Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

After a long time away, the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast is trying to come back into regular production. Host Thom Singer has been serving as the CEO of the Austin Technology Council, and has been hosting that organizations show "Austin Tech Connect". But this show has been around for 10 years, and it has had a good following over the years. Thom is ready to come back and share ideas and promote his message of community, collaboration, and conversations. In this episode he talks about building friendships and business relationships over the age of 50. Check out his short episode and share with him your thoughts. https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We hear a lot about "Collaboration"...but too often we see selfish people just using the word. Collaboration is a two way street. If you always start with "What's in it for me" you are not a collaborator. If you use collaboration as a buzz word for "Sales", you are not thinking win / win. In this short episodes Thom shares his beliefs about what is collaboration. To really collaborate you need to have shared vision, open communication, mutual respect, and trust. But people enter collaborative situations and then want full control, they don't share important information, and they withhold resources. Some believe you have to be all out for yourself if you want to win. Thom Singer thinks in the long run you are more satisfied in life when you embrace collaboration. Ask yourself if you really see advantages to collaboration. If yes, live by example. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Authentic leaders win in the long run. If you are pretending to have leadership success... people see through the lies. This episode talks about how to not only highlight your victories, but how great leaders admit their faults. Thom Singer recently received six emails from people showing how someone told a blatant lie in their bio. They claimed something that was entirely made up, and people in the community knew this was just BS and were forwarding the bio around to others showing how this leader, known to be narcissist, had graduated to just making things up in their resume. If you are not authentic, people will know. While nobody had the guts to call this person out in public (we still live in a mostly polite society that is resistant to conflict), people were circulating the lies with long chain emails about this person. Not good. Does your resume have blatant lies? This episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" will make you rethink. Like we have not learned enough from Congressman George Santos who simply created a trail of made up things. Eventually his lies were seen. The person mentioned in this episode who padded their resume (who would hate being compared to Trump or Santos) would cringe at the emails making that connection. You do not need to lie in your resume unless you are a total fraud who feels you are weak. Strong leaders can rely on their strengths and can admit their mistakes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are at the top of your game. You are a c-level executive. Why in the world would you go to a networking event? The networking events have people who are not as impressive as you, and you only want to hang out with the cool kids. Why should you network? You need to network for many reasons, and you should not prejudge people whose job titles do not start with a "C". It is good for your own career and the reputation of you company if you are seen as participating in your community. Over the long run, non-famous CEOs who keep engaged in their community will find more ways to collaborate and uncover opportunities. Too many are thinking if they go to a Chamber of Commerce event or Industry Conference that they will be annoyed by up and comers who want to talk to them. But many of those same people might inspire you. The best leaders I know want a lot of diversity in their conversations. Hide in an Ivory Tower and your company may lose. Who is better at reputation management and community engagement..You or your competitors? If its not your team, then your competition might get a leg up. This episode Thom Singer shares his three reasons to network even when you are in the C-Suite. https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Community, collaboration, and conversations can solve all problems. But not everyone leads with community. Too many people look at everything they do as having the need to be 10x'd. Yes, these young leaders who are disciples of Grant Cardone or Gary Vee tend to look at everything as their personal investment that must 10x. One young entrepreneur told me he could not join an industry association unless he could see a guarantee to 10x his dues to his bottom line. Ummmm, that is not how supporting a greater cause works. I am not saying you should do everything for charity. You should focus on making money. But if everything is about how you make money, or if every relationship is about whom you can be friends with who can help you....life becomes phony. The fakest person I know lives this way. The funny things is their close friends admit they have seen them dump people who are not "up" the food chain, and all know they can be pushed out of the friend circle on her whim. This is a bad way to live. One of her closest friends said "she is unhappy in her soul, but never lets it out to anyone". I would rather have less money and be part of community. In this episode I challenge listeners of the podcast to think about if they have one day a week that they do not lead with "What's in it for me?". Imagine if every human took one day to serve the greater good and help others find success. They would have 6 other days to kick ass, but we would have a lot more people helping others, too. What did you think of this rant of an episode? thom@thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is an epidemic of loneliness in our society. People feel disconnected. Many admit to not having close friends. And these people work on your team. These issues go back before the pandemic, but it has become more pronounced in the last three years. When people feel part of a community, they will be more dedicated to their jobs. But with so many remote workers, it is harder to have a meaningful relationship with coworkers. This episode challenges leaders to look at their team and really understanding who feels disconnected. If you want to up your retention rates, you have to get people to feel engaged with the whole company. Do you feel alone, or do you know your team has people who are disconnected? Are you doing something about this? https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In another short episode of "Making Waves at C-Level", Thom Singer shares his thoughts about trying new things and the journey he has been on to reinvent himself since turning 50. It is easy to be in a comfort zone - but that can hold you back. In your career and life you need to branch out and try new things. Thom is open that throughout his life he did not go for things in life or business that he did not think he would kick ass. But being scared to try new things holds you back. He shares the story of doing Stand Up Comedy at age 52 and how he has now done over 160 open mic nights. While he is NOT that funny (yet?), going out and doing it anyway has helped him succeed in other ways. Pushing yourself into had situations prepares you for other tough hurdles that come up in the journey of life. Often people get worried about if others are judging them. But if we worry about what other people think, we do not do all the things that we can experience. What have you always wanted to try that you have never attempted. This episode will challenge you to go do it. You need not succeed, but making the effort will help you grow. And you will also find that other people are not paying attention and judging you as much as you think. Listen to this episode. https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Networking (and the benefits of having a real network) is not just about passing out business cards or having LinkedIn connections. The real opportunities come from building friendships. But making friends is harder as we get older. There are many reason why, but if you want to make friends, you have to lead with being a friend. Entrepreneurs who are known, liked, and trusted always seem to win over the long run. Being a jerk has short term value, but I know one very rich person who everyone hates. So what if he has a nice car and fancy house, being around him it is clear he is insecure and sad. This episode talks about how and why to make friendships in your career and to encourage your employees to do the same. But you are not friends with everyone you meet. Meeting someone once does NOT make them part of your network. Change up how you think about people and friendships in business and you will find long-term success. Yes, people really do prefer to do business with those they know, like, and trust. https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes sales managers try to discourage their sales professionals from networking. This is often NOT because they think it is a waste of time, it is because they fear that if the high achiever is well known in a community or industry, they will be hired away by another company. For the individual contributor, your network is your key to a long career. If you are not known and you get laid off, you have to start at square one. So never allow your network to be cold or non-existent. You must get engaged in your community / industry to ensure you have options. Plus, when you are seen as the subject expert...you will make more sales. So why would a leader not want their people to network. In today's world if you have a good employee, others will know about her or him. You cannot hide people away and assume this will be good for the company. Having your whole team engaged in your industry and community raises the visibility of you company. When your team is well known, and you offer competitive products and services... .more people will come to look at your offerings. This should lead to more sales. I am surprised when leaders fear having their best people be well networked...as why would you want mediocre sales people that nobody knows or wants? Sure you keep them, but they do not move the company ahead. Instead, get everyone engaged and raise the profile of your company. Sure some will get recruited away, but a good leader creates a culture and environment where people want to work. If you are an individual contributor.....why is networking bad? Is it because you should just be the best kept secret and do things for the company? Your employer will not blink at laying you off if bad time come. Thus having a network is key to your future. If you are a boss who discourages your people from networking...why? Is part of it because you fear they will leave if others find out how great they are? If this is part of your reason, you need to realize they will leave anyway if you are not giving them a path to a future they want. I think the individual and the company both win when their team is very well connected. This is both inside your company and outside your company. Do not worry about losing a few people, look at what can happen if everyone is well known in your industry.... you company will be the leader. What is your thoughts on this topic? Let me know. ******** Welcome to the new short format episodes of "Making Waves at C-Level". The show had been on hiatus, and as we come back we are doing 7 - 10 minute short talks to inspire you to think. You wont agree with all my thoughts, but that is how we all learn and grow. https://thomsinger.