Podcasts about business when there are no easy answers

Does your calendar align with what you say matters most? Kevin sits down with Ryan Matt Reynolds, to talk about the impact of living in a constant state of urgency. He emphasizes the importance of identifying core values and intentionally aligning daily actions with those values. The conversation also covers the voluntary hardship of choosing challenging, growth-oriented tasks to build resilience for when things go wrong (and they will). They also discuss the practice of delegation and the difference between fleeting happiness and long-term joy. Listen For 00:00 Introduction 01:59 Meet Ryan Matt Reynolds 03:30 The journey to writing Undoing Urgency 05:28 Why urgency is a universal issue 06:20 The deeper purpose behind the book 08:53 Why urgency matters to Ryan personally 10:03 The link between urgency and core values 12:05 Lessons learned through failure 13:24 Writing a legacy for future generations 14:07 From “busy” to what really matters 15:06 Hardships are part of life but what kind? 15:28 The concept of voluntary hardship 17:33 Voluntary hardship prepares us for the involuntary 19:29 Practical hardships in leadership and life 20:16 Delegation as a leadership turning point 21:10 Letting go to grow 23:49 Building a leadership team 25:43 Training your team to take ownership 27:19 Moving from technician to CEO 28:00 Joy vs happiness 29:40 Why joy comes from alignment with core values 31:13 Finding joy in the process not the destination 33:12 Teaching our kids and teams about joy 34:49 What Ryan does for fun 35:33 Intentional time for what matters 37:14 Your calendar is a truth teller 38:07 Urgency vs importance 39:16 Book recommendation: Never Enough by Andrew Wilkinson 40:51 Final thoughts on values joy and learning 44:44 Outro and reminder to subscribe Ryan's Story: Ryan Matt Reynolds is the author of Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things That Matter Most, a strength and conditioning coach, and a former professional strongman. He is the founder, owner, and CEO of Barbell Logic, one of the largest online strength and nutrition coaching companies in the world. With 25 years of experience in his industry, Reynolds' focus is on redefining traditional personal training by creating connections in the online space and increasing access to professional coaches. https://x.com/ReynoldsSTRONG  This Episode is brought to you by... Flexible Leadership is every leader's guide to greater success in a world of increasing complexity and chaos.  Book Recommendations Undoing Urgency: Reclaim Your Time for the Things that Matter Most by Ryan Matt Reynolds The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz Never Enough: From Barista to Billionaire by Andrew Wilkinson Like this? Leadership Productivity Principles with Maura Thomas How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World with Christian Madsbjerg Join Our Community If you want to view our live podcast episodes, hear about new releases, or chat with others who enjoy this podcast join one of our communities below. Join the Facebook Group Join the LinkedIn Group   Leave a Review If you liked this conversation, we'd be thrilled if you'd let others know by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Here's a quick guide for posting a review. Review on Apple: https://remarkablepodcast.com/itunes    Podcast Better! Sign up with Libsyn and get up to 2 months free! Use promo code: RLP  

What does it take to align success with purpose, and push human limits along the way?Eduardo della Maggiora went from a high-flying J.P. Morgan banker to building Betterfly, Latin America's first social unicorn, valued at over $1 billion. But beyond business, he's also a world-class Ironman athlete, finishing the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii three times and placing as a two-time runner-up in his category at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.In this episode, Eduardo shares the real strategies that led to his success, not just in business, but in life, mindset, and endurance. We dive into: The wake-up call that made him rethink his career and legacy How he navigated risk, failure, and built a billion-dollar company Why finding your true path is a superpower, especially for entrepreneurs How he became an elite Ironman competitor and the mindset that got him there What endurance training taught him about long-term success and discipline Why happiness & well-being are the real competitive advantages in businessEduardo's journey is a masterclass in where personal growth meets high performance. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader, or an endurance athlete, this episode will give you real insights into mindset, consistency, and pushing past limits.Listen now and discover how to train your mind for business, sport, and life.▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀Podcast:        https://linktr.ee/charleylawContact us:        info@thecharleylawpodcast.comFor more information about Phoenix Mind visit:        https://www.charleylaw.com/▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀Resources:The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday - https://amzn.to/4jd2LtTOutlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Dr. Peter Attia - https://amzn.to/4ccoDmXThe Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz - https://amzn.to/42cmnY6          The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor - https://amzn.to/3Rr6eJhMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - https://amzn.to/4hYez22The Five Types of Wealth by Sahil Bloom - https://amzn.to/4ccpcNB▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀Time Stamps:00:00 Introduction to Personal Change02:52 Career Journey: From Banking to Impact05:56 Life-Altering Moments and Their Impact09:09 The Birth of Burn to Give12:02 Navigating Entrepreneurship and Personal Growth14:48 Finding Your Passion and Purpose17:51 Corporate Experience vs. Entrepreneurship21:02 The Reality of Setbacks and Failures23:45 Leadership Philosophy and Company Culture29:09 Betterfly: Mission and Vision39:03 The Happiness-Success Connection45:38 Lessons from Rapid Growth48:14 The Journey to Ironman57:15 Endurance as a Metaphor for Life01:06:01 Book Recommendations and Final Thoughts

When I learned that MaC Venture Capital just raised $150 million for its third fund since 2020, I immediately reached out for an interview with Marlon Nichols, the firm's co-founder and managing general partner. Marlon previously co-founded Cross Culture Ventures, which merged with M Ventures in 2019 to form MaC VC. In this interview, we talked about his path from enterprise software into venture capital, the concept of cultural investing, and MaC VC's focus on diverse founders. He also explained what types of startups the new fund is open to and discussed some of the criteria he uses to assess the strengths of founding teams (and their ideas). Runtime: 45:44 Links Marlon Nichols Contact Marlon MaC Venture Capital Exclusive: MaC VC raises $150 million for its third fund in four years (Fortune) The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, Ben Horowitz Secrets of Sand Hill Road: Venture Capital and How to Get It, Scott Kupor Subscribe

e-Zinc produces zinc-based long-duration energy storage technology with discharge durations between 10 and 100 hours. They have raised over $100M in funding and are building their first three commercial pilots. In addition to his role at e-Zinc, James is a Board Director of the Long Duration Energy Storage Council (LDESC) and Energy Storage Canada (ESC), as well as a former Manager at Bain and MaRS. In this episode, you'll learn these four important takeaways. How the long-duration energy storage sector is poised to become a $4T market by 2040 Why he's going to market with a “resilience as a service” business model Why it's essential to convert sustainability technology from cost centers into revenue centers What Vipassana meditation is, and why he starts his morning with it

Medical biology and laboratories play an essential role in any health system. No wonder 70 to 80% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory test results. But even within the most advanced healthcare systems, the communication and analysis of lab data remain archaic. Processing times can be lengthy, even after the analysis is completed. Results are expressed as "out of range" or "in range", without complementary or actionable information. An experience still far from current technological standards, and a gap that Alexandre Guenoun and his team at Kiro intend to solve by redefining our experience of medical biology! Through faster and more personalized results for patients. With a suite of integrated clinical decision support tools for healthcare professionals. And a longitudinal database to accelerate biomedical research. A key service of any health system, at a turning point in France and beyond. We talk with Alexandre about: The importance of engaging each individual in their health journey The shift from disease-centered medicine to service-centered The Kiro experience for patients and healthcare professionals The role of technology in matching healthcare demand and supply The criticality of change management in healthcare innovation A key episode to understand the future of medical biology! Timeline: 02:57 - What drew Alexandre to healthcare and entrepreneurship 08:41 - How technology can make clinical biology smarter and more personalized 11:24 - The Kiro experience for patients and healthcare professionals 24:56 - Interpreting medical biology data with AI 28:16 - Matching demand and supply in health systems 31:01 - Scaling Kiro in Europe and beyond 34:01 - Leading change management with healthcare professionals What we also talked about with Alexandre: ZEBRA MEDICAL ESSEC Business School UC Berkeley Agoranov GPT-4o Sacha Loiseau This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Health.Tech, the heartbeat of healthtech! As mentioned by Alexandre during the episode, you can have a look at Kiro's Product page to understand better their technology and stay posted on their latest progress. Alexandre also recommends reading The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz. You can follow Kiro's activities on LinkedIn and get in touch with Alexandre via LinkedIn. If you want to give me feedback on the episode or suggest potential guests, contact me over LinkedIn or via email! And if you liked the episode, please share it, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a 5-star review on streaming platforms!

Anneka Gupta is the Chief Product Officer at Rubrik, a leading B2B cybersecurity company. She previously spent 11 years at LiveRamp, where she was the President and Head of Product and Platforms leading product development and go-to-market operations and strategy. Anneka also sits on the board of directors for Tinuiti and teaches product management at Stanford University. In our conversation, we discuss:• Navigating “founder mode” dynamics in organizations• Navigating difficult personalities and aligning teams• The PM skill of summarization• Giving and receiving hard feedback effectively• The value of a positive mindset• Tips for breaking into product management• Much more—Brought to you by:• The Enterprise Ready Conference — For B2B leaders building enterprise SaaS• Command AI — AI-powered user assistance for modern products and impatient users• Eppo — Run reliable, impactful experiments—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/becoming-more-strategic-anneka-gupta—Where to find Anneka Gupta:• X: https://x.com/annekagupta• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annekagupta—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Introduction to Anneka Gupta(01:43) Key mindsets for success(05:30) Managing energy for optimal performance(09:05) Founder mode(18:26) Becoming more strategic(27:54) The importance of decision-making(37:18) Navigating difficult personalities(41:38) Techniques for giving and receiving feedback(51:01) Transitioning into product management(54:56) Advice for aspiring product managers(59:39) Leveraging AI tools in product management(01:01:27) The power of a positive mindset(01:04:30) Lightning round—Referenced:• Founder Mode: https://paulgraham.com/foundermode.html• Building a long and meaningful career | Nikhyl Singhal (Meta, Google): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-a-long-and-meaningful-career• The Skip community: https://www.linkedin.com/company/skip-community/• Rubrik: https://www.rubrik.com/• 5 essential questions to craft a winning strategy | Roger Martin (author, advisor, speaker): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-ultimate-guide-to-strategy-roger-martin• Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works: https://www.amazon.com/Playing-Win-Strategy-Really-Works/dp/142218739X• Thinking like a gardener not a builder, organizing teams like slime mold, the adjacent possible, and other unconventional product advice | Alex Komoroske: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/unconventional-product-advice-alex-komoroske• Acquired podcast interviews Zuckerberg in San Francisco: https://transistor.fm/acquired-live/• Hema Mohan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemamohan/• Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity/dp/1250103509• Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/radical-candor-from-theory-to-practice• LiveRamp: https://liveramp.com/• Product Management class at Stanford: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/experience/learning/experiential-learning/action-learning-program/product-management• Figma: https://www.figma.com/• Dovetail: https://try.dovetail.com/• The Remarkable Advantage of Abundant Thinking: https://review.firstround.com/the-remarkable-advantage-of-abundant-thinking/• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205• Brandon Sanderson's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Brandon-Sanderson/author/B001IGFHW6• Fallout on Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CN4HV16N• Thunderbolt 4 ( 3-meter cable): https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MW5H3AM/A/thunderbolt-4-usb%E2%80%91c-pro-cable-3-m• Isaac Asimov: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov• The complete Foundation series: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Asimovs-Foundation-Foundations-Prelude/dp/B01EFDEMS8—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Intéressé.e par notre formation Yaniro Leadership Program ? Prenez rendez-vous avec Yasmine ici !Voulez-vous former les managers avec la méthode do it yourself ? Obtenez toutes les ressources ici !Résumé de l'article

