Podcasts about smes

There are two major forces shaping how businesses operate right now: intergenerational pressures, and hefty tax debts. In this week’s episode, leadership expert Marnie Brokenshire explains why managing five generations in one workplace is pushing managers to their limits - and why employees in their 50s may be the most underutilised asset in your organisation. Marnie also outlines the emotional-intelligence skills needed to turn generational tension into team strength. Next, CEO of Grow Capital Gus Gilkeson, breaks down this year’s surge in ATO tax debt - and what SMEs must do to avoid financial strain. Gus shares practical steps for early intervention, clear communication and managing tax obligations before they become business-threatening. Business Essentials is produced by: SoundCartelsoundcartel.com.au+61 3 9882 8333See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At just 18 years of age, Stephen Cluskey suffered a spinal cord injury that left him paralysed from the neck down. Today he is an accessibility advocate and an entrepreneur whose business Mobility Mojo is working with more than 100 businesses worldwide to make workplaces better for people with disabilities. He talks about his personal journey and his passion for entrepreneurship.Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Welcome to the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, hosted by Maheen Bari. In this episode, we explore how businesses can blend AI, creativity, and human-centered design to build meaningful digital experiences that drive real results.We're joined by JP Holecka, Founder and CEO of POWER SHIFTER, a Vancouver-based digital product and transformation agency. With roots in film direction and deep expertise in generative AI, JP shares how storytelling, empathy, and neurodivergent leadership shape innovative digital solutions for modern organizations.Key Highlights:AI for SMEs: How small businesses can adopt generative AI for real ROI and avoid common transformation pitfalls.Storytelling in Product Design: How lessons from film strengthen digital products and enhance customer engagement.Neurodivergent Leadership: How ADHD and dyslexia fuel creativity, innovation, and team empowerment.POWER SHIFTER AI Studios: How the next generation of designers can use generative AI as a creative catalyst.Future Vision: How JP aims to shape digital transformation through inclusive, human-centered innovation.Special Thanks to Our Partners:RBC: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/dms/business/accounts/beyond-banking/index.htmlUPS: https://solutions.ups.com/ca-beunstoppable.html?WT.mc_id=BUSMEWAGoogle: https://www.google.ca/A1 Global College: https://a1globalcollege.ca/ADP Canada: https://www.adp.ca/en.aspxFor more expert insights, visit www.canadiansme.ca and subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Stay innovative, stay informed, and thrive in the digital age!Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

It's a magnet for side hustlers around Europe. The CoCreate event was held this November in London, the first time it's come to Europe. It's an event run by Alibaba.com, a global online marketplace for b2b wholesale trade. Small businesses use it to source in bulk products from manufacturers and trading companies to then sell to consumers themselves. Alibaba.com is part of Alibaba Group founded by Jack Ma in China in 1999. Alibaba.com now connects 50 million buyers with 200,000 global suppliers, many of them based in China. At CoCreate there are suppliers showing off their wares, including everything from robot vacuum cleaners to skincare products and fashion items. Dougal Shaw spoke to the entrepreneurs who flocked to this event before catching up with Kuo Zhang, the president of Alibaba.com, to find out how small companies can access global supply chains, with AI making the task increasingly sophisticated. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this final Accountants Minute Podcast episode for 2025, Peter Towers is joined by Darren Gleeson, Managing Director of TaxFitness, to explore how benchmarking and virtual CFO services can transform struggling SMEs into top-performing businesses. They discuss why benchmarking against the top 20% (not the average) is critical, how to turn profit gaps into advisory opportunities, and why accountants and bookkeepers must move beyond compliance if they want to stay relevant in an AI-driven world. Perfect for firms ready to lead clients—and their own team—into 2026 with stronger profitability and sharper advisory services. You can also access our podcast on: Amazon Music Apple Podcasts Audible Spotify YouTube  

In this episode, Prerna Singh, CPTO at Avaaz, walks us through how AI is reshaping the way we prototype, learn and build digital products. Rather than replacing teams or skipping straight to production, she argues that AI shines when used as a “thought partner” to accelerate early‑stage experimentation. Through her own journey building a community platform on weekends, she demonstrates how tools like ChatGPT, Lovable (and later Claude / Replet) and Figma AI enabled her to move from blank page to clickable prototype in hours — while retaining the human insight, iteration and context that underpin good product work. The conversation reframes common assumptions about “fast‑AI = bypass human work,” and instead proposes a balanced adoption path: start in “sandbox mode,” learn and play — before graduating to “architect mode” where the real value to business begins.Chapters00:00 – Introduction & AI's impact on product cycles01:43 – Meet Prerna Singh: her background in product and community building03:50 – The community problem: logistics over connection05:11 – Turning to AI to solve her own problem06:50 – What AI can't do: user insight and human judgment08:08 – From waterfall to short-cycle prototyping10:54 – Using ChatGPT as a Socratic thought partner13:07 – Working solo vs team: where AI fits17:17 – From prompt to prototype: using Lovable19:06 – Iterating with Figma AI and other tools23:00 – Real feedback from real users25:02 – Creating a feedback knowledge base with AI26:16 – AI vs design sprints: same principles, new toolsOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

In this episode of the Business Coach Podcast, business coach Kevin O'Keefe shares why true sales success isn't about pushing products or features—it's about understanding what customers are really buying. Drawing from decades in international banking and two decades as an ActionCOACH mentor, Kevin reveals the five key metrics that drive business growth and how gap analysis can transform sales performance. Through engaging stories and practical insights, he shows how knowing your customer, not just your product, leads to stronger margins, loyal clients, and long-term success.Coaching is more than a job, it's a calling. Discover how you can become a certified ActionCOACH and change lives, starting with your own. Get started by clicking here. https://lp.actioncoach.com/franchise-apply  About Kevin O'Keefe:Kevin O'Keefe is an experienced business coach and chartered accountant with over 20 years at ActionCOACH. After a global career in finance spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, Kevin now helps SMEs unlock growth through smarter sales strategies and better systems. Known for his straightforward, results-driven approach, he teaches leaders to focus on value, not just volume, helping businesses sell solutions that truly matter.Learn more: https://kevinokeeffe.actioncoach.com/About ActionCOACHActionCOACH is a global business coaching firm founded in 1993 by Brad Sugars. It offers coaching services to all types of businesses, providing guidance and support in various aspects of business management, including marketing, sales, finance, team building, and systems development. ActionCOACH operates through a network of trained business coaches who work directly with clients to help them achieve their business goals and overcome challenges. The company's vision is to "create world abundance through business re-education," aiming to empower entrepreneurs and business owners to build profitable enterprises that work without them. Learn more about ActionCOACH: https://www.actioncoach.com/Become A Coach: https://www.actioncoach.com/

About Ayah Yahia AlRashdanAyah Yahia AlRashdan is a marketing strategist and leader who blends engineering-level analytical thinking with a deep understanding of culture, people, and place. Born in Jordan and raised in Qatar, she earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering before pivoting into marketing through an MBA in Malaysia, where she also landed her first role in the industry.Over the past 15 years, Ayah has worked across government, private sector, startups, and SMEs, building campaigns that don't just reach audiences but move them. Today, as Marketing Director at LinkViva, she has helped transform marketing from a one-woman function into a 40-person operation, delivering large-scale experiences such as Liwa Village and other flagship events across the UAE.Her leadership is shaped by time spent in male-dominated boardrooms, dealing with toxic environments, and rebuilding her confidence by carving out her own space and voice. She is passionate about empowering women in leadership, building teams grounded in respect rather than fear, and using storytelling-driven marketing to create genuine emotional connection, not just impressions and clicks.About this EpisodeIn this conversation, Ayah walks us through her journey from electrical engineering to executive marketing leadership, showing how a willingness to pivot can completely reshape a career. She shares how growing up between Jordan and Qatar, then moving to Malaysia for her MBA, exposed her to different cultures and perspectives that later defined her storytelling-first approach to marketing. Ayah explains how her engineering background, far from being wasted, gave her the analytical mindset and problem-solving instincts that now serve as the backbone of her strategic work.We explore the moments that tested her confidence, from early imposter syndrome to navigating male-dominated boardrooms and dealing with toxic leadership environments. Ayah opens up about the setback that pushed her to step away, rebuild her confidence, and reinvent herself during the pandemic by creating content, launching her own platform, and learning how to stand on her own professionally. Her story highlights how resilience isn't always about enduring; sometimes it's about walking away to protect your growth.Ayah also shares the remarkable transformation she led at LinkViva—scaling marketing from a one-person role to a 40-member team delivering major cultural, entertainment, and wellness events across the UAE. She breaks down how storytelling, emotional connection, and cultural insight shape her campaigns, and offers practical advice for women in leadership: keep your voice loud, support your team, stay current, and step outside your comfort zone. Her path is a reminder that breaking stereotypes, staying curious, and trusting your instincts can lead to a purpose-driven and impactful career.Quotes2:50 - One of my main goals at that age was basically to love what I do and to wake up happy to go to work. 3:09 - We are very problem-solving oriented and very analytical. And that helps a lot when it comes to developing a career in marketing. 6:02 - I believe basically that when it comes to workplaces, I think females and males have different mentalities of how they handle specific situation challenges. And it's usually that I think men have been more empowered to take leaps into uncomfortable zones. But women always do more calculated uh risks. 9:15 - We hired the right people, delivering the right quality of work. 10:52 - It's keeping yourself busy and never giving up, no matter what you're doing. Sometimes a smallThe Matrix Green Pill Podcast: https://thematrixgreenpill.com/Please review us: https://g.page/r/CS8IW35GvlraEAI/review

In this episode of the Accountants Minute Podcast, Peter Towers explores how predictive accounting reports turn a business plan into a live early-warning radar for SMEs — with budgets by operation, key drivers, cashflow forecasts, projected balance sheets and KPIs all working together. You'll hear real stories of how weak communication, poor debtor and creditor management, and hidden inventory or capex blowouts can quietly destroy cash flow — and how accountants, acting as Virtual CFOs, can step in, monitor the numbers weekly, and protect profitability. Peter also highlights the role of benchmarking with the top 20% of performers and best-practice Trades Charge-Out Rate Calculators as powerful tools to help your clients scale with confidence. You can also access our podcast on: Amazon Music Apple Podcasts Audible Spotify YouTube  

Welcome to the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, hosted by Maheen Bari, where we explore the strategic insights and global perspectives shaping Canadian business success. Today, we're diving into the world of fintech and payments, examining how a Canadian innovator is securing nearly 100 billion annual transactions across the globe.Our guest, Bijan Sanii, CEO and Founder of INETCO, brings over 30 years of global tech leadership and now leads one of the most trusted AI-driven payment security platforms in the world.Key Highlights:Global Expansion Strategies: Bijan shares how SMEs can break into emerging markets and navigate challenges like tariffs and market fragmentation. Building Strong Partnerships: He explains how transparent, mutually beneficial international partnerships drive export success. AI Security & Digital Trust: Bijan breaks down how BullzAI detects suspicious payments in milliseconds and builds digital trust in underserved regions. Export-Ready Product Traits: He reveals the essential attributes of scalable, compliant, and adaptable products primed for global markets. INETCO's Future Vision: Bijan discusses INETCO's global recognition and their long-term mission to advance AI-driven payment reliability worldwide.Special Thanks to Our Partners:RBC: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/dms/business/accounts/beyond-banking/index.htmlUPS: https://solutions.ups.com/ca-beunstoppable.html?WT.mc_id=BUSMEWAGoogle: https://www.google.ca/A1 Global College: https://a1globalcollege.ca/ADP Canada: https://www.adp.ca/en.aspxFor more expert insights, visit www.canadiansme.ca and subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Stay innovative, stay informed, and thrive in the digital age!Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

We spoke with Phil Barnes from Geotab at the Nevo Electric Vehicle Show about the emergence of green electric vehicle fleets in Ireland, how businesses can get the most out of their investment in electric vehicles and how AI is transforming telematics.Visit www.thinkbusiness.ie for more news and supports for start-ups and SMEs in Ireland. If you want to start and grow a business, ThinkBusiness.

Graham Dufault, General Counsel at ACT | The App Association, joins Kevin Frazier, AI Innovation and Law Fellow at the University of Texas School of Law and a Senior Editor at Lawfare, to explore how small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are navigating the EU's AI regulatory framework. The duo breakdown the Association's recent survey of SMEs, which included the views of more than 1,000 enterprises and assessed their views on regulation and adoption of AI. Follow Graham: @GDufault and ACT | The App Association: @actonline Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Accountants Minute Podcast, Peter Towers introduces Stage One of the Innovation Journey — where every breakthrough begins with a simple idea. You'll discover how accountants and bookkeepers can guide SMEs from that first spark through R&D eligibility, record-keeping, prototype development and commercial planning. This is your roadmap to becoming the internal auditor, advisor and strategic navigator SMEs desperately need as they innovate, experiment and build new intellectual property. If your firm wants to lead clients through real innovation (and unlock new advisory revenue along the way), this episode is your starting point. You can also access our podcast on: Amazon Music Apple Podcasts Audible Spotify YouTube

In this 'We Have Cool Friends' guest special episode, we're joined by the awesome Timothy Compton, Head of Social Media at Sage and expert in social strategy and influencer marketing. Tim spends his days supporting SMEs across the UK & Ireland — and today he brings us a fresh perspective from outside the accounting bubble.We dive into something a little different: Tim's experience navigating the ever-evolving world of social media, how the landscape is shifting for creatives, and his take on the rise of AI, not just for the accounting industry, but for marketers, designers, and content creators everywhere.And, what is the Paddington Theory?

Welcome to the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, hosted by Maheen Bari. In this episode, we dive into the world of ethical hacking, cybersecurity testing, and early threat detection to help businesses uncover risks they often don't realize exist.We are joined by Terry Cutler, CEO of Cyology Labs, an internationally recognized ethical hacker certified under the Controlled Goods Program and author of the bestselling Insider Secrets to Internet Safety. Terry brings decades of real-world insight into how small businesses can safeguard themselves from rising digital threats.Key Highlights:SMB Blind Spots: The common vulnerabilities Terry discovers even when MSPs claim systems are secure, and practical steps SMEs can take immediately. Attack Simulations: What missed vulnerabilities reveal about SOC gaps and how continuous monitoring helps businesses stay ahead of attackers. Security Ladder Priorities: The first three steps every SMB should invest in when working with a limited cybersecurity budget. The Human Firewall: How Terry's training platforms empower Canadians to avoid scams and strengthen workplace security. Controlled Goods Standards: What this certification means for Cyology Labs and the future of MDR and automated penetration testing.Special Thanks to Our Partners:RBC: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/dms/business/accounts/beyond-banking/index.htmlUPS: https://solutions.ups.com/ca-beunstoppable.html?WT.mc_id=BUSMEWAGoogle: https://www.google.ca/A1 Global College: https://a1globalcollege.ca/ADP Canada: https://www.adp.ca/en.aspxFor more expert insights, visit www.canadiansme.ca and subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Stay innovative, stay informed, and thrive in the digital age!Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

Welcome to the CanadianSME Small Business Podcast, hosted by Maheen Bari. In this episode, we explore how data unification and AI powered architectures are reshaping the way businesses access insights, make decisions, and scale securely.Our guest is Nathan Vega, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Starburst. With experience at Protegrity, Covail, and IBM Watson, Nathan shares how federated data access, Lakeside AI, and trust focused strategies help SMEs unlock AI without costly migrations or large technical teams.Key HighlightsAI Fears vs Reality: Nathan explains why AI anxiety persists and how the technology strengthens human centered work. Unifying Fragmented Data: Practical ways SMEs can blend data across tools to make smarter, faster decisions. Lakeside AI for SMEs: How Starburst enables accessible, budget friendly AI adoption for small and mid sized businesses. Data Anywhere Strategy: A clearer path to scaling without complexity or expensive full scale migrations. The Agentic Workforce: How humans and AI agents will collaborate to drive better decisions and reduce routine work.Special Thanks to Our Partners:RBC: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/dms/business/accounts/beyond-banking/index.htmlUPS: https://solutions.ups.com/ca-beunstoppable.html?WT.mc_id=BUSMEWAGoogle: https://www.google.ca/A1 Global College: https://a1globalcollege.ca/ADP Canada: https://www.adp.ca/en.aspxFor more expert insights, visit www.canadiansme.ca and subscribe to the CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Stay innovative, stay informed, and thrive in the digital age!Disclaimer: The information shared in this podcast is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as direct financial or business advice. Always consult with a qualified professional for advice specific to your situation.

