Podcasts about cfo

I've seen investors doing 10, 15, even 25 deals a month…Then checking their bank account and wonder why it still feels tight.If more deals were the answer, you wouldn't be stressed right now.But here you are busy, profitable on paper, and still uneasy about money.That's the trap most real estate investors fall into.I've seen it. I've lived it. And in this episode, I sit down with David Richter, author of Profit First for Real Estate Investing, to talk about why so many real estate investors make serious money… but never actually keep it.The problem isn't the deal flow.It's cash flow.If you don't have clear visibility into what you're making, what you're keeping, and what your business can actually afford, more deals just amplify the stress.That's exactly why we point people to a real CFO-level system.This is the same cash framework David is using with 7 Figure Flipping members who were tired of feeling reactive every month.CLICK HERE to Book a Call with SIMPLECFO >>Catch you later!LINKS & RESOURCES1,000 FREE Seller LeadsGet your first 1,000 seller leads FREE from our partner BatchLeads and start closing deals immediately. CLICK HERE: http://leads.getbatch.co/mztQkMr7 Figure Flipping UndergroundIf you want to learn how to make money flipping and wholesaling houses without risking your life savings or "working weekends" forever... this book is for YOU. It'll take you from "complete beginner" to closing your first deal or even your next 10 deals without the bumps and bruises most people pick up along the way. If you've never flipped a house before, you'll find step-by-step instructions on everything you need to know to get started. If you're already flipping or wholesaling houses, you'll find fast-track secrets that will cut years off your learning curve and let you streamline your operations, maximize profit, do MORE deals, and work LESS. CLICK HERE: https://hubs.ly/Q01ggDSh0 7 Figure RunwayFollow a proven 5-step formula to create consistent monthly income flipping and wholesaling houses, then turn your active income into passive cash flow and create a life of freedom. 7 Figure Runway is an intensive, nothing-held-back mentoring group for real estate investors who want to build a "scalable" business and start "stacking" assets to build long-term wealth. Get off-market deal sourcing strategies that work, plus 100% purchase and renovation financing through our built-in funding partners, a community of active investors who will support and encourage you, weekly accountability sessions to keep you on track, 1-on-1 coaching, and more. CLICK HERE: https://hubs.ly/Q01ggDLL0 Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram: @7figureflipping Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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In this episode, we dive into the critical concept of schedule health and how it drives strategic growth, especially when adding associates. We explore how data-driven insights help us make confident, informed decisions that support sustainable scaling for our practices.   Hosted By Adam Cmejla, CFP and Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO Have a question? Submit it here Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://shorturl.at/Fq1Ro  Subscribe on Spotify: https://shorturl.at/jCtsk    The Optometry Success Podcast, hosted by Adam Cmejla, CFP and Chad Fleming, OD, FAAO helps private-practice optometrists build profitable, sustainable businesses with clarity and confidence. Hosted by Adam Cmejla, CFP—a financial planner and CFO to ODs nationwide—and Dr. Chad Fleming, OD—a multi-location practice owner with decades of hands-on experience—each 20-minute episode delivers practical strategies and actionable insights you can apply right away. From leadership and financials to team culture, operations, and growth, this is your weekly dose of real-world advice for real-world practice owners. New episodes every Wednesday.   Please be sure to subscribe to The Optometry Success Podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify now to check out the next two episodes right now!   The Optometry Success Podcast  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4tttng6 Subscribe on Spotify: https://bit.ly/4tuf0YM        Resources: Book a Triage call with Adam Download the Practice Owner's Financial Toolkit 20/20 Money Ultimate Financial Success Masterclass OD Mastermind Interest Form   ————————————————————————————— Please rate and subscribe to 20/20 Money on these platforms Apple Podcasts Spotify ————————————————————————————— For past episodes of 20/20 Money with full companion show notes, please check out our episode archive here!

In this episode, Jim Molloy, Executive Vice President, CFO and Treasurer of Ochsner Health, shares how fresh perspective, disciplined integration, and a focus on access and experience are shaping his 2026 strategy. He discusses navigating government reimbursement pressures, driving efficiency as smart growth, and why optimism and urgency are essential mindsets for today's health care CFOs.

Hey podcast listener – quick update.I'm taking an intentional pause from producing new episodes for the main podcast, and I'm genuinely excited about what's coming next.Behind the scenes, I'm working on several big projects designed to help Peak Freedom members get better results, faster – with far less second-guessing, worry, and uncertainty.And here's what's exciting: the results members are getting right now are coming faster and cleaner than ever before. We're seeing high-leverage changes that fix firms for good – often in under eight months, and sometimes in just three to four months inside Accelerator. The relief is unmistakable.That's because the resources are solid, the community is tight and high-caliber, and the obstacles that used to slow people down are being removed.Instead of guessing, members know what to do.Instead of worrying, they test the plan.Instead of grinding, they're fixing their firms with confidence – and bringing them back under control.I'm doubling down on building the best content anywhere for accountants who want healthy, smooth, sustainable firms.While the main feed is on pause, be on the lookout for curated, topic-specific podcast feeds – pricing, packaging, niching, Simple Systems, Free Time, and a client-interview-only feed where you can hear your own story reflected back.This pause is intentional.Content is still coming – it's just getting sharper.And I'll be back with brand-new episodes and interviews very soon.What's coming next is worth the wait.…Link to full shownotes: https://www.businessstrategyforcpas.com/386…Want Pricing Essentials?If you feel trapped by your own accounting firm, it's not because of the work – it's how you've priced the work. Too many accountants are stuck in undercharging, overdelivering, and people-pleasing cycles. Break the pattern with my short PDF guide: 7 Pricing Essentials »It's free and you can read it in 5 minutes.I want to help you get your prices up without losing loyal clients.  …Want client interviews?310 From Exhausted to Having Her Life Back: Wendy Norman, CPA304 From 55 Down to 15 Hours; Same Take-Home Pay with Melissa Downs, EA293 What it Takes to Work 15 Hours per Week with Erica Goode, CPAComplete list:geraldinecarter.com/client-interview-episodes…FOUR ways I help overworked CPAs go down to 40 hours without losing revenue or hiring:THE EMAIL COURSE – Freegeraldinecarter.com/stop-working-weekendsStop Working Weekends will teach you how to reduce your hours without giving up revenue. THE BOOK – $9.99geraldinecarter.com/bookDown to 40 Hours – A Roadmap for CPAs to End Overworking Without Losing RevenuePEAK FREEDOM COMMUNITY – $197/mogeraldinecarter.com/peak-freedomFor solo and small accounting firm owners who want to rise above the insanity of hustle-cultureDOWN TO 40 HOURS ACCELERATOR – $995/mogeraldinecarter.com/40For the overworked CPA at multiple six figures of revenue who is ready to stop working weekends, wants to implement overdue changes, and doesn't want to do it alone. You'll make progress faster and with more confidence. …

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:36 – Introduction: Marcel introduces the episode as a public reflection on Parakeeto's positioning, prompted by feedback from LinkedIn and client conversations. 01:36 – 02:43 – The Identity Problem: Carson shares the internal confusion many consultants feel when their role spans finance, operations, delivery, and strategy. 02:43 – 04:52 – Clear Problem, Fuzzy Solution: Marcel explains that while Parakeeto has always been clear about solving profitability, clients still struggle to understand how that actually happens. 04:52 – 05:44 – Profitability Touches Everything: The discussion highlights why profitability work inevitably spans finance, delivery, ops, leadership, and new business. 05:44 – 08:12 – Category Creation vs. Familiar Labels: Marcel reflects on the challenge of inventing “profit management” as a category versus borrowing understanding from CFO and COO roles. 08:12 – 10:17 – Why Titles Don't Really Help: Carson points out that many agencies don't think in executive titles at all—they just need someone to make the whole system work. 10:17 – 14:18 – The Real Founder Frustration: Marcel describes the pain of having too many specialists, unclear ownership, and no one quarterbacking profitability end-to-end. 14:18 – 18:05 – Agency Context as a Force Multiplier: Carson explains why Parakeeto's deep agency experience eliminates the long ramp-up most external hires require. 18:05 – 22:23 – CFO vs. COO (and Why Both Fall Short): Marcel breaks down the limitations of finance-only or ops-only approaches and why profitability lives at their intersection. 22:23 – 26:49 – The Assessment Explained: Marcel walks through Parakeeto's assessment process—modeling, interviews, and workshops that create clarity and a focused roadmap. 26:49 – 30:44 – Ongoing Profit Management in Practice: The conversation details how recurring reporting, forecasting, and advisory support keep teams focused on the right levers. 30:44 – 40:56 – What Actually Creates ROI: Marcel and Carson emphasize that alignment, confidence, and decisive action—supported by numbers—are the true outcomes clients pay for. Show Notes Connect with Carson via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Love the Podcast Leave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris Greiner, CFO of Zeta (ZETA), walks through their latest quarter and their strategic partnership with OpenAI. He says the collaboration is building the most important product in their company history, called Athena, which will allow for voice command. They expect to roll Athena out in beta next month. 4Q saw revenue growth of 25% and 24% growth in super-scaled customers. “AI's been native to our platform and core for years,” he adds. ======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Options involve risks and are not suitable for all investors. Before trading, read the Options Disclosure Document. http://bit.ly/2v9tH6DSubscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

Roger Knecht and Mary Delaney, CEO of Karbon, discuss the cultural shift of AI in accounting. Learn how to leverage AI-powered accounting software and transform your firm's operations. This episode offers practical advice for accounting professionals looking to build premier firms and embrace technological advancements. In This Episode: 00:00 Introduction to Karbon & AI in Accounting 04:03 AI: A Cultural Shift for Firms 09:44 Practical AI Applications in Accounting 14:20 AI's Role in Advisory & Value-Based Pricing 19:24 Impactful Client Relationships: Joe's Story 26:49 Thriving in Accounting: Mindset & Future 35:54 Gratitude and Closing Thoughts Key Takeaways: Leverage existing software partners to integrate AI into your accounting practice. Cultivate a culture of AI adoption within your firm through training and leadership. Transition from historical analysis to forward-thinking CFO advisory services for clients. Understand and communicate your value to clients to implement value-based pricing effectively. Prioritize client relationships and proactive communication to make a meaningful impact on small businesses. Featured Quotes: "AI doesn't just change the tools or technology in the firm. It changes habits, expectations, roles, and the defined outcomes of the people that are using it." — Mary Delaney "The accounting bookkeeper community people believe that all boats rise together, that there's a reason to help others." — Mary Delaney "We are powered by small businesses. To me, the accounting and bookkeeping profession is really the power behind small businesses." — Mary Delaney Behind the Story: Mary Delaney, CEO of Karbon, shares her vision for the accounting profession, emphasizing the critical role of AI in moving beyond transactional tasks to a more advisory, client-facing approach. She illustrates this with stories of accountants making profound differences in their clients' lives, highlighting the relational aspect of the profession. The discussion underscores the importance of leadership in driving cultural change and embracing technology to enhance efficiency and client value. Conclusion: Thank you for joining us for another episode of Building the Premier Accounting Firm with Roger Knecht. For more information on how you can establish your own accounting firm and take control of your time and income, call 435-344-2060 or schedule an appointment to connect with Roger's team here. Sponsors: Universal Accounting Center Helping accounting professionals confidently and competently offer quality accounting services to get paid what they are worth.   Offers: Are you ready for a change, both personally and professionally?  Then accept and participate in the Accountrepreneurs Challenge.  This is a FREE opportunity to apply best practices and make this the best year yet in your career.   Karbon isn't just another tool—it's embedding AI into the very infrastructure of how accounting firms work. It simplifies daily tasks, reduces manual work, and frees up teams to focus on higher-value advisory services. Listeners can learn more or book a demo at karbonhq.com.    Download Karbon's 2025 State of AI in Accounting Report to explore how AI is transforming accounting firms and where the biggest opportunities lie. (https://karbonhq.com/resources/state-of-ai-accounting-report-2025/)    Download Karbon's 2025 Practice Excellence Report for Accounting Firms for a roadmap that guides accounting firms on their journey to practice excellence. (https://karbonhq.com/practice-excellence/)    Get a FREE copy of these books all accounting professionals should use to work on their business and become profitable.  These are a must-have addition to every accountant's library to provide quality CFO & Advisory services as a Profit & Growth Expert today: "Red to BLACK in 30 days – A small business accountant's guide to QUICK turnarounds" – This is a how-to guide on how to turn around a struggling business into a more sustainable model. Each chapter focuses on a crucial aspect of the turnaround process - from cash flow management to strategies for improving revenue. This book will teach you everything you need to become a turnaround expert for small businesses. "in the BLACK, nine principles to make your business profitable" – Nine Principles to Make Your Business Profitable – Discover what you need to know to run the premier accounting firm and get paid what you are worth in this book, by the same author as Red to Black – CPA Allen B. Bostrom. Bostrom teaches the three major functions of business (marketing, production and accounting) as well as strategies for maximizing profitability for your clients by creating actionable plans to implement the nine principles. "Your Strategic Accountant" - Understand the 3 Core Accounting Services (CAS - Client Accounting Services) you should offer as you run your business. Help your clients understand which numbers they need to know to make more informed business decisions. "Your Profit & Growth Expert" - Your business is an asset. You should know its value and understand how to maximize it. Beginning with the end in mind helps you work ON your business to build a company you can leave so that it can continue to exist in your absence or build wealth as you retire and enjoy the time, freedom, and life you want and deserve. Follow the Turnkey Business plan for accounting professionals.  This is the proven process to start and build the premier accounting firm in your area.  After more than 40 years we've identified the best practices of successful accountants and this is a presentation we are happy to share.     Also learn the best practices to automate and nurture your lead generation process allowing you to get the bookkeeping, accounting and tax clients you deserve.  GO HERE to see this presentation and learn what you can do today to identify and engage with your ideal clients.   Check it out and see what you can do to be in business for yourself but not by yourself with Universal Accounting Center.   It's here you can become a:   Professional Bookkeeper, PB Professional Tax Preparer, PTP Profit & Growth Expert, PGE   Next, join a group of like-minded professionals within the accounting community.  Register to attend GrowCon and Stay up-to-date on current topics and trends and see what you can do to also give back, participating in relevant conversations as they relate to offering quality accounting services and building your bookkeeping, accounting & tax business.   The Accounting & Bookkeeping Tips Facebook Group The Universal Accounting Fanpage Topical Newsletters: Universal Accounting Success The Universal Newsletter   Lastly, get your Business Score to see what you can do to work ON your business and have the Premier Accounting Firm. Join over 70,000 business owners and get your score on the 8 Factors That Drive Your Company's Value.   For Additional FREE Resources for accounting professionals check out this collection HERE!   Be sure to join us for GrowCon, the LIVE event for accounting professionals to work ON their business. This is a conference you don't want to miss.   Remember this, Accounting Success IS Universal. Listen to our next episode and be sure to subscribe.   Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have.  We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback   For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your accounting, bookkeeping & tax business please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 8012653777  

Kenji Kuramoto is the Founder and former CEO of Acuity, a pioneering outsourced accounting and fractional CFO firm that built and maintained financial functions for thousands of innovative entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, Acuity became one of Accounting Today's Top Firms for Technology and a Top Firm to Work For, before merging into Sorren in 2025. In this episode, Kenji joins Jason M. Blumer, CPA, to unpack what really happens when you step away from something that's still working. He shares the full story behind Acuity's 20-year journey, the decision to run a proactive merger process, and why he ultimately chose not to continue into the next chapter with Sorren—despite being Acuity's founder and leading the proactive merger process. The conversation explores the emotional reality of leadership transitions: identity loss, grief, relief, clarity, and the discipline required to not hold on too long. Kenji reflects on the surprisingly anticlimactic nature of closing day, the importance of timing your exit well, and how staying deeply connected to the profession helped him navigate life after stepping away. Today, Kenji is an investor, founder, and advisor focused on reimagining the future of the accounting profession. He is the founder of 404 Invests, an early-stage investment firm backing Accounting Technology, SaaS, FinTech, and Crypto companies. Earlier in his career, Kenji served as CFO of an Inc. 5000 tech company and began in the assurance practice at Arthur Andersen. If you're a firm owner considering succession, a merger, retirement, or your own next chapter as a leader, this episode offers rare honesty and perspective you won't often hear.

Zimele Mbanjwa from FNB Wealth and Investments on strong Super Group results that pushed the share price higher in a sea of red. Adrian Macartney, CFO of Aveng, as the group swings back to profit and reins in its two troubled projects. Coface's Aroni Chaudhuri on the US dollar outlook – is further weakness on the cards, and what it could mean for the local economy?

