The Unwritten Playbook

Megan is taking a hiatus from the Unwritten Playbook, but worry not! She'll be back later this year with a new and improved format to keep the Unwritten Playbook fresh. Thank you so much for your support thus far, and looking forward to seeing you soon!

This week on the Unwritten Playbook, Megan sits down with Jason Riedel, the Co-Founder & CTO @ Aspireship, to talk about whether a company's greatest asset is either their product, or their people. They discuss the importance of empathy in leadership, and the importance of the mental health of the employees as it relates to coming into work, and the importance of goals when it comes to your career's, and life's, trajectory.

This week on the Unwritten Playbook, Megan sits down with the Chief Operating Officer at Cascade, Karim Zuhri to discuss the common misconceptions about both strategy and productivity. They analyze the preconceptions of both, and how we need to reshape that thinking in order to drive meaningful change in our business.

This week, Megan sat down with Nate Guggia, Co-founder & GTM at Before You Apply, to talk everything about employer branding and talent acquisition. They break it all down from both an employer and candidate point of view, revealing the ways that the entire recruiting industry is ready for disruption.

On this week's episode of The Unwritten Playbook, Megan speaks with MJ Peters, VP of Growth at Refine Labs, and former VP of Marketing at Firetrace International on whether or not industry experience is required for success. They discuss how hiring managers should be thinking about evaluating talent differently, and how candidates can position themselves for success in interviews, as well as actionable steps for both.

This week on The Unwritten Playbook, Megan talks with Logan Lyles, the VP of Customer Experience at Sweet Fish, about the old status quos of sales, how salespeople are changing, and how salespeople need to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of buyers that are more educated than ever.

This week on The Unwritten Playbook, Megan exchanges customer success wisdom with Chris Hicken, Co-Founder and CEO of 'nuffsaid. What is Customer Success 2.0, and how do we get there? These two CS veterans dive deep into how the success function in your business can and should be a main driver for your revenue engine.

On this week's Unwritten Playbook, Megan breaks it down with Kalim Aull, Co-Founder of Servicecycle LLC. They ponder why companies play the dangerous game of growing as fast as possible without thinking of the repercussions. There needs to be a focus on your people first, who then in turn support your customers, which leads to a healthier and happier business stabilized for long-term growth.

On this episode of the Unwritten Playbook, Megan exchanges tactics and tips with James Buckley, Director of Business Development at JB Sales Training, about how to separate yourself from the competition with the best buying experience for your customers. With rampant competition and the need for speed, selling has become a hyperactive numbers game, but what gets lost is the human side of buying.

This week Megan chats with half salesguy, half stand-up comedian Jon Selig to crack wise about why B2B takes itself so seriously. Sparking conversation and building trust through humor is a lost art in today's robotic business world. The process of writing jokes for your prospects can lead to enhanced learning, understanding, and subject matter expertise. Come for the puns, stay for the career enlightenment.

This week Megan sits down with Michael Eckstein, owner of Eckstein Advisory, to help small business owners break through the big business noise. What's right for a Fortune 500 company isn't always going to be what your company needs. Beware that shiny LinkedIn profile and really take heed of not only what the advice is, but who's giving it.

On this week's Unwritten Playbook, Megan chops it up with John McTigue, Partner in Residence at Databox and founder of The Customer Journey Maestro. They break down how to build your business with the customer as your North Star while ignoring common slip-ups of B2B go-to-market strategies. Slow down, think big picture, think about other people first, and listen to this episode.

On this week's Unwritten Playbook, Megan chats with the founder of #samsales Consulting, Samantha McKenna. Is insubordination a good thing? Well, not really, but pushing back on what everyone agrees we should do in sales or your career can help you blaze new trails and blow past boundaries you didn't think possible.

This week's episode is a unique conversation that zooms out on life, business, and the ways to change the world. Megan sits down with author and podcaster, Christopher Lochhead, to try to fathom what the future holds, figure out how and why categories are created, and if it's possible to actually grab a bull by the horns. You will not want to miss this one.

This week's Unwritten Playbook is a frugal conversation on the thrifty topic of financial literacy with Max Pashman, Vice President at One Wealth Managament Financial. Who is going to coin a better way to educate the next generation on real-life money management and long-term financial freedom? Do not miss out on this back-and-forth about dollars and sense.

This podcast episode is what it is because enough people agreed that it should be this way. Right? This is only one of the existential paths this conversation takes between our host, Megan Bowen, and Quentin Allums, Marketing Manager at Greatness Media. They dive deep into the journey of building your personal brand, creating content, and having a better relationship with yourself.

