System Execution Podcast

Allen Adamson is a noted industry expert in all disciplines of branding. He is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Metaforce.co and the author of BrandSimple, BrandDigital, The Edge: 50 Tips from Brands That Lead, and Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast Changing World. Prior to Metaforce, Allen was Chairman, North America of Landor Associates, a global branding firm. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Allen’s experience and the expertise he has around branding The evolution of the term “brand,” what it has come to mean today, and why branding is all about getting your story out to the world What has changed in the branding space with the omnipresence of technology Why you need to constantly reinvent and re-sharpen your brand in today’s market Ways to know whether your branding is working or not including the most important thing for a brand to focus on The process Allen takes his clients through to determine what makes their brand different What you need to get focused on in your brand’s story if you want to get it out there One of the biggest challenges of working collaboratively as a company and who should be at the table when coming up with the brand’s story What an editorial reduction process is and why that is really the important part of branding The process Allen uses to help businesses figure out where to put their brand’s story and how to know whether the advertising channel you’ve chosen is the right one or not An example of a brand that has been successful over time and why they have been able to accomplish this Your best chance of breaking out against your competitors The danger of trying to do too many things with your brand and how to avoid that trap Why you should have a founder’s mentality Reasons brands might want to look outside the digital space to get their name out there Ways to contact Allen: Website: www.shiftaheadbook.com Website: metaforce.co

Berkley Egenes is the Vice President of Marketing for MERIDIUN. A results-driven strategic marketing leader solving business challenges at the intersection of consumers and technology, Egenes is committed to building brands, launching products and producing returns for his partners. With a strong entrepreneurial spirit for creating insights-based understanding using a data-first brand strategy and development process, he has delivered measurable cross-channel platforms and technologies in the global economy with brands like Kellogg’s, AB InBev, Alcatel, VIZIO, Walmart, Seiyu, ASDA, Sam’s Club, CVS Pharmacy, Ahold USA, A&P, Spartan Stores, Hy-Vee, Inc., Big Y and Weis Markets. Always focused on the impact of technology in the global consumer ecosystem, he has an extensive background in augmented and virtual reality, retail, IoT, consumer electronics and mobility, consumer packaged goods and shopper marketing experiences working on the brand side at NextVR, NASCAR, and creative agency and services with CSE, Envoy and IBM. A graduate of Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and certificate in international business, Egenes also earned his master in business administration from the University of Notre Dame. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Berkley’s client engagement process with his AR and AI business, MERIDIUN What exactly the AR and AI space is and how it creates personal experiences for users as well as how consumers are driving the convergence of AR and AI What new clients should expect when they come to MERIDIUN (including the first thing they look at to help their business) Reasons consumers aren’t buying merchandise in stores as much anymore and why mobile devices are now driving half of all revenue The importance of methodically following a process and what MERIDIUN does during that process to ensure their solution is going to provide value to the client How Berkley works with clients whether they know everything or nothing about AR and AI Monetizing the content experience for retailers including ways AR can pay for itself How long a typical engagement can last and what happens over that time, including handling periods when there is a lot of working going on but not a lot of communication with clients Communicating with clients to constantly improve their experience as well as the end product and how actively engaging with clients and data helps with this The concept of failing fast and how it can actually help you succeed along with real-world examples of how this can happen Berkley’s plans to scale appropriately and how plans and processes are a huge part of that Advantages of being forward thinking and jumping at good opportunities Ways to contact Berkley: Email: berkley.egenes@meridiun.com Twitter: @berkleyegenes LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/berkleyegenes

Peter Lovenheim is an author and journalist whose articles and essays have appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Moment Magazine, The Washington Post, and other publications. His five previous books include In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, winner of a Barnes & Noble Discover Award and the First Annual Zócalo Public Square Book Prize, and Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf, a first-hand attempt to understand the food chain. Lovenheim holds a degree in journalism from Boston University and in law from Cornell Law School. He teaches narrative non-fiction at The Writers Center in Bethesda, MD and splits his time between his hometown of Rochester, NY, and Washington, DC. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The attachment effect and its elements including how a knowledge of attachment can help managers and owners The hunger we all have that drives the interest in attachment and how that stems from the nature vs nurture debate What drives attachment from birth and how the quality of early attachment helps shape who we become The types of attachments people can come out of childhood having Why a person’s attachment style shows up a lot in the workplace and different ways of measuring attachment in adults Why it’s advantageous for managers to know their employees’ attachment styles Traits that different attachment styles bring to the workplace as well as what mix of styles is best to have in a business What Peter found in his observations while observing different attachment styles in a real business The attachment style that is best suited for a management position Advice on how to best manage employees with insecure attachments and ways people with different attachment styles can help each other All the areas of your life your attachment style can manifest itself Ways to contact Peter: Website: peterlovenheim.com

Rami Jebara is the Co-Founder & CTO of Tuangru, a software provider of next generation data center infrastructure management (DCIM), designed for today’s hybrid IT environments. Whether a users application workloads reside on-premises, in edge data centers or in the cloud, Tuangru provides users with a holistic view of their entire infrastructure for management and optimization. The company was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in North America by Deloitte Technology Fast 500™. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What Rami’s company, Tuangru, is focused on as well as the premise and belief it was founded behind How Rami got started in the IT world when the internet was still pretty new Hybrid IT- what it is and what’s happening with it in the IT world including what stays the same and what the challenge is with this different IT management The software system Rami uses to keep everybody in his company aligned and the agile process and system Rami’s team uses Two things that processes are made out of with an example of a system and process that is more important than software tools The most important aspect of onboarding to help you build a knowledge base to help the process Reasons it’s so important to make sure you start with the right people and how to amplify and enable humans to work more efficiently Two different types of missteps and examples of each What happens if you have an imbalance of process in engineering How software development has changed and become more systematized The importance of reflecting and asking questions about your processes Meetings and rituals that bring the team closure including weekly check-ins that Rami runs and who is involved in those Why different departments need to communicate with each other Ways to contact Rami: Email: rami.jebara@tuangru.com

David Thomas, CEO at Evident, is an accomplished cybersecurity entrepreneur. He has a history of introducing innovative technologies, establishing them in the market, and driving growth with each early-stage company emerging as the market leader. Today, as CEO of Evident, he helps provide innovative business solutions to simplify interactions with personal data assets. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why David enjoys building a business from the ground up and prefers working as a smaller business instead of as a larger corporation The importance of a rigorous process not only for businesses that specialize in data security but in all businesses seeking success The role automation plays in David’s organization and why it is so important for smaller businesses to help them achieve the larger visions of the organization Why David believes it’s important to hire quality people to handle the things that are outside of his expertise The way David responds to problems, with a team approach How David feels about having the customer’s best interest at heart and why he believes that philosophy has served his entire organization well The importance of positivity even when dealing with sensitive topics that may be emotionally charged The role of educating and training his workforce plays in David’s organization and why it’s important for all businesses that expect to grow The necessity of auditing the effectiveness of workers and the quality of David’s organization’s work How David’s organization prefers to focus on every single touchpoint of the customer experience rather than simply focusing on marketing or production David’s words of advice to entrepreneurs starting their own businesses Ways to contact David: Website: www.evidentid.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company-beta/17901517 Twitter: @EvidentID

By his 35th birthday, Mike Michalowicz had founded and sold two multi-million dollar companies. Confident that he had the formula to success, he became an angel investor and proceeded to lose his entire fortune. Then he started all over again, driven to find better ways to grow healthy, strong companies. Among other innovative strategies, Mike created the Profit First Formula, a way for businesses to ensure profitability from their very next deposit forward. Mike is now running his third million dollar venture, is a former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal; is the former MSNBC business makeover expert; is a popular keynote speaker on innovative entrepreneurial topics; and is the author of Profit First, Surge, The Pumpkin Plan and The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, which BusinessWeek deemed the entrepreneurs cult classic. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Mike’s Pumpkin Plan system and the specific processes it includes The lessons Mike learned from being an angel investor How to determine whether a seed is strong and has potential How to match the uniqueness of an idea with the demand How to put a value on each client based upon the cringe or crush factor The importance of focusing on a few strong ideas rather than many weak ideas How to promote explosive growth The critical questions that every business owner should ask their best customers Ways to contact Mike: Website: www.mikemichalowicz.com Twitter: @MikeMichalowicz A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/the-pumpkin-plan/

Kristin is the founder and managing director of Creative Development Agency (formerly award-winning firm, Marquet Media). She oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency as well as directs all client accounts and projects. With a strong eye for creating memorable brands and a diverse range of knowledge, Kristin provides strategic counsel to clients interested in developing successful internal and external communication programs across all media platforms. Kristin has forged successful partnerships with celebrity fashion designer and correspondent NV Nick Verreos; prestige hair care brand Briogeo; luxury skincare brand BubblePopBeauty.com; and many more. She has generated media placements in Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, Seventeen, Glamour, and ELLE magazines, Refinery29.com, and countless other outlets. Passionate about learning, Kristin has attended MIT, Boston University, and New York University, and holds degrees in Literature and Marketing/PR. In 2015, she authored of the book, Squash the competition and Dominate your marketplace: 55 Easy Tips to Generate Big Publicity for Your Startup or Small Business. Most recently, she joined the Young Entrepreneur Council, and is also a contributor to Forbes.com, Inc.com, HuffingtonPost.com, Entrepreneur.com, and NYDailyNews.com As someone who loves everything about the startup world, Kristin launched the design studio FemFounder.co to help emerging entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Kristin’s team of just 5 people uses systems and processes get a LOT of work done for their 31 clients Kristin’s whiteboard system of physically writing everything that she and her team needs to accomplish in schedules, workflows, checklists, etc. on paper and whiteboards The meeting Kristin’s team has on every Friday to go over what’s been accomplished and what needs to be a priority in the days and weeks ahead Why digital project management systems like Trello and Asana didn’t work for Kristin What goes on each of the six whiteboards (and why Kristin duplicates what’s on her whiteboards at work on her whiteboards at home) How Kristin takes what’s on the whiteboards with her -- without ever entering that data into her computer The importance of detailing every single step to make sure nothing slips through the cracks Kristin’s color coding on her whiteboards using black (pending), red (urgent), and blue (new) markers Creative Development Agency’s upcoming proprietary algorithm as part of their analytics department Experimenting to find the system that works best for you Ways to contact Kristin: Website: creativedevelopmentagency.com