Send us a Text Message.Unlock the secrets to transformative leadership and team collaboration with John Chan, co-founder of 2X Growth Agency. From dropping out of university to building a successful digital marketing agency, John's journey is packed with lessons in empathetic leadership and personal growth. Discover how he transitioned from a technical expert to a company builder, mastering challenges and evolving his skills from design to analytics.John shares practical strategies for balancing professional and personal relationships, including working closely with a spouse. Learn how to manage power dynamics, leverage strengths, and foster a cohesive team mindset. Emphasizing continuous learning and mentorship, John highlights the impact of asking the right questions and the guidance of experienced mentors.Tune in to Catalytic Leadership for actionable insights that will empower your leadership, enhance team collaboration, and navigate the complexities of personal and professional dynamics. Join us to elevate your leadership skills with John Chan's transformative experiences.Books Mentioned: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. KiyosakiThe Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben HorowitzCatalytic Leadership: 12 Keys to Becoming an Intentional Leader Who Makes a Difference by Dr. William AttawayConnect with John Chan: To connect with John Chan and delve deeper into his insights, visit 2x.agency, connect with him on LinkedIn, or find him on social media by searching JTChan.As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.Support the Show.Join Dr. William Attaway on the Catalytic Leadership podcast as he shares transformative insights to help high-performance entrepreneurs and agency owners achieve Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence. Free 30-Minute Discovery Call:Ready to elevate your business? Book a free 30-minute discovery call with Dr. William Attaway and start your journey to success. Special Offer:Get your FREE copy of Catalytic Leadership: 12 Keys to Becoming an Intentional Leader Who Makes a Difference. Connect with Dr. William Attaway: Website LinkedIn Facebook Instagram TikTok YouTube

My guest today is Nigel Bloomhall, Co-founder and CEO of Invisible Urban Charging. Invisible Urban Charging provides electric vehicles as a service, which means they design, install, own, and maintain chargers for investors, fleet managers, and corporates eager to electrify transportation while avoiding the capital expense and uncertainty associated with being a novice in the sector. They've signed partnerships with giants like CBRE to install over 1 million chargers. Nigel brings three decades of experience in power utilities, energy, and banking across multiple continents. In this episode, you'll learn these four important takeaways and much more. Why he flew from New Zealand to the US for a 15-minute meeting and how it catapulted his company to faster growth Why he focuses on level 2 chargers, not fast chargers What he learned from pitching 283 investors How aiming for bigger goals is easier than more humble ambitions

Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers.Get all the news you need by listening to WBZ NewsRadio 1030 on the free #iHeartRadio app! Or ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio.

Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers.Get all the news you need by listening to WBZ NewsRadio 1030 on the free #iHeartRadio app! Or ask Alexa to play WBZ NewsRadio on #iHeartRadio.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week's conversation comes to you in two parts and is courtesy of a connection made by my guest from Episode 34, Stacey Enyame (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/stacey-enyame). Recognizing the intersection between tech and community/economic development and my background, Stacey suggested I join the Keta MakerSpace community on WhatsApp--a brainchild of #GlobalGhanaian, Paul Kwesi Damalie. We go into detail about the community and the vision for the platform and new city in the making in Part 2 of the conversation, both parts are not to be missed! Paul is founder of Damalie Innovation Holdings Group which invests in and builds companies in health tech, sports value chain, gaming and family entertainment, urban infrastructure & development and trade & embedded finance, climate resileince. Previously he was the co-founder of Inclusive Innovations Inc. which developed the Appruve API, product making it easy for financial services to verify individuals and businesses all over Africa. In 2023 Appruve was acquired by Smile ID. As a Fintech industry influencer, he is among Untapt's Top 23 fintech influencers to follow on X; he is a Chapter Lead of Next Money, the global thought leader community for stakeholders within the financial services and technology ecosystem. He organizes events (meetups & conferences) that create opportunities for stakeholders to discuss current trends, explore opportunities through networking and influence policy in the financial services ecosystem. He also has experience consulting for fintech startups and new market entrants into West Africa, working closely with fintech innovation programmes, accelerators and investors as well as financial inclusion research institutions. Where to find Paul? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldamalie/) On X (https://twitter.com/PaulDamalie) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/imaginedbysenam/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/paul.damalie/) What's Paul reading? The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (https://a.co/d/evhUwt1) by Ben Horowitz Every.to (https://every.to) What's Paul listening to? Funaná (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funan%C3%A1) Kizomba (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizomba) Other topics of interest: Keta Coastal Analysis (https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/6/1144) Albert (https://booknook.store/product/albert-comfort-ocran-executive-collection-paperback/) and Comfort (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_Ocran) Ocran DSF Lab (https://www.dfslab.net) Caribou Digital (https://www.cariboudigital.net) Afropolitan Network State (https://www.afropolitan.io) Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin talks Charter Cities (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/podcast/charter-cities-podcast-international-hubs-and-the-future-of-living-with-vitalik-buterin/) an the Charter Cities Institute (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/author/marklutter/) New City Concepts - Zuzalu (https://www.vitadao.com/event/zuzalu), Próspera (https://www.prospera.co), Fumba Town (https://fumba.town), Itana (https://www.itana.africa) On Digital Nomads (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_nomad) Playground.ai (linkhttps://playground.ai) Google for Startups (https://startup.google.com) Y Combinator (https://www.ycombinator.com) Sand Hill Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Hill_Road) Tokeh Beach, Sierra Leone (https://tourismsierraleone.com/attractions/tokeh-beach/) Special Guest: Paul Damalie.

Greetings Glocal Citizens! This week's conversation comes to you in two parts and is courtesy of a connection made by my guest from Episode 34, Stacey Enyame (https://glocalcitizens.fireside.fm/guests/stacey-enyame). Recognizing the intersection between tech and community/economic development and my background, Stacey suggested I join the Keta MakerSpace community on WhatsApp--a brainchild of #GlobalGhanaian, Paul Kwesi Damalie. We go into detail about the community and the vision for the platform and new city in the making in Part 2 of the conversation, both parts are not to be missed! Paul is founder of Damalie Innovation Holdings Group which invests in and builds companies in health tech, sports value chain, gaming and family entertainment, urban infrastructure & development and trade & embedded finance, climate resileince. Previously he was the co-founder of Inclusive Innovations Inc. which developed the Appruve API, product making it easy for financial services to verify individuals and businesses all over Africa. In 2023 Appruve was acquired by Smile ID. As a Fintech industry influencer, he is among Untapt's Top 23 fintech influencers to follow on X; he is a Chapter Lead of Next Money, the global thought leader community for stakeholders within the financial services and technology ecosystem. He organizes events (meetups & conferences) that create opportunities for stakeholders to discuss current trends, explore opportunities through networking and influence policy in the financial services ecosystem. He also has experience consulting for fintech startups and new market entrants into West Africa, working closely with fintech innovation programmes, accelerators and investors as well as financial inclusion research institutions. Where to find Paul? On LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauldamalie/) On X (https://twitter.com/PaulDamalie) On Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/imaginedbysenam/) On Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/paul.damalie/) What's Paul reading? The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (https://a.co/d/evhUwt1) by Ben Horowitz Every.to (https://every.to) What's Paul listening to? Funaná (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funan%C3%A1) Kizomba (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kizomba) Other topics of interest: Keta Coastal Analysis (https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/11/6/1144) Albert (https://booknook.store/product/albert-comfort-ocran-executive-collection-paperback/) and Comfort (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_Ocran) Ocran DSF Lab (https://www.dfslab.net) Caribou Digital (https://www.cariboudigital.net) Afropolitan Network State (https://www.afropolitan.io) Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin talks Charter Cities (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/podcast/charter-cities-podcast-international-hubs-and-the-future-of-living-with-vitalik-buterin/) an the Charter Cities Institute (https://chartercitiesinstitute.org/author/marklutter/) New City Concepts - Zuzalu (https://www.vitadao.com/event/zuzalu), Próspera (https://www.prospera.co), Fumba Town (https://fumba.town), Itana (https://www.itana.africa) On Digital Nomads (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_nomad) Playground.ai (linkhttps://playground.ai) Google for Startups (https://startup.google.com) Y Combinator (https://www.ycombinator.com) Sand Hill Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Hill_Road) Tokeh Beach, Sierra Leone (https://tourismsierraleone.com/attractions/tokeh-beach/) Special Guest: Paul Damalie.

