Elevate Hire Podcast

Nick Nanakos is the Founder and CEO of TruckBux, a full-stack online ordering platform for food truck owners and their customers. While studying Finance and Real Estate at Drexel University, Nick worked part-time & in internships at several large firms such as J.P. Morgan, Investors Capital, Balfour Beatty, and Ameriprise Financial. He founded the Drexel University Real Estate Club and made a ton of connections, amassing knowledge in the sector. However, Nick found himself immensely unhappy on this corporate path—and truthfully, unhappy was an understatement. He then began building TruckBux and this energized him beyond imagination.  Nick noticed an absurd amount of food trucks appearing at his university, neighboring campuses, and major cities that he traveled to. While the growth fascinated him, he also recognized some major problems that were holding back the industry’s full potential due to a lack of innovation. Nick worked relentlessly towards his vision, launched TruckBux, and eventually dropped out of school at 22-years-old to be all in. Nick comes from a background of highly-talented restaurant entrepreneurs and has worked in every angle of food—from waiting, to cooking, to managing, to bringing technology into his family’s restaurants. Ironically enough, his grandfather immigrated from Greece to the US with $8 and worked with a street food cart in Manhattan. This gave him a chance to observe other apps go-to-market and product functionality, dissecting all of them with the knowledge that he would create something far more powerful for food trucks. Once his restaurant intuition aligned with his observations of the fast-growing food truck space, his focus shifted to food tech. In all pursuits, Nick’s mentality is high-conviction, non-consensus, and irrationally optimistic.  In this episode… When Nick Nanakos decided to start his business in the food industry, he knew that there were already big players dominating the field. But from his research and intuition, he knew that there were gaps he could fill with a little innovation. Coupled with his desire to be his own boss, he developed an app that has since revolutionized the food truck business. TruckBux, Nick's app, was started through bootstrapping and has been going strong despite all the challenges it has faced. TruckBux helps food truck entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and unlike the bigger food delivery apps, TruckBux takes a smaller percentage from orders, helping these businesses grow and reach a wider market. In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Nick Nanakos, the Founder and CEO of TruckBux, to talk about Nick's journey in entrepreneurship and his process building an app for food truck businesses. Nick explains why he chose to enter a competitive market dominated by big industry players, how his company is being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, why he chose to bootstrap his business, and common challenges faced by food truck business owners.

Christian Kameir is a Managing Partner at blockchain venture fund Sustany Capital in Newport Beach. Mr. Kameir has been a technology entrepreneur since the dial-up days and led the merger of two of the earliest internet service providers in Europe, after which he immigrated from Germany to California to establish an international investment firm. After founding a Yelp-predecessor in 2004 and selling the operation in 2008, he joined the board of several high-tech companies.  In addition to majoring in business, Mr. Kameir studied classical literature, is certified in NLP, and is a graduate of Muenster's School of Law. He is known for publishing one of the first law blogs in Europe and drafting laws for the open telecommunication market, specifically innovative services. Mr. Kameir is a member of the Forbes Finance Council and a seasoned public speaker on topics ranging from high-tech investing to blockchain solutions. In this episode… Advancements in technology and artificial intelligence have brought many changes to a wide spectrum of industries, including the growth of Bitcoin and blockchains. Because of this, companies looking to improve their operations and compete in their respective industries need to consider adopting new and advanced technologies. Not only that, but they should also ensure that their teams are tech-savvy to stay ahead of the competition. These are some of the things Christian Kameir looks out for when assessing possible investment options for his venture capital firm. He also believes that the kind of language used during a pitch matters—so, companies looking for investors need to be well-prepared. In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, host Greg Toroosian is joined by Christian Kameir, the Managing Partner at Sustany Capital. Christian shares his insights from the venture capital world on investing in companies, adopting new technologies, cold pitching, and the benefits of hiring tech-savvy employees. Keep listening for more.

Travis Steffen, bestselling author of Viral Hero, is a serial entrepreneur with 7 successful exits (and some crash-and-burn failures) to his name. Travis is the CEO of GrowFlow, a cloud-based software suite for cannabis businesses. With customers ranging from growers to retailers, GrowFlow is the market-leading cannabis software solution in several states. Travis is a life-long athlete with a Masters in Exercise Physiology from the University of Northern Iowa. Outside of his professional life, he is an NPC physique athlete and an ultra marathoner. He enjoys poker, space, fantasy football, film, and a good rack of ribs. In this episode… As more people embrace the legalization of cannabis, the sector continues to expand with growers, processors, and retailers joining the industry. This growth means that new people have to be hired, which can be a challenge for startup companies and new employees. For Travis Steffen, the transition from finance and fitness to the cannabis industry was exciting because the field is not as highly regulated as other industries. He had to adapt fast. Attracting quality talent for his company has had its unique challenges, forcing him to think outside the box to ensure growth and diversity in the workforce. In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, host Greg Toroosian interviews Travis Steffen, CEO of GrowFlow, about building teams in the cannabis industry. They discuss recent changes in the industry, the strategies GrowFlow uses to attract and maintain quality talent, and Travis' advice on improving employee performance. Stay tuned.

