Podcasts about svps

Feeling overwhelmed trying to do it all? Wondering if it's finally time to hire a right-hand leader to help scale your business? This episode will show you what it really takes to let go and grow. On this episode of The Root of All Success, Jason Duncan welcomes Maggie Olson, founder of Nova Chief of Staff, to unpack the misunderstood and often underestimated role of a Chief of Staff. From leading internal transformation at T-Mobile to building the world's first Chief of Staff certification program, Maggie shares her personal story and expert insight on how business leaders can stop spinning their wheels and start leading with purpose.

Från Mariakapellet i Kyrkans hus, Örebro, med kyrkoherden Anders Lennartsson, teologen Lisa Pettersson Härdne och musikalsångerskan Jonna Schwertner. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Vilka stigar har du vankat, så att solen dig ej bränt?Vad har du drömt, Maria, i ditt unga bröst och känt, att ditt blod icke brinner som de andras?”(Erik Axel Karlfeldt)”Jag tänker att Maria inspirerar mig till mod och hopp i en svår tid för vår mänsklighet. Det finns så många hot mot freden, klimatet och demokratin. Det är lätt att tappa både tro, hopp och mod. Då är det så inspirerande att möte en modig Maria, som trots en nästan övermänsklig utmaning ändå sjunger om hopp och en annan framtid. ”(Anders Lennartsson)Medverkande:Kyrkoherde Anders Lennartsson, predikan, samtalLisa Petterson Härdne, predikan, samtalKarl-Magnus Jansson, pianoJonna Schwertner, solosångEva-Marie Lennartsson, Helene Niklasson, Catrine Gustavsson, textläsning och förbönTexter:Mika 5:2-4Romarbrevet 4:18-21Lukasevangeliet 1:26-38Musik:Ängeln (C Löwestam/G Riedel)SvPs 481 Alla källor springer fram i glädje (E Skeie, B G Hallqvist/G Ihlebaek)Jungfru Maria (E A Karlfeldt/N B Söderström)SvPs 744 Barn och stjärnor (Y Eggehorn/H Nyberg)SvPs 205 Vila i din väntan (P Harling/O Olsson)Ditt barn (L Lundqvist)Förbön (A Lennartsson/J Nordström)SvPs 28 Så älskade Gud (B Ehrenborg-Posse/fransk mel)Välsignelsen (musik A Lennartsson, J Nordström)Christmas Lullaby (J Robert Brown)Preludium i C-dur (J. S. Bach)

The retail world is changing, and two of the biggest names in department stores—Dillard's and Macy's—are at the forefront. In this episode, Trademark CEO Terry Montesi sits down with the SVPs of Real Estate: Chris Johnson of Dillard's and Chuck DiGiovanna of Macy's, to discuss Retail's Evolution: Malls, Department Stores, and the Road Ahead.These industry giants share insights into how department stores and malls are adapting to today's retail landscape, from innovative strategies to the importance of creativity and strong developers.Chris and Chuck also explore the impact of technology, capital markets, and tariffs on the future of retail. With their extensive experience at some of the most recognizable names in retail, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of malls, department stores, and the retail industry as a whole.To stay informed and hear from two leaders shaping the future of retail, subscribe to Leaning In and sign up here to be the first to know when a new episode drops!Links: Trademark Property⁠⁠Terry on LinkedInChris on LinkedInChuck on LinkedInTopics: (00:00:00) - Intro(00:01:01) - Chuck and Chris' Journey in Real Estate  (00:02:31) - Current State of Macy's and Dillard's  (00:03:49) - Challenges and Trends in Retail  (00:05:53) - The Future of Malls and Department Stores  (00:09:22) - Investment and Redevelopment Opportunities  (00:16:18) - The Role of Department Stores Moving Forward  (00:24:25) - Navigating Mall Usage Restrictions  (00:25:59) - Impact of the Pandemic on Retail  (00:29:23) - The Future of Online and Brick-and-Mortar Stores  (00:33:07) - Advice for Mall Property Owners  (00:37:08) - Challenges in Mall Financing  (00:43:37) - Future Trends in Retail and Real Estate  (00:47:24) - Closing Thoughts and Opportunities  

från Katarina kyrka, med Fredrika Gårdfeldt och kören Katarina Vega Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Och Ordet blev människa och bodde bland oss, och vi såg hans härlighet, en härlighet som den ende sonen får av sin fader, och han var fylld av nåd och sanning”(Johannes 1)Medverkande:Camilla Lif: prästFredrika Gårdfelt: predikanKatarina Vega: körsångHans Vainikainen, Lars Andersson, Irma Schultz, Sofie Livebrant: musikerLars Bygdén: sång och gitarrJerker Strid: inledningArne Leeb: textläsningText:Johannes 1:14-18Musik:Var inte rädd för mörkret (E Blomberg/K Rehnqvist)SvPs 681 Herre hör min bön (Taizé)Lägg ner vapnen (L Bygdén)Herr Gott, nun schleusst den Himmel auf (J S Bach)SvPs 219 Jag skulle vilja våga tro (T Littmarck)Only Time (Enya, arr H Vainikainen)Mitt hela hjärta (trad)Into the Light (L Bygdén)SvPs 37 Kristus är världens ljus (F Pratt Green, B G Hallqvist/Paris1681)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Fredrik von der Pahlen, Peter Flodbyliv@sverigesradio.se

Från Axbergs kyrka utanför Örebro, med Jonas Ahlforn von Beetzen och Rinkabykören Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Folk kom till honom med barn för att han skulle röra vid dem. Men lärjungarna visade bort dem. När Jesus såg det blev han förargad och sade: »Låt barnen komma hit till mig och hindra dem inte: Guds rike tillhör sådana som de. Sannerligen, den som inte tar emot Guds rike som ett barn kommer aldrig dit in.« Och han tog dem i famnen, lade händerna på dem och välsignade dem.”(Mark 10)”Livets motgångar är också ibland så stora att det är svårt att tro på Guds närhet eller godhet. Samtidigt, kanske det ändå är barnets tillit som är allas vår väg till tro.”(ur predikan)Medverkande:Jonas Ahlforn von Beetzen: prästLaila Berglund: förbönMarianne Kangro, Katarina Eriksson: textläsningKerstin Möller: vittnesbördRinkabykören: körsångThomas Stadigs: dirigentErik Slättberg: piano och orgelSofia Lundkvist: flöjtTexter:2 Timotheusbrevet 3:14-15Markus 10:13-16Musik:SvPs 123 Lyss till änglasångens ord (C Wesley/F Mendelssohn-Bartholdy)Sacred (F Fjellheim)Betlehems stjärna/Rosens sång (A Tegnér/I Widéen, E von Koch)SvPs 348 Kristus konung, som hör hemma (J Åström/sv 1600-tal)SvPs 744 Barn och stjärnor (Y Eggehorn/H Nyberg)Mary Did You Know (B Greene, M Lowry)Mu Váibmu vádjol doppe (H A Brorson/svensk folkmel, F Fjellheim)SvPs 248 Tryggare kan ingen vara (L Sandell/variant av tysk folkmelodi)Nu tändas en stund på jorden (E Köhler, L Pourkarim, arr U Emanuelsson och U Samuelsson)Det finns en väg till himmelen (svensk folkmel, E Slättberg)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Björn Söderholm, May-Britt Rylanderliv@sverigesradio.se

Adventsgudstjänst från Askersunds landskyrka, med Anna Söderström Wikell, Anna Martinsson och församlingens körer Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Han kom som en av oss och som en som behöver oss. I denna närhet ligger något oerhört. När människor får erfara Gud på det sättet så finns det en framtid och ett hopp.Och vi denna adventstid konstaterar att vi behöver den här berättelsen i våra liv igen. Vi behöver om och om igen öppna våra hjärtan och lyssna in sanningen.”(ur predikan)Medverkande:Kyrkoherde Anna Söderström Wikell: prästHelen Tingman, Ingegärd Ekwall, Mårten Eriksson: textläsning och förbönAskersunds kyrkokör, barnkören och ungdomskörenBeatrice Snabb, Emil Snabb, Anita Markström, Kristoffer Markström, Otto Lindgren, Hannah Norén: kvartettsång och solosångAnna Martinson: orgel, körledningHannah Norén:piano, körledningSven Helin: trumpetTexter:Sakarja 9:9-10Johannes Uppenbarelse 3:20-22Matteus 21:1-9Musik:Veni Emmanuel (medeltida fransk mel.)SvPs 103: Bereden väg för Herran (F M Franzén/svensk variant av tysk mel.)Dotter Sion (G F Händel)SvPs 104: Gläd dig du Kristi brud (dansk 1622, B G Hallqvist/J Regnart)SvPs 105 Hosianna (Matteus 21/G J Vogler)Bereden väg för Herran (F M Franzén/mel Boda, arr A Nyberg)Adventstid (C B Agnestig, arr K Oldgren)Drömljus (D Bornemark)SvPs 108 Gå Sion din Konung att möta (E Nyström/J McGranahan)Advent (P Nilsson/Otto Olsson)Gören portarna höga (G Wennerberg)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Björn Söderholm, May-Britt Rylanderliv@sverigesradio.se

What is a chief of staff? What value do they bring to an organisation? These were questions I put to Maggie Olson. She has spent years developing the role, building it into a key member of business delivery and operations and creating the skills and competencies that deliver excellence. Her response explained how critical the Chief of Staff can be in delivering the organisations strategy, vision and mission. Listen to our conversation to hear more about the value it brings to high performance businesses. ---------------------------------------------------------- If you want to receive monthly advice, ideas and recommendations that will help you gain a commercial edge and get ahead, why not join our exclusive newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://zcmp.eu/e6AM⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ----------------------------------------------------------- For more information about Chris Webber and Foxleigh Commercial Performance find us online ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.foxleigh.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Webber | LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ----------------------------------------------------------- Maggie Olson is the Founder of Nova Chief of Staff, the premier and first-of-its-kind destination for Chief of Staff education, certification, and development. She has 20 years of experience in retail, food and beverage, and technology sectors and has held leadership roles at Nordstrom and T-Mobile. At T-Mobile, Maggie's impressive work led her to become the Chief of Staff to the President of the T-Mobile Business Group. In this role, she built the Chief of Staff model from the ground up, creating a highly efficient team and establishing an executive back-office structure. supporting the President, SVPs, and over 5,000 employees. She also built a Chief of Staff team, defining all roles, processes, and systems. Through Nova Chief of Staff, Maggie continues to shape the future of business leadership, providing the tools and resources necessary for Chiefs of Staff to excel in their roles and drive company success. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-olson-cos/ https://www.novachiefofstaff.com/

Ray McKenzie, founder and managing director of Red Beach Advisors, shares his journey from corporate to entrepreneurship. He started his consulting firm in 2015, focusing on go-to-market strategy and operational efficiency for Fortune 1000 companies in cybersecurity and cloud computing. Later, he founded Starting Point, a workflow management and automation platform for professional services companies. Ray emphasizes the importance of building and maintaining relationships, leveraging your corporate network, and utilizing referrals to acquire clients. He also discusses the need for a centralized system to manage projects and communication, which led to the creation of Starting Point. Starting Point is a workflow management platform that allows teams, clients, and administrators to log in and see everything in one place. It offers features such as lead management, AI-powered proposal development, client onboarding, engagement management, file management, performance tracking, and invoicing. The platform was initially built for internal use by Red Beach Advisors but gained traction when shared with professionals in the consulting industry. The development of Starting Point was driven by the need to solve the challenge of scattered information and lack of visibility in managing projects and client relationships.LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raymondmckenzie/Website: https://www.redbeachadvisors.com/ Website: www.startingpoint.aiTakeawaysBuilding and maintaining relationships is crucial for business success.Leverage your corporate network and referrals to acquire clients.A centralized system for project management and communication is essential.Starting a business while still working full-time can be a viable option, depending on individual circumstances. Starting Point is a comprehensive workflow management platform designed for professional services and shared services organizations.The platform allows teams, clients, and administrators to have visibility and access to all relevant information in one place.Starting Point offers features such as lead management, AI-powered proposal development, client onboarding, engagement management, file management, performance tracking, and invoicing.The platform was initially built for internal use by Red Beach Advisors but gained popularity when shared with professionals in the consulting industry.Sound Bites"The people you're working with when you're 23, 25, 27, 29, fast forward 20 years, those are the people who are the VPs, the SVPs, the CEOs, the board directors of major companies.""These people are inherently receiving a community or a workforce bench of people and resources that they can use.""I just found myself not really having a great grasp as to everything that was going on.""It's a workflow management platform that allows your team to log in and see everything, your client able to log in and see everything.""I started showing it to people in professional services, consulting firms, people in my network. And as I started showing it to people in my network, they were like, hey, this is something we could use.""It's ideally meant to just be simple for people to be able to use."Chapters00:00 Introduction and Catching Up02:35 Transitioning from Corporate to Consulting06:37 Managing Clients and Starting Red Beach Advisors09:55 Starting a Business While Working Full-Time16:16 The Inspiration Behind Starting Point20:00 Introduction to Starting Point29:02 Features and Benefits of Starting...

Maggie Olson is the Founder of Nova Chief of Staff, the first-of-its-kind destination for Chief of Staff education, certification, and development. In our conversation, we discussed her career and then dug deep into what it means to lead from the Chief of Staff spot. What are the key steps to take when you start in the role, what are the success factors, what are the traps, and conversely, what CEOs can do to make sure that they successfully onboard a chief of staff.Maggie is the perfect expert for this conversation. After an impressive career in the retail, food and beverage, and technology sectors, she became the Chief of Staff to the President of the T-Mobile Business Group. In this role, she built the Chief of Staff model from the ground up, creating a highly efficient team and establishing an executive back-office structure. supporting the President, SVPs, and over 5,000 employees. She also built a Chief of Staff team, defining all roles, processes, and systems. This experience led her to the decision to found Nova Chief of Staff.Contact Dino at: dino@al4ep.comWebsites:al4ep.comnovachiefofstaff.comAdditional Guest Links:Corporate:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/novachiefofstaffInstagram: @novachiefofstaffFacebook: facebook.com/NovaChiefofStaff/Twitter: @novachiefofstafTikTok: @novachiefofstaffPersonalLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maggie-olson-cosInstagram: @maggiej_5Authentic Leadership For Everyday People / Dino CattaneoDino on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dinocattaneoPodcast Instagram – @al4edp Podcast Twitter – @al4edp Podcast Facebook: facebook.com/al4edpMusicSusan Cattaneo: susancattaneo.bandcamp.com

What does AI have to do with leadership? Everything! Have you ever wondered how AI is transforming the role of executives, allowing leaders to focus more on big-picture strategy and less on routine tasks? Or perhaps you're curious about how AI enhances decision-making at the highest levels and what skills today's leaders need to keep pace with these changes. In this episode of the All Things Leadership Podcast, Maggie Olson and I dive into the fascinating and rapidly evolving topic of The Role of AI in Executive Leadership and Operations. We'll tackle questions like: What administrative tasks can be automated with AI? How does this shift impact leadership priorities? How can executives balance the power of AI with maintaining a personal, human touch in their leadership style?, What ethical considerations should leaders consider when integrating AI into their operations?   About our guest: Maggie Olson is the Founder of Nova Chief of Staff, the premier and first-of-its-kind destination for Chief of Staff education, certification, and development. She has 20 years of experience in retail, food and beverage, and technology sectors and has held leadership roles at Nordstrom and T-Mobile. At T-Mobile, Maggie's impressive work led her to become the Chief of Staff to the President of the T-Mobile Business Group. In this role, she built the Chief of Staff model from the ground up, creating a highly efficient team and establishing an executive back-office structure, supporting the President, SVPs, and over 5,000 employees. She also built a Chief of Staff team, defining all roles, processes, and systems. Through Nova Chief of Staff, Maggie continues to shape the future of business leadership, providing the tools and resources necessary for Chiefs of Staff to excel in their roles and drive company success. To learn more about her work, visit www.novachiefofstaff.com  

If you're going to land speaking opportunities (using the tips from my episode #50), you're going to have to get comfortable being visible. And here's the thing: Women of Color don't have an ability problem, they have a visibility problem. Think about it, who do you usually see portraying the CEOs of companies on screen? Usually, a white man. Sometimes a white woman. Visibility is often needed to make more money. And I want to be really intentional about not making a systemic issue a mindset issue. Let's be clear: Visibility is hard because of oppression, note because it's a personality trait. Even my super successful ex corporate women who climbed the ladder are not immune to this. I coach women who are Directors at Google, who have been SVPs, who worked for the United Nations. And across the board, visibility is hard for us. Being seen can feel unsafe because we've been overly criticized for out natural way of being and had unforgiving standards put on us growing up. So here's 7 steps to make visibility easier: Acknowledge the emotion.Validate why it's hard.Ask LESS of the thing you're doing. What do I need in order to increase my capacity to do this?Rank visibility in terms of what you have the capacity for. Embrace it as a journey vs destination.Tune in to episode 51 for the why and how behind each of these steps! Connect with me: WebsiteLinkedinInstagram

Today on Equity, Former SoftBank Group International President Alok Sama joins Rebecca Bellan ahead of the launch of his new book THE MONEY TRAP: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble.  Here's what the pair got into:What Apple's AI announcements could mean for startup innovation and companies like ARM and NvidiaConcerns about the circularity of investments and unusual follow-on rounds led by VCs.IPO alternatives in a slow public marketHigh valuations, the risk of over-investment and how to know when a bubble is going to pop.Equity will be back on Friday, so stay tuned!Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast. Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

Part 2: Now in the Special Assault Unit, Det. Lindsey Wade and her partner investigate heartbreaking child abuse cases, violent serial rapist cases, and the kidnapping of 12-year-old Zina Linnik.  Connecting the dots across jurisdictions, many perpetrators face justice.  Yet, her attention returned again and again to the unsolved murder of Jennifer Bastian, even as other cases are solved with new technological breakthroughs, and changes in procedure, initiated by Det. Lindsey Wade, who holds SVPs accountable for their crimes. What's a SVP? Listen! You know Jill will give you ALL the details!  Buy Lindsey's book on Amazon (highly recommended!) or on Jill's blog at www.murdershelfbookclub.com. Contact:  jill@murdershelfbookclub.com, or X,  Facebook,  Instagram or YouTube.  Join Jill on PATREON for $4 and help pick our next book!      

Kyle McIntyre is the owner and executive recruiter at McIntyre Associates, where he has placed VPs, SVPs, and C-Level executives for companies ranging from Seed Stage through Fortune 100. In this episode, McIntyre joins host Paul John Spaulding to talk about the AI job outlook in the field of cybersecurity, including which roles are most in-demand, highly desirable skill sets, and more. • For more on cybersecurity, visit us at https://cybersecurityventures.com

Från St Nicolai kyrka Örebro, med Kalle Bengtz och kören Vox Nicolai. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Herren är min herde,ingenting skall fattas mig.Han för mig i vall på gröna ängar,han låter mig vila vid lugna vatten.”(Psalm 23)”Föds vår längtan efter ett förlorat paradis, en nostalgisk bild av något från det förflutna? Handlar det om naturromantik, om de gröna ängarna? Om gemenskap med de andra fåren? Eller handlar det om längtan efter beskydd? Oavsett vad, så är det högst rimligt att längta efter detta.Men vi kan inte leva i vår skyddade miljö, vi måste också följa med när Jesus öppnar porten och följer med ut.”(ur Kalle Bengtz predikan)Medverkande:Kalle Bengtz, predikanLena-Maria Brunhoff, förbönMarie-Louise Hillström, Jennifer Söderberg, textläsningNatali Aranda Montero, försångareKarl-Magnus Jansson, orgel och pianoVox Nicolai, körsångMarie Spångberg, körledningTova Arhimaa, tvärflöjtMicaela Bohlin, fiolTexter:Hesekiel 34:11-16Psaltaren 23Johannes 10:1-10Musik:SvPs 790 Ge kyrkan kraft att höras (P Harling)Psalm XXIII (A Leandersson-Andréas)SvPs 943 Blomningstid (I Forsman/M Wickén)SvPs 558 Herren är min herde (A F Runstedt/G Wennerberg)Natt blir dag (S Sandén/S Rönnegård)Irish Blessing (B Chilcott)SvPs 814 Här vid stranden (R Axellie/B Snickars)Fri som en fågel (C Löwestam/G Riedel)SvPs 517 Världen som nu föds (A Frostenson/J P E Hartmann)Preludium i klassisk stil (G Young)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Björn Söderholm, May-Britt Rylanderliv@sverigesradio.se