Len Covello, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Engage People, leading the long-term technology vision of the company and is responsible for driving continued innovation in the loyalty sector. He is an innovator in the technology space and a thought leader in loyalty.  Len started his first technology company at the age of 18 and most recently was the Director and Chief Technology Officer with Access (formerly LRG Rewards). His passion is web-based application design and development across a wide variety of business applications, particularly in user interfaces and process automation.  He's an active member of Forbes Technology Council, a cornerstone of the Engage People executive team and member of the board of directors.   Questions ·     We always like to give our guests an opportunity to share in their own words, a little bit about their journey, could you tell our listeners how it is that you got to where you are today? ·      Now, could you tell our listeners just a little bit about what Engage People does? ·      What are your views, and you can tell me, since you're a loyalty expert in terms of like cross exchanges. So, let's say for example, you have loyalty points from an airline, but you're able to use those loyalty points from the airline at a hotel, or maybe for an attraction that you'd like to visit. Have you seen those kinds of activities happening, is that something you see happening in the future? ·      If you are to give our listeners maybe one or two trends that you see emerging in 2024 and beyond as it relates to loyalty and rewards and using it as a currency on its own, what would those be? ·      Now could you also share with us what's the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? ·      And could you also share with our listeners maybe one or two books that you've read, it could be a book that you read recently, or even one that you read a very long time ago, but it has had a great impact on you. ·      Can you also share with our listeners what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. ·      Now, if you could choose one word or one attribute or characteristic that you believe a leader needs to have in order to have a team that is intrinsically motivated? ·      Where can listeners find you online? ·      Now, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to ask our guests, do you have a quote or saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you'll tend to revert to this quote if for any reason you get derailed or you get off track, the quote kind of helps to get you back on track. Highlights Len's Journey  Me: We always like to give our guests an opportunity to share in their own words, a little bit about their journey, could you tell our listeners how it is that you got to where you are today?   Len shared that it's one of those stories, he doesn't think it's a straight line to get here, when he was quite young, as mentioned that 18 he definitely enjoyed working with computers, building applications. But he was always tied to the user experience, he was always tied to that ability to make things run a little more efficiently. So, he started building just web applications, very crude back in the day, so, internet was still pretty young. And started building these solutions for different organizations and eventually met with a company that was in the loyalty space.  And they provided basically legacy loyalty, so, for those of us that remember you used to get a catalogue sent to your house, and it had some items that you could redeem from, and you'd either phone in or potentially fill out a form. And they talked with that organization about all the things they could bring there and that's what really started the precursor to engage was adding first solutions for the redemption and the fulfilment and then understanding more about the space and started as two of them and eventually, they ended up acquiring that company in the loyalty space that became their focus and turned into 150 plus people organization.    About Len's Company - Engage People Me: Now, could you tell our listeners just a little bit about what Engage People does? I know you mentioned that it's focused on loyalty but kind of give us a synopsis of what problem are you really solving for customers?   Len shared that they're a technology company at heart, loyalty just happens to be the discipline they play in. What they really like to do is innovate and impact an industry that they play in, and what they mean by that is in loyalty, it's been a pretty legacy solution based business he'd say where a lot of the advancements that they see in other industries didn't make its way to loyalty. So, what they do at Engage is they provide solutions to help organizations run loyalty programmes, and that can be on the earn side, so when you're a member of a programme and you swipe that credit card or tap that credit card, you earn some points.  They provide the solutions that a lot of financial institutions use to do that. But he thinks the really exciting thing about what they do is on the redemption side, so when a customer looks to use their points, and really a lot of advancements come there, and one of the things they do today is they're one of the leaders in the pay with point space. And what that means for their customer is, instead of ordering from that website, or that catalogue, you can now go on to your favourite ecommerce store or pull up to a BP station, tap that card and use your points as a form of currency, so Engage really services the loyalty industry in those two spaces. But again, the exciting part is the pay with points.   Me: And what companies and industries do you think should consider implementing loyalty points as an alternative payment choice?   Len shared that really anyone that's taking any form of payment today, over the past few years they've seen some alternative forms of payments, whether it's different cryptocurrencies or even the BNPL solutions that exist, a loyalty currency is a funded currency, there's no risk with it, it's got that value, it's funded.   So, any company running a loyalty programme, whether it be a bank, a hotel chain, an airline, they're funding that currency, so if you're looking to accept payments, what you're really doing is exposing your members or your customers to use what effectively is a $200 billion a year currency that gets issued each year, so significant amount of money. So, he doesn't think there's really a specific industry that should accept this, it's all industries that are accepting any form of payment.    Me: And based on your experience in this space Len, could you give our listeners an example of, let's say an industry that the loyalty points works in, and that you found it to be extremely successful and of high value?    Len shared that one of the things that surprised them, so they do this today for companies like Amazon, so the everyday item that you're looking to make that purchase, you can now use your points to check out.  What they were really surprised with and pleasantly surprised is they brought this to the gas space, or the petrol space, depending what area of the world you live in. So, you can go and fill up your vehicle and tap your points and it presents a real time offer to the customer to use their points and they were amazed at the uptake on that because loyalty typically, people think of it as an aspirational type usage of points.  But what they've seen with the pandemic and even the way the economy is looking these days is a lot of people are using this to help subsidise just the increased cost of living or those everyday expenses.  So, it's been a pleasant surprise that through their technology, they allow customers now to offset those everyday expenses that they have. So, he would say those small items, purchasing a coffee that you would every day, and now being able to use your points, that's where they've seen really an incredible impact.   Me: And just listening to you speak, I'm here thinking too with loyalty points, well, at least for the ones that I redeem, for example, at my supermarket, I feel like I patronise this business on a weekly basis, monthly basis consistently and if I'm able to even get two grocery bills paid for fully with loyalty, I almost feel like I'm getting back some investment from doing business with this company over extended and consistent period of time. Is that pretty much how they sell the whole loyalty experience? Because what I found as well is a lot of companies sign you up for loyalty rewards, but then if you don't remember to ask, okay, so can these rewards be redeemed? How does it work? Typically, it just sits there and you don't even know you have points and then you heard they expired.   Len stated that that's really what they're seeing a lot of change in is, especially the programmes you don't interact with every day, like you mentioned, you're visiting that grocery store frequently and that relationship is what loyalty is, it's really a relationship, to use your words, you're going to patronise them by continuously shopping there, and they're going to give you something in return for that.  And that's where the currency really comes into play, it's letting you know that they value you coming back to that location, time and time again, and they want to give you something back, and really treat you a little different than any other customer that would just walk through the door.    Loyalty Programmes – Cross Exchanges Me: What are your views, and you can tell me, since you're a loyalty expert in terms of like cross exchanges. So, let's say for example, you have loyalty points from an airline, but you're able to use those loyalty points from the airline at a hotel, or maybe for an attraction that you'd like to visit. Have you seen those kinds of activities happening, is that something you see happening in the future?   Len shared that it's already starting to pick up and so they're from Toronto, so Canadian organization, there was this thing that really only worked in the country for some reason, which were coalition programmes where a lot of different programmes came together, use a common currency.  And they're seeing a lot more of what you just mentioned, where companies are comfortable with themselves. So, they're saying, “We know you're going to keep interacting and shopping with us, and we're going to issue that currency, but we're going to let you spend it in other places, because you're still seeing the value in where you earn those points.”  So, if he's comfortable with the offer he's providing, and he's confident that he's got a relationship with you, then it really is advantageous to tell you, you know what, you can use those points to book a hotel, even though you earn those points from a grocery store or from an airline. And then when you stay at that hotel, you'll reflect back and say, you know, this trip was covered, either in part or the whole thing was covered, because I shopped with insert any company you want here, whether it was Sephora  or was Hilton, it doesn't matter.   Me: And you would remain loyal to the company that allowed you that affordability to have that vacation, as you mentioned, hotel room paid for because of your purchases with them.  Len agreed absolutely.   In Terms of Loyalty and Rewards – Trends Emerging in 2024 Me: So, in terms of future trends, I know AI I'm sure has some impact on the whole loyalty programmes that are implemented, but as a loyalty expert and seeing that you've been in the space for so long. If you were to give our listeners maybe one or two trends that you see emerging in 2024 and beyond as it relates to loyalty and rewards and using it as a currency on its own, what would those be?   Len shared that he thinks the first one is what Yanique mentioned, it's the ubiquitous nature of those points. So, they're going to be free for you to use and more and more locations and a lot more cross promotions with brands. So, they're going to be very comfortable in their partnerships, they're going to be very forthright with who they want to partner with and you'll be able to fly in on an airline, take a ride share to a restaurant, and that ecosystem will exist to use your points all together. So, he thinks that's the first thing we're really going to see a lot of.   And he thinks some of the things they've talked about in this industry for years, the personalization for a customer that really wants one experience. Although the technology has been there, it's been hard to manage and implement or just kind of onerous, and bringing tools like machine learning and AI into that space will assist with that. So, he doesn't think it'll be anything ground-breaking, like people tend to predict out there, but a lot of utilization of that technology to execute some strategies that have existed for some time.   App, Website or Tool that Len Absolutely Can't Live Without in His Business When asked about online resource that he can't live without in his business, Len shared that he thinks for them, it's Slack. Just that ability to message. So, personally, he uses a tool called Trello a lot and it helps him organize his thoughts, he's a pretty visualized person. But he would say the tool that's probably open the most on the screen on his devices is Slack and it's that ability to message people, especially as they move to a remote work environment, it's really kind of an invaluable tool for them.    Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Len When asked about books that have had a great impact, Len shared that they fall into two categories of things that really interests him. So, he likes a lot of documentaries, biographies, things of that nature. And like mentioned early on, he kind of fell into this space, it was something he enjoyed doing and eventually got into a leadership position. So, anything he can read about understanding how to be a better leader, how to run an organization is really big for him.  So, anytime he gets a chance, anything he can read or listen to from Simon Sinek is just helpful for him on how to be that that servant leader, there's a great book that really apply to their organization as they grew from Ben Horowitz, which was The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers. And that taught him some great lessons and exposed the fact that growing a business isn't easy, it's not always a straight line and goes in a perfect direction. So, those are the types of books that really helped him on the leadership side.  And then on the flip side, the artistic side of things is he really admire people that have done some pretty incredible things in whether it's the user experience space, the artistic space, it could be music. So, just recently, he read a book about Jony Ive from Apple, who is the genius behind Apple's greatest products, and he found that to be really inspiring for him.    What Len is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that he's really excited about, Len stated that that's great question. They've been fortunate to work with some pretty large global organizations.  So, right now there's some things he can't share the details, but things that are transforming kind of the payment ecosystem with some of the largest brands in the world, that's really exciting.  It's that opportunity to be truly impactful and to do something differently. So, on the work side, that's something he looks forward to each day, and they've got a team, product and innovation team that really drives a lot of that change here. So, it's exciting for him to actually interact with their team day to day, they've got a fantastic team and working specifically on this project that he's mentioning, just inspires him.   One Attribute | Characteristic a Leader MUST HAVE to Motivate Their Team  Me: Now, if you could choose one word or one attribute or characteristic that you believe a leader needs to have in order to have a team that is intrinsically motivated? So, they're not inspired by money, you don't have to dangle things in front of them to get them to do the work it but they're intrinsically motivated because as a leader, you inspire them. What would be that one word or that one trait or characteristic?   Len shared that the word for him is Trust. The people they have at Engage really drive the organisation, he always say that on any of these podcasts or interviews to anyone that's listening is they're really driven by their people.  And he thinks the thing that they appreciate the most about the leadership and just others in the organization is that level of trust. So, that's not always the case, organizations have people that come and go that don't necessarily exude those characteristics or those traits. But he would say as a leader, if your team can trust you, they know you have their best interests at heart, and they know you're looking out for them, then they're willing to do the same for you.   Me: Alright, awesome. So, trust, I like it.   Where Can We Find Len Online Website - www.engagepeople.com LinkedIn – Len Covello Twitter/ X – Len Covello   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Len Uses  When asked about a quote or saying that he tends to revert to, Len shared that he doesn't know that there's a quote, that's a positive quote, they have some funny ones, sometimes probably not appropriate. But he doesn't go to a quote, he tends to go to moments in time that he thought were really beneficial to him.  So, there's always a point in his career and he remembers it vividly to this day where now a mentor to him saw him at a point where he was still at he'll call it immature in his business acumen and sat him down and taught him how to be more measured.  And he thinks that's the best thing you can do that a lot of the leaders that he admires have the ability to not get too up on the highs and not get too low on the lows, and just be measured with things and have that opportunity to take a step back, really evaluate the situation and understand that you'll get through it.   Me: All right, awesome. Well, thank you so much Len for taking time out of your very busy day and hopping on this podcast with us and sharing all of the great insights as it relates to loyalty and having it as a viable currency that you can use in an organization. And also looking at some of the emerging trends that we can look forward to in terms of loyalty rewards and points being something that can be more acceptable across the board regardless of where you are, what part of the region you are in the world that customers can just have greater access to benefits from organizations that they love, organizations that they patronise consistently, organizations that have been a part of their lives for so many years, that they can actually have some value out of it through having it as a viable payment option and getting back something in return. It was a great conversation. Thank you so much.   Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Links •     The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