On this week's episode of The Unwritten Playbook, Megan chats with Tara Horstmeyer. They dig into why businesses are seen as a spreadsheet, and the people inside are just a cost. How did we get to a point where people are serving processes instead of the other way around? We get stuck communicating like a robot all the while forgetting that there is another human being on the other side. It's okay to be serious about what you do and not who you are.

Welcome back to another episode of The Unwritten Playbook hosted by Megan Bowen. This week Megan sits down with Josh Rhodes, co-founder of Command AF and CRO at Gravy to talk about freeing the individual and sparking exceptionalism. Their goal is to help and enable others to find their own success. Whether it's the illusion of your environment, the hierarchy of needs, or imposter syndrome, no topic is too deep for this conversation.

This week's episode of The Unwritten Playbook features a riveting discussion between Megan and Jackie Hermes, founder & CEO of Accelity. They try to answer the glass-ceiling question of “Why aren't more women in leadership roles?” From positive self-talk and being yourself to energy vampires and imposter syndrome, these two discuss all the trials and tribulations of being a woman in leadership.

In this week's Unwritten Playbook, Megan chats with Stephanie Blair, Executive Coach at Know & Flourish. They pick apart common misunderstandings about what makes a good leader. Not everyone's path to leadership is the same, and it's important to not try to fit into a mold that is not reflective of your true self. “Leading by example” has a deeper meaning than a lot of people think. Through vulnerability, authenticity and trust, today's leaders can blaze trails for others to follow.

On this week's episode of The Unwritten Playbook, Megan talks with Christine Rogers, President & COO at Aspireship to work through why business shouldn't have to be a win/lose situation. By focusing on the Abundance Mindset, you can better understand your competitors and create opportunities for learning & growth. A non-linear career path and becoming a better observer of yourself are just some of the other topics discussed in this win/win episode.

Kristi Faltorusso, VP of Customer Success at IntelliShift, joins Megan on this episode of The Unwritten Playbook to talk about not letting other people impose limitations on your life or your work. Kristi and Megan quickly got personal sharing their personal stories of growing up living a life for others and how they broke away to take more ownership of living life and building a career on their terms.

On this week's episode of The Unwritten Playbook, Megan hosts Tim Newborn, Marketing Programs Manager, Customer Advocacy and Engagement at Blackbaud. They explore the realms of empathy and emotion intelligence in business. Can business be personal? In today's society, leaders aren't supposed to be vulnerable, but Megan and Tim push back on that status quo and look to the future of leading with kindness and openness.

On this week's Unwritten Playbook, Megan sits down with Galem Girmay, a sales executive and co-founder of RevGenius. They discuss why sales messaging isn't one size fits all, but the fast-paced approach in many companies today doesn't allow reps to find their “voice”. The importance of deep prospecting, finding relevant information, and being empathetic to your recipient are just a few topics in this revenue-driven episode.

On this episode, Megan welcomes Terry Rice, Entrepreneur Magazine Business Development Expert-in-Residence and Business Consultant at Terry Rice Coaching & Consulting. Terry rejects the notion that you need to work a 9-5 and climb the corporate ladder in order to be successful - you can define your own success. Terry helps consultants grow their brand and revenue and we discuss a lot of tactical advice for those who are interested in striking out on their own. They discuss how to identify your genius zone and ways to reframe your perspective to forego the golden handcuffs of traditional careers to decide if starting your own business is the right choice for you. "You don't have to do more to be more." - Terry Rice

This week on the Unwritten Playbook, Megan sits down with CEO & Co-founder of Opus, Rachael Nemeth, to try to answer the question: Why is technology only made for desk workers? 80% of the global workforce doesn't sit at a desk all day, but 99% of VC money is going to the 20% that do. They dive into the hierarchy of needs, what needs to change in the future, and formulating a plan for training and developing frontline teams.

Sahil Mansuri (CEO of Bravado) joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to talk about breaking the status quo of the traditional and outdated sales compensation model. He shared his thoughts on the importance of having the courage to reject conventional wisdom by taking a close look at what your business truly needs to be successful. The most common sales compensation model reflects a world in which a sales rep gets paid for the first deal or purchase, whereas most organizations strongly benefit from the customer renewing. "I would love to get to a world in which sales reps are able to make the millions of dollars they deserve for closing the right deals and landing those huge accounts that do move the needle for the business."

Jonathan Sroka, Sales Strategy & Go-To-Market Consultant at Loud-Hailer Inc., joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to break down the notion that if you don't have strategy at the top that aligns with political internal boundaries, you aren't going to move forward. They look through this lens in regards to Customer Success and break down the importance of not putting quantity of new customers acquired over retention. “You're kidding yourself if you aren't spending 40-50% on Customer Success.”