Emmanuel Straschnov is Co-CEO and Founder of Bubble, a visual programming software that makes programming as easy as pointing and clicking. Bubble counts more than 400,000 users; people have used it to start companies without technical resources and have either been accepted into YCombinator & 500 Startups or raised multi-million dollar rounds.  Born in Paris, Emmanuel studied computer science and mathematics at École Polytechnique and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Before starting Bubble, he was a management consultant in China. He’s now based in New York. In this episode… Communicating with the users and followers of a company's online content is a powerful method of creating awareness about the company's mission, goals, and objectives. It also provides a good avenue for people to learn more about a company's culture and work environment, and helps convert users to candidates for future job openings.  For a tech startup like Bubble, engaging with their users and followers has helped the Co-Founders attract and hire quality talent. This method helps candidates learn more about the company before joining, making the process of onboarding simpler and faster. In this episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Emmanuel Straschnov, Co-CEO and Founder of Bubble, to talk about how first-time founders attract top talent, why engaging with the users of a company's products or services is powerful, and the lessons Emmanuel has learned from over eight years of building and running a tech startup.

Lori Shao is the Founder and CEO of Finli, a simplified payment platform for family-centric businesses. Lori is a financial services industry veteran of 17 years and a mother of two kids. In April 2019, she decided to quit her day job at JPMorgan and create a platform to power neighborhood businesses for the changing world. In this episode… While working in the banking industry, Lori Shao realized that most family-run small and medium-sized businesses that operated in neighborhood schools and studios were struggling. They didn't have adequate tools, software, or automation to cater to their specific needs. Why? Mostly because there tend to be barriers associated with providing technology and software solutions for micro-businesses. Lori decided to fill that gap and help lift these businesses for one simple reason: they help build their communities. In this episode of Elevate Hire, Lori Shao, the Founder and CEO of Finli, talks with Greg Toroosian about her work in helping family-centered businesses thrive. Lori talks about the history of Finli, building her team, common challenges family-centered businesses face, and how she has been making a difference in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Marcelo Lebre is a product-oriented engineer who is passionate about building products, scaling architectures, and scaling teams. He is a whole-hearted supporter of entrepreneurs and a startup advisor. Marcelo is also a believer of ordinary people coming together to build extraordinary things.  He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Remote, a company making it easier for other companies to build teams anywhere in the world. Remote takes care of global payroll, benefits, compliance, and taxes so companies can focus on their people and work! In this episode… The shift to remote work has taken the world by storm. Remote teams and freelancers have been in existence for years now, but the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to change tactics.  Although this shift to remote work is welcomed by many, it poses several challenges for companies looking to recruit new members to their workforce. There may be similarities, but how do you handle hiring virtually versus conducting in-person interviews? What are the adjustments you need to make when managing a physical team versus a remote team? Not only that, but there are consequences of hiring the wrong person, as Marcelo Lebre explains. In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Marcelo Lebre, CTO of Remote, to talk about recruiting and managing remote teams, the shift to remote-first technologies, and how this change will impact hiring and growing a globally distributed team. Marcelo also shares his tips for recruiting people from different diversities with varied cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.

Stuart Posin is the CTO at XCLAIM, a seed-funded startup revolutionizing the bankruptcy claims market by unleashing digital efficiencies of scale. He previously served as CTO at Violet Grey and Forcefield Online, technical advisor to Freebird Online, and Director of Technology at Marlborough School and The Buckley School. Stuart currently serves as a Trustee at the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS), a non-profit he co-founded in 2015, and as Chair of the Board of Regents for Providence High School. He was a Founding Trustee for Online School for Girls/One Schoolhouse and served on that Board for eight years. At Campbell Hall, Stuart served as President of the Alumni Association and a Trustee for six years. In this episode… Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many employees have been left unemployed and without a source of income. There are now scores of people on the job market looking for employment; to top it all off, the competition for whatever’s available is tough. Additionally, unlike the situation a couple of months ago where we had a “seller’s market” and candidates had more power, things have now changed. There are many talented people out in the job market and the time it takes to find the right candidate is now shorter.  Hiring the wrong candidate can be a costly undertaking. Recruiters and hiring managers still need to consider talent and how culturally fit a candidate is before offering them a position in their companies.  In this episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian interviews Stuart Posin, the Chief Technology Officer at XCLAIM, about how to build talented and culturally fit teams in both startups and growing companies. They also talk about the differences between being an internal versus external technology advisor, the effects of COVID-19 on the recruitment process, and how employees can be their authentic selves while at work. Stay tuned.