In a world where businesses are constantly vying for attention and loyalty, one man stands out as a beacon of success in the realm of customer experience.   David delves into his journey, highlighting key moments, lessons learned, and the magic of infectious energy that propels him forward.  ⚉  From Harvard to Silicon Valley  ⚉  Unveiling the magic of customer experience  ⚉  Embracing adversity as a path to success  ⚉  Making it to the Inc. 5000's list  ⚉  How to remain true to yourself in the face of challenges  ⚉  The importance of employee alignment with company core values  ⚉  Lessons learned in business  ⚉  The power of infectious energy  ⚉  How David's engineering background shaped him as a CEO  ⚉  Improving your internal dialogue  ⚉ "The person who dies with the best stories wins."    David G. Ewing, CEO of Motiv, is a trailblazer in customer experience innovation. With over 25 years in the industry, he's transformed insights into substantial revenue for 500+ clients.   A Harvard cum laude Engineering graduate, David's leadership has earned Motiv a spot on the Inc 5000 list. As president of The Entrepreneur's Association in Austin, he's dedicated to empowering fellow entrepreneurs. Beyond business, he's a devoted husband of 19 years and a passionate coach for his son's robotics team.    MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:   ⚉  Chewy - https://www.chewy.com/   ⚉  Molly's Game by Molly Bloom - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly%27s_Game   ⚉  [Book] The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers - https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205     CONNECT WITH DAVID: 

Ever feel like there's a voice in your head doubting every decision you make as a leader? That's your inner critic, and it's holding you back. This voice can be a real pain, always second-guessing you and shaking your confidence. It can spill over into how you lead your team, affecting everyone's vibe and performance. So how do you face this self-doubt head on?In this episode of the HAPPINESS SQUAD Podcast, Ashish and Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage, discuss how to recognize your self-doubt, understand why it's there, and start turning that inner critic into constructive thoughts. As the CEO, Jennifer oversees the strategic direction and global operations of Linkage, a renowned leadership development firm. With the mission to change the face of leadership, Linkage has dedicated over 30 years to improving leadership effectiveness and equity in hundreds of organizations globally. Jennifer has recently released her own book, "In Her Own Voice: A Woman's Rise to CEO, Overcoming Hurdles to Change the Face of Leadership."Here are some of the highlights in this episode:The impact of relationships and personal fulfillment on happinessThe Role of the Inner Critic in Personal and Professional GrowthBalancing Masculine and Feminine Energies in LeadershipThe concept of the “Become”CommitmentAdvancing Women and Inclusion in the WorkplaceReady to kick that self-doubt to the curb and boost your leadership game? Tune in now and start leading with confidence!

Michael Hoffman, or “Hoff” as most know him, is the co-founder and CEO at IQXR, a company solving the hardest problems facing global-scale, enterprise XR deployments, and doing so with an open source approach.Previously Michael spent nearly a decade working with the Microsoft Hololens team. He was a Principal Engineering Lead at Microsoft for a couple of years, left to be the founding partner of Object theTheory, where he and his team worked with enterprises to leverage AR and VR technologies, often in combination with IoT and AI/Machine Learning. And then he went back to Microsoft for a couple of years to lead the development of the Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK) project.Earlier in his career, Michael worked in software engineering roles at Google, Nike, and several startups.In this conversation, Hoff describes how 3D visualization, with AR and VR technologies, changes our comprehension of digital information, contributes to the value of having your hands free to interact with the world, and enables better efficiency and better insights.Within the enterprise setting, Hoff notes it's relatively easy to get to a pilot and prove value, but it's really difficult to deliver that value at scale.We go on to talk about making AR/VR solutions viable within an enterprise setting at scale, including challenges around visual and audio haptics, working both online and offline, and other key bits of plumbing, as well as the misconceptions that many enterprises have about the technology.We also discuss:- the rationale and corporate strategy for building open source solutions, - the role of AI in accelerating software and content development,- the art of the AI prompt, and- how Apple Vision Pro accelerates the market.Hoff wraps up by discussing neurodivergence and his own growing awareness and acceptance of the challenges and benefits of neurodivergence for both his children and himself.You can find all of the show notes at thearshow.com. Please consider contributing to my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/theARshow.Links From The Episode- Press Release: [Microsoft Talent Joins The Mesmerise Group to Drive Growth of Immersive Technology Solutions for the Enterprise](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/microsoft-talent-joins-the-mesmerise-group-to-drive-growth-of-immersive-technology-solutions-for-the-enterprise-301856247.html)- Article: [What is ikigai and how can it change my life?](https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-is-ikigai) by Elizabeth Perry for BetterUp- Book: [Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life](https://amzn.to/48pf15s) by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles - Book: [The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers](https://amzn.to/2ZpiQ8m) by Ben Horowitz- Book: [Ready Player One](https://amzn.to/2X9Eu2t) by Ernest Cline

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Phillip Liu, CEO of Trustero, an AI copilot for security and compliance that's raised $8 Million in funding. Topics Discussed:  Phillip's background, including his time at Facebook and work with Ben Horowitz Living through the .com bubble and starting and selling a successful company The origin story of Trustero and how it helps compliance professionals The future of the compliance market Lessons Phillip has learned from fundraising   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Daniel Yubi, CEO of Payable, headquartered in London, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about improving Treasury operations through their software. Here is what they talked about:  Daniel's backstory - how he got to do what he does today What problem is Payable solving, and why is it worth solving? What is their solution and their unique selling point What's their technology angle Who are Payable's key clients What is the role of the finance team in scaling FinTechs? What is the CFO stack, and what is the FinTech market opportunity? What's Daniel's advice on how to build and develop FinTech propositions the market wants and needs? What are the milestones Daniel wants to achieve next What's your favorite business book? The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers and Marcus Aurelius works What's the best way to reach out: Daniel Yubi on LinkedIn

For Jeremy Ruch at Bandalier, finding the right people is a process. The best sales people have opposing skillsets: They need to be both stubborn and coachable. How do you find those people?  Jeremy shares ideas and insights. And, if you find yourself struggling to fill out your sales roster, it might be time to give Hamish a call.  What you'll learn: What are the right traits for remote-only sales people. How to structure your interview process. How you can link the interview process to performance reviews - and why you would want to. Why some people thrive in a busy office - and why others don't. Why you should not spend 80% of your time on 20% of the people. Why a culture of celebration is important in sales. Resources: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers - by Ben Horowitz Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike - by Phil Knight Sales Done Right - Training by John Borrows CoachPX - Coaching by AI The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to Go from $0 to $100 Million - by Mark Roberge Bandalier.co connect with Jeremy at jeremy@bandalier.co -=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=- 8 Fundamentals for Building a Scalable Sales Model - Free Whitepaper Many sales leaders claim they are eager to build a scalable sales model positioned for growth – a model that will allow them to ramp up revenue dramatically, without causing stress. Is that even possible? The answer is yes... if you have the right processes in place. How do you make sure that happens? Here are eight ideas we are sharing with our clients. Download the free whitepaper at fullfunnelfreedom.com/scale -=+=-=+=--=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+=-=+= Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com Sandler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandler_yyc/  Sandler in Calgary - www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/ Sponsorship or guest inquiries - podcast@fullfunnelfreedom.com  

Everyday Practices podcast co-hosts Regan Robertson and Dr. Chad Johnson continue their asynchronous business book review series as they discuss The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by author Ben Horowitz. Regan and Dr. Chad explore the challenges and triumphs of leadership, resilience, and the art of building successful dental practices.

