Podcasts about operational

Clinical teams, supply chain leaders, and vendor partners all play a critical role in surgical success, but getting everyone aligned isn't always easy. In Episode 1 of our brand-new podcast series, "Operate in Harmony," Geoff Gates from Cleveland Clinic and Matt Rechin from ReadySet join us to explore how stronger partnerships create the foundation for lasting best practices. From strengthening clinical engagement and streamlining vendor communication to leveraging technology and data to reduce manual steps, they'll break down how stronger alignment can drive safer, smarter, and more consistent processes. If your teams are working side by side but not always in sync, this episode will help you bring every part of the surgical supply chain into harmony. Tune in today! Over the next four weeks, this series explores what it takes to align people, process, and technology across the surgical supply chain. From strengthening clinical partnerships and vendor collaboration to optimizing workflows and embracing innovation, we'll explore the ideas and insights that help healthcare teams build best practices that last. A special thanks to our sponsor, ReadySet, for making this series possible. #PowerSupply #ReadySet #OperateInHarmony #HealthcareSupplyChain #Vendor #Clinical #Operational #Partnership #BestPractices #Technology

Jessica Calabrese of FIS Global joins us to unpack what's changing in retirement plan technology and why participant expectations are evolving so quickly. In this session, we explore the biggest drivers shaping modern retirement experiences—especially the shift toward fast, intuitive, mobile-friendly access to information, plus smarter education and guidance that feels more like the consumer apps people use every day.

Welcome to an especially impactful episode of Build a Better Agency! This week, host Drew McLellan takes you on a deep dive into the true nature of leadership inside agencies beyond the usual skills and techniques. Drawing from months of research and two decades of real-world experience, Drew outlines the essential leadership domains every agency owner and team member needs to master for a thriving, resilient business. Drew breaks down a practical framework of six key leadership domains, plus a vital seventh that ties them all together. These concepts shine a light on the often invisible factors holding leaders and organizations back. He reveals how mindset, team relationships, operational systems, and authentic self-awareness drive culture, retention, and profit far more than any single technical skill. Through candid examples and clear behaviors, he explains why promoting high performers into leadership roles without a game plan is a common and costly mistake for agencies of all sizes. Listeners will walk away with actionable advice for assessing their own gaps, building stronger leadership teams, and fostering accountability at every level. Drew offers concrete steps to cultivate self-awareness, hold tough but necessary conversations, and balance psychological safety with high standards—arming you with the tools to create a growth-driven, high-performing agency culture. If you're ready to confront your agency's leadership dynamics head-on, this episode is a must-listen. Drew challenges owners and leaders alike to lead with love, invest in their teams, and model vulnerability—all with the goal of building agencies that are not just profitable, but truly great places to work. By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap for elevating your leadership and enabling those around you to do the same. A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: The six critical domains of agency leadership development Why self-awareness and growth mindset unlock every other skill Building psychological safety and accountability for real team retention Bridging the gap on commercial thinking and agency economics Operational rigor—why systems and processes are non-negotiable The role of proactive, candid communication—internally and with clients Embracing adaptability, experimentation, and learning agility in an era of change

Flo Esho is the founder of The Easy Flow Life, a U.S.-based executive support agency that helps founders and executives step out of the day-to-day and back into true leadership.In this episode of The Leader Assistant Podcast, Flo talks about supporting executives in their personal and professional lives, tips for hiring an assistant, encouragement for those considering becoming a virtual assistant, travel planning tips, and more.Show notes → leaderassistant.com/387--It's the last day of the offsite and it was exactly what the team needed. The CEO pulls you aside to say, “Thank you. This was next level.”Your secret? You used Offsite. They handled the venues, negotiations, and logistics – so you could focus on shaping the experience.Sound too good to be true? It's actually within reach. (And it can even save you money.)See how at leaderassistant.com/offsite. --Are you ready to level up? Enroll in The Leader Assistant Academy at leaderassistant.com/academy to embrace the Leader Assistant frameworks used by thousands of assistants.More from The Leader Assistant...Book, Audiobook, and Workbook -> leaderassistantbook.comThe Leader Assistant Academy -> leaderassistantbook.com/academy Premium Membership -> leaderassistant.com/membershipEvents -> leaderassistantlive.comFree Community -> leaderassistant.com/community