In this live event hosted by Umbrex in November 2023, Ron Lumbra, a member of the CEO & Board of Directors Practice and Partner at Heidrick and Struggles, discusses how to get on a corporate board. He shares insider knowledge about the process. The event was recorded as a streaming event, with approximately 300 people signing up for the session. The discussion was facilitated and included questions from attendees. Exploring the Landscape of Board Roles The discussion focuses on the different types of board roles, such as Fortune 500 companies, other public companies, PE-owned portfolio companies, and family-owned companies.  The top of the pyramid is the public company corporate board, which is the most sought-after and difficult to join. People often serve on various types of boards, such as large-cap corporations, smaller publicly traded companies, private companies, family businesses, and nonprofits. These boards have similar structures, committee structures, and skills matrix, making them valuable ground training experiences for those looking to join corporate boards. A board is a group of experienced business people who are responsible for running and governing a company. It is not just a group of smart people, but specific roles that a board seeks to fill. He identifies the difference of a philanthropic board. When searching for a board member, companies often seek specific skills, such as financial experts with experience in China, supply chain, or being female. Ron talks about a typical board structure and defines the importance of what a candidate can bring to the board. The board consists of about 10 people, with four or five members fit into the CEO club or those who have run a big business club. The number one in demand skill set is financial experts, with three seats focused on audit and finance committees. The number one skill set is CFOs, while the other three are controllers, treasurers, VPs, SVPs, or audit partners from one of the big four. Companies are also looking for leaders in certain fields at specific times. Generally at present, their expertise in cyber and AI, supply chain, and ESG areas are in demand. Supply chain has seen a surge in demand, especially during the pandemic. Boards are looking for people who can lead, guide, and help with challenges they may face. They create a skills matrix to identify the various skills needed, which is more than the number of seats. People who can check more boxes credibly tend to be more attractive board candidates. The Benefits of Being on a Board Ron explores the reasons people want to be on a board and the benefits they receive. Operating executives with a day job often go on boards to expand their skill set, gain an outside perspective, and learn from others in different industries. As they age, they may consider a different career path and seek ways to contribute, give back, stay engaged, and stay relevant. Age plays a significant role in the decision-making process, as board directors are not employees and are not discussed in the proxy board. Boards typically have a mandatory retirement age of 72-75 years, which varies by company. People usually go on boards in their late 50s or early 60s and have a decade or more of tenure before they age off. Ron also discusses the reality of being on a board in terms of time and commitment. Being on a board is different from being an operating executive, as it is intense and socially intensive. Board culture and how the board functions come together and go apart are important factors, both experience, personality and cultural fit are all factors considered.  Board meetings are usually held five times a year, with committee meetings often occurring around them. Ron shares information on payment for board members and how to position oneself to get on a board, particularly at the non-finance 500 level.  Securing a Invitation to The Board He explains that the supply side of the board opportunities is what attracts candidates, and understanding one's skill set, industry expertise, strategic acumen, and expertise is crucial. Ron also highlights the private placement market, where 40% of corporate directors are placed through relationships. This can be an advantage for candidates, as they are paid to introduce competition. However, the private placement market is less competitive and more about networking and making oneself known. Joining a board is akin to joining an elite country club, where applicants must demonstrate their knowledge and expertise. Networking is more about making yourself present and well known, rather than trying to make a sale. It's important not to take it personally, but rather to understand how the game works to get on board. Ron encourages people to focus on networking, letting people know their skill set, and having the courage to differentiate themselves. Many people answer yes to every question and bring various skill sets, but this may not be memorable or distinctive. People who have the courage to say they know banking, regulation, and Washington can become extraordinarily memorable. Trends and the Changing Focus of Companies Ron talks about the trends in diversity goals and the changing focus of companies. He highlights the importance of women on boards and the momentum of advocacy groups around women on boards. The pandemic in March 2020 led to a shift in focus towards ethnic diversity, with a two-year window of intense focus on black directors and Latino Asian directors. Today, there is still an interest in ethnic diversity, but most boards are working hard to address the issue. Advocacy for women on boards is now focused around 30%, partly from shareholder advisory groups and exchanges. Some boards are advocating for at least 30% women on boards. Diversity matters have changed significantly over the past decade, with a period from 2020 to 2023 when companies focused on diversity, leading to a pent-up supply of non-diverse CEOs being called on boards. The market is now recognizing the importance of diversity in addressing societal constraints and positioning companies effectively. Ron shines a light on the importance of understanding the unwritten rules of board roles and how they impact a candidate's authenticity and legitimacy. He emphasizes the importance of addressing governance matters, as it can impact a candidate's authenticity and legitimacy. He suggests that exposure to governance can come in various ways, such as attending board meetings, working with the audit committee, or working closely with members of the compensation committee. This exposure can demonstrate knowledge of board culture, functioning, agenda, and what matters within a board. Understanding The Board Environment Ron talks about the importance of understanding the board agenda and what matters, and why it is so difficult to secure a position on the board.  Boards create a high bar to ensure that candidates understand their roles and culture, and that they don't bring on disruptive or underperforming individuals. By addressing these issues, candidates can demonstrate their commitment to good governance and the importance of understanding the board environment.Business schools and the National Association of Corporate Directors offer board directors certification programs, which can be helpful for getting on a board. However, it is important to not oversell these programs, as they may not provide the necessary knowledge and experience for decision-makers. Participation in these programs can make individuals more knowledgeable and contemporary in governance topics, making them better interviewers or interviewees. A Focus on Governance To demonstrate a commitment to governance, one can get on a nonprofit board. The type of nonprofit and the specific role on the board should be determined by the individual's passion for the subject matter. Nonprofit boards often have committees that align with the individual's interests and skills. For example, financial experts might be better suited for audit or finance committees, while those with expertise in governance may find the Governance Committee beneficial. Engaging in committees is where the work happens, and it is crucial to find a committee where you can grow and develop. This can lead to being tapped into a corporate board, as people will see you as a leader and a greater amongst equals. Boards are typically staffed over a decade, so it doesn't have to happen on the day you join. If you like the mission, theme, and value add, you will find yourself on committees, running committees, or chairing the board. Vetting Candidates for Board Positions When talking about the process of vetting candidates for board positions, Ron explains that it is divided into two categories: formal and informal. Formal vetting involves light off-the-record background checks, such as FBI police records and business references, to ensure a good understanding of the candidate. The process also includes back channel conversations with board members, who may have connections to the candidate. It is important to understand that every person you interact with or have worked with in the past is a potential candidate, and it is crucial to be aware of these back channel calls. Executive search firms fill about 40% of roles, and it is essential to ensure that candidates are aware of their interest. To do this, resumes should be on file with all major firms, as they are centrally administered and managed. This makes them a shared asset in the board database, which can be used to identify potential candidates for new searches.Joining a board of directors can be lucrative for younger professionals in their 40s-50s. However, it is challenging to position oneself effectively in these roles due to the value placed on experience and life experience. The average age of a first-time director on a publicly traded larger cap board is 58, so it is crucial to understand the circumstances in which you will be effective on the board. Ron shares an example of a public company CEO who overstepped the boundaries of his role as a board member, leading to a crash in his candidacy to illustrate that it is important to think carefully about your involvement and what you bring to the table before you commit to a board position.  Timestamps: 00:02 How to get on a corporate board with an insider 05:00 Board composition, skills, and motivations 10:14 Board service for executives nearing retirement age 12:40 Board positions and their requirements 17:01 Networking, marketing, and diversity in boardrooms 20:18 Board diversity and governance expectations 26:50 Board director certification programs and their value 28:50 Board governance and interview process for nonprofit boards 34:49 Board membership requirements and vetting process 38:06 Board member compensation and background checks 44:05 Board positioning and vetting process for executives 49:15 Board advisory roles and expertise Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.  

Från Ulrika Eleonora kyrka i Söderhamn, med Olle Carlsson och Maria Idänge. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Vi har valt att kalla den här gudstjänsten ”Himlen runt hörnet”, vilket är ett annat sätt att säga ”vi tänker inte ge upp”.Efter vinter kommer vår.Efter regn kommer solsken.Efter förnedring kommer upprättelse.Efter utbrändhet kommer ny energi.Efter kris och sorg väntar en annan glädje.(ur Olle Carlssons predikan)Tillsammans med Olle och Fotini Carlsson har Svenska kyrkan i Söderhamn arbetat fram Ulrikamässan, ”en öppen och inkluderande mässa med låg tröskel och högt i tak” som församlingen beskriver det. Dagens gudstjänst är en sådan Ulrikamässa.Medverkande:Olle Carlsson: predikanMaria Idänge: liturgFotini Carlsson: textläsning och förbönNatasha Canela, Emelie Garcia: förbönAndreas Onelius: textläsningNicklas Jonsson: orgel, körledningMats Siggstedt: trumpetPernilla Vosveld: celloUlrika Eleonora kyrkokörLinnea Söderqvist: solosångTexter:Psaltaren 85:9-14Lukas 21:25-36Musik:SvPs 681 Herre hör min bön (J Berthier)Hosianna, se Han kommer (J Kulander)Himlen i min famn (E Hillestad/C Häggkvist)SvPs 39 Jesus från Nasaret (A Frostenson/G Nordqvist)När vintermörkret kring oss står (B Sköld)SvPs 73 Vi till ditt altarbord bär fram (A Frostenson/C Nielsen)SvPs 108 Gå Sion din konung att möta (E Nyström/J McGranahan)Voluntary D-dur (J Stanley)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Björn Söderholm, May-Britt Rylanderliv@sverigesradio.se

Från Västerås Domkyrka, med Caroline Kyhlbäck, Peter Forsberg och församlingens körer Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. ”Ingen har sagt att förlåtelse och fred är enkla saker. Det har det aldrig varit. Det är ett dagligt val av riktning. 'Ha tålamod med alla. Se att ingen lönar ont med ont. Sträva alltid efter att göra gott, mot varandra och mot alla andra.' skrev Paulus till församlingen i Thessaloniki, ca 60 år efter Kristus. De kämpade med sina tillkortakommanden, vi får kämpa med våra.”(ur Caroline Kyhlbäcks predikan)Texter:Hosea 11:8-91 Thessalonikerbrevet 5:13-15Matteus 6:9-15Medverkande:Caroline Kyhlbäck, predikantPeter Forsberg, celebrantBenjamin Åberg, organistMariakören och Vocalis Mariae, dirigent Joakim Olsson KruseMusik:SvPs 406 Käre Jesus, vi är här (O Nivenius/J R Ahle)Laudate Pueri (F Mendelssohn)SvPs 545 O Jesus, rik av nåd (A Frostenson/J Regnart)Herr, auf Dich traue ich (H Schütz)SvPs 522 I Guds tystnad får jag vara (J Jonson/tysk 1700-tal)SvPs 393 Du öppnar o evige Fader (A Frostenson/O Lindberg)Vår Fader (A Sköld)Jag är livets bröd (N Eriksson)Producent Katarina JosephssonTekniker Björn Söderholm, May-Britt Rylanderliv@sverigesradio.se

Alexandra Jamieson is an absolute force and we're grateful to feature her in this episode of THIS. with Shauna Griffiths. She is Founder of Radical Alignment, a changeforce.ai Senior Consultant - Organizational Effectiveness, an Executive Leadership Coach for over twenty years, a five-time best-selling author with a Positive Psychology certification (CAPP). Her clients include CEOs of tech-ed companies, SVPs of international retail brands, founders, and serial entrepreneurs.  She is also Founder of We Create | NYC, an arts organization that curates and produces exhibitions and education experiences featuring living women and non-binary artists who work and live in NYC. As you'll hear in this episode - she loves to help creative pros make small, consistent changes that lead to big results. So, tune-in and be prepared to shift your perspective about the role of creativity in leadership and more! TOPICS IN THIS EPISODE This Book Will Teach You How To Talk About Anything  How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome. You Are Your Greatest Project - Embrace Change and Growth Inside The Mind of a Creative Artist How Making a Flower Mandala Changed My Client's Life Entirely EPISODE BY THE MINUTE 00:00 - Teaser  00:41 - Intro  00:46 - Guest intro 02:58 - Why She Chose The Creative Side of Coaching  09:20 - How She Combines Creative Arts & Coaching  16:09  - Alex Talks About Her Book  22:45 - How To Resolve Conflicts  28:00 - Alex Talks About Her Creatrix Retreat  33:58 - How To Deal With Self Comparisons  42:39 - Key Takeaway  45:03 - Wrap up Continued thanks to our Founding Partners Felicia Hall Allen & Associates, CMD, Hijinx, and Influence Media Agency. #podcast #THIS #leadership #leader #consulting #coach #creativity #artist #impostersyndrome #alexjamieson #radicalalignment #conflictresolution #slgimpact

Welcome to another episode of Business Lunch with Roland Frasier and Ryan Deiss. Learn tactical strategies for living a rich and happy life, through the lens of managing multiple companies as a portfolio entrepreneur. Discover the different types of holding companies and learn when to centralize operations and tech stacks. They share valuable insights, from building single-threaded teams to not forcing internal resources on your teams. Plus, find out why agreements between entities and well-structured contracts are vital for smooth business transitions and successful acquisitions. If you're an entrepreneur looking to scale and manage a diverse business portfolio, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in for actionable advice and expert tips on how to run and grow multiple companies simultaneously. Don't miss out on the essential lessons for building a thriving business empire. HIGHLIGHTS"Use contracts and agreements between entities for protection.""Ask the right questions and build a capable team.""Centralize core tech functions like CRM and ERP for easier comparison."TIMESTAMPS00:00: Introduction01:32: Scaling Multiple Businesses 07:08: SVPs & Holding Companies 11:55: Tax Strategies 19:30: Centralizing Teams25:33: Leadership36:36: Acquiring Businesses CONNECT • Ask Roland a question HERE.RESOURCES: • 7 Steps to Scalable workbook • Get my book, Zero Down, FREETo learn more about Roland Frasier