In this episode of The Clive Holland Show, we dive into how the latest UK budget will impact apprenticeships, SMEs, and the future construction workforce. With a couple of weeks to digest the announcements, Clive asks the key question: Has the budget made it easier or harder to hire an apprentice?The government has pledged to cover 100% of training costs for apprentices under 25 working for SMEs and will continue National Insurance relief for the same age group - positive news for employers. But with the Apprentice Minimum Wage rising 6% to £8 per hour from April 2026, many businesses are questioning whether taking on apprentices will remain financially viable.We also explores the government's new ‘Youth Guarantee', an £820 million initiative designed to give every 18–21 year old not in employment, education or training a place in college, an apprenticeship, or targeted career support. Clive discusses what this could mean for the trades, the wider industry, and how it may help bring the next generation through.If you want clear insight into how the latest budget affects hiring, training, and the future talent pipeline, this episode is a must-listen.Catch Clive On Fix Radio Monday - Thursday 12 PM - 3 PM Across The UK On DAB Radio And Online At https://www.fixradio.co.uk/ 

Timestamps:7:30 - Impact vs profit maximizing19:48 - The price of saying no to investors and customers25:17 - How bootstrapping vs VC funding impact speed and focus30:54 - Defining success: short global impact story vs sustainable and long-term growth This episode was produced by Founders Hive, a community of successful startup founders, industry experts, and investors promoting entrepreneurship in Switzerland and helping early-stage business concepts get ready for seed-stage investment.Founders Hive is a partner of the Entrepreneurship Training programme, empowered by Innosuisse, the Swiss innovation agency supporting SMEs, startups, research institutions and other Swiss organizations in their research and development activities. Click here to find out more about Founders Hive, empowered by Innosuisse.Episode summary:In this Opposing Views episode, we welcome David Eberle (INSEAD MBA), Co-Founder and CEO of Typewise, a YC-backed AI startup building autonomous customer service agents, and Florian Emaury (ETH PhD), Co-Founder and CEO of Menhir Photonics, a fully bootstrapped Swiss deep-tech company producing some of the most precise lasers in the world.Together with Silvan, they unpack one of the most debated questions in the startup world: should you optimize for impact or profit? They explore how funding strategy shapes decisions, why margins (not industry) determine whether bootstrapping is viable, and how shifting from B2C keyboard app to B2B enterprise AI changed Typewise's trajectory. They also discuss pricing discipline, ethical boundaries, pivots, and how Swiss founders approach growth compared to U.S. startup culture.They also open up about navigating ethical red flags with investors, resisting tempting short-term revenue, and balancing ambition with a life worth living. Both founders reflect on what success means beyond valuations: sustainability, joy, quality, risk-taking, and building something that lasts. Whether you're building a deep-tech hardware company or scaling AI software, this episode challenges how you define success and what you're willing to trade for it.The cover portrait was edited by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.smartportrait.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.‍‍‍Don't forget to give us a follow on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠so you can always stay up to date with our latest initiatives. That way, there's no excuse for missing out on live shows, weekly giveaways or founders' dinners.‍

Marcus Mølleskov, CRCO at Januar, reveals how his dual-licensed fintech provides banking infrastructure to crypto SMEs rejected by traditional banks across Europe.

Todd Irwin, founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Fazer on de-positioning, a strategic approach to outperform competitors by solving hero customer pain points better than anyone else. The musician and artist turned brand strategist who has advised Fortune 500 companies, SMEs and startups for three decades, argues for a shift in thinking from differentiation to problem solving, and simply being better. An expert in delivering competitive brand strategies to visionary leaders seeking growth, he argues that creativity is downstream of positioning, and solving problems reminds us that when people grow, brands grow, and when companies grow, we all grow. 

According to Forbes, sales reps spend 35.2% of their time selling and 65% of their time on literally everything else. So how can organizations cut through the noise and focus reps on the activities that matter most? Riley Rogers: Hi, and welcome to the Win-Win Podcast. I’m your host, Riley Rogers. Join us as we dive into changing trends in the workplace and how to navigate them successfully. Here to discuss this topic are Yvette Boucher, Director of Sales Enablement at CentralReach, and Chelsea Louro, Senior Manager of Sales Enablement at CentralReach. Thank you so much for joining us, both. Just to kick us off, I’d love if you could tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your role. Yvette, would you like to kick us off? Yvette Boucher: Yeah, thanks for having us. I’m Yvette. I’ve been with Central Reach for about six years now, building out our enablement programs. We’re an AI-powered platform for autism and IDD care providers. Our end-to-end software and learning solutions help organizations deliver quality outcomes to help every client succeed. I'll pass it over to Chelsea. Chelsea Louro: Thank you. I’m Chelsea Louro, senior manager of sales enablement. I’m also approaching six years here at CentralReach. And then prior to coming to CentralReach, I was a teacher for a little over a decade. I also did teacher training and recruitment and then education sales, then that brought me here where I was in SDR, an account executive, and then also now in enablement the last three and a half years. RR: Amazing. Well, we’re super excited to have you here, especially knowing that you guys were both up for a Spark Award this year. So you are doing some really wonderful work that I’m really looking forward to digging into as we kick off. I’d love to start with you, Yvette. Let’s open with what’s difficult, what you’re up against lately. So, what are some of the core challenges to GTM success that you’re seeing, and how have those challenges kind of evolved throughout your enablement career? YB: One of the biggest challenges we’ve seen recently is just how short the timelines have become between a product announcement and when reps are expected to start selling it. We’re moving faster than ever, especially with our new AI products. That means enablement has to get the reps the right information, the right messaging, and the right training almost immediately. It’s been a constant balancing act between speed and depth. We want reps to feel confident and well prepared, but we also need to deliver that enablement in a really agile way, so they’re ready to have meaningful conversations from day one. So the pressure to move fast has definitely shaped how enablement operates today. For us, it’s not just about building training, it’s about building our systems and processes that can scale and flex with the business. RR: I think you’re certainly not alone in some of those challenges. Organizations across the board are struggling with similar things, and everyone’s kind of looking for that silver bullet. Chelsea, I wonder if you can maybe help us kind of build on this. So, from your perspective, how does an enablement platform support you and the team in addressing these challenges and helping reps focus on selling? CL: Yeah, so I’ve been in roles at other companies where there wasn’t much organization. There was no enablement platform at all. Both as a seller and a leader, I spent a lot of time trying to find the resources that I needed, and sometimes just—out of pure frustration—had to create my own. I know a lot of sales reps come across that as well. So, having a platform like Highspot gives us kind of that single source of truth so we can get all of our content guidance training all together in one platform, one workflow. Our reps aren’t spending time trying to find things and they can focus on what they really need to do, which is sell. It also helps us deliver insights back to our leadership, um, and lets us see what content and sales plays are actually driving our sales. That visibility allows us to continually refine and to make sure that the reps are supported and then focused on selling. RR: Kind of moving forward, I would love to maybe focus on some of the ways that you’re using an enablement tool. I’ve heard that you and the team are doing some really wonderful things with Sales Plays, and that’s kind of part of what earned you that Spark Award nomination. Yvette, knowing that Sales Plays are playing such a critical role in supporting some of your AI-centric product launches this year, I’d love to learn a little bit from you about what that strategy is, and how you’re using plays to streamline rep workflows. YB: We’ve really built our Plays with simplicity and speed in mind. So, the idea is that we get the right information in our reps hands as quickly as possible with who to target, what to say, and what resources they can use so they can jump straight into the action instead of digging through multiple tools or decks. When we launched our AI solutions last year, the Plays became a living guide for the team. And because the plays live right in Highspot, reps can easily pull them up in the moment. So as our products continue to evolve, the Plays evolve too. So they’ve become a go-to reference point that helps stay, keep everyone aligned and stay confident in how they’re positioning our solutions. RR: It’s funny because you know, a Sales Play is such a humble thing, but it can be so powerful if you use it right. It’s not just the strategy that I think is really impressive with what you guys are doing. Chelsea, I’ve heard that you and the team have driven a really incredible 99 again, 99% adoption rate of your Plays. So can you walk us through how you maintain such high sales play adoption? CL: I think a lot of it is just constant repetition and reinforcement. Our teams have kind of become used to our enablement and go-to-market communications, so adding in Sales Plays was just a nice easy process. Every time we roll out a new Sales Play, we emphasize the importance to them. We let the team know that any changes or updates will be made in that Sales Play. So that’s where they need to go to find their source of truth. I put out a weekly newsletter called the CR Morning Brew every Monday, and in the Brew we share new marketing content, any updates to those Sales Plays, any initiatives, things that they need to know. Then we have a live sales meeting on Tuesdays where everything that was shared in the Brew is reinforced. So again, the reps are reading it, they’re getting it in sales team channels—because I share out that Brew in every single sales team channel—and then that live, vocal repetition and just making sure that they’re paying attention and, and they know what’s happening. RR: I think one thing that’s really important that you called out there is that yes, you’ve driven really high adoption, but you also built the foundation of communication beforehand. So you had these levers in place that you could pull and be like: “You trust us. You know where we’re coming from, and now I can send you to the right places.” So, you’ve built a strategy. You’ve seen near unanimous engagement with it, but it goes further than that. Yvette, you shared that using Sales Plays during a recent product launch led you to influence over 900 opportunities. Could you walk us through how you drove those results and then how that impacted the launch outcomes? YB: I think it really came down to how we set up the Plays to begin with. Like it came down with that alignment and teamwork. So prior to the launch we worked cross-functionally with product marketing, sales leaderships and our SMEs to make sure the reps had everything they needed for messaging, positioning, and the hands-on product support, which I think was key there. They needed someone that knew that product. We also knew we would be learning in real time. So every team at CR leaned in to help them, everyone. By the time the Play that went live, we were already making edits and updates based on early feedback. Every update and change was communicated in our Morning Brew. sales team meetings, and individual team meetings, and we continued that communication and support from our SMEs, and that’s really what helped us influence those opportunities. It’s also great that it was a great product for people to have. RR: That is the kicker—it's hard to sell when you don’t have something exciting. So I’m glad that both cylinders were firing there. You guys were doing the right things and so was the product. Now, I feel like we could probably continue digging into Sales Plays, there's a lot there. Again, like I said, they're one thing that gets overlooked, but they can be really, really high impact. I would like to maybe switch gears to another win that you’ve shared with us. Chelsea, you leveraged Highspot to redesign your onboarding program, achieving a really impressive one hundred percent adoption of required training and reducing ramp time by one to two weeks. Can you walk me through what you were thinking about as you were improving this program? What impact has that has had on rep productivity, ramp time, and all of those good things? CL: Yeah, so we kind of reimagined the onboarding program to be a little bit more personalized and performance driven. Using Highspot's training module, we built out role-specific Learning Paths that kind of combine product knowledge, our Sales Plays, and then real world scenarios. We also created an onboarding homepage. So when a brand new rep first joins the team, they log into Highspot. They have an onboarding homepage that clearly links all the Learning Paths but also defines the expectations, the deliverables, and what they should expect every single week. We also hold weekly check-in meetings with all of our new hires where we can answer any questions about what they’ve learned. We have discussions, we’ll bring in SMEs and then we can do any troubleshooting. And then honestly, just using the analytics with the Learning Paths, we’ve been able to track completion and performance and we can kind of quickly identify where the reps need maybe a little bit of additional support in different areas. But yeah, I mean this all together, we’ve kind of, like you said, we’ve reduced our ramp time, one to two weeks, and we make sure just with buy-in from our leadership, that all of the sales reps are completing every single Learning Path. So we do have that hundred percent completion rate. RR: What motivated the shift in the onboarding process? Where were you, and why were you like: “It’s time”? CL: We had all of the resources, but we hadn’t had that training or coaching platform yet. So we adopted that, really rolled that out, and that was kind of the kicker to get everything together and organized and built out into those Learning Paths. So I think just adding that training and coaching platform was the kicker to really redefine what our onboarding looks like. YB: I would say that previously we had our onboarding program in another tool outside of Highspot. So it’s just—we know sales reps: They wanna find everything right away, very easily. So just putting content and introducing people “Hey, you’re gonna use Highspot for this, but in your onboarding you’re gonna be using something else” just wasn’t going to get people using it or building things out. RR: That kind of goes back to something we were talking about earlier with your established communication cadences, and so bringing everything together, that’s a great move and I love to see that it’s already having that impact on not only engagement, but on productivity. And I think one thing that’s really impressive to me is just how much data you guys are coming with—of we’ve improved ramp time, we’ve seen really high adoption, and we’ve seen high engagement. Proving enablements impact is usually really, really hard. How are you measuring the effectiveness of your programs and demonstrating their contribution to broader business goals? YB: That is such a good question and honestly it’s something that’s been a challenge for us too. Measuring the true impact of enablement isn’t always straightforward. You can track engagement completion rates, but tying that back to real business outcomes takes a lot more work. One thing that really helped us in the last year really is using the Business Outcome section of our Sales Play Scorecards. That gives us a way to look beyond the usage and see how those Plays are actually influencing the results. So it tells us a clearer story about how our enablement drives performance, and not just participation from our reps. We’re taking that a step further next year. Our team is really excited to roll out Initiative Scorecards for our programs in 2026, so that’ll let us measure the impact across the full life cycle from launch to execution so we can keep improving and show the tangible value of enablement in driving the business forward. RR: Can I ask how you’re planning to use the Initiative Scorecard? Knowing that CentralReach is in a pretty launch heavy motion right now, is it going to be for product launches? What are your goals for that? YB: You know, we’re trying to develop that right now, so as we’re thinking of 2026 planning, I want to partner with the different sales leaders here as well as my direct leader and see what are our initiatives going into 2026. So potentially Q1, Q2, we’re not sure how we’re gonna break that out yet. But really getting some pipeline generation numbers. I know we have a lot of releases happening in some of our already launched AI products, so I want to generate campaigns of this is the product of focus, how much pipeline do we want to build, and how are we gonna build it. Then we'll use that Scorecard to show here’s the content, here’s the Plays, and here’s the training, supporting the team. Then, here’s the teams using it, getting it out there, and being able to tie that back to our future opportunities. RR: Amazing. I think that’s the foundation you need, right? You can have these key motions in the business, but encapsulating it all into an agreed-upon initiative that every function is aligned with is harder than you’d think. So I like to hear that you’re starting that new planning with: “What are our initiatives?” We looked a little bit ahead there, but I’d like to kind of just take a pause at where we are. We’ve talked about a couple of wins—Sales Plays, influenced opportunities, improved onboarding programs, and better ramp time. Outside of those things, since implementing Highspot, what are some of the key results that you’ve achieved? Are there any wins or really proud achievements that you could share? Chelsea, I’ll kick it over to you first. CL: Yeah, so I mean like you mentioned, just the 99% adoption of our sales plays and our onboarding ramp time being reduced to one to two weeks. I think overall just the 900 influenced opportunities in our new AI products was a huge win for us and brought in a lot of revenue, and Yvette mentioned at the beginning, it’s really a tool that helps this industry and helps our customers. So we were really excited to see that. But overall, just our win rates have improved our deal velocity, and I think that’s just more thanks to consistent execution and messaging alignment. Overall, I think the biggest win that we’ve seen is rep confidence. Our reps feel like they know what to say. They know the value prop, they know what to do. We get less questions, which is nice because they know exactly where to find things. They know where to go, what to find, how to use it, and just how to use it to win. RR: I think that’s everything you want to hear—your reps know how to do the thing. That’s what you’re here for. So fantastic that you’re kind of achieving that and have the data to back that up. Yvette, were there any wins that you wanted to share? YB: Honestly, I think Chelsea nailed it. Like the Learning Paths and all the work we’ve been doing with our training, I think that’s been huge. Definitely noticed the ramp time reduced with our new hires. They’re more confident, and I think we also have that always continue learning and changing mentality here. So, it's meeting with Chelsea and the enablement team and always like, how do we improve this? Just adding things like Role Plays now for SDRs because we found that, hey, once we launch a training, yes they can get on, they can get opportunities very, very quickly, reduce their ramp time, but we want to improve their conversations, so let’s have additional weeks of learn of Role Play training added into their courses. Just those minor changes make a really big difference. RR: Fantastic. I love that you're kind of evolving your strategy with the product, that as new things come on board, you guys are embedding it and finding new ways to make the product work for you. And that kind of leads me to my last question very neatly, which is that we’ve talked a little bit now about Spark—and you guys were able to come and join us and see a little bit of the fun, exciting new things that are coming out—so looking ahead, based on what you saw, how do you plan to evolve your enablement strategy, especially with some of those AI features? Maybe it’s Role Play, maybe it’s other things. YB: Spark is always such an inspiring event and we love going every year and this year really showed how quickly AI is transforming the way we work. So, for us, we see AI as a huge opportunity to scale our enablement smarter. We’re exploring ways to use it to personalize a learning experience, surface more relevant content right when the reps need it, and provide managers with coaching insights to help them guide their teams more effectively. Our goal is to make enablement more proactive. So we want to anticipate what the sellers will need before they realize it themselves. So that’s where AI will come in. For us. It’s not just about speeding things up, it’s gonna be about helping our reps focus on what really drives the results. RR: I think that’s a great vision. One of the ways I’ve heard it put is that AI can allow us to do more, but what it can really allow us to do is do better. So you guys, it seems, are really leaning into that and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I know we have kind of hit the time that we have for you today, so I just wanna thank you both again for joining us. It was a really wonderful conversation and it’s been so fantastic to hear from you. CB: Thanks so much for having us.  RR: To our listeners, thank you for tuning into this episode of the Win-Win podcast. Be sure to tune in next time for more insights on how you can maximize enablement success with Highspot.

