson

Club E was joined by Patrick Klinger, Founder & CEO of Agile Marketing Partners to discuss The Business of Sports. Spectator sports must adapt to stay relevant and engaging to individuals and businesses who have more entertainment options than ever before.  We'll discuss lack of interest in traditional sports by Generation Z, cord-cutting and sports betting among other topics.Learning Objectives: How the business of sports is adaptingHow companies can effectively use sports marketingAbout Patrick: Patrick Klinger is an award-winning, nationally respected and accomplished marketing expert acclaimed for delivering ingenuity and results. His creative approach and relationship-building skills have garnered him a reputation as an innovator with integrity.  Prior to establishing Agile Marketing Partners, Patrick spent 14 seasons as vice-president of marketing for the Minnesota Twins where he helped lead the ballclub to all-time attendance records and earned a reputation for developing trend-setting programs. Patrick's Contact Information: Email: patrick@agilemarketingco.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-klinger/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrxHIK_3JIwxZ1KjP2Zw5wWebsite: www.agilemarketingco.com

Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Impact Group.We all have brutal truths in our business that we cannot control.  Does Covid come to mind?  Learn how Adm. James Stockdale dealt with adversity he could not control.“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Adm. James StockdaleJeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client's advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.• Jeff Redmon• Breakthrough Impact Group • jredmon@minnbig.com• https://minnbig.com/• https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG• https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig• https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/• https://twitter.com/MinnBig

The disruption of the 1920s transformed every aspect of American life – transportation, finance, communities, social structures, expectation of government, science, medicine, religion, and consumer culture. Today, 100 years later, we see the same forces at play. What can we learn from the 1920s that will help us succeed in the 2020s?Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the similarities (and differences) between the disruption of the 1920s and what we're facing today as we begin the 2020s.2. Spot opportunities in today's era of disruption based on the successes and failures of 1920s innovators and startups.3. Hone your leadership skills by learning from the most successful examples of that era.About Jason: In a career that spans more than 25 years, Jason Voiovich has launched hundreds of new products – everything from medical devices, to virtual healthcare systems, to non-dairy consumer cheese, to next-generation alternatives to the dreaded “cone of shame” for pets, to sex aides for cows (really!). He's a graduate of both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and he has completed post-graduate studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His formal training has been invaluable, but he credits his true success to growing up in a family of artists, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. They taught him how to carefully observe the world, see patterns before others notice them, and use those insights to create new innovations. History is Jason's favorite way to observe the world. He believes the people from the past have plenty to teach us about the challenges and opportunities we face today.Contact Information:Email: jason@marketerinchief.comWebsite: https://marketerinchief.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvoiovich/Twitter (Jason): https://twitter.com/jasontvoiovichTwitter (Book): https://twitter.com/MarketerInChiefYouTube (Book): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcYrBt2dEAxGVFAjZHhBIwwInnovation Blog: https://jasontvoiovich.com/

Club E was joined by Heather Polivka, Founder of Heather P. Solutions, to discuss attracting and retaining great people in today's environment. As The Great Reshuffle continues, companies ask themselves how to attract the people they need and keep the great people they already have.  The rules have changed, so let's spend some time understanding the new rules to succeed in today's talent and business landscape.  Learning Objectives: • Understand the critical role that people leadership plays in business outcomes.• Learn how people leadership needs to evolve in today's work environment   • Discover the critical importance of Walking the Talk in  • Understand how to design an employee experience that resonates with your talent… no pinball machines required.  About Heather: Heather Polivka is a trusted business advisor accelerating the growth and success of progressive SMBs and their leaders through practical leadership, employee performance, and thriving workplace cultures. Heather's methodology has been masterfully crafted with over a decade's worth of experience transforming the people, processes, and profits of Fortune 10 organizations and businesses. She unites marketing and HR expertise to craft authentic employer brands, cultivating healthy workplace cultures, improve employee engagement, and develop strong people leadership.Heather's contact information and links: Email: heatherp@heatherpsolutions.comWebsite: https://www.heatherpsolutions.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherpolivka/Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/heatherpsolutionsHeather's Program: https://www.awesomepeopleleaders.com/

Leaders find themselves in a unique moment of overwhelming work loads and fatigued work partners.  This session will unpack the underlying why of this moment and provide a framework for moving through it.Learning Objectives: 1) Researched framework for how teams are dealing with workloads2) Insight into effectively moving beyond themAbout Scott Propp: "I help executives and teams bridge the gap between ideation and execution to create measurable results. I've been doing that inside boardrooms and across continents for more than 30 years.Breadth: I have conducted business in more than 20 countries with over twelve different business models. I have leadership experience in functions ranging from R&D, Development Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Operations, Corporate Technology and Strategic Marketing.Depth: In my role as a Fortune 100 executive, I have held full P&L and budget responsibility to the $100m + level in multi $B firms, directed operational turnarounds, built factories internationally, hired hundreds of people, led international cross-functional programs and delivered results that led to product and market breakouts. I have negotiated complex supply chain relationships, helped small firms “tuck into” large firms and spun pieces of large firms into small businesses.Unique Expertise: Even the best ideas and well-crafted strategies get stalled in “the murky middle” between ideas and implementation. Without a plan to bridge that gap, it's not a question of if, but how many resources – including time, energy and money – will be wasted. With my unique combination of technological expertise, leadership experience and operational acumen to navigate turbulent conditions, I'm known for my ability to help select the project, recruit the team, and lay out a strategic layered plan for execution.The bottom line: I'm able to help you successfully put together the right project for the right time and get it on the right path.I have hard-won skills and an uncanny sixth sense to help you build teams that collaborate and work together to produce remarkable results – both internal and external, from all disciplines and departments, with different backgrounds, vocabularies and temperaments."Rick Brimacomb began advising and investing in early-stage and emerging companies as a venture capitalist in 1991. Before that time, he covered and worked with early-stage companies as a research analyst and investment banker. For over two decades, Rick Brimacomb has helped numerous companies develop into “investment grade” opportunities, attract funding and create shareholder value.Contact Rick Brimacomb for a consultation here: https://www.clube.com/contact/Scott's Contact Information: Email: scott@scottpropp.comWebsite: www.scottpropp.comTwitter: @scottproppLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpropp/

