Radio Free Enterprise

As business owners, we often spend months of effort and thousands of dollars to land a new client, but then do almost nothing to retain our current clients by showing them the slightest amount of appreciation. "Studies have shown that 68% of customers leave because of a perceived attitude of indifference on the part of the company. Perception is everything." Forbes My guest this week, Joe Kenemore, CEO of Mailbox Power, says that is an absolute shame. Especially when his company makes it so easy and inexpensive to show your best clients a little love once or twice a year. Tune in to this week's Radio Free Enterprise video stream to earn how you can easily and consistently show your customers, employees, vendors, and partners how much they mean to you - right from your computer or mobile device. Learn more about Mailbox Power: https://bit.ly/3iFHNYo

Have you ever dreamed of featuring your business on the ABC television show Shark Tank? My guest this week is Joe Altieri. the inventor of FlexScreen, the world's first and only flexible window screen, and a successful past contestant on the ABC television show Shark Tank. I'm going to ask Joe to share the origin story of his invention, his experience as a contestant on Shark Tank, and what has happened to his company since he teamed up with The Queen of QVC, Lori Greiner. If, like me, you are a longtime fan of the show who has often wondered what it would be like to be standing on that stage pitching the Sharks, you DO NOT want to miss this episode of Radio Free Enterprise. Watch Joe's Shark Tank episode: https://flexscreenretail.com/pages/shark-tank Learn more about FlexScreen: https://flexscreen.com/ Learn more about Joe Altieri: https://joealtieri.com/

“LinkedIn Ads are unapologetically expensive. Terrible click-through rates and very high cost per click. Most people lose money on it.” That's what this week's guest, LinkedIn Advertising Expert AJ Wilcox, was recently quoted as saying. But if that's the case, how was LinkedIn able to generate over $3 billion in advertising revenue in 2020? By delivering spectacular results for companies with high-value offerings and highly efficient sales funnels targeted at very specific industries, companies and job titles. Please join us in this episode as AJ and I talk about Landing Dream Clients from LinkedIn Advertising. Learn more about AJ Wilcox and his company B2Linked: https://B2Linked.com

Have you ever considered the impact that becoming a bestselling author could have on your business or career? My guest this week is Tyler Wagner, a master book marketer and founder of Authors Unite in Miami, Florida. Tyler has helped hundreds of authors become bestsellers on Amazon, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. In Thursday's conversation I'm going to ask him how he performs his magic, what kinds of authors he helps, how much it costs, and how long it takes! To learn more about Tyler and Authors Unite: https://AuthorsUnite.com

Since the earliest days of television, video has been a powerful marketing medium. But due to its expense, production complexity, and professional scriptwriting requirements video has not always been every marketer's first choice. My guest this week argues that, due to lower costs, global distribution channels, and the presence of a high-quality video camera in every person's pocket, we have entered The Video-First Era, and he has written a book of that same title to drive home his point. Please join me and my guest, video marketing expert and author Patrick Frank, as we talk about what The Video-First Era of marketing means to you and your promotional efforts. Learn more about Patrick: http://videofirstera.com/ Connect with Patrick on Twitter: @PatFrank Resources Patrick shared: https://loom.com https://prezi.com/video https://gather.town https://mmhmm.app  

Is it possible to hire a skilled worker in the Philippines to perform top quality production, marketing, and customer support work on a full-time basis for 25% or less of the cost of an American worker performing the same task? My guest this week says, "Yes!" In this episode I'm speaking with John Jonas, creator of the OnlineJobs.ph employment site, the largest marketplace to find Filipino workers with over 1,000,000 Filipino profiles in the database. He is also the author of The Outsourcing Lever. Secrets of How Successful Entrepreneurs Grow Their Businesses with Virtual Assistants. While making a full-time living he rarely works full time. His team of 37 full-time Filipino virtual assistants do the work in his businesses, while he manages the process. They range from programmers, designers, and webmasters, to writers, researchers, project managers, and just general VA's. John has made millions of dollars online directly from work that his Filipino workers have done for him and now teaches others exactly how to do the same thing. In our conversation I'm going to ask John about his best practices for hiring, training, and managing skilled Filipino workers, both individually and as a team. Learn more about John: https://JohnJonas.com​ https://www.outsourcinglever.com​ https://OnlineJobs.ph