With experience in both office interiors and product design, Ken Baker understands the inside and out of the architecture and design field. Ken has been a Gensler Principal for 20-years and is currently serving as a member of the Gensler Management Committee. As a Co-Managing Principal of Gensler’s Southeast Region and past Co-Managing Principal of Gensler’s U.K., Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Gulf Regions, Ken is considered a global expert on workplace design and planning, particularly for law firms. He has designed over 10 million square feet of corporate headquarters and offices for law firms and financial institutions, and is one of Gensler’s major Global Account holders, managing relationships with clients such as Sidley Austin, LLP; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; JP Morgan Chase, and Barclays Capital worldwide. Ken is also a leader in Gensler’s furniture and product development practice and frequently speaks about the power of design at industry events around the world. A fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and a member of the Board of Trustees for the National Building Museum, Ken is passionate about producing design solutions that optimize trends that align with clients core objectives. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How design thinking makes the world better and thinking creatively about our environment makes a better environment for people to live, work, and play in How changing technologies have impacted design and the way buildings are laid out Using design thinking to create efficiency by diminishing wasted space and unnecessary employees which saves a lot of money The Gensler process for designing the best space that gets customized for every client Putting people at the center of the design so they have a positive experience when using the space Focus, socialization, collaboration, and education: the four modes of work every design has to incorporate Morphable design: designing a space that can adapt over time as needs change without significant cost Things to look out for when designing (or redesigning) a space Ways to contact Ken: Email: kenneth_baker@gensler.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/design-thinking/

Ken is the co-author of the recent manufacturing sales book, entitled “Selling in Manufacturing and Logistics.” Ken and his co-author are experienced Sandler trainers who play very important roles in the Sandler’s worldwide organization. They advise organizations and individuals on how to help discover their true potential and develop innovative solutions that create sustainable change. Ken is currently head of Sandler Training Consultancy in Akron, Ohio, and he and his co-author have really focused in on selling in manufacturing and logistics. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The systematic approach to manufacturing sales that led Ken to Sandler Training “Selling in Manufacturing and Logistics”: Ken’s book with Mike Jones The systems that most manufacturing sales people create that are really ineffective (and what can be done about that) Why finding new customers is such an essential part of the sales process Why sales isn’t as much about relationship building as it was in the past Prospecting the right clients and not trying to sell to everyone The questions salespeople should ask leads to make the best proposal Why many salespeople are afraid to ask these questions (and why they shouldn’t be) The importance of having a conversation with prospects instead of telling them what they need How the internet has opened up what we know about prospects before talking to them Looking for prospects that have a lot in common with your best customers Why cold calling is not as effective as it used to be (and what methods you should use to talk to prospects) A2ikfrom people you both know Making sales a science and not an art by scripting out whatever possible How to avoid the most common pitfalls sales people face Ways to contact Ken: Email: ken.guest@sandler.com Book: “Selling in Manufacturing and Logistics” A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/manufacturing-sales/

Peter Strohkorb has over 15 years of corporate business experience in executive-level Sales and Marketing executive roles with some of the biggest brands on the planet. Today, he is a sought-after expert business advisor on how to achieve significant sales revenue and business growth through better managing the intersection between your Sales, your Marketing and your ideal Customers. Peter’s clients have experienced sales revenue growth of up to 433% (!) and won more repeat business from existing clients. He is a published author of the Amazon 5-Star rated book The OneTEAM Method, which describes his holistic Sales and Marketing collaboration framework to lift sales results, enhance customer experience and boost staff engagement. Peter holds qualifications in Marketing and Management from the prestigious Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney, Australia. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The 7 Figure Sales Introduction system for improving your sales process Changing sales from product-focused to customer-focused Why spamming people to get as many leads as possible in the top of a sales funnel is a bad trend for the industry Using the right language to actually make a sale How long you have to make an impact in a cold call Peter’s prediction for 2018: winning new business won’t be the top for priority for most businesses anymore Why your “about us” page shouldn’t be about you How the OneTEAM Method has expanded since Episode 22 to bring sales and marketing teams together Why customers buy with their hearts, not their heads, and why you need to change your sales and marketing tactics to take advantage of this How to do proposals so they actually convert Ways to contact Peter: Course: www.peterstrohkorb.com/PermissionBasedSelling Email: pstrohkorb@peterstrohkorb.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/how-to-improve-your-sales-process/

As a consultant, author, speaker and coach, Edgar Papke is dedicated to helping leaders build cultures of innovation and better align their organizations and teams to drive new ideas, produce change, and deliver meaningful solutions. He is the author of the books True Alignment and The Elephant In The Boardroom, and he is also the co-author of Innovation By Design. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Design thinking process: a way of engaging people and getting them to collaborate at a significant level through which you can identify and solve the right problems The five steps of the Design Thinking process: to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test Edgar and Thomas Lockwood’s book “Innovation By Design” that was born from studying the most innovative cultures in the world The common thread of design thinking that all of the cultures studied for the book implemented Empathizing in design thinking: understanding the experience of the customer Ignoring your personal experience: the most challenging aspect of the empathizing process Brainstorming without limits: why the brainstorming process must allow for any idea to be heard Who should be in charge of design thinking throughout an organization (and why this depends on the makeup of the organization) Why culture dictates accountability for design thinking The three types of culture How to implement the design thinking process in your organization Ways to contact Edgar: Website: innoalignment.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/5-steps-design-thinking-process/

Kelly Manderfield is the Chief Marketing Officer for Cleveland Metroparks and leads all marketing initiatives across its 18 park reservations, eight golf courses, dining, retail, and a nationally acclaimed zoo. Manderfield is a critical member of the team that earned Cleveland Metroparks Best in Nation Gold Medal Award for excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Under her leadership, Cleveland Metroparks has developed and executed several transformative brand campaigns, including Cleveland Metroparks Come Out and Play and 100 Year centennial campaigns as well as the rebrand of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo bringing wildlife conservation to the forefront. As CMO, Manderfield has created a culture of strategic data-driven decision making to support the agency’s goals and initiatives as well as drive revenue. She manages overall marketing from end-to-end, including: communications, advertising, research, special events, event rentals, corporate partnerships, retail and visual communications. Manderfield has developed and fostered strong, mutually beneficial hometown partnerships, including KeyBanks revival of ZooKeys and sponsorship of the Centennial Fireworks Celebration that attracted more than 30,000 people to Edgewater Beach. Additionally, she helped secure Cuyahoga Community Colleges sponsorship and involvement with the popular Edgewater LIVE concert series. Prior to her joining Cleveland Metroparks, Manderfield was most recently Vice President, Senior Marketing and Strategist at KeyCorp where she oversaw national marketing programs, advertising and public relations campaigns. Manderfield received a Masters of Applied Communication Theory and Methodology from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Bowling Green State University. She currently sits on the board of Burning River Foundation, which is dedicated to improving, maintaining and celebrating the vitality of our regional freshwater resources. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The five step systematic marketing process: insight, concept, design, launch, and review Using a brand equity study to assess brand awareness and see what organization challenges need to be solved for Bringing a brand with built-in equity to life Creating different campaigns and pitting them against each other to find the strategy that will bring the highest ROI Taking a campaign across all mediums so it resonates with the most people Preparing your staff to execute the campaign successfully (and why they need complete buy-in) Assessing the success of a campaign to learn what worked, what didn’t, and how the next version can be better How qualitative research can help inform quantitative research Using study data to figure out what’s important to your visitors (or customers) and planning work based on the data Why every problem that you’ll find from the brand equity study won’t be a marketing problem Figuring out your market position: something that really differentiates you When launching a new marketing initiative, how much gets unveiled on launch day and how much gets rolled out later? Involving your staff in the research phase so you know what they will be excited to market Eliminating bias from your research Ways to contact Lauren: Website: www.voxable.io Twitter: @voxable Twitter: @LaurenGolem A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/5-step-systematic-marketing-process/

Lauren Golembiewski is the CEO and co-founder of Voxable, a conversational interface agency. She’s lucky enough to run Voxable with her partner in life, Matthew Buck. Lauren and Matthew founded Voxable to help clients more effectively communicate with their customers through conversational interface design and development. They were originally inspired to create Voxable when they connected their home to a voice-first device and felt like the wizards and space captains they saw on TV. Lauren’s background is in product design and user experience which is driven by her fascination with the way things work, especially the human mind. Her experience working with startups and leading design strategy for tech companies enables her to dive into design problems and help clients understand the best path forward. She regularly speaks about conversational design and advocates for a greater creative effort to be invested in this new technology. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Chatbots, Alexa skills, actions on Google, and more: what Voxable builds as a conversational interface agency How these conversational interfaces help humans and machines better understand each other How these conversational interfaces take human questions or commands (either verbal or written) and turn them into a machine response so that the machine does the work for the human and examples of each of these in practice on the various platforms these bots can be built into The research that needs to be done before building a conversational interface to understand how a business responds to its customers now and assess ways to improve communication with a bot Building a bot that serves your customers in the way they want to be served (ex: sends them a helpful blog automatically) The work that needs to be done to write all of the lifelike responses that a bot would provide a human during an interaction Coming up with every scenario that a user would interact with a bot and coming up with paths and responses for users to reach their desired outcomes How bots can remember user answers to better steer them towards their preferred goal The importance of having a style guide for how the bots communicate with users How Voxable’s clients test the system throughout different points in the developmental process Tweaking the CMS that a bot is built on to push out whatever message is important at a specific time What happens if a bot doesn’t understand a user or can’t help with what they ask for How users interact with your bot when it’s a persona that you’ve built well for your brand How to measure whether a bot is working or not Ways to contact Lauren: Website: www.voxable.io Twitter: @voxable Twitter: @LaurenGolem A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/conversational-interface-chatbot-technology/

Linda Phan was born in LA, but she grew up in Massachusetts from eight years old onwards. She graduated from UMass Amherst with dual degrees in Accounting and Psychology and worked for two years as a corporate auditor at the 6th largest accounting firm in the US. Linda moved to Austin, TX a year ago and worked as Chief of Staff at Newchip, a financial technology company. She is currently on track of getting her MBA from Acton School of Business. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Linda’s background learning processes as an auditor The most important systems and processes for small businesses How Linda came to Newchip first as an executive assistant and then moved up to Chief of Staff by implementing systems and processes and making the company more efficient The time management skills Linda needed to balance working for Newchip, going to school full time, and helping her boyfriend launch his dental startup Figuring out the steps needed for hiring a great employee and sticking to that system The system Linda developed for communicating with investors and why that communication needs to be constant The methods Linda uses for storing system documentation at Newchip using Lucidchart The five processes Linda built and put in place at Newchip before leaving to focus on her MBA and her boyfriend’s startup Why people in the operations department shouldn’t just stick to operations Ways to contact Linda: Email: lindaphan90@gmail.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/systems-and-processes-for-small-business/

Curtis Watkins is the CEO of BovaMetrics, an Augmented Intelligence company focused on boosting performance in long-term portfolios managed by wealth advisers. This is his third entrepreneurial endeavor after previously serving as the COO of a micro-hydro renewable energy firm and also as a co-founder of a mobile software solutions company. Additionally, Curtis is the Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Joules Startup Accelerator program located at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a regular television contributor to news programs and shows focused on current events, and he also serves as the Chairman for a political software company he founded called CampaignKit. He is a 2013 recipient of the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award and a graduate of the School of Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Curtis’ expensive career experience that has seen him in various roles as both an entrepreneur and an employee in Corporate America BovaMetrics’ knowledge-based systems that allow them to anticipate the questions they will be asked about their software from different industry professionals with very deep backgrounds (ex: a wealth advisor is going to have different questions from a developer) Why credibility is key for an early stage company (and how knowledge-based systems boost their credibility) The database of written documents that make up the knowledge-based systems that BovaMetrics can pull from whenever they need to The different levels of documentation that they have written to provide to prospects who may come in at different levels of expertise How BovaMetrics uses Google Drive to organize and give access to specific documents on an as-needed basis Relating what people already know to your product (ex: BovaMetrics’ Equilla is an assistant, so they related it to Siri and Alexa) How having these written documents prevents someone from interpreting your product the wrong way Getting some outside writing help to ensure you’re not caught up in your own echo chamber when creating documents and leaning on your network to get some external advice and validation What’s next for Curtis and BovaMetrics Ways to contact Curtis: Website: www.bovametrics.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/how-knowledge-based-systems-improve-company-credibility/

After graduating from UT Law in Austin, Reece began his career clerking for a federal judge in Dallas. From the courthouse, Reece headed to Thompson & Knight where he worked as an attorney in TK’s corporate section. After working at TK for a year, he decided to join his dad, Rob, and close college friend, Bryan Johnson, as they were blazing a trail in a unique healthcare delivery channel. Reece moved into the role of CEO at Innovative Infusions, helping to consolidate multiple Infusion Centers into one centralized operation. Working alongside Bryan and Rob, he helped create one of the most cutting-edge infusion delivery models in the country. Reece is passionate about creating solutions to relieve the complexity associated with managing an Infusion Center. In addition to his role as Co-Founder and COO of WeInfuse, Reece is the co-founder of and director at the National Infusion Center Association (NICA). What you’ll learn about in this episode: Reece’s path that led him from being a lawyer to moving to the infusion center industry The many common diseases states that require infusion therapy that make for this to be the fastest growing Pharma R&D The WeInfuse software that fills the software gap needed in the infusion center industry How to launch a new product in a niche industry, such as the infusion therapy industry The importance of a system that accounts for every single dose of infusion therapy drugs due to their astronomical cost The verifications, scheduling, nursing notes, and inventory management microsystems that make up the WeInfuse system The test process WeInfuse went through during its early days — both internally and once they got their first client Why things will get lost when there is not a piece of software to hold everything together — and why this was such a big problem for this $400 billion industry The significant time investment it takes to implement an automated system inside a business — and why it’s so worth it Why automation isn’t about putting people out of work — it’s about making them better at their work How WeInfuse tracks the success of its system New legislation that is going to make the WeInfuse system even better Ways to contact Reece: Website: weinfuse.com Email: info@weinfuse.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/how-to-launch-new-product-niche-industry/

Andrei Popescu is a vision-driven entrepreneur with a career-long record of business growth and innovation. His international business ventures experienced a verifiable history of growth and expansion during his tenure as managing director and he has raised significant funds from various institutions, banks and third parties to participate in joint ventures. He’s been engaged on helping organizations that evolve in challenging markets to break down the barriers that prevent them from reaching their potential, which operate in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, China and Asia-Pacific. Andrei’s focus and interests are blockchain tech, DLT, SaaS for payments, finance, and investments. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Cryptocurrency: what it is and how it works How cryptocurrency opens up money to more people than the system we’ve used Different types of cryptocurrency that are available today (it’s much more than just Bitcoin) The big barriers that must be overcome with cryptocurrency What it will take for cryptocurrency to become widely adopted How DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) will impact cryptocurrency Events happening with blockchain technology Ways to contact Andrei: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andreidragospopescu Email: andrei@coss.io Website: coss.io A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/what-is-cryptocurrency-how-it-works/

Jeff N. Smith is the Corporate IoT Business Development Manager at Parker-Hannifin. He is focused on delivering new offerings, building out new business models, and commercialization frameworks for Parker’s Voice of the Machine™ IoT connected products. His global focus areas are Industrial Mobile Systems and Factory Automation. Prior to joining Parker, Jeff was the co-founder of a smart building IoT technology start-up focused on the commercial built environment, taking this solution from inception to thousands of controllable endpoints globally for Fortune 100 customers. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Jeff’s role implementing IoT technology (Internet of Things) at Parker-Hannifin Parker’s Voice of the Machine™ Why IoT technology is one of the most monumental shifts for companies since the internet Culture: a big factor in stopping companies from implementing IoT technologies Why Parker figures out if there is a problem worth solving and then figures out if there’s a way to deliver to customers at scale Winevation: Parker’s stage gate process that they use to commercialize their product sets Getting the implementation team to understand the why The IoT implementation documentation Making sure IoT technology ties back to customers and actually solves a problem Ways to contact Jeff: Email: jeff.n.smith@parker.com Website: www.parker.com/iot A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/iot-technology-impact-your-organization/

Alex Klingensmith is an experienced Wealth Advisor and Chief Operating Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry. He is skilled in Fiduciary Independent Investment Management and Financial Planning. Alex has strong community involvement in the Carlsbad Hi Noon Rotary Club and in North San Diego County. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Financial Detox: Labrum Wealth Management’s podcast for consumer advocacy Labrum Wealth Management’s decision to work for their clients and not a firm How to choose the right financial adviser for you Why it matters how your financial adviser gets paid The reasons fiduciaries offer better investments than brokers Finding the right cadence of communication with your financial adviser Choosing an investment philosophy Why it’s never too early or too late to start investing Where to find a great financial adviser Ways to start saving before you get an adviser Alex’s goals in getting Labrum Wealth Management’s message out there Ways to contact Alex: Podcast: www.financialdetox.com Email: alex@labrumwealth.com A transcript of this podcast is available here: http://systemexecution.com/how-to-choose-the-right-financial-adviser/

Marc Butler is the Chief Operating Officer and a Managing Director for Albridge, an affiliate of Pershing, a BNY Mellon company. Formerly, Marc managed the Business Development Group for iNautix USA, where he oversaw sales, client relationship management and overall Marketing activities. Prior to that, Marc was the general manager of Pershing’s NetExchange® suite of solutions. Marc joined Pershing in 1994 as a client service associate in PC Financial Network. He has previously served on the firm’s Conversion Task Force and the Bank Market Segment team. Marc has been in the financial services industry for more than 20 years and was formerly a member of both the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Internet Roundtable and SIFMA Investor Education Advisory Committee. He was previously the featured technology columnist in Boomer Market Advisor, a monthly magazine targeted at investment professionals. Marc frequently speaks at industry conferences including the Financial Services Institute and BISA annual conferences. Marc earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Syracuse University and has also completed the Securities Industry Institute® program, sponsored by SIFMA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has also taken graduate classes in the School of Education at Syracuse University and continuing education coursework in Technology and Financial Planning. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The Business Leader’s Toolkit System: a mechanism for putting people first Employees creating a personal business plan for where they want to take their career Mentoring employees that know where they want to go — and those that have no idea The mentoring program that matches the associate up with the right mentor to guide them — even if it’s not a person inside the company A reverse mentoring program where younger, less experienced employees mentor up on things that they’re knowledgeable about (like new technology, for example) Job shadowing: having employees get their feet wet on a new role by shadowing someone in that role Job rotation: rotating people into new roles to keep them interested and engaged and further their development Ways to contact Marc: Website: www.albridge.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marcbutler Email: mbutler@albridge.com A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/business-leaders-toolkit-system-business-leadership/

