Podcasts about managing partners

Apex Fintech Solutions provides the tools and services that enable hundreds of clients to launch, scale, and support digital investing for tens of millions of end investors. The company provides essential infrastructure and a comprehensive ecosystem of cloud-based products to enable and streamline trading, wealth management, cost basis, tax reporting, and, through its subsidiary Apex Clearing™, custody and clearing. LEARN MORE: https://apexfintechsolutions.com/?utm_source=Risk+Reversal&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=701PJ00000fnXhaYAE SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter: http://riskreversal.substack.com/ Dan Nathan and Guy Adami are joined by Gene Munster, Managing Partner at Deepwater Asset Management, for a wide-ranging conversation recorded as the market sold off into the close — and as the guys sign off from their current studio one last time. They open on Micron's blowout quarter and the 16 strategic five-year customer agreements that have it up 20%, debating whether the historic boom-and-bust cyclicality is finally being priced out of memory. From there, Gene makes his case that the AI trade is still in the "second inning," walking through AGI, the gap between hype and adoption, the threat cheap open-source models out of China pose to model pricing, and why he thinks Google has gotten the best return on its AI investment so far. The group also digs into Apple's pricing power as memory costs spike — and the 2019 upgrade-cycle scare that still haunts the bulls — before closing on the SpaceX IPO one week in, the Tesla–SpaceX roll-up bet, and the state of robotaxi and full self-driving. Articles Referenced Why aren't more companies adopting AI? (FT) Fatal Tesla Crash Into Texas Home Now Under Federal Safety Investigation (WSJ) —FOLLOW USYouTube: @RiskReversalMediaInstagram: @riskreversalmediaTwitter: @RiskReversalLinkedIn: RiskReversal Media The financial opinions expressed in Risk Reversal content are for information purposes only. The opinions expressed by the hosts and participants are not an attempt to influence specific trading behavior, investments, or strategies. Past performance does not necessarily predict future outcomes. No specific results or profits are assured when relying on Risk Reversal. Before making any investment or trade, evaluate its suitability for your circumstances and consider consulting your own financial or investment advisor. The financial products discussed in Risk Reversal carry a high level of risk and may not be appropriate for many investors. If you have uncertainties, it's advisable to seek professional advice. Remember that trading involves a risk to your capital, so only invest money that you can afford to lose. Derivatives are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of losing more than the amount originally deposited and any profit you might have made. This communication is not a recommendation or offer to buy, sell or retain any specific investment or service.

The crew debates whether Saylor's STRC preferred shares are "Luna for suits," unpacks the ETH Labs spin-out and Ethereum Foundation layoffs, breaks down the CME's lawsuit against the CFTC to kill domestic perps, and weighs whether Meta's leaked prediction market Arena is a real threat to Polymarket. Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, Saylor's STRC preferred shares, which have broken below their $100 target. Laura argues it's a confidence crisis, Tarun calls it "Luna for suits," and Haseeb pushes back — there's no death spiral, Saylor can just defer dividends and "burn the boat." Then the Ethereum Foundation shakeup: ETH Labs spinning out with seven senior EF members while the EF lays off 20% of its headcount. The back half covers the CME suing the CFTC to block domestic perps — which Haseeb frames as "suing for the right to not compete" — and Meta's leaked prediction market Arena, where Tom reveals this is Meta's third or fourth attempt at prediction markets. Let's get into it. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights

Mike Nemer welcomes Tim Wang, Managing Partner at Keymaker, to The Green Insider Podcast for a conversation about how early-stage venture capital is evolving across energy, data centers, automation, and deep technology. Tim shares how Keymaker evaluates seed-stage companies, what they look for in founders, and why reputation, commercial traction, and resilience matter so much at the earliest stages of investment. What You'll Learn How Keymaker approaches seed-stage investing and evaluates early companies Why founder reputation, personality, and past performance are critical investment signals What commercial traction looks like for startups targeting infrastructure markets Why energy infrastructure, data center infrastructure, and industrial automation are converging How renewable energy, battery storage, and AI are creating major opportunities over the next decade Why venture activity and deep-tech talent are spreading beyond California How the changing job market is affecting college students and young professionals Notable Takeaways At the seed stage, investors are often evaluating the founder as much as the company. Infrastructure-focused startups need a realistic path to commercial traction. The convergence of renewable energy, batteries, AI, and data centers may define the next decade of opportunity. Sustainability is increasingly being framed as a source of profit, efficiency, and resilience. Students and early-career professionals will need to keep adapting as AI changes the skills employers value. Listen For Tim's view on what makes a founder investable How Keymaker sources opportunities through inbound interest and proactive outreach Why battery storage and renewable infrastructure remain early in their adoption curve How AI is changing both energy demand and the future of employment Become a Green Insider Be sure to subscribe to The Green Insider, powered by ERENEWABLE, wherever you get your podcasts—and don't forget to leave us a five‑star rating! To learn more about our guests or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please contact ERENEWABLE and The Green Insider Podcast. #GreenInsiderPodcast #EnergyInfrastructure #CleanEnergy #RenewableEnergy #BatteryStorage #ArtificialIntelligence #AI #DataCenters #IndustrialAutomation #VentureCapital #SeedInvesting #StartupInvesting #ClimateTech #DeepTech #FutureOfWork #Sustainability #EnergyTransition #Innovation The post Energy Infrastructure, AI, and Seed Investing on The Green Insider appeared first on eRENEWABLE.

Welcome to Episode 313 of Autism Parenting Secrets. This week I'm joined by attorney Aaron Siri, Managing Partner of Siri & Glimstad and author of the new book Vaccines, Amen. Aaron has spent more than a decade challenging government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and public health institutions on issues related to medical freedom, informed consent, and transparency. In this conversation, we explore why vaccines are treated differently under the law than almost any other product, what Aaron discovered through years of litigation and public records requests, and why parents should understand the difference between scientific consensus and scientific evidence. Regardless of where you land on these issues, this discussion highlights the importance of critical thinking, asking better questions, and making informed decisions in a world where complex topics are often reduced to simple talking points. The secret this week is…  Consensus ISN'T The Same As Truth You'll Discover: Why one product is treated differently than almost every other product on the market (2:05) Why doing your own homework matters more than most parents realize (15:10) The difference between consensus and actual evidence (27:48) What a federal lawsuit revealed about the studies behind a major public health claim (33:36) Why informed consent requires the freedom to say no (38:20) About Our Guest: Aaron Siri is the author of Vaccines, Amen, host of the Informed w/ Aaron Siri podcast, and Managing Partner of Siri & Glimstad LLP, a national law firm focused on civil rights, constitutional law, and complex litigation. He has led numerous high-profile legal challenges involving medical mandates, government transparency, and informed consent, including efforts that resulted in the release of Pfizer's Covid-19 clinical trial documents and the restoration of vaccine exemptions affecting hundreds of thousands of students. Aaron is a graduate of UC Berkeley School of Law and is widely recognized for his work advancing informed consent, medical freedom, and government transparency. www.sirillp.com/aaron-siri/ References in this Episode: Vaccines, Amen by Aaron Siri Informed w/ Aaron Siri podcast Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) Siri & Glimstad Additional Resources: To learn more about personalized 1:1 support go to www.elevatehowyounavigate.com If you enjoyed this episode, share it with your friends.

Upgrading the Executive Operating System: Navigating "Founder Puberty" with Mark RampollaIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Mark Rampolla, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mark Rampolla Co., to dissect the profound identity shifts required to transition from a hands-on startup operator to a high-leverage enterprise CEO. Mark, the visionary founder of ZICO Coconut Water (which he successfully scaled and sold to The Coca-Cola Company) and a prominent venture capitalist at Ground Force Capital, highlights how traditional execution mechanics often break down as a company scales past critical revenue thresholds. This conversation serves as an essential strategic playbook for mid-market founders and executive teams looking to navigate internal organizational friction, deploy AI-driven behavioral analytics, and align their personal leadership development with sustainable enterprise valuation.The Strategy of Transition: Managing Growth Phases, Behavioral Intelligence, and Multi-Model Team AnalyticsScaling an enterprise past the initial startup phase requires a radical evolution in executive philosophy, moving away from reactive firefighting toward structured, systems-driven organizational governance. Mark Rampolla describes this uncomfortable growth zone as "founder puberty"—a recurring corporate lifecycle phase occurring at the $5M, $10M, and $100M revenue marks, where the tactical habits that initially drove early survival begin to bottleneck long-term enterprise value. True scale is achieved when a founder embraces the discomfort of personal transformation, delegating day-to-day tactical execution to focus exclusively on overarching corporate culture, capital allocation, and macro-level strategy. By implementing structured 90-day leadership acceleration programs, founders can systematically dismantle administrative debt, clarify cross-functional roles, and future-proof their operations against shifting industry trends.Optimizing team performance and resolving high-stakes boardroom conflicts demands that executive leadership step away from subjective intuition and embrace advanced, data-driven behavioral diagnostic tools. Many high-growth companies suffer from internal misalignment and communication silos because managers fail to recognize the diverse personality dynamics and cognitive decision-making styles within their executive tiers. Integrating automated assessment frameworks—which synthesize complex models like the Enneagram and Myers-Briggs through specialized AI engines—allows leadership to map the behavioral DNA of their entire labor infrastructure at a fraction of traditional enterprise costs. This precise analytical insight enables founders to de-escalate partnership friction in minutes, align talent with their highest and best corporate use, and cultivate an inclusive workplace culture built on absolute operational transparency.Sustaining a premium market footprint over multiple decades requires corporate leaders to decouple their personal definition of freedom from simple financial liquidity events. Many entrepreneurs operate under the false assumption that a major corporate exit will automatically resolve their operational anxiety, only to find that systemic fear and process friction persist if they neglect their internal leadership mindset. Real wealth optimization is achieved when executives integrate continuous learning loops, digital tracking systems, and community-centric knowledge initiatives into the foundational blueprint of their daily schedules. When an enterprise treats intellectual property, cross-cultural capability development, and human capital empowerment as non-negotiable pieces of corporate infrastructure, the organization builds an independent, self-sustaining asset that predictably commands authority across its entire industry vertical.About Mark RampollaMark Rampolla is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ground Force Capital, a leading venture capital firm, and the founder of Mark Rampolla Co. As the pioneering entrepreneur who launched ZICO Coconut Water and scaled it to a global acquisition by The Coca-Cola Company, Mark is recognized as a premier authority on healthy beverage innovation and sustainable corporate growth. He is the author of Entrepreneur's Guide to Freedom and a dedicated executive advisor who specializes in helping high-growth founders navigate the complex psychological and structural shift from tactical business operator to visionary enterprise CEO.About Mark Rampolla Co.Mark Rampolla Co. is an elite executive coaching, leadership development, and corporate advisory firm designed to guide founders through rapid organizational transitions. The firm specializes in executing the Founder to CEO Sprint, an intensive 90-day development framework tailored for leaders of companies generating between $5M and $100M in revenue. Through cutting-edge behavioral assessment integrations, strategic mindset reframing, and structured governance auditing, Mark Rampolla Co. enables modern leadership teams to break through operational growth plateaus and build highly resilient, scalable business assets.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeMark Rampolla Official Website: markrampolla.coMark Rampolla on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/marksrampollaKey Episode HighlightsNavigating Founder Puberty: Identifying the hidden operational friction points that signal an executive must upgrade their leadership toolkit to support enterprise scale.The Founder to CEO Sprint: Implementing a rigorous 90-day structural framework centered on self-awareness, workflow delegation, and systems governance.AI-Powered Behavioral Analytics: Utilizing multi-model personality assessment tools to eliminate internal communication friction and optimize team performance.Redefining Executive Freedom: Dissecting why financial liquidity events fail to eliminate operational stress without a fundamental shift in leadership mindset.Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Leveraging continuous multi-modal learning architectures and supporting local library initiatives to scale corporate intellectual capital.ConclusionThe conversation with Mark Rampolla reinforces that true corporate optimization is a direct consequence of an executive's willingness to engage in deep personal and structural evolution. By standardizing internal performance metrics, removing process friction from the frontline, and ruthlessly protecting automated system governance, business leaders can transform a volatile, founder-dependent startup into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Many of the most important money habits begin long before adulthood.In this episode, Miguel Gonzalez discusses valuable financial lessons parents can help teach their children, including saving consistently, understanding needs versus wants, developing responsible spending habits, practicing delayed gratification, and building financial confidence over time. These early lessons can help create a strong foundation for future financial decision-making.Miguel Gonzalez is a Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC) with over 25 years of experience helping individuals and families design retirement income strategies and long-term financial plans. He is the Managing Partner of Cortburg Retirement Advisors, a boutique firm focused on retirement planning, investment management, and financial clarity.#FinancialLiteracy #TeachingKidsAboutMoney #ParentingTips #CortburgSpeaksRetirement #MiguelXGonzalez #FinancialWellness #MoneyLessons #FinancialEducation #KidsAndMoney #PersonalFinance #SmartMoneyHabits #FinancialPlanning #MoneyMindset #FamilyFinance #RaisingFinanciallySmartKids #SavingMoney #FinancialConfidence #MoneyManagement #FinancialFreedom #WealthBuildingWelcome to Cortburg Speaks Retirement Podcast with Miguel Gonzalez, MBA, AIF®, CPFA®, CRC® CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MIGUEL'S LATEST PODCAST FOLLOW US ON: YouTube->https://m.youtube.com/c/CORTBURGRETIREMENTADVISORSFacebook-> https://m.facebook.com/CortburgIncTwitter-> https://twitter.com/CortburgIncLinkedIn->https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelxgonzalez/Website: www.CortburgRetirement.comEmail:     Miguel@CortburgRetirement.com

