Podcasts about operational

Bill and Brandon talk about how systematic routines like daily KPI checks and proactive resident engagement transform chaos into consistent growth. Bill shares how a background in manufacturing and construction translates into sharper maintenance standards, standardized toolkits, and faster work order turnarounds cutting response times to less than 24 hours. Brandon and Bill discuss the importance of in-person resident conversations post-acquisition, building trust that leads to higher renewal rates and fewer vacancies. Bill Ray Asset Manager in VSF Investments Based in: Celina, Ohio Where to find them: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-ray-5430b51a3/ Brandon Virgallito Managing Member of Real Estate Alpha Based in: Dayton Metropolitan Area Where to find them: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bvirgallito/ 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

Today, I'm joined by Danielle DuBoise, co-founder of Sakara Life. With 15 years in business, Sakara has evolved from plant-based meal delivery service to full-blown functional food and supplement brand with a focus on gut and metabolic health. In this episode, we discuss turning operational complexity into a competitive advantage. We also cover: Fresh food logistics Raising capital selectively Navigating trends vs. nutrition science Subscribe to the podcast → insider.fitt.co/podcast Subscribe to our newsletter → insider.fitt.co/subscribe Follow us on LinkedIn → linkedin.com/company/fittinsider  Sakara's Website: www.sakara.comSakara on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sakaralife/ Danielle on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DanielleDuboise/  - The Fitt Insider Podcast is brought to you by EGYM. Visit EGYM.com to learn more about its smart fitness ecosystem for fitness and health facilities. Fitt Talent: https://talent.fitt.co/Consulting: https://consulting.fitt.co/Investments: https://capital.fitt.co/ Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:15) Company evolution (02:45) Meal delivery complexity (05:45) Operational moat (07:45) Nutrition messaging (09:25) Education and product delivery (10:25) Resisting trends (12:45) Brand philosophy (15:15) "Eat clean, play dirty" (16:45) Maintaining premium brand (18:30) Inflection points (19:15) Nationwide shipping unlock (21:15) Fiber era opportunity (23:00) Growth strategy shift (24:30) Analog and micro-influencers (25:40) Leadership transition (28:15) Raising capital selectively (29:40) Where to find (30:41) Conclusion

Vendor channel consolidation, specifically through peer and family-owned acquisitions, is driving a fundamental shift in the operational landscape for MSPs. This episode analyzes the case of NetSciences, an MSP based in New Mexico, which was acquired by Qual IT—a family-owned operator with over two decades in the space. The MSP market now includes multiple buyer categories: peer acquisitions, roll-ups, and private equity (PE) players, each with distinct approaches to valuation, integration, and operational continuity. The transition of NetSciences to Qual IT illustrates that smaller MSPs increasingly face decisions about optimal sale pathways. According to Joshua Liberman, roll-up buyers and PE investors often introduce rapid shifts in deal terms and operational models, with PE offers described as subject to abrupt valuation changes (drops up to 67% noted by Liberman), creating a higher risk profile for sellers seeking stability and legacy preservation. By contrast, the peer acquisition model (as executed through platforms such as ASCII's peer-to-peer review process) is allowing some MSPs to complete sales with greater continuity and cultural alignment, though post-sale integration often defaults to the acquirer's systems and standards rather than blending best practices. Secondary developments reinforcing this shift include persistent market focus on monthly recurring revenue (MRR) metrics and the operational tradeoffs of pursuing high MRR percentages. Liberman maintained a 50–60% MRR intentionally, arguing that chasing 80%+ MRR metrics can distort business health and does not universally suit all MSP models. Discussion of cybersecurity underscores the need to reposition technical services as business outcomes—security is described as foundational, permeating every operational and client decision, yet is often misunderstood or negotiated away to the detriment of risk posture. Operationally, these trends imply that MSPs must be highly selective about both client and acquirer fit, balancing growth trajectories against risk aggregation and cultural alignment. Attempts to homogenize client environments and enforce consistent security baselines are necessary but limit scale and acquisition appeal. Failure to assess how integration will shift toolsets, processes, and staff autonomy can result in loss of operational maturity and control post-sale. Additionally, the unchecked adoption of tools such as AI—without oversight or documented process—exemplifies emerging areas of governance risk that technology leaders cannot overlook. Supported by: ScalePadTimeZest Sign up for the SMB Online Conference: www.smbonlineconference.com

Nick Lloyd. Guest Nick Lloyd discusses his ambition to provide a comprehensive narrative of the Western Front, emphasizing it as a massive coalition war involving multiple empires. He explains his focus on the operational level of senior commanders, aiming to challenge the persistent "lions led by donkeys" myth. By examining the immense pressures and dilemmas faced by leadership, Lloyd hopes to offer a more nuanced and "cooler" perspective on the war's conduct a century later. He reveals that this book is the first in a trilogy, with subsequent volumes planned for the Eastern Frontand the global conflict in the Middle East and Africa. The discussion highlights how events on other fronts, such as Russia or the high seas, constantly influenced decision-making in the decisive Western theater. Ultimately, Lloyd views the Western Front as the place where the war was won or lost by the collision of four great powers: Germany, France, Britain, and America. 11914 CONRAD

Mentorship is one of the most powerful ways we pass on the standard, develop our people, preserve culture, and protect the future of the job.When done right, it goes far beyond a policy or a one-time conversation. It becomes a trusted, intentional professional relationship built on respect, honesty, and the courage to have hard conversations that develop knowledge, skills, judgment, and character.Effective mentorship invests in: • Operational knowledge, consistency, and reliability • Leadership principles and how to truly care about your people's growth• Sharing real lessons learned from both successes and mistakes• Helping members navigate career growth and prepare for the next step• Strengthening the organization's culture and long-term futureStrong mentors bring honest feedback, encouragement, accountability, the willingness to correct unsafe habits, and the discipline to challenge complacency…all while leading by example and investing real time.Strong mentees stay teachable, show initiative, ask questions, accept feedback, and actually put in the work.⚠️ Real mentorship is NOT friendship, favoritism, creating exact copies of yourself, or constant criticism with no balance.When built the right way, it changes everything from the firehouse to the fireground.Join me, Floyd Wise, and Christian Lambis as we break down what real mentorship should actually look like, where it most often falls short, and how to build something that truly works in your department.

With VCF 9.1 the name of VMware Live Recovery, or Site Recovery Manager, seems to have changed to VCF Protection and Recovery. In this episode Velina explains how this platform provides administrators the ability to recover workloads from different types of scenarios. Whether you deleted a VM (operational recovery), lost a whole datacenter (disaster recovery), or had a security breach and found data encrypted (ransomware recovery), VCF Protection and Recovery has an end-to-end solution for you!Discussed topics:Ransomware Recovery Demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFjSCyLP384Cyber resilience in 9.1 - https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2026/05/05/announcing-vcf-9-1-modern-private-cloud-built-for-efficiency-and-resilience/

SpaceX's Aggressive Launch Schedule and Innovation. Guest: Bob Zimmerman. Gwynne Shotwell indicates that SpaceX's Starship may begin operational flights and orbital refueling tests by year's end. The company is also demolishing older facilities at Vandenberg for new launchpads, while private startups advance 3D-printed rockets and orbital satellite rescue missions to assist aging telescopes. 71893 PITTSBURGH

The Systematized Executive: Engineering Operational Freedom with Heather HargroveIn a recent episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur Podcast, host Josh Elledge sat down with Heather Hargrove, an independent consultant and the founder of Grove, to dissect the backend operational failures that silently trap high-performing business owners in a state of perpetual exhaustion. Heather, a decorated military veteran who channels structured logistics and extreme resilience into her corporate strategy, specializes in auditing chaotic business infrastructure and transforming it into a self-sustaining asset. This conversation provides an essential operational blueprint for mid-market founders and enterprise leaders who are ready to eliminate administrative bottlenecks, design objective business dashboards, and transition away from a founder-dependent model to reclaim true lifestyle freedom.The Operational Backbone: Designing Resilient Workflow Frameworks Past Technical ToolsThe most widespread mistake made by scaling business owners is treating software purchases or rapid automation as a shortcut to corporate efficiency. Heather Hargrove points out that technology is merely a delivery mechanism; if an organization automates a broken, undocumented process, it only succeeds in accelerating its operational chaos and confusing its internal workforce. True structural scale is achieved by mapping out the "how" of daily operations—explicitly documenting communication flows, establishing ironclad Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and defining clear role ownership across all management tiers. When an enterprise replaces ad-hoc firefighting with centralized, living processes, it removes the founder as the primary operational bottleneck, liberating executive cognitive capacity to focus entirely on high-yield, long-term valuation strategy.Transitioning an organization out of administrative friction also requires a highly disciplined commitment to data visualization and clear team feedback loops. Many business leaders rely heavily on reactive financial statements or subjective intuition to make critical strategic decisions, which often masks creeping operational inefficiencies until lines begin to break. Real scalability is unlocked when an enterprise implements simple, real-time data dashboards to track predictive indicators, such as new lead velocity, active conversion metrics, and client engagement rates. These empirical insights empower management teams to operate with complete autonomy, resolving bottlenecks on the frontline long before they require corporate intervention. This structural framework completely eliminates the typical 3 a.m. executive anxiety, building an agile corporate engine that scales predictably without demanding the founder's daily physical presence.Furthermore, constructing a truly resilient enterprise demands that corporate leaders weave personal health advocacy, community support, and intentional boundaries directly into the fabric of their executive habits. Drawing from her intense military background and personal health triumphs, Heather highlights that an organization's ultimate capacity is tightly bound to the long-term well-being of its human capital. When a founder uses clear operational guardrails to protect their own time, they establish an internal company culture that rejects toxic hustle structures and respects natural human limits. By standardizing backend workflows and dedicating strategic resources to community initiatives—such as her pro-bono work with Project Vets—executives ensure their business serves their life rather than consuming it, creating a lasting professional legacy built on stability and premium market authority.About Heather HargroveHeather Hargrove is an independent operations consultant, a seasoned corporate systems strategist, and the founder of Grove. Leveraging a disciplined background in military logistics alongside years of high-level management consulting, Heather specializes in auditing structural gaps to help founders transition from reactive operators into visionary CEOs. She is a passionate advocate for executive resilience and active community volunteer, providing specialized advisory services to help veteran-led organizations streamline their corporate infrastructure.About GroveGrove is a premier operational development consultancy and systems engineering firm that provides custom workflow auditing, SOP design, and dashboard optimization for mid-market businesses. The consultancy eliminates administrative debt by mapping internal communication structures, simplifying corporate tech stacks, and introducing cross-functional accountability frameworks. Through proprietary diagnostic evaluations like The Inside Look, Grove enables companies to achieve predictable growth, eliminate founder dependency, and build self-sustaining operational assets.Links Mentioned in This EpisodeHeather Hargrove Official Website: heatherhargrove.comHeather Hargrove on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/theheatherhargroveKey Episode HighlightsThe Software Fallacy: Understanding why buying new tools before documenting your manual workflows introduces severe administrative debt.The Architecture of SOPs: Crafting simple, repeatable Standard Operating Procedures and Loom video pipelines to ensure flawless employee onboarding.Predictive Metric Dashboards: Transitioning away from reactive accounting data to build real-time visual charts that measure lead velocity and client retention.The Founder Extraction Strategy: Implementing high-accountability feedback loops that allow internal teams to operate independently without micromanagement.The Resilience Mandate: Applying military-grade operational discipline and personal health advocacy to protect executive focus and corporate long-term growth.ConclusionThe conversation with Heather Hargrove reinforces that operational excellence is a direct downstream result of intentional structure, not exhaustive manual hustle. By auditing current processes, standardizing data-driven dashboards, and prioritizing clear human communication over complex software, business leaders can transform a chaotic setup into a highly structured, self-sustaining corporate asset.More from The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

Scott sits down with Wi-Fi engineer Eva Santos to explore the realities of modern wireless operations. Eva shares insights on navigating site surveys, the differences between Wi-Fi bands, and the challenges of troubleshooting inconsistent client performance. The conversation also explores the evolving standards of Wi-Fi 6, 7, and 8, the role of security protocols like... Read more »

Scott sits down with Wi-Fi engineer Eva Santos to explore the realities of modern wireless operations. Eva shares insights on navigating site surveys, the differences between Wi-Fi bands, and the challenges of troubleshooting inconsistent client performance. The conversation also explores the evolving standards of Wi-Fi 6, 7, and 8, the role of security protocols like... Read more »

In this episode, I am talking about a question I think every Amazon seller should be asking regularly, is your Amazon account reaching its full potential?What I often see is that Amazon does not need to be performing badly for there to be room for improvement. In fact, some of the biggest opportunities come from accounts that are already generating sales, but have stopped evolving. Small gaps in optimisation, visibility, advertising, or operations can quietly limit growth without you realising it.I also see sellers giving up too early because they assume Amazon is not working for them, when actually the account simply has not had the right attention yet. When you start to look closely, there are usually clear, actionable areas that can improve both sales and profitability.So in this episode, I walk you through the key signs that your Amazon account reaching its full potential might not yet be happening, what to look for inside your listings and ads, and how small changes can start to compound into meaningful results over time.Chapters00:00 Introduction, why Amazon accounts often have hidden potential02:40 Signs your account could be doing more, even if sales feel steady06:10 Outdated listings and missed optimisation opportunities09:20 Visibility versus conversion, where sales can be quietly lost12:10Improving conversions through listings, images and storefronts15:20 Ads performance, data review and missed opportunities18:10 Operational improvements and profitability gains21:10 Final thoughts, why small changes compound over timeLET'S CONNECTFollow me on YouTubeFind me on InstagramWork with me Buy My Book: Bring Your Product Idea To LifeIf you enjoy this podcast, and you'd like to leave a tip, you can do so here: https://bring-your-product-idea.captivate.fm/supportMentioned in this episode:Amazon Made Easy is now openMy membership, Amazon Made Easy is now open. It's a membership for people who are selling on Amazon (or planning to) and want regular access to support, somewhere to ask questions and talk things through, and a bit of structure and accountability as they grow. Inside, there are live Q&A calls, optional co-working sessions and a small, supportive community. Find out more: https://vickiweinberg.com/membership membership

The episode centers on persistent margin pressure and operational discipline as the dominant structural mechanisms in the managed services sector. Data from the Service Leadership Index (SLI), managed by ConnectWise under Peter Kujawa, reveals that best-in-class MSPs continue to target aggressive profit growth—specifically, a 34% increase in profit dollars on only 10.6% revenue growth—despite already sustaining a six-year average of 19% adjusted EBITDA. The discussion highlights that achieving these targets relies less on rapid revenue growth and more on cost control, particularly around SG&A (Selling, General and Administrative Expenses), and highlights the influence of financial discipline often seen in private equity-backed firms. The analysis is grounded in quantitative benchmarking. According to the SLI's 2026 profitability report, while best-in-class EBITDA performance has been sustained, recent years show a widening gap between budget targets and attainment. Specifically, in 2023, MSPs overshot their profit budget by 31%, but in 2024 and 2025, performance dropped to 81.9% and 89.4% of budget respectively. The report explicitly calls current profit targets “ambitious,” given recent misses. Scale thresholds were also referenced, notably the operational risks between $6M and $10M in annual revenue, with Peter Kujawa citing stalls in growth and compressed margins as common in that band. The episode further introduces the first iteration of an Automation Index intended to quantify financial and operational impact of AI adoption on MSPs. Metrics such as service multiple of wages, revenue per employee, and service gross margin are emphasized, but findings show that automation is not delivering uniform benefit. Top-tier MSPs increase efficiency and retain pricing discipline, while bottom quartile firms see little or no improvement in core metrics. The report also notes that private equity-backed providers are investing significantly in AI, though organic growth and acquisition costs remain similar across provider types. Operational implications for MSPs include heightened accountability for realistic forecasting and disciplined budgeting. Failure to match projections with operational realities risks unnecessary cost expansion, especially around headcount and tool adoption. For firms in key scale thresholds, owner delegation and leadership investment are essential to avoid stagnation and margin erosion. Additionally, automation and AI adoption provide efficiency opportunities but deliver benefit only to those with strong management practices; undisciplined adoption or margin givebacks through pricing discounts negate potential gains. MSPs must therefore focus on data-driven decision-making, careful cost control, and ongoing evaluation of both financial and operational KPIs to navigate increasing complexity, vendor dependency, and persistent margin pressures.

