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IAM2866 – The Importance of Environment꞉ How to Build the Place People Become Better In

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 06:16:59 -0400

The Trap of the Basic Commodity

A persistent mistake made by many builders is looking at their operations through a purely transactional lens—treating their business as nothing more than a product, a membership, a tool, or a basic line-item service. In reality, a physical desk remains just a desk until it is consciously integrated into a broader ecosystem designed to maximize human capability. In this episode, drawing profound insights from Mike, founder of The Work Lodge, we look past surface-level offerings to explore why true enterprise excellence requires shifting your focus from the basic widget to the comprehensive environment you build around it.

The Experience Architecture across All Industries

While the concept of “experience design” is traditionally associated with hospitality, restaurants, or entertainment, a massive structural shift is occurring across the entire corporate landscape. Modern buyers and team members are deeply impacted by the holistic conditions they are forced to operate within.

True execution within the Human and Entrepreneurship Pillars proves that building an intentional organization isn't just about facilitating day-to-day work tasks; it is about providing an infrastructure where professionals feel supported, deeply connected, and positioned to grow. By infusing social entrepreneurship models and a dedication to making a broader civic difference into your core roadmap, you transform your company from a basic workplace into a vehicle for real-world transformation.

Chasing Greatness and Protecting Executive Impact

The core takeaway for any CEO is to resist the exhausting habit of minimizing your organizational impact by constantly obsessing over the next technical task, the next client fire, or the next bill. Pulling from a diverse operational background that spans retail, B2B networks, non-profits, and even high-stakes hostage negotiation, Mike reminds us that true strategic leadership means deploying simple, reliable corporate tools to maintain the baseline organization required to lead teams well.

The ultimate benchmark of an enterprise is never just what people buy from your sales pipeline—it is entirely what becomes structurally possible for them after they step into what you have built. Ask yourself this defining question: “Are you merely delivering a transactional service, or are you actively creating an environment where people can become better versions of themselves?”. Grounding your practical business model in a clear corporate purpose is the definitive lever required to drive organizational excellence and unlock lasting market traction.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2863-the-root-problem-is-usually-below-the-clutter/

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Transcription:

Gresham Harkness 00:00
Sometimes builders think the business is just about the product or service. A desk, a room, a membership, a tool. Deliverable, a service. But think about this. What if the real business is the environment you create around it? That's extremely powerful. We've seen an increase in awareness around the experience that people are having. What if we start to realize that the experience is not just for restaurants, not just for entertainment, it's for literally anything and everything that you can do. Foreign.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build after recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose. Even when we feel the journey should be a straight and linear path, what I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkness 01:50

A desk is just a desk until it becomes part of an environment that helps someone think better, connect better, and build better. That's where a practical business can become something a lot more meaningful. That's what really came up to me in episode number 67 of the I Am CEO podcast with Mike of the Work Lodge. Mike has a background including retail, B2B, nonprofits, and even hostage negotiation. What really stood out during our conversation is that he thinks deeply about changing lives, both for members of the Work Lodge and for people who are less fortunate as well. And that's the nugget to run with. Sometimes builders think the business is just a just about the product or service. A desk, a room, a membership, a tool, deliverable, a service. But think about this. What if the real business is the environment you create around it? That's extremely powerful. We've seen an increase in awareness around the experience that people are having. What if we start to realize that the experience is not. Not just for restaurants, not just for entertainment, it's for literally anything and everything that you can do. For Mike, the work lodge is not just about a physical space, it's about giving people a place to work, connect, grow into being supported. And his social entrepreneurship plans added another layer because the business is also connected to making a difference beyond members as well. This comes up in so many different ways, but I really think it resonates with the human and entrepreneurship pillars, largely because entrepreneurship is not just about launching something, it's about creating something that changes the conditions people are operating in. When I talked with Mike, his CEO nugget was simple Google tools like Calendar and notes. Which again reminds me that builders don't always need fancy systems. Sometimes they need the tools that help them stay organized enough to lead. Well. His nugget, he talked around chasing greatness, being amazing and doing the right thing and not underestimating the change that you can make. That last part is the one that sticks with me the most. Don't ever, ever underestimate the change that you can. A lot of builders will actually minimize their impact because they're focused on the next task, the next client, the next bill, or the next problem. But the thing you are building may be shaping people more than you ever realize. Here's a question worth considering. Are you only delivering a service, or are you creating an environment where people can actually become better? Because sometimes a business is not just what people buy, it's what becomes possible after they walk into what you build. If you've been thinking about how purpose can live inside a practical business model, this conversation with Mike is definitely one for.

The post IAM2866 – The Importance of Environment꞉ How to Build the Place People Become Better In appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2865 – Founder Helps HR Professionals Find and Buy The Right Software

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 06:16:51 -0400

Phil Strazzulla is the founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, a website dedicated to helping HR professionals find and buy the right software for their business.

Phil started his career working in venture capital at Bessemer Venture Partners before getting his MBA at Harvard Business School.

CEO Hack: Cultivating a healthy life
CEO Nugget: Understanding your own bias and that of thought of leaders
CEO Defined: Privilege to be grateful for each day

Website: https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/

http://philstrazzulla.com/

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam502-founder-helps-hr-professionals-find-and-buy-the-right-software/

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE. I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded.

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

Phil Strazzulla 00:00
I think one of the most important things is to cultivate a healthy life and realize that the time that you are spending exercising, eating right, meditating, spending time with friends, that is not wasted time. I think many times I wake up and I'm like, all right, let's start doing emails, you know, and, like, your brain is gone. Your ability to think creatively is gone. You've already looked at your phone. You're already thinking about the nine things you gotta do before breakfast. We always have this, like, exit. You're.

Phil Strazzulla 00:30
You're probably execution focused, right? Like, that's how you have gotten to where you are. But you have to realize that, like, your execution focus is a strength and a weakness, and you need to kind of step. Take a step back and say, you know What? Like, spending 10 minutes meditating at the beginning of the day will actually make me more effective.

Gresham Harkness 01:15
Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I Am CEO Podcast, and I have a very special guest on the show today at Phil Shazula of Select Software Reviews. Phyllis, awesome to have me on the show.

Phil Strazzulla 01:24
Thanks for having me, Gresh.

Phil Strazzulla 01:26

No problem. It's super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Phil so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And Phil is the founder of Select Software Reviews, a website dedicated to helping HR professionals find and buy the right software for their business. Phil started his career working in venture capital at Gessimer Venture Partners before getting his MBA at Harvard Business School. Phil, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Phil Strazzulla 01:49
Let's do it.

Gresham Harkness 01:49
Let's make it happen. So I wanted to kick everything off and hear a little bit more about your background, what I call your CEO story, and what led you to get started with your business.

Phil Strazzulla 01:57
Yeah, sure. So I guess my sort of professional story started when I was a lot younger. I was probably about 12 or 13 years old when I first started getting interested in all this stuff. I actually grew up sort of in the 90s. Boom in the stock market and dot com. Everybody was kind of talking about it, and I was like, oh, there's this, like, easy way to make money, but that's exciting. Better than mowing lawns and all the other stuff I was doing. So my brother and I convinced my mom to take us to Fidelity and we opened up brokerage accounts and still have that account live and active. I started trading stocks, was smart enough or lucky enough to get out before it all collapsed. I've always been like a Buffett disciple. And of course he very aligned with Alan Brutespan's comments about irrational exuberance. So, you know, did that whole thing, love investing, been doing that for, since I was a kid. But then when I was in college I interned at a two person startup and I just loved the impact that I could have. This sort of ability to think creatively and solve problems in different ways. I was doing a lot of cold calling and sales and realized like, oh, I can 10x my efforts by doing some marketing and I can actually get free marketing if I do it in the right way and blah blah blah. And so kind of from that experience I was like, I would love to start a company one day. Took a couple of jobs after college to help me build that skillset. Most notably working at Bessemer doing early stage investing. Went to business school and then finally had the guts to start my own thing. Taught myself how to program, kind of thought that was like a necessary skill set for starting a technology business and started working on different projects. One thing led to another. I started this business called Next Weight Hire, which is recruiting software for SMBs specifically seven or eight months ago, hired a guy to run that business as sort of like a general manager and had a lot of free time, wanted to start another business, have the startup bug. Like most people probably listening, I love to learn, I love to teach. And the gap in the market I saw is that there's just a million B2B software vendors, especially in HR space. It's hard to pick which one to go forward with and so wanted to kind of shed some light. Unbiased reviews in that EcoSystem helped basically HR teams to buy the right software, be successful as individuals as well as from a business perspective.

Gresham Harkness 04:22
Nice. So that's super exciting to hear. You know, like you said, you kind of had that entrepreneurial DNA in your veins and you pursued it in a lot of different ways. And, and, and great to hear that you, in most entrepreneurial form, if you don't know how to do something, sometimes you just kind of just self learn and teach yourself how to do it as you were able to do with coding. So a lot of times, you know, you have to do that to make sure that you are, you know, able to be successful or at the very least, knowledgeable about certain aspects of your business.

Phil Strazzulla 04:47
Yeah, I think that's totally right. Like, that's, to me, the most valuable skillset is to learn, right? To learn SEO and like, go deep on that, to learn how to code, to learn how to do sales when you need to do that. And the amazing thing is there's so many great resources out there to learn how to do this stuff. And so if you don't know, you don't have to go to graduate school, you don't have to have a fancy advisor. Like, you can just start pretty basic, like, googling stuff and take an online course and like, kind of use the resources that are out there for you.

Gresham Harkness 05:19
Yeah, absolutely. And especially in this day and age, there's like so many resources that are available to us just at a click of the button, just, you know, for you to be able to research, to learn how to do anything. But, you know, there's just so much available to us. And I know obviously you created something that is a resource that we can also Google as well and find out more. So could you take us a little bit more through select software reviews, tell us what we would find there and how it's. How it helps out us as business owners.

Phil Strazzulla 05:44
Yeah. So basically what we're doing is we're pretty analogous to like word or not WordPress, sorry, wire cutter or nerd wallet, except for this HR tech vertical. So if you're looking at a new payroll solution, we'll tell you who are the top 10 payroll vendors out of the three or 400 that exist out there. What are the sort of keys to selecting the right one? How do you think about budgeting, roi, implementation pitfalls? Like, basically everything you need to know and very digestible, very actionable content so that you can make the right decision. Because I think for a lot of these things, if you make the wrong decision, it can be very, very costly. Like, a lot of the software is expensive, but it also just takes a really long time to implement. And so we're trying to aggregate like all the advice that you would need if you had like a friend who is just like an expert in buying XYZ type of software, what would they tell you? So, so that you can do the right thing, you can get your promotion, you can help your business accelerate. And we're doing that for all the different categories within HR technology with the aspiration of one day kind of doing it for other B2B software categories as well.

Gresham Harkness 06:51
Nice.

Phil Strazzulla 06:52
Yeah.

Gresham Harkness 06:52
And that makes so much sense. And I think that you know, to be able to kind of aggregate and consolidate and provide, you know, all the information that's available to, you know, to us because there's so much again that's available to us if we just Google, but actually have that in those different formats that you talked about and be able to kind of filter through and read and get it in digestible form instead of having to like go through different reviews and different pages of Google. It gets you all that in one stop shop. It kind of sounds like.

Phil Strazzulla 07:18
Yeah, exactly. And we, I think the key is in depth, unbiased research. I think most of the content on the Internet has some sort of bias to it. There's a lot of review websites out there that have, you know, user reviews. Most of that is pay for play content. Even a business as reputable as Gartner is almost entirely pay to play. And my philosophy on this stuff is like, look, I'm not trying to build like a multi billion dollar company. The market is so huge that if I act in a moral way like it might be slightly detrimental to my economic outcome, but I can feel good about that. And in fact potentially it's actually good over time because having high quality content means that you're going to rank higher in Google. People are going to talk about you at conferences, they're going to send it to their friends and that of course is going to help your business. And so in the short term, you know, there are companies every week that email us that say, hey, how can we get on your website? How much does it cost? And the majority of those companies are terrible. They just have awful solutions. And I basically say, hey, you know, like it's not a good fit for XYZ reasons. And of course I'm losing, you know, thousands of dollars a month, which at the earlier stages of business is like kind of a lot of money. But I can sort of like stick to my North Star, which helps me, I think in the long term build a more valuable product for the users and therefore myself as well.

Gresham Harkness 08:40
Yeah, that makes so much sense. It's kind of like the answer, you know, if they don't have really good products, you know, they want to get on your platform. The real answer is actually to go and work and actually get a better product and that'll help you to be able to get on the, on the platform.

Phil Strazzulla 08:53
Yeah, that's, that would be good advice. I don't, I try not to be, yeah, confrontational, especially over email. Like a lot can be lost in conversation, in translation. And I, you know, I don't want to make anybody like outright angry at me. They'd be like, here are the objective criteria. Sorry, this rubric says you can't be on there. I'd love for you to be on there, but. So that's kind of the way I handle it. But I think you're right. Like the, the, the real advice would be like, here's, you know, and, and that's probably another business. Right. Is like consulting. Like, here's why you don't have one of the best products that I feel comfortable putting on the website. Here's how you can make it better. Go execute on that. And, and let's revisit this in six or nine months.