Dr. Matt Paden is the President and Managing Partner of Great Days Leadership. He specializes in aligning teams around mission, building healthy cultures and developing clear, values-driven leadership. He received his doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University and has recently released The Core: 8 Principles for Building Strong Authentic Leadership alongside his coauthor, Dr. L. Ken Jones.   This book is available for purchase now at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Core/Matt-Paden/9781637635582   Reach out to Dr. Paden at https://greatdaysleadership.com/   TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Are the fundamentals the same for any area of leadership? 3:06 Is leadership for everyone? Can anyone be a leader? 4:47 How did you and your writing partner, Dr. L. Ken Jones, approach writing the leadership fable? 9:45 Why is the book of Esther such a big part of your book? 20:55 This is ego such a big issue for leaders? 24:45 What do you mean by "lead with your ears"? 29:40 What do you mean by "pace yourself and extend the game"? 36:16 Is there one practice you'd recommend for someone to improve their leadership skills? 39:43 Closing Thoughts   Questions or comments? Email us at podcast@blackaby.org   DONATE: If you have enjoyed this podcast and want to support our ministry into the next 20 years, click here: https://bit.ly/382Exi3   RESOURCES: Order Experiencing God in Everyday Life now at: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/experiencing-god-in-everyday-life-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005853831   CONNECT: X: @richardblackaby Facebook: https://bit.ly/2WvZPzw Read Richard's latest blog posts at www.richardblackaby.com

This week, I welcome Chris Dane, President and Managing Partner at Hickory Global Partners, to first discuss the latest trending news in travel, including the deadly resort fire in the Dominican Republic, the FAA using AI for air traffic control, and more. Later, Dane shares his perspective on how the relationship between travel advisors and airlines has evolved, along with offering advice for how advisors can best work with airlines. He also provides insights into building relationships, the importance of advocacy and more. The discussion on advisors and air travel begins after the 16-minute mark. Today's episode sponsor: Brendan Vacations Your clients are dreaming of Ireland and Scotland. Brendan Vacations has been turning those dreams into unforgettable journeys for over 55 years, from private driver experiences and castle stays to self-drive adventures and intimate small group tours. And right now, advisors can earn an exclusive incentive on every booking. Don't miss it. Visit brendanvacations.com/traveladvisors to learn more. Have any feedback or questions? Want to sponsor the show? Contact us at Podcast@TravelPulse.com and follow us on social media @TravelPulse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Employee expectations are changing — and workplace culture is changing with them. As organizations navigate growing demands for transparency, accountability, and trust, culture has become a defining factor in leadership effectiveness, talent retention, and long-term business performance.  In this episode of Beyond the Loop, Kristen Prinz, Founder and Managing Partner of Prinz Law Firm, and Christina Hynes Mesco, Of Counsel at Prinz Law Firm, explore how leaders can build stronger workplace cultures in an increasingly complex environment. Drawing from their experience advising organizations on employment law, workplace investigations, and culture assessments, they discuss the warning signs leaders should watch for, the value of culture audits, and the challenges of turning employee feedback into meaningful action.  The conversation examines how organizations can balance performance expectations with psychological safety, create accountability that extends beyond policy, and foster workplaces where trust, connection, and results can thrive together.   Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.   Thank you to our podcast sponsor, Shure Incorporated. For nearly 100 years, Shure Incorporated has developed best-in-class audio products that provide high-quality performance, reliability and value. Headquartered in Niles, Illinois, our history of innovation and expertise in acoustics, wireless technology, and more enables us to deliver seamless, transparent audio experiences to a global audience. Our diverse product line includes world-class wired and wireless microphones, networked audio systems and signal processors, conferencing and discussion systems, software, a loudspeaker, and award-winning earphones and headphones. Find Shure on: Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

In episode 123 of Venture Everywhere, Jenny Fielding, Managing Partner at Everywhere Ventures, talks with Joshua Wöhle, co-founder and CEO of Mindstone — a platform that trains companies and their employees to actually use generative AI in their day-to-day work. Joshua shares how Mindstone started as a general learning platform before ChatGPT's release exposed a much bigger opportunity: companies were spending millions on AI tools while leaving the people meant to use them almost entirely untrained. Mindstone's vision is to become the enablement layer for the enterprise, starting adoption with executives and scaling it outward through the whole organization.In this episode, you will hear:Pivoting Mindstone from a general learning platform to AI-specific enablementEngineering Rebel as an alternative to off-the-shelf AI platformsLeading with executives before rolling AI training out to the rest of an organizationPushing one enterprise client to switch its entire stack from Microsoft to GoogleHelping Epignosis spot cross-team churn patterns through shared AI memoryLearn more about Joshua Wöhle | MindstoneLinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joshuawohleWebsite: https://www.mindstone.com/Learn more about Jenny Fielding | Everywhere VCLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennyfieldingWebsite: https://everywhere.vc/

The Cognitive Crucible is a forum that presents different perspectives and emerging thought leadership related to the information environment. The opinions expressed by guests are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of or endorsement by the Information Professionals Association. During this episode, Dave Acosta and Austin Branch discuss IPA's APEX conference which will be September 8–9, 2026 at the CARASOFT facility in Reston VA. As governments, militaries, industries, and societies confront increasingly sophisticated influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and cognitive warfare activities, the need for cognitive security education, research, and professional development has never been greater. APEX 2026 is a two-day educational forum dedicated to advancing the emerging field of cognitive security. Bringing together educators, researchers, students, practitioners, government representatives, and industry leaders, APEX seeks to foster collaboration, strengthen professional expertise, and contribute to the development of future approaches to Operations in the Information Environment (OIE). Recording Date: 19 June 2026 Resources: APEX Conference Link to full show notes and resources Guest Bio:  Austin Branch is a nationally recognized leader in cognitive security, strategic influence, and information operations. A retired Army Officer and senior U.S. government executive, he pioneered the Army's Information Operations career field and served as the first Senior Director for IO in the Office of Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict. He is the co-founder of the Information Professionals Association and Managing Partner of Crescent Bridge Corporation, advancing cross-sector solutions to achieve cognitive advantage. He also serves as Professor of Practice at the University of Maryland's Applied Research Lab for Intelligence and Security and as an Adjunct Professor at The Citadel, where he teaches Cognitive Security. A contributor to The Cipher Brief, Austin also designs college-level curricula on intelligence and gray zone competition, blending operational insight with academic rigor to mentor the next generation of strategic thinkers. David Acosta is a Board Member of the Information Professionals Association and focuses on the Association's education portfolio. Additionally, Dave serves as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, currently commanding the 2nd Brigade, 91st Training Division, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. He served at various levels throughout his career from the company/battery level to the Headquarters, Department of the Army G-3/5/7. He commanded the 303d Information Operations (IO) Battalion, 151st Theater IO Group at Camp Parks CA and served as the G3 Information Operations (IO) Chief for the US Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne). He also served as the Assistant Deputy Director for Joint Warfighting Development, Joint Staff J-7 in Suffolk, Virginia. His operational tours include deployments to Kosovo in 1999, Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2002, and Iraq in 2007 and 2009. Additionally, Dave is a Professor of Practice of Technical Operations in the Information Environment at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Dave holds a Bachelors of Science in History (Russian Area) from the US Air Force Academy, a Master of Science in Joint Information Operations from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College. He is a PhD student of International Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. About: The Information Professionals Association (IPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the role of information activities, such as influence and cognitive security, within the national security sector and helping to bridge the divide between operations and research. Its goal is to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars and practitioners and policymakers with an interest in this domain. For more information, please contact us at communications@information-professionals.org. Or, connect directly with The Cognitive Crucible podcast host, John Bicknell, on LinkedIn. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, 1) IPA earns from qualifying purchases, 2) IPA gets commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

What if the wrong turn that changed your life wasn't even yours to take? In this episode, Justin Gray, serial entrepreneur and Managing Partner at In Revenue Capital, shares how five exits worth more than $500 million in enterprise value all trace back to one unexpected introduction at a Phoenix bar. His girlfriend at the time ran into a founder, turned down a job offer, and said: talk to my boyfriend instead. That detour led Justin to employee number six at a fintech startup, his first liquidity event, and everything that followed. Today he invests in early stage B2B vertical SaaS companies, not just with capital but with his team's hands deep in the work alongside founders every single day.   [00:03:30] What He Does and Who He Serves Serial entrepreneur with five successful exits worth over $500 million in enterprise value Managing partner at In Revenue Capital, an early stage B2B vertical SaaS venture fund Invests at seed and Series A with a hands-on operator-immersive model Two portfolio companies have already exited since the firm launched in 2023 [00:05:00] How He Got Here Wanted to be a writer in college; pivoted to business and marketing when the money wasn't there Left school four credits shy of a degree; graduated into the post-September 11th job market Took a string of marketing jobs he hated; became a self-taught Swiss Army knife of go-to-market Frustrated by the siloed, arts-and-crafts lane that marketing was stuck in [00:08:00] The Startup That Changed Everything Joined a five-person payments startup in 2006 as employee number six Took three to four months to evaluate the decision; it turned out to be the best of his life Grew the company from roughly $1 million to $294 million in annual revenue Cashed out his equity and went on to found four more bootstrapped companies [00:13:30] What Inspires Him: Upleveling People Running a services firm taught him that people are the most important asset in any business Created a phantom equity program at LeadMD; half the enterprise value went to employees at exit Over a third of those employees have since gone on to start their own companies The freedom to build something is what most people need; liquidity is the key that unlocks it [00:17:30] How In Revenue Capital Actually Works Does not maintain a traditional venture fund; operates under a fundless sponsor SPV model Flies into new portfolio companies for a day and a half workshop after closing Builds a three-pillar assessment framework using market data, portfolio benchmarks, and AI One firm partner is currently serving as CRO for a portfolio company full time [00:23:30] What the Engagement Looks Like Day to Day Founders have the team on Slack, email, and phone; communication is always on Helps with hiring, messaging, pricing, customer success, CRM rollouts, and deal cycles If there is one thing that creates outsized value, it is helping founders hire the right people Knowing what great looks like at each stage is context most first-time founders don't have [00:28:30] The Relationship That Changed Everything: The Founder at the Bar His girlfriend ran into a founder at the Coach House bar in Phoenix; a disagreement led to an apology The founder offered her a job; she declined and said: my boyfriend hates his job, talk to him That introduction led to the payments startup, the first liquidity event, and everything after Without that random bar encounter, Justin says he would still be sitting in a cubicle [00:33:30] The Painful Lesson That Came With It The same founder later invested in two of Justin's subsequent companies out of shared camaraderie Their definitions of success were completely different; misalignment became costly and painful Justin had to buy the founder's half back at multiple seven figures he didn't have earmarked for that The lesson: alignment on goals, exit paths, and vision must come before any partnership [00:38:30] Final Word: Unscalable Things Drive Success Hosts the Cheat Code and Friends podcast with relationships-driven conversations Published The GTM Cheat Code in February 2025; a national bestseller about doing unscalable things All of In Revenue Capital's deal flow comes through venture partners who trust the team The model: provide value to partners first and the doors open on their own   KEY QUOTES "The sixth ingredient that builds a great tech ecosystem, more important than all the others, is context. You have to know what great looks like." - Justin Gray "Everyone thinks they need to only do things that scale. But if you create a culture of hyper value, reward first and revenue second, the relationships open every door." - Justin Gray CONNECT WITH JUSTIN GRAY Website: https://www.inrevenue.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inrevenue   Thanks for tuning in! If you liked my show, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, and subscribe! Find me on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio | Stitcher

You can close $800 million deals, fly first class, and still be going broke on the inside. In this episode of The Fulfillionaire, Cruz Gamboa, Founder and Managing Partner of Ascend Growth Ventures, shares the full unfiltered story and the clarity, cash flow framework, and mindset shifts that finally set him free. Cruz breaks down the three metrics that actually tell you whether your business is healthy: profit margin over gross revenue, cash burn, and the LTV-to-CAC ratio.  But tactics without clarity are just expensive noise. His BHAG framework exposes the real problem most entrepreneurs avoid: they chase a number without knowing why it matters, which means they have no filter for what to pursue, what to cut, or when enough is actually enough. When clarity replaces ambition as your compass, decisions get easier, the right people find you, and the work starts to feel like a mission instead of a grind.   The breakthrough was always on the other side of the burnout. When you are ready to stop building income and start building a life, visit fulfillionaire.com. Don't miss the full episode of Why High Achievers Burn Out Before They Break Through with Cruz Gamboa. Cruz Gamboa is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ascend Growth Ventures, bringing over 25 years of experience as a corporate CFO navigating capital markets, structured finance, and project finance across Latin America. He has closed deals as large as $800 million and built financial models that moved real money at the highest levels of business and government. But behind the credentials was a man who stayed nearly eight years past the moment he knew it was time to leave. Cruz now channels that hard-won experience into helping high achievers recognize the burnout beneath the success before it costs them everything. Website: https://cruzgamboa.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cruzgamboa.ascend/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cruzgamboa/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ascendgrowthventures  Ascend Growth Ventures Website: https://ascendgrowthventures.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ascendgrowthventures/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascendgrowthventures/  JP Newman is the founder of Fulfillionaire and CEO of Thrive FP, known for helping high-achievers align financial success with deeper human connection and purpose. With over $2 billion in real estate transactions and hundreds of investors coached, he brings a powerful blend of strategy, psychology, and emotional intelligence to the world of investing and negotiation. JP teaches that the best deals are built by understanding people, energy, and intention. Through his Fulfillionaire™ movement, he helps leaders stop operating from fear and start making decisions rooted in clarity and alignment. His approach redefines negotiation as a human-centered skill that turns insight into influence and lasting success. IG: https://www.instagram.com/jpnewman_/  LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jp-newman-45a1ba/     