Tehillah Niselow speaks to David Cleasby, CFO at BidcorpSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special Guest: Monica Roca-Quesada Welcome to Podcast Profits Unleashed, the show where established coaches learn how to build authority infrastructure using podcast guesting as a predictable client acquisition channel. If you're generating visibility but not seeing consistent high-ticket conversions, this episode is for you. This is not about chasing downloads. It's not about going viral. It's not about creating more content just to stay visible. It's about positioning. Backend systems. Financial clarity. And turning authority into revenue. Today I'm joined by Monica Roca-Quesada, fractional CFO and financial operations strategist, founder of Agile Planners, and creator of the FineOps financial operations framework. With over 30 years of experience, Monica helps founders gain real-time financial clarity, optimize cash flow, and scale profitably — without needing a full-time CFO.

In this episode of School Business Insider, host John Brucato sits down with Christopher Smith, CFO of Katy Independent School District and Chair of ASBO International's Federal Advocacy Advisory Committee.They explore how federal advocacy priorities are developed, the key issues facing school districts nationally, and how those policies translate into real fiscal and operational challenges in Texas.This conversation offers insight into the intersection of leadership, advocacy, and district-level financial strategy — and why SBO voices matter in shaping the future of education funding.Contact School Business Insider: Check us out on social media: LinkedIn Twitter (X) Website: https://asbointl.org/SBI Email: podcast@asbointl.org Make sure to like, subscribe and share for more great insider episodes!Disclaimer:The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the Association of School Business Officials International. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "ASBO International" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service. The presence of any advertising does not endorse, or imply endorsement of, any products or services by ASBO International.ASBO International is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization and does not participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective public office. The sharing of news or information concerning public policy issues or political campaigns and candidates are not, and should not be construed as, endorsements by ASBO Internatio...

Guests: Jerry Vance, the Founder and Managing Partner of Preferred CFO, and Scott Crawford, a Partner at Preferred CFO focused on client prioritization and new business development. Overview: A CEO who's led their company past the "I'll Do Everything" stage needs a true financial strategist at their side to stop surviving and start scaling. But the CEO also needs clarity on what kind of financial expertise their company truly needs at various stages of growth. Paying a full-time CFO to act like a glorified bookkeeper isn't going to accelerate your trajectory. And a "CF-No" who builds a moat around your cash might not share the CEO's bold vision for BIG.  On today's show, Jerry Vance and Scott Crawford explore the state of the fractional CFO industry and why forecasting and five-year planning are strategic leadership tools, not just accounting exercises.

Patrick J. Griffin is a Partner at TableForce, a firm that provides negotiation training for B2B professionals. As a seasoned negotiation expert and strategist, he has negotiated over $1 billion in sales with global financial institutions, specializing in complex financial instruments. Outside of negotiation training, Patrick is the Founder of Morrigan Strategic Advisors, where he provides fractional CFO services and executive advisory consultancy. In this episode… Negotiations can be tricky, often creating anxiety about whether you're getting the best deal. Yet, negotiating isn't always about winning or losing; rather, it's about finding ways to collaborate and create value. How can you approach negotiations with a mindset that benefits both parties involved? High-stakes negotiation trainer Patrick J. Griffin challenges the typical adversarial view of negotiations. He regards them as collaborative problem-solving, where both sides work together to uncover new value. Patrick emphasizes the importance of preparation, understanding what both you and your counterpart value, and being clear on your priorities and boundaries. By focusing on these aspects, you increase the chances of creating long-term, mutually beneficial agreements. In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris sits down with Patrick J. Griffin, a Partner at TableForce, to discuss how to approach negotiation as a collaborative process. Patrick shares insights on shifting from transactional to relational negotiations, why high expectations lead to better outcomes, and how founders often overlook value outside of price.

The insurance industry is purposely complex. Many brokers use confusing jargon and convoluted strategies to maintain the status quo and protect their commissions. But in today's market, complexity kills deals. If you want to stand out to a CFO or HR leader, your ultimate competitive advantage is clarity.My guest, Nicole Quinn-Miles, an employee benefits expert at Marsh McLennan, joins me to discuss why clear, direct communication is the key to driving execution and winning business. We break down why you need to stop trying to be "interesting" and start being "interested," how to explain complex benefit strategies so clients actually take action, and why true trust requires radical honesty. We also discuss Nicole's inspiring journey of personal accountability, her massive weight loss transformation, and how she uses her authenticity to win in a male-dominated industry.▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callcompletegameu.com/agaKEY MOMENTS(0:00) Why Clarity is the Ultimate Sales Weapon In Insurance (3:58) The Wake-Up Call: Nicole's Weight Loss and Accountability Journey (8:40) Using Food as Fuel and Scheduling Time for Yourself (11:26) Surviving a "Male, Pale, and Stale" Industry Through Authenticity (14:14) Stop Trying to Be "Interesting" (And Start Being Interested) (17:56) The "Her View" Movement: Safe Spaces for Women in Business (20:27) The State of Healthcare: Why CFOs Are Demanding Straight Answers (23:31) Execution vs. Ideas: Why Complexity Kills the Deal (29:05) Trust Equals Truth Over Time (33:48) Nicole's Routine: Why She Prefers an Evening RegimenCONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY

There comes a point where what worked before stops working… Watching the numbers. Reacting to problems. Making decisions as they come up. Real growth requires a different role. The CEO role. Today on Business by the Books, I'm breaking down the shift from managing what has already happened to leading what comes next with the help of specialized CFO services. This episode is for the owner who is ready to think bigger, plan long term, and step into the visionary role. You'll learn: The difference between bookkeeping and CFO support  Why vision without structure creates chaos The 5-step planning framework from 10-year vision to quarterly milestones The key metrics CEOs track to stay focused and on plan Why you shouldn't carry your business alone

This episode is brought to you by B2B Better. Ross helps businesses prove that their marketing is driving revenue — and that's exactly the problem we help B2B service businesses solve with video-first podcasts. We build content systems that don't just generate attention, they generate pipeline your sales team can actually point to. Visit b2bbetter.com to see how we do it differently. Your thought leadership campaign is running. People are watching, listening, and engaging — but when your CFO asks if it's actually driving revenue, you've got nothing to say. In this episode of Pipe Dream, host Jason Bradwell sits down with Ross Breckenridge, Managing Director of Breckenridge and HubSpot Platinum Partner, to tackle the attribution problem that almost every B2B marketing team has but nobody wants to admit. Ross's core point is clear: this isn't a marketing problem. It's a business problem. Until your marketing, sales, and customer success teams are operating from a single unified strategy and a single tech stack, you'll never get the visibility you need. The conversation starts where Ross always starts with clients: customer journey mapping. Before you touch an attribution model, you need to understand where each content asset sits in the buying process — lead gen, nurture, sales enablement, or renewals. Most companies skip this step and end up measuring the wrong things entirely. From there, Ross unpacks the dark funnel and explains why the HubSpot Campaigns tool is the home of the marketer's attribution reporting. Bundle your content assets into one campaign, track who was created as a new contact and who was simply influenced along the way, and map that all the way through to closed-won revenue — including renewals that happen two years after someone first engaged. But none of it works if sales is living in a different system. The connection between content and revenue only becomes visible when marketing, sales, and customer success are using the same tools and held to the same SLAs. One client found that leaving a lead for more than 48 hours dropped their conversation rate from 70% to 20%. That kind of clarity only exists when everyone is looking at the same data. If you're tired of defending your content budget with correlation and vibes, this episode gives you the framework to fix it for good. Chapter Markers 00:00 - Introduction: Ross Breckenridge and Breckenridge Agency 02:00 - HubSpot onboarding, integrations, and the RevOps focus 04:00 - Is attribution a tools problem, a strategy problem, or the wrong metrics? 05:00 - Customer journey mapping as the foundation of all attribution 06:00 - Picking one attribution model and staying consistent 08:00 - The dark funnel: what it is and how HubSpot brings it to light 10:00 - Content-sourced vs content-influenced pipeline: the key difference 11:00 - The HubSpot Campaigns tool as the marketer's attribution home 13:00 - Connecting content consumption to leads, deals, and closed revenue 15:00 - Why attribution is a business problem, not a marketing problem 16:00 - Building the business case to get sales and CS on the same page 17:00 - SLAs, shared accountability, and the 48-hour lead follow-up rule 19:00 - Working in silos vs being more than the sum of your parts 21:00 - AI, buyer research, and why being genuinely helpful never changes 23:00 - Where to find Ross and learn more about Breckenridge Useful Links Connect with Jason Bradwell on LinkedIn Connect with Ross Breckenridge on LinkedIn Visit Breckenridge — HubSpot Platinum Partner and RevOps specialists Email Ross directly at ross@breckenridgeagency.com Explore the HubSpot Campaigns tool for attribution reporting Explore B2B Better website and the Pipe Dream podcast

Most cybersecurity people talk at CFOs instead of with them. What if there were a simple test to know when a CFO wants to learn about cyber risk versus when they just need someone to trust? Let's find out with our guest James Wheeler, a highly experienced CFO who now runs kept.pro, providing fractional accounting teams to businesses across the country. Your hosts are Kip Boyle, CISO with Cyber Risk Opportunities, and Jake Bernstein, Partner with K&L Gates.   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdavidwheeler/   "Fire Doesn't Innovate" by Kip Boyle: https://a.co/d/0bYatohy

Bárbara González Briseño es una líder que ha sabido conectar el mundo financiero con la innovación tecnológica. Estudió Finanzas en la Universidad Iberoamericana y cuenta con un MBA en Harvard Business School. Comenzó su carrera en finanzas y banca de inversión en empresas como Activner Casa de Bolsa y Lazard, donde desarrolló una visión estratégica y global. En 2018 se unió a Bitso como CFO, donde lideró rondas de inversión por más de 250 millones de dólares, llevando a la compañía a convertirse en el primer unicornio cripto de América Latina. En 2022 asumió como CEO de Bitso México, conectando a Bitso con el sistema de pagos del Banco de México (SPEI), convirtiéndola en la primera fintech en lograrlo. Bajo su liderazgo, la plataforma superó los 8 millones de usuarios, consolidando su posición como el jugador más grande de cripto en América Latina. En 2024 inició una nueva etapa como Co-CEO de Fillip, una empresa mexicana que funciona como holding de marcas culturales, enfocada en revitalizar, escalar y monetizar propiedades intelectuales en las industrias del deporte, entretenimiento y contenido. Fillip impulsa proyectos como Lucha Libre AAA y la Kings League, conectando cultura y negocio a través de estrategias modernas de expansión y posicionamiento global. Barbara es mamá de tres, esposa, advisor, y una firme promotora del liderazgo con propósito, la diversidad y la innovación con impacto.

140k affected by US healthcare breach Data advocates warn against replicating humans Shai-Hulud-like worm targets developers Get links to all of today's news in our show notes here: https://cisoseries.com/cybersecurity-news-us-healthcare-breach-affects-140k-experts-warn-against-replicating-humans-shai-hulud-like-worm-targets-devs/ Thanks to today's episode sponsor, Adaptive Security This episode is brought to you by Adaptive Security, the first security awareness platform built to stop AI-powered social engineering. Today's phishing doesn't just hit inboxes — it can sound like your CFO or look like your CEO on Zoom. AI voices, video, and deepfakes are turning trust into the attack surface. Adaptive fights back with AI-driven risk scoring, deepfake simulations featuring your own executives, and interactive training your team will actually remember. Take a three-minute tour or request a CEO deepfake demo at adaptivesecurity.com.

In this episode, Andy explores what it takes to build "Five-Star Finance" in the food manufacturing industry. From multi-plant operations and volatile commodity pricing to thin margins and acquisition-driven growth, finance teams in food manufacturing face unique complexity. Yet many are still relying on disconnected systems and Excel-heavy processes to close, consolidate, and forecast. One CPM Customer Success Story we share is that of a 100-year-old poultry and meat producer that reduced close time, eliminated manual intercompany processes, and unified consolidation, reconciliations, and planning on a single platform. If you're a CFO, Controller, or FP&A leader in food manufacturing looking to modernize your close, improve margin visibility, and forecast with confidence, this episode delivers practical insight you can apply immediately.

Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity. Cash flow is sovereignty. In this episode, host Colleen O'Connell-Campbell sits down with Melissa Houston - CPA, business finance coach, fractional CFO, and author of 'Cash Confident' - to explore why so many business owners are working hard but not building wealth. Melissa shares her mission to close the business financial literacy gap, particularly for women entrepreneurs, and explains how a few key changes in pricing, expense management, and cash flow can completely change a business's trajectory. The conversation covers the emotional side of money (including both Colleen's and Melissa's personal money stories), the alarming stats on women-owned businesses, and why understanding your numbers is the foundation for building a business that is not just profitable, but sellable. Melissa also previews Profit Buys, her AI-powered tech platform designed to put a fractional CFO in every business owner's pocket.   Key Takeaways:   Financial literacy is not optional for business owners. Your accountant, bookkeeper, and financial advisor are partners - but they do not give you permission to check out of your own numbers.   Revenue and profit are not the same thing. Melissa has seen seven- and eight-figure businesses go bankrupt because they were not managing cash well. Volume does not equal profitability.   The three changes that move the needle fastest are ensuring your pricing is profitable, managing your expenses deliberately, and understanding that cash balances and profit are two different things.   Many business owners do not know which of their products or services is most profitable - and often assume it is their best seller, which is not always the case. Promoting your most profitable offer can change the trajectory of the business.   Money mindset is a muscle, not a one-time exercise. Everyone carries a money story from childhood, and those stories show up in business decisions - from hesitating on sales to underpricing services.   The stats on women-owned businesses are sobering: of 13 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., only 1.9% generate over $1 million in revenue, roughly 68% make under $50,000 per year, less than 2% of women have a financially successful exit, and less than 2% of venture capital goes to women.   In Canada, CRA data shows 90% of women-owned businesses are filing as self-employed - meaning they are not incorporated and likely not building a sellable asset.   Whether you are a startup, scaling, or thinking about your exit, your business should be an asset that supports your long-term goals and legacy. If this episode has inspired you to rethink your exit path, book a one-on-one Wealth Gap Analysis with Colleen O'Connell-Campbell. Reach out on LinkedIn or email.  

Send a textMajor life changes can shake your financial confidence. In this episode, Tony sits down with Chris Olofson, Founder of DIVEE Financial, to discuss how to take control of your money during transitions like divorce, retirement, or other major shifts.Key Takeaways:

In this episode of “At Your Convenience,” CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond talks to Annie Gauthier, the CFO and co-CEO of St. Romain Oil Co. and the National Association of Convenience Stores chairman. Gauthier is a third-generation co-owner of the Mansura, Louisiana-based company, which operates 15 Y-Not Stop convenience stores. She started her tenure as NACS chairman in October. In this podcast, Gauthier shares how her first few months in the role have been as NACS welcomes new CEO Frank Gleeson, as well as her advice to women—or anyone—looking to advance in this industry. 

