When an opportunity presents itself, you should take advantage of it and that's what Dan Thompson did. A conversation over dinner with his sister sparked the idea of a cage-less doggie daycare facility. His background in sales and experience in flipping houses didn't quite prepare him for all that was in store to successfully launch Dog Pawz in 2010. Dan has since expanded to two other locations. In this episode he shares a wealth of knowledge you can easily apply no matter what business you're in.
Ben Rao is a real estate investor and founder of Community Buying Group. He has a knack for helping entrepreneurs and small businesses accelerate growth. His latest ventures are Bridge Space, a co-working facility and the E2 Hustle podcast. In this episode, Ben shares insights on creating new companies, economies, eco-systems, and of course, entrepreneurship.
Nick Spencer is the founder and president of Keep Them S.A.F.E., an anti-abduction course for children. Nick is also a lead instructor and project manager for Strategos International, a global training, security and protection firm. After spending 20 years in the military, police and security industry, Nick knows what it takes to protect and secure the things you treasure most. In this episode, he shares his entrepreneurial journey along with insights and safety tips everyone can apply.
You typically don't use the terms American psychedelic rock and roll musician and corporate suit in the same sentence unless you're referring to Chris Garibaldi. Chris is the co-founder of Lotuspool Records and also a principal in one of the largest professional services companies in the world.
In this interview, Chris shares insights on the music industry along with keys to capitalizing entrepreneurial skill sets in a corporate world. You'll also get the inside scoop on Lotuspool Records and what's in store for their 25th-anniversary celebration.
Like most chiropractors, Dr. Michelle Robin started out with a small practice. Over the last 25 years, her practice has grown into one of the premier wellness facilities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Her team includes chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, nutrition counselors, functional medicine doctors, an MD who focuses on sleep medicine and corporate wellness programs too. Dr. Robin knew she needed to make some shifts in her own life. She's now a published author, speaker, and host of the popular podcast: Small Changes, Big Shifts. In this episode, she shares her entrepreneurial journey along with wellness insights that apply to business and life.
David Patrick learned first-hand from brilliant marketers like McDonald's, P&G, LG Electronics, General Motors, Miller Lite, Kellogg, and Burger King to name a few. He worked his way up through the ranks and has served as a COO, CMO for companies like Beauty Brands and Westlake Hardware, David looked beyond marketing to connect a vision to a strategy to an action plan; aligning the Why, What, and How.
Now as the Founder of High Performance Retail Marketing Group, David builds strategies that drive brands, businesses, leadership teams, and companies. He also teaches future builders of marketing, business strategy, and entrepreneurship in the MBA programs at the University of Missouri and the University of Kansas. In this how to episode, David shares insider strategies to grow your business through effective marketing. Of course, there are bonus adds too.
As the business of sports has evolved, so has the industry that covers them which means the competition is increasing. Joel Goldberg has spent more than 20 years in television developing and maintaining relationships with professional athletes, coaches and team management. He's covered top athletes from Brett Favre to Kurt Warner to the 2015 World Championship Royals. In this episode, Joel shares insights on building trust, making key connections and of course baseball.
Erin Smith is the founder of FacePrint, a patent pending telemedicine system for the early and accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. FacePrint has received national attention including winning the #BUILTBYGIRLS Challenge at Twitter Headquarters along with being recognized by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. In this episode, Erin shares the science, struggles and successes of starting a business as a teenager. If you think you're busy, she also has productivity insights to offer.
Kare Anderson is inordinately curious about why we do what we do. She's an Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter. Now a columnist for Forbes, Harvard Business Review, and the Huffington Post she shares her knowledge and strategies on quotability and connective behavior. Kare's TED talk on The Web of Humanity: Becoming an Opportunity Maker has attracted over 2 million views. Her clients are as diverse as Salesforce, Novartis, S.F. Giants and The Skoll Foundation. In this episode, she shares insights on ways to build credibility, open opportunity to the unexpected and building trust.
Established in 1893, US Engineering has grown to be one the nation’s top design-build mechanical contracting firms. Tyler Nottberg is the fifth generation of the Nottberg family to lead U.S. Engineering. He served in several roles in the company before taking over as Chairman and CEO. Tyler has been named one of the 250 Most powerful Business Leaders in the Kansas City area by Ingram’s Magazine. He was selected as one of Kansas City’s key executives from non-profit and public-sector settings, those whose day-to-day decisions go a long way toward influencing regional business. Along with serving on a number of nonprofit boards, Tyler is also a founder of the Alliance for Childhood Education, a group of business leaders focused on investing in high-performing schools in Kansas and Missouri. This episode is packed with leadership insights.