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's podcast is a quick plug for a new book called "Everyone Wants to Work Here" by Maura Thomas. In this episode Thom Singer shares reasons to read this new book, especially how well chapter 7 describes the realities of how remote and hybrid work are changing business. Thom admits that Maura is his friend, but this is not why he chose to share the information about her book... he shared this because it is a good book that all leaders need to read. Attracting the right talent is a major concern of every business leader, and keeping them engaged and energized matters more than ever. If you want you company to dominate your market...you need to check this out. Find the book on Amazon https://a.co/d/1ocKwN0 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a long hiatus, Thom Singer returns to hosing "Making Waves at C-Level". But as he always teaches, we have to try new things. He is stepping away from interviews, and doing short episodes with ideas and advice. Today he talks about leaders who pretend they are prefect and who lie on social media about how great they are (when you often know they are fluffing up their greatness). He says real leaders can admit to mistakes. What do you think? https://thomsinger.com/podcast/dont-be-full-of-sht Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out this episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" when Thom Singer sits down with serial entrepreneur Henrik Johansson from Gembah. About Henrik Johansson Henrik Johansson is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded and built the product company Boundless into a $100M company. Currently he is the co-founder and CEO of Gembah, a product development platform and marketplace, and the Executive Producer of Final Product, a reality TV show incubated at Gembah. He was previously a co-founder and board member of OutboundEngine, and before that the president of EverydayWealth, and co-founder and president of Creditland. Johansson specializes in technology-enabled services, marketplaces, and software as a service. He is an expert on scaling startups, building world-class teams, culture, and scalable processes and infrastructure and has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Austin Business Journal, and was named Counselor's 2017 Person of the Year. About Gembah- The 1st Marketplace for Product Development Gembah is a product development marketplace specializing in bringing new products to market through all stages of development. Gembah connects creators with its global network of designers, engineers, and supply chain specialists and oversees production at factories in China, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and South America. Founded on the belief that humans are natural inventors, the company's goal is to empower creators and make product development accessible to anyone. Gembah was established in 2018 in Austin, TX and has been featured in Forbes and Entrepreneur. To learn more, visit Gembah.com, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube. Https://henrik-johansson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a podcast host gets an inquiry from someone with a great last name, how do you not put them on the show! LOL. In this episode Thom Singer sits down to talk AI Powered Financing Platform, SmartBiz with CEO Evan Singer (no relation - they are NOT cousins or brothers). About Evan Singer: Evan Singer is CEO of SmartBiz, the leading AI-powered small business financing platform equipping entrepreneurs with access to the right capital at the right time. To date, SmartBiz has connected borrowers with more than $9 billion in financing while increasing efficiency for its network of banks and trusted lending partners. More than 230,000 entrepreneurs have utilized SmartBiz to access the funding they need to grow, with 60% of loans made to minority, women, or veteran-owned businesses. Singer was honored as a Top 100 Stanford Alumni in Technology in 2021 and a Top 25 CEO in Fintech in 2022.    About SmartBiz: On the heels of the Great Recession, a team of technologists, entrepreneurs, and finance geeks came together to find an easier way for small businesses to apply for and secure low-cost funds from banks. United in the belief that the right capital at the right time can cause any small business to thrive, the early SmartBiz team committed themselves to connect every entrepreneur with the funds they need to fortify and grow their businesses. Today, small businesses of every size and type turn to SmartBiz for reliable access to SBA, bank term, and custom financing. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/smartbiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen now for lessons in PR from the founder and president of Grapevine PR in Austin, Texas.   This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Steven Le Vine has released a new book called "Stories That F*cking Matter: Three pillars of epic storytelling to dominate media headlines, win clients, and grow your business". This is a must read for all business leaders.   About Steven Le Vine: Steven Le Vine is an award-winning publicist and PR strategist, and founder of Grapevine PR, since 2006. The firm's clients include tech and consumer brands, celebrities and high-profile experts. He has secured clients wide-ranging press from sit-down interviews with Oprah, The View, The Talk, NBC Today, CNBC, and CNN, to placements in Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, The New York Times, TechCrunch, WIRED, Fast Company, Business Insider, Men's Journal, USA Today, People, Variety, and more. He is a frequent media personality and contributor for prominent publications, including Forbes and Rolling Stone, where he offers his expert insight on PR and entrepreneurship. He has taken home nearly two dozen awards for his firm, including "Agency of the Year" and "Campaign of the Year," on behalf of his work for clients including William Shatner, Lisa Loeb, Danny Pintauro, and many others. Le Vine is the co-author of the new PR book, Stories That F*cking Matter: Three Pillars of Epic Storytelling to Dominate Media Headlines, Win Clients and Grow Your Business. He resides in Austin, TX. About the book, Stories That F*cking Matter Three Pillars of Epic Storytelling to Dominate Media Headlines, Win Clients and Grow Your Business: A well-crafted story has the power to literally mold reality, win over hearts and change minds! The story is the most powerful tool humans have ever discovered. But what makes up a great, expertly constructed story? What's the difference between a good story and a really f*cking great story? In this book, PR and media industry experts Steven Le Vine and Garrett McClure share their secret formula and winning playbooks from over two decades of proven success in earned, owned and paid media. This book reveals proven and effective PR & Media strategies, insider tips and growth hacks to tell a story that f*cking matters in order to cut through the noise of today's fragmented media landscape and get seen and heard. Get an insider's behind-the-scenes look into the world of PR, delivering proven methods and strategies along the way for entrepreneurs and experts to take media outreach into their own hands, tell a great story, make headlines, and succeed at growing their brands and businesses. www.storiesmatterbook.com https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFQ1YJ13?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 https://thomsinger.com/podcast/steven-levine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Today we chat with Nad Elias, CEO at recruitAbility. His story of working in the recruiting business for nearly 25 years, and his commitment to growing his team and culture will inspire you.   About Nad Elias Nad Elias has been in the search recruitment industry for 20+ years. Recognized as one of the top 50 recruiters in Texas, he is known for working with and advising companies on their talent acquisition and retention strategies, consistently delivering on-target results, and building high-performing teams. Nad founded recruitAbility with the purpose-driven mission to make the lives of everyone they connect with better. Nad's career has spanned all aspects of employer and people development. He's trained, lead, and developed recruiting organizations serving various industries while always focusing on the value-added services they provide when it's done right. His experience includes running executive searches and managing nationwide projects with companies ranging in size from start-ups to the Fortune 500. He began his career out of college in the recruiting industry, and it's all he's ever known. Austin is home to Nad and his family. A University of Texas graduate, he is the incoming President of the Central US Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). He has been a finalist for Austin's best CEO's by the Austin Business Journal for the last 2 years and has lead recruitAbility to one of Austin's best places to work the last 4 out of 5 years. When he's not following the active lifestyles of his two kids, Nad plays and coaches basketball and enjoys a round of golf whenever he can fit it in! About recruitAbility  recruitAbility is a tech enabled consulting firm in the recruiting industry that partners with business leaders to strategically grow their organizations. We set out to reimagine recruiting by building a process and platform that helps our clients find and retain the right people. We help our clients grow through our direct hire, contract, and managed recruiting solutions. HTTPS://thomsinger.com/podcast/recruitability  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Today we chat changes in the world of "search" with Madhu Basu from Unnanu. In this episode we talk about how the right tech brings more opportunities, and how he sees "search" as broken. About Madhu Basu   Madhu has been an Austinite for over 23 years, living in Austin metropolis. He is the CEO and Founder of Unnanu, a technology startup from Austin that helps businesses by utilizing a patented contextual weighted keyword search. Also, the founder and CEO of PMCS Services, provides IT consulting, staffing, and solutions services for over 16 years.   He also co-founded three more businesses previously. Madhu is the former President of a non-profit organization that focuses on community services and awareness within the Austin sub-continent Indian community. Madhu is married to Sheela and has two children, Charita and Praneel. About Unnanu   Unnanu technology will help get relevant information to people or businesses faster. We put forth effort to find data, media, or content in a business-driven society where people can get the advantage of services by businesses investing in society and people by creating jobs, healthy living, and support. We currently provide a simple solution for businesses to have resumes scored to be able to find the best candidate and a complete hiring platform with an integrated JobBoard, ATS, and OnBoard solution. We built a disruptive technology to bring highly qualified individuals to companies, and we want to make their hiring process seamless, effective, and efficient. Unnanu offers users a plethora of highly useful features like in-app messaging, offers, referrals, an on-boarding process, and even the ability to conduct interviews right within the app. Also, the ability to compare new opportunities and offers side by side so that you can make your next career move with confidence.  Our approach is seamless, effective, and simple. It is much faster than traditional job boards and job sites. Unnanu is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with more offices to be open in the near future. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/Madhu-Basu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thom sits down to talk about why companies should offer employee benefits with the President of Excel Benefits, Michael Bigley. Companies with less than 50 employees do not necessarily need to offer benefits, but for many this is a great retention and recruiting tool. Even if they seem "expensive", many companies find that the right package is worth the investment. About Michael Bigley Michael Bigley has lived in San Antonio, Texas most of his life, except when he attended Texas State University, where he graduated in 1979 with a B.A. in Business. In 1984, he entered the Life Insurance Business with Mass Mutual.  In 1998, he earned the prestigious Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) designation from the American College,  a non-profit, industry accredited, degree-granting institution.  Only 5% of professionals in his field has obtained this title.    Mike founded Excel Benefits Inc. in 1991, with the goal of assisting businesses of all sizes navigate the ever-changing costs and processes of benefits implementation and offer a fully educated staff for benefits advisory and servicing. Mike is truly a seasoned veteran and one of the most knowledgeable employee benefits consultants in the industry today.   