Objections are not the enemy — they're signals. In complex B2B and high-ticket selling, an objection often means the buyer is still engaged, still evaluating, and still leaving the door open. The difference between "this is going nowhere" and "we can win this" is whether you follow a disciplined process instead of reacting emotionally. Below is a practical, repeatable objection-handling framework you can run in real time — in Australia, Japan, the US, Europe, in-person or on Zoom — without sounding scripted. Why are objections actually a good sign in sales conversations? Objections usually mean the buyer is still considering you — they're testing risk, fit, and trust rather than silently rejecting you. In most markets post-pandemic (2020–2025), buyers have tightened procurement, involved more stakeholders, and demanded clearer ROI, which means more questions and more pushback — even when they like you. In Japan, where consensus building and risk avoidance are culturally strong, objections often appear as "we need to think" or "it might be difficult." In the US and Australia, you might hear direct resistance like "too expensive" or "we're happy with our current vendor." In all cases, the presence of friction can be healthier than polite indifference. Do now (answer card): Treat objections as engagement. Your job isn't to "win" — it's to discover what's underneath and solve the real concern What's the biggest mistake salespeople make when they hear an objection? The fastest way to lose a deal is to argue with the buyer — even if you're technically correct. The human brain hears pushback and wants to defend: you jump in, correct them, prove them wrong, and accidentally trigger buyer resistance. You might "win the debate" and still lose the decision. This shows up everywhere: startups pitching to procurement, consultants selling transformation programs, and enterprise SaaS teams facing security and legal. In Australia and the US, that argument can feel like a pressure tactic; in Japan, it can feel like you've disrupted harmony and made it harder for the buyer to save face. Instead of debating the headline ("too expensive"), you need the story behind it (budget cycle, internal politics, competing priorities, risk fears). Do now (answer card): Stop defending. Assume the objection is a headline and your job is to uncover the full article. What is a "cushion" and why does it work for handling objections? A cushion is a neutral circuit-breaker sentence that stops you from reacting and buys you thinking time. It's not agreement and it's not disagreement — it's a calm buffer between what they said and what you say next. Examples in plain English: "I hear you." "That's a fair point." "Thanks for raising that." "I can see why you'd ask that." This works because it lowers emotional temperature, keeps the buyer talking, and prevents the "fight or flight" response that turns into arguing. Whether you're selling to a Japanese conglomerate, a US mid-market firm, or an Australian SME, that pause helps you shift from defence mode into discovery mode. Pro tip: keep the cushion short. The cushion isn't the solution — it's the doorway to the right question. Do now (answer card): Build 3–5 cushion phrases you can say naturally, then use one every single time before you respond. What question should you ask first after any objection? Ask: "May I ask you why you say that?" — because the only useful response to an objection is more information.Objections are like a newspaper headline: short, dramatic, and missing context. "Too expensive" could mean cashflow, competitor pricing, CFO scrutiny, or fear of implementation risk. When you ask "why," you throw the "porcupine" back to the buyer — gently — so they explain the real story. This is effective in high-context cultures like Japan because it invites explanation without confrontation. It also works in direct markets like the US and Australia because it signals professionalism: you're diagnosing, not pushing. Watch-out: don't ask "why" with a sharp tone. Make it soft, curious, and slow. The tone is the difference between coaching and challenging. Do now (answer card): Make "why" your reflex. Cushion → "May I ask why?" → listen longer than feels comfortable. How do you clarify and cross-check to find the real objection? Clarify by restating the concern, then cross-check for hidden issues until they run out of objections. Buyers often lead with a minor issue to end the conversation quickly, especially when they don't want a long discussion. Think iceberg: the visible tip is what they say; the big block below the waterline is what they mean. Use two moves: Clarify: "Thank you. So, as I understand it, your chief concern is ___ — is that right?" Cross-check: "In addition to ___, are there any other concerns on your side?" Repeat the cross-check 3–4 times if needed. Then prioritise: "You've mentioned X, Y, and Z. Which one is the highest priority for you?" This is how enterprise sales teams reduce "surprise" objections late in the cycle, and how consultants avoid being derailed by a small complaint masking a major deal-breaker. Do now (answer card): Clarify the core issue, then ask for additional concerns, then rank them. Don't respond until you know the deal-breaker. How do you reply: deny, agree, reverse — and then trial close? Reply to the true main objection with one of three paths — deny, agree, or reverse — then use a trial commitment to confirm it's resolved. Once you've identified the highest-priority concern, you respond in a way that protects trust. Deny (with proof): If it's incorrect ("I heard you're going bankrupt"), deny calmly and offer evidence (financial stability, customer references, audited statements where appropriate). Agree (own reality): If it's true (quality issues, missed deadlines), acknowledge it. Explain what changed: process fixes, governance, QA, leadership actions. Credibility beats spin. Reverse (reframe): If the concern can become a benefit ("you take longer to deliver"), reframe it as risk reduction and quality control — less rework, fewer outages, smoother adoption. Then trial close: "How does that sound so far?" If more objections appear, run the process again. Do now (answer card): Pick the right response type (deny/agree/reverse), then trial close immediately to confirm the objection is gone. Conclusion: the repeatable objection-handling rhythm Objections don't block deals — unmanaged emotions do. When you treat objections as engagement, cushion your response, ask "why," clarify the real issue, cross-check for hidden concerns, and reply with credibility, you stop wrestling the buyer and start guiding the decision. If there are no questions, no objections, no hesitation, it may mean the buyer has already eliminated you and is just waiting for the meeting to end. Better to find out early — and move on to a real opportunity. Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results.  He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー). 

Das Burj Khalifa in Dubai: 828 Meter hoch, das höchste Gebäude der Welt. Während alle fasziniert nach oben blicken, übersehen sie das wahre Meisterwerk: 200 Betonsäulen, 70 Meter unter dem Meeresspiegel. Ohne sie? Keine 828 Meter. Bei BI-Projekten ein ähnliches Bild: Alle wollen in die 163. Etage – schicke Dashboards, Self-Service, KI. Aber nur wenige denken ans Fundament. Das Ergebnis: Die Fassade glänzt – aber die Datenstrategie steht auf Sand. Wer direkt mit Dashboards startet, bastelt schnelle Provisorien. Wer mit Datenstrategie, Architektur und Governance beginnt, baut stabil. Fundament vor Fassade.

There comes a point where what worked before stops working… Watching the numbers. Reacting to problems. Making decisions as they come up. Real growth requires a different role. The CEO role. Today on Business by the Books, I'm breaking down the shift from managing what has already happened to leading what comes next with the help of specialized CFO services. This episode is for the owner who is ready to think bigger, plan long term, and step into the visionary role. You'll learn: The difference between bookkeeping and CFO support  Why vision without structure creates chaos The 5-step planning framework from 10-year vision to quarterly milestones The key metrics CEOs track to stay focused and on plan Why you shouldn't carry your business alone

Afrika is het continent van de toekomst. Een jonge bevolking, explosief ondernemerschap en markten die sneller groeien dan waar ook ter wereld. De potentie is enorm.Maar er ontbreekt één cruciaal ingrediënt: kapitaal. Ideeën zijn er. Ambitie ook. Wat ontbreekt is financiering. De investeringskloof voor kleine en middelgrote bedrijven in opkomende markten loopt in de honderden miljarden dollars. En terwijl internationale hulp onder druk staat en ontwikkelingsbudgetten in Europa worden teruggeschroefd, wordt de vraag urgenter: wie financiert de groei van morgenIn deze aflevering van De Africast gaan we in gesprek met Daniel van Maanen, CFO van Lendahand — het Nederlandse crowdfundingplatform dat particuliere investeerders direct verbindt met ondernemers in Afrika en andere opkomende markten. In een tijd waarin impact investing volwassen wordt en ESG-criteria steeds kritischer worden bekeken, bespreken we wat werkt, wat niet werkt en hoe je rendement en maatschappelijke impact kunt combineren.Is investeren in Afrika vooral een morele keuze? Of juist een rationele economische beslissing? En welke rol kun jij spelen in het dichten van de financieringskloof?-----Wil je rendement en maatschappelijke impact combineren? Ga naar lendahand.com, gebruik de code africast50 en ontvang 50% garantie op je eerste investering, tot maximaal 500 euro.-----Volg onze LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/africastpodcast?originalSubdomain=nlVoor mooie beelden, quizjes en 'behind the scenes', volg onze Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/africast_podcast/Link met Jos of Joeri via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jos-hummelen/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/joerinortier/

El director de Marketing (CMO) ya no solo ejecuta campañas: hoy se sienta en la mesa directiva junto al CEO y el CFO. Su rol estratégico —potenciado por la IA, la hiperpersonalización y nuevas estructuras organizacionales— se vuelve clave para el crecimiento empresarial. En este episodio, Juan Carlos Bustamante, director de la Maestría en Mercadotecnia de EGADE Business School, y Georgina Rodríguez, CMO de Creditea en México, comparten estrategias para integrar la analítica avanzada con el indispensable criterio humano.

In this episode, Niels Brabandt speaks with Marianne Abib-Pech, author of The Financial Times Guide to Leadership, about the state of leadership in 2026. Key themes include: • Leadership as a state of mind and continuous journey  • Building a powerful and authentic leadership brand  • Credibility in volatile business environments  • The shift from specialist generalist to generalised expert  • Strategic networking and influence  • Vision versus mission in modern organisations  • Leadership accelerators: neuroscience, crisis communication and artificial intelligence  Marianne Abib-Pech shares practical insights drawn from her career as a CFO, investor and board-level advisor. Niels Brabandt translates these perspectives into actionable leadership guidance for decision-makers in business. This episode is essential listening for CEOs, executives, entrepreneurs, board members and aspiring leaders seeking to strengthen credibility, expand influence and future-proof their leadership approach. Host: Niels Brabandt / NB@NB-Networks.com Contact with Niels Brabandt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt/ Niels Brabandts Leadership Letter: https://expert.nb-networks.com/ Niels Brabandts Website: https://www.nb-networks.biz/ 

Molly, Alan, and Max follow the actions of the ultimate nepo-baby after his parents are kidnapped by their evil CFO.

Walmart has been one of the few to benefit from the difficult economy the past few years. It's gotten to the point where even high income earners have become regular Walmart shoppers. But here's the thing, this week when forecasting earnings for the year ahead, now even Walmart is a bit concerned over the possible further negative consequences of what it's CFO called a “hiring recession.”Eurodollar University's conversation w/Steve Van Metre--------------------------------------------------------------------------This is the kinds of material we've been covering - at length and in depth - at Eurodollar University in our Deep Dive Analysis and memberships. It's the background, the core concepts, the unique insight that allows us to not just stay on top of everything, but actually understanding what's going on and why to then anticipate roughly where the markets, the economy, the entire world is heading. EDU's Memberships and Subscriptions. Go from getting blindsided by the markets to reading the eurodollar signals weeks before they hit. Try it all risk-free for 14 days.https://web.eurodollar-university.com/eurodollar-vsl-page-a--------------------------------------------------------------------------Walmart Cites Worrying Economic Indicators in Cautious Forecasthttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-19/walmart-cites-worrying-economic-indicators-in-cautious-forecastFood Companies Sink as Executives Warn of Consumer Stresshttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/general-mills-warns-of-slumping-sales-on-weak-consumer-sentimenthttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Send a text"RAISE CAPITAL LIKE A LEGEND: https://go.fundraisecapital.co/apply"How do you turn a single student rental house into a $10 billion real estate empire? In this episode of Making Billions, host Ryan Miller sits down with Jason Castellan, the Co-Founder and CEO of Skyline Group of Companies, to deconstruct the journey of building one of Canada's most successful private equity and alternative asset management firms.Jason reveals the three major inflection points that shifted Skyline from a small-town operation in Guelph, Ontario, to an institutional powerhouse.Whether you're interested in syndications, REIT structures, or clean energy infrastructure, Jason's "Crawl, Walk, Run" philosophy provides the blueprint for sustainable growth and multi-generational wealth.Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOe79EXLDsROQ0z3YLnu1QQConnect with Ryan Miller:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmiller1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingbillionspodcast/X: https://x.com/_MakingBillionsWebsite: https://making-billions.com/[THE HOST]: Ryan Miller is a recovering CFO turned angel investor in technology and energy.[THE GUEST]: Jason Castellan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Skyline Group of Companies, leading the strategic direction across all business units, including asset acquisitiSupport the showDISCLAIMER: The information in every podcast episode “episode” is provided for general informational purposes only and may not reflect the current law in your jurisdiction. By listening or viewing our episodes, you understand that no information contained in the episodes should be construed as legal or financial advice from the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for legal, financial, or tax counsel on any subject matter. No listener of the episodes should act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included in, or accessible through, the episodes without seeking the appropriate legal or other professional advice on the particular facts and circumstances at issue from a lawyer, finance, tax, or other licensed person in the recipient's state, country, or other appropriate licensing jurisdiction. No part of the show, its guests, host, content, or otherwise should be considered a solicitation for investment in any way. All views expressed in any way by guests are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the show or its host(s). The host and/or its guests may own some of the assets discussed in this or other episodes, including compensation for advertisements, sponsorships, and/or endorsements. This show is for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as financial, tax, legal, or any advice whatsoever.