Club E was joined by Tara Jebens-Singh & Steven Lutes of Northeast Youth & Family Services fir a discussion of how supporting mental health at all levels of business supporters employees, managers, owners, businesses and the greater community.Learning Objectives:Learn to identify common mental health issues including depression and anxiety.Learn ways to treat these issues.Discover local mental health resources that can assist businesses and employees.About Tara Jebens-Singh: Tara became President & CEO of NYFS in April 2020 and has been steering the nonprofit mental health and community services agency through the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring high-quality support to clients and maintaining relationships with the agency's 15 partner municipalities and three school districts. Jebens-Singh previously worked at the White Bear Lake Area School District  where she oversaw Adult Enrichment, Adults with Disabilities and the Senior Program. She is a founding member of the Many Faces of the White Bear Lake Area coalition and has served as the president of the Consortium of Lake Area Senior Services (CLASS),  Metro Meals on Wheels Board of Directors, 2nd Half at Lyngblomsten Local Advisory Committee, Newtrax Transportation Advisory Committee, NAMI Ramsey County Board of Directors, St. Paul/Ramsey County Complete Count Committee and master facilitator for the Vital Aging Network's Aging With Gusto program.  Tara has worked in public policy, education, equity, senior services and wellness programs for over 25 years and holds a Masters in Planning from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. About Steven Lutes, MSW, LICSW, MPP: Steven is a clinical social worker with over five years of experience serving children, adolescents and adults. He has worked in day treatment, outpatient, school and in-home settings to provide therapy to both children and their parents and caregivers. Steven's practice has focused on children experiencing trauma, anxiety, ADHD and mood disorders. His work with children and families from diverse cultural, socio-economic and linguistic backgrounds has taught him to create a welcoming environment for all those he works with.

Club E was joined by Christina Brandt, Founder of ReImagine Possibilities to discuss her career and how having a great support network helps businesses thrive!What perspectives do you have about “support”? The last 5 years have been an interesting chapter of defining it, understanding who may need it, when it is relevant, how my experiences may provide it and accepting it.Learning Objectives:*Support as it shows up in your life, work*A supportive partnership outcomes*Balance of giving/receiving supportAbout Christina:An awarded, proven, and respected executive and leader, driven by integrity, a passion for stories and culture, positioning for success, fulfilling potentials and courage through change. Continuing a lifetime of entrepreneurship and seeking to make a difference through non-traditional advising that honors the principles of narrative/life coaching.                                   *President of start-up ReImagine Possibilities, Inc. – Creating, Coaching, Connecting to Inspire A Better Life, A Better Way. Contracted Advisor to the Small Business Development Center  - supportive to 100's of clients.                   *Managing Member of DBRANDT Enterprises, LLC-Simple Solutions for Better Living, inaugural product launch=dbCHOPPER, kitchen gadget for grounding meat.  Selling E-Commerce and Resellers.                                                           *Author of The Cloud Book of Wonder – “What do you see when you gaze at a cloud? My granddaughters and I would like to know.”          *Was 3rd Generation of Family Businesses, serving the Hospitality Industry. Experienced in product concept to guest experience. Rose through ranks to succeed as 1st Female President, by working hands-on in all roles and/or departments.Christina's contact information:Email: christina@reimaginepossibilities.comWebsite: https://www.reimaginepossibilities.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18772226/admin/

As Ransomware attacks surge in frequency, they are capturing headlines such as the Colonial pipeline incident and more recently the Kaseya attack. In this session, we will review the trends and impacts of these attacks, the mechanics of how they work, and what organizations can do to prevent or recover from a ransomware attack.Learning Objectives: • Learn about the surging trend of ransomware attacks.• Become knowledgeable about how ransomware works.• Come away with a list of safeguards to help you avoid falling victim.About Paul: As a partner in Wipfli LLP's risk advisory services practice, Paul Johnson works with clients to assess, improve, and test their information security and risk management programs. With over 25 years in the information technology and information security fields, Paul combines his various experiences with Wipfli's methodologies and processes to provide clients with sound advice and services to improve their security program.

Club E was joined by Chip Laingen, Executive Director of Defense Alliance to discuss funding avenues for small businesses through the Federal Government. The U.S. Federal Government is arguably the largest single “investor” in small business technology firms – providing non-dilutive capital through R&D funding for early to late stage innovations.  There is virtually no market that isn't represented, and the path provides enormous opportunity for funding, partnerships and commercialization paths, as as well as connections to non-government opportunities via the free business intelligence generated by Federal contracting.  Learning Objectives:• Learn how to get started and connect to resources in the Federal market• Understand both the challenges and the opportunities the Federal market represents• Learn what technology innovations the Federal government is most interested in right nowAbout Chip: Chip Laingen is Executive Director of Defense Alliance, an SBA-funded technology cluster, with members in 35 states; and Corporate Vice President, LSI, a national business development firm.  The Defense Alliance has won the “Progress Minnesota” and SBA's Veterans Small Business Champion awards.  He is on several economic development, business and Veteran advisory boards in the Twin Cities region.  Chip was an Executive Fellow for the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership, and is currently on the graduate faculty at the Technological Leadership Institute.  He has a masters degree in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute, and was a U.S. Navy Moreau Scholar in the National Security Ph.D. Studies program of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston. Commander Laingen is a 21-year Veteran of the U.S. Navy, holding several positions as an aviator, and as Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Navy.  He finished his career in 2004 as a squadron commanding officer.  He is the author of “Laingen on Leadership,” available on Amazon.Chip's Contact Information:Email- claingen@defensealliance.comWebsite- https://www.defensealliance.comTwitter- @defense_cluster

Club E was joined by Laurie Young to cover the basics of Intellectual Property Law, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights. We discuss when it is worth the value to have government rights secured and when it may not be necessary.Learning Objectives:1. Understand the difference between the different types of intellectual property2. Understand the value to having protectionAbout Laurie:Laurie Young is an intellectual property attorney with Schwegman, Lundberg and Woessner. Before joining SLW, she was Senior Intellectual Property Counsel Katun Corporation. While at Katun she managed all intellectual property matters, both domestic and foreign. This included managing patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters and any business matters which may relate to intellectual property. Laurie was also Data Privacy Officer for Katun Corporation. When Laurie is not handing intellectual property matters, she loves to bake cookies (even placing at the Minnesota State Fair three times for her cookie entries).Contact Information:Email – lyoung@slwip.comWebsite – https://www.slwip.com/Social media - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriesyoung/

Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon to discuss your core customer. A methodology to identify the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your Core Customer who will buy for optimal price.Understanding your core customer is critical to attract and serve that customer who wants what you are selling at a premium price.About Jeff: Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client's advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.Jeff's contact information:jredmon@minnbig.comhttps://minnbig.com/ https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/https://twitter.com/MinnBig

Explore the world of social impact entrepreneurship with FINNOVATION Lab CEO, Connie Rutledge. How will your start-up or your next investment make a positive impact beyond shareholder value? Why should it?About Connie:Connie Rutledge, CEO of FINNOVATION lab, has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and business management. Her experience includes all aspects of business including concept design, market analysis, fundraising, product development, operations, and strategic partnerships. Connie is passionate about supporting innovators with practical advice and strategic analysis so they can recognize their vision in a socially progressive and financially sustainable way.Check out FINNOVATION lab's ImpactSKU program and its upcoming showcase during Twin Cities Startup Week. It Will be on their general event calendar at www.finn-lab.comConnie Rutledge | FINNOVATION Labconnie@finn-lab.comwww.finn-lab.comTwitter: @finnovationlab https://www.facebook.com/FINNOVATIONLabhttps://www.instagram.com/finnovationlab/

Club E was joined by Linda Ruhland to discuss strategies to stay ahead of the disruption curve in your business. Imagine that you and your business colleagues are rafting down a furious river of endless white water. How do you stay afloat and navigate around the treacherous rocks? That's what business can feel like at times, especially now. Fortunately, there are ways to navigate through rough waters—and even ways to use the rocks to your advantage!Learning Objective: Find out how it's possible to build and grow a sustainable profitable business in times of uncertainty using the resources you already have within your organization.About Linda: Linda Ruhland has worked with business owners and their leadership teams for more than 30 years to define, market, and grow client businesses successfully and resourcefully. She is passionate about small business success because she believes they are the source of community character and strength. In that spirit, she founded Success Authorities, a business advisory firm that partners with clients to synchronize their people, systems and strategies toward higher performance, profits, and sustainability.Linda's Virtual Program: https://virtual.successauthorities.com/Linda's Contact Information: Email: Ruhland@successauthorities.comWebsite: https://successauthorities.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaruhland/

Club E was joined by Michelle LaFrance, the founder of Smarty Pants Web Marketing to discuss tools and strategies to better understand your professional and personal relationships. If you’re spending too much time staring at your keyboard and wondering what to say and how to say it, you’re not alone.  The good  news is that there are tools to help you deliver the right message to the right person.  Forbes call this technology The Future of Sales.  Find out how o use Personality Science + Artificial Intelligence to optimize your effectiveness on LinkedIn and Zoom. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn how to Identify the buying behavior of your prospects. 2. Find out  What makes them say YES or NO to you and your offer.  3. Hear about tools that allow you to instantly connect and know how to follow up with your prospects.  About Michelle: As a licensed BANKCODE trainer, Michelle LaFrance teaches companies how to Close More Sales in Less Time. As the owner of a digital agency, she has helped her clients get more leads online. She always felt it was incomplete to help her clients get leads and not be able to help them close the sale. That all changed when she becamea a BANKCODE trainer. Today she helps companies Get More Leads and Close More Sales. Special offer: Before you come to the meeting, get your FREE gift  of a personality assessment (valued at $99.00)This is your base line of communication. Come to the session to find out how to adapt How You Sell with Why They Buy. https://www.crackmycode.com/heysmartyMichelle's Contact information: Email: michelle@heysmartypants.comWebsite: https://www.heysmartypants.com/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelafrance/

Club E was joined by Brad Lantz, Founder of Mind Sync Pro to discuss the mental game.Imagine if there were a way that you could get your mind to run better, faster and calmer like our computers do when we get them defragged. What if you were able to turn down emotions, imaginations and memories in the moment rather than regret that last time you lost it.  That is what Brad Lantz is all about. He is a certified Mind Health coach.Learning Objective:Find out how limiting beliefs may be sabotaging you from accomplishing your goals. Find out rules of the mind where the yellow flag  is thrown, and we don’t even know why. Learn how to make better, more confident decisions.About Brad: Brad started his career in corporate marketing where he achieved success as a marketing executive with advertising agencies and as a Director of Marketing of a Fortune 500 company.  He led Inner Circle, (CEO/Owner peer groups) where he facilitated meetings and coached over 130 CEOs to grow their businesses on average by 20%. He witnessed first hand how Leaders knew what to do but could not make it happen. Now as a Certified Mind Health Coach, he can make a difference to reduce stress, create greater focus and clearer decision making. Brad's Contact Information: Brad@MindSyncpro.comhttps://www.mindsyncpro.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradlantz/https://www.instagram.com/mindsyncpro/

Club E took a field trip to Chef Marshall O'Brien's studio kitchen for a discussion on how to restructure your world after the pandemic. Chef Marshall talks about how old absolutes are no longer absolute, and discusses new threats in the post pandemic work environment. Learning Objectives:1 – Breaking down silos2 - Rebuild fractured work environment3 - Understand 4 steps to permanent change About Chef Marshall: Chef Marshall O’Brien’s goal is to help adults, kids and families live better lives with good nutrition, by improving skills and confidence in the kitchen. He is a dynamic speaker who has presented at national conferences and regularly appears on Twin Cities television, where he is a trusted voice for Smart Nutrition. He is founder and CEO of The Chef Marshall O’Brien Group, a company staffed with chefs, dietitians, researchers, writers and videographers, He and this team understand current best nutrition practices and translate them into foods and recipes that will produce positive nutritional results and taste great. They call this “Putting Delicious in Nutritious.” The group has created numerous materials detailing how Smart Nutrition can improve health and alleviate negative symptoms in one’s body. They work with a broad spectrum of clients, including city agencies such as fire, police and public works, school districts, hospitals, a consortium of 5000 childcare providers, and numerous businesses and civic organizations. Contact information- Marshall O’BrienChef Marshall O’Brien Groupchefmarshall@chefmarshallobrien.comhttps://www.chefmarshallobrien.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chefmarshallobrien/https://www.instagram.com/chefmarshallobrien/https://www.facebook.com/ChefMarshallOBrien