EP 410 - Tax Without BS returns with a fiery but surprisingly hopeful breakdown of the November 2025 UK Budget. Andy, Jemma and Emma from Oury Clark sift the good, the bad, and the “are-you-kidding-me?” of Britain's latest fiscal planFrom scale-up salvation and EIS boosts, to SME heartbreak, Mansion Tax grumbles, pension puzzles, and the four-year foreign-income free-for-all.It's the only budget reaction that'll make you laugh and rethink your life insurance.*For Apple Podcast chapters, access them from the menu in the bottom right corner of your player*Spotify Video Chapters:00:00 Andy's Episode Synposis02:29 Business Tax Positives05:37 Funding Gaps and EIS14:18 Business Rates and SME Challenges18:16 Inheritance Tax and Business Property Relief23:58 Impact on SMEs and Entrepreneurs33:12 Understanding Business Rates34:04 Personal Taxes Overview34:16 Employee Ownership Trusts Explained37:54 Income Tax Threshold Freeze38:55 Salary Sacrifice and ISA Changes40:08 Financial Literacy and Investment Advice43:44 Mansion Tax and Property Levies48:42 Tax Avoidance vs. Tax Evasion55:48 Foreign Income and Gains Regime01:00:32 Final Thoughts and Budget ReflectionsWatch and subscribe to us on YouTubeFollow us:InstagramTikTokLinkedinTwitterFacebook

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver speaks with Teresa Huang — Head of Product for Enablement at global health‑insurer Bupa — about the often‑overlooked world of platform product management. They explore why building internal platforms is fundamentally different and often more challenging than building user‑facing products, how to measure the value of platform work, and practical strategies for gaining stakeholder alignment, driving platform adoption and demonstrating business impact.Chapters0:00 – Why “efficiency” alone no longer cuts it — measuring platform impact in business terms1:02 – Teresa's background: from business analyst to head of product in health insurance6:20 – What we mean by “platform product management” — internal tools vs marketplace vs public‑API platforms7:44 – Why you need to “hop two steps”: address developer needs and end-customer value10:24 – Types of platforms: internal APIs, marketplace ecosystems, public‑facing platforms (e.g. like Shopify)10:55 – Reframing platform work: building business cases instead of chasing “efficiency” metrics13:16 – Linking platform initiatives to core business goals and joint OKRs15:47 – The importance of visualisation — using prototypes and role‑plays to communicate platform value20:57 – Internal showcases: keeping stakeholders engaged with real‑world scenarios23:28 – Success metrics for platforms: adoption, usage, reliability, ecosystem growth26:00 – Retiring legacy services: deciding when low-use tools should be decommissioned28:55 – From cost centre to enabler: shifting the narrative to show value creationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Raviteja Yelamanchili shares how Scale AI transformed banking cycles from one year to real-time and why your most valuable enterprise data isn't being collected.Topics Include:Scale evolved from data annotations company to enterprise AI solutions providerHealthcare system transformed patient transcriptions into value using reinforcement learning researchBlank slate customer problems allow Scale to experiment with latest methodsMany customers propose solutions before explaining their actual underlying business problemsBiggest AI misconception: technology will replace jobs rather than augment productivityDon't wait for perfect AI—start learning through iteration and evolution nowBanking credit cycle transformed from one-year process to real-time strategic insightsScale deploys flexibly across EC2, EKS, or Bedrock based on customer requirementsEnterprises want business value generation more than academic research papers aloneNext 12-24 months focus: making data consumable and leveraging unused datasetsTribal knowledge from experienced SMEs represents most valuable yet uncollected dataAgent-based learning captures expertise through feedback loops on Scale's SGP platformParticipants:Raviteja Yelamanchili - Head of Solution Engineering, Scale AISee how Amazon Web Services gives you the freedom to migrate, innovate, and scale your software company at https://aws.amazon.com/isv/

Allen and Joel sit down with Dan Fesenmeyer of Windquest Advisors to discuss turbine supply agreement fundamentals, negotiation leverage, and how tariff uncertainty is reshaping contract terms. Dan also explains why operators should maximize warranty claims before service agreements take over. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind. Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering tomorrow. Allen Hall: Dan, welcome to the program. Great to be here. Thanks for having me, guys. Well, we’ve been looking forward to this for several weeks now because. We’re trying to learn some of the ins and outs of turbine supply agreements, FSAs, because everybody’s talking about them now. Uh, and there’s a lot of assets being exchanged. A lot of turbine farms up for sale. A lot of acquisitions on the other side, on the investment side coming in and. As engineers, we don’t deal a lot with TSAs. It’s just not something that we typically see until, unless there’s a huge problem and then we sort of get involved a little bit. I wanna understand, first off, and you have a a ton of experience doing this, that’s why we [00:01:00] love having you. What are some of the fundamentals of turbine supply agreements? Like what? What is their function? How do they operate? Because I think a lot of engineers and technicians don’t understand the basic fundamentals of these TSAs. Dan Fesenmeyer: The TSA is a turbine supply agreement and it’s for the purchase and delivery of the wind turbines for your wind farm. Um, typically they are negotiated maybe over a 12 ish month period and typically they’re signed at least 12 months before you need, or you want your deliveries for the wind turbines. Joel Saxum: We talk with people all over the world. Um, you know, GE Americas is different than GE in Spain and GE in Australia and Nordics here, and everybody’s a little bit different. Um, but what we, we regularly see, and this is always an odd thing to me, is you talked about like negotiating. It starts 12 months ahead of time stuff, but we see that [00:02:00] the agreements a lot of times are very boilerplate. They’re very much like we’re trying to structure this in a certain way, and at the end of the day, well, as from an operator standpoint, from the the person buying them, we would like this and we would like this and we would like this, but at the end of the day, they don’t really seem to get that much negotiation in ’em. It’s kind of like, this is what the agreement you’re gonna take and this is how we sell them. That’s it. Is, is that your experience? I mean, you’re at GE for a long time, one of the leading OEMs, but is that what you’re seeing now or is there a little bit more flexibility or kind of what’s your take on that? Dan Fesenmeyer: I think generally it depends, and of course the, the OEMs in the, and I’ll focus more on the us, they’ll start with their standard template and it’s up to the purchaser, uh, to develop what they want as their wishlist and start negotiations and do their, let’s say, markup. So, uh, and then there’s a bit of leverage involved. If you’re buying two units, it’s hard to get a lot of interest. [00:03:00] If you’re buying 200 units, then you have a lot more leverage, uh, to negotiate terms and conditions in those agreements. I was with GE for 12 years on the sales and commercial side and now doing advisory services for four years. Uh, some of these negotiations can go for a long time and can get very, very red. Others can go pretty quick. It really depends on what your priorities are. How hard you want to push for what you need. Allen Hall: So how much detail goes into a TSA then are, are they getting very prescriptive, the operators coming with a, a list of things they would like to see? Or is it more negotiating on the price side and the delivery time and the specifics of the turbine? Dan Fesenmeyer: Generally speaking, you start kind of with the proposal stage and. First thing I always tell people is, let’s understand what you have in your proposal. Let’s understand, you know, what are the delivery [00:04:00] rates and times and does that fit with your project? Does the price work with respect to your PPA, what does it say about tariffs? That’s a huge one right now. Where is the risk going to land? What’s in, what’s out? Um. Is the price firm or is there indexation, whether it’s tied to commodities or different currencies. So in my view, there’s some pre-negotiations or at least really understanding what the offer is before you start getting into red lines and, and generally it’s good to sit down with the purchasing team and then ultimately with the OEM and walk through that proposal. Make sure you have everything you need. Make sure you understand what’s included, what’s not. Scope of supply is also a big one. Um, less in less in terms of the turbine itself, but more about the options, like does it have the control features you need for Ercot, for example. Uh, does it have leading [00:05:00]edge protection on your blades? Does it have low noise trailing edge? Do we even need lo low noise trailing edges? Uh, you know, those Joel Saxum: sorts Dan Fesenmeyer: of things. Joel Saxum: Do you see the more of the red lining in the commercial phase or like the technical phase? Because, and why I ask this question is when we talk, ’cause we’re regularly in the o and m world, right? Talking with engineers and asset managers, how do you manage your assets? And they really complain a lot that a lot of their input in that, that feedback loop from operations doesn’t make it to the developers when they’re signing TSAs. Um, so that’s a big complaint of theirs. And so my question is like, kind of like. All right. Are there wishes being heard or is it more general on the technical side and more focused on the commercial Dan Fesenmeyer: side? Where do you see that it comes down to making sure that your negotiation team has all the different voices and constituents at the table? Uh, my approach and our, our team’s approach is you have the legal piece, a technical piece, and we’re in between. We’re [00:06:00] the commercial piece. So when you’re talking TSAs, we’re talking price delivery terms. Determination, warranty, you know, kind of the, the big ticket items, liquidated damages, contract caps, all those big ticket commercial items. When you move over to the operations agreement, which generally gets negotiated at the same time or immediately after, I recommend doing them at the same time because you have more leverage and you wanna make sure terms go from TSA. They look the same in the. Services agreement. And that’s where it’s really important to have your operations people involved. Right? And, and we all learn by mistakes. So people that have operated assets for a long time, they always have their list of five or 10 things that they want in their o and m agreement. And, um, from a process standpoint, before we get into red lines, we usually do kind of a high [00:07:00] level walkthrough of here’s what we think is important. Um. For the TSA and for the SMA or the operations and maintenance agreement, let’s get on the same page as a team on what’s important, what’s our priority, and what do we want to see as the outcome. Allen Hall: And the weird thing right now is the tariffs in the United States that they are a hundred percent, 200%, then they’re 10%. They are bouncing. Like a pinball or a pong ping pong ball at the moment. How are you writing in adjustments for tariffs right now? Because some of the components may enter the country when there’s a tariff or the park the same park enter a week later and not be under that tariff. How does that even get written into a contract right now? Dan Fesenmeyer: Well, that’s a fluid, it’s a fluid environment with terrorists obviously, and. It seems, and I’ll speak mostly from the two large OEMs in the US market. Um, [00:08:00] basically what you’re seeing is you have a proposal and tariffs, it includes a tariff adder based on tariffs as in as they were in effect in August. And each one may have a different date. And this is fairly recent, right? So as of August, here’s what the dates, you know, here’s a tariff table with the different countries and the amounts. Here’s what it translates into a dollar amount. And it’ll also say, well, what we’re going to do is when, uh, these units ship, or they’re delivered X works, that’s when we come back and say, here’s what the tariffs are now. And that difference is on the developer or the purchaser typically. Allen Hall: So at the end of the day. The OEM is not going to eat all the tariffs. They’re gonna pass that on. It’s just basically a price increase at the end. So the, are the, are the buyers of turbines then [00:09:00] really conscious of where components are coming from to try to minimize those tariffs? Dan Fesenmeyer: That’s Allen Hall: difficult. Dan Fesenmeyer: I mean, I would say that’s the starting point of the negotiation. Um, I’ve seen things go different ways depending on, you know, if an off, if a developer can pass through their tariffs to the, on their PPA. They can handle more. If they can’t, then they may come back and say, you know what, we can only handle this much tariff risk or amount in our, in our PPA. The rest we need to figure out a way to share between the OEM or maybe and the developer. Uh, so let’s not assume, you know, not one, one size doesn’t fit all. Joel Saxum: The scary thing there is it sound, it sounds like you’re, like, as a developer when you’re signing a TSA, you’re almost signing a pro forma invoice. Right. That that could, that could go up 25% depending on the, the mood on, in Capitol Hill that day, which is, it’s a scary thought and I, I would think in my mind, hard to really get to [00:10:00] FID with that hanging over your head. Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. It it’s a tough situation right now for sure. Yeah. And, and we haven’t really seen what section 2 32, which is another round of potential tariffs out there, and I think that’s what. At least in the last month or two. People are comfortable with what tariffs are currently, but there’s this risk of section 2 32, uh, and who’s going to take that risk Allen Hall: moving forward? Because the 2 32 risk is, is not set in stone as when it will apply yet or if it even Dan Fesenmeyer: will happen and the amount, right. So three ifs, three big ifs there, Alan. Allen Hall: Yeah. And I, maybe that’s designed on purpose to be that way because it does seem. A little bit of chaos in the system will slow down wind and solar development. That’s one way you do. We just have a, a tariff. It’s sort of a tariff that just hangs out there forever. And you, are there ways to avoid that? Is it just getting the contract in [00:11:00] place ahead of time that you can avoid like the 2 32 thing or is it just luck of the draw right now? It’s always Dan Fesenmeyer: up to the situation and what your project delivery. Is looking at what your PPA, what can go in, what can go out. Um, it’s tough to avoid because the OEMs certainly don’t want to take that risk. And, uh, and I don’t blame them. Uh, and separately you were asking about, well, gee, do you start worrying about where your components are sourced from? Of course you are. However, you’re going to see that in the price and in the tariff table. Uh, typically. I would say from that may impact your, your, uh, sort of which, which OEM or which manufacturer you go with, depending on where their supply chain is. Although frankly, a lot of components come from China. Plain and simple, Allen Hall: right? Dan Fesenmeyer: Same place. If you are [00:12:00] subject to these tariffs, then you want to be more on a, you know, what I would say a fleet wide basis. So, uh, meaning. Blades can come from two places. We don’t want to have, you know, an OEM select place number one because it’s subject to tariff and we have to pay for it. You want it more on a fleet basis, so you’re not, so the OEM’s not necessarily picking and choosing who gets covered or who has to pay for a tariff or not. Joel Saxum: And I wonder that, going back to your first statement there, like if you have the power, the leverage, if you can influence that, right? Like. Immediately. My mind goes to, of course, like one of the big operators that has like 10, 12, 15,000 turbines and deals exclusively with ge. They probably have a lot of, they might have the, the stroke to be able to say, no, we want our components to come from here. We want our blades to come from TPI Mexico, or whatever it may be, because we don’t want to make sure they’re coming from overseas. And, and, and if that happens in, in [00:13:00] the, let’s take like the market as a whole, the macro environment. If you’re not that big player. You kind of get the shaft, like you, you would get the leftovers basically. Dan Fesenmeyer: You could, and that makes for a very interesting discussion when you’re negotiating the contract and, and figuring out something that could work for both. It also gets tricky with, you know, there could be maybe three different gearbox suppliers, right? And some of those. So this is when things really get, you know, peeling back an onion level. It’s difficult and I’ll be nice to the OEMs. It’s very tough for them to say, oh, we’re only a source these gearbox, because they avoid the tariffs. Right? That’s why I get more to this fleet cost basis, which I think is a fair way for both sides to, to handle the the issue. Allen Hall: What’s a turbine backlog right now? If I sign a TSA today, what’s the earliest I would see a turbine? Delivered. Dan Fesenmeyer: You know, I, I really don’t know the answer to that. I would say [00:14:00] generally speaking, it would be 12 months is generally the response you would get. Uh, in terms of if I sign today, we get delivery in 12 months, Allen Hall: anywhere less than two years, I think is a really short turnaround period. Because if you’re going for a, uh, gas turbine, you know, something that GE or Siemens would provide, Mitsubishi would provide. You’re talking about. Five or six years out before we ever see that turbine on site. But wind turbines are a year, maybe two years out. That seems like a no brainer for a lot of operators. Dan Fesenmeyer: I would say a year to two is safe. Um, my experience has been things, things really get serious 12 months out. It’s hard to get something quicker. Um, that suppliers would like to sign something two years in advance, but somewhere in between the 12 months and 24 months is generally what you can expect. Now, I haven’t seen and been close to a lot of recent turbine supply [00:15:00]deals and, and with delivery, so I, I, I can’t quote me on any of this. And obviously different safe harbor, PTC, windows are going to be more and more important. 20 eights preferred over 29. 29 will be preferred over 30. Um, and how quick can you act and how quick can you get in line? Allen Hall: Yeah, it’s gonna make a big difference. There’s gonna be a rush to the end. Wouldn’t you think? There’s must be operators putting in orders just because of the end of the IRA bill to try to get some production tax credits or any tax credits out of it. Dan Fesenmeyer: Absolutely. And you know. June of 2028 is a hell of a lot better than fall of 2028 if you want a COD in 2 28. Right. And then you just work backwards from there. Yeah. And that’s, that’s, we’ve seen that in the past as well, uh, with, with the different PTC cliffs that we’ve [00:16:00] seen. Allen Hall: Let’s talk service agreements for a moment when after you have a TSA signed and. The next thing on the list usually is a service agreement, and there are some OEMs that are really hard pushing their service agreements. 25, 30, 35 years. Joel, I think 35 is the longest one I have seen. That’s a long time. Joel Saxum: Mostly in the Nordics though. We’ve seen like see like, uh, there are Vestas in the Nordic countries. We’ve seen some 35 year ones, but that’s, to me, that’s. That’s crazy. That’s, that’s a marriage. 35 years. The crazy thing is, is some of them are with mo models that we know have issues. Right? That’s the one that’s always crazy to me when I watch and, and so then maybe this is a service, maybe this is a com a question is in a service level agreement, like I, I, I know people that are installing specific turbines that we’ve been staring at for five, six years that we know have problems now. They’ve addressed a lot of the problems and different components, bearings and drive, train and [00:17:00] blades and all these different things. Um, but as an, as an operator, you’d think that you have, okay, I have my turbine supply agreement, so there’s some warranty stuff in there that’s protecting me. There is definitely some serial defect clauses that are protecting me. Now I have a service level agreement or a service agreement that we’re signing that should protect me for from some more things. So I’m reducing my risk a little more. I also have insurance and stuff in built into this whole thing. But when, when you start crossing that gap between. These three, four different types of contracts, how do people ensure that when they get to that service level contract, that’s kind of in my mind, the last level of protection from the OEM. How do they make sure they don’t end up in a, uh, a really weird Swiss cheese moment where something fell through the cracks, serial defects, or something like that? You know? Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. It, it comes down to, I, I think it’s good to negotiate both at the same time. Um, it sometimes that’s not practical. It’s good. And [00:18:00] part of it is the, the simple, once your TSA is signed, you, you don’t have that leverage over that seller to negotiate terms in the services agreement, right? Because you’ve already signed a t to supply agreement. Uh, the other piece I think is really important is making sure the defect language, for example, and the warranty language in the TSA. Pretty much gets pulled over into the service agreement, so we don’t have different definitions of what a defect is or a failed part, uh, that’s important from an execution standpoint. My view has always been in the TSA, do as much on a warranty claim as you possibly can at that end of the warranty term. The caps and the coverages. And the warranty is much higher than under the services agreement. Services agreement [00:19:00] will end up, you know, warranty or extended warranty brackets, right? ’cause that’s not what it is. It becomes unscheduled maintenance or unplanned maintenance. So you do have that coverage, but then you’re subject to, potentially subject to CAPS or mews, annual or per event. Um. Maybe the standard of a defect is different. Again, that’s why it’s important to keep defect in the TSAs the same as an SMA, and do your warranty claim first. Get as much fixed under the warranty before you get into that service contract. Joel Saxum: So with Windquest, do you go, do you regularly engage at that as farms are coming up to that warranty period? Do you help people with that process as well? As far as end of warranty claims? Contract review and those things before they get into that next phase, you know, at the end of that two year or three years. Dan Fesenmeyer: Yeah. We try to be soup to nuts, meaning we’re there from the proposal to helping [00:20:00] negotiate and close the supply agreement and the services agreement. Then once you move into the services agreement or into the operation period, we can help out with, uh, filing warranty claims. Right. Do we, do you have a serial defect, for example, or. That, that’s usually a big one. Do you have something that gets to that level to at least start that process with an root cause analysis? Um, that’s, that’s obviously big ones, so we help with warranty claims and then if things aren’t getting fixed on time or if you’re in a service agreement and you’re unhappy, we try to step in and help out with, uh, that process as well. Joel Saxum: In taking on those projects, what is your most common component that you deal with for seald? Defects, Dan Fesenmeyer: gearboxes seem to always be a problem. Um, more recently, blade issues, um, main bearing issues. Uh, those are [00:21:00] some of the bigger ones. And then, yeah, and we can be main bearings. Also. Pitch bearings often an issue as well. Joel Saxum: Yeah, no, nothing surprising there. I think if you, if you listen to the podcast at all, you’ve heard us talk about all of those components. Fairly regularly. We’re not, we’re not to lightening the world on firing new information on that one. Allen Hall: Do a lot of operators and developers miss out on that end of warranty period? It does sound like when we talk to them like they know it’s coming, but they haven’t necessarily prepared to have the data and the information ready to go till they can file anything with the OEM it. It’s like they haven’t, they know it’s approaching, right? It’s just, it’s just like, um, you know, tax day is coming, you know, April 15th, you’re gonna write a check for to somebody, but you’re not gonna start thinking about it until April 14th. And that’s the wrong approach. And are you getting more because things are getting tighter? Are you getting more requests to look at that and to help? Operators and developers engage that part of their agreements. I think it’s an Dan Fesenmeyer: [00:22:00] oppor opportunity area for owner operators. I think in the past, a lot of folks have just thought, oh, well, you know, the, the, the service agreement kicks in and it’ll be covered under unscheduled or unplanned maintenance, which is true. But, uh, again, response time might be slower. You might be subject to caps, or in the very least, an overall contract level. Cap or limitation, let’s say. Uh, so I, I do think it’s an opportunity area. And then similarly, when you’re negotiating these upfront to put in language that, well, I don’t wanna say too much, but you wanna make sure, Hey, if I, if I file a claim during warranty and you don’t fix it, that doesn’t count against, let’s say your unplanned cap or unplanned maintenance. Joel Saxum: That’s a good point. I was actually, Alan, this is, I was surprised the other day. You and I were on a call with someone and they had mentioned that they were coming up on end of warranty and they were just kinda like, eh, [00:23:00] we’ve got a service agreement, so like we’re not gonna do anything about it. And I was like, really? Like that day? Like, yeah, that deadline’s passed, or it’s like too close. It wasn’t even passed. It was like, it’s coming up and a month or two. And they’re like, yeah, it’s too close. We’re not gonna do anything about it. We’ll just kind of deal with it as it comes. And I was thinking, man, that’s a weird way to. To manage a, you know, a wind farm that’s worth 300 million bucks. Dan Fesenmeyer: And then the other thing is sometimes, uh, the dates are based on individual turbine CDs. So your farm may have a December 31 COD, but some of the units may have an October, uh, date. Yeah, we heard a weird one the other day that was Joel Saxum: like the entire wind farm warranty period started when the first turbine in the wind farm was COD. And so there was some turbines that had only been running for a year and a half and they were at the end of warranty already. Someone didn’t do their due diligence on that contract. They should have called Dan Meyer. Dan Fesenmeyer: And thing is, I come back is when you know red lines are full of things that people learned [00:24:00] by something going wrong or by something they missed. And that’s a great example of, oh yeah, we missed that when we signed this contract. Joel Saxum: That’s one of the reasons why Alan and I, a lot, a lot of people we talk to, it’s like consult the SMEs in the space, right? You’re, you may be at tasked with being a do it all person and you may be really good at that, but someone that deals in these contracts every day and has 20 years of experience in it, that’s the person you talk to. Just like you may be able to figure out some things, enlight. Call Allen. The guy’s been doing lightning his whole career as a subject matter expert, or call a, you know, a on our team and the podcast team is the blade expert or like some of the people we have on our network. Like if you’re going to dive into this thing, like just consult, even if it’s a, a small part of a contract, give someone a day to look through your contract real quick just to make sure that you’re not missing anything. ’cause the insights from SMEs are. Priceless. Really. Dan Fesenmeyer: I couldn’t agree more. And that’s kind of how I got the idea of starting Windquest advisors to begin with. [00:25:00] Um, I used to sit across the table with very smart people, but GE would con, you know, we would negotiate a hundred contracts a year. The purchaser made one or two. And again, this isn’t, you know, to beat up the manufacturers, right? They do a good job. They, they really work with their, their customers to. Find solutions that work for both. So this is not a beat up the OEM, uh, from my perspective, but having another set of eyes and experience can help a lot. Allen Hall: I think it’s really important that anybody listening to this podcast understand how much risk they’re taking on and that they do need help, and that’s what Windquest Advisors is all about. And getting ahold of Dan. Dan, how do people get ahold of you? www.win advisors.com. If you need to get it to Dan or reach out to win advisors, check out LinkedIn, go to the website, learn more about it. Give Dan a phone call because I think [00:26:00] you’re missing out probably on millions of dollars of opportunity that probably didn’t even know existed. Uh, so it’s, it’s a good contact and a good resource. And Dan, thank you so much for being on the podcast. We appreciate having you and. We’d like to have you back again. Dan Fesenmeyer: Well, I’d love to come back and talk about, maybe we can talk more about Lightning. That’s a Joel Saxum: couple of episodes. Dan Fesenmeyer: I like watching your podcast. I always find them. Informative and also casual. It’s like you can sit and listen to a discussion and, and pick up a few things, so please continue doing what you’re doing well, thanks Dan. Allen Hall: Thanks Dan.