How can exhibitions create positive change in the world?Why is play the key? How can we build trust with a community that doesn't know us? Why should exhibition makers preserve their “beginner's mind”? What can exhibitions do climate change, polarization and global conflict? How do we measure our impact?Femke Bijlsma (Partner, Kossmanndejong) discusses “Make Space for Change (The New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).Along the way: un-discipline, Santa Claus, and eating the story.Talking Points:1. Why Make Space for Change?2. PLAY3. ACTION4. REPRESENTATION5. CREATIVITY6. IMPACTHow to Listen:Listen on Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Listen at Making the Museum, the Website:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio:Femke Bijlsma is a partner and content developer at Amsterdam-based design firm Kossmanndejong, creating immersive, narrative-driven spaces globally. Her work distinctively connects design with social goals, fostering meaningful inclusion and community empowerment. This approach shapes major projects like the Museum of the Mind, "Our Colonial Inheritance" at the Worldmuseum Amsterdam, and the UAE Pavilion for Expo 2020, alongside high-profile US work at the La Brea Tar Pits. Committed to positive change, Bijlsma co-founded the Refugee Company, chaired the Dutch Design Awards, and shares her expertise as a thought leader through regular international university lectures and workshops.About Making the Museum:Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio.Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Links for This Episode:Make Space for Change (New Book):https://www.japsambooks.nl/products/make-space-for-change Femke:femke@kossmanndejong.nl  Kossmandejong:www.kossmanndejong.nl Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast:Contact Making the Museum:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger Email Jonathan Alger:alger@cgpartnersllc.com C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/ Making the Museum, the Newsletter:Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.)Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management.Subscribe to the newsletter:https://www.makingthemuseum.com/ 

A security researcher in Germany uncovered a flaw in robotic landmowers produced by Yarbo that let him remotely control every active robot across the globe, according to Slashgear. In this episode, host Amanda Glassner is joined by Heather Engel, Managing Partner at Strategic Cyber Partners, to discuss. To learn more about today's stories, visit https://cybercrimewire.com • For more on cybersecurity, visit us at https://cybersecurityventures.com.

Jeffrey Matisoff is CEO & Managing Partner, North America at The Brandtech Group, the world's leading Gen AI marketing company. Over more than two decades, he has helped global brands including IBM, Nestlé, and Verizon navigate major shifts in media, technology, and consumer behavior. Before joining Brandtech in 2021, he served as Global President of WPP's dedicated IBM agency, where he led an 800-person global organization spanning creative, media, technology, and analytics. Since joining Brandtech, Jeff has played a key role in the acquisition and transformation of Jellyfish and the development of the company's agentic media platform, helping marketers harness AI to drive growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage.

Compensation professionals are no longer asking whether AI will change their work—they're asking how, where, and how fast.  Teams are experimenting with tools like Claude, Copilot, and ChatGPT to help analyze data, draft communications, support pay decisions, and streamline compensation processes.   Vendors are rolling out AI features and workflows in their products.    At the same time, leaders are navigating legitimate questions about data privacy, governance, accuracy, and trust.  Some see AI as the next major transformation in compensation management. Others worry we're moving faster than our ability to validate the outputs these tools produce.  The reality is probably somewhere in between.  In this episode of Comp and Coffee, Ruth Thomas is joined by Paul Reiman, Founder and Managing Partner at Novo Insights, and Giac Soliman, Founder of Range and former Head of Compensation, to explore how AI is reshaping compensation—and what leaders should do next.  Resources: The comp pro's definitive guide to AI - https://www.payscale.com/research-and-insights/ai-compensation-management-guide Connect with Giac on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsman/?skipRedirect=true Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulreiman/ Connect with Ruth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruththomas1/ Email: coffee@payscale.com for listener questions and suggestions 

In this episode, Micah Shilanski, Managing Partner and Wealth Advisor, and Floyd Shilanski, Managing Partner and Wealth Advisor, discuss what federal employees should focus on when evaluating their Social Security claiming strategy. They explain how Social Security fits into a broader retirement plan, why headlines don't always tell the full story, and how factors such as taxes, survivor benefits, Medicare, and retirement income should be considered before making a decision. Need professional help with your retirement planning? Schedule a call today: https://zurl.co/AiAC Visit our website: https://zurl.co/ykNww

(0:00) Intro to this episode (2:52) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel (3:39) Start of interview (4:18) Keith Giarman's origin story. About DHR Global (9:33) Tony Abate's origin story. Current boards: Wolfspeed, GTT Communications, Mitel, and Tacora Resources. (23:52) Turnaround Board Playbook. Three phases: 1) Fix the balance sheet; 2) Turnaround strategy, and time to turn to the income statement; and 3) Exit the business. (28:50) Private Equity Board Structure. It is all contextual. (33:40) Compensation in PE boards. (31:15) What Makes Boards Effective, from Tony based on his chairmanship experience. Execution vs process. *Execution: 1) Skill Set Distribution ("Three is too few, five too many."), 2) Relevance of that skill set distribution to the situation at hand, and 3) Willingness to engage with the management team between board meetings ("the most important" goes to board culture). (38:34) Building the Board Agenda, from Tony: Tight agenda in three buckets: 1) Decisions needed now, 2) input without a decision, and 3) FYI. Most boards get stuck on FYI and never reach the real decisions. Then 40 to 50% of the deck should be standardized financial and operational KPIs (flag only what's changing), one rotating deep dive, and executive sessions with and without the CEO. (42:53) LLCs and Governance Dynamics in PE. (45:52) AI and Board Talent Demand. "Matrix management" (50:36) Underestimated Governance Risks. From Keith: for board members: "Are they aligned? Are they courageous? And are they adaptive?" From Tony: "The board should talk about the what, not the how." Difference between supervising and execution. Caveat: some PE firms are very prescriptive. (56:23) Founder-Led or Board-Led companies. (1:00:16) What are the 1-3 books that have greatly influenced your life:  Tony:  Titan by Ron Chernow (1998) Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (volume 2 of the trilogy) (2001) The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (2004) Keith: Mornings on Horseback, by David McCullough (1981) The Outsiders, by William N. Thorndike Jr. (2012) The Evolving Self, by Robert Kegan (1982)  (1:05:00) Who were their mentors, and what they learned from them. (1:09:07) Quotes they think of often or live their life by. Tony: The Man in the Ring by Teddy Roosevelt. Rudyard Kipling poem If. Keith: "Everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face" (1:11:17) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that they love. (1:12:21) The living person they most admire. Keith Giarman is a Managing Partner of the Private Equity Practice at DHR Global, and Tony Abate is an experienced board chair, director, investor, and operating executive. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

In this special Surf Park Summit session, the team behind Atlantic Park Surf pulls back the curtain on one of the most ambitious surf park developments ever attempted. Located in the heart of Virginia Beach and backed by local developers alongside Virginia Beach-born music icon Pharrell Williams, Atlantic Park is a mixed-use destination that combines surfing, hospitality, residential real estate, retail, entertainment, and public gathering spaces into a single vision for the future of urban placemaking.ModeratorEmily Drake, Kimley-HornPanelistsMike Culpepper, Managing Partner, Venture Realty GroupBruce Greenfield, Partner, AOMark Erdly, Studio Director, GenslerAlec Yuzhbabenko, Design Principal, HanburyDavid Dallman, Vice President, Kimley-Horn

Want a quick estimate of how much your business is worth? With our free valuation calculator, answer a few questions about your business, and you'll get an immediate estimate of the value of your business. You might be surprised by how much you can get for it: https://flippa.com/exit 
 --
 Are you running your business to scale, or are you running it to sell? According to Michael Bennett, managing partner and founder of Crew Capital, you should always be doing both.
 In this tactical episode of The Exit, Michael sits down with Steve McGarry to break down the exact playbook for preparing your business for a massive payday long before you ever want to hand over the keys. From tracking the 10 to 20 industry KPIs that actually matter to navigating the complex world of QSBS tax benefits and succession planning, Michael shares the hard-earned wisdom he used to help guide one client from a $50M enterprise value all the way to a public, multi-billion-dollar powerhouse. Drawing from years of investment banking and advising founder-led companies, Michael shares why the best time to prepare for an exit is before you need capital and how running your company as if it is always “sale ready” can dramatically increase enterprise value.
 Michael also breaks down the biggest mistakes founders make when preparing for a sale, why timing matters more than most entrepreneurs realize, and how market conditions can impact valuation multiples. Steve and Michael dive into minority deals, partial exits, rollover equity, and the difference between maximizing value versus defining personal success. Whether you are years away from selling or actively considering an exit, this conversation offers tactical advice to help you prepare smarter and avoid painful surprises. 
 -- Michael Bennett is the Managing Partner of Crewe Capital and Co Founding Partner of Crewe Advisors, where he helps founder led and closely held businesses navigate mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, and long term financial strategy. Over the past 20 years, Michael has advised on more than 100 investment banking transactions while helping grow Crewe into a multi faceted financial platform overseeing more than $3 billion in assets. After overcoming an unstable childhood and putting himself through school, Michael built the firm from the ground up, starting with no clients and a single $20,000 retainer, eventually expanding into wealth management, alternative investments, philanthropy, and community initiatives.

 Website - https://crewecup.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/crewecapital/ 

 KEY TIMESTAMPS:
 [00:01] Introduction to Michael Bennett and His Journey [05:49] Preparing for an Exit: Timing and Strategy [08:58] Common Mistakes in Exit Preparation [11:48] Understanding Valuations and Market Trends [14:50] Defining the Right Time to Exit [17:46] Exploring Partial Exits and Deal Structures [20:46] Favorite Deals and Lessons Learned [23:41] Advice for Future Entrepreneurs [26:56] Conclusion and Overview of Crewe Capital -- The Exit—Presented By Flippa: A 30-minute podcast featuring expert entrepreneurs who have been there and done it. The Exit talks to operators who have bought and sold a business. You'll learn how they did it, why they did it, and get exposure to the world of exits, a world occupied by a small few, but accessible to many. To listen to the podcast or get daily listing updates, click on flippa.com/the-exit-podcast/

Richard Seewald, Founder & Managing Partner at Evolution Equity Partners, joins Steve Morgan, founder of Cybersecurity Ventures, for the inaugural episode of "Talking Sports", a new quarterly series on the Cybercrime Magazine Podcast. Listen to two lifelong Knicks fans discussing the New York Knicks thrilling playoff run and come from behind victories over the San Antonio Spurs as they took home the 2026 NBA Championship. Also in this episode, Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks were hacked and suffered a data breach at the hands of the Shinyhunters ransomware gang. "Talks Sports" is brought to you by Evolution Equity Partners, an international venture capital investor partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs to develop market leading cybersecurity and enterprise software companies. Learn more at https://evolutionequity.com

In this episode of Private Markets 360°, we welcome Bob Belke, Managing Partner at Lovell Minnick, whose 26-year career began at TIAA and led him to help grow Lovell Minnick in its early days in 2000. Bob discusses what makes lower middle market buyouts different - especially the value of specialization, early outside institutional involvement, and a disciplined approach to investing - and how private equity has evolved over the past two decades. He also shares insights on today's market dynamics, the liquidity needs investors face, and why consistent value creation remains essential in a highly competitive environment. More S&P Global Content:  S&P Global, Cambridge Associates, Mercer Private Markets Performance Analytics    Credits:  Host/Author: Chris Sparenberg and Jocelyn Lewis Guests: Robert Belke, Lovell Minnick Producer: Georgina Lee Published With Assistance From: Feranmi Adeoshun, Kimberly Olvany   www.spglobal.com www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence

Arianna Howard, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Syncra Group and lead of ASSP’s AI in Safety Standards-Based User Group joins us to share how AI tools can offer solutions for addressing issues in your workplace, but first you have to know which problems you're trying to solve. She discusses the importance of using AI as a learning tool to better understand the conditions the workforce is facing and better address hazards. She also shares how AI can help EHS professionals save time and work more efficiently by improving processes and procedures.

Visuals: https://getbehindthebillboard.com/episode-111-btb-x-woo-conference-part-2 Recorded live at the WOO Congress 2026 in London just a fortnight ago, this is the second of our special Behind the Billboard episodes - and this time we're on the Global OOH, Innovation & Creativity track. Hugh and Dan….. Well…. Mainly Dan as Hugh had run away to catch a train…. grab short, sharp conversations with a stellar line-up of out-of-home leaders from around the world: Elizabeth McIntyre, CEO of OMA Australia; Ben Milne, CEO APAC at Billups; Nick Bell, UK MD at Billups; Jaime Byrdak, CEO North America at Billups; Jay Young, MD of Grand Visual; Sarah Parkes, Managing Partner, International at Talon; Danielle Austin of Evolve OOH; James Harrison from MPN part of Dubai Holdings; and Simon Wall, CEO of Glynt Group in South Africa. Phew… what a list… what a monster session. Across the episode we explore where OOH is heading now: smarter creative, better data, creative mapping, AI, sustainable infrastructure, mobile media, and the enduring power of a brilliantly simple poster in the right place. There are stories behind work for Google Maps, RNLI's Float To Live, Nike Running and the NYC Marathon, Selleys, Jolt, Out There, Ad Free Zones, IFS.ai and Tractor Media's school-powering billboards. It's a fast-moving global tour of the medium we love: from Australia to Dubai, South Africa to North America, and back to the streets of London. Along the way, our guests pick their favourite billboards, share what excites them about the future, and remind us that when out-of-home is at its best, it's public, useful, unmissable and impossible to ignore. In true Behind the Billboard style, there are a few rabbit holes, plenty of billboard nerdery, and a healthy amount of love for the people pushing the medium forward. Thanks to WOO for having us, to all our brilliant guests for giving up their time in the middle of congress chaos, and to everyone who still believes the humble billboard has plenty of magic left in it. Thanks again to our usual suspects and supporters, and for this one especially the team at WOO.