In 2016, Mitchell, Mike's oldest son joined the company as the Operations Manager after obtaining his Biology degree from UTSA. Then, in 2019, Mike's middle son, Drake joined the Company as Benefits Advisor and was promoted to Sales Manager in 2022, rounding out a successful family business to serve businesses for another generation. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/excel-benefits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime joins the conversation on “Making Waves at C-Level”. Award-winning innovator and disrupter, Reggie Fils-Aimé has been revered by business leaders and gaming fans alike for helping to bring some of Nintendo's greatest successes– the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and the Nintendo Switch – to the global marketplace.  In his bestselling book, DISRUPTING THE GAME: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo, Fils-Aimé shares his story of grit and determination for the first time—from his humble beginnings in the Bronx as the son of Haitian immigrants, to the top of Nintendo as one of the most powerful names in the gaming industry—and the first American and African American president and chief operating officer for the company.  Immortalized for opening Nintendo's 2004 E3 presentation with, “My name is Reggie, I'm about kicking ass. I'm about taking names, and we're about making games,” Fils-Aimé is a veteran at transforming companies, revitalizing brands, and reshaping industries.  Here he outlines the leadership lessons he learned over the course of his career from his time working with iconic brands at P&G, like PepsiCo/Pizza Hut, Guinness Import Company and television entertainment with VH1 to his tenure at Nintendo. He helps readers leverage disruptive thinking to pinpoint the life choices that will make them truly happy, conquer negative perceptions from those who underestimate or outright dismiss them, and master the grit, perseverance, and resilience it takes to dominate in the business world.    ABOUT Reggie Fils-Aime Reggie Fils-Aimé is an award-winning innovator and disrupter who has helped bring the Nintendo DS, the Wii, the Nintendo 3DS, Wii U and the Nintendo Switch to the global marketplace. He joined Nintendo of America Inc. in December 2003 as Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. In May 2006, he was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer. He was inducted into the International Videogame Hall of Fame in October 2019 and received the annual Legend Award from the New York Videogame Critics Circle in January 2020.  Prior to joining Nintendo, Fils-Aimé was Senior Vice President of Marketing at VH1. During his tenure at VH1, he engineered the channel's redirection to young viewers that resulted in an overall 30 percent ratings growth, and he created and executed the marketing plans for The Concert for New York City, which raised more than $35 million for disaster relief in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.  Fils-Aimé graduated with distinction from Cornell's Dyson Undergraduate Business School in 1983 which launched a 35+ year career as an operating executive spanning the consumer-packaged goods, restaurant, beverage, and media/entertainment industries. Since retiring, he has focused his energy on developing the next generation of business leaders. In August 2019, he was named the inaugural Cornell University's Dyson Leader in Residence for the 2019-2020 academic year. He also founded Brentwood Growth Partners to help emerging companies scale and enable leaders to create world-class cultures. HTTPS://thomsinger.com/podcast/disrupting-the-game  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Michael Ward Jr from the Austin Urban Technology Movement joins the conversation on the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast to take about how to train new employees with internships and apprenticeships. Tech companies need great employees, and many skip training and growing talent and just poach from their neighbors. But this episode will dive deep into other ways to build your community of engaged employees. About Michael Ward Jr. Michael Ward Jr. is a social entrepreneur who focuses on STEAM, workforce development, and economic empowerment. Originally from Miami, FL, Michael began his career at Oracle in enterprise sales, focusing on cloud and on-premise technology. During this time, Michael also led Oracle's Black employee resource group to increase the recruitment, engagement, and upward mobility of Oracle's Black employees. After Oracle, Michael spent some time at ADP and Primal7 where he gained a better understanding of human capital management and Austin's startup ecosystem. Currently, Michael leads Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ) as President and CEO. He is also the Co-Founder of TwoWards Solutions, Co-Hosts Culture Crawl ATX, and sits on the following boards throughout Central Texas: Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem, the University of Texas at Austin Cockrell School of Engineering, and the Texas Science and Engineering Fair. Michael is also a community partner of the IT Caucus of the Texas House. Before starting his tech career and entrepreneurship journey, Michael earned a degree in International Relations at Miami Dade College and two degrees in Political Science and Global Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Michael is also a father, husband, Miami Heat fan, Tar Heel alum, and enjoys good food made with love! https://thomsinger.com/podcast/Austin-Urban-Technology-Movement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Today we chat about Behavioral Health with Ray Wolf and Brain Tucker from Televero Health. They are rewriting the way people get access to behavioral health by providing better access to the care people need. About Televero Health Televero Health provides Virtual Behavioral Health services across Texas, including psychiatry, therapy, and counseling for moderate and acute patients. Our mission is to improve the lives of individuals needing care and our community's safety. Televero breaks through the behavioral health access paradigm by offering access to licensed clinicians within seven days of the referral and accepting insurance. We operate an evidence-based integrated care model, partnering with Primary Care Physicians to deliver "whole patient" care to improve outcomes. Televero has a goal of screening 10 Million Texans for suicide and violence by 2025.   About Ray Wolf As the Chief Information Officer, Ray leads the development and execution of the growth and operational strategies for Televero Health, from human capital to financial.   Ray brings three decades of global business experience across various industries and growth stages—from start-up to established enterprise – through inverting the healthcare inflation curve, designing patentable Mach 2+ jet engines, and developing space defense systems.   Ray's healthcare experience ranges from reducing Kaiser Permanente's operating cost by 20%, receiving the Apple Healthcare award for creating the first HIPAA-compliant mobile communication for physicians, transforming Essence Health into a cloud-based enterprise, and increasing clinical technology adoption from 15% to more than 85%, and inverting the healthcare inflation curve through an innovative gain sharing managed care model at Redirect Health, reducing the cost of self-funded company healthcare costs by 25%.     About Brian Tucker As Chief Digital Officer, Brian Tucker is the "transformer in chief," charged with leveraging technology to create unmatched, easy, frictionless client, patient, and provider experiences. Brian brings over two decades of strategic cross-business transformation, process innovation, and delivering profitable business and customer outcomes through technology solutions. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/televero-health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Connecting with your constituents (internally and externally) and understanding your message is important for companies of all sizes. Technology companies need to pay attention to their messaging, think about communication with employees (do not let them learn about your company events in the media), and to position their brands for long term success.   This episode is an important conversation with Kathleen Lucente from Red Fan Communications. She is a C-Suite Whisperer to high tech B to B companies, and has a team of experts that kicks butt in assisting clients with their internal and external messaging, investor relations, and crisis communications.   She also shares what makes Austin, Texas a vibrant place for tech companies and how her firms helps local organizations.   About Kathleen Lucente Kathleen Lucente moved to Austin just as the city began its meteoric rise as a hotbed for tech startups and investment. Before she adopted the lone star state as home, she built an award-winning career working domestically and internationally for IBM, JPMorgan, Ketchum Worldwide, and other global brands and agencies. With solid experience in the evolution of communications within the tech industry, first as a journalist, then as a PR professional, Kathleen realized she was ready to build her own team to deliver superior integrated marketing and communications services to B2B tech companies. Since the start of Red Fan Communications almost 15 years ago, she has helped countless companies of all stages clarify their purpose, tell their unique stories, differentiate from their competitors and establish lasting relationships with clients and customers. The Red Fan team is built of experts with the same tenacity in which Kathleen approaches her work and weaves it into everything she does.  Kathleen serves on several boards—including Austin Gives, PelotonU and the ABC Kite Fest—and donates much of her and her staff's time to local nonprofits that have a tangible impact throughout the community, including the Corporate Engagement Council for the Austin mayor's office and the Mike & Sherry Project, an Austin-based organization providing mental health support to local bar and restaurant workers. You can also catch Kathleen as a regulator contributor to the Forbes Agency Council, covering critical communications topics like crisis management, brand positioning, thought leadership, corporate communications and the fundamentals of great brand storytelling. In addition, she's been a guest speaker on influential podcasts, at accelerators, and communications and business schools, including the Wharton School, the University of Texas at Austin, the Confident Communications podcast, and the MassChallenge startup accelerator, where she serves as a mentor. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/kathleen-lucente Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we go deep on how to you bounce back. Brain Wagner helps people see things they have never seen before. He went blind 12 years ago and now sees more than he ever has before. Brian is a speaker and works with the Ohio State School for the Blind.  He believes all of us can do more than we ever thought we could, and this episode will make you think deeper about how to bounce back when you face something difficult.  About Brian Wagner Embrace your own personal blindness to drive better performance. That's what Brian Wagner has done through BounceBack Leadership. He is the founder and CEO of "A Radical Vision." His mission is to help people embrace their own personal blindness to achieve a greater focus and drive better performance. Brian has worked with boards and organizations to clear the path for growth.  On March 4 of 2011 he woke up on the couch and wasn't able to see. For the next six months, he was blind. Only brain surgery and multiple eye surgeries have allowed a portion of his vision to return. Since then, Brian Wagner has become an author of the semi-autobiography book "Sometimes It DOES Take a Brain Surgeon".  Brian is a Past-President for the National Speakers' Association, Ohio Chapter. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/brain-wagner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. This episode is a great conversation about change, the rate of change, and the power of Community. Rebecca (Becky) Taylor has been an active software engineer, entrepreneur, community activist, and advisor for over three decades in the Austin community and beyond. She was an early member of the Austin Technology Council (originally called the Austin Software Council) and remains active working with the Austin Technology Incubator - the oldest continuous tech incubator in the United States.   