Gresham Harkness 09:36
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And you know, the reason I just pointed that out is because it's, it's the, it's the, it's the philosophy that you have for your business. It sounds like where you, you're making sure that you're putting out quality content, you're making sure that you're being unbiased and those kind of quality principles not necessary. Not taking, you know, shortcuts and just advertising or doing things to, to be found, but you're actually putting out really high quality and understanding that that's going to be the thing that's going to keep you long term to, to be relevant. So I, I definitely appreciate that. And, and I wanted to ask you, and this could be for you personally or for, for your business, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And this is what you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique. I don't know if you already touched on that or you can expound on that a little bit more.

Phil Strazzulla 10:12
Yeah, I think from the business perspective it's just like keeping that North Star of doing right by the people that read the content and having that as like the true purpose, like impacts the design of the website, the content, like business model, everything I think in the right ways. And having a visit, having a North Star like making money means that you're going to be 80% similar, but that 20% is probably going to be a very big difference. For me personally, I think the, you know, the secret sauce is just like constantly trying to get better. That's like, you know, how do I try to do that? It's journaling, it's reading, it's meditating, it's paying attention to how I'm spending my time, what I'M putting into my body, what I'm doing with my body. Like, I think all of those things sort of make like the, the person better that allow you to take advantage of the opportunities that come your way and also allow you to jump over those hurdles that are just inherent in entrepreneurship. No matter who you are, no matter what you're doing. You know, if you're running Facebook or you're running a one person startup, like you're just going to have like all these like really, really challenging things that happen to you. And they're not as challenging as like living in a place where you don't have potable water. But I think they're, they're still like very challenging mentally. And if you're doing the right things, if you're, if you're trying to get better every day, like you're going to be able to take advantage and jump over those hurdles. And so that's when I think about like the thing that drives me to hopefully find continued success. I think that sort of attitude is sort of my secret sauce, as you put it.

Gresham Harkness 11:57
I definitely appreciate that and I wanted to switch gears and I know you gave us a CEO hack already. I don't know if there's anything else that you feel like is like an Apple book or a habit that makes you more effective and efficient. In addition to the snowball.

Phil Strazzulla 12:09
I think one of the most important things is to cultivate a healthy life and realize that the time that you are spending exercising, eating right, meditating, spending time with friends, that is not wasted time. I think many times I wake up and I'm like, all right, let's start doing emails, you know, and like your brain is gone. Your ability to think creatively is gone. You've already looked at your phone, you're already thinking about the nine things you gotta do before breakfast. We always have this like ex. You're, you're probably execution focused, right? Like that's how you have gotten to where you are. But you have to realize that like your execution focus is a strength and a weakness and you need to kind of step, take a step back and say, you know what, like spending 10 minutes meditating at the beginning of the day will actually make me more effective.

Gresham Harkness 12:57
You're absolutely right. So I know you already also gave us some what I call CEO nuggets. So this is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice. It could be, you know, specifically related to, you know, HR and HR professionals. But what's something that would be like a word of wisdom or piece of advice you would give.

Phil Strazzulla 13:11
Probably. I've mentioned this a couple of times throughout your review already, but like, this idea of bias and understanding your own personal bias and the things that you like to do or don't like to do or the mental models that you've adopted due to your past experience and how that's influencing your decision making. But I think most importantly, understanding the bias of thought leaders, right? And that could be like a mentor. It could be somebody that you get coffee with and you're like, oh, my God, I get to sit down with, you know, this person who did this amazing thing and they're going to give me advice and they're going to. They're almost certainly going to give you advice with almost no context. And it's going to be highly colored by the things that they've done or haven't done or the thing that, you know, happened to them this morning or whatever. And it's so hard to parse through all of these things. And again, this is why sort of like having a clear mind and being able to think when you're brushing your teeth or, you know, whatever is so important.

Gresham Harkness 14:10
Yeah, absolutely. So now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different, quote, unquote, CEOs on this show. So, Phil, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Phil Strazzulla 14:21
Being a CEO to me is sort of this, like, privilege that you should be grateful for each day.

Gresham Harkness 14:29
I definitely appreciate that and I appreciate your time even more. Phil. What I wanted to do is pass you to the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then, of course, how best they can get a review and find out about all the awesome things you guys have on your platform.

Phil Strazzulla 14:42
Yeah, sure. So I guess as we we head into the winter in Boston, I'm always reminded of, like, there's always, like, these stretches of tough times. I feel like they always happen in the winter for some reason here, probably because of lack of sun. And I think it's just nice to, like, be able to connect with the folks in your community or in online communities to understand that the things you're going through are, like, quite common. Like, it's not a function of, like, you as a bad leader or you making bad decisions or whatever. Like, you're probably doing a pretty good job. And so whatever kind of challenges you're working through, just, like, know that there are a lot of other people out there who have kind of gone through similar things and you'll probably get through it as long as you're gritty and smart and sort of level headed enough in terms of where people can find me. I think LinkedIn is probably the best. Phil Strazoula, you can check out Select Software Reviews. I also have a personal blog that I post every once in a while. Phil strazoula.com and yeah, I'd love to, love to connect with people.

Gresham Harkness 15:44
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, we'll definitely have those links in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you and check out the blog. And of course go to Select Software Reviews as well too. And just as you said, you know, I think sometimes in entrepreneurship and business it can seem extremely lonely and a lot of times when we go through hard times, we feel like we're by ourselves. So as you said, you know, making time to actually talk with people and talk about sometimes the difficulties, trials and tribulations we go through, we realize that we're not the only ones and we can also get support, support, community and help. And I appreciate you for reminding us of that and of course for all the awesome things you're doing. So thank you so much and I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

The post https://www.truemadefoods.com/

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Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam499-health-enthusiast-and-founder-helps-people-stick-to-nutrition-principles/

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

Abraham Kamarck 00:00
Well, I guess, you know, for food, for interesting. If you're thinking about starting a food or beverage business, number one, understand you know, whether or not you're going to be a retail business or an online business. Everything's omnichannel now, so you kind of have to be both, but you need to be focused on one. For us, it makes sense to be a retail business because we are a low cost, heavy product, right? If you're a high cost, light product like say coffee or protein powder, beef jerky type of thing like that, then it makes much more sense to go online.

Gresham Harkness 00:59
Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I Am CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Abe Kmark of True Made Foods. Abe, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Abraham Kamarck 01:07
Great, thanks. Thanks for having me crush. I really appreciate it.

Gresham Harkness 01:10
No problem. I appreciate you for, for taking some time out and wanted to read a little bit more about Abe so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And he is a health enthusiast and founder of True Made Foods that makes ketchup, barbecue sauce and sriracha using veggies instead of sugar. He is passionate about helping people get beyond fat and hype in the diet world and stick to core nutritional principles. Abe, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Abraham Kamarck 01:32
Let's talk.

Gresham Harkness 01:33
Let's do it. So I wanted to kick everything off with what I call your CEO story. So I wanted to hear a little bit more about how you got started and what led you to start your business.

Abraham Kamarck 01:40
Yeah, I mean, I think there's always two stories of why somebody started a business, right? You have to have the idea. So there's a story about why you're passionate about the idea and there's a story about like, why now, like why you decided to take this crazy jump. Why do you do this stupid thing? Right? So on the latter part, the why I did the stupid thing is because I, I was. When I'd been working overseas and I moved back to the United States in 2013, I was working for a charity and they hired me as an entrepreneur to help them watch products. So I Launched this coffee for them. You know, built up. We spent a year developing this coffee. I went to Uganda, you know, figured out how to import it, all this stuff. Learned the food industry, which got me out into true made foods, got me started thinking about it. And then right as a coffee, I was pouring my heart and soul into this because, you know, that's just unfortunately the way I am. Right. And it's like right as the coffee was starting to launch, we launched it. We made like first $20,000 in sales, start getting real big customers. And the charity ran out of money and they fired. Absolutely. That was kind of my impetus to kind of push forward and kind of start my own thing in food. Um, I was. I was not looking forward to. To, you know, I was just done this crazy. I launched a coffee company for a charity. Like who. What does that look like on your resume? Right? And so like I was not looking to interview, was not looking to do that. So, you know, I was really excited to kind of thought, you know, maybe this is time. Maybe I need to stop working for people. Like allowing other people to pull the rug out from under me. So I kind of put to something where I have more control. And so that kind of encouraged me to do this. Why ketchup and barbecue sauces? Because I hate ketchup is actually the crazy thing. I've always ate ketchup. I thought it was red sugar ketchup. Regular ketchup has more sugar than ice cream. Ounce browns. Wow. And regularly the typical barbecue sauce. Most people eat especially to like the leading brands. They have more sugar than a soda. Ounce brown smile like it's. These are probably the two worst things in your refrigerator. Except for sriracha. The hoi fun Sriracha actually is worse than ketchup. Like it has sugar and it's loaded with sugar. It's the second ingredient. If you read it, these are terrible items for you. They're terrible for people to ruining people's diets. You know, because they don't think about it. They don't think about how much they're using. They think it's condiment. It's not that much. If you have kids, you know, ketchup was a real problem. It's a staple in your household. And that was kind of what got me into this is because I was a starry eye parent thinking my kids weren't going to eat. And I failed miserably at making that happen. So, you know, my kids were pouring ketchup over everything and we couldn't find anything better. And so when, you know, kind of push came to shove, I thought, you know, this is a great idea. I think I can make a better ketchup. Like, guys, somebody told me, gave me an idea of putting veggies in it, and that just kind of set off light bulbs. I'm like, that's how I cook normally. We're always hiding veggies in food. My mom taught me a cook pasta sauce early on, which is kind of like the basis of my culinary background as a kid. You know, cooking with my mom in the kitchen and making sauces and using carrots as a sweetener. And so since I was always learned to use veggies as a sweetener, you know, if it works for these other tomato, like tomato pasta sauce sauce, why wouldn't it work for ketchup? And luckily it did. It worked for barbecue too. And, you know, we just kind of kind of built out from that. When we started working with Ed Mitchell, great pitmaster on the North Carolina, we started taking his classic recipes too, and just tweaking them with a little bit of veggies to make them a little bit sweet. And it's been amazing. So we have these great tasting products right now. They're fantastic. And because, you know, we use them at home and my kids eat them, and it's like just something we're passionate about. Kind of keeps me going through all the hard times.

Gresham Harkness 05:14
Yeah, I think, and definitely that's what I hear from what you're saying too, is that sometimes when you have a strong mission with what it is that you're doing, you know, with the roller coaster ride that his entrepreneurship, a lot of times, you know, you need that mission to kind of, you know, help you to kind of go through that. And I'm obviously sorry to hear, you know, about the whole, you know, coffee, you know, organization working with that. I too, have been laid off, and that is definitely not a fun experience. So a lot of times when those things happen, when you put your heart and soul, are you the type of person that puts their heart and soul into something and then that's kind of, you know, taken away from you or taken from you, it changes your perspective. So I appreciate you, for one, you know, going out and doing that for two, you know, creating something that helps make the world a better place and having, you know, those bad kind of things that we have in our.

Abraham Kamarck 05:55
In our fridge have it.

Gresham Harkness 05:56
Have a healthy alternative to that.

Abraham Kamarck 05:58
Yeah, that's exactly right. I mean, we are. You get you. It's weird because you do. You pour Your heart and soul to something and then you realize it's not really yours, you know, at some point. And that can always be a problem. And so that's why I, you know, I founded True Made Foods and kind of flocked to keep this going even through some hard times. I had, I had a co founder early on that we had to get out of the company just to make, make it through here. He was not helping, he was hurting the company. And then, you know, I think people have been through that yet. Be careful with these statistics. Yeah, so it's very interesting and we have a very, well, we have a. What keeps me going throughout this and through those types of difficult situations of like, you know, really when, when I realized like I really needed to get rid of my co founder because he was damaging the company beyond all belief. We, we, you know, the thing that kept me going was the fact that the products were so good. And you know, my, my kids loved them and their cousins love them, their friends love them. People were telling me every day that they love these products and, and I also felt like, you know, you can have a food company where they go, oh, your stuff tastes so good, everything's really rice. But when you're, when your stuff tastes good and you're doing something radically different, that's much better for something. I feel like that's the thing where our products were so good. Like I can see us replacing ice on the table, right? Because. And the impact that that could have like the average, if a family, if an average American family eats like a bottle of ketchup a month, you know, it doesn't seem like a lot like 12 bottles a year, a 20 ounce bottle, that's about $144 of sugar that they're eating. Krispy Kreme donuts worth of sugar that they're eating a year, almost a donut every other day. Right. And so if we could replace that with our products and instead of that sugar, putting in, you know, four or five pounds of vegetables and fruits instead that they're getting through our product. Yeah, that's a huge win. I think so. Yeah. That's kind of thing that keeps us going. That's our secret sauce too, you know, that drives it forward. And it's funny. Even like my kids, even though they're super passionate about the product, they wonder why I work so hard all the time. I brought them to one of our kind of smaller shows, a customer facing show, and my oldest son was standing there and he was listening to everybody talk about the product. As they came up and tried it and he goes, oh, dad, now this makes sense. Everybody really loves this. Like, yeah, it's like, we got a job, we got something here, man.

Gresham Harkness 08:18
Yeah. He puts everything in perspective. And I love the fact too is how it kind of, it sounds like it organically kind of grew just because, you know, you created something that was just for your family. A lot of times you start doing that because you're looking for a healthy alternative. You can't find that healthy alternative, so

Abraham Kamarck 08:33
you decide to create it.

Gresham Harkness 08:34
You create it, you start giving to the kids, they probably, you know, start giving it to their family, friends, cousins, things like that. It starts to just kind of organically grow from there. And it's like a lot of times, you know, when we're starting businesses or organizations, we're trying to think of a huge idea to take over the world. But a lot of times those smaller ideas that are, we don't know, are having such a negative impact on us if we solve those small problems, they start to create a incredible amount of energy for us to have a better world and a better overall healthy environment as well.