This week, Nick speaks to Swen Lorenz, CEO & Founder of Sarnia Asset Management, a fund manager based in Guernsey, Channel Islands.  Sarnia Asset Management is in the process of launching several high-performing niche funds in public equity. Swen has a 25-year track record start-ups, turnarounds, fund management and also runs an investment website and blog, Undervalued Shares. Nick and Swen discuss Swen's background, becoming editor-in-chief of a well-respected German investment publication at only twenty one, travel, philanthropic ventures, and the evolution of Undervalued Shares. They discuss that Swen is in the process of launching a formal offer to buy the Sark real estate portfolio owned by Alistair Barclay, the heir of Sir David Barclay. If a transaction does take place, the Sark Property Company that Swen set up together with the Seigneur of Sark will own 20% of the surface area of Sark with a portfolio of residential, commercial and hotel properties. This company would then also aim to go public in London in 2025. Swen's book choice was The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz.This content is issued by Zeus Capital Limited (“Zeus”) (Incorporated in England & Wales No. 4417845), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) for designated investment business, (Reg No. 224621) and is a member firm of the London Stock Exchange. This content is for information purposes only and neither the information contained, nor the opinions expressed within, constitute or are to be construed as an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell the securities or other instruments mentioned in it. Zeus shall not be liable for any direct or indirect damages, including lost profits arising in any way from the information contained in this material. This material is for the use of intended recipients only.

229: What Should You Outsource at Your Nonprofit? (Eric Thomas)SUMMARYAs a nonprofit leader, are you short-handed or unable to scale your team to keep up with growth, especially in more technical areas like technology and finance? In episode #229 of Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, Eric Thomas shares how outsourcing may be a practical solution for your organization. Learn exactly what outsourcing in the nonprofit sector is and how it can help address your needs. Eric discusses the talent shortage, particularly in specialized roles like finance and accounting that currently exist in our sector. He provides specific keys to integrate an outsourced position into your nonprofit, and which roles and functions are most effectively outsourced. Eric also provides examples of automation that nonprofit leaders should consider to streamline operations.   ABOUT ERICEric Thomas is a consulting partner with over 20 years of experience serving nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Since joining Armanino, he has focused on helping nonprofits with their finance and accounting needs, so they can concentrate on developing their organization and delivering on their mission. He works with a diverse group of clients on their digital transformation and believes that regardless of size and age, organizations can benefit from incorporating enterprise best accounting practices through a solution that uses cloud technology and paperless processes. Prior to joining Armanino, Eric led accounting and finance functions at Robert Half, Analytic Services, and Serco NA. He received a B.S. in business administration from West Virginia University.EPISODE TOPICS & RESOURCESThe Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben HorowitzLearn more about Eric and Armanino hereReady for a Mastermind? Learn more here!Take our Podcast Survey and let us know what you want to hear!Check out Patton's book Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership: Seven Keys to Advancing Your Career in the Philanthropic Sector

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Rishi Nayyar, CEO and Co-Founder of PocketHealth, a medical image-sharing platform that's raised $22.5 Million in funding. Topics Discussed: Rishi's background in investment banking, and what it's like being partners with his brother in PocketHealth Why Rishi admires Mark Zuckerberg as a founder How Rishi's brother hurting his ankle set both brothers on the path to creating PocketHealth What is the advantage of being an industry outsider Lessons Rishi learned from fundraising, and why he thinks startup founders should focus on the little wins instead of looking far ahead Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Daniel Lambert, CEO of PathologyWatch, a digital pathology solution that's raised over $50 Million funding. Topics Discussed: Daniel's background as a computer engineer with a background in healthcare and entrepreneurship, and founding multiple companies What a digital pathology solution means for the fight against diseases across various sectors of the healthcare economy PathologyWatch's origins as being a tech-enabled service company handling patient cases directly, and how they identified additional value propositions for their product Understanding the regulatory environment and legal opinions that will be needed to grow a business successfully in the healthcare space Why letting customers guide the product development process is absolutely crucial for PathologyWatch's ongoing growth   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In this Grow A Small Business Podcast episode, Troy interviews Troy Trewin interviews Ben Cashman, the owner of Tinkle, a bamboo toothbrush and dental floss subscription business based in Hobart, Australia. Ben also talks about his background and the journey that led him to start Tinkle. He also discusses the business model, which focuses on reducing plastic waste in Australian bathrooms. He also mentions his other ventures, including The Project Lab, a management consulting business, and Electric Highway Tasmania, a for-profit business that installs electric vehicle charging stations. The conversation concludes with Ben discussing the habit of not getting comfortable and complacent in business and the importance of consistent business development. Finally, he shares his hiring advice, emphasizing the importance of hiring slowly and firing fast while focusing on cultural fit and core competencies. This Cast Covers: How they've known each other Where the idea of a sustainable toothbrush came up Overview of Tinkle's business model and its mission to remove plastic waste from Australian bathrooms Troy Trewin sharing his experience as a Tinkle subscriber and the enjoyment he and his daughter have with the bamboo toothbrushes The challenges they had  The most stressful point of the small business growth journey How he handled balance Why Consistency is key in a business The moment he felt like he had succeeded How The Project Lab and Electric Highway Tasmania was started and funded  Links: Ben's LinkedIn Additional Resources: Tinkle The Project Lab Electric Highway Tasmania The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz Culture is Everything by Tristan White     Quotes: "The whole mission of Tinkle is to remove plastic waste from Australian bathrooms."—Ben Cashman “My biggest lesson is to hire slowly and fire fast and in a nice way politely.” —Ben Cashman “It's going to get hard before it gets easy. So stick with it.” —Ben Cashman “Tinkle was started with the sole purpose of working out whether we can do it, like can we actually create a passive income business?” —Ben Cashman “Some things you'd think you'd never make a mistake on, can get you.” —Ben Cashman

Tomer Azenkot joined Vee24, a video-powered digital customer experience platform, as CEO in 2022 to help brands accelerate their digital business. Amidst a cultural transformation in buyers' expectations, he believes that when a company delivers a great customer experience, growth will follow. Join Jim and Tomer as they talk about the future of customer engagement, specifically as it relates to the development of AI, chatbots, and video chat for in-store > online sales. 3 Key TakeawaysDifferentiate Yourself From Past Leaders: When Tomer started as CEO of Vee24, he learned that a previous CEO only visited their overseas team once in two years. Tomer visits them monthly. As a leader, you need to foster collaboration and innovation in your organization. If you're stuck, always lean on the side of investing extra time in your people.AI Ain't Gonna Solve Everything: Way too many people talk about how AI is revolutionizing the world. But people like people, and human interaction will continue to be essential in most businesses. We can't lose sight of the importance of person-to-person interaction. The data shows that people buy more from humans than bots.  Consider Becoming Extremely Transparent: When Tomer took over the reins of his company, he instigated an “overly transparent” system. All strategic tracking and OKR frameworks are viewable by the full team. No one wonders why things are being done. ResourcesTomer Azenkot on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomerazenkot/ Vee24's website: https://vee24.com/ Vee24 on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vee24/ “The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers,” a book by Ben Horowitz that Jim and Tomer discuss in this episode: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062273205 About Our Guest Over the last decade of Tomer Azenkot's career, he has been at the intersection of online video and digital customer experience. Having a passion for building products and teams that focus on delighting customers, he has led multiple organizations in periods of rapid growth and success. He is currently CEO of Vee24.About The Dirt Podcast The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcastAbout Our CompanyOrchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses. Website: https://www.orchid.black LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.P.S. Above, we wrote: “The data shows that people buy more from humans than bots.” We sourced that from Gil Press, “AI Stats News: 86% Of Consumers Prefer Humans To Chatbots”: 

Join us for episode 262 of Gathering The Kings Podcast, featuring our guest, Greg Davis, the CEO of Bigleaf Networks. Rising from a restaurant tragedy to tech titan, Greg pivoted his career with a unique twist, pouring his operational prowess into the tech space, laser-focused on human safety. With five high-impact tech ventures to his name, he's a powerhouse in business strategy and a master at rallying teams towards crystal-clear goals.Get ready to be blown away with Greg's fresh takes on universal business processes, strategic decision-making, and value creation. You'll get an insider's look into how he navigates large operations, leans into his gut instincts, and even the story behind "Hunger Rush", a nod to his family roots. Greg, the perfect blend of super-smart and super-relatable, will ignite your business thinking. So, brace yourself and hit that play button – this is a must-listen episode!During this episode, you will learn about;[01:13] Introduction to Greg Davis and his business[05:11] Greg's burning desire that keeps him pushing[10:43] A good decision that Greg has made in his career [18:39] Greg reflects on what causes bad decisions[23:57] Greg's decision making process[26:59] How and when to trust your gut to make decisions[29:43] One KPI Greg would track if he had to choose only one?[32:09] Greg's book recommendations[35:12] How Greg obsesses over work and family [38:29] What advice would Greg give to his younger self?[40:13] How to connect with Greg Davis[41:18] Info on Gathering The Kings MastermindNotable Quotes"Greed is compelling, and it's available all the time." - Greg Davis"My lesson to everyone else is: when the boat leaves the dock, you want to be on the dock waving." - Greg Davis"You can burn a lot of calories chasing things that don't necessarily make sense." - Greg Davis"Great ideas that you can't execute are a waste of time." - Greg Davis"I waited way too long to start making big-boy decisions in my life." - Greg Davis"There is a whole skillset that a woman has, especially in the way she thinks, that I don't have. That's the part I'm always trying to pick from." - Chaz Wolfe (Host)"Go be all that you're meant to be. Make bold decisions." - Chaz Wolfe (Host)Books and Resources Recommended:Bissinger, Buzz. Three Nights in August. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.Three Nights In August: Strategy, Heartbreak, and Joy Inside the Mind of a Manager: Bissinger, Buzz: 9780618710539: Amazon.com: BooksLencioni, Patrick. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass, 2002.The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable: Patrick M. Lencioni,Patrick Lencioni: 9788126522743: Amazon.com: BooksHorowitz, Ben. The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers. HarperBusiness, 2014.