On this Wednesday topical show, Crystal chats with Maren Costa about her campaign for Seattle City Council District 1. Listen and learn more about Maren and her thoughts on: [01:08] - Why she is running [04:15] - Lightning round! [14:34] - What is an accomplishment of hers that impacts District 1 [15:46] - City budget shortfall: Raise revenue or cut services? [17:45] - Climate change [20:54] - Transit reliability [22:20] - Bike and pedestrian safety [23:24] - Public Safety: Alternative response [26:00] - Victim support [29:43] - Housing and homelessness: Frontline worker wages [31:39] - Small business support [33:45] - Childcare: Affordability and accessibility [36:37] - Difference between her and opponent As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find Maren Costa at @marencosta.   Maren Costa Maren Costa is 21 year resident of West Seattle, Seattle Public Schools mom, tech leader, and climate justice organizer. While at Amazon, Maren guided big teams and big budgets to successful results. She rallied her colleagues and co-founded Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, which used first-in-the-industry collective organizing tactics to bring international scrutiny to Amazon's climate negligence -- and resulted in multi-billion dollar climate commitments. Now, Maren is running to represent Seattle's District 1 to help lead a housed, healthy, and safer Seattle.   Resources Campaign Website - Maren Costa   Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington state through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review show and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, the most helpful thing you can do is leave a review wherever you listen to Hacks & Wonks. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. I am thrilled to be welcoming a candidate for Seattle City Council District 1 to the show today. Welcome, Maren Costa. [00:01:03] Maren Costa: Thank you, Crystal. It's a pleasure to be here, and I have to say I'm a big fan. [00:01:08] Crystal Fincher: Well, I appreciate it. I just wanted to start out by hearing - what made you decide to run? [00:01:18] Maren Costa: Yeah, that's a great question, and there's several facets to that answer, but the first one is I'm a mom and I have kids. And I think about their future, and I think about wanting to leave a better future for them than I currently see - the path that we're on - so that's a big one. And then another one is that I was in Big Tech and managing big teams and big budgets and solving big problems, but I started to get really concerned about the climate crisis, and I believe when you wanna make change, you start where you are. And I was at Amazon at the time - one of the largest carbon footprints, and also a company that was getting like an F on every rating scale for climate, this was before The Climate Pledge - so I thought - Hey, I'm gonna start where I am. I started trying to make change from within and talking to all the SVPs and VPs and that I'd met in my 15 years at the time being there, but I couldn't make any progress, and so - people just didn't wanna talk about climate. It had worked for me before where I would say like - Here's a great idea, here's why it's great for customers, here's why it's great for the business. And it would be like - Great, here's the team, here's money, go do it. But when it came to climate, it was nobody wanted to move. And so I found another way to make change. I started organizing with my coworkers and organizing around climate justice and getting thousands of tech workers to stand up and walk out. We walked out for the Global Climate Strike. I did end up getting illegally fired right at the start of the pandemic when we were also standing up for warehouse workers' safety, but the National Labor Relations Board stepped in - took Amazon to court and we won, in addition to winning all of The Climate Pledge and those other things. So just really seeing the power of collective action, the powers that workers have when we come together, and how important that is in bringing balance to the powers that be - that's a big reason. And then the third reason is I love Seattle - I've lived here for 33 years. I love District 1 - I've lived in District 1, in West Seattle, for 21 years. And I see the challenges facing our city. And I think a lot of us are frustrated with some of the seemingly intractable problems that we're facing. And I wanna take all of my skill set and my energy and put it towards trying to solve big problems for our communities. [00:04:15] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Well, I decided to switch things up a little bit in our candidate interview series this year, and we're implementing a lightning round in the interview. So just a series of yes or no, or either-or questions. But we'll start off with - This year, did you vote yes on the King County Crisis Care Centers levy? [00:04:39] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:04:41] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote yes on the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services levy? [00:04:47] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:04:49] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote in favor of Seattle's Social Housing Initiative 135? [00:04:54] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:04:56] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote for Bruce Harrell or Lorena González for Mayor? [00:05:02] Maren Costa: Lorena González. [00:05:05] Crystal Fincher: In 2021, did you vote for Nicole Thomas Kennedy or Ann Davison for Seattle City Attorney? [00:05:12] Maren Costa: Nicole Thomas Kennedy. [00:05:15] Crystal Fincher: Did you vote in 2022 for Leesa Manion or Jim Ferrell for King County Prosecutor? [00:05:25] Maren Costa: Gosh, I don't remember. 'Cause I know Leesa now, you know, roughly, through campaigning. I think I voted for Leesa? I don't remember. [00:05:36] Crystal Fincher: In 2022, did you vote for Patty Murray or Tiffany Smiley for US Senate? [00:05:41] Maren Costa: Patty Murray. [00:05:42] Crystal Fincher: Do you own or rent your residence? [00:05:46] Maren Costa: I own. [00:05:48] Crystal Fincher: Are you a landlord? [00:05:50] Maren Costa: No. [00:05:52] Crystal Fincher: Would you vote to require landlords to report metrics, including how much rent they're charging, to help better plan housing and development needs in the district? [00:06:04] Maren Costa: I think so. Sounds like a good idea. I don't actually know much about that. [00:06:10] Crystal Fincher: Are there instances where you would support sweeps of homeless encampments? [00:06:21] Maren Costa: Only if people are already provided with where they're going to be safely housed. [00:06:30] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote-- [00:06:31] Maren Costa: I'm not in favor of sweeps. [00:06:33] Crystal Fincher: Got it. Will you vote to provide additional funding for Seattle's Social Housing Public Development Authority? [00:06:40] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:06:42] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with King County Executive Constantine's statement that the King County Jail should be closed? [00:06:49] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:06:50] Crystal Fincher: Should parking enforcement be housed within SPD? [00:06:57] Maren Costa: No, but we know how complicated that turned out to be. [00:07:01] Crystal Fincher: Would you vote to allow police in schools? [00:07:08] Maren Costa: I think that's a no. I want to hear more from the schools and the people - what they want, but - [00:07:17] Crystal Fincher: Do you support allocation in the City budget for a civilian-led mental health crisis response? [00:07:24] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:07:26] Crystal Fincher: Do you support allocation in the City budget to increase the pay of human service workers? [00:07:32] Maren Costa: Absolutely. [00:07:34] Crystal Fincher: Do you support removing funds in the City budget for forced encampment removals and instead allocating funds towards a Housing First approach? [00:07:43] Maren Costa: Absolutely. [00:07:45] Crystal Fincher: Do you support abrogating or removing the funds from unfilled SPD positions and putting them toward meaningful public safety measures? [00:07:55] Maren Costa: I think that makes sense. [00:07:57] Crystal Fincher: Do you support allocating-- [00:07:59] Maren Costa: That's a yes. [00:07:59] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Do you support allocating money in the City budget for supervised consumption sites? [00:08:11] Maren Costa: That's - I'm - yes. I think I'm a yes on that one. I want to do a bit more research on that as well, but - [00:08:19] Crystal Fincher: Do you support increasing funding in the City budget for violence intervention programs? [00:08:25] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:08:27] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose a SPOG contract that doesn't give the Office of Police Accountability and the Office of Inspector General subpoena power? [00:08:36] Maren Costa: I don't know. I don't know what that is. [00:08:46] Crystal Fincher: The ability for them to subpoena people involved in their investigations. So with the Office of Police Accountability and Office of Inspector General - people involved in doing police investigations. Would you approve a contract where they did not have subpoena power? [00:09:04] Maren Costa: I'm sorry, I still don't quite understand. Like that we would be able to subpoena police officers to testify in cases against police officers - is that? [00:09:18] Crystal Fincher: If there was a complaint made and throughout that investigation - yes, they could compel information from police officers or other people involved. [00:09:28] Maren Costa: Okay, and then so would I support a contract that didn't-- [00:09:33] Crystal Fincher: That didn't have - where those offices did not have the ability to subpoena? [00:09:40] Maren Costa: No. [00:09:42] Crystal Fincher: Okay. [00:09:43] Maren Costa: I would want to be able to subpoena officers to testify. [00:09:48] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose a SPOG contract that doesn't remove limitations as to how many of OPA's investigators must be sworn versus civilian? Right now there are limitations - there must be, there's a cap on the number of civilians. Should that number of civilians be capped? Would you oppose a contract that didn't remove that limitation? [00:10:17] Maren Costa: No. I would not oppose a contract that didn't remove. This is the double negative that's getting me. [00:10:23] Crystal Fincher: You would only support a contract that eliminated-- [00:10:28] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:10:30] Crystal Fincher: Okay, so the limitation would need to be removed and then you would like it. Is that a correct characterization? [00:10:36] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:10:36] Crystal Fincher: Okay, I just wanted to make sure. [00:10:38] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:10:38] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Not trying to have these be gotcha questions - want to make sure that you actually understand, that we get an actual real answer. [00:10:47] Maren Costa: No, these are great questions and it makes me know how much I need to know, how much more I need to know. [00:10:53] Crystal Fincher: Do you oppose a SPOG contract that impedes the ability of the City to move police funding to public safety alternatives? [00:11:04] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:11:07] Crystal Fincher: Do you support eliminating in-uniform off-duty work by SPD officers? [00:11:14] Maren Costa: Yes. I think that's - is that like traffic enforcement and stuff? [00:11:20] Crystal Fincher: Yep. [00:11:20] Maren Costa: Yeah. [00:11:22] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to ensure that trans and non-binary students are allowed to play on the sports teams that fit with their gender identities? [00:11:31] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:11:32] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to ensure that trans people can use bathrooms or public facilities that match their gender? [00:11:39] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:11:41] Crystal Fincher: Do you agree with the Seattle City Council's decision to implement the JumpStart Tax? [00:11:48] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:11:50] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to reduce or divert the JumpStart Tax in any way? [00:11:55] Maren Costa: No. [00:11:56] Crystal Fincher: Are you happy with Seattle's newly built waterfront? [00:12:03] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:12:05] Crystal Fincher: Do you believe return to work-- [00:12:07] Maren Costa: I have some complaints, but overall, yes. [00:12:11] Crystal Fincher: Do you believe return to work mandates, like the one issued by Amazon, are necessary to boost Seattle's economy? [00:12:21] Maren Costa: Probably in the interim. [00:12:24] Crystal Fincher: Have you taken transit in the past week? [00:12:28] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:12:29] Crystal Fincher: Have you ridden a bike in the past week? [00:12:34] Maren Costa: No. [00:12:36] Crystal Fincher: Have you ridden a bike in the past month? [00:12:40] Maren Costa: No. Not a bike rider. [00:12:44] Crystal Fincher: Should Pike Place Market allow non-commercial car traffic? [00:12:54] Maren Costa: I would say no. But I don't know. I don't know all the pros and cons there. [00:13:01] Crystal Fincher: Should significant investments be made to speed up the opening of scheduled Sound Transit light rail lines? [00:13:11] Maren Costa: Say again - sorry. [00:13:13] Crystal Fincher: Should significant investments be made to speed up the opening of scheduled Sound Transit light rail lines? [00:13:23] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:13:24] Crystal Fincher: Should we accelerate the elimination of the ability to turn right on red lights to improve pedestrian safety? [00:13:33] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:13:35] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever been a member of a union? [00:13:39] Maren Costa: No. [00:13:40] Crystal Fincher: Will you vote to increase funding and staffing for investigations into labor violations like wage theft and illegal union busting? [00:13:49] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:13:51] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever walked on a picket line? [00:13:54] Maren Costa: Yes. [00:13:56] Crystal Fincher: Have you ever crossed a picket line? [00:13:58] Maren Costa: No. [00:14:00] Crystal Fincher: Is your campaign staff unionized? [00:14:04] Maren Costa: No, it's just Kyler. [00:14:10] Crystal Fincher: If your campaign staff wants to unionize, will you voluntarily recognize their effort? [00:14:16] Maren Costa: Absolutely. [00:14:18] Crystal Fincher: Well, and that's the end of the lightning round - pretty painless, I hope. [00:14:24] Maren Costa: It was - that was good. That was intense - I love it. It was wonky. [00:14:30] Crystal Fincher: It was wonky - true to name. Lots of people look to work you've done to get a feel for what you prioritize and how qualified you are to lead. Can you describe something you've accomplished or changed in your district and what impact that has on residents? [00:14:50] Maren Costa: Yeah, I think that the work that I did at Amazon to bring Amazon as, both a city and a global company, into better alignment with climate justice has a direct impact in my community, particularly in the - one of the things that came out of that was their bid to buy 100,000 Rivian vans. And now I daily see those vans out in my neighborhood driving around and I'm so happy every time I see that 'cause it's like - wow, that's less pollution that's driving through my neighborhood right now. I mean, we can't, maybe, you know, there's, maybe we wish there was just fewer vans and that we were buying less in general, but when, you know, if we're gonna have those vans, it's so much better to see them being electric and I feel really proud of that. [00:15:46] Crystal Fincher: Excellent, appreciate that. I wanna ask you about the City budget. City's projected to have a revenue shortfall of $224 million beginning in 2025. Because we're mandated by the state to pass a balanced budget, the options to address the upcoming deficit are either raise revenue or cut services. Which one of those is your approach or what combination of those will be your approach? [00:16:18] Maren Costa: We should always be looking at how we can be more frugal with the resources that we have - that's a given. However, we need to raise more progressive revenue. I'm in favor of the recommendations that came out of the recent work task force assigned to progressive revenue. So things like an additional capital gains tax on top of the state tax, you know, a vacancy tax. As a climate justice advocate, I will always be interested in progressive ways that we could tax carbon. You know, anything like that where we can make doing the right thing the desirable thing, sort of like the sugar tax is, you know - that could have good benefits for climate. So we definitely need to raise more progressive revenue. It's always a challenge. There's money in our city, we can see it - but it's just hard to bring it actually into the workings of the City and turning it into things that benefit everyone here. You know, we have an upside down tax code. And so it's just - the chips are sort of stacked against us. And so we need to be more creative with the way that we generate progressive revenue. And I think that those recommendations, some of those recommendations that came out of the task force are good places to start. [00:17:44] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. Now on almost every measure, we're behind on our 2030 climate goals, while experiencing the devastating impacts from extreme heat and cold, wildfires, floods, toxic air, you name it. What are your highest priority plans to get us on track to meet 2030 goals? [00:18:05] Maren Costa: Thank you, Crystal. That was a great question and something I'm very passionate about. You know, one of the things that I say is, you know, all of these things that we care about if we don't have a planet to live on, you know, they don't matter. And then I also say that housing is climate justice, transit is climate justice - you know, it's all connected. And so there's so much work we need to do. One of the things that I would love to do - you know, out of the gate - would be to get climate resiliency centers in every neighborhood. So making sure that maybe all 27 branches of the public library, schools, community centers, you know, churches even - that have backup power, air filtration, heat pump air conditioning - safe places for people to go in extreme weather events. So that's like the first line of defense, but we need to also go heavily on offense because as we know, and as you say, we're behind - as a city, as a nation, as a planet. And so we know that the building emissions performance standards are going to be on the table for the next council. It sounds like they won't be coming through this, you know, before the end of the year. I will want to make sure that those have teeth, that we make sure that, again, doing the right thing is the desirable thing so that you can't, you know, too easily avoid them or buy out of them. Because it's time for us to start facing the facts that we need to do this tough work to make the transition that is inevitable and that we're already behind on. We know that climate will affect the most vulnerable among us, worst and first. And this is why our unhoused neighbors, low-income communities - we need to start there with our climate work so for example, you know, fixing the flooding problem in South Park, that was a king tide combined with an atmospheric river in December and it displaced about 20 families, many of whom have still not been able to move back into their houses. And so I would want to take a look at making sure that we're starting with the historically under-invested communities first. [00:20:52] Crystal Fincher: Thanks for that. I wanna talk about transit a bit, starting off with - residents in the city are experiencing a lot of disruption and interruption in transit service and reviews are not all stellar. It seems like we really need some intervention. Recognizing that Sound Transit is a regional entity and King County Metro is a county entity, what can you do as a City councilmember to stabilize transit service? [00:21:23] Maren Costa: You know, a lot of the closures are based on, you know, maintenance and drivers - a shortage of drivers. And so doing everything we can to make sure that drivers feel safe and supported and paid well and - so that we keep as many drivers as we can and hire more - the ones that we need. And then, you know, the maintenance, I'm not sure how we could do that better, but looking into any ways that we could improve - keeping buses on the roads. I'm trying to think if there's anything else at the City level - I'd say those are the two big ones. [00:22:20] Crystal Fincher: How would you go about improving pedestrian and bicycle safety in your district? [00:22:29] Maren Costa: We have some significant like problems, you know, for pedestrian safety and bike safety in District 1. We've seen a lot of road racing on Alki, up and down California Avenue and 35th Avenue. So bringing in some of the speed bumps have been helpful and we can continue to do more of that. We've built in some, you know, traffic controls around Alki that have really improved and we just need to keep doing that. Bike lanes need to be safe, protected, connected. We are missing almost entirely a safe east-west bike connection across District 1, so that would be something I would want to prioritize. [00:23:22] Crystal Fincher: Gotcha, makes sense. Now, when it comes to public safety, other jurisdictions around the country and in our own region have rolled out alternative response programs to better support those having behavioral health crises. But Seattle is stalled in implementing what is a widely-supported idea. Where do you stand on non-police solutions to public safety issues? And what are your thoughts on civilian-led versus co-response models? [00:23:50] Maren Costa: Crystal, this is so important. When I talk to voters in my district, public safety comes up, you know, top of the list for many people. And we know that we have a shortage of officers, a sort of a nationwide problem - hiring is hard. So now more than ever, we need to stand up these police alternatives. We are feeling the pain of the fact that we haven't invested in these areas as we should have. We had one tool in our tool belt and now we're really feeling the pain of that short-sightedness. I'm in favor of bringing in civilian response. We see programs like Health One and the firefighters making good strides in that area. What was the question again? [00:24:53] Crystal Fincher: What are your thoughts on civilian-led versus co-response models? [00:24:59] Maren Costa: Okay, I don't know that I know that nuance. Civilian-led? [00:25:06] Crystal Fincher: Or responses where the person is accompanied by an armed policeman versus ones where they aren't. [00:25:12] Maren Costa: Right, I see. Yeah, I think we need more. I think we actually need more nuance there. I think we need a few tiers. You know, there are certain calls that need to be responded to with, you know, an officer with a gun. Then maybe there's officer-led civilian-back. And then maybe civilian-led officer-back. And then civilian only. And we need to make sure that we're using all types of combinations there for the appropriate call - keeping our civilian responders safe, making sure that we're not putting them in danger. But leading with civilian as often as we can, because the more we can minimize, you know, contact between armed officers and community - you know, we can keep our community safe that way as well. [00:26:00] Crystal Fincher: I wanna talk about victims. A lot of times we hear victims talked about in political conversations a lot and their concerns mischaracterized. But when talking to victims and data coming from studies involving them, two things come to the top as priorities. One, to make sure what happened to them never happens to them or anyone else again. And two, that they receive more support to help recover from what happened, to help restore what had been damaged or lost, or, you know, to help rehabilitate. And we do a really poor job of that - as a community, as a government - when it comes to assistance and support for victims. In your role as a councilmember, what would you do to better support victims of crime? [00:26:56] Maren Costa: That's a great question. I think a lot of times, as victims, people can feel very isolated and alone. And so I think like community support - community support groups, community support networks - if there are other people with that same lived experience could be incredibly helpful. And I don't know if that exists or if that's something that the City could help promote. And then I think, you know, having a channel to express that frustration - what broke in the system that made you feel, you know, victimized, where did the system, how was the system not there to support you? And being able to be heard, to make sure that the City or whatever, you know, department understands what went wrong. And then seeing that be taken seriously and seeing change and results - that is what is restorative to, I think, to victims - is knowing that you've been heard and that change happened. And so in any way that we can make sure that victims are heard, and then that we take the problem seriously and make the changes necessary to make sure that it doesn't happen again is really important. [00:28:39] Crystal Fincher: We've heard from certainly victims across the spectrum and some businesses - there's actually a business owner who wrote a column talking about wanting better support for businesses that have been victims of break-ins and theft - things like victims' assistance funds, business assistance funds, you know, to repair storefronts that are damaged or anything like that. Would that be something that you think would be helpful and that you would support? [00:29:06] Maren Costa: I do. I've heard that from a lot of businesses. I know that, you know, in some cases, there's, you know, small business insurance and you can have some of that paid for, but it's a lot of times - it's not. It's every single time that window is broken, you're paying $10,000 to have it replaced. And it doesn't - there is no support. A lot of these businesses are on, you know, shoestring budgets already. And we want to keep our small businesses alive and vibrant and they need support. [00:29:43] Crystal Fincher: I want to talk about housing and homelessness. One thing called out by experts as a barrier to the effectiveness of the homelessness response on the ground is that frontline worker wages don't cover the cost of living, especially in a city like Seattle. Do you believe our local nonprofits have a responsibility to pay living wages for our area? And how can we make that more likely with how we bid for and contract for services at the City? [00:30:11] Maren Costa: I do think we need to pay a living wage. I have met directly with people on the frontlines. They are being, as I've heard described, criminally underpaid - and I think that's accurate. The work that these people are doing on the frontlines for our city has such a massive value for our city, for our society. And, you know, not only are they undervalued almost everywhere, they're even more undervalued in some of these City positions where they could go do the same function somewhere else - you know, outside of a nonprofit or - you know, and be paid more. And I've had people say, you know, I could go work at Dick's Drive-In and make more money, you know. And the work that they're doing is highly skilled - it takes time and it's so important to build the trust. We cannot have this low-paid, high-turnover staff and expect the results that we all wanna see. And so I'm not sure how the contracts - not being a City insider, I don't know how the contracts are made or what control we have, but I would definitely be an advocate for making sure that those frontline workers are getting paid a living wage. [00:31:39] Crystal Fincher: Now, Seattle and District 1 have a really vibrant business community. Some of the largest corporations in the world are here, and so many small businesses that run the gamut of products and services are here - but they face a number of challenges. What are the top challenges that you see small businesses facing in your district and what are your top priorities for addressing those needs? [00:32:07] Maren Costa: I think that, you know, during COVID, we saw some subsidies that really helped keep small businesses alive, but I think we're still seeing the challenges. People are still kind of coming out of the shadow of COVID. In any ways that we could - and I know that a lot of that was federal money, but - you know, in any ways that we can continue subsidies that keep businesses afloat. I have a good friend who's a small business owner - my twin sister is a small business owner in District 1 - but a good friend who's just constantly bobbing, just barely bobbing above the line of staying afloat. And so we need to support these things. We need to make sure that there's different sizes of spaces for small businesses - making it really flexible - if you need 400 square feet, you can find 400 square feet. So, you know, having these shared business spaces or dividing these into smaller spaces, making retail units available on the first level of multi, you know, four-floors-and-a-corner-store, opening up zoning where we can have more small businesses throughout our communities. Just - what I usually say, like, what's good for small businesses is good for the community. Like when we know that it's working well for small businesses, we know we're doing something right. So they bring such, as you say, vibrancy to our communities and we wanna do what we can to support them. [00:33:45] Crystal Fincher: Childcare is another humongous concern for, really, the entire community. For parents of kids, childcare is often a cost - their number two, sometimes with a number of kids, number one cost. We just saw reporting that childcare is now more expensive than college on an annual basis, which is just staggering. And the availability of childcare is also a challenge. What can you do in your role as a City councilmember to help parents with this? [00:34:19] Maren Costa: We do need - I've heard that there's only about 50% of parents with kids, or the number of kids - only about 50% of the needs are met by the childcare centers that we have. So people are being forced to reach to, you know, relatives or nannies or, you know - but there's just not the space in childcare centers that we need in District 1. There's a large childcare center at the, you know, Delridge - you know, right by the Delridge on the West Seattle Bridge and Fauntleroy, I guess - that is under eminent domain for the - to the transit. And it's, you know, it's gonna be really hard to lose that center - they take care of a lot of families. And the money that is being offered for them to relocate is not anywhere near what they need to relocate. So making sure that that center gets to stay afloat, if in fact they are displaced by Sound Transit, would be incredibly important. And making sure that they're given the subsidies needed to actually rebuild their business. And then I would love to see more and, you know, smaller childcare centers distributed throughout neighborhoods so that people can, not only - you know, we would love to see people be able to live where they work, near where they work. So we're seeing a lot of displacement out, you know, into Federal Way and further out, people keep getting pushed out. But so to be able to live where you, near where you work and to be able to have childcare where you work. So making sure that some of the big businesses that go in put childcare centers in the buildings that they're in so that, you know, that's something that can work for working parents - to have childcare at your work site. And then just making sure that we're supporting the small childcare centers that are open and making a reasonable, viable business to open new ones. [00:36:36] Crystal Fincher: Now, as we close today, there are a number of voters, residents living in Seattle who are trying to make a decision between you and your opponent and who they should vote for, who most aligns with their values. What do you say to voters when they ask - what's the difference or why should I choose you? [00:36:58] Maren Costa: I think that the skill set that I bring and - the skill set, the values, and the focuses that I bring are going to be really, I think, valuable for the City going forward. So I come out of big business and big tech - I've managed big teams and big budgets, I've brought competing teams together to actually work together to get more stuff done at both Amazon and Microsoft. I think we need someone on council who actually really understands big tech. And then obviously I have a focus on climate. I think we need someone on council who has the depth of the climate justice focus that I have. And I think that my former opponents who endorsed me - the six primary opponents who came together to endorse me - speak to the level of trust that they have in me to authentically and thoughtfully lead our, and represent our district on council. They've seen me learn and listen and follow through. And I think my past experience and how I've shown up on the campaign trail speak to that. [00:38:48] Crystal Fincher: Well, thank you so much for joining us today - Seattle City Council candidate in District 1, Maren Costa. Thank you so much. [00:38:57] Maren Costa: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to be here. [00:39:00] Crystal Fincher: Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks, which is produced by Shannon Cheng. You can follow Hacks & Wonks on Twitter @HacksWonks. You can catch Hacks & Wonks on every podcast service and app - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get the full versions of our Friday week-in-review shows and our Tuesday topical show delivered to your podcast feed. If you like us, leave a review wherever you listen. You can also get a full transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced in the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time.

Not all Directors are the same.   Not all SVPs are the same.   So you landed the job title.   But are you operating at the level that places you in the top 1% of Directors? VPs? or SVPs?   Are you clear on what it would mean for you to be at that level?   I can guarantee you it has very little to do with your functional expertise.   We dive into this topic on this week's podcast episode.   We discuss the example of a VP of Finance and how to show up at the top of the band!   -Stella   FREE TRAINING Register for The Catapult Your Career Bootcamp (http://thecatapultbootcamp.com)    WORK WITH US Join the Catapult Your Career Program  (http://cycprogram.com)