Club E was joined by Pete Steege, Founder of B2B Clarity to discuss getting more B2B leads. Sales leads are so important for B2B business growth, but so hard to get. Pete shares tip and tricks for B2B businesses to build and sustain a lead generation capability.Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue. Check out Pete's CEO Pocket Guide to Marking without a Marketing Leader: https://www.b2bclaritymarketing.com/ceos-pocket-guide-to-marketing​Pete.steege@b2bclaritymarketing.comWebsite: https://www.b2bclaritymarketing.com/​LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesteege/

Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Impact Group.We all have brutal truths in our business that we cannot control.  Does Covid come to mind?  Learn how Adm. James Stockdale dealt with adversity he could not control.“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Adm. James StockdaleJeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.• Jeff Redmon• Breakthrough Impact Group • jredmon@minnbig.com• https://minnbig.com/​• https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG​• https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig/​• https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/​• https://twitter.com/MinnBig

Club E will be joined by  Anne Berg, Founder of Vyway® Market & Brand Strategy to discuss  best practices on Brand Performance. Effective brand strategy elevates marketplace awareness and eliminates marketplace confusion. In turn, this work increases revenue growth and also positions an organization for sustainable profitability. If your offering is sound but your prospects aren’t buying, it’s likely because they don’t know, understand or trust your brand. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn why branding matters and the key elements of brand strategy.2. Understand the value of ownable brand names that are trademark worthy.3. Connect the elusive dots between branding and marketing / sales.About Anne: Anne Berg celebrates the 25th anniversary as the principal of Vyway® Market & Brand Strategy. Anne offers clients decades of professional experience, including 10 years in the big agency realm. Recognized for her keen sense of business and brand strategy, Anne helps clients accelerate the market performance of their brand and the profitability of their business. Anne Berg is a business strategist, brand demystifier, and impassioned logophile, known for her ability to bring order to chaos.

Club E will be joined by guest moderator Sharon Bloodworth to interview Rick Brimacomb about his journey as an investor, mentor and entrepreneur. Connect this month to listen to Club-E founder Rick Brimacomb have the interview tables turned on him.   As a life-long entrepreneur and connector, Rick will be questioned on the habits of successful entrepreneurs, what lessons seasoned entrepreneurs never want to repeat, and how you can succeed.  Short cut your path to success as master mentor Rick shares his 32 years of company analysis and entrepreneurship experience and get your chance to learn about the man behind Club E.

Club E will be joined by Sven Wehrwein and Jim Zuehlke to discuss perspectives from a professional board member. About Sven: Broad and deep financial background: CPA, MBA, Investment Banker, CFO, and Audit Committee Financial Expert. Experienced public company board member across nine public companies.Commitment to board service also encompasses five private companies and ten non-profits. In each case, tapped to be audit or finance committee chair. About Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors.  Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.

Club E will be joined by Sven Wehrwein and Jim Zuehlke to discuss perspectives from a professional board member. Part 2About Sven: Broad and deep financial background: CPA, MBA, Investment Banker, CFO, and Audit Committee Financial Expert. Experienced public company board member across nine public companies.Commitment to board service also encompasses five private companies and ten non-profits. In each case, tapped to be audit or finance committee chair. About Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors.  Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.

Ecommerce skyrocketed in 2020 and it’s off to another record-breaking year. But a lot of people struggle to get momentum because they aren’t looking at the right metrics or they’re too focused on the nitty-gritty but haven’t solved the bigger picture (marketing basics like offer, audience, product-market fit). We can dig into the metrics, the processes, and the roadblocks that get in the way of growth.Learning Objective: The basics still matter (stay away from shiny objects).How to track the right things the right way (so you know how to accelerate).What pitfalls to watch out for.About William: William Harris is the Founder and CEO of Elumynt, an ecommerce growth agency and has been critical to driving growth for multiple startups in ecommerce and SaaS. He has helped to facilitate both sides of acquisitions, and consults for the CMOs of multi-billion dollar Fortune 1,000 companies, all while writing about advertising and ecommerce on Entrepreneur, Shopify, GoDaddy, GritDaily, and many other top publications.William Harris's Contact informationwilliam@elumynt.comhttps://elumynt.com/​https://twitter.com/wmharris101​https://www.linkedin.com/in/wmharris/​https://www.instagram.com/wmharris101/​Clubhouse - @williamharris

Club E will be joined by  by Sue Crockett, Tony Wand, Kurt Uhlir, Kevin Weise, and Tim Foley to discuss ESOPs as an exit strategy. Selling a company to an ESOP provides a retirement plan for employees which creates wealth equity while at the same time providing a succession planning tool for the selling owners.  What else does an ESOP do?  There may be favorable tax considerations for you as a seller and also as an ESOP.   Employee owners tend to think differently when it comes to process improvement, cost containment and customer engagement activities which impact the bottom line.  An ESOP’s culture is typically just different, better.  Learning Objective: Understand the power of an ESOP to grow a company and the local economyLearn how an acquisition by an ESOP creates more employee owners while at the same time providing an exit strategy for a small business owner concerned about their employees well being.About Sue: Sue is the Executive Director of the MN Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO) a non-profit organization created to educate business owners, advisors, community leaders, and members of local and state government entities on the benefits of employee ownership via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Worker Owned Cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). It is the mission of the MNCEO to turn the state of Minnesota into a place where every working person can also be an employee owner.About Tim: Tim brings over 25 years’ experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Engineering of engineered electrical products. He has worked within several large manufacturing companies including General Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Danaher Corporation. Customer satisfaction in all our business lines and the growth that results are his primary focus. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a MBA from Indiana University.About Kevin: Kevin joined the First International Bank & Trust (FIBT)  Enterprise Retirement Solutions Team in January 2020.Kevin has over 40 years of retirement plan / institutional trust experience, prior to FIBT, Kevin was at Bremer Bank, where he was the Institutional Trust Group Lead for 14 years.About Kurt: Kurt Uhlir, founder, principal owner and President of Standby Power System Consultants, Inc. from 1997 until its acquisition by HM Cragg Co. in May 2017.  Kurt now serves as Business Development Manager and Senior Technical Advisor for the Company.  Kurt received a BS in Electrical Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in 1981.  For the past 40 years, he has specialized in stationary battery, dc power system and energy storage design, installation, maintenance and testing for electric utility, communications, industrial, UPS, mission critical sites and renewable energy applications. About Tony: Tony was a CPA (inactive) by trade.  Big 8 public accounting in the 1980’s with KPMG.   CFO, COO and now CEO in distribution, consulting, manufacturing and civil engineering companies over a 36-year career. Focus on process improvement, information reporting and strategic growth.