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Tine Karlsen, CEO and Co-Founder of Vev, an all-in-one design platform that's raised $7 Million in funding, about why a web-dominant economy demands a new generation of design tools to empower visual creativity without sacrificing smooth functioning. Learning by doing, Vev has developed a seamless visual developing platform that integrates with the hard technology of back-end software to cover everything from paywall pieces to interactive scrolling narratives. We speak about Tine's background in the Norwegian tech sector and her thoughts on what makes it special as an early adopter of innovation, the hands-on learning that helped her become a 'Jack-of-all-trades,' why media companies led the way in Vev's market development, and why giving designers the power to build without code is streamlining the world of web design like never before. Topics Discussed: How Tine came to found a company through learning by doing, and what it means to be a 'jack-of-all-trades' The unique position of the Norwegian tech sector and how a high tech transition is pushing new currents of innovation Why traction in the media industry was critical to Vev's market growth How inclusivity is key to Vev's value proposition, putting design tools in the hands of creatives without cumbersome code How code-free design is transforming an existing market category, and what it means for the future of web design Vev's vision to establish themselves as the go-to front end builder in the next 3 years   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In this episode, Troy interviews Victor Peña, Founder and CEO of OmniPrint International. He's based in Orange County, Southern California, USA. Victor is an electronics engineer, and naturally, he's heavily involved with technology. He was a technician, managing the in-room internet in hotels all around the county. Discovering he loves the print industry, he transitioned to his newfound niche in print engines and printing on-demand T-shirts, turning it into a successful multimillion-dollar business.  Offering the best digital printers and printing technology with the best digital DTG (direct to garment) printers on the market, Victor Peña and his company, OmniPrint International, empower small-medium business owners around the world with their continuous innovation, high-quality prints, and the ability to be able to print on a wider range of fabrics, paving the way for business owners to sell their products at a better price. Since his start in 2004, they now have a roster of 70 full-time team members, earning $16 million in revenue in 2021, up from zero when they started 19 years ago. Victor heavily emphasized that marketing is the number one thing that any business should invest in and that focusing on having the best-engineered product simply isn't enough. Because having the best widget and the best technology is of no use if the product isn't known. So it goes to show that a better-marketed product will always be the greater product. This Cast Covers:  Empowering business owners with the technology of the company. Development of the technology and the software of a product. Constant optimization and planning to scale the business. Focusing on creating bigger goals and bigger targets. Becoming a better leader and running a more organized organization. Investing money into marketing should be a top priority. Funding the startup with the pre-sales model of financing approach. Putting on money on other forms of investment such as multi-family real estate. Being able to attract, incentivize, develop, and retain top talent. Finding the best leverage you can get with the money you have. Links: Victor's Linkedin Victor's Company Website Additional Resources: The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone Valuetainment The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz     Quotes: “We have to make sure that we're always optimizing and figuring out how to grow and scale businesses.” — Victor Peña. “Focus every year on creating bigger goals and bigger targets.” — Victor Peña. “Marketing is the number one thing that any business should invest in.” — Victor Peña “Culture is defined by every single team member.” — Victor Peña. “Pick someone that has crushed it and has done well at what you want to do.” — Victor Peña

“Something that doesn't slice the pie differently or steal someone else's breakfast, but something with a potential to grow the overall pie,” is Omri Yacubovich's description of Lama.ai, of which he is co-founder and CEO. Lama.ai provides business lending to banks, credit unions, SaaS companies, fintech and B2B brands. Through his research, Omri found that 80 percent of businesses that applied for a loan through their primary banking relationship were declined. Alternative methods included exorbitant APRs that could reach as much as 400%, as well as a very high cost of acquisition and capital. Lama. ai offers to lower these expenses to nearly zero while also offering a more specialized strategy to fit varying needs of businesses versus a cookie cutter plan. Omri offers insights into the number of entrepreneurs who have emerged from Israel. He speculates that it has something to do with having to perform mandatory service at 18, having major responsibilities and decisions to make. He and Brendan discuss the myth of the young Ivy league-educated entrepreneur success story–the vast majority of majorly successful business people had years of experience–even whole careers under their belts before founding their first big business. There is a balance between the bravery of youth where you have very little to lose and the experience and wisdom that come with being older. Omri shares his unpopular opinion on the concept of work/life balance. He talks about what he might have done differently if he had the process to do all over again. Quotes: “There are 1000s, or tens of 1000s, or hundreds of 1000s of startups that fail.. the validation was an important piece.” (15:13-15:27 | Omri) “What we've done, which I think is also important for the first time founders that are listening to this episode, is we left some room for strategic investors...including my previous CEO.” (24:32-25:26 | Omri)  “The Northern Lights or where you want to go and what you want to sell is way more important than the actual technology and features that you're building and you're probably very proud and excited about. So, my recommendation is to talk about the problem and why you and your team are the right ones to solve that problem.” (27:31-27:52 | Omri)  “If you're not running fast enough, if you're in the right or wrong direction, you're never going to get to the finish line. So I think it's crucial for startups to have the ability to move fast. And unfortunately, moving fast requires a lot of dedication and working hours. So, it's not popular, but that's my opinion." (35:47-36:13 | Omri) Connect with Brendan Dell: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendandell/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendanDell Instagram: @thebrendandell TikTok: @brendandell39 Buy a copy of Brendan's Book, The 12 Immutable Laws of High-Impact Messaging: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780578210926    Connect with Omri: Omri.y@lama.ai lama.ai Check out Omri's recommended books: Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer https://bookshop.org/p/books/start-up-nation-the-story-of-israel-s-economic-miracle-dan-senor/16646834?ean=9780446541473   The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-hard-thing-about-hard-things-building-a-business-when-there-are-no-easy-answers-ben-horowitz/6432758?ean=9780062273208 Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters https://bookshop.org/p/books/zero-to-one-notes-on-startups-or-how-to-build-the-future-peter-thiel/9402001?ean=9780804139298   The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries  https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-lean-startup-how-today-s-entrepreneurs-use-continuous-innovation-to-create-radically-successful-businesses-eric-ries/9422262?ean=9780307887894 Please don't forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to Billion Dollar Tech on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts! Use code Brendan30 for 30% off your annual membership with RiverSide.fm  Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

Itamar Novick, Solo Venture Capitalist at Recursive Ventures spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about lessons learned from his years of investing in FinTech, especially in challenging times.Here is what they talked about: Itamar's background Recursive Ventures - what does it do? Where are you based? Are you US-focused or global? How much money have you raised since inception, and for how many start-ups? How many investors? What kind of start-ups have you invested in, and what kind of FinTechs have you invested in?  What's your investment approach?  What are your best tips for aspiring founders to start and grow their companies? What is your view on the immediate and long-term outlook for FinTechs? Where do you see the most promising opportunities? Can you share success stories of the start-ups for which you raised funds (exited)?  Any lessons learned? What would you have done differently as an investor? How do you find them? How do scouting and due diligence work? What are your selection criteria? Favorite business book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz The best way to connect

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Prem Kumar, CEO of Humanly.io, a recruiting tech platform that's raised over $5.5 Million in funding, about why hiring shouldn't have to be hassle for those on either side of process, and how working towards having a real conversation can ultimately deliver the right results for your company over the long term. With an integrated AI interface and highly developed feedback system to allow more detailed tracking of the entire hiring funnel, Humanly.io is helping to build a better experience for candidates and take the pressure off of your HR division to deal with a deluge of potential applications. We also spoke about what drove Prem to leave behind a stable position at Microsoft for the uncertainty of the startup sector, how Humanly benefits from the current AI boom but why it plans to be around for the long term, and why, at the end of the day, nothing's really changed, and it's still customer context that really matters when making it in a competitive marketplace. Topics Discussed: Prem's career at Microsoft, and why his entrepreneurial tendencies took him to the tech startup space Why inadequate hiring is a structural issue, and why there's no reason to blame your teams for being overwhelmed How one-sided digitalization has left the humans in HR to deal with a deluge of potential candidates, a task well beyond their capacity most of the time How AI can fill critical capacity shortfalls in the hiring process, and why a machine learning solution delivers consistently better feedback from applicants Why a better hiring systems leads to higher-quality outcomes for your enterprise, and more ethical interactions with potential candidates Why Prem appreciates the boost of today's AI chat hype, but how he plans to build Humanly.io into a business with staying power by relying on the context they can provide to customers   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Digital healthcare delivery has exploded over the last several years and digital MSK is part of this massive growth. We know that digital MSK services are more convenient for members and can provide more accurate data on outcomes than in-person traditional physical therapy services. We've heard from one other digital MSK company about 6 months ago so now is a good time to get a different perspective and understand how this industry is changing and where it is headed. With me is Mark Luck Olson, who is the CEO of RecoveryOne. If the name Mark Olson sounds familiar, it's because Mark is a former owner and managing partner of Chapter House which was acquired many years ago by Oliver Wyman and where he served a partner. I have always admired Mark's ability to see the big picture and at the same time, understand the details and nuances of healthcare. I am looking forward to getting Mark's perspective on how digital healthcare and digital MSK fit into the healthcare ecosystem. Show notes: Book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowtiz

In the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden asked energy companies to pump more oil, drill more wells and overall increase fossil fuel production at the behest of the American public.  Energy companies have built the existing infrastructure, provided critical resources, including meeting energy demand, and they want to protect what they built. At times that has come at a cost to the climate, the speed at which we will achieve net zero emissions, and public trust.  Nonetheless it's important to identify good partners, and today's guest, Bryan Trudel is one of those partners. Bryan is the CFO and Co-founder of Avatar Innovations, a venture studio focused on energy innovation towards net zero. Reality has moved the goalposts for energy companies, and now they have to focus on a net zero future—both to save the planet and to make a profit. In service of this vision, Avatar incubates new energy companies that include net zero in their strategic business plan. On today's episode, we discuss how and why he got to this point, as well as how his work is helping change the minds of other players in the energy space in the episode. You can keep up with Bryan on LinkedIn and follow Avatar on Instagram for updates on their work. Keep up with the show by following The Net Zero Life on Twitter and Instagram (@thenetzerolife). You can also get in touch at www.thenetzerolife.com or via email at nathan@thenetzerolife.com. Other show notes:  Bryan's Suggested Readings How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates The Hard Thing about Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz Arc Energy Ideas Podcast