Check out this episode and be inspired.  About Becky Taylor Rebecca (Becky) Taylor is Executive-In-Residence at the Austin Technology Incubator, and Industry Fellow at UT-Austin's Ethics Project. Ms. Taylor is a senior level executive with 35 years' experience inventing new technologies, forming startups, building committed teams and raising funds. She has led advanced development and strategy efforts at organizations from very small start-up companies to large multinationals including the launch team at Shell Technology Ventures, and senior advisory roles at the U.S. Department of State. She has executed and advised on monetization involving licensing, venture capital investing, sales negotiations, expanded market opportuni5es. An inventor and multiple patent holder, she created technology that among other things, makes your phone smarter. She served as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, advising the University on commercialization alternatives for promising research. Ms Taylor has advised dozens of startups in the course of her professional career, helping them with funding strategies, technology planning, and negotiations. She is a mentor and very much enjoys presenting to diverse audiences, large and small. She has had a lifelong commitment of raising money and awareness for important community needs. Becky Taylor is a Senior Member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and serves Vice Chair of the IEEE-USA Government Relations Committee. She holds a BS in Computer Science from Iowa State University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Policy. She is certified as a Winemaker by the University of California – Davis. She holds a Series 79 FINRA designation and is affiliated with a NYC-area boutique early stage investment bank. Her board service has included board and advisory roles with multiple startups, election as a director of TruWest Credit Union ($750 MM assets), service on Austin Community College's Foundation Board and service for other non-profit organizations in the Austin area. A resident of Austin for 40 years, she has fun with family – her son, lovely daughter-in-law, adorable granddaughter, happy dogs, and is traveling as often as possible. www.thomsinger.com/podcast/becky-taylor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. Min Choe and Angell Tsang sit down to talk about their unique company, Tso Chinese Delivery. Many would not expect a delivery and carry-out quick service restaurant to also be a leading technology company. But in Austin, Texas you find unique tech pioneer in many forms. This interview is both inspiring and informative.  If you have never heard of Tso Chinese Delivery, you will. They are on their way to being the leading provider of great food to your door anywhere in the world....and they do it with proprietary technology.  About Tso Chinese Delivery Tso Chinese Delivery is a delivery and carryout-only, quick service restaurant concept in Austin, TX. Offering free delivery and a no tipping policy, Tso offers one of the best, value-driven delivery services of fresh Chinese food, anywhere. Tso offers its transparent pricing model by offering free delivery and a strict no-tipping policy. Tso is able to execute this service by utilizing a virtual kitchen platform which focuses on online ordering -- no app necessary -- with the ability to track order progress on one's computer or mobile phone. Since launching in Central Austin in 2017, they have since opened a second location in Fall 2019 in North Austin and followed up with a third location in South Austin in November 2021, with a Round Rock location in the pipeline for late 2022. Tso proudly serves high-quality, affordable Chinese-American food. Culinary direction comes from Jenna Choe, Chief Culinary Officer, who has created a menu of classic Chinese-American dishes made with the freshest ingredients possible. Everything is made to order in Tso's kitchen and vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are readily available. Tso offers appetizers like real crab rangoons, potstickers, vegetarian spring rolls, and Szechuan dry green beans as well as a selection of soups like hot & sour soup and egg drop soup. About Min Choe Min Choe is the Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board, and Co-Founder at Tso Chinese Delivery, a delivery and carryout only restaurant concept in Austin, TX. Tso offers free delivery and has a no tipping policy for fresh, high-quality yet affordable, Chinese-American food. After the success of the first Tso location in Central Austin, the second Tso opened in fall of 2019 in North Austin. Min's primary role at Tso is to provide vision and direction for Tso to one day become America's #1 choice for Chinese food delivery. He leads the team by establishing core values that are centered on providing a benefit to the communities and employees they serve, while also building a company focused on growth and profitability. About Angell Tsang Angell Tsang is the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at Tso Chinese Delivery, a delivery and carryout only restaurant concept in Austin, TX. Tso offers free delivery and a no tipping policy for fresh, high-quality yet affordable, Chinese-American food. After the huge success of the first Tso location, the second Tso opened in fall of 2019 in North Austin. Angell helped develop the cloud based kitchen platform on which Tso functions. Https://www.thomsinger.com/podcast/tso-chinese-delivery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnologyCouncil.org. This is a great conversation with Sarah Jones Simmer about resilience and the courage to show up. Sarah has a wonderful story that lead her from majoring in music to the CEO of a leading digital health company innovating in the weight space. You must hear this interview!   Sarah Jones Simmer will be the featured Keynote Speaker at the Austin Technology Council's CEO Summit on October 17, 2022. If you are a C-Suite executive, you will want to be sure to be present for this event in Austin, Texas.  About Sarah Jones Simmer Sarah Jones Simmer is an executive, investor, board member and C-level operator. In September 2021, she joined Found as CEO, with a mission to make evidence-based, sustainable weight care accessible for all. Found is quickly emerging as a leader with its innovative approach to weight loss by leveraging the best of modern medicine with personalized support. Prior to Found, Sarah was an executive at Bumble, the women-first social networking app for four years. From 2017-2020, she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Bumble app, where she was responsible for core strategy, international growth, marketing initiatives, and business operations, as well as the expansion of Bumble's rapidly growing team. Sarah also led the investment strategy for the Bumble Fund, Bumble's early-stage investing vehicle launched in 2018, focused on the next generation of women-led businesses. Sarah has spoken at Dreamforce, SXSW, Techcrunch Disrupt, Traction, the Global Partnership for Education, and UN special sessions on topics ranging from venture investing to girls' and women's rights to the future of ethical business, and the challenges and opportunities of scaling rapid growth businesses. She has a Masters' in Public Policy from Northwestern University. She used to run marathons and has completed an Ironman, but now spends her time outside of work raising two young daughters. About Found:  Found is an evidence-based weight care solution that combines the best of modern medicine with personalized coaching and community. Centered around clinical care and lasting behavior change, Found provides its members with a comprehensive weight loss program that delivers long term, sustainable results. Found designs personalized treatments around every factor that makes people unique — from biology, medical history, mental health, existent lifestyle, goals, and more. Found's members are supported by the best of consumer technology, and a team that includes doctors to prescribe safe medication, and coaches to guide them on nutrition, movement, sleep, and emotional health. For more information, visit www.joinfound.com. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/sarah-jones-simmer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Thom Singer talks to Carlos Martin from macami.ai. They talk about the future of AI and RPA as well as why Austin, Texas is a great place for business.  This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. About Carlos Martin: Carlos Martin is the CEO of macami.ai, a company focused in bringing efficiency to the enterprise by leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and AI. Formerly Director of Strategic Alliances for Brazil for the company Blue Prism, which pioneered the RPA market, and where he worked for 5+ years. Carlos has a degree in Computer Science and a Master's in Technology Commercialization from UT Austin. He has more than 20 years in IT with a solid experience in technology, systems, problem solving, research and business strategy.   Carlos is the author of the upcoming book “The Efficient Enterprise”, which will discuss topics on how to leverage these technologies for bring exponential benefits to business. About macami.ai: macami.ai is an AI consultancy headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas that demystifies the use of artificial intelligence and robotic process automation to make businesses more efficient and allow them to scale effectively. The founders have trained and mentored the top consulting firms on best case use of AI and practices of automation. macami.ai analyzes companies' financials and the cost of business processes with a top down approach to recommend and execute simple financial and software methodologies that incorporate AI and RPA technology. The company will also be providing free trainings online and within local communities on spotting financial scams. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/macami-ai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast, we discuss working with your spouse or significant other. In this entrepreneur focused world, many people start businesses with people together. But what happens when that person is the love of your life? Terry Brock and Gina Carr sit down with Thom Singer to talk about how they manage business and life. About Gina Carr Gina Carr works with business leaders to leverage Web3 technologies for more impact, influence, and income. Web3 tech includes blockchains, the Metaverse (virtual reality), cryptocurrencies, NFTs, artificial intelligence, and other powerful tools.  Gina is on a mission to help business leaders use these tools to grow their businesses in a way that significantly benefits all stakeholders. Known as “The Tribe Builder,” Gina helps passionate people build powerful tribes of raving fans. A serial entrepreneur, Gina has created several businesses including Video Rock Starz, an award-winning real estate company, and a chain of community magazines. Gina is an MBA graduate of the Harvard Business School and an industrial and systems engineering graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Gina was the CEO of TEDxDupreePark.  A native Atlantan, she now lives in Orlando with her fiance, Terry Brock. Gina is a passionate advocate for animals, freedom, and plant-based living! About Terry Brock Today, more than ever, you need to know about what is happening with technology and business and how to benefit from the changes. Terry Brock is ideally suited to help you understand what is happening and how to take advantage of the opportunities. He is a professional speaker who works with clients showing them how to use tech to get the results they want. He's a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame, has earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation, and has received the highest award available from the National Speakers Association, the Cavett. He recently was asked by Ace Hardware to be their Chief Retail Advisor training their retailers around the world in video. His clients include sole proprietors to Fortune 10 companies. Most recently he is regularly asked to speak about Bitcoin, Web3, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). https://thomsinger.com/podcast/working-with-spouse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. Today's guest is Carolyn Jenkins, the co-founder and CEO of We Are Here. In this interview she shares her ideas around resilience and how individuals and bosses can better understand the need for resilience in the workplace (and life). She has a long history working in tech companies, and has held many roles from HR, COO, Chief Product Officer, and CEO.   