The regulatory and compliance landscape for mortgage lenders has never been more complex — and the risks hiding in the rearview mirror may be bigger than the ones ahead. In this episode of Connect, California MBA CEO Paul Gigliotti sits down with James W. Brody, Esq., Founder and Managing Partner of Brody Gapp LLP, for a wide-ranging conversation on the current legal risk environment, where litigation is spiking, and what lenders need to do right now to protect themselves. James brings decades of experience in mortgage banking litigation, enforcement defense, regulatory risk, and the rapidly evolving legal landscape around AI — and he doesn't hold back on any of it. In this episode: - Why the CFPB stepping back has created a dangerous patchwork of state-level AI and compliance regulations — and why national lenders are being forced to build to the strongest law - The biggest litigation category right now: LO poaching and non-solicit cases in a consolidating market - Why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are scrubbing their 2020–2023 portfolios using AI fraud tools — and what that means for repurchase exposure - How lenders can take an active role in renegotiating MLPAs to add materiality qualifiers and limit buyback liability - Why compliance woven into the fabric of a company from the ground up creates less exposure and more opportunity - How to inventory the AI already inside your organization — because it's likely already there through vendor updates - Why agentic AI doing licensable activity is the next major legal debate — and who will be held responsible - Why advocacy is not separate from your business — and why now is the moment to leverage political capital before it's too late Connect is the California MBA's podcast where strategy, innovation, and leadership come together to shape the future of mortgage finance. Subscribe for new episodes featuring the voices driving the industry forward.

Can you run a hyper-profitable tax and advisory firm while heavily restricting your personal work hours? Most accounting firm owners and managing partners assume that scaling past six figures requires sacrificing their personal life to the grind.   In this episode of Growing Your Firm, host David Cristello sits down with Yuri Kapilovich, Managing Partner of Kapilovich and Associates—known across social media as "The Fun CPA." After spending over a decade handling high-net-worth clients at giant tax firms, Yuri stepped out on his own to build an ultra-lean, highly optimized practice.   Yuri pulls back the curtain on how he structure-built his firm to generate nearly $290k in gross revenue while working only 15 to 25 hours a week! If you're a bookkeeping firm owner, a CPA starting a firm, or an operations manager, this step-by-step masterclass reveals how pricing alignment directly builds lifestyle freedom.   In this episode, we explore: The "Fun CPA" Blueprint: How leaning into raw, honest, and unconventional branding on LinkedIn unlocked massive organic growth. The $2,000 Minimum Baseline: Why establishing rigid price floors protects your team's capacity and eliminates low-margin, high-volume compliance traps. The Three-Tier Revenue Split: Breaking down Yuri's $290k engine—from seasonal tax preparation to core quarterly advisory and monthly recurring client accounting services (CAS). The Ultimate Solo Leverage Strategy: Managing 80 high-value business clients by hyper-utilizing part-time specialized contractor support. Social Media vs. Firm Reality: An honest discussion on managing the mental toll of online comparison and how to strategically filter out vanity metrics.   Key Metrics and Firm Benchmarks Mentioned: Average Relationship Value: $3,500 to $3,600 per client. The "3x" Capacity Rule: Ensuring your fractional team or software tools produce three times their compensation footprint to maintain an elite profit margin.   Featured Guest: Yuri Kapilovich  

Europe already produces world-class technology companies. The mistake is assuming future winners will look obvious before they become winners.In this episode of This Week in European Tech, Dan Bowyer and Mads Jensen of SuperSeed speak with Joe Schorge, Founder and Managing Partner at Isomer Capital, about why the best investors focus less on predicting outliers and more on building exposure to exceptional founders, technologies and ecosystems.Joe shares why Europe's next trillion-dollar company is probably already operating today, what Amazon and Google teach us about identifying future winners and why diversification remains one of the most powerful tools in venture capital.The conversation also covers AI sovereignty, Anthropic's model shutdown, DeepSeek's $7 billion round, Mistral's latest raise and Europe's position in the global AI race.Key highlights:Why Europe's next trillion-dollar company probably already existsWhy future winners rarely look obvious early onThe LP case for backing ecosystems instead of chasing predictionsLessons from Amazon and GoogleWhy Europe already produces world-class technology companiesWhy tech sovereignty depends on world-class productsDeepSeek, Mistral and the future of AI infrastructureWhether Europe can compete with the US and China in frontier technologyTimestamps(00:00) Introduction(05:00) Why Accenture matters for the future of AI adoption(12:00) Anthropic's model shutdown and AI sovereignty(15:00) Why tech sovereignty is creating opportunities for European startups(20:00) AI alliances, geopolitics and Europe's position(26:00) DeepSeek's $7 billion funding round(31:00) Mistral's next chapter and Europe's AI ambitions(35:00) Can Europe build a trillion-dollar technology company?(38:00) Why future winners rarely look obvious(40:00) Europe's world-class technology companies(41:00) Isar Aerospace and European winners(42:00) European tech deal of the week(43:00) The week ahead in AI and ventureLearn more about the Love Tomorrow Summit and the programmes EUVC is curating, and secure your tickets here.

In diesem Deep Dive spricht Markus mit Alexander Sommer-Fein, Managing Partner der LZH Group und Co-Founder von Smash. Alexander hat bei BCG strukturiertes Denken gelernt, Hans-Peter Haselsteiners Family Office mitaufgebaut und Startups bei „2 Minuten 2 Millionen" begleitet. Heute entwickelt er mit LZH standardisierte Wohnimmobilien im DACH-Raum und baut mit Smash – gemeinsam mit Investor Dominik Thiem,Padel-Standorte, die mehr als nur Sport sein sollen: Orte für Begegnung und Community.Production: Hanna MoserMusik (Intro/Outro): www.sebastianegger.com

We continue our How to Raise Your Agent series this week with Joyce Shen, Managing Partner at Together Expedition and AI Professor at UC Berkeley. SmarterMarkets™ host David Greely sits down with Joyce to discuss how AI is rewiring work, what we can learn from past tech transformations, and what's different this time from the perspective of a business practitioner, tech investor, and educator.

Stephen Halasnik, Managing Partner of Financing Solutions, speaks with nonprofit leaders and finance professionals about the real-world financial challenges organizations face, including nonprofit cash flow gaps, funding delays, working capital shortages, and the need for stronger fundraising decisions. In this conversation, Shahar Brukner, Founder and CRO of Impala, explains why having more fundraising data does not automatically lead to better fundraising outcomes and how nonprofits can turn information into actionable intelligence.  

In this episode of Mission Matters, Adam Torres interviews Dayton Miller, Managing Partner at BFG Partners, as part of the CPG Convergence Conference series. Dayton discusses BFG Partners' approach to investing in early-stage consumer packaged goods brands that are better for consumers and better for the planet. Drawing from his background as an entrepreneur, investor, and former beverage company founder, he shares how the firm partners with founders building innovative food, beverage, supplement, and personal care brands. Interested in meeting Dayton Miller and other leaders in the consumer products industry? Join us at the CPG Convergence Conference, where growth, capital, and innovation come together. Get your tickets here: https://luma.com/rmoecmqx Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/ Visit our website: https://missionmatters.com/ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's an Art(s) on the Air collab! Subscribe to Art(s) on the Air here: https://artontheair.podbean.com/Join Kate Stanton Melendez for an interview with Lee Heidel, Owner and Managing Partner of Neighborhood Comics.  Get full access to Neighborhood Comics at convo.neighborhoodcomics.com/subscribe

In this episode of Mission Matters, ⁠Adam Torres⁠ interviews ⁠Dayton Miller⁠, Managing Partner at BFG Partners, as part of the CPG Convergence Conference series. Dayton discusses BFG Partners' approach to investing in early-stage consumer packaged goods brands that are better for consumers and better for the planet. Drawing from his background as an entrepreneur, investor, and former beverage company founder, he shares how the firm partners with founders building innovative food, beverage, supplement, and personal care brands. Interested in meeting Dayton Miller and other leaders in the consumer products industry? Join us at the CPG Convergence Conference, where growth, capital, and innovation come together. Get your tickets here: ⁠https://luma.com/rmoecmqx⁠ Follow Adam on Instagram at ⁠https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/⁠ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: ⁠https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/⁠ Visit our website: ⁠https://missionmatters.com/⁠ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: ⁠https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The crew breaks down the SpaceX IPO's crypto-like low float dynamics and Hyperliquid's price prediction, debates accredited investor laws and failed tokenized stock allocations, dives into Fable 5's export control shutdown after Amazon flagged a jailbreak to the Treasury Secretary, and argues whether open source AI models will eat frontier pricing. Welcome to The Chopping Block — where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. Robert is back after a brief hiatus recording his own podcast, The Pop, for Superstate — and the crew wastes no time roasting him for it before diving into the biggest week of news in recent memory. First up: the SpaceX IPO, the largest in history, and why it looks eerily like a crypto token launch — 4.2% float, retail getting cut out, and Hyperliquid perps predicting the first-day pop almost to the dollar. The crew debates TradeXYZ's winner-take-all dominance of HIP3 and why building on top of Hyperliquid might be a terrible startup environment. Then they unpack Elon's financial engineering genius — the Cursor acquisition as all-stock crypto playbook, XAI's pivot from failed AI lab to compute reseller, and why Grok is (unanimously) an embarrassing piece of shit. The conversation shifts to accredited investor laws, SPV dentists, and why every crypto platform failed to deliver SpaceX IPO allocations. From there, Coinbase's massive system update — tokenized stocks, an SEC-registered AI chatbot, combos, and 15-minute markets. Then things get spicy: Robert asks Claude about SBF on air, Sonnet gets it hilariously wrong, and everyone roasts him for not using Opus. The back half is all about Fable 5 — Amazon's jailbreak discovery, Andy Jassy calling Dario (who didn't pick up), and the export controls that shut down the most powerful commercial AI model ever released. Robert drops his most surprising take: "I am EAC, but this is a dry run of pressing the pause button." The episode closes with a heated debate on whether Chinese open source models will eat frontier AI pricing and a bet that may or may not have been agreed upon.  Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. Show highlights

Disclaimer: Today's episode is sponsored by Gelt. Content is for educational purposes only. Not advice. Results discussed have not been vetted. Claims made by the guest have not been verified. The views expressed by the guest do not reflect those of the host or this show.—

Retirement. You could wing it. Why not design it? Our next group proram starts in September and is limited to 10 people. The Very Early Registration discount (45%) ends on June 21st. Learn more here. _______________________ In our last conversation, Dan Pontefract gave us a demographic wake-up call. The future of work is aging, and longer lives will require new thinking about careers, retirement, and contribution. Today, Scott Siff brings that to the practical level: how do we create better pathways for people who want to keep contributing, but not necessarily in the same way? And what are employers missing when they overlook experienced talent? His story begins with his father's frustrating search for a new job in his 70s, and builds into a larger conversation about age bias, unretirement, labor shortages, and the need to redesign work for longer lives. __________________________ Bio Scott Siff is the founder and CEO of Pivoters, a job-matching platform focused on helping people 55+ connect with employers seeking experienced talent. His story begins with his father's frustrating search for a new job in his 70s, and builds into a larger conversation about age bias, unretirement, labor shortages, and the need to redesign work for longer lives. Siff is also a founder and Managing Partner at Quadrant Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based strategy research and communications firm. His background includes advising senior leaders, Fortune 50 companies, and high-profile political figures on public affairs, brand, reputation, crisis, competitive positioning, and strategic communications. Earlier in his career, Siff served as CEO of BAV Consulting, Vice Chair of the global research firm PSB, and worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as a prosecutor and later as counsel in the Environment Division. He earned a B.A. from Harvard University, Phi Beta Kappa, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Scott Siff joins us from Washington, DC. _______________________ For More on Scott Siff  Pivoters _______________________ Other Retirement Podcast Conversations You May Like The Portfolio Life – Christina Wallace The Unretirement Life – Richard Eisenberg Working Identity – Herminia Ibarra _________________________ Best Books on Retirement Our reccomendations and summaries are here _________________________ Mentioned in This Episode The Future of Work is Grey – Dan Pontefract _________________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You'll get smarter about the investment decisions you'll make about the most important asset you'll have in retirement: your time. I help people who are retiring, but aren't quite done yet, discover what's next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn't just happen by accident.Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms. About Your Podcast Host Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking.Joe has earned Master's degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University.In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 2 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He's the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy. ________________________ Wise Quotes On Rethinking Work“At 55, you may well have 30 years of work life left, but you probably have 25 really good years, which is the same length of career as from the ages 25 to 50.”On What Employers Are Missing “There's a pool of 40 million unused workers ready to go, better workers, and they're sitting there on the sidelines, begging to get in the game.”On Reframing Aging “A 65-year-old today is like a 45-year-old 20 years ago. And I'm not saying that theoretically, that's what the science is finding.” __________________________  