Don’t get left behind on AWS! Don’t get left behind on AWS! Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://theultimatepartner.com/ebook-subscribe/ Check Out UPX: https://theultimatepartner.com/experience/ In this episode, we go deep inside the AWS Marketplace with Louise Strandoo, who spent nearly a decade building AWS’s marketplace business from the ground up and now leads partner development for AWS’s data, analytics, and storage practice. Louise unpacks COST, the six-pillar framework her team built by studying what actually separates hypergrowth startups and billion-dollar sellers from partners who treat marketplace as a side project. We break down why operational excellence has to be in place before you ever enable your sales team, why executive sponsorship from the top of the organization is what keeps a marketplace strategy from collapsing into a single point of failure, and why product-led growth is no longer optional now that buyers, and increasingly AI agents, expect to try, buy, and deploy software without waiting on a human to close the loop, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwyAP7yVy3I Key Takeaways Success on AWS Marketplace requires a comprehensive framework like COST, not just a simple checklist of tasks. Your product must be something customers actually want to buy, not a subpar offering used merely to test the waters. Operational excellence is required to ensure your marketplace motion has the sustainability to scale globally. Product-Led Growth (PLG) is essential for enabling frictionless procurement, especially as buyers shift toward agent-driven AI solutions. Executive sponsorship is critical; building a strategy without leadership buy-in will prevent it from gaining real traction. Sales alignment ensures reps are appropriately compensated and friction is removed, preventing them from avoiding marketplace transactions. If you're ready to lead through change, elevate your business, and achieve extraordinary outcomes through the power of partnership—this is your community. At Ultimate Partner® we want leaders like you to join us in the Ultimate Partner Experience – where transformation begins. Key Tags AWS Marketplace framework, COST methodology, product-led growth, agentic procurement, hyperscaler ecosystem, operational excellence, revenue friction, private offers, co-sell acceleration, strategic collaboration agreements, resilient architecture, cloud commitments, organizational transformation Key Tags Louise Strandoo Audio Episode [00:00:00] Louise Strandoo: Salespeople, rightly so. They don’t wanna introduce something that’s going to add a complexity to the deal. They’re like, why would AWS wanna be involved? [00:00:11] Vince Menzione: You can feel it happening. The ecosystem is shifting beneath us, the way Hyperscalers are partnering, how AI’s remaking the channel and what it means to win in 2026. [00:00:22] Louise Strandoo: Welcome to the Ultimate Partner Podcast. I’m Vince Menzi. Own [00:00:26] Vince Menzione: your host. And each week I sit down with leaders at the intersection of technology, partnerships and outcomes. The voices shaping how ecosystems actually work. We talk about what’s real, what’s changing, and what it takes to lead in this era where the partner channel isn’t just part of the strategy. [00:00:45] Vince Menzione: It is the strategy because being in the room changes everything. Let’s start. [00:00:53] Louise Strandoo: And Louise Strand, come on out. Come on up. Uh, our first, our first [00:00:59] Vince Menzione: Amazon executive at, at this session. Not our first ever, but our first at this session. [00:01:06] Louise Strandoo: Happy to be [00:01:07] Vince Menzione: thrilled to have you. I, why don’t we sit down on an, um, I’ll have you sit here and, you know, you get, take one of the ultimate partner pillows with you since you’re a first assignment attend. [00:01:15] Louise Strandoo: Wonderful. [00:01:16] Vince Menzione: Uh, [00:01:16] Louise Strandoo: good [00:01:17] Vince Menzione: to hear. So great to have you. I thought maybe we’d start, maybe, uh, with you, uh, explaining your role. Then we can start talking about costs, which is the subject is like near and dear, and we’ll talk about that, about what that is. But I want to keep people on their pins of their seats right now. [00:01:33] Vince Menzione: So tell us, tell us more about you and your role and your journey at AWS. [00:01:37] Louise Strandoo: Yeah, well thanks for having me. Good to see everybody in the room. Um, so my name’s Louise. I have spent the better part of the last nine and a half years at AWS and I spent almost that whole time, probably around eight years. In AWS Marketplaces business Development organization, um, I joined to help startups figure out how to scale their business on the marketplace. [00:02:00] Louise Strandoo: And from there, I grew into a number of different roles, helped ISVs figure out how to scale their marketplace business of all sizes. Um, I worked with some of our top sellers on the marketplace, figure out how to really scale their revenue through the marketplace. Today I am actually the lead of the data analytics and storage partner development team. [00:02:20] Louise Strandoo: Nice. Within the US Tech partnerships organization. So it’s been a really cool transition to go from like all marketplace focused. And throughout that time, marketplace kind of became the center of partnerships. Yep. Within our partner program. Um, so now I manage PDMs and partners and we still talk a lot about marketplace. [00:02:40] Louise Strandoo: Also everything else that we do as a partner. So it’s, um, it’s been a fun journey. [00:02:45] Vince Menzione: And we were talking about this earlier, like you started with Marketplace and then moved out where all the other organizations started from partnership and moved into marketplace. Mm-hmm. Almost the other up. And you have built a framework costs [00:02:59] Louise Strandoo: mm-hmm. [00:03:00] Vince Menzione: Characteristics of successful sellers. And I have a set of operating principles about successful partnering. So I’m really intrigued about this conversation. I was hoping you could walk us through it, like what are these characteristics and where do most partners fall short in terms of characteristics? [00:03:18] Louise Strandoo: Yeah, so, um, like all really good things, cost was an effort that I built alongside a bunch of other really smart people. And we started to have this conversation about what does, uh, you know, what does success look like? We we’re focused in the beginning, in my marketplace journey on getting. Partners to sell on the marketplace, getting them to list and adopt the features. [00:03:41] Louise Strandoo: And of course they’re like, why would we do this? And we’re like, that’s a great question. Let’s figure out like really what the why of this whole thing is. And as we started to get partners who were startups and some of our really large partners activated, we started to see all kinds of value and how marketplace was helping co-sell and all this good stuff. [00:03:59] Louise Strandoo: And we needed to figure out like how do we identify what is like the lightning in the bottle? So we looked across some of the most, uh, hypergrowth companies on the marketplace. Mm-hmm. Some of those startups that had really propelled into major success stories. And then some of those like really scaled enterprise sellers, the one [00:04:17] Vince Menzione: that got to a billion dollars. [00:04:18] Louise Strandoo: Exactly. The market, our billion dollar market market. Billion dollar sellers. Right? Yep. And we looked at what are the common characteristics that all of those partners embody. Yes. And how do we kind of. Define a framework that is not a checklist because a lot of us were doing that at the time. Here’s all the things that you should do to make it work well. [00:04:34] Louise Strandoo: It doesn’t really work from partner to partner. Everyone has a unique go-to market strategy. Yeah, so we developed costs to kind of be this overarching tool that partners can use to say, do we have the right kind of fundamental approach to how we’re going to market with AWS and how we’re thinking about the marketplace. [00:04:51] Louise Strandoo: Do we have the right tools to like bring our overall go-to-market strategy to A AWS and to the marketplace so we’re not doing two separate things. That was sort of the genesis of the idea. Makes [00:05:02] Vince Menzione: a lot of sense. [00:05:04] Louise Strandoo: So, um, the characteristics, there’s six of ’em. I won’t go into detail about every single one. [00:05:11] Louise Strandoo: Oh, [00:05:11] come [00:05:11] Vince Menzione: on. We’ll do that one. Yeah. We have some people in the room that are gonna be intrigued by this. Go ahead. [00:05:16] Louise Strandoo: So, um, the first pillar is. Partnership with AWS, you can’t do marketplace without figuring out what, what’s your overall partner strategy, right? So how are you using the partner programs to drive differentiation in your business? [00:05:30] Louise Strandoo: Yep. How are you using our funding programs to elevate the parts of your business that you really wanna accelerate? Um, and how are you thinking about your partner strategy with AWS overall? [00:05:40] Vince Menzione: Interesting. [00:05:41] Louise Strandoo: The second one is, uh, selection on AWS marketplace. [00:05:44] Vince Menzione: Product selection. [00:05:45] Louise Strandoo: That’s right. [00:05:45] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:05:46] Louise Strandoo: You gotta have a product on the marketplace that your customers wanna buy. [00:05:49] Louise Strandoo: I think the biggest thing that partners have done wrong over the years is they think, let’s do crawl, walk, run. We’re gonna put something up there that we’re not, you know, really excited about, but we’ll see how it does and then we’ll try to invest from there. [00:06:03] Vince Menzione: Mm-hmm. [00:06:04] Louise Strandoo: If you put something out there that nobody knows how to sell, then that you’re not excited about, your customers aren’t probably excited about it either. [00:06:09] Louise Strandoo: There’s no reason it’s gonna do well in the marketplace. [00:06:10] Vince Menzione: Yeah. It makes no sense to me. [00:06:12] Louise Strandoo: Yep. So you gotta have something good. You gotta have your marquee product, and then you wanna use features that are gonna help buyers actually access that product in a way that’s frictionless. Yeah. The third one is operational excellence. [00:06:25] Louise Strandoo: So that’s looking at how are you structuring your organization and investing in all the right processes that you need to scale the business. Reporting at a global scale, understanding how to recognize revenue and thinking about all of the in-between moments of. Being on the marketplace, creating an offer, how does your sales team gonna get in touch with you when you need to send that offer out? [00:06:47] Louise Strandoo: And how are you making sure that an alliance person isn’t trying to find an outlet in a random corner of an airport to send a private offer to a customer? All of that structural stuff to make the, the motion scale. [00:07:00] Vince Menzione: So we’re talking product led growth versus. One off or [00:07:04] Louise Strandoo: all of it? All of it. Okay. No matter what kind of partner you are, you have to have operational excellence. [00:07:08] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. To make sure that your marketplace and your partnership motion has sustainability and scale. The next two, I’ll kind of go through fast. There is, yeah. Um, partner commitment to marketplace revenue. So what do you really want Drive from a revenue perspective, right. How do you get your leaders bought in on that, and how do you set a goal that dictates what you’re doing? [00:07:28] Louise Strandoo: And then how do you define sales alignment? From a structural perspective to say we’re gonna remove friction that could get in the way of the field selling this thing. We’re gonna remove things that are, um, negating reps from wanting to go through marketplace because it’s impacting their comp. Yeah. Or it’s really hard. [00:07:46] Louise Strandoo: All of that kind of structural stuff goes into the sales alliance. [00:07:49] Vince Menzione: So there’s, yeah. I wanted to take this apart a little bit too, if you don’t mind. No [00:07:52] Louise Strandoo: problem. [00:07:53] Vince Menzione: Because I think about this a lot. So when you start talking about an organization, you’re talking about what this, we’ll call it an ISV Sure. Or an si, but. [00:08:00] Vince Menzione: You know, ISPs primarily is where it all started. They need to get their internal operational excellence. Right, exactly. Which means their, their ops piece. Yep. And their sales execution. They’re gonna to market all those things. The sales alignment side. Is that their sales teams [00:08:18] Louise Strandoo: correct. [00:08:19] Vince Menzione: Are compensated properly so that they don’t go around the systems. [00:08:22] Vince Menzione: Exactly right. They’re aligned. They’re aligned to go drive the right results. [00:08:25] Louise Strandoo: Exactly. [00:08:26] Vince Menzione: Because they’ve made commitments as well. [00:08:28] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. [00:08:28] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:08:29] Louise Strandoo: And I always talk about marketplace, like it is transformation. It’s different. It’s not what you’re doing today. [00:08:35] Vince Menzione: That’s right. [00:08:35] Louise Strandoo: Salespeople, rightly so. They don’t wanna introduce something that’s gonna add a complexity to the deal. [00:08:43] Louise Strandoo: They’re like, why would AWS wanna be involved? Stay away. So if that is already there and then on top of that Mm, they don’t get paid as much when they go direct. [00:08:53] Vince Menzione: Right? Right. [00:08:54] Louise Strandoo: They’re not gonna go through the market nice. [00:08:55] Vince Menzione: No, they’re not. [00:08:55] Louise Strandoo: They’re not gonna bring anything to you and the partnership team saying like, Hey, we really wanna figure out how to make this engine work with AWS So we have to do as much as we can to remove that friction from the experience. [00:09:06] Vince Menzione: So, you know, you mentioned private offers, which made me think about like product-led growth versus private offers. ’cause it’s, it feels like marketplace from the beginning. It’s changed. It [00:09:15] Louise Strandoo: has, [00:09:16] Vince Menzione: you’ve been doing this for a number of years. You were first to market with a marketplace. There was, I’ll call a lot of friction because there was channels and other, other routes to market direct selling. [00:09:27] Vince Menzione: Tell us, take us through some of those experiences. Yeah, yeah. Like what was that like? And then obviously you built cos because you had a lot of field engagement with these organizations trying to get them to go do it the right way. [00:09:38] Louise Strandoo: Right? [00:09:39] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:09:39] Louise Strandoo: So it’s interesting actually, when we built the marketplace. [00:09:42] Louise Strandoo: It was completely like a product-led growth motion, as in let’s just figure out a way to let AWS customers find amis in the marketplace. Developers are gonna go get it, and they’re just gonna buy it without any additional push from the field or like co-sell. That doesn’t need to happen. Then we heard from customers, Hey, this is great. [00:10:02] Louise Strandoo: But what we really want is also to be able to buy bigger contracts. We wanna customize our contracts, we wanna negotiate price when we’re buying this on behalf of, you know, large organizations. We’re not just buying what’s on the shelf. We need something more custom. So we introduced this concept of private offers to make sure that we could bring all of that customization into the process. [00:10:23] Louise Strandoo: And then we heard from customers saying, uh, we want to purchase from our preferred channel partners. We really wanna make sure that we’re, you know, not losing that source of, um, engagement with our really critical partners. So we had to figure out, hey, how can we make it so that we’re not competing with the channel? [00:10:41] Louise Strandoo: ’cause we’re not really a channel at all. Right. So we had to go and build our platform that allowed for channel partners to sell through the marketplace and augment that private offer piece to say, Hey, if you want, you can have a channel partner resell your product through the marketplace. So today we kind of see all of those as just different routes to market and different ISVs are gonna embrace different routes to market. [00:11:04] Louise Strandoo: First, the really important thing about costs is that it’s. Pushing partners to think about bringing their go to market strategy that works outside of the partnership to the marketplace. Mm-hmm. So if you’re an ISV that doesn’t sell with channel today, don’t start with channel partners on the marketplace. [00:11:21] Louise Strandoo: Right. If you don’t do product-led growth today, probably figure that out before you start doing it on the marketplace. Yeah. But if you’re doing those things, if you’re not doing those things, you should look at why not, and could we be doing those things and then we have the ways to bring it into your strategy with AWS marketplace. [00:11:38] Vince Menzione: So what separates the partners who kind of build this flywheel of success that you describe from those who treat it maybe as a side project? And do you, do you see less and less of that today too? I wanna, I wanna ask you. [00:11:50] Louise Strandoo: No, I think, um, the more mature the marketplace gets [00:11:57] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:11:58] Louise Strandoo: The more obvious some of the, uh, characteristics of success become and the more important. [00:12:06] Louise Strandoo: Embodying that framework becomes for partners as they grow to become the next billion dollar seller, right? And become the next a hundred million dollar seller. Um, I think a couple things come to mind for me. The first thing is that like at AWS overall, we talk a lot about like resilient architecture. We talk a lot about what does it look like to drive successful transformation. [00:12:29] Louise Strandoo: All of that has to happen in the partnership. Partners that have really strong marketplace motions with AWS, they do not have single points of failure. They are not expecting an alliance lead to manage everything and then have the business collapse if they leave. [00:12:46] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:12:46] Louise Strandoo: They figure out how to delegate and get buy-in from leadership so that they have multiple folks invested in the strategy for multiple angles so that there’s scalability and sustainability. [00:12:58] Louise Strandoo: Without that. You could do all the things right with costs and if there’s res, if there’s no resiliency, if there’s, if there’s a single point of failure, it doesn’t scale and it doesn’t last. [00:13:09] Vince Menzione: It’s so funny ’cause you haven’t seen my seven principles of, of successful partnering, but we talk about growth mindset, we talk about executive commitment and then clarity on your vision and what you’re hoping to achieve. [00:13:21] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. [00:13:22] Vince Menzione: Like that’s your internal victory. You’ve gotta get those things right. That’s exactly what you just said. A hundred [00:13:26] percent. [00:13:26] Louise Strandoo: And you can’t, you, you know, like if you don’t have that executive sponsorship, [00:13:30] Vince Menzione: yeah, [00:13:32] Louise Strandoo: great. You’ve done the cost framework, but where are you gonna go with it? [00:13:35] Vince Menzione: And it’s not just the sponsorship, it’s. [00:13:38] Vince Menzione: Up in, from the top of the organization all the way down to the selling floor. Completely. Right? [00:13:42] Louise Strandoo: Completely. [00:13:42] Vince Menzione: Everybody has to be aligned. Resources, investments all need to be aligned to this. Mm-hmm. [00:13:47] Louise Strandoo: Mm-hmm. [00:13:47] Vince Menzione: We’re speaking the same language earlier. A hundred percent. I love it. I love it. I love it. Um, so what does, we talked about product-led growth, but I want to maybe jump in here a little bit more. [00:13:58] Vince Menzione: Because I think it’s, it’s becoming more prevalent today, isn’t it? Yeah. It’s like, you know, we talked about private offer. It was really private offers, at least my perspective was a few years ago, I wanna buy something from you. Oh, you have a cloud commitment. I can access the cloud commitment. [00:14:13] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. [00:14:14] Vince Menzione: And so it was always the private offer thing that was going on behind the scenes, which required a lot of internal resources to go drive. [00:14:19] Louise Strandoo: Yep. [00:14:20] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about product led growth. ’cause that becomes a fly more of a flywheel that’s automated Yeah. And allows you to sell while you’re sleeping kind of thing, you know? [00:14:28] Louise Strandoo: Totally. [00:14:29] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:14:30] Louise Strandoo: So I think, um, we have heard a lot from customers saying, okay, when we really need to negotiate and we need something custom, we wanna be able to do that. [00:14:40] Louise Strandoo: But we also wanna be able to purchase things quickly. We don’t wanna have to go out to dinner every time we need to upgrade, uh, like our licenses and get a new contract. We wanna be able to experiment and pick the things that resonate best with the line of business users that are, you know, increasingly taking some of that buying power. [00:14:59] Louise Strandoo: And I think especially now that we’re entering into, you know, the unprecedented, unprecedented times, it’s everything is AI like. There is more, um, pressure than ever to have users quickly figure out, does something add value to me and my business right now? And if it does, then I’m gonna keep using it, and if it doesn’t, I’m gonna go to the next thing. [00:15:22] Guest: Right. [00:15:22] Louise Strandoo: Product led growth is really about eliminating some of that I would say. Paperwork at the start of the process and putting the power in the hands of the user to say, can this product solve your challenge? And as more and more buyers are looking at Agen solutions, they wanna be able to try something, see if it works, and then quickly buy it without having to go through a whole bunch of steps because they have work that needs to be done right now. [00:15:54] Louise Strandoo: So the marketplace, that was our roots, like we started with this PLG motion. So we have all of that foundation to do it, and we’ve spent a lot of time over the last two, three years, like really investing in that from our engineering and roadmap perspective to build a whole bunch of features and capabilities that support product-led growth. [00:16:11] Louise Strandoo: We have things like free trials request, demo request, a private offer if you want to. Um, we introduced something, you know, last year that was an express private offer experience. Hey, you know, you want custom pricing. Request it and we’re gonna give it to you right away because the vendor has populated rate cards. [00:16:26] Louise Strandoo: Right? So all of those things I think are really important right now to say, yeah, when your customers like, wanna get going, now let’s stop. Putting barriers in the way and let your product actually show its value immediately. [00:16:38] Vince Menzione: And you were actually putting buttons or making buttons available Yeah. For people’s websites. [00:16:42] Vince Menzione: Exactly. So they could just say, click here and [00:16:43] Louise Strandoo: buy. Absolutely. We buy with a Ws. You can click from your own website, your own marketing pages to route them to the marketplace. If that’s the preferred way to transact, [00:16:50] Vince Menzione: yeah, why not? [00:16:51] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. [00:16:52] Vince Menzione: So you mentioned ai. We talked a little bit, I call it the tectonic shifts. [00:16:56] Vince Menzione: We, we’ve seen this incredible transformation happening so fast. And now we’re talking about agents. Right. And, uh, John Yo was over here from, uh, earlier from Sugar talking about like, what happens if the buyer is an agent? [00:17:08] Louise Strandoo: Totally. [00:17:09] Vince Menzione: Let’s talk about that. [00:17:10] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. I mean, I think that PLG and like is the right thing to enable a agentic procurement. [00:17:18] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:17:19] Louise Strandoo: If, um, you know, like in the, uh. 2019 when private offers were like, that was the big boom. We were like getting people to sign up on the marketplace. All we were focused on was private offers. So many sellers would have products on the marketplace where you’d click and purchase it and it would just say, thanks for buying, and it’d be like, we’ll get in touch with you and like a 24 hours and then we’ll figure it out. [00:17:42] Louise Strandoo: No worries. Thanks for buying. If that doesn’t work. If you’re an agent, it doesn’t work. An agent would be like, okay, this is like a dead end, right? Yeah. Agents are gonna look for products that they can purchase and begin using instantaneously. So yeah, product-led growth is like a really good, um, strategy that ISVs can use to future proof their business and make sure that they’re not just catering to an evolved. [00:18:06] Louise Strandoo: You know, procurement persona who maybe is looking for that faster transaction, but also preparing for that agent persona. Yeah. That is gonna be helping make software procurement scale. [00:18:17] Vince Menzione: So what do the partners in the room need to do to rethink how they think about this? [00:18:22] Louise Strandoo: I think there’s a couple things. I think you know, number one, you can look at the cost framework and start to use it as a jumping off point to evaluate your business. [00:18:31] Louise Strandoo: You can look through a bunch of resources that we’ve put out around costs, and one of the first blogs that I wrote has a Buzzfeed style quiz. You can go through and be like, where are we at? And if you realize after you run through that exercise that you’re farther away from where you wanna be in terms of partnering with AWS, it’s a really good dump like starting point to be like, great, here’s the challenges. [00:18:56] Louise Strandoo: But the biggest message I would relay to the partners is. Do not wait to try to go build this and then bring it to your executives and say, look what I built. It’s not gonna go anywhere. You need to go and use that as the cry to your leadership team. Like escalate. Now here’s the opportunity that we have with AWS. [00:19:17] Louise Strandoo: Let’s look at all of the awesome studies that we and our partners have put out over the years. Look at your competitors that are in the marketplace, your competitors that are partnering with AWS, and start there by saying, we’re. Behind or we’re missing in these areas. We could be doing, you know this, to make our product more a ag agentic ready. [00:19:37] Louise Strandoo: We could be doing more in marketplace to ensure that we’re capitalizing on the private offer business, and we need to figure out how we’re gonna drive commitment now so we can go and build this if you try to build it. Then show the value later. It’s gonna be really hard to then be pushing that boulder up the hill. [00:19:55] Louise Strandoo: So the more that you can lean into getting the sponsorship early on, you’re gonna have a much easier time then navigating, you know, all the hard work that comes with partnership co-sell, um, and, and everything kind of fun that we get to do once we get to go to market with our partners. [00:20:10] Vince Menzione: Do you have one piece of advice for each one of the. [00:20:13] Vince Menzione: Conditions or characteristics for, for, for this group to follow or [00:20:17] Louise Strandoo: think about? I think that, um, the, we didn’t talk about the last one, which is a good one to end on, which is enablement. [00:20:22] Vince Menzione: Yes. [00:20:23] Louise Strandoo: Enablement starts with like most of the time, ISVs in particular, and this, it goes for channel partners as well. [00:20:30] Louise Strandoo: They’re like, we gotta enable the field go and enable all the salespeople why they should do all this stuff. You have to do these things like in some sequence though. So if you go and enable the field, everybody do marketplace and they’re like, how? Where do we go, right? Do we send you the leads? Are we slacking you? [00:20:47] Louise Strandoo: Like are we emailing? Like what do we do? You have to then go back and be like, actually, our operational excellence isn’t sorted out. We need to do that first. And who needs to be enabled from that side of the house? Like don’t forget to enable your rev ops teams, your deal desk teams, all of the teams that are kind of essential to making your partnership with AWS Hum need to be enabled in the way that is relevant for their business. [00:21:10] Louise Strandoo: So when you, you know, think about like what do you need to do across all the pillars? It’s gonna be different depending on what your go-to-market focus is. If you’re a hundred percent focused on selling through SIS today and through channel, maybe product-led growth is not the top priority, but then you need to go and figure out, okay, so how have we. [00:21:28] Louise Strandoo: Figured out which partners we wanna work with on AWS and how have we enabled them and have we communicated that enablement to our salespeople? Are we removing unnecessary barriers to them transacting? That’s what you really gotta figure out. So it’s really about looking at how you execute outside of marketplace, outside AWS, figuring out what that, what are the strongest pieces that you do in your business today, across those pillars, and then asking to replicate that with your partnership with AWS. [00:21:56] Vince Menzione: Nice. So to the room here is, um, if someone in this room doesn’t, does one thing differently on the marketplace, what should it be? [00:22:08] Louise Strandoo: There’s so many things I can think about. I think like first [00:22:12] Vince Menzione: you’re coaching ’em [00:22:13] Louise Strandoo: individually, [00:22:13] Vince Menzione: by the way. Just think about it that way. [00:22:15] Louise Strandoo: One of the first things like, it depends on where you’re like, where you’re at in your journey. [00:22:18] Louise Strandoo: So like, quick show of hands, who is, um, a partner that is like using the marketplace today? [00:22:26] Vince Menzione: There’s quite a few actually. [00:22:27] Louise Strandoo: Okay. Awesome. Thank you for helping drive the marketplace. So for those of you that raised your hands, like my sentiment to you all would be figure out how you are incorporating marketplace as the center of your strategy with AWS. [00:22:44] Louise Strandoo: We are increasingly using marketplace as the point of scale for all things about partnership. All things funding are like increasingly requiring some hook into marketplace. So we can actually provide more funding and scale increase like more. So think about like how do you use marketplaces that like center of your partnership, um, for those of you that are not on the marketplace today and are thinking like, is this something that is valuable to me? [00:23:15] Louise Strandoo: Is this something that I should think about and do? You should absolutely. Go look at who are your competitors? Who are the folks that are already out there on the marketplace and, and why aren’t you there? And then you should start to look at what are the characteristics of successful sellers to map out What could we do and what’s the kind of order of operations that we should take to figure out like, how do we get there? [00:23:40] Louise Strandoo: How do we have a plan from the beginning to get buy-in for our partnership with AWS so that we’re not going about it, expecting that it’s gonna just like drive a bunch of leads to the business. It’s not what it does well, but it is gonna help accelerate the way that you co-sell with AWS, which can be a tremendous value add when done appropriately. [00:23:58] Louise Strandoo: So I think, yeah, like figure out the right way that it’s gonna unlock business value depending on what’s most important to your priority. Um. Today [00:24:08] Vince Menzione: we have about three and a half minutes, and I, I’m eager to see if there’s any questions. I, I, um, I, John’s right here with the mic and I love that. I love the, want to get the interaction here in the room. [00:24:19] Louise Strandoo: Yeah, [00:24:20] Vince Menzione: it’s a great group. [00:24:25] Guest: Oh, [00:24:29] Vince Menzione: can they light up that mic? Maybe [00:24:33] Louise Strandoo: Good. [00:24:37] Vince Menzione: There you go. That’s fine. There you go. It’s working. Alright. [00:24:41] Guest: Thank you so much. This is a really great presentation, first of all. I love it. Um, I’m actually part of the, uh, the GSI, so I work cognizant. My name is Ana Hill, um, and I’m manage alliances with ServiceNow. Um, our goal is in the really near future to really engage with all the hyperscalers in sell. [00:25:00] Guest: So that’s one thing. But my interesting, my question is how do you, how, how does AWS measure success? Of the partners who are on your platform, what are the metrics? How do you determine which partners are actually successful and what other partners can use to learn from that? [00:25:19] Louise Strandoo: Yeah, that’s such a great question. [00:25:21] Louise Strandoo: So, um, something that I think is like super helpful that you bring up is cost is not a, um, a scorecard that says everybody that does all these things is a good partner. It’s basically inputs that we have come up with that are supposed to help with the partnership outcomes. Um, so partners, we measure a whole bunch of different things. [00:25:47] Louise Strandoo: I think PDMs and my team carry goals across like seven different categories. There’s a couple of big things that we look at. We look at the revenue that you drive through the marketplace, so whether that’s through private offers or through your self-service business or through. Selling through a reseller, or if you are the reseller, like what is that resell business or driving? [00:26:05] Louise Strandoo: Um, we look at what are the opportunities that you’re bringing and sharing with AWS and that you’re launching. So through our lead sharing mechanism. Not only what are you launching, but what are you sharing with us that is qualified that you’re bringing the field into? Um, we look at things like migrations and migration, realized revenue. [00:26:25] Louise Strandoo: How are you helping drive customers to the cloud? And how are you helping customers not just get everything set up, but you start actually using it. Um, so we really are gonna look across like a multitude of those metrics and when we look at like which partners are kind of leading the way. We’re gonna start to look at the revenue in those buckets, right? [00:26:44] Louise Strandoo: Like who’s sharing and bringing and growing with us? Who’s bringing more opportunities to engage before it happens on the marketplace? Who’s actually completing that transaction? And then who are helping who, who are the partners? Kind of like leading those big types of transformations, migrations, and, and realize revenue. [00:27:00] Louise Strandoo: This is really great. Yeah. Yeah. [00:27:04] Vince Menzione: Thank you. Any other questions? Come on. We’ve got 30 seconds left. We have time for that one last question. Run over there. John. Come on. [00:27:17] Guest: Thank you again, a great, uh, presentation. One question I had is, uh, this morning, right Jay from, uh, oia, right? He identified a whole bunch of, uh, companies that are doing. [00:27:28] Guest: More than a billion dollars in revenue with AWS. [00:27:30] Louise Strandoo: Mm-hmm. [00:27:31] Guest: What would you say are one or two top qualities among these companies that help some drive? I can give [00:27:36] Louise Strandoo: six. And they’re all of these. Yes. [00:27:39] Vince Menzione: The cost, [00:27:40] Louise Strandoo: but like, I think, um, so I love it. Yeah. My, my team we’re working on some content to better capture, like Yeah. [00:27:48] Louise Strandoo: You, you’ve gotten there, you’ve done the six basic things. Now what happens when you’re a billion dollar business? What does it look like there? It’s a lot of the same stuff, right? Like billion dollar billers on the marketplace. They embody that resilience, for example, in their operational mechanisms. [00:28:03] Louise Strandoo: They’re moving beyond the point of there being like one person that creates private offers and they’re like just part of the partnership team. They activate their, um, their deal desk to really manage private offers and marketplace business at scale. They’re integrating their pipeline to share deals proactively through their CRM system and they have really targeted enablement that is. [00:28:24] Louise Strandoo: Really pushing to the field to make sure that every person in their team understands the value of cloud value of AWS and how marketplace accelerates the pipeline. So the more mature that you become as a marketplace seller, like the more that cost is relevant to help keep you on track and be that kind of north star to say like, you could do a cool bunch of stuff with us, but here’s really where you wanna check and see, like what can you do to evolve the business to the next stage? [00:28:49] Vince Menzione: What you’ve said is so like impactful and we have some experts in the room that do this. They help these organizations better understand it’s really getting into your field organization to help them understand how to. How to show up for meetings with AWS re, like how to, how to, uh, co-sell together, how to think about going after these opportunities. [00:29:09] Vince Menzione: What, when you’re, when you’re talking to customers, potential customers about their cloud commitments, like what are the right questions to ask in the pro? There’s so many things, like I’m sure the costs six has like 150 each [00:29:21] Louise Strandoo: Easily [00:29:21] Vince Menzione: steps. Yeah. You know, to it. [00:29:24] Louise Strandoo: Yeah. And I think like, just to follow on that. [00:29:26] Louise Strandoo: Um, we have partners who have gone and they’ve been like, okay, we’re getting a strategic collaboration agreement with AWS. We’re getting funding, and if they don’t have this, it doesn’t work. It doesn’t work. It fails. So this is really like, yeah, it’s about building that resilient architecture to say, if we go big, do we have the execution plan to succeed? [00:29:47] Louise Strandoo: You can’t start with a plan to say, give us a bunch of funding and we’ll go do it. Your salespeople will say. Know what that is. Don’t care. Yeah. So you have to put all of that, you know, all of those building blocks in first to make sure that we can actually execute. [00:30:01] Vince Menzione: You need alignment from the executive suite down to the selling floor. [00:30:05] Louise Strandoo: A hundred percent. [00:30:06] Vince Menzione: Yeah. [00:30:06] Louise Strandoo: Yep. [00:30:06] Vince Menzione: That’s really what it’s all about. [00:30:07] Louise Strandoo: Yep. [00:30:08] Vince Menzione: Louise, thank you so much. It’s been incredible. So great to have you join us. Thank you [00:30:15] so [00:30:15] Louise Strandoo: much. Yes, thank [00:30:16] Vince Menzione: you. [00:30:16] Louise Strandoo: Thank you, [00:30:16] Vince Menzione: thank you. Thanks for listening to The Ultimate Partner Podcast. If today’s conversation resonated. Share it with a partner leader in your network. [00:30:26] Vince Menzione: Subscribe where you listen, and head over to the Ultimate partner.com for show notes related content and the resources for this episode. And if you haven’t already, now’s the time to register for the Ultimate Partner Live event in Reston, Virginia, October 26th through October 28th. Until next time, keep showing up in the rooms that matter because being in the room changes everything.

Ever wondered if your greenhouse control system is actually helping—or if it's leaving you in the dark about your energy bills? I've been there, and that's exactly what we dig into in this episode.Joining me are Neda, CEO and co-founder of Microclimates, and Gretchen, Executive Director at the Greenhouse Lighting and Systems Engineering Consortium at Cornell, whose combined expertise covers everything from cutting-edge environmental controls to energy efficiency in controlled environment agriculture. Neda has an extensive background in developing technologies that empower growers with actionable data, while Gretchen brings years of research experience with leading universities and utility-backed initiatives in optimizing greenhouse lighting and automation.This episode unpacks the real-world findings from the CalNEX Project—a first-of-its-kind scientific study focused on the impact of smart environmental monitoring and controls in California greenhouses. We compare “smart” and “smarter” systems, revealing surprising industry gaps in environmental data collection, misunderstood overhead costs, and how simple steps can lead to significant energy savings and business sustainability.Beyond the results, we chat about practical steps for adopting automation without ripping out your current systems, new open-platform sensor trends, the reality (and future) of AI in controlled ag, and why a phased, data-driven approach will be key for small and large growers alike. If you're daunted by all the talk of sensors, integration, or AI, consider this the guide to understanding what actually matters—and what you can do today.Curious if you're missing an easy win in your farm's energy management, or want a reality check on all the AI hype? Tune in now and turn your environmental data into your biggest asset!Thanks to Our SponsorsCEA Summit East - https://indoor.ag/cea-summit-east-2025/Indoor AgCon - https://indoor.ag/Key Takeaways00:00 Discussing the CalNEX Project findings03:17 Smart Controls Project achievements07:52 Improving greenhouse energy efficiency10:34 Energy consumption misconceptions12:57 Diverse systems in cannabis farming19:10 Automating greenhouse light management22:22 Operational impacts in construction projects25:40 Consulting on greenhouse tech needs27:50 Discussing phased approach for innovations29:57 Phased approach to AI implementation35:51 Parental influence on IT security37:02 Adopting AI and Automation Tools41:17 Starting with basic crop monitoring43:32 Indoor farming control techniques46:39 Year of retrofits and opportunities49:46 Appreciating industry partnershipsTweetable Quotes"Our job is to complement what's already there. The projects Gretchen mentioned, every site had something different… Our job wasn't to go in and just say, rip everything out for this control study and start over because we want to collect the data. It was really to take a look at what do you currently have, how can we complement that with adding more environmental insight, environmental visibility to that operation, and is there a way that we can integrate what you currently have?" "I'd say the biggest surprise and biggest lesson was that they didn't have enough environmental visibility. A lot of these operations had maybe one temperature humidity sensor hanging in the middle of the room representing the entire greenhouse or a section of the greenhouse. Your control system is only as good as the information it's taking in, like the input, right?""If you don't have the thousands of data points, if you can't summarize the trends, if you can't make any recommendations and alerts, and you can't generate those reports based on the thousand data points, how is this AI going to actually get to know you?... First of all, we have to step back and say, are operators actually collecting data? We already said early on in this conversation they are, but they don't have enough environmental visibility, which means they actually are not collecting enough data."Resources MentionedWebsite - www.microclimates.comYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Microclimates-IncInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/microclimatesFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/microclimates.incLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/microclimatesLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gschimelpfenig/Resource Innovation Institute - https://resourceinnovation.org/ Microclimates - https://microclimates.com/ Priva Control Systems - https://www.priva.com/Ritter Greenhouse Automation - https://rittergreenhouse.com/Connect With UsVFP LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/verticalfarmingpodcastVFP Twitter - https://twitter.com/VerticalFarmPodVFP Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/direct/inbox/VFP Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VerticalFarmPodSubscribe to our newsletters!AgTech Digest - https://agtechdigest.comThe Indoor Farmer - https://www.indoorverticalfarm.com/Horti-Gen Insights - https://www.hortigeninsights.com/

Federal agencies often struggle to turn high‑level guidance on AI and cybersecurity into everyday decisions about procurement, deployment and risk. NIST's new Cyber AI Profile is meant to help close that gap by showing how AI risk management can work in practice. We'll talk about how it's intended to be used and what not to do with it, with Kat Megas, the program manager for cybersecurity, privacy and AI at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode of FYI, Tasha Keeney and Daniel Maguire sit down with Bobby Healy, founder and CEO of Manna, to examine the rapidly expanding drone delivery market. Bobby explains how Manna's autonomous aircraft can deliver food and other goods within minutes, why its hot-swap architecture supports high-volume operations, and how regulation is opening the US market. They also discuss the operational challenges behind drone delivery, Manna's use of ground robots and AI, opportunities across food, medical, grocery, and parcel delivery, and Bobby's expectation that drone delivery will reach cities across the United States within five years. Key Points From This Episode:[00:00:00] Introduction to Manna and the drone delivery market[00:06:46] Why Bobby Healy founded Manna[00:07:41] The current drone delivery landscape[00:10:01] How an autonomous Manna delivery works[00:15:20] Operational challenges and aircraft maintenance[00:17:59] Regulation and Manna's US expansion plans[00:21:54] Why Manna prioritizes food delivery[00:24:37] Medical, parcel, and grocery delivery opportunities[00:30:09] Partnerships with delivery aggregators and brands[00:39:09] How Manna uses AI and automation[00:44:21] The potential size of the drone delivery market[00:48:55] Goal of reducing delivery costs from nearly $10 to $0.50Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

In "Built to Last: Inside Holman Logistics", Joe Lynch speaks with President and COO of Holman Logistics, Mike Gardner, about how the company's 162-year heritage, safety-first culture, and long-term customer partnerships drive sustainable growth in today's supply chain landscape. About Mike Gardner Mike Gardner is the President & COO of Holman Logistics, a national third-party logistics company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. With a 40-plus-year career in supply chain management, Mike has held executive roles at GATX Logistics, APL Logistics, and DHL Supply Chain, previously serving as CEO of Kane Logistics before advising in 3PL, real estate, and venture capital. At Holman, he oversees 1,400 team members, over eight million square feet of distribution space, and a nationwide transportation network. Mike holds an MBA from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science from Miami University, where he serves on the Center for Supply Chain Excellence board. Passionate about empowering family businesses, he is also a founding board member of ALAN. Beyond logistics, this former high school chef, Cincinnati native, father of three, and marathoner has raised $7.4 million for cancer research over 16 years through Pelotonia. About Holman Logistics Holman Logistics is a national third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering multi-client warehousing, manufacturing support, and nationwide transportation solutions. Founded in 1864 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the privately held company manages over eight million square feet of distribution space and operates a network spanning 20 locations across nine states. Operating with over 1,400 team members, Holman specializes in high-exacting verticals, including consumer packaged goods (CPG), food and beverage, ingredients, pet food, and major appliances. Its core capabilities range from contract warehousing, plant sub-assembly, and Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) services to private fleet shipping, dedicated shuttles, freight brokerage, and direct-to-consumer ecommerce fulfillment. Grounded in a culture prioritizing operational safety and long-term customer partnerships, Holman balances its multi-generational heritage with modern operational capabilities—incorporating advanced automation, continuous improvement programs, and AI-enabled site tools to deliver consistent, high-performance execution. Key Takeaways: Built to Last: Inside Holman Logistics In "Built to Last: Inside Holman Logistics", Joe Lynch speaks with President and COO of Holman Logistics, Mike Gardner, about how the company's 162-year heritage, safety-first culture, and long-term customer partnerships drive sustainable growth in today's supply chain landscape. Safety as an Operational Strategy ("Journey to Zero"): Holman Logistics treats safety not as a metric compared to industry averages, but as a non-negotiable core value targeting zero incidents. Operational safety sets the foundation for service quality, and every associate is empowered to "own the stop button" to pause unsafe operations. 162+ Years of Adaptability: Founded during the Lincoln administration and family-owned for over a century, Holman's longevity is proof of continuous adaptation—navigating world wars, recessions, deregulation, and eccommerce growth by staying close to customer needs. Culture Drives Retention and Service Consistency: In an industry plagued by high turnover, Holman relies on a people-first, performance-driven culture—reinforced by leadership orientations and awards like the Bob Downie Legacy Award—to retain experienced associates who know the customer's business inside out. True Strategic Partnership Over Transactional Service: Holman builds long-term, embedded relationships (some lasting since the 1960s) using open communication, system integration, and gain-sharing models that align financial incentives around mutual cost savings and continuous improvement. Nimble Innovation Without Tech Hype: Holman balances legacy heritage with modern capabilities. As a privately held "thinking company," it rapidly adopts practical technology—such as AI vision tools on forklifts for training—while quickly discarding tech that doesn't add operational value. Private Ownership as a Strategic Advantage: Unlike 3PLs beholden to private equity exit timelines or quarterly public earnings, Holman's multi-generational family leadership offers stability, long-term capital planning, and agility when customizing solutions for mid-market shippers. Focusing on Core Complex Markets: Holman deliberately specializes in high-exacting verticals—including CPG, ingredients, pet food, and major appliances—providing tailored services ranging from plant sub-assembly and store-door delivery to Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) support and final-mile execution. Learn More About Built to Last: Inside Holman Logistics Mike Gardner | Linkedin Holman Logistics | Linkedin Holman Logistics Costco | Acquired The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