What if your next hire wasn't a person—but an AI employee that never sleeps, never misses a task, and proactively manages your business? As labor costs rise and operational complexity grows, short-term rental operators are looking for new ways to scale without sacrificing guest experience. In this episode of The STR Data Lab, AirDNA Chief Economist Jamie Lane sits down with Bill Ulammandakh, former Airbnb data scientist and Co-Founder & CEO of ProHost AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way STR businesses operate.Drawing on experience from both Airbnb and managing his own portfolio of short-term rentals, Bill shares why guest messaging is only the beginning. The conversation dives into the evolution of AI-powered operations—from automating maintenance coordination and cleaning workflows to the emergence of “AI employees” that proactively monitor your business, identify issues, and take action. Along the way, Bill offers an insider perspective on Airbnb's ecosystem, the realities of scaling a portfolio, and the operational bottlenecks that hold many hosts back.Whether you manage one property or hundreds, this episode offers a practical look at where AI is already delivering value today—and where the industry may be headed next.You don't want to miss this episode.Key TakeawaysGuest communication is one of the easiest AI wins. Faster response times, more consistent messaging, and improved guest satisfaction can all be achieved with minimal setup.Operational efficiency—not messaging—is the biggest long-term opportunity. AI is increasingly being used to automate maintenance workflows, cleaning coordination, task routing, and quality control.The future is moving beyond automation toward autonomy. New AI systems can proactively identify issues, recommend actions, and manage workflows without waiting for human prompts.Great operations drive better rankings. Consistent communication, strong reviews, and reliable property management remain critical factors in creating a better guest experience and stronger marketplace performance.Small teams can scale dramatically further with AI. Operators are already leveraging automation to manage significantly larger portfolios without proportionally increasing administrative headcount.Sign up for AirDNA for FREE

Strategic expansion in franchising requires more than adding locations. It demands operational consistency, market awareness, strong franchisee relationships, and the flexibility to adapt a proven brand to changing consumer behaviors. As customer expectations continue evolving, franchise systems are increasingly reevaluating where growth opportunities exist and how brands can expand while maintaining a consistent customer experience. One of the biggest shifts occurring across the restaurant industry is the move toward more flexible growth models. Traditional standalone locations remain important, but many brands are now exploring expansion opportunities in airports, universities, travel centers, military bases, stadiums, and other high-traffic environments where convenience and accessibility play a larger role in purchasing behavior. These nontraditional formats allow brands to meet customers where they already are while creating additional growth opportunities in markets that may have previously been overlooked. For established brands, strategic expansion also requires balancing innovation with consistency. Consumers expect convenience, speed, and familiarity, but franchise systems must still protect operational standards and brand integrity across every location. Expanding into new environments often requires adjustments to store footprints, menu offerings, operational workflows, and staffing models while still maintaining the experience customers recognize and trust. That balance becomes especially important for large franchise systems operating across diverse markets. Little Caesars has spent decades building one of the most recognizable restaurant brands in the world through a combination of operational simplicity, value, accessibility, and franchise growth. As the company continues expanding globally, strategic flexibility has become an increasingly important part of how the brand approaches development opportunities. Rather than relying exclusively on traditional retail growth, many restaurant brands are now identifying ways to adapt their footprint to changing consumer habits and real estate conditions. Smaller-format concepts, limited-menu operations, and flexible venue partnerships allow franchise systems to enter markets where traditional development may not always be practical. This approach creates opportunities for both franchisors and franchisees. Flexible development models can reduce operational complexity, improve site availability, and create additional revenue channels while helping brands remain visible in high-traffic locations. At the same time, successful execution still depends on maintaining operational discipline and ensuring franchisees receive the support necessary to operate consistently across varying environments. Franchisee support remains one of the most important components of sustainable franchise growth. Strong systems are built through more than brand recognition alone. Training, operational guidance, real estate support, local marketing assistance, and ongoing communication all contribute to long-term franchisee success. As franchise systems scale, maintaining strong relationships between corporate leadership and operators becomes essential for preserving consistency and supporting growth across multiple markets. One of the more important lessons in franchise development is recognizing that successful expansion is rarely driven by speed alone. Strategic growth requires identifying the right operators, the right markets, and the right operational structure before expansion occurs. Experienced franchise systems often place significant emphasis on candidate evaluation because long-term success depends heavily on alignment between the brand and the franchisee. Operational involvement, leadership capability, coachability, and a willingness to follow proven systems frequently matter more than enthusiasm alone. This is especially true in highly competitive restaurant categories where operational consistency directly impacts customer trust and repeat business. Restaurant brands also face increasing pressure to remain adaptable as consumer expectations continue shifting toward convenience-driven purchasing decisions. Customers today often prioritize accessibility, speed, digital ordering, and location convenience alongside product quality. Brands capable of adapting to these behaviors without sacrificing operational standards are often better positioned for long-term relevance. Strategic expansion is ultimately about creating scalable systems that allow growth to occur sustainably. Growth opportunities may exist in traditional retail corridors, but they may also emerge in travel hubs, entertainment venues, educational campuses, and other nontraditional environments where customer behavior continues evolving. Franchise systems that remain flexible while maintaining operational consistency are often the ones best positioned to expand successfully over time. As the franchise industry continues changing, strategic expansion will increasingly depend on a brand's ability to combine operational discipline, franchisee support, and customer convenience into a growth strategy that remains adaptable across multiple market conditions. Watch the full episode on YouTube. Join Fordify LIVE every Wednesday at 11 a.m. Central on your favorite social platforms and catch The Business Growth Show Podcast every Thursday for a weekly dose of business growth wisdom. About Bryan Ketelhut Bryan Ketelhut is the VP of Franchising & Business Development at Little Caesars, where he leads franchise growth initiatives across traditional and nontraditional markets throughout the United States. Bryan began his career with Little Caesars as a franchisee before moving into franchise operations and eventually leading the company's non-traditional development efforts, helping expand the brand into airports, universities, military bases, stadiums, convenience stores, and other flexible retail environments. With extensive experience spanning franchise operations, development strategy, site selection, and scalable growth models, Bryan brings a unique perspective shaped by both hands-on operational experience and executive leadership within one of the world's most recognized restaurant franchise systems. About Ford Saeks Ford Saeks is a Business Growth Accelerator who has generated more than a billion dollars in sales worldwide by helping companies attract loyal customers, expand brand visibility, and drive innovation. As President and CEO of Prime Concepts Group, Inc., Ford has founded more than ten companies, authored five books, earned three U.S. patents, and advised organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 brands. His expertise spans business growth strategy, customer acquisition, leadership, franchising, and AI-driven content systems that help businesses improve performance in rapidly changing markets. Learn more at ProfitRichResults.com and watch Fordify LIVE at Fordify.tv

Despite big street flooding in Kenner and some earlier misinformation, Louis Armstrong International is ready for all arrivals and departures - that from Aviation Director Kevin Doliolle

Privacy isn't about having something to hide. It's about preserving the freedom to act, communicate, and coordinate without coercion. In this episode of THE Bitcoin Podcast, Walker sits down with privacy advocate, cypherpunk, and Freedom Tech builder Max Hillebrand to discuss his new book, The Praxeology of Privacy. Max explains how Austrian economics and cypherpunk philosophy intersect, why privacy is a natural consequence of self-ownership and property rights, and how surveillance distorts economic calculation in much the same way that money printing distorts markets. The conversation explores: Why privacy is fundamentally tied to freedom The economic consequences of surveillance CBDCs and the future of financial control Why corporations and governments increasingly operate as surveillance partners The role of Bitcoin in creating a parallel economy Tor, VPNs, encryption, and network-level privacy Nostr's growing ecosystem and why developer adoption matters more than user counts Operational security (OpSec) in both the digital and physical world Signal's limitations and the future of decentralized private communications White Noise, Marmot, and the next generation of unstoppable encrypted messaging How Freedom Tech can make coercion more expensive and liberty more accessible Max also shares his vision for a future where money, communication, identity, and publishing are all decentralized, permissionless, and resistant to censorship. Whether you're new to privacy or already deep down the cypherpunk rabbit hole, this conversation provides a powerful framework for understanding why privacy matters—and what practical steps you can take to reclaim it. FOLLOW MAX: NOSTR: https://primal.net/maxhillebrand Try White Noise Chat: https://www.whitenoise.chat/ https://towardsliberty.com/ GET HIS BOOK: The Praxeology of Privacy on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/2xn9bs8y Read on Nostr: https://tinyurl.com/4b42kb7d PARTNERS & DISCOUNTS: LEDN: Bitcoin-backed lending. Go to ledn.io/walker and unlock liquidity WITHOUT selling your bitcoin. BLOCKSTREAM JADE: BLOCKSTREAM JADE HARDWARE WALLET: Head to https://store.blockstream.com/ and use coupon code WALKER for 10% off! BDIC™ is building an insurance marketplace on the bitcoin standard. Sign up for the waitlist at: http://bdic.io/walker Buy Bitcoin with River: http://partner.river.com/walker GET FOLD ($10 in bitcoin): https://use.foldapp.com/r/WALKER JOIN THE SUBSTACK TO GET NEW EPISODES DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX: https://walkeramerica.substack.com/ If you enjoy THE Bitcoin Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following: FOLLOW ME (Walker) on @WalkerAmerica on X | @TitcoinPodcast on X | Nostr Personal (walker) | Nostr Podcast (Titcoin) | Instagram Subscribe to THE Bitcoin Podcast (and leave a review) on Fountain | YouTube | Spotify | Rumble | EVERYWHERE ELSE

Oxrow.aiLoftus Ranches: https://www.loftusranches.com/Patrick Smith is a fourth-generation farmer and the CEO of Loftus Ranches, a Yakima Valley-based agricultural business producing hops alongside apples, pears, peppers, and other crops. He focuses on long-term strategy, capital allocation, and stakeholder relationships, balancing operational discipline with financial rigor.He founded Oxrow.ai, an analytics platform that helps agribusinesses pull together fragmented operational and financial data into decision-ready insight. The platform grew out of direct experience running complex businesses with messy data, where the cost of getting things wrong is high.In 2013, Patrick co-founded Bale Breaker Brewing Company, extending the family's hop-farming roots into a consumer brand built at the source. He serves on the board of Yakima Chief Hops and has held leadership roles across hop industry organizations.He holds an M.S. in Business Analytics from NYU Stern, an MBA from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University, and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Washington.

What happens when you gather the most common, most challenging questions from our Director of Operations community and answer them live, without a script? Pure gold. In this Ops Edition of The Ops Authority Podcast, I'm joined once again by Lynette Robinson to tackle three real-world scenarios that every operator faces: how to clearly communicate what you do, how to build local connections that convert, and whether to niche down or stay broad as a new business owner. If you've struggled with messaging, meetups & momentum, this episode will give you the clarity and confidence to move forward strategically. For full show notes, check out https://theopsauthority.com/podcast/307-how-to-becom…adrienne-dorison/ Connect with Adrienne Website: http://Level11leaders.comFacebook: http://Facebook.com/adriennedorison Instagram: http://Instagram.com/adriennedorison Stay Connected: Join the Ops Insiders FREE Facebook community! Other Ways to Connect with Me: Facebook Page Instagram

Every CEO story gets told from the leader's chair. Episode seven of the Busy Is Broken series flips the camera. Bill walks through four composite vignettes — anonymized but visceral — drawn from real teams he's coached. Each one shows what a leader's patterns look like from the other side of the table. If you manage people, those people have a version of one of these stories. They've probably stopped trying to tell you.The Chaotic Team: a chief of staff opens her phone at 5:30 AM to find 3 AM messages rearranging tomorrow's priorities. Operational meddling and strategic absence at the same time — the leader is everywhere on detail and nowhere on direction. The Unsafe Team: meetings opened with problems, never connection. Every new book the CEO read triggered a new system. People tapped out alongside a leader who slept two hours a night. They were tired of sprinting after gusts of wind. The Resigned Team: “This is how it is.” They'd moved past hoping things would change. No one was angry anymore. That's worse than anger. The Frozen Team: everything waited on the founder. A gentle, patient, permanent freeze. Lovely people making a lovely product. But they were helpers, not leaders. Their own potential sat on the shelf for decades.The hard truth is the gap. The gap between how you'd describe your leadership and how your team would describe it. Self-reflection has limited perspective. You need the outside-in view. This week's invitation: ask one person on your team — someone you trust to be honest — this question: “What's the one thing I do that makes your job harder?” Then listen. Don't defend. Don't explain. The answer is worth more than any consultant's report.Links:Busy Is Broken book and free diagnostic: https://busyisbroken.comQ20 Growth Diagnostic: https://scalingcoach.com/Q20Mentioned in this episode:Busy is Broken bookOur new book, Busy is Broken, coming this September. Sign up for the release at busyisbroken.comQ20 Diagnostic OfferStuck? Q20 Growth Diagnostic will give you a fresh perspective and it's free. ScalingCoach.com/Q20

Cameron is joined by Carissa Alinat, PhD, a successful entrepreneur in the medical aesthetics field, and they discuss her inspiring journey from being a single mother with limited resources to becoming a top injector and business owner with multiple locations. The conversation delves into the importance of education, partnerships, and effective marketing strategies, particularly through social media. Carissa emphasizes the significance of building trust with patients and maintaining a supportive community within the business. The episode also covers the challenges of navigating acquisitions and the systems necessary for growth and efficiency.Cameron and Carissa talk about her intentional social media strategy aimed at engaging patients and educating them about aesthetic treatments. Carissa emphasizes the importance of understanding patient needs, tracking engagement metrics, and the role of consultations in building trust and ensuring optimal outcomes. Carissa also shares insights on operational efficiency, revenue metrics, and the integration of wellness services into aesthetic practices, highlighting her journey and the evolution of her clinic's offerings. Listen In!Thank you for listening to this episode of Medical Millionaire!Takeaways:Carissa Alinat started from humble beginnings as a single mom.Education and determination were key to her success.Partnerships can lead to significant business growth.Implementing systems and protocols is crucial for efficiency.Social media is a powerful marketing tool in the aesthetics industry.Trust and personal connection are vital in patient relationships.Navigating acquisitions requires careful partner selection.Maintaining team morale during transitions is essential.Community support enhances business operations.Authenticity in marketing fosters trust with clients. Intentional social media strategy is crucial for engagement.Understanding patient needs enhances educational content.Tracking conversions from social media is essential.Top injectors focus on root causes, not just symptoms.Consultations should prioritize honesty and transparency.Effective treatment plans lead to higher patient satisfaction.Operational efficiency maximizes revenue potential.Full-time providers enhance patient care and revenue.Integrating wellness services can diversify offerings.Taking risks is necessary for growth and success.Medical Millionaire: The Blueprint for Scaling a World-Class Medical Aesthetics PracticeWelcome to Medical Millionaire, the go-to podcast for forward-thinking Medspa owners, Medical Aesthetics leaders, Plastic Surgery & Dermatology practices, Concierge Wellness clinics, and Elective Healthcare entrepreneurs who are ready to scale with intention and operate like a true, high-performing business.If you're building, growing, optimizing, or preparing to exit your aesthetics or wellness practice, this show is your competitive advantage.Hosted by Cameron Hemphill Your Guide to Sustainable, Scalable Growth Your host, Cameron Hemphill, is one of the most trusted growth strategists in Medical Aesthetics and Elective Wellness.With over 10 years in the industry, Cameron has helped scale 1,000+ practices and more than 2,300 providers, working alongside the most recognized KOLs, national brands, EMRs, tech companies, and private equity groups, shaping the future of aesthetics. From marketing to operations, from finance to leadership, Cameron brings a real-world, data-driven perspective on what it takes to turn a practice into a powerful business engine.What This Podcast Is All About: Each episode takes you behind the scenes of the fastest-growing practices in the country, revealing the systems, strategies, and mindset required to win in today's Medical Aesthetics landscape.Expect tactical insights, step-by-step frameworks, and conversations with:Industry thought leadersTop injectors & medical directorsEMR & tech innovatorsOperations expertsMarketing strategistsPrivate equity & M&A advisorsWellness and longevity pioneersThis is where aesthetics, business, technology, and wellness converge. What You'll Learn on Medical Millionaire Every week, you'll access expert guidance to help you scale profitably and predictably, including:Marketing & Brand PositioningCRM + Lead Management SystemsPatient Acquisition & ConversionEMR Optimization & Tech Stack ArchitectureSales Psychology & Consultation MasteryFinance, KPIs, and Practice EconomicsOperational Workflows & AutomationIndustry Trends Backed by Real Benchmark DataPatient Retention & Lifetime Value ExpansionMindset, Leadership & Team DevelopmentWhether you're opening your first location or running a multi-million-dollar enterprise, you'll gain the clarity and direction to grow with confidence. A Show Designed for Every Stage of Practice Growth Medical Millionaire breaks down the journey into four essential stages, showing you exactly how to move from one to the next:Startup – Build the foundation and attract your first wave of patientsGrowth – Scale revenue, expand services, and strengthen operationsOptimize – Increase efficiency, margins, and customer experienceExit – Prepare your practice for maximum valuation and acquisitionIf You're Ready to Grow, This Is Where You Start. Tune in weekly for actionable insights, expert interviews, and the exact playbooks high-performing practices use to dominate their markets. This is the podcast for Medspa owners who want more than a job; they want a scalable, profitable, industry-leading business. Welcome to Medical Millionaire.Let's build your practice into the empire it deserves to be.