Abraham Kamarck 09:03
Right. And can you get to find your kind of niche in this? Like. Right, right. For us, early on it's condiments because you know, most of the other food areas, even though there's a lot of need throughout the packaged food industry to, to change even in the better for you space, I still think like we found a nice niche that's difficult to warp in because it's low term category, but it's, you know, it's not, doesn't have as much competition as like beverage or you know, salty snacks and things like that. So it allows us to really kind of stand out.

Gresham Harkness 09:33
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. If you could definitely find that niche and then create a great product like you guys have been able to do, that definitely helps out as far as building that momentum and creating, you know, that healthy environment. So I definitely appreciate that and I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. So this could be like an app, a book or a habit that you have. But what's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Abraham Kamarck 09:54
For me it's, it's a really stupid thing but like I use these like constant sticking post it notes. I've tried like every type of like task manager system and you know, things like this and to do lists things and honestly if I can just focus on and why, why I like post its is because I can't Write a ton of stuff on it. Like you, you have to write three or four things on it. And that kind of keeps me focused on prioritizing the most important things to do. And I just kind of, I'll stick. And if it's going on too long, I'll stick it on my laptop there. I'll stick it, you know, something's close where I'm going to see it constantly. And so I have to get that these things done today, you know, today, tomorrow, et cetera.

Gresham Harkness 10:34
Now I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO nugget. So this could be like a word of wisdom, a piece of advice. It can be anything from the food industry industry. What advice would you kind of give for other like entrepreneurs, business owners, people

Abraham Kamarck 10:45
that are thinking about starting their business? Well, I guess, you know, for food, for interesting. If you're thinking about starting a food or beverage business, number one, understand, you know, whether or not you're going to be a retail business or an online business. Everything's omnichannel now. So you kind of have to be both. But you need to be focused on one. For us, it makes sense to be a retail business because we are a low cost heavy product.

Gresham Harkness 11:06
Right.

Abraham Kamarck 11:06
If you're a high cost light product like say coffee or protein powder, beef jerky type of thing like that, then it makes much more sense to go online direct customer through Amazon. Realize there's no easy wins here. Everybody, everybody thinks one way or the other is easier. It's just what they're more comfortable with really at the end of the day. But there's no easy wins and there's no real cheap wins. Amazon's expensive grocery stores are expensive to, to play in. So you know, pick the thing that makes the most sense for your product. But if, when you're first starting out, everybody should go online first. And that's just because the starting costs are that much lower and it's easier to make mistakes.

Gresham Harkness 11:43
I definitely appreciate those nuggets. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote, unquote, CEOs on this show. So Abe, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Abraham Kamarck 11:55
Being a CEO means me responsibility. Right. So a former Navy, maybe the. It's inside Navy pilot. I do. So that means you are. If I'm flying my aircraft, I'm, I'm, I'm in charge of everybody's lives in that aircraft. The air crewman, my junior pilot, things like this. And the same with being a CEO. I'm in charge everybody's lives here. Like, people are working for me. It's my job to make sure that they're getting paycheck, we're getting the suppliers that we're buying from. It's my job to make sure that they get paid. It's job to make sure the customers are happy. You know, it's just that responsibility that comes with having to make sure, you know, the bucks, not the buck sucks. But like, you know, the responsibility stops here. So things, if things go well, it's usually the people who are working here for me that do a good job. If things go badly, it's my fault.

Gresham Harkness 12:41
Like, yeah, that makes so much sense. And you know, having that responsibility and that awareness, just as you talked about is of course, you know, thank you for, you know, all you did for the country as well too. Because a lot of times we forget about how much and how important that is and how, you know, anytime we have a responsibility or we're in a leadership role, like how many people we are affecting. So, you know, like you talked about, you know, as aircraft carrier as well as, you know, being a CEO, you definitely, you know, have a lot of responsibility and I appreciate that, that definition and I appreciate your, your time even more. And what I wanted to do was pass you to the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know and then of course, how best they can get a hold of you. Get the, get the, all the, the great things you guys are creating and everything else you're, you're doing.

Abraham Kamarck 13:24
Yeah, I mean, I think one, one thing I think is very important that people don't think about like when you're working really hard and you're, you're running your business and this is, it's in my bailiwick. So this is one of my soapboxes. But you know, focus on your nutrition and health more than anything else. People don't realize how much that affects. I think a lot of the mental and emotional problems we have out there a lot are a lot of due to poor diets. Sugar does not just affect your teeth or your waistline. It affects, can affect your emotional and your mental health as well. And like, I think these are important things. I think you can get away with doing, working so much harder and getting through so much if you are taking care of your body and, you know, feeding it the right thing. So I, I mean, I think that's a little Bit of a hack that people, they, they know is important but it doesn't get enough attention. I don't think so. I think that's important. That's kind of my, my soapbox there. We had to. And then. Yeah. Forgetting touching me on LinkedIn. I'm the only Abraham Kmark in the entire world. So there's, there's no other. Nobody else has my last name or first name. So weird thing. Yeah. We've a, we have a meet up last name. Not only, you know, anybody who has my last name is related to me no longer than like a second cousin or first goes on my dad's cousins first. Yeah, yeah, that's it. Yeah. The only one with an Abe. So it works out.

Gresham Harkness 14:49
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Well, we'll definitely have that information, those links in the show notes so that everybody can follow up with you as well. And definitely I appreciate you reminding us. They say the sayings health is wealth. And I think a lot of times I appreciate people like you that are bringing awareness because I think a lot of times people don't realize things like ketchup, things that we think are not as bad as they can be. And you creating awareness around that to understand how we can take control of our health and do those things so that we can, you know, run our businesses, you know, care for our families and all those things for, you know, a very long period of time and do it in a great way. So I definitely appreciate that.

IAM2863 – The Root Problem Is Usually Below the Clutter

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:16:07 -0400

The Symptom Trap

When organizational operations begin to feel messy, the immediate temptation for most builders is to grab a new digital tool, download another template, or implement a surface-level system. However, operational clutter is usually just a visible symptom showing you that something much deeper is structurally misaligned. In this episode, featuring insights from Alexandra on episode 66 of the I AM CEO podcast, we explore why adding more technology onto a chaotic foundation never works, and how true executive efficiency requires looking past the immediate mess to locate the underlying friction.

Operations Beyond the Checklist

Many leaders witness late tasks, unclear team handoffs, repetitive mistakes, and tedious manual workflows, and immediately assume they have a software problem. In reality, the true bottleneck often stems from undefined ownership, fractured communication, individuals placed in the wrong roles, or legacy workflows built three years ago that no longer serve the current scope of the business.

True execution within the Operations Pillar isn't about simply tidying things up or organizing a messy inbox; it is about evaluating the specific workplace history, the internal culture, and the human ecosystem to diagnose root friction. Pulling from iconic frameworks like The E-Myth, we break down why founders feel so deeply strained when trying to play the roles of the entrepreneur, the technician, and the manager all at the exact same time.

The Danger of Fast Confusion

The core takeaway for any CEO is a critical operational warning: if you automate a bad, broken process, you will only succeed in making the structural confusion move faster. Before you buy another software license or shift your workflow to a new platform, you must have the executive discipline to pause and clarify the precise problem you are trying to solve.

Instead of building on a shaky foundation, the smartest strategic move is often to slow down, ask better questions, and identify the true root of the weight. Ask yourself this defining question: “Where are you treating operational clutter like the problem, when it is actually just a symptom?”. Shifting your mindset toward diagnostic listening is the definitive lever required to make daily operations deliberate, efficient, and genuinely effective.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2862-listen-to-customers%ea%9e%89-why-the-market-might-already-be-asking/

Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

Gresham Harkness 00:00
When operations feel messy, the temptation is to grab another tool, another template, or another system. But sometimes the clutter is only showing you that something deeper is misaligned. What really stood out for me in episode number 66 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Alexandra, Alexandra helped mission driven nonprofit small businesses overcome the struggles and clutter and the tedious of day to day operations. What I really truly appreciated about this conversation is that she doesn't come in assuming every organization needs the same system. She doesn't say I've done this for this client so you need to do that, or the last 10 clients I spoke with have this issue. So this is your issue. If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build after recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose. Even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkness 01:55

When operations feel messy, the temptation is to grab another tool, another template or another system. But sometimes the clutter is only showing you that something deeper is misaligned. What really stood out for me in episode number 66 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Alexandra, Alexandra helped mission driven nonprofits, small businesses overcome the struggles and clutter and the tedious of day to day operations. What I really truly appreciate about this conversation is that she doesn't come in assuming every organization needs the same system. She doesn't say I've done this for this client, so you need to do that or the ten last thing. Clients I spoke with had this issue. So this is your issue. I hear that a lot. And don't get me wrong, there is a place for expertise and knowledge, but listening is such a huge thing and something that I truly appreciate. She doesn't listen. She asks the right question. She looks at the specific workplace, the history, the people, the culture, and the actual ecosystem that you're hoping to create. That matters because builders often try to fix symptoms, not get to the root of the problem. How does this happen? We see a messy inbox, we see the late task, the unclear handoff, the repeated mistake tedious manual process, and we immediately want a tool. And sometimes that tool is not the actual issue. Sometimes the real problem is ownership. Sometimes it's unclear communication, and sometimes it's the wrong role. Sometimes it's a process that made three years ago, doesn't and no longer works and serves the business. This comes up directly in the operations pillar at CBNation, largely because operations are not just about tidying things up, they are about identifying the root friction so work can happen in a more deliberate, efficient and effective way. Alex talked around the CEO hack, which was the emit, and three roles inside of business the entrepreneur, the technician, the manager. This framework is huge for builders because many founders are trying to play all three roles without realizing how and why they go strange. Here's the nugget that I think that you should definitely run before you add another tool. Ask what problem you're actually trying to solve. Because here's the thing, if you automate a bad process, you may just make the confusion move faster. You're building on a shaky foundation, so that's not going to allow you to be able to get to where you want to be. Here's a question worth thinking about a little bit more. Where are you treating operational clutter like the problem when it may actually be the symptom? Sometimes, maybe even often, the smartest move is to slow down, ask better questions, and find the true root. If things within your business feels tedious or heavier than it should be, this conversation with Alexandra is a great one worth listening to.

The post IAM2863 – The Root Problem Is Usually Below the Clutter appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2862 – Listen to Customers꞉ Why The Market Might Already Be Asking

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 06:16:14 -0400

The Illusion of the Complicated Sign

A frequent mistake made by builders is searching for incredibly complex market indicators—running intense surveys, building heavy funnel architectures, or mapping out elaborate launch strategies—while completely overlooking the obvious. Sometimes, the market doesn't whisper through data analytics; it simply points to what you are already doing and asks, “Can I have that too?” In this episode, inspired by a conversation with apparel founder Lori Tobin on episode 65 of the I AM CEO podcast, we break down why entrepreneurs must stop ignoring the immediate, organic demand staring them in the face.

The Offering Pillar: Moving Beyond Product Isolation

Too many leaders fall deeply in love with their own ideas, spending months building products or widgets in complete isolation because they find them personally interesting. They launch their concepts before they have actually taken the time to listen to the target demographic in need. True execution within the Offering Pillar proves that a premium, high-value offer is never just about what you are capable of manufacturing. It is entirely about what your market actually needs and values enough to actively ask for. At its absolute core, sustainable entrepreneurship is about targeted problem-solving, and your next major revenue stream is likely hidden within the repetitive questions your audience is already asking.

The Discipline of Trend Spotting

The core takeaway for any CEO is to implement a strict operational discipline around active listening. Just as high-performing founders maintain routines around goal-setting and execution, they must remain consistent enough in their client interactions to recognize repeating behavioral patterns. Instead of treating unexpected audience inquiries as minor, random requests, look for the underlying consumer invitation. The directive for true strategic scaling is clear: don't just sell what you have already made; systematically listen for what your customer is inviting you to build next. Ask yourself this critical question: “What specific solution have people already requested from you that you are currently dismissing as a casual remark?”. Shifting your focus toward this responsive framework is the ultimate shortcut to unlocking your next major business opportunity.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2861-the-strategy-of-documentation%ea%9e%89-the-importance-of-writing-your-business-down/

Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
Sometimes the market doesn't whisper through a survey, a funnel, or complicated launch plan. Sometimes it simply says, can I have that, too? That's what came up for me during episode number 65 of the I Am CEO podcast with Lori Tobin. Lori has been running and sewing for years, and after a race, someone tracked her down and asked her where she got the leggings that she was wearing. Here's a little secret. Lori had made them herself.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade, I've had the honor and the privilege of learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs, and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share, drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well, too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:47
Sometimes the market doesn't whisper through a survey, a funnel, or a complicated launch plan. Sometimes it simply says, can I have that, too? That's what came up for me during episode 65 of the I Am CEO podcast with Lori Tobin. Lori has been running and sewing for years, and after a race, someone tracked her down and asked her where she got the leggings that she was wearing. Here's a little secret. Lori had made them herself. But here's the big thing. That moment mattered a lot. Why is that? Because sometimes, as builders, we're looking for a complicated sign from the market, maybe from the universe, from God, whatever it might be, when the market may have already be. Might already be asking a very simple question. Can I have that, too? Do you have those? Circumstances or those experiences where someone's asked, hey, it'd be really good if you did that. Or it'd be great if you created this. Or this would be awesome. Lean into that. Gloria went on to start her apparel company, which made workout clothes in the US for adults and children. And she also has a organization for young children as well too, to exercise, have healthy habits. But here's the nugget or the piece of advice that you can definitely run with. Her advice is ask customers, what do you need next? If there is a builder lesson, that is a builder lesson. Just being able to simply have that conversation opens up the doors for maybe seeing things in a different perspective and in a different way so that you can provide that solution. We spend lots and lots of time of guessing what people want. We build in isolation and when we create things because we think they are interesting, we fall in love with our products and services, our widgets, the things that we created. We launch before we've listened long enough to the people that are actually in need. But here's the thing. Sometimes our next opportunity is already inside the questions that customers already keep asking over and over and over and over again. This connects perfectly to the offering pillar. A strong offer is not what you just what you can make. It's what people actually need and value enough to ask. At the heart of entrepreneurship is around problem solving. If you don't have a problem that you're solving, what are we really creating? Lori touched on many other things, including running, meditating, writing down goals and aspirations. And there's obviously discipline in that. I think that same discipline applies to the listing that you do on a regular basis. You have to be consistent enough with your customers to notice those patterns. You have to be aware of of what is happening, what problems they're having, what questions they're asking on a regular basis. It requires that same discipline. Here's the thing and the big nugget that you want to take away from this conversation and this podcast. Don't just sell what you made. Listen for what the customer is inviting you to build next. Here's something worth thinking about a little bit more. What have people already asked you for or asked me for that once you you have been treating like a random request. Because sometimes our next product, our next service, or our next content idea is not hidden. It's already being spoken by the people that we serve. So why not serve? If you've been trying to figure out what's next, what's the new idea that you should be leading into? Where is the opportunity. This conversation is the one worth listening to.

