Podcasts about customers

Elevating Customer Support Teams with Smart AI Integration  Shep interviews Sam Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of 8x8. He talks about the evolving role of AI in business communications and why customer experience professionals should be recognized as revenue generators rather than cost centers.   This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What impact does self-service technology have on customer satisfaction?  How can AI self-service and human support work together effectively?   What drives customers to switch companies due to poor self-service?  What makes customers more forgiving of mistakes by human agents than AI systems?  Why should businesses view customer service as a revenue center rather than a cost center?  Top Takeaways:    Relying exclusively on self-service or automation is not enough. Customers should always have a way to speak to a real person when technology can't meet their needs. AI-powered solutions work well for routine requests, but there must be a seamless failover to a human agent when things get complicated or the customer is dissatisfied.  California has enacted a law requiring companies to offer a quick, clear option for customers to connect with a human representative if their self-service solutions, often powered by AI, don't deliver satisfactory results.  AI and automation in customer service are growing, reducing the volume of easy, repetitive cases handled by humans. More complex and sensitive issues are go to human agents and as a result, today's customer support agents are required to handle more complex issues and provide a higher level of expertise and empathy, making them specialists rather than agents.  The customer support department is a revenue center. Delivering consistently excellent experiences leads to higher retention rates, repeat business, and positive reviews.   Customers of different ages have distinct preferences for how they interact with support. Older customers lean towards phone support, while younger generations prefer chat or digital channels. But both demographics still want the assurance of being able to call a support agent if their problem isn't resolved online.  Leading companies like Amazon have set the standard for customer support by combining AI for routine tasks with proactive escalation to human agents when needed. They have created a seamless customer experience by enabling quick, easy connection with knowledgeable support agents and avoiding the need to repeat themselves to get their issue resolved.   Regular customers sustain and grow a company. Regular customers drive steady revenue and are typically the brand's biggest advocates.  The future of customer service lies in integrating effective technology with empowered employees. Companies that invest in effective digital solutions and well-trained customer specialists are best positioned to create positive experiences, adapt to customer preferences, and succeed in a competitive marketplace.  Effective customer support isn't rocket science. The technology exists today to empower both businesses and consumers with choice and flexibility, and it is more affordable than it was five or ten years ago. The real differentiator is the willingness to implement these solutions and put the customer's needs first.   Quote:   "One of the great mistakes tech companies make is we talk too much about features and don't talk enough about our customers."     About:    Sam Wilson is the Chief Executive Officer of 8x8, with over 25 years of experience in finance, investment, and sales. He has held several key leadership roles at 8x8, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Customer Officer.  Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special edition episode recorded at the EMARKETER Creator Trends 2026 Virtual Summit, you will learn how shoppable video, retail media integrations, storefronts, and affiliate programs are reshaping the journey, and the metrics and org models needed to make always-on creator commerce truly work. Minda Smiley, Senior Analyst at EMARKETER hosts a panel with Cory Weaver, Head of Influence at Gap, Inc. and Alexis Call, Director of Digital Merchandising and Site Experience at Stanley 1913. Listen everywhere you find podcasts and watch on YouTube and Spotify.   Subscribe to EMARKETER's newsletters. Go to https://www.emarketer.com/newsletters   Follow us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/emarketer/   For sponsorship opportunities, contact us: advertising@emarketer.com   For more information, visit: https://www.emarketer.com/advertise/   Have questions or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at podcast@emarketer.com    For a transcript of this episode, click here: https://www.emarketer.com/content/podcast-creators-meet-commerce-how-they-guide-customers-inspiration-checkout-behind-numbers-special-edition   © 2026 EMARKETER

On this episode of Bulture podcast:BREAKING: Saks Fifth Avenue to close Tysons Galleria store after 38 years.IPIC Theaters files for bankruptcy; Pike and Rose location could close. The location is expected to close by April 28, 2026, if a buyer is not found.One day just put Future music on Shuffle and pay attention to how many B side songs you know word for word!50 Cent fires back at TI in new “Power Origins theme song Ft Leon Thomas “No One Told Us”.That 50 Cent and Max B collab is trash.King Harris is now reportedly selling cannabis with 50 Cent's late mother, Sabrina Jackson, on the cover—‘Ms. Jack Pack'—and telling fans where to buy it.Papoose jumped over 50 Cent's “Many Men” beat to release a freestyle dissing him.  50 Cent responded via his Instagram profile.Prayers up! Monaleo cancels upcoming shows after losing part of her reproductive system in emergency surgery.Ari Fletcher goes off on Akademiks and puts $350K toward defamation suit against DJ Akademiks after he says she's known for being involved with multiple men! Ari vows to bankrupt him.Grammy winning Rapper Killer Mike told TMZ that poor kids should stop fighting America's wars and that Rich kids should be the only ones sent to go fight.Former Marine Sgt. Brian McGuinness stood up in Congress to say that Americans don't want to fight a war with Iran for Israel before being removed by Capitol Police.PlaqueBoyMax was left stunned and a little spooked after Chinese drill rapper FOUR4444 told him that King Von taught her how to rap in a dream.Treach and Pepa's daughter was knocked out in her boxing match just now against a trained two-time Olympic gold medalist fighter.Lil Baby's baby mama, Jayda Wayda, explains how men used to approach her inappropriately because most of her friends were 304s.Southwest Airlines is considering no longer cleaning coach seats between flights. Customers who want a guaranteed clean seat may have to upgrade to premium.People are complaining about with the Breakfast Club being on Netflix and not YouTube. How important is community when it comes to what you like for entertainment?The nationwide average of gas prices is up $.42 cents from a month ago according to AAA.The Raiders agreed to trade five-time Pro-Bowl DE Maxx Crosby to the Ravens in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks.Jayda Cheaves posted a YouTube video sharing that she is on a social media fast during Lent season to strengthen her relationship with the Lord and be more present.Bernice Burgos shares progress update after recent refinement cosmetic surgeryBia posted a picture from Gayle King's interview in response to Megan Thee Stallion laughing at a diss song aimed at her.Slutty Vegan founder Pinky Cole channels Soulja Boy, explains different types of bankruptcy in rap.Patriots to release Stefon Diggs, New England saves more than $16 million against cap by parting ways with WR!Woman goes off, saying she gets really upset if a man she deems unattractive tries to talk to her—she calls it offensive because of her good looks-WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale was arrested Thursday at Club E11EVEN in Miami while celebrating her team's Unrivaled championship.-Nicki Minaj's sister pulls up to Cardi B's tour rapping her songs word for word-Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion backstage at Cardi's SOLD OUT Houston show.Kyle Pitts reveals that only seven of former NFL player Rondale Moore's teammates showed up to his funeral after he died.NBA Star Draymond Green defends Atlanta Hawks ‘Magic City Monday' and says adult entertainment Is actually an art.11-year-old boy shoots, k*lls mother's boyfriend during altercation according to Philadelphia police.

There's a lot of news from Blazie Technologies to tell you about on the next installment of Tek Talk. First, we want to let you know what's happening with the BT Braille. BT Braille has a Braille keyboard, speech output along with either a 20 cell or 40 cell model with lots of apps and features. Customers who have pre-ordered the BT Braille have already received their devices and we continue to update and refine the software to make these devices even better. Not only that but March is a big anniversary month for us as it was two years ago that we began shipping the BT Speak. To celebrate BT Speak's second anniversary, we have an exciting update to tell you about which will be free for all of our customers. Presenter contact info: David Goldfield , Director of Marketing Blazie Technologies, LLC Email: info@blazie.net Phone: 772-214-1616 Website: www.BlazieTech.com

Episode 1911 - brought to you by our incredible sponsors: QUINCE: Don't keep settling that clothes that don't last. Go to Quince.com/hardfactor for free shipping and 365-day returns.  FACTOR -  Head to factormeals.com/hardfactor50off and use code hardfactor50off to get 50% off your first Factor box PLUS free breakfast for 1 year. *Offer only valid for new Factor customers with code and qualifying auto-renewing subscription purchase. Make healthier eating easy with Factor.  00:00:00 Timestamps 00:05:50 What happened in 1911? 00:08:00 Meta is being sued as it's alleged that their AI glasses have been sharing customers' nude, having sex, jerking off, and bank cards, to Meta contractors reviewing 00:23:55 Epstein file FBI interviews related to Trump allegations were released  00:28:00 New Epstein death stuff coming out about a guard getting weird payments 00:35:20 UNR student and OF member caught jerking it in the school library 00:39:10 Canadian man steals and tortures beloved flamingo from Vegas Flamingo resort And much more Thank you for listening and supporting the pod! Go to patreon.com/HardFactor to join our community, get access to Discord chat, bonus pods, and much more - but most importantly: HAGFD!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've ever struggled to explain what your business does or felt like your marketing should be converting better, join us for StoryBrand Your Business Live. It's a two-day workshop in Nashville this May 7-8, 2026 where Donald Miller will teach you how to build clear messaging that works. You'll also get direct feedback from StoryBrand Certified Guides so you walk out confident your message connects. Every workshop this year has filled up fast, and this one will too. Register now at http://storybrand.com/live       Chances are, you already know that story is everything when it comes to growing your business. Customers who feel invited into a narrative engage more, understand more, and buy more. The harder question has always been a practical one: where do these stories actually go, and how do you write them without starting from scratch every time?   In this episode, Donald Miller shares the exact 7-part AI prompt he uses with clients to transform flat copy into story-driven messaging, from landing pages to keynotes to product descriptions on Amazon. He walks through how to name the problem, agitate it emotionally, state a clear need, and only then introduce your product as the solution. Use this formula correctly, and you're not just writing better marketing. You're making it nearly impossible for your customer to look away.         Connect with Donald Miller on social media: https://www.instagram.com/donaldmiller/ https://www.facebook.com/donaldmillerwords http://StoryBrand.com   Building a StoryBrand 2.0 is now available! https://buildingastorybrand.com/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=&utm_term=cb&utm_content=SB_Framework   Make your marketing and messaging work with the StoryBrand framework—and you can do that with the updated version of the book, Building a StoryBrand 2.0, now available!

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Retail today looks a lot different than it used to. Customers can shop on their phone from their couch. They can compare us to the entire world in about five seconds. They expect personalization. They expect overnight, or even two-hour delivery. And honestly? That's fair! If we want to stay relevant, we have to evolve and grow to meet the customer's changing needs. But one constant that's anchored us through our entire 125 years is that we don't define what good service looks like—customers do. In parts 1 and 2 of our 125th anniversary series we took a look back at our history, and how our culture has spread and grown along with the company. For Part 3 we're bringing the focus to the present—to pay attention to what a modern customer is looking for, to meet them on their terms, and to empower our people to seek out new and better ways to serve. To help tell this story you'll hear, once again, from my brother and Co-CEO, Erik Nordstrom, as well as our cousin and Chief Merchandising Officer, Jamie Nordstrom. You'll also hear from a few current Nordstrom employees in varying roles—from the physical sales floor to our digital marketplace. No matter where our customers wish to shop with us—in a store face-to-face, or in sweatpants under a blanket in bed—we'll be there for it. Yes, the business has become more complex, but the mission is simple: Make customers feel good, and look their best. Thanks for tuning in to episode 105. We hope you enjoy it! Did you know that YOU can be on The Nordy Pod? This show isn't just a one-way conversation. We want to hear about what Nordstrom looks like through your eyes. Share your Nordstrom experience, good or bad, by giving us a call and leaving a voicemail at: 206.594.0526, or send an email to nordypodcast@nordstrom.com to be a part of the conversation! And, be sure to follow us on Instagram @thenordypod to stay up to date on new episodes, announcements and more.