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Honey Mittal, CEO of Locofy.ai, a design-to-code platform that's raised $3 Million in funding, about why this critical phase in the process of bringing software to market remains one of a contemporary startup's most acute pain points, and how an automated solution can help us all build better, faster and more efficiently. There's no doubt that developers are one of the toughest product audiences out there, with no kind words for sub-par software solutions, so even a cursory look at some of Locofy.ai's big-name clients makes it clear that they're on to a winning idea. We also spoke about Honey's experiences in the Southeast Asian tech sector, how the unique regional circumstances helped foster a more global perspective on the contemporary tech sector, why design-to-code just makes sense as a software solution, but only for those who can really get the product right, and how online developer communities provide a lot of opportunities to grow, learn, and improve a product offering. Topics Discussed: Honey's career in the Southeast Asian tech sector, and what we can learn from this strategic region about contemporary concerns in the industry. How a decade in tech laid the foundations for Honey to found Locofy.ai, and why it was design-to-code that became their software offering Why making the leap from innovative design to actionable code remains one of the modern startup economy's most significant stumbling blocks, and how Locofy.ai plans to bridge the gap The current state of the software development sector, and why a shortage of engineers is reaching crisis point Why developers are one of the toughest audiences in tech, with no kind words for sub-par software solutions How Locofy.ai learned to work with online developer communities, and how it helped them develop a more market-ready product   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with David Brumley, CEO of ForAllSecure, an automated security testing platform that's raised over $38 Million in funding, about how a hacker mindset in defensive security can turn the tables on aggressors, and give your cyberdefense the edge in the endless technology arms race. By deploying automated systems to construct a comprehensive map of an enterprise's existing security landscape, built on an off-the-shelf code, ForAllSecure identifies exactly where action should be taken to tighten up any potential cracks in your defenses before a disastrous incursion ever occurs. We also spoke about David's colorful life before transitioning to a career in the tech startup space, what it was like setting out to disrupt Silicon Valley in the 1990s and how things have changed since then, and why hostility in public discourse is just par for the course when you challenge established industry dogma. Without paying too much attention to the category creation complex, David sees ForAllSecure as forging its own niche based exclusively on the efficacy of its software solutions. Topics Discussed: How David decided to change his life, and how one crazy night led him to the world of technology solutions How Silicon Valley got its start in the University sphere, and how things have changed since the years of classified ads to become billion dollar investment opportunities Why disrupting industry dogma inevitably brings public backlash, and how David manages to move beyond it by focusing on solutions Why the hard part of building a business isn't having a vision, but holding onto your vision when things don't go your way How recognising the utility of research is the only way to really move an industry forward with cutting-edge technology Why ForAllSecure started with enterprise-led sales, but found new opportunities by developing PLG channels to build adoption from the ground up   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Agapitos Diakogiannis, CEO of Seafair, a maritime recruitment platform that's raised over $6.5million in funding, about why hiring the right staff in the maritime industry is one of the world's most significant recruitment challenges, and how mistakes in this largely unseen network can have very real consequences for supply lines, energy, and pretty much everything else. With Seafair, Agapitos is on a mission to bring maritime recruitment into the 21st century, building a labor marketplace which helps harmonize the hiring process for companies operating across multiple jurisdictions, identify and vet key characteristics of potential employees , and give them an integrated platform for managing paperwork, wages, and everything else they need to know in this often fragmented industry. We also spoke about the challenges of launching a potentially disruptive company in a historically conservative industry, and how striking a balance between a reputation for innovation with the reliability of an established market presence is a critical narrative challenge for Seafair, and one which they are still fine-tuning in their branding strategy. At the end of the day, it all comes down to being able to solve people's problems, and that's where Seafair's true strength lies, word-of-mouth recommendations which can be difficult for mainstream marketing strategies to reach. Topics Discussed: How a long career in the shipping-tech industry gave Agapitos critical market insight and helped identify an ideal niche for recruitment innovation Why the maritime industry is a particular challenge in terms of recruitment, and why the ideal staff can be difficult to identify in a global labor pool How a fragmented regulatory, cultural and economic landscape means that integration and harmonization are key for recruitment support solutions How putting clients first will always help ensure a sustainable business model in the long run, and how Seafair has achieved their critical velocity Why support for seafarers is just as important as their employers when looking to build a truly sustainable business Balancing a disruptive reputation with a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, and how a unique combination of these divergent messages help Seafair get their message across   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Osso VR is a company that uses virtual reality to teach surgeons how to use medical devices and perform surgeries and assessment. Imagine being able to practice many times over before performing on a live patient. Imagine what this level practice will do prevent medical errors and save lives.   With me is Dr. Justin Barad, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon who also has a passion for gaming. Originally interning to become a game developer at Activision-Blizzard, Justin decided to find a way to combine his passions and use his technology background to solve medical challenges after a personal family health incident introduced him to the world of healthcare. During his residency, he identified what could be one of the most pressing medical challenges of this century: how we are training our surgeons and proceduralists. With a strong interest in gaming and a first-hand understanding of the challenges facing residents and experienced doctors, he co-founded Osso VR with a mission to improve patient safety and democratize access to modern surgical techniques.   Show notes:  Books:  The Pizza Bible: The World's Favorite Pizza Styles, from Neapolitan, Deep-Dish, Wood-Fired, Sicilian, Calzones and Focaccia to New York, New Haven, Detroit, and More; by Tony Gemignani  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz And Doctors: The Biography of Medicine by Sherwin B. Nuland.

Rodney Reisdorf, CEO of Verivend, a payments platform operating exclusively in the private capital space, about why this most finance-orientated sector has been left behind by the fintech revolution, and how Verivend is set to disrupt the way transactions take place. By providing a seamless, streamlined platform for moving venture capital and private equity money around, emulating the success of personal payment platforms in transforming how most of us interact with our finances on a daily basis. We also spoke about the challenges of being a founder and how you can't always trust the theory, why Verivend asked its funders to invest directly through the platform they were supporting, and why Rodney's biggest biggest decision might have been pivoting away from his original idea to pursue a more problem-based approach to growing a business. Creating a brand new business category around their private capital-focused platform, Rodney also explains why a comparative description might be the best way to communicate an idea with new potential customers. Topics Discussed: Why being a business founder means confronting the limitations of theory and the messy challenges of real life How Verivend was able to onboard investors as early adopters of their payments platform, to the benefit of both parties Why flexibility and willingness to adapt are vital for founders looking to build something sustainable The history of the ‘wire' transfer, and why so little has changed in this centuries-old financial service Why a ‘this of that' description can be useful for businesses driving disruptive change, giving customers a reference to understand who you are How keeping laser-focused on customer problems will guarantee that they keep coming back for more, and that your business will continue on a solid growth trajectory   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Kelcey Lehrich is the Co-founder and CEO of 365 Holdings, an Akron, Ohio-based company that buys and grows e-commerce brands. In addition to mergers and acquisitions, Kelcey also hosts the HoldCoConf. Known as the official  “Un-Conference of Micro PE,” the HoldCoConf is a sought-after event where companies meet, learn, scale, and grow. Outside of business, you can find Kelcey rucking, marathon training, or at a Crossfit gym. Although he is passionate about endurance-type hobbies, Kelcey's number one passion is family time with his wife and two sons. In this episode… eCommerce selling is a booming business responsible for making many new entrepreneurs multimillionaires. It's understandable that successful business owners want to explore new ventures. So, what should be your next move if you are a thriving seven-figure seller? Business leader Kelcey Lehrich recommends considering acquisitions and mergers. A buyer can purchase a new company, merge to create a new organization, or acquire some assets and stocks through mergers and acquisitions. Merging and acquiring businesses can be a quick and easy way to expand your portfolio, but it can be overwhelming.  Join host Josh Hadley in this episode of the eComm Breakthrough Podcast as he talks to Kelcey Lehrich, the Co-founder and CEO of 365 Holdings. Together, the two explain everything you want to know about mergers and acquisitions in e-commerce. Additionally, Kelcey expounds on why entrepreneurs should explore how to zone into their genius, create a vision, learn the processes of acquisitions and mergers through experience, and more. So, without further ado, let's get started. Resources mentioned in this episode: Josh Hadley on LinkedIn eComm Breakthrough Consulting eComm Breakthrough Podcast “The Five Biggest Mistakes Josh Hadley Wants You To Avoid as a New Business Owner” Email Josh: Josh@eCommBreakthrough.com Hadley Designs Hadley Designs on Amazon Kelcey Lehrich on LinkedIn Kelcey on Twitter and Instagram 365 Holdings Email Kelcey: Kelcey@365-holdings.com 365 Holdings Articles HoldCoConf Justin J Scheeff on LinkedIn The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz Superhuman Gary Vee on LinkedIn Roland Frasier on LinkedIn

In today's episode of Category Visionaries, we speak with Chris Strahl, CEO of Knapsack, a design systems platform that has raised more than 7 million in funding, about his addiction to the more agile side of the business world, and why smaller companies are the way he likes to operate. With Knapsack, he's determined to reset the relationship between business and design, providing an integrated platform for collaboration and coordination which ensures the highest level of efficiency and consistency in the digital design process. The design systems platform category is all about providing the framework to support a whole range of design solutions, whether they come from engineers, designers, or the mind of a visionary CEO, and see them transform into high-quality content.   Chris also spoke about the current state of the venture capital market and being a 'wartime CEO, ' the challenges non-digital native companies have in facing an increasing consumer demand for online experiences, and why building a new market category is such an exhilarating but challenging experience. Whether or not Knapsack will emulate the success of design platforms like Canva remains to be seen, but Chris can see a path ahead in that direction, and he's determined to make it.   Topics Discussed: The mundane challenges of modern design, and why most designers end up making the same product several times over Why collaboration between engineers and designers is a key challenge for building a more efficient design process The current state of the startup marketplace, and why a good ROI pitch is essential to make any headway with potential investors How Knapsack is defining a new market category, why it matters and what makes it such a challenging experience Why Chris isn't done with conversations about defining 'design systems platform' yet, and how the future of the category is still flexible The shortfalls of some leading design platforms, and why Chris believes Knapsack can do it better   Favorite book:  The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Miki Kuusi is the CEO of Wolt and Head of DoorDash International. In 2014 Miki founded Wolt with a mission to turn the smartphone into a remote controller for life, starting with delivering your favorite restaurant food, to you at home. Today Wolt operates in 23 countries, across several different categories, has over 4,000 employees, and last year, Doordash made the move to join forces with Wolt in a deal worth a reported $8.1BN. Previously, Miki was the CEO of Slush, one of the leading tech and investor events in the world attended by more than 25,000 people annually. In Today's Discussion with Miki Kuusi: 1.) Founding Slush and Wolt: An Entry into Startups: How did Miki come to found Wolt? What was that a-ha moment? Did Wolt have product-market-fit from Day 1? What was the turning point when they did? What does Miki know now that he wishes he had known when he started Wolt on Day 1? 2.) The Makings of a Truly Great Leader: How does Miki define "high performance" today in leadership? How does Miki think about what focus means in leadership? What is the hardest decision Miki has had to make when it comes to focusing the company? What did he learn from Ilkka @ Supercell? What does Miki believe is the KPI of success as the CEO? How does it change? What does Miki believe is the difference between good vs great leadership? What does Miki believe is the biggest sacrifice he has made as the CEO? 3.) Hiring a Team to Compete on a Global Stage: How does Miki use compensation to create a culture of ownership and accountability? Does Miki start from a position of trust and it is there to be lost or no trust and it is there to be gained? What is the difference between a team and a family in company building? What is the core difference between trust and safety in company building? Why does Miki always want to have trust but not want to have safety? What are the single biggest hiring mistakes that Miki has made? How has he learned from them? Why does Miki believe you do not want to hire people that have done it before but hire the people who have seen those people do it before? Why does Miki believe most companies are merely glorified recruiting operations? Does Miki believe that companies need to be as big as they have grown into, headcount-wise? 4.) Miki Kuusi: The Personal Journey What single day was the hardest day of the Wolt journey for Miki? How did it change him? Why does Miki believe that for their Series B, all-bar one VC turned them down? How does Miki assess his own relationship to risk and money today? Why is Miki an advocate for founders taking secondaries along the journey? What can Europe do to become a powerhouse in tech moving forward? Why did Miki decide to sell the company to Doordash? What is he most excited to learn from Tony Xu, Doordash Founder and CEO? Items Mentioned in Today's Episode: Miki's Favourite Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