Club E will be joined by Neil Littman, Founder and CEO of Bioverge to discuss investing within the startup and private markets. Investing in the venture capital asset class is now more accessible than ever.  For the first time, retail investors can now invest in high-growth and high impact startups working to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.  Learning Objectives: • Learn about the benefits of diversifying your portfolio with alternative assets• Learn about the latest innovations in the life science and biotech space• Learn about how you can construct your portfolio with VC-style investmentsAbout Neil: Neil Littman is the Founder, CEO and General Partner of Bioverge, a highly curated impact investment platform exclusively dedicated to healthcare. Previously, Neil was Vice President of Business Development at Notable Labs through the completion of the company’s $40M Series B.  Prior to that, Neil was a healthcare investment banker and worked on transactions totalling over $1 billion. Neil has a Master’s in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins and an BA in Molecular Biology.

Club E will be joined by John Arms, Co-Founder of Voyageur University to discuss how you can go the independent career route while still being able to sleep at night. We like our eras in America. The agrarian era. Industrial era. Tech era. Cloud era. Next up, the gig era. We are in the final stages of where gig work takes off for professionals. Phase 1 was the covid shotdown, where America learned that remote work works just fine. Phase 2 was the covid layoffs, where professionals got a taste of freedom from the corporate grind and aren’t giving it up. Phase 3 is now, where businesses are learning that hiring fractional talent gets the workers they need  at a lower cost, and without bearing the cost of their healthcare and 401k contributions. Proof of concept: LinkedIN just got into the gig game, going head to head on Fivvr and Upwork.Learning Objectives: 1. Why is the gig economy growing and why should you care.2. How to get in on it as a professional.About John: John Arms is co-founder of Voyageur University, an online community dedicatated to helping stuck professionals go independent. John is the guy who helps the spark come back into your eyes when it comes to your career. He is an entrepreneur at heart, with three businesses in his portfolio at the moment. In addition to his business pursuits, John is a dad to three wonderful sons, husband to an amazing wife (He truly outkicked his coverage there) and has a serious addiction to fishing and a darn fine cigar.

Club E will be joined by John Cosgrove, Founder of VoiceHive to discuss his unique career journey following his passions. From landing in MN in 1999, he has followed a thread of curiosity when it comes to business ideas and practice.  Helped by successful mentors and friends, this thread connects ideas to business fruition. Learning Objective: Stand back far enough from your day to day to see where you want to go and if your actions on a daily basis align with that vision.  About John: In 1999, he moved to Minneapolis where he worked closely with Kieran Folliard at Cara Irish Pubs. His work life evolved from day-to-day operations to the events side of the business and included hosting trivia-themed events. From there he developed into a professional emcee and started his first business in 2006 focusing on meetings and events. As a professional emcee, he was constantly learning new and innovative ways to increase the quality of audience engagement.   With that process, the idea for VoiceHive software was crystalized. VoiceHive has been operating since December 2012.

Club E will be joined by John Arms, Founder of JP Arms Marketing to discuss how you can leverage data from your marketing funnel for data driven decision making.The big software systems are too much for small biz and startups. They’re built for you three years from now. Keep it simple for your first few million in sales.Learning Objectives:1. Effective sales pipeline at the bootstrap stage2. Preventing random acts of marketing3. How to invest time more than money for effectAbout John:John is a marketing free agent. He is often referred to as “That funnel guy.” He has packaged up 30 years of marketing lessons learned and sells himself in small fractions as a “30 day CMO.” John provides marketing leadership and an OS designed specifically for small businesses who need marketing leadership in bite sized pieces.

Club E will be joined by  by Sue Crockett, Tony Wand, Kurt Uhlir, Kevin Weise, and Tim Foley to discuss ESOPs as an exit strategy. Selling a company to an ESOP provides a retirement plan for employees which creates wealth equity while at the same time providing a succession planning tool for the selling owners.  What else does an ESOP do?  There may be favorable tax considerations for you as a seller and also as an ESOP.   Employee owners tend to think differently when it comes to process improvement, cost containment and customer engagement activities which impact the bottom line.  An ESOP’s culture is typically just different, better.  Learning Objective: Understand the power of an ESOP to grow a company and the local economyLearn how an acquisition by an ESOP creates more employee owners while at the same time providing an exit strategy for a small business owner concerned about their employees well being.About Sue: Sue is the Executive Director of the MN Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO) a non-profit organization created to educate business owners, advisors, community leaders, and members of local and state government entities on the benefits of employee ownership via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Worker Owned Cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). It is the mission of the MNCEO to turn the state of Minnesota into a place where every working person can also be an employee owner.About Tim: Tim brings over 25 years’ experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Engineering of engineered electrical products. He has worked within several large manufacturing companies including General Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Danaher Corporation. Customer satisfaction in all our business lines and the growth that results are his primary focus. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a MBA from Indiana University.About Kevin: Kevin joined the First International Bank & Trust (FIBT)  Enterprise Retirement Solutions Team in January 2020.Kevin has over 40 years of retirement plan / institutional trust experience, prior to FIBT, Kevin was at Bremer Bank, where he was the Institutional Trust Group Lead for 14 years.About Kurt: Kurt Uhlir, founder, principal owner and President of Standby Power System Consultants, Inc. from 1997 until its acquisition by HM Cragg Co. in May 2017.  Kurt now serves as Business Development Manager and Senior Technical Advisor for the Company.  Kurt received a BS in Electrical Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in 1981.  For the past 40 years, he has specialized in stationary battery, dc power system and energy storage design, installation, maintenance and testing for electric utility, communications, industrial, UPS, mission critical sites and renewable energy applications. About Tony: Tony was a CPA (inactive) by trade.  Big 8 public accounting in the 1980’s with KPMG.   CFO, COO and now CEO in distribution, consulting, manufacturing and civil engineering companies over a 36-year career. Focus on process improvement, information reporting and strategic growth.