In business, the customer is king. They are not always right and they are sometimes abrasive but they are always the arbiter of what products, services, and businesses succeed and which do not. Ignore that fact to your peril. Occasionally, an offering or company comes along that fills needs that customers didn't even know they had. Think iPhone, Facebook or Tesla. But, more often than not, companies are trying to generate more sales from existing products or are developing slightly different products that they hope will unseat their competitors'. Billions of dollars are poured into research and development only to have a product flop almost immediately. How could this have been avoided? By simply asking customers - in person - to share their thoughts and reactions early in the process. My guest this week, Sage Baker, specializes in what is called Qualitative Research. Through focus groups, in-depth individual conversations and a variety of other tools, Sage finds out what people really think about a given idea, product, or service. Please join us as Sage shares what she knows about finding out what your customers are really thinking. Learn more about Sage: https://SageBakerConsulting.com

A well-written business plan is essential for any firm looking for debt or equity financing. While banks and investors are looking for different things to make them feel good about your business model, they both expect you to have a professional business plan to review. Do you? My guest this week is Cheree Warrick, a professional business plan writer and author of the book, "Creating Business Plans that Actually Get Financed." Over the past decade Cheree has written hundreds of business plans that have helped her clients acquire loans and equity investments from $10,000 to $20,000,000. If you want to know what it takes to create a business plan that is "investable," tune in to learn the answers from Cheree Warrick.

The events of the past 14 months are unprecedented in the past century of global business history. The pandemic has had has been devastating to many industries and a boon to others. The workplace changes it has created have been enormous, with impacts on commercial real estate and knowledge worker migration that we are just beginning to fully appreciate. But what about the future? What's next and how can we as business owners and executives best prepare for it? My guest this week, Scott Crawford, president and CEO of VA811, argues that we are not at the beginning of the end of this transformation, but rather at the end of the beginning. And he is uniquely qualified to share his perspective, being both a business executive and a historian. Join us this week as Scott takes us back to previous plagues and pandemics and describes how we can use the lessons of history can guide our business planning into the future.

Technology startups attract a lot of attention from the investment community because of their potential to leverage their intellectual property to create multi-billion dollar companies and even entire new industries. But most technologists are just that - science wonks - with little to no business, management, marketing, or capital markets experience. How can they take their big idea from the garage to a point where it could serious attract the attention of the investment community? Through an SBIR. My guest this is week is Roger London, a technology investment expert who has worked with a number of companies that started in the SBIR program and are now moving toward commercializing their intellectual property with the help of private capital. 

Though it just turned one year old, Clubhouse seems to be taking off like a wildfire across the social media landscape. For years I have been helping entrepreneurs, authors, speakers, coaches and consultants establish and elevate their personal brands in print, video, audio and social media. So, when I suddenly started hearing about Clubhouse everywhere I turned, I knew I needed to find someone knowledgeable to talk about it - pronto! That's why I'm so pleased to share that Social Media Innovator Jessie Newburn has agreed to be my guest on Radio Free Enterprise this week. Learn More About Jessie Newburn: Atigro Marketing Jessie on LinkedIn

In her upcoming book Nina Hershberger makes the audacious claim that she can walk into almost any business and find $100,000 in new revenue opportunities within 30 minutes. But can she really? I have known Nina for many years - I've even visited her and her husband in their Fishers, Indiana home - and know her to be a no-nonsense businessperson. So when I saw the claims she was making in this book, I had to learn more. In this week's conversation I'm going to ask Nina where this money comes from and, if it's so readily available, why aren't more business owners picking it up off the ground right now. Nina is a smart, experienced and successful marketer who is guaranteed to give you at least one AH-HAH moment. This is an interview you don't want to miss. Apply to work with Nina: http://findmy100k.com/

Startups in the Medical Technology industry face a lot of unique challenges when looking to raise capital to grow their company - not the least of which is just explaining what their technology is, how it works to help people, and how that translates into profits for investors. In this conversation I'll be speaking with Luke Steuber, Director of Clinical Research and Development for a company called Cognixion that is doing amazing work to help people with conditions like ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) better communicate and engage with their environment. Please join us as we look at the startup scene through the eyes of a MedTech company and learn about the amazing ways their technology can help all of us. More info: https://cognixion.com