Carolyn also shares her points of view on the city of Austin: past, present, and future....and why the city continues to grow and thrive.   About Carolyn Trevino Jenkins Carolyn Jenkins is an award-winning technology executive and entrepreneur who has an extensive and diverse background. Teams she's led have won international recognition for outstanding customer success and national awards for cutting edge work in HR. Several of her companies have won growth awards. Ms. Jenkins believes a culture of strategy, execution, and accountability can be achieved with servant and compassionate leadership. While CEO of Khorus software, Carolyn was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has first-hand experience in how challenging it is to balance a cancer journey with the demands of family and work. She began advocating for early detection and helping those with fewer resources while on that journey. Here is a mission driven endeavor for Carolyn. In her spare time, she mentors emerging leaders, advises startups, and volunteers with several local non-profits. Https://thomsinger.com/podcast/carolyn-jenkins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of "Making Waves at C-Level", Thom talks to James Howard, the founder of the Black Inventors Hall of Fame. They talk about his new documentary, "Black Inventors Got Game", race, and success.   About James Howard James Howard is a, lecturer, design historian, industrial designer/inventor of some 300 products with 18 patents. He is currently the owner/operator of Entrepreneurial U, a specialty private career school of Design Thinking. One of his courses, “Bridge” Exploring New Career Pathways, takes students through the problem solving processes: problem/necessity, solution, and execution and leads them to new career pathways and job opportunities. While teaching for more twenty years at The County College of Morris in New Jersey, Professor Howard was an owner/operator of the award-winning firm Howard Design., an industrial design practices whose clients included Coca-Cola, Colgate Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Nabisco, Pfizer and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The New Jersey based company was one of the longest running and most profitable minority owned design firms in the country James Howard serves as Executive Director of THE BLACK INVENTORS HALL OF FAME, (www.BIHOF.org) a virtual museum), devoted to immortalizing African Americans whose noteworthy inventions have improved lives yet gone unnoticed. James also serves on the Board of Directors for the Unites States Intellectual Property Alliance, and he is presently assisting the National Inventors Hall of Fame curate their very first Black Inventors exhibit, to be open to the public in the fall of 2021. For four years James has served as a Subject matter expert on Design thinking for the Keller Innovation Center at Princeton University. He is also a visiting lecturer for the University of Texas Center for Integrated Design, James earned a Master and Bachelor of Fine Arts -Industrial Design at University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. James was recently awarded Honorary member of the National Academy Of Inventors. Contact James at JHoward@bihof.org https://bihof.org https://thomsinger.com/podcast/black-inventors-got-game Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. About Kurt Wilkin Kurt Wilkin is a trusted advisor for high-growth, middle-market companies as founder and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital and Co-Founder of HireBetter. With a passion for growth and a hard-earned, proven set of tools in his toolbox, Wilkin works with other entrepreneurs and CEOs to help them escape the start-up mindset and achieve next-level success.   His debut book, Who's Your Mike?, reveals how entrepreneurs can transform their companies by minimizing hiring mistakes, investing in high potentials and making the difficult decisions to drop dead weight from their team. Wilkin draws on his extensive experience launching and growing businesses to help leaders navigate people challenges and tap into the power of making better hires. By putting the right talent in the right places—and pinpointing who is holding the company back—entrepreneurs can unlock meaningful change that will enable their organization to grow, scale and thrive.   Over more than 20 years, Wilkin has built long-lasting partnerships and helped hundreds of business leaders achieve their goals. He began his career in accounting, serving at Ernst & Young before joining an online retailer and discovering his aptitude for entrepreneurship. Wilkin founded The Controller Group (TCG) in 2001 and successfully sold it to Tatum in 2006. During those five years he rapidly grew the firm's revenue, growing it into a $20 million company with more than 100 employees. During his time at TCG, he also co-founded Bee Cave Capital, a Texas-based early-stage venture group where he serves as managing partner.   Wilkin is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas, a graduate of Stagen Leadership Academy, a certified public accountant and an officer of Young Presidents' Organization. Passionate about entrepreneurship, he is an active angel investor and serves on the boards of more organizations than he'd care to count. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three sons. Visit www.kurtwilkin.com for more information. About "Who's Your Mike?" Book In Who's Your Mike?, Wilkin aims to help readers put into practice techniques he's spent decades fine-tuning. His no-BS guide isn't the traditional business book: every chapter guides the reader through a different people challenge, so readers can quickly identify how to solve troubling scenarios. In fact, he encourages readers not to read the whole thing. It's written a la “choose your own adventure,” so entrepreneurs can pick and choose the sections that will be most helpful to them. Who's Your Mike? tells the stories of both Wilkin's own experience building a community of growth-minded leaders and people pitfalls he's witnessed first-hand from other business leaders. In Who's Your Mike?, readers will learn: ● That there's no secret formula to hiring smart – we all make hiring mistakes ● If they've outgrown their current team, and what to do next ● How to handle the people they're sure to meet on their entrepreneurial journey Kurt has called Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas home his entire life and proudly claims to have “Redneck, Cajun, and Hillbilly rolled into one beautiful package.” That might explain his natural BS detector. He is the father of three active boys who don't let him take life too seriously, and he resides in Austin with his wife, Carrie, who didn't think he could focus long enough to get the grocery list right, much less write an entire book! https://thomsinger.com/podcast/kurt-wilkin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. Today's guest is Brain Beck, the co-founder and managing partner at Sabio Tech Partners. In this interview he shares his experience from the past five years in working with private equity firms, and companies, in reviewing and improving their tech to ensure better growth and valuations. About Brian Beck Brian Beck is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Sabio Tech Partners, an Austin-based technology advisory firm focused on helping middle market private equity firms achieve greater investment valuation with reduced risk. In today's world, every company uses technology to both run the business and to produce its products and services. Brian's core belief is that all firms considering significant investments must factor technology into their diligence process, because “what you don't know will hurt you.” Leveraging the expertise and knowledge gained over a long career in the technology and financial services industries, Sabio has developed an innovative approach and toolset, called “Quality of Technology” (Q·of·T), specifically designed to enable private equity firms to conduct robust and rapid technology diligence of their potential acquisitions. Though Brian has worked and traveled extensively in Canada, Europe, India and Asia Pacific, he has called Austin home for the past 20 years and is passionate about the Austin food scene, its new professional soccer club (Austin FC), and grilling on his back porch. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/sabio-tech-partners  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For episode 726 of "Making Waves at C-Level", host Thom Singer sits down with a strategy professor from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Ron Adner has written two unbelievably great books and loves everything about strategy. His newest book, "Winning the Right Game: How to disrupt, defend, and deliver in a changing world" is a MUST READ for everyone in leadership. In this conversation they talk about changes from classic disruption and ecosystem disruption. How leaders can navigate these changes. They also touch on how this new world impacts companies and industries.  About Ron Adner Ron Adner is The Nathaniel D'1906 and Martha E. Leverone Memorial Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Prior to joining Tuck, he was the Akzo-Nobel Fellow of Strategic Management at INSEAD, where he served on the faculty for ten years. Dr. Adner's award winning research introduces a new perspective on value creation and competition when industry boundaries break down in the wake of ecosystem disruption. His two books, The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss (2012) and Winning the Right Game: How to Disrupt, Defend, and Deliver in a Changing World (October 2021) have been heralded as landmark contributions to the strategy literature. Clayton Christensen (Innovator's Dilemma) described his work as “Path-breaking” and Jim Collins (Good to Great) has called him “One of our most important strategic thinkers for the 21st century.” Dr. Adner has held editorial and board positions in the leading peer-reviewed academic journals of his field, including the Academy of Management Review, Management Science, the Strategic Management Journal, and Strategy Science. His managerial articles have been published in outlets including the Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Forbes, Wired, The Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal . Dr. Adner's work is a rare convergence of rigorous academic research, profound managerial insights, and practical, powerful frameworks. Applied, tested, and validated in some of the world's leading companies, his approach to seeing the bigger strategy picture has been transformative in driving effective innovation in both the corporate and social sectors. Dr. Adner is founder of the Strategy Insight Group, whose mission is to help clients eliminate strategy blind spots and build robust go-to-market strategies in complex ecosystems, internal and external. He is a keynote speaker, consultant, and advisor to companies around the world. His engagements have transformed strategy at Fortune 500 firms as well as at entrepreneurial startups. He is an accomplished teacher and a seven-time winner of the annual, student-voted, Award for Teaching Excellence at both Tuck and INSEAD (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2019). Dr. Adner holds a PhD and an MA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as master's and bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/ron-adner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can apps make you more productive? Don't know the answer? Then you need to know Beth Z. She is "Your Nerdy Best Friend" and she had dedicated her life to knowing all the apps you can have on your phone that will help you get more done (and maybe have some fun, too). About Beth Z Speaker, Author, Nerd... (Not necessarily in that order) To find the right technology that makes your life easier, you could... Sign up for free trials of 19 project management tools Download the top 27 Zoom alternatives Scroll through 49 more ways to make an engaging Instagram post Or, you could just ask Your Nerdy Best Friend Beth Z cuts through the noise to bring you tech tips, tools and tricks for productive productivity, sexy social media, tolerable to-do lists and truly collaborative collaborations. Beth takes the fear out of technology and helps you get right to the point with effective apps and tools that you can integrate into your everyday work and life. About Nerd365: A Year of APP-ortunities to Upgrade Your Life ​Want to save time, money and hassle with today's latest technology? Stop wasting time resetting lost passwords, deleting unwanted emails and attending boring online meetings. Beth Z, aka Your Nerdy Best Friend, has done the tech homework for you with more than 400 tested tech tools, tips and apps that make your life easier. Nerd365 divides the tips into bite-sized insights so you can digest the new tech all year long and find the right app for the right occasion. Whether you need to track your packages and deliveries on National Package Tracking Day or keep your web searches private on Ask a Stupid Question Day, we have the app for you. And if you want to transform your complicated data into helpful infographics for Information Overload Day, we can help with that, too. http://thomsinger.com/podcast/beth-ziesenis-2 ************** Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the biggest weakness of leadership, and what can leaders do for their organizations? Dr. Rick Goodman shares how his clients work on culture and transformational leadership.   