Jeff Vertun is the First Vice President at CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate services firm. He specializes in advising technology, media, e-commerce, 3PL, and professional service companies to position their real estate needs as a vehicle for further growth across the world. Jeff also works closely with executives to analyze their office workplace and warehouse network logistics requirements. He engages in challenging strategic conversations and brings clarity to their opportunities through data-driven technology resources before executing them. Each client is treated like a long-term relationship and he prides himself on hustle, communication, and collaboration. Jeff Vertun's team is continually involved with entrepreneurial programs and their network of relationships within the community is particularly robust. He is passionate about the success of his clients and he goes out of his way to make introductions and intimate gatherings that will help his clients thrive. Before joining CBRE in 2017, Jeff was Vice President at Avison Young where he helped form and run the firm’s Global Technology/New Media Practice Group. In this episode… If your startup is looking for office space, the main thing you need to consider is the number of employees you’ll have in the short term. But for large organizations, finding a new office space requires a strategic plan to avoid making costly mistakes. There are a couple of factors to look into, like the company culture, location, office layout and design, and the work environment. For example, it may be an inconvenience for the sales team to be working near the legal or finance team.  In addition, large organizations need to bring the divisional heads together during the planning process to ensure that the needs and requirements of every team are met.  Jeff Vertun, the First Vice President of CBRE, joins Greg Toroosian in this week's episode of Elevate Hire to talk about the real estate sector and how companies should use insights and data to plan strategically. They also talk about the need to have team heads taking part in the office planning process, changes in the Los Angeles office landscape, the effects of COVID-19 on real estate, and Jeff's advice to companies looking to move to bigger spaces. Keep listening for more. 

Renato Ricci is the Founder and COO of nok, a marketplace where you can try out high-end products from home for free, backed by Greycroft, Village Global and Moonshots. nok is looking for super users - noksters - to join their community and help define product categories and service levels in exchange for early access to the service and exclusive giveaways. Before moving to the US earlier this year, Renato started the company in Germany after having worked as a senior strategy consultant in the Middle East. He is fluent in 4 languages, has lived in 7 countries, and loves giving practicable advice on the hardest entrepreneurial topic: hiring!  In this episode… A lot of things have changed for companies because of the current COVID-19 health crisis, affecting people and businesses all over the world. Many of them have been forced to pivot and come up with new ways of doing business, and in turn, the decisions being made have affected employees directly.  Before COVID-19 and during, Renato Ricci has always believed in having honest and transparent conversations with his team, advisors, and other colleagues. His move from Germany to the US coincided with the ongoing health crisis, forcing him to part ways with some of his team members in the process. He also faced challenges when hiring in a new country, but took it as a lesson to help him grow both personally and professionally. In this episode, Renato Ricci, Founder and COO of nok, joins Greg Toroosian to talk about his experience starting up nok, growing the business, and moving to the US amid the global health pandemic. He also talks about his international team-building experience, the importance of having well-defined OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and why being honest and transparent is necessary for an early-stage company. Stick around for more on what Renato has to say!

Sanjiv Razdan is the Founder of GLEAM Network and former Chief Operations Officer for Sweetgreen where he led the Field Operations, Food Safety & QA, and Ops Services + Innovation teams. He played a key role in shaping the strategy and direction of the brand as an integral member of its leadership team.  Additionally, he was also the Chief of Operations for Dine Brands where he was instrumental in the turnaround of the brand. Prior to that, he had a multi-disciplinary global career with Yum Brands, spanning assignments in Dallas, London, and New Delhi.  With close to 30 years of extensive experience in the food service industry in both company-owned and franchised environments, Sanjiv founded GLEAM Network to fulfil his personal purpose in life: to help people in their leadership journey. Simply put, GLEAM is a network of executives from the food service space who are committed to leadership development and mentorship. Sanjiv earned his post-graduate diploma in Hotel Administration from ITC Hotels School of Hotel Administration in India. He is also a graduate of the University of Mumbai where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from St. Xavier’s College. In this episode… Recruiting and building a team for any organization can be a challenge, and it only gets more complex when building a crew for a large organization; particularly if the organization is as big as some food service brands like Applebee's and Yum Brands. This requires hiring managers and recruiters to take their time and plan well before execution.  Having been in similar situations before, Sanjiv Razdan learnt a lot. He has worked with brands from different countries and cultures and has built well-coordinated teams for brands in India, England, and USA. In this episode, Sanjiv Razdan shares with Greg Toroosian his framework for growing and managing complex teams. He talks about his experience working for big brands, how he built multi-cultural teams, his strategies for inheriting existing teams and assessing the members, and what inspired him to start the GLEAM Network. Stay tuned.