We've been on quite a wild ride this season with topics ranging from the metaverse, to retail media networks, to the future of ecommerce and DTC, plus our Retail Transformers, and including special interviews and recaps of three major industry events – Grocery Shop, NRF, and Shop Talk! But now we've reached The Razor's Edge, our Season 2 finale, with special guest host Paul do Forno, Managing Director of the Commerce Practice at Deloitte Digital, turning the tables on our dynamic duo to walk through the season calling out all the highlights!In this episode, Paul turns our regular hosts, Ricardo and Casey, into the show's guests and starts with a check-in on how their Top 10 Predictions for 2023 are holding up so far this year. Then he looks back through the season and asks our hosts what some of their favorites were in each of our min-series and special episodes. What were your favorites? Who was your favorite Retail Transformer? Find out how you match up to our hosts' choices! And of course, Paul can't resist but ask for hints on what's to come in Season 3!We're now standing at number 19 on the Feedspot Top 60 Best Retail podcasts list – if you enjoy our show, please consider giving us a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts! With your help, we'll move our way up the Top 20! https://blog.feedspot.com/retail_podcasts/Meet your regular hosts, helping you cut through the clutter in retail & retail tech:Ricardo Belmar, a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer for 2023, 2022 & 2021, RIS News Top Movers and Shakers in Retail for 2021, advisory council member at George Mason University's Center for Retail Transformation, and director partner marketing advisor for retail & consumer goods at Microsoft.Casey Golden, CEO of Luxlock, and RETHINK Retail Top Retail Influencer for 2023. Obsessed with the customer relationship between the brand and the consumer. After a career on the fashion and supply chain technology side of the business, now slaying franken-stacks and building retail tech!Includes music provided by imunobeats.com, featuring Overclocked, from the album Beat Hype, written by Hestron Mimms, published by Imuno. The Retail Razor ShowFollow us on Twitter: https://bit.ly/TwRRazorConnect with us on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/LI-RRazorSubscribe on YouTube: https://bit.ly/RRShowYouTubeSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/RetailRazorShowRetail Razor Show Episode Page: https://bit.ly/RRShowPodHost → Ricardo Belmar,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twRBelmarConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LIRBelmarRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWRBelmarCo-host → Casey Golden,Follow on Twitter - https://bit.ly/twCaseyConnect on LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/LICaseyRead my comments on RetailWire - https://bit.ly/RWCaseyTRANSCRIPTS2E13 The Razor's Edge - S2 Finale[00:00:00] Season 2 Finale[00:00:20] Paul do Forno: Hello, Retail Razor listeners, and welcome to Season Two Grand Finale. As you might have noticed, I am not your usual host. I'm Paul do Forno. I'm part of the leadership team at Commerce Practice at Deloitte Digital. We're one of the largest commerce consulting companies in the world, and we help everything from strategy to design to implementing platforms.[00:00:42] But today I am your guest hosts and I'm turning the tables on the Dynamic Duo interviewing them. So let's bring in these weeks guests, Ricardo and Casey. Casey, Ricardo, thank you so much for having me as your guest host for season two finale.[00:00:59] Ricardo Belmar: Hey [00:01:00] Paul, it is awesome having you here with us.[00:01:01] Casey Golden: I mean, how lucky are we to have you on the actual podcast? it's so nice to have you over here. Thanks for doing this.[00:01:10] Paul do Forno: Well, how does it feel being on the other side? Do you feel a little pressure now? I you don't know what I'm gonna ask.[00:01:16] Casey Golden: It's always a bit awkward to be your own guest, but I'm excited to answer some questions since I am usually on the side of asking questions.[00:01:25] Paul do Forno: Okay. [00:01:26] Ricardo Belmar: feeling the same way it is a little odd being, not being the one asking the questions on your own podcast. but this is gonna be fun. So I'm glad you're joining us. I'm thrilled we're turning things around and I can't wait to see how you're gonna try to trip us up here in the finale.[00:01:39] Paul do Forno: All right. All right. Well, I can't wait to dive in. So here we go. First I wanna check in with both of you. You had top 10 list of predictions this year, and I know we're not all the way through the year, but we wanna check in to see where you're at and which ones you feel that are totally on track, or which ones are totally off track.[00:02:00] So Ricardo.[00:02:01] Ricardo Belmar: this could get interesting. Good thing there's no audience to throw things at us.[00:02:05] Paul do Forno: You ready for the questions, Casey?[00:02:08] Casey Golden: Yeah, and Ricardo, I'm a good catch, but I love q and a, so I do miss having a live audience. I'm feeling pretty good, but Ricardo and I come from two different perspectives. That's why I think we're a little bit more fun to listen to. We do not agree on everything.[00:02:24] Paul do Forno: All right. All right. That's good. That's why we're here. All right. For the second part, I'm also gonna ask you about your favorite parts of the season and a few surprise questions along the way and follow up. I'm gonna test some of the things that you come back with. [00:02:39] Checking in on those 2023 predictions[00:02:39] Paul do Forno: okay, let's jump in. First question, Ricardo. Let's start with you. You each gave five prediction this year and so , which you think maybe are the long shot and out, out of those long shots, which one do you think will really come true by the end of the year and why?[00:02:59] Ricardo Belmar: [00:03:00] Oh, you really went for that one, didn't you? I like 'em all though.[00:03:03] Paul do Forno: Wow. Just pick one. Let's focus on one for today.[00:03:06] Ricardo Belmar: All right. I guess I'll pick one. , if I have to pick one, I guess I would have to pick the one I gave on the anywhere commerce versus immersive commerce.[00:03:15] Paul do Forno: Okay. Let's hear some more about it.[00:03:17] Ricardo Belmar: Well, I, feel like that's the one that's maybe the most far out there of the predictions I did in that it's not just about retailers being the one to seriously adopt immersive tech, like AR and VR. And embracing other new technologies to get commerce in the right context in new locations. Like we talked about integrating it in your car, being in a stadium at a game or something like that.[00:03:41] But it's not just about the retailers integrating the tech. It also requires consumers to be willing to adopt these at the same time. So there's a little bit of an element of the stars aligning on this one to make it come true and work out. So I think maybe that's my long shot. I'm still sticking with it though.[00:03:58] Paul do Forno: Okay, it's gonna take a [00:04:00] little bit longer. Ca. Casey, what do you think?[00:04:02] Casey Golden: I'm completely opposite, I believe a hundred percent and anywhere commerce and contextual commerce that every single consumer touchpoint is gonna turn into a point of sale, but it is gonna be a little bit more of a long shot as far as it's gonna take longer, but I believe that it is a hundred percent there.[00:04:22] This punch in immersive has massive demand and I think it's moved a lot of builders into creating better foundational structures so that we can get interesting experiences and more virtual experiences that I think is gonna fuel that. But we really need better checkout and I think everybody in that space that's very forward and immersive shopping and this, these metaverse plays and virtual experiences, they're learning supply chain right now. And so once I think this kind of bridges, [00:05:00] there's gonna be some beautiful magic.[00:05:01] Paul do Forno: So I noticed you guys didn't say the word as part of all that. You didn't say the word omnichannel. Is [00:05:07] Casey Golden: It doesn't exist. It never has.[00:05:10] Paul do Forno: What's that?[00:05:11] Casey Golden: It doesn't exist. It never has.[00:05:13] Paul do Forno: Ah, okay.[00:05:14] Ricardo Belmar: all just commerce. I'm gonna keep saying it's just commerce. We don't need to label it omnichannel or anything because I think all that ever, I dunno. It feels like all we ended up accomplishing was confusion with that.[00:05:25] Paul do Forno: All right. No good perspectives. It I think this is the one it'll be interesting, it may take longer to get the full view, but then I think once we get closer to that, the goalposts will change again. So it will be interesting. Alright. Casey, same question to you. What's your biggest long shot and why?[00:05:46] Casey Golden: So my biggest long shot is, B N P L. I just don't feel that it's good for consumers and there will be more consumer protection initiatives around the entire entity. It's [00:06:00] bulking customers up with debt does not help your customer experience and brand relationship when that payment that might be coming at you every single month is coming because it's a branded product, it, I think it does negatively infect the brand.[00:06:15] But I understand the value of it opening up cash flow for like younger demographics and just for people in general. It does open up cash flow to buy things that you want or need but I'm very conflicted on the two sides of it. However, Apple Pay Later has now launched so that kind of throws a wrench in my biggest long shot. So, Now that Apple users can split their purchases into four interest free payments over six months without a fee, I think it might be a long shot that Affirm, After Pay, Klarna, and PayPal make it.[00:06:50] Paul do Forno: So what? What do you think Ricardo?[00:06:54] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah I don't know. I think, When we recorded that one and Casey went through that prediction I think the thought was, is [00:07:00] it gonna be a little bit of a blow up or explosion in terms of consumer protections, but now maybe it's gonna blow up in a different direction with Apple launching Apple Pay Later.[00:07:10] May, maybe it's more now a matter of, are the other company, like you just said in Casey are these all these other companies gonna survive doing that now that they're gonna have to compete directly with Apple on their platform[00:07:20] Casey Golden: I mean, Apple's done. Now we just need a Google one and[00:07:23] Ricardo Belmar: yeah, if Google comes out with a pay later now, then it's really gonna be done.[00:07:27] Paul do Forno: I guess, I guess I might be here in being a little bit of the counter to this. So actually the stats came out and the numbers on B N P L last year, I don't have it right in front of me, but it was multiple billions of dollars. It was the fastest growing payment channel. And so it's not a long, it's here.[00:07:47] But I think your point, Casey's a nuanced one where the effect on the brand and how it's used, that's something that I think, needs to be figured out that's [00:08:00] the concern long term, right? Like I think that buy now pay later is here for a long time. In fact, I actually first saw this and it was weird.[00:08:10] I went to Brazil for the first time in 2011, and everywhere you went, buy now, pay later was, that was just the standard way that they paid because that's the demographics that were there and that's the way they paid. And so I, especially given, some of the economic trends and how people are buying, I think this is a long-term stay.[00:08:33] The question is gonna be who and then how best to use it within the brand. That ju just my two, my 2 cents there. All right. Next question. Now that we got these long shots outta the way, Ricardo, which one for you are you most sure of and why?[00:08:53] Ricardo Belmar: Ah, okay. This, I think this one's a little easier for me to pick, cuz honestly, all you have to do is look at any of the news outlets [00:09:00] that are out there today covering tech and covering retail and just everywhere. I mean it, it's an obvious one for me. It's a prediction on generative ai. So things like, whether it's chat, g p t, dall-e two g p t four, there's the Microsoft co-pilot announcement.[00:09:13] All these things coming out. I think it was the last prediction we had in, in our list. We saved the best for last maybe, but I think this is this is one is all as close to an automatic win. I think as we're gonna get in one of these predictions, just given where it's trending is pretty much every retailer I talk to just about every account manager and field rep I talk to at Microsoft is saying the same thing, every customer is looking at this and asking, how do I use this?[00:09:36] Everybody's got a long list of use cases they wanna apply it to. They wanna understand. How to build with it, how to apply it. When we had our top retail influencers calls with Rethink Retail, it was two months in a row it was a topic that everybody wanted to talk about.[00:09:51] Everyone had something to say about it. Everyone's got an opinion about it. And they're just, I don't know, so many use cases. I mean, one of my favorite ones seeing [00:10:00] CarMax doing , where they're using the AI tools to help a customer doing research on their site to automatically summarize all the reviews on cars.[00:10:08] So instead of having to read thousands and thousands of reviews, you just ask a few questions and it gives you a summary with everything you need to know. So just coolest. And that's such a simple, if I can explain it in two sentences, you can ask the two sentences and get a summary.[00:10:21] Can't get much better than that.[00:10:23] Paul do Forno: That, that seems the most obvious one, but I, just to put you on the spot, I know you, you talked about an interesting one and, but let's talk specifically about commerce. What component of commerce do you think this would apply most? Like what area?[00:10:40] Ricardo Belmar: I think we're gonna see it apply in, in, in stages. I think initially anything related to discovery and product discovery, new ways of searching. So search will move I think from trying to think of what keyword do I use? We don't wanna search for a product ,now I can really be super descriptive.[00:10:56] I can talk about what my intent is when I wanna search for something. [00:11:00] Like just, I'm just thinking examples. Like if I'm searching for new, for apparel products instead of having to use keywords like it's, I'm searching for, jeans right, or shirts or whatever it's gonna be. I can describe how I'm gonna wear it and where I'm gonna wear it, and now as part of that search process and these tools are gonna give me different responses based on that.[00:11:18] So I think being able to apply intent and more, almost a point more emotional feeling of how I'm gonna use this product in that search. I think that's gonna be the, probably the first area where it's gonna have a big impact on commerce.[00:11:31] Casey Golden: And that's exactly what I don't agree on anything. AI is not gonna help you get dressed in the morning. I promise.[00:11:42] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah.[00:11:44] Casey Golden: But no, I think that, Listen, I think when we're buying clothing it's emotional and I don't think we can have a non-emotional entity help us make these emotional decisions. But when it comes to function, a hundred percent, I [00:12:00] think affecting mass commerce and I don't get excited about buying another cell phone charger.[00:12:07] I need to buy some recording information like pieces. So I look like Ricardo and I have a mic and all these things. Yes, that I definitely see, like there's these ways that AI is gonna definitely impact search. I think it could for a period of time dis disrupt. Why? The only way we see things is if there's ad money behind it.[00:12:29] And I think we can get a lot better information and products teed up to us based off of function. But. Leave it to me to make sure you have the right clothes, Ricardo. Um, I think the immediate[00:12:43] Ricardo Belmar: do better than the AI[00:12:45] Casey Golden: well, yeah, we'll do much better, but I think the number one thing I'm seeing right now is managing products and uploading products into e-comm is painful and often a very manual process.[00:12:58] And so product [00:13:00] descriptions right outta the box, being able to create clear product descriptions that are interesting, compelling, and again, going back to your point, Ricardo, that will impact search. But coming up with the tags different categorizes categories for everything on there in e-comm I think will be good.[00:13:19] Uploading products, changing image sizes, being able to do some of these things more automated and painful processes I think is an immediate lift. [00:13:31] Paul do Forno: Yeah, make makes sense. That makes sense and I think there will be more stuff that we haven't even thought of and adjacent to it. It's something that's gonna fit the whole stack of everything. So just to take another example of helping the coders, right? There's all these tools to help on the coding side.[00:13:49] So the turnaround time on some of the coding and looking at coding is, it is gonna be helped. So if you start looking at your whole, and [00:14:00] you mentioned supply chain earlier, right? If you start looking at everything, if everything gets improved, 5 10% that's where that whole effect comes in.[00:14:08] So beyond just the experience part, I think it's gonna affect the whole stack.[00:14:15] Casey Golden: yeah, Canva had an update last this week. That was probably the best product update release I've ever seen. And there is generative art, there is redesigning your slides with ai. You have chat sheet bts in there. All of these solutions and all of these pieces just kind of came in, wrapped up like a present.[00:14:39] And I have to say, they've like 10 Xed my speed to create. And it did a phenomenal job. And, there's designers that are using it to create, they'll design one product and then they'll use the generative AI to create 10 more styles. And that's where I'm like, okay, now I'm getting a little bit [00:15:00] conflicted again between, I believe designers should be talented human beings that get to achieve their dreams versus being replaced.[00:15:10] So I think we'll see what kind of happens here. As of today, Italy's ban, g p t Chat, G P t. They'll come around. Everybody always does, but I think that that's kind of interesting. They feel that there are unlawfully processing people's data and privacy issues. So[00:15:27] Ricardo Belmar: Hmm.[00:15:28] Paul do Forno: Interesting. Yeah. So how long before we all become prompt engineers? Right. I've already seen those. I've already seen people start to publish like, Hey, I'm a prompt engineer. I'm an expert, so there you go. New roles popping up all the time[00:15:46] Ricardo Belmar: Yep, new roles.[00:15:47] Paul do Forno: All right. Casey, what about you? What's your sure thing prediction.[00:15:52] Casey Golden: sure thing is the explosion of CDPs. So customer data platforms, there is really [00:16:00] no excuse anymore for a customer to have of a bad experience with your brand. Not being able to produce like basic functional care to shoppers. Is unacceptable. And the main reason that we still have this is because a lot of the customer experience and customer support is fragmented and none of that data is really available to anybody that needs it.[00:16:26] It's available to everybody who doesn't need it in a lot of the time. Like when the customer is with you and you need it, they don't have access. And so I think that having CDPs essentially come in and start pulling all of this data together so that everybody has one point system, whether or not it's checking on an order, which hopefully , AI's gonna take care of.[00:16:48] You don't need to do that anymore. But we're gonna have different database systems to be able to pull all this customer information together and really be able to craft more around the consumer. [00:17:00] And I think that this is just gonna cause more of an extinction of traditional CRMs over maybe the next five years.[00:17:07] The way we think of a CRM, the way we, the box we put it in, I think it's, not gonna be there anymore. And so, the CDP is becoming mission critical for a company I believe this year needs to enter and see essentially how it's gonna be deployed over the next, like 18 to 24 months. But I don't see a company being able to operate in 2024 without a C D P.[00:17:37] Paul do Forno: Well, that's a great commercial for my C D P group, but, uh, but let, let me challenge you on that, of the one that you want this to happen earlier, knowing, especially some of the big enterprise brands that we work with, some of the challenges that they have of just tying all the [00:18:00] different systems. It's one thing if it, if you're dealing with a direct to consumer, one brand, smaller when you get into acquisitions and a holding company that owns all these different retailers, bringing 'em together, CDP is not easy and trying to get it.[00:18:15] Or they might have a version, kind of a C D P here, kind of c d p there. How do you coordinate it all together and so, I a hundred percent agree on this might, you might have jumped a question like, this is what you want to have as to, cuz this is harder. This ends up being a lot harder in my experience to get adoption earlier just because of all of the change management, all the different things that are out there.[00:18:44] But I a hundred percent agree they people need to go to this.[00:18:47] Casey Golden: Well, I think you're right. I mean, it can be, it can be a lot more complicated. It's not in a lot of other companies best interest to want to integrate with your C D P, [00:19:00] and so I think that, there's gonna be a lot of change management there, but the way I see it is consumers are going to gain more and more and more.[00:19:11] Protection over their rights to their data. And if your GDPR compliant, like they already have more rights than we can service today. And so this is going to, it's going to be mandatory whether or not it's executed well or at a hundred percent. I just don't think that we can really go into next year without making sure that you're operating in compliance because compliance is gonna be, is already moving faster than the software companies.[00:19:45] Paul do Forno: What do you think Ricardo?[00:19:48] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I mean I definitely agree in principle and the need, right? And the want. I'm thinking about your point and Paul about how it's not easy necessarily, right? Especially the larger the organization, the more potential [00:20:00] disconnected systems there are that need to be connected to create that c d P.[00:20:04] I think it's doable. I work with some partners that are in this space as well. And I think they're doing a good job at something where, again it's where you wanna plug in the AI models into it to help with some of that.[00:20:13] So I think it's a doable thing, it may be one of those where when we're looking at it at the end of the year maybe it's not complete for some of the largest organizations and it's still in progress. But I think the, I think maybe Casey's point is, it as everyone moves to this that want and need is going to cause some action, right.[00:20:30] And people are gonna start doing things about it and moving in that direction. So even if they don't have it fully deployed and ready I, I think it, it's a valid point. And I, think from a prediction point of view, yeah. It means people are gonna be trying to leverage a C D P as much as they can by the end of the year.[00:20:47] Casey Golden: Yeah, I mean, I think really they're gonna make the purchase. I think last year, 640 billion was spent on customer experience software. They all need a c D P to power. Everything is [00:21:00] gonna need the c d P to power customer experiences. But we kind of have to start with where our core is. And so I think if I had to deploy monies or say, what's a sure thing, you're gonna need one and you, the sooner the better.[00:21:18] Paul do Forno: Awesome, Casey. Thank you for that. You just, I just, you just recorded my commercial for me that it's gonna be my pre roll intro to our CDP presentations, but let's move on. All right. I got one for you, for your other four predictions. Which ones do you think you most want to actually come to life?[00:21:39] Right? And you wanna see go big. So Casey, let's start with you.[00:21:44] Casey Golden: I want loyalty programs to mean something again. I think that there's a lot of emphasis on loyalty programs right now, and I've seen a lot of companies scaling back rewards at the same time and taking away common [00:22:00] perks. And so I'd really like to just see this loyalty program just facilitate into something that's actually going to build loyalty, not a marketing campaign. [00:22:14] I think that this is the moment where it could really be a differentiator in the brand, the customer experience, but if we keep diluting it or disrupting them, like it's just not, it seems more marketing than it is actually provide any services. And so, I think that this is a place where there's gonna be a lot of movement. And I see, anybody who's scaling back rewards I think that they're gonna have a negative impact onto their business.[00:22:46] And I think loyalty programs are just gonna really start meaning something interesting from access to product first. Access to buy at a discount, or even shop sale first. I think the loyalty programs [00:23:00] could turn into something really meaningful and have some really interesting perks that haven't really been the point.[00:23:07] Maybe not points, you know?[00:23:09] Paul do Forno: So, so Casey, is this part of your, your favorite hotel chain? Making sure you get that nice omelet and premium breakfast [00:23:17] Casey Golden: All right [00:23:18] Paul do Forno: of the old bagel.[00:23:19] Casey Golden: yeah. So like I get, you know, they, they put a little goldfish in my room and they make sure that Mr. Darcy's there. I don't expect the rest of the retail industry to be able to compare to the way that I might be treated at a hotel, or you might be treated at a hotel. But I do feel that there's an opportunity, if that's the top, why is the bottom like 10% off your next coffee after you buy a hundred? , what does it take to get a reward, like 50,000 points [00:24:00] for a dollar off your next order? , come on, let's do something. And I think that this is the moment where everybody's been talking about loyalty, whether or not they're adding more, taking it away. And there's a lot of loyalty programs out there, and I think that we're gonna get a, it's gonna turn into an actual program, not just about, pricing.[00:24:25] It's not just about discounts. I think it can be a lot more, and I think even mass merchants are gonna find something more than a discount.[00:24:32] Paul do Forno: Okay, Ricardo.[00:24:34] Ricardo Belmar: Ooh. So for me I would have to say it's that prediction had about automation in, in stores for frontline workers. Over the years, what I think there's always a lot of predictions around what's gonna change for store teams , years back or sort of really only talked about that in the context of better training for employees.[00:24:52] But I think now in, in recent years since the pandemic we're, we have a different perspective on what those store teams are doing and, and how they [00:25:00] work. And now that with, with labor shortages and things for retailers, I think there's more of a view of you have to actually make this environment better.[00:25:07] You've gotta provide the right tools that aren't intended to necessarily replace people in the store, but it's intended to make them. Make their jobs more efficient, more effective, more productive, hopefully getting rid of a lot of the annoying tasks that we force onto store teams to, that they have to take care of, but they keep them away from customers.[00:25:27] So I, I think we'll finally start to see some meaningful things done here with real deployments of technologies that , are having an impact. And I think with an end goal of trying to really make that environment so it's not just a job, but it's more about creating a career path where you might even, finally start looking at those em employee roles as not all being equal in that, some folks on your store team may have different skills and you need to actually take advantage of that in the sense that, , give them things they can do that are built on, [00:26:00] on those skills so that some of those store associates might have a different role than others.[00:26:04] And that's okay. That's a good thing because that helps create those career paths. So I think that's gonna be the one that I really wanna see go big.[00:26:13] Casey Golden: Thank you for amplifying the real retail heroes, Ricardo. I mean, Paul, if I bring this up, it's a sales pitch, so I don't talk about frontline workers very much on here, but I just, if you're moving forward, I think we just need to, to bring our people with us.[00:26:34] Paul do Forno: Yeah. And, it's a fascinating area in fact, I noticed at NRF, if you walk the floor, some of the biggest booths were actually targeted towards the frontline industry. I was actually surprised right at the front door. So some friends of mine, actually, startups that are now massive, and I, I know we're working with some fascinating, very large grocery retailers that to [00:27:00]automate, when they get into work, how can they prioritize their tasks, and also really interestingly, things change so much. Some, you know, there's a storm coming in h how do you rally the troops very quickly and things like that. So I, I think we're just at, at a tipping point of finding ways to really drive and empower the, frontline worker. So ,exciting.[00:27:23] I agree with that one. That will be really good.[00:27:26] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.[00:27:27] Looking back across the whole season[00:27:27] Paul do Forno: Okay, now let's step back and look at the season as a whole. You had two mini series, I'll call them. Both were based on live recordings, one at Grocery Shop and one at N R F. Now, usually we're doing, you're recording kind of like this virtually, so, talk about how it was to be live and, , talking live with, the people right in front of you.[00:27:50] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, I mean, I guess I'll, I'll jump in on this one. Cause unfortunately Casey wasn't able to to join me on, on, on those. But you know, it was, um, [00:28:00] I know we, we[00:28:01] Casey Golden: I'm gonna be at grocery shop. I'm like literally at the store grocery shopping. I've never been to that show.[00:28:08] Ricardo Belmar: I know, I know. But you're right, it is di it is different though because you, you get a little it feels a little more authentic. Maybe you get a little bit more dynamic reactions when you're seeing someone face-to-face and in person versus just seeing them in a little video square on the screen.[00:28:22] So, so there is that. I think that creates a different excitement level from, from guests on the show when you're live versus remote. And I think that really comes out right in both, in both series, the grocery shop one and the NRF ones.[00:28:33] Paul do Forno: Cool. All right. All right. I'd have to ask you about your special guest host and crossover companion at nrf. That that, that was kind of interesting.[00:28:41] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. So, special shout out to Jeff Roster, host of This Week In Innovation podcast. We did a, crossover there. He's been with us as one of our esteemed Retail Avengers from them the first season where we like to refer to him as the analyst. So Jeff and I decided to team up a little bit at N R F and see what can we do[00:29:00] to do this in person.[00:29:01] And it was interesting experience because, it's a little different than when I did a grocery shop, you know, grocery shop, shop talk. They're, they're good at providing you an entire facility with recording equipment in a dedicated room that you can use. N R F is a little more complicated and that, that we didn't technically qualify to, to use their facilities for that.[00:29:20] So we kind of had to figure it out for ourselves and, and, and understand, okay, what, what do we need to, what equipment do we need? And, and then of course the biggest challenge is figuring out, well, where are we gonna do this? And we were lucky. We had our friends and fans of the show at Avanade allowed us to use their lounge space as our mobile recording studio.[00:29:36] For both Jeff and I think that was a new experience. We learned a lot from that and, and hopefully upped our podcast game to do more of these live in-person recordings that way.[00:29:45] Paul do Forno: Gotcha. So question. am I an honorary Avenger since I was there in the clubhouse? In the Clubhouse case?[00:29:52] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. That's right. Yep.[00:29:53] Paul do Forno: the clubhouse,[00:29:55] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. Right. That, that, that's why you get invited to guest, host, come on.[00:29:58] Paul do Forno: Woo. [00:30:00] Alright, so question for you, Casey. What interview stood out to you? The most, both at Grocery Shop and nrf.[00:30:08] Casey Golden: So, both of which I missed. So the, the episode with Ron and Vicki, it really stood out at N R F that it is, it is absolutely something magical when we're together in, in real life. And I think that those, there's nothing that can compare to everybody being, having that energy and bringing it all to the same table and having these great conversations.[00:30:35] So I mean, it was something where I didn't tune out. I was listening to it and I think that it just brings like a very different dynamic to podcasts. But I mean, it goes to show we have really talented people in this space that are so passionate about retail. And so the Ron and Vicki episode just, you know, moved right up to my top as the most memorable.[00:31:00][00:31:01] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. I, I, I have to say on, on that one too, I mean, o one of the things that worked so great with that, I mean, we, we didn't plan anything in advance for, for that one. We were all, all four of us were at the Retail ROI Super Saturday event that we were, we were hosting at the Microsoft office.[00:31:16] And right at the end of the day when everything was wrapping up, we said, why don't we sit down and just record a quick 15 minute conversation, just on some thoughts about what we, what we experienced in the day, kinda what we were hoping to see at nrf. And then of course, we got so into it, it turned into 50 minutes, not 15 ... so we went a little bit longer.[00:31:32] Paul do Forno: Wow. That's great. So what, what did you think Casey, about that.[00:31:38] Casey Golden: So like, I mean, Ron Thurston, I'm like a super fan. We'll just say that I am a super fan and Vicki Cantrell is, is phenomenal. So, I mean, I wish I, I wish I could have been there. It was just really special and Gabriella, what was it? Gabriella Bach from Rethink Retail. She was filming the video [00:32:00] for [00:32:00] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. She recorded the video for us. [00:32:02] Casey Golden: walking around in that tiny room with her video way longer than she was supposed to.[00:32:08] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, she, she was really re a real good I I don't even know what to say you, cause we talked, she heard us talking about wanting to do it and said, Hey, do you guys want me to record the video for that, that you can use? I don't, I don't mind doing it. So, yeah. We're only gonna be 15 minutes or so.[00:32:20] Oh, sure. No problem. And she's sitting there holding all the video equipment and this, and you can see in the video, this was such a tiny conference room that we ended up picking and she's trying to kind of move around all of us to get the right angles in this. She had to change batteries midway through it and then ran outta battery power cause we went so long.[00:32:38] So that was, that was definitely something.[00:32:39] Paul do Forno: Cool. Alright. So you definitely have to keep doing more of those in the future.[00:32:45] Ricardo Belmar: Oh, oh, for sure. So, so stay tuned. We, we, we have one of very much like that coming from Shop Talk that we just did.[00:32:51] All those Retail Transformers were more than meets the eye![00:32:51] Paul do Forno: Awesome. All right, now let's talk about one of your fun series within a series, so to speak, [00:33:00] the retail transformer series. You started the series in series one, but it really took off with this season with four special retail transformation episodes. But honestly, you could have called it both grocery shop and NRF series the same, couldn't you?[00:33:15] Casey Golden: Yes, true. I mean, we're all essentially Transformers. That's why we brought them on the show.[00:33:23] Paul do Forno: I, I think Casey was just about to go. Transformers.[00:33:30] Ricardo Belmar: Yep. Yep. Stealing my line there.[00:33:32] Casey Golden: I'm like[00:33:33] Paul do Forno: That's what we were [00:33:34] Casey Golden: playing my composure.[00:33:37] Paul do Forno: Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That we're, we're supposed to have yeah, we're professional here. All right. Okay. Back, back to the story here. So which one stood out the most for you, Casey?[00:33:50] Casey Golden: So, my favorite Retail Transformer during that this series was Brian Dove with Commerce Hub. We could have, [00:34:00] that podcast could have gone on for hours. Literally I would've been fine if Ricardo stopped record, and I just continued talking to Brian for the rest of the day. His approach is really compelling.[00:34:15] He's solving. Solving supply chain is probably one of the ugliest and most complex sites of the business. And making changes in supply chain are like, they're, they're like complete, they're not even a heart transplant. It's a complete nervous system transplant. And, just think that our supplies, chains need the most transformation and it's just hard, ugly work.[00:34:41] You don't get a lot of rainbows and sunshines and like glitter doing things in supply chain. It's waking up in the morning, day in, day out, doing the stuff that nobody else wants to do. And I think he came out with a very his approach is incredible and I think that we're [00:35:00] just gonna see more drop shipping directly from manufacturers than managing their own distribution and, and selling inventory in and third party logistics warehouses.[00:35:11] This. Piece of supply chain that is part of Commerce Hub. They're only like a fraction of what could be. But I think for, for what he's done and what they're doing now and where they're going, he is my top re Retail Transformer that stood out during that series.[00:35:34] Paul do Forno: Wow. I, I can't have my guys listening to this podcast because now before you're talking up the c d p guys, now my supply chain guys is, see, we're we're more important than everybody else.[00:35:46] Casey Golden: Wants to work with me. Paul,[00:35:47] Paul do Forno: I know. Geez. I, I dunno how, what, what about us? Come on. No. Yeah. Hundred percent.[00:35:56] Casey Golden: there's so many angels in this space that I [00:36:00] just feel like a lot of, a lot of it, the attention goes to the marketers. In general, and I just feel like marketing is just not retail. It takes so much to make that product[00:36:17] Paul do Forno: And honestly in the last couple years, right? I think people got, oh, all we have to do is just drop ship stuff and things just show up and[00:36:25] it, you know,[00:36:26] Ricardo Belmar: Right. Yeah. It's magic,[00:36:28] Paul do Forno: and nobody has to make profit off of it. Now, the real world, oh damn, we've got a sources. And to scale it, you actually have to do it profitably, right?[00:36:38] And so now this, we had a little bubble of this magic, every, all this funding and these tools that made, it, enabled all of this to look like it didn't, it was super easy and anybody could do it, but now the real vendors are coming out. And, and so you really have to focus on back to the basics, right? [00:37:00] And, and how to tie all these together.[00:37:02] Casey Golden: I agree.[00:37:03] Paul do Forno: So, Ricardo, how about you?[00:37:05] Ricardo Belmar: So continuing on on that theme you just brought up there, Paul. So, so my, one of my favorites is the, the retail transformer we did with Polly Wong. Cuz she reinforced something that both Casey and I, I think absolutely loved when she said it. I, I think we almost had to stop recording to regain some composure from, from the comment that she just so casually dropped about how you can't have a profitable, business when you're only focused on acquisition as a fact.[00:37:30] And she just rolled that phrase out so matter of factly, like it was just the most fundamental thing that everybody had been lost on. That one to me to kind of set the tone for the whole rest of the recording on that one. Cause that was pretty early on. I think that was just gold. When she brought that up and, you know, we, we had been wanting to do some direct to consumer focus episodes, so Polly gave us a chance to talk about how is D T C really moving forward and bringing it back to this idea of profitability.[00:37:58] How do you shift from customer acquisition [00:38:00] focus to actually building customer loyalty, maintaining that community of customers. And, she, I just love how she gave us , this picture of, all these different ways and methods that those brands are now marketing to consumers that, that kind of brought things back.[00:38:14] Like when she mentioned, print catalogs where a as if they're the brand new thing that DTC brands were doing and being successful at it. I think that was, that was just something I don't think anybody who was listening expected to hear that. And that, that, I just love that one.[00:38:28] Casey Golden: I agree. I think everything that was old is new again. It is that, it is this moment of back to the basics. I think Facebook essentially broke our foundation for digital. It created this false foundation for digital, let's say that. And so now that companies are really pulling back into, I don't want to rely on Facebook ads, and now I'm not even getting that eight x or 12 x or 30 x, I'm like, [00:39:00] lucky if I can get a two x return right now. Because of all of the different changes, I think we're going back to just building better with the newer technologies. And a lot of this is foundational, it's just a new foundation for digital.[00:39:16] That's just, I think we too many people over overbuilt on relying on a, the Facebook platform and ads.[00:39:26] Paul do Forno: Hey, I think omnichannel is back.[00:39:30] Casey Golden: Say that word, unified commerce. If you need to use a word unified,[00:39:34] Ricardo Belmar: you go. There you go. Unified commerce.[00:39:37] Paul do Forno: That's probably, that should be another, that should be another podcast. The, the Battle. Battle of Semantics.[00:39:44] Casey Golden: Yeah,[00:39:44] Ricardo Belmar: Oh, there we, there we go. [00:39:46] Casey Golden: no consum. What is it? I just saw it. Composable commerce.[00:39:51] Ricardo Belmar: right. Yeah.[00:39:53] Paul do Forno: The, the battle of the, the terms. All right.[00:39:56] Ricardo Belmar: there.[00:39:56] Paul do Forno: All right. So[00:39:57] Casey Golden: it's a dictionary.[00:39:58] Love those "Special" episodes...[00:39:58] Paul do Forno: now that wasn't the [00:40:00] only topical series you had. You also had a special episode. We already talked about one, your predictions episode, but you also had an interesting one with Andy Laudato from NRF beginners and of course the holiday special guests from Square and others.[00:40:15] How did you come about with those.[00:40:18] Casey Golden: Well, I mean, speaking of the holiday season, we knew we wanted to make a holiday themed episode, but you know, every retail podcast seems to do this and focuses on predicting retail sales, right? And so we wanted to do something different. We brought together Bridget John's founder of to and from, to share her perspective on what customers were actually shopping for gifts.[00:40:44] And what inspired them. And then we added Roshaun from Square to share their recent survey report on what retailers were doing to gear up for the holiday. So we really felt like our holiday episode delivered perspectives on both [00:41:00] sides of the equation from the retailer and the consumer.[00:41:03] Instead of focusing on the number, we really wanted to focus on actually what's happening in this shopping experience and this thought process coming into holiday and how retailers could use that information to make their season more successful and hit those numbers that everybody's projecting. And I found it very much more insightful, really learning from the sides of Roshan, from Square and Bridget from To and From.[00:41:32] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, that's what we really call cutting through the clutter.[00:41:36] Paul do Forno: Interesting. Okay. All right. What about the NRF for Beginner's episode?[00:41:42] Ricardo Belmar: So, so that one, we wanted to do something special leading up to N R F. Obviously, we gotta call it our industry's biggest moment of the year, right? It's the biggest show. So we knew we had to do something as a retail podcast, but lucky enough for us, Andy reached out to me and said, Hey, I got a great idea for a podcast episode.[00:41:57] Let's talk about what. Beginners to NRF [00:42:00] need to know by and, and le leveraging the experience of those of us who've been there for so many years and years. So we thought, oh, this is a brilliant idea. Yeah, no, nobody's ever talking about that. Everyone always talks about N R F on the assumption that everyone knows what it is and knows what they're doing when they get there.[00:42:14] But the fact is every year, right, they're always beginners that have, have never been to N R F before. So let, let's focus on that. So, off we went. Andy came on. We, we highlighted, you know, how does a newbie to the show tackle it? What are the, the, the, the secret things you, you need to know that nobody really ever shares or tells you that you wished you knew by the time you got to the end of the show.[00:42:34] And everybody got to really benefit from all of Andy's multitude of, of years of NRF wisdom.[00:42:39] Paul do Forno: Yeah. So what, what'd you think Casey?[00:42:41] Casey Golden: Yeah, I mean, I, I, I am still an NRF newbie, I feel, even though I've been there most of my career. Cause there's, based off of how you go there and what contexts are you a vendor? Are you on the buying side? That changes throughout our career. [00:43:00] So you may have been a buyer for 10 years, but then you're going to n r F as a vendor for the first time.[00:43:07] And the tables turn, the experience is different. And yet, I think we're kind of all newbies because I'm going as a vendor. But then each year you are changing what that means, you know, like, Not everybody has the Microsoft booth or like the Salesforce booth. And so, for everybody else, I think that it is pretty interesting on aligning expectations and like strategy for some of these companies that are coming in on the vendor side for the first time to maximize and, and even just new people coming in to go shopping.[00:43:46] You know, it's a big floor.[00:43:48] Paul do Forno: Yeah, that, that probably would be pretty different if you were a buyer. I'm sure everybody wanted you to come to their event and take you out for dinner and everything. And then you're on the other side and you're like, oh crap, [00:44:00] I've got, [00:44:00] Casey Golden: Anybody. [00:44:01] Paul do Forno: get some attention. The hunted from the hunted, right? Like[00:44:06] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah.[00:44:07] Paul do Forno: it's a little bit different.[00:44:09] Okay. Alright. Gonna bring this home. Now with this one, one of the things I like about what you did this season was the introduction of the idea of new segments within each episode and your first one is what you guys call Retail Razor Data Blades, which you brought in a specialist for, right?[00:44:31] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. So, and again, we, we didn't wanna make yet another retail podcast. I mean, there's like, what, over a hundred out there right now, have lost track. So we wanna do something unique that provides a value, not just to the retail tech community that, at the end of the day, right. Both Casey and I are part of right now, but also to retailers who are getting bombarded with information and that you realistically need some guidance on how to sift through all of that, all that data that gets published out there.[00:44:55] And like we're always saying, we want to cut through the clutter of that noise.[00:44:59] Casey Golden: [00:45:00] Yeah. And we worked with our friends over at True Rating and Georgina Nelson, their phenomenal c e o to leverage all the rich data that they've gone through. Their retailer customers from survey questions that they ask at the point of sale to offer our listeners and viewers some insights into what consumers are actually doing.[00:45:21] And not doing with their purchasing habits.[00:45:24] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, so we introduced this segment. We had it on I think three times this season, and we're, we're definitely gonna bring this one back next season. Big shout out to Georgina was so good at recording this with us when, when she was just days away from her baby's due date. So it was just a amazing that we were able to get that in.[00:45:40] We, we kept joking that we might not get these recordings done in time, but we managed to pull it off. So that was amazing.[00:45:47] Paul do Forno: All [00:45:47] Casey Golden: was prepared to have laptop with her. You know, like when we say she's a phenomenal Georgina, like props to this woman. She's, she's a great leader.[00:45:58] Coming up next season?[00:45:58] Paul do Forno: Wow. That's commitment. [00:46:00] Okay. Now for next year, next season, do you guys have a theme yet?[00:46:07] Casey Golden: Yeah. After season one focused on digital transformation and the impact of transformation on the people in the retail business, this season, our focus was, the evolution of channel operations in the retail business. That's why we started the season with a big one, two punch with the Metaverse and retail media networks.[00:46:32] Ricardo Belmar: and if you think about all the retail transformers we brought in this season, we really kept that focus. We started out with, with Alan Smithson to dive deeper into Metaverse what he was doing, building The Mall in the metaverse to, the episode I mentioned where we had Polly on. Talking about that.[00:46:45] And then, again, the one Casey mentioned with Bryan Dove from Commerce Hub we really drove into the future of e-commerce on that one and marketplaces. So for next season, where are we taking it? We're gonna try to focus a little bit more on some of these themes, a little, little bit sharper, things like anywhere [00:47:00] commerce and immersive commerce.[00:47:01] I think look at how that's happening with this in the middle of this backdrop that I, I think of as a, a back to basics kind of mood in retail.[00:47:10] Paul do Forno: Ah, back to my supply chain guys. All right. Yes, we need them, but, I got all the cool shows and I guess we gotta give them some work. All right, so let's tie in. You know, your predictions there, but what exactly do you mean? Back to basics.[00:47:29] Ricardo Belmar: Well, I, I think we, we really need to sort of acknowledge that retailers are focusing this year on, on how to get better at the business of retailers, retailing. So, past few years through the pandemic, right? What, what, what did retailers end up seeing? There's a lot of rapid growth in some specific areas for many retailers, but because a lot of it happened so fast, and I, I think we have to admit right, faster than most retailers were used to change and, and adopting new things.[00:47:55] So that meant that, they, the focus was just get it out there to deliver those [00:48:00]experiences for, for the consumers, for what consumers wanted at whatever the cost was because it just, it had to be done and it had to be done fast. So now most retailers, I think are figuring out, we did these things, maybe not in the best way we could have done it, so let's optimize it a little bit.[00:48:15] Let's make sure that we take out as much of the cost as we can, but c but, but still be able to do these things. How do we inject some profitability into it? We've got all these crazy new tools like the Generative AI that, mentioned in the predictions. We talked about the automation for, for the store teams.[00:48:31] How do we still inject those things? But let's not do it in the, in the crazy, do it at all costs way that we were forced into the last few years. Let's do it in a more methodical way that we know is gonna maintain some profitability. We're wa we're watching, we don't know what the outcome is gonna be, right?[00:48:48] In terms of shopping trends or consumers gonna keep buying at the pace they've been buying, are they going to slow down because of inflation? Are they gonna go back to saving more versus spending with all this [00:49:00] backdrop, how do we keep these things going? We can't take back any of the new things and capabilities we introduced cause consumers will, will find another brand, right, if we take these things away.[00:49:08] So we have to find ways to keep optimizing and keep doing them, but at least, the way I like to look at it is you can't just cost cut your way to success. You still have to invest in the future. And even though that near term investment is hopefully something that's gonna return you a, a cost reduction in the future, but you have to do it in a smart way.[00:49:26] So I think those are the kinds of things that, we're looking at these trendy things like immersive commerce and everywhere commerce and retailers, still need to do that, but it matters now how you do it more so than it did before.[00:49:39] Casey Golden: Yeah, I'm a hundred percent on this is going to be the time for reality. And we're gonna be spending a lot more time on. The, the reality of, of where our retail is today to build, to be able to adopt some of the new technology at scale. It's just we spend so much [00:50:00] time on marketing and acquisition and we saw that it just cost us too much money and a lot of turn.[00:50:07] And so focusing on retention and stable systems and being able to go ahead and say like, listen, why are there 400 messages a day of a customer looking for their package? Okay, that's not a customer service opportunity. That's an opportunity to fix it. Like this is like adding these things to plug problems and band-aids.[00:50:34] We've got to solve the actual problems. And I think that that's, everything that I've seen right now has been. I have, we have customers. We're gonna focus on keeping them, and we need to go ahead and make sure that we're ready for the next five years of retail. Otherwise, we, I don't know if we'll be here or we're going to lose our market share.[00:50:57] Paul do Forno: And I'll, and I'll just put a exclamation mark [00:51:00] on that. Like all I'm hearing is optimize. How do we optimize, how do we use what we have? We spend a ton of investments over the past couple years. How do we use 'em well, right? Like that's what I keep hearing. That's what, that's what my colleagues are hearing.[00:51:16] So I, I think the more that they can do better, and guess what the P word. You gotta be profitable, right? How do we optimize and be for profit and, and more so than ever, especially with the uncertainty on the economics and that, I think it's just gonna be more important. [00:51:36] Okay. One last thing I want to know.[00:51:39] Any new segments you're introducing? Like the Retail razor Data Blades.[00:51:44] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah, since that's that's been pretty popular. So we are looking at adding more of those. So for example one, we're gonna bring a, a unique perspective to answer the, the hot questions of the day from an academic's viewpoint. I think that's gonna be maybe eye-opening for some folks based on, on what kind of [00:52:00] responses we, we hear there and what kind of discussion we have.[00:52:02] But I think it'll be a unique independent viewpoint people aren't used to hearing necessarily. Then another one we're thinking about doing is a segment that'll focus on retail leadership qualities. There's been some interesting news media reports lately talking about how there seems to be a shortage of, of CEOs in retail and a shortage of, of quality executives.[00:52:22] So we're gonna dig in a little bit, I think in, in a new segment there and bring in some folks to. Give some tips on, you know, what are those leadership roles? What are those skills that those leaderships, what traits do they need to have to really be successful in, in retail that maybe not everyone has developed or, or needs to develop better.[00:52:39] Paul do Forno: I, I think back to what I just said, the P word, we need the CEOs driving the profitability, right?[00:52:46] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah.[00:52:47] Casey Golden: Yeah, I think they're gonna come from unexpected places. You know, we've had a lot of executives that have been running the top for 25 years. I think retail in general it's been, [00:53:00] leadership has been plugged. I know a lot of VPs and SVPs that had their jobs for 28 years, they're not going anywhere and they didn't let anybody rise through.[00:53:09] And so there's a lot of talent out there that could probably hop some steps and really make some big changes and some positive profitable changes at these companies. And I'm excited to have those, those sessions cuz there's a lot of untapped talent out in this industry. Nobody's in this industry to get rich, right?[00:53:31] Like we are all here on pure fricking passion. Cause it would be a lot easier working some other industries than it is in this space. We're here with like committed love.[00:53:42] Paul do Forno: Yes. Yes. So all of that's pretty interesting. So any hints for the expert speakers to come?[00:53:50] Casey Golden: We can't give everything away on this episode I'm gonna leave that on on Ricardo if he wants to add any spoilers.[00:53:57] Ricardo Belmar: I think we can afford to make people wait and [00:54:00] see and, and make it a surprise.[00:54:01] Paul do Forno: Well, maybe you guys can give us a preview trailer soon and, you know, a teaser.[00:54:06] Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. Yeah. Be in the lookout for that.[00:54:08] Paul do Forno: All right. Well guys, thank you so much for inviting me on the show to guest host and be an honorary Avenger. It's been a year, Casey and Ricardo since we saw y y you know, the comeback at The Shop Talk last year. And we just got done another Shop Talk. But Ricardo, I didn't see you. I, I, I tried to[00:54:27] Ricardo Belmar: don't know how we missed each other, so, so[00:54:29] Paul do Forno: I know[00:54:29] it was crazy. But thank you. I had a lot of fun and looking forward to next year.[00:54:36] Casey Golden: Thank you so much, Paul. I loved having you on the show and we'll work on that honorary Avenger title.[00:54:42] Ricardo Belmar: That's right. That's right. I mean, this is a great, fantastic experience. We can't wait to have you back on the show again soon.[00:54:47] Paul do Forno: All right, thanks guys.[00:54:49] ​[00:54:49] Show Close[00:54:49] Ricardo Belmar: We'll give a big thanks out to all of our Retail Razor Show fans this season. Casey, I think that means this show[00:55:00] for that matter, this whole season is a wrap now.[00:55:02] Casey Golden: Yeah. If you enjoyed our show this season, please consider giving us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Remember to smash that subscribe button in your favorite podcast player so you don't miss a minute. And if you'd rather watch us instead of listening, subscribe to our YouTube channel and like, and comment there's a new season out there too.[00:55:23] And of course, if you wanna know more about what we talked about today, including a full transcript of each episode look at the show notes for handy links to more deets. I'm your cohost, Casey Golden.[00:55:34] Ricardo Belmar: And if you'd like to connect with us and share your thoughts on this season, follow us on Twitter at Casey c Golden and Ricardo underscore Belmar, or find us on LinkedIn. Be sure and follow the show on Twitter, at Retail Razor, on LinkedIn for the latest updates. And stay tuned for a season three trailer like Paul was asking us for.[00:55:50] Coming soon. We promise, it'll be worth the wait. I'm your host Ricardo Belmar.[00:55:55] Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us.[00:55:56] Ricardo Belmar: And remember, there's never been a better time to be in retail [00:56:00]if you cut through the clutter. Until next time, this is the Retail Razor Show.