Sir Richard Branson once famously said, "Take care or your employees and they will take care of your business." Many business owners give this idea lip service but don't really focus on empowering their front-line customer service people the way that Sir Richard or other fabulously successful entrepreneurs do. That's why I'm so excited to have none other than The Customer Service Doctor, Dr. Kelly Henry, join me on Radio Free Enterprise this week. Dr. Henry's book, Define And Deliver Exceptional Customer Service, is a must-read for every business owner who has workers interfacing with - and solving problems for - their customers. After all of the effort we go through to attract and do business with new clients, why don't we work harder to keep them as long-term sources of repeat and referral business? Dr. Henry knows the answer to that and many other perplexing questions about the state of customer service among businesses of all sizes around the world. Please join us this Thursday at 10:00​ as we stream live right here. Learn more about The Customer Service Doctor: https://DrKellyHenry.com​ Buy Dr. Henry's book: https://amzn.to/3v9yjZA

Ecommerce seems like old hat these days. There are so many online platforms for creating a storefront to sell products, you almost lose track. But what if you're not selling a product? What if you are a coach, consultant, therapist, attorney, yoga instructor or other professional who is instead selling access to your time and expertise? How can you create a professional web presence that integrates your calendar, services offered, FAQs, policies, testimonials and a payment gateway, all in one place? With an amazingly powerful online platform called Book Like A Boss. My guest this week is Nachum Kligman, author, podcaster, CEO and creator of Book Like A Boss. I very seldom do product endorsements but I am a long-time Book Like A Boss user and, because I believe in in it so strongly, also an affiliate partner. If you'd like a two-week free trial and would like to help support Radio Free Enterprise, please click this link: https://partners.booklikeaboss.com/429.html Otherwise, please feel free to visit the Book Like A Boss homepage to start your free trial.

What does it take for a husband and wife team to build a $20 million software business while raising 10 children and coaching over 100 of their youth sports teams? An Exponentiality Mindset! Jenn Davis and her husband Dan have accomplished things in their business and family lives that many of us would assume to be impossible. Apparently they are not! And now Jenn is preparing to share a how-to guide to their success in her first book, Living Exponentially, Unlocking the Potential of Every Moment in Your Business and Life. Meet Jenn Davis and learn more about their incredible journey.

My guest on this week's program is Tony Hoty, a marketing and sales leadership expert in the home improvement and remodeling industry. I was very pleased when Tony agreed to appear on Radio Free Enterprise because, even though only a small fraction of my audience is in the home improvement industry, what Tony teaches can have a profound impact on any company of any size in any industry. Effective marketing and sales are essential to the success of every business. And yet, for many business owners, marketing is a mystery and sales is a dirty word. My introduction to a true sales culture came immediately after the dot-com collapse. My tech startup had folded and I found myself with a six-figure lifestyle and a zero-figure income. I had a family to feed, a mortgage to pay, and bills piling up. Out of desperation, I took a job as a salesman for a home improvement company and, though I started out very slowly, by the end of the year I was the top producer in the company and had completely turned my fortunes around. What I learned about the power of a professional sales culture is what Tony Hoty is all about. More information: https://TonyHoty.com

The United States Federal Government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world. But does Uncle Sam buy what your company produces? And what does it take to succeed in selling to the government? My guest this week is Judy Bradt, a Federal contracting expert, CEO of Summit Insight and bestselling author of Government Contracts Made Easier. I ask Judy about the four things she believes are necessary for an existing company to begin a successful government contracting effort, why she says "there is no such thing as doing business with the Federal Government," and why she insists on using the word easier instead of easy when referring to Federal Contracting. Click this link to download a free copy of the Chapter 1 of Judy's bestselling book, Government Contracts Made Easier: https://growfedbiz.com/book/?referrer=RFE

In 2007 Bob Burg and John David Mann published The Go-Giver, which went on to become an international bestseller that influenced the lives of million of people around the world. In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise, it is my great privilege to speak with Bob about that seminal title as well as the third book in the Go-Giver series, The Go-Give Influencer, which lays out The Five Laws of Genuine Influence. In addition to his work on the Go-Giver book series, Bob Burg is a powerful public speaker and the host of the Go-Giver Podcast. He has some very insightful thoughts to share and is an absolute joy to listen to. If you have read any of the the Go-Giver books, are a fan of Bob Burg, or are just wondering what all the fuss is about surrounding the Go-Giver movement, I urge you to join us in this conversation. Learn more about Bob Burg: https://burg.com/ Buy The Go-Giver Influencer on Amazon: https://amzn.to/36nO4kS