Anoop Gupta is the co-founder and CEO of SeekOut, a recruitment tool that empowers companies to go beyond LinkedIn when searching for hard-to-find and diverse talent. But that’s not all he’s done.  Prior to SeekOut, Anoop spent 18 years at Microsoft where he was a Distinguished Scientist in Microsoft Research and directly reported to Bill Gates as his technology advisor. He headed enterprise communications products (Exchange, Skype) as Corporate Vice President (CVP) of Unified Communications and was CVP for Global Technology Policy for Microsoft. Anoop was also a tenured professor of Computer Science at Stanford, where he founded one of the earliest companies in streaming media that was acquired by Microsoft in 1997. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie-Mellon University, holds over 85 issued US patents, and has authored 100+ published research papers. What can’t he do? In this episode… In today's digital era, data and data analytics are very crucial in the recruitment process. Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more popular and there are many recruitment tools in the market designed to help recruiters find the best candidates for their companies. However, there are things AI can and can’t do: enter, human intervention. In this week’s episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian interviews Anoop Gupta about his artificial intelligence (AI) tool for quality recruitment, SeekOut. SeekOut’s comprehensive database of whole person profiles, intuitive AI search, and personalized messaging gives companies the ability to find, engage, and hire in-demand professionals faster. Together, they talk about the power of AI as well as its limitations, Anoop's philosophies in building teams, and how his recruitment tool works. Stay tuned.

Arteen Arabshahi’s career path has been untraditional. The son of Iranian immigrants, he grew up planning to be a surgeon and bounced through medicine and finance before finding his passion in entrepreneurship and technology. He got his first job in this industry by cold emailing 150 people and spent 5 years in traditional venture capital (Fika Ventures, Karlin Ventures) before joining WndrCo to pursue a unique hybrid of entrepreneurship and investment. At WndrCo, Arteen manages the early stage investments. Prior to investing, Arteen helped launch BuiltinLA.com and worked at Techstars Chicago. Arteen has been selected for Forbes 30 Under 30, Business Insider 30 and Under, and CSQ’s NextGen 10. He holds a BSBA from the University of Arizona and contributes to TechCrunch, Forbes, and Business Insider. On nights and weekends, he’ll either be enjoying the outdoors, at a concert, or at an open mic poetry slam. He cares deeply about mental health awareness, equal access to opportunity, and performing arts. You can find him at @arteeninLA. In this episode… For a person with many years of experience working in different industries, Arteen Arabshahi has a wealth of knowledge to share from the tech industry, finance, investments, and early stage venture capital funding. He helps companies recruit and retain talent, expand operations and grow their revenue, and he knows the crucial role of the hiring process to a company’s growth. In this week’s episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian interviews Arteen Arabshahi of WndrCo LLC about his perspective on hiring and retaining talent. He talks about his background and professional career, how he identifies worthwhile investments, how he helps grow early-stage teams, and more. Stay tuned.

Ramiro Medina is the Chief Talent Officer at Wild Card. He has a wealth of knowledge in the HR recruiting space having worked in various industries and he has been pivotal in implementing best practices, training, and growth strategies in some amazing companies including Red Bull, Virgin Hyperloop One, True Religion, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.  Ramiro's career has focused on building high-performing teams in high-pressure, must-win environments. His passion is in empowering individuals and teams to reach peak potential through self-guided engagement and self-motivation while keeping talent initiatives tied directly to business goals. In this episode… Having spent years in the recruitment field and working with different teams in various companies, Ramiro Medina of Wild Card Creative Group knows very well what to look out for when hiring new employees. His experience in recruiting for both startups and big companies has given him a lot of insights into different aspects of human resources. One important thing he learned is that recruitment demands adding value to a company. A recruiter must identify and understand what his clients want and he should be able to get them what they need. It’s the recruiter’s job to find the right people for the right positions, and to make sure that the new hires will match with the company’s culture and demands.  Join Greg Toroosian in this episode of Elevate Hire as he talks to recruitment expert Ramiro Medina about his insights on the importance of having a sound HR and recruitment experience within a company, the common mistakes businesses make when hiring new employees and in promoting existing employees, challenges new managers face upon joining an existing team, and the best strategies in hiring for startups. Stay tuned.