Michael Smith—Managing Partner and Founder, Emerald Advisors Michael Smith shares how a client-first philosophy, niche specialization, and independence helped Emerald Advisors grow from $385mm to more than $1B in assets. In Summary What happens when an advisor builds a business around client service rather than operational efficiency? Jason Diamond speaks with Michael Smith, Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, about the path from a successful Merrill practice to an independent RIA that has grown from approximately $385mm to more than $1B in assets. Along the way, Michael shares the story of being told he was “overservicing” clients, why that moment became a catalyst for independence, and how a highly specialized service model fueled the firm's growth. Drawing on lessons from a 24-year Navy career, Michael offers a perspective on leadership, specialization, client care, and what it takes to build a durable business in today's wealth management landscape. The Storyline Growth is often viewed as the result of marketing, referrals, acquisitions, or scale. Michael Smith sees it differently. After building a successful practice at Merrill, Michael found himself at odds with the constraints of the traditional wirehouse model. What ultimately stood out wasn't compensation, technology, or platform capabilities. It was a philosophical difference around client service. When he was told he was spending too much time helping clients navigate tax planning, equity compensation, and other financial decisions outside the traditional scope of investment management, he began to question whether the model aligned with the way he wanted to serve families. That realization eventually led him to launch Emerald Advisors in late 2019. The firm started with roughly 85 clients and approximately $385mm in assets. Today, Emerald serves more than 225 families and oversees more than $1B in assets. Throughout the conversation, Michael reflects on the lessons learned from building an independent firm, developing a niche around concentrated stock positions and executive compensation, navigating custodial and technology decisions, and creating a culture rooted in accountability and service. Underlying it all is a simple belief: when firms become highly intentional about who they serve and how they serve them, growth often becomes the outcome rather than the objective. Topics Covered Merrill breakaways and independence Client service as a growth driver Building an RIA RIA growth and scalability Organic growth strategies Concentrated stock positions and equity compensation planning Ideal client personas and niche specialization Schwab and Fidelity custody relationships Advisor succession and enterprise value Navy leadership principles in wealth management The rise of mega RIAs Advisor technology and infrastructure > Download a transcript of this episode… Listen and Learn Highlights for Advisors Why did being accused of “overservicing” clients become a turning point? (08:15)Michael explains how a conversation with management revealed a deeper misalignment between his client-service philosophy and the wirehouse model. What does client service look like beyond portfolio management? (11:30)The discussion explores how tax planning, equity compensation guidance, and proactive coordination can deepen client relationships. Why can specialization accelerate growth? (15:45)Michael shares why serving a defined niche often creates stronger referrals, greater expertise, and clearer positioning. How has the RIA landscape evolved since 2019? (20:30)Michael reflects on the rise of mega RIAs, changing technology capabilities, and why he believes independent firms still have significant advantages. What role do custodians really play in an independent business? (23:15)Michael discusses his experience working with Schwab and Fidelity and why he views custodians as strategic partners rather than competitors. Is the wirehouse model still the right fit for some advisors? (26:45)The conversation challenges the assumption that independence is the best path for everyone and explores the realities of running a business. Does reaching $1 billion in assets actually change anything? (32:45)Michael offers a practical perspective on growth, success, and why asset milestones can be misleading. What can advisors learn from the “steamboat” philosophy? (37:15)Drawing on his Navy experience, Michael shares a leadership framework that continues to shape how he approaches business building and decision-making. Key Takeaways Exceptional client service can become a meaningful competitive advantage when it extends beyond investment management. Independence gave Michael the flexibility to build a service model that aligned with his philosophy rather than adapting his philosophy to fit the platform. Developing a niche around executive compensation and concentrated stock positions helped accelerate Emerald's growth. The ability to make technology, custodial, and operational decisions quickly remains a significant advantage for independent firms. Not every advisor should be independent. Running a business requires a different set of skills and responsibilities than serving clients alone. Growth milestones are useful, but they do not define success. Michael believes success existed long before Emerald reached $1 billion in assets. High-performing teams with a clear client focus often find that growth becomes a natural byproduct of execution. https://youtu.be/RjzsMcC2DnY Quotable Moments “I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing.” “Servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today.” “If you serve a niche and you're very good at that niche, that word gets around.” “Growth becomes the outcome.” FAQs Can an advisor really “over-service” clients? The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Does specialization still matter in a relationship business? Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. What actually changes when an advisor becomes independent? Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. Is full independence the right path for every advisor? No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. How should advisors think about the $1 billion milestone? Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. What role does an ideal client persona play in growth? Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. How can advisors balance growth with client service? One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. The discussion explores the tension between efficiency and depth of service. While some business models prioritize scale and consistency, others are built around solving a broader range of client problems. The right answer often depends on the advisor's philosophy and business model. Michael argues that developing expertise in a specific area can accelerate growth by making referrals easier and helping advisors become known for solving a particular set of problems. Beyond economics, independence often creates more flexibility around client service, technology, processes, and business decisions. At the same time, advisors assume responsibility for running the business itself. No. Michael acknowledges that many advisors benefit from the structure, support, and resources available within traditional firms. Independence offers flexibility, but it also introduces complexity and responsibility. Michael views asset milestones as useful benchmarks but not measures of success. In his view, business quality, client outcomes, and sustainability matter more than any specific asset number. Rather than trying to serve everyone, Emerald built its business around a clearly defined client profile. Michael believes that focus improves service, creates operational consistency, and supports organic growth. One of the central themes of the episode is that growth and service are not necessarily competing objectives. In some cases, a differentiated service model becomes the reason a business grows. Related Resources The Transitioning Advisor's Lament: Things I Wish I Knew Before Freedom vs. Familiarity: Is it Worth Disrupting Comfort for Something That Might Be Better? IBD vs. RIA Revisited: Two Independent Pathways for Advisors to Consider Advisor Transition Report 2026 Guest Bio Michael Smith, CPWA® is the Founder and Managing Partner of Emerald Advisors, an independent wealth management firm overseeing more than $1 billion in assets for affluent families, executives, and business owners with complex planning needs. Mike entered the wealth management industry in 2005 after a distinguished 24-year career in the United States Navy, where he served both as an enlisted sailor in the Submarine Force and later as a Limited Duty Officer aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and on major staffs around the world. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and an MBA with dual emphases in Finance & Accounting and International Business. Throughout his career, Mike has been known for his commitment to comprehensive planning, helping clients navigate complex issues involving concentrated stock positions, executive compensation, tax strategy, estate planning, philanthropy, and multi-generational wealth transfer. His client-first approach and passion for education have helped Emerald Advisors grow from a startup firm in 2019 to a nationally recognized RIA serving more than 225 families. Outside of the office, Mike is an avid ultrarunner, golfer, lifelong learner, and dedicated advocate for children’s health initiatives. He is a current member of the Legacy Council at Seattle Children’s Hospital and has served in leadership and board roles supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, the ALS Association, and the Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center. He is also the proud father of Kat Smith. NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. View the transcript of this episode… From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think a team needs to have a specialization to be competitive these days or do you think it’s okay just to be like, “My job is to be the best advisor and I want to service assets wherever those assets may come from?” Michael Smith: Another great observation. I’m going to address the niche first and foremost. I think, and I talked to R.J. Shook’s staff just recently, and having a niche gives you a specialization and it also accelerates your growth factor. If you serve a niche and you’re very good at that niche, then that word gets around. If you’re a jack of all trades, you can do lots of things but I don’t think you’re focused and you’re not hitting the right numbers that I like to see. And I think that would be my theme is the niche allows you to focus on a very specific type of ideal client, that’s a Schwab thing where you have an ideal client persona and our firm has an ideal client persona. As far as having the equity comp, I absolutely was one of the teams at Merrill Lynch that was equity compensation designated, I managed a couple of plans. My exposure to that, Jason, I haven’t thought about this in a very long time, came from UBS where I had team members that were colleagues that were associated with the Nextel Sprint plan. And I always thought that you’re taking care of the top executives but, really, my background being in the military was how do we take care of the troops, the troops, I call them sailors, and how do we educate those sailors. And one of the things I’ve always said in my entire career in the military and I still say to this day is 50% of every bonus or a promotion or something like that should go to long-term savings. So, I use that same mentality with RSUs, with stock options, with bonuses. Set that aside, let that grow because you’re not used to spending it and you will learn to spend what you make. Jason Diamond: I think that’s a great reason, it’s super smart and I love your explanation, it was a very simplistic way. Honestly, even I hadn’t thought about that around your niche, I think, becomes almost like a force multiplier for your own growth because it’s much easier to become the guy in X, Y, Z vertical than to be the guy in every financial advisor of America, across America. Let me ask you a follow-up question, you mentioned the ideal client persona. I spend a lot of time at our firm thinking about this as well, what does your ideal client persona look like. How do you think about an opportunity though that differs from that persona? So, it’s great. Obviously, everybody, it’s easy, you get somebody who’s your perfect prospect, they walk in the front door, sign me up. But when you get something that’s not down the fairway for you, is it just I evaluate it on a one-off basis or are you super disciplined to that approach because it’s who your firm is? Michael Smith: I truly haven’t given that a whole lot of thought but I will tell you how I would handle that because I am handling it with some one-offs. I like the opportunity because you’re stretching your brain in that you’re thinking about how somebody else is reacting so you’d never know. So, I like it from a learning perspective but I also know it comes with a lot of other baggage, I’ll call it baggage, because, all of a sudden, they want to short the market, they want to go long-short strategies. So, all of a sudden, they’re not in our niche and, all of a sudden, they’re taking a lot of time, they’re draining our time so I think you got to be very careful about what you wish for. And there’s a lot of great advisors out there that will walk circles around these topics that I’m like, “Okay, I would rather refer somebody so they get the right experience than give them the wrong experience.” Jason Diamond: I absolutely love that answer. The bow you just put on it, I think, is the appropriate way in my mind to put a bow. At the end of the day, wouldn’t you rather service somebody more optimally even if you don’t believe it’s yourself, I agree with that. I want to ask you one more point on the client service piece. I was playing around on your website and, on your service model, you have health as a component of the client experience of your diagram. Why do you think health matters in a financial context? Michael Smith: I always believed in a healthy mind and a healthy body will bring so much joy to you and I think health is just part of your persona. If you don’t take care of yourself and your body and your mind, then it doesn’t matter what I do, I think you got to start with health. So, I’m very big on the executive physicals, I routinely require all of our staff to have an annual physical. And, again, they’re young people but you got to have these annual … I live and breathe going to see a doctor every year to do my annual physical, not because I think I’m pretty good health, I still run, I do a lot of things but I think your life starts with being healthy. Jason Diamond: Yeah, it’s refreshing to hear that, no doubt. It’s funny to think about but 2019 is a long time ago now and, in RIA world, I almost think of it like dog years. You’ve been around the block now for a little while so I’m curious how have you seen this space change since you launched in 2019? Michael Smith: In 2019, I didn’t know what I was doing, I could barely get out a wet paper bag but I do think it’s changed dramatically. I would say the biggest thing I’ve seen in just the six and a half, almost seven years is the rise of the mega RIAs and how they’re going to shape the industry. Everyone talked about fee compression at Merrill Lynch. When I was at Merrill, we talked about fee compression, then they talked about robo-advisors and now they’re talking about artificial intelligence replacing advisors, I don’t believe that and I don’t think that’s going to happen in the RIA space. What I see the RIA space maturing is into these very big mega firms as well as these independent RIAs like myself that serve a very niche market where we can walk in our lane. The ability to transact today is so much easier as an RIA than it was at a wirehouse as well because we have instant access to technology. My military background, my Navy background says make a decision right, wrong or different, if you don’t like it afterwards or you get new data, course change. So, in our industry, we can change on a notice. I hired a tech firm last year, I didn’t like the experience nine months into it, guess what, they’re not coming back. So, I can do that but you can’t do that at the bigger firms and even the bigger mega firms would have a hard time navigating a change just like that on a dime. Jason Diamond: You bring up an interesting point. To the extent you face competition, do you find yourself competing more against traditional wirehouse type firms or RIAs like yourself, mega caps RIAs? Are your clients attuned to any of this? Michael Smith: That’s an observation I haven’t thought of either there, Jason. I would say I don’t feel that I have a … I know there’s competition out there but we have a growth issue more than we have anything else so I don’t … I can’t take on the clients that want to become my clients so I’m not competing with people too much. Jason Diamond: A capacity issue, you mean? Michael Smith: Yeah, I have a capacity issue. Jason Diamond: I think you’re not alone in that. How can I even think about competition and the like when … A lot of advisors would probably say that. I want to talk more about the capacity situation but, before I do, let’s talk a little more about the RIA setup. Who do you custody with, remind us, and why or how did you arrive at that decision? Michael Smith: Yeah. So, when I launched, I went with Schwab, Schwab is a phenomenal partner, they helped me get a lot of stuff done, I couldn’t have done it without Schwab. During the pandemic, I realized that I should probably … So, remember, during the pandemic, we had a lot of issues with the banking industry, it was almost like a financial crisis but in a very compressed time. So, during the COVID, I decided to add Fidelity as another custodian so now I have two custodians and I opened accounts on both sides of the house but I like the custodians that are there to help you, they’re very good at what they do. I don’t even consider them a competitor and they aren’t competitors, they have their own branch so I don’t consider them competitors, I think they’re my partners and both Charles Schwab and Fidelity are good partners. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s the healthy way to look at the custody relationship. That’s a very common approach, I think, is launching with one custodian and then adding a secondary custodian or a tertiary custodian down the line for one reason or another so I appreciate you sharing that because we get those types of nuts and bolts questions a lot so I figured I’d ask you. One last question on the setup and then we’ll shift gears. Has anything been a negative? So, you talked about leaving Mother Merrill behind and, Mother Merrill, we use it facetiously but obviously it implies a degree of comfort and the homeland so I’m curious if you miss anything. Michael Smith: I miss the camaraderie of being with a bunch of other folks. I mentioned this when I first launched, I mentioned it year over year with my team, the one thing that we miss as an RIA and, again, Dynasty has their benefits as well and the mega RIAs have their benefits but, if you’re a true independent like myself, we get to go to conferences that we want to and that’s a timing issue, really, a time constraint. But one thing Merrill and Morgan, JPMorgan, and the other big wirehouses have as well as the megas, they have the ability to put conferences together for their advisors or their administrators and have this education. That’s the one thing that, I think, would evolve in the RIA industry in the future as well. They’re not my competitors, they’re my business colleagues. And if we think of them as competitors, and a lot of people do because I don’t want to share my client information or what I do with my competitor because they may steal them, if you’re that insecure, then you’re probably not the right advisor in the first place. Jason Diamond: I don’t disagree with that. It’s interesting too, I hear two common answers to that question, not about Merrill but just about somebody who’s broken away, what do you miss about the captive firm world. Either on this podcast or just in conversations with advisors, brand comes up a lot and then the point you just raised. I’ll even hear like, “Hey, forget the conferences and the trainings, just being able to have an office where I’ve got eight other advisors on a row for me, it’s a little bit of a different setup than in the independent space,” and I think that’s just a reality of you take the good with the bad. And for other advisors, by the way, one of the things I want to ask you about to this point is do you believe that there are advisors that are just better served in the W2 traditional firm world or do you think that every advisor should be looking at the RIA space? Michael Smith: I think that wirehouse serves a great purpose and- Jason Diamond: Okay, me too. Michael Smith: … there’s a lot of great people that are great advisors in that wirehouse, they need the structure. What I hadn’t alluded to is, and I mentioned this to a former manager from Merrill Lynch of mine just recently, actually, I was like, “I don’t think advisors realize what it takes to run a business.” I’m not trying to sugarcoat it, running an RIA is hard work, it takes a lot of your time day in and day out to run a business as well as taking care of and servicing your clients so I do think the wirehouse venue is the right way to go. And, Jason, I want to go back to one other thing about your identity. I launched as the Smith Group because that’s what I was known at Merrill Lynch. Within three or four months, I changed that name to a firm because I did not want to be associated with it. So, when you’re at one of the wirehouses, you’re known as your team name or something of that sort, I didn’t want to be known as that, I wanted to be known as Emerald Advisors not the Smith Group because, all of a sudden, you have a single point of failure. So, brand identity, it’s not so unique inside the wirehouse because it’s a team name versus Merrill or Morgan Stanley or something like that. Jason Diamond: It’s a good segue because I’ll tell you where my mind goes when you bring that up. My mind goes is you’re smart in a way that you might not even realize or maybe you do realize which is that, if and when it ever comes time to sell this business, it is probably more valuable without your name attached to it or maybe not. But in some way, shape or form, as an RIA, you have an obligation to be thinking about that or it’s probably on your radar, maybe not an obligation. Have you given an ounce of thought to M&A either acquiring businesses, growing in that way or, ultimately, when you succeed out of this business and what the RIA space enables you to do? Michael Smith: To answer that question, yes. Everyone’s thinking about merger and acquisition, I think about succession planning from day one. I actually thought about I’m a big team person, I come from the submarine force where everyone is a key player on a submarine, every single person has a job and responsibility on a nuclear submarine. So, inside the financial services industry, I know Merrill Lynch was very big on teaming, I understand Morgan Stanley is as well because teaming gives them a breadth of responsibility where the responsibilities are shared. So, mergers and acquisitions or selling my business, I think, if you’re not thinking about that … And I’m not thinking about selling my business because that’s a distraction to me. If I needed the money, then I would’ve went to a wirehouse and that’s okay, you monetize your life’s work. Today, I’m all about what’s right for the client, what’s right for my team and what’s right for where I want to be in the next 10 to 20 years. So, I am growing, I do want to grow, I’m looking at opening offices in probably three locations in the next 24 months or so. Jason Diamond: Well, that’s what