Our guest this week to share 3 thoughts on this topic is Rachel Sheerin, who is a Certified Professional Behavior Analyst and an award-winning keynote speaker, emcee and employee engagement consultant on a mission to help people feel better, think better and do better - together!   TOPIC: How to Feel Better (as you Live, Lead and Succeed) GUEST: Rachel Sheerin   THOUGHT #1 - Take Stock THOUGHT #2 - "If Then" Correlation - Use This Format for Life Strategies THOUGHT #3 - Free Refills - Understand Your Unique Sources to Energize Yourself   CONNECT: Website: rachelsheerin.com Instagram: @Rachel.Sheerin Linkedin: Rachel Sheerin Twitter: @rachel_sheerin Book (coming soon): BETTER: How to Feel Good as You Live, Lead and Succeed  RACHEL SHEERIN'S BIO: Rachel Sheerin, CPBA is an award-winning keynote speaker, emcee and employee engagement consultant on a mission to help people feel better, think better and do better - together! A Certified Professional Behavior Analyst, Rachel knows what makes people trust, connect and move to action, weaving that knowledge and strategies into her programs and performances to engage and energize audiences. Part of what makes Rachel connect with every attendee is the fact that she has been on all sides of business - sales, operations and executive leadership.. She's built multi-million dollar sales teams for organizations that want to grow profits and boost happiness and delivered organization-wide training for different vocations from machinists to executive directors, SVPs and beyond. She's also burned out, failed and ruined her career a couple of times - which makes her messages of burnout prevention, happiness and success sincere, impactful and hilarious. With a strong dash of vulnerability, Rachel meets audiences where they are and with her background in meetings and events, gives planners and executives the 5-star surveys they want most. With Fortune 500 clients such as The Ritz Carlton, WAL-MART, National Associations in Healthcare and Banking, Hilton, Berkshire Hathaway and many more, Rachel is also Co-Founder of MAGNET METHOD, an employee engagement and retention consulting firm for growing cultures. Rachel's continued research and motivational content around burnout, happiness and success can be seen regularly on her LinkedIn, featured in The Washington Post and USA Today, and read in her upcoming book, BETTER: How to Feel Good as You Live, Lead and Succeed (Q3 2023, Hawthorn Road Press). Currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Association for Women in Events (AWE), Rachel is a proud member of Meeting Planners International (MPI), supporter of the Appalachian Bear Foundation and can often be found playing ping pong badly with her husband, Jeff.   RESOURCES: Evergreen Podcast Network - EvergereenPodcasts.com Thoughts That Rock – ThoughtsThatRock.com Certified Rock Star - CertifiedRockStar.com Booky Call - https://www.bookycall.com Booky Call - Book Review App on Apple - Apps.Apple.com Booky Call - Book Review App on Google Play - Play.Google.Com  Service That Rocks: TCreate Unforgettable Experiences and Turn Customers into Fans (Jim Knight) - ServiceThatRocksBook.com Leadership That Rocks: Take Your Brand's Culture to Eleven and Amp Up Results (Jim Knight) - LeadershipThatRocksBook.com Culture That Rocks: How to Revolutionize Your Company's Culture (Jim Knight) – CultureThatRocks.com Black Sheep: Unleash the Extraordinary, Awe-Inspiring, Undiscovered You (Brant Menswar) - FindYourBlackSheep.com Rock ‘n Roll With It: Overcoming the Challenge of Change (Brant Menswar) – RocknRollWithIt.com Cannonball Kids' cancer – CannonballKidscancer.org Big Kettle Drum - BigKettleDrum.com Spectacle Photography (Show/Website Photos) – SpectaclePhoto.com Jeffrey Todd “JT” Keel (Show Music) - JT Keel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In episode 153 live from AdMonsters PubForum Miami, Erik and Kerel talk with Chris Contreras, Chief Customer Officer at MNTN. Chris was first born American after his parents moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic. He comes from a long line of well-acclaimed family members, his father who taught himself English and practiced medicine, a mother who was an architect, and his grandmother who was the first female to run a bank in the Dominican Republic. Chris deciding between medicine and business eventually chose finance and has worked at Univision, NBC, Snap, and more Global Customer Success organizations. Chris not only works full-time at MNTN but also has a lot of outside obligations including founding an angel fund, a mentorship program through MNTN, as well as a mentorship program in the CS sector, and mentoring VPs and SVPs. He believes that DEI is not something to be promoted as a time-based initiative, but something that is weaved into a workplace and leadership. Chris shares soft and hard skills employees need to have stepping into leadership positions, the importance of mentorship and why future leaders need to get clarity on their weaknesses to figure out a great balance for themselves, their team, and their company. “I think communication is such a valuable component. As you move up in your career, the clarity, the succinctness of which you provide feedback, and just general guidance to a customer and internal constituent becomes even more and more important, because the time that you have with senior leaders is very limited.” Timestamps :33: Chris Contreras, Chief Customer Officer at MNTN, shares his career background with Univision, NBC, Spap, currently MNTN, and other startups 1:25: Chris talks about his family history, being the middle child of three boys, his family coming from the Dominican Republic, and him being a first born American 2:37: Chris shares about how he is a servant leader after being a part of a bad leadership experience, what it takes to move from junior roles to leadership roles, and how he's carved his own path 4:55: The best advice Chris has received from his mentor, fellow servant leader, Charlie Echeverry who was the CRO for Univision Digital 6:24: An example of how Chris has seen the impact of leadership and how great teams have helped companies thrive 8:55: Chris shares the training program MNTN has for new employees who may not have ad tech experience and why it's so important for those people to be involved in the evolution of building and growing the onboarding experience 11:30: Chris talkies about the two pieces about his leadership style and how he brings inclusivity to his companies 11:51: How Chris focuses on making sure there are opportunities for people who are behind him after he leaves his company 14:46: How Chris has navigated two important parts of his career, his ability to manage and his ability to build a pipeline behind him for others to take his role 16:44: Chris shares how leaders can allow their careers to move forward without getting boxed into a specific role 18:48: Chris's experience with moving into leadership positions, this mistakes that were made, and how he has learned to develop employees to take over in leadership positions 21:11: Important soft and hard skills to have moving into leadership positions 21:53: Chris talks about the importance of mentorship in leadership and why people should reach out to possible mentors no matter if they think they will say yes or not 24:45: Where Chris draws inspiration from 25:21: One piece of advice for anyone who's looking to level up into a new leadership position 27:03: What is on Chris's music rotation these days including 27:21: Where listeners can connect with Chris and MNTN Follow Us: Newsletter: bitly.com/2QLEY8U Linkedin: bit.ly/2ZZUBxG Twitter: bit.ly/2Qp0SzK Instagram: bit.ly/2QLfEQc