Jason Shah has led product teams at Amazon, Airbnb, Microsoft, and Yammer and currently leads the product team at Alchemy (one of the most important web3 infrastructure companies). In addition, he's an advisor, investor, and two-time founder. In today's episode, Jason discusses what it's like to be a PM in web3, why his role at Amazon made such a big impact on his life and career, what makes a great leader, and how to hire well. He also shares his unique perspective on building a meaningful career and life.—Where to find Jason Shah:• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonyogeshshah• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonyogeshshah/• Website: https://www.jasonshah.me/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making this episode possible:• Whimsical: https://whimsical.com/lenny• Coda: http://coda.io/lenny• Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/—Referenced:• Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Selection-Inside-Apples-Process/dp/1250194466• Casey Winters on Lenny's Podcast: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-sell-your-ideas-and-rise-within#details• Jason Shah in Lenny's newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/a-product-managers-guide-to-web3• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building/dp/0062273205• Polygon: https://polygon.technology/• Solana: https://solana.com/• MoonPay: https://www.moonpay.com/• The Vietnam War series by Ken Burns: https://www.pbs.org/show/vietnam-war/• Alchemy: https://www.alchemy.com/—In this episode, we cover:(04:31) Jason's background(08:19) The current state of web3(12:44) The evolution of product management in web3(15:27) The value of a great product manager(18:11) Why Amazon was a great learning experience (20:25) A look into Amazon's process on working backward(23:55) How to communicate clearly(28:17) Working backward from excitement(32:46) What makes a great leader(38:26) How to influence a CEO or founder's direction (46:19) The career ladder vs. career map framework(52:27) When to follow a new opportunity vs. when to stick it out(58:50) How to hire the right people(1:03:47) What skill is most important for product managers(1:06:49) Lightning round!—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquires about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Ann Hiatt shares valuable lessons learned on career development from her 15 years working alongside Silicon Valley's top CEOs. — YOU'LL LEARN — 1) The top three things you can do to develop your career 2) How to deal with the pressures of big-impact opportunities 3) How to carve out your path to promotion when there is none Subscribe or visit AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep771 for clickable versions of the links below. — ABOUT ANN — Ann Hiatt is a best selling author, executive consultant, speaker, and investor. She is a Silicon Valley veteran with 15 years experience reporting directly to CEOs Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Eric Schmidt (Google/Alphabet). She has published articles in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and CNBC. She has also contributed to articles in The New York Times, Economic Times, The Financial Times and Forbes. Her first book, Bet On Yourself, was published by HarperCollins in 2021. • Book: Bet on Yourself: Recognize, Own, and Implement Breakthrough Opportunities • Website: BetonYourselfBook.com • LinkedIn: Ann Hiatt — RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW — • Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck • Book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz • Book: Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr • Previous episode: 396: Insights into Embracing Emotions at Work with Liz Fosslien — THANK YOU SPONSORS! — • Gusto.com. Make doing payroll easy and get three free months at Gusto.com/awesomeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MLOps Coffee Sessions #99 with Ronen Dar and Gijsbert Janssen van Doorn, Getting the Most Out of your AI Infrastructure co-hosted by Vishnu Rachakonda. // Abstract Run:AI is building a cloud-based platform for building with AI. In this talk, we hear all about why this need exists, how this works, and what value it creates. // Bio Ronen Dar Run:AI Co-founder and CTO Ronen was previously a research scientist at Bell Labs and has worked at Apple and Intel in multiple R&D roles. As CTO, Ronen manages research and product roadmap for Run:AI, a startup he co-founded in 2018. Ronen is the co-author of many patents in the fields of storage, coding, and compression. Ronen received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Tel Aviv University. Gijsbert Janssen van Doorn Gijsbert is Director of Technical Product Marketing at Run:AI. He is a passionate advocate for technology that will shape the future of how organizations run AI. Gijsbert comes from a technical engineering background, with six years in multiple roles at Zerto, a Cloud Data Management and Protection vendor. // MLOps Jobs board https://mlops.pallet.xyz/jobs // Related Links The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz ebook: https://www.scribd.com/book/211302755/The-Hard-Thing-About-Hard-Things-Building-a-Business-When-There-Are-No-Easy-Answers?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google_search&utm_campaign=3Q_Google_DSA_NB_RoW&utm_term=&utm_device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1ZeUBhDyARIsAOzAqQLnUzXlgFT1PjU_M6jGqRZmwLbcK-mbfKQI4XrZJBRwgUs4x5j2hQ4aAmt1EALw_wcB --------------- ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ------------- Join our slack community: https://go.mlops.community/slack Follow us on Twitter: @mlopscommunity Sign up for the next meetup: https://go.mlops.community/register Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://mlops.community/ Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpbrinkm/ Connect with Vishnu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vrachakonda/ Connect with Ronen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronen-dar/ Connect with Gijsbert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gijsbertjvd/ Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction to Ronen Dar & Gijsbert Janssen van Doorn [01:25] Takeaways [04:24] Thank you Run:AI for sponsoring this episode! [05:13] Run:AI products and components [09:27] Companies coming to Run:AI and problems they solve [13:30] Why is this problem hard? [18:56] Run:AI's Vision [22:12] Run-on-the-mill workload [25:36] Engineering challenges and requirements building Run:AI [32:47] Process of solving problems on the same page [35:45] Power to give data scientists [37:38] Avoiding horror stories that might cost a lot of money [44:23] Running multiple models on a single GPU [47:17] Never scale down to zero [48:28] So many ML Start-ups in Israel [53:00] Vision for the future at GPUs and how will Kubernetes advance [55:55] Future of AI accelerators [57:03] Lightning round [1:02:26] Wrap up

Dan Martell joins Daniel for an educational conversation about development, both tribe, and product, how to be smart when looking for mentors, and the value of subscription-based services. If you don't already know Dan, he is the Founder of Clarity.fm, a business coach, and a relationship builder, who appreciates proving his worth with every piece of content he puts out.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Robby speaks with the Founder and CEO of Solo.io, Idit Levine about scenarios where rewrites are appropriate so that you can pivot your technology startup, why cleaning up technical debt early-and-often is vital, and fostering collaboration within your open source community.Additionally, Idit introduces us to tools such as Istio for managing your Service Mesh.Helpful LinksIdit's TwitterIdit's LinkedInSolo.io and on twitterIdit's GithubIdit's Book Recommendation: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben HorowitzSubscribe to Maintainable on:Apple PodcastsOvercastSpotifyOr search "Maintainable" wherever you stream your podcasts.

Guy Kashtan, CEO and co-founder of Rewire, headquartered in Israel, spoke to Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about innovative ways his company uses to provide financial services to migrants, including refugees all across the EU, UK and Israel.Here is what they talked about: Guy's background, what led him to co-found Rewire Rewire's mission to provide transparent and effortless financial services to migrants What type of migrants do you have in mind? Which countries? What about refugees? Rewire's financial services for migrants: basic bank account even without an address, ability to send money home cheaply and easily and more Rewire recently secured USD 25 million from Migdal Insurance to add insurance products to their portfolio - at the host country and for family back at home Size of the opportunity Guy and his team are tackling Technology angle behind their solution Business model Size of the team and where in the world are Rewire's employees and clients based Guy's favorite business book: The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers (again on this podcast!) The best way to reach out

Michael's story, like many, is unique. In his mid-thirties, Michael Episcope decided to pursue his Master's in Real Estate and start his own business guiding individuals and companies towards the best real estate investments to build wealth. This episode outlines Michael's unique story, the importance of making smart investment decisions, his journey in entrepreneurship, and maintaining the wealth you've already accumulated. There's a little bit for everyone in this episode!Michael is the former president of the DePaul Real Estate Alumni Alliance and a sustaining sponsor of the DePaul Real Estate Center. He has been a Vistage member for more than six years and lives in Chicago with his wife and three children.  He enjoys traveling with this family, snowboarding, and frequents ski resorts all over North America.Michael is principal of Origin Investments, co-chairs the Investment Committee, and oversees investor relations, marketing, and company operations. Michael brings 25 years of investment and risk management experience to the company and believes that calculated risk-taking in inefficient markets is the key to building wealth.  Interested in Impact Investing with Evan and Holladay Ventures for recession-resistant returns and having a positive impact on your capital? Set up a call with our investor relations team to see if it's a good fit: https://holladayventures.com/investors/ Subscribe & leave a review for Monumental on Apple PodcastsKeep Up with Evan Holladay:Evan on InstagramHolladay Ventures on InstagramEvan on FacebookEvan on TwitterSee what Evan is up toKeep Up with Michael Episcope:WebsiteLinkedInFacebook InstagramGet 20% OFF – Michael's Favorite Books! The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White MotherThe Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers