Wiley on Business

As we near the end of season one, we've gotten a lot of feedback and questions about what are some of the key insights I've gained along the way.  In this episode we've gone back through all the conversations we've had to date to try and distill out the commonalities and highlight what could and should be considered the keys to success.This is a really short episode, but is full of great little nuggets.We'd love feedback if there are any nuggets you uncovered in your listens that we missed or made a big impression on you.

Erik co-founded Tender Greens in Los Angeles in 2006, a pioneering fine casual brand with 30 locations and growing. At Tender Greens Erik focused on democratizing good food at scale, and has since moved on to join Cohere where he advises founders of food brands helping them do the same. His unique perspective on supply chain integrity, biodiversity and regenerative organic agriculture provides an intuition for future food trends in uncertain times. As a chef and entrepreneur himself, he Is able to meet up-and-coming food brands where they are.    Erik's Book "Ten Year Plan"  follows the journey of three young entrepreneurs who in2006 opened a radically fresh, disruptive restaurant concept in the heartof Los Angeles. Defying the long odds stacked against everyone in therestaurant industry, the founders and their skilled team built TenderGreens, named by Conde Nast Traveler one of “The Ten Best RestaurantChains in the World,” and by Forbes as one of the “25 Most InnovativeConsumer Brands.” Ten Year Plan lays out a practical, proven approach tocreating enduring value—including missteps, misgivings, setbacks, andsuccesses. Applicable to any industry, the scalable businessmodel crafted for Tender Greens gives equal emphasis to margins andmission. Your business, especially now, can be a powerful engine forneeded social change.  Ten Year Plan shows you how.

Dan Kan - A serial entrepreneur, shares some of his incredible lessons learned starting several business, culminating in Cruise Automation which was sold to GM for $1 Billion.    

Garrett Sutton is a corporate attorney, best-selling author and one of Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad's Advisors. He has sold more than 900,000 books to guide entrepreneurs and investors. For more than 30 years, Garrett Sutton has run his practice assisting others in protecting assets and maximizing financial goals.  Listen in to hear how Garrett met Robert and was able to become a part of the winning team that set up for the success he is today.

Listen as Dave discusses how he transitioned from a Landscaper to owning over 8,200 units and the lessons he learned along the way.   Book Giveaway - Davetoday.comAn amazing conversation that got into one of my favorite subjects - Great books.   Here are the books Dave mentioned throughout the conversation.   Books Mentioned - Multi-family Millions - David LindahlGood to Great - Jim CollinsAwaken the Giant Within - Anthony RobbinsThe Magic of Thinking Big - David SchwartzRaise the Bar - Brian Marcel Lead the Field - Earl NightingaleThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon HillBecoming Supernatural - Joe DispenzaThe Science of Getting Rich - Wallace WattlesAsk and it is given - Esther and Jerry HicksThe mountain is you - Brianna WiestBody for Life - Bill PhillipsStarting out as a broke landscaper in 1996, Dave Lindahl's goal was to simply create a better life for him and his family. That year he bought his first property, a three family building with no money out of his pocket…he had none.Since then he has gone on to create a portfolio of over 9,000 units in eighteen different markets across the United States.He is the principle owner of The Lindahl Group, an Emerging Markets commercial real estate Investment company.

Brian talks me through some of the remarkable changes he has made to his business in the past year that have created an exponential growth in his business.    Brian C. Adams is the President and Founder of Excelsior Capital, where he spearheads the investor relations and capital markets arms of the firm. He has 10 years of experience in real estate private equity and has advanced knowledge in best practices for strategic real estate investing. Prior to forming Excelsior Capital, Brian co-founded Priam Properties (an institutional real estate private equity sponsor) in 2010 and provided leadership and direction for the firm in connection with capital markets, investment management and investor relations.He has served on the Board of Sirrom Partners, LP, a single-family office investing across private and public asset classes since May of 2008. Since May of 2017 he has served on the Investment Committee for Solidus LP, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on investment opportunities in Healthcare and Technology. From January of 2016 to January of 2018, Brian served as a member of the Board of Next Gen Advisory Faculty for the Institute of Private Investors / Campden, a program designed to support next generation family members in preparing the following generation for the responsibility of being a steward of family wealth. He has also served on the Advisory Committee for the Southeastern Family Office Forum since December of 2016. Brian is a former practicing attorney, earning his J.D. from Suffolk University and his B.A. from Wesleyan University with Honors.

Do you want to see people grabbing their pens when you open your mouth, then you've got to learn the rule of three.   Join me as I chat with Larry Stevens, my former leader and an all around interesting and great person as he imparts some of the incredible knowledge of his career and two books.    J. Larry Stevens, a retired partner at the international accounting firm, PwC  is Executive-in-Residence and Visiting Professor at Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business where, as a member of the School of Accountancy faculty, he teaches courses in mergers and acquisitions and accounting. He is the author of Riding in elevators backwards and Curiosity Made the Cat and Other Myths.    Also a really interesting fact to me, is that Larry hired me onto his team many years ago back at PwC, so I can attest that the stories he tells are actually true.  Let's dive into the conversation.    