Ben and Dan are both SVPs at AKRF, which is historically an environmental company that in part designs interiors with the goal of perfection when it comes to sound. We discuss their newest innovation, "the Pindrop". Trust me, if you have never heard about how important what AKRF does, and if you are at the forefront of future tech, well,come hear how the Pindrop makes the future now! #Trend with us --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-trend-with-justin-a-w/support

Bill is a career tech CEO with multiple exits, including an IPO. He worked at Greylock as a venture capitalist and, after selling his marketing tech company Silverpop to IBM, he shifted roles to help lead IBM's global strategy for their CEO and SVPs. He spent the last few years creating media ventures in climatetech. He started with a TED talk which grew into the #1 ranked podcast on renewable energy. His new book, Freeing Energy, is a practical guide for disrupting and democratizing energy. Find complete show notes and more information at therichergeek.com/podcast  

You've seen their memes, and you've loved them… This week Tyson & Alexa sit down with the dynamic duo behind @SurfingCorporate, Aileen Marciel and Glenda Pacanins, to discuss their long climb from corporate SVPs to creating the hilarious @surfingcorporate brand. They discuss their corporate journey, their experiences working outside the US, their best and worst interactions with HR, and their takeaways about Corporate America all with their trademark sense of humor. Saddle up.Want more? Listen to Tyson & Alexa on Surfing Corporate's Season 3 debut episode anywhere you listen to podcasts! Subscribe to their newsletter here for more updates and hilarity: https://surfingcorporate.com/subscribe/ Check out Showcase: perksshowcase.com FOLLOW US! Follow the podcast on Linkedin, Instagram, and TikTok at @peopleproblemspod Follow the guests: @surfingcorporate on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Follow the hosts: Alexa Baggio on Instagram, Tiktok, and LinkedIn Tyson Mackenzie on Instagram at @hr.shook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some rare, 'practical advice' on the pathless-path for you ❤️ Take what resonates, leave what doesn't! If you're running into closed door after closed door... if you've been sending out application after application with no luck, then take it as a clear sign that you are being led to what and where you can't imagine yet! You're being led to what's outside of the box. Get quiet every day for a period and ask what you are to do next... without words... just sit in the Silence... very alert... chant if you feel distracted and then from this Silence, send the emails, send off the applications, etc. COME UP WITH THE COMPANIES OR BUSINESSES YOU WANT TO WORK FOR OR PARTNER WITH AND FIND THE CEO, AND EMAIL THEM DIRECTLY. I'M SHOUTING BECAUSE THIS OFTEN WORKS! Shoot your shot! I recommend Linked in of course but also RocketReach for folks (of which these will be) that aren't in your network. Google the name of the CEO (or SVPs, etc), figure out the email format, then send them a paragraph (nothing more) with a succinct and powerful subject line... whether they are 'hiring' or not. Keep applying the traditional way, too, but carve out some 'time' for this!  If this excites you, act on it! Once you get the email written you can then send it out to 'others'.  And the more you send the more ideas for emails you'll get.  And you do all of this from Love, in the atmosphere of God, in His Name. You may send out 200 emails and get back 5 no's (but now you're on their radar), and 1 open door.  You may get no interest at all, but you SPENT THAT 'INBETWEEN' TIME FEELING HOPEFUL AND POWERFUL AND EXCITED INSTEAD OF SAD AND LOW AND DOWN. :)  What's for you is already for you, it's already Here.... but until you can see It, you can either be anxious or Be Love.  This 'activity' relieves the tension of 'waiting'. It helps you better practice and feel Love in the 'meantime' until you can remember that there is no 'meantime' it's all SHOWTIME! You've got to show up, and sit up, and breathe. You've got to feel Love where that body appears to be.  Love has never failed you and It won't start now.  I'm talking to YOU.  I Love you and I'm with you. You got this because He's got you. TRUST DEEPER. Nik p.s. if it helps, remember that this is the part in the movie of 'you' where the job hunt is in full swing... nail biting... sitting on the edge of the seat to watch yourself  land the opportunity that's been waiting on you since before the movie started, since before it was filmed! The writer is GoOD! *pops popcorn*

I'm digging into the mailbag for today's episode. For the first time in over a year, I asked Trapital listeners and readers to send me their most burning questions about the music industry. I've pulled out nine questions from the bunch to cover on the show. We're covering everything from NFTs to artificial-intelligence-assisted music creation to investing in music catalogs going forward and a whole lot more. I'm hitting you with my honest thoughts on each. Here's a look at the topics:[0:54] State of music NFTs [4:40] Customer problems as a music startup[8:35] Lack of new music superstars [12:07] Future of AI-assisted music creation [17:00] Tradeoff for artists wanting ownership [22:11] Hasbro selling eOne[26:16] Music catalog investing in 2023[29:41] Globalization of hip-hop [33:21] Emerging artists as startup founders Trapital's first-ever Cultural Report for 2022: https://trapital.co/culture-report/Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Overcast | Amazon | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RSSHost: Dan Runcie, @RuncieDan, trapital.co Sponsors: MoonPay is the leader in web3 infrastructure. They have partnered with Timbaland, Snoop Dogg, and many more. To learn more, visit moonpay.com/trapital Check out The Drop, REVOLT's weekly newsletter to stay ahead of the latest news in hip-hop and Black culture. To learn more, visit revolt.tv Enjoy this podcast? Rate and review the podcast here! ratethispodcast.com/trapital Trapital is home for the business of music, media and culture. Learn more by reading Trapital's free memo.TRANSCRIPTION[00:00:00] Dan Runcie: If you're an owner of I.P., often times that I.P. may be the most valuable thing that you have. But does it always make sense for you to then be the ones that produce it? Of course, there's unique examples of this, right? I think Disney is a company that clearly does both, but Disney is such a unicorn in what it does in so many ways, and we've all seen that flywheel of what they've done, and that flywheel is so relevant because it's hard to see another company that could really do that to that level. But it's more likely than not that if you are an I.P. owner or it's probably in your best financial interest to partner with a company that you can leverage their production because they are skilled at being a production company to do that thing.[00:00:46] Dan Runcie: Hey, welcome to the podcast. I'm your host and the founder of Dan Runcie. This podcast is your place to gain insights from the executives in music, media, entertainment, and more who are taking hip hop culture to the next level. [00:01:04] (Intro) Dan Runcie: From you, the listeners who make Trapital, exactly what it is. So this is a mailbag question where you all sent in your best questions. Some of you emailed them, some of you posted them on socials, but I looked at the questions and picked the best ones, and this is a mailbag episode. It's been a while since we did one of these, so it felt good to do one. I actually wanna do these more often just because I think the questions were really great and we're able to address a bunch of topics that we'll get into A.I, the future of music, globalization, ownership, and all the topics that we love to break down on capital and a few ones. So let's jump in.[00:01:41] (Pre Roll Ad Moonpay) [00:02:11] Dan Runcie: All right. Today we have our one and only Mailbag episode from Trapital. It's been a while since we did one of these. I feel, maybe at some point earlier this year we did a mailbag, so it was finally good to dig back in, hear from folks and be able to answer the questions that a lot of you have been thinking. This podcast has grown quite a bit this past year and was in the 1% for the most shared podcast according to Spotify wrap, so that was pretty good. Some applause for that. And I wanted to bring in some of the questions from some of the avid listeners and readers we have. So I posted in social media, posted in the newsletter, and this is a roundup of the best ones. Covered a bunch of topics. We're gonna talk about the future of A.I and music, the state of NFTs, globalization, ownership, and a whole lot more. So let's dive into the first question we have here. So, Ken Penn wants to know what is the current state of music NFTs and our major labels as interested in them as they were? So first for some clear context, a lot of people have been asking questions about this because the general trends of N F T discussions from last year to this year is not quite what you would expect. A lot of people saw that Bloomberg report that came out earlier in 2022, I think they said, N F T transactions were down 97% from the peak that they were at in 2021. And if you type in the word NFTs in Google Trends, you'll probably see a slope that looks quite downward. That is very true, and that's clearly where that is. But I think there's a big difference between that, which I think 97% of that was the hype and a lot of the crap that you likely would only see at the height of the pandemic when money was flowing like crazy. Think about the time when like Pet rocks were being sold and Logan Paul was buying his NFTs or trying to sell his NFTs for whatever. If that was the top of the market, then I think we're seeing things level off a bit more now because you are still seeing partnerships from the major labels and from a lot of artists. I look at Warner Music Group. Warner's been active, more active than any other major label, I think, when it comes to active investments and being forward-looking and being public about those investments. And it was just six, seven weeks ago that they had formed a partnership with Open Sea, which is one of the largest platforms out there to be able to trade in as a marketplace to be able to buy and sell NFTs. So you also have other deals that we've seen. Universal Music Group recently hired two SVPs that are focused on web three with a pretty strong focus on NFTs themselves. And more broadly, you have companies like Public Pressure that just raised $6 million to continue to build in this space. I have said this a few times in this podcast, but I think that Web three and NFT specifically, you had to get through the.com era. You had to get through that heads.com phase of people just starting shit because it sounded like it was something that was gonna resonate, but after a lot of that didn't work out. You obviously had the.com bubble burst. That era still gave us Google, it still gave us Amazon and all these other companies that have still continued to be successful and be some of the biggest companies in the world today. And I think there was a very strong chance that we will still have that with this current wave. It may look slightly different in music, but I still think that we're gonna see, and we have seen more of the true opportunities, whether it's on the artist side of artists that are selling actual NFTs that their fans would find valuable and that others will wanna buy into as well. And I think you'll see this on the major label side with more investment going into acts that can actually reap the rewards from it. One of the biggest deals of 2022 when it comes to N F T sales was Snoop. and what he was able to do, just capturing that momentum. After the Super Bowl. We wrote, or I covered a lot of this in the culture report that Trapital put out will include a link to it in the show notes if you haven't checked it out yet, but still a lot of upside on NFTs. I do not see it quite as much as the bubble that I think was clearly there in 2021. A lot of that quarantine rapid growth needed to calm back down a bit, and I think NFTs are one of the areas that were hit a lot harder than others, but I still think that there's plenty of upside for people that actually wanna build and don't just wanna do grifter, whatever the hell else people were trying to buy itself time. Another question here is from David from Santa Monica, and this was actually a reply to a newsletter that I recently put out where I was talking about some of the cost challenges that music startups and music tech companies will face as in regards to working with customers and customer service and working and dealing with unprofitable customers and wanting to move further up. Mark's question was whether or not I had any data on the customer service costs that these companies have. And I wanna answer that question in a slightly different way. It's less about customer service in the same way that you know, you or I may go call Comcast or may call Xfinity when we're having an issue with our cable or our internet, but it's more so you are a client or customer that is trying to use this particular service, whether it's free or you're relying on it to grow your own business, and you are now having some challenges, you're having some type of question. The thing is a lot of the companies, especially a lot of the distribution platforms, started off being available to everyone, but I think they realized how expensive it is to serve the clients and to serve the customers who are not driving the most business possible. It's no different than a lot of people see when they're working with client services. Overall, your $2 million clients in a lot of ways can be so much more enjoyable to deal with and work with than your $2,000 clients or $2,000 clients will chat a nickel and a dime. They have a bunch of questions about this, that, and the third, but your clients that have a bit more money, they normally come in a bit more clear and confident with what they're looking for, and it can lead to better business in the long run. And I think to a lot of extent, the same is true with a lot of the artists that you end up serving or a lot of the customers that a lot of these platforms end up serving because a lot of their time gets spent with customers that just don't justify the ROI of how much it costs to have that person on staff continue to work and continue to coach and work directly with someone who's just not generating enough revenue to be able to justify the spend. And if you think about how a lot of the companies focus on these things, especially if you're being built out like a tech customer success. This is a role where whether even at the high individual contributor, or the middle level manager role, you're talking, you know, $150, $200,000 plus for someone that can do that roll on annual basis. I mean, I'm thinking of myself, it was six years ago at this point, I was offered a customer success role from a startup that has, you know, now been acquired. I believe the offer was right around that $150, or maybe it was a little bit more than that K range. And that's how much you're paying to have one person that is dedicated to not just you, but to other clients.But if you were to fractionize my time, let's say that, you know, I was someone that was making $160k a year and I had 12 to 16 clients per year that I was serving, you have to justify, okay, is it worth $10k of the company's time to be able to continue to serve this person if that's what I'm spending my timeline, and we all know that it's less likely that it's gonna be an even split. So that's where these things I think, can often come into play, which is why I think you've seen a lot of the distribution services and a lot of the others start to be more selective over time. And they start to have cut-offs in terms of who they're willing to serve and who they're not willing to serve. And that's one of the reasons why I think we see that shift where, especially in music distribution, it ends up leaning itself towards just having a low cost option, like Distrokid or a tunecore where it essentially doesn't cost much at all to upload the services, but it's a bit more do it yourself or you get something that is a bit more boutique. But by being able to join the boutique offering, it's much more selective as a result. So the next question here is from Arthur from Twitter. He didn't specifically say his name, but it was a good question here. He asked, who gets more blame for the lack of consistent superstar X, labels or customers? The answer is neither. The answer is technology. If you're trying to blame anyone, I personally don't call it blame. I more so call it the driving factor, but this is more about technology. Technology was the driving force that lowered the barriers to entry for artists to be able to create more music than they've ever created, and to be able to release it the way that they've done it. And because they're releasing music the way that they've done it, it then becomes harder and much more noisier for new artists to be able to enter the scene and be able to hit the same heights that they did. And because of the increased number of options that are there, it makes it even easier for powers that be to continue to invest more in what they already see proven. Whether that is your superstar artist or ones who have already proven themselves that seem like they'd be most likely to be the next next bets, whether that's your Taylor Swift or your Adele, or your Beyonce on the proven side or on the artist coming up, whether it's someone like, Olivia Rodrigo, or like Blast, or Billie Eilish or someone like that. So these things that are, I think, a big factor just based on where things are and barriers continuing to be lower and lower. And there's been countless reports on just how difficult it is and how record labels are starting to feel like it's having a harder time to break new stars in the way that they once did. It's harder to have new superstars reach the levels that they did. I think you see this in some of the analysis that's been done on charts and stuff like that too. It's a lot of the same names that have been household names for over a decade that are continuing to stay there and it's harder for the new artists to really come through. So I guess if there's anyone to blame for that, we can blame the founders and the product managers from the companies that enabled the barriers actually to happen in the first place. I know a lot of people disagree. I do think it's a good thing that people have more options than ever just in terms of the artist's perspective, but just because I think that it brought a lot of flexibility. But with that, there's always trade-offs like any new technology brings. There's good with that. There's bad that comes with that. I do think that the pros and the cons outweigh them. I do think that the pros do outweigh the cons with that, but still very aware of the downsides of the current timing. This next question is from Joe Edwards and he asked, what is the ultimate potential of GPT-3? This is a hot topic right now, I think for a lot of folks, and it's a question that I think everyone from record labels to attorneys, to emerging artists are trying to figure out, but here's my perspective. I think that GPT-3 is a great tool that will be able to give songwriters an extra tool that they can have by their side. I think we recently heard Bruce Springsteen on a podcast talk about how he could use A.I., whether it's something like something that can help jog his memory or jog his thoughts, specifically if he's having a better writer's block and how difficult that can be for a songwriter. You just wanna be able to have a few things that can aid your process of bringing thoughts together. The pen that comes from that would ever truly replicate something that Bruce Springsteen would wanna put out himself. But just give it how advanced these tools get and how better and better they get. It's likely gonna provide someinspiration that can be helpful. That said, I think it would be more helpful to help existing artists, and I'm a bit less bullish right now on new artists coming up. I think we all saw what happened with Capitol Records and FN Meka and that whole mess, while I don't think that that's all A.I. driven, part of that's driven by the people that were running it. I do think that that is an inherent challenge that some people may be a bit weary of, at least for now. But one place that I do think A.I. and GPT-3 specifically could be unique for is for giving certain artists or certain people the ability to access a sound catalog or an ability to access a group of songs that they can use to then scour to figure out what they can then glean from that to be able to create the new songs that are able to create lyrics that they could use in the future. The reason I highlight this is because I'm sure if you're trying to use a song that is based on a song that is owned by a major record label, the record labels and their lawyers will come after you, and it is something that I know that is already top of mind for. But there's a lot of music out there, a lot of music that people would want to hear that isn't owned or controlled by the major record labels. And I think in the same way that you saw platforms like Epidemic Sound or Splice and others be able to create, whether it's monthly subscriptions or other types of opportunities to buy access to a right to use any of the songs in the catalog. I think you could see something very similar to that happening with A.I. and GPT-3 specifically, because yes, if GPT-3 tries to scour all of the songs available, that is a legal nightmare. But if you're an artist and you wanna be able to pay $10.99 a month or whatever it is, to be able to access this tool where you could type. Any prompt that could help spur your thought, that could be a very great use of $10.99, especially if that gives you the ability to make the next album from your bedroom that could be nominated and win a bunch of Grammys or sell, or, you know, do a bunch of commercial success or just have enough success for you to be a standalone successful musician in your own right. Because I do think a lot of those things are likely to appeal more so to independent artists. I also think that we'll see some potential with GPT-3 with an artist that breaks out on TikTok in general, I almost feel like it's inevitable that there's gonna be some artist in 2023 that has some song that goes viral on TikTok, and people are gonna be like, oh, where did the idea for the song come come from? And the artist is gonna say, oh, I just typed in a prompt. Write me a song about X, Y, Z. And here's what came up. Because we already started to see little hints of how artists would use name generation or using tools to come up with things, right? You've all heard the story about how Lil Nas X used insights from Reddit and insights from Twitter to create Old Town Road and how he essentially engineered that song to reach a type of success that it did grant. A lot of that was outside of his influence, just given things going viral after the whole country music controversy. But a lot of the things leading up to that point were influenced by him. And I think even on a more simpler side, artists like Childish Gambino and Post Malone, I'm pretty sure that both of them got their names from some random computer generators. So there's been things like that that we've seen and I think we'll continue to see more of that. And I think even the answer to this question is gonna continue to evolve. So you could ask me this question in a year. I think I could probably have this as an end of the year podcast question for some time now. And their law used to be something new to glean. The next question here is from Mercedes G. She wants to know why don't artists prioritize ownership even though artists have been pushing ownership for decades? So this question is a bit nuanced because I do think that there are a lot of artists out there that do push ownership, and they are clear that they wanna be able to own their masters and own their publishing and understand the value. I think the challenge comes though, when it becomes a trade off and that trade off is likely offering the artist something that they couldn't have otherwise had because owning your masters and owning all those things sounds great and it sounds great if we assume that the artist could have reached the same heights that they could without giving up something in exchange.The thing is, when an artist is starting to pop and they are already experiencing what some of the challenges are, being able to really hit that next level and whether that is something that they want to do because of some of the things I answered with earlier questions. With more and more music coming out, it's harder for everyone to break out. It's especially harder for artists that are already signed to two record labels to break through. That means it's gonna be even hard for an artist that doesn't have the major label resources behind them to break out as well, which could make them even more likely to wanna then sign with the major record label, especially if they are cutting you a check. I'll look at a few examples of younger artists as well. Look at an artist like Lil Dirk or even NBA Young Boy, I'm pretty sure little Dirk. Posted that he had gotten a 40 million deal recently this year. And I think Dirk is someone that has been popular. I mean, it's several years ago at this point that he was on double XLS freshman list, but even as an independent artist, it could have taken him quite a bit of time to ever hit that amount of money, especially if he's trying to cash it in on the moment that he has. So it's one thing to push ownership and it's another thing to still be able to say, you know what, no, I'm good. I don't want that check. Let me continue to do what I'm doing. When someone offers you an eight figure check that's right in front of you. And I think there's a bit of that human element that can sometimes get a bit lost cuz it's easy for the people in the pita gallery playing Monday morning quarterback to go say, oh, why would you do that deal? Or us to focus on some of the survivorship stories of Master P turning down a million dollar record label deal. Different people that may have offered it to him. Because for every success story like Master P, there are other people that turned those same type of deals down but it didn't take off the way it did for P and then they go back to the record label and being like, oh, hey, could I still get that deal? And the record label's like, no, like the moment passed and the only reason you're coming to me is because you don't feel like you have the momentum that you had before. So there's a few factors here that I think are important to consider, and there is that human element that I think just changes. It's one thing to be a Twitter pundit and put your thoughts out there, but it's another thing to really still say no when a company that you know, they're rolling out the red carpet for you their show, they're presenting the seven, eight figure check, whatever it is, and then you still saying, no, I'm good. And then I think you even see us at the highest levels as well. You look at the deals that you know, someone like Drake or the weekend, you're more so hitting now into the nine figure deals and these artists are more likely to be able to continue to have ownership, but they're still licensing their masters or licensing their music out to the major company. So there's still some trade off there. It's very rare that you ever are really seeing superstar artists that still are hitting those superstar artists levels that is like, you know what? I'm good. Let me just go release everything independently. Cause I think at the end of the day, if you are a priority on these labels, and if you are still getting the best that you can get, you're more likely to figure out, okay, what trade-off is commensurate at what level? And that doesn't mean there wasn't a better way that could be done optimally. My explanation here is more of an explanation of the entire landscape of less of an advocacy for one position or another. But I do think in general, just given how much harder it is for record labels to be able to truly, I think, focus and invest on that artist development piece because they're expecting artists to come to them when they've already hit zero to 60. I think it really puts the onus on the artist to be like, okay, are you happy at 60? Because if you're happy at 60, you may not need the record label, and maybe you think you could get to 70 or 80 yourself, but it may take some time. But if you're trying to get to a hundred, it's gonna be really hard for you to do that independently. So a lot of it requires some questioning on where you wanna go, how far you wanna go, and why that may or may not be as important to you. [00:22:52] (Mid Ad): Today's episode of The Trapital Podcast was brought to you by Revolt. Revolt is on a mission to curate and share the best of the best in hip hop culture and social justice. You may remember a couple months back I had the CEO of Revolt, Detavio Samuels on the podcast scene. He talked all about the mission and where things are going, and I think this is one leading company that is elevating what's happening in black culture. It was launched by Sean Diddy Combs back in 2013, and the multi-platform Network offers breaking news videos, artist interviews, exclusive performances, and original programming. They have content for everyone, like Asset over liabilities and original podcast with the host of Earn Your Leisure that gives you a behind the scenes look into the business investments of artists like Soulja Boy and Rick Ross. They also have the Drop Revolts weekly newsletter and curation of the latest in hip hop and black news, and they have the black print where sits down with innovators and change makers laying the ground up for the next generation for the culture. You can learn more and sign up for Revolt's newsletter, the drop@revolt.tv.[00:24:00] Dan Runcie: All right, this next question here is about a specific deal that's going on, but it's gonna be a good one to answer. JB from Atlanta asked, now that Hasbro has sold E-One's TV and film division, could quality control be a potential buyer? So a few things to unpack here. Earlier in November, Hasbro announced that it will be selling its TV and filled divisions of the comp company. Note that this news, three years after Hasbro had initially acquired all of Entertainment One, which included its music division. And then I think it's been about a year now. My time may be off, but it's been about a year plus now that it had rolled off its music division, which then became Monarch, which is run by Chris Taylor and that team. You may remember them because they were the team that was involved with the selling and the acquisition of Death Row records and then that deal with Snoop Dog. But Hasbro overall has kind of been in this, oops, maybe we should have done this deal when they went and bought E-One. And I think the big takeaway away for Hasbro has been that if we want to leverage the IP that we have, and as many of you know, Hasbro toy companies, so it has the IP there, but it also has some brands that were in that production, like Peppa Pig and things like that. They can still own the IP, but they don't have to own the in-house production to be able to then leverage that IP and make it happen, and then when you own those divisions, it just can be so costly to try to do that. So they got a lot of pressure from Wall Street and other analysts to sell that division and focus on what they do. If you're an owner of an IP, Oftentimes that IP may be the most valuable thing that you then have, but does it always make sense for you to then be the ones that produce it? Of course, there's unique examples of this, right? I think Disney is a company that clearly does both, but Disney is such a unicorn in what it does in so many ways, and we've all seen that flywheel what they've done, and that flywheel is so relevant because it's hard to see another company that could really do that to that level. But it's more likely than not that if you are an IP owner or it's probably in your best financial interest to partner with a company that you can leverage through their production because they are skilled at being a production company to do that thing. So that was a lot of the reason why that sale happened in the first place. Now let's talk about the QC part of this. I would be very surprised if Quality Control was to go on and buy a TV and film division because I also look at Quality Control as an IP. I mean just given the ownership structure, they may joint own some of that with Motown, give the joint venture there. But they are IP owners that can then use that to leverage, whether it's the brand or the story of your little baby Migos and even the rise of coach K and P and and things like that. And while QC does do investments, like I know they're involved with SoundCloud and they have a few other things going. I would be very surprised if they went on to acquire a type of, you know, studio themselves. I know that QC does have a film division, but my impression of that has always been more so, yeah, let's stay quiet, let's have that something that we could have that small and manageable in-house, but if they still have a big release, I think they would probably wanna go to shop that and market the same way that any other big time producer would want if they wanted to push something further. No different than, I think you kind of saw with the Little baby documentary that eventually went on, Amazon was released on Amazon Prime a couple of months ago. So I would be surprised there, if anything, I mean, I think QC is one of these record labels that may be looking for an outside investor itself, but I'm not quite sure what the Motown relationship, just given the joint venture ownership there and how that may look, whether or not who the actual company is that owns, whether it's the brand or the artist or anything like that.Moving forward from that. All right. Couple more questions here. So is music investing specifically, like in catalogs, is music investing still a good idea in 2023? And my answer is yes, but not in some of those 2021 pandemic era evaluations. And that's because I think what I liked about the catalog boom is that it brought awareness to something that I think a retail investors in the niche knew, but a lot of others weren't focusing on, is that there's a lot of value to be had with owning some of these catalogs because there's certain artists that I think do have the potential to just feel similar to a evergreen stock or something like that continues. Provide consistent revenue that isn't correlated with the economy time and time again. But I think there's a few things that happened that people may have missed. One, there is a decay curve with all of those assets. And even as much as people wanna tell you that the Beach Boys or Michael Jackson or the Beatles are timeless, everything has a decay curve. I mean, you could even go back, you know, decades, even. Frank Sinatra or Elvis. I know that you know that the movie that came out recently, but even folks like that, the discussions that are happening now about those people aren't anywhere near the type of discussions that you may have heard, at least when I was growing up, and that just shows you how much has changed in several decades since then. So, and I think the music listening would've probably aligned with that as well. So there's that, and I just think that the valuations that were being paid for a lot of these things probably just wouldn't happen again. One, because interest rates are nowhere near as low as they were, but I think even regardless of interest rates, there was a lot of overpaying for those assets just given the excitement. So smart on a lot of the artists for cashing out when they did and getting a lot of those returns because at least from what we've seen from a lot of the reports, You've seen some of these financial time stories talking about Hypnosis. And Hypnosis has at least from what the returns have been from their catalog has not been able to generate returns that a lot of the investors feel satisfied with and feel are in line with what they had, which is why I think you started to see more challenges there. There was almost an entire year period where the company didn't make an investment, and I think you've seen a lot of things ring true for others. There are still catalog sales happening. It just may not happen at the particular dollar amount that people wanted. For instance, there was Pink Floyd deal that was being talked about for a while. It's still being talked about. I believe they wanted $500 million, but based on some of the recent findings that had come out, the offers that they started to get were much smaller than they would've liked. So people are still interested in buying Pink Floyd. It may not be for the amount of money that the rights holders wanna sell it for, but there's still interest there, and I think that rings true all the way up and down the board. Listen, it wasn't even just music investing. The quarantine era of the pandemic led to a lot of sales for things happening that just probably wouldn't happen in the same way today. All right. Another question here is how does the globalization of hip hop Influence its business and cultural impact? And this question came from chat GPT. Someone had submitted this question and then it came back as, oh, what do you think is a good question to ask about the business of music or the business of hip hop? So this is a fun one. I know I've written about it a few times, but for the sake of brevity, I'll tackle it in two ways. First, A lot of the Western hip hop artists were able to reach a much bigger audience as a result of globalization, and I think it made it easier for some of them to launch global brands as a result. I look at folks like Rihanna and folks like Jay-Z. Look at some of the deals they've done with, whether it's ACE of Spades for Jay-Z, or the Fenty partnerships with Rihanna. These partnerships are tied in with European companies and there has to be some relevance for how big you are seen in Europe and other areas for those things to really have an impact. And I think you saw that compound as well. When you look at someone like Rihanna and Fenty Beauty, being able to enter Africa and just given the ethos of that brand being able to be inclusive and have shades for all skin tones, it makes perfect sense to be able to do it in Africa, which you just think about the beauty industry. This is an entire continent of people, especially women. Different complexion and skin tones that were largely overlooked by the many other major brands. So being able to have that influence there directly ties into an artist like Rihanna, you know, years, decades earlier, being able to tour in these places and being able to have her name out there, being able to be seen in that way. So I think it affects it from that perspective. And of course, Jay-Z, Rihanna are more so people at the top of that chain that are billionaires, but I think it really made a large impact on everyone else on the other side, I think it's made a huge impact on international artists too, because we've seen in so many other places that hip hop has truly been that connective tissue. It's really been that gateway that can help. Raise and elevate the voice of the unheard or elevate the voice of the people that may not have either gotten a chance to get their word out there or can really speak to some of the challenges that are happening. And that's the way that hip hop started. You look at Public Enemy, they saw themselves as the black CNN. They were trying to voice what's really happening. You listen to songs like Grandmaster Flash, The Message. This is what's going on in the streets of New York right now. And I think that if you listen to a lot of hip hop from other areas and you hear things translated, you're hearing a lot of that. And even someone like Bad Bunny, how he speaks about some of the challenges and the oppression that's happening in Latin America, or even things that are happening in Puerto Rico specifically, or even how we spoke out about disaster relief and even L G B T Q issues. It's not a coincidence that this is a hip hop artist that is doing this in their own language and that's happening. So I think we've just continued to see more and more influence and we'll continue to see how hip hop continues to be such a big driver. And it's not just Latin America. You're seeing it in France and you're seeing it elsewhere. And as globalization of music more broadly has made it more possible for artists in local languages to truly rise up. I think you're gonna see more and more of that coming from hip hop in a lot of those local language areas. All right. And the last question we have here is from Quai Bangs who asks, do I notice similarities in emerging artists that follow the start-up path to start-ups themselves? And I definitely do see a lot of those. And I like the question because I've been hearing so much from founders in the space and start-ups in other companies about two things. Truly identifying and seeing artists as founders, not just as the creative talent behind what they're doing, but they are the ones that are the founding person of this company that if successful as it can be, it'll be a company built around them to then help focus and really benefit and speak to their strengths and address their weaknesses as well. No different than a start-up would be who is that? Who are your co-founders that you're gonna find that may not be on the talent side, but can help with the business? Or if you wanna do it all yourself, who are the people that can be around you to at least help support in that way? And I think that you've seen some of those things happen, from time and time again. You look at the start of Dreamville, I very much do. Ibrahim Hamad and Jay Cole as two people that are in line with being able to do that and continuing to push forward, which I think has been pretty strong, seeing how they've been able to do that over the past decade. Plus, you look at any of these record labels and I think you're more likely than not going to see some type of tandem there. We talked about Quality Control. I think you see a lot of that too, and I think no different than a start-up may try to get equity for what they're doing. I think you're seeing certain artists start to explore this as well, whether they're trying to explore on chain, we're trying to sell tokens or they're trying to get a more formal structure in place. I recently had the investor, Cooper Turley, Cooper Tupa on the podcast, and he was talking about this as well, and how he's investing in companies that are looking at this investing artist specifically so that he can take an equity stake out of the artists themselves and be a bit, you know, less dilutive than a record label that may wanna take 80% of the cut moving forward in exchange for in advance. So there's plenty of trade-offs there. I think it's an interesting thing to continue to explore, but I think that it is a sign of what that path to the future looks like. Cuz I think that artists, our founders, at the end of the day, how they go about that, you know, is one thing or another. And who wears that CEO hat. Whether it's someone that artist proactively puts in place or it's someone. It ends up being at the record label that they signed to, or it's their manager. There's so many ways that these hats can be worn, so you'll be interested to see how it plays out. But wow, that was fun.That was a quick bunch of rapid fire questions there, but this was really great. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoyed the podcast this year as well. Definitely continue to share it with anyone that you think would be in. And let me know if you have any other questions. We can keep this in mind. I wanna do these more regularly in general. So, yeah, if you're listening and you enjoyed this episode, send us a quick note, whether it's, you know, on social media or email. And then we'll keep them rolling so that the next time we do a mail bag podcast, we can keep it rolling.

There are a slew of new tech companies hoping to serve the shopping center industry.  Jesse Michael and Lee Jackson have talked to hundreds of these vendors and are ready to share what they've learned. Also, Randall MacKillop talks about the Mallcomm tenant experience app and how the pandemic accelerated the growth and adoption of shopping center technology. Jesse Michael and Lee Jackson are SVPs of Digital Solution at JLL. Randall McKillop is the Chief Revenue Officer at Mallcomm. James Cook is the director of retail research in the Americas for JLL.  This episode was recorded live at the ICSC Canada conference in Toronto. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Listen: WhereWeBuy.show  Alexa: Say "Enable the Where We Buy skill" Email: jamesd.cook@jll.com  Watch our video show, Everything We Know About Retail: http://everythingweknow.show/ Leave a message on the Where We Buy hotline. We may use it on an upcoming show. Call (602) 633-4061  Read more retail research here:  http://www.us.jll.com/retail Theme music is Run in the Night by The Good Lawdz, under Creative Commons license.

How can you tap into the global energy market and help empower billions of people? Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with three successful exits, including an IPO. He worked at Greylock as a venture capitalist and after selling his marketing tech company Silverpop to IBM in 2014, he was promoted to IBM's VP of Corporate Strategy, helping the CEO and SVPs set the company's overall strategy. As a CEO, his companies have raised more than $400 million, created thousands of jobs and billions in shareholder value. In 2016, he left IBM to create the Freeing Energy Project. It began with his 2017 Ted talk then grew into 100+ articles and most recently, the #1 ranked renewable energy podcast, The Freeing Energy podcast. Today we discuss Bill Nussey's new book, Freeing Energy. What is local energy, how you can get involved, and the 10 big ideas driving growth and innovation in the global energy market. We also delve into the common myths about solar power, batteries, carbon footprint, recycling issues, and much more. Get ready! Bill shares a wealth of insight and clean energy business opportunity with us. What We Discuss in this Episode with Bill Nussey The historic opportunity available to innovators and entrepreneurs Dispelling the common myths about solar panels and batteries Tesla, lithium, battery recycling, and other concerns Why clean energy must be seen as a technology instead of a fuel The real battle the clean energy industry faces today Benefits and economics of local energy vs utility-scale renewables Why solar is currently cheaper in Australia than in the U.S. The growth of micro-communities in Florida, California and beyond Paying for your beer with solar energy? The next hot startup market The Five Order framework for evaluating the risks and financing needs for clean energy technology The biggest business opportunity in history and why you don't want to bet against technology Complete Show Notes: https://leadersoftransformation.com/podcast/business/433-disrupting-the-global-energy-industry-with-bill-nussey

How Bill Nussey's Disruption and Democratization of Energy Resources Will Change The World Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with multiple exits, including an IPO. He worked at Greylock as a venture capitalist and, after selling his marketing tech company Silverpop to IBM, he shifted roles to help lead IBM's global strategy for their CEO and SVPs. He spent the last few years creating media ventures in climate tech. He started with a TED talk which grew into the #1 ranked podcast on renewable energy. His new book, Freeing Energy, is a practical guide for disrupting and democratizing energy. Check out Bill's latest venture. Connect with Bill https://www.linkedin.com/in/billnussey/ https://twitter.com/FreeingEnergy https://www.facebook.com/freeingenergy https://www.instagram.com/freeingenergy/ https://www.freeingenergy.com/   Connect with Izolda Book a Discovery Call Answering a Question? I'd love to hear from you! Leave Me A Voicemail (and yours might get picked to be in an episode) This episode is brought to you by Brain.fm. I love and use brain.fm! It combines music and neuroscience to help me focus, meditate, and even sleep! Because you listen to this show, you can get a free trial and 20% off with this exclusive coupon code: innovativemindset .* URL: https://brain.fm/innovativemindset You'll love this episode if you want to spark your inner genius. And don't forget there's a bonus mini-episode here if you join the coffee by the water club. Liking the Show? You can now show your support with Innovative Mindset Merch! My Latest Book Is Out! Get your copy! Get LIT! Grab the lightbulb logo on a bottle, hat, phone case, button, and more.   Support the Podcast. Or join my brand new Coffee By The Water Club and get a bunch of extra goodies like bonus podcast episodes, art no one else sees, and music no one else hears! Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izoldat/ Website: IzoldaT.com Author Website: https://izoldatauthor.com/ Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/IzoldaST Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/izoldat/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@izoldat Twitter: https://twitter.com/Izoldat Listen on These Channels Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | Podbean | MyTuner | iHeart Radio | TuneIn | Deezer | Overcast | PodChaser | Listen Notes | Player FM | Podcast Addict | Podcast Republic | I'm thrilled that you're tuning in to the Innovative Mindset. Get in touch if you have questions or comments. *Affiliate link. If you purchase it through the above links and take the 20% off, I'll get a small commission.  

At one point in my career, I started giving presentations to senior management - GMs, SVPs, and occasionally our Chief Product Officer. When I first started giving those presentations, I would present my data, decision-making process, and the whole story before getting to the potential options for how we could move forward. These were usually strategy presentations and I thought the leaders needed to know basically everything I knew before they could help make an informed decision. WRONG.After a few months of this - and a few frustrated executives, some meetings that ended poorly, and complete confusion on my part - my boss took me aside and explained that executives think a little differently than someone on the ground. You see, they do a lot of homework - usually. They're caught up on the high points of the strategy. They know or don't need to know all the details. They can ask if they want to know the details, so let's just get to the point first. 

On today's show, we welcome entrepreneur guest Yedidya Brauner. Not only does Yedidya share his journey to becoming a coach, but he also shares with us some incredible advice and mindset shifts for entrepreneurs looking to grow to the next level. Enjoy this week's episode of The Aaron Katsman Show! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ABOUT OUR GUEST: After a 10-year career in high-tech, in 2019 Yedidya Brauner opened up his coaching practice, as he came to realize that he's been coaching people his entire life. He helps peak performers craft and create their impossible dreams. His methodology is bespoke, non-time-based deep, transformative coaching. Several of his clients have PhDs. One is a CEO after an exit of hundreds of millions of dollars and coaches CEOs himself. One is a partner in a billion-dollar VC. His clients have built and sold multi-million dollar businesses. Many are ultra-high net worth individuals. His clients have had extraordinary success as CEOs, SVPs, entrepreneurs, startup founders, global marketers, coaches, and business owners. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTACT YEDIDYA: Email: yedidyab@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yedidya.brauner.1 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yedidyabrauner/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jedi_nuero/?fbclid=IwAR0uvnUw5s_D8MhiwuKMJsFVernHGqPkPQ8VBsDTK18DlPA8JUcjNSMGNi8 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOCIAL LINKS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AaronKatsmanLC/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronKatsman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-katsman-6550441/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-aaron-katsman-show/id1192234142 Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-aaron-katsman-show Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1lePc1pC0giBFV1nzCGsQR ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VISIT MY WEBSITE: Website: https://www.aaronkatsman.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONTACT ME: Email me: aaron@lighthousecapital.co.il ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: Aaron Katsman is a licensed financial professional both in the U.S. and Israel. Call 02-624-0995 for a consultation on how to handle U.S. brokerage accounts from Israel. This video is for education purposes only and is not intended to give investment, legal or tax advice. If such advice is needed, contact a licensed professional who can help you. Securities offered through Portfolio Resources Group Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC, MSRB, FSI. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Portfolio Resources Group Inc., or its affiliates. Neither PRG nor its affiliates give tax or legal advice.

Bill Nussey shows how he made the transition from a successful software entrepreneur to a clean energy pioneer on this episode of The Prosperity Perspective.An original venture capitalist, Bill was well versed in growing big fast, with exit opportunities measured in growth rather than cash flow. While the race against his competitors was ongoing, Bill found the opportunity to sell his stock to eager investors. Despite others' conviction to hold on to the company because it would continue to grow, Bill took the check and it “was one of the most powerful, freeing moments” of his life. Be inspired today to look less at the cash flow and more on your purpose of continuing to run a business. Decide to invest in what matters most to you–like Bill's kids' college education–and gain financial freedom by deciding not to spend the money but save it with the means of making an impact. Finally, get the insight into Bill's life conviction to look bigger than yourself and find true purpose in your career. After his exit, Bill's wife told him to get a job to keep the “fire under his ass” and it was the best prompting she could have given. By giving personally to charitable organizations, Bill wakes up every day with the passion and desire to “keep making money so [he] can keep giving it away!”3 Key TakeawaysHow taking some money off the table and investing it in his family's future gave him the freedom to take more risks.How Bill and his wife decided to give away most of the money they made from his business exit, and how that has been rewarding for them both.It's okay to have a plan B! It gives you the freedom to ensure what matters is taken care of. ResourcesWebsite: freeingenergy.comPodcastRead Freeing Energy Read Your Mountain is WaitingLinkedInAbout Bill NusseyBill is a career tech CEO with several exits, including an IPO. His companies have created thousands of jobs and billions in shareholder value. Along the way, he also worked at Greylock as a venture capitalist and, after selling his marketing tech company to IBM, he was promoted to VP Corp Strategy to help lead IBM's global strategy for their CEO and SVPs.In 2017, he jumped into clean energy. It started with a TED talk which grew into 100+ articles, then became the #1 ranked renewable energy podcast and, as of late 2021, a book called Freeing Energy, which has hit Amazon's #1 new release in three categories. The book targets investors and innovators and uncovers a trillion-dollar disruption in the renewable energy industry that few people see coming.

Are you worried about our global hunger for energy?  Do you wonder if solar is a practical solution and will it develop quick enough for our exponential demands?   In his new book, Freeing Energy our guest today excites you about our furture, We are so happy to talk with Career Tech CEO, Clean Energy Distruptor and Author - Bill Nussey !   If you like what we are doing please like, share and subscribe to IMPACT   This episode is sponsored by: Hollyhock -  dedicated to helping create a better future via education and personal sharing.  www.hollyhock.ca     BIO:  Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with three successful exits, including an IPO.  He has also been an investor with the venture capital firm Greylock. After IBM acquired his marketing tech company Silverpop in 2014, he was promoted to IBM's VP of Corporate Strategy, helping the CEO and SVPs set the company's overall strategy. As a CEO, his companies have raised more than $400 million, created thousands of jobs and billions in shareholder value.   In 2016, he left IBM to create the Freeing Energy Project. It began with his 2017 Ted talk then grew into 100+ articles and, most recently, the #1 ranked renewable energy podcast, The Freeing Energy podcast. On December 7 2021, all this came together in a book called Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-scale Solar and Batteries To Disrupt the Global Energy Industry From the Outside In . It is the result of 320 interviews across several continents.   Bill received a degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.   CONNECT WITH BILL Email: Bill.Nussey@FreeingEnergy.com Web: FreeingEnergy.com Tel: 770-415-2093 Linkedin - in/BillNussey Twitter @FreeingEnergy FB /FreeingEnergy Insta @FreeingEnergy Ask for General Media Kit   #billnussey @FreeingEnergy #solarroof #solarenergy #Climatechange #Trillioin$business #Glogalenergy #disrupter #disruptenergy #localenergyrevolution #aeeworld #localenergy #solar #panels #solarinnovation #sunpower #venturecapital #cityofatlanta #renewableenergy  

Contact info:Bill Nussey Career Tech CEO, Clean Energy Disruptor, Author www.FreeingEnergy.com Bill.Nussey@FreeingEnergy.com Bio: Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with three successful exits, including an IPO. He has also been an investor with the venture capital firm Greylock. After IBM acquired his marketing tech company Silver pop in 2014, he was promoted to IBM's VP of Corporate Strategy, helping the CEO and SVPs set the company's overall strategy. As a CEO, his companies have raised more than $400 million, created thousands of jobs and billions in shareholder value. In 2016, he left IBM to create the Freeing Energy Project. It began with his 2017 Ted talk then grew into 100+ articles and, most recently, the #1 ranked renewable energy podcast, The Freeing Energy podcast. On December 7 2021, all this came together in a book called Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-scale Solar and Batteries To Disrupt the Global Energy Industry From the Outside In. It is the result of 320 interviews across several continents.