I don't know about you but I am fascinated by startups. They have every element of a good adventure story: heroes, villians, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and disaster lurking at every step. Kind of like an Indiana Jones movie! And while the United States is known as the startup capital of the world - particularly in areas like Silicon Valley, New York City, and even the DC area - entrepreneurs are starting tech companies all over the world in cities like Shanghai, China and Frankfurt, Germany. My guest this week is Joern "Joe" Messinger, host of the Global Top 150 Podcast, Startuprad.io, which is known as The Authority on German Startups. Joe's podcast has an unusual Unique Selling Proposition - it's a podcast about German startups produced in Germany by a German - entirely in English! As a result Joe and his show are enjoying a lot of success in countries around the world. So please join us this Thursday, January 28th, at 10:00 a.m. eastern time to meet Joe and find out what kind of startups are being born in a region known for rigorous process and engineering excellence. You might just find something you want to invest in - before your friends do! Learn more about Joe and his podcast at: https://www.startuprad.io/

Throughout my career I have met and presented before scores of angel investors, venture capitalists and investment bankers. But Marty Fahncke is the only person I know personally who identifies himself as a strategic investor. Marty brings much more than just a checkbook to the companies he invests in. He also shares his decades of business experience, keen marketing instincts and powerful network of partners and service providers. In our conversation I ask Marty to define what a strategic investment is, what kinds of companies his group works with, what kinds of companies he cannot help, and how the process works from beginning to end. In many ways, Marty's approach is very similar to what you may have seen on the television show The Profit. But his process also varies from The Profit in some significant areas that I believe make it more appealing to most business owners. This is a conversation that I believe should be of interest to every business owner.

Successful entrepreneurs see their current business as a valuable asset that can be sold when they decide it's time to move on to their next adventure. Right? Every year over 1,000-times more businesses are founded in the United States than the number sold. Does that mean that 99.9% of businesses are failures? I guess the answer depends upon your definition of success. Leaving tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table at a point in your life when you could really use them doesn't sound like entrepreneurial behavior to me. One of my primary missions in helping business owners succeed is to get more of them to seriously consider the idea of selling-out in the future and to begin preparing today to maximize the sales price when that day finally comes. That's why I asked a seasoned business broker, Dustin Zeher of Horizon Brokers in Woodbridge, Virginia, to join me on this week's Radio Free Enterprise. Dustin has been involved in sales transactions involving businesses from a wide range of industries and annual revenue figures. I'm going to ask Dustin to dig into the psychology of owners selling their businesses and share his thoughts on why so few take this course of action. We're also going to talk about what a typical sale transaction looks like, what owners can do today to help increase the value of their business in future, and common mistake he sees made and how to avoid them.

It's no secret that publishing a book that solves the problems of your ideal clients is a powerful way to gain the upper hand in a competitive marketplace. That's why I invited Diana M. Needham of Business Book Partners to be my guest this week on Radio Free Enterprise. Diana helps business owners, professionals, corporate and military leaders, coaches and consultants dramatically grow their income buy helping them write, publish and leverage a book of their own. But, as Diana makes clear in her 7 Questions Every Author Must Answer list, strategic planning at the beginning of the process can mean the difference between a book that sells 57 copies and then disappears and a book that will take its author and their business to the next level of success. Please join us to meet Diana M. Needham and learn more about Business Book Partners. Connect with Diana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianamneedham/ Visit Diana's website: http://dianamneedham.com/ Join Diana's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BuildYourBusinessWithABook Download Diana's 7 Questions list from Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_Gh8QbsuzwEPzI5E5rL7mS3JPMOMu8R5dubFh1hRRok/edit

In recent years, a new approach to entrepreneurship has been evolving which is often referred to as Conscious Business. According to Wikipedia, "Conscious businesses subscribe to a Triple Bottom Line model of success. They aim to provide positive value in the domains of people, planet, and profit." Although I was aware of corporate social responsibility and values-based investing, I didn't know that Conscious Business was a thing - especially among individual business owners - until I met Kathy Mason. Kathy has been an entrepreneur for most of her career. Today she runs a digital marketing agency and is the host of the Conscious Business Zone podcast. Since being introduced the concept, I've been doing some research on Conscious Business and find that it appeals to me and is in alignment with most of my existing business values and principles. But I can see where some businesspeople might feel that the approach is too "soft" and not well-suited to the dog-eat-dog world of competitive business. In this episode you get a chance to meet Kathy Mason, learn more about Conscious Business, and decide whether it has anything to offer you and your company. Learn more about Kathy's agency: https://masonworksmarketing.com/ Watch Kathy's video podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathyMasonLove

My guest this week is James Hamilton Healy, a publishing consultant, podcast producer, and creator of the Podcast Launch Party five-week boot camp. James shares his thoughts on topics ranging from the powerful impact becoming a podcast host can have on your personal brand and profit levels, to the nuts and bolts of how to record, distribute and promote your podcast to the world. Learn more about James and his training program at https://PodcastLaunchParty.com

My guest this week is Tony Mayo, The Business Owner's Executive Coach. Tony sums up his approach to helping his clients improve their management skills by saying he helps them, “Become easier to work for and easier to live with.” Let's face it, those are two things most of us could really use some help with! In this conversation I ask Tony about the biggest mistakes he sees business owners making and how they can most quickly and easily fix those problems to improve their ability to attract and retain top-quality talent. Connect with Tony: https://TonyMayo.com

My guest on this week's Radio Free Enterprise is Louise Brogan, a LinkedIn marketing expert and host of the LinkedIn with Louise podcast. In the years following Microsoft's acquisition of LinkedIn for 26 billion dollars in 2016, a lot has changed. Right now, LinkedIn is THE social networking platform for business people with over 700 million users - up from 433 million in 2016. In this conversation, Louise shares three critical strategies for leveraging LinkedIn to build your business. Learn more about Louise: https://louisebrogan.com/ Connect with Louise on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisebrogan/

Many business owners envision the idea of taking their company public as the ultimate exit strategy, with many millions or even billions of dollars waiting at the end of the rainbow. But is "going public" really all it's cracked up to be? What are the different ways you can take your company public and what are the potential downsides of the effort? This week's guest, Stephen Kann, is a partner at Bridgewater Capital, a capital markets advisory firm that helps companies go public and navigate being public. In 25 years they've been involved in over one hundred transactions totaling well over $1 billion. There are a lot of ways to take your company public, but in Thursday's conversation Frank asks Steve to focus on just three: an Initial Public Offering; a Special Purpose Acquisition Company; and a Reverse Merger. Frank also shares his experience as the CEO and Chairman of a Dot Com company that went public using a reverse merger 20 years ago. If you've ever entertained the idea of being the founder of a public company, you don't want to miss this conversation.

At its heart, marketing is nothing more than starting a conversation with someone who could be an ideal customer. Today there is no faster, easier, or more powerful way to start that conversation than to be the featured guest expert on podcasts your prospects are already listening to. In his book, Podcast Guest Profits, Tom Schwab shares a step-by-step system for leveraging podcast interviews that has been proven to convert 25 times better than blogs. Tom insists that, using just a microphone, an internet connection, and the information in his book, any professional can speak to millions of ideal prospects and turn them into profitable customers. In this conversation I ask him what podcast guest marketing is, who it works for, and how any professional can get started becoming a profitable podcast guest. Click this link to visit Tom's website, take his online assessment test, request a free copy of his book, or schedule a free discovery call with him: https://interviewvalet.com/rfe/

Over 99% of American businesses close their doors without any consideration of being sold. What is your exit plan and what can you do today to make your business more valuable in the near future? Tune in to hear business performance and valuation expert Rodger Stephens, CPA, CGMA, answer questions about the potential sale price of your business today, and what it could be worth over the next few years. Learn more about my guest by visiting his profile on LinkedIn Or at his website: https://prize-performance.com/ You may also reach out to him by email at: rodger@prize-performance.com

Hiring and managing remote workers has suddenly become a critical challenge for businesses of all sizes and across a wide range of industries. That's why I asked Justin Brown, co-founder of Primal Video, a video training and resources firm located in Brisbane, Australia, to join me for a conversation on Radio Free Enterprise. Justin and his brother (and co-founder) Mike promote their business exclusively on YouTube. They have produced 328 videos to date, that have attracted over 700,000 subscribers and millions of views. For the past several years, virtually all of their video production and business administration work has been performed by remote workers in other countries, primarily the Philippines. In this conversation, I ask Justin to share how he sources and vets highly-productive remote workers, manages them on an ongoing basis, and keeps them on his team for years to come.