It is a wild day on the Energy News Beat Stand Up.Make no mistake, time will tell if the Strait of Hormuz is open, but do not underestimate the importance that the Bank of London and Lloyds of London play in opening the Strait of Hormuz. They want the war to continue, and are not happy if the war ends.As we hit Operational Bottoms for oil storage in the US it is a real problem, and President Trump ran out of time. I think that he has a plan and will get it done, but it will be done after the midterms.President Trump at the G7 has had some major impacts on the news cycle.1. Cushing, Oklahoma Oil Storage Crisis (Top Story)The podcast opens with the critical issue that Cushing—the "pipeline crossroads of the world"—has hit operational tank bottoms with only ~21.64 million barrels of crude. This is a major concern because refineries may not be able to access the oil they need, and the situation could spike oil prices. Cushing is the primary delivery and pricing point for WTI (West Texas Intermediate) futures.2. Global Oil Market Dynamics & Geopolitical TensionsStrait of Hormuz concerns: 20% of the world's oil passes through this strait, creating vulnerability to disruptionsIran's actions: Iran has pulled the trigger on controlling the strait, prompting neighboring Gulf states to seek alternative routesTanker movements: Iranian super tankers are slipping through blockades, with 6 million barrels already moved (likely to China)3. UAE's Strategic Independence from Strait of HormuzThe UAE is accelerating plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz entirely by expanding pipelines from 1.7 to over 5 million barrels per day, with potential floating LNG terminals planned for the Gulf of Oman.4. Alternative Pipeline InfrastructureSaudi Arabia's east-west pipeline to the Red Sea (pumping ~7 million barrels/day)Plans to bypass the Suez Canal through the MediterraneanIraq's threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, forcing reliance on pipelines5. Qatar's LNG Export RestartQatar is preparing to restart LNG exports with tankers already positioned, which is critical for Europe's natural gas supply (especially as they lag behind in summer refilling).6. U.S. Power Grid CrisisSevere equipment shortage with power transformer lead times reaching 128 weeks (2.5 years)Some special orders taking up to 4 yearsNew transformer facilities being built (Hitachi in Virginia by 2028, Siemens in North Carolina)Recommendation for homeowners to invest in solar panels and off-grid capabilities7. California Energy & Infrastructure ProblemsRefinery closures: Only 7 refineries remain in California; losing one would spike gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel pricesHigh-speed rail project: Ballooned from $9.9 billion to $231 billion with companies relocating to Morocco due to regulatory burdenPort congestion: LA and Long Beach ports handling massive container volumes8. Oil Price ForecastsMorgan Stanley lowered Brent crude forecasts to $90 in Q3 and $80 in Q4Current prices: WTI at ~$76-77, Brent at ~$79.58, Natural gas at $3.169. AI & Grid InfrastructureDiscussion of potential AI bubble concerns and the need for grid validation tools before implementation.10. U.S. Reshoring & Industrial RecoveryThe Trump administration is working to reverse decades of intentional deindustrialization, though the process faces challenges.The podcast emphasizes that energy markets are at critical junctures with geopolitical tensions, infrastructure constraints, and strategic repositioning reshaping global oil and gas flows.1.Cushing, Oklahoma Oil Storage Hits Tank Bottom: Implications for Energy Markets, Consumers, and Investors2.Pain at the Pump: Can It Heal or Curse the Trump Administration?3.UAE is moving on plans to never use the Strait of Hormuz4.Qatar Returns Tankers in Preparation for Restarting LNG Exports5.Iranian Supertanker Slips Out of Chabahar, Crossing US Blockade as Tehran Moves Oil Ahead of Friday Deal Approvals6.Qatar Plans to Rapidly Restart LNG Output After Hormuz Opens – How will this impact Europe?7.Banks Slash Oil Price Forecasts After U.S.-Iran Breakthrough8.US Grid Equipment Shortage Deepens Impacting Repairs and New Installations9.Another California refinery closure will threaten national and global economies10.California High-Speed Rail project soars to $231 Billion – “We left to work in Morocco as it is a better work enviornment”Check out the Energy News Beat SubStack https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor. https://welldatabase.com/

Meet Dr. Shawna Pandya, Canada's first named female commercial astronaut and a leading figure in space medicine. From emergency medicine to aquanaut missions and suborbital research flights, Shawna has trained to thrive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—and soon, in space. In this episode, she shares her journey from a childhood inspired by Dr. Roberta Bondar, through neuroscience and medical training, to testing spacesuits in zero gravity and completing multiple NEPTUNE aquanaut missions.  We dive into: The challenges of spaceflight on the body and mind The "RIDGE" framework Radiation, Isolation, Distance, Gravity, Environment Using emergency medicine, diving, and piloting to build operational readiness Maintaining balance, avoiding burnout, and living a life aligned with values Preparing for her upcoming flight with Virgin Galactic Shawna's story is a masterclass in perseverance, curiosity, and aiming for the stars—literally. ***  New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.  Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x *** Show notes Who is Shawna  Being Canada's first named female Astronaut  Her early years and growing up in the 90s Wanting to be an Astronaut since she was a child and being inspired by Dr. Roberta Bondar Simplifying things  Wanting to follow in her footsteps  Doing a neuroscience degree The influence of her parents  Girl Guides of Canada  Doing outdoor education during junior high and building her spirit of adventure  Inheriting her work ethic from her parents - thinking the normal work day was from 7am to 10pm Sharing her goal and telling people what she wanted to achieve  Taking a family trip to Australia at 12 years old and being obsessed with the Southern Night Sky  Not knowing if it will work out or not - Having to love the grind and the journey  Keeping focused on the goal  Not letting other people opinions stop her  Her parents wanting her to have a realistic career ambition  The roadmap included medicine  After doing her undergrad in neuroscience and applying for medical school Having a back up plan - just in case  International Space University - Masters Program  Asking medical school for a deferral  Doing an internship at the European Space Agency European Space Centre and making a meaningful contribution to space medicine  Dealing with criticism Having balance in her life and not suffering from burnout  Pursuing the trajectory as a research astronaut - and still maintaining her clinical hours in emergency medicine  Work life balance  Why she does't burn out Living her life according to her values  Having complete control over her schedule   Being surrounded by good people Finding fulfilment and loving what she does Being inspired to be a better version of herself everyday  Fitness and health in space  Bone density and muscle mass  Space Medicine  The challenges of space flight environment and why it's trying to kill you  The "RIDGE" Framework short for Space Radiation, Isolation and Confinement, Distance from Earth, Gravity fields, and Hostile/Closed Environments. Altered day night cycles - 1 sunrise/sunset every 90 mins - 16 sunrise - sunset cycles per 24hr period every and how it interferes with your sleep cycle Micro-gravity and how it affects your bodily systems  Physical activity as therapy and using it as a way of investing in herself.  The days she doesn't make it to the gym  Needing to change something up - or end up burning out  Learning diving skills and spending time underwater Looking for transferable skills Being operational good and a good team mate Operational environments: - emergency medicine, diving, sky diving and piloting  The importance of having aqua-naught experience  Going on 2 NEPTUNE Missions  NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration) Building her space flight readiness Learning to handle stress in challenging situations  Why there is no room for ego  Using emergency medicine as an example  Escalation patterns of communication  Question - Suggestion - Statement - Command  Why there is a time and place for everything  If everything is urgent - nothing is urgent! Urgency fatigue - not knowing what do first Being aware of what tools you have at your disposal High risk - high reward scenarios  The countdown to flight  Since 2021 - the launch of private companies into space  Going to space for research  What kind of astronaut do you want to be? Being a research astronaut  Training flights as a team - and getting to fly with her good friends Kellie Gerardi  Dr. Norah Patten  Figuring out research priorities  The outreach aspects of what they do Science diplomacy  The lead up to the space flight  Managing fears and concerns  Having a job to do  Being aware of the need to be prepared  Deciding on the final payloads Dealing with periods in space  Quick Fire Questions Being an evening person Not scheduling early morning meetings Starting her day at 9am Favourite movie and favourite space movie  2007 movie - Sunshine Book inspiration - Chris Hatfield - An Astronaut's guide to Earth  Music inspiration - liking high adrenaline workout play lists  Liking the John Wicks Soundtrack  Beach or mountains.. Favourite food at home and in space High RPM skipping Rest and relaxation Her love for birds - having a 56g Lovebird - 'Jules'  Mantra and words she lives by - 'You've got this" Words from mum - "Keep going" - "Keep moving" Words from dad - "What's the difference between success and activity? Success is eating tomato soup with a spoon, activity is eating tomato soup with a fork" How to connect and follow along on social media Final words of advice and wisdom for other girls who want to pursue  Pick what you want to do, aim to be really, really good at it.  Aim to become the hardest working person in the room. Because the work ethic is free. Work really hard to get to where you want to be and then act like you belong there, because you do. You just need to make space for yourself.    Social Media Website: shawnapandya.com  Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnapandya  Instagram: @shawnapandya  Facebook: @shawnapandyaofficial  

What to listen for:“We're such dumb visual monkeys. We can't process information any other way except for visuals; whereas the dogs have their brain structured around scent.”Dr. Lindsay Waldrop, a Chapman University fluid dynamicist whose dissertation explored how crabs sniff odor out of water, has spent recent years turning that expertise toward dogs. Our hosts, Robin Greubel and Stacy Barnett, chat all things scent with her in this episode of K9 Detection Collaborative.Her central argument dismantles the "scent cone". Typically, handlers picture it as smooth and continuous, like an ice cream cone. However, real odor plumes are discontinuous, sheared into filaments by advection, the same way food coloring resists mixing into thick batter.A dog's nose can land dead center in a plume and find nothing, or catch a stray filament far from the source and read it as close.Lasers and cooled smoke, not hot smoke bombs that generate their own rising thermal current, are Waldrop's preferred way of making that invisible turbulence visible.Dr. Waldrop brings up a rebreather study (just one of a few eye-opening studies she cites throughout the conversation), which suggests live-find and cadaver dogs may be solving entirely different fluid problems. That's because a living person's breath gets lofted skyward while decomposition odor clings near the ground.That said, Dr. Waldrop's field has limits, which she fully acknowledges. For instance, full environmental modeling is often too slow to beat a simple flow-vis demo, and the real frontier is closer collaboration with the handlers who know which questions are worth asking. Tune into the next episode of K9 Detection Collaborative for part 2 of this fascinating conversation! Key Topics:Choosing Tools That Actually Visualize Airflow (08:12)Why Plumes Are Filaments, Not a Gradient (18:04)A Study on Operational vs. Sport Dogs (22:00)Rethinking Odor Availability (30:24)Field Hacks for Long Searches (40:45)Heat-Mapping How Dogs Actually Search (48:44)What Dogs Can Do That Invertebrates Can't (54:45)Why Modeling Rarely Beats a Smoke Test (1:04:07) Resources:Connect to Dr. Waldrop!:https://waldroplab.com/https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/lindsay-waldrop.aspxWe want to hear from you:Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!K9Sensus Detection Dog Trainer AcademyK9Sensus Foundation can be found on Facebook and Instagram. We have a Trainer's Group on Facebook!Scentsabilities Nosework is also on Facebook. Here is a Facebook group you should join!You can follow us for notifications of upcoming episodes, find us at k9detectioncollaborative.com to enjoy the freebies, and tell your friends so you can keep the conversations going.And don't forget to check out the YouTube Channel!

This is an AI-generated episode of The Storage Marketplace Podcast, created from the first-ever Storage Meetup Show & Tell: AI & Automations, recorded live on June 5, 2026. Unlike a traditional webinar full of slides and talking heads, this event featured live demonstrations of AI tools, automations, and workflows that self-storage operators, managers, and vendors are using right now. In this episode, we explore: • AI-powered customer service and communication tools • Marketing automations designed to generate more leads and rentals • Operational workflows that reduce manual work and increase efficiency • Revenue management and optimization opportunities powered by AI • Real-world examples of automation being implemented inside self-storage businesses today • The biggest themes and takeaways from the industry's first AI-focused Show & Tell event The biggest takeaway:

Last time we spoke about the Hubei-Henan Campaign of 1940-1941. In November 1940, a Central Hubei operation using multiple task forces aimed to exploit Chinese dispersal, achieving only local successes and no lasting territorial gains. The Japanese then tried again in late January 1941 with a major offensive into southern Henan. Despite concentrating a large force, the campaign failed strategically. After the Henan failure, Japan attempted to regain momentum in spring 1941 by attacking western Hubei around Yichang on the Yangtze. Despite an initial barrage and rapid early gains, Japanese forces became exposed in a narrow salient. The Chinese reorganized their river defenses and launched a converging counteroffensive, driving the invaders back and ending the engagement where it began, with the Japanese suffering heavy casualties and their westward push thwarted.   #206 The Battle of Shanggao Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The year 1940 had brought a particular humiliation. In August of that year, Communist General Peng Dehuai had launched the Hundred Regiments Offensive — a massive, coordinated assault across North China that shattered Japanese rail and supply lines, embarrassed Imperial General Headquarters, and demonstrated that the Chinese were far from finished. Japan's response had been brutal, the infamous "Three Alls" campaign of reprisals across the countryside. But the damage had been done, and the attention of Imperial General Headquarters shifted northward. The autumn of 1940 had also seen the First Battle of Changsha, where the Japanese 11th Army under General Sonobe Yahachirō pushed south into Hunan Province expecting to overwhelm the Chinese defenders and finally deal a decisive blow to Chiang Kai-shek's armies. Instead, General Xue Yue — the "Tiger of Changsha" — had allowed the Japanese to advance deep into his prepared killing ground before counterattacking from multiple directions. The Japanese had been forced to retreat in disorder, and the front in Hunan and Jiangxi settled once again into sullen stalemate. It was in this atmosphere of frustrated ambition and strategic inertia that the seeds of Shanggao were sown. By February 1941, Imperial General Headquarters had decided to redeploy the 33rd Division — then garrisoned in the town of Anyi, in northwestern Jiangxi — to North China. The transfer was scheduled to begin in early April, and it made strategic sense: the north required reinforcement, and the front in Jiangxi had been quiet enough that one division could be spared. The problem was that the 33rd Division's departure would leave a gap in Japanese dispositions, and no significant offensive operation had yet been conducted to weaken the Chinese forces that would be left facing a thinned-out Japanese line. Lieutenant General Ōga Shigeru, the energetic commander of the Japanese 34th Division, saw opportunity in the window that existed before the 33rd departed. His division was concentrated around Xishan and Wanshou Palace, astride the Xiang–Gan Highway — the main road running westward through Jiangxi — and across that highway lay the town of Shanggao and the Chinese forces defending it. Ōga proposed exploiting the presence of both divisions for a coordinated strike: a sharp, limited offensive to crush Chinese field forces around Nanchang and the Jiangxi interior before the 33rd Division's train north. The 11th Army headquarters, now commanded by General Marube, endorsed a cautious concept — a "quick strike" with limited objectives. But the 34th Division's staff, energized by Ōga's ambition, had already run well ahead of this guidance. Large-scale requisitioning of coolies for logistics was underway; training exercises aimed at the specific terrain around Shanggao had been conducted; planning had progressed in far more detail than a "limited" operation warranted. This eagerness would prove to be the Japanese undoing before the first shot was fired. Chinese intelligence networks, always attentive to the movement of porters and the telltale preparations that preceded a Japanese offensive, quickly detected the scale of these preparations and reported them to General Luo Zhuoying, commander of the Chinese 19th Army Group. By the time the Japanese columns were forming up to march, Luo had already hardened his defenses and laid the groundwork for a trap. General Luo Zhuoying was not a passive commander. He served simultaneously as commander of the 19th Army Group and as Deputy Commander of the 9th War Zone — the latter post placing him directly under General Xue Yue, the victor of Changsha. Luo had spent the lull after Changsha doing what Chinese commanders across the theater had learned was essential: reorganizing, retraining, and above all improving the defensive architecture of his sector. The plan Luo devised for meeting the anticipated Japanese offensive was elegant in its simplicity and demanding in its execution. Rather than contesting the Japanese advance at the frontier, he would allow the enemy to push westward, yielding ground through three successive defensive lines while bleeding the attackers at every step. The first and second lines would slow the Japanese, exact casualties, and stretch their logistics. The third line — anchored at Shanggao itself — would be the killing ground. There, the Chinese forces would hold fast while other formations swung around the Japanese flanks and rear to close the encirclement. The Japanese, having marched deep into Chinese-held territory with their supply lines thinning and their flanks exposed, would find themselves surrounded rather than victorious. For this plan to work, each Chinese formation had to perform its role with discipline. The 70th Corps, deployed in the north along the arc from Shitou Street through Fengxin to Jing'an, would have to conduct a controlled fighting retreat — yielding ground but making the Japanese pay for it, never breaking and running. The 49th Corps would hold the southern flank and create conditions for flanking action. And the 74th Corps — General Wang Yaowu's elite formation, comprising the 51st, 57th, and 58th Divisions — would hold the final line at Shanggao and serve as the anvil upon which the Japanese advance would shatter. The 74th Corps was by 1941 one of the most battle-hardened formations in the Nationalist Army. It had fought at Shanghai in 1937, at Wuhan in 1938, and in the hills and valleys of Jiangxi through the years since. Its men knew the terrain around Shanggao. They had prepared positions in depth, studied the approaches, and rehearsed the defensive plan Luo had designed. When the Japanese came, they would be ready. Against the Chinese 70,000 — distributed across eleven divisions in four corps, with additional provincial security forces for local coverage — the Japanese would throw roughly 20,000 men: three major formations advancing in coordinated columns. The disparity in numbers was stark, but the Japanese had the advantages of offensive initiative, air superiority, and the formidable fighting quality that the Imperial Army had demonstrated throughout the war in China. The question was whether those advantages would be enough to overcome a prepared defense wielded by a commander who had invited the attack. The operational plan devised by the Japanese 11th Army called for three columns to converge simultaneously on Shanggao from north, center, and south — a classic encirclement concept that, if executed with precision, would catch the Chinese defenders in a tightening vice. In the north, the main force of the 33rd Division under Lieutenant General Sakurai Shōzō would drive westward from its bases around Anyi and Ganzhoujie, descending the Liao River valley to threaten the Chinese right flank and prevent the 70th Corps from interfering with operations in the center.In the center, Ōga's 34th Division would advance along the Xiang–Gan Highway — the direct route from Nanchang toward Shanggao — capturing the town of Gao'an along the way and pressing relentlessly westward until it reached the main defensive positions. This was the principal striking force, the column designed to crack open the Chinese defenses and seize the objective.In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade under Major General Ikeda would cross the Jin River and advance along its south bank, eventually swinging north to link up with the 34th Division and complete the encirclement of whatever Chinese forces remained in the Shanggao area. The plan was coherent on paper. But it contained a structural flaw so serious that, in retrospect, it is difficult to understand how the 11th Army's staff allowed it to proceed uncorrected. The success of any converging operation depends on synchronization — on each column hitting its objectives on schedule and maintaining communication with the others so that each can react to developments on the other prongs. Yet the 11th Army headquarters made no recorded effort to coordinate the 33rd and 34th Divisions before the battle began. There was no forward command post established to oversee the operation. General Marube remained at Hankou, hundreds of miles to the north, throughout the battle — as remote from the fighting as a Tokyo bureaucrat. Operational decisions were left entirely to the individual divisions, with no mechanism to coordinate their actions if something went wrong. Something was going to go wrong. Luo Zhuoying had seen to that. On the morning of March 15, 1941, all three Japanese columns stepped off simultaneously, advancing into the misty hills and rice paddies of northwestern Jiangxi. In the north, Sakurai's 33rd Division moved briskly from Anyi toward Fengxin. The town fell by noon, and the division pressed westward in good order. The Japanese infantry moved confidently along the Liao River valley, experienced soldiers who had fought across China and had no particular reason to expect what was coming. The Chinese 70th Corps gave ground — as it had been ordered to — but did so on its own terms, occupying and then abandoning successive pieces of high ground along both banks of the river, making the Japanese advance uncomfortable and costly. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the 33rd Division was being drawn forward into terrain that favored the defender. By March 18 and 19, the 33rd Division had pushed all the way to Guzhu'ao and Huamenlo — a considerable advance, but one that had taken the division far from its base at Anyi. And it was here, far from support and with flanks increasingly exposed, that the Chinese blocking forces closed in. Chinese infantry, who had been waiting in prepared positions in the high ground overlooking the river valley, launched coordinated counter-attacks that struck the 33rd Division from multiple directions. The fighting was fierce and costly. In two days of close combat, the division suffered more than 2,500 casualties — a grievous toll that represented a significant fraction of its effective strength. The northern column had been stopped dead. On March 19, Sakurai ordered the 33rd Division to reverse course. By March 23, after four days of painful withdrawal under pressure, it had pulled back to Anyi — the same place it had started. The northern prong of the Japanese offensive had accomplished nothing except the loss of thousands of men. In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade had a rougher start. Its initial attempt to cross the Gan-Jin river junction at noon on March 15 was repulsed by Chinese defenders, and it was only under cover of darkness that the brigade managed to force a crossing. Once across, it moved westward along the south bank of the Jin River, but progress was slow and contested. A detachment — the Gan River Detachment — ran into fierce resistance from the 26th Division of the Chinese 49th Corps on March 19. The brigade's main body meanwhile fought its way through the 51st Division of the 74th Corps, but the 107th Division and elements of the 51st managed to contain the advance at the Laichunling–Zhutoushan line. On the night of March 20, the main body of the 20th Brigade crossed the Jin River at Huifu to link up with the 34th Division — but a portion of its troops, cut off on the south bank, was destroyed by Chinese forces. The southern column was across the Jin River, but it had taken losses and was already engaged in ways its planners had not anticipated. In the center, the 34th Division fared best in the early going. Ōga's division moved westward from Xishan along the Xiang–Gan Highway on March 16, and by the 17th had captured Gao'an — a meaningful early success. The Chinese 74th Corps, executing Luo's plan faithfully, dispatched only screening forces east of the Tangpu River to slow the Japanese advance rather than contesting it decisively. The main body of the 74th Corps fell back to the third-line positions at Sixi, Guanqiao, and Tangpu, preparing the killing ground that Luo had designated. Simultaneously, the 26th Division and most of the 105th Division from the 49th Corps were shifted across the Gan River to operate south of the Jin River on the Japanese left flank, and the 72nd Corps was ordered to maneuver on a wide envelopment around Daxia and south of Ganfang. By March 20–21, the 34th Division had pressed forward to attack the Chinese positions at Sixi and Guanqiao. Ōga's men were confident — they had taken Gao'an, they were moving, and the objective of Shanggao lay within reach. But as the division pushed toward Shangjijia, it ran squarely into the 57th and 58th Divisions of the 74th Corps, fighting with a tenacity that told the Japanese plainly enough: this was where the Chinese intended to stand. The week of March 21–24 brought the battle to its crisis. The 34th Division hammered at the Chinese positions defending Shanggao itself, while on the flanks, the fighting took on a character that neither side had entirely anticipated. On March 21, General Wang Yaowu — commanding the 74th Corps from his headquarters in Shanggao — decided it was time to do more than absorb Japanese blows. He ordered General Li Tianxia to clear Japanese forces from the south bank of the Jin River and advance on Gao'an, with the aim of cutting the 34th Division's supply line and threatening its rear. It was an aggressive move, and if it had worked, it might have produced a decisive result earlier than history would record. It did not work — at least not immediately. That very evening, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade, which had been reorganizing after the chaos of the river crossing, launched a powerful offensive at dawn on the 22nd. Li Tianxia's lead elements had barely set out from Shitou Street when they collided head-on with the main force of the 20th Brigade, which had crossed back from the north bank of the Jin River. The Japanese thrust was coordinated and aggressive: one column circled wide to attack Lazhu Mountain; another swung south of Hu Family west of Shitou Street to strike Li's division in the flank and rear; and nine aircraft with four artillery pieces bombarded the Chinese positions from north to south. Li's division could not hold against this convergent assault and fell back to the high ground southwest of Shitou Street. Wang Yaowu reacted quickly. He ordered Li's main body to wheel left to face the new threat and simultaneously dispatched the Army's Field Supplementary Regiment — held in reserve near Yintang — on a forced march to Huayang to block the Japanese westward drive. This regiment, racing down roads strafed by nine enemy aircraft, covered 15 li per hour and seized Huayang and the high ground to its northeast by around seven in the morning. By nine, the 20th Brigade arrived in strength and — supported by more than ten aircraft — launched a fierce assault on the regiment's positions. The regiment's officers and men held firm, taking heavy casualties but refusing to break. Frustrated at Huayang, the 20th Brigade shifted its effort to the Kuang Family area, linking up with over a thousand men who had crossed from Baichetou to the south bank and pushing along the river toward Xiongfang in an attempt to outflank the Chinese left wing. The Supplementary Regiment sent its 1st Battalion with a mortar company to meet this threat, and the two forces met in a fierce engagement. When the Japanese reinforced their assault and deployed incendiary bombs and poison gas, Xiongfang fell by early afternoon — but Li Tianxia immediately sent two regiments from his right flank to take it back, and by midnight the position was in Chinese hands again. Shitou Street and Jigong Ridge were simultaneously recaptured. The Independent Mixed 20th Brigade now found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, fighting with the Jin River at its back and the initiative slipping away. Meanwhile, the main event was being fought in the rubble and ridgelines around Shanggao itself. From March 22 to 25, the 34th Division and whatever remnants of the 20th Brigade could contribute threw themselves repeatedly at the defensive line anchored on Stone Arch Bridge, Xia Po Bridge, Xu Lou, Pan Family Bridge, Cloud Head Mountain, and Lei Family Mountain. This was not the fluid, mobile warfare that the Japanese had envisioned but brutal, grinding attritional combat for individual strongpoints and ridgelines, with positions changing hands multiple times in a single day. The Japanese air arm was deeply involved. Ōga's division had close air support that could operate even in poor weather, and Group 3 of the Japanese Air Force hammered the Chinese positions with sustained effort. On the morning of March 24, after the 34th Division fed in more than 3,000 additional troops transferred across the Jin River, the Air Force dispatched over seventy aircraft that dropped more than 1,700 bombs, largely destroying the defensive positions of Liao Lingqi's division. The Japanese exploited the resulting chaos and twice broke through gaps in the line — but were driven out each time by Chinese counterattacks. At noon, enemy aircraft bombarded in relays and Japanese infantry broke through at Xia Po Bridge. It was at this moment that Li Hanqing, commanding the Chinese infantry defense in that sector, did what officers throughout history have done when systems fail and only personal example can stem the tide: he personally led his officer cadre in repeated counter-attacks, hand-to-hand fighting in the rubble until the Japanese were finally expelled. By this point, the 34th Division's offensive capacity was nearly spent. At the same time — and this was the critical shift that would determine the battle's outcome — General Luo Zhuoying recognized that the moment to spring the trap had arrived. The northern column had already been broken and sent reeling back toward Anyi. The southern column was pinned against the Jin River with its back to the water. The central column was bled white against the defenses of Shanggao. Luo now ordered all his armies to close in from multiple directions. On the morning of March 22, he had already begun revising his orders; by noon on the 23rd, the forces of Liu Duoquan and Li Jue had occupied Shitou Street, Guanqiao Street, and Yanggong Market, pressing on Huifu and Gaoyao. The encirclement of the 34th Division was not yet complete, but its shape was unmistakably forming. By March 25, the 34th Division knew it was in mortal danger. Surrounded on three sides, its ammunition running low and its casualty lists growing by the hour, the division urgently appealed to the 11th Army for rescue. The message that arrived in Hankou was a shock. General Marube and his staff, who had remained at their distant headquarters throughout the battle without establishing a forward command post, had not properly grasped the scale of the disaster unfolding in Jiangxi. The lack of coordination between the 33rd and 34th Divisions — the structural flaw that had been built into the operation from its conception — had allowed Luo Zhuoying to defeat each column separately, and now the central column faced annihilation. The 11th Army responded in a scramble. Chief of Staff Kinoshita was dispatched by aircraft to Nanchang with Operations Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Yamaguchi and Captain Ōne to organize a relief operation. The 33rd Division — barely recovered from its own battering in the north — was ordered to sortie immediately and fight its way to the 34th Division's relief. Sakurai organized his battered 33rd Division into three rescue columns. Infantry Brigade Commander Araki Shōji took the right column, leading Infantry Regiment 215 with one mountain artillery battalion. Infantry Regiment 214 formed the left column. The divisional commander himself led the central column with the main divisional force. On March 24 and 25, all three columns sortied from strongpoints at Niuxing, Fengxin, and other positions, attacking across the Wuqiao River and through Cunqian Street toward Tangpu and Guanqiao. The relief operation brought the battle to its most complicated moment. On the morning of March 25, the 33rd Division launched a fierce assault on the forces that Luo Zhuoying had positioned to tighten the encirclement from the north — striking Zhang Yanchuan's division at Kengkou Leng, Jiezipo, and Nancha Luo. Zhang's division, struck simultaneously from the front and rear, withdrew at dusk to near Tu Di Wang Temple, where it linked up with Tang Boyin's division. What happened next became one of the most controversial decisions of the entire battle. Zhang Yanchuan was serving as deputy army commander in the absence of Li Jue from the front. Surveying the situation — his own division under heavy pressure, the 33rd Division's relief columns pushing aggressively — Zhang concluded that the position was untenable. On his own authority, without authorization from Luo Zhuoying or any superior commander, he withdrew both his own and Tang Boyin's divisions to Fenghuang Market and Zhuangfang. The consequence was immediate and severe. The withdrawal opened a corridor through which the 33rd Division entered Guanqiao and linked up with the encircled 34th Division. An encirclement that had taken days of blood and sacrifice to construct was torn open by a single unauthorized decision. Luo Zhuoying, when he received word of Zhang's withdrawal the following morning, was furious — but he could not change what had already happened. He could only adapt. The breakout itself was an ordeal. A portion of the 34th Division that attempted to escape to the east was intercepted near Huifu by a division of the 49th Corps and lost roughly half its strength before being compelled to turn back. The main body ultimately broke out on March 27, withdrawing in march order that told its own story of disaster: headquarters, baggage, artillery, casualties, field hospital, rear guard — all moving in what the records describe as "a wretched state." On the night of March 27, Japanese troops escorting the 34th Division's field hospital — a field artillery company of the 8th Battery — were completely annihilated in a Chinese night attack. When the division reached Longtuan Xu on March 28, the stretcher-bearer column carrying the wounded stretched some seven to eight kilometers along the road. That same day, the 33rd Division's Infantry Regiment 214 finally made contact with the 34th Division's headquarters, completing what amounted to a rescue of men who had already endured their defeat. The 33rd Division's mountain artillery batteries exhausted their entire ammunition supply covering the retreat and required emergency aerial resupply drops to continue. The 34th Division limped back to its original garrison on April 2. Despite the setback caused by Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal, Luo Zhuoying did not abandon his design. Assessing his situation on the morning of March 26, he found reason for cautious optimism: Wang Yaowu's army was still making progress at Shanggao; the Japanese south of the Jin River had largely been cleared; and Sichuan Army and Northeastern Army units that had been moving to reinforce the battle had now reached the field, meaning Chinese forces retained significant numerical superiority. He resolved to execute a second encirclement. At nine in the morning of March 26, Luo issued strict orders: Zhang Yanchuan's and Tang Boyin's divisions were to immediately comply with their original orders and block the enemy near Guanqiao; Yu Chengwan's division was to attack northward via Pan Family Bridge; Liao Lingqi's and Song Yingzhong's divisions were to press toward Guanqiao with full force; Wang Kejun's division was to strike the enemy's flank and rear east of Guanqiao; Fu Yi's division was to advance south of Jiang Family Isle; and Chen Liangji's division was to swing southeast via Changpu to complete the enemy's destruction. The second ring was being drawn. On March 28, as the 34th Division's battered column trudged eastward toward survival, Wang Kejun's division advancing from Yanggong Market moved to intercept it. The Chinese occupied high ground north and south of Yanggong Market and along Mozi Ridge, and what followed was a grinding all-day battle that fixed the Japanese column at the Xiama Bei–Huxing Ridge line. Part of the 20th Brigade, moving up from Gao'an to assist the withdrawing 34th Division, was blocked near Long Tu Market. Liao Lingqi's division pursued the enemy rear guard to the Changling–Manmei high ground, where the fighting erupted with renewed intensity. At noon, part of Li Tianxia's division arrived and deployed along the Shangluoxiang–Shanyuan–Fangtounao line to harass the Japanese right flank; part of Yu Chengwan's division reached Longxing Mountain and outflanked Guanqiao Street from the south. The surviving Japanese defenders in Guanqiao withdrew into the town for a last stand, and after Liao's division pressed the assault, street fighting raged until five in the afternoon, when over 600 defenders were annihilated. Over 2,000 troops of the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade conducted a fighting withdrawal from Long Tu Market and Yanggong Market, covered by Japanese aircraft bombing to shield the 34th Division's retreat. By noon on March 30, the Japanese had abandoned both strongpoints and scattered northeastward. One group of over 600 men fled directly into the main positions of Zhang Yanchuan's division — an ironic fate, given Zhang's earlier withdrawal — and were largely annihilated. The encircling forces had been essentially dispersed, and the two pursuit columns now pressed forward under the overall direction of General Xue Yue, who had assumed personal coordination of the chase. On March 27, Luo Zhuoying — confident that victory was secured — issued a general order for a final offensive and announced substantial cash rewards to his troops: prizes offered for the capture of Japanese officers, artillery pieces, regimental colors, and other materiel. The rewards were both a practical incentive and a mark of how far the battle had tipped. By midnight on March 31, Chen Hongshi's advance column had recovered Gao'an; Wang Tiehan's division had recovered Xiangfu Guan. On April 2, the divisions of Zhang Yanchuan and Song Yingzhong recovered Fengxin; that afternoon Wang Tiehan's division took back Xishan and Wanshou Palace — the very base from which the 34th Division had launched its offensive. By April 3, the pursuing armies had reached the vicinity of Dacheng and Ganzhoujie. On April 8 and 9, the 70th Corps recovered the outpost strongpoints around Anyi before halting operations. The Japanese had retreated into their original positions and were defending from prepared terrain. The pursuit was over. The Battle of Shanggao had lasted nineteen days and nights. No battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War was ever free of the fog of competing claims, and Shanggao was no exception. On March 29, before the pursuit had even concluded, Luo Zhuoying telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek with his accounting of the victory. His numbers were dramatic: Major General Iwanaga, the Japanese infantry commander, killed; regimental commander Colonel Hamada, killed; over 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded in total. Chinese losses, Luo reported, exceeded 20,000. Ten guns, over a thousand rifles, and numerous machine guns had been captured. His superior, General Xue Yue, was skeptical. In a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek on April 5, Xue reduced Luo's numbers by twenty percent, reporting 12,520 Japanese killed or wounded and 14 prisoners captured. The discrepancy between two Chinese commanders reporting on the same battle speaks to the difficulty of battlefield accounting in any era, and suggests something of the competitive pressures that shaped how Chinese commanders reported their victories to Chongqing. The official Chinese histories, compiled after the war in the History of the War of Resistance, reported approximately 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded, 17 prisoners taken, and significant quantities of captured materiel: 6 mountain guns, 1 mortar, 24 light machine guns, 408 rifles, 24 grenade launchers, and over 111,717 rounds of various ammunition. Chinese casualties, by the same records, were 17,119 killed or wounded and 2,814 missing. Japanese records for the battle do not survive — a consequence of the wholesale destruction of Imperial Army documentation at the war's end. Contemporary scholars, working from other sources, estimate actual Japanese combat losses at approximately 5,500 killed and wounded. This is substantially lower than the Chinese claims, as was nearly always the case in the war, but represents a significant defeat by any measure: roughly a quarter of the force committed, many of them veterans impossible to replace. Chiang Kai-shek subsequently awarded the victorious Chinese units a commendation prize of 150,000 yuan — a substantial sum that marked the battle's significance in Nationalist eyes. The outcome at Shanggao was not accidental. Several interlocking factors combined to produce a Chinese victory, and each deserves consideration. The most fundamental was Luo Zhuoying's defensive plan. The decision to trade space for time — to absorb the Japanese advance through three successive defensive lines rather than contest the frontier — required both tactical confidence and a willingness to accept initial setbacks that could easily be misread as defeat. Chinese forces had to give ground, and they did. They had to suffer through the early days of Japanese advance without breaking and running, drawing the enemy forward and allowing the encirclement to take shape. That they largely succeeded in executing this plan reflects the improving quality of the Nationalist Army by 1941: better trained, better led at the operational level, and — critically — equipped with a strategic design that matched the actual balance of forces. The defeat in detail of the Japanese columns was equally important. By neutralizing the 33rd Division in the north before it could contribute to the central effort, and by pinning the 20th Brigade against the Jin River with its back to the water, Luo's forces ensured that the 34th Division faced the third-line defenses essentially alone — outnumbered, overextended, and unsupported. The Japanese operational concept had been a three-pronged convergence; what actually materialized was a single exhausted division hammering at a prepared defense while two other columns were rendered ineffective. The absence of coordination within the Japanese 11th Army was a gift that kept giving throughout the battle. No forward command post. No mechanism for the divisions to adjust their operations in response to each other's situations. No ability to recognize, in real time, that the northern column was being destroyed and redirect resources accordingly. General Marube's decision to remain at Hankou while his men died in Jiangxi was not merely an administrative failure; it was an operational catastrophe. Japanese commanders acknowledged this failing explicitly after the battle, but the acknowledgment changed nothing for the dead. Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal — the single most consequential individual decision of the battle — ultimately prevented a complete annihilation of the 34th Division rather than affecting the battle's outcome. The 34th Division escaped; but it did so in a "wretched state," having lost enormous numbers of men and equipment. It broke out, not triumphed. The encirclement Luo had constructed was torn open, but the Japanese paid dearly for the breach. The consequences of Shanggao rippled outward in ways that shaped the subsequent course of the war in central China. The transfer of the 33rd Division to North China — the original logistical rationale for the entire operation — was delayed by the division's involvement and subsequent losses at Shanggao. When it finally arrived at the Battle of Central Plains  the following month, it did so on the eve of battle with no time for preparation or orientation, entering combat under severely disadvantaged conditions. The operation that was supposed to facilitate a smooth redeployment had instead damaged one of the two units involved and delayed the other. For the Chinese 74th Corps, Shanggao had an ironic consequence. The Japanese 11th Army, following the battle, formally designated the 74th Corps as a priority target — a "standing enemy" and directed its forces to seek out and destroy it in future operations. At the First Battle of Changsha that September, the 11th Army specifically oriented its forces against the 74th Corps, a testament to the lasting impression that corps's fierce resistance at Shanggao had made on its adversaries. The compliment of being specifically targeted by the enemy was one the 74th Corps had earned in blood at Shanggao's ridgelines and shattered bridges. More broadly, the battle was widely regarded at the time, and has been regarded since, as one of the most significant Chinese tactical victories of the first four years of the War of Resistance. Its significance lay not only in the casualties inflicted — those were contested and probably inflated in the Chinese records — but in what it demonstrated. The improving tactical and operational competence of the Nationalist Army was on display. The deliberate defense, the layered withdrawal, the coordinated encirclement — these were not the operations of an army that had been fighting desperately for survival since 1937 and had learned nothing. They were the operations of an army that had studied its defeats and adapted. Shanggao did not change the strategic situation in China. The front in Jiangxi remained where it had been; the Japanese still occupied Nanchang and the major cities; Chiang Kai-shek was still in Chongqing and the war was still far from over. But it demonstrated something important: that the Chinese Army, given capable commanders, a sound plan, and the discipline to execute it, could do more than survive Japanese offensives. It could reverse them, encircle them, and pursue them back to where they came from. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In March–April 1940, Japanese forces attacked Shanggao with a limited, multi-pronged plan. Chinese troops used elastic defense and coordinated counter-moves, turning initial advantages into a trap. After intense fighting and air strikes, a coordinated encirclement and timely breakout routed the Japanese, forcing retreat despite their numbers in a costly battle.

Send us Fan MailLEARN THE CAPITAL RAISING STRATEGIES AND FRAMEWORKS used by alternative asset professionals: https://go.fundraisecapital.co/apply This episode is brought to you by Reef Pass | Serial Acquisition Investors: Reef Pass Investors has spent the last 10 years focused on partnering with founders to launch and build long-term holding companies, and has a proven track record doing exactly that.To reach out to Reef Pass Investors, email holdcofounders@reefpassinvestors.comIn this episode of Making Billions with Ryan Miller, special guest Eric Wiklendt breaks down his proprietary PortCo Value Creation System—a framework utilized to close over 38 deals across metals, specialty chemicals, and industrial manufacturing, and secure a $300 million hard cap on Fund II.Whether you are underwriting distressed assets, navigating complex corporate carve-outs, or structuring executive incentives, this masterclass reveals how to replace standard financial engineering with an unassailable operational playbook.  [THE HOST]: Ryan Miller is a fund manager, capital strategist, and former CFO turned angel investor in technology and energy. He is the founder of Fund Raise Capital and Aequor Capital Partners, and has mentored over 1,000 fund managers across private equity, private credit, venture capital, real estate, and alternative assets globally.[THE GUEST]: Eric Wiklendt is a Managing Director at Speyside Equity, where he spearheads the full lifecycle of investments, sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting control positions in middle‑market businesses. Eric brings an operator's mindset to private equity—combining deep industrial experience with deal execution expertise.Subscribe on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTOe79EXLDsROQ0z3YLnu1QQConnect with Ryan Miller:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rcmiller1/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanmilleroffical/X: https://x.com/_MakingBillionsWebsite: https://making-billions.com/Support the showDISCLAIMER: This podcast is for entertainment and general informational purposes only — not legal, financial, tax, or investment advice. Nothing herein constitutes a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security or investment product. Past performance does not indicate future results. Always consult qualified legal, financial, and tax professionals before making any investment decision. NAME NOTICE: "Making Billions with Ryan Miller" reflects the profile and aspirations of guests featured — it is not a promise, projection, guarantee, or representation of any financial result, income, or outcome for any listener, viewer, or reader. Most individuals who consume this content do not raise any particular amount of capital, and many achieve no financial result whatsoever. "Fund Raise Capital" is a brand identifier only — it is not a promise, guarantee, or representation that any member, subscriber, or listener will raise capital, attract investors, or achieve any financial or professional outcome. This show does not constitute a business opportunity, franchise, investment program, or offer of any product or service of any kind. No part of this show should be construed as a solicitation for investment in any way. Guest views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the show or host. Host and/or guests may hold positions in assets discussed. This episode may contain paid sponsorships, advertisements, or endorsements. Sponsored content is identified where...

(0:00) Intro *Reference to the Boardroom Governance Summit at Limerick Lane Cellars, Healdsburg, California (Aug 26-27, 2026)  (2:12) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel. (2:59) Start of interview.  (4:00) Origin Story of Emily, and Stewardship  (6:15) From Engineer to CEO  (7:14) Companies that she led: Elo Touch Systems (97-00), Capstone Turbine (02-03), Apexon (04-07) and NovaTorque (09-17). (9:50) Changing geopolitics of manufacturing (10:49) First Boards and Public Company Lessons (first board experience in Japan) "The soft skills are the hard part to do." (15:48) On serving in private VC-backed boards. "If you know one board, you know one board. I mean, they are all so different." (22:43) On serving in non-profit boards. "It's one of the best possible ways to get governance experience." (26:20) CEO Mistakes (32:03) Board Succession for leadership and skills. (35:33) Board Evaluations Done Right  (37:41) What Makes Great Directors. *reference to Leading Edge Stewardship, by Linda Riefler and Mayree Clark (Stanford Women on Boards). "Asking the right question, at the right time, in the right way." (39:57) AI and the Boardroom. (46:16) Innovation Versus Oversight. "The goal is informed oversight without operational interference" (49:34) Teaching Governance to Stanford Students  (52:17) Boards need to have a long-term orientation in this short-term world. (52:34) Books that have greatly influenced her life: The Bible Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson (2012) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1846) (54:12) Her mentors. "[T]hey told me things I needed to hear in a way that I could hear them because it's easy to get defensive." (55:38) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' by Margaret Mead. (56:43) An unusual habit or an absurd thing that she loves.  (57:30) The living person she most admires in governance: Bob Joss. Emily Liggett serves on the boards of Ultra Clean Technology and Materion Corporation. She also serves as Lecturer at Stanford GSB, where she teaches corporate governance and board leadership. You can follow Evan on social media at:X: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__To support this podcast you can join as a subscriber of the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at https://evanepstein.substack.com/__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

She was launching the iPhone 12 during the pandemic. Supply chain chaos across multiple countries, 16 to 18 hour days, and an enormous amount of stress. Then she lost her hair. All of it. In eight weeks. That was the moment Vivian Yip decided to bet on herself. Five months after quitting Apple, she made $600,000 on a single real estate deal. Today she runs Crew Homes and Hestia 360, a property management company built around the mid-term rental strategy. She has 20 plus years of corporate operations experience, a master's degree in supply chain management, and a book called The Frictionless MTR System. In this episode we talk about how to build a real estate business that runs without you, why mid-term rentals outperform both short-term and long-term for most operators, and what it actually takes to leave corporate and build on your own terms. 00:00 Episode teaser and the corporate stress at Apple 00:36 Introduction: Vince Perri welcomes Vivian Yip 02:09 Vivian's journey: dealing with alopecia and leaving the corporate world 03:32 Mindset shift: how adversity shapes the person you become 06:39 From Apple to real estate: applying corporate operations to business 08:02 Introducing the book: The Frictionless MTR System 09:53 What is a mid-term rental 12:03 Knowing your ideal MTR clients and target audience 13:21 How to prepare and position a property for mid-term rentals 16:48 The frictionless process: instant bookings and automated AI screening 19:21 Financial stability: why MTR outperforms traditional short-term rentals 21:21 How to evaluate and analyze a profitable mid-term rental market 25:35 Mitigating legal risks and the importance of a guest agreement 30:15 Operational efficiencies: managing turnovers, cleanings and property upkeep 35:40 Scaling your property management business via MTR 40:20 Future outlook: where the mid-term rental market is heading in the next 5 years 43:10 Culture, core values and finding motivation beyond money 45:55 Defining true success: financial freedom vs time freedom 48:20 Where to find Vivian Yip and buy the book 49:30 Episode conclusion and final thoughts Connect with Vivian Yip: Instagram: @vivianyip_official Book a strategy call: https://go.vinceperri.com/calendar-page-yt-1 Free Value Clarity Roadmap: https://go.vinceperri.com/vcr-yt Thank you for being a vital part of our channel

Unmet generative AI promises, flatlining ROI dashboards, and a relentless corporate appetite for unguided technological progress. By all logic, one would assume we'd take a strategic pause to change course and build foundational human competence. Instead, in a desperate panic, we're witnessing the birth of "AI agent sprawl,” autonomous activity deployed without a map, GPS, or off-switch.  This week, I examine what happens when companies try to use autonomous AI as a strategic shortcut to force unfulfilled promises into reality, and how it's fracturing their operational architectures and budgets. You'll see why we have to move past the open-ended rollout hype, put a full stop on unmanaged agental capabilities, and install strict human oversight mandates before these tools trigger a catastrophic bottom-line crisis.  My goal is to get you off cruise control by highlighting the following opportunities to protect yourself and your organization:​Deconstructing the Autonomy Sliding Scale: We need to stop treating AI agents like a mythical, binary technology that just arrived from space. Autonomy is a volume knob we've been turning up for decades. The real danger occurs when you spin that dial to a ten, completely relinquishing task-by-task control to a digital intern running continuously on autopilot without verifying if your structural architecture can handle the noise.  ​Exposing the SharePoint Trap with Fangs: In the cloud migration era, corporate America turned on SharePoint thinking "what's the harm," only to create an unmanaged jungle of duplicate data and orphaned sites that acted as a silent productivity torpedo. Agent sprawl is that exact same mistake on steroids because a messy SharePoint folder couldn't rewrite your product codebase, communicate with your clients, or execute legally binding corporate spend decisions. Agents can, and left running on autopilot after an employee leaves, they become an invisible, permanent liability.  ​Halting the Autopilot Spend Shock: The financial consequences of ungoverned agent loops are hitting corporate balance sheets hard, mimicking the familiar spend shock of dictionary-thick cell phone bills from the early 2000s. I highlight some recent examples like Uber vaporizing its entire annual AI budget in four months due to recursive agent rework loops, Microsoft aggressively clawing back developer licenses, and a jaw-dropping $500 million single-month bill racked up by an enterprise trapped in an infinite loop.  By the end, I hope you're convinced the solution isn't about stopping technology. It's about halting the wide-scale rollouts to reinvest heavily in human AI competence. We must move past the vendor hype, place the right people in the right loops at the right times, and establish the disciplined guardrails required to surgically agentize our operations safely.  ⸻If this conversation was helpful, make sure to like, share, and subscribe. You can also support the show by buying me a coffee at ⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/christopherlind⁠  And if your organization is wrestling with how to balance performance, technology, and people, see how I can help at ⁠https://christopherlind.co⁠  ⸻Chapters00:00 – From Tokenmaxxing to the Silent Epidemic of Agent Sprawl03:00 – The Strategic Shortcut: Why More AI Doesn't Fix Flatline Hype04:30 – Demystifying the "Agent" Tech Jargon10:30 – The SharePoint History Lesson: Anarchy in the Cloud16:15 – The 2026 Spend Shock: Inside the Uber and Microsoft Budget Crises19:50 – The Contrarian Position: Why I Discourage Wide Agent Rollouts21:45 – Action 1: Applying the Full Stop to Enterprise Agental Capabilities23:00 – Action 2: Shifting Tech Budgets to Human AI Competence24:15 – Action 3: Involving Power Users for Surgical Agentization27:00 – Conclusion: Autonomous Operational Self-Termination  #AgentSprawl #AIStrategy #OpEx #TechTrends #FutureFocused

Mary Anastasia O'Grady questions the delay in scheduling Venezuelan elections under Delcy Rodriguez. She reports that over 400 political prisoners remain held, and the notorious Helicoide prison remains operational despite contradictory claims. O'Grady notes that the regime lacks the political will to allow a free press or fair electoral body to organize. (14)1521

While agentic AI is reshaping operations, retail still runs on its core fundamentals: great products, strong brand identity, exceptional service, and operational excellence. In this week's episode of Retail Therapy, Top Retail Experts Ricardo Belmar, Brandon Rael, and Marie Driscoll break down why AI matters most as an operational enabler, not a creator of customer demand. “Keep the focus on the customer, keep the focus on the fundamentals, keep the focus on the product, the sourcing, the merchandising experience.” Ultimately, most retailers do not sell technology. They sell products and experiences. True brand heat and customer loyalty stem from sharp merchandising and powerful storytelling, not automated tools alone. Inside the Episode: - Why any technology implementation must start with strict business discipline rather than a tech-first rush - Why the most profitable automation happens in backend operations rather than through flashy, customer-facing tools - How to realistically evaluate what automated tools can and cannot do for the physical store and associate experience - Why the true financial impact of AI is incredibly difficult to isolate and measure using narrow, short-term attribution metrics The bottom line: AI can improve retail, but it can't replace the fundamentals. Listen above to learn why the winning brands use AI to support what already matters, rather than pretending the technology itself is the strategy.