Anya Cheng, Founder and CEO of Taelor, is making personal styling accessible to everyday professionals with an AI-powered clothing-on-demand service built for busy men and influencers. After 15 years leading product teams at companies like Meta, eBay, McDonald's, and Target, Anya turned her own frustration with shopping and laundry into a mission-driven business that helps people look great, feel confident, and save time—while also supporting sustainability by keeping more clothing out of landfills. We explore Anya's Product Management Framework, the structured approach she uses to build and scale products. Instead of starting with technology, she begins by Identifying the Right Problem, then Looking at the Persona, Validating the Buying Journey, and Identifying Pain Points. From there, she Selects Decision Criteria to prioritize what matters most, Brainstorms Solutions, and finally Identifies the Right Solution based on impact, feasibility, and business value. She explains how this framework guides everything from launching Taelor to deciding which AI features to build next. — 7-Steps to Winning Products with Anya Cheng Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, Founder of the Summit OS Group. And my guest today is Anya Cheng, the Founder and CEO of Taelor, an AI-powered clothing on-demand service for men and social media influencers. Anya, welcome to the show.  Hello, this is Anya from San Francisco. I’m the founder of Taelor. We use AI to pick clothes for busy men. In the old days, only celebrities had their own human stylists. Now everyone can have their own AI stylist, and we send people real clothes to rent. Before starting the company, I spent 15 years in big tech companies. Most recently at Meta, where I helped build Facebook and Instagram Shopping. I was Head of Product at eBay and helped them launch new businesses in the US, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. I was also a Senior Director at McDonald’s, where I helped build their food delivery business globally when Uber Eats just started, and I helped Target build a tech office here in Silicon Valley. I’m excited to share more.  Okay, well we already got a lot out of you, so thank you for giving this quick bio. What I’m very interested in is what drives you. So you worked for Target. I think you worked for Amazon, at least with Amazon. You worked for other big tech.  EBay, McDonald’s, and Facebook.  Yes, so big tech companies like Meta. What makes someone who is a successful leader in big tech break out start as an entrepreneur? What is your personal “Why” that drives you and that you want to manifest in your business?  Yeah, it actually start with my personal problems that I had. When I was working for Meta, I was a few female leaders there leading large technology team. So I felt a little bit of imposter syndrome. I wanted to look great, but I don’t want people to find out that I’m freaking out every day. So I tried some subscription boxes like Stitch Fix, which is similar to the old Trunk Club. It's good that someone styles you. But once you receive those boxes, you have to decide right away: how many times am I going to wear these clothes? And you have to buy before you can wear them. So can I find something even cheaper somewhere else? How do I pair these items? And once I buy them, I have to do laundry, ironing, and folding. It's just a lot of work. So I started using rental companies. I rented from companies like Nuuly, which is a $500 million revenue company, or companies like Rent the Runway, which is a public company. They are all great—you can rent, you don’t have to buy. But they require people to pick from hundreds of thousands of garments. You spend two hours picking, picking, picking, browsing, browsing, browsing. And I’m not into fashion. I don’t like fashion. I don’t have time to do shopping. I'm not fashion-forward, so I don't even know how to pick. That was the “aha” moment for me— I realized most fashion companies are designed for people who are into fashion, not for people like me who just want to get ready for the day and be successful.Share on X So I started doing research. Are there other people like me—who hate shopping and laundry but need to look good, be socially active, go to meetings, close deals, get jobs? It turns out there are a lot of people like me: busy men, single guys, salespeople, consultants, pastors, recruiters, professors. There are 15 million single men, 14 million sales professionals in the U.S., and it turns out we started Taelor to help people like me look great without having to think about fashion.  Well, I don't know—if you look at my shirt, I probably could also use some Taelor treatment, an AI telling me how to dress better. So what drives you? I understand this is a great idea and definitely necessary, but what makes you excited about it?  I think I've personally always been passionate about helping people achieve their goals. I started as a blue-collar kid—my mom is a housewife, my dad is a factory worker, originally from Taiwan, and they've been in the U.S. for 20 years. As an immigrant, I came to the U.S. and was very lucky to have a lot of people help me. I got a student long ago, went to Northwestern University, got my MBA from the University of Chicago. I came to the U.S. without knowing anyone here, but many people helped me achieve the American dream. So it has always been in my heart to help more people achieve their dreams. What I realized was that dressing well really helped me—almost like a student who buys a textbook and feels ready for the exam even though they haven't read it yet.Share on X People using amazing software or tools will buy books or start learning and already feel smarter than before. It's really a peace of mind that helped me. So I've always been passionate about how I can help more people achieve their goals, their dreams, and their full potential. I realized this business helps me do that. I've tried to do that in other ways before: I've published books, created online courses, and taught at Northwestern University. But this business is an additional way to help people achieve their goals. At the same time, my co-founder, Phoebe, who is originally from Malaysia, she has been in the U.S. for 20 years. Growing up, she wanted to be a fashion designer, but in an Asian family, she became an accountant and finance professional, eventually a CFO. She always had a little spark in her heart to do something related to fashion, and she is very passionate about sustainability. She constantly talks about how today, 30% of clothes go directly from factories to landfills, generating 10% of carbon emissions and polluting 20% of the world's water. Sustainability is really close to her heart. By the time she had worked for 15 years, she felt ready for a change, and we both shared the same vision. That's how we started the business together.  Love it. It's really a mission-driven company. I didn't realize this when we first talked, but a lot of people are held back by not being well-dressed. Again, I don’t want to be the example here. I also like the idea because my daughter talks a lot about throwing away clothes and how much damage it does to the environment. I really like that you help people wear and buy only the clothes they actually need and send back the ones they don't. This is awesome. So let's switch gears here. I'm really curious about how you develop your products because this is a very creative business. You have to develop a new, revolutionary concept and product. Do you have a framework for developing these products?  Yeah, absolutely. We always start with the problem we are solving. I teach product management at Northwestern University, and most people, when they think about building a product, their first thought is, “Hey, what product am I building? How do I build it? What technology should I use?” We use AI to build this—we build AI agents—but in fact, you should take a step back. There are two equally important questions you need to ask: what problem should I solve, and what solution should I pick?  Most people spend 95% of their time thinking about what solution to pick. But first, you need to figure out what problem you should solve. The problem you solve is actually the most important thing, because if you're solving the wrong problem—one that people don't care about, or one that won't help your business, or one that you can't actually solve—then no matter how great your solution is, it's going to be a waste of time. For example, what we found is that we are totally different from women's rental companies. The problem we are solving is for guys who are busy but socially active. They have dreams. As a realtor, I want to sell one more house. As a small business owner, I want to grow my business to open a second restaurant. So they have a dream. Dressing well and looking good is something that helps increase their chances of success—getting a job, closing a deal, showing up confidently.Share on X What we are really selling is a concierge service, an executive assistant, a fairy godmother, a gadget guy behind the superhero—it's peace of mind. If you look at women's counterparts, like Nuuly or Rent the Runway, they have hundreds of millions in revenue each, but they are solving a problem for women like me. So we want to look great every single day and want to wear different things. So wearing different thing versus, I don’t want to think about it, is actually totally different problem. So if you think of our business model financially is different. For example, in women's rental businesses, margins are very low because people rent clothes and don't buy. On top of typical e-commerce costs like shipping, there are additional costs like laundry, so margins remain low. But in our business, customers use the service as “try before you buy.”. They want to save time and save space. So a lot of our revenue actually also come from people actually buying the secondhand clothes. And those people are people who would never buy secondhand before because they don’t have time. So those are white-collar, busy men renting clothes and also buying them. In addition, they ask me where to buy shoes or accessories, Valentine's Day gifts, where to get haircuts, even where to go on vacation. They treat us more like an executive assistant service. They give us lots of feedback, and we monetize that feedback back to fashion brands to help them predict what's going to sell.  Okay. That’s fascinating. So it's a two-way business because you are also selling the data that you’re collecting from people. Customer feedback, like “the sleeve is too long,” “the fabric is too tight,” “this isn't flexible,” and also insights like, “This is an amazing brand, but it's too expensive compared to 90% of our other brands on the platform, so you should lower your price.” We give that feedback to brands so they can improve. Yeah, which is basically data they don't have—and it's very valuable. That’s fascinating. So, going back to the framework—because we're a podcast about frameworks—I want to make sure we have a clear framework. You identify the right problem first, and then you reverse-engineer from there. What are the steps to get from the right problem to the right solution?  Yeah, so going from the right problem to the right solution—that's step number one. To solve the right problem, you first need to understand your personas. For example, a simple persona for us is a busy man who isn't into fashion, such as a single guy, a busy dad, a sales professional, a consultant, or a pastor. Then you map out their journey. For example, they might need to go on a business trip, attend a meeting, go to a birthday party, or go on playdates with their kids. Along that journey, they realize their clothes are old or out of style, and they need different outfits. But when they look at what they have from last year, the clothes are already too small or too big. So you identify the journey. So for example, they realize they need new clothes, and there’s a moment they say, “Okay, I can either buy exactly the same thing as last year, or… hey, I heard people are actually renting through women’s counterpart—maybe there's something like that for me.” It's like when you're bored and deciding whether to stick with Comcast or try Hulu, Disney+, or Netflix. So identify the journey. After mapping the journey, the third step is identifying the pain points. A simple feature, for example—Facebook. We all use Facebook, and one feature is the birthday feature. The personas are people who have a birthday and people who want to wish their friends a happy birthday. The pain point for the birthday person is: “I'm not sure if I should tell people, but I also don't want everyone to forget my birthday.” For friends who are close to the birthday person, their pain point is: “I forgot my friend's birthday.” So you have a lot of different pain points. Once you have your persona, their journey, and their pain points, the fourth step is to define your selection criteria. For example, you want to pick the biggest problem to solve. What should your selection criteria be? How many people are impacted, how painful it is for those people, and how likely you are to be able to solve the problem effectively. Then you choose one pain point to focus on. For example, for Taelor, we pick that we want to help busy men who are not into fashion to dress well. The pain point we addressed is helping them save time and look great.Share on X We didn't try to solve other problems. For example, a luxury menswear company might offer Louis Vuitton or Burberry for rent. The pain point they address is helping people who want luxury clothes but can't afford them, which is very different from our focus. The key is to use your selection criteria to pick the right pain point to solve first.  Now you have the pain point. For example, for me, it is helping people have peace of mind and achieve their goals. Now you start using exactly the same framework for your solution. You pick your selection criteria and identify different solutions. Take Facebook birthday as an example. Oh, the problem I want to solve is that for people who are birthday boys or girl’s friend, they want to host a party. Now you can come out with plenty of solution. For example, the solution one could be AI generating party locations. The solution two is AI generate invitations. The third could be AI suggesting a party game or activity. Then you do the same thing—you identify your criteria. There are so many solutions, so what’s my criteria? The criteria are: which solution solves the pain point better? Which one requires fewer engineering hours? Which one can drive more engagement, traffic, or revenue for the company? Then you use the framework to pick the solution.  Yeah. Love it. Okay. That’s fascinating. So you find the right problem. Then you look at the persona that has that problem. Then you identify the pain points that really bother these people.  You find those persona and journey. That’s how you find a problem.   The journey as well. So the persona. Okay. And these are busy men, so you map their journeys. They need to go to church, they need to go to meetings. Then you use your criteria to select the solution.  That’s right.  And then you basically stress test. Is this the right solution? Does it fit the criteria? Does it handle the pain points? Fascinating.  Yeah. So you’re selecting criteria for your problem. And after you pick the problem, you have the same different selecting criteria to pick your solutions.  Yeah. Got it. So how do you decide what features to develop? You have your product—you've got the clothes. People can order them, try them out, and send them back. You take care of the laundry. They don't have to worry. AI gives advice. How do you know what features to develop to define your product further?  Yeah. So the features to develop use the same framework. We start with the problem. Then we ask, what feature—or solution—solves that problem? For example, our customers say, “I hate shopping.” The solution is our AI shops for them. But they also say, I have a little bit points of views. So then we offer them a chance, they have a style quiz. They can upload a picture, say “I don't wear pink, blue, or green,” And they can say, “I never wear turtlenecks.” And then they show a few pictures of the style that they like, if they have any, or we show them pictures to like or dislike. This way, we understand their preferences and pain points. And then when they decide a feature, we're thinking about the solutions to address their pain points.Share on X So for this example, and in terms of getting into the Product Management framework: If you are really going into product management, how do you find out the solution using quant and qual? For example, you interview your customers, run focus groups, check Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Shopify data, QuickBooks—your data points. Then you have qualitative and quantitative numbers. From there, you see the opportunity for a feature. You might identify a pain point: everyone comes to our homepage, but they drop off on the second page. Why? The homepage isn't very clear. There's no clear call-to-action button; the button was hidden. It was below the fold. Users have to scroll three times before they see the button. So, okay, I have a hypothesis. The hypothesis is that people drop off because they don't see the call-to-action button. So I'm going to come up with a solution. Solution one: move the button to the top. Solution two: have a floating button that is always visible. Solution three: show a pop-out button. And then using the same framework, like, okay, these are three great solutions. Which one take less engineering hours? Which one will potentially solve the problem better? Which one do we think will be more effective or generate more revenue? And then you decide. That's how we decide on the features.  Yeah, that’s great. Then the AI keeps learning your criteria, keeps refining, and keeps suggesting better and better-fitting clothes. It gets faster from there, I presume.  Yeah, because the customer provides feedback. Your Netflix shows—when you start, you might watch all the true crime. But after a few weeks, you start watching other things, like romcoms or Korean dramas. They see what you watch, and you start seeing those suggestions too. At the same time, what's different at Taelor is that we know the problem we're solving: helping people try something a little out of their comfort zone, because that's why they want a stylist.Share on X So we also tend to recommend something new. We work with over a hundred different brands, so we might suggest something they haven't tried before. “Oh, you've never tried purple? Why not try these light purple shirts? They look really good, similar to blue.” “Oh, you've never tried pink? How about this spring pink t-shirt? It's really nice.” It's a rental, so they don't have to commit, and they're willing to try something new—just like with Netflix. “I'm not sure if I'll like the show… watch five minutes, we'll see.”  And then, is this a global business, Taelor, or is it focused on the U.S.?  It's focused on the U.S. We serve nationwide—anywhere the post office can reach. After people sign up, shipping takes one to three days. They wear the clothes for a couple of weeks. After that, they return the clothes in a prepaid envelope. They can go to the post office, or use a post office app with one click to schedule a free pickup. You can also drop it in blue collection boxes on the street. If you're traveling—say, to New York for business—you can just return it at the hotel lobby. It's prepaid, just like any package. You ask, “Can I mail it back?” It’s prepaid. They always say yes, and then you go home, and new clothes has arrived. You don't have to do any laundry when you get home.  And you don’t have to check in your luggage.  Exactly. You don’t have to.  And to get on and off the plane quickly. I love it. That’s great. So if people would like to learn more, or they’d like to check this service out, or want to connect with you personally, where should they go? Where can they find you?  Yeah, go on https://taelor.style. Use the code PODCAST25 to get 25% off your first month or use the code PODCASTGIFT to buy a gift card with 10% off. And if you are great suppliers or business owners, you also want to tap on and work with your product, perfect for man who are busy. We love to partner with you. We work with dating sites, fitness centers, career coaches, and executive coaching companies. We also do holiday gifting, employee gifting, and new hire gifting to help your employees look great and save time. For investors, we are now backed by some of the largest consumer investors in the U.S., such as Goodwater Capital, the investors behind Lyft and Socar, Facebook, Twitter, and Spotify. Reach out to me at anya@taelor.ai.  That’s perfect. So, just so we don't forget, you're an AI-driven company. That's amazing. So, if those of you listening to this enjoyed this conversation and learned something, you learned how to build a product: starting from identifying the right problem, looking at the personas, determining the persona, the journey, the pain points, selecting the criteria, and then picking the right solution. So, if you want to learn more about that and similar frameworks that accelerate your business, make sure you stay tuned, because every week I bring an exciting entrepreneur or thought leader who's going to help you fast-track your business. Anya, thank you for coming, and thank you for listening. Important Links: Anya's LinkedIn: Anya's website: Anya's email: anya@taelor.ai

When your corporate job feels "secure" until it suddenly isn't, real estate can become the Plan B that turns into your best move…  In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, DoorGrow founder Jason Hull sits down with John Casmon (multifamily syndicator, host of Multifamily Insights, and co-creator of the Midwest Real Estate Networking Summit) to break down how corporate professionals can transition into multifamily investing without becoming a stressed-out landlord. They dive into how John went from corporate bankruptcies to building a multifamily portfolio, what passive investors actually need to know before putting money into a deal, and why trust + clear expectations matter just as much as the numbers.  Jason and John also unpack what this means for property managers: how to align with investor goals, why the best operators project calm control (even in chaos), where syndicators hang out, and how PMs can position themselves to win more multifamily doors.    You'll Learn (00:00) Transforming Property Management: An Introduction  (00:59) John Casmon's Entrepreneurial Journey  (02:56) Transitioning to Multifamily Investing  (04:33) Understanding Investor Types and Property Management  (05:48) The Role of Property Managers  (07:49) Investor Control vs. Trust in Management  (09:33) Challenges in Property Management  (11:17) Aligning Goals with Property Managers  (14:19) The Real Product of Property Management  (17:14) Managing Investor Expectations  (19:50) Syndication: A New Avenue for Property Managers  (23:44) Legal Considerations in Syndication  (26:41) Calmness in Chaos: The Key to Success  (31:40) Partnering with Syndications  (33:54 The Role of Property Management in Syndication  (38:29) Finding Syndicators and Building Relationships  (42:24) Understanding Passive Investment in Syndication  (47:45) Identifying Your Investment Goals  (51:54) Assessing Risk in Real Estate Investments  (55:15) Choosing the Right Market for Investment  (01:00:12) The Three C's of Raising Capital Quotables "The first C is confidence. Confidence comes from preparation." "The investment itself, we got to go out there and execute. But that investor psyche is a completely different game."  "It is not your job to hope. Your job is to analyze the information in front of you and make an informed decision." Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:01) All right, five, four, three, two, one. All right, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. And for over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses.   We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now let's get into the show. So my guest today, I'm hanging out here with John Casman, a multifamily syndicator, host of the multifamily insights podcast and the co-creator of the Midwest real estate networking summit. And in today's episode, John's going to break down how corporate professionals can transition.   into multifamily investing, how to find the best markets, how to raise capital effectively, and what separates successful operators from everyone else. John, welcome to the DoorGrowth Show.   John Casmon (01:10) Yeah, Jason, thank you for having me. I'm really excited to be here. Love the intro, your intro, not my intro, ⁓ but excited to be here and share as much as we can on our journey to help all of your listeners reach their goals.   Jason Hull (01:22) Cool. So John, ⁓ it's great to have you. I would love for people to hear about your entrepreneurial journey. How did you get to where you are now? And then we can get into your business.   John Casmon (01:34) Well, the short answer is bankruptcy, right? I worked for a couple of different companies that went through bankruptcy and that really made me consider my other options. You know, I was at General Motors back in 2007, 2008, 2009 when we went through bankruptcy and I was there and I watched what that did to a lot of my peers. I one day in particular when we were going to have a lot of layoffs, I went to work as late as I could. But when I got there, I had a red message, a little red dial on your phone.   for anybody who's worked in corporate and remember voicemails. So I had a red dot on my phone, picked it up, pushed the play button and my heart skipped a beat because I thought maybe I was getting to the can, right? And it was actually a colleague of mine who sat kind of kitty corner in front of me and he had been let go. He, you know, was diabetic. He didn't know I was going to pay for his medication. He just was venting in his voicemail. And I just remember feeling empathy for him, but also   a sense of I just never wanted to be in that situation. So it made me really start to think about Plan B. Eventually I moved to Chicago, realized real estate was going to be that path and learned everything I could about investing. So it kind of took me down that pathway to say, you know what, I need a Plan B because no matter what you do, when you work in corporate America, you do not control your future. You know, there's politics, there's policy, there's a lot of different things involved that you do not control.   And sometimes it does just come down to someone not liking you for whatever reason, or they think you're a threat. And I didn't want to spend the rest of my career navigating those issues. So I figured I had to take more into my own hands.   Jason Hull (03:16) got it. And so you start taking things in your own hands and what was the result?   John Casmon (03:20) Yes. So we landed on multifamily investing, started with small multifamily. My first investment was a two unit building. We house hacked it, which is a common popular phrase now. But back then it wasn't quite as common. But we lived upstairs. We rented out the first floor unit and it worked great. You know, it worked so great that we went to refinance and we had created enough equity in that first investment to pull out a six figure line of credit and go out and buy another property. So.   Jason Hull (03:45) Nice.   John Casmon (03:47) That really got the ball rolling. bought a three unit building, we bought an eight unit building, and at this time I'm still working in advertising, still working in corporate America, and I enjoyed what I was doing, and I just had my second child, but the agency I was working for also went through bankruptcy right at this time. We had expanded, we were growing, and we had kind of combined with a few other agencies and kind of became this little conglomerate, and it just eroded just as quickly as it grew.   I remember again, just sitting there and I've got some real estate. I've got a little bit of cashflow, but not enough to pay all my bills. New baby. And I just realized this real estate thing is working, but the exact strategy I'm employing doesn't allow me to insulate myself from these economic changes and shifts. So I had to change my strategy and that led me to syndication. Since then, we've acquired over $150 million worth of apartments.   We've partnered with busy professionals to buy these properties and give them some passive income. And that's what we've been doing ever since.   Jason Hull (04:50) Got it. So your area of genius really is helping these people that were similar to you, they're in the corporate environment transition into being an investor in real estate.   John Casmon (05:01) Yeah, exactly. And I would say too, it doesn't have to be you're going to quit your job and do this full time. And in fact, most people don't, you know, but most people do want a little bit more control over their life. You want a little bit more flexibility. You want to earn and start building up, you know, your net worth. You want to have a little bit more liquidity. You have to look at your investments to say, what should you be doing? I think most people know that their 401k, their, you know, company issued life insurance.   probably not enough to really get you on the fast track to retirement. So what else could you do? Certainly you can invest in the stock market. Lots of folks do that. But real estate is a proven vehicle. The challenge is, I don't know anyone who really wants to be a landlord, right? ⁓ Certainly you want the benefits of real estate investing, but very few of us want to get those 2 a.m. phone calls. So the shortcut there is, ⁓ hire a property manager. Great solution. But now you have to be able to manage   property managers, right, which is this whole other business. And if you don't have enough scale, then it's hard to get that person really focused on your business. So we offer an alternative, right? You get all the benefits of real estate investing, all the ownership perks without any of the headaches of being the landlord yourself. So it really is a great marriage of being in real estate without having to do the heavy lifting yourself.   Jason Hull (06:15) Okay.   Okay, so ⁓ the target audience of this show are property managers. So if they're not gonna use property managers, then what's the alternative? How does this work?   John Casmon (06:29) Well,   first of all, what we do is not always for that individual. So I think that's the key, right? You've got to understand who you are from a psychological standpoint. So when it comes to investors, there's two types of investors. One wants control, right? They're not willing to be passive. And some people think they want to be passive until they're in a passive situation and then they're calling and they want to know why you did this and why you did that and how come you did do that. That's not a passive investor. And that's fun.   Jason Hull (06:45) Yeah.   Yeah, they're anxious. Yeah. Yeah.   John Casmon (06:58) And   if that's you, you should be active, right? And you should work with a property manager, but you also want to work with the property manager who is going to be right for you, right? Because sometimes that is not how they operate. So you want to understand that. And that's a process to understand who you are as an investor, what kind of investment strategy fits you and what's going to be right there. When it comes to property managers, though, I think there are a couple of things. And as a matter of fact, we just left out of meeting with   property management company yesterday. They have 2000 units. We talked about some other services that we offer. And one of things that stood out to me was just understanding some of the challenges that property managers face. And one of them is property managers are really in a position to think like everyone. They're supposed to think like an investor. They're supposed to understand maintenance and kind of the construction arm enough to understand what needs to happen at a property. But they are really little CEOs, right? Because for   Our stuff, the large apartment stuff, those are typically million dollar annual revenue businesses. And this person is in charge of that asset of that business. They are making the day to day decisions. They are the face for the residents, aka the customers of that business. They are the face and their experience with that individual is how they view that business. So it really is an important role. And if you're working with property managers, it's really important to understand how to find the right people.   to connect with them and have them represent your business, your brand, company in the right light.   Jason Hull (08:30) So now you left an open loop that I want to close. So you said there's two types of investors, those that want control and maybe should go find a property manager, you said. And then what's the other type?   John Casmon (08:34) Yeah.   The other type is those who don't want control and they trust someone else to handle that. And for them, there are a couple of different ways of investing. One is investing passively with a group like ours. The other is turnkey investing where again, you hire a property manager, but you really entrust them to manage the property. The only thing I would say for either one of those groups, myself included, is you want to trust but verify. Okay. You've got to do a lot of your due diligence upfront. You want to understand how they operate. You want to talk to   some of their other clients, some of their other investors, because you need to get a really good sense of what to expect. And a lot of people are great at selling themselves upfront, right? I can tell you everything you want to hear upfront. You want to know what is it like once you sign the paperwork? How often are we going to talk? How frequently am I going to get updates? And at what point am I able to weigh in and make decisions? Because if, if you are someone who wants to be more active or be heard, or you've got thoughts and opinions,   Jason Hull (09:18) yeah.   John Casmon (09:35) You want to make sure you have a voice in your investment. Otherwise you may get really disappointed or you may bring on someone who has a different perspective of what that relationship looks like and that never is going to work out.   Jason Hull (09:47) Yeah, there's a big challenge in the industry and that's that most property management companies suck. so most investors that have dealt with property management to some degree are they have some scar tissue, they've been burned a little bit. They've a lot of property managers that started their businesses that come to me for help to grow their business. They started because they were investor and they couldn't find anyone else to manage the property good enough. And that's why they started their business, but it can be a difficult business to run. so none of them start their business saying, I want to suck.   But that's kind of the default unless they get some really good support or figure some things out through a lot of trial and error. And so that's where DoorGrow comes in. We help them with that. But one of the things I coach my clients on a lot is that they need to shift into being daddy over these rental properties. They need to like tell the owner, hey, you need to trust me. And they need to be able to have a really effective business so that they can lean into that trust.   because a lot of people are anxious. They'll come to them with concerns, but generally if a property manager is good, they're much better at this investing stuff than most investors. And they're much better at coordinating maintenance. They're much better at handling leasing. And so when an owner tries to micromanage a property manager, it kind of doesn't make sense to hire somebody to manage your asset just so you can manage them to do the job. And so I think the secret is finding a really good property manager that you can   let go of control because you can trust them. And but yes, you need to verify that they can do the job that you need them to do. And so a good property manager will take ownership of it and they'll take control and they will, they'll display a lot of certainty and confidence in how they communicate and they won't allow you to micromanage them is what I've seen. So.   John Casmon (11:37) Yeah, Jason, and I'll add to it. There's a two way street there. And I think it's easy for people to say, ⁓ most property managers suck or they're not good or whatever. And listen, there's certainly a lot of challenges there. A lot of folks who are not living up to par to the standards. But I will go back to this. We ask property managers to do the work of generally like a CEO. Right. I mean, again, they're managing million dollar businesses in many cases, yet they don't have that training. They don't have that experience. They don't have the ability to navigate.   all of these various things. So part of what owners and investors need to also understand is that you play the role of asset manager. And that means giving clear direction of what success looks like so that that property manager has a framework to make decisions. It's not to micromanage those decisions, but to help them understand how their decisions impact the greater good. And part of that is like, again, just sitting down with annual goals. What are revenue goals? What are our goals on?   Occupancy, what are our goals on in a lot? And this may seem simple, but I promise you a lot of folks don't do this. And if you don't do that, then that property manager is going to default to, for instance, I'll give you a great example. I've got a property manager. She's awesome rock star. But she always gets nervous when occupancy is not at like 96 or 97 percent of this property. So she is, you she starts apologizing profusely and all I did this or done that and like.   Jason Hull (12:58) Yeah.   John Casmon (13:04) Occupancy is one of our KPIs for sure. It's important, but that is not the KPI. I am focused on my net operating income. And if we're going to push rents, the impact of that is you're going to have higher vacancy and she is not comfortable with that. And that's probably because she's used to working with owners who want that thing fully rented and they are comfortable having 100 % occupancy.   Jason Hull (13:13) Yeah.   Hmm.   Yeah.   John Casmon (13:33) if they're leaving 50 bucks, 75 bucks, whatever it is of rent on the table. And that's the part where you've got to really align with your vision versus their vision, because what they have in the back of their mind may not completely align with what you have. Or they have residents in their face who are coming into the office. They want something fixed. They want it done quickly. They want it done right. They want it done yesterday.   Jason Hull (13:49) Right.   .   John Casmon (13:59) So they've got that pressure of this person in their face. So they may go out there and spend the money or authorize the money to get spent. And maybe they're not picking the most cost effective measure. So you have that. And I'll give you one third one. A lot of times when you run into the flip side of that is maybe occupancy is low. They say, hey, we need to increase our marketing spend, right? We got to increase our marketing budget. know, ox is down to 88 or 90%. We got to spend more money. And we're not necessarily.   really zeroing in on what the specific issue or challenge is at that property. So for an owner, your job as an asset manager is to partner with them and to help them see what the options are, help them work through with some of those challenges and solutions are and partner with them to find success. It's not to micromanage them and tell them what to do, but it's really to understand the situation better and give them that perspective.   Jason Hull (14:49) Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. think, you know, one of the things I've seen is that I've noticed a lot of property managers, they make the mistake of thinking that the goal or the product that people want to buy from them is property management. But investors don't wake up in the morning and go, man, I'm so excited to get property management today. The thing that they want. And so the way I describe it to them as they say, property management is like the flight to Hawaii. It's not Hawaii.   and you're trying to sell the flight. That's not the exciting part. You need to figure out what the investor wants, what their goal is. Where do they want to go? What's Hawaii for them, right? What's paradise? And then how do we optimize for that? And how do we help them create a path for that? Because the actual product that a property manager is selling is not what they do. It's not property management. The actual product is them. It's them and their values and their belief system and how they create trust and the team they build and the system and mechanism they build around them.   That's the actual product the property manager is selling. so a lot of property managers make that mistake. They sit there and talk to you about maintenance coordination and leasing and inspections. And meanwhile, you're just wondering as an investor, can I even trust this person? Like do our values align? Yeah. So I don't know what your thoughts are on that, but.   John Casmon (16:11) I think you're spot on, right? Because, I mean, ultimately, as an investor, you are only as good as the team you can build. And that property manager is in charge of the day-to-day aspects of the business. especially when you, you know, I've heard horror stories of folks who have done like turnkey investing, right? Where the property manager, someone owns it, they buy it, they fix it up, and then they rent it back to...   an investor. And I've heard horror stories where that property was not being well managed. And that's the fear. If you're not in that marketing, you can't come and see it. So if you got an out of town investor, you really are trusting that property manager. So that is the most important thing, right? Everything else are tactical, daily situational things that can change. But it comes down to do I have the right people, people that I can trust, people who are going to make the right decision based on the information they have.   because they may not know what I know or maybe something shifted and changed where they would have made a different decision. We can't, you know, ache on that. It really comes down to are they doing their best? Are they making good decisions? If they're not making good decisions, is it because they didn't have the correct information, which again, could fall back on you as the investor to say, hey, are they aware of what your goals are? Are they aware of maybe this situation, these tools, these resources, whatever it is? And that's on you to sit and collaborate.   But trust is absolutely paramount because at end of the day, the thing that I think most of us are concerned with is who we partner with. And there's a great book I'm reading right now. And it gets into decision making and the fear of decision making for most of us and why deals stall. Why didn't you hire somebody? Why didn't you, you know, go with the vendor or go with the contractor or with the company? And the biggest thing is we are scared of making the wrong choice. All of us in decision and no action.   Jason Hull (17:43) Absolutely.   John Casmon (18:04) is better than the wrong action for many people because they once they take action. Well, now they're blaming themselves because you didn't pick the right person. Why did you hire that guy? You should have like now this starts to go on in their head versus doing nothing. Well, at least it's you know, it's not going to get worse, you know, it will in lot of cases get worse. So for a lot of people, that is the scariest thing. So if you can take that fear off the table as far as being the right person or being someone who is trustworthy.   Jason Hull (18:07) Right, yeah.   John Casmon (18:32) everything else gets easier. So if you can do that, that's, you know, the best thing you can do as an investor or as a property manager.   Jason Hull (18:38) Yeah, I agree. think one of things that I talk about a lot is that clarity has to come before action because if you don't have clarity and you start taking a bunch of action, doing stuff, every action you take is a little bit wrong. Sometimes it's a lot wrong. so, yeah, we need to get that clarity first before we start ⁓ making moves. And you talked about, I love the example of your property manager that is trying to   optimize maybe for the wrong thing. They're like, want to optimize to the, making sure their vacancy is super low. But that might not be the goal. That's not the primary goal. The goal is money, you know, and there's a really good book is by Elihu Goldratt. It's a good book for operations people, but it's called The Goal. And spoiler alert, the guy's trying to figure out the goal through this whole book, the story and it's money. That's the secret. The goal is the of the business, should be making making money.   And what happens in this book is that people are over optimizing individual pieces in this flow at this warehouse. And it's actually not helping to make money. It's causing more constraint. And so if we over optimize at one stage, it actually creates waste, bloat, inventory, additional work for the next stage. And so sometimes the best thing certain departments can do is slow down and do less in order to get the outcome to be maximized outcome.   And there's some really great examples in that that I think are really powerful. But I think the if you're optimizing for the wrong thing, then you're not making it effective. So you want to make sure you're optimizing for the right thing. Otherwise. ensues. You get mad at somebody, but nobody understood what the goal was. And so I think, yeah, getting a greed upon set of criteria of what what the outcome is and asking the property manager, can you help me achieve this?   And they know, they know if they know what the problem is, usually they can, they know how to help you get whatever goal that you have. And they know whether your goal is probably realistic or not, because they've helped probably a lot of people do this similarly. And so, but yeah, I think it's very important. Make sure you know, where's Hawaii and maybe property management is the vehicle. Now you had mentioned like, I'm really curious about this idea of, you know, maybe creating syndications.   Some property managers are now starting to think, maybe I should create a syndication. What's your criteria for, what's a good syndication and what are some of the, I'd be really curious to get into if some of the property managers listening were wanting to do kind of a little bit of what you do, how they might be able to get started in that. Like what are the beginning steps to make sure they don't make the mistakes you probably already figured out in the beginning?   John Casmon (21:27) Well, I think the first thing is, you really want to get into it? Right. Because for a lot of people, you got to understand it's a different business. Now you're not talking about real estate investing. You're not talking about property management. You're really talking more about, you know, investment management. You're talking about bringing on private investors who are looking for a return. That is communication skills. That's building up a network and a database of   Jason Hull (21:35) Mm-hmm.   Right, returns.   John Casmon (21:54) prospective investors, it's understanding the return projections that they're looking for. And it's really kind of managing the investor expectations, not necessarily the investment. And to give you a great example here, I had a deal where the investment went great, but it was slightly lower than what we initially projected. And I had an investor who was upset.   Jason Hull (22:07) Yeah.   Yeah.   John Casmon (22:23) about that. And we had communicated all throughout the entire process where things sat and he wasn't too upset, but he still made it a point to let me know, hey, well, this is less than what you initially thought. And that's challenging because the market shifts, right? Anybody who's bought properties in 2022 and beyond knows the market has shifted drastically over the last three or four years. So those projections made in a 2021-22 environment   Have a hard time standing up in a 25 26 environment We still make good money on that deals double-digit returns for investors ⁓ But you know there was that that was that feedback I got from one of the investors conversely We just exited deal a couple months ago, and we completely exceeded our return projections You know we delivered on a almost a 2.7 equity multiple Hit all you know mid 20s on the IRR completely unheard of stuff in this environment   And I have one investor call me and say, hey, John, I just checked my account. Is this right? And I'm like, yeah, it's it's right, man. He's like, my gosh, you guys killed it, man. my. Like, this is amazing. And it's great to hear. But again, that is separate from the investment. Right. Happy to manage the investor expectations and concerns. But that was an up and down investment where we had, you know, a moment where we actually had to put some of our general partner capital into the deal to keep it going.   Jason Hull (23:27) Yeah.   Yeah.   John Casmon (23:48) We have floating rate debt. had to refinance out of that. And we had to kind of rush to do that before rates started to go crazy. We had moments where our construction or renovation costs were much higher than we anticipated. So there are a lot of things that we had to navigate. And I think what happens for a lot of operators, a lot of people who get into syndication, they know the real estate and want to do the real estate, but they do not understand the perspective of the investor. And when you don't communicate to investors on a frequent basis and a clear, transparent nature,   Jason Hull (24:19) Yeah. Yeah.   John Casmon (24:19) They fill in the blanks and   the first concern every investor has and they won't say it. Most of time they don't say it, but I promise you they're thinking it after they make that investment. my gosh, did I make a mistake? Am I going to lose money? Is this person going to run off? Is this going to be some sort of fraudulent thing? Is this deal going to fail? These are all that we're wired like that. This is caveman stuff, right? We're wired to protect ourselves.   Jason Hull (24:36) Hmm.   Right.   John Casmon (24:45) And when you make an investment, and by the way, our investments are typically $50,000 and up, right? So these are not small investments. So when you make that investment, people start to second guess that decision. So my job when it comes to this side of the business is to keep them grounded that, hey, you've done your research, you've made an informed decision, you've picked a good partner, we've done this before. ⁓   Jason Hull (24:50) Yeah. Right.   John Casmon (25:13) And it's really to make sure that they feel comfortable with that decision. It has nothing to do with the investment, right? The investment itself, we got to go out there and execute. But that investor psyche is a completely different game. So first thing I would tell any of your property managers when they get into this business is understand, do you actually like people? Do you want to manage investors? Are you comfortable managing people's money? ⁓ And then beyond that, you have to do it the legal way. There are a lot of regulations around accepting capital from other people.   Jason Hull (25:31) you   John Casmon (25:42) So you can do it as a joint venture. The more common way of doing it, the more accepted way of doing this is by doing a formal syndication, which requires you to file SEC documentations. ⁓ know, there's regulation D and regulation A and there's some couple others, but typically it's going to be reg D 506 B or 506 C filing, which basically is the the structure that allows you to offer ⁓ passive investment opportunity or a security to investors. So again, for some people,   It's overwhelming. they're like, nope, never mind. But for some people, they love it. They want to get into it and they can learn more about that process.   Jason Hull (26:19) Got it. Yeah. I think I love your idea that it's more about managing expectations rather than the investments. And I think, I think that's good advice for all the property managers listing. This is something we spend a lot of time coaching clients on because they think their job is to manage properties. But really, if they're not strong in managing expectations and managing the relationship, it's 10 times to 100 times harder to manage the properties.   their operational costs go through the roof because owners are getting anxious. They're asking more questions. They're getting all these interruptions and calls, tenants, owners constantly. And if they had just managed the relationship and expectations and set strong boundaries at the outset, everybody would feel calmer. And I think really for business owners, I think the thing that really stood out to me that I've been focused on, and this is I've done some personal coaching and this is just nervous system regulation.   If you can, and John, seem like you're pretty chill and pretty calm and I'm sure the investor feel safe with you, which is why you've had success. If you are a person that is anxious and you're running around like a chicken with your head cut off, you're going to have, you're going to struggle in leading anybody, especially in relationships to your spouse and like everybody else. so having a calm, regulated nervous system allows your investors.   to entrain to your nervous system and to feel safer and to calm down. And that's not something you can pretend or you can just fake. You have to be that and they can sense and they can feel that it'll come across in your tone and in your body language and how you communicate. But if you can make sure that you're in that space and that you're able to regulate your own system, you're able to stay calm when other people are coming at you.   and other people are angry and other people are emotionally heightened. And you recognize this isn't really you. It's just that's them. And you can maintain that calm. You will be able to create a lot more safety. And that's really what people want to buy. Most people out there, their primary basic need is safety and security. Most people. That's why they aren't entrepreneurs. That's why they don't go start jobs. That's why they aren't like you and me. And if you're a property management business owner listening to this,   Most people are not like you. They want safety and security. That's why they get a property manager. They want peace of mind. And so, and I'm sure investors in a syndication, they also want some peace of mind because this is a big chunk of change.   John Casmon (28:55) They do. And I will say to most of the property managers I come across thrive in chaos. Right. They're used to stuff getting thrown at them. Right. And when you talk to them and get to know them, you learn very quickly. They like it. They do. They like the fact that they don't know what the day is going to bring. It could be a. Yeah, yeah. Could be a tenant coming with some crazy issue. It could be something from it's never boring and they thrive in it. However.   Jason Hull (29:00) Yeah.   Yeah.   They like the variety and unique challenges that property management brings, for sure.   It's never boring.   John Casmon (29:25) What happens then if you if they're going to look to work with investors and particularly raise capital and kind of do their own syndications, they have to understand that while they may thrive in chaos and uncertainty, most other people want organization. You want everything you said right. You want to have the calmness. You are looking for a captain to steer the ship. And for that part of the personality, they're going to have to tap into a different side of it to demonstrate how they handle chaos.   Jason Hull (29:37) Hmm.   Yeah.   Yeah.   John Casmon (29:54) not that they are chaotic. And I think what happens a lot of times when you're working with property managers is that they don't project that level of control. It just feels like they're reacting. So part of it is that, and they're really, really good ones. The ones who make it to that next level who are the regional managers and get those promotions, well, that's what they do. They manage the chaos and they manage up. They do a great job of telling the owners,   Jason Hull (30:06) Yeah.   Mm.   John Casmon (30:23) the leadership, whoever they need to talk to, they're telling them, hey, here's how here's our process. Here's how we're managing the situation. Here's what's going on. Here's what we're into. Hey, we had a water main burst here. Here's we bought. call three companies. We've got three quotes, but it's calm, right? It can be the worst. I'll give you a real example, right? At a fire, one of my properties and I was going to meet a property manager and I just happened to have a meeting with her that day at the property. She called me.   I was literally about to get in the car. She called me and said, Hey, I just want to let you know we've got a fire going on at the property. I'm not sure if you still want to meet. You're happy to come. We already have, you know, the fire department's here. They're they're putting the fire out right now. We already have another company that's coming in. They're going to walk through the damages once this is kind of settled. And I've already talked to the residents. Residents are good. We've got them hotels for the evening. We've checked with insurance. This is covered in your policy. So they're good to go. So you're happy to come down and talk and all of that if you want to.   Or we can let things settle down and maybe we can meet next week. This is a fire, right? This is like a scary situation. She called me.   Jason Hull (31:26) Right. A literal fire. Yeah. And there's plenty of fires   in managing properties. The literal ones.   John Casmon (31:33) Her calmness, she was so calm. Not only was   she calm, she had handled 90 % of it, right? It was the stuff you could handle in the moment. She handled it. So was like, hey, I don't think it makes sense for me to because I'm probably just going to add more anxiety to the situation at this point, right? It seems like you've got it under control. Why don't we let things settle, literally let the dust settle? And then once it's there, I'll come down. We can assess the damages, figure out what else needs to happen, what other next steps need to take place, right?   Jason Hull (31:41) Yeah? huh.   question. Yeah.   John Casmon (32:03) but had it handled like a rock star. Now, a lot of other folks would have saw the flames, called immediately, my God, there's a fire. ⁓ my God, what are we gonna do? So now you freaking out, everyone's freaking out, no one's controlling the situation, right? So now everyone's mind is just spinning and going. it does really take, kind of go back to where we started the conversation, that mindset of someone who was the boss, who was leading.   Jason Hull (32:05) Yeah, I love that.   Yeah. Freaking out. Yeah.   Hmm. Yeah.   John Casmon (32:32) who is going to take charge, even though it's not their property, they're going to take charge. Here's what needs to happen next. Maybe you have an emergency response plan already put in place, but you have these things already scheduled and ready to go. So when they happen, you're not shocked. You're not surprised. You're not asking questions that maybe you should have figured out upfront. And that's what a great property manager does. And if you convey that to owners, you're going to stand out above and beyond your competition because most people cannot convey that level of control, the level of   planning and the level of expertise that it takes to truly and effectively manage properties from the front, being proactive as opposed to just reacting to whatever the issue of the day is.   Jason Hull (33:13) Got it, okay. So ⁓ I'm reading, I just read, well, I didn't just read. I read in the past a really great book called Extreme Ownership. Really good book. Yeah, phenomenal book. ⁓ I'm going through their newer book, which I think is even better, called The Dichotomy of Leadership. leadership is what we're talking about right now, is that that,   John Casmon (33:23) Yeah, I think I got it like right here. It is right there.   Absolutely.   Jason Hull (33:38) creates a huge impact and there's a lot of misunderstandings of what leadership is, like it's control or it's being aggressive or, but yeah, it's really that calm presence of letting people know I've got it. Like we can take care of this. We've got a plan and staying regulated and calm. So I love that. ⁓ have a, so another question I have is how can the property managers listen to this? How could they maybe target or partner   with, if possible, syndications like you, like people that are doing what you're doing. Is there a chance that they could be a resource or do most syndications just in-house and do, they are a property management business?   John Casmon (34:19) No, no, most ⁓ most that I know work with third party manager companies. So I would say first and foremost, if you and syndications, I mean, it sounds like a big, huge, fancy word. But I mean, honestly, anytime you work with passive investors is technically a syndication. So it really comes down to figuring out who is looking for third party management and whether or not it's technically a syndication or not is really irrelevant. You want someone who is going to be managing or owning the property.   Jason Hull (34:24) Okay.   Yeah.   John Casmon (34:49) They want third party, but you have to understand their plan, going back to understanding the goals, right? Most syndications are looking to sell in a three to seven year timeframe, typically five to seven years. Most buy and hold owners have not decided or have not identified their exit strategy. So that's probably the biggest difference is when you have, let's just call it an individual investor or maybe it's a   Jason Hull (35:01) Okay.   Right.   John Casmon (35:17) a family or whatever that's buying and they want a third party manager, they don't know the exit. They haven't predetermined that they're going to sell in five years. So they are buying and holding it. And that goes back to the the I think the separation of understanding the objective, because for that person, having a full property is great. It means they're maximizing the revenue potential today. When you are syndicating.   most syndicators already assume 5 % vacancy. That's that's in everyone's underwriting. So you being at 100, they won't even give you credit banks don't even give you credit for it. So all of these things are already assumed. So for us to be above that is actually a miss, because it means we're not being as aggressive on the rent. So just understanding the mindset of a syndicator, which is they are looking to sell typically they're looking to double their money over a five or six year period. So how can you create value?   And that's something most property managers don't fully understand. But I would sit and I would talk to that syndicator. And if you want to be a syndicator or partners, not just be a third party vendor, but you actually want a partner, which we have seen a lot of folks look to do. You want to figure out how you can bring value to the table, because now we are aligning your interest with that syndicators interest. And now you've got a great partnership.   because every syndicator is going to need property management and they're going to need construction management to drive value. So if they can bring those people in as partners, that's a great opportunity for you. And if you're a property manager, you may have phenomenal relationships. You may already have contractor or the vendor partners that you trust in that marketplace. And if you could then take that and get a slice of the equity, that makes you very valuable for both sides.   Jason Hull (37:08) Do syndications, do they also need investors in capital or do most of them have that, are they really good at that? Okay.   John Casmon (37:15) Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.   mean, I mean, syndication at its core really just comes down to the need of capital. If someone had the capital themselves, they would probably just buy it directly and not go through the process of syndication. Because the syndication is literally just raising the money from passive investors. And in that scenario, again, being able to manage that, manage the communication, ⁓ that's really what a syndication truly is.   Jason Hull (37:42) So a really good property management partner could bring property management, some of the construction elements and investors and capital to the table. So it could be a nice little.   John Casmon (37:51) That would be amazing.   I'll be honest, man. That's because I don't want your listeners sitting here like, oh, I don't have one of those. I don't know if I've ever met one that had all of those. If you do have all of them, yes, you should consider syndicating yourself because you got all the pieces to the puzzle. Typically, what happens is a property manager has the property managers. I'll give you a great example. I got a 54 unit down in North Carolina. OK, so I came in as a key principal. I've got a.   Jason Hull (38:03) Okay.   Okay.   John Casmon (38:20) to my coaching clients. It's his property that he found. He asked me to come help him with the loan, which I did. One of the members, one of the partners is the property manager. So that's kind of their role to the table is they're managing the property. That's what they kind of came on. They had a couple of relationships, but their main role is the asset and property management side of it. So that's a great way to come to the table. But. Just like anything else in business.   Jason Hull (38:33) Mm-hmm.   John Casmon (38:49) It's very hard to find someone who checks every single box. I mean, that's like finding the marketer who's a CMO, who's also the CFO, who's also the COO, who's also the chief of human resource. very like no one, people don't really have like top notch excellent skills at every single one of those, right? Like you might be great at business, great at sales, great at marketing. You're probably terrible at finance, right? Like you just, you just forget to do your expense report type person, right? So it's hard to find someone who's   checks all those boxes. And I think typically when comes to property management, you want someone who's great with people, can resolve issues, but also has to be somewhat, you know, sufficient when it comes to the numbers, tracking all the data, tracking all the, you know, the rent roll, the leases, the income and expense statements, things like that. So usually they're not going to do every single box. But again, if you can find someone or that's where partnerships make sense.   Jason Hull (39:24) Mm-hmm.   John Casmon (39:43) If you've got that awesome. And again, I'm not saying a company doesn't have that. I'm just saying a single individual doesn't, which is why it's great to partner. If you can find someone who maybe brings a set of skills that you don't have, whether they're joining you in your property management business or they're partnering up where you're bringing your property management skills to the table with their investing or their networking skills, that makes for a good partnership.   Jason Hull (39:43) Mm-hmm.   Yeah, I got it. Well, we've got several clients, you know, all over the U S that are really good at property management. They're really good at handling the maintenance stuff and they obviously have a pool of investors as clients and, and, know, and they know that they can't do everything. So we coach them in making sure that they would do time studies. They figure out which, what their purpose is. We start to align them towards more fulfillment, more freedom, more contribution and more support in their business.   John Casmon (40:32) Yeah.   Jason Hull (40:38) And they start to build the right team. So they're getting operators, they're getting BDMs, they're getting the things they're not like strong in. And so we just make healthier businesses. So for those of maybe my clients listening that have healthy property management companies. And, but they don't want to do syndication. They're just like, man, that's a whole nother business. If I stay in my lane, I can grow that faster. How do they find syndicates? Like, how do they find people like you? Cause you've got a lot of properties connected to you.   and they would probably love to chat with somebody like you. Where do you syndicate people hang out? What's the title? Who runs a syndicate? What are they called? Do they have a specific title?   John Casmon (41:15) You   Yeah.   Yeah, great. Great question. Multifamily syndicator is is kind of the name just syndicator. We're all over. So I've got a podcast called Multifamily Insights. I interview like minded individuals. I've been doing that for a long time. We've done our seven hundred and seventy plus episode. So lots of people, lots of syndicators there. Definitely conferences. So if you look up any multifamily conference in your city.   Jason Hull (41:25) Okay.   Nice.   Okay.   John Casmon (41:46) meetups, lot of meetups in different cities as well. Those are great places to find syndicators. I think the biggest thing though is this.   Figure out who your avatar is. Because while we're talking about syndicators, ultimately, if you want to scale your property management business, I presume you're trying to scale with folks who are looking for third party management and the best option for that. OK, and let me back up. had one of the guests out of a podcast some years back, ⁓ Ashley Wilson. Love Ashley. As you said, something really changed when I thought about the business.   And she said the best way to find any vendor, any vendor is to figure out who relies on that vendor next and ask them for referral. So if you think about it, if you want a great drywall person, ask a painter. A painter is going to know who's great at drywall because they're going to know who makes their job easy and they can come in and just start painting versus a drywall guy who maybe doesn't, you know, you know.   Jason Hull (42:38) I like it.   John Casmon (42:55) mud the drywall properly or doesn't sand it down. So they got to do all this extra work before they start their process. Right. So a painter is going to know a great drywall guy. And in this case, it's really hard on ⁓ the property manager because you guys are the ones who do the work. But if you are looking for syndicators, OK, well syndicators, person who buys the deal. Well, who sells the deal? A broker. Find brokers. Go to a broker, commercial multifamily broker and ask them, hey,   Jason Hull (43:01) I love this.   Yeah.   John Casmon (43:25) Do you know some groups or you have properties that you're going to list? Here are the kind of deals we want to do now on the flip side of that. You got to be good at your job, right? You got to sell yourself and share what you do. So if you've got a great track record, a great resume, showcase that, bring that broker through and let them know, hey, we're looking to scale our property management business here. Here are the kind of assets that we want to manage. If you come across any of these that you're going to list, would you mind keeping our main name out there or referring us or giving us introductions to any of those buyers?   Jason Hull (43:53) Yeah.   John Casmon (43:54) so that we can throw our hat in the running to manage these properties. That's a phenomenal way to do that. And it allows you to shine and expand your relationships in your core networks and in your core markets.   Jason Hull (44:06) Brilliant. think I love the, I love Ashley's idea that you shared, you know, the drywall. Yeah. The painters, like they don't want to be painting over a crappy drywall. They're like, this is a mess. Like this doesn't even look good in my job. Now I'm going to look bad. Yeah. So the brokers know who maybe those best syndicators are. And so they could just go to the brokers and say, Hey, who's, who's doing deals like this? Who who's got things going on? Like who could you connect me with?   And I avoid maybe.   John Casmon (44:36) And on top of that, keep in mind, too, like what   are the times when? Yeah, but think about to like when is a property hiring or bringing on a new property manager? Right. So it's either a current owners firing the existing property manager or the property is being sold. Right. So, I mean, if you can get in during that transition phase, that's going to help you tremendously. And if even if they're firing their existing property manager, you can think through, OK, how do I?   Jason Hull (44:51) Yeah. Yeah.   John Casmon (45:06) work myself and get my name out there. And a lot of times, again, you're going to ask, right? You're going to ask other investors. If I were going through that process, I'm going to call my buddies into space, right? And say, hey, man, having a hard time, my current PM is not working out or we're not hitting our objectives, looking at some other options. Do you have any experience with these guys? What do you know about these guys? Or do you have anybody you could recommend? It's word of mouth, right? So that's what's going to start happening as well. So you kind of have to get out there and network and let folks know who you are, what you do. But you want to be someone who   people can say, yeah, these guys are amazing. You know, they, they only had an eight unit, but they crushed my eight unit for me. I'm sure they kill your 25 unit or your 50 unit. And you've got to start building that rapport and building your reputation in your market.   Jason Hull (45:44) Yeah.   Nice. This is good advice, my friend. So, cool. For those that maybe are investors listening to this show, ⁓ I'd love to hear a little bit about what you do, how you do run your syndication, and how they can ⁓ make things more passive, if that's what they're looking   John Casmon (46:08) Yeah, man. So there are lots of different ways to get in. If you are looking to be more passive, ⁓ high level, here's how it works. OK, so first and foremost, me and my team would go out. We look for the deals. We focus on a really tight radius. So we're in Cincinnati. We like Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, Kentucky. Really a two hour radius of the Cincinnati market is where we focus. And right now we actually think there's more opportunities locally. So we're really honed in on Cincinnati right now. But we focus on that once we find a deal.   We reach out to folks in our network. So we have folks in our investor list. ⁓ Once they're on our list, we kind of have a quick vetting process and then we can share opportunities with them. Once they see that opportunity, they get a chance to review it. We like to have a webinar where we answer any questions about the deal. I think for new investors, it's a great way to learn because we have a lot of experienced investors who ask very intelligent, thoughtful questions that   Many first time investors probably would not even think of. And that's a great way to learn, right? And ultimately when it comes to this space, it's really about education. know, it's educating yourself, understanding how you think about risk, how you mitigate risk in your investment choices. And those webinars are a great chance for you to learn about that the first time. Once you've done that, you can go ahead and fill out our official paperwork with our SEC documents.   Jason Hull (47:30) Mm-hmm.   John Casmon (47:30) And then   once you're through there, you can make the investment. But the first thing is just to get on our list, you can have access to the deals. And before you do that, we've actually put together a guide that can help people because I found that when I have these calls, people don't ask great questions. Sometimes they do. But I want to make sure that you are informed and well educated because this is a big investment. You know, this is not a 599 thing. And if it doesn't work out, OK, well, I just wasted six bucks. No.   Jason Hull (47:54) .   John Casmon (47:59) We're asking you to make a pretty large investment, whether it's with us or with others. If that's what you're looking to do, I want to make sure you're well informed. So we put together a guide. It's seven questions you must ask before investing in apartments. You can get that on our website. It's casmancapital.com slash seven questions, but it gets into questions around the market itself, the operating team, what you should be looking for, the deal. What is the story of this property? What's the business plan? And it helps you identify different levels of risk because the reality is   Anything can work, but you want to mitigate risk as much as possible, particularly when you're a passive investor, because you are basically saying, I'm trusting these people to find the right deal and execute. And you want to make sure that you are finding and identifying the right individuals who have a proven track record doing the thing that they are asking to do. When I hear about people losing money in real estate. At least 50, if not 70 % of the time.   Jason Hull (48:35) Hmm.   John Casmon (48:57) It is someone doing something for the first time. It is the first time in the market, first time doing this kind of deal, first time doing this kind of business plan. And. I can't tell you how frustrating it is because it's a big red flag, and it's not to say they can't do it and can't have success. But if it's your first time, I want to see how you're mitigating that right. You want to partner with someone who does have the experience you want. Like there are lot of things that you can do to put the odds in your favor. And when you're a passive investor.   Jason Hull (48:59) Mm, yeah.   John Casmon (49:26) It is not your job to hope. Your job is to analyze the information in front of you and make an informed decision. So this guide can help you do that.   Jason Hull (49:34) Yeah, love it. I'm going to run a quick word from our sponsor real quick. Our sponsor for this episode is Vendero. And many of you tell me that property management maintenance is probably the least enjoyable part of being a property manager and definitely the most time consuming. But what if you could cut that workload by up to 85 percent? That's exactly what Vendero has achieved. So they leverage cutting edge AI technology to handle nearly all your maintenance tasks from initiating work orders.   Troubleshooting, coordinating with vendors and reporting. This AI doesn't just automate, it becomes your ideal employee. Learning your preferences, executing tasks flawlessly and never needing a day off and never quitting. This frees you up to focus on the critical tasks that really move the needle for your business, whether that's refining operations, expanding your portfolio or even just taking a well-deserved break. Don't let maintenance drag you down. Step up your property management game with Vendero. Visit vendero.ai slash door grow today and make this the last maintenance hire you'll ever need.   All right, so John, this is super helpful. love you've got your list. ⁓ You got your webinar, you've got your guide. I would recommend property managers listening to this. If they're curious about the world of syndication, that they start getting into your stuff and seeing how an expert like you is doing this and maybe even get involved in some of the deals with you or something might be a good idea. And they can kind of get a feel for how this works. And then maybe they'll say, I don't want to do what John does.   And I'll just find people that do, but they'll at least understand how they could partner with people like that. then, or they may decide, you know what? John's clever, but I'm clever too. I might be able to figure out how to do this too. And maybe they'll do it too. And, but I think there's a solid opportunity for property managers that want to be in the multifamily space and do multifamily management to find third party people that are doing these syndication deals. They need good property managers and property managers want more doors and they want to grow.   And if you don't, because your business sucks and it's uncomfortable, then reach out to me. I'll help you out. We'll get you dialed in. But ⁓ John, what else would you say to the investors that are maybe they're familiar with this and they've done some real estate investing and they've worked with some syndications ⁓ and they get on your list to do the webinar. What would you say to them next?   John Casmon (51:56) Yeah, I think the biggest thing is understand what you're looking for. You know, I think one of the biggest challenges for investors is when you can't pull the trigger, it's typically because you haven't figured out what you're solving for. Are you looking for passive income? So you're just looking for a cash flow? Are you looking for long term wealth appreciation? Are you looking for tax benefits and to reduce kind of your tax liability? Do just want to diversify? Maybe you got feel like you have too much in a stock market, just like we put something somewhere else. So.   Figure out what you're actually solving for. Understand your risk tolerance, you know, because every deal is different. In our case, we do value add B class deals. That's a fancy way of just saying we like properties that already making money that are solid, solid tenant based. Think of when I say B class, I'm thinking of all stuff that was built maybe 30 years ago, maybe 40, maybe 20 years ago. Stuff that.   your teachers, your firefighters, your police officers, places where they might rent. So desirable locations, not luxury, not super high end, not, you know, super courts, everything. ⁓ But, you know, places that you would want your kid, your kid was in college, places you would be fine with your kid living, right? So you're thinking about that stuff. That's, you know, I don't say affordable stuff. That's not crazy price. So that's kind of what we focus on.   Jason Hull (53:15) So would   that be like, is that how you find the best markets then?   John Casmon (53:21) That's part of it. That's our strategy. There are different strategies that people utilize. I have found for us that is a sweet spot where we can take those kind of assets, modernize them and create value for potential renters. Some people like to focus only on they call it core plus right where they're buying newer stuff, stuff built five years ago or three years ago. And maybe it was, you know, leased up and they're just going to go in and hold it longer. You'll find other ways to add more money through amenities.   Jason Hull (53:35) Okay.   John Casmon (53:50) So some people do that strategy. Some people like older properties where they're buying more distressed or much older properties and are trying to fully renovate them and bring them up. There are strategies out there, something like new construction, stuff that doesn't exist. They want to build from the ground up. So it really comes down to you. Every investing strategy has a different level of risk. This has nothing to with real estate, right? This is investing in general. you're buying, you know, know, value stocks versus growth stocks versus Internet, it's the same stuff, right?   So you just have to figure out your level of risk. We like value at B-class multifamily deals. Once you understand your level of risk and balance that with your return expectations or projections, that's when you can figure out which investments actually make sense. You know, I have some folks who they like to invest in what we call trophy assets. And...   They may not know that right away, but when you send them a couple of deals and they look at the property like, ⁓ it's okay. They want something. They want something they can brag about. They want to drive you by like, see that building over there? That's me. And if that's fine, if that's what you want, understand what comes with that, right? That's going to be a lower term, right? Because these are, there's not much value to create, right? You've got a brand new property. It's A class, rents are $2,500. There's not a whole lot you can do there. And because of that,   Jason Hull (54:49) Yeah, they don't want to show that off. Look what I'm connecting.   OK, right.   Thank   Yeah.   John Casmon (55:13) There's not as much risk. So you're going to get less return because there's less risk. That's fun. Some people want to maximize their return, right? Hey, I don't need this money. I want to let it ride for 20 years. So they might want to do new construction or they might want to do a deep discount, highly distressed vacant property that needs, you know, $50,000 per unit to renovate it and turn around because the upside is there. So it just depends on that investor and your level of risk. Right. And most of us fall somewhere in the middle.   Jason Hull (55:27) Thank   John Casmon (55:43) which is kind of our strategy. figure out your level of risk tolerance, what you're looking for. And sometimes you don't know until you start looking at a Because you might think you're a cashflow person until I show you what cash flows. And you're like, oh, no, I don't want to be in that de

On this episode of CFO at Home, Vince's is Brenton Harrison, founder of the advisory firm New Money, New Problems. Brenton shares his own experience growing up with an ER-physician father and nurse mother who were high-earners but struggled to manage money. He also discusses three common paths for new high earners trying to build wealth, the importance of aligning plans to stated goals, and couples focusing on process and communication to help avoid money arguments. Their conversation also covers budgeting as a tool for cash-flow awareness, and "optimizing" debt before investing. For more on Brenton and New Money, New Problems, go to newmoneynewproblems.com 01:42 First-Gen High Earners: Family Background & Financial Pressure 03:50 Lifestyle Expectations vs. Supporting Parents (and No Wealth Role Models) 06:57 What It Felt Like as a Kid: Money Tension at Home 09:14 Learning a New Model: Mentors, 'Project 100,' and the School of Transactions 11:05 The 3 Paths High Earners Take When Trying to Build Wealth 13:59 From Chaos to Clarity: Prioritizing Goals (and 'Do It Intentionally') 18:14 When the Plan Isn't Linear: Setbacks, Emotions, and Staying the Course 20:09 Budgeting Reality Check: Cash Flow, Optimization, and 'You Need to Earn More' 21:43 Money Personalities in Couples: Frugal vs. Spender and Finding Middle Ground 30:06 How to Stop Fighting About Money: Process, Safe Space, and Better Conversations 40:08 Debt to Wealth: Optimizing Debt While Still Building Assets 42:30 New Money, New Problems: Services, Podcasts, and Final Wrap-Up Key Links: New Money, New Problems https://www.newmoneynewproblems.com/subscribe New Money New Problems (@newmoneynewproblems) • Facebook Brenton Harrison (@newmoney.newproblems) • Instagram photos and videos Brenton Harrison, CFP® - CFP Board | LinkedIn https://www.youtube.com/@newmoneynewproblems Contact the Host - vince@thecfoathome.com Want to be a guest on CFO at Home? Send Vince a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1628643039567x840793309030672500  

From Corporate Boardrooms to Small Business Breakthroughs: Ingredients for Success with James OrsiniStay On Course Podcast | Host: Julie Riga | Guest: James OrsiniWhat does it really take to build a thriving small business and how do the lessons of the Fortune 500 world translate to the entrepreneurial journey? In this candid and inspiring conversation, Julie Riga sits down with seasoned executive James Orsini to unpack the mindset shifts, operational disciplines, and leadership principles that separate businesses that scale from those that stall. Whether you are a founder, a corporate executive ready to pivot, or a small business owner in the thick of the grind, this episode is packed with transformative insights to help you stay on course.From Corporate Boardrooms to Small Business Breakthroughs: Ingredients for Success with James OrsiniAbout James OrsiniJames Orsini is a seasoned executive leader with more than 35 years of experience as President, CEO, COO, and CFO across high-growth organizations. After an 11-year run at VaynerX alongside Gary Vaynerchuk, where he helped grow the company from $42M to $350M and 2,000 people across 15 offices, James now advises founders and small business leaders through Vyve, Factotum, and J & J Consulting Services, co-founded with his wife Joanne.Fun Fact: James is a proud Italian-American whose ultimate comfort food is his wife's Sunday pasta sauce, slow-cooked for hours every single week.Ingredients for SuccessFocus and Strategic Prioritization Entrepreneurs rarely run out of ideas; they run out of focus. James advocates for working backwards from your endgame and using tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize what truly moves the needle each quarter.Knowing When to Hire and Delegate Founders who hold on too tight risk choking their own growth. Tracking yellow hustle time versus green paid time on your calendar reveals exactly when it is time to bring in your first hire and step fully into your leadership role.Integrity Above All Doing the right thing with your employees, vendors, and partners, even when nobody is watching, creates a reputation that outlives any single business venture. James calls this the most enduring ingredient for success.Community and Accountability Leadership can be lonely. Investing in a mastermind, coaching program, or peer group compresses your learning curve and gives you the sounding board every leader needs. Iron sharpens iron.Culture as Your Competitive Advantage VaynerMedia maintained a 17% voluntary turnover rate in an industry averaging over 35%. Hire for kindness and empathy first, then teach the skills. Culture is your most sustainable edge.Memorable Quotes"Doing the right thing is always the right thing, even when people are not looking.""Some founders squeeze the baby so tight, they choke it. Know when to let go and move to the work only you can do.""Work backwards from the legacy you want to leave. That clarity drives every decision."Key TakeawaysTransition from operator to leader. Work on the business, not in it. This mindset shift is the turning point for every founder ready to scale.Build your network with gratitude and empathy. Relationships cultivated with care become your greatest long-term asset.Stay open to pivoting. The business you build two years from now will look nothing like what you imagined today, and that is a strength.Connect with James OrsiniLinkedIn: James OrsiniVyve: @Revive (social handles)Factotum: factotum.comJ & J Consulting Services (LinkedIn)Connect with Julie RigaStay On Course PodcastBefore I Lead Programjulieriga.com/leadSubscribe to Stay On Course wherever you listen to podcasts and share this episode with every founder and leader who is ready to build something that lasts.#StayOnCourse #LeadershipMindset #SmallBusinessSuccess #PurposeDrivenLeadership #BeforeILead

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Mateo Bryant, CFO of Minted. They break down Minted's life-event flywheel and decades-long LTV, managing extreme seasonality when half the year happens in one month, and balancing long-term CAC with short-term monetization. Mateo also shares lessons from scaling Uber and Amazon globally, localization missteps, and making marketplaces work in emerging markets.—SPONSORS:Abacum is a modern FP&A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at https://www.abacum.aiBrex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.comRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit https://www.rightrev.comRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you're scaling on an ERP that wasn't built in the 90s, book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjTabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com/run—LINKS: Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNMateo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryantmatt/Minted: https://www.minted.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—RELATED EPISODES:Peter Oey, CFO of Grab:https://youtu.be/tdq0AZO0dLU—TIMESTAMPS:00:00 Intro03:16 Fixer to CFO05:32 Mexico City Startups09:00 Minted Flywheel10:24 LTV Expansion11:04 Entry Points12:18 CAC and Cohorts13:42 Sponsors: Metronome | RightRev | Rillet17:06 Wedding Lifecycle19:49 Holiday Forecasting22:23 Retail Calendar24:03 Cash Flow Swings25:05 Marketing Over Sales26:06 Email Limits27:41 Sponsors: Tabs | Abacum | Brex31:02 Retail Strategy35:08 Global Experience40:47 Uber Cash Economics46:04 Cost of Not Localizing50:19 Importer of Record53:17 No Google Lesson55:34 QBR Mistake56:48 High Leverage Hours59:03 Finance Stack59:50 Seven Day Cruise Expense#RunTheNumbersPodcast #MarketplaceStrategy #EcommerceFinance #GigEconomy #CFOInsights

The history-making USA Hockey won golds (and millions of fans in the process) at Milan's Olympic Games. But behind the on-ice glory is a $75 million organization with a finance function as disciplined as its players. Kelly Mahncke , CFO of USA Hockey, joins Glenn Hopper and FP&A Today to pull back the curtain on what it takes to fund the gold-winning national hockey program — with business interests from memberships and sponsorships to restaurants and insurance. Kelly traces her own journey from center ice to chasing the bottom line, explaining how a hockey career shaped her instincts as a finance leader. She walks us through four-year "quad budgets" and the typical annual cycle, and what it took to weather COVID's financial shock, from cash management to the logistical nightmare of paused travel programs. She also gets into the digital transformation underway at USA Hockey. And why she believes curiosity is the defining trait of great FP&A professionals. Catch this fascinating look at finance leadership — at the peak of Hockey USA's Olympic moment.

The UK Investor Magazine was delighted to welcome Adsure Services CFO Sarah Prescott to the podcast to discuss her new role as Group CFO and plans for the year ahead.Sarah Prescott joined Adsure Services as CFO at the turn of the year, and this podcast is focused on the opportunity Sarah sees ahead for Adsure Services and its shareholders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Katrina Fitten. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate entrepreneurs—especially women business owners—on how to secure funding responsibly, avoid scams, and develop a strategic financial plan. It also highlights Katrina Fitten’s expertise as CEO/CFO of New Day for You Financial and her mission to help startups and small businesses access capital. Key Takeaways Funding Opportunities & Qualifications Katrina helps women business owners secure up to $100,000 in 100 days or less, with same-day approval and next-day funding. Basic qualifications include: Credit score of 680+ Existing credit lines (at least $10,000) A clear business mission and low-risk profile. Avoiding Scams Beware of unsolicited emails/texts promising easy money. Do your homework: Check companies on Better Business Bureau (BBB). Look for testimonials and partnerships with reputable banks (e.g., Chase, American Express). Never share sensitive information without verifying legitimacy. Importance of a Business Plan Funding is not free money—you need a strategic plan. Katrina calls it a “money mission”: know exactly how funds will be deployed. Without a plan, money disappears quickly, leading to debt and bad credit. Family & Friends Lending Treat personal loans like business loans: Have written agreements with terms, repayment schedule, and penalties. Decide upfront if it’s a gift or a loan. Services Offered by New Day for You Financial SBA loans, equipment loans, purchase order financing. Lines of credit and 0% interest credit cards (18–21 months). Credit card stacking for higher funding amounts. Credit restoration referrals for those with poor credit. Success Story Example: A tax accountant secured $160,000 in less than a week due to strong credit, revenue history, and a solid business plan. Notable Quotes “If you don’t have a plan for your money, your money will have a plan—and you’ll look up and it’s gone.” “We don’t want to be out here racking up good debt and then you’re not going to be responsible.” “You have to vet companies. Go to BBB, Google them, and check their credibility.” “If I give you money, I decide—is it a gift or a loan? There are rules to borrowing money.” “We say if you don’t get anything, we don’t get paid.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Katrina Fitten. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate entrepreneurs—especially women business owners—on how to secure funding responsibly, avoid scams, and develop a strategic financial plan. It also highlights Katrina Fitten’s expertise as CEO/CFO of New Day for You Financial and her mission to help startups and small businesses access capital. Key Takeaways Funding Opportunities & Qualifications Katrina helps women business owners secure up to $100,000 in 100 days or less, with same-day approval and next-day funding. Basic qualifications include: Credit score of 680+ Existing credit lines (at least $10,000) A clear business mission and low-risk profile. Avoiding Scams Beware of unsolicited emails/texts promising easy money. Do your homework: Check companies on Better Business Bureau (BBB). Look for testimonials and partnerships with reputable banks (e.g., Chase, American Express). Never share sensitive information without verifying legitimacy. Importance of a Business Plan Funding is not free money—you need a strategic plan. Katrina calls it a “money mission”: know exactly how funds will be deployed. Without a plan, money disappears quickly, leading to debt and bad credit. Family & Friends Lending Treat personal loans like business loans: Have written agreements with terms, repayment schedule, and penalties. Decide upfront if it’s a gift or a loan. Services Offered by New Day for You Financial SBA loans, equipment loans, purchase order financing. Lines of credit and 0% interest credit cards (18–21 months). Credit card stacking for higher funding amounts. Credit restoration referrals for those with poor credit. Success Story Example: A tax accountant secured $160,000 in less than a week due to strong credit, revenue history, and a solid business plan. Notable Quotes “If you don’t have a plan for your money, your money will have a plan—and you’ll look up and it’s gone.” “We don’t want to be out here racking up good debt and then you’re not going to be responsible.” “You have to vet companies. Go to BBB, Google them, and check their credibility.” “If I give you money, I decide—is it a gift or a loan? There are rules to borrowing money.” “We say if you don’t get anything, we don’t get paid.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly 90% of Americans suffer from metabolic disease, Manu Diwakar tells us, citing a recent McKinsey & Company study. For Diwakar, CFO of Virta Health, that statistic defines both the scale of the challenge and the clarity of the mission.Metabolic disease, he explains, includes type 2 diabetes, obesity, liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, and high blood pressure—“branches of a tree,” he tells us, all sharing the same root cause: poor nutrition. Virta's model blends medical professionals and technology to reverse those conditions, partnering with insurers, employers, and government entities in a B2B2C framework.From a finance perspective, the impact is measurable. Diwakar tells us Virta uses pharmacy and medical claims data to compare enrolled members with non-enrolled employees who share the same conditions—creating what he describes as a “really clean A/B test.” For type 2 diabetes, the company delivers a “two-to-one ROI,” he tells us, making the value proposition tangible.In a market captivated by GLP-1 drugs, the numbers sharpen further. Virta charges about $150 per month, Diwakar tells us, compared with roughly $1,000 per month list price for GLP-1s—about $500 after rebates. More important, he notes that when patients stop GLP-1s, weight often returns. By targeting the root cause—nutrition habits—Virta aims to make results sustainable and long-lasting, he tells us.For Diwakar, disciplined measurement and root-cause thinking align strategy with impact—improving health while lowering cost.

In this conversation, Gary interviews Marcus Berger, CEO of Aviloo, about the importance of battery health diagnostics in the electric vehicle market. They discuss the evolution of Aviloo, the significance of understanding battery health, and the various factors that affect it.Marcus explains the differences between Aviloo's testing methods and those of competitors, emphasizing the need for independent assessments. The conversation also covers the mechanics of the Aviloo testing process, pricing models for B2B and B2C services, and the comprehensive nature of the Aviloo battery certificate.They conclude with insights on the future of battery diagnostics and the importance of safety checks in the EV industry.Takeaways:Avilo is a market leader in EV battery diagnostics.Battery health is crucial for determining the value of used EVs.Different charging habits significantly impact battery health.Independent testing provides more accurate battery health assessments.The Avilo Flash Test allows quick battery health checks.Consumers can access Avilo's testing services through a web shop.Battery certificates include detailed health metrics and benchmarks.Data from over half a million tests informs battery health insights.Battery safety checks should be part of annual vehicle inspections.Investing in battery health checks is essential for used EV buyers.Guest Details:I have been in leading positions of several highly reputable Real Estate companies for more than 20 years. Amongst others, I was MD of an institutional Real Estate Investment funds, COO of the worlds largest real estate services company. I succesfully restructured and built companies throught Central- and Eastern Europe. And then, at the age of 43 I decided to do something totally different and joined the Start Up company AVILOO as COO/CFO and shareholder. AVILOO developed a sophisticated Battery Data Platform to perform independent and objective state of health checks of second hand electric vehicles.Marcus's WebsiteThe EV Musings Podcast is sponsored by Zapmap, the go-to app for EV drivers, helping you find and pay for public charging with confidence.Episode produced by Arran Sheppard at Urban Podcasts: https://www.urbanpodcasts.co.uk(C) 2019-2026 Gary ComerfordSupport me: Patreon Link: http://www.patreon.com/evmusingsKo-fi Link: http://www.ko-fi.com/evmusingsThe Books:'So, you've gone electric?' on Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Q5JVF1X'So, you've gone renewable?' on Amazon : https://amzn.to/3LXvIckSocial Media:EVMusings: Twitter https://twitter.com/MusingsEvInstagram: @EVmusingsOctopus Energy referral code (Click this link to get started) https://share.octopus.energy/neat-star-460Upgrade to smarter EV driving with a free week's trial of Zapmap Premium, find out more here

Your board has an AI strategy. It's probably rubbish. Nathan Bell has spent 25 years delivering transformation programmes inside the world's biggest telcos. Now a Partner at Kearney, he's the person companies call when the proof-of-concept graveyard keeps growing and the CFO starts asking uncomfortable questions. In this episode: why most AI programmes are expensive theatre, how to actually get ROI, and why your change management track record matters more than your technology choices. We also get into agentic AI gone wrong — a recruiting agent that only wanted to hire golfers, a CEO town hall that triggered a queue at HR, and an AI agent that doxxed a developer and got its creator hired by Sam Altman. Make of that what you will. Plus rapid-fire telco takes and a deeply scientific Australia vs Netherlands lifestyle quiz that ended in a draw. Time Stamps: 00:00 — AI Strategy Hype vs Reality: Why Most Exec Talk Is Rubbish 00:37 — Is This AI Wave Different from Dot-Com, Cloud, and 5G? 02:19 — From Boardroom Buzz to Production: The Proof-of-Concept Trap 03:44 — How to Actually Get ROI: Start Small, Make Big Bets, Fund Like a VC 06:47 — Low-Hanging Fruit: Internal Knowledge, Customer Service, and Procurement 09:16 — Metrics That Matter: MVP Milestones Over 2-Year "Goals"  11:21 — Making the VC Model Real: Phased Rollout and Cultural Change 13:26 — Market Whiplash: When AI Adoption Threatens Your Revenue Model 14:51 — AI as a Business Capability, Not a Shopping List of Tools 16:10 — Agentic AI and the Human Factor: Bias, Process Drift, and Set-and-Forget Myths 21:10 — The People Side of Agents: Fear, Trust, and How Leaders Miscommunicate 24:41 — Why AI Transformations Fail: Change Management and HR as the Quarterback 26:44 — When Agents Go Rogue: The Python Library Incident and What It Signals 28:28 — Who's Responsible for AI Agents? Why Human-in-the-Loop Still Matters 29:19 — When AI Monitors AI: The Two-Agent Marketing Campaign Story 31:03 — Legacy, Culture and Operating Model: Why Big Firms Struggle to Adopt AI 33:49 — Ethics, Bias and Copyright: The Legal Minefield of Generative AI 35:40 — Who's Winning with AI and Why: Consumer Goods, Banks and Telcos 38:01 — Regulation Reality Check: EU AI Act, Vendor Audits and the Air Canada Case 39:37 — Where Telcos Should Start with AI: Customer Service, Vendors and Billing 41:41 — Transformation Lessons from Telcos: People, Forgive the Past, Progress Over Perfection 44:39 — AI Hype vs Jobs Reality: Using AI to Augment People, Not Just Cut Headcount 46:51 — What Still Motivates Transformation Leaders + Rapid-Fire Telco Takes  51:49 — Finale: Australia vs Netherlands Quickfire (and a Perfect Tie)

Chris Markowski, the Watchdog on Wall Street, delves into the complexities of the financial world, emphasizing the importance of truth over narratives. He discusses the current economic indicators, the alarming state of consumer debt, and the impact of tariffs on the economy. The conversation also covers the housing market crisis, challenges in commercial real estate, and the role of personal CFO programs. Markowski critiques the fallacy of free services and highlights the monopolistic issues in food delivery and agriculture, advocating for a more secure food system.

Listen and subscribe to Money Making Conversations on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, www.moneymakingconversations.com/subscribe/ or wherever you listen to podcasts. New Money Making Conversations episodes drop daily. I want to alert you, so you don’t miss out on expert analysis and insider perspectives from my guests who provide tips that can help you uplift the community, improve your financial planning, motivation, or advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur. Keep winning! Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Katrina Fitten. Purpose of the Interview The interview aims to educate entrepreneurs—especially women business owners—on how to secure funding responsibly, avoid scams, and develop a strategic financial plan. It also highlights Katrina Fitten’s expertise as CEO/CFO of New Day for You Financial and her mission to help startups and small businesses access capital. Key Takeaways Funding Opportunities & Qualifications Katrina helps women business owners secure up to $100,000 in 100 days or less, with same-day approval and next-day funding. Basic qualifications include: Credit score of 680+ Existing credit lines (at least $10,000) A clear business mission and low-risk profile. Avoiding Scams Beware of unsolicited emails/texts promising easy money. Do your homework: Check companies on Better Business Bureau (BBB). Look for testimonials and partnerships with reputable banks (e.g., Chase, American Express). Never share sensitive information without verifying legitimacy. Importance of a Business Plan Funding is not free money—you need a strategic plan. Katrina calls it a “money mission”: know exactly how funds will be deployed. Without a plan, money disappears quickly, leading to debt and bad credit. Family & Friends Lending Treat personal loans like business loans: Have written agreements with terms, repayment schedule, and penalties. Decide upfront if it’s a gift or a loan. Services Offered by New Day for You Financial SBA loans, equipment loans, purchase order financing. Lines of credit and 0% interest credit cards (18–21 months). Credit card stacking for higher funding amounts. Credit restoration referrals for those with poor credit. Success Story Example: A tax accountant secured $160,000 in less than a week due to strong credit, revenue history, and a solid business plan. Notable Quotes “If you don’t have a plan for your money, your money will have a plan—and you’ll look up and it’s gone.” “We don’t want to be out here racking up good debt and then you’re not going to be responsible.” “You have to vet companies. Go to BBB, Google them, and check their credibility.” “If I give you money, I decide—is it a gift or a loan? There are rules to borrowing money.” “We say if you don’t get anything, we don’t get paid.” #SHMS #STRAW #BESTSteve Harvey Morning Show Online: http://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Jonathan Ma, CFO of Sutter Health, discusses navigating Medicare and Medi Cal uncertainty, investing in people and digital innovation, and pursuing strategic growth to expand access and scale the system's nearly $20 billion mission across California and beyond.

Startup employees are encouraged to believe in the mission. But IPO timelines now stretch well past a decade — and many never happen at all. In this episode, Ben Black, co-founder and managing director of Akkadian Ventures, explains how tech workers can think more strategically about the equity they've helped create. Drawing on more than 750 secondary transactions, Ben walks through how employees can evaluate a company's liquidity posture before accepting an offer, exercise options intelligently, understand the real value of their shares, and access secondary buyers — whether through structured programs or more proactive approaches. We also dig into the psychological side of selling: when to take money off the table, how to avoid overestimating future upside, and why “loyalty” shouldn't mean ignoring your own financial reality. Ben shares real-world examples of employees using secondaries to fund major life events — and even to bootstrap their own companies so they can retain more ownership and control from day one. Founders and VCs get a lot of attention for the risks they take. This episode is about the people who often take just as much risk with far less margin for error. * Information offered is for educational purposes and should not be considered financial advice. RUNTIME 52:37    BREAKDOWN (2:12) How Ben got into the secondary market and founded Akkadian (5:33) “The vast majority of really good companies now have secondary programs.” (8:39) Secondaries generate “a very significant part of the return of the large funds.” (9:57) Why are most companies still on a four-year vesting cliff? (12:55) Things to consider when you're 25% vested (15:22) Why so many tech workers never exercise their vested options (16:49) A framework for identifying the *right* time to sell (21:26) How to access the secondary market if your company doesn't offer a structured program (30:09) “I do see a lot of bad behavior among employees… using information that they're not supposed to use.” (32:06) Startup employees: cultivate a strong relationship with your CFO (34:08) The #1 reason why employees sell secondaries (and a few edge cases) (38:44) “You have to be really skeptical, and you need to take a lot of shots on goal.” (45:11) How many founders are bootstrapping startups using the secondary market? (48:44) How long does it take to get liquid? LINKS Ben Black Akkadian Venture Capital IPO markets look primed to accelerate in 2026, pwc, 12/12/2025 SUBSCRIBE