Serial entrepreneur and business mentor Allison Maslan has built ten successful companies from the ground up starting as a single mom on her own. Her client list has included Ben & Jerry’s, Charlotte Russe, Supercuts, and Allstate. She has also been a world-renowned homeopath for the past 20 years which adds a unique whole person approach to her innovative business strategies. In this episode, she shares what so many of today’s entrepreneurs are missing when it comes to achieving success in life and work.
Stephen Heiner is an entrepreneur who owns several lifestyle businesses – in real estate, tourism, publishing and podcasting, and a particular passion: writing. He is in his 4th year of residence in Paris, where he is pursuing a French passport, the language itself, and the perfect walk. He spends all but all but 100 days a year in France, and can often be found in the US – specifically Kansas City – or in other European countries. In this episode, Stephen shares his entrepreneur insights and philosophies, some of which may push your comfort zones.
Cam Bishop has extensive experience building, buying, and running companies. For over 30 years, he has led companies owned by a broad range of international, regional and institutional private equity. He's managed a workforce of nearly 2000 employees located in cities across the U.S. and several foreign countries. Most recently he combined his expertise in business and passion for fitness to launch Muscle Metrics, a company focused on body composition testing with the Bod Pod. In this episode Cam shares leadership and business insights you can apply no matter your industry or role.
Have you ever taken an online quiz? If so there's a possibility Interact was the platform used to create it. To date, Interact has worked with brands like Starbucks, The United Nations, Home Depot, World Wildlife’s Fund and many more. They’ve helped companies around the world generate more than 4 million new email subscribers. In this episode, you’re going to hear Interact's co-founder Josh Haynam share entrepreneur insights on starting a company as well as the how to’s for content marketing, engagement and landing new customers and clients.
Working in an animal shelter and seeing 3 animals come in and less going out inspired Michelle Rivera to find a solution to the problem of pet homelessness. In 2002, without financial backing or an advisory board already in place, Michelle embarked on the most challenging career path ever to start Spay & Neuter Kansas City.
SNKC was the first and is now largest “targeted” spay/neuter program in Kansas City. With over 100,000 spay/neuters to date, they have impacted the overall reduction of animals killed in Kansas City’s area shelters. Michelle recognized the need to expand services beyond free/low-cost spay and neuter programs. SNKC also has the Families Better Together Outreach Program, a wellness clinic and food pantry serving over 20,000 pets each year. In this episode Michelle shares entrepreneurial and leadership insights that you can apply no matter what business you are in.
Cameron Herold is known as the business growth guru and Forbes calls him the CEO whisperer. By age 21, Cameron had 14 employees and by the age of 35, he'd help build his first two $100 million dollar companies. By the age of 42, he engineered 1-800-GOT-JUNK?'s spectacular growth from $2 million to $106 million in revenue, and 3100 employees in just six years. Cameron is the mastermind behind hundreds of clients exponential growth and they will tell you he speaks only from experience. He's the author of three books including The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs, Meetings Suck, and the global best-selling book Double Double.
No matter if you're looking to start a business or grow your business, you'll gain valuable insights from this episode!
Coss Marte, former inmate turned CEO, knows he beat the odds. By age 19, Coss was making $2 million a year running one of the largest drug delivery services in New York. At 23 he was caught and faced seven years in prison. Upon entering prison, the medical unit told him he could die in prison because at 5'8" and 230 pounds, he was overweight with dangerously high blood pressure.
A year before he was scheduled to be released, Coss ended up in solitary confinement. During that time, he refocused, starting working out in his cell and without any equipment, lost 70 pounds in six months. He also helped 20 inmates lose over 1000lbs. It was during an Alcohol/Substance Abuse Treatment meeting where he came up with a business plan and the idea for Conbody was formed.
After Coss was released, he applied the same marketing tactics that he used to build his drug business to build his fitness business. With the help of Defy Ventures, he entered a business pitch competition and was awarded $100,000 via Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran and the Young President's Organization to open Conbody Studios.
Angel Morales will tell you pushing comfort zones is a must no matter what role you're in. As the head of C3 International, he works with clients in 25 countries and it started with a simple phone call to a friend. Angel's multi-language and multi-cultural skills along with his experience and expertise in international marketing have made him a sought-after consultant for clients in various industries who seek to achieve success with strategic and marketing programs targeted at families and children. As a creative with the wheels always spinning, Angel turned a carbon fiber wallet he created for himself into a second company - Tailwag. In this episode you'll learn the keys to launching and growing a business in international markets. The bonus, you can apply the same insights domestically too.