The post IAM2862 – Listen to Customers꞉ Why The Market Might Already Be Asking appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2861 – The Strategy of Documentation꞉ The Importance of Writing Your Business Down

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 06:16:00 -0400

The Trap of the Unwritten Blueprint

A pervasive challenge for many builders is realizing that their team is constantly coming back to them for every single minor decision. It is easy to label this as a personnel capability issue, but the heavy reality is that it is rarely a people problem. More often than not, the true operational bottleneck is that too much of the business is still entirely trapped inside the founder's head. In this episode, featuring insights from Scott, founder and head coach of My Business on Purpose, we break down why a business built on mind-reading and instinct will inevitably remain stuck in a state of exhausting chaos.

Operations as Clarity Made Usable

Many organizations have immense motion but lack actual strategic clarity. When your core operational processes, unique standard expectations, and guiding corporate values only exist in your instincts, your team cannot repeat them, and they cannot consistently make autonomous decisions through them. True execution within the Operations Pillar proves that systems are not just about deploying complex technology.

Whether you utilize highly advanced software databases or rely on simple, accessible tools like Google Docs and Google Draw, the tool itself does not have to be complicated. The real issue is whether you possess the executive discipline to document what actually matters, transforming your internal wisdom into standard operating procedures that are plain and actionable for everyone.

Engineering True Executive Freedom

The core takeaway for any CEO is a timeless structural truth: real professional freedom starts when your business can understand your direction without needing you present in every single daily conversation. Builders never escape the exhausting day-to-day grind through good intentions alone; they escape it systematically by making the invisible visible.

By writing down the vision so clearly that those who read it can immediately run with it, you eliminate the recurring mistakes and client delays that clog up your workflow. Ask yourself this critical question: “What specific component of your daily operations is still chaotic simply because it has never been clearly written down?”. Shifting your focus toward meticulous process documentation is the definitive lever required to transition from a founder-dependent hustle into a scalable, truly self-sustaining enterprise.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2860-create-calm-the-hidden-value-your-clients-remember/

Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
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Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
And sometimes the issue at hand is really not that people don't care, it's that too much of the business still lives in the founder's head. And there lies the real lesson. If the vision itself is only in your head, your team can't run with it. If the process is only in your instincts, people can't repeat it. If the values are only something that you feel, the business can't consistently make decisions through them.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose. Even when we feel the journey should be a straight and linear path, what I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:45
If your team has to keep coming back to you for every answer, it may not be a people problem. It may be that too much of the business is still trapped in your head. And that's exactly why episode number 64 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Scott stood out to me. Scott is the founder and head coach of my business on Purpose, and his work is centered around helping business owners to really get out of the chaos of working in the business by building internal and intentional vision, mission, values, systems and processes. One of the nuggets that really came up during our conversation is write down the vision so those who read it can run. Now, the word chaos is something that's important, unfortunately, because a lot of builders know exactly what that feels like, what that looks like, like. And they might be experiencing it as I speak. Think about it. Everything still runs through you. The team keeps asking questions, the same mistakes keep happening. Clients are waiting on answers. The business has motion, but not enough clarity. And sometimes the issue at hand is really not that people don't care, it's that too much of the business still lives in the founder's head. And there lies the real lesson. If the vision itself is only in your head, your team can't run with it. If the process is only in your instincts, people can't repeat it. If the values are only something that you feel, the business can't consistently make decisions through them. This connects directly to the operations pillar. And operations is not just tools, they are clarity made usable and actionable. Scott spoke around a lot of different SEO hacks. Everything from Google Drive with Docs, Google Draw. What I actually love is that this reinforces that the tool doesn't have to be complicated. The real issue is whether you are documenting what actually matters overall, no matter what tool you use. If you use some of these that Scott mentioned, absolutely awesome. We're big users of Google, but understand the the utility why exactly you're using that tool even more. And keep in mind that freedom starts when the business can understand you without needing you in every single conversation. That means writing the business down, writing down the. Writing down the vision, writing down the process, writing the standard writing expectation, writing the thing you keep repeating over and over again. Those things need to be plain and in everyone's face so they understand exactly what those roles are. And here's something worth thinking about. What part of your business is still chaotic because it never has been clearly written down. Builders don't usually escape the day to day through intention alone. They escape it by making the invisible actually visible. If you're. If you have a business that is still very much dependent upon you and people reading your mind or reading something that you haven't actually written down and documented. This conversation with Scott is definitely worth worth revisiting and checking out.

The post IAM2861 – The Strategy of Documentation꞉ The Importance of Writing Your Business Down appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2860 – Create Calm: The Hidden Value Your Clients Remember

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:16:08 -0400

The Experience Architecture: Moving Beyond the Basic Service

A major oversight for many builders is assuming that clients only evaluate a company based on the technical delivery of a product or service. When people are stressed, confused, or structurally overwhelmed by a problem, they are heavily evaluating how steady they feel while actively working with you. In this episode, drawing brilliant insights from Elise's family mediation practice, we dive deep into an essential corporate reality: sometimes the actual asset of your business is not the service itself, but the deliberate calm you engineer around that service.

The Human Pillar of Emotional Stakes

Whether your company handles high-stakes legal conflicts, implements intricate AI software, manages monthly bookkeeping, or fixes broken infrastructure, your clients are almost always carrying an invisible layer of emotional drag. They are dealing with baseline confusion, embarrassment, or deep frustration over tasks outside their personal zone of mastery.

True execution within the Human Pillar requires understanding that you are never just fixing a surface-level technical breakdown; you are actively resolving the anxiety surrounding it. The exact manner in which you make an individual feel during a chaotic operational crunch becomes an permanent cornerstone of your brand equity. Your organizational workflow either systematically injects stress into a B2B relationship, or it intentionally extracts it.

Engineering Trust Through Absolute Stability

The core takeaway for any executive is that a sustainable competitive advantage is rarely achieved by trying to be louder, faster, or superficially more impressive than the rest of the market. True differentiation belongs to the leader who allows their target market to breathe, think clearly, and move forward with absolute strategic clarity.

By structuring communications to eliminate client second-guessing and designing environments where people retain their voice, you transform a transactional process into a high-value human connection. Ask yourself this critical question: “Where is your current operational framework creating unnecessary complexity for clients who are already carrying a full load of stress?”. Returning your focus to providing stability is the ultimate leverage to accelerate deep client retention and build bulletproof trust.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2859-the-strategy-of-delegation-protecting-the-part-of-you-that-drives-growth/

Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
When people are stressed, confused or overwhelmed, they're not only buying your product or your service, they're also paying attention to how steady they feel while working with you. That's something so powerful that came up in episode number 63 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Elise. She provides divorce and family mediation services at the time, and she was really focused on creating a caring and empathetic environment where clients feel safe, comfortable and empowered while resolving those conflicts Foreign.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build. After recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose, even when you feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:50
When people are stressed, confused or overwhelmed, they're not only buying your product or your service, they're also paying attention to how steady they feel while working with you. That's something so powerful that came up in episode number 63 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Elise. She provides divorce and family mediation services at the time, and she was really focused on creating a caring and empathetic environment where clients feel safe, comfortable and empowered while resolving those conflicts. Here's something you really want to zero in on. Sometimes the business is not just about the service. Sometimes the business is the calm you create around that service. It's all around. Not just the product service that we do, but actually the experience that we create. We don't have to have a restaurant or something in the entertainment business to create an experience. We all are creating an experience, whether we know it or not. That's a super powerful idea for builders. Why? Because when people come to us, they are often carrying more than the surface level problem. They may be stressed, confused, embarrassed, overwhelmed, frustrated or unsure of what the next step should be. These are all human emotions and these are things that often we are ultimately solving. It's not just the product or service, it's the embarrassments, the confusion. All those things are the things that we actually are doing to help people to be able to move forward. And when we're able to understand that absolute game changer, the way we make people feel in the middle of the moment can become part of the value we provide. And frankly, I would even argue that it should become part of the value we provide and communicate about. For Elise, mediation is not just about reaching an agreement. It's about creating a process where people still feel they have a voice. Instead of handling and handing everything over to a judge or an attorney, the people involved are part of the conversation and part of the overall solution. Where does this come up? The human pillar at simulation? Largely because business is still human, especially when the stakes are highly emotional. Elise spoke about many things during the conversation, including mentoring others, finding a mentor, knowing your numbers. But the idea I really, really, really resonated with during this conversation is people remember how steady you make them feel when the situation is extremely difficult, no matter what it is. It could be everything from a plumber. It could be someone that's doing digital marketing, it could be a new AI tool that you're implementing, or a SaaS product. But how steady you are plays such a huge part in terms of, like, how people will value you and honestly ultimately build that trust as well too. Like I mentioned, it applies well beyond mediation. If you're a consultant, agency owner, coach, service provider, founder, whatever your title might be, your process either adds stress or it reduces it. Your communication either increase clarity or confusion. Your presence either makes people feel safer or it makes them second guess their decision. Here's something worth asking yourself. Where could your business create more calm for people who are already carrying enough stress? Because the differentiator sometimes, maybe even all the time, not being louder, faster, or more impressive. Sometimes it's just being the person, CEO, the builder, the entrepreneur, or the company that helps people breathe, think clearly and move forward. If your work serves people during complicated moments, and keep in mind, complicated moments can literally mean a lot of different things. Somebody's technology doesn't work they're frustrated by the amount of leads they're getting into their business. They haven't completed their taxes. They need help with their monthly bookkeeping. These are all potentially complicated moments, because often an entrepreneur, CEO, and business owner is the master of their craft, and they don't necessarily want to do all those other things. There might be some awareness or some surface level understanding of what's happening, but they're not diving deep into those aspects, largely because they are those complicated moments. They are those things that they don't want to really want to focus on. So that's why you definitely should check out this conversation, at least. Such a phenomenal reminder that while we are providing X service or Y product, in reality we are creating human connections and human events.

The post IAM2860 – Create Calm: The Hidden Value Your Clients Remember appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2859 – The Strategy of Delegation: Protecting the Part of You That Drives Growth

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:16:57 -0400

The Trap of the Responsible Ceiling

One of the fastest ways to slow down a high-potential business is to keep grinding away at tasks you were never meant to keep doing. As builders, it is easy to convince ourselves that managing every single moving part is just being responsible. In reality, wearing every hat—from sales and delivery to admin, content, and daily operations—silently creates an artificial ceiling over your entire organization. In this episode, inspired by a powerful conversation with digital marketing consultant Jeff on episode 62 of the I AM CEO podcast, we break down why a business built around the founder as a permanent bottleneck can never truly scale.

The Essential Audit: Capability vs. Value

Breaking out of this operational weight requires a level of raw personal honesty that many founders actively avoid. You must stop asking what you *can* do, or what you have *always* done, and start asking a much sharper question: “What are you actually best at, and what work creates the highest value when you do it?”.

Just because you possess the technical skill to execute a task does not mean it is an appropriate use of your executive capacity. The heavy truth is that the more your organization depends on you performing low-value work, the less room you have to step into the strategic work that only you can do. Mentally believing that everything must run through you doesn't make you dedicated—it turns your business into a self-imposed prison.

Protecting the Asset of Energy

The core takeaway for any leader sits squarely at the intersection of our “Strategy and Operations Pillars”. True strategy is never just about choosing a target market; it is about deliberately deciding where your finite energy goes and where it does not go simultaneously. Outsourcing and letting go of control isn't merely an exercise in saving time.

It is a defensive strategy designed to protect the exact part of you that drives the venture forward. Whether you execute this shift through the deployment of advanced technology or by building a team, you must take a step back and allow yourself to delegate. Stop holding onto low-value workflows under the guise of commitment, and start engineering an enterprise that leverages your absolute zone of genius.