Operational leadership isn't built in the boardroom. It's built through years of solving problems, understanding people, refining processes, and making decisions that strengthen every part of an organization. The most effective leaders rarely begin at the top. They build their perspective one role at a time, gaining firsthand knowledge of how operations, customer experience, technology, supply chains, and leadership intersect. That breadth of experience often becomes their greatest competitive advantage, especially during periods of uncertainty. Today's business environment demands exactly that kind of leadership. Organizations are navigating economic shifts, changing consumer expectations, workforce challenges, emerging technologies, and increasing competition. Navigating those complexities requires more than expertise in a single discipline. It requires leaders who understand how every function of the business contributes to long-term success. Operational leadership begins with that understanding. One of the biggest misconceptions about leadership is that executives eventually outgrow operations. In reality, the strongest leaders remain closely connected to the daily realities of their organizations. They understand the challenges facing employees, the needs of customers, and the pressures experienced by business owners and operators because they've often lived those experiences themselves. That perspective creates better decisions. Rather than making assumptions from behind a desk, operational leaders recognize how changes in one area affect every other part of the business. Marketing influences operations. Operations shape customer experience. Customer experience drives loyalty. Technology impacts efficiency. Every decision creates a ripple effect throughout the organization. As Jeff Hetsel puts it, "Great leaders don't just understand one department. They understand how every part of the business works together." That philosophy has become increasingly important as organizations continue adapting to rapid change. Few industries illustrate this better than the restaurant business. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged nearly every assumption about how restaurants operated. Dining rooms closed, customer expectations changed overnight, supply chains became unpredictable, and operators were forced to rethink nearly every aspect of their businesses. While every organization faced difficult decisions, the companies that emerged strongest shared several common characteristics. They communicated frequently, adapted quickly, stayed close to their customers, and maintained strong relationships with the people responsible for executing the business every day. Communication proved especially valuable. When uncertainty increases, information becomes leadership. Organizations that communicated consistently with franchisees, employees, suppliers, and customers were often able to make better decisions because everyone understood the challenges, priorities, and direction of the business. Transparency created trust, and trust created alignment. That principle extends far beyond franchising. Whether leading a small business or a global organization, communication remains one of the most effective operational tools available. People perform better when they understand not only what is changing, but why those changes matter. Operational leadership also requires the discipline to continually evaluate how technology supports the customer experience. Artificial intelligence, automation, digital ordering, customer relationship management systems, and advanced analytics are reshaping nearly every industry. Businesses that ignore these innovations risk falling behind. At the same time, technology should never become a substitute for genuine human connection. Instead, the most successful organizations use technology to remove friction. Automating repetitive tasks allows employees to focus on serving customers, solving problems, and building relationships. Rather than replacing people, technology should create more opportunities for meaningful interactions. This balance will likely define the next generation of business leadership. Consumers increasingly expect convenience, speed, and personalization. They also continue to value authenticity, trust, and personal service. Organizations capable of delivering both will create stronger customer loyalty and long-term competitive advantages. Continuous learning is another defining characteristic of operational leadership. Business landscapes evolve too quickly for leaders to rely solely on past experience. Markets shift. Competitors innovate. Customer preferences change. The leaders who continue growing are those who remain curious enough to keep learning. Books remain one of the simplest ways to develop that perspective. While digital content provides quick answers, books offer something different: depth, context, and thoughtful analysis. Many accomplished executives continue to make reading a priority because it exposes them to new ideas, leadership philosophies, and strategies that can be applied long before competitors recognize the opportunity. That mindset reflects another simple but powerful philosophy. "You have to earn your job every day." Leadership is never permanent. Every day presents new opportunities to improve processes, strengthen teams, create value, and serve customers more effectively. The strongest leaders understand that success yesterday guarantees nothing tomorrow. They remain students of their industry, constantly asking better questions and looking for smarter ways to operate. Perhaps the most overlooked aspect of operational leadership is service. Leadership is often associated with authority, decision-making, and accountability. Those responsibilities certainly matter. Yet the organizations that consistently outperform their competitors often embrace a different philosophy. They view leadership as service. Serving employees. Serving franchisees. Serving customers. Serving communities. That perspective influences every decision throughout the organization. As Hetsel explains, "Being great is anything you do in the service of others." It's a simple statement, yet it captures an essential truth about sustainable business growth. Organizations succeed when the people inside them succeed first. Strong leaders remove obstacles instead of creating them. They build systems that support consistency. They communicate with transparency. They embrace innovation without abandoning the human experience that customers value most. Operational leadership is not about knowing every answer. It's about understanding the business well enough to ask better questions. It's about remaining curious after decades of experience. It's about recognizing that growth depends on people just as much as processes. Most importantly, it's about never becoming disconnected from the customers, employees, and partners who make long-term success possible. Business will continue to evolve. Technology will continue advancing. Customer expectations will continue changing. The organizations best positioned for the future will be led by individuals who understand operations from the ground up, lead through service, embrace continuous learning, and never lose sight of the people behind every business decision. About Jeff Hetsel Jeff Hetsel is President of Cicis Pizza and JMC Restaurant Distribution, bringing nearly 40 years of restaurant and franchise leadership experience. A Certified Franchise Executive, Jeff began his career with Cicis in 1992 as a restaurant manager and has since served in leadership roles spanning operations, franchise development, real estate, construction, distribution, and executive management. His hands-on experience across virtually every aspect of the business has helped guide the brand through significant industry change while supporting franchisees, strengthening operations, and positioning Cicis for continued growth. About Ford Saeks Ford Saeks is a Business Growth Accelerator who has generated more than a billion dollars in sales worldwide by helping businesses attract loyal customers, increase visibility, and accelerate growth. As President and CEO of Prime Concepts Group, Inc., Ford has founded more than ten companies, authored eleven books, earned three U.S. patents, and advised organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. A recognized expert in business growth, customer acquisition, leadership, franchising, marketing, and AI-driven business strategies, Ford helps business owners and leaders identify opportunities, improve performance, and achieve sustainable results. Learn more at ProfitRichResults.com and watch Fordify LIVE at Fordify.tv

Gregory Copley reports Xi Jinping faces significant internal opposition from Communist Party elders at the Beidaiheretreat. Despite his titles, Xi's operational power is waning as the Chinese economy evaporates and social unrest grows. A recent ballistic missile launch served as a show of strength before a state visit to the US. Copley notes that youth unemployment is high, and the PLA may eventually act independently. (11)

Matt Faircloth talks to Justin White, Managing Director of Centennial Advisers. They specialize in guiding investors through overlooked opportunities like niche opportunity zone developments, strategic lease negotiations, and unconventional acquisitions that outperform typical assets. This episode unveils how savvy investors leverage off-market deals, pre-construction projects, and tenant upgrades to create massive gains often without lifting a shovel or managing tenants directly. Justin White Managing Director of Centennial Advisers Based in: Long Beach, California Where to find them: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-white-79a1175 https://centennialadvisers.com/ Phone: (714) 231-2537 Book your free demo today at bill.com/bestever and get a $100 Amazon gift card. Visit https://malabarhillcapital.com/ for more info. Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Brad Gardner, Founder and CTO of Seven Hills Technology. Growing up in the Cincinnati area, Brad developed an early appreciation for practicality, hard work, and solving problems with the resources available to him—an outlook that helped shape his entrepreneurial mindset later in life. Brad shares how a practical decision to turn two former clients into paying customers led to the launch of Seven Hills Technology, and how the company evolved from a one-person consulting operation into a growing firm focused on helping businesses streamline operations through custom software and strategic technology solutions.Brad delves into the future of software development, the impact of AI on consulting and pricing models, and why he remains committed to being a generalist in a world obsessed with specialization. He also reflects on lessons learned over a decade of growth, including the importance of investing in sales and relationship-building, and shares a deeply personal motivation behind his entrepreneurial drive: creating opportunities and long-term stability for his children. Learn why Brad Gardner believes solving real business problems will always matter more than chasing the latest trend in this episode of The First Customer!Guest Info:Seven Hills Technologyhttps://sevenhillstechnology.comBrad Gardner's LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-gardner-sh/Connect with Jay on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/The First Customer Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcastThe First Customer podcast websitehttps://www.firstcustomerpodcast.comFollow The First Customer on LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-customer-podcast/

Accepting Bitcoin, HODL Bombing James Martin on TV and Agentic Payments. $ BTC 64,3321 Block Height 960,086 Today's guests are David Parkinson, Ben De Waal, and TV personality Merlin Griffiths who join me to discuss how UK based payments company, Muqet, is utilising AI and Bitcoin to help small businesses reduce costs and modernise operations. Key Topics: Merchant adoption of Bitcoin point-of-sale systems How AI agents are transforming commerce and payments Challenges facing small business owners in the UK The role of Bitcoin as a hedge against fiat currency volatility Operational efficiency through automated EPOS technology Real-world application of agentic commerce and UCP protocols A huge thank you to Musqet and Merlin! Follow Merlin: x - @MerlinFDC4 Insta - @MerlinFDC4 Merlin - https://www.merlingriffiths.com/ The Dog And Gun Pub - https://dogandgunwalton.com/#about_us Ben De Waal Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamindewaal/ X - @Ben_deWaal David Parkinson Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-parkinson-6764441a/ X - @Musqet_David Check out my book ‘Choose Life' - https://bit.ly/4gGYqRE Pleb Service Announcements: Join 20 thousand Bitcoiners on @cluborange https://signup.cluborange.org/co/princey CONFERENCES: BTC HEL - 25th - 26th September 2026. - Helsinki https://btchel.com/ Use code BITTEN for - 10% My First Bitcoin. https://myfirstbitcoin.org/ Shills and Mench's: BITBOX - SELF CUSTODY YOUR BITCOIN - www.bitbox.swiss/bitten Use Code BITTEN THE MEETUP BREAKDWON - BITCOIN EVENTS UK - https://www.themeetupbreakdown.com/ SWAN BITCOIN - www.swan.com/bitten HODL EYEWEAR - Avoid Blue light! https://hodleyewear.com/partner/3/ PLEBEIAN MARKET - BUY AND SELL STUFF FOR SATS; https://plebeian.market/ @PlebeianMarket SATSBACK - Shop online and earn back sats! https://satsback.com/register/5AxjyPRZV8PNJGlM ALL FURTHER LINKS HERE - FOR DISCOUNTS AND OFFERS - https://vida.page/princey - https://linktr.ee/princey21m

By Doug Green “Legacy out-of-band gets you in. Modern out-of-band should help you recover.” In this Technology Reseller News podcast, I speak with Todd Rychecky, President of Gearlinx, about how out-of-band management is evolving from a narrowly focused remote-access tool into a broader platform for network recovery, operational resilience and business continuity. Modern infrastructure is increasingly distributed across data centers, colocation facilities, branch offices, campus environments, edge locations and remote sites. When the primary network becomes unavailable, simply opening a console port may no longer be enough. Organizations need to know what equipment has been deployed, where it is located, whether it is reachable and what actions can be taken remotely to restore service. “The issue is not simply whether an engineer can reach a console,” Rychecky says. “It's more about whether they can reach the console and still manage their business.” Gearlinx combines secure out-of-band management, cellular connectivity, automation, centralized cloud visibility and lifecycle management into a unified network resilience platform. The goal is to help customers diagnose problems faster, reduce downtime and avoid costly truck rolls. The company's portfolio includes the NR4400 Network Resilience Platform for data center and high-density environments, along with Duckfone, a compact cellular connectivity device designed for edge and distributed locations. Both are brought together through ZERO, the Gearlinx centralized cloud-management platform. ZERO provides visibility into devices, locations, serial numbers, warranties, subscriptions and licensing information. That centralized approach addresses a common problem for enterprises and service providers: critical infrastructure information is often spread across spreadsheets, disconnected applications and separate vendor portals. Gearlinx is also approaching lifecycle management differently. Customers can select one-, three-, five- or seven-year licensing terms, allowing them to align technology investments with their own asset-depreciation and replacement schedules. Warranty coverage and subscriptions begin when equipment is activated through the cloud rather than when it is initially purchased. That can be particularly valuable for organizations that purchase equipment in volume and then deploy it gradually over several months. The platform also supports simplified co-terming, allowing customers and partners to bring licenses, warranties, support and software updates under a common renewal date. Rychecky says these capabilities represent the difference between basic network resilience and broader operational resilience. Operational resilience means giving IT teams the information and management tools they need before, during and after an outage—not simply providing an emergency connection to a console port. The solution is designed for organizations across manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, education, retail, AI infrastructure and other environments where downtime or dispatching a technician can be expensive. For resellers, VARs and MSPs, Gearlinx also creates an opportunity to move beyond a one-time hardware transaction. “Gearlinx enables partners to sell more than a console server,” Rychecky says. “It's an annualized recurring revenue business model for the reseller and decreases capital spending for the customer.” Partners can attach cloud-management licenses, cellular connectivity, managed services, lifecycle planning, support and legacy hardware-refresh programs. That creates ongoing customer engagement and recurring revenue instead of ending the relationship after the initial equipment sale. “It helps resellers lead the business continuity and operational resilience conversation—not just a networking hardware conversation,” Rychecky says. “Partners are not limited to selling a box. They can build an ongoing resilience practice around the customer.” One discovery question can help partners begin that conversation: When your production network is unavailable, how does your team access, diagnose and recover that location? Learn more at Gearlinx.com.

In this episode, I'm joined by my wonderful client, Kelly Chakerian, owner of Abide—a boutique home goods store with an integrated interior design division in California. Today is a super special day because Kelly is officially graduating from the Inventory Genius program! We look back at where Kelly's business was just one year ago—feeling discouraged, constantly stressed by financial chaos, and checking bank accounts daily—and contrast it with where she is today. From structuring proper design fees to setting up clean bookkeeping systems and organizing her operational calendar, Kelly shares how gaining control of her numbers gave her back precious time, mental peace, and the ability to run her business with total confidence. Key Takeaways Financial Clarity Eliminates Operational Stress: Chaos in your bank account almost always spills over into operational burnout. Organizing your finances frees up the mental bandwidth you need to lead and grow your business. Valuing Your Time: If you offer design, styling, or consulting services alongside retail products, charging properly for your time is critical for long-term profitability. The "Monday Admin" System: Transitioning from checking bank accounts every single day to dedicating one day a week for financial check-ins completely removes day-to-day money anxiety. Setting Boundaries & Enjoying Life: Knowing your true numbers empowers you to step away. With a solid foundation, Kelly was able to plan and fund a 10-day summer closure to rest and re-energize with her family without fear or stress. You Don't Have to Be a Math Genius: You don't need a finance background to master inventory and business finances—even self-proclaimed "Type B" business owners and busy moms can do this with the right system! Episode Highlights Kelly shares where she was a year ago: seeing outward success in her store, but not seeing it reflected in her bank account. Restructuring service and design fees so you stop working for free and actually enjoy serving your clients. How clean bookkeeping and simple tracking systems take the intimidation out of finances. Stopping the cycle of daily bank account checks and adopting a structured weekly routine. Taking time off: How financial confidence allowed Kelly to safely shut down her shop for 10 days during slow season to spend time with her family. Why small adjustments can save independent brick-and-mortar shops from burnout and closure. Kelly's parting words of encouragement for business owners who feel intimidated by their numbers. Memorable Quotes "Don't worry about what the numbers say, just track them. You can't fix what you aren't tracking." — Ciara Stockeland "The ability you had to open your own business—you have that same courage to learn about the ins and outs of your finances. If I can figure it out and learn, anybody can." — Kelly Chakerian Connect & Next Steps Share the Love: Know another boutique owner or entrepreneur who needs encouragement with their numbers? Forward this episode to a business friend! Ready to Master Your Inventory & Profits? If you're ready to transform financial confusion into total confidence, visit my website to learn how we can work together. Work with Me - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/work-with-meVisit the Bookstore - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/bookstoreSign Up for Free Weekly Tips and Trainings - https://www.ciarastockeland.com/subscribe

From alert to root cause in one minute - how PagerDuty built autonomous incident response on Amazon Bedrock, and the future of triage and trust. Topics Include:PagerDuty's agents must perform during 2am outages — stakes are highSoftware shipping accelerated dramatically; production environments largely did notA 9:30pm slowdown traced to a race condition solved two years earlierThe fix was documented — but the context wasn't at handPagerDuty Advance ships four agents: SRE, Scribe, Shift, InsightsWhy four, not one? Focus and predictability in non-deterministic systemsSaurabh Shanbhag: Bedrock is far more than a model serviceZero data retention, PrivateLink, TLS — why enterprises pick BedrockFrontier models everywhere burns tokens; classify, route, distill, fine-tuneSRE agent triages alerts before you even join the callOne minute to root cause — context beat raw intelligenceHuman surfaces versus machine surfaces: MCP and CLI move fastest"The model eats the harness" — every upgrade invalidates foundational componentsFeeding agents everything failed; compartmentalised investigation threads work betterNew York Life's three stages of trust, and the seatbelt override that wasn't Participants:Tom Hogarty - Senior Director Product Management, PagerDutySaurabh Shanbhag – Sr Partner Solution Architect, Amazon Web Services See how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

This is an AI-generated episode of The Storage Marketplace Podcast, created from the live discussion at Storage Meetup #87, recorded on July 17, 2026. Every Friday, self-storage owners, operators, managers, vendors, and industry professionals gather live to connect, learn, and grow through open conversations about what's happening in the industry right now. This episode highlights some of the most valuable discussions from the meetup, including: • Emerging trends affecting self-storage operations • Marketing ideas and customer acquisition strategies • AI, automation, and technology shaping the industry • Operational challenges and practical solutions shared by experienced operators • Real-world lessons, ideas, and best practices from across the self-storage community • Questions, insights, and conversations that help operators make better business decisions The biggest takeaway from this session:

Alex Merced gives the update on the state of the Data & AI world after this summer. Follow Alex Merced, find all links at AlexMerced.com

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Send us Fan MailAI is transforming business, but it may also be exposing the weaknesses already hidden inside your organization. Most leaders believe the challenge is adopting AI fast enough. I believe the real challenge is ensuring your business is resilient enough to use it safely.In this episode of Mastering Risk, I explain why AI doesn't create operational problems, it amplifies the ones that already exist. Weak processes, poor governance, undocumented workflows, and single points of failure don't disappear with AI. They accelerate.You'll discover:Why your business doesn't have an AI problem, it has an operational resilience problem.How AI magnifies weak processes and poor decision-making.Why governance and "human-in-the-loop" oversight remain essential.How resilient organizations gain a lasting competitive advantage while others chase the latest AI tools.Practical steps founder-led businesses can take before expanding their use of artificial intelligence.Technology will continue to evolve. Operational resilience, however, is a strategic capability that compounds over decades and enables businesses to adapt, recover, and grow through uncertainty.If you're a founder, CEO, executive, or business owner looking to build a stronger, more resilient organization, subscribe to Mastering Risk for practical, evidence-based insights on operational resilience, business continuity, leadership, cyber risk, and preparedness.What role do you think AI should play in your business? Let me know in the comments.https://preparednesslabs.caDISCLOSURE Information shared here is for educational purposes only.  Individuals and business owners should evaluate their own business strategies, and identify any potential risks.  The information shared here is not a guarantee of success. Your results may vary.Copyright © 2026.Support the showhttps://preparednesslabs.ca/

Send us Fan MailDiscover powerful tax strategies that actually work for your small business and private practice with expert CPA Mark Martukovich. Learn how proactive planning can save you money, leverage your business as an investment, and avoid common pitfalls. This episode dives deep into overlooked deductions, entity structuring, and smart financial moves that can significantly boost your bottom line and ensure you're not paying more than you need to. Get ready to transform your approach to taxes and cultivate lasting financial success for your business.What You'll Learn:Why proactive tax planning is more critical than a reactive approach.How to properly utilize the home office deduction without fear of audits.Advanced strategies for retirement planning and stacking within your business.The truth about business vehicle deductions and how to avoid common mistakes.The benefits of adopting an S corporation entity structure for tax savings.An in-depth explanation of the "Augusta Rule" and how to apply it ethically.The importance of showing profitability for the future sale of your business.Don't miss these actionable insights to optimize your tax situation and unlock your business's full financial potential! #TaxStrategies #SmallBusinessTax #PrivatePractice #TaxPlanning #EntrepreneurshipMark Martukovich is a Certified Public Accountant and Managing Partner of Business Advisory and Accounting Partners (B.A.A.P.), a firm known for turning accounting from an expense into a strategic investment. With over 25 years of business development and consulting experience, and a career that spans public accounting, corporate leadership, and commercial banking, Mark brings a board-level advisory perspective to every client relationship.Mark began his career in 1989 as a staff accountant in Cleveland, Ohio, after graduating from The University of Akron with a degree in accounting. His early work in public accounting was followed by senior leadership roles in business development, where he helped organizations scale, implement technology solutions, and open new markets.In 2004, Mark transitioned into commercial banking, spending a decade advising small and mid-sized companies in the Tampa Bay area. His banking experience gave him a deep understanding of how lenders view business performance, insight he now uses to help clients prepare for financing, expansion, and eventual ownership transition.Since joining BAAP in 2010, Mark has been the driving force behind the firm's business advisory consulting model, which combines:Tax efficiency strategies that are designed around each client's long-term goals.Operational and financial analysis to improve profitability and resilienceSuccession and exit planning that helps owners turn their business into a true retirement asset.Mark is a recognized leader in the accounting profession. He serves as a featured speaker for Thomson Reuters' Partner Summit: Moving Your Practice Forward, where he trains other CPAs on transitioning from compliance-focused work to becoming proactive business advisors. He also served on the Board of Directors of the SPCA Tampa Bay from November 2019 until January 2025, reflecting his commitment to community leadership.http://busadvisory.com https://www.facebook.com/BusinessAdvisoryAndAccountingPartners https://www.youtube.com/@business-advisory Welcome to Private Practice Survival Guide Podcast hosted by Brandon Seigel! Brandon Seigel, President of Wellness Works Management Partners, is an internationally known private practice consultant with over fifteen years of executive leadership experience. Seigel's book "The Private Practice Survival Guide" takes private practice entrepreneurs on a journey to unlocking key strategies for surviving―and thriving―in today's business environment. Now Brandon Seigel goes beyond the book and brings the same great tips, tricks, and anecdotes to improve your private practice in this companion podcast. Get In Touch With MePodcast Website: https://www.privatepracticesurvivalguide.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonseigel/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonseigel/https://wellnessworksmedicalbilling.com/Private Practice Survival Guide BookThis show is proudly produced at PS Studios — learn more https://www.psstudios.co

We all love a good plan.   The calendar is full, the flights are booked, the strategy is mapped out, and everything feels like it's finally coming together. Then life reminds us of one unavoidable truth: the unexpected happens.   In this episode, I share a personal story about having to cancel an important business event after weeks of preparation because life and business demanded my attention somewhere else. It wasn't the decision I wanted to make, but it became a powerful reminder that leadership isn't about controlling every outcome. It's about responding well when circumstances change.   Over the years, I've helped business owners navigate some of the hardest moments they'll ever face, from the uncertainty of COVID to devastating fires, financial downturns, unexpected loss, and personal crises. One thing has become incredibly clear: businesses don't survive because leaders can predict every challenge. They survive because leaders build enough margin to respond when those challenges arrive.   In this episode, I'm sharing the five-step framework I use with my clients whenever the unexpected happens. It's a practical way to move from panic to purposeful action, make better decisions under pressure, and keep leading with confidence even when you don't have every answer.   Because change is inevitable. Your response is what defines your leadership.   Key Takeaways: • Change Is Not the Enemy - No amount of planning can eliminate uncertainty. Great leaders accept that change is part of building a business and learn how to adapt instead of resist it.   • Margin Creates Resilience - Financial reserves, extra time, strong systems, trusted relationships, and emotional capacity all create the flexibility leaders need when plans suddenly change.   • Your Team Takes Their Cue from You - You don't have to pretend everything is perfect. But your team needs to know someone is calmly leading through the uncertainty.   • Clarity Comes Through Action - Waiting until you have every answer often keeps you stuck. Forward movement creates clarity, confidence, and momentum.   Timestamps / Chapter Markers: 00:00  When the Best-Laid Plans Fall Apart 00:58  The Business Event I Had to Walk Away From 02:23  When Life Forces You to Change Course 04:44  Unexpected Doesn't Mean You Failed 06:10  Why Every Business Needs Margin 09:22  What Crisis Has Taught Me as an Advisor 10:13  Leading Clients Through COVID and Uncertainty 13:08  Lessons from a Business Owner's Worst Day 15:38  The Mindset That Comes Before Every Solution 18:34  Step 1: Pause and Assess the Situation 19:40  Step 2: Evaluate Your Options 20:31  Step 3: Identify the Resources Around You 21:29  Step 4: Create Your Next Steps 22:43  Step 5: Take Action and Build Momentum 24:03  Why Every Leader Needs Trusted Advisors 25:28  One Question Every Business Owner Should Answer 26:20  Building a Business That Can Weather Any Storm   If today's conversation resonated with you, don't wait until the next crisis to prepare your business.   Ask yourself:   Where does my business need more margin?   Is it financial? Operational? Leadership? Time? Systems? Or simply having someone in your corner who can help you think clearly when things don't go according to plan?   Building resilience before you need it is one of the greatest investments you can make as a leader.  

Send us Fan MailSupport the showFor merchandise, podcast and youtube:Join The Patreonhttps://patreon.com/WestankersleyFollow Shaping Success https://shapingsuccesspodcast.buzzsprout.com/Get Ars Victorioushttps://a.co/d/5f4todGhttps://a.co/d/5f4todGEmail Wes@westankersley.com for guest ideas or to be on the show!

Financial institutions are pushing agentic AI past pilot mode and into document-heavy, regulated workflows like AML alerts and account closures, but many leaders still lack a clear model for where automation should run freely and where human judgment has to stay in the loop. In this episode, Yoav Naveh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Reindeer AI, examines how banks are structuring agent oversight so automation earns trust incrementally instead of replacing compliance teams outright. The conversation covers how to identify workflows ready for agentic AI, what signals show an agent is learning rather than failing, and how public and historical data can strengthen both compliance decisions and customer retention.   This episode is sponsored by Reindeer AI.   Learn how financial institutions are digitizing paper-based records to unlock usable data for AI, and using alternative data to enhance risk assessment, download our free PDF report, "AI in Financial Services Executive Cheat Sheet" at emerj.com/fcs1

Airports move more than 10 billion passengers a year, yet most still manage congestion, assets, and energy use on estimates rather than real-time data. Wireless connectivity and Edge AI are starting to close that gap - giving operators a new level of intelligence. So, can real-time operational intelligence actually replace the systems, and guesswork airports have run on for decades - and what does it take to deploy it at scale without disrupting everyday operations and compromising security and privacy? Let's find out.Our guests for today's podcast are:Ken Brizel, CEO of Agereh Technologies, a publicly traded Canadian company building wireless, battery-powered operational intelligence solutions that give operations teams real-time visibility into people, indoor assets, and global cargo. andJohnathan Lewis, Division Director of Innovation at Miami International Airport - one of the busiest international gateways in the US, moving more than 50 million passengers a year.In our discussion today, we'll uncover a few things, such as:How airports are closing that technology gap in establishing scalable operational intelligence  How private cellular (CBRS), Wi-Fi, and public cellular work together inside a live, operating airport to support operational intelligence goals, andWhat it actually took to deploy this across a 50-million-passenger hub without disrupting day-to-day operationsLet us welcome Ken and Johnathan.Contact PrivateLTEand5GFollow us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/privatelteand5gTweet at https://twitter.com/privateLTEand5GFor more resources on Private Cellular Networks, go to https://www.privatelteand5g.com/Email us at ratika.garg@privatelteand5g.com

Denials may appear at the end of the revenue cycle, but their causes often begin much earlier. This episode explores how organizations can use denial data to identify operational breakdowns, assign accountability, and protect revenue before the same problems repeat.

This episode of Tech Unscripted explores how agentic AI, advanced networks like Wi‑Fi 7, and automation are transforming workplaces in higher education and live sports production. Leaders from Georgetown University and NBCUniversal discuss using AI to reduce administrative load, enable real‑time operational insights, ensure resilient low‑latency networks, and augment teams to deliver seamless global experiences for students, fans, and broadcast audiences.

What happens when the supply chain playbook you've spent decades building becomes obsolete overnight? Fresh from Zero100's Off the Grid event in the Irish countryside, Chief Content Officer Matt Davis sits down with VP, Research & Advisory Kelly Coutinho, and Account Manager Lewis Barnes to discuss the supply chain shift to “operational sovereignty,” and why 2028 is shaping up to be a defining year for operations. They also explore why 60% of workflows belong to no single function, how AI is exposing decades of process debt, and why the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn't technological, but human.

The outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) industry is growing faster than many expected, with assets projected to approach $6 trillion by 2030. In this episode of Market Pulse, Grant Johnsey sits down with Kate McCabe, Head of OCIO and Commercial Strategy at Northern Trust, to discuss findings from Northern Trust’s latest Asset Owner Peer Study. Together, they explore how OCIOs are increasing allocations to private markets, managing liquidity challenges, leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency, and navigating growing demands around data, technology and scale. They also discuss what asset owners should be watching as the OCIO landscape continues to evolve and where service providers can help support future growth. Important Disclosures The audio podcast is being provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as investment advice or a recommendation of any specific investment product or strategy. The information does not take your financial situation, investment objective(s), or risk tolerance into consideration. Listeners, including professionals, should under no circumstances rely upon this information as a substitute for their own research or for obtaining specific legal, investment, accounting or tax advice from their own counsel. Non‑U.S. Small Cap Equities Non‑U.S. small cap equities may provide diversification and growth potential but carry elevated risks. These include currency volatility (e.g., U.S. dollar strength reducing returns), higher volatility, and lower liquidity. These securities are more sensitive to local economic, political, and regulatory conditions and may underperform in certain market cycles. They may include lower-quality or unprofitable issuers and are more exposed to trade policy and geopolitical developments. Alternative Investments Alternative investments are not suitable for all investors. Hedge funds use leverage, derivatives, and short selling, which can amplify losses. These investments are typically illiquid, lack regular pricing transparency, and charge high fees that may reduce returns. Interests are not readily transferable, and a secondary market may not exist. Investors should also consider tax complexity and reduced regulatory oversight compared to mutual funds.

The outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) industry is growing faster than many expected, with assets projected to approach $6 trillion by 2030. In this episode of Market Pulse, Grant Johnsey sits down with Kate McCabe, Head of OCIO and Commercial Strategy at Northern Trust, to discuss findings from Northern Trust’s latest Asset Owner Peer Study. Together, they explore how OCIOs are increasing allocations to private markets, managing liquidity challenges, leveraging AI to improve operational efficiency, and navigating growing demands around data, technology and scale. They also discuss what asset owners should be watching as the OCIO landscape continues to evolve and where service providers can help support future growth. Important Disclosures The audio podcast is being provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as investment advice or a recommendation of any specific investment product or strategy. The information does not take your financial situation, investment objective(s), or risk tolerance into consideration. Listeners, including professionals, should under no circumstances rely upon this information as a substitute for their own research or for obtaining specific legal, investment, accounting or tax advice from their own counsel. Non‑U.S. Small Cap Equities Non‑U.S. small cap equities may provide diversification and growth potential but carry elevated risks. These include currency volatility (e.g., U.S. dollar strength reducing returns), higher volatility, and lower liquidity. These securities are more sensitive to local economic, political, and regulatory conditions and may underperform in certain market cycles. They may include lower-quality or unprofitable issuers and are more exposed to trade policy and geopolitical developments. Alternative Investments Alternative investments are not suitable for all investors. Hedge funds use leverage, derivatives, and short selling, which can amplify losses. These investments are typically illiquid, lack regular pricing transparency, and charge high fees that may reduce returns. Interests are not readily transferable, and a secondary market may not exist. Investors should also consider tax complexity and reduced regulatory oversight compared to mutual funds.

Leadership is easy when everything is working. Your true ability is revealed when the business is under pressure. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down how to remain calm, think clearly, and lead your team through a major operational crisis. When suppliers fail, key employees leave, or revenue suddenly disappears, panic only makes the situation worse. Your team will mirror your emotional state. If you stay composed, focus on the facts, and move decisively, you give the entire organization a chance to recover. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why emotional control is essential during a business crisis• How your reactions directly influence your team's confidence• Why separating facts from emotions leads to better decisions• How surviving difficult seasons can strengthen trust and loyalty The truth is simple: A crisis is a test of your leadership. Stay calm. Diagnose the real problem. Build the solution. Execute with confidence. When you lead through the fire with discipline and clarity, you do not just save the business. You build an organization strong enough to survive the next storm. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I sit down with David Stein, President and CEO of Kuya Silver (CSE: KUYA | OTCQB: KUYAF | Frankfurt: 6MR1), to discuss the latest operational advancements at the Bethania Silver Project in Peru. David provides a comprehensive update on production scaling, corporate financial health, and the expanded exploration plans set to unfold throughout this year. Key Discussion Points: Bethania Operational Ramp-Up: How underground development, contractor additions, and operational momentum are setting the stage for a significant production increase by year-end. Silver Price Sensitivity & Financial Outlook: Hear how Kuya Silver's robust cash position insulates the company against market fluctuations and supports their path toward positive cash flow. Underground & Surface Drill Program: Learn about the expansion to a multi-rig drilling strategy designed to extend vein systems, build high-grade resources, and test new district targets. Pipeline Project Value Catalysts: Get an update on potential news flow and upcoming developments surrounding the Silver Kings project in Ontario and the Umm Hadid joint venture in Saudi Arabia.   If you have any follow-up questions for David, please email me at Fleck@kereport.com.   Click here to visit the Kuya Silver website – https://kuyasilver.com/   --------------- For more market commentary & interview summaries, subscribe to our Substacks:  The KE Report: https://kereport.substack.com/  Shad's resource market commentary: https://excelsiorprosperity.substack.com/   Investment disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, an offer, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or investment product. Investing in equities, commodities, really everything involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. Guests and hosts may own shares in companies mentioned.

In this episode of Shooting It Straight with Stan, Stan "The Annuity Man" breaks down his signature Annuity Man Trifecta and why annuities should be bought for contractual guarantees—not hypothetical dreams. Discover how he shops all carriers, screens for top-rated companies, and layers in his three decades of experience to protect your money and your peace of mind.    In this episode, The Annuity Man discussed:  Annuities as contractual, commodity products The PILL framework: Principal protection, income, legacy, long-term care The Annuity Man Trifecta: highest number, ratings, recommendation Evaluating carriers on both financial strength and administration Work ethic, team structure, and mission to "clean up" the annuity space   Key Takeaways:  Annuities should be purchased for what they are contractually guaranteed to do, not for speculative growth or hypothetical back-tested returns. The core problems annuities are designed to solve can be summarized as principal protection, lifetime income, legacy planning, and long-term care, and any use outside of these should raise red flags. Focusing solely on illustrations and projected returns leaves investors vulnerable to sales-driven hype instead of reality-based planning grounded in guarantees. A truly client-focused annuity process involves shopping all carriers for the highest contractual guarantee, prioritizing financially strong companies, and applying experienced, independent judgment on which carriers to actually recommend. Operational competence—like the ability to process paperwork efficiently and handle client service—is just as critical as an insurance company's rating when it comes to protecting clients and delivering on annuity promises.   "You buy annuities for what they will do, not what they might do… Never, ever, ever buy them for growth." —  Stan The Annuity Man   Connect with The Annuity Man:  Website: http://theannuityman.com/  Email: Stan@TheAnnuityMan.com  Book: Owner's Manuals: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/how-do-annuities-work YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCXKKxvVslbeGAlEc5sra2g  Get a Quote Today: https://www.stantheannuityman.com/annuity-calculator!