Am I the Genius? is the show where you get real answers to questions you've always wondered but didn't think to ask. Subscribe on YouTube - youtube.com/@amithegenius?sub_confirmation=1 Am I the Jerk? on Instagram - instagram.com/amithegenius Am I the Jerk? on Spotify - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0uEkxvRMpxLuuHeyPVVioF?si=b279dadfe593432b⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ x.com/amithejerk facebook.com/amithejerk SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORIES HERE ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://amithejerk.com/submit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Mint Mobile - Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at MINTMOBILE.com/AITJ Quince - Keep it classic and cool — with long-lasting staples from Quince. Go to Quince.com/AITJ for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty-five -day returns. EveryPlate - Dig into these flavor-packed meals your household will love. New customers can enjoy this special offer of only $1.99 a meal. Go to everyplate.com/podcast and use code AITG199 to get started. Green Chef - Head to Greenchef.com/50AITJ and use code 50AITJ to get fifty percent off your first month, then twenty percent off for two months with free shipping. Lola Blankets - Get 35% off your entire order at Lolablankets.com by using code AITJ at checkout. Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/AITJ Don't miss out on this limited-time offer. Uncommon Goods. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virgin Media Ireland has announced the launch of a new SIM-only mobile plan priced at just €15 per month, with permanent "For Life" pricing, delivering long-term value and complete price certainty for customers across the country. Designed to meet growing demand for straightforward, affordable mobile connectivity, the new €15 per month plan combines unlimited data, calls and texts within the Republic of Ireland with the reassurance that the monthly price will not increase over time. Customers signing up can do so with confidence, knowing there will be no surprise price hikes on their plan. With more people relying on their smartphones for streaming, remote working, social connection and everyday communication, Virgin Media Ireland's latest offering provides unlimited usage at home so customers can browse, stream and stay connected without worrying about limits. The plan also includes 37GB of EU roaming data, enabling customers to use their phones across the EU for work trips, holidays and weekend breaks without unexpected charges. Customers can also avail of the full range of existing Virgin Mobile add-ons, allowing them to tailor their mobile experience to suit their needs. More information can be found here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's No.1 Tech Podcast too. You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here: https://anchor.fm/irish-tech-news If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie now to discuss. Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at Info@IrishTechNews.ie now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience. You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Welcome to episode #1026 of Thinking With Mitch Joel (formerly Six Pixels of Separation). At a time when strategy has become a kind of corporate theater… carefully crafted presentations, ambitious roadmaps and bold declarations that rarely survive first contact with reality… Kevin Ertell has spent a career focused on the harder question: why execution so often fails. Kevin is the Founder and CEO of Mistere Advisory and a veteran operator whose three decades of experience include leading large-scale retail and e-commerce operations at global brands like Nike, Sur La Table, Borders, and Tower Records. Over the years he has developed a reputation as a straight-talking advisor who helps leaders turn complexity into clarity and ambition into measurable results. His work spans industries including technology, healthcare, retail, consumer goods and manufacturing, where he focuses on helping organizations align teams, simplify priorities and build the operating rhythms required to deliver on their plans. In his new book, The Strategy Trap - Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right, Kevin draws on decades of frontline experience to tackle a frustrating reality of modern business: most strategies don't fail on paper… they fail in the real world. Through practical frameworks like his Six Cs of Execution (Co-creation, Clarity, Capacity, Communication, Coordination and Coaching) he argues that strategy and execution must begin in the same room, with teams co-creating the plan and committing to disciplined follow-through. Kevin explores how incentives shape behavior, why organizations must slow down to create clarity before accelerating, and how leadership cultures built around coaching and collaboration can unlock real momentum. Grounded in operational experience rather than theory, his work reframes strategy not as a planning exercise but as a team sport that requires alignment, accountability and relentless focus on execution. Enjoy the conversation… Running time: 58:44. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Listen and subscribe over at Apple Podcasts. Listen and subscribe over at Spotify. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Thinking With Mitch Joel. Feel free to connect to me directly on LinkedIn. Check out ThinkersOne. Here is my conversation with Kevin Ertell. The Strategy Trap - Why Companies Fail at Execution and How to Get It Right. Mistere Advisory. Get The Strategy Trap newsletter. Follow Kevin on LinkedIn. Chapters: (00:00) - Introduction to Kevin Ertell and his Expertise. (02:51) - The Evolution of E-commerce and Digital Strategy. (06:03) - Understanding the Strategy Trap. (08:57) - The Importance of Execution in Strategy. (12:02) - Communication and Team Dynamics in Strategy. (14:47) - Co-Creation and Employee Engagement. (17:55) - The Role of Customers in Strategy. (21:04) - Defining the Strategy Trap and Its Implications. (30:01) - Navigating Change: The Role of Detractors in Strategy. (32:47) - The Rise and Fall of Retail Giants: Lessons from JCPenney. (40:58) - Harnessing AI: Transforming Strategy and Productivity. (49:01) - Coaching Mindset: The Key to Effective Leadership. (53:06) - Anticipating the Future: Understanding Change and Context.

Do you find yourself feasting one week on mass amounts of leads then suddenly a week later find yourself sulking because the phone hasn't rang ?   This is call lead-lulls, and it is a curable disease.   Lend an ear for this audio medication    https://dentco.us   http://instagram.com/dentcopdr

The Brands That Win Care More. In baseball, you can feel when a team cares. You walk into the clubhouse… You watch how players treat the equipment manager… You see the energy in batting practice. You know immediately. The same thing happens in business. Customers can feel when a company actually gives a damn. And when they do… they become your biggest promoters. In this episode of WINNERS FIND A WAY, Trent Clark sits down with Justin Ricklefs, founder of Guild Collective and author of Give a Damn, to talk about the real competitive advantage in business today: human connection. Justin shares how brands win when they stop shouting about their products… and start telling stories that connect with people. This conversation covers: • Why your brand story matters more than your marketing budget • The biggest mistake companies make when communicating with customers • Why Chick-fil-A, Nike, and Apple dominate through emotional connection • How great leaders build companies that people actually care about • The power of customer delight in a noisy marketplace As Justin says: "Your brand is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room." Winners Find a Way_ Guest-Justi… The question every leader should ask is simple: What story are people telling about your company? ABOUT THE GUEST Justin Ricklefs is the Founder and CEO of Guild Collective, a Human-First brand agency helping organizations grow through clarity, connection, and creativity. Before launching Guild Collective, Justin spent years working in sports organizations including the Kansas City Chiefs, helping build partnerships and revenue through strategic storytelling. Justin is also the author of Give a Damn: The Catalyst for Caring Companies, a book that challenges businesses to rediscover the power of caring about customers, employees, and community. He lives in Kansas City with his wife Brooke and their five children. RESOURCES MENTIONED Justin Ricklefs Website: https://guildcollective.com Book: Give a Damn Connect with Justin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinricklefs/ WATCH / LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

Nick Glimsdahl is a leading authority in Customer Experience (CX) and Digital Transformation, specializing in the critical connection between authentic service and business success.As the Director of Contact Center Solutions at VDS and host of the weekly podcast Press 1 For Nick, Nick combines deep expertise in sales, marketing, and contact-center strategy to help organizations create effortless and human-centered customer experiences. He advises companies on aligning business goals, customer expectations, and employee experience—often guiding organizations through complex initiatives such as digital transformation and AI adoption.Nick is also the author of The Heart of Service, where he champions service models that scale operationally without losing empathy, helping leaders and teams build customer experiences that drive long-term loyalty and growth.SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Selling from the Heart Podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy are joined by Nick Glimsdahl to explore the powerful idea that how you serve is how you sell. Nick explains that authentic selling begins with transparency, being honest about pricing, timelines, expectations, and outcomes so prospects can truly “see around the corner” and make informed decisions.The conversation highlights the often-overlooked period between contract signature and implementation, what Nick calls the “go-live gap.” When organizations fail to deliver a consistent experience during this phase, customers quickly lose trust, leading to buyer's remorse, lost renewals, and missed referrals.Nick also shares lessons from his book The Heart of Service, emphasizing the importance of listening deeply to customers and frontline employees, reviewing sales conversations to improve performance, and aligning internal teams to deliver a unified customer experience. This episode offers practical strategies for sales professionals to build trust, create seamless handoffs, and focus on long-term relationships rather than short-term wins.KEY TAKEAWAYSTransparency about pricing, timelines, expectations, and results builds stronger customer trust.The “go-live gap”—the period between signing and implementation—is critical to customer satisfaction and retention.Long-term customer lifetime value should take priority over quick transactional wins.Sales professionals shape the customer experience because they are often the first face of the organization.Strong internal alignment between sales, implementation, and customer success ensures a consistent experience.Listening more than talking helps sales professionals better understand customer needs.Genuine care and attention toward prospects differentiate sellers in a crowded marketplace.HIGHLIGHT QUOTES“Selling from the heart means being transparent—about price, timelines, expectations, and results.”“The more I spoke, the better I sounded… but that didn't mean people would buy.”“You don't have to be great. You just have to beat the DMV… but somewhere between Zappos and the DMV.”“Care more than everybody else.”“You don't close a sale. You open a relationship.”“Customers will easily go to your competitor—even if they have to pay more—for a better experience.”ADDITIONAL RESOURCESExplore the secrets of heart-centered leadership and thriving workplace cultures with Culture from the Heart Podcast! Nominate a visionary CEO at www.culturefromtheheart.com!Listen to Larry Levine's Bestselling Book — Selling in a Post-Trust World! Now available on Audible! Transform your sales approach with insights that matter.  SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL! Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTubeet Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:Click Here for Your Daily Dose

The Context of White Supremacy (C.O.W.S.) Radio Program hosts the weekly summit on Neutralizing Workplace Racism 03/05/26. On the same week that Colt '45' Gray's White father was convicted for his role in allowing his White child to shoot up a Georgia school, a CBC report indicates a number of White Canadian educators are leaving the profession in response to school violence north of the border. Gus T. was stunned. Since the good ol' US has more school shootings then anyone in the galaxy, he was curious to know if US teachers are also heading for the hills after nearly 3 decades of Columbines with no end in sight. We also discuss a recent shooting at a Wisconsin Taco Bell. Customers allegedly escalated a confrontation that began in the drive through. When patrons attempted to breach the kitchen area of the restaurant, a black male employee, Clarence James, allegedly fired several warning shots in the air to defend himself and his co-workers. No one was harmed, but James was arrested. His concealed carry permit had expired, so this was the only violation he faced. We had previously discussed the 2025 shooting death of Ryan Johnson at an Ohio Taco Bell. Speak with young non-white people about the dangers of working at fast food establishments. #YoungBlackAndUnemployed INVEST in The COWS – http://paypal.me/TheCOWS Cash App: https://cash.app/$TheCOWS CALL IN NUMBER: 720.716.7300 CODE 564943#

In today's episode of Reddit Stories Podcast, a wild Karen completely loses it. You won't believe how this one ends! Sit back, relax, and enjoy this binge-worthy Reddit Stories Podcast, featuring Karen freakouts, entitled people stories, and pro revenge tales.

In this video, I walk you through the service excellence operating system, which walks you through the exact steps to keep your clients long term, achieve world class results, and have them referring you to their friends.

Great marketing does not start with your product. It starts with your customer. In this conversation, I speak with marketing strategist Scott Hornstein about why storytelling, customer research, and trust are the real drivers behind successful brands. Scott shares lessons from decades in marketing, including his work with IBM and major technology launches, and explains how companies often fail when they focus on themselves instead of the people they serve. You will hear how listening to the voice of the customer can reshape messaging, build trust, and unlock growth. Scott also reflects on entrepreneurship, resilience, family, and the mindset required to get back up after setbacks. I believe you will find this conversation both practical and encouraging as you think about how relationships and trust shape business success. Highlights: · Creativity in Queens – Scott reflects on how music and culture shaped his early creativity.04:10 · From Literature to Marketing – His love of books leads him toward storytelling and marketing.12:57 · Learning to Experiment – A mentor teaches the value of trying ideas and learning from failure.20:46 · The Customer as the Hero – Scott explains why marketing must center on the customer.31:48 · Customer Insight Drives Messaging – Research helps reshape a company's message and market entry.41:23 · Resilience Through Setbacks – Scott reflects on perseverance in life and business.50:59 Top of Form Bottom of Form About the Guest: I currently live in Reston VA, my wife and I having moved there to be close to our 2 daughters and our 2 granddaughters. I am an independent business consultant specializing in storytelling – which embraces marketing, research, and content. Family is the most important thing in my life and it has taught me that lasting relationships, business and personal, are steeped in empathy and commitment. I was born in Manhattan on July 25, 1950. My parents soon moved the family to the up-and-coming borough of Queens. I attended the public schools in and around Forest Hills.  Writing was always my goal. I graduated NYU as an English major.  Upon graduation I traveled, then pursued my (naïve) dream of living as an artist – as a writer, an actor, and a musician. I wrote plays for the brand-new cable industry, wrote for a movie-making magazine, was in several off-off Broadway plays, worked as a pick-up musician. I helped in the office for a former professor to earn subway money. Got tired of starving to death. Took a job with CBS in the Broadcast Center, pulling together the Daily Log for the local station. Then, got hired to answer Bill Paley's mail. Then, I was hired as a marketing manager for Columbia House where I got some of the best advice – keep going. I met this guy from my neighborhood while commuting to my job in Manhattan. Turns our he worked for Y&R and said they were looking for someone. I interviewed and jumped over to agency-side work as an Account Executive, then Account Supervisor, then, going back to my roots, copywriter and eventually Creative Director. The entrepreneurial life has been a roller coaster, but I have been blessed to work with some brilliant people in marketing and sales, and some great companies. It allowed me to understand how I can really help my customers become successful in the long-term. Ways to connect with Scott**:** LinkedIn Medium www.hornsteinassociates.com About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson  00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us. Well, hi everyone, and welcome once again to another episode of unstoppable mindset today. Our guest is Scott Hornstein, although when he came into the Zoom Room, I said, is it Hornstein or Hornstein? And of course, he also understood, because we're both of the same age, and are both fans of Young Frankenstein, who always said that his name was really pronounced Frankenstein. But you know, you have to have to know Gene Wilder for that. But anyway, if you haven't seen that movie, you got to see it. Mel Brooks at his best, but Scott is a marketing person and specializes a lot in storytelling, which fascinates me a lot, because I am a firm believer in storytelling, and I know we're going to have a lot of fun talking about that today. So Scott, I want to welcome you to unstoppable mindset. We're really glad you're here. Scott Hornstein  02:20 Thank you so much, Michael. I have to start by saying I have great respect for your work, and this is really quite a privilege for me. Thank you very much. Michael Hingson  02:32 Well, thank you. You're a long way from where you were born, in New York, in Manhattan. Now you're in Reston, Virginia, but that's okay. Well, you're not that far. It's just a short train ride, a few hours. Scott Hornstein  02:41 I That's true. That's true, although with that particular train, you can never be sure exactly how long it's going to be good Michael Hingson  02:52 point, yeah, yeah, good point. It is one of the things one has to deal with. But that's okay. But, you know, I've taken that train many times, and I've taken the the Metro liner as well, and also just the regular train. And I like the trains. I enjoy the train. I wish we had more of them out here. Scott Hornstein  03:15 I do too. I when it a long time ago in business, when I had a client here in DC, and I was living in Connecticut, I started taking the train, and it was so superior to flying. Oh yeah. And then recently I was, as I was mentioning to you, I was in Germany and taking the trains there is just wonderful. It's so superior. Michael Hingson  03:47 Yeah, I wish we would have more of them out here. If I, for example, want to take a train to San Francisco from where I live in Victorville, the only way I can do it is to take a train at roughly four in the morning to Los Angeles and then transfer on a train to go to San Francisco, which is no fun. I'll fly because it's it's kind of crazy, but I like the trains, and wish we wish we had more of them all over, and wish more people would use them. It's a lot better than driving, and it's a lot more pleasant. When I lived in the east, there were any number of times that I knew people who would travel from like Bucks County in Pennsylvania to New York Wall Street people, and they would go two, two and a half hours on the train every day and back again. And they formed discussion groups or other sorts of things. They they made it a part of their regular day, and it was there was nothing to them to do that. Scott Hornstein  04:54 And to them, I say, God bless. I am not in love with commuting, right? Yeah. Michael Hingson  05:00 Well, I understand that. I appreciate that, but they, they did well with it, and so good for them, or, as I would say in Australia, good on them. But you know, well, why don't we start tell us a little bit about you, maybe growing up in the early Scott and all that stuff. Let's start with that, sure. Scott Hornstein  05:21 First one brief aside about Young Frankenstein when I was living in Connecticut, I would go to the theater in Stanford, and for one performance, my tickets were at the will call, so I went up to the ticket booth, gave them my name, and the woman be on the other side of the iron bars keeps throwing her head to the side, wanting me to look over to my left, and I finally look over to my left, and there's Gene Wilder. Oh my gosh. What an enormously tall individual, very gracious, very nice. In any case, yes, Michael Hingson  06:06 with him, did you? Did you talk with Scott Hornstein  06:09 him just for a moment, just for a moment, you know, just Mr. Wilder, how nice to meet you. And he said a couple of nice things. And that was about it. Still, we all went to see the to see the show. Still, it was quite a thrill for me. What show I do not. Oh, that was, oh, no, excuse me. That was the the madness of King Charles, madness of King George. King George. But he was quite mad, and the play is excellent, excellent. Well, anyway, in any case, I grew I was born in Manhattan. I spent the first couple of years of life on the west side. I don't remember much of that. But my parents quickly moved us out to Queens, which at that point was rather undeveloped. You could get a lot more for your money, and we have lived in an apartment building. And around our apartment building was nothing but empty lots. It was just not developed yet. But it was a great place to grow up because the there was so much going on in those years and so much so much music that was going on. The first recollection I have, in light of all the talk about vaccines and healthcare and all of this is I really remember that polio was a real thing there, and I remember kids with the braces on their legs. And I remember that when one of my friends got chicken pox, that the mothers would get us all together and have a play date so that we got chicken pox too. Okay, but it was, Michael Hingson  08:20 I'm sorry, remember, I remember getting the polio vaccinations, even starting in kindergarten, Scott Hornstein  08:24 yes, yes. And it was such a remarkable thing at that time. We all thought it was like a miracle. And, and Jonas Salk, I mean, he was like, such a hero, yeah. The other thing, so I, we were out in Queens, in an area that's the larger area is called Forest Hills, and it was, it was a great place, because the the whole museum, whole music scene was just exploding. So I'm moving on until my junior high school and high school years, and it was just all over the place. Yes, we were playing in bands, but also there were these wonderful venues to go to. And there was the subway. If my parents only knew where I really was, we would get on the subway, go down in the village, go to all the cafe bar Gertie spoke city, all these places to hear the this wonderful mind changing music. And by mind changing, I don't mean drugs. I mean mind changing that it was, it was just everything in life. Michael Hingson  09:57 And there's nothing like hearing a lot. Music, Scott Hornstein  10:01 even to this day, it's my very, very favorite thing to do. Yeah, and so many musicians and artists came out of that area. I not being one of them. But it was so exciting. Michael Hingson  10:27 I remember when we lived in New Jersey, and I would commute into New York. I heard, for example, even then, and it was in like 96 to beginning of 2002 Woody Allen on Monday night would play his clarinet somewhere. And less, less, Paul was still doing music and playing music at the meridian ballroom. And you can even take your guitar in and he would sign it for you Scott Hornstein  10:55 the it was Joe's Pub. Woody Allen would right. And I went there a couple of times to see him. Of course, it was so pricey that we had to kind of sneak in have one beer, yeah, Michael Hingson  11:16 but still, it was worth doing. Scott Hornstein  11:19 And then they Yeah, and they were great clubs. I think that was, there's certainly the blue note for jazz that I went to a lot. And then there in Times Square, there was iridium, which was where I was able to see Les Paul, right? And many of those greats. Michael Hingson  11:42 Yeah, I never did get to go and get my guitar signed, and now it's too late. But oh, well, do you play? I play at it more than anything else. My father, I think, even before the war, before World War Two, or somewhere around there anyway, he traded something and got a Martin grand concert guitar. Oh, still, I still have it. That's wonderful. What a wonderful sound it is. Scott Hornstein  12:15 What a wonderful story. Yes, I play as well. I And growing up very early on, I decided I wanted to be Ricky Nelson. Oh, there you go. But I quickly learned that I was not going to be Ricky Nelson. However, the guy that was standing behind him playing guitar, now that might be something that I could do. So yes, so I picked it up, and I played in all the bands and then, which quickly taught me that I was not cut out for rock and roll, that I wasn't very good at it, but it led me into many other avenues of music, certainly listening, certainly being part of that scene, I'd go see friends of mine who could play well rock and roll and And that was so exciting for me. And then I, I played in pickup bands through college. So on a weekend night there would be a wedding, Bar Mitzvah, and this guy, I forget his name, piano player, he he got all the gigs and Howie was the first choice for guitar, and if Howie wasn't available, they'd call me. Michael Hingson  13:47 There you go, hey. So second choice is better than no choice. Absolutely. Scott Hornstein  13:54 I i enjoyed it thoroughly and that they paid me money to do this. There you go, right, inconceivable to me. Michael Hingson  14:05 So what did you major in in college? Scott Hornstein  14:10 Well, I started off majoring in biology, and there you go. And why I chose biology is is a mystery to this day, it didn't last long. I cycled through a number of things, and I graduated with a degree in literature, in English, particularly American literature, which is not quite the same as learning a trade. But you know it, it was consistent with with who I was at that time. I was the guy who, if he went out the door, would have two books with him, just in case I finished one. I didn't want to be left at sea, so a voracious reader couldn't stay away from the theater. So it was very consistent with who I was and and it was good for me, because I think through things like like literature and fiction and biography, you learn so much about the world, about how different people are confronted with challenges, how they process their lives, how they overcome these challenges or not or not, it just exposes you to so much. Michael Hingson  15:49 Yeah, and so I'll bet you had some challenges finding some sort of real, permanent job after getting a degree in English? Scott Hornstein  16:03 Yes, I did. But when I got out the idea of it didn't cross my mind that people actually would not earn a great living by being just an artist. What did I want to do? I wanted to write. I wanted to be involved in music. I wanted to act. I did all these things until the point when I got thoroughly fed up with being poor, with not having a dime in my pocket. Ever starving to death is, is sort of what you would call it. Yeah, yeah. You know, I did. I have modest success. Yes, I was able to keep myself off the streets, but no, it was no way for a career. It was no way to even be able to afford your own apartment, for gosh sakes. So I from there i i had done a lot of promotion for the different things that I was involved in, trying to get audiences, trying to get awareness of what I was doing, and that led me to have some contacts inside of CBS. And when I started looking for a job, I started talking to these folks, and they offered me a job. So here I was, and actually gainfully employed. Michael Hingson  17:44 What was the job? Well, I Scott Hornstein  17:47 was sort of a gopher for my first job. Mostly what I did was type, but I do have one good story for you. So I was down in the depths of the CBS Broadcast Center, which is all the way on the west side of 5017 and it's an old milk factory, so which they had converted to broadcast purposes. And so there were long holes, and the halls would always slope down. And there was one day where I was late for a meeting, and I came running down the halls, and there are always these swinging doors, I guess, for in case there's a fire or something, and I'm bursting through the doors, and I go running, and I burst through the next set of doors, and I'm running, and I burst through the next set of doors, and I knock this guy right on his bum. I pick him up, I dust him off. I say, I am so sorry. He says, Don't worry about a thing. It's all fine. I continue running. A friend of mine grabs me and says, Did you see Paul Newman? Michael Hingson  19:10 There you are. Scott Hornstein  19:12 So I have the unique entry on my resume of knocking Paul Newman to the ground. Michael Hingson  19:22 I Well, at least he was civil and nice about it. Scott Hornstein  19:26 He was very nice about it, though. Yeah, so I worked there and then through my writing, because I was writing for a film magazine at night, which, of course, didn't pay a cent, not a cent, but I got to go to all the premiers, and I got to meet all the people and interview all the people so whatever. So through that, I was able to go over to the main building and answer letters for Bill Paley, who was the. Michael Hingson  20:00 Chairman, Chairman, I said, Yes, right, Scott Hornstein  20:02 and it was my job to explain to everybody why Mr. Paley, I never called him, Bill, never, nobody, no, no, why he was right and they were wrong. That was my job, and that I did that for a little while, I can honestly say that I enjoyed having money in my pocket, but that was not the most fulfilling of jobs, and from there, I was able to go over and get my first marketing position, working for the Columbia record and tape Club, which was part of CBS Records at that time. And when I Ben or Dover was the president of Columbia House at that time, and when he made me the offer, he gave me one of the great life lessons that I've I've ever had. And he said, Scott, if you sit in your office and you do exactly what I ask you to do, and you do it on time, and you do it perfectly, we are not going to get along. But if you are out there and you're trying this and you're trying that, and this works, and that doesn't work, but you get up and you keep trying, we're going to be fast friends. Interesting. Yeah, yeah. That's something that has stayed with me my whole life. One of the great pieces of advice that I've ever gotten, Michael Hingson  21:57 well the for me, what's fascinating about it is thinking about how many people would really do that and allow that to happen, but it's really what more people should be doing. I've I've always maintained that the biggest problem with bosses is that they boss people around too much, rather than encouraging them and helping them and using their own talents to help people be more creative. When I hire sales people, the first thing I always told them was, well, the second thing because the first thing I always told them was, you need to understand right up front if you're going to sell here, you have to learn to turn perceived liabilities into assets. And that's got a story behind it. But the second thing that I always talked about was my job isn't to boss you around. I hired you because you convinced me that you're supposed to be able to do the job, and we'll see how that goes. But you should be able to but my job is to work with you to figure out how I can use my talents to help you and to enhance what you do to make you more successful. And the people who got that did really well, because we usually did things differently, and we both learned how to figure out and actually figure out how to work with each other and be very successful. But the people who didn't get it and wouldn't try that, generally, weren't all that successful. Scott Hornstein  23:26 Not terribly surprised, sir. You know, I think that people miss the the humanity of all this. And that if we bring our respective strengths and work together, that it's going to be a more complete and more successful whole than if I try and dominate you and tell you what to do, right, just that hasn't been a successful formula for me. I have never done well with people who tried to tell me exactly what to do, which is probably why I went out on my own. Probably why, in the greater scheme of things that I I did well, working for people from Columbia House. I met this guy on the train, and we got friendly, and he said he worked for an advertising agency, and they were looking for somebody would I be interested in interviewing? And this was with the young and Rubicon. And I did get the job, and I did work my way up to an account supervisor. And then i i said, i. Hate this, and I went back to be a copywriter and worked my way up to be a creative director. But, you know, I went on my own on January 1 of 86 and it was like a liberation for me, because at that point there was a new a new president of the division that I worked for, and he was not a nurturing individual. He was more of the dominant kind of you'll do what I tell you to do. Didn't sit well with me at all, and I had the opportunity to go on my own. So I I packed up my dolls and dishes, and I walked in on January 2, and I said, Bill, I quit. Michael Hingson  26:02 There you go. Was it hard for you to do that? Scott Hornstein  26:11 You know, at that point? So I here I am. I'm a creative director. I got the office on Madison Avenue, and I'm doing freelance all over the place, not only because it was extra money, but because it was it was fueling my creativity. It was giving me something back. It was fun. And I really like to have fun. I have so much fun working with people and that interaction that that humanity, the spark of humanity. So I was doing a lot of freelance, and I wrote this proposal for this one design group who was near where I was living at that time, and it got sold. So they said, Do you want to you want to work on it? And at that point in my life, I didn't have any responsibilities. I had a studio apartment there that was real cheap. And I said, If I don't try this now, yeah, I don't think I'll ever try it. So that's what I did. I quit, and I walked out the door into the great unknown, Michael Hingson  27:39 and the entrepreneurial spirit took over. Scott Hornstein  27:43 It did, and it worked well for about six, seven months, and then we got to the summertime, and I couldn't get arrested for a while. But you know, you have to take it one day at a time. And I figured, all right, well, let's just be open and network and see what's going on. It's not the time to quit. It's not the time to go back and get a job. And I was fortunate in that I was sitting at the desk one day, and this one guy called me, and I had met him before his folks ran one of the biggest, or actually the biggest, telemarketing agency in New York at that time, and I had met, met this fellow, and he said, I got this project. I've been asking around for creative source, and three people gave me your name. So I figured, well, let's go talk. And that turned into a very, very good situation for me, it gave me a lot of responsibility and a lot of leeway to take all the things that I had learned and put them in service of my client and I had a ball. I loved it. The only thing I didn't love was the and I did love this for a while was the constant travel. Now, everybody doesn't travel, and they're all sitting in their rooms at home, looking at screens. But that was that was a great opportunity for me to to spread my wings and to take and I learned so much one of the. Initial assignments I had was for IBM and IBM at that time was, was Mount Olympus. Oh my gosh, working for IBM, and I worked in tandem with this research group. We were all working on the introduction of the IBM ThinkPad and what these folks, they had a methodology they called voice of customer research, which was a qualitative research we're talking to decision makers from a carefully prepared Interview Guide to come up with the attitudes, the insights that we could put together to to come up with a solution. And I was fascinated by this of how to tap into what what the customer really wants by talking to the customer. How unusual. Michael Hingson  31:16 What a concept. Oh yeah. I mean Scott Hornstein  31:19 then and now, it's still the operative phrase of this would be a wonderful business, business, if it wasn't for all those annoying customers and and this just turned that on its head. That's another thing that I learned that has stayed with me through my entire career, is that for the the storytelling, and what I mean by storytelling is, is two things. Is, first, you know all your stories are going to come from what you consider to be your brand, but if you're not developing your brand according to the wants, the needs, the desires, the expressed future state that your Customers want, then then you're wide of the mark. So I was able to bring this in, and I think do a much better job for my customers. Now, the way that relates into storytelling is that you're you're able to take what you do and put it into the story of how your customer succeeds with the hero in the hero's journey, is Michael Hingson  32:55 your customer, your customer? Why do you think that is such a successful tactic to use, Scott Hornstein  33:02 because everybody else is completely enamored of themselves. When other companies craft their their brand, it's mostly because why they think they are special and what their vision tells them is their future. And quite frankly, most customers really don't care when, when a new customer first confronts you and your brand. They ask three questions, who are you? Why should I care? And what's in it for me? And if you can't answer those, if the story that you tell whether complete or in fragments or in in different parts according to where they are on their consideration journey. It doesn't resonate. It doesn't resonate. Hey, I have the best technology out there. I have brilliant people working on this technology. And guess what? Your technology? Somebody will eat your technology in 18 months, and I don't care, I want to know. What does it do for me? Michael Hingson  34:28 Yeah, as opposed to saying, After asking enough questions, I have technology that will solve this problem that you have identified. Let me tell you about it. Is that okay? Exactly? Scott Hornstein  34:44 Yeah, exactly. And as odd as it sounds, that helps you to stand out in the field, in a crowded Michael Hingson  34:55 field, it does, but it's also all about the. Relating to the customer and getting the customer to establish a rapport and relating to you. And when you, as you pointed out, make it about the customer, and you talk in such a way that clearly, you're demonstrating you're interested in the customer and what they want they're going to relate to you. Scott Hornstein  35:24 There's two, two things in there that, well, there's a million things in there that are particularly true. And the first is not only recognizing and and internalizing the goals of your client, but also opening yourself up and saying, these are people. These are humans. And the other real distinguishing fact that a lot of people don't either realize or embrace is that in business to business, and I've spent most of my life in business to business, it's all personal. It's all about personal connections. It's all about trust. And call me crazy, but I am not going to trust a machine. I will have confidence in technology, but my trust is going to be placed in the human through this, one anecdote that that is has really impressed me is that I was doing one of these interviews once, and I was talking to the CEO of of this company. And I said, Well, you know, I of course, I'm working for company A and you've been a client for a long time. What's, what's the greatest benefit that you get from this company? And without hesitation, he said, our salesman. Our salesman is part of our team. He understands who we are, he knows what we need, and he goes and he gets it. So that kind of that, to me, has always been a touchstone on things. Michael Hingson  37:43 Well, the fact that the salesman earned that reputation, and the President was willing to acknowledge it is really important and crucial. Scott Hornstein  37:56 And within that, I would say the very important word that you used is earn. You need to earn that trust. Sure it doesn't come just because you have brilliant technology. It's all people. It's all personal, all people. Michael Hingson  38:20 And that's success, the successful sales people are people who understand and work to earn trust. Scott Hornstein  38:32 Well said, and I think that particularly in this age of accelerating remoteness, that this concept of earning the trust and the person to person becomes a compelling competitive differentiator. And I think that that telling the story of of how you make your customers successful, of the role you play, of where you're going, this allows you to bridge some of those troubled waters to people who are sitting remote. It helps you to open your ears you know where you're going, so you can listen, yeah, Michael Hingson  39:40 well, and that's an extremely important thing to to keep in mind and to continue to hone, because bottom line is, it's all about, as I said, trust, and it certainly is about earning, and that isn't something you. First, it's something that you understand. Scott Hornstein  40:04 It's a gift that can only be bestowed on your customer. You can want it, but they're the only ones who can give you. Your brand is the meal you prepare. You but your reputation is the review, right? So, yeah, you gotta earn that trust. Michael Hingson  40:32 So how long so you you own your own company? How long has the company been in existence? Scott Hornstein  40:40 I Well, let's see. I went on my own on January 1 in 1986 and I am still without visible means of support. Michael Hingson  40:58 Well, there you go, same company all along, huh? Scott Hornstein  41:03 I Yeah, you know, do different work with different people, sure, but yes, it's still me. Michael Hingson  41:13 It's still, do you actually have a company and a name or anything like that? Scott Hornstein  41:17 I did. I did for a long time. I operated under Hornstein associates, okay, and recently I have dropped that and I just work as myself. I think that I had employees, then I had expandable, retractable resources then, and I'm not so interested in doing that right now. I am interested in working as and I love working as part of a team. Collaboration is my middle name. I might not have put that on my resume, but yeah, and I'm just, I'm really just interested in being me these days. Michael Hingson  42:13 That's fair. There's nothing wrong with that. No, well, in your current role, what do you think is the greatest contribution you've made to your clients, and I'd love an example, a story about that. Scott Hornstein  42:28 I would love to tell you a story. Oh, good. So one of my clients is a manufacturer. And they manufacture of all things, barcode scanners, as you would use in a warehouse and in a warehouse, absolutely everything, including the employees, has a barcode. Theirs is different than the the ones that you would normally see, the ones that like have a pistol grip. These are, these are new. It's new technology. They're ergonomically designed. They sit on the back of your hand. They're lightweight. They have more capabilities. They're faster and more accurate. Well, that sounds like sliced bread. However, they had a big problem in that all the scanners in all the warehouses come from the titans of the universe, the Motorola's, the great big names and these great, you know the old saying of Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM. Well, you know, if they need more scanners. Why would they go elsewhere? They just go back and get the same thing. So the the big problem is, is how to penetrate this market? And we did it. I worked with them in a number of ways. The first way was to conduct interviews, qualitative interviews, with the executive team, to come up with their their brand. What did they think? What did they think that was most important? And they said, clearly, the productivity gains, not only is this faster, not only can we prove that this is faster, but the the technology is so advanced that now we can also give you. Information from the shop floor. Well, then we talked to their their partners, who were already selling things into these warehouses. And we talked to a number of companies that were within their ICP, their ideal customer profile, I think that's very important to be prospecting with the folks who can make best use of your products and services. And what we found is that it wasn't just the productivity, it was that we solved other problems as well, and without going heavily into it, we solved the a big safety problem. We made the shop floor more secure and safer for the workers. So we changed the message from Warehouse productivity to the warehouse floor of making each employee safer, able to contribute more and able to have a better satisfaction, and that we were able to roll out into a into great messaging. The initial campaign was solely focused on the workers, and our offer was We challenge you to a scan off our scanners, against yours, your employees, your products, your warehouse. Let's have a head to head competition, because we then knew from these interviews, from working with the partners, that once these employees got the ergonomic the lightweight, ergonomic scanners on their hands, and realized how much faster They were, and how much safer that they were, that they would be our champions. And in fact, that's what, what happened. I can go deeper into the story, but it it became a story. Instead of coming in and just saying, boost your productivity, it's the scanners work for your your overall productivity. It helps you to keep your customers satisfied, your workers, one of the big problems that they're having is maintaining a stable and experienced workforce, this changed the characteristic of the shop floor, and it changed the character, how the employees themselves described their work environment. So we were able to take that and weave a story that went from one end of the warehouse to the other with benefits for everybody in between. So you said, What is the the one you said, the greatest benefit, I would say the contribution that I'm most proud of, it's that it's to recast the brand, the messaging, in the form, in the shape of the customer, of what they need, of helping them to achieve the future state that they want. And I'm sorry for a long winded answer, Michael Hingson  49:10 yes, that's okay. Not a not a problem. So let me what would you say are the two or three major accomplishments or achievements in your career, and what did they teach you? Scott Hornstein  49:26 Well, you know, I think the the achievements in my career, well, the first one I would mention was incorporating that, that voice of customer research, bringing the customer to the planning table, letting the executives, the sales people, the marketers, unite around, how does the customer express their hopes, their dreams, their challenges? I would say the second. Uh, is this idea of taking all of the content of all of the messaging and and unifying it? Some people call it a pillar view. I call it storytelling, of relaying these things so that you are giving your prospects and your customers the information that they need when they need it, at the specific point in their consideration journey, when this is most important, and it might be that a research report for a prospect that talks about some of the challenges in the marketplace and what's being done, it might be as simple for a customer as a as a video on how do you do this? You know, how do you screw in a light bulb? Oh, here it is. Everybody's used to that. The the third thing, and, and this is something, forgive me, for which I am, I am very proud, is that now I take this experience and this expertise, and through the organization called score, I'm able to give this back to people who are are trying to make their way as entrepreneurs Michael Hingson  51:35 through the Small Business Administration. And score, yes, Scott Hornstein  51:40 very proud of that. I get so much for from that. Michael Hingson  51:46 Well, what would you say are maybe the two or three major achievements for you in life, and what did you learn? Or what did they teach you? Or are they the same Scott Hornstein  51:57 I did? Well, I would say they're they're the same, and yet they're a little bit different. The first one is, is that it's only very few people who lead the charmed life where they are never knocked down. I'm not one of those people, and I've been knocked down several times, both professionally and personally, and to get back up, I to have that, and you will forgive me if I borrow a phrase that indomitable spirit that says, no, sorry, I'm getting back up again. And I can do this. And it may not be comfortable and it may not be easy, but I can do this. So there was that I think that having kids and then grandkids has taught me an awful lot about about interpersonal relationships, about the fact that there isn't anything more important than family, not by a long shot, and from these different things. I mean, certainly, as you I was, I didn't have the same experience, but 911 affected me deeply, deeply and and then it quite frankly, there was 2008 when I saw my my business and my finances sort of twirl up into the sky like like the Wizard of Oz, like that house in the beginning, Michael Hingson  54:09 but still, Scott Hornstein  54:16 And I persevere, yeah. So I think that that perseverance, that that focus on on family, on humanity. And I would say there's one other thing in there, is that. And this is a hard one. Observation is that I can't do anything about yesterday, and tomorrow is beyond my reach, so I I have to take Michael Hingson  54:56 today, but you can certainly use yesterday. As a learning experience, Scott Hornstein  55:01 I am the sum of all my parts, absolutely, but my focus isn't today, and using everything that I've learned certainly. You know, I got tongue tied there for just a minute. Michael Hingson  55:19 I hear you, though, when did you get married? Scott Hornstein  55:25 I got married in 87 I I met my wife commuting on the train to New York. Michael Hingson  55:35 So you had actually made the decision to could to quit and so on, before you met and married her. Scott Hornstein  55:43 No, no, I was, I was I met her while I still had a job in advertising. That's why I was commuting to New York. And you know, in the morning there was a bunch of us. We'd hold seats for each other and just camaraderie, yeah, you know, have our coffee. Did she? Did she work? She did she did she was she joined the group because she knew she had just gotten a job in New York. And of course, for those who don't know New York? When I say New York, I mean Manhattan, the city. Nobody thinks of any of the boroughs Michael Hingson  56:27 as part of New York. Scott Hornstein  56:31 And yeah, I and one day gone in, she fell asleep on my shoulder, and the rest is history. There you go. Michael Hingson  56:41 What So, what did she think when you quit and went completely out on your own? Scott Hornstein  56:48 I you know, I never specifically asked her, but I would think that she would have thought that maybe I was not as solid, maybe not as much marriage material, maybe a little bit of a risk taker. I did not see it as as taking a risk, though, at that time, but it was actually great for us, just great for us. And yeah, met there, and then I quit. Shortly thereafter, she was still commuting. And then things started to just take off, yeah, yeah, both for my career and for the relationship, yeah. Michael Hingson  57:51 And again, the rest of course, as they say, is history. Scott Hornstein  57:56 It is. And here I am now in Reston, Virginia, and we moved to Reston because both daughters are in close proximity, and my two grandchildren. And you know, am I still confronted with the knock downs and the and the get up again. Yeah, the marketplace is very crazy today. The big companies are doing great, the mid size companies, which is my Market, and it's by choice, because I like dealing with senior management. I like dealing with the people who make the decisions, who if we decide something's going to happen, it happens and and you can see the impact on the culture, on on the finances, on the customer base. These guys are it's tough out there right now. Let me say that it's it's tough to know which way to go. This doesn't seem to be anything that's sure at the moment. Michael Hingson  59:11 Yeah, it's definitely a challenging world and and then the government isn't necessarily helping that a lot either. But again, resilience is an important thing, and the fact is that we all need to learn that we can survive and surmount whatever comes along. Scott Hornstein  59:33 And let me just throw in AI that is a big disruptor at the moment that nobody actually knows Michael Hingson  59:43 what to do with it. I think people have various ideas there. There are a lot of different people with a lot of different ideas. And AI can be a very powerful tool to help but it is a tool. It is not an end all. Um. Yeah, and well said, I think that, you know, even I, when I first heard about AI, I heard people complaining about how students were writing their papers using AI, and you couldn't tell and almost immediately I realized, and thought, so what the trick is, what are you going to do about it. And what I've what I've said many times to teachers, is let students use AI if that's what they're going to use to write their papers, and then they turn them in. And what you do is you take one period, and you call each student up and you say, All right, I've read your paper. I have it here. I want you now to defend your paper, and you have one minute, you're going to find out very quickly who really knows what they're talking about. Scott Hornstein  1:00:47 That, in fact, is brilliant. Michael Hingson  1:00:49 I think it's a very I think it's a very powerful tool. I use AI in writing, but I use it in that. I will use it, I will I will ask it questions and get ideas, and I'll ask other questions and get other ideas, and then I will put them together, however, because I know that I can write better than AI can write, and maybe the time will come when it'll mimic me pretty well, but still, I can write better than AI can write, but AI's got a lot more resources to come up with ideas. Scott Hornstein  1:01:21 It does. It does. And with that, it's a fantastic tool. The differentiator, as I see it, for most of my stuff, is that AI has read about all this stuff, but I've lived it, so I'm going to trust me at the end, Michael Hingson  1:01:45 and when I talk about surviving the World Trade Center and teaching people what I learned that helped me in the World Trade Center, I point out most people, if there's an emergency, read signs and they're told go this way to escape or to get out or do this or do that, but there's still signs, and they don't know anything. I don't read signs, needless to say, and what I did was spent a fair amount of time truly learning all I could about the World Trade Center where things were, what the emergency evacuation procedures were what would happen in an emergency and so on. And so for me, it was knowledge and not just relying on a sign. And so when September 11 happened, a mindset kicked in, and we talked about that in my my latest book, live like a guide dog. But that's what it's about, is it's all about knowledge and truly having that information, and that's what you can trust. Scott Hornstein  1:02:48 I'll give you a big amen on that one. Michael Hingson  1:02:52 Well, this has been a lot of fun to do. We've been Can you believe we've been doing this an hour? My gosh, time, I know having fun. Scott Hornstein  1:03:03 It's fun. And I would say again, in closing, I just have enormous respect for what you've accomplished, what you've done. This is been a great privilege for me. I thank you very much. Michael Hingson  1:03:19 Well, it's been an honor for me, and I really value all the comments, the advice, the thoughts that you've shared, and hopefully people will take them to heart. And I would say to all of you out there, if you'd like to reach out to Scott, how do they do that? Well, there you go. See, just, just type, well, right? Scott Hornstein  1:03:42 That's it. If you, if you sent an email to Scott dot Hornstein at Gmail, you'll get me. Michael Hingson  1:03:56 And Hornstein is spelled Scott Hornstein  1:03:58 H, O, R, N, S, T, E, I, Michael Hingson  1:04:03 N, and again, it's scott.hornstein@gmail.com Scott Hornstein  1:04:09 that's that's the deal. There you go. Well, find me on LinkedIn. You can find me on medium. I'm all over the place. Michael Hingson  1:04:18 There you are. Well, I hope people will reach out, because I think you will enhance anything that they're doing, and certainly trust is a big part of it, and you earn it, which is great. So thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and watching us wherever you are. Please give us a five star review and a rating and but definitely give us a review as well. We appreciate that. If you know anyone else who ought to be a guest, Scott, you as well. We're always looking for more people to have on, so please introduce us and Scott. If you want to come on again, we can talk about that too. That'd be kind of fun. But I want to thank what I want to thank you again for being here. This has been fun, and I appreciate you being here with us today and and so thank you very much for doing it. Scott Hornstein  1:05:07 My all the pleasure is all mine. Michael Hingson  1:05:14 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Voluntary communication from the vendor is a display of good stewardship in action. Customers want to know that their money is being spent wisely. Vendors demonstrate good stewardship by sending voluntary information designed to educate, inform and equip customers with helpful updates about their transaction. Do you want more repeat and referral business? Courtesy communication is a great tool to help you achieve that goal.Support the show

If your brand feels like it's speaking to everyone but connecting with no one, this episode breaks down why niching down is the key to better content, stronger brands, and loyal customers.Work With Me: https://elijahdelporte.com/workwithme?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_content=Target customer Free Clothing Brand Newsletter: https://elijah-delporte.kit.com/newsletter

Paul Larche is a media pioneer, author, and business strategist with over four decades of experience in broadcasting and brand communication. As the founder of Larsh Communications, he built five radio stations from the ground up and was inducted into the Ontario Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. His latest book, The Divided Brain: Why Customers Buy (and Why They Don't), translates cutting-edge neuroscience into practical business strategy—helping leaders understand how human psychology truly drives buying behavior. In this episode, Paul breaks down the evolutionary wiring behind our decisions, why fear is such a powerful motivator, how media exploits confirmation bias, and what business owners must understand if they want to communicate effectively in today's AI-driven world. On this episode we talk about: The “old brain” vs. the “new brain” and how they shape buying behavior Why fear is a stronger motivator than reward Metacognition: thinking about your thinking How confirmation bias fuels modern media and marketing The dangers of pattern-seeking and confabulation Why understanding psychology is more valuable than mastering marketing tactics Top 3 Takeaways: 1. Your old brain runs the show.Most decisions are driven by survival wiring—seeking safety, status, and simplicity. Marketing that speaks to this system wins attention. 2. Awareness creates leverage.You can't eliminate bias—but you can recognize it. Metacognition (thinking about your thinking) is a competitive advantage in business and life. 3. Psychology outlasts platforms.Marketing channels change. Algorithms change. Technology changes. Human nature doesn't. The entrepreneurs who understand this will always have an edge. Notable Quotes: “The old brain runs the show.” “Fear kept our ancestors alive—that's why it's so powerful.” “You can't fight your wiring, but you can understand it.” “AI can bypass your new brain and speak directly to your old brain" Connect with Paul: Website: https://paullarche.com (free PDFs) Book: The Divided Brain  Travis Makes Money is made possible by HighLevel – the all-in-one sales & marketing platform built for agencies, by an agency.  Capture leads, nurture them, and close more deals — all from one powerful platform.  Get an extended free trial at gohighlevel.com/travis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it take to grow a SaaS business from $1 million to $5 million annual recurring revenue when your revenue has plateaued? Michael Sliwinski, founder of the productivity app Nozbe, joins Nathan Barry to diagnose the core issues his business faces and map out a clear path forward. Michael, who flew all the way from Europe for this conversation, dives into the challenges of competing in a crowded market, the impact of a product rebuild, and the search for a compelling new positioning. This episode is a masterclass in auditing your business, identifying roadblocks, and strategizing for breakthrough growth, especially for founders navigating a competitive landscape and aiming for their next big milestone.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction01:05 Michael's journey to Nozbe02:51 From side hustle to $1 million ARR04:47 The Japan growth explosion06:17 Rebuilding Nozbe from scratch10:14 Competing with industry giants12:58 Breaking down business metrics and building blocks19:07 Understanding max MRR and the S-curve22:42 The flatlining awareness and traffic25:02 Expansion and multi-seat customers29:43 Legacy customers on the old vs. new Nozbe30:52 Strong customer retention and low churn37:25 Key metrics and dashboard visibility39:46 Accountability through weekly revenue meetings42:07 The effectiveness of current content strategies46:27 Partnership success with a productivity consultant51:09 Direct sales for partners53:01 Reframing positioning for growth56:19 The core promise of Nozbe: The tool teams actually use59:43 The "boulder pushing" analogy1:02:18 Strategy for identifying and incentivizing new partners1:11:34 Tapping into true fans for new partner leads1:14:57 Michael's reflections and next stepsIf you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one.Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/showFollow Nathan:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanbarryLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarryX: https://twitter.com/nathanbarryYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenathanbarryshowWebsite: https://nathanbarry.comKit: https://kit.com/?utm_campaign=29661554-nathan_barry_show&utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=nathanbarryshow&utm_content=youtube_descriptionFollow Michael:X: https://twitter.com/msliwinskiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelsliwinskiMastodon: https://social.nozbe.com/@michaelNozbe: https://nozbe.comFeatured in this episode:Kit: https://www.kit.comNozbe: https://nozbe.comHighlights:02:17 – ZDNet feature blew up Nozbe05:13 – iPad app success in Japan09:27 – Impact and the $5M goal11:54 – Customer loyalty despite competitors22:15 – Demo meetings and their conversion rates32:27 – Customers prepaid until 204057:33 – Why simpler is better for teams

AI allowed the 3-founder company to scale with zero hiring. A co-founder had a baby. Great news!But the company almost stopped moving.It started with one week of chaos. They managed about 20% of the missing workload.Momentum slowed. Decisions stalled. Customers waited.Not because they lacked skill. They're brillaint. It's because the company was built for leverage.Three founders. Hundreds of customers. AI agents running go-to-market systems.Everything worked.Until one person stepped away.That's when something became visible. The faster a company runs on leverage, the more fragile it can become.Amos Bar Joseph is building Swan AI around human-AI collaboration.Here's the tension, though: more leverage creates more dependency. When companies optimize for sunny days, what happens when one key person disappears?About AmosAmos Bar Joseph is the CEO and co-founder of Swan AI, building a company designed to scale revenue with AI agents instead of hiring armies.INSIDE THE EPISODEWhat broke the week a co-founder stepped awayWhy redundancy is measured by coverage, not headcountWhat AI can document as knowledge and context, and what it can'tTHIS EPISODE IS FORFounders building lean teams and proud of the leverageLeaders scaling fast but sensing hidden fragilityOperators asking what AI actually changes inside companiesGUEST LINKSLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-bar-joseph/ Website: https://www.getswan.com/ WHAT TO DO NEXTShareif you're building with AI and thinking deeply about leverage, send this to someone who's scaling a company right now. They'll feel the tension. And they'll see you as the person thinking 3 moves ahead with them.Connectwith Dr. Yishai on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dryishai/Let's ChatBook your free Ceiling Break Session on his LinkedIn page to get the shift yourself.ABOUT THE PODCAST You were built for speed.But right now you feel slower than you look on paper.Most founders try to outwork that slow-down.It only burns them out.Your mind is the only machine your company doesn't upgrade.So leaders keep pushing against the wrong thing.Hosted by doctor of psychology and executive coach Dr Yishai Barkhordari. DISCLAIMER This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice. It is not therapy, clinical advice, or coaching guidance. All examples and stories are illustrative. Some examples or stories are composites. Results vary based on personal effort, context, and market conditions.Always consult qualified professionals before making decisions that impact your business, health, or well-being. © 2026 Yishai Barkhordari. All rights reserved.

Desiree Grace is the Vice-President of Sales and Customer Care for the Americas for Mersen. Andrea Olson is an Author and Customer-Centricity Expert. 

Lisa Feldman Barrett's book: How Emotions Are MadeGeorge Loewenstein study: Anticipation and the Valuation of Delayed ConsumptionConnect with Sam on LinkedIn - I share customer experience content multiple times a week, and love hearing from listeners with questions or ideas for topics.Subscribe to my newsletter, Customer Experience Patterns - I publish a new edition with each episode of the podcast.My LinkedIn Learning courses: Customer Experience: 6 Essential Foundations For Lasting Loyalty, How To Create Great Customer Experiences & Build A Customer-Centric Culture. In-depth video series that teach you how to create great experiences, and build customer-centric cultuers.Thanks to my talented colleague Emily Tolmer for the cover art. Thanks to my friends at Moon Island for the music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode of the Building Better Cultures Podcast, host Scott McInnes sits down with Joe Lalley, author of 'How Curiosity Can Transform Your Career, Your Team, and Your Organisation.' Together, they explore the power of curiosity in transforming careers, teams, and organisations. Tune in to discover practical insights on fostering curiosity, psychological safety, and innovative cultures.  Keywords:  Curiosity, innovation, psychological safety, organizational culture, design thinking, leadership, experimentation, learning from failure, AI, creative thinking  Key Topics:  The definition of curiosity as the desire to go from not knowing to knowing  The role of psychological safety in encouraging curiosity  Patterns of questions that drive innovation and learning  The importance of being close to customers for effective curiosity  The impact of organisational culture on curiosity and experimentation  The risks and rewards of curiosity in the workplace  Practical strategies for leaders to foster curiosity  The influence of childhood and education on curiosity development  The relationship between curiosity and AI in learning and work  How to balance curiosity with decision-making and focus  Takeaways  Curiosity is simply the act of wanting to go from not knowing to knowing.  Psychological safety is essential for fostering curiosity in teams.  Ask open-ended questions that challenge assumptions and explore possibilities.  Being close to the customer enhances the effectiveness of curiosity.  Organisational culture should be built around experimentation and learning.  Shortening feedback cycles accelerates learning and innovation.  Celebrate failures as first attempts in learning to encourage risk-taking.  Leadership modeling of curiosity and experimentation sets the tone.  Use examples and data to demonstrate the value of iterative work.  Encourage questioning and exploration as core organisational behaviours.  Chapters  00:00 Introduction to Curiosity in Organisations  02:53 Defining Curiosity and Its Importance  05:34 Psychological Safety and Curiosity  08:47 Curiosity in Meetings and Organisational Culture  11:29 Learning from Customers and Iterative Processes  14:48 Creating Space for Curiosity in Organisations  17:36 Embedding Curiosity into Organisational Culture  20:29 The Balance of Curiosity and Action  23:27 Practical Steps for Leaders to Foster Curiosity  26:32 The Impact of Technology on Curiosity  29:08 The Future of Curiosity in the Age of AI    Link to Joe's book:  Joelalley.com/book    Connect with us:  LinkedIn YouTube Instagram     

Transform Your Small Business: Profit, Customers, and Growth Strategies is covered in this podcast, along with the following subjects:How small businesses can improve their sales through targeted customer acquisitionLeveraging AI and digital tools to boost marketing efficiency and customer retentionProven growth frameworks from advising 1,000+ CEOs to scale profitably***************************************Join Andrew Frazier and Nicolas Darveau-Garneau for a livestream unpacking "Transform Your Small Business: Profit, Customers, and Growth Strategies." Drawing from Nick's experience as Google's former Chief Evangelist—advising over 1,000 CEOs—and his upcoming book Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai, this session reveals proven tactics for boosting profits, attracting loyal customers, and scaling with AI and digital tools. Andrew's small business expertise complements Nick's strategies with practical steps for immediate impact.Nicolas Darveau-Garneau (“Nick”) is a leading expert in growth, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation with over 25 years of experience in technology and strategy. He is the former Chief Evangelist at Google, where he advised more than 1,000 global CEOs on digital transformation, and previously served as Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at AI company Coveo. An entrepreneur and investor, he has co-founded four internet companies (selling three) and invested in over 20 tech startups. He sits on the boards of TMX Group, McEwen Mining, and Alida, and teaches executive courses on AI in marketing and in the boardroom. His forthcoming book, Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai, shares seven growth secrets used by the world's most successful companies, based on his work with top leaders.

In today's economy, subscription is still one of the smartest models you can build. Social media reach is unpredictable. Algorithms shift constantly. Ad costs are higher than they were just a few years ago. Customers are more thoughtful with their spending. And if you rely on one-off sales, you know the pressure never really stops. You sell today, and tomorrow you have to start all over again. And that's exactly why subscription makes so much sense right now. In 2026, most people don't want more choices. They want fewer decisions. They want someone they trust to curate and deliver something meaningful to them on a consistent basis. That's what a subscription box does. 1. Recurring Revenue Creates Stability When you have recurring revenue, you're not waking up every day wondering what needs to sell in order to cover expenses. You can forecast income. You can plan inventory more confidently. You can make decisions from a place of strategy instead of survival. 2. You Don't Have to Constantly Sell Customers opt into ongoing buying. They don't have to re-decide every month whether they want to purchase again. That reduces decision fatigue for them and pressure for you. It doesn't eliminate marketing, but it does reduce the daily grind of chasing one-off transactions. And for many business owners, that shift alone is worth everything. 3. Community Is the Competitive Advantage Subscription naturally creates shared experiences. Whether it's a book club, a faith-based box, a hobby subscription, or a niche lifestyle brand, subscribers begin to feel like insiders. They anticipate what's coming. They talk about it. They look forward to it. When someone subscribes, they're not just buying a product. They're choosing to be part of something ongoing. 4. Inventory Risk Is Lower Than You Think Instead of buying inventory and hoping it sells, you're buying based on actual subscriber demand. You're not guessing what might move off a shelf. You're fulfilling commitments that have already been made. 5. The Tools Available Today Make It Easier AI can help draft emails, product descriptions, landing pages, and ad copy. Subscription platforms automate billing and renewals. Customer service systems streamline communication. You don't need to know how to do everything manually. You need to understand how to leverage the tools available. The barrier to entry is lower than it has ever been. 6. You Can Start Smaller Than You Think Starting lean gives you feedback. It builds confidence. It allows you to grow intentionally instead of rushing to scale before you're ready. 7. Subscription Builds Long-Term Wealth Subscription increases customer lifetime value. It creates predictable cash flow. It builds repeat buying behavior. Over time, it turns your business into an asset instead of a collection of random transactions. That means more stability, more flexibility, and more options for your future. If you've been waiting for the “right” time to start a subscription box, I truly believe 2026 is one of the best environments we've seen for it. Start researching. Build a waitlist. Validate your idea. Don't let another six months pass wishing you had started sooner. Join me in all the places:     Facebook Instagram Launch Your Box with Sarah Website Are you ready for Launch Your Box? Our complete training program walks you step by step through how to start, launch, and grow your subscription box business. Join the waitlist today!

Text Me A Question!Stop chasing the algorithm and start winning the AI revolution! In this episode, we're breaking down AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) so you can stop being invisible and start being the #1 recommendation on ChatGPT and Google AI.We're ditching the tech jargon and showing you exactly how to position your coaching or service-based business so AI bots can't stop talking about you. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, you'll learn the simple, actionable tweaks you can make this week to get ahead of 90% of your competition. It's time to stop dancing for likes and start being the expert AI recommends to your dream clients—let's get you discovered!➡️ Text "COACH" to (866) 498-2080 or DM us on Instagram @thebusinesslounge and we'll send you all the details!Join The Business Lounge Academy:https://thebusinesslounge.co/academy/Snag the Content to Customers Playbook:https://kimberlyannjimenez.com/content-to-customers-playbook-adsHit us up on Instagram and tell us your biggest takeaway from the show!✅ Kim: @kimannjimenez✅ Chris: @heycmh✅ The Business Lounge: @thebusinessloungecoContent To Customers Live Workshop Sign Up! Support the show➡️ Are you a Coach, Expert, or Service Provider wanting to get more Customers from your Content?

In this episode of Business Brain, we focus on the power of getting your first 100 customers and why speed beats perfection every time. Instead of overthinking your launch, we lean into action—getting real people using your product as quickly as possible. We talk about capturing valuable data, gathering testimonials, and even giving your product away early to learn what actually resonates. Those first customers become your proving ground, helping you refine your offer while avoiding the trap of analysis paralysis. We also dig into why buying and selling are emotional decisions and how those early customer interactions help you understand the real motivations behind a purchase. Along the way, we share how simply creating—whether content, products, or experiments—builds momentum toward your own Charmed Life. In this episode of Business Brain, we remind ourselves that the fastest path to traction is learning directly from real users and letting those first 100 customers guide the next steps. 00:00:00 Business Brain – The Entrepreneurs' Podcast #732 for Wednesday, March 4, 2026 00:01:12 March 4th: National Grammar Day Grammarly Pro The value of just creating content: written, audio, whatever. Just do it! 00:07:11 Which LLM are you using, and for what? ChatGPT Perplexity Claude Sponsor 00:09:02 SPONSOR: Tempo – Tempo delivers perfectly-portion meals to your door, each is ready in just 2 minutes. For a limited time, Tempo is offering Business Brain listeners SIXTY PERCENT OFF your first box at TempoMeals.com/brain 00:10:53 SPONSOR: Intuit QuickBooks Payroll – Leave the chaos behind and start the new year off right with QuickBooks Payroll. Learn more by visiting QuickBooks.com/payroll 00:12:06 Your first 100 customers Capture data from them Don't charge them, just use them as a test The value of giving away your product Get your testimonials Makes it easier to get a product to market 00:15:34 Buying and Selling are emotional decisions Tell us we're wrong! The first 100 customers test avoids analysis paralysis 00:21:18 Business Brain 732 Outtro Tell Your Friends! Review Business Brain Subscribe to the show feedback@businessbrain.show Call/Text: (567) 274-6977 X/Twitter: @ShannonJean & @DaveHamilton, & @BizBrainShow LinkedIn: Shannon Jean, Dave Hamilton, & Business Brain Facebook: Dave Hamilton, Shannon Jean, & Business Brain The post Your First 100 Customers – Business Brain 732 appeared first on Business Brain - The Entrepreneurs' Podcast.

In this episode of UNSCRIPTED, Sarah Nicastro sits down with Sasha Ilyukhin, SVP of Global Processing Services & Services Solutions at Tetra Pak, for a candid conversation about what it truly takes to unlock service growth at scale.Grounded in new research from Future of Field Service in partnership with Simon-Kucher, this discussion moves beyond theory to explore how one global leader has turned service ambition into measurable business outcomes.While 85% of service leaders say they are optimistic about growth, only 2% have successfully delivered outcome-based services at scale. Sasha shares how Tetra Pak has spent more than a decade building the trust, capabilities, and commercial models required to transform service into a €2.2B business — with half delivered through long-term, performance-based agreements.This episode explores what it really takes to evolve from traditional support models to outcome-driven service partnerships that create lasting value for both customers and providers.In this conversation, you'll learn:• How Tetra Pak evolved from a la carte services to outcome-based partnerships• Why service growth should be anchored in customer value realization, not revenue targets• The connection between employee experience, service quality, and long-term retention• How digital platforms like Factory OS enable efficiency, sustainability, and workforce transformation• What organizations must do to move beyond the “2%” of outcome-based service offerings• Why workforce shortages, travel reduction, and knowledge management can become strategic advantagesSasha also challenges leaders to rethink how value is identified, captured, and shared. Every service already delivers outcomes — the question is whether companies are structured to recognize and monetize that value effectively.If you're navigating the shift from transactional field service models to strategic service partnerships, this episode offers practical guidance, real-world lessons, and a compelling vision for the future of service.Because in the end, as Sasha puts it:“You sell equipment once. Customers come back for the service experience.”

A Thriving Indoor Farm Operation In this episode of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael and cohost Niki Foster from the Front Royal/Warren County Chamber of Commerce talk with chamber member & community advocate Rob Demariano about his growing business Robby Ds Lil Greens, an indoor vertical microgreen farm that has been quietly revolutionizing local food access in Front Royal, Virginia for nearly three years. Operating as a one-man enterprise, Rob has managed to expand his delivery footprint from Front Royal to encompass the region between Martinsburg and Luray, reaching as far east as The Plains. Remarkably, he's even scheduling meetings with Northern Virginia restaurants to further extend his reach. Unlike traditional outdoor farming, Rob's indoor operation allows him to control every environmental variable year-round. "I can dial in weather, humidity, everything," he explains, noting that while he admittedly has "a bit of a brown thumb" when it comes to outdoor gardening, the controlled indoor environment lets him perfect his growing methods and lock them in consistently. Understanding the Microgreen Advantage For those unfamiliar with microgreens, Rob offers a clear distinction from their better-known cousin, the sprout. While sprouts consist simply of seeds with small stems emerging—think mung beans—microgreens advance to the leafing stage, similar to seedlings. This developmental sweet spot delivers maximum flavor intensity and nutritional density. "The sweets are sweeter. The radishes have more bite," Rob notes, adding that microgreens are legitimately certified superfoods with significantly higher nutrition levels than their full-grown counterparts. Innovative Product Development Beyond fresh microgreens, Rob has channeled his inner "mad scientist" to create an impressive array of value-added products. His freeze-dried broccoli microgreen mango drink cleverly disguises the superfood within a bright yellow beverage that looks and tastes like ordinary mango juice. After depleting his first production run from fall through early March, he's preparing another batch for late March. Meanwhile, his collaboration with Wuuds Coffee—a Smithsonian-recommended, bird-friendly coffee roaster—and Hawksbill Mountain Mushroom has yielded a microgreen and mushroom coffee blend. The pre-ground mixture requires no additional preparation, brewing just like regular coffee without any grittiness. Customers can purchase it locally or order online with free Friday delivery throughout the Winchester and Front Royal areas. Rob's partnerships extend into the dessert realm as well. Working with Uncle Beehive in Winchester, he developed a Genovese basil ice cream using their lemon cream base. After a successful soft launch late last year, he's now dedicating two full growing racks exclusively to basil production to meet demand. The ice cream will soon appear permanently on the menu at an unnamed Winchester restaurant. Most recently, Rob partnered with Bethlehem Farms to create microgreen-topped wood-fired personal pan pizzas. Priced at just $14, these pizzas feature top-quality ingredients and sold out almost immediately upon their launch last week. The Farm to Fam Initiative However, Rob's most ambitious project represents the culmination of his original business vision. Launching March 28th, the "Farm to Fam" program partners with the Hike Kidz Foundation, a local 501(c)(3) organization, to address food insecurity while supporting small-scale farmers. "I have so many partners that I've gotten through the years," Rob explains. "I said, why aren't we putting together a CSA-style box utilizing all local farmers and producers and look to those in our community who are suffering from food insecurity?" The program will initially deliver 50 boxes to 50 Warren County families experiencing food insecurity, providing them with premium local products including fresh superfoods, milk, eggs, and meats. Funded through a recently approved grant and private donations, the initiative aims to grow from monthly or biweekly deliveries to weekly distribution. Importantly, the program serves a dual purpose. By paying small-scale farms for their products through grant funding, Farm to Fam creates stable income streams that help these operations grow. Rob envisions families eventually participating through volunteering with box packing and even farming activities, creating a sustainable ecosystem that benefits both food-insecure families and local agricultural businesses. A Community Leader Rob's commitment extends beyond his business ventures. He serves on multiple boards including the Front Royal Warren County Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Front Royal, Hike Kidz Foundation, and Front Royal Soccer Association. Niki emphasizes his community involvement: "He is one of those people who you heard him talk about all the business stuff that he is doing. He also gives of his time for organizations and the folks in the community as well." Connecting with the Community Customers can order from Robby Ds Lil Greens through robbydslilgreens.com, with free Friday deliveries for local orders. The business also maintains active Facebook and Instagram presences. For those interested in volunteering with the Farm to Fam project, information is available through the Hike Kidz Foundation website at hikekidzfoundation.org. As Rob continues experimenting with new products and expanding his community impact, his story illustrates how innovative agriculture can address both nutritional needs and food system sustainability simultaneously. With each new partnership and product launch, this one-man operation proves that thinking creatively about local food systems can yield benefits far beyond the farm itself.

Europe does not have a deep tech problem. It has a commercialisation problem.The last European companies to reach €100B+ market caps were SAP and ASML, both founded 40–50 years ago. If Europe wants a new generation of deep tech champions, venture capital alone won't get us there. Customers have to step in.In this episode, Andreas Munk Holm is joined by Martin Schilling, former operator, investor, and founder of Deep Tech Momentum, to unpack why Europe excels at funding breakthroughs, but consistently fails to industrialise them.This is a conversation about:why enterprise buyers are the missing link in European deep techwhat corporates are doing wrong (and how they can fix it)how founders actually win large customers in complex, regulated marketsand why courage — not grants — is Europe's real constraintShare

Travis and producer Eric dive into Chipotle's leaked strategy to target high-income customers ($100K+ households, who make up 60% of their base), generational slop wars, portion size drama, and why price hikes won't kill the burrito empire—plus wild tangents on Denny's fried cheese melts and the real McDonald's coffee lawsuit. On this episode we talk about: Chipotle's pivot to affluent "digital natives" who love high-protein bowls, with plans for more price hikes and menu tweaks. Why 60% of Chipotle customers earn over $100K—and how Gen Z calls it "corporate slop bowls" while millennials defend it. Portion shrinkage complaints vs. rising prices, and Vegas's endless Chipotle clones ready to steal market share. Gen Z vs. millennial humor battles over The Office, Parks & Rec, New Girl, and unleashing Chris Pratt on the world. Debunking the McDonald's hot coffee myth: 190°F coffee caused third-degree burns in 3 seconds, not a frivolous lawsuit. Top 3 Takeaways 1.  Chipotle's $50B market cap lets them hike prices guilt-free—focus on affluent customers who still show up in a tough economy.2.  "Best known beats best" applies to fast casual too: loyalty comes from quality portions and protein labeling, not just cheap eats.3.  Generational beef is endless, but money in the bank solves real problems—don't sweat $5 bowls if your business is printing. Notable Quotes "60% of Chipotle customer base makes over $100,000 a year." "Gen Z and Gen Alpha call Chipotle bowls 'corporate slop bowls'." "I don't care if Chipotle raises their prices... as long as they get back to the portions." "McDonald's served its coffee at 180 to 190°F... It caused third degree burns in three seconds." "Money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest problems when you got money in the bank." ✖️✖️✖️✖️

How the Customer Journey Evolves with AI Integration    Shep interviews Megan Glasow, Vice President of Salesforce at Perficient. She talks about how companies can use AI to enhance the customer experience by blending technology with human touch, updating outdated processes, and measuring value.    This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:    What role does AI play in transforming modern customer service processes?  How can companies effectively balance automation and human interaction?  What are the risks of automating outdated or inefficient business processes?  Why is a proactive approach important in delivering excellent customer experiences?  How can organizations measure the value of new customer experience technologies?  Top Takeaways:    Don't automate what Glasow calls “crap processes.” Before layering in AI and other digital tools, organizations must simplify and improve their existing processes. If a workflow is confusing or inefficient to handle manually, automating it will only spread the frustration to employees and customers more quickly.  Transformation is not just about buying new technology. It means sitting down with your customers to understand where they are and where they want to be. It is partnering with your customers to create the vision, the process, and the outcomes together.  Frontline employees are frequently blamed for poor service. But the real issue is often the outdated infrastructure and processes behind them.  In adopting an AI-first strategy, look across the organization and identify where intelligence, automation, and augmentation can improve efficiency, and customer interactions. Successful companies are not replacing people with AI. They are combining smart, AI-powered systems with capable, empathetic employees.   Customers will choose the simplest path every time, whether that's self-service or talking with a real person. If you make it easy for your customers, they will keep coming back.  Use AI as a tool to become more proactive, not just more efficient. Use it to anticipate what customers might need next, so you're ready with solutions before they even ask. This allows human agents to focus on moments that require empathy, creativity, and understanding.   Align your team, from the leadership to the frontlines, around a clear vision for the customer experience you want to deliver. Decide on the experiences you want to create, then mobilize your people and AI to make that a reality.  Plus, Shep and Megan discuss why organizations need to be "customer zero" for new platforms they want to implement for their customers. Tune in!  Quotes:   "When designing your customer journey, consider what should be handled by AI, what should be handled by humans, and how they should work together to enable your employees to provide a more empathetic customer experience."     About:    Megan Glasow is the Vice President of Salesforce at Perficient. With deep experience in the Salesforce ecosystem, she helps organizations drive AI-first transformation initiatives.    Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bank's decision to experiment with being more transparent with about credit card drawbacks might help customers make better choices, but would those choices come at the expense of bank performance? Harvard Business School Professor Leslie John joins Brian Kenny to discuss the case, “Commonwealth Bank of Australia: Unbanklike Experimentation” and ideas related to her new book, Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing. They explore the benefits and potential drawbacks to the bank “oversharing” information with customers.

If your bank is still competing on features, you don't have a strategy. There was a time when products and features made a difference. That time is gone. Digital is now expected. Rates are aligned. Features are replicated. And AI can compare them instantly. If you're leading with just what you offer, you're competing in a race where everyone looks the same. Allison Netzer's "Think Like a Brand, Not Like a Bank" Version 2 shares three years of implementation data from banks and credit unions that stopped competing on features. Her framework explains why leading with product specs is mistaken. Customers first decide emotionally, then justify rationally. This edition includes a reflection on which principles have remained valid and which ones need rethinking. The institutions winning today treat brand as their strategic operating system, not a marketing exercise. They solve customer pain through counterintuitive thinking that violates industry patterns. In this episode, we discuss what's changed since 2022, what surprised Allison in the real-world execution of these ideas, and why moving beyond product thinking may be the only way to avoid becoming invisible in a marketplace defined by sameness.

International Women's Day is more than a calendar moment. It is a leadership opportunity. In this episode, we challenge ourselves to move beyond performative gestures and celebrate in ways that actually build visibility, confidence, and equity.We share four practical ways to recognize the women on our teams with intention and specificity. We reflect on whether they feel seen, heard, and valued. And we raise the harder questions about systems, opportunity, and fairness. Because celebration without structural awareness is incomplete.International Women's Day is a moment. What we choose to do with it can spark meaningful change.Key Takeaways:Intention Over Performance – Moving beyond surface-level gestures strengthens credibility and trust.Recognition That Builds Confidence – Specific acknowledgment increases impact and professional visibility.Normalizing Ownership of Value – Creating space for women to name their contributions builds confidence without apology.Peer Influence Matters – Colleague-to-colleague recognition reinforces belonging and belief.Celebration and Systems – Meaningful celebration requires examining equity in pay, advancement, and opportunity.Read more about International's Women's Day at https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-dayResources MentionedThe Inspire Your Team to Greatness assessment (the Courage Assessment) - In less than 10 minutes, find out where you're empowering and inadvertently kills productivity, and get a custom report that will tell you step by step what you need to have your team get more done. Get it here: https://courageofaleader.com/inspireyourteam/You don't need to have all the answers to lead well. Get your copy of the Clarity Kit for just $17 to learn the five practices to bring more clarity, confidence and courage into your leadership - https://courageofaleader.com/the-clarity-kit/About the Host:Amy L. Riley is an internationally renowned speaker, author and consultant. She has over 2 decades of experience developing leaders at all levels. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Deloitte and Barclays.As a trusted leadership coach and consultant, Amy has worked with hundreds of leaders one-on-one, and thousands more as part of a group, to fully step into their leadership, create amazing teams and achieve extraordinary results.Amy's most popular keynote speeches are:The Courage of a Leader: The Power of a Leadership LegacyThe Courage of a Leader: Create a Competitive Advantage with Sustainable, Results-Producing Cross-System CollaborationThe Courage of a Leader: Accelerate Trust with Your Team, Customers and CommunityThe Courage of a Leader: How to Build a Happy and Successful Hybrid TeamHer new book is a #1 international best-seller and is entitled, The Courage of a Leader: How to Inspire, Engage and Get Extraordinary Results.http://www.courageofaleader.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amyshooprileyThanks for listening!Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!Subscribe to the podcastIf you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the, podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.Leave us an Apple Podcasts reviewRatings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1283: Oil markets are on edge as global conflict pressures fuel prices and supply chains. Meanwhile, BYD may have cracked the code on five-minute EV charging, and CarMax becomes the first U.S. auto retailer to launch a shopping app inside ChatGPT.Oil markets are on edge after military action involving the U.S. and Israel disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. While automakers aren't seeing immediate shutdowns, rising energy prices and potential shipping reroutes are adding another variable to an already complex year.Roughly 20 million barrels of crude flow through the strait daily, along with LNG, aluminum, steel inputs and key plastics used in vehicle production.Oil briefly jumped nearly 7%, with analysts warning prices could top $100 a barrel if the conflict drags on.Automakers rely heavily on Asia–Europe sea lanes for semiconductors, battery materials and electronics—any expansion into the Red Sea or Suez would be “significantly disruptive.”“It certainly adds risk [for OEMs] and you've got to be thinking about rerouting anything that's going to go through that part of the world,” said AlixPartners' Dan Hearsch.If range anxiety has been the headline problem for EV adoption, BYD may be attacking it at the source. The Chinese automaker is testing a 1,500 kW “flash charging” network that looks less like a parking lot and more like a traditional gas station.The demo site in Shenzhen features liquid-cooled charging guns and pull-through lanes, allowing drivers to plug in and roll out—no backing into stalls required.Leaked specs suggest up to 1,500 kW on a 1,000V architecture—potentially adding 249 miles in about 5 minutes. For context, most U.S. and European fast chargers top out at 350 kW.Testing is currently limited to select BYD models with a “Flash Charge” badge, with charging reportedly starting within 10 seconds of plug-in.Pricing at the demo site is around $0.18 per kWh, a fraction of many Western public charging rates.CarMax just became the first U.S. auto retailer to launch a car-shopping app inside ChatGPT, bringing both buying and selling tools directly into the AI platform. It's another signal that conversational commerce isn't coming—it's here.Customers can browse CarMax's 45,000+ vehicle inventory using natural prompts like “SUV with third row under $25,000” or “small AWD car with good tech.”The app also allows sellers to check their vehicle's value and connect directly to CarMax's online offer tool.CarMax says the goal is to reduce the overwhelm of used-car shopping by meeting customers on a platform they're already using.Today's show is brought to you by iPacket Value. From accurate MSRP validation to smarter merchandising decisions, iPacketJoin Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

In this episode, we tackle the ago-old question in digital customer success: how do you gracefully transition customers from ahigh-touch, one-on-one CSM relationship to a scalable self-serve digital motion?It's a critical challenge as businesses grow and seek to optimize valuable CSM time.We dive deep into why segmentation needs to go beyond just Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), exploring additional factors like product complexity and future growth potential to ensure the right customers get the right level of human support.Discover the prerequisites for a successful digital transition, including the necessity of a robust, self-serve foundation and a smart triggering mechanism to proactively engage customers. I share insights on reframing the conversation from "what they're losing" to "what they're gaining," and the importance of always providing a human bailout option.We also touch on virtual QBRs and auto-renewal strategies. Join me to learn how to prepare your CS motions for digital, keep customers engaged and empower them in a hybrid digital-human experience.Email Template mentioned in the show: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SSTLT2iOZ7O271zvJ2n55jHx3MgWrO72IMrSM56HXs4/edit?usp=sharing Support the show+++++++++++++++++Like/Subscribe/Review:If you are getting value from the show, please follow/subscribe so that you don't miss an episode and consider leaving us a review. Website:For more information about the show or to get in touch, visit DigitalCustomerSuccess.com. Buy Alex a Cup of Coffee:This show runs exclusively on caffeine - and lots of it. If you like what we're, consider supporting our habit by buying us a cup of coffee: https://bmc.link/dcspThank you for all of your support!The Digital Customer Success Podcast is hosted by Alex Turkovic

Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by the Map It Forward Patreon Monthly Discussion Group. Join our Roasted Coffee tier on Patreon for early ad-free access to podcast episodes, our weekly industry insights blog, and access to exclusive monthly live discussion groups with coffee professionals from around the world. Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community.Episode DescriptionThis is Part 2 of a five-part series with Carol Salloum, cofounder of 3Tomatoes and Almond Bar in Sydney, Australia. In Surviving 2025 and 2026 as a Café Owner, we examine how ongoing volatility is impacting hospitality businesses from the inside.In this episode, we focus on the customer. As living costs rise, spending habits are shifting. Customers may still be coming, but they are ordering differently. One coffee instead of two. Simpler menu items instead of premium dishes. Cafés are absorbing silent margin pressure while trying to remain supportive community spaces.We explore the disconnect between what customers expect cafés to charge and the actual cost structure behind coffee, food, wages, rent, insurance, and utilities. Carol shares why hospitality is often perceived as charity, why small add-ons create hidden costs, and how emotional labor has become part of the café business model.The conversation also unpacks hype culture in hospitality, from acai bowls to viral drinks, and why trend-driven traffic does not create long-term loyalty.Connect with Carol Salloum and 3Tomatoes here:https://www.instagram.com/3tomatoesau/https://www.3tomatoescafe.com/***************************************About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.Website: https://mapitforward.coffeeMailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglistPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforwardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/Contact: support@mapitforward.org

"Your Customers Aren't as Loyal as You Think They Are - The Fragile Nature of Loyalty"A CMO Confidential Interview with Nicolas Chidiac, Chief Strategy Officer of Razorfish, formerly Chief Strategy Officer of Rokkan and EVP/Head of Planning at Leo Burnett. Nic discusses why brands often overestimate consumer loyalty, why repeat purchase trends can be misleading, and the dramatic increase in speed and velocity of competition. Key discussion topics include: why it has never been easier to try a new product; how influencers have "democratized celebrity endorsement;" why marketers should focus on "removing relative friction;" and how to measure your loyalty deficit. Tune in to hear stories about White Lotus, Chewy, Dubai Chocolate and Pop Tarts. Your customers aren't as loyal as you think. Razorfish Chief Strategy Officer Nic Chidiac joins Mike Linton to unpack groundbreaking research revealing the fragile nature of brand loyalty — and why most marketers are dangerously overconfident about it.65% of marketers believe repeat buyers stay out of emotional connection to their brand. Only 15-17% of consumers agree. That gap is costing companies billions. Nic breaks down the loyalty deficit, why switching has never been easier, and what confident marketers should actually be measuring.Whether you're defending a market-leading brand or building a challenger, this episode will change how you think about loyalty programs, customer retention, and the metrics you're relying on.

AI doesn't have to flatten your messaging into the same forgettable copy as everyone else.   In this episode, Chris Silvestri, Founder of Conversion Alchemy, discusses why B2B SaaS teams are facing a "trust recession," how weak positioning leads to churn and misaligned expectations, and why a strong point of view rooted in customer insights is now the real differentiator. Chris shares his research-first process for finding message-market fit, which includes customer interviews, competitor language analysis, and sales-call testing. He also explains how AI can be used as an input machine to deepen empathy, rather than just generate output. Additionally, he explores synthetic personas, context management, and practical ways emerging SaaS teams can validate messaging, even when customer data is limited.

Drew Sechrist, CEO and co-founder of Connect the Dots, takes us on a journey from being Salesforce's 36th employee to building his own venture addressing one of B2B sales' most persistent challenges: unlocking the hidden power of professional networks. In this conversation, Drew shares inside stories from Salesforce's scrappy early days in 1999, when "SaaS" didn't even exist as a term and the company spent VC money "like drunken sailors" to hire account executives who gave away a beta product for free.The core of the episode focuses on Connect the Dots' mission: making warm introductions scalable and measurable. Drew explains why the traditional sales pillars of inbound and outbound are suffering in the AI era, and why "Go-to-Network" (GTN) represents the critical third pillar that AI can't destroy because it's built on real human relationships. This is essential listening for any SaaS founder struggling with cold outreach fatigue and looking to unlock their most underutilized growth asset: their extended network.Key Takeaways[00:00] Introduction to Drew Sechrist and the power of network-based growth vs. cold outreach[04:00] Drew's early career: implementing client-server CRM tools in the pre-SaaS era (Goldmine, Sales Logics, CD-ROMs)[08:00] The birth of ASP (Application Service Provider) - reading about Salesforce in the Wall Street Journal, 1999[10:00] The cold email that changed everything: reaching out to Mark Benioff and getting hired as employee #36[13:00] Category creation at Salesforce: from ASP to "on-demand" to SaaS to "cloud" - Mark Benioff defining a new market[15:00] The dotcom boom launch: B-52s playing at the launch party, spending VC money freely, hiring AEs to give away free beta product[18:00] The pivot to paid: introducing the $50/user/month model with no contracts - proving people would pay for "a website"[22:00] Scaling through the dotcom bust: losing dotcom customers but winning larger enterprises with smaller budgets[25:00] The golden handcuffs: why it was "never a good time to leave" Salesforce even after 10 years[28:00] The Mexico motorcycle sabbatical: conceiving Kuzo while riding through Baja in 2007-2008[30:00] Kuzo's vision: live Google Street View powered by crowdsourced cameras - a startup that ultimately shut down[32:00] The connection theme: from Kuzo to Connect the Dots - helping people see and leverage their networks[34:00] The core problem: thousands of missed opportunities because you can't see who you really know well enough to leverage[36:00] LinkedIn's limitation: binary connections that don't signal relationship strength (best friend vs. 30-second conference interaction)[39:00] The billion-dollar question: will people actually make introductions? The nuance of asking mom vs. board members vs. customers[42:00] Network inheritance: Drew's biggest career hack was joining Salesforce and inheriting Mark Benioff's network overnight[45:00] Investor selection strategy: you're not just getting money, you're buying a network - be intentional about your cap table[47:00] AI's role in relationship-based sales: surfacing the right relationships at the right time, not replacing human connection[50:00] The third pillar: "Go-to-Network" (GTN) emerges as inbound and outbound suffer from AI saturation[52:00] Real relationships can't be destroyed by AI: when you call your mom, she picks up - that's the power of authentic networks[54:00] Action step for founders: sign up for Connect the Dots (ctd.ai) - free for individuals, paid for companiesTweetable Quotes

When sales are down, employees quit, customers are complaining, cash flow is tight, and your inbox looks like a war zone… it doesn't mean you have a work ethic problem. It means you have a prioritization problem. In this episode of SoTellUs Time, Trevor and Troy Howard break down the exact framework overwhelmed business owners can use to decide what to fix first — and what to ignore — when everything feels broken at once. Because the truth is this: You don't fix businesses by working harder. You fix them by fixing the right thing first. If you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, CEO, or leader who feels buried in problems, this episode will give you clarity, control, and a practical system you can use immediately.

Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by the Map It Forward Patreon Monthly Discussion Group. Join our Roasted Coffee tier on Patreon for early ad-free access to podcast episodes, our weekly industry insights blog, and access to exclusive monthly live discussion groups with coffee professionals from around the world. Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community.Episode DescriptionThis is Part 2 of a five-part series with Carol Salloum, cofounder of 3Tomatoes and Almond Bar in Sydney, Australia. In Surviving 2025 and 2026 as a Café Owner, we examine how ongoing volatility is impacting hospitality businesses from the inside.In this episode, we focus on the customer. As living costs rise, spending habits are shifting. Customers may still be coming, but they are ordering differently. One coffee instead of two. Simpler menu items instead of premium dishes. Cafés are absorbing silent margin pressure while trying to remain supportive community spaces.We explore the disconnect between what customers expect cafés to charge and the actual cost structure behind coffee, food, wages, rent, insurance, and utilities. Carol shares why hospitality is often perceived as charity, why small add-ons create hidden costs, and how emotional labor has become part of the café business model.The conversation also unpacks hype culture in hospitality, from acai bowls to viral drinks, and why trend-driven traffic does not create long-term loyalty.Connect with Carol Salloum and 3Tomatoes here:https://www.instagram.com/3tomatoesau/https://www.3tomatoescafe.com/***************************************About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain.Website: https://mapitforward.coffeeMailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglistPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforwardInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/Contact: support@mapitforward.org

Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/give-mister-ed-his-rightful-spot-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-fame?source_location=psf_petitions Bobbleheads: https://store.barstoolsports.com/products/mostly-sports-bobblehead-ii?variant=42353493114977 Mark Titus and Brandon Walker talking sports... mostly. Thanks to our sponsors: DraftKings: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/WY). Void in ONT. Eligibility restrictions apply. Terms: draftkings.com/sportsbook. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. Opt-in req. 1 Token per customer, valid only for min. $5 pregame NBA player prop bets w/ min. odds of -200 or longer. Tokens are single-use and expire at the start of the final NBA game on 3/3/26. Must select token BEFORE placing bet. Customers who place bet w/ Token and pick one of the day's top 3 PRA stat leaders will receive an equal share of $1,000,000 ($1,000,000 prize pool per leaderboard position; $3,000,000 total), issued as a non-withdrawable Bonus Bet that expires in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Sponsored by DK. Venmo: Score more with the college-branded Venmo Debit Card and get up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash. Sign up at https://venmo.com/collegecard The Venmo Mastercard® is issued by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. Select schools available. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply at venmo.me/stashterms. Max $100 cash back per month. Slim Jim: Snap into a Slim Jim. Grab one today, everywhere snacks are sold. Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlySportsTitusandWalker?sub_confirmation=1. Follow Mostly Sports on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MostlySports Follow Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/clubtrillion Follow Brandon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bfw Follow Mostly Sports on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mostlysportsshow/ Follow Mark on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marktheshark34/ Follow Brandon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwalkersec/ Follow Mostly Sports on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlysportsshow?lang=en Follow Brandon on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brandonfwalker?lang=en Follow Mark on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marktituspod?lang=en

20 seconds. That's all it takes to separate average dealerships from memorable ones. Customers don't remember your CRM. They don't remember your process map. They remember effort. In this episode of Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki, Jen breaks down why short, 20-second personalized videos are one of the most powerful follow-up tools in modern dealerships — in both sales and service. Not five minutes. Not perfect lighting. Not corporate scripts. Just 20 seconds of clarity that says: "I was thinking about you." Jen explains how replacing traditional texts and voicemails with quick, candid videos builds obligation, increases engagement, and showcases your humanity. She shares simple scripts, real-world examples, and ways managers can turn this into a fun, competitive in-store activity. You'll learn: • Why video follow-up increases memorability • How to structure a powerful 20-second message • What to say when confirming appointments • How to stand apart from competitors instantly • How to coach your team to execute without overthinking Perfection isn't the goal. Presence is. Because 20 seconds today beats zero seconds tomorrow, every single time. Dealer Talk with Jen Suzuki Podcast |

Daniel Rudyak built a healthcare company the hard way. No venture capital. No safety net. And for a long stretch, not even the freedom to buy “two tacos” without doing the mental math. In this episode, Jerome Myers talks with Daniel, founder of ReadyRx, about what it takes to go from private equity boardrooms to the chaos of building: 120-hour weeks, 18 months pre-revenue, and the constant pressure of carrying a mission that's deeply personal. ReadyRx has grown to 10,000+ monthly customers and a reported $70M valuation, but this conversation isn't about hype. It's about the truth founders rarely say out loud: the climb is hard, the summit is brief, and the “money” doesn't give you what you think it will. If you're chasing an exit, thinking about raising capital, or worried about what happens after the deal closes, press play. In this episode: Why ReadyRx exists (and the healthcare failures that sparked it) The real difference between investing in businesses and building one Why they refused venture money and what control is worth The hidden skill founders need after liquidity: allocation, not adrenaline Why most people don't break on the way up, they break on the way down Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Horst Schulze breaks down how Ritz-Carlton built elite teams through hiring standards, empowerment, and culture. From $2,000 employee decision authority to confronting performance with data, he explains the leadership systems that drove world-class service and low turnover.