Club E will be joined by Graham Riley, Founder of Social Strategies, LLC to discuss how you should be utilizing social media for B2B sales. In this session, we will take a look at why many businesses fail to maximize the potential of social media in their customer acquisition process.For anyone responsible for growing revenues in their organization, you don’t need a “secret system”, but you do need common sense in your system.Pulling from the lessons learned in 2020, we’ll review a process that’s as applicable for entrepreneurs as it is for national sales teamsLearning Objective: We will cover what do we need to STOP doing, what do we need to START doing and what should we KEEP doing to maximize revenue opportunities in 2021.About Graham: Graham is a pioneer in the blending of Personal Branding, LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Content Marketing, and Lead Generation Campaigns as a managed service; empowering business owners and sales teams to have more meaningful conversations with potential clients and key influencers.

Club E will be joined by Björn Stansvik to discuss finding the right opportunities at the right time. We will be covering; seizing an opportunity window with appropriate or not appropriate timing, honing in on how we are riding the pandemic and post-pandemic waves as it relates to people, process and technology as well as trends.Learning objective: Provide a framework or food for thought for pandemic and post-pandemic adaptations. About Björn:As founder and CEO of global software design and development firm MentorMate, Björn Stansvik has steered the company’s vision from inception to 700 full-time employees, accelerating digital ideas with end-to-end technology services since 2001. Björn has worked in high-tech and strategic business development in Europe, Latin America, and the United States at leading companies including Procter & Gamble, Ericsson, and Arthur D. Little prior to founding MentorMate in 2001.Björn remains a guiding force for MentorMate, constantly challenging the team to explore the boundaries of new technologies like AI and cloud computing and to pioneer digital innovation in healthcare as well as entering new geographic markets. Under his leadership, the company has grown its design and technical capabilities across multiple industries.MentorMate was named a Top ICT Employer in Bulgaria, and the Star Tribune included MentorMate on its Top 150 Workplaces list. The newest of its seven offices opened in AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2016.Björn holds a Master’s of Science in Business Administration from the Gothenburg School of Economics and has completed a Master’s thesis in Industrial Economics at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.As a recognized technology innovator, Björn has won numerous distinctions and is a regular speaker to business groups on entrepreneurship, technology, and management. https://streamlabs.com/clubentrepreneur

Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke, Founder of Cardinal Board Services and Mark Urdahl, CEO of Red Wing Shoes to discuss perspectives from being a CEO of a private company that reports to the board and also is a Director of a Private company board.About Mark: Mark Urdahl is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc. In this role he is responsible for shaping a vision that honors the company’s values while creating opportunities for meaningful growth. Mark does this by bringing together a talented team of individuals working across Red Wing’s diverse portfolio of brands, product lines, and geographies.Mark is passionate about Red Wing’s rich heritage, as well as its commitment to manufacture footwear in the United States. He also believes in providing meaningful employment opportunities for Red Wing employees in the United States and its subsidiaries throughout the world, while supporting the community of Red Wing, Minnesota, and all communities where Red Wing employees live and work.Before joining Red Wing Shoe Company in 2005, Mark spent 20 years at Minneapolis-based General Mills, a $20 billion global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods. During his tenure at General Mills, he held various roles in the Financial Operations, Marketing and Corporate Development areas of the company.Mark’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Olaf College, and an Executive MBA degree from Stanford University. He is married to his wife Cathy, and has two adult daughters. Mark supports the local Red Wing community by serving as a Red Wing YMCA trustee and board member for Every Hand Joined, an education-focused Red Wing organization. He lives in Excelsior, Minnesota, and his hobbies include running, biking and traveling.Red Wing Shoes is a privately-held company based in Red Wing, Minnesota. The company manufactures products world-wide and sells through its wholesale and proprietary retail channels. The Company markets Red Wing, WORX, Vasque and Irish Setter brand footwear, as well as Red Wing brand workwear and accessories world-wide. The company also owns S.B. Foot Tanning Company and the St. James Hotel in Red WingAbout Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.

Club E will be joined by Mark Klingsheim, Managing Partner of SIMA Partners LLC to discuss best practices for hiring. As an entrepreneur, business owner, some of the most important decisions you make are your choices regarding people. How can you make better decisions in hiring, and how to help people succeed faster.About Mark: Mark Klingsheim has worked with top leaders for over two decades as an executive recruiter, having conducted hundreds of searches to help organizations find their next great leader. Mark is a Managing Partner of SIMA Partners, an executive search firm that conducts searches for corporate and non-profit clients. Mark has been a student of leadership for most of his life; he has always been fascinated with what makes great leaders successful. Motivated To Lead Podcast

Club E will be joined by Matt Bochnicek, CEO & Founder of Ascendex Consulting to discuss how small and medium sized businesses can leverage technology to compete against the largest companies in the world. In the past, the latest technologies have only been available to the largest companies. Today, that is no longer the case. When small businesses combine their expertise and knowledge of their customers with the latest and greatest technology, there is nothing stopping them from being the David in a Goliath world. Learning Objectives: 1) Technology can be an enabler and competitive differentiator when done correctly.2) The latest and greatest digital technology is now available to and consumable by all.3) Businesses should be both strategic and practical when deciding where to invest in new technologies. About Matt: Matt has over two decades of strategic growth, innovation, and enterprise technology leadership experience. Matt works with clients in the areas of business and technology strategy, technology centered innovation, process improvement, and change management. Prior to founding Ascendex, Matt was a consulting partner in one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the U.S. where he built and led the firm's Twin Cities consulting practice, one of the largest in the Twin Cities. Matt has worked with hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries over his career, ranging from small businesses to some of the largest corporations in the world. Matt is a former Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree and is an adjunct faculty member at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Matt received an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, and a BA from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Club E will be joined by Renee Frey, Founder of TalentQ to discuss best practices around hiring key talent. When employees thrive...businesses thrive. There is a direct correlation between morale, productivity, and revenue and with today's reliance on technology and home offices, leaders are having to shift how they attract and interact with their employees. Join the conversation and learn how to: • Virtually engage with your employees in new, creative ways • Effectively hire and onboard in a virtual environment • Reassess your employment branding so you are competitive in the marketThis Mastermind session will empower you to • Virtually engage with your employees in new, creative ways• Effectively hire and onboard in a virtual environment• Reassess your employment branding so you are competitive in the marketAbout Renee: As a recruiting expert, speaker, author, and podcast host, Renee Frey founded TalentQ, Inc., a nationwide recruiting firm to clear the noise in recruiting and improve the process for everyone involved. Renee has over 17 years of recruiting experience in a Search Firm and Fortune 30 Company and is the author of, "I Hate Mondays: A Guide to Landing a Job That Makes You Jump Out of Bed." Renee is sought out by industry leaders to speak and educate on topics related to the recruiting industry and the complexities of today’s employment market. TalentQ is proud to be certified by the Women’s Business Development Center as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) and is revolutionizing the recruiting industry with their proven process backed by data analytics.