What if the biggest obstacle to growing your property management business isn't your marketing... but who you're attracting? In this #DoorGrowShow episode, Jason Hull breaks down why traditional marketing advice is keeping property managers stuck competing for price-sensitive owners while overlooking a massive untapped market. Drawing from nearly two decades of coaching hundreds of property management entrepreneurs, he explains why warm, relationship-driven growth consistently outperforms cold digital marketing. Jason also explores the hidden operational costs of attracting the wrong clients, why communication isn't the real reason owners leave, how poor boundaries destroy profitability, and why your business should be built around trust. You'll Learn [00:00] Why Industry Surveys Miss Real Growth Opportunities [04:58] Understanding Cheapos, Normals, and Premium Buyers [10:43] The Blue Ocean Most Property Managers Ignore [16:40] Why Communication Isn't the Real Problem [22:08] Escaping the "Cycle of Suck" [28:18] Setting Better Boundaries with Owners [34:55] Why Offline Marketing Wins [42:06] Building Growth Engines Instead of Buying Leads [50:14] Hidden Profit Leaks Every Property Manager Has Quotables ​​"Where you get your leads dictates the quality of the lead and how much they're willing to spend."  Jason Hull  "They don't even want to buy property management. What they want to buy is a trusted advisor." Jason Hull  "Interruptions are the biggest thief in the property management business of profitability." Jason Hull  Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:00) Hey everybody, I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGro, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGro, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses.   We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness, change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now let's get to the show. Okay, so today's episode,   I'm going to share from my anecdotal experience in talking to thousands of property managers and all the feedback that I get, and all the people that are in our mastermind, what we're seeing is working. So here's what a survey can't show: a survey is basically lagging data, it's not showcasing what's   Innovating because you're not even usually asking questions about the latest innovations. So the questions inherent in this survey, my guess, are slightly flawed because they aren't asking some of the things I would ask based on all of the data and information that I get from this weird sort of fly-in-the-wall vantage point that I have in the industry.   we've always pushed this idea of three different types of buyers: cheapos, normals, and premiums.   Most cheapos self-manage. They exclude themselves from the pool of property management buyers. And then there's a small percentage that eventually go through the funnel online, and then you can capture through marketing. And these are this is what most companies base their pricing around, is based around the cheapos that they can get through internet marketing. Well, the best stuff usually comes through word of mouth or   Further out into the blue ocean. And so if you would like to see more about this, you can get my leads training by going to drgrw.com, which is doorgrow.com, or just go to doorgrow.com slash leads. So do the shortened URL or the longer URL slash leads. And you'll see our there is a clarity assessment you can do. There is a free training, and then you can book a call with our team.   And hear about some of the innovative gross strategies and stuff that we're doing with clients. So the thing to realize is that a lot of you know, it's showcasing these boomers as cheapos. And the the other thing though is it's it's saying that like 62% are represented here. And I think that the numbers of people that actually use property management is far lower than the 500 they surveyed. There's probably also a lot of people that   Aren't even aware of property management, even though they need it. There is this massive blue ocean. I think the numbers are probably more, maybe around 40-50% are self-managing versus using a property manager. And there's a lot of available potential business out there. And they're not looking on the internet. So here is some data that's not in the PM Trends report, but it's on trends.google.com. So if you go to trends.google.com.   And I just threw up an article on LinkedIn today before recording this episode. But if you go to this, go to Google Trends, backdate it to 2004 to the present, what and put in property management. And then feel free to add some other keywords like AI would be very telling, because we've seen the rise, meteoric rise lately of AI in terms of awareness and search volume. Put in real estate is another great keyword so you can kind of see.   What you'll notice is property management is such a minuscule amount of search volume, it barely registers compared to these other terms. And it spikes every summer and goes down every winter. If you remove those terms, is what you'll see. Now, in the last year, there's been a little bit of an uptick for the first time in basically two decades, which is amazing, which is awesome. That means market share is starting to maybe start to shift a little bit and grow. But there is this huge blue ocean of people that will never search the internet.   For property management. And that doesn't mean that they like doing it themselves. This survey probably isn't able to touch any of those people. And this, these are some of the people I get my clients to go after the most. Why? Because it's way cheaper. There's a huge blue ocean of people that are not looking on the internet for property management. The people that are looking on the internet are at the end of the sales cycle. These are typically the worst owners in a lot of instances.   Why? Because word of mouth captures the best stuff first and then the shitty stuff that falls off that table, the scraps that fall off the word of mouth table. Those are the people now that don't care about word of mouth or they don't care who people say is great. They think you're a commodity. They're looking for the cheapest company. And so generally there's a much higher percentage of cheapos that you're going to attract by doing digital or internet-based marketing.   YouTube. The challenge is there's a large percentage of owners that are not looking or searching for property management. They're not looking for property management stuff on YouTube. They're not looking for property management stuff on Google. They're not looking at all. They don't care about property management. Most people   That are even property managers are not usually consuming content around property management. Not very often. A lot of them self-identify as more of a real estate brokerage or real estate agent or anything else that they think is cooler. I even had a client I was coaching recently, and he said that he's really had this mental block, this mental block about wanting to tell people that he's a property manager. And I said, Don't tell people that you're a property manager.   Property managers in your market, he was in New York, are basically somebody that sits in a big building that, you know, they they help do leasing. That's kind of people's perception. You are an asset portfolio manager. You are an investment specialist. There's so many other ways you can present yourself. You are the entrepreneur that hires the property manager. I don't want my clients to identify as property managers. I want them to identify as an entrepreneur because identity limits growth.   the second thing that filters, which is perception. There's a really negative perception about property managers among real estate agents, among investors that are aware that most property managers, if I have you in a room and I say by show of hands, how many of you started your business? Because all of the other property managers in your market sucked. Usually almost everybody's hands go up. And then my joke usually is, but not yours, right?   And then they all laugh. So, but nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to start a crappy company.   So you could waste a massive amount of time trying to do a bunch of social media marketing, a bunch of YouTube videos, a bunch of content creation. And it's not generally going to get you the best clients because where you get your leads dictates the quality of the lead and how much they're willing to spend. And what we find is the clients you can connect with offline through warm lead strategies.   through direct outreach, through creating relationships, through networking, and some of the growth engine strategies we teach at DoorGrow, the conversion rate is way higher. The leads are way warmer, and which means the close rate's gonna be way higher. The trust levels higher, so you're able to get more deals on more easily. And it doesn't cost you anything. It costs you time, but it doesn't cost you any marketing or advertising dollars. And the and a lot of people like, well, I'd rather spend money and save time.   It these leads, warmer leads, take less time. They take less time in the sales cycle to convert. Cold leads take way more time because now you're a commodity and you're competing with all the other companies and now you're in this weird race to the bottom and you've attracted cheapos. Here's the other thing you won't see in this report. The other thing, it does not mention the operational cost of dealing with these different categories of owners. Cheapos, normals, and premiums. So here's the thing.   It talks about communication being the number one factor. I've heard this so many times, and I'm gonna tell you that I believe that this is a red herring or a lie. You have been made to believe by everybody the number one pre reason people leave companies is communication. But it's not because of a lack of communication, like everybody says. It is because of bad boundaries and bad expectations, so owners think.   That they need to be communicated with all the time. And then you have this huge burden of communication to fulfill. And it's very difficult to impossible when you have a whole bunch of crappy owners and a whole bunch of crappy properties and a whole bunch of crappy tenants, and you're caught in what I call the cycle of suck. So this is how the industry is caught in the cycle of suck because most property managers take on any client. So now you have bad clients. They take on any property. So now you have bad properties. And then you do tenant screening, but   You can't really filter that much because the tenants are going to be bad tenants if the property is bad or the owner is bad. Now it's a difficult situation for you to deal with, and you're basically a shit shield for a slumlord. And so now you've got these three things in the cycle suck, which leads to the fourth, which is you're gonna have a bad reputation. And this sums up the entire industry in aggregate. And this survey is based on the industry in aggregate. Okay, so.   What do we do with this? one, you need to realize that the best owners and the best clients that you they they don't want to be involved with their property. They don't want to know everything that's going on. They want somebody, what they actually want. They don't even want to buy property management. Everybody's selling the wrong product. What they want to buy is a trusted advisor, that they could actually relax into.   You have to be the dominant person in this relationship for them to be able to relax and to trust your leadership. And that reduces your operational costs significantly. This is how my wife's business at 265 or so units at its peak.   She still had 60 to 90 percent profit margin. These were C-class properties, and her owners, the boundaries were set very strongly that she is not going to talk to them. And if she calls them, they need to sit down because she's asking for money, because there's a significant problem. And they didn't call her. They they never called to like say, Hey, did you get that tenant in place yet? They just trusted her because she was so on top of things and she set very strong boundaries from the beginning.   This is something we coach our clients on heavily. Is that if you think that your business is all about communication, you've built your business the wrong way. Your business is about management. It's about leadership. And it's about allowing the owners to actually get away from their property and not have to hear from you.   And so when you suck at boundaries, communication becomes the number one factor. When you s and then you're gonna suck at communication because you're setting up an impossible game. Here's the thing: this does not talk about the level of interruptions, and interruptions are the biggest thief in a property management business of profitability. I want you to visualize this. Imagine you're writing a blank check and it says on it, steal all of my profits, and you're handing this to every client you bring on.   It says, call me whenever you want to. Email me, call me, text me whenever you want to. Here's the blank check to steal all my profits. And I will have team members and AI tools and technology and all of this stuff to communicate with you all the time and over-communicate, which just really makes you even more anxious. That makes you feel like you have to manage the manager. And that's not what they really wanted to buy from you. That's the booby prize they get by dealing with a property manager that doesn't know how to lead.   That doesn't have good boundaries.   like Sarah and I talk about this and she jokes and she's like, how many of my owners do you think knew what color we painted the walls or knew what kind of carpet we put into their property? They have no clue. They just trusted us to take care of it for them. They didn't care. They didn't want to know   Long as rent came in. They would call me surprise sometimes, she said. And they'd say, Why am I getting more rent than I was before? Why why is more coming into my bank account? She said, we raised the rent. FYI.   So here's the thing I want you to recognize.   First, there's three types of buyers: cheapos, normals, and premiums. Cheapos generally are going to opt out and self-manage because they're so cheap. But you should have three different price points and three different plans. The premium plan stuff that they mention in this report is useful. But because we've been building premium plans with our clients and helping them figure out the premium tier of their pricing, none of this stuff is a surprise. This is all stuff that's generally included in premium plans that we've been doing for over a decade.   though, you have to change your marketing to attract premium buyers. You're not going to get those by doing digital marketing and attracting the people that are now of super aware and super price sensitive that are searching on the internet. And so you're going to skew towards premium buyers more if you change your lead sources.   On some of the lowest rent properties, they have the highest operational cost. Operational cost was not factored into this report or survey. Not all owners are worth it and not all properties are worth it. And so you have to be aware of this and you need to be cleaning out your portfolio and you need to be firing the properties and the owners that are not profitable or just raising your rates on them to make sure that you make sure that this is profitable, right? Okay.   So these are some of the things that I wanted to point out in this report. I hope this is helpful for those that got this report and are looking into it. I think the the numbers are a bit skewed. It's obviously skewed a bit towards the different services, the different vendors and the different you know partners that came together to advertise and promote this and the sponsors. My recommendation is shift your marketing to offline.   This is the secondary effect of AI. Why? Because AI slop is the age we're in right now. And anyone can create anything AI-wise, digital-wise, marketing-wise. And so there's gonna be more and more digital just bloat and waste and noise. And those that are willing to pick up the phone, that are willing to go out and reach out and that create strategies that are have high leverage. We call these growth engines.   And if you would like to learn about some of the growth engines or get a free two-hour training, no fluff, that breaks down seven to nine different engines you can install in your business that are unique and different from what you're doing now. There are a lot of them are similar, for example, realtor referrals, but we have a strategy that is 10 times more effective. We call realtor intros. And so if you there's like targeting groups and simple changes like using a QR code and a booking link.   Could maximize the results of walking away from groups with leads. Stuff like this. So when you're doing presentations, so there's all these different strategies we share inside our mastermind. And we are at the forefront because we have an army of people focused on aggressive growth. Most masterminds out there in property management are nuts and bolts or operations. Ours is primarily focused on growth, and that growth drives the res the need for operational you know.   decision making operational fixes and challenges for fast growth, not just for building a bunch of AI tools and building a bunch of bloat and getting a bunch of tech and having the most efficient business. We want to optimize for growth. It doesn't matter if you have the coolest, most high tech business, if your profit margins aren't growing and your revenue isn't growing and your doors aren't growing and they're they aren't growing rapidly. And so if you want to shift out of being in survival to maybe being more   Getting having realistic goals, like 100, 200 doors a year, or even like our clients beyond that into what we call impossible goals, where you're able to come up with strategies and clever, unique ways to scale your business more quickly, then check us out at doorgrow.com. Reach out to us. This is the stuff that we have been focused on for 17 plus years now. And because we're always like we always have new, fresh ideas and   New guinea pigs and new people working on this stuff. We have accumulated, I believe, the fastest growth strategies that exist in the marketplace. And many of them cost zero dollars. In fact, I can usually grow companies faster if I convince them to turn off all the digital marketing, all the APM leads, all the Google ads, all of the SEO stuff. Stop spending money on that. And we put the time and energy towards warmer lead strategies that are out in the blue ocean.   Where there's tons of available business and very little red bloody water competition, like there is at the end of this cycle of people searching on the internet where you everybody's fighting over the coldest, shittiest, worst leads.   Okay, so if you want to go beyond what you just see in this PM trends report and you want to start innovating and being part of a community,   In person, not a bunch of Zoom calls, because growth and scaling happens in the room. Our mastermind is in person in the DoorGrow Mastermind. And yeah, it's expensive. But if I can help you offset it by adding 10 new units residually monthly, our program's paid for. And or if I can help you find another $10 per unit if you have 100 or 200 units, our program's already paid for forever. And that's why our program is there's no commitment.   It's month to month because we know we can offset the cost of the program usually within the first month or 90 days if you're willing to put in the work. If you need to add doors, if you're willing to put in the work, or if you already have a bunch of doors, if we can just find more operational costs. The three biggest levers operationally, financially, are people planning and process. And we have a system for this we call the super system. And this is where magic happens because your biggest expense besides taxes.   Which you can offset and eliminate is people staffing. And so if you can reduce those, also our program is easily worth it. Just consider that for the one, two, or three grand a month, depending on the level of the program you're in with us, we're like your cheapest team member that helps you make the most money. And it's an absolute no-brainer. So come join what hundreds of property management companies have realized. And the other thing I want to point out, what this doesn't talk about.   There's some invisible blind spots that every property management business I've ever looked at has. There's three foundational leaks. I've talked leaks I've talked about on the show previously. There are also six leaks that exist inside the pipeline. And most people are like, How do I grow? How do I turn on the leaks? And they're ignoring what comes after that. The hose. This is branding, reputation, sales pitch, pricing, all these things that will help clean up.   without even changing your current acquisition channels or lead sources, you could double the amount of deals that you're bringing on.   so if you would like to really grow your business, you want to grow quickly, you want to shore this up, you want to hear about our new door machine where we do the growth for you. I hire and train and manage a salesperson in your market. Then reach out to us at doorgrow.com and check it out. Now, today's sponsor, I want to read this message from our sponsor. We have an awesome sponsor today. It's super. If you haven't heard of Super,   You can check them out at higher super.com. Now, ring ring, who's there? Not property managers. Over half don't answer their phones during business hours. Hot leads calling you directly or going straight to missed calls. If you're spending time and money on growth, you need to actually capture it. That's where Super comes in. Super's AI receptionist sounds lifelike, answers 24-7, and is trained on property management. It even makes follow-up calls to leads you might have missed. Go to hiresuper.com/slash doorgrow and stop missing revenue.   Missed calls. Cool. So go check that out. Now, these are the key things. I again shout out to Peter and Jordan and all the cool people that were involved in putting this report together. I think this brings up a lot of the industry that pay attention to it a little closer to where we've been trying to push people over the last decade. I'm really excited to see some of the conversation that comes out of this and some of the innovation that comes out of this.   And yeah, and if you have ever felt stuck or stagnant, you want to take your business to the next level, reach us at dorgo.com for a free training on how to get unlimited free leads. Again, go to dorgo.com/slash leads or text the word leads to 512-648-4608. Also, we have a free community. We've migrated it from Facebook. It's now inside our own app. You can get the app by going to your app store right now on your phone. Do this right now.   Go to just search for DoorGrow and you'll see the DoorGrow Hub inside the App Store for iOS or the Google Play Store. Download this. There is a a space inside of this that is the new DoorGrow Club. And if you go to DoorGrowClub.com, it will take you to our new space inside of the DoorGrow Hub system that we have, our new community.   Most of the really cool places are locked down for our property management mastermind members or people that are in our PM Growth Launchpad, which is a little tool for that's really cheap, like 97 bucks a month to help some property managers get really good at cold calling and go create business right now. If you're struggling for doors, it's the most easy, consistent, I mean it's hard work, but it always works if you do it right. And growth strategy, and then in our mastermind, we have   more advanced growth strategies so you don't have to do the cold calling, that you can create leverage that once you build these growth engines, they just you keep a little fuel in them and they just keep running and they feed you more and more business. You can stack these, which is really awesome. And they really don't cost any money. It just takes time and it takes less time than doing cold lead marketing, like I told talked about earlier. So check us out, but go to DoorGrowClub.com   If you want tips, tricks, and ideas to learn about our offers and stuff like this, go to doorgo.com slash subscribe, subscribe to our newsletter, opt in. We would love to send you some cool stuff. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe on whatever channel this is that you're listening or viewing this on and leave us a review. It helps us. We'd really appreciate it. It's a little way you could give back. Thank you. We appreciate it so much. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth.   is to do it alone. So get a good group. Get in with a really good group of people that are focused on high paced growth. And so let's grow together. Bye everyone.  

Barbara Turley is the Founder & CEO of The Virtual Hub, a leading virtual assistant company. She is on a mission to revolutionize the way businesses operate by eradicating business overwhelm. She helps clients to optimize their operations using offshore virtual assistants, process automation, and streamlined workflows. Under her leadership, The Virtual Hub has grown to a 350-employee company and has helped 200+ business founders, owners and operators work smarter and scale faster. Barbara website: https://www.thevirtualhub.com/ Show notes: https://successgrid.net/sg279/ If you love this show, please leave a review. Go to https://ratethispodcast.com/successgrid Podcasting Secrets: https://successgrid.net/6c7a

In this episode, Amas Tenumah and Bob Furniss explore the evolving landscape of customer service, tiered service models, and the role of technology in delivering personalized experiences. They discuss how companies can strategically implement paid and differentiated service levels to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. takeawaysCompanies should consider tiered service models to meet diverse customer needs.Charging for premium support can recoup costs and improve service quality.Operational execution of tiered support requires careful planning and training.Technology enables effective routing and personalized service levels.Customer expectations vary based on loyalty and payment for support.Chapters00:00 Introduction and casual chat about sports4222:10:50 Pivot to service: Should companies charge for attended support?6972:11:09 Examples of tiered service in airlines and hospitality9388:51:23 Consumer perspective on paying for better service11916:38:11 Operational challenges of implementing tiered support15472:11:43 Technology solutions for differentiated customer routing215277:45:28 Historical context of tiered service in business227499:58:49 Recommendations for adopting tiered service models279166:39:06 Operational considerations and workforce planning353611:06:28 Ensuring customer satisfaction and avoiding queue degradation375277:46:37 Closing remarks and World Cup discussion

Watch Us On YouTube! Announcing a new, ongoing benefit for annual subscribers of our Slack community. Annual subscribers receive a free Points Path Alerts subscription OR a 30% discount on Points Path Pro. Travel doesn't always go according to plan—and this week proves it. Ed and Richard swap stories from a week filled with thunderstorms, flight delays, rental car headaches, and what may be one of the worst Hyatt Place stays either of them has experienced. Richard recounts an unforgettable late-night arrival that included multiple defective rental cars, a chaotic hotel check-in, broken room amenities, and an experience that ultimately prompted him to complete a hotel survey for the first time in years. The conversation also takes a closer look at why American Airlines has quietly become Richard's airline of choice over the past several weeks. Between competitive first-class pricing, consistently excellent onboard service, reliable Wi-Fi, and solid meals, American is making a compelling case while Delta continues to work through operational challenges. Plus, a fascinating discussion about a Lufthansa 787 maintenance mistake, Denver Airport's long-awaited pedestrian tunnels, and Richard's review of the historic Arizona Biltmore. Get hydrated like Ed in Vegas with Nuun If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/ ✈️ What We Cover in This Episode ✈️ Richard's travel nightmare Rental car problems at Atlanta A disastrous Hyatt Place stay Why this finally earned a hotel survey ✈️ American Airlines keeps impressing Competitive first-class pricing Better domestic meal service Reliable Wi-Fi and outstanding crews ✈️ What's happening at Delta? Operational reliability concerns Schedule disruptions How the competitive landscape is shifting ✈️ Lufthansa's 787 maintenance mistake The missing safety pin Why maintenance procedures matter A costly avoidable accident ✈️ Denver Airport's future walkways New pedestrian tunnels Why they're finally being built Whether they'll solve train disruptions ✈️ Arizona Biltmore review Historic resort impressions Citrus Club benefits Surviving 119-degree Phoenix heat ✈️ Slack Community update Points Path Pro discount New Flex Alerts Upcoming member benefits ⏱️ Episode 445 Timestamps 0:47 – Welcome back and summer travel delays 8:08 – Richard's rental car disaster and Hyatt Place horror story 17:30 – Why American Airlines has become Richard's preferred choice 20:49 – Delta's operational challenges and airline strategy 27:22 – Lufthansa 787 nose gear collapse explained 30:09 – Slack Community updates and Points Path benefits 31:00 – Denver Airport's long-awaited pedestrian tunnels 35:10 – Arizona Biltmore review and surviving Phoenix in 119° heat

In this episode, energy policy expert Erik Olson joins Madelyn O'Farrell to unpack how surging electricity demand from AI and data centers is colliding with an aging, slow-moving U.S. grid and regulatory system. They discuss why today's load growth is comparable to the 1970s air conditioning boom, the challenges utilities face in integrating massive, fast-moving data center projects, and the financial risks of overbuilding grid infrastructure that may never be fully used. Erik explains how geography, water constraints, transmission limits, and state-by-state rules shape where data centers can actually go, and highlights creative solutions like data centers directly funding clean energy projects or paying to improve residential energy efficiency to offset their load. He closes with lessons from his time at the Department of Energy, arguing that policymakers need to prioritize simplicity, speed, and clear implementation over “perfect” policy design if they want to keep up with the pace of real-world energy infrastructure development. Highlights from their conversation include: Erik's Background in Energy Policy (0:28) Explaining the Generational Surge in Electricity Demand (1:34) Collision Between Fast Tech Companies and Slow Grid Institutions (1:50) How Massive Data Centers Strain Traditional Utility Planning (3:54) Risks of Overbuilding, Stranded Assets, and Who Pays (7:37) Geographic Hotspots, Constraints, and State-by-State Differences (8:27) Creative Workarounds Like Curtailment, Direct Funding, and Efficiency (11:18) Lessons From DOE on Policy, Implementation, and Speed in Government (15:12) Final Thoughts on Moving at the Speed of Business (20:51) Dynamo Ventures is a venture firm backing founders upgrading the physical economy. As intelligence moves into critical infrastructure and technology collides with physics, industry is entering a new era of transformation - the industrial renaissance. Born from the dirt and grit of supply chains and shaped by operations, not spreadsheets, Dynamo focuses on the complex realities of building in the real world. We invest in companies transforming infrastructure, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, and the systems that power global commerce. Dynamo works closely with founders who combine ambition with a bias to action, bringing a builder mindset to venture capital through deep operational insight, systematic pressure-testing and hands-on partnership. Our purpose is simple: to back the relentless shaping the industrial renaissance. Learn more at www.dynamo.vc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blunt Business welcomes Joe Bayern, the CEO of MM Brands to discuss how the cannabis industry is approaching a potential turning point as DOJ and DEA hearings conclude this July, with anticipation high for a move to Schedule 3 classification. This reclassification could eliminate 280E tax constraints, driving better profitability, while FDA validation of therapeutic benefits promises to reduce stigma and build consumer trust. Despite this momentum, the sector faces significant headwinds, specifically a critical shortage of experienced middle management and the ongoing difficulty of maintaining quality control and compliance amidst fragmented, state-specific regulations.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

On this episode of MedAxiom HeartTalk, host Melanie Lawson, MS sits down with April Mann, MBA, CNMT, NCT, RT(N), MASNC, FSNMMI-TS, stakeholder engagement lead at GE HealthCare. Together, they discuss a collaborative two-part webinar series establishing shared cardiac PET services. Learn about operational, technical, and business case considerations for building a sustainable program. Expert insights will guide administrators and leadership through governance, accountability, and overcoming common challenges in shared service models.