About Heng Teng Teng: Founded her own training and coaching business (Grow Consultancy) in 2010 to help people be more resourceful in responding to changes. She is certified in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Adult Maturity Developmental Coaching, and Enneagram of Personality. Has 2000 hours of coaching hours, and her clientele includes leaders ranging from MDs, GMs, and SVPs to Region Heads from various Fortune 500 companies, and government statutory boards to support them in their inner mental shifts to navigate the business challenges and demands. Transcript here Timestamp (03:19): Teng Teng and her journey to founding her own consultancy (04:45): The three definitions of failure (05:43): Sharing of her significant early memories when she failed (08:35): The chase for inflated levels of happiness (13:48): Reflecting on impermanence in the face of failure (16:34): How do we know when to quit? (17:22): Finding clarity by tuning into our body (21:31): Is your inner critic always helpful? (23:39): What seeds are you cultivating in your mind? (29:55): Failing in meditation and the spiritual path (36:43): Advice to those struggling on the path (42:27): Where to find Teng Teng's work and connect with her Special Thanks to: August Lum for creating the new soundtrack for our podcast: His work here Special thanks to the sponsors of this podcast Siau Yen Chan Alvin Chan V You Guang Tan Jia Yee Click here to sponsor

Quantum Quotes: “Going solar saves a bunch of money. No matter what your politics and ideologies are - saving money is pretty universal.” - Bill Nussey   We've become so used to having fuel-powered sources get us through our day that most people find it hard to embrace solar's potential to change not only our life, but also the planet's. For years, we've depended on fuels that require taking something out of the ground, refining and burning it, which, with all the waste, then inevitably led to the current state of life on Earth.   But now that solar and batteries are here, we've found not only the cheapest, but also the most sustainable power source! As a product of technology - not a fuel - solar allows us to save money, energy, and our children's future.   However, even when people are aware that the numbers show that solar is getting cheaper day by day, many are still choosing not to embrace the new reality. Join us today and be enlightened. Be fuel-free and become one of the heroes of free energy!   Bill Nussey is a career tech CEO with several exits, including an IPO. His companies have created thousands of jobs and billions in shareholder value. Along the way, he worked at Greylock as a venture capitalist, and - after selling his marketing tech company to IBM - was promoted to VP Corp Strategy to help lead IBM's global strategy for their CEO and SVPs.   In 2017, he jumped into clean energy. It started with a TED talk which grew into 100+ articles, then became the top ranked renewable energy podcast and a book called Freeing Energy, which has hit Amazon's #1 new release in three categories. The book targets investors and innovators and uncovers a trillion-dollar disruption in the renewable energy industry that few people see coming.    –   Sign up for a free webclass to discover how easy is it to get ultra-efficient geothermal heating and cooling installed in your home – without the pain of emptying your savings account.   In “The Power of Earth with Comfort” From Climate Master webclass, you'll discover the answers every homeowner needs to know, including:   How geothermal heating and cooling can draw energy from the ground beneath our feet (for pennies) Why homeowners everywhere are making the switch The secrets to securing utility incentives and tax credits to pay for a large portion of your new geothermal system and much more…   If you are tired of rising energy costs and want to save up to 70% on your energy bills, Go to www.AWESomeEarthKind.com and register now for this FREE special event that will show you exactly how to get geothermal heating and cooling installed in your home.   We'd like to hear from you! Please help us understand how AWESomeEarthKind can help you achieve your clean energy goals, and enter a Sweepstakes to win a FREE LED Light Fixture.   SEND YOUR FEEDBACK TODAY   – SuperNova #1. Get educated. When you want to convince somebody who's not inclined to listen to the urgency of climate change, as a business person, I say fall back to the business side, because the numbers are much harder to debate. We can debate whether solar is going to offset some gigatons of carbon, and what that's going to do to the future of the health of the planet. But the fact is, solar is going to save a bunch of money. No matter what your politics and ideologies are, saving money is pretty universal. And the good news is that clean energy is now the cheapest source of energy. SuperNova #2. As a newbie, the thing that I'm getting my head around is that for a century, energy, electricity, hydrocarbons, fossil fuels, everything - were all essentially fuel-based business models. What you had to do is take something out of the ground, refine it, ship it, burn it, then sometimes you had to clean up the waste. (Normally, you just threw it in a pond behind the power plant. But, there was waste. ) The thing that's so cool, that's changing, is that solar and batteries are technologies; they're not fuels. And this is so profound in terms of the impact it's going to have on the transition. What people really don't get their head around is that in another ten years, solar is going to be so cheap. I think we'll see every home and every building have solar and batteries in it. Not because they're environmentalists, not because there are subsidies; it's going to be because it's the cheapest way to generate electricity and it's the most reliable, sustainable, and independent. I think it's just inevitable. SuperNova #3. It's really simple. If you have a roof and you have the good fortune to have a little bit of money, then go put solar on your roof. If you don't have those options, get community solar. The best thing you can do is power your life with solar. That has a much larger reduction in carbon footprint than, say, going vegan, which you should do too, if that's what you want to do. And the other thing is, if you have the means, drive an electric car instead of a petrol-powered car. That's a very large benefit, especially if you drive a lot.   Worst Career Moment: “I bet everything to get into clean energy. I had a really good career, had been successful in the traditional tech industry, and most people thought I was crazy to get out of that industry. It's a lucrative industry and people knew who I was in there. The question was, why in the world would you get into an industry where nobody knows who you are to write a book that nobody cares about, to make a business that may or may not work in the future? A couple of years into it, as I was trying to put my entrepreneurial lens towards what can I do in the clean energy space, I got pretty depressed, because everything I saw really ran into the need for policy change, which is very difficult and slow, and everything required us to work through electric utilities.  That was a pretty low moment for me, when I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my career. But then I said I'm going to give myself 90 days to see if there's some other angle here, some way where entrepreneurs can participate, where people want to innovate and move quickly. And that's when I stumbled into the notion of local energy.” – Bill Nussey Best Advice He's Ever Received: “Follow the road less traveled. I think it's incredibly easy to fall into the things you're supposed to do and be the person that everyone thinks you're supposed to be. And every time in my life, in my career, when I was supposed to do X, Y or Z, not because I was a rebel, but because I just had a different vision for myself, I did something different.” – Bill Nussey   Most Energized About Today: “I have two - the first is that I take crazy big notes and I use digital tools to keep track of them and source every article. I find that that creates a continuity and ability to accomplish goals that very few things do. And then - always have three things. Every day of your life say - what are the three things I want to get done for the next year or the next six months, and always have those written down. I write them down on my wall. Having constant reminders at the beginning and end of the day - what are the three things I'm working towards that really matter? Always have three things; three goals” – Bill Nussey   Internet Resource: Notion   Book Recommendation: The Prize - The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yetgin   Magic Wand: “If I could have one thing that I would change in the world, I would help everybody be a little more wary of convenient answers. You just have to put your skeptic hat on and take a second look. For the industry, if I could wave a magic wand, I would wish that batteries costs in 2023 would be what they'll cost in 2030. If that's too much to ask, then I wish that people would have conviction in 2023 about what they'll actually cost in 2030, and they would make entirely different decisions.” – Bill Nussey   Most Energized About Today: “I think the most exciting thing that I look at in the industry is the Ford F150 Lightning, the EV-powered version of the most popular vehicle sold in the United States. Ford took the most popular car in the history of the world, and they made it incredibly attractive to everybody.” – Bill Nussey   Next Thing: “I've been working on a small startup. I spend a few hours a week on something called Solar Inventions - it's the work of one of the Soneva scientists. One of the guys that invented most of those products is a business partner of mine, and we've created and are now attempting to commercialize a new architecture for silicon solar that has some benefits that makes it better and cheaper.” – Bill Nussey   Parting Advice: “Look at the numbers. They're on your side now. They weren't on your side ten years ago. Ten years ago, it was sacrifice and green premium and all the kinds of things that required. Now, the numbers are on your side. You know it. I know it. But this is just not baked into the dialogs every single day about how we get to clean energy. Focus on the numbers. They're there. Being cheaper is the biggest reason to get 100% of humanity on board with this transition.” – Bill Nussey     Connect: Website: https://FreeingEnergy.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/billnussey/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/freeingenergy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FreeingEnergy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freeingenergy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freeingenergy/ Email: Bill.nussey@freeingenergy.com or bnussey@gmail.com   

While the number of female executives in the United States has increased over time, women still remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions. The hiring pipeline is one reason why this is happening because there are fewer women reaching the VP, SVP, and CEO level. In today's episode we explore the main reason why there aren't enough female VPs, SVPs, and CEOs in the hiring pipeline. Dr. Sanchez will also talk about the impact of unconscious bias and career politics can impact a woman's advancement prospects. Dr. Sanchez will also share some insights and advice on how to navigate systemic bias and make progress in your career.  Tune in! Podcast Resources and Links Offered This Episode: ●     Get strategic next level support to advance in your career, apply to work with Dr. Sanchez: https://bit.ly/drsanchez-application-consult ●     Download our case study to find out how Dr. Sanchez helped this Senior VP increase her credibility, overcome the flat professional landscape of her organization, and get promoted within 5 months! Stay Connected Dr. Aimée V. Sanchez, Ph.D.Website: https://www.dravsanchez.com/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/avsanchezphd/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Avsanchez21 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dr-aimee-v-sanchez-phd/

When in doubt, go back to the simple things. In the last several days, I had coaching conversations with 4 different SVPs in 4 different companies. As we tackled some of their major business challenges, we uncovered some incredibly simple solutions that they had been neglecting. As we get older, and more seasoned, in our careers, we tend to ignore or overlook some simple practices that make such a big difference in our outlook and mindset. In today's podcast episode, I remind you of 4 simple practices that when done consistently, will create a big shift that inevitably leads to solving more complex business challenges.

For more information on this topic or to schedule a consultation please visit us at http://WhatIsHashimotos.com We're going to talk about Hashimoto's and heart problems. This is kind of an interesting one. And I'm going to speak to you strictly from experience on this because a lot of people are looking for, “Oh, it's causing this exact thing, that to the heart and it's creating the bundle branch to not work right,” and blah, blah, blah, and all that type of stuff. But I'm going to tell you the nuts and bolts, blue collar aspect of Hashimoto as a heart disease. So I've been doing this for a long time, seen thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of patients. And here's what I hear. I am going to grew greatly downplay how many times I think I've heard this, but I have heard this somewhere between 500,000 times. And I think probably more, but this is how common it is. The patient comes in and maybe they don't even know that they have autoimmune disease at that time, maybe they don't even know that they got a thyroid problem at that time. And so you're sitting there are listening and digging and taking notes and trying to go, “Okay, what's going on here? Does this person fit my practice? Do they have autoimmune problems?” And then it happens. Then I ask, “Do you have heart palpitations for no reason at all? Heart palpitations or anxiety for no reason at all? Would you call that PVCs, pre ventricular contractions? Would you call that SVPs?” These are all medical pathology that cause your heart to beat out of your chest. And then I'm like, “Well, tell me more about that.” Here's the story. “I was under a lot of stress and then all of a sudden, for no reason at all, for no reason at all, my heart started to really pound. And I really started to get big time arrhythmias. And I couldn't breathe very well, and I was really getting anxiety and so on and so forth. [inaudible 00:02:05]. So I was at a hospital and then they did an EKG, they did an echogram, they did a cardiogram, they did everything. And everything was normal,” for the lucky ones. For the lucky ones. “And everything was normal. And they told me to go home and they told me to take some electrolytes and I'm probably just stressed and maybe I just need to deal with my stress and go to counseling. ‘But if it happens again, maybe you can go to cardiologist,' even though everything was normal.” The second person, who's not always quite as fortunate, they'll pick something up on some of the electrical diagnostics and they'll go, “Okay, we're going to go in and we're going to ablate the nerves that are causing your heart to do that…” And then they do that. But the patient's still sitting in front of me with heart palpitations for no reason at all, and anxiety for no reason at all, and those types of things, even though they've been ablated. So when I see questions that come in on does Hashimoto's cause heart problems, technically the answer is no. However, not technically, the answer is yes. And here's how it happens. http://powerhealthtalk.com http://drmartinrutherford.com Martin P. Rutherford, DC 1175 Harvard Way Reno, NV 89502 775 329-4402 http://powerhealthreno.com https://goo.gl/maps/P73T34mNB4xcZXXBA

In this episode, we talk to Michael Rivo, director of Salesforce Studios, about their incredibly produced show, Blazing Trails, and how they use podcasting to grow their brand.Tune in to learn more about Salesforce crafted its flagship show, how they built a network of shows for different audiences, how they work with their PR team to repurpose podcast content, and so much more.Guest-at-a-GlanceName: Michael RivoWhat he does: Director of Salesforce Studio and host of Blazing TrailsConnect with him: LinkedInKey TakeawaysIt all comes down to creating content that brings value to the listeners.The focus of the Blazing Trails podcast is to create content that helps people be better at work. In large organizations, it's easy to fall into the mentality of thinking about yourself first and falling back on those company talking points. But Michael says it's important, particularly in an intimate medium like podcasting, to have those conversations be really authentic and centered around how they're going to help the listener.Take a newsroom approach to planning podcast content.One way the Salesforce team puts episodes together is by topic. They come together as a team, discuss what's happening in the world, what's most important, what's top of mind for their listeners, and then figure out who would be the most interesting person they can bring to cover that topic. Then, they ask themselves, “Who at Salesforce is really tackling this issue? And how can we bring those people together?” It's a very organic approach.Get your leadership team involved in the podcast.Provide your team a vehicle to have exciting conversations with thought leaders in their space. This will help you expand your network, bring value to the show, and helps foster relationships inside the organization. Salesforce connects directly with their SVPs and leaders in the company, presents them with a podcast topic, and asks who from outside the organization they would want to have a conversation with about that topic. It gives them a say in the content.If you're going to use your podcast for product announcements, make sure there's a story behind it.Don't just think of it as an announcement. Really think about the why. Why is this coming out now? What's important about it? What does this mean for a listener in another company? Explain the reasoning and story behind the product vs. just how they would use it. You can also bring on guests who believe in the mission of the product, use it regularly, and can talk about how it benefits them.Podcasts are the perfect medium for brands to employ storytelling.In most other marketing situations, you have a few seconds or minutes to grab your audience's attention. Whether that be with a tweet, a 5-minute blog post, or a short 60-second video. The constraint of other marketing channels is they make it hard to have in-depth conversations. With podcasting, you're able to be in someone's ear for 45 minutes and really tell a story from start to finish.Think about your podcast like a Thanksgiving dinner.From one recording (i.e. Thanksgiving meal), there are so many other pieces of content (i.e. dishes) you can create to increase the number of touchpoints you have with your audience. Blog posts, embedded audio clips, audiograms, LinkedIn posts, Twitter threads. And now, with all those pieces of content, you're better able to see and track the ROI of the podcast. Treat each episode as a content generation center point.Podcasting is a pretty level playing field.Nothing is stopping you from creating a top-level show. Particularly with remote interviews, you can now bring on guests from all over the world. All you need is a strong brand identity, compelling copy, a unique hook, and an interesting guest list. Anyone can do it. You just need to be willing to put in the work and be consistent with it long enough to really build an audience.Successful podcast hosts are not afraid to show their personalities.Your host doesn't have to be a performer, but they do need to understand they're creating an intimate relationship with the listener. They should approach it from a journalistic standpoint where they can be really authentic with their personality and are comfortable speaking and facilitating conversations.Interview prep is key.As a host, you need to take a couple of hours to prepare for each interview. You should be comfortable with the topics, the materials, and the guest's background, and you need to come up with a strong set of questions to guide the conversation. But with the right prep, you'll also be able to deviate from your list of questions and have a real conversation. Think about yourself as a stand-in for the audience.Less is more when it comes to creating a podcast network.You should only consider adding new shows to your network if the audiences you're trying to reach really are so different that they need separate shows for each. Michael believes in the less is more approach. There are only so many shows that your ideal listener is going to have in regular rotation. So your best bet is to build up your singular feed and use series or seasons to separate out topics rather than asking them to subscribe to yet another show.

HIGHLIGHTSWomen should help, not compete with each otherSales is about helping, not hustling peopleGet your name in light to the right peopleKeep your online profiles professional but authenticAlways think of what you can contribute firstHow to add value, standout, and give backEmpowering women in salesQUOTESSamantha: "When you talk about how to show up as a badass woman in sales or how to make sure that there's even more of us in this profession, the number one thing that we can do is let go of the idea that we are competition for each other and figure out how we can do nothing but shine a light on other women in sales. Find opportunities to support each other, champion for each other, and even the best part, say positive things about each other when that person isn't in the room and doesn't know that you're championing for them." Samantha: "You're spending 30 minutes with me, I'm gonna figure out how to help you even if it's not the solution that I sell. And that has made me wildly successful.. So just tell me about what's going on on your side and your challenges." Samantha: "When you make an investment in our company and you have our training, have us speak in SKO, you're money is not just gonna go line our pockets. We're gonna think of about we've been successful now, then what else can we do. How can we make a contribution."Samantha: "As a  woman in sales, use your voice publicly. We work with a ton of executive women at organizations like LinkedIn, etc. And one of the coolest things about them is that they are SVPs at these massive organizations. And you not posting on LinkedIn, you not speaking on podcasts, you not being out there, hides yourself from the rest of the world that could be inspired by you."You can learn more about Samantha in the links below:Website: https://www.samsalesconsulting.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsalesliIf you're listening to the Peak Performance Selling Podcast, please subscribe, share, and send us your feedback.LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanbenjamin/Website - http://mycoreos.com/Podcast - https://www.mycoreos.com/podcastEmail - Jordan@MyCoreOS.comTwitter - https://twitter.com/jbenj09

Ignite Your Career was written with the new graduate and young professional in mind. But the stakes are just as high for anyone who wants to take the next, big step forward or make a significant career change. If it has been 10 or even 20 years since you looked for a job, you'll be amazed - and maybe a bit intimidated - by how much has changed in the job market and in you! Here's the good news: the best-in-class advice and techniques you will find within “Ignite Your Career!” can be applied by anyone, at any age and career stage. Kris has shared this knowledge with candidates ranging from CEOs and SVPs, as well as people just getting started in their careers- and they all have found it incredibly beneficial. Reserve Your Copy: https://www.igniteyourcareerbook.com About The Author: Kris Holmes is an executive recruiter and partner at O'Connell Group, a leading executive search firm in consumer marketing and market research. With more than twenty-five years of experience, she is also a member of the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of industry-leading recruiters in North America. Kris Holmes is a nationally recognized author, speaker, career counselor and Pinnacle Society member. Kris has counseled tens of thousands of candidates in setting goals, leveraging their strengths, and building their careers, and she can do the same for you. Before shifting to recruiting, Kris worked for a decade in consumer marketing with major corporations like Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, Herman Miller and Ralston Purina's Continental Baking. She's a graduate of Tufts University and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Need Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ►For discount Pangea Products: https://embracepangaea.grsm.io/ashsaiditmedia3226 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

Today, in the Invent Like An Owner Podcast, Dave speaks with Colleen Byrum and Jane Slade. The discussion surrounds how the Customer Service team wasn't just the people in the Customer Service department, but everyone who joins the company. In the early days, almost all employees got trained in Customer Service support, even engineers and SVPs!Jane Slade, former director of Customer Service Strategy - Customer Experience, Product Development, Finance, and Operations. Colleen Byrum, former director of Customer Service and former VP for Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk. Recently, both were working at Freightera. Episode Resources: Colleen Byrum's LinkedIn Jane Slade's LinkedIn Freightera Freight Marketplace Subscribe to our Newsletter Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter What to Listen For: 00:00 Intro 02:03 What customer service support was like in the early days 04:09 Varying questions from Amazon's early adaptors 05:58 Training for customer support was done basically side by side 06:57 Mid-May 1996 was the first flood of customers 08:40 Early customer support was phone-only before email became dominant 09:45 Jeff Bezos liked to hire smart people (advanced degrees were a good proxy) 12:00 The number one Customer Service question 12:32 What happened after the Wall Street Journal surge? 19:04 Jeff looked for intuitive qualities in people 20:57 Massive search to fill up shortage in Customer Service headcount 22:50 Amazon Customer Service support scaling up 25:33 Third party CS software could not keep up with the existing volume 29:15 Customers call because something went wrong 31:43 Figuring out which orders should go first 34:48 Key metrics in sending and tracking orders 36:18 Hands are full during Christmas and people are being sent to distribution centers  39:11 Customer Service is an incubator for other jobs in Amazon 40:32 Working around very small vendors for books 42:47 What's the most memorable online complaint? 44:07 CS lessons for startup companies

Nema is joined by Phil Toronto as he shares his path from declaring bankruptcy right after graduating college to becoming a Senior Vice President at VaynerX. Listen as Phil shares his journey from intern to executive, why he chose gratitude in times of peril, and why he's insanely excited about the new NFT landscape.Off Brand with Nema Vand podcast is produced by ACTIONPARK MEDIA. Follow us on Social Media:@actionparkmediagroup @nemavand

Today I'm so excited to talk with Mio Yamamoto. Mio is the co-founder and Executive Director of World in Tohoku. Mio has more than twelve years of experience in providing high-impact social entrepreneurs with management, capacity building, and funding support. Along with her experience in marketing, sales, and strategy consulting in the private sector, she is building a platform where leaders from private, public, and civic sectors promote cross-sector, cross-border collaborations to accelerate social change. In the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, she co-founded WIT (World in Tohoku, formerly WIA) to support social entrepreneurs in the disaster-affected area. As Executive Director of WIT, she is providing management, funding, and impact assessment support to nine social entrepreneurs in such areas as education, job creation for disabled persons and ethnic minorities, and citizen-led community development. Before founding WIA, Mio was Partner of SVP Tokyo, a venture philanthropy organization for more than 7 years. She helped the launch of an agricultural social venture and led knowledge sharing between SVPs in the US and SVP Tokyo around issues on social innovation, venture philanthropy, social impact assessment, and etc. Mio received an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, and BA with a major in International Relations from the University of Tokyo. She worked for McKinsey & Co. as Summer Associate, and Sumitomo Chemical as Marketing and Sales Rep. Mio spends her time in Japan and Boston with her husband and a cat. She loves volunteering in farms, and designing and sewing dresses. Episode Mentions: World in Tohoku Startup Studio Model Episode Asks, Challenges, and Goals: "We are looking for funders, business professionals and impact organizations who would like to get involved in the cross-boundary leadership initiatives!" VCedia and Host Info/Promos: Follow VCedia @the_vcedia on Twitter and Instagram, The VCedia on YouTube, and on our website at www.vcedia.com. You can also follow the host Schyler Cole on Twitter at @SchylerCole! Know someone who should be on VCedia? Let us know here! For startups: https://forms.gle/8ESnmJf4XNRL5W1A6 For other guests: https://forms.gle/LbTvrUUbXW1YiAPP7 Music Intro/Outro - Instafunk - Premium Beats Intermission - hard animal crossing type beat by vanity - https://soundcloud.com/11182018

EP. 6 - This week's episode celebrates the power of diversity with two incredible leaders. Karen Greenfield serves as the Senior Vice President of Business & Production Operations for National Geographic, is the executive sponsor of one of Walt Disney's Business Employee Resource Groups NOIR DC, and is the Chairperson of National Geographic Partner's Diversity and Inclusion Council. She also happens to be my career mentor! Karen is joined by Janet Vissering who is the Senior Vice President of Program Development and Production of National Geographic WILD. Both Karen and Janet went to school at the University of Maryland but had very different lived experiences. In this episode, they discuss the complications of being diversity & inclusion leaders representing billion dollar companies, the power of uplifting others as you rise, and tips to tackling the gender race pay gap (+plus lots more).