Club E will be joined by Pete Steege, Founder and President of B2B Clarity to discuss the golden question - How much should you spend on marketing?We willl cover tips and tricks for setting the right marketing spending level for your business. Pete will share a 3-step process to help you size your marketing to fit for your business, your budget and your goals. Get marketing spending benchmarks for businesses like yours. Learn a process to determine a rightsized marketing budget for your business. About Pete: Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue.

Club E will be joined by Kurt Schmidt, President at Foundry and Host of Schmidt List to discuss strategies to keep your employees and clients engaged in a virtual environment. During this time while we work through a pandemic it’s become more and more important to engage with our staff, clients, and new prospects regularly. Let’s talk about what works and what doesn’t work.Learning Objectives:Take aways for how to attract new business and new employeesHow to keep current employees engagedHow to keep top of mind and provide good customer service with clientsAbout Kurt: As Foundry’s President, Kurt leads the company’s strategic direction while also casting a wide net to meet with businesses in order to understand their challenges and evangelize how Foundry can help them through design and software development. Kurt joined The Nerdery in 2010 and helped them grow from 50-500 Nerds in less than six years. During that time, Kurt’s team delivered over $300M worth of custom software development to Fortune 500 companies. In 2016 Kurt joined Foundry as President where he took his 20+ years of agency experience and build a new kind of software design company. Since then, Foundry has more than quadrupled in size and now sits comfortably on the 2020 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. He also moonlights as a podcaster and YouTuber as host of The Schmidt List, with weekly interviews featuring movers and makers in technology and design.

Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke and Molly Simmons for Part 3 of the Director Series. We will be discussion what considerations you should have prior to joining a corporate board. Many people want to join a Board of Directors and when the opportunity arises- what should you take into consideration before committing to joining one? Tune in to learn!About Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.About Molly: Molly Simmons is a leader with over 20 years of professional experience including strategic advisory, private equity investments, family office, and board roles. She is a partner with McFarland Partners where she is focused on private family capital investments and strategic resources for family and founder-owned businesses. Her past career work includes private equity fund partner roles at Tonka Bay Equity and Gemini Investors, focused on growth capital and leveraged buyouts, as well as investment management at a large single family office, Pohlad Companies. She has served on the boards of over 20 public and private companies across diverse industries (including Buffalo Wild Wings, Endres Processing, and HighJump Software), along with industry associations such as Association for Corporate Growth and Small Business Investors Alliance. Early in her career she was a strategic management consultant at Bain & Company. Molly serves on the board of Microgrants and on the board of The Blake School. She earned a B.S. in education and social policy from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Club E will be joined by Marnie Ochs-Raleigh , the CEO of Evolve Systems to discuss Rebuilding business in 2021 with Strategic Marketing. Marnie and her team were able to successfully pivot from an in-office environment to completely remote with less than two hours of down time. While being remote, they have enhanced their culture and their team is stronger 10 months later. Learn more about their process and how they achieved peak performance as a team.As a digital marketing agency, they have been instrumental in helping their client’s bottom line through the crisis of COVID. Learn how pivoting marketing strategies will help business owners rebuild enterprise value in 2021 and have a higher performing team that deliver better results.About Marnie: Marnie is the CEO and Founder of Evolve Systems and Evolve Payment. Evolve Systems serves midmarket, B2B companies by providing business-specific, strategic leadership through digital, creative, and technology services designed to evolve businesses and provide a return on time. Evolve Payment specializes in Merchant Card Processing, specifically B2B payments performing Level 2/3 interchange management. Marnie is a 6th generation entrepreneur, known as a “connector” and “rainmaker” by her clients and friends. Marnie is the Past Pres. of NAWBO-MN and actively mentors several rising leaders. Her passion for helping other business owners achieve their goals is evident in the passion she brings to their culture and results the team delivers daily.While growing the companies, Marnie has raised 4 fabulous adult children, celebrated over 30 years of marriage with her Husband and business partner Donald, has 3 grand furs and 8 backyard chickens.

Club E will be joined by Chris Guertin to discuss starting a business in a recession. Maria and Chris Guertin started Sport Resource Group in February 2016 which was widely regarded as one of the toughest economic climates since the Great Depression. In this talk, Chris will share successes and mistakes made while starting a business from scratch in tough economic times.Chris is hopeful that new and current business owners can learn from his experience of mistakes and successes as they start or run their businesses in 2021.About Chris: Chris and Maria Guertin started Sport Resource Group in Feb 2006 just one year before the Great recession of 2007. In many ways, the early years of the business were marked with economic and buying uncertainty just as 2020 was. Chris gave up a successful career in sports and sales and Maria gave up her medical device recruiting career to start Sport Resource Group.

Club E will be joined by eCommerce experts Darin Lynch, Founder of Irish Titan and William Tjernlund, Amazon Sales & Consultant and CMO of Goat Consulting to discuss a variety of eCommerce topics from trends that will continue through 2021, channel strategies and important metrics for eCommerce companies to focus on growth. About Darin: Darin Lynch is the Founder and CEO of Irish Titan, a digital agency focused on ecommerce & digital, design & creative, content & strategy. Darin offers over 25 years of digital, marketing, sales, technology and leadership experience ranging from Fortune 100 financial firms to national retailers to start-up and early stage companies.Darin has trademarked “Business First. Online Second.”, as it’s one of the key principles that shaping Irish Titan’s “Why” for their over 40 Titans, hundreds of clients, and range of services provided by Irish Titan since 2004.Darin is a regular speaker and has been honored as a 40 Under 40 winner, one of the Real Power 50, and is a member of the Federal Reserve Board Small Business Council. Darin has also bought Clint Eastwood a beer and is a former presidential candidate. Honestly. But both of those stories are better shared in person.About William: William Tjernlund is the co-founder and a managing partner at Goat Consulting. William is a notable figure in the e-commerce industry, speaking at conferences around the world, including the United States, Europe and Asia. William started his career at his family's 80+ year old manufacturing company with the goal of expanding the e-commerce and Amazon presence. The efforts by William quickly made Amazon the number one sales channel for his family's business which now grosses tens of millions of dollars annually. William uses his background in economics, experience selling on Amazon, and insights gained from speaking with businesses around the world to help brands and manufacturers have a clear strategy for success.

Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke and Anne Sample to discuss How to Get on a Board of Directors. Many senior leaders aspire to serve on a public or privately held corporate board. It is a great way to leverage your expertise in a new way, grow professionally and make meaningful contributions to respected organizations. But, moving from hands-on leadership to an oversight role means leveraging your skills and experience differently. In this session, Cardinal Board Services Founder Jim Zuehlke and Navigate Forward expert Anne Sample will give first hand perspectives of Board of Directors experience. Learning Objectives: -Similarities and differences in looking for a high-level job-Board search preparation-New NASDAQ requirements About Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.About Anne: Anne Sample is the CEO and owner of Navigate Forward, a boutique consulting firm which provides highly customized support to senior executives who are currently in transition, planning change in the future or seeking board service, Anne is an experienced business and HR leader with a track record of leading transformation and developing talent. In her early career Anne worked in a variety of HR and strategy roles for Whirlpool, Pepsi, Walker Digital and Citibank. More recently, she has served as the Chief HR Officer for PepsiAmericas, Thrivent Financial and Caribou Coffee and Bagels. She currently serves on Board of Directors of MyMeds, a MN based startup that provides individuals with the digital tools and real time data that they need to stay engaged in their health.

Club E will be joined by Philip Mattison the President of Core Products International Inc. to discuss How to leave a legacy! Employee Stock Ownership Plan.We will be discussing how growing the Value (Sales, Profits & Multiples) of your business and how using an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) and acquisitions can benefit yourself and your employees as you transitions ownership in the next 4-6 years.Learning Objectives: The choice to be coachable.“Traction” The transition from the early entrepreneurship days to becoming a professionally managed business.From Starting a business, to making a living, and finally: leaving a legacy and rewarding the people that stayed in the game for the long haul. About Philip:Phil Mattison is the founder and owner of Core Products International, a leading manufacturer of orthopedic soft goods. Phil has grown his company from a one man start up to 120 employees, with over $18 million in sales, and 3-manufacturing facilities in Osceola and Chetek, WI, and Toronto, Canada. In addition to manufacturing products for Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage, and Durable Medical Equipment markets, Core Products also provides OEM and industrial sewn goods contract manufacturing. Phil and his key staff at Core have had to deal with business planning, building a positive business culture, product development, new product launches, sales successes, and business failures. He and his team have overcome emergencies as well, including a factory fire, and a building cave in. The Core team understands that building a strong, disciplined leadership team and managers group is key to the company’s value building and succession planning. Most recently, Core Products became an ESOP with over 90 employee owners!

Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke in a four-part series The Directors Series-Board Topics of Today. In our first segment Rick and Jim will discuss how you can start to position yourself for a board seat. The pathway to getting a seat on a Board of Directors are often shrouded in mystery. What does a pathway to joining a Board of Directors look like and what does an effective board look like? Tune in to learn more about:-An outline of the board landscape -What is governance-Diversity of perspectives About Jim: Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.

Club E will be joined by Troy Rosenbrook of Highland Bank and Kathi Schaff of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to discuss information regarding PPP loans and resources available to Minnesota businesses. Register to submit questions ahead of the event. We will be discussing: 1. PPP -New/second draw details -Existing PPP Loans - Changes in forgiveness2. Existing SBA Loan Modifications -Payments on SBA loans -Deferrals on payments 3. New SBA Loans (7A and Express) 4. Resources beyond PPP currently available to Minnesota businesses

Club E will be joined by Michael Anderson to discuss Ecommerce in a post-COVID world. 2020 was a year for the record-books! COVID-19 has changed the way consumers buy and caused ecommerce to grow more in 8 months than in the previous 10 years! Consumer expectations have never been higher in relation to how they want to interact with Brands and Retailers. In this session we will discuss ecommerce trends pre and post-COVID and what Brands & Retailers need to be planning for to drive growth and meet consumer expectations.About Michael: Michael’s vision and leadership drive Etail Solutions forward every day. As a software industry entrepreneur, Michael recognized that a lack of time and money were the biggest obstacles preventing ecommerce entrepreneurs from scaling. He realized the need for a solution that allowed merchants to leverage automation to shift their day-to-day focus from managing operations to driving growth. As a result, Etail Solutions was born. Now, more than a decade later, Michael and Etail continue to lead the evolution of digital commerce, helping 3PLs, fulfillment providers and brands to create and manage their D2C capabilities, to “sell everywhere, fulfill from anywhere”, and to meet demanding, ever changing consumer expectations and sales channel requirements.

Club E will be joined by Mike Siegler, to discuss how to analyze your existing business to extend value with change. Many businesses find themselves on a treadmill, unsure of how to break the current business cycles; plateaued revenues, tired staff, stagnant sales channel, aging products and services; increased competition; disengaged board. Learn how one company was able to create a new beginning while mired in this stagnant business cycle, engaging and selling to a strategic buyer and how the current group lives on today.Learning Objectives:Assessing current business realities; Analyzing effectiveness of Sales, competitiveness of products & services, engaging a board of directors, building a strategic team of advisors, and staying focused though uncertain times.About Mike: Mike Siegler is an energizing, engaging senior leader with a 20+ year track record of leading teams to develop and launch technical products and services within small and large organizations. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Services & Customer Experience at Communications Systems Inc. where he is responsible for leading and growing the services and support arm of CSI, focusing on differentiated As-A-Service offerings in the IT Managed services, Network infrastructure and SASE technology spaces. Mike has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in the Management of Technology (MoT). He has a unique combination of customer facing sales and marketing skills, deep technical expertise, strong leadership traits, and dedication to organizational development, with hands-on experience at firms such as Seagate Technology, Medtronic, General Electric, United Technologies, Digi International, Ecessa Corporation (as CEO) and now at Communications Systems Inc. Mike also teaches Project Management and Critical Thinking skills in the Minnesota State educational system, currently at Minneapolis Technical and Community College (MCTC).