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam2858-computer-scientist-and-angel-investor-provides-digital-forensics-services/

Blue Star Franchise: bluestarfranchise.com
Browse the Franchise Inventory: bluestarfranchise.com/franchise
Is franchising right for you? Check this out to see: bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Franchise CEO (A CBNation Site – coming soon) – franchiseceo.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Transcription:

Gresham Harkless 00:00
I'm asking you, what are you actually best at and what work creates the highest value when you do it? This connects perfectly to the strategy and operations pillar. Largely. Strategy is not just choosing a market, it's choosing where your energy should go and where it should not go.

If you're building something meaningful, you're in the right place. This is the I Am CEO Podcast. I'm gresh, and for over a decade I've had the honor and the privilege of Learning directly from CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners just like you on how to build after recording more than 1600 episodes, one thing has become clear. Success isn't about following someone else's blueprint. And as I like to say on the show, if you run your own race, you can't lose. Even when we feel the journey should be a straight and linear path. What I've come to find out is success is a lot more like a plate of spaghetti. So in this special segment and episode, I'm starting to curate and share some CEO hacks and CEO nuggets that I've been dying to share. Drawn from thousands of episodes with phenomenal guests that have provided awesome value on the show, but also my 10 years of business experience as well too. These lessons are designed to strengthen the foundational principles that every business is built on and guided by a simple equation that we always go back to with our content. Visibility plus resources times connections equals success. This is practical wisdom you can apply almost immediately, so be sure to check out the show notes for more resources and next steps on how to level up. And of course, enjoy this special episode of the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 01:42
One of the fastest ways to slow down a good business is to keep doing work you were never meant to keep doing. It can feel irresponsible, but over time it turns into a ceiling. That's the idea that really came up in episode number 62 of the I Am CEO Podcast with Jeff. Jeff works as an independent financial advisor to help them navigate digital marketing social media to grow their business. Now, financial services can be complex and regulated, and his work is not just about posting content. It's about helping advisors to show up strategically without losing their voice or of course, their credibility. But the bigger builder lesson is actually about focus. A lot of entrepreneurs say they want freedom, flexibility, but they keep building the business where they are, the bottleneck for everything they're doing. The sales, the delivery, the admin, the content, the follow up, the operations. And they're wondering why growth feels so heavy and why it's so hard to get past that Jeff's nugget is simple and something you definitely want to pay attention to. It's one of those simple things that founders avoid because it requires honesty. What are you I'm looking and talking directly to you actually best at now? I'm not asking you what can you do. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should be doing it. Not what have you always been doing. I'm not asking you that either. Not what feels hard to let go because no one else does it exactly like you. I'm not asking you any of those things. I'm asking you what what are you actually best at? And at what work creates the highest value when you do it. This connects perfectly to the strategy and operations pillar. Largely strategy is not just choosing a market, is choosing where your energy should go and where it should not go simultaneously. Jeff talked around many things, thinking Grow Rich, which is a phenomenal book. He also pointed back to this importance of mindset. And I think that really matters here because many builders know that they should delegate but but mentally they are still believing everything depends on them and that belief becomes a prison. Here's a nugget you really want to keep in your back pocket. At the very least, the more your business depends on you doing low value work, the less room you have to do the work only that you can do. And here's a question worth thinking about. What are you still holding on to? Because it feels responsible even though it is actually slowing the business down. Because outsourcing is not just about saving time. It's about protecting the part of you that actually drives growth. If you've been carrying way too many roles, way too many hats, chief cook and body washer and calling it entrepreneurship, this conversation with Jeff is definitely worth listening to and revisiting because there is definitely a better way. And a lot of that better way is sometimes starting with us as the builders, the entrepreneurs, the CEOs, whatever. It's how do we give. Taking a step back and allowing the opportunities to delegate that delegation can be in terms of people, it could also be in terms of technology.

The post IAM2859 – The Strategy of Delegation: Protecting the Part of You That Drives Growth appeared first on I AM CEO Podcast.

IAM2858 – Computer Scientist and Angel Investor Provides Digital Forensics Services

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 06:16:55 -0400

Brian is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and angel investor. Brian currently serves as Chairman of Gillware, which provides cyber risk assessments, data recovery, incident response, and digital forensics services. He is co founder of Phoenix Nuclear Labs and served on PNL’s board from inception to when it decided to spin off SHINE Medical Technologies. Those two companies have raised over 100 million dollars of venture capital and employ hundreds of people in Wisconsin.

CEO Hack: Delegating effectively
CEO Nugget: You may spend more than you think you need on IT
CEO Defined: Leader and responsibility holder

Website: https://www.gillware.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-gill-68997a38/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gillwaredatarecovery/

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Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam498-computer-scientist-and-angel-investor-provides-digital-forensics-services/

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

Brian Gill 00:00
Just be passionate about what you do, you know, like, it matters a lot more to me how many people we help, how many people we advise. I spend hundreds of hours a year on the phone with clients that are in these desperation, we just got breached, situations that never engage with us. And I always give them everything I have, every ounce of knowledge, every piece of advice. It's free, you know, I never. I'm here to help, and the more people I can help, the better.

Gresham Harkless 00:56
Hello, hello, hello, this is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Brian Gill of Gillware. Brian, it's awesome to have you on the show.

Brian Gill 01:03
Hey, thanks for having me, man.

Gresham Harkless 01:05
No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I want to do is just read a little bit more about Brian so you can hear about all the awesome things that he's doing. And Brian is a computer scientist, entrepreneur and angel investor. Brian currently serves as a chairman of Gilware, which provides cyber risk assessment, data recovery, incident response, and digital forensic services. He's also co founder of the Phoenix Nuclear Labs and serves as a P&L's board from inception to when it decided to spin off Shine medical technologies. These two companies have raised over $100 million of venture capital and employ hundreds of people in Wisconsin. Brian, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Brian Gill 01:36
Let's do it.

Gresham Harkless 01:37
Let's make it happen. So I wanted to kick everything off and hear a little bit more about what I call your CEO story. Won't let you get started with your business.

Brian Gill 01:43
Yeah, so, you know, I started as a, I was a computer nerd, like right away. I literally wrote my first computer program when I was about 9 years old. Was not the captain of the football team, you know, was on that kind of Urkel side of the spectrum, but definitely didn't necessarily see myself in any kind of leadership role like ever was a programmer. Went out to the west coast during the first kind of pets.com Internet boom and burst. Got bursted and retreated back to Wisconsin, where I'm from originally and knew I wanted to. To be an entrepreneur, knew I wanted to do my own thing and Ended up starting a business to help people out of data related disasters. And at the time, that was maybe 15 years ago, 16 now, and it's been a while, but you know, started it and started with my brother Tyler and there was the two of us and then we hired two or three of our friends and all of a sudden we had like a business and all of a sudden I was the CEO of that business. It was real weird, but it was all my friends, so it was really not like I had to pretend to be a CEO. These are people I had known for years and years and years in my whole life. And we're just kind of doing something together. But of course it evolved. And you know, once you have, you know, 20 or 30 employees, all of a sudden like people expect you to actually be a CEO. And you know, that was a learning curve, but we're getting through it and we started a bunch of businesses and solved a lot of problems, helped a lot of people and it's been, it's been quite a ride. Nice.

Gresham Harkless 03:08
Well, I definitely appreciate that, especially how they, it sounds like it organically kind of grew. But you said, I heard you say in the beginning that you had, you always knew you wanted to be an entrepreneur. So did you have the vision of the business? Probably not. Maybe not necessarily being exactly this business, but being able to be a CEO and grow it to this level?

Brian Gill 03:20
Yeah, I mean I had started and failed a bunch of different businesses, a bunch of weird ideas, bunch of crazy stuff. Probably when I was 19, still in school, I started. Me and my buddy tried to start a couple of Internet things. Kind of before the Internet really was a thing. Never really found complimentary people to partner with. I am pretty high, I'm pretty high level thinker. I really hate the minutia of like doing the accounting or you know, working with a lawyer on like a 37 page document. You know, like that stuff just crushes me. So I really needed to find, you know, people that could do the real work. And when I finally did, it was great. But the original idea for the data recovery company wasn't even me. It was my brother Tyler. He had a clicking hard drive and he was a young man. He was probably, I don't know, 19 or 20 years old. Going to school at UW Wisconsin here and trying to get his computer science degree. Kind of follow in my footsteps a little bit and. And then lost a hard drive and was trying to find anybody to fix it to get his pictures of all his people back. And one of his buddies in High school had died and he really wanted those pictures and didn't have them anywhere else. And there was no cloud size. And he was a young guy who just never backed his stuff up and started trying to find anybody to help and found two companies that did it in a very long search. And both of them wanted like $3,000 to just site unseen. Oh, it's going to be three to five grand. And he was like, oh, that's pretty much my college tuition and that's going to work, right? So we were sitting around and I came back from California and he was, he was in school, but. And he's real smart, but he hated the academic tracks. You know, if he was in a class that didn't. He couldn't see the practical application for it. He was just like, he was having a real hard time. So he wanted to do something else other than go to school. I wanted to do something. And he remembered his broken hard drive and he's like, well, how hard could that be? I'm like, well, it's probably pretty hard, but that's not unattractive, right? And the fact that there's only two companies doing it that we could find, that doesn't mean that we don't want to do it. You know, that sounds great. Like, oh, that sounds like a difficult problem. We knew there was a market that was not being served, so could we be the solution to that? You know, I'm a computer scientist and you know, one of my brothers, Wesley, was a mechanical engineer and a computer scientist. One of his buddies, Scott, was a mechanical engineer and an industrial engineer. And our buddy Greg was an electrical engineer and a physicist. And it's like, well, between the five of us, can we figure this out? And we could. And that was, that was pretty fun, right?

Gresham Harkless 05:48
That makes, you know, so much sense. And it's funny because I know you touched on it as well, too, when you were talking about exactly how you've helped so many people. Funny because like a lot of times the ideas that we come up with with businesses is from basically scratching our own niche, so to speak. As you kind of talked about where we have some type of issue, something isn't created or we try to find it. It might be there, but it may not cater to a specific market that we're thinking about. So you decide to enter entrepreneurial form, kind of created yourself. So I definitely appreciate that. I know you touched on it a little bit, too. I wanted to hear a little bit more about fieldwork. Can you take us through exactly, like, how you Work with clients, the services you provide and how that.

Brian Gill 06:17
Yeah. So these days, Obviously life in 2019 is a lot different than 2003. So over the years it's evolved. We started with like fixing clicking hard drives and then in around 2006 we started a cloud services backup company. So we wrote a bunch of code and built a bunch of software and had a, basically a service platform where people could back up their data and specifically small businesses. It was really geared toward SMB and we had a referral network or reseller network. A lot of about 800 little computer repair and managed service companies all over the United States were selling that platform. That company got acquired in 2016 by a bigger fish called Storage Craft. They're a great backup company. And when that happened, we're like, okay, what's the next thing? Because again, we're always looking for what's next. And once again, it wasn't all that hard to figure that out. There is a huge, massive worldwide problem with ransomware and cyber attacks. And we got a lot of calls for that just in the data recovery lab. So we were not even advertising for it. And we were getting drug into this. There was a, there was a magnetism just pulling us into this. So we decided to go whole hog. Found a company called Gilware Digital Forensics, essentially services two major markets. One is incident response. The incidents that we're responding to are these companies had a data breach and maybe they're locked out of their data and it's all encrypted. And the second thing that we're probably really doing the most these days is called risk assessment. So usually mid sized businesses, maybe one to 500 employees will bring us in not to like do their it, not to replace their IT department, not to compete with their it, purely to advise, to look at the network topography, look at the threat profile, work with them to make sure they've got the right type of just practical things like do you have the right kind of cyber insurance policy? The answer is sometimes no, and often no. I mean, a lot of times, a lot of your listeners might be in that SMB phase where they got 10 or 20 employees. Even at that phase, you should probably be thinking about a cyber insurance policy and very few people have them. And if they have them, maybe you got one eight years ago before all this ransomware stuff started and it's way out of date and doesn't make sense anymore. So those are the main two things that we're doing these days, is helping people out of these hacks, helping them Dig out and then helping prevent them as well.

Gresham Harkless 08:28
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I think a lot of times, I don't know if you've definitely heard this with your clients or potential clients or even probably just talking and conversing with people that a lot of times you think that it would never happen to you. Sometimes you're too small. I hear that a lot with small businesses and medium sized business sometimes too where they say, you know, we're too small to be attacked. They're going for the big huge company. So we don't have anything to worry about. So you don't worry about, you know, some of those things or thinking about the insurance and things like that as you kind of touched on.

Speaker B 08:51
Yeah.

Brian Gill 08:52
And the big companies are definitely big targets and they're in certain companies, in certain industries or certain government agencies are definitely highly targeted and specifically targeted by the big overseas hacking groups, some of which are state sponsored. So they're in countries where it's not illegal to do what they're doing. It's. They're getting their paycheck from the same government. Oh wow. That is telling them to attack US businesses in petroleum or whatever the industry might be. So some of those companies have a real, that's a real problem. You know, you are getting attacked all the time and you get attacked 81 different ways. And if one of those 81 things isn't taken care of, you're going to get got. And that type of big organization or targeted organization usually is also going to have somewhat of an assumption of like, yeah, we're going to get owned occasionally. How do we respond internally? So they practice response internally as much as they spend time preventing.

Gresham Harkless 09:45
Right.