Moe Jafari is an entrepreneur, investor, CEO of two multimillion-dollar tech companies, and now a mentor to other entrepreneurs looking to launch and grow their businesses. In this interview, Moe discusses his companies, HumanTouch and CORAS, why he chose Federal contracting as a strategic direction, how he's been able to achieve such impressive growth, and what caused him to become an entrepreneur in the first place.

Business owners have ever seen anything like this. And while a small number of industries are actually thriving in our Brave New World, most are facing huge drops in revenue, uncertainty about the future, and tough decisions about staffing and just keeping the lights on. We need advice, direction, and leadership. That's why I asked David Belden of ExecuVision International to join me on Radio Free Enterprise this week. More Info: https://iexecuvision.com/

Greg Kihlström, CEO of CareerGig was interviewed via live stream on Radio Free Enterprise Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. EDT. If you're a gig worker looking for contract jobs that include benefits, or an employer trying to rapidly locate and onboard verified skill workers, you need to tune in. For more information: https://www.careergig.com

Successful Enterprise Sales and The Art of Commercial Success Tony Maull is a Marketing and Sales expert serving the Global 2000 marketplace. He is also the Managing Partner at McLean Analytica and the author of the eBook, The Art of Commercial Success. In this interview, he talks about the secrets of selling complex solutions into large companies. For more information: https://mcleananalytica.com tony@mcleananalytica.com

San Antonio, Texas Estate Planning Attorney Charlie Weisinger interviewed on the Radio Free Enterprise podcast about his bestselling book, Peace Through Planning. Charlie will explain why: An estate plan is needed by all adults over age 18 A will is not enough to properly protect or distribute your assets Without an estate plan, your current spouse may not inherit your assets More Info: https://weisingerlawfirm.com/ (210) 306-4789

My guest today is Mr. Michael England, president of River Capital in Stafford, Virginia.  What we're talking about in this episode is credit. Specifically business credit; why it's so important and what you can do to build up your company's ability to borrow. The third of the Six M's in my book Unlocking The M Cube is Money. Access to capital is a critical success factor when starting, growing and running your business. I am not a proponent of borrowing too much, having found myself overleveraged in the past. But I do know that the right mix of vendor credit, equipment financing and lines of credit are very important if you want to avoid cash flow problems. That's why I invited Mr. England to share some knowledge on Radio Free Enterprise.

Regular listeners to the show know that I talk a lot about what I call The M Cube, the six sides of business success that every professional must recognize and master in their pursuit of their own entrepreneurial dream. The first and most important of those six Ms is M1: Mission. Why have you chosen to start and run a business rather than pursue a more traditional career path? Let's face it you're taking on a lot of risk. You're probably taking on a lot of ridicule from friends and family who say oh you're crazy, you can never do it. You're sacrificing time away from your family and from hobbies and other pursuits. I believe that if you're not clear about the reasons why you're making this move you could find yourself in trouble before you know it. Today's guest, Coach Reggie Jackson of JS Coaching in Woodbridge, Virginia, has a special gift for helping business owners discover their entrepreneurial WHY and use it to power their success.  

Of all the types of businesses we could choose to go into, it seems as though starting a home improvement business is one of the most popular options. The problem is that many people mistakenly assume that, just because they're handy with a hammer they're qualified to become the leader of a home improvement firm, which results in some less-than-professional contracting companies out there. But today's guest, Jeremiah Davies, is an exception to that profile. Jeremiah is the Founder and President of Orion Home Improvements in Merrifield, Virginia - a truly a professional contracting company that has seen tremendous growth over the past few years due to their focus on customer satisfaction. In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise, Jeremiah shares some of the elements that have gone into that success.

Sooner or later every entrepreneur moves from being a one-man-band to an employer. But very few of us have any recruiting or management experience. What is the best way to make that move? How do I go about hiring my first employee? In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise I have two guests joining me to talk about one topic: Attracting, Retaining and Developing Top Talent into your business. And, most especially, how to get started with that first hire. My first guest is former Air Force helicopter pilot turned first-time entrepreneur Curtis Marshall, owner of DC dot Rentals, a small but rapidly growing residential property management firm based out of Alexandria, Virginia. My second guest is a veteran entrepreneur. Brian Fielkow is president of JetCo Delivery in Houston, Texas and author of the book Driving To Perfection: Achieving Business Excellence by Creating a Vibrant Culture. In this interview Curtis explains the challenges he is confronting as he faces the task of hiring his first employee and Brian shares his wisdom and experience in regards to building a successful team and culture.