Dr. Rick Goodman has been a team physician for a professional sports team who worked on both brains and body. He is a serial entrepreneur who works with organizational teams who want to lead and grow their business. In this episode Thom and Rick chat about business success and how to develop leaders.   About Dr. Rick Goodman Since 1988, Dr. Rick Goodman has been keynote speaking, facilitating and working with small companies with only a few people all the way up to big behemoths that dominate their industries. Rick's presentations are based on real-life experiences with one focus – for audiences and attendees to achieve transformational results in their lives! In 2008, Dr Rick Goodman wrote a widely acclaimed book – “Living a Championship Life: A Game Plan for Success,” based on my experiences while serving as a medical staff member of the St. Louis Rams (NFL) and the St. Louis Ambush (ISL). Dr Rick's keynotes are high-energy and jam-packed full of content that anyone can immediately implement into their life https://thomsinger.com/podcast/rick-goodman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we need to be intentional with energy? And does the significance of your energy matter as a leader? Dustin James says energy matters more than most people think. In this interview Thom Singer talks to professional speaker, entrepreneur, and corporate energizer Dustin James about how energy impacts your whole organization. About Dustin James Dustin E. James is America's Top Corporate Energizer.  He is on a mission to elevate the workplace by helping corporations increase sales performance by building resilient, connected and creative leaders.    This motivational speaking powerhouse takes energy and engagement to an entirely different level. Dustin has presented to over 500,000 individuals in-person and virtually throughout the United States.     Dustin's interactive learning experiences motivate and inspire through massive crowd engagement, creativity, and professional story telling. Creativity is one of his calling cards, with over 200+ plus stories to tailor for each of his events. Dustin has been a TOP PERFORMER in 4 different industries, he is a proud husband and father of two, he is a serial entrepreneur, a TEDx Speaker, and John Maxwell Certified Coach. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/dustin-james Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 722 is a combination of 12 short interviews with toy store owners and toy manufacturers. Thom Singer was the EmCee for the ASTRA Toy Marketplace and Academy and had the chance to spend 4 days with the coolest people in the toy industry. He has worked with this association several times, and has learned that "toy people are fun people" and they are creative and innovative business leaders.   Your city might just have one or more independent toy stores. If so, you should check out these businesses. There is a lot to learn from toy stores around creativity, being playful in your career, customer service , innovation, and hard work.  In this interview he asks people about the toy industry, how retailers morphed and grew during the pandemic, and what lessons other industries can learn from the toy business.   This is fast past series of two to five minute chats that are full of business advice.  https://thomsinger.com/podcast/Toy-store-lessons  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you have to take the "road less traveled" to find success in business. The guest on Episode 721 of "Making Waves at C-Level has done just that. In this interview Ed Rigsbee shares his eclectic career journey and the lessons he has learned along the way. As an individual or a company, innovation is key to finding your highest levels of success. About Ed Rigsbee Ed Rigsbee is unique in the fact that he holds both the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential and that of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). He has been referred to as, the dynamite that blew up the log jam. If your organization is ready to take a definitive step toward growing your organization, Ed is ready to help you through the maze or land mines, road blocks, and subversives. He is available to help your non-profit “move the needle” toward accelerated membership growth. THE ROI OF MEMBERSHIP - Ed Rigsbee's book Looking for the missing link to explosive membership growth? It's member ROI at your core. Learn to calculate, prove and communicate your organization's member ROI and prove to the non-members in your industry/profession that membership in your organization is a smart business decision. Trade associations and professional societies of today must continually prove the return on investment they deliver to members in order to stay relevant. Today, membership organization leaders must see their organization through the eyes of the non-member and be capable of proving the actual yearly sustainable real-dollar ROI that their current members receive in order to maintain high-level member retention and continual new recruitment. Learn how to turn your ambivalent members into member recruitment evangelists. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/ed-rigsbee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever thought about how your strategic planning and succession planning impacts your corporate culture? Well according to Liz Weber, it plays a big part. And culture matters in business now more than ever. This episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" is a conversation about succession plans, strategy, and culture. Thom and Liz go deep into her expertise and find ways you company should be looking at your org chart and thinking about how you cover the roles of EVERY employee. About Liz Weber In the words of one client, “Liz Weber will help you see opportunities you never knew existed.”   A sought-after consultant, speaker, and trainer, Liz is known for her candor and ability to make the complexities of leadership E.A.S.Y. She creates clarity for her audiences during her results-oriented presentations. Participants walk away knowing how to implement the ideas she shares.   Liz has been named a Top 100 Leadership Influencer for 2022 by LeadersHum, a Top 100 HR Influencer by Engagedly, and a Top HR Influencer to Watch by BambooHR and HR Exchange Network. She. She is one of fewer than 100 people in the U.S. to hold both the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designations; the highest earned designations in two different professions.   As the President of Weber Business Services, LLC, a management consulting, training, and speaking firm headquartered near Harrisburg, PA, Liz provides strategic and succession planning, executive coaching, and comprehensive leadership training programs to business owners, leaders, executive teams, and boards of directors.   Liz holds an MBA in International Business and is an experienced national and international board director. Liz has extensive association leadership experience as she's served at the national and international board levels and has won awards for her initiatives and service.   Liz has supervised business activities in 129 countries. She has designed and facilitated conferences from Bangkok to Bonn and Tokyo to Tunis. In addition to writing nine leadership books, and her Leadership Insights blog articles, Liz posts to social media daily. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/liz-weber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thom Singer sits down with one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. His friend, Brett Hurt, is the author of The Entrepreneur's Essentials and the founder of six successful companies.  In this conversation they chat about Brett's entrepreneurship, the new book, what makes a B Corporation, and how Brett can do a 22 minute plank. This interview is full of useful information for anyone at any level of their business career.   About Brett Hurt Brett Hurt is the CEO and co-founder of data.world, an Austin-based Certified B Corporation and public benefit corporation. data.world makes it easy for everyone—not just the "data people"—to get clear, accurate, fast answers to any business question. data.world's cloud-native data catalog maps its customers siloed, distributed data to familiar and consistent business concepts, creating a unified body of knowledge anyone can find, understand, and use. data.world is also home to the world's largest collaborative open data community, including public COVID-19 datasets. In 2017, 2018, and 2019, data.world was honored on the “Best for the World” list by B Lab that recognizes the top 10% of all B Corps globally. And in 2020, data.world was named by the Austin Business Journal as one of the top-three companies to work for. Brett is also the co-owner of Hurt Family Investments (HFI), alongside his wife, Debra. HFI are involved in 115 startups, 31 VC funds, and multiple philanthropic endeavors. Brett co-founded and led Bazaarvoice as CEO, through its IPO, follow-on offering, and two acquisitions. Bazaarvoice became the largest public SaaS (Software as a Service) business in social commerce and was named by the WSJ as one of the top IPOs of 2012. Brett also founded and led Coremetrics, which was rated the #1 Web analytics solution by Forrester Research and, like Bazaarvoice, expanded into a global company and leader. Coremetrics was acquired by IBM in 2010 for around $300m. In 2017, Brett was given the Best CEO Legacy Award by the Austin Business Journal. He is a Henry Crown Fellow and Braddock Scholar at the Aspen Institute. Brett began programming at age seven and doing so on the Internet at age eighteen. He finished his book, “The Entrepreneur's Essentials”, in August 2019 (available at databrett.medium.com for free). Two beautiful children and married to Debra, my much better half, since 1996. About "The Entrepreneur Essentials" Book The Entrepreneur's Essentials developed through Brett's series of blog posts called Lucky7—named in honor of his mother—to help all entrepreneurs take proactive steps to avoid mistakes that, though common, can have a hugely negative impact on their business. Brett presents this book as a guide with 23 informative lessons, pulling from impactful experiences from his own life as both a startup CEO and investor, sharing dual perspectives to give deeper insight. He explores the stages of a startup's progression from deciding on a company name to hiring well and understanding what it takes to be an inclusive leader worthy of your own company. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or a first-time business owner, The Entrepreneur's Essentials will help you explore ways to make your startup better. You can get the book at https://theEntrepreneursEssentials.com  About data.world data.world is the enterprise data catalog for the modern data stack. Their cloud-native SaaS platform combines a consumer-grade user experience with a powerful knowledge graph to deliver enhanced data discovery, agile data governance, and actionable insights. The company is home to the world's largest collaborative data community, which is free and open to the public. It's where people discover data, share analysis, and team up on everything from social bot detection to award-winning data journalism. They use what we learn from this community to improve the enterprise product and vice versa.  www.ThomSinger.com/podcast/brett-hurt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is the return of the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast after a month long hiatus. Host Thom Singer has been making some changes to his career and business life - and so stay tuned to see a lot of new things happening here on this podcast. In this interview he talks to Zora Chase from Chasing Nectar Digital Solutions. They discuss why all companies should have a digital expert in their corner and bring up the important strategies for digital. This is also the first time Thom Singer has ever interviewed anyone from his Kindergarten class. Yes, the two first met in the early 1970s in Ms O'Brien's kindergarten room at Hugo Reid Elementary in Arcadia, California. The two grew up in the same schools though High School, and were both the homeroom "Anchors" of their school's closed circuit TV newscast during their senior year.   About Zora Chase Very few digital companies can confidently compare the benefits of digital versus traditional media. Chasing Nectar founder, Zora Chase, is able to leverage more than 20 years combined in broadcast and digital media, guiding dozens of businesses with marketing needs that span from grand openings, form fill, eCommerce, lead generation and branding. She built a team to share perspective to help you make sound marketing decisions. They strive to help you attain more customers without more spend and deliver results. About Chasing Nectar Digital Solutions Chasing Nectar places digital ads for growth-minded businesses. They work with clients to analyze the spend with a goal of delivering a substantial Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). They offer an array of products including Facebook and Instagram, Targeted Display Ads, Geo-Targeting, Video Ads, including OTT and YouTube, PPC, SEO/Reputation Management; Online Audio, Household IP Targeting and Live Chat. Chasing Nectar stays on top of the rapidly evolving digital ad environment and use over 15 different ad exchanges to access premium inventory that is brand safe and delivers optimal ROI for our clients. https://www.thomsinger.com/zora-chase  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zora Chung joins the conversation on "Making Waves at C-Level" to talk about growing a business, Angel Funding, and business success. ReJoule is a start up that does fast testing for eclectic vehicle batteries.   About Zora Chung Zora Chung is the cofounder and CFO at ReJoule, a battery diagnostics and optimization company focused on maximizing the value of every battery. ReJoule has graded over 1MWh of used electric vehicle (EV) batteries as part of their project to repurpose used EV into a stationary application. This project is funded by the California Energy Commission where Zora has blogged to document their learnings, progress, and obstacles. ReJoule's work has been featured by Wired, Frost & Sullivan, and across a few podcasts and conferences. Before founding ReJoule in 2017, Zora has spent over 12 years in corporate finance at Clorox and Walmart eCommerce. She's created long-range strategic and financial plans, negotiated contracts, and evaluated new and existing business models and optimized them for scalable growth. She holds a B.S in Business Administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.  About ReJoule ReJoule is setting the standard for battery health diagnostics to improve the economics of electric vehicles (EV) batteries across its life cycle. Current health predictions only get worse as the batteries age and other ways to test the batteries can take hours. ReJoule's fast and non-invasive diagnostic has already tested forklift, truck and bus batteries. It was proven to be at least 50x faster (5 min or less vs. 6-10 hours) than current testing methods without sacrificing accuracy. They've raised over $5M in non-dilutive grants and in 2022 got their first few paid customers - one is a top 10 automaker seeking to repurpose their used EV batteries in a second-life application. The ultimate goal is to get ReJoule's technology into production vehicles and at service centers around the world. The founding team is a brother-sister duo balanced between an innovative technical cofounder who has built all the IP in-house and an experienced finance and business strategist. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/rejoule Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Given changes in the economy and lack of resources, many companies are looking to do more with less. Carolyn Strauss knows you can get more done with less and she shares this with passion and enthusiasm. She has found ways throughout her career to thrive in competitive industries with limited resources. She is clear that there is a time and place to let go of the past offerings, to let go of people, and to look for the best times to make these changes.   About Carolyn Strauss Carolyn Strauss is a former CEO and has spent her life studying how to help companies optimize their most important resource, their people. As one of the top female professional MC's, her job is to keep conferences energized and running smoothly. As a professional speaker having earned her CSP, Carolyn works with organizations to keep people and teams running smoothly, and over the years, she has worked in most industries. She is the author of 5 books, the co-host of the podcast "Another Day Above Ground" and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Carolyn is mom to a 5 year old golden retriever and she believes a good day contains chocolate. You can reach her at carolynstrauss.com https://thomsinger.com/podcast/carolyn-strauss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wellness is more important than ever for your employees. Why is it important to focus on health in the workplace? Elaine Pasqua tells us all about it and how you and your people can stay healthy. About Elaine Pasqua Once upon a time, a 6'5″ 250 pound man looked at petite Elaine standing at 5'3″ and said: “You are the biggest little thing I've ever seen!” This funny and energetic live wire has been traversing the country for more than 27 years, advocating for positive choices, optimal health, healthy relationships, and productive lives. Elaine's pursuit for making a difference in the lives of others began when she spoke out after losing her mom and stepdad to AIDS related complications. Her career as a professional speaker stemmed from passion, not from the desire to make money. That passion is reflected in her work today. Enhancing the quality of life for others resonates through Elaine's keen knowledge, compassion, ability to connect, and sharp humor. Elaine's enthusiasm for making a difference has remarkably taken her to work with: Countless businesses and professional associations 31 professional sports teams across the NFL, NBA, and MLB 700 colleges and universities nationwide Our military service personnel High schools and parent groups Elaine is proudly serving as the president of National Speakers Association's Philadelphia Chapter. She is an author, columnist, and producer/director of public service videos. She has been featured in USA Today, NY1 News, Time Warner TV, NPR, NBC Sports Radio, CBS Sports, and Knight Ridder News Service. When she is not traveling on planes, trains, and automobiles, you can find Elaine hiking, traveling for pleasure with her husband Jeff, singing with friends until the wee hours of the morning, or in her beautiful gardens with lots of dirt under her fingernails! She is the proud mom of Evan and David who are happy, productive, and caring young men…whew, she made it through parenting! https://thomsinger.com/podcast/elaine-pasqua Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode the conversation is all about change and innovation at work and how companies can create a culture that leads to more innovation. The guest is Adam Braus, whom Thom met at SXSW 2022.   Also, this is the only episode in the history of 714 shows where a cat walked across a keyboard in the middle of the interview....so listen for the cat playing piano. About Adam Braus Adam Braus is a people- and mission-driven leader in technology and higher education. Braus builds and works with and on teams that envision, design, build, launch, and grow innovative new institutions that build people up. He has been working in higher education building innovative new colleges and college programs that are accessible to all for almost a decade. His recent books include: Motivate: How to Defeat Distraction, Ignite Interest, and Secure Success - https://bit.ly/motivate-book Leading Change at Work — https://bit.ly/leading-change-at-work The Future of Good: A Guide for Good People Going Forward (coming June 1 2022) Braus' philosophy about people — both in teaching and managing them — is to help them generate clear goals, an inspiring purpose, and a warm, safe environment, and then give them lots of choice, time, freedom, and support — with those elements in place, people learn and achieve more than you could assign them to do (and they don't burn out!). Braus is open to business and book coaching, collaborating on and advising high impact projects, startups, and non-profits, and exploring ambitious solutions to big problems. Connect with him on LinkedIn to reach out or see his updates. You can also see his work on his website https://www.adambraus.com or on medium https://ajbraus.medium.com/. https://Thomsinger.com/podcast/adam-braus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the middle of "The Great Resignation" you want to create a workplace culture that rocks. You want to keep your top talent from becoming your competitors top talent! This episode is a chat with retention expert Lisa Ryan. Find ways to catch your employees doing this well and say "Thank You Very Much". Are you holding "Stay Interviews" instead of Exit Interviews? This is a great piece of advice for all bosses. Don't wait until people are leaving to find out how they are doing. Be open to hearing the feedback loop of the good and the not as good.   