After graduating in 2003 from the Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Crime, Law, and Justice Business Emphasis and completing an internship with the United States Marshals Office, Michael switched gears and put his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification that he earned at Penn State University to use working at Atlantic Health System in New Jersey and becoming the Rescue Captain of the Rockaway Township Fire Department. After a year, he began to climb the ladder within Atlantic Health System becoming the Administrative Manager of Atlantic Ambulance Corporation Air and Ground Transportation, overseeing over 250 medical professionals. He spent over 11 years growing the company from $2 million dollars and leaving valued at $44 million. During his tenure, Michael was seen as a mentor for new managers, won the Corporate Employee of the Year in 2008, Six Sigma President's Award in 2012 and was a five-time finalist for New Jersey EMS Manager of the Year. Through his operations and growth background, Michael became a Director for Kindred Hospitals of NJ overseeing the Business Development of three hospitals in New Jersey in 2013. Michael ranked tops in the country in year over year growth for Kindred. Michael was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Kindred Hospital of New Jersey in 2014, a position he holds today. This past year Michael was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce, Leader in Business Award for 2016 his hospital had one of the best years in its existence for quality, finance, efficiency, and growth. Michael has a Masters Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University and Graduate Certificates from The University of Florida, Boston University, The University of Notre Dame, and Cornell University. Outside of his CEO job Michael is the Chairman of the Board of the American Lung Association and a Professor of Business and Healthcare Administration for both the College of St. Elizabeths and Centenary University in New Jersey. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Developing a customer experience that engenders loyalty Hiring the best teams to optimize your business Living and working beyond the checklist to go beyond the normal Systems that can push your operations to the next level Going past your goals for the day and assessing what you’ve done Doing change management in the right way Getting customer ratings and assessments that can grow your business Putting structure around processes that leads to success Ways to contact Michael: Website: www.khmorriscounty.com Twitter: @KindredMCCEO LinkedIn: Michael Pizzano   A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/improving-patient-customer-experience/

Alaia Williams is a business systems strategist and community cultivator based in Los Angeles, CA. Alaia works with entrepreneurs and small business owners around the globe, helping them build better businesses by connecting them with the resources they need to succeed. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The underlying challenges that all business owners face Why organization is the most important system to put in place How to start thinking about organization as a system How to utilize the systems you already have in place to reorganize your business Figuring out what is or isn’t working with your strategies Identifying what you can do better and what is already going well When in your business journey you can work with a systems strategist Looking for systems you can develop to improve operations significantly Functioning at the highest level using strategic systems Keeping track of everything in your life and focusing on what is important Ways to contact Alaia: Email: alaia@alaiawilliams.com Website: www.alaiawilliams.com Twitter: @alaiawilliams LinkedIn: Alaia Williams A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/organization-as-a-system-crucial-business-success/

Before entering the financial planning industry, Courtney worked in City government for the duration of her career in Human Resources. Courtney has been in the financial industry since 2012 and joined the Troxell Financial team in 2016 in which she creates, maintains and enhances the ongoing operations and project management within the firm as well as serving her individual clients. She is devoted to helping her clients and the Troxell Financial team, envision their goals and develop a plan and process to pursue them. Courtney specializes in financial planning for women and special needs planning. Courtney is married and lives in Springfield, IL with her husband Mike and two children Lillian and Bennett. While Courtney is not working with clients and spending time with her family, she enjoys exercising, reading, volunteering with United Cerebral Palsy and most of all, the outdoors, especially by the water. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Customer experience processes that can foster better relationships How to grow a business through referrals without spending too much on marketing Standing out from the pack but focusing on service and finding your niche Using the most robust CRM system possible to grow your business Managing massive systems through technological automation Coordinating data entry and analytics across your operations divisions Empowering client-facing team members with the most comprehensive systems Focusing your time well and working to staff strengths Using good systems to enhance client relationships Ways to contact Courtney: Email: courtney.babiak@troxellfinancial.com Website: www.troxellfinancial.com LinkedIn: Courtney Babiak A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/how-to-improve-customer-experience-process

Mike is currently the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for cyber security firm Ops Tech Alliance (OTA), a certified SBA 8a Small Business and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. OTA was founded by former National Security and Special Operations professionals with over fifty years of experience and was formed with a singular focus: to bridge the gap between operations and technology to enable mission success. In the rapidly shifting arena of cyber security, mission success depends upon maintaining a technological advantage. OTA provides that advantage. Their culture begins with their commitment to their people, who share a passion for our business and a commitment to serving customers. Their approach is strongly based on understanding the ever-changing threat environment and the core theories behind applied technologies. Then as a trusted partner, they advise their clients on theory and technical solutions, coupled with associated tradecraft with the intention of discovering new applications and exploiting existing weaknesses. Before joining the private sector, Mike retired from the U.S. Army in 2012 as a Sergeant Major with over 20 years of experience leading US military and inter-agency personnel. Mike has extensive operational experience within the US Special Operations Command. He served with multiple Intelligence Community (IC) agencies, deploying as the sole Department of Defense representative to forward intelligence operations and special activities focused on Foreign Intelligence Services collaboration. He has received numerous military and IC awards for leadership and performance, to include the Director of National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction and the National Intelligence Meritorious Unit Citation. Mike graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. and M.S. in Information Technology Management from Touro College, as well as a Masters Certificate in IT Project Management from Villanova University. Mike is currently attending the Yale School of Management in their Global Executive Leadership Program. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Hiring the right people for businesses in any industry How to improve your hiring process Understanding your core competencies and what you uniquely offer Finding the right talent pools to draw upon for your organization Transitioning from the public to the private sector successfully Systems for recruitment, training, and retention – keeping those who work best Developing a culture that engages your workforce and your clients Where to look for excellent engineering talent in the high tech sector Using training and development to create the high talent teams you need Assessment based recruitment strategies that support new hires Ways to contact Mike: Email: boscom@ops-tech-alliance.com Website: www.opstechalliance.com Twitter: @Bosco_Mike LinkedIn: Mike Bosco A transcript of this episode is available here: http://systemexecution.com/how-to-improve-your-hiring-process/

With over 15 years in the technology consulting business, over 8 years in the medical device industry, and over 4 years in the financial sector, Anthony Rivera is experienced with developing systems that make businesses run better. What pushed Anthony into the financial sector was seeing the opportunity to help the economy. He believes that if businesses obtain capital for strategic growth they will hire more people and consumer spending will increase, lifting the whole economy. This personal cause set in motion a new business, where Anthony partnered up with over 5k lenders and developed a new software platform that allows business owners and investors to work with lenders directly. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to be driven by purpose in your life and your business A software platform that will enable businesses to raise capital more quickly Networking to develop contacts that can help you move forward Working with the right people for your business Developing networking systems that consistently generate new leads Creating a culture in your business that aligns with your mission Using checklists to develop your systems for success Developing secure systems to handle sensitive transaction data Streamlining financial transactions and creating efficiencies Ways to contact Anthony: Email: anthony@lendinglobby.com Website: www.lendinglobby.com Twitter: @1AnthonyRivera LinkedIn: Anthony Rivera A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/why-networking-crucial-to-building-successful-platform

Hamilton Perkins is the founder and President of Hamilton Perkins Collection, an e-commerce retailer, offering designer travel bags at an affordable price while holding the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Hamilton Perkins Collection has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, The Washington Post, and Money Magazine. Hamilton Perkins Collection has hosted trunk shows at Bloomingdale’s and was the winner of the 2016 Virginia Velocity Tour business pitch competition hosted by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Prior to starting Hamilton Perkins Collection, Hamilton was an Investment Advisor at Merrill Lynch and, earlier, worked as an Analyst at Bank of America. He has also served in a leadership capacity with various non-profit organizations and has been recognized for his volunteer work and service hours assisting low-income populations. Hamilton is also a contributing blogger for The Huffington Post. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University with a degree in Business Administration and he earned his M.B.A. from William and Mary. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why there is no better time than now for venturing into crowd funding Reaching out to your customer base as a knowledge resource How to craft crowdsourcing campaigns for success Using special offers as a focus group exercise to gauge interest Crowdfunding as an advertising strategy on top of raising capital Reaching out through your network to develop proof-of-concept simulations Exercising caution while entering the online media landscape How to think about crowdfunding as a media company first How to develop and execute successful crowd funding campaigns even with minimal resources Ways to contact Hamilton: Email: hperkins@hamiltonperkins.com Website: www.hamiltonperkins.com Twitter: @HamiltonPerkins A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/how-to-develop-execute-successful-crowdfunding-campaigns