Brian Gill 09:45
The smaller businesses are not going to be necessarily direct targets, but some of these bad guys catch a really wide or they cast a wide net. And if you are, you haven't patched your operating system for three years and your business is running on like a Windows XP box, it's not even supported. And there's known vulnerabilities that the bad guys have pre programmed kits that can attack that. Well, that's a really easy win for them. And it may not be the huge half million dollar ransomware payment, but it was really easy. And maybe they get you for five grand. Right. Or put you in a position where like, well, do I go out of business or just don't do this or should I come up with five grand to get my own data back? And as a small business boy, like that can be catastrophic. Close the doors. Yeah, right. Sometimes and so even small businesses need to be not necessarily hiring some consultant to come in and pay a bunch of money. But small businesses should have the basics. You should have, you know, if you got more than one employee or if you're working off site and your business is over here on this network, that network needs a firewall and it needs a firewall in front of it. That's a piece of hardware that does two factor authentication, where when I go to log into my network from home or from the Starbucks, I put in my username and password and then there's a second form of identification, which is like a rolling code on your smartphone. So you go to your smartphone, you bring up your app and you type in this eight digit code. It's the kind of thing that people are starting to notice. Banks finally rolling out to consumers, where, hey, I log into my bank and it's like, hey, I'm going to text you a code. That's the second factor, right? So you got to have that, you got to have backups, you know, your data, your, your accounting data, your payroll data, your architecture designs, your recordings of your podcast, the videos that you're producing, that all of that stuff needs to get backed up automatically. If you have to do something every day or once a week, or remind yourself, hey, once a month I'm going to plug a plug into this and then do this and that. It ain't good. It's not going to work because we're busy as entrepreneurs, especially as small business owners, especially. How often are you really going to remind yourself to do that? I'll do that next week. What, what surprises people is almost all of our data recovery clients, which we still do, by the way, almost all of them had a backup. Had a backup until they went to look at it and it's like, oh, crap, I haven't done it since March 2018. Oh, wow. You know, it's like, that's normal. That's the normal experience. It's not that they never thought about it. Everybody knows I should back my data up. But they don't spend like the $50 per node per year to back up the data in an automated fashion to a different network. So if the bad guys get you, well, you can go get your backup over here. And as long as you have different username and password to get into it, and ideally there's a two factor auth to log into it, then, then they're never going to hold you ransom. Now, they may have your data, they may steal your data, and that might be Bad. And that will be bad, but at least you won't have to pay some, you know, in the Ukraine, $5,000 to get access to your own data bank.

Gresham Harkless 12:38
Yeah, yeah, that makes perfect sense. And I mean all throughout business, the whole idea, at least what I say, and I think even, you know, a lot of the definitions of businesses just to kind of mitigate risk. So you're trying to reduce the likelihood of risk. You can't guarantee you're not going to have any risk, whether it be technology or whatever, but you try to reduce that as much as possible. And like you said, you know, two factor authentic authentication and those kind of steps definitely help out as far as doing that. So I definitely appreciate that and you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And it could be for you personally or your business. What do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Brian Gill 13:07
Just be passionate about what you do, you know, like it matters a lot more to me how many people we help, how many people we advise. I spend hundreds of hours a year on the phone with clients that are in these desperation. We just got breach situations that never engage with us. And I always give them everything I have, every ounce of knowledge, every piece of advice. It's free. You know, I never, I'm here to help and the more people I can help, the better.

Gresham Harkless 13:34
I appreciate that secret sauce. And I wanted to switch gears a little bit and I wanted to ask you for what I call a CEO hack. And this might be an Apple book or a habit that you have. What's something that makes you more effective and efficient?

Brian Gill 13:44
Learn to delegate effectively.

Gresham Harkless 13:46
Now I wanted to ask you, and you already gave us some of these, but I want to ask you if you had any more as far as like the CEO nugget. And this is like a word of wisdom or piece of advice and I know related to, you know, anything that small business owners can do related to the technology that can help them to be successful as well.

Brian Gill 13:59
First thing to understand is you're going to have to spend money and you're going to have to spend some of your hard earned money on it and IT security. And that sucks. Everybody wants to put that money in the checking account or put it in the holiday bonuses or distribute it. You don't have to take all of it, but you probably have to spend more than you think you do.

Gresham Harkless 14:18
I definitely appreciate those nuggets. And now I wanted to ask you my absolute favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO, we're open to have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Brian, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Brian Gill 14:27
Being a CEO is really, you know, being a leader. You know, they're, they're synonymous. You know, you, you, depending on your corporate structure, you know, you might be responsible to shareholders or whoever and maybe you're, maybe you're a one person company, right? You're the CEO of your one person company. Well, you're still responsible to your shareholders, which is you.

Gresham Harkless 14:48
I appreciate that definition and I appreciate your time even more, Brian. What I want to do is pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you want to let our readers and listeners know. And then of course I best they can get a hold of you, find

IAM2857 – Master Yogi Helps Others Rediscover Their Power

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 06:16:55 -0400

Katie B Happyy is a world-renowned Master Yogi. Katie has appeared on NBC, and CBS, featured in Shape Magazine in addition to being an international Lululemon Model / Ambassador, and has taught at festivals including Wanderlust, International Yoga Festival in India, and The One Love Movement. Through her b_inspired courses hosted in India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Italy, Spain, China, Colombia, and beyond Katie B challenges thousands to awaken a deeper part of their spirit.

Katie’s 501C3 nonprofit, B_Inspired has changed thousands of lives and helps you rediscover your power. From life-changing Self-Venture Int'l Retreats to online classes, the b_inspired team helps you align to your clarity in your calling.

CEO Hack: Clarity, gratitude and growth
CEO Nugget: Letting the people working with me be better than me
CEO Defined: Trusting the transitions

Website: http://binspired.life/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiebhappyy/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiebhappyy
https://www.facebook.com/katiebinspired/

Previous episode: https://iamceo.co/iam495-chiropractor-passionate-about-communicating-health-in-an-easy-way/

Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

Transcription:

Katie B Happyy 00:00
A CEO to me means trusting the transitions that like only thing that's constant is change and who I am in the transitions, who I am every time I fail, which is a lot. The grace in which I can offer my employees and my students and my participants, my clients.

Gresham Harkless 00:45
Hello, hello, hello, this is Gretch from the I Am CEO Podcast and I have a very special guest on the show today. I have Katie. Be happy of Be Inspired. Katie. It's awesome to have you on the show.

Katie B Happyy 00:52
Thank you so much for having me.

Gresham Harkless 00:54
No problem. Super excited to have you on. And what I wanted to do is just read a little bit more about Katie so you can hear about all the awesome things that she's doing. And Katie is a world renowned master yogi. Katie has appeared on NBC, cbs, featured in Shape magazine, in addition to being an international Lululemon model and ambassador, and has taught at festivals including Wanderlust International Yoga Festival in India and the One Love Movement. Through Be Inspired courses hosted in India, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, Italy, Spain, China, Colombia and beyond. KDB challenges thousands to awaken a deepened part of their spirit. Katie's 5013c nonprofit Be Inspired has changed thousands of lives and helps you rediscover your power. From life changing self venture, intentional retreats to online classes, the Be Inspired team helps you to align up to your clarity and your calling. Katie, are you ready to speak to the I Am CEO community?

Katie B Happyy 01:39
Oh yeah.

Gresham Harkless 01:40
Awesome. Let's make it happen. So I wanted to kick everything off and hear a little bit more about your background and your CEO story and what led you to get started with your organization.

Katie B Happyy 01:47
Initially I always wanted to. I had a craving to give back, but I didn't really know how and so I adventured into a major called International Security and Conflict Resolution which I thought I was gonna go into humanitarian aid like working for the UN or some sort of making change on that grander scale. And what initiated the spark or initiated my joy or love of, of intentionally giving back? My mom passed away of breast cancer when I was 14 and I had the unique opportunity and the beautiful opportunity to be with her in her last breath and something kind of clicked with me. Like when you see someone's chest rise and fall and then the moment that they just exhale and there's nothing after that, I. I realize that this life is just a game and, and literally every inhale is a gift. So I had this fire under my butt to figure out why we get this opportunity to breathe in. Like, why do we get an inhale every second? 1.8 people die. 4 people are born, which is promising, but 1.8 pass away from their bodies. And I just had this spark. Like, life's too short to not go deeper or figure out why we got the breath. So ventured through the. The giving back world. I went into nonprofits after I left school and eventually started to realize that the change I was trying to make. Selfishly, I love the fact that from minute one to minute 60 in a yoga class, I could watch someone come in and literally leave feeling like, better after they're done. It's a. I was selling change on a. On a grander scale when I was working in the nonprofits and more political stuff. And I was selling a dream, which is still needed and, and awesome. But me personally, I found a lot more opportunity and a lot more gratification instantaneous. Just to see that the ripple effect I can make by changing someone's day in that little fitness class could really make a ripple effect outward. And they're nicer to people, and then those people are nicer to other people. I just felt more validation from it. So the. My company's called Be Inspired because the Latin root of the word inspiration is to inspira, to inhale. And I'm figuring out, like, why? How do we live every inhale? How do we live inspired? And yes, we're going to go through ruts and be super stuck, and we're going to fail more times than we succeed, honestly. So I'm trying to figure out, even in those places where we fail and even in the places where it doesn't feel good and we have a broken heart or we have to transition into a new job, how do we find inspiration to keep moving forward, to trust the transition, and to really just dive a little bit deeper into the little time that we have in this world together. So that's where it was born. I started teaching yoga and it started snowballing where it wasn't just yoga, but now I was making change on a small level. How do we make it bigger and organically? It started to grow into workshops that are three hours, then weekend seminars, then even bigger into retreats. And now we host six international. I call Them self ventures that are basically retreats with a lot of self development aspects in it because we're a self development company that's trying to help you figure out your transition, help you get reinspired after what's, you know, what's inevitable is that the only thing that's inevitable is change. So how do we in this life continue moving forward? And then the retreats are a mixture of mantras, exercises, eye staring, dancing, sweating, like having a lot of fun. We value fun too at night. And so it helps us, it helps people move forward in a really productive way. And it's organically kind of grown from me just wanting to help people in figuring that out and using yoga and fitness as an outlet to get there. And now it's like the onion layers, right? You start with fitness, that's the outer layer. And then it gets a little bit deeper. Then we go into the mind and the heart and then even deeper into like clarity and purpose and, and these trips are just, they're really fun.

Gresham Harkless 05:08
No, I, I definitely appreciate that. I'm obviously sorry to, you know, hear about your mom and everything that happened, but just that clarity that you, you talked about is something that I think a lot of us sometimes forget. You know, just every, like you said, every gift is, every breath is a gift. And a lot of times we, I don't know if you find this as well, but I kind of feel like you don't really have that set time where you should figure out what those breaths in life are supposed to be going towards until you actually take time to, to kind of look and search a lot of times within yourself and do different, you know, ways, as you mentioned, dancing and yoga and all those things to figure out who you are, why you were putting your on this earth and what you're kind of in here to do. I feel like there's not enough kind of time set aside for us to do that. You have to kind of just figure that out or you, you know, run into people like you, of course.

Katie B Happyy 05:49
Thanks. I, I stoke the fire. I, you know, I'm not, I don't promise any results. Besides the fact that you'll be beautifully motivated and re inspired after we spend a little bit of time together. Whether that's a 60 minute fitness class, because that's perfect and that's awesome, or if it goes a little bit deeper into some of the online courses that we offer or the retreats where you actually take the big jump and go to an international space where your body and your mind, you're in A totally different world. There's a molecular change that happens when you've been. When you're in a new place with new sounds and smells and sensations, with brand new people, Something gets to shift in you. And so that when you come back home, nothing really, nothing has to change in your world besides the way that you look at it. And so we help you shift your perspective in ways that keep you propelling forward in the direction that you want to go.

Gresham Harkless 06:31
Yeah, that makes so much sense. And I've definitely found that from. And I don't know if this is kind of speaking to what you were talking about as well too, but a lot of times, I think even on a smaller level, some people get ideas. I've got an idea sometimes being in the shower just because you're changing your environment. But obviously I've been able to do it as well on vacations. I don't know why, but I guess it's speaking to what you were talking about where you're in a different environment, you're thinking about things differently, you're doing things different than norm. A lot of times when you come back and you start to look at a problem in a different way or come up with a different, you know, products or whatever it might be, just look at things differently, you start to appreciate things a little bit more. If I want to, yeah.

Katie B Happyy 07:01
You know, that exact notion is what kind of got me started on the International Retreats in 2013. We did do some. We did them up in Ojai or different areas of America. And personally, I even thought, okay, let's just start small because I'm located in San Diego. So small for me is driving across the border down to Mexico. And I still do that many times a year. And on that very first trip, 20 minutes across the border, the world is completely different in all these beautiful ways. And your heart is just tugged in places where you come home grateful at the end of it. And we teamed up with a local orphanage. That was 2014. And now every year, every trip I go on, we do some sort of karma or give back component, because I think it's one of the hugest components of feeling good and happy in your life is being able to give back and contribute to something. That contribution is critical. There's three things from happiness is what I say. There's growth, gratitude, and giving. And if you believe that you're giving back to something even small in your life, I think that it contributes a lot deeper to your day to day happiness. And so you add that to a retreat where you're already getting away and we go volunteer at an orphanage or even just raise money for them as part of the proceeds goes to that from the retreats. Then you feel like you're not just doing something for you, you're doing something for a little bit bigger purpose.

Gresham Harkless 08:08
Yeah, that makes so much sense. It's definitely powerful. And just as you kind of spoke to, I feel like it starts to create that energy and that energy starts to propel itself, as you mentioned, you know, whether it be just, you know, a fitness class that you do, you feel like from the first minute to the 60th minute you see that energy and then you start to see it and see that change and it starts to manifest how people are looking at their lives, maybe interacting with, you know, their loved ones and their job and so on and so forth. It creates that energy that makes the world an overall better place. So I definitely appreciate that. So I know you touched on a little bit about, you know, some of the things that, you know you're doing. Is there anything additional you didn't really touch on that? You know, people that are listening, that want to get involved, not sure bestly how, what would be the best step for them as far as being inspired?

Katie B Happyy 08:45
There's some big things in the works for 2020 where you can virtually get a little bit more involved to be announced because it's, it's kind of rolling up soon. But I would say as of right now, the biggest way to be involved is show up to any of the big events that we host. So we host bicoastally New York or San Diego, a big event on the flight deck of the Intrepid or the Midway where there's like 500 people and we get out there and we sweat. We have a good time. I always say we get a workout and a work in because you, you're able to definitely feel good. That's a component. You need those natural drugs, adrenaline, endorphin, dopamine, you need those to pump a little bit. But then you get to connect with people. We do some weird eye staring stuff in a great way. You just get out on the sunshine and it's for a good cause. You can get involved in the fundraising component. Be Inspired is also a 501C3. There's a component where you can get involved in that way and even just fundraising in your community because we give back to people that are trying to transition out of a space of loss. And so whether that's the orphans that we raise money for in Mexico, And India or I run a free retreat for cancer survivors every twice a year. So April and October, I sponsor 40 cancer survivors to go on a free retreat to figure out what's next after their loss. And it was loss of an identity in addition of this, you know, this survivor cancer identity. And of course, it's in my mom's memory, but that's another way to get involved. And there will be some online components dropping if you're not able to come to an event on the east coast or the west coast or an international trip, which is obviously the Maha. The. If you can get on a trip, you'll come back insanely reinspired in a way that you'll just be infectious to everything in your life. Yet I understand that sometimes the time and the financials don't align. So that would be something to look forward to.

Gresham Harkless 10:19
There we go. Well, we got to get our popcorn. Cause something's coming up and something's growing, depending on what you're listening to this. So I definitely appreciate that. And you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you for what I call your secret sauce. And it could be for you or your organization, but what do you feel kind of sets you apart and makes you unique?

Katie B Happyy 10:34
I highly value aligning up with the clarity of your calling and your purpose. And I think that your purpose and purpose is a debatable word. Alignment is my favorite word because I'm trying to figure out every day where I'm trying to align in the flow. We are constantly on the receiving end of everything. We've got all these, like, I imagine, these little antennas. And all day we're receiving from outside factors. We're receiving from the red notifications on our phone or our emails. We're receiving from other people. Information to do so many things on a level that we can't understand as well in the vibrations. And being able to just slow down a little bit every day and intentionalize your movement is critical. So whether it's with my team members, my retreat leaders, my trainers, or especially the participants in my courses or retreats, we always start every session every day with an alignment of some sort. What is your optimal state? What is the intention behind what we're doing? Even before I go into a yoga class, I wash my hands. I, like, intend how I want to give out and not take it on myself, but how I can be a receptacle to transfer the energy for other people so that they don't have to hold it all on themselves. And so whatever that looks like in A company or a business, how you can intentionalize and align every single day to that day's purpose or the greater purpose, then if you're paying attention to the large purpose of it, then the smaller stuff, when the red notifications and the emails come in, it doesn't seem so tedious or hard. Yeah, that's, that's exactly it. That's the secret sauce, I think.

Gresham Harkless 11:58
There you go. Absolutely. So I know you gave us the hack and a nugget. Did you have anything additional that you think would be hacks or nuggets that we can kind of take away to be entrepreneurs and business owners?

Katie B Happyy 12:06
I think especially as a business owner, my staff now is about four people depending on. I've got trainers that, that are my teammates that align with me on retreats and then I've got a staff that's more on a weekly basis. So it's not huge by any means, but it's, it's growing. And in my growth patterns thus far in the five, six years I've been doing this business, I think my biggest, my biggest component is always coming back to their personal, what I call like a 3G gangster, like growth, gratitude and giving. Because I want to check in with them at all times. If they're in alignment with. Do they feel like they're being given enough gratitude from me? Are they also expressing, are we expressing enough gratitude to the social media followers, to the people that do our online courses, to the retreaters? Are we, are we spending enough time and gratitude, both me as a boss and them as a staff and amongst each other too? And then also are we giving back enough? Do we feel like there's a purpose in what we're doing? Yeah, the 501C3 is great. We do these things for cancer survivors and the orphanages, but them on a personal level, I'm like, okay, are we doing the three GS because this is important for us as human beings to not just be in this for the business we're not. We've got to be in this for something greater. Because if at any moment we could stop breathing, at any moment we expire. And so if we don't feel like our day to day has those things in it, giving, gratitude and growth, then I know that there's, it's the secret sauce to the component of leadership. Also. I always want my people that are working under me per se to almost be better at what I'm doing than me because that's the only way I can grow forward. That's the only way I can go up or sideways or left or right or whatever. I need them to be better at what I do now than me so that there's more opportunities for me to grow and create and see what's next in the flow.

Gresham Harkless 13:44
Absolutely. I would definitely agree with that. And now you might have already touched on this, but I wanted to ask you my favorite question, which is the definition of what it means to be a CEO. And we're hoping to have different quote unquote CEOs on this show. So Katie, what does being a CEO mean to you?

Katie B Happyy 13:56
A CEO to me means trusting the transitions that like only thing that's constant is change and who I am in the transitions, who I am every time I fail, which is a lot. The grace in which I can offer my employees and my students and my participants, my clients.

Gresham Harkless 14:11
I love that definition. I definitely appreciate it and I appreciate your time even more. And what I wanted to do was pass you the mic, so to speak, just to see if there's anything additional you can let our readers and listeners know. And then of course have best they can get a hold of you, get in contact with you, find out about all the awesome things you're working on and things to come in the next coming year.

Katie B Happyy 14:26
Be Inspired is a self development company so we do workshops nationally and we do in

A CEO’s Guide to Marketing Metrics That Actually Matter

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:15:22 -0400

Modern dashboards are packed with clicks, impressions, traffic reports, and engagement metrics. While those numbers may look impressive, they rarely help leadership understand whether marketing investments are improving revenue quality, customer acquisition efficiency, or long-term business performance. This leaves most CEOs struggling to answer one simple question: Is marketing actually driving profitable growth?

That is why focusing on marketing metrics that matter is essential. CEOs do not need to monitor every campaign detail. They need a clear scorecard that shows whether marketing is contributing to sustainable growth and helping the business make smarter decisions.

Why Most Marketing Reports Fail CEOs

The Problem With Vanity Metrics

Many marketing reports prioritize activity instead of business impact. Metrics like social followers, impressions, and website traffic often receive too much attention despite offering little insight into profitability or revenue growth.

A campaign can generate thousands of clicks while producing very few qualified leads. In those cases, the reporting creates the appearance of success without revealing whether the business actually benefited.

This does not mean awareness metrics are useless. They can provide context when tied to a broader strategy. The problem arises when they become the primary way marketing performance is measured.

Executives need reporting that connects marketing directly to revenue, customer acquisition, and long-term growth trends.

What CEOs Actually Need From Marketing Data

CEOs want answers to practical business questions:

Is marketing generating qualified demand?
Are acquisition costs improving or rising?
Is revenue becoming more predictable?
Are marketing investments producing profitable returns?

The most effective executive reports are simple, focused, and actionable. Instead of overwhelming leadership with dozens of KPIs, they prioritize a small group of metrics tied directly to business performance.

Strong reporting also improves strategic decision-making. When leaders can clearly see growth trends, efficiency gaps, and revenue contribution, they can make more confident decisions around hiring, budgeting, and expansion.

The CEO Marketing Scorecard: Metrics That Drive Growth

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Customer Acquisition Cost measures how much the company spends to acquire a new customer. For CEOs, this is one of the clearest indicators of marketing efficiency.

Rising acquisition costs can signal weak targeting, declining conversion quality, or increased market competition. Monitoring CAC helps leadership evaluate whether growth is becoming more expensive over time.

However, CAC should never be viewed in isolation. Spending more to acquire customers may still be worthwhile if those customers generate strong long-term value.

Marketing-Sourced Pipeline and Revenue

Lead generation alone does not reveal marketing effectiveness. Pipeline contribution provides a clearer picture because it shows how much revenue opportunity originates from marketing efforts.

This metric improves alignment between marketing and sales by shifting the conversation away from lead quantity and toward revenue impact.

For companies with longer sales cycles, pipeline visibility is especially valuable because it helps forecast future growth before revenue is fully realized.

Lead-to-Customer Conversion Rate

A high number of leads means little if very few convert into customers. Conversion rate reveals whether marketing is attracting the right audience and whether sales and marketing are aligned effectively.

Weak conversion rates often indicate:

Poor audience targeting
Low-quality traffic
Unclear messaging
Inefficiencies in the sales process

Because conversion performance reflects multiple parts of the customer journey, it often provides deeper strategic insight than traffic metrics alone.

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

Customer Lifetime Value measures the long-term revenue a customer generates over the course of the relationship.

This metric helps CEOs evaluate growth sustainability rather than focusing only on short-term acquisition. Businesses with strong retention and repeat revenue can often scale more aggressively because customers generate value long after the initial sale.

LTV also reveals whether marketing is attracting the right customers, not just increasing volume.

Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI)

Return on Marketing Investment evaluates how effectively marketing spending contributes to revenue or profit.

Unlike campaign-specific metrics, ROMI provides a broader business-level perspective. It helps leadership identify which investments consistently generate meaningful returns and which channels may be underperforming.

A strong ROMI creates confidence in marketing strategy and supports smarter budget allocation decisions over time.

Looking Beyond Individual Numbers

Why Metrics Should Be Read Together

No single KPI tells the full story of business performance. Metrics become far more valuable when interpreted together.

For example, revenue growth may appear positive until rising acquisition costs reveal declining profitability underneath the surface. Similarly, strong lead volume means little if conversion quality remains weak.

A balanced scorecard provides context around growth, efficiency, profitability, and customer quality simultaneously.

Focusing on Trends Instead of Fluctuations

Marketing performance naturally shifts due to seasonality, campaigns, and market conditions. CEOs should avoid overreacting to short-term changes and instead focus on long-term trends.

The more important questions are:

Are acquisition costs improving over time?
Is lead quality becoming stronger?
Is pipeline growth becoming more predictable?

Trend analysis creates more stable decision-making and helps leadership identify sustainable growth patterns rather than temporary spikes.

Building an Executive-Level Dashboard

Keep the Scorecard Simple

The best executive dashboards are concise. In most cases, five to seven core metrics provide enough visibility into marketing performance without creating unnecessary complexity.

A strong CEO scorecard should prioritize:

Business relevance
Clarity
Consistency
Actionable insights

Too many KPIs often dilute focus and make strategic decision-making harder.

Align Marketing, Sales, and Finance

One of the biggest benefits of a clear scorecard is organizational alignment. Shared metrics help marketing, sales, and finance evaluate growth using the same standards.

When teams focus on common goals like pipeline contribution, acquisition efficiency, and revenue quality, collaboration improves naturally.

This alignment also creates stronger accountability across departments and helps leadership evaluate performance more objectively.

Common Mistakes Companies Make

Many companies track too many KPIs and lose sight of the metrics that truly matter. Others focus heavily on lead volume while ignoring customer quality and profitability.

Another common issue is reporting data without context. Numbers alone do not explain whether performance changes are positive, sustainable, or strategically important.

Effective reporting combines metrics with interpretation. Leadership teams need to understand not only what changed, but why it matters to the business.

Improving website performance can also significantly impact conversion quality and pipeline generation. Specifically, better UX and messaging can turn traffic into stronger business outcomes.

Final Thoughts

The companies that outperform over the long term are the ones that understand which metrics actually influence profitable growth.

A focused executive scorecard helps CEOs evaluate marketing with greater clarity, improve accountability across departments, and make more confident strategic decisions.

Ultimately, the goal of marketing measurement is not more reporting. It is better business visibility. When organizations focus on marketing metrics that matter, they create a stronger foundation for sustainable growth.

Get in touch with our team to build a marketing strategy tailored to your goals: https://blue16media.com/marketing/contact-us/

The post A CEO’s Guide to Marketing Metrics That Actually Matter appeared first on .

Why Google Ads Stop Working (and What to Fix First)

Fri, 15 May 2026 09:16:53 -0400

When performance drops, it can feel like your Google Ads campaigns have suddenly stopped working. Leads slow down, costs increase, and conversions decline without a clear explanation. But in reality, campaigns rarely fail overnight—they drift out of alignment over time.

Understanding this changes how you respond. Instead of assuming something is broken, you start identifying where alignment has been lost, and that shift in perspective is what allows campaigns to recover and improve.

Start Here: A Quick Diagnostic Framework

Before making changes, identify where the drop is happening.

Start by looking at your key metrics:

Impressions down → visibility or eligibility issue
Clicks down (impressions stable) → ad relevance or CTR issue
Conversions down (clicks stable) → landing page or offer issue

Next, check what changed. Review recent edits like budget shifts, bidding strategy changes, or new keywords. Even small updates can disrupt performance or reset learning phases.

If nothing changed internally, look externally. Market demand, seasonality, and competition can all influence results. Data—not assumptions—should guide your decisions. If you want a deeper understanding of how to interpret performance data, this breakdown is helpful: https://blue16media.com/blog/the-role-of-analytics-in-digital-marketing/.