I like to talk about a lot of different things on this podcast including technology, venture capital, how businesses and industries arise to solve problems and address needs. I like to talk about first-time business owners and Boomerpreneurs - people who start a business in their retirement years. Most of all, I like speaking with creative and interesting people. In today's program I am bringing you all of that in the person of Jeff Kofman, who is CEO and co-founder and an incredible startup called Trint. After 33 years as a broadcast journalist for CBC, BBC, CBS and ABC, Jeff Kofman became "The Accidental CEO" of this London-based tech startup. In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise, Jeff talks about how he came to be an entrepreneur at this stage in his life and the similarities between being a war correspondent and the CEO of a fast-growing company.

Brian Fielkow began changing the corporate culture at Jetco Delivery immediately upon purchasing the Houston-based freight hauler in 2006. In the ten years since then he has grown the company six-fold. In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise, Brian explains why Big C Culture is one of the most critical success factors for any company of any size, and gives example after example of companies that are living and dying based upon the values ingrained in their corporate culture. If you think your company is too small or too big or too new or too old to benefit from or implement a change in culture, you are mistaken. Spend thirty minutes listening to Brian and then get to work building a culture that reflects not only your goals and objectives but, more importantly, your beliefs and values. After you're gone the culture you have created will live on as your legacy. Connect with Brian Fielkow Email: brian@brianfielkow.com Web: BrianFielkow.com Brian's LinkedIn Profile

How do SBA Loans work? What exactly IS an SBA loan and why would I want one? How do you find the right SBA lender? How do you apply for an SBA loan? Is the approval process more complicated and time-consuming? All of these questions and much more are addressed by Brian Seliber and Craig Hairston of M&T Bank in this episode of Radio Free Enterprise. Debt Capital (loans) are an important option for the owners of main street lifestyle businesses. And the Small Business Administration has made it easier for lenders to say "Yes" to more small business borrowers by agreeing to guarantee the repayment of some portion of the loan should it go into default. But the entire program and the application process seem to be shrouded in mystery and many potential borrowers avoid this avenue because they just don't understand it. In this interview I ask all the questions I could think of to draw out the answers you're looking for about SBA Loans. If you have a question that wasn't answered, contact Brian Seliber of M&T Bank using the phone number below. CONTACT BRIAN SELIBER of M&T BANKTelephone: 703-256-3743

I believe that an investor pitch presentation is one of the most challenging forms of human communication. There is a huge chasm between the speaker and the recipient. The entrepreneur doesn't understand what the investor wants to hear and the investor, while much more experienced in these conversations, probably can't figure out what the heck this particular entrepreneur is trying to tell him. In this episode we shine a light on this problem with successful serial entrepreneur, former corporate venture capitalist and current angel investor Roger London. Roger explains in detail: How to land a meeting with an angel investor What that meeting will look like What investors want to hear in a pitch presentation How to build your slide deck Red Flags and Green Lights What a successful outcome looks like If you have ever wanted to make - or do a better job making - investor presentations, you do not want to miss this interview.

Michael Cheng, Founder of Snip.ly, is a serial entrepreneur from Vancouver, British Columbia who holds joint Chinese-Canadian citizenship. His company's content sharing app is causing a bit of a sensation in the Content Marketing world because of the way it allows the sharer to benefit from content they did not create while also helping content publishers expose their work to traffic they might otherwise never see. MORE INFORMATION Snip.ly Website Michael's Explanatory Video Tod Maffin's Explanatory Video Sniply's YouTube Playlist

If you have ever tried (and failed) to connect with a high-profile prospect by sending them a personalized – but unsolicited – “cold” email message, you need to listen to this interview with Alex Brennan, Chief Marketing Sumo of InspireBeats.com. Over the past year alone, Alex's company has sent over 1 million cold emails for their prospects, with 2-3% of those messages resulting in the generation of an actual high-value introduction. Their technique is so effective that it actually caused a jaded old marketing wonk (me) to respond and agree to interview Alex on Radio Free Enterprise. At the bottom of this page is the exact email (Subject Line and Body Text) that Alex sent me on December 10, 2015 which resulted in him being interviewed eight days later. If you are in the business-to-business space with an offering that creates a high-level client lifetime value, this service can be a cost-effective way to generate a never-ending stream of qualified prospects. Connect with InspireBeats Website: InspireBeats.com See Their Pricing Packages ----------------------------------------------- — ORIGINAL EMAIL ALEX SENT FRANK — SUBJECT LINE:  Room for another interview Frank? BODY TEXT: Hey Frank, Just came across your podcast and I love the charismatic way you interact with your listeners. I'm head of growth for a company called InspireBeats – we do fully managed sales and lead generation for startups and agencies, similar to LeadGenius. Naturally, we're trying to get the word out Since we target a similar group I think it would be quite interesting for your audience to hear some of these insights: * What we learned sending over 1,000,000 cold emails* Prospecting: how to find the perfect B2B lead* What to use instead of a sales script* Why conferences are a hugely overlooked lead gen spot And all that good stuff. Does that sound interesting? Thanks, Alex P.S. Awesome episode about the power of podcast appearances!

Every American feels a deep debt of gratitude to the brave men and women in our Armed Services and we'd all like to repay them any way we can. A wonderful way to do just that is by patronizing businesses founded and run by military veterans. But how can we find them? In this interview Rick Yost, CEO of VeteransList.us, explains how you can use his search engine to locate veteran-owned businesses in your community and also explains why you can expect a better experience when dealing with vetrepreneurs. And, if you are a veteran business owner yourself – or a veteran considering starting a business – Rick describes the advantages you hold and special challenges you face. Rick wraps up by explaining all the benefits veteran business owners receive by registering their companies for free with VeteransList. LEARN MORE ABOUT VETERANSLIST Search for Veteran-Owned Businesses Register Your Veteran-Owned Business with The Site Contact Rick Yost by Email: ryost@veteranslist.us

In today's ever-changing business environment, perhaps no resource is more valuable than access to knowledge. Which may explain why the online education industry is absolutely exploding, with total 2015 revenue expected to top $50 billion. But as valuable as immediate access to the world's top experts is, John Colley would argue that the online learning industry offers business owners an even greater resource: the opportunity to position yourself as one of those world-class experts by creating a library of classes based upon your own knowledge and experience. In this interview John talks about the benefits that accrue to successful online instructors and presents a road map to creating your first online course. RESOURCES MENTIONED Online Learning Club Facebook Group John's Free Udemy Offering Analysis Course

There are a lot of misconceptions swirling around the idea of building a successful business in the network marketing (aka multi-level marketing) industry. Some people believe it can't be done, that network marketing success is some kind of hoax or myth. Others believe that, while it is possible, only people who would do well on a used car lot could possibly succeed as network marketer. David Delevante is living proof that, not only is business success a reality within network marketing, but that anyone – even a nerdy former naval engineer – can create a fabulous, home-based business in the industry. In this episode, Dave explains how he originally got involved in network marketing and how he has built a successful business with over 14,000 team members, all while staying true to himself and never being pushy. CONTACT DAVE DELEVANTE Email: dave@usana.com Phone: 703-928-1116

Elvis Oxley is the Founder and President of GovernmentContracting.net His company's office is right on K Street in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.  And is contact list includes buyers of every conceivable product or service for virtually every Federal agency and military branch. In this episode of Radio Free Enterprise Elvis explains how he helps his clients generate millions of dollars of revenue by serving the single biggest customer in the world: the United States government. Whether or not you think Federal contracting could work for your business, you need to listen to what this expert has to share. And if you are already selling to Uncle Sam you are bound to pick up a tip or two that will help you grow that segment of your business going forward. Find Out If GovernmentContracting.net Can Help You

Laura B. Poindexter is a Social Media Marketing guru. She presents educational seminars on various social marketing topics to thousands of business owners and marketing managers every year and has a very successful social media marketing consulting practice. Nonetheless, on this episode of Radio Free Enterprise, Laura talks about the tremendous advantage email marketing holds over Facebook in that most critical of areas: actual sales generation. Laura breaks her thesis down into very understandable chunks and cites data from very reputable sources that proves that more people will read your emails than read your Facebook post – and click through to buy or register after that. Before she leaves Laura also shares a step-by-step process for getting your email and social media marketing plan put together quickly and correctly. MORE LAURA B. POINDEXTER WONDERFULNESS Read Laura's Article That Proves Her Thesis On Email Free Access To Laura's Fill-In-The-Blank Email Templates (You can also get the templates by texting EMAILNOW to 33444) Watch Laura's “3 Cs of Social Media” Video Laura's Website and Blog