Heath Barnett graduated from Texas State in 2013 with a degree in Finance. He started off trading financial derivatives for Oil and Gas and then joined a pipeline construction company, Rapid Pipeline Services, as the Chief Financial Officer. After a successful career in Oil and Gas, Heath joined Accenture and their Transaction Services Team. His team was responsible for less than 3% of the transactional volume but represented almost 50% of the company’s transactional value. After Accenture, He started his own company, Partake Technologies Inc., known as Partake, which is a mobile commerce platform that connects golf courses with their customers to provide an on-demand omnichannel shopping experience. He is an advisor for multiple other start-ups in a variety of industries and believes that his main purpose in life is to be an Entrepreneur, Protagonist, Husband, and Friend. Life Motto to Live By: Think different and question the assumptions. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Finding what makes you thrive How you can learn from a proven track record of success at major companies The way to identify gaps in your industry and how to fill them Who to turn to when looking for the right co-founders Modernizing an industry to make greater efficiencies Streamlining sales systems to create end-to-end solutions Corporate development strategies proven to create growth Listening to your customers to develop your strategy and technology How partnerships with your customers and end users can create business ecosystems Ways to contact Heath: Website: www.partakegolf.com Email: heath@partakegolf.com Twitter: @heathbarnett1 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/heathabarnett A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/mobile-commerce-platform-for-golf-industry

You might call Sheryl Brown the Jaime Sommers of financial services marketing. Using her bionic strength and amplified listening strategies in social and digital marketing, she has taken on the mission of changing how the financial services community is represented and doing business online. As CEO and Social Media Strategist of BIONICsocial, a boutique social and digital marketing agency headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, Sheryl is focused on making the financial services community hip, fresh, and relevant to today’s consumers. Sheryl is an international speaker, writer, and business trainer and has spoken at many industry events and moderated panels with executives from Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more. You can find her most anywhere online as ‘BIONICsocialite’ where she flexes her message of being bigger, better, and more bionic to financial professionals across the United States. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The ways Sheryl is working to promote women in the finance community A new approach to financial services marketing using Sheryl’s systems How Sheryl knew she was really great at what she does What you can do to find your ideal target marketing audience The processes and moving parts of social media marketing Why getting outside of your own industry’s community enhances your perspective Driving marketing by thinking about what your clients need and how they get it The coming challenges for social media and mobile marketing of financial services How you can reach out to Sheryl for advice and more information Ways to contact Sheryl: Website: www.bionicsocial.com Twitter: @BIONICsocialite LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/insurancesheryl A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/financial-services-marketing-system

Christopher Conner has been in the franchise industry since 2002 working with several hundred different franchise systems in management, franchise sales, and franchise development work. His experience ranges across all fields of franchise expertise with a focus in franchise marketing and franchise sales but includes work in franchise strategic planning, franchise research, and franchise operations consulting. Chris Conner has worked with multiple International franchises and licensed organizations throughout the United States, Middle East, India and Europe. In these International expansion programs, he played a pivotal role in developing the program, putting together documentation and marketing franchises to Domestic and International buyers. Chris’s company, Franchise Marketing Systems, is currently working with several International companies in developing and managing independent distribution channels throughout the globe. Chris Conner has worked with many diverse independent distribution systems including service franchises, sales franchise systems, retail franchise concepts, restaurant franchise systems, fitness franchise companies and multiple International franchise organizations. After almost a decade in the franchise development field, Mr. Conner saw an opportunity to change the way franchise systems were taken to market by offering a performance-based franchise development strategy. When Franchise Marketing Systems came to the market, the franchise development model was unique to the industry in that the business model relied heavily on a performance basis to market and sell the brands that were developed. Mr. Conner’s firm, Franchise Marketing Systems has been involved in over 2,000 franchise sales for new and existing franchise brands since 2009. The targeted approach of Franchise Marketing Systems to provide outside franchise sales support and sales services has proven effective enough to launch over 200 new franchise brands in the U.S. and abroad. Since the company’s launch, FMS has been involved in over one hundred first franchise sales on new brands with no pre-existing franchise units. The franchise consulting model was proven to be uniquely positioned to offer a significantly higher rate of success than traditional franchise development mediums. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Chris helps owners turn their businesses into franchises (and buy franchises, but that’s a topic for another episode) Why processes and systems need to be present and written down in a business in order for it to be franchised Teaching franchise systems with photos and video “manuals” Why Chris uses Michael Gerber’s “The E-myth” in teaching franchising How to build the franchise business plan for both the franchisor and the franchisee Why franchising is inherently less risky than other business ventures The importance of being very critical of who owns a franchise of your business How long it takes to set an owner up as a franchisor Why it takes a variable amount of time for franchisees to get up and running Why any business in any industry can be franchised Ways to contact Chris: Website: www.franchisemarketingsystems.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company-beta/849033 Twitter: @FranchiseMkting Facebook: www.facebook.com/FranchiseMarketingSystems Phone: 1-800-610-0292

Vera K. Fischer began her career in residential real estate, working her way up from Leasing Agent to Property Manager. She segued to Operations Manager for the first privately held Cognitive Rehabilitation clinic in Austin, Texas. In 1993, Vera launched her career at GSD&M, an internationally known advertising agency. After various positions within several Austin area agencies, Vera went client-side to Forgent Networks. There she managed and implemented a multi-million dollar marketing budget for several years. In 2004, Vera founded her agency, 97 Degrees West known as The Brand Marketing Agency. Since 2004, the agency has survived both recessions and shown significant growth since 2012. Clients include: LS Tractor USA, United Heritage Credit Union, FirstCare Health Plans and several area small businesses in real estate, oil & gas and specialty medical practices. 97 Degrees West has been the recipient of 15 international creative and marketing awards including a Stevie Award from the American Business Association. Vera is a member of the University Area Rotary Club, a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, a Mentor at Capital Factory and most recently, was accepted to the Master’s program at Texas State University in Strategic Communications. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Inside knowledge of programmatic media buying that demystifies the concept How to segment your audience for a layered approach to content delivery What you need to know about your targets to get to anyone anywhere The simple reason why it takes 24 advertising contacts before any action is taken How you can get through the clutter of the media landscape to reach your targets Why programmatic media buying can target specific users and follow them through The way to use tech to find networks based on target behavior Ways to contact Vera: Twitter: @VeraFischer97 Email: Vera@SystemExecution.com A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/programmatic-media-buying-explained-leveraging-search-traffic

Before entering the financial planning industry Dan Nuwash completed a 4 year activity duty commitment to the United States Marine Corps. After his military commitment Dan enrolled in Saint Peter’s University and completed both a business undergraduate degree and a Masters of Business Administration. Dan specializes in developing customized investment strategies for clients based on investment goals, risk tolerance, and capital commitments. His knowledge of risk management helps him mitigate systematic risk and exposure for clients by developing portfolios containing insurance and tax minimization investments. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Dan decided to make the move from working for a big firm to becoming an independent financial adviser How Dan has been successful with Finance for Thought without ever making a cold call The process for building relationships with clients that Dan implemented within Finance for Thought How Dan experienced trial and error in developing the relationship building process The importance of sending a personalized message to attract clients Using social media to attract new clients How to make sure prospective clients know you are actually reading their profile The three major points Dan discusses with prospective clients at their first meeting The importance of making the initial conversations about the client rather than about yourself A recommendation for how often to make contact with clients The importance of showing expertise to clients, especially if you’re not part of a big firm How to judge the appropriate amount and frequency of contact based on the client What Dan learned from sending automated messages when he first started out Why you should understand American business culture to build a solid relationship with your clients How the focus on relationship building has helped Finance for Thought have an excellent business ratio How Dan decides whether he has set the bar high enough Ways to contact Daniel: Website: financeforthought.com Twitter: @finance4thought LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dan-nuwash-mba-83657525 Email: dnuwash@americanportfolios.com Phone Number: (212) 534-1200 A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/process-for-building-relationships-with-clients

Cindy has 30+ years of business experience, specifically in developing and implementing revenue and profit generating strategies translated to tactical roadmaps from startup to ceiling-busting to exit. Cindy is creator and master facilitator of the ZFactor Methodology, a system which leverages the Visioneering process to catalyze instant change for revenue acceleration. A facilitated think-tank session process elucidates Gaps and Opportunities between current reality and desired future state of the business and creates 90 day agile roadmaps for implementation. She is founder and partner with ZFactor Group and author of “ZFactor Sales Accelerator: From Vendor to Value Creator,” which has been listed on Amazon’s Best Sellers for sales teams. From 2006 to 2012 she was VP Strategic Sales for an Austin Ventures company and helped grow the company from $800K to $54MM in 2012 and leveraged her ZFactor methodology to innovate strategy and develop the talents of a channel of 130+ sales professionals. There she ran the Enterprise Account Services (EAS) division and helped build the EAS sales operations infrastructure to support roll-out of an eCommerce Platform to corporations. Other experience includes Systems Engineer and computer sales with Motorola, Manager with Ernst & Youngs Information Technology Group, and MarComm Director for one of first Internet company IPOs in 1997. She is a Sum Cum Laude graduate of Texas A&M University. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Cindy got her start in business by selling mini computers and going door to door How the xy graph of the ZFactor methodology works How to determine if you are strategically and relationally relevant to your clients What each quadrant of the ZFactor sales acceleration methodology graph means Where the “z” in ZFactor methodology comes from How to create relational and strategic relevance with clients What you need to know about a client in order to be relevant to them Why it’s backwards to try to sell your product before you understand your client An example from Cindy’s personal life about how this methodology also works outside of business The evolution of the ZFactor methodology An example of why it’s important to understand relationships in order to be successful Why it’s imperative to remember that businesses evolve and that you should be looking to the future with them The difference between doing business with companies and doing business with people How to meet clients and salespeople where they are at Why it’s important to have a dedicated person to help when implementing a system A big mistake many people make that hinders the growth of a client relationship How Cindy ensures companies are going to be using this methodology properly over an extended period of time The ZFactor methodology process that includes specific action items to get to a desired future state A powerful example of what the ZFactor methodology looks like within a company What questions to ask to make sure you are relevant and are in the correct quadrant of the graph Where Cindy plans to take the ZFactor methodology in the future Cindy’s advice on how to figure out why you’re relevant to your clients Ways to contact Cindy: ZFactor methodology book: www.ZFactorgroup.com/resources/books Twitter: @ZFactorV2V Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cgoldsberry A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/zfactor-sales-acceleration-methodology

Megan Malone is a Founding Partner with Vici, a Philadelphia-based digital agency, and leads the Operations division. Megan has both a broadcast and digital marketing background working for the Philadelphia Eagles, Beasley Broadcast Group, and Cox Media Group. Megan has certifications from the Center for Sales Strategy (management, marketing strategy, brainstorming), a certification from Disney Institutes People Management, and was awarded the top 10 advertisers in Louisville from the American Advertisers Federation in 2012. She has managed millions of dollars of digital campaigns in her career. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The story of Vici Media Inc.’s growth from the time when Megan was the only employee How Vici Media Inc. keeps track of over 100 media partners The systems and processes that work best over multiple time zones so Megan can live in Phoenix while many of her employees live in Philadelphia The system Vici Media Inc. uses for superior marketing campaign management How Post-it Notes evolved into a system that really works for Megan and her employees How Vici Media Inc. uses Trello to keep track of projects from start to finish The flaws Megan found in Basecamp and how she found a system that worked better How Megan determines a checklist of key steps that are needed to launch each product Vici Media Inc. offers An example that shows why it’s important for checklists and systems to be constantly evolving The importance of everyone in the business to be able to give input into systems The 3-week itinerary Vici Media Inc. gives new employees and how that makes them feel more at ease on the job How Slack helps Vici Media Inc. communicate with clients very quickly The essential questions Megan asks when beta testing new products Why it’s necessary to have a system to control chaos How systems can help businesses work together from different parts of the country What Vici Media Inc. is doing in the future to improve Why you should never be complacent Ways to contact Megan: Email: megan@vicimediainc.com Twitter: @MeganAMalone A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/marketing-campaign-management-system

Elise Torske is the Marketing Manager and Strategic Partnership Director for Centennial Wealth Management, a private wealth advisory team at Ameriprise Financial Services. She started off as an Administrative Assistant at her firm 8.5 years ago and over the years created a position for a marketing role. Currently, she’s in the midst of a major shift in processes of client acquisition and retention, moving from the outdated “dinner seminar” era that worked for advisors 10-20 years ago to creating a digital footprint and segmenting their book of business to replicate their ideal clients. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Elise created a position for herself within her company when she saw a need What to do when you realize what your strengths are Why dinner seminars aren’t practical anymore and what has replaced them that is more successful An example of how to use relationship building to communicate with and draw in clients Elise’s process of “dating” her clients What center of influence is (COI) and how Elise uses this concept in her business Using COI to build relationships with clients and making sure their needs are met beyond the scope of what a financial planner can offer How Elise ensures all clients are referred to quality professionals The process for updating clients’ financial plans annually How often to meet with advisers to ensure they stay knowledgeable A system to keep track of progress and keep people accountable A process to effectively reach out to people and gain new referrals How to make sure clients and referrals actually make contact How the use of spreadsheets can simplify and streamline systems The importance of quality teamwork and how to play to everyone’s strengths on a team How to get people to change and wrap their minds around doing things differently The effectiveness of properly implemented systems The importance of delegating to make things happen Ways to contact Elise: Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/elisetorske Email: elise.e.torske@ampf.com A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/using-centers-of-influence-build-client-relationships

Sanjib Kalita is Chief Marketing Officer of Money20/20, a business he helped grow from startup to the world’s largest event focused on payments and financial services innovation within 3 years. A fintech leader for over 15 years, he has worked for large organizations like Google, Intel and Citi as well as several successful startups including TxVia, a payment platform building technology company acquired by Google in 2012, Irynsoft, a Kauffman Foundation supported mobile education technology company highlighted in Best of 2010 lists by Time and Fast Company magazines, as well as Money20/20 which was acquired by Ascential plc in 2014. He is also on the board of advisors for two venture-backed startups that have collectively raised over $30 million, MPOWER Financing, an alternative lender targeting international students, and Impact Analytics, advanced analytics and data services for the retail industry. During the past two years, Sanjib has been a coach for Student Startup Madness at SXSW, where he coached the runner-up in 2016 and the winning team in 2017. Sanjib has an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management, as well as a B.S. and M.Eng. from Cornell University where he majored in Electrical Engineering. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Different types of systems businesses rely on How Sanjib transitioned from studying engineering in college to having a passion for the startup world What prompted him to gravitate toward marketing and business How Money20/20 was founded when there was a change in the payments and financial services industry What separates Money20/20 from other events in the industry The event planning system Sanjib uses to organize large-scale events that have many moving pieces Why doing the “elementary” things right and executing them really well is the difference between success and a good idea that never makes it past the drawing board The color system Sanjib used on his spreadsheet to organize speakers for Money20/20 How the spreadsheet system helps to capture a work in progress and structure discussions Why it’s important to recognize when a system isn’t working and experiment with other systems The pros and cons of different levels of access to spreadsheets Why it’s important to start simple when implementing an event planning system The future of Money20/20 Ways to contact Sanjib: Websites: www.money2020.com; www.money2020europe.com; www.money2020asia.com Twitter: @paymentalist Email: sanjib@money2020.com A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/large-scale-event-planning-system

Danilo Coité, MD, comes to Independence Plus, Inc. (IPI) with over 15 years of experience in clinical medicine, risk management, and managed care insurance plans. He is a visionary leader skilled at turning insight into action with a unique blend of medical and business expertise. He offers strategic, decisive guidance while remaining committed to corporate goals and objectives. Dr. Coité is a resourceful problem-solver with the talent for identifying need and creating effective solutions and is dedicated to building a path of sustainable growth that will improve the quality of care, accessibility, and affordability. Prior to joining Independence Plus, Dr. Coité served as the President of WhiteGlove Health based out of Austin, Texas. As the President of WhiteGlove Health, Dr. Coité was responsible for all day to day operations of the company. He provided the strategic vision, leadership and organizational guidance that drove the company’s growth and service expansion to five additional states in the Northeast. He built in-home critical care programs, chronic condition management, transitional care, and other clinical programs from the ground up, providing customers with value-based solutions that included a full-service team and mobile care model that delivered on-site health assessments, comprehensive medical reviews with action plans, compliant coding, and follow-up visit outreach. Prior to WhiteGlove Health, Dr. Coite was the Chief Operations Officer with Alegis Care, where he supervised office functions for their Comprehensive Evaluation product line, Chronic Care product line, and their medical department. In addition, he was personally responsible for starting and maintaining payer relationships in existing and new markets as an integral member of the executive team. Dr. Coité also held a position as Director of Medical Compliance at RSA Medical, a national risk management clinic for major insurance companies. Under his tenure at RSA, they realized five years of tremendous growth. Dr. Coité graduated from the University of Nevada-Reno and earned his Doctorate of Medicine from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. Dr. Coité maintains active involvement in several community service organizations. He is a physician volunteer for Will County Emergency Medical Response Team. He previously served as the president of the Bolingbrook Athletic Council and board member of the Bolingbrook Youth Baseball League. He has coached multiple youth baseball, basketball, and softball teams in his community. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Turning insight into action What systems best deliver quality of care to patients Why quality begins with individual hiring and continues with a specific training process The different training process Dr. Dan’s employees go through based on their experience The structure of the one-year critical care program the recently graduated new hires go through Why multiple systems are needed for complex patient care Why good systems for quality of care are dependent on a team approach How to customize care for each individual patient and how to create systems to track the care of each individual patient Why systems need to talk to and communicate with each other for patient population management The huge revolution of data in healthcare that is on the way The importance of making sure you’re using the right platform for your company A simple way to figure out if a system is effective for you How integrated systems can help healthcare providers understand a patient from a holistic approach Ways to contact Dr. Coité: Email: dmdcoite@independenceplus.com Phone: 630-463-4434 Website: www.independenceplus.com Twitter: @drcoite A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/quality-of-care-system

Vera K. Fischer began her career in residential real estate, working her way up from Leasing Agent to Property Manager. She segued to Operations Manager for the first privately held Cognitive Rehabilitation clinic in Austin, Texas. In 1993, Vera launched her career at GSD&M, an internationally known advertising agency. After various positions within several Austin area agencies, Vera went client-side to Forgent Networks. There she managed and implemented a multi-million dollar marketing budget for several years. In 2004, Vera founded her agency, 97 Degrees West known as The Brand Marketing Agency. Since 2004, the agency has survived both recessions and shown significant growth since 2012. Clients include: LS Tractor USA, United Heritage Credit Union, FirstCare Health Plans and several area small businesses in real estate, oil & gas and specialty medical practices. 97 Degrees West has been the recipient of 15 international creative and marketing awards including a Stevie Award from the American Business Association. Vera is a member of the University Area Rotary Club, a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, a Mentor at Capital Factory and most recently, was accepted to the Master’s program at Texas State University in Strategic Communications. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How brand and authenticity has changed from the Mad Men days Showing that your brand is authentic without saying it (and why saying you should never, ever say you’re authentic) Lessons for embracing an authentic brand strategy Paying attention to your cultural experiences and how they can impact your brand Why you need to employ a brand historian Letting consumers into the cult Making the most of lucky breaks Ways to contact Vera: Twitter: @systemexecution Twitter: @VeraFischer97 A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/5-authentic-brand-strategy-lessons