Brian Breth is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Fair, a tech company that developed an app that can be downloaded to a mobile phone and used for finding used cars. After going through a successful application process, the car is delivered to a user who pays a monthly fee until he no longer needs it and has it returned. The company promotes the idea of a car as a service and their vision is to transform the way people think about car ownership and access to mobility. Brian has a proven track record as an entrepreneurial leader whose ability to align teams, enact change, and build sustainable frameworks enables businesses to attract top talent and become more efficient, productive, and competitive. In this episode… There are things you need to take into consideration before deciding on the recruitment team to help you find the right people for your company. These include finding a trustworthy person, looking at their experience in recruiting, as well as their biggest challenges.  Brian Breth knows that the recruitment profession has low barriers to entry and therefore he has come up with his own specific profile that he uses to vet people joining his team. He believes that recruitment is more than just finding candidates; it's about adding value to a business and acting as its advisors and consultants. In this episode of Elevate Hire podcast, Brian Breth joins host Greg Toroosian to share his tips for building a successful recruitment team. Brian also discusses the importance of finding a frame of reference for recruiting, why recruiters need to understand a client's business and some tips on how recruiters can add value to a business. Stay tuned.

Greg Toroosian is the founder of Elevate Hire, a talent acquisition firm which provides leadership and senior-level recruiting services for early stage companies. He has spent more than a decade in talent acquisition recruiting for technical positions in software and IT, and has experience building non-technical teams in finance, marketing, and business.  Greg believes recruiting and retaining talent is key to having a successful company. He is also the host of the Elevate Hire Podcast. In this episode… Recruitment is a crucial part of any company. For companies who have their own internal recruitment arm, they tend to lean more towards accomplishing the hiring process themselves but they could very well be missing out on the benefits of partnering with an external recruiter. But what are the benefits of partnering with an external recruiter and when should a company opt to go it alone in their hiring process? Join Greg Toroosian in this episode of Elevate Hire Podcast as he gets interviewed in his own show by John Corcoran of Rise25 Media. In this episode, Greg details when a company should decide to go it alone in their hiring process and when they should consider working with an external recruiter, the benefits and costs of working with one, and how they can connect your company with the right people for the job at hand. Stay tuned.

Greg Toroosian is the founder of Elevate Hire, a talent acquisition firm which provides leadership and senior-level recruiting services for early stage companies. He has spent more than a decade in talent acquisition recruiting for technical positions in software and IT, and has experience building non-technical teams in finance, marketing, and business.  Greg believes recruiting and retaining talent is key to having a successful company. He is also the host of the Elevate Hire Podcast. In this episode… Companies, whether big or small, have many things they need to keep up with to run their business which means that talent recruitment can be quite a chore. Because it requires filtering through dozens of applications, companies have a tendency to miss out on crucial factors that benefit them and their potential candidate. This is why Greg Toroosian highlights the importance of giving value and focus to structure systems that create a positive candidate experience.  Join Greg Toroosian, a hiring expert and host of Elevate Hire Podcast, as he gets interviewed by John Corcoran of Rise25 Media in his own show about what the candidate experience is and why it’s so important. He will be discussing tips on how to create a million-dollar candidate experience and onboarding process, how to avoid common mistakes in the hiring process, the need for companies to have an up-to-date online presence, and how a great candidate experience attracts and retains top talent. Stay tuned.

Greg Toroosian is the founder of Elevate Hire, a talent acquisition firm that provides leadership and senior-level recruiting services for early-stage companies. He has spent more than a decade in talent acquisition recruiting for technical positions in software and IT and has experience building non-technical teams in finance, marketing, and business. He believes recruiting and retaining talent is key to having a successful company. Greg is also the host of the Elevate Hire Podcast. In this episode… Hiring the right person for the right position in your company can be a tedious task, but it has to be done if you want to ensure your company’s success. According to Greg Toroosian, there are two things that can help you zero in on the right candidates for your company: the candidate avatar and the candidate scorecard. In this episode of Elevate Hire Podcast, John Corcoran of Rise25 interviews Greg Toroosian on what candidate avatars and candidate scorecards are, how these can help companies in their hiring process, and how his company can make things easier and more convenient for startups who are ready to take their business to the next level. Stay tuned.