What if agentic AI makes SRE more important, not less? Bennett Gould explains why autonomous AI systems may create more demand for reliability thinking — not less.Everyone seems to think AI is coming for SRE in a hard way.You might have heard the same story:“AI will write the code.”“Agents will handle incidents.”“Copilots will generate the runbooks.”“Automation will reduce operational load.”Yes, the job question is real. If AI can write code, summarize incidents, query observability tools, generate runbooks, and operate across systems, then engineers are right to ask what happens to the work.But here's the part that gets missed: AI does not just automate reliability work. It creates more objects and surface areas that need to be made reliable.Agentic AI is moving from demos into real workflows. These systems are no longer just answering questions. They are querying tools, pulling context, generating changes, and in some cases taking action around production environments.That makes this a Monday morning problem.Teams are already using LLMs for incidents, documentation, observability, infrastructure, and operational decision-making. Somewhere, a team is one demo away from giving an agent access to tools originally designed for humans.That is exactly why I wanted to have this conversation.Bennett Gould is currently a solution engineer at Neubird.ai. His career in SRE and SRE-adjacent work spans large enterprises, cloud, industrial technology, and startups, including AWS, IBM, Siemens, and a YC startup.I wanted to ask him a simple question: What in the agentic AI is happening to SRE?Here are 3 highlights from our talk:1. Agentic AI increases the reliability surface areaThe obvious fear is that AI reduces the need for reliability engineers. Bennett's view was more nuanced. He was clear that engineers still need to adapt. If people do not reskill, stay current, and learn how these systems are forming, there may absolutely be pressure in the job market. But he also argued that AI could create more demand for reliability skills because production complexity is increasing.More code is going into production.More AI-generated code is going into production.More systems that people do not fully understand are going into production.And now autonomous agents are starting to enter production workflows too.That means more surface area. More automation. More operational uncertainty. More ways for things to go wrong.Bennett compared this to Terraform: Infrastructure as code created enormous efficiency gains. But it also created new ways to make very big mistakes very quickly.Before Terraform, most people could not delete all their production resources with a single command. After Terraform, that became technically possible if the system was designed badly enough.Agentic AI follows a similar pattern. With great automation comes great responsibility.Agents can help engineers move faster, query tools, summarize context, and reduce toil. But they can also amplify weak engineering practices, poor boundaries, bad assumptions, and unclear operational ownership. That is not the end of reliability work. That is reliability work entering a new phase.2. Agents can reduce toil, but context is the ceilingOne of the strongest parts of the conversation was Bennett's explanation of where agents can help in incident response. A lot of SRE work involves moving across tools.You may need to query Prometheus, Dynatrace, logs, traces, cloud consoles, ticketing systems, documentation, runbooks, dashboards, and architecture diagrams.The problem is not always that the engineer lacks judgment.Sometimes the problem is that the information is scattered across too many tools, each with its own query language and interface. Bennett gave a simple example: an engineer might be very good at PromQL and very fast when Prometheus is the source of truth. But if the same engineer has to work in a different observability platform with a different query language, their response time can suffer. That is an obvious place where agents can help.The engineer may not need to know every query language perfectly. They need to know what they are looking for and how to reason about the system. The agent can help translate that intent into the right tool calls, queries, and summaries.That could reduce MTTR. It could reduce toil. It could help engineers move faster during incidents.But Bennett also made the limitation clear: You are only as good as the context you have. This is where he introduced two useful concepts:* Context mining* Context distillationContext mining means proactively finding the information that might be useful in a given operational situation.Context distillation means taking large amounts of information — runbooks, Confluence pages, diagrams, documentation, prior incidents — and reducing it into the minimum useful context an LLM or agent can use.That sounds powerful. But there is a catch. Sometimes the context simply is not there.Many of the largest and most complex organizations still run legacy systems where knowledge lives in people's heads, stale documentation, tribal memory, and unwritten assumptions.There may not be a clean process for turning that into usable context. That matters because agents do not magically understand your system. They work with the context they are given. If the context is missing, outdated, or wrong, the agent's usefulness maxes out early.3. Agentic systems are not just LLM demosA basic LLM workflow is relatively easy to demo:You give it a prompt.You connect a few tools.You add some APIs.You get a useful answer.That is impressive, but it is not the same thing as running an agentic system in a meaningful production environment.Bennett made a useful analogy here: running your own infrastructure versus using a hyperscaler.Cloud providers removed a lot of undifferentiated heavy lifting. Most companies do not want to spend half their time racking servers, managing data centers, and dealing with low-level infrastructure when they are trying to serve customers.Agentic systems create similar questions:* What parts of the work should be handled by the system?* What parts still need engineering discipline?* And what has to exist around the model before it is safe and useful?That surrounding structure is where the real work begins. Bennett called this harness engineering. Once you move beyond an LLM demo, you have to think about memory, learning, tool usage, identity, federation, security, evaluations, and guardrails.That is a very different problem from “the model gave a good answer on my laptop.” SREs know why that distinction matters. “It works on my machine” is not an acceptable reliability strategy.A runbook that recovers a thousand-node database cannot be non-deterministic, undocumented, and dependent on someone's local setup. If it is part of the operational backbone, it needs to be reliable.Agentic AI does not remove that requirement. It makes it more important.Bonus: Agents expose weak engineering practicesAgentic AI not only introduces new problems but it also reveals old ones.* Weak APIs.* Brittle runbooks.* Missing context.* Poor evals.* Unclear tool boundaries.* Operational shortcuts.Systems that were designed assuming careful human use may behave very differently when AI agents start using them. That is why this conversation matters for SRE.Agentic AI is not only a productivity story. It is a reliability story.It forces teams to ask whether their existing practices are strong enough for a world where more actions can be generated, recommended, or executed by autonomous systems.The silver lining for reliability workAgentic AI does not remove the need for reliability thinking. It raises the bar for it. The tools will change. The workflows will change. Some tasks will absolutely be automated or reshaped.But the hardest parts of reliability are still the hard parts:* understanding the system* knowing the trade-offs* building reliable operational processes* making good judgment calls under uncertainty and* owning the outcome when something changes in productionThat is why SRE does not disappear in an agentic AI world.It becomes one of the disciplines that makes the agentic AI world survivable.So if your team is already using AI around incidents, observability, runbooks, infrastructure, or production workflows, the question is not whether the future is coming. The future is already in the workflow.The real question is whether your reliability practices are ready for it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit read.srepath.com

If your brokerage reps are still spending 10 minutes copying data from a shipper email, manually calculating lanes, and guessing on a spot rate, your business model is an operational failure. Today I am sitting down with Ricky Gonzalez, CEO of Tabi Connect, and tech strategist Rush Feldhacker to execute a forensic intervention on the massive technological velocity shift rewriting the rules of logistics. Tabi Connect has engineered an absolute powerhouse AI-driven Rate Management System (RMS) that completely automates freight quoting across shipper TMS platforms, digital bid boards, and unstructured email streams. With the truckload spot market hitting new peaks and primary carrier rejections sending urgent freight to the open market under intense time constraints, response velocity is the single greatest differentiator between winning a load and letting a competitor walk away with it. Ricky and Rush pull back the curtain on real-world case studies—including how Ryan Transportation doubled their spot bookings within 30 days of integrating Tabi Connect with Loadsmart's ShipperGuide platform. Discover how Tabi Connect replaces slow manual data entry with plain-English business rules, captures over 48 distinct operational data points per quote, and submits market-accurate pricing back to shippers in under two seconds flat. If you want to know how the top 100 transportation companies are protecting their margins and scaling quote volumes by 300% without adding overhead, this tactical briefing is your blueprint.   Inside this High-Stakes Briefing: The Velocity Imperative: Why API and RPA-connected brokers are capturing double the spot volume while manual entry shops get starved out of the routing guides. The Tabi Pricing Pressure Index: An exclusive breakdown of why broker spot margins are running hot at 18.3% and how to maintain strict pricing discipline using automated data. Killing Email Friction: How Tabi Connect's intelligent inbox plugins read free-form text quote requests and generate instant, compliant pricing. Plain English Governance: Updating complex algorithmic quoting models instantly using standard conversational English without writing a single line of code. The Carrier Rejection Playbook: Positioning your brokerage to automatically catch high-margin spot fallout the exact second a shipper's primary routing guide fails.   Connect with Ricky and Rush Website: https://tabiconnect.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tabi-connect/  

You built your firm through hard work, skill, and sheer determination. So why does running it feel like it's slowly running you? If you lead a small or mid-sized law firm and are struggling to keep pace with rising client expectations, operational overwhelm, and mounting pressure around AI, this conversation is exactly where you need to be.Gary sits down with Misty Leon, founder of Practical Counsel Advisors, to dig into what is really keeping law firms stuck and what it takes to modernize without dismantling everything you have built. From undocumented workflows to weak governance to the AI tools your staff is probably already using without a single guardrail in place, this is a practical, honest conversation for any lawyer who wants a practice that is more efficient, more sustainable, and more aligned with the work they love doing.Key Takeaways:Identify the two most common operational failures inside small firms: inefficient workflows and weak governance, and understand why they quietly compound for years before becoming a crisisRecognize why passive AI exposure is a risk, not a neutral position, and learn where your firm's AI conversation needs to start right nowUnderstand what separates consulting advice that actually gets implemented from the strategy binders that sit untouched on a shelfChallenge whether you are pursuing the next title or credential because you genuinely want it, or because you believe you are supposed to want itTake one small, imperfect step toward change rather than waiting for the right moment that never quite arrivesGuest: Misty Leon is the founder of Practical Counsel Advisors. With nearly 25 years spanning large global firms, a boutique partnership, and a senior in-house counsel role at a Fortune 500 company, she helps small and mid-sized law firms modernize their operations and navigate AI responsibly.If today's conversation sparked something in you, sit with it. Your practice can be more intentional, more sustainable, and more aligned with who you are. Subscribe, leave a review, and visit Gary at garymiles.net.Timestamps:[00:00] Intro and guest welcome[01:17] Misty's career arc and pivot[03:44] Operational struggles inside small firms[08:06] The leap from in-house to founder[11:29] What in-house taught her about clients[17:08] Where small firm leaders get stuck[19:07] Passive AI exposure vs. intentional strategy[26:26] Redefining success and alignment[30:26] Why high performers stay stuck[34:37] Closing thoughts and how to connectGuest Bio:Misty Leon is the founder of Practical Counsel Advisors, a consulting firm helping small to mid-sized law firms with business clients modernize their operations and navigate AI responsibly. She helps firm leaders identify operational gaps, build workable systems, and move from overwhelm to intention. With nearly 25 years spanning large global firms, a boutique partnership in benefits and executive compensation, and a senior in-house counsel role at a Fortune 500 company, Misty brings a perspective that is both strategic and grounded in the real pressures of legal practice. She founded her firm because she believes the problems holding law firms back are solvable, and that lawyers deserve to spend more time on the work that brought them to the profession in the first place.Access this free tool to identify your productivity time drains and move to purposeful strategy- https://upbeat-trailblazer-9238.kit.com/7c3c667ff1Check out the Elite Lawyer's Productivity System-https://www.garymiles.net/productivityWould you like to learn what it looks like to become a truly Free Lawyer? You can schedule a complimentary call here: https://calendly.com/garymiles-successcoach/one-one-discovery-callYou can find The Free Lawyer Assessment here- https://www.garymiles.net/the-free-lawyer-assessment

When David Forlizzi describes Salsify, he begins with a simple observation: “We all use it every day.” Unlike some of the highly technical software businesses where he previously spent his career, Salsify's value proposition is visible to anyone who shops online.Product content sits at the center of the company's platform, Forlizzi tells us. Whether consumers are browsing a brand website, Amazon, or another online retailer, they rely on product descriptions, photos, videos, and specifications to make purchasing decisions. When that information is inconsistent or incomplete across channels, it can undermine confidence and influence buying behavior.Salsify helps brands manage and distribute that content across major retailers and commerce platforms, Forlizzi tells us. By serving as a central hub for product experience management, the company enables brands to deliver a consistent message while helping retailers improve conversion rates through stronger product information.As CFO, Forlizzi sees continuity in the company's strategy. The fundamentals of the SaaS model—“land, expand and retain”—remain unchanged, he tells us. What has evolved over the last two to three years is a stronger emphasis on profitability as access to capital has become more challenging in a less certain economic environment.At the same time, AI is reshaping the software landscape. Salsify has embraced that change, and Forlizzi tells us the company views its position positively.When asked what drives success today, his answer begins with the product itself. More than 800 participants attended a recent user conference, primarily customers, and their enthusiasm was evident, Forlizzi tells us. Strong customer experiences, dedicated employees, and a shareholder base that includes both venture capital and private equity investors have helped create what he describes as a unique situation that is “working quite well.”

Pastors make hundreds of decisions every week, and not all of them deserve the same mental energy. In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott and A.J. walk through four practical categories of decisions that pastors should consider offloading, delegating, or systematizing so that the decisions that truly matter get the attention they deserve. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church consultants with the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches move toward health and sustainable growth. Each week on the Church Revitalization Podcast, they bring practical, field-tested insights drawn from years of working directly with pastors and church leadership teams across the country. [3:40] Category 1: Operational and Administrative Decisions — Why routine approvals, purchases, and scheduling items should never land on the pastor's desk [8:08] Category 2: Pastoral Care Decisions — How to triage care needs and build a team so the pastor is not the first and only point of contact [10:59] Category 3: Volunteer and Ministry Team Decisions — Giving volunteers real authority within clear boundaries so leaders stop second-guessing every call [15:04] Category 4: Requests That Should Follow a Written Process — Why benevolence, events, and staff time off need a policy, not a conversation [16:56] Practical Next Step — How to track your decisions this week and identify which ones you should stop making altogether Free 7-Day Trial: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/344 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

This week on Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski sits down with Ryan Mikita of Ricca Design Studios for a fascinating conversation about the hidden world of foodservice design and the critical role it plays in shaping the restaurants, hotels, schools, arenas, and hospitality spaces we experience every day. Drawing on his unique journey from restaurant operations to leading large-scale foodservice design projects, Ryan shares how thoughtful planning can improve efficiency, employee well-being, sustainability, and the overall guest experience.The discussion explores everything from kitchen ergonomics and ventilation to workflow optimization, allergen-safe design, sustainability initiatives, and the growing shift toward all-electric commercial kitchens. Ryan also dives into the science and art behind restaurant operations, explaining how foodservice designers balance mathematical planning with human-centered design to create spaces that support both staff performance and memorable customer experiences.From university dining halls and hospitality venues to major public assembly projects and international developments, this episode offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the systems that power great food experiences. It's an insightful conversation about how exceptional buildings aren't just beautiful on the surface—they're thoughtfully designed from the inside out to serve the people who use them every day.More About Ryan MikitaRyan is a Pittsburgh-based Partner at Ricca Design Studios, where he leads a design studio focused on commercial kitchen and restaurant design across a wide range of project types. While based in Pittsburgh, his portfolio spans the globe, encompassing diverse and emerging markets, operational models, and project archetypes.His experience includes hospitality, healthcare, higher education, stadiums and arenas, government facilities, and corporate headquarters. Although each project presents its own unique challenges—often large-scale and highly complex—Ryan's approach remains consistent: designing foodservice environments that are efficient, reliable, and aligned with the broader goals of the project.Ryan works closely with ownership teams, architects, developers, and operators to bring concepts to life in ways that are both practical and well-executed. His perspective is firmly grounded in operations, with a strong emphasis on workflow, staffing, and day-to-day functionality, supported by extensive technical experience in the field.Much of his work involves complex projects requiring coordination across multiple disciplines. From feasibility studies and conceptual design through construction, Ryan helps teams align with financial constraints, navigate challenging existing conditions, and develop clear, realistic paths to execution. He focuses on delivering solutions that are buildable, thoughtful, and positioned for long-term success.At the core of Ryan's work is a passion for translating ambitious ideas into spaces that perform—balancing form and function in ways that hold up both on paper and in practice.CONTACT:www.ricca.com www.linkedin.com/in/rmikita www.instagram.com/mister_mikita Where To Find Us:https://bbfhpod.advancedglazings.com/www.advancedglazings.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/better-buildings-for-humans-podcastwww.linkedin.com/in/advanced-glazings-ltd-848b4625https://twitter.com/bbfhpodhttps://twitter.com/Solera_Daylighthttps://www.instagram.com/bbfhpod/https://www.instagram.com/advancedglazingsltdhttps://www.facebook.com/AdvancedGlazingsltd

Our Pulse Special series features the hottest content from the UK's leading ecommerce event, including panel discussions with respected brands and technology vendors.Exclusive to Inside Commerce, these discussions share interesting insights from respected industry practitioners.In this panel, ecommerce leaders discuss the operational capabilities that are critical to global commerce success.Panelists:Alister Hewitt, Director of Technology & Operations at Rat & BoaSara Gomes, Ecommerce Manager at Studio NicholsonRoss Allsop, Global Brand Advisor, Swap Commerce.Key discussion points:Maintaining brand integrity as you expand globally.Managing growth in the US through turbulent times.Strategies to smooth operations for handling returns.How operational inputs can improve the front-end customer experience.Keeping brand control & authenticity across agentic journeys.View all Pulse panels.About PulsePulse is an ecommerce conference designed for ambitious high-growth retailers and brands looking for inspiration and innovation from some of the top speakers in ecommerce and digital marketing. It takes place over 2 days every year in London, UK, with its sister New York event in September.FOLLOW US:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inside-commerce/ 

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Stefan Kovačević, Global Retail Media and Digital Shelf Lead at Nestlé, about how AI is changing the way consumers discover, evaluate, and purchase products. As AI becomes a more active participant in the path to purchase, Stefan explores what this shift means for brands and why marketers need to rethink how they build trust and differentiation.Stefan introduces the concepts of "human equity" and "machine equity," arguing that future brand success will depend on winning trust from both people and AI. He discusses the growing role of operational excellence and why emotional connections may become even more valuable as purchasing becomes increasingly automated.Key takeawaysThe future of brand equity will depend on winning with both consumers and AI-driven recommendation systems.Operational excellence is no longer just a supply chain concern; it increasingly influences brand perception and performance.As more routine purchases become automated, emotional connections may become a key differentiator for brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most independent practice owners know the practice and their personal life are supposed to be separate. Separate entities, separate accounts, separate tax returns. Almost none of them have built the structural separation that makes that true when things get hard. EP185 covers the three systems that explain why one bad quarter in the practice becomes a personal financial event, and the firewall that stops it. System 1 — The Entanglement: No formal salary. No distribution schedule. Whatever is left in the business account goes home with the owner. In a good month: $40,000. Mortgage, 529, investment contribution. In a bad month: $14,000, covered with personal savings. The savings account does not come back as fast as the practice does. System 2 — The Bad Quarter Multiplier: The cascade that runs from a billing disruption straight through to the owner's personal financial decisions. Collections drop. Distribution skipped. Mortgage still goes out. Investment contribution paused. Operational decisions made under financial stress — delay the hire, pull back on marketing, hold off on the software upgrade that would have fixed the billing gap that caused the problem. That practice is always one bad quarter away from making decisions a wealthier version of itself would never make. The Cascade in Numbers: Payer delays 45+ days → Operating account drops → Owner stops paying themselves first Denial rate spikes 5% to 14% → $28K/month delayed or lost → Personal savings tapped for household bills Key provider unexpected leave → Volume drops 30% → No distribution for 60 days Contract renegotiation stalls → 90 days cash flow uncertainty → Investment contributions paused indefinitely System 3 — The Firewall: A market-rate owner salary that does not move with revenue. A distribution schedule tied to net profit after a defined reserve threshold. Personal savings that build independent of what the practice has on hand. In a bad quarter: the salary still goes out, the distribution pauses, and the operational decisions come from strategy instead of personal financial pressure. Referenced: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz — the formula flip that makes the firewall mechanical. Three actions this week: Calculate your real owner salary — what you would pay someone else to do your job Define your operating reserve threshold — one month of payroll minimum, two months standard Schedule a financial separation review with your accountant — ask what a 30% revenue drop does to your personal finances Episode breakdown: 00:00 The $380K practice that one quarter turns 03:00 The big idea: revenue is not wealth 06:00 System 1: The Entanglement 10:30 Working vs. broken — the same practice, two outcomes 13:30 System 2: The Bad Quarter Multiplier 17:00 The cascade and what it actually costs 20:00 System 3: The Firewall 24:30 Profit First applied to a medical practice 27:00 Three actions this week 31:00 Free resource + EP185 tease Resources Mentioned Payment Posting Audit Checklist (free): eligibility.natrevmd.com/payment-posting-checklist Practice Revenue Leak Scorecard (free): eligibility.natrevmd.com/nrm-revenue-scorecard-v3 Book a free 30-minute audit call: calendly.com/heather-natrevmd RECOVER Diagnostic Quiz: natrevmd.com/quiz Book referenced: Profit First by Mike Michalowicz 

Dr. Beatriz Canamary stopped by the Energy News Beat podcast, and we had a great discussion about energy, exports, and our maritime industry, including shipbuilding and the Jones Act. I am going to just be brutally honest for a moment, and say that I have been for totally repealing the Jones Act for years. After my discussion with Dr. Canamery, my opinion has shifted toward more of a "let's get the problem solved and leave the Jones Act in place long-term" stance. But we need a plan to get to a balance. Dr. Canamary has a new book coming out, and we will be getting an interview lined up. Connect with Beatriz on her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatrizcanamary/1. U.S. Maritime Industry RevitalizationThe core focus is rebuilding America's shipbuilding capacity. The U.S. currently represents only 0.4% of global ship production (down from over 50% post-WWII), while China dominates with 60% and South Korea adds another 20%. The discussion emphasizes the need for strategic investment in shipyards, workforce development, and creating predictable cargo demand to justify shipbuilding expansion.2. Energy Security & Dominance Through MaritimeEnergy exports (oil and LNG) are central to U.S. dominance, but they're currently transported on international vessels rather than U.S.-flagged ships. The podcast explores how securing cargo on American vessels strengthens both energy security and the maritime industry. The Strait of Hormuz crisis is cited as a wake-up call about supply chain vulnerabilities.3. Global Choke Points & Geopolitical RisksEight major maritime choke points (Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea/Houthis, Strait of Malacca, etc.) are contested and sometimes weaponized. Insurance companies can effectively shut down shipping by canceling coverage, as Lloyd's of London did during the Iran strike. The discussion highlights the need for U.S. insurance alternatives and control over critical passages.4. Nuclear Technology in MaritimeNuclear propulsion for ships and floating nuclear power plants are presented as innovation differentiators for the U.S. The ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) has frameworks for approving nuclear projects, and companies like Nano Nuclear are developing micro-reactors designed for maritime use. Nuclear is positioned as cleaner than traditional fuel oil and a competitive advantage.5. Autonomous & Advanced Maritime TechnologyA new IMO (International Maritime Organization) framework for autonomous commercial ships was recently approved, with a mandatory code coming in 2032. The U.S. is positioned to compete through innovation in automation, AI, and autonomous vessels rather than on cost—since labor-intensive competition with China/Korea is unwinnable.6. Maritime Prosperity ZonesThe U.S. should develop regional maritime clusters (similar to Europe's model) with specialized capabilities—some regions for tankers, others for icebreakers, etc. The American Maritime Industrial Coalition is mapping supply chains and regional expertise to accelerate production.7. Trade Agreements & Bilateral PartnershipsStrategic trade agreements with U.S. allies can secure cargo flows through American ports on U.S.-flagged vessels, creating demand signals for shipbuilding without direct government subsidies. This creates a win-win for allies seeking energy independence.8. The Ships for America ActA bipartisan bill with 126+ seats of support, expected to pass by year-end. It includes tax incentives and supports the broader maritime revitalization strategy outlined in the National Security Strategy and Maritime Action Plan.9. Geopolitical Shifts & New Trading BlocsThe podcast discusses emerging energy-based trading blocs, China's port dominance (129 ports globally), and concerns about China's influence in South America (Peru, Brazil). It also touches on the Monroe Doctrine and regional security in the Western Hemisphere.10. Ports as Strategic InfrastructureDr. Canamari's forthcoming book explores ports as intelligence hubs, infrastructure assets, and strategic military/trade assets. The discussion covers climate resilience, digital twins, automation, and how ports are increasingly weaponized in global trade wars.This is a comprehensive discussion of how maritime infrastructure, energy, innovation, and geopolitics intersect to shape U.S. competitiveness and national security.Check out the Energy News Beat SubStack https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling in as a new sponsor. https://welldatabase.com/

Business owners ask, “How can we get customers to do what we want them to do?”And then they create an app and insist that you download it.How many apps have you been told that you need to download? (Look at your phone and count them.)Generally speaking, retail apps are good because they reduce the friction of your shopping experience. Service provider apps are bad because they increase the friction of your service experience.How many times have you had to reset your password?Have you ever had an app demand the answer to a question that sent you on a mission to find the answer?How many times have you been presented with a pick-list that did not include your need?Do you sometimes feel like you are making things easier for the service provider instead of them making things easier for you?Six different service apps have recently increased my frustration to the point that I am now searching for six new service providers to replace them.I was not surprised when I learned that all six of those companies are in decline.And I'll wager that none of them knows why.Operational efficiency is a worthy objective. Just be careful that you are not shifting your workload onto the shoulders of your customer.Every designer of a service app believes their app is going to be user-friendly, easy to understand, frustration-free, and save the customer a lot of time.In reality, these apps are felt to be unfriendly and frustrating.We both know that the objective is not to save time for us, but for us to save time for the service provider. They have established neat little cubicles to meet their own needs, and now they are telling us to crawl into each little cubicle and do what we are told.This technology is not working for me. It is forcing me to work for them.Wealthy superstar business owners do not ask, “How can we get customers to do what we want them to do?”Superstars ask, “How can we do what customers wish we could do?”Brian Scudamore, Dewey Jenkins, and Aaron Gaynor are superstar builders of service businesses.Each of these superstars has elevated their service business to become a shining star in the dark night of every customer.These men say:“How can we make it effortless and frustration-free for the customer?”“We have to find more ways to make it easier for people to do business with us!”“How can we delight the customer in ways they did not expect?”“We will always have a solution for every customer. No one will be left behind. We never walk away from a person who needs us.”Brian Scudamore built 1-800-GOT-JUNK into the World's Largest Junk Removal Service by making every problem his problem.“We make junk disappear. All you have to do is point.”For many years Brian has been pondering the question, “How can we do what customers wish we could do?”Brian identified four big things that his customers wished were possible, but that were clearly impossible.Last month Brian Scudamore figured out how to do all four of those things!When he makes his big announcement, I expect his company to quickly double in size.I would tell you to buy stock in his company, but I can't.Brian owns the whole thing. No investors, stockholders, or board of directors.Now you know how miracles are made.Roy H. WilliamsNOTE FROM INDY: I put an Aaron Gaynor radio ad on the first page of the rabbit hole for you. – Indy BeagleSmall-business growth creates a frustrating paradox: the more a business succeeds, the more overwhelmed the owner becomes. Small-business coach Jason Rosado helps small-business owners strengthen their teams, and create more free time for their owners.In this week's episode of MondayMorningRadio Jason tells roving reporter Rotbart how a business owner can identify whether their business truly needs more customers — or whether it is operational inefficiencies and leadership inflexibility that are preventing growth. If you could use some practical techniques for reducing stress and preventing burnout, check out Jason Rosado at MondayMorningRadio.com

Interview with Rudi Deysel, Managing Director & CEO of West Wits MiningOur previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/west-wits-mining-asxwwi-delivers-first-gold-and-sets-course-on-expansion-pathway-9773Recording date: 5th June 2026West Wits Mining has reached a pivotal stage in the development of its Qala Shallows gold project in South Africa, marking a transition from early-stage infrastructure work to direct ore extraction. The company has successfully completed a key underground decline and broken into Level 2, enabling access to the primary ore body and setting the foundation for improved production performance.This milestone allows the operation to shift from extracting lower-grade development ore—previously diluted by surrounding waste rock—to higher-grade stoping ore sourced directly from the reef. As stoping activities expand, gold grades are expected to progressively increase toward a target of approximately 3 grams per tonne, improving recoveries, reducing unit costs, and strengthening overall project economics.Operational readiness has been supported by new mining equipment and an expanded fleet, enabling simultaneous work across multiple mining faces. This enhances flexibility, reduces downtime, and supports consistent production rates while reinforcing safety and operational discipline.West Wits is also advancing a scoping study, due by the end of July 2026, to define the optimal pathway for scaling the project to a steady-state production target of 70,000 ounces per year by 2028. The study will evaluate mining methods, processing options, and infrastructure requirements, including the potential use of third-party facilities versus a standalone plant.Financially, the company is nearing closure of a syndicated debt facility that will fund remaining capital requirements through to projected break-even, estimated within 30 months of the feasibility baseline.Beyond Qala Shallows, West Wits is progressing exploration at its Bird Reef Central project, aiming to establish a resource from a gold-uranium target. Together, these developments position the company for multi-asset growth within the historically significant Witwatersrand Basin.View West Wits Mining's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/west-wits-miningSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