Industrial Talk is onsite at Octave Live and talking to Bruce Chaplin, Vice President, Geospatial at Octave about "Operational efficiency through geospatial intelligence. The conversation highlights the importance of the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress from November 3-5, 2023, and the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Bruce Chaplin, a 26-year veteran at Hexagon, discusses the evolution of geospatial technology, emphasizing its applications in industrial settings. He explains how geospatial intelligence integrates static and dynamic data to enhance operations, safety, and efficiency. Chaplin also touches on the use of lidar, 3D scans, and digital twins for real-time monitoring and decision-making. He encourages companies to start small with targeted geospatial solutions to address specific business problems. Outline Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress Announcement Scott introduces the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress, emphasizing its importance for cybersecurity.The event is scheduled for November 3-5 in Barcelona, with a strong team from Farah organizing it.Scott highlights the opportunity to network with top cybersecurity professionals from around the world.Industrial Talk will be broadcasting live from the event, and Speaker 1 will be there to discuss cybersecurity with experts. Introduction to Industrial Talk Podcast Scott is described as a passionate industry professional focused on transferring innovations and trends.The podcast aims to celebrate industry professionals who solve problems, innovate, and collaborate.Scott thanks listeners for their support and introduces the first Octave Live event in Austin, Texas. Introduction of Bruce Chaplin and Octave Live Scott introduces Bruce Chaplin, a key figure at Octave, and mentions the importance of the Octave Live event.Bruce shares his positive experience at the conference, emphasizing new connections and the opportunity to tell the Octave story.Bruce provides a brief background on his 26-year tenure with Hexagon and his current role in sales for the geospatial business in North America.Speaker 1 and Bruce discuss the significant changes in technology and the reach of geospatial applications over the years. Geospatial Technology in Industrial Settings Bruce explains how geospatial technology can be applied in industrial settings, from mapping to monitoring construction projects.He highlights the importance of geospatial technology in operating facilities and transportation, including asset tracking and perimeter security.Bruce describes the dynamic nature of geospatial intelligence, which combines static and dynamic data to provide real-time insights.Scott and Bruce discuss the potential for geospatial technology to enhance operational efficiency and safety in industrial facilities. Use Cases and Deployment of Geospatial Solutions Bruce provides examples of how geospatial solutions can be deployed in specific industrial problems, such as managing contractors and optimizing maintenance procedures.He explains the importance of context-dependent solutions, tailored to different industries like defense and transportation.Bruce discusses the role of data analysis in geospatial solutions, including the use of lidar and other sensors to create digital twins and simulate outcomes.Speaker 1 and Bruce explore the potential for geospatial technology to enhance worker safety and efficiency in industrial settings. Future of Geospatial Technology Bruce predicts that geospatial technology will become more integrated into various business solutions, moving beyond specialized applications.He emphasizes the importance of contextualizing data to provide actionable insights and improve decision-making.Speaker 1 and Bruce discuss the potential for geospatial technology to drive innovation and enhance operational efficiency in industry.Bruce shares his contact information and encourages listeners to reach out to him on LinkedIn for further discussions. Conclusion and Call to Action Scott wraps up the conversation, highlighting the importance of connecting with industry professionals and telling their stories.He encourages listeners to visit the Industrial Talk website to connect with Bruce and other industry experts.Scott emphasizes the value of sharing information and building relationships within the industry to drive success.The podcast concludes with a reminder of the importance of innovation, collaboration, and storytelling in the industrial sector. If interested in being on the Industrial Talk show, simply contact us and let's have a quick conversation. Finally, get your exclusive free access to the Industrial Academy and a series on “Why You Need To Podcast” for Greater Success in 2026. All links designed for keeping you current in this rapidly changing Industrial Market. Learn! Grow! Enjoy! BRUCE CHAPLIN'S CONTACT INFORMATION: Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceachaplin/ Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/octaveintelligence/ Company Website: https://www.octave.com/ PODCAST VIDEO: https://youtu.be/uf5PwKNYWeg THE STRATEGIC REASON "WHY YOU NEED TO PODCAST": OTHER GREAT INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES: NEOM: https://www.neom.com/en-us Hexagon: https://hexagon.com/ Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/ Fictiv: https://www.fictiv.com/ Hitachi Vantara: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/home.html Industrial Marketing Solutions:  https://industrialtalk.com/industrial-marketing/ Industrial Academy: https://industrialtalk.com/industrial-academy/ Industrial Dojo: https://industrialtalk.com/industrial_dojo/ We the 15: https://www.wethe15.org/ YOUR INDUSTRIAL DIGITAL TOOLBOX: LifterLMS: Get One Month Free for $1 – https://lifterlms.com/ Active Campaign: Active Campaign Link Social Jukebox: https://www.socialjukebox.com/ Industrial Academy (One Month Free Access And One Free License For Future Industrial Leader): Business Beatitude the Book Do you desire a more joy-filled, deeply-enduring sense of accomplishment and success? 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Mentor Sessions Ep. 082: Matt Odell and Matt Hill discuss AI model security risks, self-hosting infrastructure, open source vs frontier models, and Bitcoin's role in digital sovereignty in 2026.AI's most powerful models are being quietly locked away by governments — and the cheap API access you're building your business on is a subsidized trap with an expiration date. Matt Odell and Matt Hill join BTC Sessions to unpack what's really happening at the intersection of AI, open source sovereignty, and Bitcoin freedom tech in 2026.You'll learn why the frontier model subsidy era is ending and who gets wrecked when prices normalize, how Start9 runs an entire company on a $200/month plan (and why that won't last), what Odell thinks about the deepfake phishing attack that nearly fooled Matt Hill live on a Zoom call, and why the open source AI arms race may be humanity's last real shot at digital independence. You'll also see how the Start9 router and self-hosted security camera are the trojan horses that bring sovereignty tech to people who've never heard of Bitcoin.⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 - Intro1:32 - AI model landscape and security risks2:15 - Start9 runs on $200 monthly Claude plan3:16 - AI subsidy trap and future pricing shock4:09 - Local inference versus frontier model tradeoffs7:32 - Odell on open source versus proprietary models9:28 - Why Anthropic and OpenAI withheld top models11:23 - Open source software and why control backfires13:36 - China's open source strategy in AI geopolitics18:47 - AI as intelligence of mass destruction risks21:26 - Regulation landscape in Canada UK and Australia27:01 - Operational security and AI-powered phishing threats27:44 - Deepfake Zoom attack that fooled Odell32:40 - Public key cryptography and verifiable identity39:02 - Signal messenger sovereignty case study43:55 - Do Bitcoiners lead digital sovereignty efforts45:05 - Relentless freedom fighters win revolutions55:42 - Drivers of Start9 adoption beyond Bitcoin nodes57:37 - AI as second reason for sovereign servers59:55 - Start9 sold Bitcoin to stockpile RAM1:06:16 - Start9 router for household sovereignty1:09:13 - Building the freedom router from first principles1:14:44 - AI as new interface replacing GUI era1:20:06 - Odell on open source compounding in Bitcoin1:25:56 - Tools to try PBC Maple Hermes LM Studio• Sovereign Sessions — AI, Privacy, and Bitcoin education: http://youtube.com/@SovereignSessions?sub_confirmation=1

This week, Jack Sharry talks with Jack Hannah, President & Chief Operating Officer at GeoWealth. Jack oversees the firm's operations, service, and both digital and investment product divisions. He is also fully dedicated to GeoWealth's strategic business initiatives, ensuring that the platform's capabilities evolve in line with their clients' unique needs.  Jack talks about what enables firms to grow and what holds them back. He discusses how operational efficiency can boost RIA growth without breaking their back office and how modern platforms are reshaping investment management. Jack also shares the importance of partnerships and how GeoWealth is pushing the boundaries of what a single client account can deliver. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:09) - Jack's early career in RIA operations  (04:30) - Jack's transition from an RIA environment to GeoWealth  (05:35) - How GeoWealth helps advisors (07:02) - GeoWealth's value proposition and modern TAMP model  (08:44) - GeoWealth's platform capabilities and integrations  (10:42) - Why investors choose GeoWealth  (12:24) - What partnerships look like at GeoWealth  (15:51) - How GeoWealth expands its investment capabilities (19:11) - Jack's interests outside of work Quotes "We want to provide scale to an advisor's practice, no matter what shape or size they might be." ~ Jack Hannah "We want to meet these advisors or these firms right where they are. I know that's overused, but we really mean that." — Jack Hannah  "The investment management world is rapidly changing. We are on the cutting edge of what a UMA is and how it should actually work in a client account." ~ Jack Hannah Links  Jack Hannah on LinkedIn GeoWealth Connect with our hosts LifeYield Jack Sharry on LinkedIn Jack Sharry on Twitter Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Today, Justin sits down with Michael Walsh. Mike served in the US Navy for more than twenty-six years, most of it spent as a SEAL. He completed five tours of duty in Vietnam, including working on the Phoenix Program, running agents and targeting Viet Cong infrastructure. He also participated in the invasion of Grenada and was involved in Panama during the rein of Manuel Noriega. Mike spent years operating throughout Central and South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He's here discuss his career and the lessons he learned along the way, which he wrote about in his autobiography, first published in 1994. Connect with Mike: Check out the book, SEAL!: From Vietnam's Phoenix Program to Central America's Drug Wars, here. https://a.co/d/05Al9E8g Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Substack: spycraft101.substack.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! https://kruschiki.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

From Patient Access to AI: Solving Cardiology's Biggest Operational Challenges Host Jenna Hagan, vice president of revenue cycle management national sales at NextGen Healthcare, chats with Nicole Knight, executive vice president of revenue cycle solutions and care transformation for MedAxiom, and Dr. Daniel Tarditi, a non-invasive clinical cardiologist, partner, and chief operating officer of The Heart House, about what it takes for cardiovascular organizations to keep pace with rising demand. They discuss why access challenges cannot be solved by asking already-stretched teams to do more, and how practices can rethink care teams, strengthen front-end revenue cycle processes, and use data to make better decisions. Nicole and Dr. Tarditi also share where AI can help when it is built into the workflow, guided by strong governance, and tied to problems that matter for patients, providers, and staff. Find all of our network podcasts on your favorite podcast platforms and be sure to subscribe and like us. Learn more at www.healthcarenowradio.com/listen

Do not wait for the market to expose your broken systems. Break them yourself first. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Paul Alex breaks down the operational audit and why stress-testing your own business can protect your clients, reputation, and long-term growth. Let's be real… If your onboarding process depends on memory… If your fulfillment relies on manual steps… If your support response is inconsistent… And if your systems only work at low volume… You are not ready to scale. You are waiting for a breakdown. In this episode, you'll learn: Why systems that worked at one level may break at the next How hidden friction can destroy client retention Why you need to become your own worst customer How stress-testing your systems creates stronger infrastructure and smoother growth The truth is simple: Growth exposes weakness. More clients expose broken processes. More volume exposes sloppy handoffs. More pressure exposes every missing checklist. High-level operators do not wait for a crisis to reveal the cracks. They audit early. They test the funnel. They submit the support ticket. They overload the process. They hunt for friction before the client ever feels it. Because when you break the system yourself… You can fix it before the market punishes you. Run the audit. Stress test the operation. Fix the leaks. And keep leveling up. Your Network is your NETWORTH! Make sure to add me on all SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS: Instagram: https://jo.my/paulalex2024Facebook: https://jo.my/fbpaulalex2024YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGhDAD1JyGGzSQUPD9lc9HQLinkedIn: https://jo.my/inpaulalex2024 Looking for a secondary source of income or want to become an entrepreneur? Check out one of my companies below to see if we can help you: www.CashSwipe.com FREE Copy of my book “Blue to Digital Gold - The New American Dream”www.officialPaulAlex.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Faircloth talks to JD Gray as he reveals how owning every piece of the puzzle, from land to title, turbocharged his business to multi-million-dollar success. Imagine turning your real estate ventures into a high-efficiency machine that controls costs, expedites deals, and streamlines operations seamlessly. JD Gray, a pioneering developer and investor in Arkansas, shares how he scaled a fix-and-flip empire alongside land development and full vertical integration, all while maintaining remarkable agility. Whether it's for land, new builds, or flips, JD's approach is a masterclass in operational efficiency, standardized processes, and strategic vendor partnerships that cut costs and boost profitability. JD Gray Co-Owner and Chief Strategy Officer of Pro Land Title Based in: Conway, Arkansas Where to find them: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdgraycra http://prolandtitle.com/ Book your free demo today at bill.com/bestever and get a $100 Amazon gift card. Visit https://malabarhillcapital.com/ for more info. Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailThis week on the Talking Pools Podcast, Rudy breaks down two major stories making waves across the pool industry.First, a new case before the Minnesota Supreme Court could redefine what happens when homeowners rent out their backyard swimming pools through apps like Swimpley. If a residential pool becomes a commercial business, should it be regulated like a public pool? Rudy explores what that could mean for homeowners, service companies, builders, health departments, insurance carriers, and pool professionals across the country.Then, the episode shifts to the continuing investigation surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Following the Independence Day celebrations, crews drained the basin to begin inspecting the widely discussed coating failure. Rudy separates documented facts from speculation and explains why engineering investigations require evidence—not opinions.Drawing on more than three decades of troubleshooting complex pool failures, Rudy examines the publicly available documentation, discusses coating systems, adhesion failures, ASTM testing standards, moisture considerations, recoat windows, and why forensic analysis—not politics—will ultimately determine what happened.If you're tired of hot takes and looking for a technical, evidence-based discussion, this episode delivers exactly that.In This Episode Minnesota Supreme Court hears the Swimpley backyard pool case  When does a residential swimming pool become a public pool?  Operational challenges for pool service professionals  The future of pool-sharing platforms  Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool investigation update  Why the pool was drained after Independence Day  Separating documented facts from online speculation  Understanding coating systems and polyurea applications  Adhesive vs. cohesive vs. substrate failures  ASTM adhesion and moisture testing standards  Why recoat windows matter  Surface preparation and concrete moisture considerations  Green water, algae, and what it does—and doesn't—prove  Why investigations begin by eliminating theories, not proving them  Lessons the entire pool industry can learn from a high-profile failure Key TakeawayGood investigations don't begin with conclusions. They begin with evidence.Whether it's a backyard pool operating as a business or one of America's most recognizable reflecting pools, the same principles apply: collect the facts, test the evidence, challenge assumptions, and let the data tell the story. Support the showThank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media:FacebookInstagramTik TokEmail us: talkingpools@gmail.com