I was going to say, plenty of advisors I think would say the same, I have a lot of runway. But what about the other side of this equation which is you’ve had tremendous organic growth, you’ve tripled your client base, you’ve more than tripled the asset base, have you thought about acquisition as a mean to jet fuel the inorganic growth side of things? Michael Smith: I have but not in the typical sense that you’re looking at as buying a book of business. I want to partner with like-minded advisors that share that common thread of taking care of clients where you can serve as their trusted counsel and sit in the meetings with their attorneys and sit in the meetings with the accountants and give them sage counsel that you can only do because you’ve been with the family for 20 years. You know this family and that, not always, but I think that’s missed a lot in other firms. Jason Diamond: Yeah, I think that’s fair. I just thought of something else that you brought up. You brought Dynasty so I’m going to ask … I’m going to pull on this thread. That implies to me that you’re at least loosely aware of the supportive independence models that are out there yet you chose a very independent, autonomous path, why? Michael Smith: Because I didn’t know what I was doing. Jason Diamond: Fair. Michael Smith: Let’s be honest, I like Dynasty, I talked with Dynasty when I left. I talked to them all, I talked to Rockefeller, I talked to Morgan, I talked to Dynasty and then, when push came to shove, I wanted to be Mike Smith and launch my own firm and learn. And I will tell you, you learn drinking through a fire hose and we did that, we learned, I know the mistakes. What I didn’t want to do is just go to someplace where this is the stuff you’re going to have to use. So, I think Dynasty is a great launching platform, I think there’s other ones out there that are similar to Dynasty or the Rockefellers or the Morgans, it’s truly what you’re trying to achieve in life. What do you want for you and your clients and I always put my clients before me because I’ve always had this lifelong thing of, you do the right thing, you’re going to get taken care of. Jason Diamond: Yeah. And that’s a very common analysis, by the way, and it’s very common too for big advisors like yourself to say I did my homework across all of those different categories. I looked at the traditional wirehouses and regional firms and boutique firms, I looked at the independent broker dealers, I looked at the support platforms and the aggregators and the roll-ups and here’s ultimately what I landed on and why. Did you always know that though or was that something that it took you a diligence process to figure out? There was plenty of advisors, by the way, who come to us and they’re like, “I knew for the last five years that I was sitting there I was launching an RIA someday.” Michael Smith: Yeah. I did not know that and, to be honest with you, hindsight, I think one of those partners probably could have made me a little bit better at first because then I could have focused on clients versus focusing on, hey, how to open a business, who’s your technology … We talked about custodians and some other things but we didn’t talk about technology, how do you go find that technology. Where’s your email address come from? Who’s your chief compliance officer? When it resides on you, you got to look in the mirror. So, I think those parties out there that provide that for brand-new advisors launching could be very beneficial. I had in my mind what I needed to do and I knew I’m very frugal so mine boiled down to how much money I wanted to spend, to be honest with you. Jason Diamond: I think it is a cost benefit analysis, it is. It’s absolutely … Because if you list the functions of a support platform on paper and you showed it to somebody who didn’t know the industry, they would say, “Why on earth wouldn’t you do this? They’re taking off your plate compliance and tech and custody and the like,” and the answer is because there’s a cost associated with it and plenty of advisors decide what you decide, I wanted … Or I just wanted a greater degree of autonomy and freedom, to your point, the name on the door piece, I wanted this to be mine. Michael Smith: And, Jason, I think it also goes to the uncertainty. I had never done anything since Navy, financial advising and then launching. So, for me, I was launching with four employees I had to take care of and here I was going to hire a third party that I was going to have to spend X amount on and I didn’t even know what my income was going to be. That’s different if you’re a multi-billion dollar FA coming out of a wirehouse, the monetary dynamics are different. Jason Diamond: Agreed. Okay, here’s a good one for you. We get this concept from advisors, from firms, from private equity that a billion dollars in assets is like this magic number in our industry. Do you feel like anything’s changed now that you’re at a billion and what’s the next chapter for Emerald Advisors? Is it just continuing on this steady trajectory and serving clients and trust that everything else comes with that? Michael Smith: I go back and forth on a billion, everyone thinks that’s the right number, the biggest number that you need but I think it’s just an arbitrary numbers because it didn’t define who I was. And a lot of people define success at a billion, they define success that you’re a successful firm at a billion. I think I was a successful firm at 300 million, I was a successful financial advisor with 20 clients in 2005. I would say a billion is a multiplier, what I would tell new advisors out there today is gather assets. The more assets you have, the more revenue you generate. The more revenue you generate, the more money you can put in your pocket which means the longer you can stay in the industry. The problem with the industry is an attrition problem, not anything else. So, assets just give us the ability to have revenue which gives us the ability to grow. Jason Diamond: And is that the plan? Keep adding assets, keep growing one client at a time with the focus though, obviously, on what makes you which is a very client-centric service model. Michael Smith: Correct. There’s a lot of things I want to do in the next couple of years and expanding our footprint is our biggest one with the right partners and then just keep adding. I have a business development officer that I’m probably offer a job to here pretty soon and things are going well. Jason Diamond: Yeah, that’s great. You mentioned the tech stack and the other components of the business and I hear you on the frugal cost-benefit analysis. But who did you turn to for some of those early decisions, was it Schwab primarily who helped hold your hand through that? Michael Smith: Schwab was very good at helping me identify the tech stack at first and the tech stack is actually the one consistent, there’s a lot of things I’ve been consistent on but tech is one that I’ve stayed with them. I launched with RightSize, now they’re Advisory, they’re very good, they do the right job for us and I’m big on cybersecurity. So, tech was helpful from Schwab, Schwab helped us with that. Jason Diamond: So, we spoke a little bit about your naval experience but, I’m curious, can you tell us how has your naval experience shaped your perception or your experience in wealth management? Michael Smith: My Navy path was a lot different than many officers. I served 12 years as an enlisted person before I got my direct commission as a Mustang officer, typically called limited duty officers or loud, dumb and obnoxious as I like to say. But that experience gave me a unique perspective because I was able to be the enlisted side and officer which are the workers and then the management side so I had both experiences which was unique. When I was commissioned, Admiral Jerry Ellis, a submarine admiral that commissioned me, heard this lesson to the podium, he was just talking about me in this point but he said, “There are three kinds of people in every organization. You have rowboat people who need to be pushed, you have sailboat people who move whenever the conditions are favorable and then there’s steamboat people, they move continuously through calm or storm.” And he said, “This is Ensign Michael Smith,” he said, “Make your course.” And that’s always stood with me because you do have those three types of people in life. You got people that are just … They’re robo people, they go until they get tired. You got sailboat people that go wherever the wind blows them and then you got steamboat people that chart their own course. I would say for advisors out there make your course or just be happy with what you’re doing. But for some of us hard chargers, I think that analogy has stayed with me my entire career. Jason Diamond: It’s fantastic. I love the analogy, great naval tie in also. Thanks for sharing that. We got time for one more question. You have a fascinating background, a fascinating path to the industry, obviously, an incredibly disciplined approach around client service, any parting thoughts, words of wisdom especially as it relates to growth? That’s what strikes me most about your story is the growth that your move unlocked and that’s what every advisor who listens to our show is looking for. Michael Smith: I’m going to give another plug to Schwab on this. We actually were fortunate and I got their consulting group to come in right afterwards and I’m a big believer in having offsite. So, I’ve had an offsite, two offsites a year for my team and it’s the entire team unlike the wirehouses where you don’t take your admins and stuff like that. I take my entire team to an offsite and we group up on what we’re trying to achieve and have goals and objectives for the year. Schwab allowed us to use their consultants and we came up with our ideal client persona. Teams or firms that have this model become high performing. When you become high performing, growth becomes the outcome. I couldn’t do anything but grow. Jason, I couldn’t not grow because I had this ideal client persona, I knew how I was going to do it, it was measurable. So, growth becomes the outcome and, if you hold people responsible, then we’re all going to grow together and it’s a fun outcome. Jason Diamond: Fantastic, it’s a great place to end. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us, I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for Emerald, this has been a lot of fun. Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much. I appreciate everything you do for the industry as well. Mindy Diamond: As a financial advisor, you hold yourself to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and credibility. You are successful because you take your professional responsibility seriously and are dedicated to your clients. But are you living your best business life? Are your goals aligned with your firms or could a better option exist? Should I Stay or Should I Go? Is a book written with you in mind? It’s a self-guided journey that walks you through the key steps that we take with our advisor clients. This strategic thought process and roadmap to professional self-discovery is designed to help you ask the right questions and think critically and objectively whether you’re considering change or not. Learn how to get your copy at diamond-consultants.com/thebook. From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story A conversation with Jason Diamond and Michael Smith, Managing Partner and Founder of Emerald Advisors.      Jason Diamond: Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast series for financial advisors. Today’s episode is From “Overservicing” Clients to Building a $1B RIA: A Merrill Breakaway Story. It’s a conversation with Michael Smith, managing partner and founder of Emerald Advisors. I’m Jason Diamond and this is the Diamond Podcast for financial advisors. Mindy Diamond: At Diamond Consultants, we help elite advisors identify the right environment for their businesses to thrive whether that’s at a wirehouse, boutique or independent firm. With nearly three decades of experience, we’ve guided thousands of advisors and represented more than a quarter of a trillion dollars in assets transitioned and, each year, one in four advisors managing a billion dollars or more who change firms are our clients. Our process is education driven and based on building relationships starting as your strategic partner well before you’re even thinking of a move. To schedule a confidential conversation, call us at (908) 879-1002. Wondering why advisors change firms and where they’re headed? Are transition deals going up or down? Those very questions and more inspired us to create our annual advisor transition report. It’s the award-winning, data-driven resource designed for advisors that connects the dots between the motivations around movement and the firm’s appetite for top talent. Arm yourself with the knowledge you need to make smart decisions. Download your copy at diamond-consultants.com/transitionreport. Jason Diamond: Growth is often viewed as the result of better marketing, stronger referrals, a larger team and even acquisition and that’s all true yet growth can be the byproduct of something else entirely. For example, Michael Smith built a successful practice at Merrill then, one day, he was told he was spending too much time with his clients, or his management put it over-servicing clients. For Michael, that wasn’t a warning sign about his approach, it was a signal that he might have outgrown the firm and the model. Today, Michael is the founder and managing partner of Emerald Advisors, the independent RIA he launched in late 2019 with roughly 385 million in assets and 85 client relationships. Less than seven years later, the firm has grown to more than a billion in assets while remaining deeply focused on a highly-specialized client base and an unusually hands-on service model. What makes this story particularly interesting isn’t just the growth, it’s the thinking behind it. Michael’s perspective was shaped long before he entered wealth management. After serving more than two decades in the Navy, he brought a leadership philosophy centered on accountability, discipline and what he calls steamboat people, those who keep moving forward regardless of conditions, that mindset continues to influence how he builds his team, serves clients and evaluates opportunities. In this episode, we discuss the decision to leave Merrill, the realities of launching a fully independent RIA, why specialization can accelerate growth, the evolving role of custodians and technology and why he believes exceptional client service remains one of the industry’s most durable competitive advantages. Because Michael’s experience suggests that growth isn’t always the result of finding more opportunities, sometimes it’s the result of creating the freedom to execute the vision you already had so let’s jump in. Michael, thank you so much for joining us today. For starters, can you walk us through your background and what brought you to the world of wealth management? Michael Smith: Jason, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today, I do listen to the podcast a lot especially before I left Mother Merrill. But my background and how I got into financial services is really distinct because I was on the board of JDRF back in the day and the national sponsor for JDRF was UBS PaineWebber and they’re like, “Mike, why don’t you be a financial advisor?” And my master’s degree was actually a finance and accounting in portfolio management because I’ve managed my own portfolio for years and years and so, when I couldn’t get a job, I just fell into it because I couldn’t get a job and I needed a job. That was 21 years ago, Memorial Day so that’s how I got into this industry. Jason Diamond: It’s a unique background, it’s super interesting and I want to talk more about it. You mentioned Mother Merrill, we’ll certainly get there. Before we do, give us a little bit of context on the current business you operate, Emerald Advisors, any context you can share on size, number of staff, types of clients you serve would be great. Michael Smith: Sure. So, we launched Emerald in 2019, November 2019 with about 85 clients and you always talk about this on the podcast how scared it is to launch and go independent. And I would say we took over about 95% of our clients that we wanted to bring over and today we’re at about 230 clients, I think we have some onboarding right now, we have just over a billion of assets. So, we launched with the 85 clients and around 350, 385 million, now we’re over a billion. Jason Diamond: Good for you. Michael Smith: Thank you. And I launched with four employees and we’re now at 11. And I would give a shout-out to one of my key employees because, when I launched, I actually hired somebody that had no experience with us and that was really a good thing because that allowed that person to really focus on operations and back office stuff while my business partner Emily and I were able to focus on bringing on the clients and alleviating any issues that they may have or thought. Jason Diamond: So, meaning you hired somebody basically immediately upon launch to help you with the transition and with this next chapter? Michael Smith: Correct. I hired them before but they started the day we launched. Jason Diamond: Brilliant, I love it. Oh, let’s definitely talk more about that because I think that’s a great strategy for … You’re right, you said it in a joking manner now because you’re seven years past but it’s a very real fear that advisors have and I think it’s worth talking more about. I want to mention too you have, obviously, built this business and grown this business dramatically. I don’t want to make this episode about the pandemic but you moved the business at a, certainly, a unique time. Did it impact your growth at all? Did you feel like you hit a brick wall? Just curious about your thoughts. Michael Smith: No, Jason, that’s a great observation. I would venture to say that the pandemic was actually a good thing for us. Jason Diamond: Interesting. Michael Smith: And I say that because, all of a sudden, you could hit pause because everyone was relearning how to do business, how do we do client reviews, how do we communicate with clients in a environment. So, I think the pandemic allowed us to just really reset our expectations visiting with clients because I used to fly a lot because I have clients in 38 different states so this has actually been, not just good for me, but good for the industry because I think it’s reset our expectations that we don’t have to be every day with a client facing. Jason Diamond: I agree with that largely and it’s true of our business too, by the way, it’s certainly reshaped the way people expect to be communicated with. I think Zoom has become much more mainstream, phone calls and we’ve heard from many other advisors who say something similar. I was just curious because you moved so close to or if there was an impact but I get, honestly, I think you’re right, it allowed you to have this nice natural inflection point and almost like flipping a switch of a clean slate. Michael Smith: It allowed us to learn the processes too. So, we launched in November 1st, by March we were in lockdown and so it gave us the opportunity to take several months of just learning the processes of how to be an RIA, it was pretty good. Jason Diamond: Absolutely. So, one of the things you mentioned in that was the way in which you serve clients and I’d read something funny and I think it was around the time of your move. You were talking about that, Merrill, you had a manager who spoke about that you would overserve your clients, you serve clients too much, tell me about that. Michael Smith: That was such an interesting topic because I got called down to the ops officer’s office and they’re like, “Ugh, Mike.” And it brought my admin down with me and they’re like, “Mike, these reports that you’re taking care of your clients too much,” and I’m like, “What do you mean?” “Well, you’re overservicing them.” Jason, I literally had to go back and Google the word overservicing because I was like, “How do you overservice the client? I’m not making their bed.” It was just so funny to me that I got counsel for overservicing clients when we’re in a client-facing job and I think that was part of the catalyst. Jason Diamond: Tell me more about what they meant, you think. Michael Smith: Hindsight, I think they … I like to take care of people which means I’m very intuitive towards taxes, I understand how the tax code works, I understand how everything impacts their bottom line. So, when we’re doing deferred comp enrollments or 401(k) enrollments or I’m a big believer in Roth 401(k)s and backdoor Roths and I’ve been doing them for years, I think what Mother Merrill wanted at that time was us not to do that. And, again, nothing against Merrill, I get it but this is how they wanted us to act and I wasn’t in that mold, I was taking care of clients to a much deeper depth is how I would say it. Jason Diamond: And I think that speaks to you outgrew the model not necessarily the firm. I think Merrill does a lot of things really well, you would agree with that, I think given that you built 85 clients and 350 million in assets is nothing to sneeze at. But the model that it seems like you value client service and an integrated client service experience of that and the wirehouse model oftentimes doesn’t put a premium on that. Tell me about your ethos or your thoughts around client service today and what being independent enables you to do. Michael Smith: So, that’s an interesting observation because one of my clients actually just mentioned to me that the reason we’re growing so much is because of our service model and the fact that we deliver a tremendous amount of value over just portfolio management. I said my managers is in portfolio management, I don’t do that any longer, I have a staff that handles that for me but it’s really the servicing of the clients because they don’t know what we know and I think servicing the client is the most important thing that we can do today. Jason Diamond: Give me some examples of what you mean by servicing the client in a more holistic way. I agree with you, by the way, portfolio management, table stakes, financial planning, table stakes, tell me more about what you mean. Michael Smith: By that I mean we do a quarterly review on tax. So, a lot of people don’t understand how taxes work and how estimated taxes work. So, estimated taxes are January 1st to March 31st, January 1st to May 31st, January 1st to August 31st, that’s how you do your estimated tax payments, you figure out what that is. And for compensated employees where they have RSUs that come in at different times of the year or different grants or exercise their options at a different time, that can affect their estimated tax liability and I’m not big on giving Uncle Sam any more money than they have to have until they need it. And then everyone doesn’t understand how the penalties and interest works on the IRS. And I’m big on the tax payments because that’s where we can add a lot of value for not a lot of time and we integrate it with our portfolio so we know what we’re doing with our gains. And I happen to reside in Washington State which has a long-term capital gains tax rate once you surpass about 270,000 of long-term capital gains. So, it’s super important for us to be aware of this and that’s how we service them. We also help them with their rebalancing of their 401(k)s, things that wirehouses cannot supposed to do, we are not supposed to be helping them with some of their aspects of life. Jason Diamond: Yup. That’s what I was alluding to earlier, it’s limitations on the model, not because they’re bad models, it’s just a different way, a different ethos around client service. You mentioned RSUs and corporate employees, I know that’s a niche you have is around concentrated stock positions and equity comp plans. I guess let me ask you two different questions around this. First of all, why that niche? Interested. And then, second of all, do you think