Most growing companies are held together by spreadsheets that nobody fully understands — built by someone who left three jobs ago, maintained by someone who doesn't know why it exists, and quietly critical to daily operations. In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Garrett Fritz, co-founder of MetaCTO, a fractional CTO firm that helps mid-market companies transform outdated operational processes into custom, scalable software.Garrett breaks down why so many organizations are trapped in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mindset, how AI has lowered the barrier to custom software without eliminating the need for expertise, and when it actually makes sense to build your own tool versus buying off-the-shelf SaaS. He also shares how internal tools can evolve into white-labeled revenue generators — and the most common mistake founders make when they try to take that leap too fast.Whether you're drowning in manual processes, questioning your SaaS spend, or wondering how to implement AI responsibly, this episode delivers a practical, no-hype roadmap.Key Takeaways4:37 — **The #1 operational inefficiency Garrett sees:** Hundreds or thousands of employees running mission-critical operations on a spreadsheet built a decade ago by someone who's since been promoted — and nobody knows why it has the formulas it has. 6:15 — **What "turning spreadsheets into apps" actually means:** MetaCTO embeds in the business, decodes the spreadsheets, understands the workflows, and builds working software that can replace the internal process — or be taken to market as a SaaS product. 7:54 — **Profitable from day one:** Because Garrett and his partner came with a thick Rolodex from 15–20 years in tech leadership, MetaCTO launched with clients already lined up — no burning cash to find product-market fit. 13:27 — **70% of AI POCs never see the light of day:** The excitement dies when teams realize how much effort is involved. MetaCTO's focus is getting those 90%-done prototypes all the way to the finish line. 18:34 — **Build custom vs. buy SaaS — the real decision framework:** After 2–4 weeks embedded in a business, MetaCTO looks at licensing costs, actual feature utilization (often just 2% of the SaaS product), man-hours wasted, and growth trajectory to determine the ROI break-even point. 28:25 — **Niches win:** SaaS isn't dead — it's narrowing. The companies gaining ground are building hyper-specific tools for specific industries (think: Procore, but only for commercial plumbers) where the UI, reports, and workflows are built around exactly how that niche operates. 31:33 — **The #1 mistake when productizing internal software:** Not talking to the second customer. Your problems aren't always everyone else's problems. Validate outside your organization before building for market, or you risk six months of rework when the deltas turn out to be core to the platform. 33:40 — **How to actually quantify the ROI of custom software:** Bake usage analytics into every product from day one. Track utilization, time on platform, transactions processed, and revenue generated — then compare to the man-hour cost baseline captured during discovery. 39:14 — **Responsible AI implementation starts with one rule: Resist "Accept All."** Don't grant admin tokens to AI agents for convenience. Suffer through permissions early so you don't face irreparable reputation or business damage when a bad actor exploits an over-permissioned agent. 41:22 — **The smartest first step for any leader feeling stuck:** Use AI tools like Replit to build a prototype with fake data. Don't try to connect it to real systems — just use it to force yourself through the problem-solving process. Come to the conversation with a working wireframe and you'll skip weeks of expensive discovery.Tweetable QuotesAt the heart of it is some Excel spreadsheet that some employee made 10 years ago — and it is critical to the operation." — Garrett Fritz"70% of AI proof of concept projects have never seen the light of day. It's pretty common to get excited about something and then realize, oh, this is a lot more effort than we thought." — Garrett Fritz"You can't just give a layman a chainsaw and expect to be a carpenter. A little bit of finesse and experience goes a long way." — Garrett Fritz"The niches win. The companies gaining ground are building hyper-specific tools for specific industries — where the UI, reports, and workflows are built around exactly how that niche operates." — Garrett Fritz"We never build it and run away. And as you can imagine, anyone who's created a piece of software has never said 'I'm done' either." — Garrett Fritz"Resist 'Accept All.' Give the AI admin access for convenience, and you're one bad actor away from irreparable damage to your business." — Garrett Fritz"AI is most valuable when it's applied to real business friction — not just trendy experiments or chatbots. Nobody needs another one of those." — Jeff MainsSaaS Leadership Lessons1. Familiarity is the enemy of efficiency. The "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality keeps organizations locked in spreadsheet-driven operations for years — sometimes decades. The pain point has to get big enough to justify change, but by then the cost of switching is enormous. Don't wait for a crisis to modernize.2. The barrier to custom software has dropped — but expertise still matters. AI tools like Replit and Lovable have made it possible for non-developers to prototype software. But there's a massive gap between a 90%-done prototype and a production-ready, secure, maintainable application. Knowing what you're doing still matters.3. Don't buy features you'll never use. Most enterprise SaaS customers use 2% of the product's functionality — but pay for 100% of the license. When your team is only using 2% of the product and only 50% of the people who should be using it actually are, you're compounding inefficiency at every layer.4. Build for the second customer before you build for the market. If you think your internal tool has market potential, validate it with people outside your organization before investing further. Your problems are not automatically everyone else's problems. The cost of discovering core delta requirements after six months of development is enormous.5. Measure everything from day one. Custom software that doesn't have baked-in usage analytics is a black box. You can't demonstrate ROI, you can't justify ongoing investment, and you can't make intelligent roadmap decisions. Instrument every product with utilization metrics, transaction data, and performance monitoring from the start.6. AI governance isn't optional — it's the first conversation. The most dangerous thing you can do is grant your AI agents broad permissions during development and never revisit it. Treat AI like a junior employee: define its scope, limit its access, and require human approval for anything with downstream consequences. Someone always has to be the final buck.Guest Resourcesgarrett@metacto.comhttps://metacto.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/grfritz/https://www.linkedin.com/in/grfritz/Episode SponsorThe Futureproof Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfkXKUPZ5xuOqMPR7_gzGybncTtavyR1NThe Captain's KeysSmall Fish, Big Pond – https://smallfishbigpond.com/ Use the promo code ‘SaaSFuel'Champion Leadership Group – https://championleadership.com/SaaS Fuel ResourcesWebsite - https://championleadership.com/Jeff Mains on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkmains/Twitter - https://twitter.com/jeffkmainsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/thesaasguy/Instagram - https://instagram.com/jeffkmains

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Talking Pools Podcast, host Natalie Hood of The Grit Game sits down with Adam Beech, founder and CEO of PoolBrain, for an in-depth discussion about the operational challenges facing modern pool service companies and the technology being developed to solve them. Adam shares his journey from operating a 20-truck pool service company in Phoenix, Arizona, to creating one of the industry's fastest-growing software platforms after realizing that technician accountability, customer retention, and operational scalability were problems traditional management methods could not fully solve. The conversation explores PoolBrain's latest breakthrough: fully automated LSI (Langelier Saturation Index) chemical dosing. Adam explains how PoolBrain now integrates with the Arenda calculator to automate complex water chemistry calculations, allowing companies to establish their preferred LSI methodology once and have the system consistently execute those calculations for technicians in the field. The result is reduced training time, increased consistency, improved water balance, and fewer chemistry-related mistakes. Natalie and Adam also discuss one of the industry's most persistent challenges: technician turnover. Adam explains how PoolBrain was originally built to solve the difficulties of managing field technicians, maintaining service quality, and scaling operations without increasing administrative burden. The discussion highlights how automation can reduce training requirements, standardize procedures, and help companies maintain quality regardless of staffing changes. The episode takes a deep dive into the growing role of automation in pool service operations, including: Automated chemical dosing  AI-assisted tablet recommendations  Customer communication systems  Route management  Billing automation  Service verification  Preventative maintenance alerts  Equipment monitoring  Inventory management innovations Adam explains how modern software is shifting pool companies from reactive management to proactive operations by identifying problems before they become customer complaints. Examples include tracking PSI trends to detect clogged impellers, identifying recurring chemistry issues before pools turn green, and automatically notifying customers when routes change. One of the most anticipated segments focuses on PoolBrain's future inventory management system. Adam outlines a vision of fully automated inventory tracking that follows products from supplier purchase to truck stock to chemical consumption at individual pools. The goal is a closed-loop inventory ecosystem that dramatically reduces waste, improves accountability, and eliminates countless hours of manual inventory management. Natalie also challenges Adam on several common industry myths, including: "Software is only for large companies."  "All pool software is basically the same."  "Technicians hate software." Adam explains why smaller companies often benefit just as much as larger operations and why modern pool software is evolving far beyond simple digital service logs into comprehensive operational platforms. The discussion concludes with a look at the future of the industry, including remote equipment monitoring, automated chemistry management, AI-assisted operations, integrated supplier purchasing, and the increasing role of data-driven decision-making in pool service businesses. Adam shares his belief that many operational tasks currently performed manually will become fully automated within the next five years, allowing service companies to focus more on customer relationships and business growth. Whether you're a single-pole operator, route manager, service technician, or owner of a multi-truck operation, this episode offers a fascinating look at how technology is reshaping the future of pool service.Key Topics Discussed The origins of PoolBrain  Technician turnover and accountability  Automated LSI dosing  AI-driven chemical recommendations  Customer communication automation  Service verification and photo documentation  Inventory management and purchasing automation  Operational scalability  Customer portals and self-service tools  The future of AI in pool service  Remote monitoring and predictive maintenance  Why software is becoming essential for competitive pool companies GuestAdam Beach Founder and CEO of PoolBrain, former pool service company owner, and software innovator focused on solving operational challenges within the pool service industry.HostNatalie Hood Director of Education and Events at The Grit GameLearn MorePoolBrain Official Website#TalkingPools #PoolBrain #PoolService #SwimmingPoolIndustry #LSI #PoolChemistry #PoolTech #PoolBusiness #PoolIndustryTechnology #AutomationInPools Support the showThank you so much for listening! You can find us on social media:FacebookInstagramTik TokEmail us: talkingpools@gmail.com

Data might be abundant, but turning it into actionable insights is far more complex than it seems. In this episode, Reid Jackson and Liz Sertl chat with Russ Hawkins, President and CEO of Agilence Inc., about how retailers, restaurants, and hotels are using operational analytics to improve revenue, control costs, and maintain compliance. Russ discusses how organizations can leverage real-time data to drive smarter decisions in areas like loss prevention, inventory oversight, and sales growth, all while enhancing the customer experience. He also explores the complexities of ensuring that store managers and frontline teams are aligned with broader company goals, emphasizing that success comes from balancing people, processes, and technology. This is more than just a tech upgrade. It's a continuous operational effort that relies on collaboration across leadership, operations, and analytics to deliver tangible results and lasting business impact. In this episode, you'll learn: How companies use data to increase revenue, manage expenses, and maintain compliance The importance of aligning internal teams and frontline staff with corporate objectives  How emerging technologies like AI and RFID are shaping analytics and operational efficiency  Things to listen for: (00:00) Introducing Next Level Supply Chain (01:38) Russ's background: from telecom to three CEO roles (06:34) The three things every retailer is really trying to solve with data (09:10) What internal compliance actually means (09:51) Make money, save money, be compliant (16:33) Using data to know who's upselling and who's leaving money on the table (19:37) The treasure trove already in your transaction logs (25:51) Getting the right product in the right place (30:18) Operations is a people problem (34:37) Where analytics investments go wrong (38:15) AI is exciting and terrifying in equal measure (40:59) What Russ wants to learn next Connect with GS1 US: Our website - www.gs1us.orgGS1 US on LinkedIn Register for GS1 Connect 2026, happening June 9 to 11 in Las Vegas, and get 10% off with the promo code GS1USPOD10 at connect.gs1us.org. Connect with the guest:Russ Hawkins on LinkedInVisit Agilence Inc. at https://www.agilenceinc.com/

The Atlantic hurricane season officially opened June 1 as FEMA reaffirmed readiness and the National Hurricane Center continued to watch a high-probability disturbance in the Eastern Pacific. In New Mexico, the Seven Cabins Fire pushed past 29,000 acres with evacuations in Lincoln County and a Type 1 team transition. Hawaii's Kīlauea ended Episode 48 of the Halemaʻumaʻu eruption after nine hours of fountaining, leaving the alert level at advisory. President Trump approved a Major Disaster Declaration for Delaware tied to February's severe winter storm, and the Storm Prediction Center flagged severe thunderstorm risk across the Ozarks, Mid-South, and Central Plains. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.Key Takeaways• Atlantic hurricane season opens June 1: FEMA states it is prepared, with NHC expecting no Atlantic formation in seven days. Operational focus turns to readiness messaging and posture verification.• Eastern Pacific watch: A disturbance southwest of Baja California carries a 70 percent 48-hour and 90 percent 7-day formation chance; a second system is expected off Central America later this week.• NIFC June 1 IMSR: 14 large fires under suppression, two new large fires, 2,825 personnel committed, roughly 2.4 million acres burned year to date.• Seven Cabins Fire, New Mexico: 29,531 acres in Lincoln County, evacuations north of the Capitan Mountains, command transferred to Southwest Area IMT 2 on June 1.• Kīlauea Episode 48 ends: Lava fountaining stopped at 1:37 p.m. HST June 1 after nine hours; alert ADVISORY, aviation YELLOW; eruption paused.• Delaware Major Disaster Declaration: Public Assistance available statewide for the February 22 to 23 severe winter storm in Kent and Sussex counties.• Severe weather today: Slight Risk across Ozarks/Mid-South and Central Plains; severe wind gust potential in eastern Montana and western North Dakota.• FEMA deadlines: King County, Washington Individual Assistance applications close June 10; Hawaii Kona Low applications close June 14.• Alaska volcano status: Great Sitkin remains WATCH/ORANGE with slow summit lava effusion; Mount Spurr remains NORMAL/GREEN.• New Jersey, Delaney Hall: State plans protected protest zones in Newark; federal staffing posture at Newark Liberty under public dispute.SourcesFEMA• FEMA: Major Disaster Declaration for Delaware (June 1, 2026)• FEMA: As Hurricane Season Begins, FEMA Stands Ready (June 1, 2026)• FEMA: New Dates and Locations Added for FEMA and SBA In-Person Support (May 28, 2026)NIFC and InciWeb• NIFC: Incident Management Situation Report, June 1, 2026• NIFC: IMSR archive• InciWeb: Incident Information SystemNOAA NWS and SPC• NHC: Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook• SPC: Day 1 Convective Outlook• Climate Prediction Center: Probabilistic Hazards OutlookUSGS• USGS HVO: Kīlauea Volcano Updates• USGS HVO: Newest Kīlauea volcano notice (June 1, 2026)• USGS AVO: Great Sitkin volcano page• USGS AVO: Mount Spurr volcano page• USGS: Latest Earthquakes mapAlaska• USGS AVO: Great Sitkin status (ongoing WATCH/ORANGE)California• CAL FIRE: Incidents• CPUC: Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)Delaware• FEMA: Major Disaster Declaration for Delaware (June 1, 2026)Hawaii• USGS HVO: Newest Kīlauea volcano notice (June 1, 2026)• Spectrum News: Kīlauea kicks off 48th episode (June 1, 2026)Montana• InciWeb: Mthlf Jericho Creek incident• SPC: Day 1 Convective Outlook (eastern MT severe wind risk)New Jersey• Just Security: Early Edition, June 1, 2026 (Delaney Hall, Newark customs staffing)New Mexico• KRQE: Officials provide update on Seven Cabins Fire (May 31 to June 1, 2026)• NIFC IMSR: June 1, 2026 (Seven Cabins listed under Southwest Area)Washington• FEMA: Disaster Recovery Center Locator• FEMA: 2026 Disasters news indexTravel advisories and public health• U.S. Department of State: Travel Advisories• CDC: Health Alert Network This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit emnetwork.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Jon Alford, CFO, UW Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Washington, joins the podcast to discuss the evolving financial challenges facing academic medical centers, from labor costs to reimbursement pressures. He also shares how automation, operational efficiency, and frontline engagement are shaping his leadership approach in his new role.Learn more about relentlessly raising RCM yield here: https://med-metrix.com/?utm_source=beckers&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=brand

Are you a business owner feeling like the biggest bottleneck in your own company? Do you dream of financial freedom but find yourself buried in 20−an−hourtasks?InthisinsightfulepisodeoftheSpeakingPodcast,wesitdownwithBlazMarolt,anex−militaryofficerandWestPointgraduatewhohastransitionedhishigh−stakesleadershipexperienceintoamissionforbusinesssystematization.Blazhelpsentrepreneursscalingpastthe20-an-hour tasks? In this insightful episode of the Speaking Podcast, we sit down with Blaz Marolt, an ex-military officer and West Point graduate who has transitioned his high-stakes leadership experience into a mission for business systematization. Blaz helps entrepreneurs scaling past the 20−an−hourtasks?InthisinsightfulepisodeoftheSpeakingPodcast,wesitdownwithBlazMarolt,anex−militaryofficerandWestPointgraduatewhohastransitionedhishigh−stakesleadershipexperienceintoamissionforbusinesssystematization.Blazhelpsentrepreneursscalingpastthe500k mark to build robust operational infrastructures, allowing them to stay in their "zone of genius." We discuss the "two-week vacation test," the 80/20 rule of profitability, and why even the most successful companies often operate in a state of hidden chaos. Whether you're a solopreneur or leading a team of 20, Blaz provides actionable strategies to fix your systems, empower your team, and finally achieve the freedom you started your business for.     Timestamps Timestamp Topic Description 0:00 Welcome & Introduction to Blaz Marolt 0:45 Blaz's Mission: Helping business owners stay in their zone of genius 1:56 The Bottleneck Founder: Why things break down after $500k 2:43 Military Roots: Graduating from West Point and the Slovenian Military 3:42 Transitioning to Business: Boosting production by 50% in electronics 4:34 The IT Leap: Getting hired with only Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills 5:21 Scaling a Food Delivery Giant: Growing 59x in the Balkans 6:22 The Chief of Staff Role: Doubling revenue for a US coaching company 7:03 The Young Founder Challenge: Overcoming perceptions in leadership 8:16 Military vs. Business Organization: The shocking reality of corporate chaos 9:53 The 80/20 Rule in Sales: Identifying loss-makers vs. profit-makers 11:37 Minimum Order Quantities: Why selling 100 components can be a disaster 12:54 Educating the Sales Team: Making them suffer through the production process 14:13 The Key Person Risk: Why your business shouldn't depend on one individual 15:52 The Soviet Machine Analogy: Planning for capacity and quality 31:19 The 250-Page SOP Trap: Why simple, one-page processes win 33:05 AI in Business: Using it as an assistant, not a replacement for thinking 35:01 The Amazon AI Mistake: Why quality assessment still requires humans 38:42 The 90-Day Operational Audit: What to expect in the first three months 40:53 Educating Employees: Why change management takes longer than system setup 42:52 The 20-Time Rule: Why you have to repeat instructions to be heard 60:42 Blaz's Final Advice: Defining your goals as a founder 61:16 Where to Find Blaz: LinkedIn and networking conversations 61:42 Outro: RoyCoughlan.com and the PodFather Network      

Gordon Chang discusses China's "red lines" as tools for diplomatic intimidation. He argues China is fundamentally weak due to demographic collapse, a failing economy, and a military that lacks operational leadership for major invasions. (5/16)1940 CALDWELL ID