Tom Grooms is Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer for CF Industries, a role he has held since March 2016. Tom joined CF Industries from Valspar, where he served as CIO for four years. Prior to Valspar he held numerous executive IT leadership roles with Medtronic for over seventeen years. Tom has a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Valparaiso University and an MBA from University of Illinois-Chicago. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What a CIO does in IT The engagement between the business and IT: why it matters Tom’s Business-IT Engagement System The pyramid for maximizing IT impact and what needs to be done well at each level How IT can help grow the business Why you need to assign “business partners” to lead this engagement The continuous delivery model that makes IT effective Why IT people have to learn to become great listeners and great question askers Why you need to think 18 months out Collecting the right data Ways to contact Tom: Website: www.cfindustries.com Twitter: @tomgrooms A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/business-it-engagement-system

Ryan Stewman, CEO and Founder of Hardcore Closer and Break Free Academy, is a 4x best-selling Author, Motivational Speaker, Sales Coach, Podcast Host, Blogger and all around Entrepreneur. He’s also a regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Addicted2Success, Good Men Project, Lighter Side of Real Estate, Huffington Post, and more. Ryan is best known for consulting with alpha personality business owners on rapidly growing their sales through the use of strong marketing and advertising. With his no BS, take action approach, Ryan has been able to help high income and high net worth performers make adjustments in their businesses that unleash windfall profits. In the day and age of sales trainers advertising their success by bragging about the private jets and expensive cars they’ve been able to purchase themselves, Ryan prefers to brag about the mansions and exotic cars his clients have been able to purchase through the utilization of his teachings. His programs have propelled numerous clients from 5 and 6 figure incomes to 7 figure a year earners, and he has a new group he’s working on each year in his top tier program The Tribe. It doesn’t matter if you are selling cars, homes, financial services or consulting, Ryan’s sales mastery can help you generate higher quality leads, increase your closing ratios, and show you how to charge premium fees for the items you sell. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Ryan’s four-step lead generation funnel that has generated at LEAST 100,000 leads since 2013 How Ryan’s first lead generation funnel generated over $10,000 in the first day Why you should leave people where they started your funnel (ex: if they click your ad on Facebook, the last step of your funnel should be to direct them back to Facebook) Why the ultimate goal of a funnel should be to collect email addresses What to offer in a funnel system How Ryan’s businesses are staffed The offers Ryan has built into his blog posts Ways to contact Ryan: Website: hardcorecloser.com Free book: elevatortothetop.com Break Free Academy Entourage program: breakfreeacademy.com/entourage A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/four-step-lead-generation-funnel

Vera Fischer began her career in residential real estate, working her way up from Leasing Agent to Property Manager. She segued to Operations Manager for the first privately held Cognitive Rehabilitation clinic in Austin, Texas. In 1993, Vera launched her career at GSD&M, an internationally known advertising agency. After various positions within several Austin area agencies, Vera went client-side to Forgent Networks. There she managed and implemented a multi-million dollar marketing budget for several years. In 2004, Vera founded her agency, 97 Degrees West known as The Brand Marketing Agency. Since 2004, the agency has survived both recessions and shown significant growth since 2012. Clients include: LS Tractor USA, United Heritage Credit Union, FirstCare Health Plans and several area small businesses in real estate, oil & gas and specialty medical practices. 97 Degrees West has been the recipient of 15 international creative and marketing awards including a Stevie Award from the American Business Association. Vera is a member of the University Area Rotary Club, a member of the Advisory Board for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University, a Mentor at Capital Factory and most recently, was accepted to the Master’s program at Texas State University in Strategic Communications. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Brand authenticity: what is it? What brand really means Why achieving brand authenticity means gaining loyalty Why saying your brand is authentic is never the answer The 6 strategies for building brand authenticity Ways to contact Vera: Twitter: @systemexecution Twitter: @VeraFischer97 A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/brand-authenticity-strategies

Fresh out of college Jason was off to work for Arthur Andersen, one of the big 5 consulting firms. He quickly realized that it was not a good fit. Although it was not part of the plan, he decided to change direction, quit his day job and launch a digital agency that quickly grew to a multi-million dollar operation working with brands such as AT&T, Hitachi, and Lotus Cars. After 12 years of steady growth, the agency caught the attention of bigger agencies and Jason sold it in 2012. Now, Jason leads JasonSwenk.com, a unique media company & consultancy helping marketing agencies grow, scale, and enjoy running their agency by applying the framework that he used to grow, scale and eventually sell his agency. Jason has helped over 10,000 agencies in 23 countries meet or exceed their business goals. Jason generously shares it all as a frequent guest on popular radio and podcast shows. He has been featured as an expert in top media publications such as Entrepreneur and Inc. Magazine. Plus, he currently hosts two podcasts that are available for download and subscription on iTunes. The Smart Agency Master Class Podcast, dedicated to providing tactics and strategies to agency owners and decision makers that cut through the BS, focus on exactly what works and what doesn’t. The #AskSwenk Show, a live broadcast with questions and rapid-fire answers about agencies, marketing, entrepreneurship and business based on a lifetime of building successful, multi-million dollar companies. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Jason’s lead generation system The clarity system: the first system that you need in your business How to position yourself to be THE choice How to create trust with Jason’s “offer ladder” Why you need to create multiple channels (and the kind of channels Jason recommends creating) Why you need to review proposals instead of simply sending them Why you need to treat your agency as your #1 client Ways to contact Jason: Website: jasonswenk.com The Agency Playbook: theagencyplaybook.com A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/5-step-lead-generation-system

After 27 years in the retail industry, Heidi took on a new challenge — from corporate life to entrepreneurship — from fashion retail to the employee benefits industry. At JCPenney, she oversaw the largest brand launch in JCPenney history. As co-founder and COO of freshbenies, she developed the brand from zero members to one of Inc. 5000’s fastest growing companies in America for two consecutive years (#117 in 2015 and #255 in 2016). What you’ll learn about in this episode: How freshbenies was founded and how they help people save money on healthcare by delivering non-insurance benefits The struggles Heidi and her husband struggled through as they launched their business and didn’t see immediate success Why you need to create processes in the beginning stages of your business when you can’t afford expensive systems Heidi’s employee onboarding system Why you need to ask lots of question of people moving through processes when you first set them up freshbenies’ onboarding process of brokers, employers, and members, their three different customers Why freshbenies focused on customer experience internally and outsourced the “nitty gritty” development of their system Why you need to be ready to react to problems that you can’t foresee Heidi’s system for using new employees to document freshbenies’ systems Why tweaking processes and systems is the secret for making them effective Heidi’s husband’s system for following up with people after events Ways to contact Heidi: Website: www.freshbenies.com A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/employee-onboarding-system

Gary Bizzo has Mentored over 1000 business leaders, investors & entrepreneurs. Bizzos book, “How to Start a Successful Business The First Time!” is on Amazon. He was a National Finalist in the 2014 Business Development Bank of Canada Mentorship Award. His book was nominated for the International 2014 Small Business Book Awards. He was a Nominee for the 2014 & 2015 International Small Business Influencer Award. Entrepreneur Magazine, in 2014, said Bizzo was one of 17 Masters of Marketing & PR Entrepreneurs Can Learn From. Bizzo is a Social Media ‘Agent of Change’ and an expert at managing multiple businesses with several hundred thousand followers on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. He helped change Canadian Law through Bill C-470 that made charities more transparent. He is an Elite Weekly writer for Equities.com the largest platform for emerging growth companies. He is also a Contributing Columnist for Stockhouse.com, Canadas #1 financial portal and one of North America’s largest small cap investor communities. Bizzo ran two business incubators for 13 years where a community of entrepreneurs with innovative ideas were nurtured and supported through workshops, bootcamps, mentoring, executives in residence and financing options. He is a Partner at Equifaira Advisors Inc. – Liquidity Event Planners. Equifaira are specialists in strategy & execution, corporate finance, capital formation & investor relations. His next book, “Startups From Early Stage to Early Growth” will be in stores in May 2017. What you’ll learn about in this episode: What Gary’s been up to since his last interview on System Execution Gary’s upcoming books “Social Media Rockstar” and “Startups From Early Stage to Early Growth” How Gary successfully manages multiple businesses Gary’s recent work with Equifaira, a consulting company that works with companies that aren’t public yet to raise money The system that Equifaira has in place to be in compliance with the British Columbia Securities Commission Why Equifaira is very selective of the companies they work with Why they help the people they work with sell no more than 49% of their companies How the social media piece fits into the overall system Upcoming projects for Gary Ways to contact Gary: Website: garybizzo.com Email: ceo@garybizzo.com Twitter: @GaryBizzo LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/garybizzo Book: “How to Start a Successful Business The First Time!” A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/managing-multiple-businesses-system

As the CEO of Financial Gravity, John Pollock has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs to find legal, moral and ethical ways to lower their tax, raise profit and create wealth. The result? His clients can finally start living their American Dream — a key reason they started their business in the first place. As a podcast guest expert, John delivers more than just entertainment and good content. His audiences walk away transformed and equipped with real-world strategies they can immediately use to solve their most challenging business problems, including the ones they thought couldn’t be fixed. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why your background doesn’t matter if you’re an entrepreneur John’s business built around the problem that people think CPAs do tax planning even though that’s not true The Tax Blueprint: Financial Gravity’s architectural plan for your finances that maximizes your tax savings The Tax Operating System: the next step which takes your bookkeeping, payroll, tax returns, etc. as a monthly fee Why you need to do sales in the context of a story if you want to differentiate Why your story has to be believable (even if that means underselling what you actually do) Why you should hire your kids as employees How to reduce buyer reluctance How and why you need to learn from other industries Why you shouldn’t be afraid to launch and must be ready to pivot What’s next for Financial Gravity Ways to contact John: Free book: Text “taxbook” to 33444 Website: financialgravity.com A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/tax-operating-system

Peter is the CEO of Peter Strohkorb Consulting International, a business consulting firm that specializes is customer experience and sales & marketing team alignment with offices in Australia and the USA. Peter has over 15 years of business experience in both Sales and Marketing Executive roles with some of the biggest brands on the planet. He is a respected business Speaker, conference Chair, Facilitator and a sought after Executive Mentor. Peter is an international authority on Smarketing® i.e. on Sales & Marketing alignment and collaboration. He has appeared on three continents at conferences, corporate events and on promotional occasions. His vision is a world where business teams collaborate seamlessly to the benefit of all stakeholders. Peter is also a guest lecturer in the Executive MBA Program at the internationally acclaimed Sydney Business School and at the University of Wollongong, Australia. He is a published author of the Amazon 5-Star rated book The OneTEAM Method, which describes his holistic Sales and Marketing collaboration framework to lift sales results, enhance customer experience and boost staff engagement. Peter holds qualifications in Marketing and Management from the prestigious Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney, Australia. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Peter’s book “The OneTEAM Method: How Sales+Marketing Collaboration boosts big business” The 5 steps of the method and how Peter delivers that to clients Examples of companies of varying sizes (6 and 60 people) that Peter has used this system with The new deal that has allowed Peter to bring this system to the US How companies are becoming more risk-averse has changed how Peter has had to sell his system Peter’s efforts to bring the Smarketing system worldwide Ways to contact Peter: Website: www.peterstrohkorbconsulting.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeterStrohkorbConsulting Twitter: @pstrohkorb LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/peterstrohkorbsalesmarketing A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/the-oneteam-method

Craig Cody is a Certified Tax Coach, Certified Public Accountant, Business Owner and Former New York City Police Officer with 17 years experience on the Force. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant for the past 15 years, he is also a Certified Tax Coach. As a Certified Tax Coach, Craig belongs to a select group of tax practitioners throughout the country who undergo extensive training and continued education on various tax planning techniques and strategies to become, as well as remain, certified. With this organization, Craig has co-authored an Amazon best seller book, Secrets of a Tax-Free Life. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Craig’s background and how he went from NYC Police Officer to CPA and Certified Tax Coach Craig’s tax planning system that helps his clients save significant amounts of money Why Craig’s system is based on proactivity (and why most people do their taxes reactively) Why Craig works with his clients all year and not just during “tax season” Why a computer cannot do Craig’s system “Secrets of a Tax-Free Life”: Craig’s book Things to look out for on your own taxes (like choosing the wrong entity) Why your accountant can’t do what Craig does How you can work with Craig from anywhere in the US Ways to contact Craig: Free copy of Craig’s book: www.craigcodyandcompany.com/execution Phone: (516)869-4051 Email: craig@ccodycpa.com Website: www.craigcodyandcompany.com A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/tax-planning-system

Dr. Gordon Jones is the Founder, President, and CEO of Lifelog Health. He is a Doctor of Health Administration, has spent 25 Years in Digital Health & Technology, and he has been involved with 15 startups in early adoption with over $200 million in new revenue created. He’s a multi-sport athlete, a world champion in beach ultimate, and is the father of five, the grandfather of one, the husband of one, and the son of two aging parents. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Gordon’s background Why startups often have to pivot — and why Gordon had to pivot away from his original startup idea Gordon’s thoughts on when to pivot your startup The healthcare technology market and how it applies to Gordon’s company How Lifelog Health creates the bridge between technology and the consumers (the healthcare industry) and why that bridge is necessary The readings that the wearable technology records and how that information is utilized How physicians deal with noncompliance from patients using the wearable Why scaling will be easy for Lifelog Health Ways to contact Gordon: Website: lifeloghealth.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drgordonjones A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/pivot-your-startup/

Shane Kenny has been in the filtering business for over 15 years. In 1999, he started InternetSafety.com with his brother. Together they built Safe Eyes, the top-rated Internet filtering software product for parents. After selling InternetSafety.com to McAfee, Shane started looking for his next project. One day it dawned on him that if replacing his air filters was such a hassle for him, it had to be a hassle for plenty of others. From this initial idea, FilterSnap and the concept of filters delivered to your door when you need them was born. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Shane’s background FilterSnap, Shane’s business for delivering air filters directly to your home Why Shane believes in delivering a better product and delivering better service Shane’s “Delivering Quality Products” System Why your company culture is crucial for delivering a great product/service What to look for in cover letters, resumes, and interviews to recognize employees that will or won’t fit your company culture How to find the right product if you have a business like Shane’s that sells products that you don’t manufacture internally Why you have to understand the products you sell -- even if you don’t manufacture them How FilterSnap deals with damaged products Why you have to be able to set your level of “quality enough” Recommended reading: "The Lean Startup" by Eric Ries Ways to contact Shane: Website: filtersnap.com Website: shanekenny.com A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/delivering-quality-products-system/

Lt. Col. Rob Waldman “Waldo” — was his call sign — he’s the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller “Never Fly Solo.” A graduate of the Air Force Academy, Waldo is a decorated combat fighter pilot and an expert in helping leaders and organizations accelerate performance in changing environments with his professional networking tips and mentorship. Waldo overcame massive claustrophobia and a fear of heights to become a fighter pilot and believes that the key to building a culture of trust lies with your wingmen the men and women in your life who help you to overcome obstacles, adapt to change, and achieve success. In business and life, you should never fly solo! Waldo is also the founder and President of The Wingman Foundation, a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to build funds and awareness for soldiers, veterans, and their families in need. Waldo is an inductee into the professional Speakers Hall of Fame and his clients include Marriott, Hewlett-Packard, UPS, and Verizon. He’s been featured on Fox & Friends, CNN, MSNBC, Inc. Magazine and The Harvard Business Review. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Waldo’s background Why you need a mentor (and why finding a mentor was the first thing Waldo did when switching careers) Waldo’s professional networking tips How to find the time to get into an industry while employed at a different job Why you need to hire an assistant sooner than you think Why you need to be involved in mastermind groups of likeminded professionals that don’t necessarily share your profession How to seek out mentors a couple levels above where you are Why Waldo wrote his book “Never Fly Solo” Why fearlessness is a myth and why you need to face your fears Waldo’s next challenge: figuring out how to monetize his business outside of speaking engagements Waldo’s next book Ways to contact Waldo: Website: yourwingman.com Free copy of Waldo’s book: yourwingman.com/nfs YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/WingmanF16 Facebook: www.facebook.com/waldowaldman Twitter: twitter.com/waldowaldman LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/waldowaldman A transcript of this episode is available at: systemexecution.com/professional-networking-tips-mentorship/

Drew McLellan has worked in advertising for 25+ years and started his own agency, McLellan Marketing Group in 1995 after a five-year stint at Y&R and still actively runs the agency. He also owns and runs Agency Management Institute (AMI), which serves 250+ agencies small to mid sized agencies (advertising, digital, marketing, media and PR) every year, so they can increase their AGI, attract better clients and employees, mitigate the risks of being self employed in a such volatile business and best of all let the agency owner actually enjoy the perks of agency ownership. AMI is the only agency network that is run by an active agency owner. It offers: Public workshops for agency owners, leaders and account service staff Owner peer networks (like a Vistage group or AAAAs forums) Private coaching/consulting for agency owners Annual primary research with CMOs and client decision makers about their work with agencies The highly praised podcast Build A Better Agency Drew often appears in publications like Entrepreneur Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Agency Post, AdAge, CNN, BusinessWeek, and many others. The Wall Street Journal calls him one of 10 bloggers every entrepreneur should read. He also speaks at leading agency conferences and is often cited in agency centric content for his expertise in the industry. When he’s not hanging out with clients or agency owners, Drew spends time with his daughter, traveling and cheering for the Dodgers. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Drew’s background Drew’s one-on-one meeting agency management system Why you need to employ this system the day you hire your first employee Why it’s so hard to find and retain great employees today Drew’s research that shows that employees want to learn and grow more than anything else Why your employees want more one-on-one time with you Drew’s form for running this meeting Why being fair to every employee doesn’t mean treating them all equally Why having these meetings will boost the time you have instead of taking it away Setting quarterly growth goals with your employees and checking in weekly on progress Having employees share good news, ask for what support they need to do their job, getting input they need from you, share potential issues, and anything else to include in these meetings Why you need to put these meetings on your calendar Why yearly reviews are not enough Resources: One-on-one meeting document Ways to contact Drew: Website: agencymanagementinstitute.com Email: drew@agencymanagementinstitute.com Twitter: @drewmclellan LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/drewmclellan Facebook: www.facebook.com/drew.mclellan A transcript of this episode is available at http://systemexecution.com/the-agency-management-system/

Jon Levy is a behavior scientist best known for his work in influence, networking and adventure. He is founder of the Influencers Dinner and author of a new book called “The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: How to live a life of adventure What adventure is and why you don’t have to jump off a cliff to live an adventurous life The first stage of adventure: establish (or putting the right elements in place so anything can happen) Why your brain works better when you’re in a new situation Why you need to work within limitations to have the best time The second stage of adventure: push boundaries (crossing a social, physical, or emotional boundary) The third stage of adventure: increase (maximizing the emotional value from the environment that you’re in) The fourth stage of adventure: continue (deciding if you’re going to go somewhere else and where you’re going to go) Why you need to make sure you end on a positive note Jon’s next book Perceived risk vs. actual peril Ways to contact Jon: Book: “The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure” Website: www.jonlevytlb.com A transcript of this episode is available here: systemexecution.com/jon-levy