Dr. Ioannis TsamardinosListen as Ioannis explains how a professional crisis set him up for where he really needed to be.   A world-class scientist and innovator, Dr. Ioannis Tsamardinos has more than 30 years of service in academia and applied science. He has co-founded and is the CEO of JADBio, the only AutoML platform specifically designed for life science data and particularly molecular data. A sui generis persona - mentor, expert, researcher, author, speaker, inventor, entrepreneur, and athlete, Ioannis is a Professor at the Computer Science Department at the University of Crete where he heads his own lab and all-star team MensXMachina, successfully translating academic R&D into real-world business tools ready to market. His work on automatic time-limited actions design was applied to the NASA Dean Space I software. Ηe is also an enthusiastic dad of two and an underwater diver.

"If you can figure out how to get to gotta have it, gotta work there, gotta invest there, you don't have to sell anything."Listen in as Mark share's how he got the formula for "Gotta have it."Mark's Website - www.markgoulston.comMark's Podcast - My Wakeup CallMark's LinkedIn profile

Ashley Bryant-BakerAshley Bryant-Baker is Director of Digital and Analytics at Fresh Eyes Digital, a data scientist, speaker, entrepreneur, and STEM advocate. Before Fresh Eyes Digital, she ran her own consulting firm, B&B Data Solutions, where she helped brands build and leverage data solutions. She has worked in analytics for over a decade, using data to drive business decisions and built a company that focuses on the human side of data and analytics. She has become a sought after speaker on the topics of Gender Bias in AI, Dynamic Customer Segmentation Using AI, and Diversity in the workplace. She has recently been invited to speak at various events, including SXSW, Data Minds Connect, and Digital Summit DC. Ashley holds an MBA in International Economics from The American Graduate School in Paris, a certificate in Data Science from Georgetown and a BAs in Art and Business from Fort Hays University.In addition to her work, Ashley commits her resources to advocate for diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in collaboration with amazing local and national organizations that strive to increase the exposure of minorities, women and other marginalized groups to STEM fields. Her work in data and analytics has helped her serve the needs of nonprofit organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, The Royal Pearl Foundation; most recently, she was on the I Am We Are Youth board of directors. Ashley believes that data is an important tool that can help make society a more equitable, safe, and inclusive place. Learn more about Ashley here.

An author I've wanted to connect with since I first read  "Essentialism: The disciplined pursuit of less" Greg McKeown is back with the follow-on book "Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most"   Do you know what you should actually be spending your time on vs. what is expected?    Are you spending your time on the right things, but still find yourself burned out?    If you haven't read Greg's work, you should pick up both of these books, because they will change the way you live your life and spend your time.   Greg even turns the table during the conversation on Jake during the episode and it gets really interesting.    Greg's Podcast -  What's Essential You can find more info on Greg here.  Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters MostEssentialism: The disciplined pursuit of lessGreg is a speaker, a bestselling author, and the host of the popular podcast What's Essential. He has been covered by The New York Times, Fast Company, Fortune, Politico, and Inc., has been interviewed on NPR, NBC, Fox, and The Steve Harvey Show, and is among the most popular bloggers for LinkedIn. He is also a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum. McKeown's New York Times bestselling book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less has sold more than a million copies worldwide. Today you will hear our discussion of his new book Effortless; Make it easier to do what matters most.  Originally from London, England, he now lives in California with his wife, Anna, and their four children.   

Harry Allen is the Chief Relationship Officer at Studio Bank in Nashville.Did Nashville need another bank - Most said it didn't.    Three years and rapid growth says that Harry and his cofounder's commitment to see a bank for creators to fruition were right.   Harry is a financial services executive and entrepreneur with broad experience in aspects of board development, raising capital, branding and marketing, external and community relations. Direct experience with commercial banking, risk management, credit analysis, corporate governance, leadership, strategic planning, not-for-profit management, organizational development, financial consulting and sales.2018 Nashville Post “All-Star Board”2018, 2019, 2020 Nashville Business Journal Power Leader in Finance2019 and 2020 Nashville Business Journal Power 100: Connector2019 & 2020 Top 100 Entrepreneur Award, Belmont Universitywww.studiobank.com

His first goal was to crawl 8 feet from the hospital bed to the bathroom. He went on to Redefine Impossible by climbing 29,035 feet to the top of Mt. Everest with one lung! From there he stood atop the highest point on all 7 continents, skied to the South and North Poles, and completed the Hawaii Ironman. Sean has been interviewed by Steve Harvey, CBS Evening News, Fox & Friends, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, Huffington Post, Outside the Lines, Sports Center, Washington Post, USA Today, Sports Center, and countless others. His numerous articles with thought leaders such as Sir Richard Branson and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu put him in a category by himself.How to find Sean - www.seanswarner.comSummit Challenge - https://www.seanswarner.com/the-summit-challenge/Meal Delivery Service I mentioned - www.TrifectaNutrition.com