Kyle Gantos (Founder & CEO at Learn Solve Grow) joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to talk about shifting from a reactive mindset to a proactive one, and how making this mindset shift will allow you to open doors on your career path. They also break down the best ways to advance your career and the importance of being skilled at telling your career narrative. "Get out of your comfort zone."

“Always keep in mind the human cost of scaling.” Robert McLaws, Co-Founder & CEO @ BurnRate.io, joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to explain why being venture-backed doesn't mean you can't grow profitably. Robert shares how he is working with founders to control their burn and manage their growth more effectively.

Matthew Sciannella (Thinker & Senior Strategist @ Gorilla 76) joined us on The Unwritten Playbook to knock down the notion that one must employ a linear career path in the field of marketing. You can be just as, if not more, successful by building your own path, regardless of how unconventional it may seem. He shares with us some personal examples of how to learn on the job as well as how he carved his own path to create the career he wanted. "If I don't know how to do something, I learn how to do it."

“I refuse to believe that quantity is more important than quality.” Amy Volas, Founder & CEO of Avenue Talent Partners, joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to talk about shifting the focus in SaaS from quantity to quality. She talks about the role empathy has to play in business and how tech should be used to magnify, not replace. The basics should not be undervalued, as the basics have stood the test of time.

Cassie Young, Partner at Primary Venture Partners, joined Megan on The Unwritten Playbook to dive into the representation, or lack thereof, of women in C-suite positions in most organizations. She shared some surprising stats about the presence of women in the executive suite and talked about leading with empathy and the importance of mentors. Cassie also stressed the importance of understanding the financial drivers and P&L of the business, especially for women. “Find one ounce of truth in every bit of feedback and figure out how you can act on that.”

“PR doesn't need to be a huge investment and it isn't something that you need to outsource...like your personal life, it's something you have to be involved with.” Lyndon Johnson, Founder @ THINK DIFFERENT [LY] and COMMS.BAR, joined us on The Unwritten Playbook to share how he is rejecting the status quo of the Public Relations industry. He explains why PR is widely misunderstood, and what he is doing to change it's perception by helping businesses build mutually beneficial relationships.

"Human elements matter even more as tech takes over new and more aspects of our lives." Nemanja Zivkovic (CEO @ Funky Marketing) joined Megan Bowen on The Unwritten Playbook to talk about the role of marketing in a business as a whole. He shares why marketing can only be great if management understands it, and how monumental of a role leadership plays in the effectiveness of an organization's marketing team. They discuss the importance of adopting a long term mindset and how feeling pressure to do things quickly and for the short-term often causes poor results.

Collin Cadmus (Founder @ Collin Cadmus, LLC) came onto the show to discuss the shortcomings of the VC startup model and the growth at all costs mindset. We discussed when and why that mindset was adopted and how unrealistic goal setting can set a business and its employees back. “You need to know what you're getting yourself into when you take a job. In order to do that, you need to ask the right questions and understand the business.”

Project Management isn't just a profession, it's a lifestyle. Kerry Hoffman (Head of Global Project Management & Ops, Marketing at ClassPass) believes that we can all be a bit more organized both at work and in all other facets of our lives. On this episode, she sits down with Megan to talk about how to project manage in and out of the office, the importance of delegation and when it's appropriate, why it feels so good to cross things off the list, and how to get to inbox 0...for everything. "If it's not a hell yes, it's a no."

The parental leave system at most companies in the US is not optimized for the parents. Allison Whalen, Co-founder and CEO of Parentaly, tells us what's wrong with the system and how Parentaly is helping companies empower their employees to take parental leave and come back to work successfully. "Coming back to work can be a really good opportunity to completely level up not only your role, but the business and your team too."

Charles Moreton, Founder/CEO & Strategic SaaS Advisor, dove into his observations in regards to how technology has caused companies to lose sight of what makes a seller great. He talks about how too much money is spent on technology that makes reps lives easier, but doesn't make them more capable. With less emphasis on technology and more on the individuals, sales reps are able to be great and highly valuable to an organization. "Investment in an assessment of your people."

Justin Michael, Technologist & Consultant @ Justin Michael Consulting, joined me on The Unwritten Playbook to talk about his futuristic approach to outbound sales. He discusses the importance of tonality in email communication by using visuals and explains how people buy emotionally and justify logically. "Do something visual inside your written communication."

Maya Grossman, expert marketer and bestselling author of Invaluable talks about her experience getting promoted 10 times in 15 years and explains what it is she attributes to her success. She touches on the importance of soft skills and communication as well as challenging the "rest and vest" status quo. "You own your career."