On this episode, Kevin chats with Shlomo Chopp, the Managing Partner of CASE, a distressed commercial real estate advisory and investment firm that runs about 90% advisory work and a small, highly selective book of opportunistic investments. Shlomo and his team are currently working on roughly 20 loans totaling more than $2 billion of debt, and he comes out of a family office with over 35 years of experience owning and operating about 70 properties across the country. He's a college dropout with no formal finance training who taught himself structured finance by cracking open CMBS loan documents during the 2010 downturn, and has since invested in, structured, or advised on nearly $5 billion of commercial real estate. His role is fundamentally one of translation, bridging the gap between the language of the operator and the language of the lender. The conversation covers why complexity is where the opportunity lives, why binary thinking is the trap most owners fall into, how to argue the inputs rather than the outputs in a workout, and the rolling consequences of not reading your loan documents.

In this episode, Miguel Gonzalez discusses practical ways to strengthen financial confidence during uncertain times. Learn why focusing on what you can control, avoiding emotional decisions, maintaining emergency savings, and revisiting long-term goals can help you navigate changing financial environments with greater perspective.Miguel Gonzalez is a Certified Retirement Counselor (CRC) with over 25 years of experience helping individuals and families design retirement income strategies and long-term financial plans. He is the Managing Partner of Cortburg Retirement Advisors, a boutique firm focused on retirement planning, investment management, and financial clarity.#FinancialConfidence #FinancialWellness #CortburgSpeaksRetirement #MiguelXGonzalez #FinancialPlanning #MoneyMindsetWelcome to Cortburg Speaks Retirement Podcast with Miguel Gonzalez, MBA, AIF®, CPFA®, CRC® CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO MIGUEL'S LATEST PODCAST FOLLOW US ON: YouTube->https://m.youtube.com/c/CORTBURGRETIREMENTADVISORSFacebook-> https://m.facebook.com/CortburgIncTwitter-> https://twitter.com/CortburgIncLinkedIn->https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelxgonzalez/Website: www.CortburgRetirement.comEmail:     Miguel@CortburgRetirement.com

In this Karma School of Business crossover episode, Sean Mooney is joined by Lloyd Metz, Managing Partner of ICV Partners; Doug McCormick, Managing Partner of Oridian Capital Partners; James Aylward, Chief Product and Technology Officer at BluWave; and Nathan Plummer, Co-Executive Director of Venture Café Global Institute. The group explains how AI moved from long-running concept to practical business tool, and what that means for private equity firms and portfolio company leaders right now. They cover agentic AI, data readiness, applied AI use cases, internal tooling, security concerns, and the leadership challenge of getting teams to adopt new ways of working. This is a practical conversation for business builders who want to move past AI hype and start creating real value—hit play. Episode Highlights 2:13 - James Aylward's path from Fidelity's AI incubator to BluWave's technology strategy 5:08 - Nathan Plummer on Venture Café's role in connecting startups, investors, and innovators 9:17 - Why ChatGPT marked a "Gutenberg moment" after decades of slower AI progress 13:10 - AI shifts from autocomplete and thought partnership to writing major chunks of code 18:06 - Applied AI moves beyond efficiency into biotech, robotics, imaging, and new product creation 23:28 - Why proprietary data may become the real moat for private equity-backed companies 35:42 - AI literacy, adoption, and the leadership work required to make tools stick 44:05 - BluWave's internal AI tool shows how company data can power faster decisions For information on Oridian Capital Partners, go to https://oridiancapital.com/ For information on ICV Partners, go to https://www.icvpartners.com For information on BluWave, go to https://www.bluwave.net

Brian Dukes is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Exitwise, an M&A advisory platform that helps business founders prepare for and execute high‑value exits by assembling tailored advisory teams and guiding owners through complex sale processes. With over 20 years of operational and transaction experience, he began his career at a Big Five accounting firm. Later, Brian co‑founded Shift Digital through a joint venture with Ford Motor Company. Today, he leverages his deep industry insight to help entrepreneurs increase enterprise value and achieve transformative outcomes at exit.  In this episode… Every business owner dreams of a successful exit, but how many truly understand what it takes to get there? Selling a business isn't just about finding a buyer — it's about preparation, timing, and foresight. What separates a profitable, smooth transition from a missed opportunity?      Brian Dukes, an expert in mergers and acquisitions and exit planning, explains that early and structured preparation is key to closing the value gap. Organizing financials, understanding customer relationships, and building strong leadership teams are essential steps for a successful exit. Brian also notes that founders often underestimate the emotional and strategic aspects of the process. By taking deliberate steps now, business owners can increase valuation, reduce surprises, and achieve a more controlled transition. In this episode of Owner's Profit Playbook, Pat Mancuso sits down with Brian Dukes, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Exitwise, to discuss why preparation is crucial for a successful exit. Brian shares how to identify blind spots, increase enterprise value, and navigate buyer expectations. He also touches on timing, team dynamics, and forecasting strategies that protect value and ensure smoother transactions.