About Lisa Ryan Lisa Ryan is the speaker who will make your life easier and more importantly, will make you look good! Her expertise includes: Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld The host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series A best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry's Top Talent”  An award-winning speaker, including “Corporate Event Speaker of the Year” Lisa is energetic and dynamic, and her presentations are anything but standard – they're PowerPoint free! Instead, Lisa engages her audience with entertaining anecdotes gained “in the trenches”, incorporates the most current research, trends and best practices while also capturing the “wisdom in the room.” Because of her experience in a variety of industries including executive recruiting, healthcare, industrial sales, and welding, she relates easily to attendees at all levels within the organization. Ryan's programs focus on positive workplace culture, inter-generational communication, employee acquisition, engagement, retention, and gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional development. Her down-to-earth approach and willingness to share best practices have proven to be a winning formula for her clients. Ryan's high energy and enthusiastic keynote and breakout programs, her sense of humor, and passionate delivery are what makes her sessions among the highest rated at national and international conferences, leadership retreats, and annual meetings. Lisa Ryan currently serves as Immediate Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter. She received her MBA from Cleveland State University. She has served on many other boards including The American Welding Society, Association for Equipment Manufacturing Professionals, and Toastmasters International. Https://thomsinger.com/podcast/lisa-ryan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ecosystem of Austin has proven over the last thirty years to produce the hottest boom town in business. Today's episode covers the "Secret Sauce of Austin" and what are the six "superpowers" of the region. According to Jason Scharf, this is a roadmap for other areas of the country (and the world) who want to grow their economies. It's not about copying Austin (or the Silicon Valley), it is about developing your own superpowers. About Jason Scharf Jason Scharf is an experienced strategy executive and active early-stage investor in the life science and digital health sectors. For the past 15 years, he has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation. Today he is the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for Kean Health, a direct to consumer at home genomic and microbiome solutions company. He leads product management, business development, and strategic planning. Prior to his role at Kean, he worked across the healthcare sector at biopharma, genomics, and medtech companies including Illumina, Becton Dickinson, and Amgen. In addition to his roles within the corporate environment, Jason has served as a co-fund manager of the San Diego Angel Conference, an investor with NuFund Venture Group, and a mentor with both the NexCubed Digital Health Accelerator and the Illumina Accelerator. He has invested in ~40 emerging companies from Seed stage to Series B focusing on the convergence of technology and biology. His investments have ranged from diagnostics/tools (Pleno, Iridia, and Visicell Medical), Biopharma (Elicio Therapeutics), and Foodtech (BlueNalu, Impossible Foods). He is also the co-host of the Austin Next Podcast. An exploration of Austin's transformation into the next great innovation powerhouse, what it takes to accelerate the growth of an ecosystem, and what comes next. Jason Scharf earned his BA from University of California, San Diego and his MBA from the Rady School of Management at the University of California, San Diego. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Davis helps executives become more confident every time they speak to a group in-person or on camera. In this interview we chat about how improving your presentation skills will make a difference in your career. About Michael Davis Michael Davis's work is focused on helping you attract more clients, create more efficient teams, and increase your influence through more effective speaking, business storytelling and online presentations. He helps experienced speakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals confidently deliver memorable and meaningful talks of any length, even on short notice. His passion for effective presenting was born on a desk when he was in first grade. He was being punished for breaking a class rule. The embarrassment of being ridiculed by his classmates kept him from standing in front of any group for the next 25 years, unless he was forced to. This didn't change until the day his boss told him, “Either get better at giving presentations or we've got to let you go!” Those words motivated Michael to deal with his fear of public speaking. With the help of mentors and coaches he met through Toastmasters and the National Speakers Association, he discovered the skills and tools to manage his fear, become an effective speaker and uncovered his talent for training others to become world class presenters and business storytellers. And he continues to learn more about the craft every day. Michael is a highly-sought presentation skills consultant and trainer, and speaker. He's the author of ‘THE Book on Storytelling' and the upcoming book, ‘Stop Telling Just ANY Story.' He has trained business leaders, salespeople, and professional and TEDx speakers on four continents to deliver talks that have been viewed over 3 million times. He 's the Founder of Speaking CPR and is a faculty member and coach at Stage Time University. He lives in Blue Ash, Ohio with his family, and the overlords of their house, Sky the Super Chihuahua and her underling, Riley the Mini-Chihuahua.  https://thomsinger.com/podcast/michael-davis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you get your team to embrace high performance? Mike Mooney will tell you how. With a background in professional motorsports, he knows that the little improvements deliver big results. About Mike Mooney Some might say that Mike Mooney's 25-year career in professional motorsports was just going in circles! Actually, it perfectly positioned him to be an accelerator for leaders seeking to unlock people-centered speed to drive opportunities in their lives and careers. Mike's dynamic storytelling and use-now lessons come from his first-hand experiences with racing champions where he watched them build and innovate their high-performance vehicles to stay on track and win. Mike left his senior executive role with one of NASCAR's most respected teams with a passion and the tools to work with another type of high-performance vehicle – people! You see, Mike believes we were all designed to be high-performance vehicles in this life, yet like race cars speeding at 200 miles per hour, we all need time for pit stops and tune ups to keep us on track and in position to win! Mike created the Shift Speed Shop as an intentional place for people to build, fix, restore, and innovate themselves in the areas of peak performance, continuous improvement, reputation, and mindset. Mike's interactive and action-driven experiences include: * KEYNOTES * WORKSHOPS * VIRTUAL ACCELERATORS (small group) * VIRTUAL WINE TASTINGS Mike proudly stand behind his work, but don't take his word for it. Please check out his LinkedIn Recommendations for feedback from inspired leaders who have invested in their teams with Mike! An author, Mike's breakthrough book, Reputation Shift - Lessons from Pit Road to the Boardroom, is a practical roadmap for people who are motivated to build, strengthen or repair one of their greatest competitive assets - their reputations. Just imagine how Mike could serve you and empower your team! Imagine a more confident, resilient, focused, creative, and trusted team of people who are energized to win - even during uncertain times! https://thomsinger.com/podcast/mike-mooney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that stress is a problem in business. Today's episode looks at ways to overcome stress with mathematician turned stress expert, Dr. Katie Nall. We talk about how to engage in reducing stress, and she leads the listeners through and example of "Tapping". About Dr. Katie Nall Katie Nall, Ph.D., is a Florida mathematician, a TEDx speaker, a professional member of National Speakers Association, and an Accredited Master Trainer and Practitioner in Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT or Tapping. Dr. Nall shows others how to dissolve WAFFLES – worries, anxiety, fear, frustration, lethargy, exhaustion, and STRESS™! During her dissertation research, her focus was on ways for students to excel in Mathematics (especially adults returning or starting college).  She wanted to help college students overcome fear, phobia, and stress related to math class and math tests. In 2010, she found Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping) and began offering the process to students. Students reported they passed math class and found math easier to learn. In contrast to the four years she took to earn her Mathematics Education Ph.D. from Florida Institute of Technology, Dr. Nall spent eight years to earn her Master Trainer certificate in EFT. As a professional speaker, Dr. Nall presents to groups who acknowledge the damage caused by stress and are looking for quick, effective methods to eliminate stress. With 80% of medical visits caused by stress and the major cause of death, stress management is crucial to optimal health and consequently peak performance. In in a long-term institution of marriage, she has maintained her miserable skills in housekeeping and cooking with no desire for rehabilitation, and yet he stays. Wife of one suffering husband, mother of three perfect children, and ‘Gummi' to five adorable granddaughters, she counts her blessings daily. She can be reached in social media by KatieNallPhD: https://linktr.ee/KatieNallPhD Website: NallEdgeCo.com Email: Hello@DrNall.com Phone: 772-226-0167 Qi Gong FB Live – Sunday 4:30 p.m. EST Social Media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KatieNallPhD FB: https://www.facebook.com/KatieNallPhD L-I: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KatieNallPhD IG: https://www.instagram.com/KatieNallPhD TW: https://twitter.com/KatieNallPhD CH: @drkatie https://thomsinger.com/podcast/katie-nall Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Thom Singer sits down with Hall Martin to discuss finding funding for your business, and how to be an angel investor. About Hall Martin Hall T. Martin is the Founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network and Host of the Investor Connect podcast program.He launched TEN as the Texas Entrepreneur Networks in 2009. Today, TEN Capital Network has over 15,000 investors, and has helped startups raise over $900M.Mr. Martin serves as the Vice-Chair of the Baylor Angel Network. He previously led the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) as its first Executive Director.Mr. Martin is also the Host, founder, and director of the Investor Connect podcast which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the education of startup investors. Mr. Martin is a Founder and initial Managing Director of SKU (Incubation Station), a consumer product goods accelerator based in Austin, Texas, and the former Managing Director of AccelerateNFC, an accelerator based in Dallas, Texas, focusing on Near Field Communication.Mr. Martin serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Texas leading the Idea to IP program which fosters startups from the engineering program.Our Funding as a Service Program introduces your deal to our network of 15,000+ accredited investors, including angels, family offices, high net worth investors, and venture capitalists, through a variety of outreach efforts based on your and the investor's criteria.We take your pitch deck and build out a campaign, with some key highlights, introducing your deal to our investor network based on your and the investors' criteria.  For those who respond positively, we help you follow up through a series of updates via email and events to close.Most campaigns run for 6 months as investors have their due diligence process to run. You can track your progress with our Campaign Score. Those who reach 100 on the campaign score have a 90% success rate in funding. Successful fundraisers are super active in the campaign.We focus on Seed, Series A, and Series B raises. Most seed raises are from $500K to $750K, Series A are from $1M to $5M, and Series B are $5M to $20M.Typically, our angels write $25-$100K checks, our HNI write $100K-$250K checks, our Family Offices write $250K-$500K checks, and our VCs write $250K to $1M checks on the first round.https://tencapital.group/https://thomsinger.com/podcast/hall-martin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is about sales, asking for the business, and the fastest way to grow your business. Desmond Dixon is a sales guy through and through. He love selling and helps companies find ways to get more success with their sales teams. About Desmond Dixon Desmond Dixon started his career as a chemical engineer and quickly realized he did not experience being fulfilled in this line of work. Instead, he decided to follow his dream of being in sales, even though he had zero experience and failed at his first door to door sales job. Desmond didn't give up on his sales career and ultimately uncovered over 5 million dollars in opportunity before the age of 25. Desmond now trains and leads sales teams for small businesses who want to go from x and get to X amount in sales. Desmond is now traveling the world right now and started his podcast, Campfire Capitalism, to connect the dots between sales growth, stages of business and new tech that can support other entrepreneurs like himself. He enjoys rifting on topics such as: NFT's, real estate investing, day trading and media production.  https://thomsinger.com/podcast/desmond-dixon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices