Sergey Ross Growth

Episode Notes Nazar Risafi takes us backstage and behind the scenes of “How Crime Works” by Insider. This is a show revealing the inner workings of organised crime. It uncovers the business of crime, the structure supporting it, and the policies needed to stop the cycle. Nazar reveals how the show is built, secrets to having high profile guests answer interview questions effectively, how he edits videos, his team behind the scenes and lots more. About Nazar Nazar Risafi is a video producer working with Insider's development team in the UK. Nazar has an extensive history in technical and editorial television and digital production in Arabic and English. He worked within planning, pre & post-production phases and understands the appropriate workflows, engagement targets, and ability to lead a production team through projects. Nazar has a demonstrated record of working in politics, current affairs, and media production. He is skilled in writing, strategy, leadership, identity development, voiceover, and social media. Nazar is experienced in management and has a clear sense of editorial judgment. SHOW NOTES: 00:14 | Episode intro and a quick bio of the guest Nazar Risafi 00:54 | How he ended up at Business Insider to produce ‘How Crime Works Show.” 01:52 | The number of episodes he has produced so far and the time it takes to produce one 03:07 | Structuring the chapters of the show 04:38 | The secret to having his clients answer the interview questions effectively 07:40 | Does Nazar prepare the interview questions, and how does he structure them? 09:49 | Topic, then guest or vice versa? 11:25 | The criteria for picking his guests 13:05 | The most unexpected way he has contacted his guests 15:57 | How he gets the video footage and his way of editing 19:03 | His team behind the journalism bits 21:01 | His decision to have a more organic episode rather than having many voice-overs 25:58 | Nazar's fact-checking in the responses of the guests 28:38 | If Nazar was to start again after “How Crime Works,” where would he start? 31:13 | Episode wrap up 31:25 | Guest's takeaway and end of the show Connect With Nazar: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazarrisafi/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/alrisafi/

Portland Helmich, a real pro-storyteller, is sharing her career story in traditional media. We get into how she worked on immensely complex narrative style podcasts and documentaries, what it means to be authentic, self-awareness and more. Key talking points: Portland's thinking behind her career moves: how did she pick her projects Difference in writing for documentaries VS books VS articles Experience of hosting and writing an award-winning, fully narrated podcast “Stranglers” What it was like to host and fully produce a TV show “What's the Alternative?” About Portland Helmich Portland Helmich is a professional storyteller. Whether working as a TV host or actor, podcast host or voiceover talent, or behind the scenes as a television, film, or podcast producer and writer, she's dedicated to telling stories that inform, enlighten, inspire, and entertain. TV Hosting Clips She covers a myriad of beats, but has a special interest in spreading awareness about natural and alternative forms of healing the body, mind, and spirit – how they not only address illness but also enhance overall well-being. Producing Samples Portland was also the host and one of the co-producers of Earwolf's acclaimed podcast, Stranglers, which explored the highly complex Boston Strangler murder case that consumed the Boston Police Department and terrified the city of Boston from 1962-1964. In 2016, The Atlantic listed Stranglers seventh on its list of the top 50 podcasts of the year; GQ Magazine listed it first. Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

A TV Pro with 9000 hours and 16 years of on-camera work, Darren Simons is as enthusiastic about presenting today as day one. He shares his secrets to ultimate authenticity as a TV presenter. We get tactical as well: working with teleprompters, doing live TV, finding the right energy balance and lots more. Highlights worth highlighting: How Darren is coaching Youtubers to take their presentation to the next level Practical tidbits to be more authentic on screen Developing your own presentation style: what you need to know Disciple of live video About David Darren is a professional TV Presenter and Broadcast Media Trainer, working with many organisations. Darren successfully launched Aspire TV Presenter Training over 14 years ago, offering high quality media presentation training courses around the UK and worldwide and is also based at 3 Mills Studios in London, running TV Presenter Masterclasses every month - Aspire have also provided training for BBC and ITV. After accumulating around 9000 hours of live TV, Darren is still extremely passionate about presenting on screen and has done so for over 16 years. LINKS Aspire TV Presenter Training https://www.aspirepresenting.com/ Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Nigel Paine is an ex-Head of Training and Development at BBC. He joins me to talk about secrets of exceptional TV presenting, interviewing quirks, journalism in his career, and teleprompter techniques. Highlights: How Nigel got into journalism Training BBC staff via newer courses and better tech in 2005, 2006 You need natural ability to be truly great in your medium Reading from a teleprompter like a soulless robot: how to do better Interviewing people is nothing like a real world conversation Good presenter vs great presenter: what's the difference (not just your personality) Nigel's books, what they are about, key punchlines About Nigel Nigel Paine is a change-focused leader with a worldwide reputation and a unique grasp of media, learning and development in the public, private and academic sectors. He has extensive experience in leadership and consultancy with public service broadcasters, SMEs, global industry players, government and education institutions. Nigel focuses on the use of learning technologies, organisational development, leadership and creativity with a spotlight on maximising human potential, innovation and performance in the workplace. Nigel is a strategic thinker, able to motivate, lead and drive organisations forward to deliver business and training objectives. Nigel has been involved in corporate learning for over twenty years. In the past, he has produced learning software, CD Roms and multimedia materials, and more recently, offered development and support to companies large and small in over 30 countries around the world. He was appointed in April 2002 to head up the BBC's Learning and Development operation. Under his leadership, the team developed a brand-new on-boarding experience, a comprehensive leadership development programme for over 6,000 staff, an award-winning intranet, and state of the art informal learning and knowledge sharing networks. He left the BBC in September 2006 to start his own company that is focused on building great workplaces by promoting creativity, innovation, values based-leadership and learning and the link between them. He speaks regularly at conferences around the world, and teaches on a doctoral programme at the University of Pennsylvania and for Chicago Booth Business School. His first book for Kogan Page is called, The Learning Challenge: Dealing with Technology, Innovation and Change in Learning and Development. It was published in September 2014. His new book, for the same publisher, on Building Leadership Development Programmes That Work was published in November 2016. He is currently working on a new book re-examining learning organisations and learning culture. He recently co-authored an eBook introduction to Neuroscience for Learning. He has a Professorship from Napier University in Edinburgh, and is a Fellow of the CIPD, LPI, the RSA and a Masie Learning Fellow in the USA. He presents a monthly TV programme (Learning Now TV), shares a weekly podcast (with Martin Couzins) called From Scratch, and regularly writes articles for magazines and journals about development, technology and leadership. Nigel has written articles and white papers published on subjects as diverse as ‘Creativity in the Workplace', ‘Building Corporate Heroes' and ‘The Future of E-Learning'. Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Old-school journalist and founder of Future Net Zero Sumit Bose talks about what he learned from the big guns in the 90s, journalism vs hosting, fame, and why media world is shit. Highlights: “Longer you are in media, the more you realize it's shit” Wanting to be famous is the wrong motivation to get on TV Journalism is a trade you learn by doing, not by getting a qualification (aka degree) Your job is to get the most out of a person you're interviewing, not to be a star You don't need a course to be a better presenter About Sumit Sumit Bose is editor and co-founder of Energy Live News and is founder of cross-industry platform, future Net Zero. He spent twelve years at the BBC as journalist and presenter including hosting RTS award-winning BBC One prime-time current affairs programme Inside Out and as part of the reporting team. His credits include BBC News 24, Radio 5 Live, World Service Radio, BBC World TV and Channel 5. He has narrated and presented several documentaries for both TV and radio. Sumit began his career in journalism with local newspapers in Kent and Essex, having gained an NCTJ in Journalism from Cambridge University. Upon qualifying he worked for local papers in north London and Middlesex before beginning a varied freelance print career with a variety of national newspapers and magazines. From Republican terrorism to political scandals, crime, and science he excelled in original journalism across all disciplines with a track record for breaking exclusives. Among the publications he has written for are: The Independent, Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, New Scientist, GP and NME. He joined the BBC in 1993 and soon became a well-known TV and radio presenter. His career has been spent mainly in news and current affairs. From local news reporting and presenting he joined News 24 when it launched. Sumit was the head of the BBC's first journalist DV Camera unit in BBC Science. He spent two years breaking scientific stories including an exclusive 30 minute documentary. He became one of the faces of BBC Breakfast news as a reporter between 1999 and 2001. Again Sumit broke several exclusive stories including an investigation into a hospital testing fiasco and an analysis of the Human Genome Project. He became launch presenter of a ground-breaking news service on BBC Three during which time he covered the 9/11 disaster.In 2002 Sumit was chosen to be the face of the new BBC One current affairs strand Inside Out. In 2004 he joined BBC Holiday as a regular travel reporter. His easy charm and persona have made him a popular choice for hosting corporate events, especially for energy, financial, and medical professional audiences. Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Paul Coia has been presenting on BBC for over 37 years. We talk about what makes a real difference in how you present on video, essentials of a great interview and more. Highlights: How Paul coached a telecom exec to deliver a killer speech to employees A few ways to not appear like a a robot deliver a message on camera Paul's path from getting his first job on the radio to hosting his own show on TV Why Paul wanted to present on TV in the first place What you need to do killer interviews Going from good to phenomenal: finding something different in yourself About Paul After being named Scottish Radio Personality Of The Year, and following his own TV chat show, Paul moved to London and was the first voice on Channel 4. He worked as a presenter for BBC 1 network on The Holiday Show, Pebble Mill At One and The Garden Party. On BBC 2 he hosted the long running Catchword quiz programme and Tricks Of The Trade. For ITV he presented Heaven Knows and The Birthday Show, and he was the voice that opened, not only Channel Four, but also Disney's ABC1 TV channel. Paul presented Sky TV's film review show, Preview, as well as their long running quiz, Spellbound. In radio, Paul has worked as a presenter for Radio 2, LBC, Radio Clyde and Radio Scotland. He currently presents weekly shows for BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Berkshire. Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Yaag Ganesh, director of marketing @ Avoma talks about building personal content online, power of side gigs in guiding your career, and what made his career pop. Highlights: How Yaag got to chat with Guy Kawasaki on Clubhouse Writing a compelling story online - what really matters; how to get people to care What triggered Yaag to write his first marketing book You won't find a perfect job, it's about experimenting with your side-hustles What makes Yaag's podcast almost like a free university About Yaag Yaagneshwaran Ganesh (often called as "Yaag") is among the top 100 global martech influencers, a TEDX speaker who has spoken in 10 countries across conferences, business forums and academic institutions. He is a best selling author and has 6 books to his name. He is an active member of the startup ecosystem and is part of the Google for Entrepreneurs initiative "Startup Weekend", thus being a sounding board for startups in APAC and Europe. Yaag also writes columns for HuffingtonPost, Martech Series, Martech Advisor, dtNEXT, Techstory, ManagementNext and has been a regular blogger and a thought leader on marketing practices across major publications. Yaag has a certificate in Strategy Management from IIM Kozhikode,  an MBA in marketing from Jansons School of Business, Coimbatore and a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship from Bharathiyar University. Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Super excited to interview Aram Melkoumov, the CEO of a product studio agency Crowdlinker about the hardships of being a CEO. Here are some of the cool talking points: glorification of Elon Musk and entrepreneurs who go 24/7 what is one of the most impactful investments Aram has made how do you grow in your career faster than others one skill you can get better at this year If you guys want to check out what Aram is up to, stop by his Linkedin. He’s posting CEO related content daily.

Brands need to find out what resonates with their audience, and not be afraid of putting out somewhat polarizing messages.  I’m interviewing Allie LeFevere, co-founder of the Obedient Agency, on how humor can delight your customers and build your brand. Main talking points: how to push the boundaries of your brand and keep a consistent narrative benefits of having a smaller audience you know really well why revenue is not the only criteria to pick new clients as a freelancer Mentions: Obedient Agency links: Instagram Twitter  Facebook  Website  Listen to Allie’s new podcast “Brandsplaining”. Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.

Having great ideas is a skill, and having controversial ideas is necessary to stand out in any industry. Founder of Offended Marketing, Dan Kelsall shares why we should look at TikTok and Instagram for inspiration instead of old school professionals in suits.  Main talking points: importance of focusing on one social media channel why Linkedin is the best platform to go viral organically how you can find ideas that really hook people Mentions: Connect with Dan on Linkedin or Twitter. Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.

Episode Notes In this episode I'm chatting with Val Geisler, an email marketing black-belt and a founder of Fix My Churn. She shares her experience of building a freelance career around email. Key talking points: why storytelling is a great strategic move in email campaigns importance of specializing and saying no as a freelancer how to build a team where everyone works less and enjoys it Mentions: Connect with Val through Linkedin and Twitter. Check out Fix My Churn’s website Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.

B2B companies can learn a TON from B2C and create vibrant brands audiences relate to.  Bill Macaitis shares a few excellent marketing examples from his bag of tricks that helped him build brands like Zendesk, Slack and Salesforce. Key takeaways: why qualitative measurement of campaigns will lead to a better long term brand strategy how a strong content marketing strategy aligns content with the product how to find and create simple moments of delight in B2B software  Mentions:  Manager Tools podcast Connect with Bill on Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin

Journalists make excellent content marketers because they already have the crucial skill of creating a large amount of quality content under pressure.  But, John Collins, director of content at Intercom believes that quality, engagement and strategic thinking beat quantity any day.  Tune in to learn: how to optimize your content format for different consumer preferences why 1 piece of thoughtful, engaging content is better than churning out 5 pieces a day what kind of podcasts you can successfully launch right now Mentions: Inside Intercom podcast Connect with John on Linkedin or Twitter

Trust is the most important factor in a startup, both when looking for a co-founder and when pitching to VC's. Jason Smith, serial entrepreneur and the CEO of a company called Klue shares the human side of a startup experience, from the importance of trust and entrepreneur's personality to his hiring philosophy. Cool talking points you don't want to miss out on: shared qualities of entrepreneurs and Navy S.E.A.L’s how 100 coffees with the right people can save you from investing years into the wrong idea pros and cons (yes, it's not all rosy) of having experience in a startup world why a weird CV is often a better indicator of character than a college you attended Mentions: Klue’s website Reach out to Jason via e-mail or Linkedin

This is a heavy video tech interview, so if you are not into it, skip this one. When shooting a video, a good story comes first, the right crew comes second, the equipment only comes after. Ben Consoli, founder of BC Media Productions, says that not every message is best conveyed through a video, but he also knows everything about what it takes to make production a success. Here are some of the highlights from the interview: how you can help your team members by considering their craft alongside your own how to make the person on camera shine, regardless of whether they are trained actors or not how filmmaking trends make their way from consumers to Hollywood Mentions: BC Media Productions website Go Creative Show podcast Find Ben on Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin

Making videos has become so easy it is now a must for companies to produce content in this format. Tyler Lessard, VP Marketing at Vidyard tells us: how he reached 23,000 views on a video he paid 300 dollars for how companies can create a customizable, on-demand video experience that will make customers binge on their content why video production will become a sought-after in-house skill how changing expectations enable everyone to experiment and improve in video production Mentions: George B Thomas on Linkedin Marcus Sheridan on Linkedin Film School for Marketers website Vidyard website Fast Forward webinar Connect with Tyler on Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin

Great content is a combination of a relevant topic and the appropriate format. Linkedin is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry and to find trending topics everyone is talking about. There is no one way to produce content, but current trends suggest a podcast or miniseries is often a better choice than a webinar. Josef Newton, founder of Brand Is Demand podcast, shares his thoughts on: how to own a topic within your industry the difference between product demand and content demand why customers are neither a magic source of insight nor the only audience you should consider how the Linkedin algorithm helps you stay relevant *Mentions:* Brand is Demand Podcast on Spotify Harry Dry’s Marketing Examples The Goat Agency on YouTube Jake Tran on Youtube and Linkedin Chris Walker on Linkedin Surfer SEO agency website Connect with Josef on Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin

89% of all ads are immediately forgotten. Creative ads are born when the client is crystal clear on their goal, and trusts talented marketers to do their job. Marketing disruptor and loudmouth Paul Mellor was on Media Camp to share his experience and unfiltered opinions. This episode is not for the faint of heart. You’ll hear about: why “creative process” is bullshit - and what Paul prefers instead where to find the best ideas that will speak to customers how many people should ideally be on your team Mentions: Connect with Paul on Linkedin or via his ad agency site Got feedback? Say Hi to me on Linkedin

Positioning a brand means building a story around it. Good stories are the ones the audience feels part of. The ways to do this constantly evolve on all platforms, but the fundamentals are the same. My guest this week is Mark Evans, fractional CMO, consultant, and advisor. You’ll hear about: how to create a good story around your brand how to make your content customer-centric why podcasting is an excellent way to differentiate your brand (vs blogging) how to benefit from Linkedin Mentions: Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller The Inside Advantage by Robert Bloom Marketing Spark by Mark Get in touch with Mark through his website or Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin

All the best marketing is hyper personalized. That also means most of it doesn’t scale. But that is the only way to build real fans and your company brand if you are playing a long game. This time I’m interviewing the CMO of Toronto based real estate startup Alison Simpson. You’ll hear about the uscalable tactics Alison runs at Key Living; how she increased the sales of luxury products being SVP of Marketing at Holt Renfrew by 20% without increasing the budget; and also how Key Living will convert every aspiring home owner into an actual owner of their home in downtown Toronto. Get in touch with Alison over email (alison@keyliving.com) or LinkedIn Say HI to me on Linkedin

In today’s interview I’m talking to James Mulvany, the founder of podcast platform podcast.co. We cover a lot of specific aspects of running a podcast. Here’s are the key ones: How to generate business from your podcast How to interview people better than others to get a unique point of view How to have encourage conversations with your podcast audience A course James has mentioned if you are thinking about starting a podcast Connect with James on: Website Linkedin Got comments, thoughts about the show? Message me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In today’s episode of Media Camp I’m interviewing Zineb Layachi, CMO in residence at Adinton Technologies and a co-founder of Pitchslap (a weekly pitching show). We are not talking about new fancy marketing tactics here, rather the importance of doing the fundamentals right. You’ll hear about: why doing customer discovery benefits marketing as much as your product how to change founders mindset about what good marketing is how to create educational content to attract people who want to buy where can you find content ideas Connect with Zineb on Linkedin If you are into startups, check out the weekly pitching show called Pitchslap Say HI to me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this episode of Media Camp we are meeting an amazing B2B copywriter from the UK Tamsin Henderson. She also created a series of extremely successful copywriting courses on Udemy (link below). Here’s what you’ll hear about in our chat: How Tamsin wrote a press release that made over a million dollars for her client How to write in a conversational way and fit it into your brand guidelines What questions to ask yourself while writing case studies so they don’t sound like they’ve been written by a marketer Connect with Tamsin on her website AND be sure to check out her udemy courses if you are into writing great copy Udemy courses Say HI to me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this interview I had a pleasure to speak to a fantastic marketer and a Linkedin enthusiast Katie Mitchell. We speak a lot about brand, Linkedin and creating content that you want to read or watch. You’ll hear about: How much impact brand has on your demand (both for company and your personal brand) Why over reliance on data can prevent you from shipping marketing work that cuts through the noise How to create engaging linkedin posts How Linkedin makes you a much much better marketer (regardless where you work) Connect with Katie on Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this interview, I had a pleasure to talk to Mark Kilens, VP of Content and Community at Drift. Previously he was leading Hubspot Academy content model as a VP. Mark is one of the most energetic guests I had on the show. He shares excellent advice on: building content hubs (like Hubspot Academy and Drift Insider) for your B2B SaaS business his favourite content frameworks (that you can steal) webinars vs podcasts: what's broken and what works well and more content strategy bits like setting your goals based on target revenue You’ll enjoy this episode a lot. Connect with Mark on Linkedin or Twitter Say HI to me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

One of my favourite episodes so far. If you are into podcasts, you will learn a lot. I’m chatting to James Carbary who started the whole company (Sweet Fish Media) to just produce podcasts for brands. He has also runs top B2B podcast out there called “B2B Growth” with 3.5 million downloads and over 1,600 episodes. Here’s what we cover in this extensive interview: how you produce a podcast at scale how you position your show and grow your audience what interview structure you should use to stand out and deliver max value to your audience how to get huge engagement on your linkedin posts Connect with James on: Linkedin Website B2B Growth Podcast Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

I’ve got a chance to interview Hubspot VP of Marketing Kieran Flanagan about content creation for his personal brand. Kieran has been at Hubspot for over 7 years now and runs his own podcast show called “Growth TLDR”. Here’s what we cover in this episode: How Kieran started his podcast to network Managers vs practitioners: when you should switch from doing the legwork to telling others what to do Kieran’s career as a content creator so far Connect with Kieran on: Linkedin Twitter Podcast Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Books mentioned in this episode Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this interview I’m talking to Alexandra Cote, a content marketing freelancer from Romania. She runs her own brand, has copywriting courses on Udemy and posts on linkedin and YouTube. We are primarily focused on writing long form content. Specifically you’ll hear about" What processes Alexandra uses to write her content How she does SEO optimization and what matters How she’s finding clients as a freelancer Connect with Alexandra on: Linkedin Twitter Website Youtube Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

I love talking to people like Dan who help other b2b businesses run personalized campaigns. Dan is a CMO of a company called Sendoso. They deliver direct mail, personalized gifts, eGifts at scale to build relationships with companies you want to sell to. We are chatting about: successful campaigns he ran and why they worked how you pick your target accounts to send them gifts where you get home addresses of people since they work from home Connect with Dan Linkedin Check out Sendoso website Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

I’m interviewing a long time content creator in beauty and lifestyle and my college Anum Rubec. She’s been putting out content on Youtube, Instagram for more than a decade now. Working with beauty brands, shooting YouTube videos and instagram videos. We are talking: how she thinks about brand what’s social platforms work for her what’s process she uses to create content Connect with Anum Website Instagram Linkedin Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is easily one of my best content interviews to date. I had a pleasure to chat with Tukan Das, the CEO of Leadsift (B2B SaaS) about the magic of inbound content marketing. We are talking specifics and data in this episode so you can actually apply a lot of ideas and you will get results. Here are a few talking points worth mentioning: how Tukan went on to generate almost all his business, 77%, from content marketing what can you do with YouTube pre-roll ads how Leadsift produces micro-content and on what platforms they apply it how Tukan is doing short video interviews with influencers in B2B Say hi to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin Connect with Tukan on Linkedin Twitter Check out Leadsift Cool marketing folks Tukan follows: Chris Walker Nathan Latka Dave Gerhard Guillaume Cabane Gong Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In the episode #60 I had a pleasure to meet a real brand builder, former marketing CMO and a marketing consultant Katie Martell. We talk a lot about marketing, influence and PR, but the underlying theme of the conversation is building your brand. Here are 3 main aspects we cover in detail: Why you should be building your brand regardless of your role Why Katie stayed in consulting after being a CMO What she’s looking for in ideal client to work with More about Katie: – One of the top 10 marketing writers on LinkedIn – #3 Most influential B2B marketer on Twitter – A “marketing expert to follow” by CIO Magazine – One of 20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management – Top 100 influencer in content marketing Katie has been invited to speak at a variety of marketing industry events including TEDx, FutureM with MITX, MarketingProfs B2B Forum, BMA, DX Summit, B2B Summit, Young Women in Digital, and universities including Emerson, Northeastern, BU, and Babson College. Sign up for Katie’s newsletter Check out Katie’s work on her site Books mentioned on the show Writing the Mind Alive: The Proprioceptive Method for Finding Your Authentic Voice Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This time I'm stoked to be announcing a new name and format for the show. It will be called Media Camp. All the details in the audio. What do you think? Connect with me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In today’s interview I’m talking to a brilliant marketer Elle Woulfe who is now a VP of Marketing at InVision. Elle spent decades in the industry and was at Eloqua in the very early days when nobody knew what the heck marketing automation software even was. We are chatting on a bunch of topics: How to lead a marketing team and keep each member accountable and driven What content formats work well today and will in the future How to approach creating content that matches your buyer MQL’s vs “more pipeline” and less leads And some of the cool career related questions Connect with Elle on Linkedin Check out Elle’s very own podcast called Further Podcast If you’d like to share what you think about this episode, message with me on Linkedin Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

So excited to talk to Doug Kessler about one of my favourite topics - creating engaging content for your audience. Doug is co-founder and creative director of Velocity Partners, the London- and New York-based B2B multi-award winning marketing agency. Doug wrote a lot of very strong content pieces like “the B2B Content Strategy Checklist, Insane Honesty in Content Marketing and Crap: Why the Biggest Threat to Content Marketing is Content Marketing”. In this interview we cover different angles of content such as: what b2b can learn from b2c Doug’s 5 step storytelling framework and how you can apply it what can you do better as a marketer right now Learn more about Doug Example of his work The search for meaning in B2B marketing If you’d like to share what you think about this episode, connect with me on Linkedin Resources mentioned on the show: “Marketing Myopia” article by Theodore Levitt The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Today’s interview is different from my usual ones. I’m interviewing Nikhil who is an aspiring actor and runs his entertainment YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers. We are chatting about what it takes to create video content that is entertaining and the audience wants to consume, what process Nikhil uses right now, challenges of acting as a career and Nikhil’s future youtube projects. If you’d like to share what you think about this episode with me, drop me a message on LinkedinMore About Nikhil PandeyNikhil runs a Youtube channel creating personal development and entertainment content for 2 years. He is behind impersonations of well known folks like Gary Vee, Connor McGregor, David Goggins, Tai Lopez, Jordan Peterson and others.See Nikhil’s work on YoutubeFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Daniel is the only guest on my show who has run a spontaneous 100km trail race along the Great Wall of China without training. That took him 27 hours non-stop. He is the President of a real estate startup Key Living, Top 30 Under 30 (BCBusiness), TEDx speaker and has built two VC backed companies. We are talking about his daily routines, life experiences he had and what vision he is building towards right now with his latest startup. Connect with Daniel on LinkedinFind out more about Key LivingList of books and podcasts mentioned in this interviewPodcast: Rich Roll Podcast Book: Can't Hurt Me : Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - by David GogginsFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is one of the most in-depth productivity focused interviews I have done on this show (!!). I’m chatting with Charlie Gilkey, the founder of Productive Flourishing, and the author of the book Start Finishing: How To Go From Idea to Done.Charlie goes deep into details of what it actually takes to get your work done. I’m asking him questions about productivity, finding where you are the strongest at, how to have a better focus, hypothetical Tim Ferris style questions and books he considers a must read. Connect with Charlie on TwitterCheck out Productive Flourishing Productive Flourishing helps professional creatives, leaders, and changemakers take meaningful action on work that matters. He is internationally known as a thought leader on productivity, planning, strategy, and leadership for creative people. Get free planners here List of books mentioned in this interviewStart Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done by Charlie Gilkey Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts--Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom by Jonathan Fields Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is the most fun interview I have done in a long time! I’ve visited an office of Sampler to chat with their CEO Marie about entrepreneurship, sacrifices, ups and downs of running a business, routines, meditation and what makes Sampler cool.If you can take one thing away from this interview it’s a message that we are more powerful than we think we are. Marie’s story is full of examples and stories that prove it. One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks hereConnect with Marie on linkedinCheck out Sampler No matter what your sampling needs are, we’ve got a solution for you. Attend a RetailTO event here (Marie hosts it). List of books mentioned in this interviewPurple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth GodinFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this interview I sat down with the CEO of People.ai Oleg Rogynskyy to do the run through of hypothetical questions I usually ask my guests. You’ll get a sense of how Oleg thinks, what makes him tick, how he makes decisions that got him where he is now.We cover things like what Oleg has learned from his journey of being the CEO so far, what kind of mentors he hangs out with it, how he prefers to work, his favourite books and more. One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks hereAbout Oleg Prior to People.ai Oleg helped start and scale three AI/machine learning companies, two of which, including Oleg's own Semantria, were subsequently acquired. He has a strong interest in data science, machine learning, and NLP.Connect with Oleg on linkedinAbout People.aiPeople.ai accelerates enterprise growth through the power of AI. With the industry’s only Revenue Intelligence System, People.ai frees all customer-facing teams, including sales, marketing, and customer success, from manual data entry by automatically capturing all contacts and customer activity data, dynamically updating the CRM and providing actionable intelligence across all management tools, allowing them to realize their full selling capacity. Headquartered in San Francisco, People.ai has been recognized as a Gartner Cool Vendor and backed by Y Combinator and Silicon Valley’s top investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.List of books mentioned in this interviewWho: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart (Author), Randy Street (Author) What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture Hardcover by Ben Horowitz (Author)The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy by Ben Horowitz (Author) Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World by John Doerr (Author)Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt (Author)Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is a marketing heavy chat, but the one I think you’ll learn a ton from. I’m interviewing an obsessed marketer Chris Walker who is also the CEO of Refine Labs. Chris pushes companies to rethink how to they approach their-go-to-market strategy and explains in detail why traditional B2B playbook is wrong. I ask him how did he learn so much marketing so fast (he’s 30 years old), his principles and structure of learning, time management, routines and the mindset. One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks hereConnect with Chris on LinkedinList of books mentioned in this interviewThe Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin (Author)Digital Darwinism: Survival of the Fittest in the Age of Business Disruption Paperback – by Tom GoodwinAbout Refine LabsOur Revenue Engine Optimization formula helps B2B companies grow revenue, increase pipeline velocity, and lower customer acquisition costs.Consider us as an extension of your internal team for business growth and marketing innovation. Our core formula has been shaped, iterated, and battle-tested over the last 7 years in B2B companies ranging in revenue from $2MM to $50MM. Our results are consistent and span across industries including medical devices, industrial, scientific, and health/wellness.Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In this interview I have connected with Staffan Rydin who has moved from Sweden to Canada and now helps very well known CEO’s and high-performers achieve the next level of awareness and perspective in their life. I’m diving into his career decisions, coaching approach, life principles, time management, favourite books and more. One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks hereConnect with Staffan on: linkedin websiteList of books mentioned in this interviewThe Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle (Author) The Power of Intention Paperback – by Dr. Wayne W. DyerThe Illusion of Money: Why Chasing Money Is Stopping You from Receiving It - by Kyle Cease (Author) Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High - by Kerry Patterson (Author), Joseph Grenny (Author), Ron McMillan (Author), Al Switzler (Author) Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life Paperback - by Jon Kabat-Zinn The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Paperback – by Stephen R. CoveyFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

My guest today went to work for his current company (brain.fm) for free to prove himself before being appointed the CEO. He has extreme routines and one time even relocated to Asia to keep his schedule the way he wants. We are chatting about Dan’s obsession with biohacking, the science behind brain.fm music, habits, routines, distractions, lots of hypothetical questions and more. One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on LinkedinConnect with Dan Clark online linkedin Instagram EmailAbout Brain.fm brain.fm creates music designed for the brain to enhance focus, relaxation, meditation, naps and sleep. This makes their music unique, purpose-built to steer you into a desired mental state. List of books mentioned in this interviewAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones Hardcover – by James Clear Losing My Virginity Kindle Edition by Richard BransonRelentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Hardcover – by Tim S. GroverFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

I had a lot of fun interviewing the CEO of Versapay Craig O’Neil. We are deconstructing how Craig thinks, his routines, career lessons, habits, leadership tools he has learned over the decades in business. And of course this conversation would not be complete without me asking about his favourite books. Hope you enjoy this one! One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyAbout Craig Craig O’Neill is a serial software entrepreneur and the CEO of a fintech company based in Toronto Versapay. Craig was a co-founder and CEO of a company called Xeye back in 2000. VersaPay is a Fintech company that changes the way thousands upon thousands of companies do business together by reinventing the accounts receivable processConnect with Craig on LinkedIn AND Learn more about what Versapay doesList of books mentioned in this interviewThe Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Team Assessment Pamphlet – Apr 24 2012 by Patrick M. LencioniThe Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three by Patrick M. Lencioni Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim ScottFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is my 48th interview with someone who lives and breathes the psychology of business Brent Lowe. He coaches the very best people in tech in Canada. We are covering the whole spectrum of entrepreneurial psychology here: thoughts and beliefs that are slowing founders down, the art of focus, how to maximize your time, phases entrepreneurs go through, benefits of non-hierarchical company structure, nuances of goal setting and more. One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyAbout Brent Brent Lowe directly focuses on psychology of business in his work. He founded three successful companies by the age of 24, was on a senior leadership team of three early-stage and fast growing companies (Redknee, Achievers, Bullfrog Power). He is a business coach, advisor and author of the book “Reinventing Scale-Ups: Radical Ideas for Growing Companies”. Currently Brent is helping clients grow their businesses. Among them are the very best people in tech in Canada. Connect with Brent on his website, Twitter or LinkedInList of books mentioned in this interviewReinventing Scale-Ups: Radical Ideas for Growing CompaniesCrucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second EditionWho: The A Method for HiringFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

In my 47th interview I had an opportunity to meet with the CEO of Loopio Zak Hemraj and talk about his mindset as a leader of one of the fastest growing B2B SaaS companies in Canada, how did he get started, his principles and drive, the importance of focus and limiting distractions, favourite business books and hypothetical questions to really expose Zak’s thinking. Enjoy the episode!One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyAbout Zak He is the Co-founder and CEO of Loopio, a Toronto-based software company that accelerates the RFP response process for companies in a variety of industries. He started his career at Achievers, where he worked in a few roles across Software Development and Sales, as the company grew from 20 to 300 employees over 8 years. After being inspired by the problems and opportunities he was exposed to at Achievers, Zak decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge. He co-founded Loopio in 2014 along with his closest friends, Matt York, and Jafar Owainati. Loopio has grown to over 90 people, raised $9M in Series A funding from OpenView Venture Partners, and serves more than 500 customers globally.Connect with Zak on LinkedIn or TwitterList of books mentioned in this interviewPowerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and ResponsibilityMeasure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRsRadical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your HumanityFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Today I had an opportunity to interview the President of Sharp Canada Carmine Cinerari. He was the first Canadian-born executive to lead Canadian subsidiary of a Japanese company Sharp Electronics. Became the youngest president ever in 2008 and has been president for over 11 years.We are speaking about Japanese philosophy in business, work ethic, leadership principles, Carmine’s mindset during very tough financial times at Sharp, morning evening routines and a lot more. One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyAbout Sharp Canada At Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd, a direct subsidiary of Osaka-based Sharp Corporation - a company known worldwide for its unique one-of-a-kind electronic products and solutions, our challenge is to create a balance between work time and personal time, with products that can benefit people's lives at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Sharp consumer electronics can enhance your enjoyment, add to your comfort and open new perspectives.List of books mentioned in this interviewGood To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don’t21 Lessons for the 21st CenturyFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Today I’m interviewing Bob Langert, the first McDonald’s VP who led sustainability efforts before retiring in 2015. We are speaking about leadership, influence, corporate responsibility, Bob’s favourite books and career lessons he learned after spending over 30 years at McDonald’s. Before you go: have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyAbout Bob Langert He is a TED speaker and recently did a talk called “The business case for working with your toughest critics”. As VP of sustainability at McDonald's, Bob shaped the restaurant chain's commitment to the environment, supply chain sustainability and balanced menu choices. In January 2019, he published The Battle to Do Good; Inside McDonald's Sustainability Journey. He shares how he addressed some of the most significant societal issues of our times -- obesity, waste and packaging, deforestation in the Amazon, animal well-being and much more. Connect with Bob Linkedin Twitter GreenBiz PublicationBooks mentioned on the showThe Battle To Do Good: Inside McDonald’s Sustainability JourneyThe Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965Washington: A LifeFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This was meant to be a Youtube live interview, but I had a connection failure and lost the recording. So, this episode is a recap of our chat with Evan! Evan is very well known for his personal development and mindset videos on YouTube. More about Evan.At 19, he built then sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a venture capitalist raising $500k to $15M. He now runs a YouTube channel for entrepreneurs with over 2 million subscribers, wrote 4 books, and speaks globally.Before you go: if you’d like to never miss my next interview or want to get more personal development & business content, go on my podcast page and sign up for my weekly Email list Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

Look, regardless of what you are woking towards, you have to make sacrifices. And if you are the CEO, tradeoffs you make are particularly extreme. It’s a real hand to hand combat. Every. Single. Day. I’m interviewing the CEO of Soapbox (tech startup here in Toronto) Brennan McEachrun about what he had to give up by running a company and how he worked around it. We talk about how he uses Linkedin for business, his favourite business books, advice to young entrepreneurs and more. Before you go: if you’d like to never miss my next interview or want to get more personal development & business content, go on my podcast page and sign up for my weekly Email list Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyConnect with Brennan on Twitter or LinkedinAbout Soapbox We’re a team of radical humans building the first people platform designed for managers. We believe that managers are the single most important reason why an employee shows up and tries, every single day. That’s why we’re building a tool that will help them coach, communicate and collaborate better with their team.List of books mentioned in this interviewHigh Output ManagementMastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing FirmTraction: Get a Grip on Your BusinessTraction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer GrowthMeasure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRsinfluence: The Psychology of PersuasionRadical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your HumanityThe Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful GroupsFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co

This is an anniversary episode! If you are looking to get the next level in your personal development and discipline, this an episode you’ve been waiting for!It’s been a year since I started this show! And so much fun. I’m really grateful for the opportunities I had to interview amazing leaders in business, marketing, sports. So this time I wanted to share what patterns I’ve seen that makes them perform at such a high level and lead teams of smart people. These are my personal observations from over 40 interviews I’ve done in late 2018 and 2019. Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directlyFind out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co