In Episode 210 of The Practice Podcast, Jeff Bast and Brett Amron welcome Russ Brown, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Brown Fox PLLC, for a conversation about resilience, entrepreneurship, leadership, and the relationships that fuel long-term success.Russ shares his unconventional path to the legal profession, from playing collegiate baseball and coaching high school athletes to building one of the nation's fastest-growing law firms. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons learned from setbacks, the importance of personal accountability, and how early experiences shaped his leadership philosophy.The discussion explores the founding of Brown Fox during the Great Recession, the role relationships played in the firm's early growth, and how a commitment to integrity, talent, and culture continues to drive its success today. Russ offers valuable insights into entrepreneurship, law firm growth, recruiting, and creating an environment where attorneys can thrive.Russ also discusses how his faith inspired him to use his legal career as a vehicle for service, leading to opportunities to train lawyers and support justice initiatives around the world, including work in India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and El Salvador.Throughout the episode, one theme remains constant: success is built on relationships. Whether serving clients, mentoring attorneys, growing a business, or supporting communities, meaningful connections remain at the heart of lasting impact.Key Topics:Lessons learned from athletics and leadershipBuilding Brown Fox during the Great RecessionEntrepreneurship and law firm growthBusiness development through relationshipsRecruiting and developing legal talentFaith, purpose, and service through the practice of lawInternational justice and pro bono workCreating a culture that attracts and retains great peopleTune in for an inspiring conversation about leadership, perseverance, and building something bigger than yourself.Streaming on  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Podcasts. We are also in the top ten percent of listened-to podcasts globally.

In this episode of Mission Matters, Adam Torres interviews Afsheen Afshar, Founder & Managing Partner of Pilot Wave Holdings, at the iConnections Global Alts New York conference. Afsheen discusses how Pilot Wave Holdings acquires and scales physical businesses by leveraging artificial intelligence to drive growth and operational improvements. Drawing from leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Cerberus Capital Management, he shares how his experience at the intersection of technology, investing, and business operations led him to launch Pilot Wave Holdings. Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule. Apply to be a guest on our podcast: https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/ Visit our website: https://missionmatters.com/ More FREE content from Mission Matters here: https://linktr.ee/missionmattersmedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode Summary What happens when you deploy new technology that works great for your leadership team but actively makes life harder for the people using it every day? According to David Bishop, the answer is attrition, and it costs more than most service leaders realize. In this episode, Justin Lake sits down with David Bishop, Managing Partner at Twin Bishop Strategies, LLC., to talk about the real cost of poor frontline technology adoption in the HVAC service industry. David brings more than 45 years of industry experience, including time as a general management executive at an OEM where he built high-performance service teams before co-founding Twin Bishop Strategies with his twin brother. The conversation covers what attrition actually costs in dollars, why technicians will voluntarily take a pay cut to escape job stress, and the specific practices David uses to close the gap between a technology deployment that looks good on a dashboard and one that actually serves the people doing the work. Key Topics The true cost of losing a technician, well beyond the recruiting fee Why technicians will take a pay cut just to escape the stress The “field council” model: letting technicians shape the tech before go-live Why people learn new tools the way they pitch a tent, not by reading the manual The confidence gap new technology creates, and when to measure it What a struggling technician does to customer trust on the job site Governance: the missing piece for trusting AI tools in the field Why a sound problem statement has to come before any solution Episode Chapters 00:00  Introduction to Twin Bishop Strategies 02:11  Consequences of Poor Technology Adoption 04:57  Understanding Attrition in the HVAC Industry 10:02  A Day in the Life of a Technician 12:51  Overcoming Resistance to Technology 16:03  Building Confidence in Technicians 20:49  Measuring Confidence and Competence 23:31  The Impact of Technician Satisfaction on Customers 24:06  Empowering Technicians for Success 27:45  Scaling Employee Engagement and Feedback 30:23  Innovative Approaches to Employee Satisfaction 33:30  Bridging Learning Gaps in Service Industries 36:48  Navigating AI and Technology in the Field 39:37  The Future of Work: People, Process, and Technology 42:11  Understanding and Solving Real Problems About David Bishop David Bishop is Managing Partner at Twin Bishop Strategies, LLC., a consulting firm he co-founded with his twin brother after both retired from executive roles in the HVAC and building automation industry. David spent more than 45 years in the field, including time as a general management executive at an OEM where he focused on building high-performance service teams, improving customer satisfaction, and driving operational results. Twin Bishop Strategies takes a problem-first approach: they go in to find the pain point, and if there isn't one, they move on. The company name comes from the chess piece (strategic, decisive, and careful about the moves it makes) and from the brothers' shared surname. Resources Twin Bishop Strategies: https://twinbishopstrategies.com Connect with David Bishop on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bishop-12136913/ Frontline Innovators Podcast: https://skyllful.com/podcast

"Sustainable aquaculture needs to be part of the solution set for health, for feeding a growing population, and it increasingly can be done well, that's the thing. There's been a lot of innovation in that field over the last few decades….There are different types of aquaculture. So the gold standard, if you're offered an oyster or a mussel or a clam, you can always feel good about those choices because they are a net benefit to the planet…What I think is important is a lot of chefs and a lot of startup aquaculture companies are getting in the game and looking to make the industry more and more sustainable, which is better for all of us going out to restaurants." Amanda Leland on Electric Ladies Podcast  Do you eat fish and seafood? Over 3 billion people depend on fish for their protein (like me) and that number is growing. Over 60 million people are employed by the fishing and acquaculture industries. But pressures from climate change, plastic pollution and overfishing are threats. What can we do to save our fish and seafood?   Listen to Amanda Leland, Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the author of the new book, "Sea Change: Unlikely Allies and a Success Story of Oceanic Proportions," in conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson   You'll hear about:   ·       What sustainable fish and seafood is and why it matters ·       What overfishing is, why it matters and what to do about it ·       How plastic in the oceans is affecting our fish and seafood ·       What legal strategies EDF is employing to try to clean up and protect our fish and seafood, ·       Plus, insightful career advice.   "I think this is an undervalued thing, always hire people better than yourself…It gives you more scope to grow, I think if you hire people better than you into the roles that report to you. So that's one thing I think is a secret of success….Somebody who's doing things better, more efficiently on your team than you did them, even though it might feel like you're going to read it as a reflection that you didn't get it quite right, you actually end up getting rewarded because that person is doing the job better and it's under your oversight and management support…. disconnect from the personal so much and make it actually, when my unit is successful or my team is successful, then I'm successful." Amanda Leland on Electric Ladies Podcast Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our podcasts, articles, events and career advice – and special coaching offers.   Thanks for subscribing on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio and Spotify and leaving us a review!   You'll also like:   ·       Food, Fashion and Agriculture in Climate Change - From The Earth Day Women's Summit ·       What's in Your Food? - with Gabrielle Rubenstein, Cofounder, Managing Partner, Manna Tree Partners ·       How Stories Can Shift Culture and Policy - with Melissa Jun Rowley, Author of "Beyond the Mic Drop: How Stories Can Shift Culture, Power & Policy" ·       Zara Summers, Chief Science Officer at LanzaTech, on how carbon emissions are converted into sustainable materials for clothing, food, and fuel. ·       And, insightful career advice…  Elevate your career with expert coaching and ESG advisory with Electric Ladies Podcast. Unlock new opportunities, gain confidence, and achieve your career goals with the right guidance.   Don't forget to follow us on our socials X/Twitter: @joanmichelson LinkedIn: Electric Ladies Podcast with Joan Michelson Twitter: @joanmichelson Facebook: Electric Ladies Podcast YouTube: Electric Ladies Podcast

Ali Nassir is the Managing Partner of RISE 360 and a second-generation manufactured housing investor. His family has been involved in the manufactured housing industry since 1981, and throughout his career he has participated in thousands of manufactured housing units while also investing in distressed businesses and commercial real estate opportunities. His expertise spans acquisitions, underwriting, operations, asset management, and value-add strategies within the manufactured housing sector.  Here's some of the topics we covered: The Asset Class That Crushes Apartments How Distressed Deals Built a Fortune Why California Investors Are Fleeing The Mobile Home Park Money Machine AI Is Coming for White-Collar Jobs Why Hard Assets Win in Any Economy The Economic Shift Most Investors Are Missing   To find out more about partnering or investing in a multifamily deal: Text Partner to 72345 or email Partner@RodKhleif.com    For more about Rod and his real estate investing journey go to www.rodkhleif.com   Please Review and Subscribe  

For over 100 days, the conflict between the U.S. and Iran has kept markets on edge. But now, investors are celebrating reports that the U.S. and Iran have reached a preliminary deal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. David Bahnsen, Founder and Managing Partner of The Bahnsen Group, joins FOX Business' Taylor Riggs to discuss how cautious traders should remain since the potential peace pact isn't expected to be official until Friday, and how this development could impact the Fed meeting later this week. Bahnsen also discusses the job market, “AI washing,” and SpaceX stock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The elite coaches dominating the fitness industry aren't out-programming you; they are out-communicating you. For twenty years, Matt Levine didn't just survive the brutal meat grinder of competitive powerlifting—he used its systemic failures to rewrite the rules of modern strength education. Now, he's lifting the curtain on why chasing "optimal" templates is a death sentence for your business, and how the future of coaching belongs to those who master human psychology over spreadsheet algorithms. INSIDE THE EPISODE Why the obsession with "optimal" programming is destroying young coaches and alienating clients. The hard-earned boundaries that separate a sustainable coaching business from a fast track to burnout. Inside the elite, raw environments that permanently distort a lifter's perception of human capability. Surviving five ACL tears and navigating the identity crisis when the barbell stops moving. The hidden traps of cash flow and why expanding your business during prosperity is a fatal mistake. How becoming a father forces an execution-level mastery of time management and professional efficiency. MEET THE GUEST Matt Levine is the USPA Director of Education, Managing Partner of Legacy Barbell, and a twenty-year veteran of the high-performance fitness industry. His authority wasn't built in a classroom—it was forged by competing at the Olympia ten days after tearing his ACL, navigating a broken vertebra, and conquering five separate joint reconstructions. From convincing a conservative city government to fund elite powerlifting equipment to architecting the USPA University curriculum, Matt has dedicated his career to turning the chaotic wisdom of the gym floor into scalable, repeatable business systems for the next generation of leaders. FIND MATT Instagram (Personal) @levine_legacy Instagram (Business) @legacybarbellfl Website https://legacybarbellfl.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/1cKrBR9Eqy/ Sponsor Overkill Become an elitefts Channel Member Get early access to Dave Tate's Table Talk podcast and other perks: ➡️ @eliteftsofficial Support Dave Tate's Table Talk FULL Crew Access https://www.elitefts.com/join-the-crew Limited Edition Apparel https://www.elitefts.com/shop/apparel/limited-edition.html Programs & More https://www.elitefts.com/shop/dave-tate-s-table-talk-crew.html TYAO Application https://www.elitefts.com/dave-tate-s-tyao-application Best-Selling elitefts Products Pro Resistance Training Bands https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bands.html Specialty Barbells https://www.elitefts.com/shop/bars-weights/specialty-bars.html Wraps, Straps & Sleeves https://www.elitefts.com/shop/power-gear.html Sponsors Get an Extra 10% OFF at elitefts Use Code: TABLE TALK https://www.elitefts.com/ Get 10% OFF Your Next Marek Health Labs Use Code: TABLETALK https://marekhealth.com/tabletalk Get a FREE 8-Count Sample Pack of LMNT's Most Popular Drink Mix Flavors http://www.drinklmnt.com/tabletalk ChiliPad 2.0 – Save Up to $255 Use Code: TABLETALK https://sleep.me/tabletalk Support Massenomics https://www.massenomics.com/ Save 20% on Monthly, Yearly, or Lifetime MASS Research Review Use Code: ELITEFTS20 https://massresearchreview.com/ Get 10% OFF RP Hypertrophy App Use Code: TABLE TALK https://rpstrength.com/pages/hypertrophy-app

As democratic governments, universities, and civil society organizations grapple with how to engage China, an ethical question persists: should cooperation with Chinese state institutions, which involve every industry from education to commerce, be pursued as a pathway to gradual, meaningful progress, or does such engagement ultimately legitimize repression and undermine fundamental freedoms? In partnership with the Human Rights Foundation, we debate: Is It Ethical to Cooperate with Chinese State Institutions to Secure Incremental Change?  Arguing Yes: Joanna Chiu, Managing Partner of Nüora Global Advisors; Author of "China Unbound"  Arguing No: Isaac Stone Fish, CEO and Founder of Strategy Risks  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing debates.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices