Podcasts about Field agent

Vincent, Buffy and other family matter.Book 3 in 18 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. It is selfish to believe that your family will always love you. At some point you will be asked to earn it The main front was stabilizing. The 2nd Army was in tough shape though all three divisions were still in the fight. The 1st Army's 2nd and 9th Divisions had corked up the advances out of Cambodia. As soon as night fell, they would maneuver the majority of the 2nd Division to crush the Alliance forces north of Bangkok. The rioters would be crushed tomorrow morning. They would survive.This realization came too late to them. The rot of fear had infected the 1st Army, 1st Division and the police force commands. Of more importance, a small group of secretive individuals convinced two senior Thai officers that something had to be done before the city fell, or the Prime Minister reasserted control over the city.Those two conspirators had the same problem as the Loyalists, enemy troops and protestors in the street. Those officers had no way to contact the crucial enemy commanders, but they knew who did, the Indian Navy. Surreptitiously, they contacted the Indian Navy's Expeditionary Fleet. The fleet's Admiral quickly put them in touch with the Alliance Command Authority and within two hours, a deal was made.The Great Khan would stop the Alliance offensive if the King of Thailand made a public appeal, no strings attached. This new group of rebels and the Alliance worked out the path they needed to take to reach the King so that the Alliance forces were out of the way and no planes, or helicopter attacked their formations. They even had a TV station that would broadcast the King's speech ending the conflict. All they needed was nightfall.And that was the true story of how the counter-coup was pulled off, how the King of Thailand was able to talk to the Great Khan and how the Thai government was overthrown. In the final analysis, the Loyalist hadn't fallen before the might of the Alliance. They were done in by a tiny number of Black Lotus operative almost no one knew existed, with a small amount of assistance from JIKIT."No wonder the Seven Pillars has never been able to wipe out these guys," Addison yawned. "They are slippery as eels and thrice as lethal. I am glad they are on our side." Several sets of eyes looked at her skeptically. "I mean, I am glad we are currently working toward the same goals."Thus,"I suggest we all get some sleep," Addison declared as she stood up and stretched.Odette was comfortably asleep, so I curled her up and carried her to the elevator. I wanted to go home and forget that I had lost any semblance of a normal life. I didn't know what was worse; me doing the shit I was doing, or me understanding what I was doing. Juanita had gone down ahead of us to pull the car around to the front.Chaz, Pamela, Odette and I went down in the first wave of the exodus from the workplace. The door opened on the ground floor. I wasn't the first person to notice her. My reflexes had improved to the point I had a moment to recognize her before the people around me sprang into action.Pamela side-stepped to the right, pistol mystically appearing in her two-hand grip. Chaz, Chaz bore Odette and me to the ground. His level of dedication astonished me. He was shielding us with his body. From what, I hadn't been able to determine."Deadman switch," one of my aunts stated. "I want to talk with Cáel." The voice had a stressed tenor to it."Back outside," Pamela simmered."No.""Chaz, what is going on?" I asked him. He hadn't moved and wasn't letting me wiggle around to see."Explosive vest," he responded coolly. That's right. Chaz was shielding Odette and me with his body.That is what I found astonishing, his desire to give his life for me. His expectation that Pamela could kill the threat while he was currently occupied was understandable."We seem to be at an impasse," Pamela edged further away.She wasn't avoiding the blast radius. That was impossible in this lobby. No, if it came to firing, she was making it easier for Chaz to get a shot off since the shooter couldn't cover both angles of attack."Let me talk to him," my aunt insisted. This made no sense."Chaz, let me deal with this," I told my bodyguard."Are you sure?" he questioned."Not really. As Pamela said, she's not going to let any of us leave until she talks to me and if you kill her, she kills all of you." Chaz let me stand.Odette was just awakening to the threat. Chaz rose to stand by my side. (Sadly, Odette didn't rate him dying for her.) I prayed I didn't fuck this up."Cáel, is that really you?" the women with green eyes and red hair asked me. She sounded desperate, which would explain the suicide vest."Yeah, which one are, Mom?"{9:10 pm, Tuesday, September 2nd ~ 6 Days to go}"Yes, I'm Sibeal. Are you my son?""Do you mean   No! Grandfather Cáel hasn't supplanted my spirit with his own," I took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how I can convince you of this.""Do you miss your Father?" she queried."Yes," I murmured."Ahh Cáel, you are still my son. Thank all that is divine," she sighed."Care to deactivate the vest now?" Pamela suggested."Do you promise not to shoot me? You two, and the one sneaking up on me from behind." She meant Juanita, who had sensed the danger and exited the car."You are three kinds of crazy, so I'm not making any guarantees," Pamela answered."Pamela   Chaz, I really think she is my mother. And I assume she is here to kill Cáel O'Shea, not me," I interjected. I still wasn't leaving Chaz' side. "Please don't kill her.""No guarantees," Chaz affirmed."She's his mother," Odette chimed in. "If it was anyone else, they would be in a cloud of bodyguards, not alone.""Here is the deal, Mom. You deactivate the vest, then we will talk. Otherwise, I'm taking my security's advice and backing the fuck out of here.""Okay," she nodded. "It's a fake. I'm upset, but not enough to be suicidal. I wanted to see what you would do. Father would have sacrificed everyone else. You got tackled and you obeyed the man who was trying to save your life.""Chaz, what do you think?" Pamela asked him."We could hold her here until Virginia shows up. That would give Cáel a few minutes to reminisce before she gets dragged off to the looney bin." (That would, of course, lead to her death while in Federal custody   so that wasn't happening, period.)"I concur," Pamela agreed. She still had her gun out and aimed. She went to a one-handed grip so she could motion Juanita to come inside.I took the opportunity to walk around Chaz, though I only advanced half way."I think it is asking too much from my bodyguards to walk up to you with that vest lying at your feet," I pointed. "You know   just in case you are lying." She nodded, smiled and came forward. A hug was in the offing. I almost missed Odette coming up behind me."I'm on a timetable," Mom murmured into my shoulder. "You know why.""I am afraid I do," (my pheromones were already affecting her). "What brought this on? How long can you stay?""The kidnapping made it imperative. But this has been my first opportunity to get close enough to you to determine if my father had won, or not," she confessed."I'm not sure how long I can remain ~ maybe a day, or three. I have heard you have an upcoming ordeal you must go through for your Amazons." Odette again by way of Delilah. I decided to give Delilah the benefit of the doubt and just accept that she did what she did because she was worried about me."Oh. Mom, this is Odette Sievert, my roommate and all-around better friend than I deserve." Odette extended her hand. Mom reached past me and shook it."Nice to finally meet you in person," Mom smiled."Nice to realize you aren't as nutty as the rest of the bunch,and considering you came at Pamela and Chaz with a fake suicide vest   that is saying something," Odette grinned."My son is all I have left of Ferko (my dad)," she grew grim. "If my father stole him after killing my husband   I wouldn't know how to carry on.""Aaahh," Odette stammered through this tense family moment. "You are about to be a grandmother in a serious way," she tried to turn things around. "How does a dozen grandkids sound?"Operational security and secret information were concepts Odette was aware of. She simply refused to use either one."Really?" Mom looked from Odette to me. "How serious?""How about we get out of here before the FBI shows up," I began directing my mom out the doors."Cáel?" Chaz questioned."Hey now, I never agreed to hand my mom over to Virginia. The vest was fake. Let's not dwell on this," I urged Mom and Odette out the door."Ishara," Juanita repeatedly prayed, "why do you test me so?"Chaz and Pamela showed their faith in me and my decision-making ability by tagging along. For me, what does a son who hasn't spent any time with his mother since he was seven (because she was supposedly dead for the past fifteen years) ask first?Actually, we waited for Chaz, who had the presence of mind to ensure the vest was truly a dud and then called Virginia so she could clean up one of my messes   yet again."Thank you, Color Sergeant," Mom looked toward Chaz as the GL 550 pulled away from One Mi Ma1 Tower. Unfortunately, the look he sent her way wasn't friendly."Thanks for reminding me," I nodded to Mom. "Chaz, what in the Hell possessed you to jump on Odette and me? I appreciate it,""Me too," Odette chimed in."But please don't do that ever again. Of all the, let's just say I have too many deaths of people I like on my mind. I don't want you added to that list.""Tough.""Well, thanks for considering my request," I groaned."Chaz, three nights ago our boy learned that one of the women he knocked up is going to die and no one will intervene to save her life and they won't tell him where she is," Pamela let him know."Who do we talk to?" he asked me. By 'talk' I assumed he meant torture until they coughed up a viable location/suspect."The Goddess Ishara.""Fuck. I apologize, Cáel. That is hard news for a young man like you to take. As for my jumping on you   suck it up. It is my job to make sure you can do yours.""Juanita," Pamela called out. "Stop driving to Havenstone. Take us back to Cáel's place. He won't let the Amazons take his mother, which means I won't let them, which means Chaz won't let them. Besides, Odette could get killed in the cross-fire and too many people like her for that to be safe for any would-be assassin.""Really?" Odette perked up. Of course she wasn't worried about being killed. Odette was fascinated that people found her valuable   enough to kill anyone who killed her. She'd more fully grasp that curse later on. She was a genuinely nice person. What Pamela left unsaid was that if 'people' thought someone might kill Odette, they would 'proactively' protect her. Too many people she now hung out with were of that stripe of crazy."Pamela, would you miss me if I got killed?" Odette turned to the most dangerous person in the car. (I didn't think Mom was in her league, but then I had never seen her fight, so I was keeping an open mind.)"You bet your ass, Baby-cakes," she grinned at my super-kind sidekick."Me too," Chaz added gruffly. "Of greater importance, Addison would take umbrage. Next to Ms. Love, she's the nastiest bitch I've ever met." He meant that as a compliment."Not Lady Yum   I meant Worthington-Burke?" I inquired."She doesn't take things personally. She'd miss Odette, but not enough to move off-mission," Chaz explained."Let's not forget Buffy," Pamela snorted. "What she lacks in experience she makes up for by being totally psychotic and fanatically loyal to Wakko here. People who piss him off tend to end up as a place holder on the Obituary page.""Unless they never find the bodies," Juanita commented   from her personal experience disposing of people for me. Groan."Cáel, I am so happy I met you," Odette hugged my arm. "My life was going nowhere before you gave me your phone number. Now, I know my life is at risk and I don't care. Being with you has been more wonderful than I ever thought possible."Mom was studying me, both pleased and worried."What?" I asked."You have a lot of your grandfather in you. He did have a gift for inspiring the best out of people. You are like your father in that you care for those people   caring for both their lives and their happiness. Your father inspired that same kind of loyalty because he kept the needs of his people in the forefront of his mind.""Dad was like Grandpa?" I worried."Hell no." That was Pamela."Thank the Divine, no," Mom exhaled at the same time. "How do you know my father?""I killed him," Pamela grinned."You were the one? I'm, I don't know what to think," Mom murmured."Keep that in mind before you try to pull another stunt like you did tonight," Pamela's grin grew feral."Pamela is the best Grandmother I could ever hope for," I explained."Spiritually speaking," Odette tried to lighten the mood (she was a cracker-jack morale officer). "Otherwise it would make Cáel's having sex with her granddaughters rather, suspect.""Odette, you can say 'incestuous'," Mom gave a half-grin. "Do you know much about my family?""Your Pa created you and your sisters to be fuck-toys who also ran errands for him," Odette nodded. "They are all loonies.""Don't share that view with them," Mom cautioned. "When we last met, they had a highly under-developed sense of humor and a well-cultivated mean streak.""Gotcha," Odette giggled. "After dealing with the Slayers of Testicles numbers 1 & 2, I have learned what kind of wacky girls Cáel attracts without even trying.""I really should make sure Mr. Fiennes is okay," I reminded myself."You would do better catching up with that girl down the hall. The Korean takeout girl also asked about you", offered Odette. Yeah, the girl in 3-F baked me some cookies when Dad was murdered."How many grandchildren are we talking about?" Mom looked at me with some serious maternal affection."Who are the Slayers of Testicles?" Juanita wanted to know. My family jewels belonged to House Ishara   at least in her and her sisters' estimation."Oneida's bodyguards," Odette let slip out before she saw the warning look in my eyes."You are sleeping with the apprentice of House Arinniti?" gasped Juanita   I was hoping her questioning wasn't hurting her driving. "What about the 84 day rule?""I'd better not bring up Rhada," Odette nodded thoughtfully."I'm going to spank you," I growled at Odette."Was that aimed at me?" Juanita."Yippee, and we are going home now, too!" Odette squealed."Not you, Juanita   Odette. I want to teach her how to 'not say' whatever pops up in her head," I grumbled."You promised to punish me!" she beamed brightly. "Punish me! Punish me!""Uuuuuuu," I beat my cranium against the headrest in front of me."I thought she was the 'nice' girl," Mom chided me."She was," Pamela smirked. "Unfortunately, she's been totally corrupted by your son.""Yep," Odette agreed. "He's opened up a whole new horizon of things sexual for me.""Son, how many women are you seeing? I thought you were engaged." Mom."Uuuuuuu," I repeated."I'll take care of this," Chaz intervened calmly. "He is as loyal as he can be   within the bounds of his limited moral arsenal   to Hana Sulkanen. So he is sexually and romantically involved with Brooke Lee and Libra Chalmers, civilians he met through contacts at Havenstone. There is Anais Saint-Armour, RCMP, who departed this weekend,""She'll be back," Pamela assured Mom. "They always come back at least once.""Who has only come back just once?" Chaz laconically questioned Pamela."Good point," Pamela acceded. "They keep coming back until he changes the locks, his phone number and address." That made no sense,"I am glad you two are my friends," I groused. "I'd hate to think what you would say about me if you hated me.""You're welcome," Pamela grinned."Ms. Marla Chalmers," Chaz continued without missing a beat, "Libra's younger sibling, who your son indubitably impressed while in college; three teachers at an exclusive school, he met them while body-guarding a group of children; an assistant manager of a hotel he stayed at; six attractive, college-educated European young women,""Don't forget the Macedonian!" Pamela interjected."I have removed her from the list because she has no reliable way to hunt down our boy," he explained."Good point," Pamela nodded."They like busting your chops, don't they?" Mom smiled."As opposed to physically busting my chops   this I can live with.""You have matured nicely. Your father would be very pleased   quietly, of course.""Thank you Mom." She knew the man better than I ever would."We won't count the 189 Amazons who have staked a claim to him for the next nine days," Chaz added."What! 189? When did that happen?""The thirty huntresses and the 159 members of House Ishara," Pamela clued me in."159? When did that happen?" I gasped again. I was repeating myself   not good. I knew I had told Buffy to 'keep up the good work', but still, House Ishara wasn't even two months old yet."They are the best of the roughly 20,000 Runners in the Host and thus, all are serious bad-ass bitches," Pamela assured me. "I think Helena would like you to explore a few more heroic Runners who have since passed.""Passed?" Mom."Cáel sees dead people," Odette beamed."So does his Aunt Baibre," Mom said."Met her, came off a bit, off," I confirmed."That's Baibre. What other ones have you met, besides Deidre and Brianna?"She was asking if I had met others outside of Delilah's watchful eye."Hmm, Imogen, Kelly and Matilda.""Okay. You haven't met the bad ones yet," Mom nodded. I was stunned yet again. Not by what Mom said, but by,"The 'bad ones'?" Pamela inquired. "They come in shades worse than Kelly and Matilda?""I'm with you on that. Those two were unsettling," Chaz agreed. Holy Shit! Pamela and Chaz were agreeing that two of my aunts had them worried on a tactical level. So 'not good' for me, since I couldn't take either of my friends. Bad-bad."Fiona is the worst. She is the second youngest of my generation and by far the most lethal. She was Father's pet.""Oh joy," I sighed."Is she bulletproof?" Chaz inquired."Not quite, but she is definitely hard to kill. She has a greater share of Alal while remaining sane.""Oh, she's the sane one?" Juanita joined in."On that side of his family, sane is a relative term." Thanks, Odette."Relative to how far your cock is into them?" Pamela snorted."Hold on now," I interrupted the jocularity. "What do you mean   'your generation'   'the second youngest'   what happened to the youngest   and when you say 'worst', define 'worst'."Pamela's phone rang."Father created three generations of daughters and sons. Carrig was the 'success' on the male side of the equation."Uncle Lumpy was the 'success'? What had the other uncles been like   idiot cyclops cannibals?"He destroyed all the rest.""Please clarify," Chaz studied my mother. "Your father murdered his own children?""Yes. All but one of the 36 sons. He kept Carrig around as a reminder to not create any more sons. The first generation of daughters were all 'failures'.""You mean dead?" Odette gulped."Yes   dead now, though he viewed all of us as property, not human beings.""Consider Grandad's low opinion of humanity, that's extra tragic," I put an arm around Odette. Pamela was muffling her conversation."Of the second generation of daughters, only Aunt Faoiltiama was kept around. I always had the impression her soul wasn't entirely human. She is rather primitive and predatory. A less horrifically unbalanced Carrig   physically that is. Carrig was somewhat more erudite.""Wow, I don't know what to think of that," I mumbled."Of my generation, eleven of us were allowed to live. Kelly and Maitilda are the most physically dangerous. That was their purpose   killing things.""Trained in combat styles by Cáel's grandfather?" Chaz looked, depressed."Yes. The four of us were. Fiona was the only one I couldn't best.""I would like to spar with you when it is convenient," Chaz requested."Okay. You deserve to know how bad it can be," she nodded. "Of the rest, Una was the youngest, the most human and humane. She was Father's final failure. I was never sure why he kept her alive.""For Cáel to rescue, of course," Odette insisted. Crap. She was right. By the horrified look on my Mother's face, she knew Odette was correct as well.Alal had let Una live as a contingency card, in case I was a soft-hearted sap. In hindsight, it was obvious. The innocent damsel trapped in a madhouse, at the mercy of her fiendish kinfolk, she was a perfect weapon to make me do stupider shit than normal."Damn," Mom muttered. "Anyway, Briana is the most willful and the family's representative to the Illuminati. Deidre is the most sedate, so she handles the normal business interests that we are allowed to know about. Darcie had Alal's hunger for lost and forbidden lore. In her case, it is all-consuming. She has memorized much of Father's collection.""She is rather good at it too   or was when I last saw her. Imogen is our tactician and oversees the O'Shea's bodyguard contingent. She has Father's ability to choose the best men and women, to train them to a razor's edge and to inspire fanatic loyalty.""Sadhbba: she is Father's spy master; with the exceptionally eerie talents of subterfuge, deceit and finding the weakness in others. She and I did not get along. Fiona could do it all, except for my talent.""Which is?" Chaz took over, since Pamela was waving me over for a close, quiet chat concerning her phone call."Fiona was an updated version of me. She was slightly better at everything I could do, except for one thing. I had Father's sixth sense about things. Fiona did not, and that was the reason she hated me so much. Father stoked our internal conflicts to keep us all on edge.""Good to know," Chaz understated his concern. "Do you have any intelligence on how, when and with what your father will come after our boy?" I wasn't insulted by the 'our boy' moniker. He wasn't calling me a child. He was telling Mom that I was 'one of the boys'   on his team. I felt all warm and tingly. My dearth of long-term male friends had meant I had never really been in a fraternity   the close brotherhood of men   before."Problem for you to deal with," Pamela handed me the phone. "It is Tabitha Loire." Tabitha? Vincent's   FBI Special Agent Vincent Lorie's   drop-dead gorgeous daughter. He had taken more than one bullet in Romania. I hadn't heard from him since that morning at the hospital, before being whisked away to the US via Germany. I remained a lousy friend."Hello? Who is this?" the weary, angry voice on the other end of the connection spoke."Cáel Nyilas. Tabitha Loire, what can I do for you?""What can you tell me about my Father?""Oh God! He is not dead, is he?" I grunted. Pause."No. No, Da is okay. He was released from the hospital a week ago. I would like to talk to you about what happened to him overseas.""He won't tell you?""No. Neither will his boss, or any of his acquaintances. Mr. Nyilas, he is down in the dumps and I want to know what I can do to help out. If you are his friend, you should help."I couldn't blame her for being both bitter and exasperated. She had run full tilt into the Great Wall of National Security and been stopped cold."How about I come down and talk to you?" I offered. "What I can tell you shouldn't go out over a phone and I have been remiss in not catching up with your father sooner.""Umm, when?""I'll take the next train down tonight," I decided. "We'll arrange some vehicles at the station. What is your address?" She hesitated. After all, she had Pamela's number, not mine and I was tied into her father being shot   badly. She gave me the address, her desire to know what happened overcoming her caution when dealing with strangers. "I'll give you a call when we arrive in Alexandria.""Train?" Juanita griped. Chaz pulled out his phone and called Agent-86 for both the next train from Penn Station to Alexandria and an update to Virginia and the Homeland Security people for clearance to bring along our ironmongery. Pamela looked at me with pride. So did Mom. Whatever Juanita's opinion of me was, it was concealed by her call to someone else   probably updating Buffy on my itinerary."Vincent was the Federal Agent who was wounded at Miercurea Ciuc?" asked Mom."I need to have a talk with Delilah," Pamela glowered."I want to be in the room when you do," Chaz agreed."Juanita   Penn Station and call someone at Executive Services to pick up our car. Long term parking there is a bitch," I related.Was it? I had no idea, but Alal apparently did. I had been to Penn Station three times; and I never had a vehicle that needed a parking space. All three times, Havenstone sent a car to pick me up. That was for my preliminary and final interviews, plus handling all the paperwork after I got the job.I'd left Bolingbrook in a U-Haul truck (without much in it) a week before starting work. I had an iron-clad belief I could find a place to live within that time span. That was all the time and money I had allotted to that endeavor. My budget had been tight, or so I believed.Unlike the other four chuckleheads who joined the New Directive, I hadn't received a signing bonus. Maybe I should have asked for one. Too late for that now."You taking your mother to meet Vincent?" Odette poked me. I looked from Pamela to Odette then back again.Sneaky-ass bitches. They were introducing my widowed Mother to a really nice, mature guy who was brave, a good father, a widower and all-around stand-up guy. He had a ready-made family, an oldest daughter my age. Beyond some physical similarities, Vincent was not much like Dad. Dad was a quiet, private man.By the nature of his job as a Field Agent, Vincent had to possess superior communication skills. Physically, they were nearly the same height, but Dad was broader in the shoulders. On the other hand, Vincent had both a warrior's spirit and the skills to back it up.But why Mom? Her life was more a disaster than mine, and mine was colossally fucked up."Don't get any ideas," Pamela put out there. Was she talking to me? "Chaz and I don't like you. Your father is a rat-bastard with a mind like a snake. We have no idea if you are yet another one his plots to get at Cáel."They were still taking her with us as we went to see Vincent in Virginia. Since this was going to be a quick trip   I had to be back at Havenstone at 6 a.m.   no clothing was necessary. Chaz received a call from Agent-86 with a follow-up call as we pulled up to the station. I didn't know the nature of the second call until we went to pick up our tickets for the 10:05 Northeast Regional.Waiting there was my old buddy and now sister, Wilma Draper/Ishara. I was at a loss why. It wasn't as if I needed more firepower than Juanita, Chaz and Pamela in the confined environment of a train."Wilma?""Hello Ish   Cáel," she smiled. She was emotionally pumped."What are you doing here?""Oh... Buffy told me that I was to be here on assignment to fulfill an Isharan obligation." This would be Wilma's first mission for House Ishara, no matter how brief and danger-free it might be. She was ecstatic.Huh? I couldn't recall any obligation I owed Buffy, or Vincent. Unlike every other Amazon House, things regularly happened without the Head of House's knowledge. Face facts: I was the least prepared leader the Host had ever had. I compensated by having hyper-competent underlings   the very best of the best Runners-turned-Full-blooded Amazons."Ah," Pamela nodded, sensing my loss of understanding, "A promise to provide Vincent a bodyguard was made in your presence. Being the highest ranking member of the Host present, and failing to pass on that knowledge, it falls to your House to answer that pledge.""Wilma, you are here to be Vincent Loire's bodyguard?""Only temporarily. The current state of affairs at HQ won't allow me to take more than three days leave. Your 'First' is seeking another appropriate Isharan for the task."I had totally dropped the ball.The initiative to bring JIKIT and the Amazons together was my creation. Katrina had approved it, yet it was my status as Chief Diplomat of the Host (as I had redefined that role,) that was responsible for that group, and thus Vincent. There was also another undercurrent to providing Vincent an Amazon bodyguard. I would be sending Vincent the message that he was still a valuable member of the team. His infirmity was simply a temporary difficulty.I gave Javiera a call. I suddenly needed to know Vincent's status with the FBI. A little past Philadelphia, she called back. Vincent was on long-term leave and, barring a positive physical assessment, he would never be going back into the field. They were making him a desk jockey for the rest of his career. That would be a heavy enough blow to the man to put him in the dumps.I made my view clear. As Unpaid Honcho Assigned to Unit L &  U HAUL, I wanted Vincent on my team   JIKIT's field team. I had plenty of lethal shooters. I needed a trained investigator and a veteran lawman to keep us aware of the niceties the world's legal systems wished to live by. I finished that off with a very regal "Make it so!" Javiera, my boss, hung up on me; though I thought I caught a laugh before the connection was cut."Pamela," Chaz turned to Pamela, "I am proud to call him 'brother'.""I think he is coming along nicely, Grandson Charles," Pamela preened. Wha- huh? My family had grown yet again. Grown yet again with people who were better than me."Does that make Aya your niece?" a sleepy Odette smiled."I guess it does," he nodded."Aya will love you," Pamela smiled."I hope Caitlyn loves him too," I smirked."A man could do worse than marrying an Amazon," Chaz blithely retorted. Less I forget, the Tomorrow Clan had its own long warrior tradition."Asking it to be three thousand years long is a bit too much," Pamela agreed with what I had not spoken aloud."On the plus side," I began."He's also getting several frisky sisters-in-law," Pamela finished. Hi-Five."Super Twin Powers Activate!" we proclaimed loudly.Fuck Ishara for taking Tad fi from me. I could be just like my Father. I could bleed off my pain with humor and look at my daughter with untainted love."When I grow up, I want to be just like you," Odette yawned. Which one of us she wanted to emulate wasn't clear.{Wounded, but not forgotten}{2:00 am, Wednesday, September 3rd ~ 5 Days to go}The tickets were one-way. Katrina was having a private jet come down at 4 a.m. to fetch me. We arrived in DC at 1:30. Two bleary-eyed State Department flunkies met us with an S U V and a sedan. We took the S U V ~ we had seven people ~ while they drove the sedan back so they could try to make something of the night that duty had destroyed.They looked curious about what this was all about and were a bit disappointed that no explanation was forthcoming from our crowd. We were polite, and I thanked them for their service. Being a decent human being doesn't cost you much and can pay serious dividends.The drive to Casa de Loire took thirty minutes. Juanita informed me the small airport I would be flying out of was a twenty minute drive, so I had roughly an hour and half with Vincent and his family. When we arrived, Juanita sent Wilma to make a 'walk-around' Vincent's home so she could get the lay of the land as well as keep an eye out for voyeurs.Pamela saved another series of frowns from Juanita by being the first person to the door. Tabitha had called her after all. Tabitha, Vincent's oldest and a Georgetown University senior, clearly didn't know what to make of us, and we weren't making it any easier for her by showing up on her stoop three hours after she had called Pamela.It wasn't going to get better. For starters, Juanita (and the not visible Wilma) had a MP-7A1. Ya know  military-grade weaponry. The door opened halfway. It was Gretchen Loire, the middle daughter."Hello. May I help you?" That wasn't her being uninformed about our imminent arrival. This was the child of an FBI agent allowing a stranger at her door to identify themselves instead of giving them a name to use."I'm Pamela Pile," my mentor answered. "This is Cáel Nyilas, my grandson. The gentleman to his left is my other grandson, Color Sergeant Chaz Tomorrow of the British military. To the left is Juanita Garza, my younger grandson's bodyguard   the one without a gun in his hand. The young lady in back is Odette Sievert, another one of your father's co-workers. The woman beside her is Sibeal Nyilas, Cáel's mother. Don't trust her   long story. A seventh member of our group is checking out your backyard. Her name is Wilma Draper.""You are heavily armed. Is my Da in trouble?""I want to talk to your father, if that is okay with you. I'll let Cáel answer your questions. He's our titular boss."'Thanks Pamela', I groaned inwardly.She was cute, exhausted and emotionally-vulnerable. Eager for answers and for someone to make sense of a world where her anchor   her father   had been nearly killed (not that his wounds had really been life-threatening). I hadn't had sex in over a day and that had only been a tension-breaker quickie with Odette.As we entered, it was obvious that Gretchen and her younger sister, Mariyah, had camped out in the front living room, catching some 'z's' on a recliner and a sofa with light blankets for covers. Mariyah was on the sofa, sitting up on her elbows and struggling to wake up.As Chaz shut the front door, Tabitha came down the stairs."Mr. Nyilas," she greeted me. Well, I was an infamous celebrity. I even had two Facebook pages (Nyilas Nailed Me! and Az  j Magyarorsz g kir lya (The New King of Hungary)) as well as four Instagram accounts devoted to me."Ms. Loire," I met her halfway and shook her hand."Call me Tabitha.""Call me Cabbage-Head," I grinned. That caught her off guard."Oh, kay, not what I expected." (I get that a lot) "We need to talk," she failed to stifle a grin."If you sleep with any of these girls, I will shoot you," Pamela warned me in Hittite."Excuse me?" Tabitha looked her way."Don't worry about it, Tabitha," Pamela gave her a congenial look. "I simply warned the boy that if he acted inappropriately, I would scar him.""Aren't you engaged?" she turned on me."Yes. Yes I am. Hana is a wonderful woman; beautiful, smart, with a big heart and a serious nature. Sadly for her, I'm a lousy human being, untrustworthy cad and perpetually prone to making bad decisions where women are concerned. Very bad decisions.""Miss, since my associate appears to be eminently capable of mangling the English language, let me help you clarify the situation: Cáel can't say 'no' where a woman is concerned. He can't even say, 'no, please don't hurt me', or 'no, not now. I'm talking to my date'.""Hi. I'm Odette. There are four sane people in this room and I'm one of them.""Says the woman who snuck aboard a transatlantic fight and hid in a place in the galley which you couldn't get out of," Pamela snorted."I got to go to Europe for free," she defiantly perked up. "Oh, and ladies," to the Lorie girls, "your father is a wonderful and brave male. (OK, too much time around the Amazons for her.) "He saved my life in Budapest.""He was in Budapest?" Gretchen."When?" Tabitha."Why?" Mariyah."We need to talk to Vincent  

In this episode, hosts Phil and Kenny welcome Brittany from HIVE Naturals and Jeff Doucet from Field Agent Canada to announce their groundbreaking partnership: the world's first hybrid merchandising agency.The collaboration combines Field Agent's powerful audit capabilities with HIVE's expert merchandising team to create a "find and fix" solution for brands. This innovative partnership allows brands of all sizes to efficiently identify in-store execution issues and target resources where they're needed most, making retail visibility and compliance more accessible and affordable.The conversation also explores the current state of Canadian retail amidst tariff uncertainties, discussing how retailers and brands are adapting to growing consumer demand for Canadian products, and the challenges of clearly identifying and promoting local options in stores.Join us for candid insights, practical advice, and lively discussion on navigating today's complex retail environment. Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring the podcast. You can find them here: https://www.fieldagentcanada.com/Check out Hive Canada here: https://www.hiveretailsolutions.com/Find Jeff Doucette here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-doucette-72b3556/Find Brittany here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-kroetsch-74248744/

It's not easy to become a solid Counterintelligence Agent. It's for sure a life defining challenge to become a Green Beret. So what does it take to master both skills? Pete Jensen has completed this journey. Pete Jensen was in D Co, 165th MI Bn when Pete A Turner was in the unit. Jensen left D Co before Bosnia to become a Green Beret...and that's where we have to stop telling that story, because "That's Classified." Jensen knows the spy game. Turner knows the spy game...this episode is apex Spy vs Spy talk.

We bring Rick West back to the show to talk about what's next for him and Field Agent's recent acquisition of Shelfgram. In this episode, we explore what those early days were like for Rick before Field Agent became the titan in its industry it is today, and as his role changes... what the future might look like for this longtime entrepreneur.    Want to connect with Rick? Reach out via his LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/   This episode is sponsored by Best Option Restoration of Northwest Arkansas. Are you looking for the trusted answer when disaster strikes in your home? Whether its water damage, fire damage, or mold, Best Option Restoration are the perfect answer for when you need that immediate response, which is why they have a 24/7 call line.    Call (479) 458-8840 or visit https://borestorationofnwarkansas.com/ for more information.    If you like the episode, feel free to subscribe or follow the podcast for more content. We also have a Patreon where you can support the podcast at Patreon.com/GoodAdvice.   Interested in advertising on the show? Reach out via blake@goodadvicecoaching.com. 

Summary In this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Daniel Koonce and Jeff Amerine are joined by Rick West, chairman and co-founder of Field Agent, a company revolutionizing B2B retail solutions by offering an on-demand marketplace with efficient, cost-effective tools for retail professionals to evaluate in-store conditions, drive sales, understand shoppers, and generate ratings and reviews. The platform is designed to be user-friendly and affordable, allowing users to deploy solutions quickly. As an all-in-one retail toolkit, every solution in the Field Agent Marketplace can be launched with just a few clicks, in just a few minutes, for just a few dollars.  Furthermore, Rick explains his entrepreneurial journey, highlighting his early days growing up in Appalachia and his international stint with Procter & Gamble, which ignited his entrepreneurial spirit. He emphasizes that Field Agent operates in two economies: the traditional B2B model, where large companies like Walmart and Procter & Gamble hire them to collect data, and a B2C model, where everyday users download the Field Agent app to perform tasks and earn money. The company recently underwent significant changes, including a Series B funding round and acquiring Shelfgram, enhancing Field Agent's machine learning and AI capabilities. This acquisition enables real-time data collection and predictive analytics, providing clients with a competitive edge. Throughout the episode, Rick talks about the importance of relationships and mentorship in the business world, how he was able to develop an app that "really pays to use," and how he is adjusting to his new role within Field Agent. Tune in to learn about what the future looks like for Field Agent and to hear how you can make cold hard cash while you shop!   Show Notes (0:00) Introduction (0:42) Rick's Background and Origin Story (4:16) What's Next for Field Agent (7:15) Stepping Back from Day-to-Day Work (10:58) About Field Agents and Its Recent Acquisition, Shelfgram (16:10) Using Historical Information to Be Predictive (21:23) The Role of Social Listening (26:04) Field Agent's Process: Everyday People Reviewing Products (28:03) Rick's New Role and What's in the Future for Him (30:00) Closing Question   Links Daniel Koonce Jeff Amerine Startup Junkie Startup Junkie YouTube Rick West Field Agent

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Rick West, Co-Founder and CEO of Field Agent. They delve into Rick's journey from a significant tenure at Procter & Gamble to establishing Field Agent, a company at the forefront of retail and consumer data innovation. The discussion uncovers how Rick's strategic use of corporate severance as seed money laid the foundation for Field Agent's success, the company's growth through acquisitions and the pivotal role of technology in reshaping retail analytics. Rick's insights provide a comprehensive look at the evolution of consumer data collection and its impact on retail strategies. Key Takeaways: (02:15) Rick West reflects on the leap from Procter & Gamble to entrepreneurship. (05:40) Insight into FieldAgent's innovative start and market impact. (11:20) Rick discusses using severance as seed money for business ventures. (15:30) Expansion of FieldAgent through strategic acquisitions and technology. (20:45) The crucial role of consumer engagement in data collection. (25:50) Adaptation of retail to technological advancements and consumer expectations. (30:10) The importance of mobile tech in enhancing retail experiences. (33:25) Rick emphasizes the value of real-time data in retail decision-making. (35:40) Looking ahead: The future of retail analytics and consumer data. Resources Mentioned: Field Agent Procter & Gamble Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #restech

In this episode we chat with our long time friend and VP of Field Distribution, Bryan Smith. He shares common concepts agents struggle with and what "legacy" marketing techniques are working this AEP.

In episode 39 of Kantar's Retail Sound Bites, hosts Barry Thomas, senior retail thought leader, and Rachel Dalton, head of retail insights, discuss shopper marketing and Field Agent, solutions let you audit stores, drive trial, generate reviews, and connect with shoppers, with CEO and co-founder Rick West. Kantar's principal economist Doug Hermanson also joins for Commerce Compass, providing real-time macroeconomic updates in retail. Have a topic you'd like to have covered? Contact us: Kantar's Retail Sound Bites Podcast Barry's contact information: barry.thomas@kantar.com Barry's LinkedIn Rachel's contact information: rachel.dalton@kantar.com Rachel's LinkedIn Four digital strategies accelerating private label growth (kantarretailiq.com) Field Agent | Solutions for Today's Retail Challenges https://www.linkedin.com/posts/consulting-by-kantar_four-digital-strategies-accelerating-private-activity-7086710048432783361-tLil?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop https://plumshop.com/p/shop?utm_campaign=Podcasts&utm_source=Kantar%20July%2023%20Podcast    

Rick West has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Rick West: Website: https://www.fieldagent.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01

Summary: Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!   On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Rick West and Henry Ho, co-founders of Field Agent, where Rick serves as the CEO and Henry is the Chief Strategy Officer. Field Agent is a tech company built for winning at retail by connecting brands to shoppers across the country. This enables companies to capture in-store information, gather rich consumer insights, and drive product trials completely on demand. Throughout the show, Rick and Henry discuss the solutions Field Agent provides, how to improve interactions with customers, and how to create business ventures that are scalable and repeatable.   Show Notes: (0:57) Introduction to Rick and Henry (1:41) Field Agent's Backstory (9:33) About Field Agent (14:18) Raising Outside Venture Capital (18:56) What's Next for Field Agent (26:03) Interacting with Customers (27:56) The Future Utilization of AI (35:16) Scalability and Repeatability (39:13) Northwest Arkansas's Collaborative Ecosystem (46:27) Advice to Younger Self (49:57) Closing Question   Links: Caleb Talley Jeff Amerine Rick West Henry Ho Field Agent   Quotes: “We built this platform along with a crowdsourcing engine to help our clients understand store conditions like pricing product, distribution, merchandising, etc…We also created it so we would be able to gain everyday shopper insights into their shopping experience.” - Henry Ho, (10:19)   “We've created an opportunity or a marketplace for people to be able to come in and see items and actually purchase as opposed to talking to a bunch of different sales people from different companies to try and make something work.” - Rick West, (19:24)   “We think we have the secret sauce to have a services mentality, a sales led growth mentality, and taking the best of that and then productizing it to make it scalable and repeatable.” - Rick West, (35:37)   “I think one of the joys I have as an entrepreneur is not only are we pouring into business entrepreneurs, there's a whole bunch of social entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas that are doing incredible things.” - Henry Ho, (44:51)

“I think we've learned pretty quickly that we can do work remote. (But) It is difficult to lead and it is difficult to be the leader you need to be without being around the leaders you're going to replace,” Rick West says, “I think you'll have a whole wave of people upset that they're not the next partner…because they were in California on a beach doing amazing work but someone else was there around and available and they're going to get those opportunities.”Rick co-founded Field Agent, a marketplace that provides B2B retail solutions through mobile research and retail data collection. Rick dives into how his company functions and talks about their most recent creation of “Plum Marketplace” to speed up and transform the process of purchasing services. Field Agent was originally created as a tool for the larger product and eventually, they decided to focus in and scale it. You'll hear how the economy at the time inspired people to start using their product. In this episode, Carol and Rick discuss the swiftly changing technology in the industry and how Field Agent works to keep up with it. Rick discusses areas in his company's growth that he would have approached differently in hindsight.Learn more about Rick West and Field Agent. You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

She appeared on Dragon's Den. Got her chocolate bar listed at Sobey's based on the name alone. It all started because she wanted to get her mom her favorite chocolate bar and discovered it had been discontinued. Crystal Regehr Westergard talks about becoming a Heritage chocolate bar brand specialist.  Find Crystal here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crystal-regehr-westergard-11692948/ Find Cuban Lunch here: https://cubanlunch.ca/ Thank you to Field Agent Canada for sponsoring this episode. You can find Field Agent 360 Innovation Booster here: fieldagentcanada.com/360 or you can email them at  client@ca.fieldagent.net

Today's episode talks about drop servicing, DALL-E, Field Agent, and Moving. An extra $1000 a month can be the difference between retiring in 10 years or 30. With these 4 ideas, you'll be able to capitalize on the ability to retire early before robots take over. Check out DALL-E: https://openai.com/dall-e-2/ Check out Field Agent: https://www.fieldagent.net/ Check out Moving Helper: https://movinghelper.com/ Listen and Enjoy :) Here is my Motivation Podcast Connect with me on LinkedIn Leave a Review --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/premillshow/support

New book alert! In this episode, Adam Torres interviewed Rick West, CEO & Co-Founder of Field Agent. Explore Rick's new book, Mission Matters: World's Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips To Success (Business Leaders Vol. 7, Edition 10).Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule.Apply to be a guest on our podcast:https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/Visit our website:https://missionmatters.com/

New book alert! In this episode, Adam Torres interviewed Rick West, CEO & Co-Founder of Field Agent. Explore Rick's new book, Mission Matters: World's Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips To Success (Business Leaders Vol. 7, Edition 10).Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule.Apply to be a guest on our podcast:https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/Visit our website:https://missionmatters.com/

Tanisha Shanee "Miss Inspiration" continues the conversation on her podcast, "It's A Lifestyle with Miss Inspiration" also available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iTunes, Podcast, and many others! This conversation continues from Part 1 (https://youtu.be/qJuyIXVMyhE) - where Tanisha was inspired by Matt Garland's conversation about couples buying property together. For Tanisha, she wants singles to think about but want them to start thinking about this before they meet their person. "There is a lot of healing we need to do while we are single and our finances play a major part in that!" Tanisha Shanee discusses 4 ways you can start to healing your finances and start making extra money, especially if you are suffering with the "living paycheck to paycheck syndrome" 1. Affiliate Marketing - https://tanishashanee.com/affiliate-marketing/ - here you will learn ways to work with Tanisha Shanee through affiliate marketing, but how to just identify brands you love and trust and make money through them 2. Mobile Apps where you can do small odd jobs such as: Field Agent (https://youtu.be/AESSlBz5O4w) 3. Delivery Apps (Uber Eats - https://youtu.be/_Rxdh5nMJmo) 4. Sharing referral links such as Streamyard (check out my favorite referral links below) Want to start a podcast and want to record quality videos? Try Streamyard: https://streamyard.com/pal/5185269310685184 Try Field Agent: https://usapp.fieldagent.net/applinks/invite/?code=ybn32s3 (Note: by using any of the links above, I may receive a small commission if you register and use their products) We want to build generational wealth, so we have to step out our comfort zone and try new things that can help us get there! #sidehustles #healing #earnmoneyonline #generationalwealth #sidehustle #inspiration #single #dating #singleanddating

Jordan Raynor sits down with Henry Ho, Co-founder of Field Agent, to talk about the email Henry sent to his team at P&G giving glory to God as he left, the difference between walking in confidence and walking in faith, and how working in a redemptive way can be as simple as asking somebody to share their name.Links Mentioned:Henry Ho on LinkedInHenry Ho on TwitterField AgentSimpli FieldNate's HoneyThe Creator in YouThe Rule of LifeThe Redemptive NonprofitThe Redemptive BusinessWho Is My Neighbor?HalftimeLove First

In this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks with Rick West, CEO and Co-founder of Field Agent. Rick shares his experience and expertise in the industry. He explains Field Agent's mission to help brands and retailers overcome everyday sales and marketing challenges through quick and easy collection of retail and competitive data. This can be done through their reliable and actionable business solutions that focus on in-store visibility, shopper insights, and trial campaigns. Rick also walks us through how their system works, including how their agents, who are real shoppers, contribute to the ecosystem: visiting stores, trying products, writing reviews, and more! With the data gathered, he hopes to see their customers firmly in control and winning in retail. Key Points from the Episode: Company Overview: What does Field Agent do? The services offered by Field Agent Learning the Ecosystem: In-store Visibility, Shopper Insights, Mystery Shopping and Drive Trial About Rick West Rick West is husband of one, father of 3, grandfather of two and friend to many. He is an experienced CEO and co-founder of several start-ups with a focus on technology, innovation and CPG. He is a leader in the retail industry for seventeen years in the United States, Hong Kong and Thailand. He has been an entrepreneur for over sixteen years in the United States and currently serves as a speaker and mentor within the business community and the research industry. Life quote: "Don't live in the world of maybe, let your yes be yes and your no be no". About Field Agent Since 2010, Field Agent has been on a mission to change the way the world gathers business information and ideas. They outsource smartphones worldwide to provide audits, information, product reviews, on-demand sales, and more. Field Agent solutions are designed to put brand and retail professionals in control. They've pioneered dozens of fast, simple, self-service (audit, marketing, research) products that can be bought, purchased, and launched with just a few clicks, in minutes. Their agents are real buyers, doing what real buyers do: visiting stores, trying products, writing reviews, etc., all to help our customers win at retail. To date, over 2 million agents have downloaded our app. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Field Agent's website at https://www.fieldagent.net/ Check out Field Agent on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/field-agent/ Check out Field Agent on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/fieldagentinc/ Check out Field Agent on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/fieldagentinc Check out Field Agent on Twitter at https://twitter.com/fieldagentinc Check out Rick West on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/ Check out Rick West on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RickWest01 Don't...

Offering productized services is a great way to make money while keeping your clients happy. In this episode, Rick West joins Matt and explains what productized services are and why you should offer them to your clients. You'll learn how productized services can help you streamline your business, provide better customer service, and make more money.ABOUT RICKRick West is the CEO and Founder of Field Agent. Field Agent connects brands, retailers, and agencies with customers across the country and around the world to help you win at retail. His platform harnesses smartphones across the country, bridging the gap between you and your customers.Here's a summary of the great stuff that we cover in this show:If you're a B2B provider of services, there's no way that you can put your services on Amazon or Shopify. So, Rick and his team developed Plum, the first B2B marketplace with a cart where you can click, answer a couple of questions and go to a cart and check out with a cart just like you would Amazon or any type of retail, B2B engagement and buy their services. The barriers to any B2B services provider in productizing their services are usually time and tech resources. Rick's team comes alongside and helps them by doing the tech lifting and concept lifting to create products and gives them a place to place these products, which is plum shop.A checklist is a great tool to productize something even without the technology and what marks the difference between a great and mediocre sales call.For complete show notes, transcript and links to our guest, check out our website: www.ecommerce-podcast.com.

Manfromleng and Mattastrophic continue their review of the Guardian cards in the Scarlet Keys Investigator Expansion. This is Part 3 of a four-part series. In this episode we discuss Bestow Resolve (2), Field Agent (2), Guard Dog (2) and Handcuffs (2). We'll review the customizable Guardian cards in separate videos.

After spending two years in New Delhi, India, Joe Futterer found himself moving back to the United States in the middle of the 2008 recession. Armed with his confidence, community, and the least helpful degree for finding a job in America (Times said it, not us), he found himself at the doors of Field Agent, hoping to break into business. Throughout this episode, Joe and Rick discuss the significance of relationships, moving overseas and back, being a dreamer, and much more. Tune in to hear about Joe's defining moments!

On Friday, Oct. 7, two field service assistants and 13 new agents completed the academy and took their Oath of Office. This week Chris and Greg speak with new Kalamazoo Probation Agent Daniel Webb about his experience, what led him to a career with the Department and what he is looking forward to as an agent.

Do the principles of customer value generation that we espouse in our Economics For Business program apply equally for both B2C and B2B businesses? The answer is emphatically yes. B2B customers are seeking subjective value and a value experience just as B2C customers are. They have a clear sense of the things that matter to them, and those include emotional and personal values as well as price and functionality and performance. In fact, trends that begin in the B2C domain often quickly begin to influence the B2B domain, and the alert entrepreneur can track those trends in B2C and establish an early advantage by exploring them for their business customers. Rick West has done exactly that with his business services company, Field Agent. Key Takeaways and Actionable Insights In addition to identifying a meaningful problem, and providing an effective innovative solution, entrepreneurs in today's B2B market must offer the right service delivery platform. Rick West created a company called Field Agent to provide B2B customers with a meaningful service: monitoring their retail stores and shopper behavior and collecting in-store data about the interactions of shoppers, stores, shelves, displays and products. This kind of information is high value for both the retail operators (like Walmart) and the companies that sell products through retail stores (such as Procter and Gamble or The Coca-Cola Company). The set of services often goes by the terminology of “shopper marketing”. Typically, such business service offerings have a long and cumbersome sales cycle. The service provider and the service client get in contact, there are meetings, prices are negotiated, and contracts are prepared and signed. Then, once the service is executed, there are more steps in analytics and preparation of presentations of findings, and another big meeting to discuss the findings and recommendations. Lots of meetings, lots of travel, lots of time, lots of lawyers. Is this the right service delivery platform? It's been virtually institutionalized over time. But it's not a good fit with modern business models and the modern technology-shaped environment. The Amazon effect. Think about purchasing on a shopping platform like amazon.com. The customer first self-educates. If there's a complex product to buy – such as an expensive flat screen HDTV with internet connectivity and interaction with all the latest entertainment ecosystem devices like Roku and streaming services like Apple TV – the customer might search for information via google, might visit some ratings sites, do some comparison shopping, and generally collect information to get to the point where they are confident of making a purchase. They don't need to speak to an HDTV salesperson or a “customer success manager” or to sign a paper contract. Or think of a slightly more complex transaction such as buying a car on Vroom. There are some contracts to be signed via DocuSign, but confident shoppers are comfortable with self-educating, making their decision, committing, and experiencing the delivery of the car to their home, perhaps with the added service of taking away their old one. This is the world of services and service delivery we live in today. Your B2B customer also has a life as a consumer and an internet shopper, and is fully aware of the efficiency, convenience, and safety of these kinds of transactions. Call it the amazon effect: customers becoming comfortable with the “click-to-cart” experience, without interpersonal interaction with a salesperson or other service personnel. Why not in B2B services? Click-to-cart has arrived in B2B services. Rick West's customers for Field Agent services can purchase them on plumshop.com. A full array of shopper marketing services is offered via pull-down menus in categories such as Audits, Marketing, and Insights. Under these headings are Display Photography, Price Check, Shelf Management, Price Sensitivity Study, and dozens more, all in the language of shopper marketing that's well understood by the knowledgeable B2B service buyer. Clicking on any one of these takes the client to a price list and a detailed description of the service and its output, all in the colorful and engaging presentation style of an e-commerce site (like amazon.com!) The client can create an account online and make a transaction just as easily as buying a TV on amazon (and probably easier than buying a car on Vroom). Self-educated buyers know exactly what they want, and the description and designation of the services are crisp and clear. Clients can check out testimonials, comparison shop, and take all the steps any smart B2B service purchaser would take to get themselves to the point of confidence and trust. Some customized services will always be a client requirement, but there will be a rapid shift to more and more self-service. Some clients and some projects will always require a custom, tailored response, and Rick's company has both custom service and automated service capabilities. One point he makes is that a first project might be customized and accompanied by in-person client service, while for the second or repeat purchase, the client will be comfortable with the click-to-cart process. Rick's guessing a 70:30 split for automated versus customer services over time in his field, especially as the interface software learns and becomes better and better at responding to client needs and preferences. B2B entrepreneurs are trend-spotters in the B2C domain. People are people. Economic behaviors that we can observe in consumer shopping and buying are bound eventually to show up in business-to-business markets. They're the same people – your B2B client is a consumer when not at work. Smart B2B entrepreneurs keep an eye open for B2C trends that can be expected to transfer to B2B and jump on them early. Additional Resources Field Agent: FieldAgent.net Plum: PlumShop.com/fa/shop Rick West on LinkedIn: Mises.org/E4B_184_LinkedIn

Do the principles of customer value generation that we espouse in our Economics For Business program apply equally for both B2C and B2B businesses? The answer is emphatically yes. B2B customers are seeking subjective value and a value experience just as B2C customers are. They have a clear sense of the things that matter to them, and those include emotional and personal values as well as price and functionality and performance. In fact, trends that begin in the B2C domain often quickly begin to influence the B2B domain, and the alert entrepreneur can track those trends in B2C and establish an early advantage by exploring them for their business customers. Rick West has done exactly that with his business services company, Field Agent. Key Takeaways and Actionable Insights In addition to identifying a meaningful problem, and providing an effective innovative solution, entrepreneurs in today's B2B market must offer the right service delivery platform. Rick West created a company called Field Agent to provide B2B customers with a meaningful service: monitoring their retail stores and shopper behavior and collecting in-store data about the interactions of shoppers, stores, shelves, displays and products. This kind of information is high value for both the retail operators (like Walmart) and the companies that sell products through retail stores (such as Procter and Gamble or The Coca-Cola Company). The set of services often goes by the terminology of “shopper marketing”. Typically, such business service offerings have a long and cumbersome sales cycle. The service provider and the service client get in contact, there are meetings, prices are negotiated, and contracts are prepared and signed. Then, once the service is executed, there are more steps in analytics and preparation of presentations of findings, and another big meeting to discuss the findings and recommendations. Lots of meetings, lots of travel, lots of time, lots of lawyers. Is this the right service delivery platform? It's been virtually institutionalized over time. But it's not a good fit with modern business models and the modern technology-shaped environment. The Amazon effect. Think about purchasing on a shopping platform like amazon.com. The customer first self-educates. If there's a complex product to buy – such as an expensive flat screen HDTV with internet connectivity and interaction with all the latest entertainment ecosystem devices like Roku and streaming services like Apple TV – the customer might search for information via google, might visit some ratings sites, do some comparison shopping, and generally collect information to get to the point where they are confident of making a purchase. They don't need to speak to an HDTV salesperson or a “customer success manager” or to sign a paper contract. Or think of a slightly more complex transaction such as buying a car on Vroom. There are some contracts to be signed via DocuSign, but confident shoppers are comfortable with self-educating, making their decision, committing, and experiencing the delivery of the car to their home, perhaps with the added service of taking away their old one. This is the world of services and service delivery we live in today. Your B2B customer also has a life as a consumer and an internet shopper, and is fully aware of the efficiency, convenience, and safety of these kinds of transactions. Call it the amazon effect: customers becoming comfortable with the “click-to-cart” experience, without interpersonal interaction with a salesperson or other service personnel. Why not in B2B services? Click-to-cart has arrived in B2B services. Rick West's customers for Field Agent services can purchase them on plumshop.com. A full array of shopper marketing services is offered via pull-down menus in categories such as Audits, Marketing, and Insights. Under these headings are Display Photography, Price Check, Shelf Management, Price Sensitivity Study, and dozens more, all in the language of shopper marketing that's well understood by the knowledgeable B2B service buyer. Clicking on any one of these takes the client to a price list and a detailed description of the service and its output, all in the colorful and engaging presentation style of an e-commerce site (like amazon.com!) The client can create an account online and make a transaction just as easily as buying a TV on amazon (and probably easier than buying a car on Vroom). Self-educated buyers know exactly what they want, and the description and designation of the services are crisp and clear. Clients can check out testimonials, comparison shop, and take all the steps any smart B2B service purchaser would take to get themselves to the point of confidence and trust. Some customized services will always be a client requirement, but there will be a rapid shift to more and more self-service. Some clients and some projects will always require a custom, tailored response, and Rick's company has both custom service and automated service capabilities. One point he makes is that a first project might be customized and accompanied by in-person client service, while for the second or repeat purchase, the client will be comfortable with the click-to-cart process. Rick's guessing a 70:30 split for automated versus customer services over time in his field, especially as the interface software learns and becomes better and better at responding to client needs and preferences. B2B entrepreneurs are trend-spotters in the B2C domain. People are people. Economic behaviors that we can observe in consumer shopping and buying are bound eventually to show up in business-to-business markets. They're the same people – your B2B client is a consumer when not at work. Smart B2B entrepreneurs keep an eye open for B2C trends that can be expected to transfer to B2B and jump on them early. Additional Resources Field Agent: FieldAgent.net Plum: PlumShop.com/fa/shop Rick West on LinkedIn: Mises.org/E4B_184_LinkedIn

Do the principles of customer value generation that we espouse in our Economics For Business program apply equally for both B2C and B2B businesses? The answer is emphatically yes. B2B customers are seeking subjective value and a value experience just as B2C customers are. They have a clear sense of the things that matter to them, and those include emotional and personal values as well as price and functionality and performance. In fact, trends that begin in the B2C domain often quickly begin to influence the B2B domain, and the alert entrepreneur can track those trends in B2C and establish an early advantage by exploring them for their business customers. Rick West has done exactly that with his business services company, Field Agent. Key Takeaways and Actionable Insights In addition to identifying a meaningful problem, and providing an effective innovative solution, entrepreneurs in today's B2B market must offer the right service delivery platform. Rick West created a company called Field Agent to provide B2B customers with a meaningful service: monitoring their retail stores and shopper behavior and collecting in-store data about the interactions of shoppers, stores, shelves, displays and products. This kind of information is high value for both the retail operators (like Walmart) and the companies that sell products through retail stores (such as Procter and Gamble or The Coca-Cola Company). The set of services often goes by the terminology of “shopper marketing”. Typically, such business service offerings have a long and cumbersome sales cycle. The service provider and the service client get in contact, there are meetings, prices are negotiated, and contracts are prepared and signed. Then, once the service is executed, there are more steps in analytics and preparation of presentations of findings, and another big meeting to discuss the findings and recommendations. Lots of meetings, lots of travel, lots of time, lots of lawyers. Is this the right service delivery platform? It's been virtually institutionalized over time. But it's not a good fit with modern business models and the modern technology-shaped environment. The Amazon effect. Think about purchasing on a shopping platform like amazon.com. The customer first self-educates. If there's a complex product to buy – such as an expensive flat screen HDTV with internet connectivity and interaction with all the latest entertainment ecosystem devices like Roku and streaming services like Apple TV – the customer might search for information via google, might visit some ratings sites, do some comparison shopping, and generally collect information to get to the point where they are confident of making a purchase. They don't need to speak to an HDTV salesperson or a “customer success manager” or to sign a paper contract. Or think of a slightly more complex transaction such as buying a car on Vroom. There are some contracts to be signed via DocuSign, but confident shoppers are comfortable with self-educating, making their decision, committing, and experiencing the delivery of the car to their home, perhaps with the added service of taking away their old one. This is the world of services and service delivery we live in today. Your B2B customer also has a life as a consumer and an internet shopper, and is fully aware of the efficiency, convenience, and safety of these kinds of transactions. Call it the amazon effect: customers becoming comfortable with the “click-to-cart” experience, without interpersonal interaction with a salesperson or other service personnel. Why not in B2B services? Click-to-cart has arrived in B2B services. Rick West's customers for Field Agent services can purchase them on plumshop.com. A full array of shopper marketing services is offered via pull-down menus in categories such as Audits, Marketing, and Insights. Under these headings are Display Photography, Price Check, Shelf Management, Price Sensitivity Study, and dozens more, all in the language of shopper marketing that's well understood by the knowledgeable B2B service buyer. Clicking on any one of these takes the client to a price list and a detailed description of the service and its output, all in the colorful and engaging presentation style of an e-commerce site (like amazon.com!) The client can create an account online and make a transaction just as easily as buying a TV on amazon (and probably easier than buying a car on Vroom). Self-educated buyers know exactly what they want, and the description and designation of the services are crisp and clear. Clients can check out testimonials, comparison shop, and take all the steps any smart B2B service purchaser would take to get themselves to the point of confidence and trust. Some customized services will always be a client requirement, but there will be a rapid shift to more and more self-service. Some clients and some projects will always require a custom, tailored response, and Rick's company has both custom service and automated service capabilities. One point he makes is that a first project might be customized and accompanied by in-person client service, while for the second or repeat purchase, the client will be comfortable with the click-to-cart process. Rick's guessing a 70:30 split for automated versus customer services over time in his field, especially as the interface software learns and becomes better and better at responding to client needs and preferences. B2B entrepreneurs are trend-spotters in the B2C domain. People are people. Economic behaviors that we can observe in consumer shopping and buying are bound eventually to show up in business-to-business markets. They're the same people – your B2B client is a consumer when not at work. Smart B2B entrepreneurs keep an eye open for B2C trends that can be expected to transfer to B2B and jump on them early. Additional Resources Field Agent: FieldAgent.net Plum: PlumShop.com/fa/shop Rick West on LinkedIn: Mises.org/E4B_184_LinkedIn

Rick West has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Rick West: Website: https://www.fieldagent.net/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01

Rick West is the CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent, a global Work-On-Demand Platform. Prior to starting Field Agent, Rick worked 16 years with Procter & Gamble in various assignments in the United States, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Since leaving P&G, he has been a start-up Entrepreneur for 19 years. Rick has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Website: https://www.fieldagent.net --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Rick West is the CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent, a global Work-On-Demand Platform.Before starting Field Agent, Rick worked 16 years with Procter & Gamble in various assignments in the United States, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Since leaving P&G, he has been a start-up Entrepreneur for 19 years.Rick has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky.In this episode, Dean Newlund and Rick West discuss:Creating a solution From corporate to entrepreneurCreative people in the corporate spaceTesting your idea Key Takeaways:Explore different innovative ways in which you can provide a service that not many companies currently do. Some mindset shifts are needed when shifting from the corporate world to the entrepreneurial world. One of the most important ones is that in the entrepreneurial world, you need somebody's help in order to succeed.Someone creative will find it hard to stay in the corporate space. If you're one of those people that have an entrepreneurial spirit, you'll have to decide if you are able to pursue your idea now or after you retire. Before you launch your business idea, you need to test it against the opinion of complete strangers. If a complete stranger isn't willing to buy it, then you're selling an idea and not a solution. "Even if you find a great problem to solve, you are only as good as you invoice and collect. If you can't invoice and collect, you're just working on an expensive hobby. If you can find a problem to solve and you can get a complete stranger to pay you - oh my goodness - who cares what it looks like!" —  Rick West See Dean's TedTalk “Why Business Needs Intuition” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEq9IYvgV7IConnect with Rick West:  Website: https://www.fieldagent.net/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/field-agent/  Connect with Dean:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgqRK8GC8jBIFYPmECUCMkwWebsite: https://www.mfileadership.com/The Mission Statement E-Newsletter: https://www.mfileadership.com/blog/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannewlund/Twitter: https://twitter.com/deannewlundFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MissionFacilitators/Email: dean.newlund@mfileadership.comPhone: 1-800-926-7370Show notes by Podcastologist: Justine Talla  Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 

In today's episode, we are joined by an Endeavor Heartland Entrepreneur, Rick West, Co-Founder, and CEO of Field Agent, as he discusses embracing the permanence of “delivery reimagined” through technology innovation in retail, and the new launch of Plum Marketplace, the world's first B2B retail-solutions marketplace. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/endeavornorthamerica/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/endeavornorthamerica/support

What is the Amazon effect and how is it impacting businesses today? In this episode,  Adam Torres and Rick West, CEO & Co-Founder of Field Agent, explore the Amazon effect and how it's helped the B2B marketplace evolve. Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule.Apply to be interviewed by Adam on our podcast:https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/Visit our website:https://missionmatters.com/Mortgage Connects, an MGIC PodcastInsights and tips from top mortgage industry pros!Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

What is the Amazon effect and how is it impacting businesses today? In this episode,  Adam Torres and Rick West, CEO & Co-Founder of Field Agent, explore the Amazon effect and how it's helped the B2B marketplace evolve.   Follow Adam on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/askadamtorres/ for up to date information on book releases and tour schedule.Apply to be interviewed by Adam on our podcast:https://missionmatters.lpages.co/podcastguest/Visit our website:https://missionmatters.com/

LifeBlood: We talked about customer insights, getting real time data from retail stores, connecting brands with shoppers, the future of retail, and the value of in-person work environments, with Rick West, entrepreneur, CoFounder and CEO of Field Agent.   Listen to learn why the value of setting guardrails for yourself! You can learn more about Rick at FieldAgent.net, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Thanks, as always for listening! If you got some value and enjoyed the show, please leave us a review here: ​​https://ratethispodcast.com/lifebloodpodcast You can learn more about us at LifeBlood.Live, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook or you'd like to be a guest on the show, contact us at contact@LifeBlood.Live.  Stay up to date by getting our monthly updates. Want to say “Thanks!” You can buy us a cup of coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/lifeblood

If you wanted to know the best steps to making sure your next big business idea doesn't just survive... but thrives into a meaningful, sustainable business -- join us as Rick West, an entrepreneurial veteran of 20+ years with a multitude of successful launches, walks through the most important concepts for any business.  From getting your first customers to scaling into a multi-million dollar enterprise, Rick tells his story of launching Field Agent and how they've mastered the game of scale to turn it into one of the leading businesses in Northwest Arkansas.  Want to know more? Check out FieldAgent.net.  And be sure to connect with Rick via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/ Enjoy this episode and want to support the podcast? Check out our Patreon at Patreon.com/GoodAdvice. 

TJ and Amanda both like to make extra money using the Field Agent app. We'll tell you how. Plus 2 other apps TJ just discovered to make money. Also, TJ is selling his body to science (not kidding), changes for Uber Eats drivers to help with gas prices, and Amanda's way to save on landscaping.

In this episode, we speak with Rick West from Field Agent. Field Agent's on-demand, the retail-success platform lets you audit stores, drive trial, and connect with shoppers instantly. He tells us all about the app and how it helps businesses with product photography and pricing information. We also learn how the company is helping brands and consumers alike by providing a one-stop solution for businesses that need reliable data and insights. Finally, we find out how you can make a little extra cash by participating in Field Agent's retail operations. We've covered the following topics in this episode: The Future of Retail, The 12-Year Overnight Success Story, Growth and Innovation, How the Company Made a Success of Its Business Model, How the App Market Can Help You Scale Your Business, Technology and Quality Control are Key for Field Agent's Success, Field Agent's Rick West on Developing a Secure System in the Face of Cyber Threats, How the Company Runs on Two-Week Sprints, Field Agent is all about people, Field Agent encourages its employees to give back to the community through various social responsibility initiatives, Scaling A Business and Managing Data, Helping Brands and Consumers Alike, How Field Agent Is Helping Businesses Improve Their Retail Operations.

“Success and especially significance, follows the path of the depth and the breadth of relationships.” Rick West The ability to tap into real time data, and to collect it in an effective and efficient manner is vital in the current business environment. The need to know and understand what is happening in real time can provide useful insights that businesses and individuals can use to make meaningful and impactful decisions.  Rick West provides unique tools that make it possible for people to access real time data wherever they are, and says that part of it is in understanding the power of the voice of the crowd, and leveraging on it to solve problems.  Rick West is the CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent, a global Work-On-Demand Platform. Prior to starting Field Agent, Rick worked 16 years with Procter & Gamble in various assignments in the United States, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Since leaving P&G, he has been a start-up Entrepreneur for 19 years. Rick has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Rick is the husband of one, father of 3, grandfather of two and a friend to many. Rick and his wife Kim live in Fayetteville Arkansas and they attend Harvest Fayetteville church where rick is currently serving as an elder. They both attended the University of Kentucky and are college basketball fans.  In today's episode, Rick talks about the importance of real time data and how his technology helps both users and business owners achieve their goals. Listen in! Social Media Handles https://www.fieldagent.net/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/field-agent/ What I realized early on in my career is that solving problems was a really good thing. In April 2010, we launched the first app in iTunes that paid cash, that used geolocation and metadata to provide real time data to masses. In an effort to solve a problem for me, I realized that everyone had the same problem and therefore saw an opportunity to scale it. Part of what we started to learn on the user side, is that we were helping people that were down on their luck, which felt good. For entrepreneurs, they were able to know within a short time and minimum cost, whether customers liked their products or not. The best advice I was ever given to me as an entrepreneur was that you are only as good as you invoice and collect, and that the Holy Grail is if the customer buys it again. If strangers are willing to pay you for your product, and they renew, go drive it by all means because it means that the market has spoken positively. Commercial Break We realized early on from a user base standpoint that we needed to have advocates that were not being paid by field agent, but were just passionate about the product. The second thing was understanding the power of the voice of our crowd and knowing how to leverage on it to solve the problem. If you've got a great product, word of mouth really is a thing and that goes back to the advocacy. You cannot keep asking friends and family if your baby is cute, you've got to go find strangers because they will tell you the truth. Even if you're not a technology person, our app is not that intimidating and is pretty basic. Relationships matter, and success and especially significance really follows the path of the depth and the breadth of relationships. ………………………………………………… Do you want to be a go to expert that news reporters, anchors and media producers turn to? Are you a media professional looking for credible, reliable and timely guests? Shock Your Media Potential is here for you. Shock Your Media Potential is a one of a kind platform that connects vetted experts with news professionals around the globe. As part of the launch of the platform, CEO Michael Sherlock, along with co-host Eddie Luisi, stage manager for Good Morning America, have interviewed 25 media personalities and professionals to ask them the questions you need to know the answers to in order to become more newsworthy, pitch your story better, and get invited back again and again, and much more. Some of their guests are household names, with exceptional on-camera careers. Others are award-winning directors, producers, camera operators, audio engineers, celebrity hair and makeup professionals, and so much more. To learn more about our platform and our conference today, go to https://www.shockyourmediapotential.com

Join us on Be Brave at Work as we speak with Rick West. Rick is the CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent, a global Work-On-Demand Platform. Prior to starting Field Agent, Rick worked 16 years with Procter & Gamble in various assignments in the United States, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Since leaving P&G, he has been a start-up Entrepreneur for 19 years. Rick has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Links of Interest LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Website A special thank you to our sponsor, Cabot Risk Strategies. For more information, please visit them at CabotRisk.com Please click the button to subscribe so you don't miss any episodes and leave a review if your favorite podcast app has that ability. Thank you! More information about Ed, visit Excellius.com © 2022 Ed Evarts

Henry Ho is the Co-founder and Partner at Field Agent. Henry discusses the process of starting his revolutionary app, staying ahead of competition, and how to effectively lead a team.

Greetings, Field Agents!! Your Intrepid Trio is back and we're going to go through our Crescent Memories for, not one, but TWO Moon Knight episodes…Episodes three and four, to be exact! But, before we get into all of that, we get to shout out to a Field Agent who reached out to Agent Eric in […]

Rick West is the Co-founder and CEO of Field Agent, a marketplace platform connecting retail brands to shoppers and stores, allowing them to gain transparency, feedback, and other valuable data in real time. Rick is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and our conversation covers his corporate experience with P&G, how he took the leap to entrepreneurship, and his philosophies on leadership in this new post-covid world. Learn more about Field Agent at FieldAgent.net Visit us at MiddleTech.com Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Evan's Twitter Logan's Twitter Middle Tech is proud to be supported by: Our presenting sponsor, KY Innovation Bolt Marketing The Johnson Law Group Render Capital

If you like to spy on people than this episode is for you! Rick West is the founder of Field Agent, an application that pays you to "mystery shop" businesses and provide reports back to their owners and corporate headquarters. And don't worry...they actually want you spying on them and that's why you get paid to do it. This is a fun and educational episode that I believe the DVG audience will love. Enjoy. Once again thank you to our corporate sponsor https://anthemsoftware.com who makes this podcast possible! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/david-vs-goliath/message

On this episode of The Jason Cavness Experience I talk to Rick West - CEO, Co-Founder | Ask About Field Agent's NEW On-Demand Platform We talk about the following How has being a Grandaddy changed him. Joyn Living overseas How data and insights is changing eCommerce. Field Agent Rick's Bio Rick West is the CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent, a global Work-On-Demand Platform. Prior to starting Field Agent, Rick worked 16 years with Procter & Gamble in various assignments in the United States, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Since leaving P&G, he has been a start-up Entrepreneur for 19 years. Rick has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Rick's Social Media Field Agent Website: https://www.fieldagent.net/ Rick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/ Field Agent LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/field-agent/ Field Agent Twitter: https://twitter.com/fieldagentinc Field Agent FB: https://www.facebook.com/fieldagentinc Rick's Gift If you're listening today and you want to reach out and do something within the field agent app. I will come alongside you guys and give you a little bit of love. I'll give you 10 free people. You can talk to 10 people, there'll be strangers and I will help you out. All you have to do is either DM me directly on LinkedIn, or go directly to our website and go to affiliation.net and engage there and go to info and say hey, Rick told me, he will give me 10 Free concept tests to talk to 10 Strangers, so I'll help you with that. Rick's Advice Remember being successful is probably the least of your worries. You'll be successful, someone being significant is really hard. I launched this product and I was successful launching it. I'm like, ok anyone can launch a product. You want to be significant? Is it selling without you? Have you scaled it? Do you have a team that believes in what you're doing? Do you have a following me, significance is different than being successful. Because almost anyone listening to your show, can spend a little bit of money, create something and push it out there. Significance ties to relationships, because the impacts of that's my encouragement to your folks that are out there. Do something that allows you to be significant and you're not going to be significant till you push it out. When you find something that someone is willing to pay you for, look out man, because you're going to make an impact on the world.

Welcome, 7 Hatters! In this episode, we speak with Rick West and dive deep into pretty much all seven hats as we follow his triumphant journey from a holler in Eastern Kentucky to the board room as a tech titan.Rick is a serial entrepreneur whose focus on technology and innovation in the Consumer Packaged Goods space led him to birth Field Agent, an On-Demand Platform focused on Retail connecting brands with everyday shoppers to provide real-time field marketing data.Rick is a husband of one, father of 3, Grandaddy of two, mentor to many, and an overall stand-up guy I admire.If you resonate with Rick's Life Quote that goes like this: "Don't live in a world of maybe, let your yes be yes and your no be no," then let's welcome Rick to the 7 Hats... -------------------------Visit https://www.the7hats.com/ for more information and more shows.Field Agent Website: https://www.fieldagent.net/Rick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickwest01/My Bio & Links: https://sleek.bio/yuvalselikSUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW...Want to be the first to know when new episodes are released? Please subscribe and leave a review!Subscribes and podcasts reviews are pretty darn important to iTunes, and the more reviews we receive, the more likely we'll be able to get The 7 Hats message in front of more people (It's all about the iTunes algorithms)I'd be extremely grateful if you left a review letting me know your favorite part of the show or episode :)

Do you wonder if Great Commission companies and Redemptive Entrepreneurship are even possible realities in this day and age? Have you struggled to understand how your calling to the workplace actually fits into the design of the Kingdom of God?  If so, you MUST hear this interview with Field Agent Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder Henry Ho! Henry was a founding member of P&G's Global Walmart Customer Team in 1988 and has worked with Walmart for over 33 years.  Henry's international experience includes Walmart Asia Team Leader, Country Manager of Procter & Gamble Hong Kong, and Asia Region Category Management and Shopper Insights Leader. Born in Macau to a single mother, living with 4 siblings in a 1 room apartment and then immigrating to the USA, Henry has come from humble beginnings. He now has over 40 years of work experience in high level corporate positions and pioneered multiple redemptive companies.  This discussion will give you SOLID and actionable guidance for how to succeed as a believer in any workplace context. Henry speaks into the following topics with authority, authenticity and deep experience. Principles of a Great Commission company Are Kingdom companies actually a possibility? The value of corporate and entrepreneurial work What do you do when you work in a very non-redemptive environment? There are 3 Bottom-Lines in a Kingdom company People are always the focus  How do you know if you are ready to be an entrepreneur? What is the first thing you should do if you are stepping into an entrepreneurial calling? What are the real ‘wins' as a believer in the workplace? Intentionality is the KEY The nuts and bolts of ‘On Mission' living Go - Serve - Do Good Why success matters in business God is always enough - Beware of your DREAMS YOU can contact Henry Ho through LinkedIn. Contact him if you would like mentoring and community to help you on your journey!

Rick is the CEO and Founder of Field Agent-You're a Click Away from Stores and Shoppers Everywhere. Field Agent connects brands, retailers, and agencies with customers across the country and around the world to help you win at retail. His platform harnesses smartphones across the country, bridging the gap between you and your customers.

Why is it that as consumers, we're able to search for a product, add to cart, and complete a purchase in a matter of seconds, but as a business, everything leads to, "Schedule a demo" or "Contact Sales". On this episode of Link Up Leaders, we're speaking with Rick West, CEO and Co-Founder of Field Agent to hear how Field Agent is revolutionizing Click-To-Cart solutions for B2B services. --

Rick is the Co-Founder & CEO of Field Agent - https://www.fieldagent.net Field Agent is a SaaS mobile app that connects secret shoppers with brands Field Agent was one of the first iOS apps ever created/approved and from day one it was designed to facilitate and automate the process of finding and engaging with secret shoppers to monitor and improve the brandcustomer experience In this episode, Jason and Rick discuss how brands can validate their level of customer centricity by engaging impartial agents that then document their actual experiences with that brand

As the new year looms over the online retail landscape, brands need to identify (or maybe even need to recalibrate) what they deliver to consumers with ever-evolving shopping & usage habits. Join Scott & Ray as they chat with Rick West, CEO & Co-Founder of Field Agent, about shopper research, Field Agent's Marketplace platform, and the changing landscape of consumer insighting and research. As the first app on the Apple App Store to pay cash to its users, Field Agent has seen its fair share of changes in the eCom brand landscape so listen in as Rick shares his findings as well as the necessities brand owners will need to deliver the best shopping experience for their customers through customer research, insighting, and data gathering. This episode also delves deep into the significant importance of testing a product or brand concept before going to market as well as crafting the right questions to ask customers to fully understand their needs and desires from a product or a brand. Listen to this episode to discover the many nuances & "a-ha" moments consumer research can provide for your brand to bridge the need-gaps and to build up & maintain consumer loyalty. Trust us, this is an insightful episode you won't want to miss!For real-time updates, connect with Rick:Rick West on LinkedInField Agent LinkedInField Agent MarketplaceField Agent Buyer Meeting Success KitIf you enjoyed this episode, connect with us and share your feedback:Right Hook Digital on Facebook Right Hook Digital on InstagramRight Hook Digital on LinkedInWatch videos on our YouTube channelJoin our Growth & Greatness eCommerce group and connect with fellow business owners & digital marketers alike: Growth & Greatness eCommerce on Facebook If you want to learn more about us and what we do at Right Hook, visit our website: Right Hook DigitalFull episode transcript & chapter markers for this episode are available on the Growth & Greatness eCommerce Podcast Buzzsprout page!

From growing up in a coal mining town to growing a company with great company culture- it was a good thing Kindra and Rick had the full hour to talk together. The conversation was so open and honest from Rick as he talked about the ways that he has open arms towards his employees. He fully understands the way to support his people. Even when it comes to having BBQs and get togethers with the staff, they invite back past employees to attend as Alumni to events. This show is a great show to listen to for some snippets of positive thoughts and feedback for CEOs to take care of their teams. “Don't underemphasize how important it is to work on and improve your people and processes. If one of those is broke then you are toast.” Field Agent is a global Work-On-Demand Platform. Harnessing smartphones across the country, the Field Agent platform bridges the gap between brands and their customers. Rick West has co-founded multiple start-ups, including the Northstar Partnering Group, CORE4 Research, JOYN, and most recently Field Agent. He is a mentor and speaker within the entrepreneurial community and an active board member. He is also a member of the global Endeavor Entrepreneur network. Rick is an 8 wing 7 and has a BBA in Personnel and Industrial Relations with a minor in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Follow Field Agent on LinkedIn.

There is a joke that Hell is being stuck in a room with a life insurance agent. But what if the agent is working for a saint? The Knights of Columbus has the unique privilege of being founded by Fr. Michael McGivney to care for Catholic families during times of dire need. Preparing for financial transitions through life insurance can be a daunting task but our guest Andrew Weiss, a Field Agent of the Knights of Columbus and Member of the Million Dollar Roundtable gives us solid foundation upon which to begin this process.