RED RAM MEDIA KG launches VISIBL, a six-step SEO and AI framework developed by SEO expert Daniel Neubauer to help industrial SMEs boost visibility in search engines and AI assistants. RED RAM MEDIA KG City: Neu-Ulm Address: Max-Eyth-Str. 41/1 Website: https://www.redrammedia.com/ Phone: 49 731 85074360 Email: info@redrammedia.com

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver speaks with Teresa Huang — Head of Product for Enablement at global health‑insurer Bupa — about the often‑overlooked world of platform product management. They explore why building internal platforms is fundamentally different and often more challenging than building user‑facing products, how to measure the value of platform work, and practical strategies for gaining stakeholder alignment, driving platform adoption and demonstrating business impact. Chapters0:00 – Why “efficiency” alone no longer cuts it — measuring platform impact in business terms1:02 – Teresa's background: from business analyst to head of product in health insurance6:20 – What we mean by “platform product management” — internal tools vs marketplace vs public‑API platforms7:44 – Why you need to “hop two steps”: address developer needs and end-customer value10:24 – Types of platforms: internal APIs, marketplace ecosystems, public‑facing platforms (e.g. like Shopify)10:55 – Reframing platform work: building business cases instead of chasing “efficiency” metrics13:16 – Linking platform initiatives to core business goals and joint OKRs15:47 – The importance of visualisation — using prototypes and role‑plays to communicate platform value20:57 – Internal showcases: keeping stakeholders engaged with real‑world scenarios23:28 – Success metrics for platforms: adoption, usage, reliability, ecosystem growth26:00 – Retiring legacy services: deciding when low-use tools should be decommissioned28:55 – From cost centre to enabler: shifting the narrative to show value creationOur HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19. A recovering music journalist and editor, Randy also launched Amazon's music stores in the US & UK.

Most leaders genuinely want a strong relationship with their team, yet day-to-day reality can be messy—especially when performance feels uneven. The trap is thinking "they should change." The breakthrough is realising: you can't change others, but you can change how you think, communicate, and lead.  Why do leaders get annoyed with the "80%" of the team (and what should they do instead)? Because the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) makes it feel like you're paying for effort you're not getting—but the fix is to lead the whole system, not just the stars. In most teams, a smaller group carries a disproportionate chunk of the output, and that can irritate any manager trying to hit targets, KPIs, OKRs, or quarterly numbers.   But treating the "80%" as a problem creates a self-fulfilling spiral: you spend less time with them, they feel it, motivation drops, and performance follows.  In Japan-based teams (and in global teams post-pandemic, with hybrid work and remote collaboration), this spiral gets worse because "relationship temperature" matters. Instead, think like an orchestra conductor: the first violin matters, but the whole section must play in harmony.  Do now: Stop "ranking people in your head" mid-week. Start "designing the system" that helps every player contribute.  Can you actually change your team members' performance or attitude? Not directly—you can't rewire other adults, but you can change the environment you create and the way you show up. The leader move is internal first: adjust your assumptions, your language, your coaching cadence, and your consistency.   In practice, this means you stop waiting for people to become "more like you" and start shaping the conditions where they can succeed. A simple mental shift is accepting that high performers and average performers will always co-exist in any team—Japan, the US, Europe, APAC; startups, SMEs, or multinationals. When you accept the 20/80 reality, you can focus on (1) lifting the 20% even higher and (2) getting strong coordination and reliable contribution from everyone else.  Do now: Identify one attitude you bring to the "middle 60%" that's costing you results—and change that, first.  How do you stop criticism from destroying motivation and trust? By eliminating the "criticise, condemn, complain" reflex and replacing it with coaching language that preserves dignity. Dale Carnegie's human relations principle is blunt for a reason: criticism rarely produces agreement; it produces defence.   And when people feel attacked, they don't improve—they protect themselves, they withdraw, and they tell themselves a story about you. This is especially relevant in Japan, where public correction can trigger loss of face, and in Western contexts where blunt feedback can still backfire if it feels personal rather than behavioural. The point isn't to become "soft." It's to become effective: if the same negative approach keeps producing the same negative reaction, adjust the angle—just a few degrees—so the other person can respond positively.  Do now: Before your next correction, rewrite it as: "Here's what I observed, here's the impact, here's what good looks like next time."  What does "honest, sincere appreciation" look like in a Japanese workplace? It's specific, evidence-based praise—not vague compliments, not flattery, and not silence. Leaders often skip appreciation because they assume "they're paid to do it," then wonder why cooperation is hard.   Yet people are highly sensitive to fake praise, and they'll dismiss it as manipulation.   The fix is to praise something concrete and provable. A practical Japan example is exactly the point: "Suzuki-san, I appreciated the fact you got back to me on time with the information I requested—it helped me meet the deadline. Thank you for your cooperation."   The evidence makes it believable, the detail makes it useful, and the respect makes it repeatable. Do now: Give one piece of appreciation today that includes what, when, and why it mattered—in one sentence.    How do you motivate people who don't seem to care as much as you do? You motivate them by speaking to what they want—because everyone is already focused on their own priorities. If you need cooperation, it's not enough to repeat what you want and when you want it.   Your team member is running their own internal agenda: career security, competence, recognition, flexibility, learning, status, autonomy, or simply a calmer workday. This is where "arouse in the other person an eager want" becomes a leadership skill, not a slogan.   In a Japanese firm, the eager want might be stability and not standing out negatively. In a US startup, it might be speed, ownership, and visibility. Same principle, different cultural packaging. Listen to what comes out of your mouth—if it's all about you, you're making cooperation harder.  Do now: In your next request, add one line: "What would make this easier or more valuable for you?"  What should leaders do this week to strengthen team relationships—fast? Start by changing yourself "three degrees," then run a simple weekly rhythm that rebuilds trust, clarity, and contribution. If you keep approaching lower performers negatively, you'll keep getting the same negative reaction; change your approach first.   Then operationalise it—because intention without behaviour is just theatre. Here's a tight relationship-strengthening checklist you can run in any context (Japan HQ, regional APAC office, or global remote team): Weekly habit What you do Why it works 2x short 1:1s Ask: "What's blocking you?" Shows support, surfaces friction 1 evidence-based praise Specific + concrete Builds motivation without fluff  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… 1 "eager want" question "What do you want from this?" Aligns incentives  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… 1 criticism detox Remove complain/condemn Prevents defensive behaviour  2021.10.11 GEO Version How Lead… Do now: Pick one person you've mentally labelled "difficult" and change your next interaction by three degrees—more curiosity, more respect, more clarity.  Conclusion If you want stronger relationships, stop waiting for people to become easier to lead. You'll get better results by starting with what you control: your mindset, your communication habits, and your consistency. The leaders who do that build better teams; the leaders who don't keep complaining—and they're never short of company.  Next steps (quick actions) Replace one critical comment with one coaching request this week.  Deliver one evidence-based appreciation per day for five days.  In every request, add one line that links to what the other person wants.  Track who you spend time with—ensure the "80%" aren't getting frozen out.  FAQs Yes—high performers still need active leadership, not neglect. Keep lifting the 20% higher while systemising support for everyone else.  No—praise isn't "un-Japanese" if it's precise and evidence-based. Specific appreciation is usually accepted because it's verifiable and respectful.  Yes—criticism can be useful, but condemn-and-complain feedback usually backfires. People defend themselves; improvement requires clarity without attack.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

This week's Espresso covers news from Mercado de Recebíveis, Clara, BHub, and more!Outline of this episode:[00:30] – Creditas raises $108M Series G led by Andbank[00:40] – Mercado de Recebíveis raises $28M FIDC[00:48] – BHub raises $10M to bring AI to Brazil's accounting market[00:58] – ColmeIA raises $3.4M reaching a $94M valuation[01:08] – Clara raises $70M in debt[01:19] – Unergy raises $5M in a Pre-series A round[01:30] – Cenit raises $1.8M to automate tax management for SMEs[01:41] – Frankles raises $1M led by Südlich CapitalResources & people mentioned:Startups: Creditas, Mercado de Recebíveis, BHub, ColmeIA, Clara, Unergy, Cenit, Frankles.VCs: Andbank, Crescera Capital, BBVA Spark, Covalto, International Finance Corporation, Hi Ventures, Südlich Capital.

It's been a pivotal year for the circular economy, full of big ideas and practical breakthroughs.Before we fully dive into 2026, we're hitting pause for a moment of reflection.Join Fin, Lou, and Pippa who have hand-picked their favourite, most insightful, and memorable moments from the conversations they've had this year.This episode may show condensed snippets, but it is packed with big ideas, practical breakthroughs, and the highlights that defined the circular economy in 2025.Thanks for listening to the Circular Economy Show from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Help us grow our audience in 2026 by sharing your favourite episode with your friends and colleagues.Explore the episodes discussed in order of appearance:Ep 201: Why do circular business models fail to scale? Going it aloneEp 188: “It's a no-brainer”: Arc'teryx on bringing repairs in-storeEp 197: Stop minding your own businessEp 179: How are small start-ups, SMEs, and large corporations working together to change the food system?Ep 185: How can marketers turn ideas into impactful action?Ep 174: Material security in a circular economy | Energy and competitiveness

The scale and sophistication of fraudulent advertising and AI-generated scams on social media are growing rapidly, making it harder than ever for people to know what's real. New research from Visa in Ireland reveals that people who mistake fake AI-generated content for real are six times more likely to be tricked by scammers online than those who don't (73% vs. 12%). This highlights how digital misinformation directly increases vulnerability and underscores the importance of collective action to protect consumers and restore trust in digital platforms. In Ireland, Visa found that people who are affected by online scams typically lose €124.50 per incident (median amount), costing the Irish economy an estimated €71.8 million annually. The impact goes beyond financial loss, causing emotional distress, increased anxiety and reduced productivity. On average, victims of online scams spend around 8.9 days resolving the issue, which is 44% of the working month. The way people engage with content online plays a major role. Those who share a post without checking its accuracy first are five times more likely to be targeted and impacted by online scams compared to those who tend to take a moment to verify it first (35% vs. 6%). Every day online habits - such as skimming headlines, resharing without verifying and trusting AI-generated content - are creating new vulnerabilities that scammers are quick to exploit: 59% have believed online content was genuine, only to later discover it was an AI-generated fake Over a third (38%) rarely read beyond a headline before forming an opinion Almost a quarter (23%) have reshared a post without checking its accuracy The ripple effect of online scams As online scams grow more sophisticated and widespread, this shift in consumer behaviour is having a tangible impact on the wider economy. Almost half (42%) have changed how they shop online after being scammed, and one in two people (50%) targeted by online shopping scams say they now avoid shopping with smaller or unfamiliar brands. This is having a particularly significant impact on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99.8% of Ireland's business population and depend heavily on consumer confidence to survive and grow. Stepping up the fight against fraud Visa is stepping up the fight against social media scams - combining decades of experience with cutting-edge technology and working closely with banks, retailers, and digital platforms to restore trust in online commerce. AI has been central to Visa's approach to fraud prevention. For over 30 years, the company has used AI-powered tools to help keep payments secure and stay ahead of evolving threats. In the last five years alone, Visa has invested $12 billion in technology, including building smart, AI-powered systems that detect suspicious behaviour in real time and stop scams before they reach people. Awareness is as critical as technology. With almost two in five (39%) people believing AI will make scams harder to spot on social media, Visa is taking proactive steps to close that gap. Tackling fraud requires a united front, and Visa is committed to collaborating across the ecosystem to set new standards for consumer protection. By working closely with banks, retailers and platforms to ensure consumers have the right advice at their fingertips, Visa is helping people recognise an AI-generated scam, understand how they work, and stay safe in an increasingly AI-driven digital world. Because the more informed people are, the harder it is for scammers to succeed. Visa is calling on all stakeholders - platforms, banks, retailers and policymakers - to work together to raise the bar for digital trust and consumer protection. Conor Langford, Visa Country Manager for Ireland said: "AI is transforming how we live, shop, work and connect, but it's also reshaping the landscape for fraud. Scammers are using the same technology that brings us innovation to deceive and exploit consumers, blurrin...

[Ad]  Support our show and yourself by supporting our two great sponsors! Go to https://piavpn.com/OTHERSIDE to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free!   AND D-I-Y Your Patio, Carport, Deck, Pergola and more with SmartKits at smartkits.com.auThis week on  THE OTHER SIDE...   (Ep 436  w/c Fri 28 November 2025)  -- Small business is in crisis in Australia -- but Big Government and Big Corporate don't care.  Two CEOs of small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) warn that If things don't change soon, the sector responsible for 97% of Australian non-government jobs will collapse.  -- The Relentless 'War on Masculinity' - How much longer can Australian society survive the constant attacks on men and boys?  Women and girls continue to be put first in every area of government and private business. What started as a 'correction' has turned into a disaster for young men - this is a conversation our country desperately needs to have and our guest David Maywald is leading the charge. -- Telstra's backflip on a terrible policy that would have seriously disadvantaged men is welcome news, but as Bettina Arndt explains, the giant telco has other issues it needs to fix. -- Damian's perspective on Pauline Hanson's burqa stunt, scary new laws in the increasingly authoritarian UK, the Green-left Labor government's rejection of calls for an inquiry into the ABC, and the unexpected bravery of one female ABC radio show host. Support us by joining THE EXCLUSIVE SIDE at https://www.othersidetv.com.au/Follow us on X  @OtherSideAUSSubscribe NOW on YouTube @OtherSideAUSSupport us - Support our Sponsors - PIAVPN.com/OtherSide and  smartkits.com.auSupport the showJoin The EXCLUSIVE Side at www.OtherSideTV.com.au and help us revolutionise Aussie media! The Other Side is a regular news/commentary show on YouTube @OtherSideAus and available to watch FREE here: https://www.youtube.com/@OtherSideAus Follow us on X @OtherSideAUS

In this episode of the What the FinTech? podcast, host and FinTech Futures editor Paul Hindle is joined by Will Marwick, CEO of IFX Payments, to explore the rapidly evolving UK payments landscape and the future of cross-border transactions. The conversation covers the challenges around cross-border payments for corporates and SMEs, how IFX is tackling friction points in international transactions, and how the FX brokerage market has evolved amid significant FX volatility in recent years. Looking toward emerging technologies, Will also gives his perspective on the growing traction of stablecoins and their potential role in the future of international transactions. And finally, we find out what fintech buzzword Will wants to throw into our Fintech Jail!

In this episode, Eric sits down with Tony Gray from the Global Business Development Association to completely reframe what business development really is—and why most companies get it wrong. Tony explains how he built the Business Development Body of Knowledge after years of struggling to "break into BD," why traditional labels like B2B/B2C/B2G are less important than intent and trust, and how purpose, empathy, and truth literally create the brain chemistry that drives deals. He breaks down the difference between sales and true business development, shows how untrained teams cause massive revenue leakage, and shares practical tactics like open-book BD certification, community-led growth, and agile proposal methods that stop relying on overworked SMEs and start producing cleaner, clearer, more winnable bids. Key Takeaways Trust is the first principle of BD – purpose, empathy, and truth drive the brain chemistry that leads to real, lasting relationships and referrals. Everyone in your company is a business developer – if your team can't spot customer pain points and route them back to leadership, you're leaking revenue. Community-led growth beats going solo – partnering with aligned experts and building niche communities gets you into new markets faster than cold outreach alone. Learn more: https://federalhelpcenter.com/ https://govcongiants.org/  Encore Funding: https://www.encore-funding.com/  Tony's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-gray-mba-bdp/ Website: https://www.gbdassociation.org/  

In this episode of The Product Experience, host Randy Silver sits down with product veteran John Cutler to explore why creating great products remains one of the hardest things organisations do. They dive into why so many companies adopt off‑the‑shelf models (“Spotify”, “SAFe”, etc) and still struggle, and how the secret often lies not in what you build but how you build it—specifically the game you design for how you work.Chapters00:00 — The stigma around “how you work”00:54 — Introducing John Cutler (again)01:25 — What John's building at Dotwork02:46 — From fun to formal: doing discovery at scale04:04 — Why process became a bad word05:10 — The “cavalier PM” mindset06:28 — Empowered teams vs. harsh realities08:00 — What great pockets of practice have in common09:03 — Managing up vs. doing the right thing10:24 — Playing the game vs. designing the game11:20 — What makes a great internal game12:33 — Defining success: thriving, surviving, progressing13:46 — Environmental design: why leaders hesitate15:10 — Making intentional design less intimidating16:42 — Tools, rituals, and the power of checkpoints18:23 — The behaviour design playbook20:41 — Removing blockers: access, repetition, reflectionWe're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

Kurhula Baloyi, founder of Sum1 Investments, describes an innovative financing model – and even the idea of a future township stock exchange.

Transforming from "tax technician" to true key strategic partner is no longer optional. In this episode of the Accountants Minute Podcast, Peter Towers unpacks the uncomfortable gap between what 75% of accountants think they deliver and what SMEs actually say in the Intuit QuickBooks SMB Navigator Report. You'll explore why so many firms are still seen as "transactional", how to test your own client perception with a simple three-option survey, and the practical steps to deepen Financial / Commercial / Management Accounting services so clients genuinely see you as their go-to advisor. Tune in and start shifting your firm's vote to "Key Strategic Partner". You can also access our podcast on: Amazon Music Apple Podcasts Audible Spotify YouTube

Operators with 30 years of pattern recognition leave for competitors. Engineers carrying legacy system intelligence depart. Everyone understands the risk. Few solve the execution: Systematically extracting tacit intelligence that experts can't articulate because it operates below the conscious threshold.Dr. Refiloe Mabaso and Wisdom Ndashe architected what many struggle to build - knowledge-capture systems that function independently of voluntary participation. At ATNS, harvesting is mandated by policy and embedded in workflows. Their "Legends and Beneficiaries" program identifies critical expertise five years before departure, mapping tacit intelligence to next-generation operators through structured protocols. The execution breakthrough: embedding capture into SOPs makes retention automatic. Travel with Purpose demonstrates strategic reach - converting unaccounted expenditures into documented intelligence acquisition with measurable ROI. Cost centers become intelligence operations.Paradigm Shifts:

Ron Benegbi, founder and CEO of Uplinq, a unique credit-scoring solution for SMEs, spoke with Rudolf Falat, founder of the Voice of FinTech podcast, about how to make credit scoring for SMEs smarter while working alongside existing solutions.Here is what they talked about in more detail:Ron's background and experienceRon's reasons for starting his businessWhat is Uplinq? What problem do they solve?What is Uplinq's unique advantage? How do they differ from other credit scoring solutions? Business modelTarget customersLocationsThe very first steps in starting this ventureWhere are you in your journey regarding product development, geographic reach, funding, and hiring? Can you share any numbers?What are your next steps for this year and beyond? Where can interested parties contact you? Uplinq site orRon Benegbi on LinkedIn 

 Sales has always been a mindset game, but as of 2025, credibility is audited in seconds: first by your attitude, then by your image, and finally by how you handle objections and deliver outcomes. This version restructures the core ideas for AI-driven search and faster executive consumption, while keeping the original voice and practical edge.  Is attitude really the master key to sales success in 2025? Yes—your inner narrative sets your outer performance curve. From Henry Ford's "whether you think you can or can't" to Dale Carnegie's focus on personal agency, top performers engineer their self-talk under pressure. Post-pandemic, the volatility of B2B buying cycles and procurement scrutiny means sellers in Japan, the US, and Europe face more "no's" before a "yes." Adopt deliberate mental scripts before client calls ("You can do this") and after setbacks ("Reset, learn, re-engage"). Layer temporal anchors—quarterly targets, weekly pipeline reviews—to keep momentum objective, not emotional. In startups and SMEs, the founder-seller's mindset colours the whole team; in multinationals, it influences cross-functional trust with legal, finance, and delivery. Do now: Write a 30-second pre-call mantra and a 60-second post-call reset. Repeat both for 30 days; track conversion lift in your CRM. How do I bounce back fast after rejection without losing my edge? Counter-programme negativity with immediate, structured inputs. After job loss or a blown deal, flood your cognition with high-quality content the way athletes use tape review—books, playbooks, and leader debriefs instead of doom-scrolling. Think "input replacement": replace rumination with skill-building (objection patterns, pricing frameworks). Firms like Toyota or Rakuten institutionalise retrospectives; emulate that at team scale. In APAC vs. US contexts, timelines to re-pitch can differ—use a 24–48 hour window to reframe, then re-engage stakeholders. Treat every rejection as data: log cause (timing, budget, political capital) and countermeasure (proof, pilot, reference). Do now: Create a "rejection to routine" checklist: 1) log cause, 2) choose countermeasure, 3) schedule next touch, 4) upgrade enablement asset. Which people should I avoid—and which should I seek—when my pipeline wobbles? Avoid the "whine circle"; seek performance environments. Misery compounds in sales teams when negative talk becomes a daily ritual. Protect your focus like revenue: step away from low-agency chatter and toward deal rooms, peer reviews, and customer-back sessions. The classic Glengarry Glen Ross contrast—Ricky Roma selling while others complain—remains instructive, even if your 2025 "bar" is a Zoom room. In Japanese enterprise sales, senpai-kohai norms can pressure you to join the gripe; politely decline and book a customer discovery call instead. In US/Europe, use enablement Slack channels for pattern-spotting (what's working now vs. last quarter). Do now: Time-audit one week. Replace 2 hours of complaint conversations with 2 customer conversations, a reference call, or a pilot design session. Does my image still matter when most buyers research online first? Absolutely—executive presence accelerates trust in the first 90 seconds. "Image" isn't just suits and watches; it's congruence: neat dress, crisp opening, concise agenda, and credible artefacts (case studies, pilots, references). Think "BMW energy" without the bravado: quiet competence, simple visuals, punctuality. In conservative sectors (financial services, manufacturing), formality signals reliability; in startups and creative industries, smart-casual with clean slides signals agility. Japan versus US norms diverge in attire, but converge on preparation and respect: arrive early, name roles, confirm outcomes. Keep a repeatable first-impression kit: one-page credibility sheet, short customer video, and a 15-minute discovery plan. Do now: Build a 3-item presence kit (attire checklist, one-pager, discovery plan). Rehearse your first 90 seconds until it's muscle memory. How do I sound fluent without sounding "slick" or manipulative? Use structured clarity, not theatrics. Buyers fear the "too smooth" pitch; answer crisply, invite scrutiny, and show your working. Use a simple objection map: acknowledge → clarify → evidence → confirm. Anchor with entities (benchmarks, standards, regulations) and timelines ("as of Q4 2025, compliance rules changed"). In enterprise deals, suggest a small pilot to lower risk; in SME deals, offer a 30-day milestone plan. Keep language plain English with Australian spelling—short sentences, verbs first. Record and review your calls like athletes; look for hedging, filler, and jargon. Replace with specifics and proof. Do now: Write 5 top objections with one-sentence answers and one proof each (metric, customer name, or pilot result). Practise aloud. What proves credibility over time when problems inevitably arise? Calm accountability beats charisma after the contract is signed. When delivery hits turbulence, credibility is measured by cadence (weekly updates), transparency (risk log), and persistence (closing loops). Map stakeholders: executive sponsor, user lead, procurement, security. In Japan, escalate with harmony (nemawashi) before the formal meeting; in US/Europe, publish a written corrective plan and owner names. Tie each update to outcomes (uptime, cycle time, ROI proxy). Startups: emphasise speed of fix. Multinationals: emphasise governance and documentation. The goal is partner status, not vendor status. Do now: Implement a two-line status format in every email: "What changed since last week" and "What will change before next week," plus a single risk with owner. Quick checklist — first 90 seconds with a new buyer Confirm time, agenda, and outcome. One-sentence value prop, one credible proof. Ask one context question, one metric question, one timing question. Conclusion — the three pillars work together Mindset, image, and delivery are a system, not a buffet. Get your inner voice aligned, present like a pro, and then prove it under pressure. Do those three consistently, and 2025's buyers—whether in Tokyo, Sydney, or New York—will pick you when it counts.  FAQs What should I change first if I'm overwhelmed? Start with a pre-call checklist and a 30-second mantra—both are fast and compounding. How formal should I dress in Japan vs. the US? Japan skews more formal; the US tolerates smart-casual—match the client's culture and the meeting's stakes. How do I track mindset ROI? Tag calls where you used the routine; compare conversion rate and cycle time vs. prior month. Next steps for leaders/executives Install objection maps and first-impression kits across the team. Run weekly deal reviews focused on clarity, not theatre. Standardise pilot templates and two-line status updates. Author credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).  Greg also publishes daily business insights on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and hosts six weekly podcasts. On YouTube, he produces The Cutting Edge Japan Business Show, Japan Business Mastery, and Japan's Top Business Interviews, which are widely followed by executives seeking success strategies in Japan. 