When you bring people in to work on the vision of the company, it doesn't matter whether you are an employee or a contractor you have to be an insider.    Rana Gujral is an entrepreneur, speaker, investor, and CEO at Behavioral Signals, an enterprise software company that excels at distinguishing behavioral signals in speech data with its proprietary deep learning technology. As a thought-leader in the AI/technology space, he often leads keynote sessions and joins panel discussions at industry events such as World Government Summit, VOICE Summit, The Next Web Conference, and Blockchain Economic Forum. His bylines are featured in publications such as Hacker Noon, Voicebot.ai, SpeechTechMagazine, and is a contributing columnist at TechCrunch and Forbes. He's been recognized as ‘Entrepreneur of the Month' by CIO Magazine, awarded ‘US-China Pioneer' by IEIE, and listed as a Top 10 Entrepreneur to follow in 2017 by Huffington Post and an AI Entrepreneur to Watch in Inc. In 2020 he won “Contributor of the Year: Chatbots” in Hacker Noon's Noonie's Awards.https://behavioralsignals.com/

In this Episode of Wiley on Business with Authors - I chat with Cynthia about some key decisions to make when it comes to personal branding.    It was her book Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding the helped lead me to this very podcast.   Cynthia Johnson is an entrepreneur, marketing professional, author, and keynote speaker. She is Co-Founder at Bell +Ivy, an integrated marketing communications firm in Santa Monica, CA, and Las Vegas, NV.   She is co-founder and Chairman at WonderKey Collective, a nonprofit focused on collecting and redistributing corporate technology to foster youth. Cynthia is an Advisory Board member for The Millennium Alliance, a leading technology, business, and educational advisory firm serving Fortune 1000 C-Level executives. She published her first book, Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding, in 2019 with Penguin Random House. Cynthia has been a keynote speaker for companies and events such as Alibaba Group in China, World Government Summit in Dubai, Global Ventures Summit in Indonesia and Mexico, and Web Summit in Lisbon, among others. She has been involved in influencer and marketing campaigns for PayPal, Walmart, American Express Business Platinum Card, IBI, and several other leading brands.  Cynthia was listed as top personal branding experts by Entrepreneur, top 50 marketers on SnapChat by Mashable, top 12 Female Entrepreneurs that Inspire by Darling Magazine, and top 20 people in SEO by Guardian. She is a contributing columnist to Entrepreneur and has had work published in Forbes, TIME, and several other industry-specific and top-tier publications. She published her first book, Platform: The Art and Science of Personal Branding, in February 2019 with Penguin Random House.

A leader and product manager for Amazon's Alexa, Eric brings compelling leadership advice for those looking to make a massive impact in the world.   As a business leader with 20 years of experience, Eric has always enjoyed working on new and ambiguous challenges by clarifying problems, seeking effective solutions, and formulating strategy with diverse and efficient teams so as to create value for others be it customers, clients, or partners. Expressing this passion, Eric currently leads product strategy for Amazon Alexa focusing on growing engagement through helping customers discover more of what she can do everyday. Previously, Eric worked in strategy and analytics at Green Dot (a financial technology firm), his own e-commerce startup (home decor and furniture), and management consulting at PwC (servicing Fortune 500 clients in the entertainment and finance industries).Eric is a MBA graduate from UCLA Anderson and also received his B.A. in Business Economics from UCLA. His family was in the restaurant business for over 20 years and he grew up around great experiences around food in the LA area, driving his interest to help others enjoy the same.

An interview with Tiila Abbitt of Aether BeautyTo ensure you are aligned with your people, ask questions to understand what they are really thinking.      Once you understand what and how they are thinking you can get comfortable on where they are headed with their thoughts.   If you need to learn how to ask these aligning questions, hire an intern!Founded in 2018 by Tiila Abbitt, a passionate, highly creative product development professional with 11+ years' experience- including the international prestige beauty industry. Tiila has a BFA in sculpture and an MFA in fashion design. She worked in the fashion industry for over 5 years before transitioning to beauty. She is highly passionate for the sustainable beauty product realm. Tiila spent 7 years at Sephora in charge of product development for makeup collaborations and accessories. Her obsession with sustainability lead her to become the lead R+D for sustainable materials while also being on the sustainability leadership council for the retailer. Being a global brand, Tiila quickly learned that in the USA, there are only 11 banned chemicals in color cosmetics while in the European Union, there are over 1300. Because of this, she learned how to formulate color cosmetics with a very large chemical ban list and how to substitute for cleaner alternatives. Tiila has had a long tenure passion for the organic product realm and has been a vegetarian for over 24 years, and also incorporating a plant based diet. Always bringing natural, organic alternatives into her everyday (including learning how to cook organic food at an organic restaurant while in college) she started to look at natural makeup formulation and just found that none of the offerings could truly compete with the efficacy of conventional beauty. The space lacked choice of color and trend, as well as truly sustainable packaging.

Tell the world your ideas - Don't be afraid someone is going to steal it.    Everything doesn't work out like you'd hope but forward progress is net positive.