Jeannette Linfoot speaks with Fergal O'Connor, the highly competitive founder and CEO of Buymedia, one of the fastest-growing companies in Ireland. In this episode, Fergal shares how Buymedia is continuing its rapid growth, recently launching into the UK market as part of its mission to transform the global advertising landscape. Fergal explains how he is democratising the advertising world for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by leveraging AI to ensure every pound of ad spend delivers real business results. He opens up about his story, his deep competitive drive, and his unexpectedly shy nature. Fergal explains why: Revenues and customers will solve most of the business problems. You can go fast by yourself, but you can't go far unless you have a high-energy team around you. Why asking “Please tell me where my baby is ugly" to find what is wrong with your product or process early will help you solve it. You shouldn't be afraid to share your ideas with mentors, as people are generally too busy with their own work to steal them . Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction: Meet Fergal O'Connor, Founder and CEO of Buymedia 0:59 Transforming the Global Advertising Landscape (Buymedia's Mission) 4:58 Democratising Ad Spend for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 12:21 Revenues and Customers Will Solve Most Business Problems 26:11 You Need a High-Energy Team to Go Far 53:40 Why You Shouldn't Fear Sharing Ideas with Mentors 1:05:01 Conclusion and Final Resources (Visit Brave Bold Brilliant) Subscribe to Brave Bold Brilliant for weekly wisdom on leadership, legacy, and living boldly. Let's make your next move your bravest yet. CONNECT WITH JEANNETTE: Jeannette's linktree - ⁠https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot⁠ ⁠https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/⁠ YOUTUBE - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliant⁠ LinkedIn - ⁠https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot⁠ Facebook - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/⁠ Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/⁠ Tiktok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@brave.bold.brilliant⁠ VALUABLE RESOURCES Brave Bold Brilliant - ⁠https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/⁠ Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970⁠ ABOUT THE HOST Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 30 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development. ABOUT THE GUEST Fergal O'Connor is the Founder & CEO of Buymedia, one of Ireland's fastest-growing advertising technology companies, now expanding rapidly across the UK. With over 20 years of experience in the media and marketing industry, Fergal has worked across print, radio, television, and digital, giving him a uniquely comprehensive understanding of how businesses can maximise their advertising impact. Website: https://buymedia.ai/ie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buymediahq/?originalSubdomain=ie Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/buymediahq/ Podcast Description Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences in business and life, gaining first hand insight into how they unleashed their potential to become Brave Bold Brilliant. From the boardroom tables of big international businesses to the exciting world of entrepreneurs it's all about stepping up to the next level while staying true to yourself.

Vodafone Business has announced it has won the prestigious 2025 Microsoft Telco Partner of the Year Award. The company was honoured among a global field of top Microsoft partners for demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. With over 2.4 million customers in Ireland, Vodafone is the leading tech and connectivity partner to six in ten Irish businesses, supporting SMEs, large, and public services. Vodafone Ireland, in partnership with Microsoft, enables businesses of all sizes to unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365. We drive Copilot adoption, strengthen security with Microsoft Defender, and deliver unique Teams Phone Mobile integration to support secure, connected hybrid workforces. Our Microsoft service offerings extends to Azure cloud migration and managed services, ensuring compliance, performance optimisation, and peace of mind. Combined with Vodafone's industry-specific connectivity solutions, we empower organisations to thrive in a secure, connected, and future-ready environment. "When two technology leaders come together, we can make a real difference to our customers." said Marika Auramo, CEO Vodafone Business. "Winning this accolade is a real testament to our exceptional sales and technology teams, who work tirelessly to build industry leading services that deliver value. Our partnership with Microsoft sets the blueprint for combined scale, expertise and offers a diverse product portfolio to empower small businesses to thrive in a digital world." The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognise Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft Cloud applications, services, , and AI innovation in the past year. Awards were classified in various categories with honourees chosen from more than 4,600 nominations across more than 100 countries. Vodafone Business was recognised for providing outstanding solutions and services in telecommunications. Also welcoming the award, Director of Vodafone Business in Ireland, Jo Gilfoy said: This global recognition reflects the investment we've made in our Microsoft business, both locally and globally, and our commitment to helping customers embrace digital transformation with confidence. Whether it's AI-driven tools, cybersecurity, cloud, or telephony, our combined expertise empowers businesses to unlock growth and resilience in a rapidly changing market." The award highlights Vodafone's ability to secure scalable Microsoft solutions for Irish businesses, backed by global expertise. Recent initiatives include enhanced managed services for Microsoft 365 and Teams integration tailored for SMEs and enterprise customers in Ireland. This commitment is backed by significant investment in local expertise - with Vodafone Ireland contributing to the expansion of Microsoft-certified professionals across the business, to ensure best-in-class support for Irish businesses. Leading to Vodafone Ireland also recently being awarded Microsoft's Infrastructure designation for Azure. "Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of the 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards," said Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft. "This year, our partners have harnessed the transformative power of Microsoft's Cloud and AI platforms to deliver transformative solutions that redefine the boundaries of innovation. The energy and ingenuity across our ecosystem continue to inspire us. The 2025 honourees exemplify what's possible when technology and vision unite to empower customers around the world." The 2025 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are announced ahead of Microsoft Ignite, which was held in San Francisco between the 18th to 21st of November. For more information on the award, please visit: Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards 2025 See more stories here. More about Irish Tech News Irish Tech News are Ireland's No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland's ...

The Space Show Presents KATHRYN BOLISH, WEX Foundation, Friday, 11-21-25Brief Summary:The program focused on discussing the WEX Foundation's educational programs, particularly their space STEM initiatives for K-12 students through their LCATS program, which provides free education and mentorship in space-related topics. The discussion covered the foundation's approach to teaching mathematics and programming, as well as their collaboration with NASA and other aerospace companies to develop student projects and curriculum. The conversation concluded with an exploration of the program's impact on student engagement and academic performance, while addressing challenges related to the COVID pandemic, funding, and policy issues in public education.Detailed Summary:David, John Jossy, and Kathryn Bolish, our guest from the WEX Foundation, discussed the WEX Foundation, its projects, and its namesake, Judge Waldo Jimenez. Kathryn explained the power outages at her office causing WIFI issues for this broadcast. We lost audio and video with our guest a few times during the program but were fortunate that we were able to reconnect with a minor delay. We do apologize for the audio/video issues during this discussion.Kathryn discussed her passion for mathematics and her plans to pursue a PhD at UTSA. John Jossy and I welcomed Dr. Ajay Kothari to the meeting and others as they joined us. I provided a formal introduction for Kathryn Bolish, a mathematician pursuing a PhD, who discussed her passion for mathematics and its applications in space travel. They explored the disconnect between theoretical and numerical mathematics in education, with Kathryn highlighting the importance of teaching math theory and logic from an early age to improve understanding and reduce remedial needs. Before commencing with the full program, I announced upcoming guests and program changes, including a fundraising campaign after Thanksgiving which is essential for supporting The Space Show for 2026.Kathryn discussed the importance of teaching propositional logic and set theory to students early on to help them understand math as a tool rather than a monster. She explained how WEX Foundation provides free space STEM education to K-12 students, focusing on lunar exploration. The program, called LCATS, accepts 30-40 students annually for a three-year commitment, meeting bi-weekly Saturdays at San Antonio area universities. Kathryn emphasized the need for teachers to understand basic programming and math theory to effectively teach these subjects. The discussion also touched on the challenges of AI in education, with Kathryn advocating for using AI as a tool for learning rather than for cheating. David inquired about the program's impact on students' general academic performance, including students not in a WEX program but in the class with a WEX student. Kathryn replied that it has led to increased interest and engagement in STEM subjects among participating students.Kathryn explained that the WEX Foundation's LCATS program, which was piloted by NASA in 2017, faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staff changes in 2020. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that the program's content remains relevant to the space industry and highlighted the need to find suitable locations and teachers willing to conduct classes on Saturdays. Kathryn also discussed the foundation's approach to connecting young students with space industry experts, noting that while the experts may initially seem intimidating, the students often view their feedback as valuable learning opportunities. She mentioned that the foundation plans to finalize a comprehensive LCATS curriculum by May 2026, which will then be used to expand the program to other regions.Kathryn discussed the benefits of exposing students to industry challenges, noting that while some SMEs may be harsh, the experience helps build student confidence. She shared an example of a student project that led to a 3D printer prototype for lunar construction, now displayed at a museum. David raised concerns about magical thinking among graduate students and asked how Kathryn addresses it with young minds, to which she responded that embracing the “magic” of unknown possibilities is crucial for innovation, drawing parallels to historical achievements like the moon landing.The meeting discussed the NASA-funded New Worlds program, which trains pre-service educators in lunar habitat design. Kathryn explained that the program teaches students about lunar lava tubes and challenges them to design habitat systems. Ajay raised concerns about landing on the lunar surface, suggesting that the program could help address this issue by developing solutions for landing on uneven terrain. Marshall inquired about the transition from Earth-based biospheres to lunar habitats, and Kathryn mentioned that the program partners with experts in this field to provide students with relevant constraints and knowledge. The conversation ended with a reminder that the show had a strict 60-minute time limit.Kathryn explained that her parent company, Astroport, evaluates student proposals for space-related projects by assessing their feasibility for terrestrial demonstrations before advancing to lunar applications. She noted that while Astroport works with major aerospace companies like Boeing and SpaceX, WEX focuses on space STEM education and collaborates with these organizations through mentorship and partnerships. Kathryn also mentioned that WEX operates from the same building as Astroport and occasionally hosts engineers to help students brainstorm solutions for their projects, while acknowledging the challenges of addressing policy and regulation issues in their curriculum.Kathryn explained that WEX Foundation's space education programs are structured to be self-sustaining and low-cost, allowing them to continue operations despite NASA's education budget cuts. She clarified that while students can propose their own ideas for lunar projects, the program focuses on teaching established concepts like lava tube habitation and letting students develop their own solutions. The discussion concluded with Ajay offering to share a paper about space exploration with Kathryn, who expressed gratitude for the collaborative spirit among the participants.This program featured a discussion with Kathryn from the WEX Foundation, who shared insights about her math-focused educational programs in San Antonio. She explained how her mathematical background supports her work in program management and curriculum development, despite not directly using advanced math in her current role. The conversation highlighted the diversity of her student cohorts and the collaborative nature of her programs, which bring together students of different ages and backgrounds. The discussion concluded with questions about the demographics of her students and plans for program expansion, as well as a brief conversation about the challenges of public education and the role of money in society.Special thanks to our sponsors:Northrup Grumman, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Helix Space in Luxembourg, Celestis Memorial Spaceflights, Astrox Corporation, Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers University, The Space Settlement Progress Blog by John Jossy, The Atlantis Project, and Artless EntertainmentOur Toll Free Line for Live Broadcasts: 1-866-687-7223 (Not in service at this time)For real time program participation, email Dr. Space at: drspace@thespaceshow.com for instructions and access.The Space Show is a non-profit 501C3 through its parent, One Giant Leap Foundation, Inc. To donate via Pay Pal, use:To donate with Zelle, use the email address: david@onegiantleapfoundation.org.If you prefer donating with a check, please make the check payable to One Giant Leap Foundation and mail to:One Giant Leap Foundation, 11035 Lavender Hill Drive Ste. 160-306 Las Vegas, NV 89135Upcoming Programs:Broadcast 4466: ZOOM: Dr. Avi Loeb | Sunday 23 Nov 2025 1200PM PTGuests: Dr. Abraham (Avi) LoebZOOM: Dr. Avi Loeb returns to discuss our latest interstellar visitor and more. Get full access to The Space Show-One Giant Leap Foundation at doctorspace.substack.com/subscribe

Allen and Joel sit down with Michael McQueenie, Head of Sales for SkySpecs in Europe at the SkySpecs Customer Forum. They discuss the booming European wind energy market, SkySpecs’ role in asset management, and their expansion into solar farm operations. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard’s StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linkedin and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes’ YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Welcome to Uptime Spotlight, shining Light on Wind Energy’s brightest innovators. This is the Progress Powering Tomorrow. Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast Spotlight. I have Joel Saxum with me. I’m Allen Hall, the host, and we are here with Michael McQueenie head of sales for SkySpecs over in Europe. Michael, welcome to the show. Michael McQueenie: Thanks for having me. Allen Hall: We are at SkySpecs customer Form 2025 and it has been a blowout event, so many operators from all over learning and exchanging information about how they operate their assets. We wanted to have you on today because you’re our reference to Europe and what is happening with SkySpecs in Europe. America and Europe are on different pathways at the moment. What is that status right now in Europe? What are people calling you for today? Michael McQueenie: the, European market is really booming. we get calls from customers to support [00:01:00] with internal inspections, external inspections as we always have for, nearly a decade now. We are seeing a lot more, discussions around the, enablement services that we can offer. how did, how do we bring a blade engineer and how do we bring a CMS engineer into support and give us, give us more of an insight on the data that we have or, or the data that Skys fix are producing. things are evolving. and, it’s a buoyant offshore industry at the moment. Allen Hall: yeah, there’s like thousands of turbines going up right now. it used to be when you thought of. Deployment. Unlike Germany, for example, it’d be three turbines on the hillside. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. Allen Hall: Now we’re talking about in the uk have hundreds of turbines hitting the water. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. Allen Hall: And that’s change of scale has driven a lot of operators realize I need expertise in blades, I need expertise in CMS. I need an expert in gearbox, but I don’t necessarily need them full time. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. Allen Hall: Skys spec. Can you help me? Michael McQueenie: the projects [00:02:00] are, they’re fewer projects, but they’re, the scale of these projects are massive. the scale of the turbine scale of the projects and the impact the projects can have on, the country, as a whole is, is massive. So yeah, it’s, it is a. It’s a, it is a great time to be in Europe and to see the growth. it’s been, coming for a long time. I’ve worked with consultancies who are looking at feasibility studies, in offshore, and onshore. But the, the growth has been. Just, it’s just around the corner. And I do feel like now with some of these big projects that they’re installing, and yeah, just given the size of the turbines, it’s it’s massive. Joel Saxum: one of the things I want to, I think there’s an important context here is that we’re talking, we’re sitting in Ann Arbor, right? we’re in the us You’re over in Europe. I worked for a Danish company for a while and it was always like this seven hour delay. Kinda can I get the in, can I get the support? Can they get the support? Can we work? How do we work back and forth? Sometimes it was cool because you’d send an email at two o’clock and when you woke up in the morning [00:03:00] it was done. That was awesome. But also there was these delays. Now this is the interesting thing here is, and Skys facts. This morning we listened to Cheryl. always a great presentation. Yeah. the head of the TEI blade stuff here. She was delivering some insights, but with her was Thomas. Thomas is in Europe. And you have CMS experts in Europe. You have the local talent that’s over there that can work with these operators on their timelines, on their regular day stuff. They’re not waiting as, and what I’m trying to get to is, is SkySpecs is not a Ann Arbor company. Skyspace is a global company in a big way. And so this, so thinking like, oh, this is an American company, w. Will we use someone that’s more local no. No. Skyspace is a local European company as well. Michael McQueenie: Yeah, and we’ve got the SMEs over there. it’s not just Cheryl, who’s a fantastic en engineer. Having your at your, disposal, Thomas is phenomenal. customers are seeing real value in integrating him into their team, being the SME [00:04:00] for them, as you, as we said before. Being able to turn ’em off, on and off as required. Don’t, you’ve not got that the FTE cost right. to bring in an SME that, that needs to, support you with a, with an individual component of your, asset. Yeah. Blades are a huge problem. The industry’s seeing that as they’re getting bigger, the problems are getting bigger. but yeah, having, a local presence in Europe is, massive. my inbox is full from, all the US. Inquiries and issues, during the night, just like you’re saying. Yeah. And I wake up to dozens of emails with, requirements on inbox and my to-do list is full. But the, but the reality is yeah, we’re, grown in Europe. we are. Our real solid presence in Europe and we’ve, seen massive growth this year. Joel Saxum: I think it, it’s part of the value chain there. Touching on the Thomas and Cheryl. Right. So in SkySpecs over this week, we’ve been talking more and more about the, how you guys like to specifically work within a workflow. And that workflow being we have [00:05:00]inspections, we’re in the platform now we’re in horizon, bam. And we can enable the tech enabled services, which is those SMEs which you have inside. The company and then rolling that forward to the repair vendor management, which is happening in a big way in the States. Yesterday I saw a number, $13 million in repairs managed by the Sky Spec team. That’s huge. And, that same capability. And we’re just talking blazes right now, like we haven’t even touched on CMS performance monitoring, financial asset monitoring. That same concept is, is replica replicate in the EU as well. Michael McQueenie: No, it absolutely is, Our customers have got problems, we can help them with the problems. Thomas is, as you said, we work in workflows and Thomas is, is looking to support customers with how they, touch their data as few times as they possibly can. How do we get from A to B and how does a customer understand what their problems are and how they fix the problems? And sometimes an [00:06:00]SME is the, way to fix that. Thomas has provide, provided huge value to our customers. The design of workflows in Horizon is the, essence. It exists just to try and get from A to B and, and try and drive insights and then next steps. And I think that’s the important part, being, this is the action to Joel Saxum: get Michael McQueenie: to the, we’ve got the data, we understand what the data’s telling us. here’s an insight, but actually what is the follow up? And, Thomas is designing that follow up for our customers and providing the support. Allen Hall: and just a little bit comparison between the United States and Europe, when we still talk to anybody in the United States about a turbine. Almost always, it’s a two megawatt, one and a half megawatt turbine, right? Occasionally a four. Sometimes someone says Joel Saxum: yesterday like, oh, that’s a three megawatt Allen Hall: turbine. Whoa, what’s big? And in Europe, three megawatts was like years ago, particularly offshore that, everything’s 6, 8, 10. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. Allen Hall: Plus Michael McQueenie: 3.6 was the common [00:07:00] turbine. Five, eight. Allen Hall: Yeah. Michael McQueenie: Years ago, that was, what everyone was working on. And, they’re a very reliable turbine. It’s, there was a reason why there were so many of them installed at that time. but nowadays, we’re helping OEMs with 50 megawatt turbines. Allen Hall: and I think that’s the, thing that we just don’t see in the states is a turbine that’s 15 megawatts is down for a day. Is so much more expensive and particularly offshore and the expenses go astronomical compared to onshore. Yeah, and Michael, I always see your position of you’re there to save. Millions of pounds or millions, of euros all the time because a shutdown there is huge. Joel Saxum: Yeah. Allen Hall: And because the grids are changing so much in Europe where they’re becoming more solar and wind dependent and coal is going to change away. And Joel Saxum: triage. Allen Hall: Yeah. The triage bit, is that the SkySpecs is in that position to really help a lot our operators out. You’re [00:08:00] providing the insights and the guidance and the knowledge that. An operator probably doesn’t have, because they don’t have the staff to go do it. It’s a And can you enlighten us like what that is because we just don’t see a lot of that here. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. I think there’s a good reason you don’t see that this was, we are just providing data to some of these, transactions. Whether it’s a due diligence, inspection, or an end of warranty. We are just providing the insights for the customers to. Make their own decisions. Um, so it’s not a SkySpecs decision. We are just providing insights to, to allow them to make a, smart, educated, data-driven decision. Joel Saxum: I think that’s important, concept too. ’cause like here, the Skys spec user form, of course, we’re in the States, so we’ve been talking and I think there’s only two or three people here from. Yeah. From overseas. So we’ve been talking a lot about the one big, beautiful, what it means. That doesn’t mean that much to you in your daily life, right? No. But your daily life is a bit different with, you have more of a focus on. Maybe financial asset owners. ’cause the market’s different, right? Michael McQueenie: yeah. Absolutely. The, [00:09:00] simplification of process and actually having a workflow no matter what, it’s, whether we’re taking financial data, CMS data or performance, SC data, The simplification of that process and driving insights from it is literally the foundation of what SkySpecs have been here to do. So providing, financial institutions funds with the ability to. Reach out and, make quick decisions, data-driven decisions. there’s some very smart people in these organizations, asset managers who are, A costly resource to the fund. What they really need to do is pull le pull levers as in when it’s required to. We need some support with sc. We need some support with blades. How do we, how do they, bring that resource and that expertise in house without having the FTE? and the funds are, phenomenal companies. They’re, growing fast. They don’t want the linear growth of people. to go along with that, that, growth of their portfolio. So it’s important that we build relationships and make sure that we’re helping them [00:10:00] in every side of their business, whether it’s financial decisions or, technical decisions. Joel Saxum: I think there’s a, there’s an important takeaway from this week as well, listening to all the SkySpecs, the people, the presentations, the communications, the, collaborations, the conversations. Some of ’em a little bit later at night than other ones. I, won’t name any names, but. Listening to those things and understanding this. So a few weeks ago when I was talking with, we talked with Josh Garrell a little bit ago, and I, shared this with him. I saw a McKinsey report that said, SkySpecs, inspection company. SkySpecs to me is not an inspection company. they do the best inspections in the world, in wind, in my opinion. Yes. However, there’s so much more, there’s so much more there. And it is, it’s really a full support in my opinion, for the CMS to scada, the performance monitoring, the financial asset modeling, the tech enabled insights, repair, vendor management. There’s so many other solutions within this umbrella that I think a lot of people don’t see. Allen Hall: And the one case study that came up yesterday, Michael, I think [00:11:00] that I found interesting was the offshore. Inspections before blades are hung. Yeah. And we see a lot of times in the states where blades are damaged in transport, we think, okay, yeah, the truck damaged it. Okay, fine, we can fix it on the ground. But on the offshore case, that simple repair now has to happen out in the ocean, and that goes from a couple of thousand dollars to 10. Pounds to tens of thousands of pounds or more to get that resolved. And you had a case just like that. Michael McQueenie: Yeah, and I think it’s hundreds of thousands if we’re being honest. Yeah. If you start looking at vessel costs, crew costs, everything else. But actually what I like about it is that OEMs are actually becoming way more proactive because they know the cost of an up tower repair compared to, an onshore repair. So having the foresight to. Have the inspections completed at the right time. Working with us on timelines, using technology to perform the inspections, getting through as many as we can, as quickly as we can, [00:12:00] addressing the problems, doing the analysis, and then actually solving the problem before it goes offshore is massive drainage that, how many times is a bleed lifted from the factory to installation. Lot. It’s a lot. It’s a lot, It’s handled a lot. So there’s a opportunity for something to go wrong, as you said, oh, it’s been knocked, it’s, there’s something wrong. Something’s happened. but solving that is the OEM’s responsibility. So they’re becoming much more proactive in my opinion. we’ve, we’ve had a lot of use cases this week, and it’s always been about the, owners, the operators, how we’ve saved them money, how we provided them value. The OEMs are looking to us to help them on that front as well, whether it’s robotic or whether it’s, providing analysis or, or a platform to, to manage the data. we are working with, with them in offshore, but the problems are so much bigger. Allen Hall: I think the OEMs are learning from Skys spec, so watching what operators are doing to hedge their bets to protect their assets. And SkySpecs is pretty much involved in all of that. [00:13:00] Now the OEMs are watching the operators saying, why are we not doing that? We’re seeing that in Joel Saxum: the lightning. Allen Hall: Absolutely. We’re seeing enlightening. We’re seeing it in CMS now. We’re seeing it in a number of areas where the OEMs have watched SkySpecs maneuver and provide better value to their customers that the OEMs are trying to mirror, Joel Saxum: I touch on another case study because Alan, you and I sat in on this one yesterday, and if so, I’m gonna put my, my, I’m a European operator hat on. and this is a little weird. I don’t, I have a good accent. Not, I’m not gonna try that, but okay. Say I’m going to, I have a smaller wind farm, right? So I may have, 20 turbines of a specific model, and I would like to understand where am I at for performance benchmarking? Am I doing well or not? I don’t have a huge fleet. European fleets are not that big unless you’re offshore. As specifically compared to the US where our wind farms are a hundred, 120 turbines. Sun Z is a thousand turbines, right? That’s a wind farm. So the problem is different, [00:14:00] but Skys spec has that data. If this is your site, let’s look at how your site is doing compared to. These 1500 of the same models around the world. And then you can look at that, understand your performance benchmark, and then start diving into the issues that may be causing it, to not perform as well. And then fixing them and getting it up to speed to what it should be compared to everybody else. And I thought, man, what a use case, especially in the European market. Michael McQueenie: No, absolutely. and we always talk about benchmarking. We’ve, I’ve been with companies who have tried benchmarking in the past, looking at KPIs. How do you benchmark your performance of your turbine against something similar? And I think Skyspace are starting to get that right. we’ve, got the sc the scatter data and looking at the biggest impact in damages or the biggest failure faults that you have on your turbine and how we, how it can help you. Push the OEMs. Yeah, just give them a prod to, Joel Saxum: we saw Michael McQueenie: case studies on that Joel Saxum: yesterday. Michael McQueenie: The case studies we’ve seen this week have actually been incredible, and that’s probably the, biggest takeaway for a lot of [00:15:00]people. Just try and understand how we’ve helped. The, customers achiever a return or, what we’ve saved them, over time. those have been probably the biggest takeaway for me this week. just people are starting to understand and appreciate the returns they could see if they engage with us on all these other products. But the performance side of thing, benchmarking is, a really interesting topic. Completely away from just looking at performance data. Everyone in the room over the last couple of days. Is, dancing around the, topic of benchmarking because, they’re, very, protective of the data. Yes. but I think people, and we’ve spoke about maybe for the last 12 months, they have shown an interest in, oh, I can share some data and if it’s anonymized, that I’d be happy to take part in that. But. I’d love to see, that taking a step further, I’d love to see that. I think everyone in the industry, everyone in that room would benefit from, [00:16:00]from data sharing to, to learn from each other with freely optimiz data. Yeah, absolutely. Allen Hall: there have been a number of announcements this week also from SkySpecs. Some of the bigger ones are the move into solar and Europe. There’s a lot of solar power in Europe, particularly some parts of Europe. That could be a massive amount of phone calls your way, Michael. oh, sky Spec is doing blades. Turbines and solar. I’ll take it. Joel Saxum: Yeah. Allen Hall: And I think there’s been a huge demand for that for the last several years, but it’s just been, you’ve been so busy with turbine problems, so honestly that you haven’t had the ability to get to solar. Now with some of the tools you just brought in, you can. Michael McQueenie: Yeah, I think we, we started off just blades, as we all know. Yeah. As you said, if we were just an inspection company. the acquisitions we’ve made, over the last few years have been taking us to the point where we’re now covering full turbine asset health monitoring. And that was an important part. once we achieve that, now you can, you gain a [00:17:00] bit of clarity. we can start to look at diversification into new asset types. Solar’s been something I’m asked about once a month from European customers, and prospects. So we’ve tempered expectations for quite a long time. We, we know we were going to move into solar at some point. we’ve got, we’ve got a really big opportunity I think, we’re very well positioned to, to help solar operators. Yeah, Allen Hall: I think, I think there’s the variability in solar. From the different manufacturer. There’s so many manufacturers of panels and are inverters and even some of the configurations, the, support structures have issues, but SkyScan specs is gonna make that a lot easier because the tools are better now than they were five years ago. Michael McQueenie: Yeah, no, absolutely. And we’ve got a massive customer base with that mix of wind, solar battery. So we, have to come up with that solution and, the tools are perfectly placed. Allen Hall: Yeah. Michael McQueenie: It’s the same engineers that will be asked. Joel Saxum: See Michael McQueenie: now [00:18:00] you’re dealing with solar. There’ll be no questions asked. There will be. That’s happening already. You fixed wind for us. There’s, I’m gonna change your job description as wind engineer plus solar. Allen Hall: Yeah. And then it’s gonna be plus Allen Hall: best, right? Michael McQueenie: That, reviewable energy engineer, Joel Saxum: that’s what it will be. But I think there’s a, there’s some things here too to share with the European crowd is, there has been some strategic additions to the leadership team, Ben Token coming on as the CTO helping with some of that data architecture in the background. And then what will be the future of you guys have, there’s always work to be done, right? But have gotten really close to having a big, perfect little model of this is how you manage a wind asset. now that can be control C, C control V, solar, control C control V best, and that’s the future of what Skys spec is going to become a renewable energy company. And that’s the future. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. I think that the additions to the business have been pretty visionary. Yeah. rich and Ben are both. Phenomenal individuals will, that will drive us to, success in all these other areas. [00:19:00] rich has, been part of the business and has from the board from a, for a number of years now, and, I think he’s now seeing the. How special the business is. How special it could be. Yeah. Once we, start that diversification. Joel Saxum: Yeah. I’ve seen Rich here at the, ’cause we are in Ann Arbor at the forum. It’s Wednesday. So we’ve, we’re on day two, and I’ve seen Rich floating around talking with some of the customers, talking with a lot of the SkySpecs employees. I’ve had a few conversations with him and. That man has a big smile on his face all day long. Michael McQueenie: Yeah. Joel Saxum: He sees the opportunity. he’s happy to engage. He wants to talk with people. he’s gonna be a big part of the future of the group. And I, think it’s exciting to see him here. Michael McQueenie: He really has, I think both of them have, really accelerated the excitement and the, development of all the tools. everyone’s rallying behind them to Joel Saxum: Yeah. Michael McQueenie: to try and make sure that, we, get to the next tech. Joel Saxum: Yeah. Last night we talked with, Ben about big data and analytics. We’re recording it now. So we’re, telling we’re gonna try to get him down to [00:20:00] Australia to speak to the Australian crowd during our event down there in February about big data analytics and his background, what Skys books is doing with it. Allen Hall: Yeah. And big data is the future. Everybody knew it three years ago. Yeah. We’re finally at the level we can start processing it and make use of it. I think Michael, you’re in a unique position and SkySpecs is in a really unique position in Europe. The world is looking to Europe on renewables. The expansion of renewables, how coal has essentially gone away. Gas is still kicking around. France has a, still a good bit of nuclear and rightly It’s a great resource for them. but the solar, wind battery play is gonna be the, big push over the next several years. Without SkySpecs, it’s gonna be really hard to be successful there and to get the revenue stream that you expected out of it. Your phone has to be ringing off the hook all the time. Yeah. Michael McQueenie: The, co-location story has been building momentum for a couple of years now, and right now it’s [00:21:00] just, everyone’s talking about it, the battery, adding batteries to sites and co-locating solar with wind. And, yeah, it’s, been, it is a really exciting thing. it’s skys picks are really well positioned to help every one of them. Allen Hall: So how do people get ahold of you? And is LinkedIn the best place? Just go, Michael McQueenie and SkySpecs. Michael McQueenie: Yeah, most people, I’m fairly well connected in the European market. A lot of people will have my details, but yeah, LinkedIn, absolutely. Allen Hall: Okay, great. Michael, I love having you, on webinars and in person for these, interview sessions because Joel and I learn so much. you’re just a great resource and if you’re interested in SkySpecs and, and the services that they offer. In Europe, get ahold of Michael. He will get you set up and get you into the horizon platform and get you solutions. So Michael, thank you so much for being on the podcast. Michael McQueenie: Thank Allen Hall: you very much for it. It’s been [00:22:00] great.

In this episode, Nina Olding, Staff Product Manager at Weights & Biases and formerly at Google DeepMind, working on trust and compliance for AI, joins Randy to explore the UX challenges of AI‑driven features. As AI becomes increasingly woven into digital products, the traditional UX cues and trust‑signals that users rely on are changing. Nina introduces her framework of the three “A's” for AI UX: Awareness, Agency, and Assurance, and explains how product teams can build this into their AI‑enabled products without launching a massive transformation programme.Key Takeaways— As AI features proliferate, the UX challenge is less about the technology and more about how users perceive, understand and trust the interactions.— Trust is based on three foundational dimensions for AI‑enabled products: Awareness, Agency, Assurance.— Awareness: Make it clear when AI is involved (and when it isn't). Invisible AI = risk of misunderstanding. Magical AI without context = disorientation.— Agency: Give users control, or at least the option to opt‑out, define boundaries, choose defaults vs advanced settings.— Assurance: Because AI can be non‑deterministic, you must design for confidence—indicators of reliability, transparency about limitations, ability to question or override outputs.Chapters00:00 – Intro: Why AI products are failing on trust00:47 – Nina Old's journey from Google DeepMind to Weights & Biases03:20 – The UX of AI: It's not just a chat window04:08 – Introducing the Three A's framework: Awareness, Agency, Assurance08:30 – Designing for Awareness: Visibility and user signals14:40 – Agency: Giving users control and escape hatches21:30 – Assurance: Transparency, confidence indicators, and humility28:05 – Three key questions to assess AI UX30:50 – The product case for trust: Compliance, loyalty, and retention33:00 – Final thoughts: Building the trust muscleFeatured Links: Follow Nina on LinkedIn | Weights & Biases | Check out Nina's 'The hidden UX of AI' slides from Industry Conference Cleveland 2025We're taking Community Questions for The Product Experience podcast.Got a burning product question for Lily, Randy, or an upcoming guest? Submit it here. Our HostsLily Smith enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Chief Product Officer at BBC Maestro, and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath. Randy Silver is a Leadership & Product Coach and Consultant. He gets teams unstuck, helping you to supercharge your results. Randy's held interim CPO and Leadership roles at scale-ups and SMEs, advised start-ups, and been Head of Product at HSBC and Sainsbury's. He participated in Silicon Valley Product Group's Coaching the Coaches forum, and speaks frequently at conferences and events. You can join one of communities he runs for CPOs (CPO Circles), Product Managers (Product In the {A}ether) and Product Coaches. He's the author of What Do We Do Now? A...

When markets are kind, anyone can look like a genius. The test arrives when conditions turn—your systems, skills, and character decide what happens next.  What are the five drivers every leader must master? The five drivers are: Self Direction, People Skills, Process Skills, Communication, and Accountability. Mastering all five creates resilient performance across cycles. In boom times (think pre-pandemic luxury hotels in Japan) tailwinds mask weak leadership; in shocks (closed borders, supply chain crunches) only strong drivers keep teams delivering. As of 2025, executives in multinationals, SMEs, and startups alike need a balanced "stack": vision and values (Self Direction), talent and trust (People), systems and analytics (Process), clear messaging and questions (Communication), and personal ownership (Accountability). If one leg is shaky, the whole table wobbles. Do now: Score yourself 1–5 on each driver; identify your lowest two and set 30-day improvement actions.  Mini-summary: Five drivers form a complete system; strength in one can't compensate for failure in another. How does Self Direction separate steady leaders from "lucky" ones? Self-directed leaders set vision, goals, and culture—and adjust fast when reality bites. Great conditions or an inherited A-team help, but hope isn't a strategy. As markets shift in APAC, the US, or Europe, leaders with grounded values and a flexible ego change course quickly; rigid, oversized egos drive firms off cliffs faster. The calibration problem is real: we need enough ego to lead, not so much that we ignore evidence. In practice that means owner-dated goals, visible trade-offs, and a willingness to reverse a decision when facts change. Do now: Write a one-page "leader operating system": purpose, top 3 goals, non-negotiable values, and the conditions that trigger a pivot.  Mini-summary: Direction + adaptability beats bravado; values anchor the pivot, not the vanity. Why are People Skills the new performance engine? Complex work killed the "hero leader"; today's results flow from psychologically safe, capability-building teams.Whether you run manufacturing in Aichi, B2B SaaS in Seattle, or retail in Sydney, you need the right people on the bus, in the right seats. Trust is the currency; without it, there is no team—only compliant individuals. Servant leadership isn't slogans; it's practical: career conversations, strengths-based job fit, and coaching cadences. Climbing over bodies might have worked in 1995; in 2025 it destroys engagement, innovation, and retention. Do now: Map your team on fit vs. aspiration. Realign one role this fortnight and schedule two growth conversations per week for the next month.  Mini-summary: Build safety, match talent to roles, and coach growth; teams create the compounding returns, not lone heroes. What Process Skills keep quality high without killing initiative? Well-designed systems prevent good people from failing; poor processes turn stars into "low performers." Leaders must separate skill gaps from system flaws. Mis-fit is common—asking a big-picture creative to live in spreadsheets, or a detail maven to blue-sky strategy all day. Across sectors, involve people in improving the workflow; people support a world they help create. And yes, even "Driver" personalities must wear an Analytical hat for the numbers that matter: current, correct, relevant. Toyota's jidoka lesson applies broadly: stop the line when a defect appears, then fix root causes. Do now: Run a 60-minute process review: map steps, assign owners, check inputs/outputs, and identify one automation or simplification per step.  Mini-summary: Design beats heroics; match roles to wiring, make data accurate, improve the system with the people who run it. How should leaders communicate to create alignment that sticks? Great leaders talk less, listen more, and ask sharper questions—then verify that messages cascade cleanly.Communication isn't a TED Talk; it's a discipline. Listen for what's not said, surface hidden risks, and test understanding down the line. In Japan, nemawashi-style groundwork builds alignment before meetings; in the US/EU, crisp owner-dated action registers keep pace high without rework. In regulated fields (finance, healthcare, aerospace), clarity reduces audit friction; in creative and GTM teams, it accelerates experiments. Do now: Install a weekly "message audit": sample three layers (manager, IC, cross-function) and ask them to restate priorities, risks, and decisions in their own words.  Mini-summary: Listen deeply, question precisely, and ensure the message survives the org chart; alignment is measured at the edges. Where does Accountability start—and how do you make it contagious? Accountability starts at the top: the buck stops with the leader, without excuses—and then cascades through coaching and controls. As of 2025, boards and regulators demand both outcomes and evidence. Strong leaders admit errors quickly, fix them publicly, and maintain systems that track results and compliance. Accountability isn't blame; it's ownership plus support: clear goals, training, checkpoints, and consequences. In startups, this prevents "move fast and break the law"; in enterprises, it fights bureaucratic drift. Do now: Publish a one-page scoreboard each Monday (KPIs, leading indicators, risks) and hold a 15-minute review where owners report facts, not stories.  Mini-summary: Model ownership, build coaching and monitoring into the cadence, and make evidence a habit—not a surprise inspection. How do you integrate the five drivers across markets and company types? Balance is contextual: tighten controls in high-risk/low-competency zones; grant autonomy in low-risk/high-competency zones. Multinationals can borrow playbooks (RACI, stage gates), but SMEs need lightweight equivalents to preserve speed. Startups should resist the "super-doer" trap by delegating outcomes early; listed firms should fight analysis paralysis by protecting experiments inside guardrails. Across Japan, the US, and Europe, leaders who pair people development with process discipline outperform through cycles because capability compounds while compliance holds. Do now: Build a "risk × competency" grid for your top workflows and adjust oversight accordingly within 48 hours. Review monthly as skills rise.  Mini-summary: Tune people and process to context; move oversight with risk and capability, not with habit. Conclusion: strength in all five, not perfection in one Leadership success is engineered, not gifted by luck. When conditions turn, Self Direction provides the compass, People Skills provide power, Process Skills provide traction, Communication provides cohesion, and Accountability provides grip. Work the system, in that order, and your organisation will keep moving—legally, safely, profitably—even when the weather's foul.  Author Credentials Dr. Greg Story, Ph.D. in Japanese Decision-Making, is President of Dale Carnegie Tokyo Training and Adjunct Professor at Griffith University. He is a two-time winner of the Dale Carnegie "One Carnegie Award" (2018, 2021) and recipient of the Griffith University Business School Outstanding Alumnus Award (2012). As a Dale Carnegie Master Trainer, Greg is certified to deliver globally across all leadership, communication, sales, and presentation programs, including Leadership Training for Results. He has written several books, including three best-sellers — Japan Business Mastery, Japan Sales Mastery, and Japan Presentations Mastery — along with Japan Leadership Mastery and How to Stop Wasting Money on Training. His works have been translated into Japanese, including Za Eigyō (ザ営業), Purezen no Tatsujin (プレゼンの達人), Torēningu de Okane o Muda ni Suru no wa Yamemashō (トレーニングでお金を無駄にするのはやめましょう), and Gendaiban "Hito o Ugokasu" Rīdā (現代版「人を動かす」リーダー).

Send us a textWhen decisions can't wait for perfect data, you need methods that actually work in the real world. We sit down with Brian Moon to pull naturalistic decision making out of journals and into the field where cops, medics, operators, and executives make consequential calls under stress, time pressure, and uncertainty. The conversation opens with a clear critique: elegant lab studies often miss the work. From there, we rebuild on stronger ground; agency, process, and the lived patterns of true expertise. Brian traces why experience isn't just hours served but exposure to hard problems, responsibility for outcomes, and honest feedback that reshapes judgment. We unpack how experts blend rapid recognition with deliberate checks, using counterfactuals to keep first interpretations from hardening too soon. If you lead training, you'll get specific moves: design scenarios that force ownership of the whole problem; capture tacit cues through structured debriefs; and teach a shared language for uncertainty so teams can flexecute as conditions change. We also push into high-friction topics like use-of-force errors and pathways to violence, showing how process signals, not labels or post-hoc narratives, offer the best chance to prevent bad outcomes.Across the hour, you'll hear how to spot and grow real SMEs, why credentials alone fall short, and how to engineer environments where sensemaking becomes a habit instead of a hope. Whether you work a midnight shift or a corner office, you'll leave with practical tools to clean up your decisions this week and a sharper lens for understanding human behavior where it actually happens: on the street, on the line, and in the moment. If this conversation helps, share it with a teammate, subscribe for more, and drop a review so others can find it. Darwin's People: AMAZONSupport the showWebsite: https://thehumanbehaviorpodcast.buzzsprout.com/shareFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHumanBehaviorPodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehumanbehaviorpodcast/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArcadiaCognerati More about Greg and Brian: https://arcadiacognerati.com/arcadia-cognerati-leadership-team/

Fresh out of the studio, we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the e-Conomy SEA [Southeast Asia] Report with Sapna Chadha from Google, Florian Hoppe from Bain & Company, and Cassie Wu from Temasek, celebrating a decade of tracking Southeast Asia's digital transformation. The panel reflected on the region's remarkable achievement of reaching $300 billion in GMV—exceeding the original $200 billion goal by 1.5x—alongside revenue growth of 11x over the past decade. The panellists examined pivotal themes including Southeast Asia's position as the world's most AI-curious region with three times more interest than elsewhere, the explosive rise of video commerce and the maturation of digital financial services. The conversation explored the expansion from SEA-6 to 10 ASEAN countries, the ecosystem's resilience through multiple crisis cycles, and the shift from growth-at-all-costs to sustainable profitability. The episode concludes with each panellist sharing their vision for 2030, emphasizing building trust in AI adoption, creating an inclusive AI economy that benefits SMEs alongside large platforms, and navigating the AI transition gracefully to unlock innovation while addressing employment challenges—underscoring Southeast Asia's evolution from digital catch-up player to global innovation leader rewriting the playbook for digital adoption."We set this audacious goal of 200 billion by 2025. People told us we were crazy. In 2016 when we put that ambition out there, we've actually reached 1.5x that and we've hit 300 billion. And so it's just reflective of this incredible economy." - Sapna Chadha"Indonesia e-commerce still I think is larger or about the same size as all of India e-commerce. And yet the attention tends to be a little bit veering away from Southeast Asia, but this is actually a real economic powerhouse I think for all of Asia Pacific." - Florian Hoppe"Southeast Asia as a region, as we think about digital economy adoption, we are not playing catch up anymore. In many ways we're leading the digital adoption. We're writing how digital economy, how digital adoption could look like for a population and demographic like us." - Cassie WuProfiles: Sapna Chadha, Vice President Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier, Google Asia PacificFlorian Hoppe, Partner at Bain & CompanyCassie Wu, Director, Southeast Asia at Temaseke-Conomy SEA 2025: https://economysea.withgoogle.com/Episode Highlights:[00:00] Quote of the Day by Sapna Chadha, Florian Hoppe & Cassie Wu[01:17] 10th anniversary of e-Conomy SEA Report[03:00] Digital economy hits 300 billion, exceeding goals[04:09] Ecosystem resilience through multiple crisis cycles[06:10] Report expands from SEA-6 to ASEAN-10[08:13] Southeast Asia most underappreciated AI opportunity[09:31] Indonesia e-commerce matches all of India[10:04] Region leading digital adoption, not catching up[12:13] Cash no longer king, payments fully inverted[13:00] Revenue growth 11x over past decade[15:00] 300 billion GMV despite headwinds and tariffs[16:00] Video commerce grew 5x in three years[19:03] Digital payments north of 60% of transactions[23:32] Super apps unique to Southeast Asia ecosystem[25:45] Data center capacity growing faster than anywhere[27:01] Lower labor costs delayed AI adoption initially[31:00] Ecosystem healthier than ever before[33:08] Talent is the critical AI bottleneck[35:19] Digital infrastructure must align with green economy[39:00] Southeast Asia remains globally underappreciated[40:39] Can Southeast Asia leapfrog into AI era[43:00] ClosingPodcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format.

Send us a textWe trace how cyber policy tries to catch up with fast-moving threats, from decades-old laws to a new push for offensive capabilities. Along the way, we unpack what real resilience looks like for SMEs, critical infrastructure, and the talent pipeline that holds it all together.• Verona's route from public policy to cybersecurity• Why slow law and fast threats collide• Updating the Computer Misuse Act and research protections• Offensive cyber, deterrence, and ethical guardrails• Zero days, decision latency, and operational windows• SMEs and supply chains as systemic risk• Secure by design and secure by default at scale• State cyber reserves and public–private secondments• Talent gaps, pay gaps, and global accreditation• EU and UK moves to standardize skills and tighten rules• Government roles in funding, convening, and capability buildingFind Verona on LinkedIn: Verona Johnstone Hulse. Read NCC Group's Global Cyber Policy Radar on the NCC Group website or via Verona's LinkedIn postsInspiring Tech Leaders - The Technology PodcastInterviews with Tech Leaders and insights on the latest emerging technology trends.Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showFollow the Podcast on Social Media! Tesla Referral Code: https://ts.la/joseph675128 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@securityunfilteredpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secunfpodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SecUnfPodcast Affiliates➡️ OffGrid Faraday Bags: https://offgrid.co/?ref=gabzvajh➡️ OffGrid Coupon Code: JOE➡️ Unplugged Phone: https://unplugged.com/Unplugged's UP Phone - The performance you expect, with the privacy you deserve. Meet the alternative. Use Code UNFILTERED at checkout*See terms and conditions at affiliated webpages. Offers are subject to change. These are affiliated/paid promotions.

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