Traffic Problems: When You’re Attracting the Wrong Clicks

1. Keyword Intent Mismatch and Search Term Drift

Search intent isn’t static. Over time, Google may match your keywords to queries that only loosely align with your offer. This leads to traffic that looks good on paper but doesn’t convert.

For example, a keyword targeting buyers might begin attracting informational searches. You still get clicks, but from users who aren’t ready to act. That’s where efficiency drops.

To catch this early, review your search terms regularly. Look for patterns in irrelevant or low-intent queries. If your traffic is drifting away from buyer intent, tightening your targeting should be your first move.

2. Match Types and Wasted Spend

Match types control how broadly your ads are triggered. Broad match can expand reach, but without proper control, it often brings in irrelevant traffic.

If performance is slipping, your targeting may be too loose. Automated bidding combined with broad match can prioritize volume over quality, especially with limited data.

A more controlled setup often works better:

Use exact and phrase match for high-intent queries
Keep a broad match for testing
Support it with strong negative keywords

The goal is to maintain reach while protecting relevance.

3. Negative Keywords You’re Missing

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing on irrelevant searches and keep your campaigns focused.

New irrelevant queries appear over time. If you’re not actively filtering them out, your budget gets diluted across low-quality traffic.

To improve efficiency, exclude:

Informational queries if you’re targeting buyers
Irrelevant variations of your keywords
Consistently underperforming search terms

A strong negative keyword strategy keeps your campaigns aligned with the right audience.

Ad-Level Issues: When Performance Declines Despite Traffic

1. Ad Fatigue and Message Burnout

Ads don’t perform forever. Over time, users become familiar with your messaging, and engagement drops. This often shows up as a declining CTR.

If impressions are stable but clicks are falling, your ads may no longer stand out. Competitors may also be offering stronger or fresher messaging.

Refreshing your ads can help regain attention. Test new angles, adjust your value proposition, or highlight different benefits. Even small updates can improve engagement.

2. Falling CTR and Relevance Signals

CTR is a key signal of relevance. When it drops, your Quality Score can decline, increasing your costs and reducing visibility.

This creates a cycle where lower relevance leads to weaker performance. To fix it, focus on alignment between:

Keywords and ad copy
Search intent and messaging
Ads and landing pages

When everything matches user expectations, CTR improves naturally.

3. Competitor Pressure and Ad Rank Shifts

Sometimes performance drops because of increased competition. New advertisers or higher bids from competitors can push your ads down the page.

Ad Rank determines your position, and it’s influenced by both bid and ad quality. Even if your campaign hasn’t changed, competitor activity can impact visibility.

Use auction insights to monitor changes in impression share and position. If competition has increased, you may need to improve your ads or adjust bids to stay competitive.

Conversion Bottlenecks: When Clicks Don’t Turn Into Results

1. Landing Page Experience and Load Speed

A strong campaign can still fail if the landing page doesn’t convert. Slow load times, poor design, or unclear messaging can cause users to leave quickly.

Users expect speed and clarity. Even small delays or friction points can reduce conversions significantly.

Simplify the experience, speed up load times, and ensure the message matches the ad.

2. Offer Misalignment With User Intent

Your offer needs to match what the user is looking for. For example, sending users searching for pricing to a general homepage creates friction. The closer your landing page matches the user’s intent, the more likely they are to convert.

3. Tracking Errors and Broken Conversion Data

Sometimes campaigns appear to underperform due to tracking issues. If conversions aren’t recorded correctly, it can look like your ads have stopped working.

This also affects automated bidding. Without accurate data, the system can’t optimize effectively.

Check for:

Missing or broken tracking tags
Incorrect attribution settings
Changes that may have disrupted tracking

Budget & Bidding Mistakes That Kill Performance

Budget Constraints and Limited Delivery

A limited budget can restrict how often your ads show, reducing your ability to compete in auctions.

This can lead to inconsistent performance and missed opportunities. If your budget is too low, focus on your highest-performing areas rather than spreading spend too thin.

Smart Bidding Without Enough Data

Automated bidding works best with sufficient data. Without it, performance can become unstable. If you’ve recently switched strategies, your campaign may still be learning. During this phase, results can fluctuate.

Give the system time and avoid frequent changes while it stabilizes.

Over-Optimization and Constant Changes

Frequent adjustments can disrupt performance. Every change resets learning, making it harder for campaigns to stabilize.

Instead of constant tweaks:

Make data-driven changes
Allow time for results
Focus on high-impact adjustments

Structural Issues That Limit Growth

A messy structure makes optimization difficult. When keywords and ads aren’t clearly aligned, relevance suffers.
Grouping everything hides insights and limits optimization. Segment to allow better targeting, testing, and decision-making.
Increasing budgets too quickly can reduce efficiency, while not scaling limits growth. Make gradual adjustments to help maintain stability while expanding performance.

How to Recover a Declining Campaign (What to Fix First)

When performance drops, focus on fixing the right things in the right order to prevent wasted effort and speed up recovery:

Traffic quality
Ad performance
Conversion experience
Bidding and budget

Many issues can be fixed with targeted adjustments. However, if your campaign has multiple structural and data issues, starting fresh may be more effective. A clean setup allows you to apply best practices without being held back by past mistakes.

The key is knowing when to optimize—and when to reset.

Get in touch with our team for help to set up campaigns tailored to your goals: https://blue16media.com/marketing/contact-us/

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Turn Website Traffic Into Qualified Leads With Better UX and Messaging

Fri, 01 May 2026 09:16:02 -0400

Getting people to your website is only half the job. The real challenge—and the real opportunity—is turning those visitors into qualified leads: people who not only show interest, but are actually a good fit for what you offer.

Many businesses assume their problem is traffic. In reality, the issue often lies deeper—in how their website communicates, guides, and converts. If your messaging is unclear, your user experience is confusing, or your calls to action are too generic, even high-quality traffic won’t translate into meaningful inquiries.

This article breaks down how to turn website visitors into qualified leads by focusing on three core areas: understanding intent, refining messaging, improving UX, and optimizing calls to action—then measuring what truly matters.

Why Most Websites Fail to Convert the Right Leads

A website can look polished, load quickly, and still fail to convert. The reason? It’s often built to exist, not to guide. Many sites present information but don’t actively move visitors toward a decision, so they leave—or worse, they convert without truly understanding what you offer, resulting in poor-fit leads.

Another common issue is trying to appeal to everyone. When messaging is too broad, it attracts a wide range of visitors, but few of them are actually qualified. This leads to low conversion rates or a pipeline filled with inquiries that go nowhere.

There are also subtle friction points that quietly reduce conversions:

Too many choices on a page
Unclear next steps
Overwhelming blocks of text
Weak or buried calls to action

Individually, these might seem minor, but they create enough hesitation to stop a potential lead from taking action.

Start With Intent: Understand Who Your Visitors Really Are

Identify High-Intent vs. Low-Intent Visitors

High-intent visitors arrive with a purpose—they’re actively looking for a solution, comparing options, or ready to take the next step. Low-intent visitors, on the other hand, may just be browsing, researching, or exploring without urgency.

Understanding the difference allows you to design experiences that serve both without confusing either. For example, a high-intent visitor might be looking for pricing, testimonials, or a clear “get started” path. If those elements aren’t immediately visible, you risk losing them.

You can often identify intent through entry points and behavior:

Visitors landing on service or pricing pages tend to have higher intent
Blog readers may need more nurturing before converting
Repeat visitors often signal growing interest

What Visitor Behavior Reveals About Conversion Gaps

Your analytics tell a story—high bounce rates, short session durations, and drop-offs at key points often signal misalignment between what visitors expect and what they experience.

For instance, if users consistently leave after visiting a specific page, it may indicate:

The messaging doesn’t match their expectations
The content feels overwhelming or unclear
There’s no obvious next step

Behavioral tools like heatmaps and session recordings can reveal where users hesitate, scroll, or disengage to show how real people interact with your site.

Use Data to Refine Your Ideal Lead Profile

Data should help you decide who you want more of. Analyzing which visitors convert into quality leads by looking at patterns among your best leads:

What pages did they visit before converting?
How long did they stay on your site?
What messaging resonated with them?

These insights help you shape both your content and your targeting. Instead of optimizing for more traffic, you begin optimizing for better-fit visitors, leading to a more efficient funnel.

Messaging That Filters and Attracts the Right Leads

Craft a Value Proposition That Speaks to the Right Audience

Your value proposition is often the first thing visitors encounter, and it determines whether they stay or leave. Be clear instead of trying to sound impressive.

A strong value proposition answers three questions immediately:

Who is this for?
What problem does it solve?
Why is this the right choice?

When visitors quickly recognize that your offering is relevant to them, they’re more likely to continue exploring. Avoid vague phrases like “innovative solutions” or “tailored services.” Be specific about outcomes and audiences. The more precise your messaging, the more effectively you turn website visitors into qualified leads.

Use Messaging to Pre-Qualify Visitors

When you clearly define who your service is for (and who it’s not for), you naturally reduce low-quality inquiries.

For example, instead of saying:

“We help businesses grow,”

You might say:

“We help service-based businesses generate consistent, high-quality leads through conversion-focused websites.”

Pre-qualification saves time on both sides. It ensures that when someone reaches out, they already understand your value and are more likely to be a strong match.

Align Content With Visitor Intent

Different visitors need different types of information depending on where they are in their decision-making process. Someone just discovering your brand doesn’t need the same content as someone ready to hire you.

To align content effectively, consider these stages:

Awareness: Educational blog posts, insights, and guides
Consideration: Case studies, comparisons, testimonials
Decision: Clear offers, pricing, and strong CTAs

Design Clear, Frictionless Navigation Paths

When visitors land on your site, they should instantly know where to go next without thinking too hard.

A strong navigation experience reduces cognitive load, highlights key actions, and eliminates unnecessary choices

Help visitors move forward with confidence using clear pathways—such as “Start Here,” “Our Services,” or “Book a Call.”

Structure Pages for Conversion, Not Just Aesthetics

A visually appealing website is valuable, but design alone doesn’t drive conversions. What matters more is how information is structured and presented.

Effective page structure typically follows a logical flow:

Clear headline that captures attention
Supporting information that builds understanding
Proof (testimonials, results, case studies)
A clear next step

This sequence mirrors how people make decisions and avoids confusion.

Remove Barriers That Kill Conversions

Sometimes, the biggest improvements come from removing obstacles rather than adding features.

Common barriers include:

Slow loading speeds
Overly complex forms
Cluttered layouts
Too many competing messages

A useful approach is to review your site with one question in mind: “What might stop someone from taking action right now?” Then systematically remove those barriers.

Calls to Action That Convert (Not Just Clicks)

A call to action is a decision trigger. High-performing CTAs are specific and outcome-driven, clearly telling users what they’ll get (e.g., “Book a Strategy Call” or “Get Your Free Website Audit”).

Placement matters just as much as wording. CTAs should appear at natural decision points—after key benefits, proof, or moments of clarity—when users are most ready to take the next step. Too many CTAs can overwhelm, so it’s more effective to guide users toward one clear action at the right time.

Finally, optimization is ongoing. Testing variations in wording, placement, and layout helps refine performance over time. Small improvements compound, leading to stronger conversions without needing more traffic.

Measuring What Matters: From Traffic to Qualified Leads

Track Conversion Quality, Not Just Quantity

A high volume of inquiries only means success if most of them are a good fit.

Instead of focusing only on numbers, look at quality:

Are leads aligned with your services?
Do they understand your offering?
Are they ready to move forward?

Key Metrics That Actually Indicate Lead Quality

To evaluate performance effectively, go beyond surface-level metrics. Useful indicators include:

Conversion rate by page or traffic source
Time spent on high-intent pages
Lead-to-client conversion rate

These metrics provide a clearer picture of how well your site is attracting and converting the right audience to identify where improvements will have the greatest impact.

Continuous Optimization for Better Results

A high-performing website evolves based on data, user behavior, and changing business goals.

Regularly reviewing performance allows you to:

Identify new opportunities
Fix emerging issues
Improve conversion efficiency

The businesses that consistently generate strong leads aren’t necessarily those with the most traffic—they’re the ones that continuously refine how they convert it.

When you focus on intent, clarity, and experience, your website stops being a passive presence and becomes an active part of your sales process.

Blue16Media brings expertise in search engine optimization, social media marketing, and content marketing, helping to improve your online presence in the age of AI. We develop effective digital marketing strategies tailored to your business goals and help you stay ahead of the competition. Contact us today!

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Local vs National SEO: How to Choose the Right Growth Strategy

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:16:09 -0400

Choosing between local vs national SEO is one of the biggest business strategy decisions. The right approach depends on where your customers are, how you deliver your product or service, and what kind of growth you’re aiming for. Trying to rank broadly when the real opportunity lies in dominating a smaller, high-intent market can lead to time and budget wastage.

This guide breaks down the differences between local and national SEO, when each makes sense, and how to align your SEO efforts with how your business actually operates.

Local SEO vs National SEO at a Glance

While both strategies aim to increase visibility in search engines, they operate on very different levels of intent, competition, and scale.

Here’s a simplified comparison of the two:

Reach: Local SEO targets a specific city or region, while national SEO targets a country or global audience
Search Intent: Local searches often have high purchase intent; national searches can include research and comparison
Speed of results: Local SEO can produce faster outcomes due to lower competition; national SEO typically takes longer to gain traction
Competition: Local SEO is generally less competitive; national SEO involves competing with established brands.
Cost & Resources: Local SEO is more cost-effective; national SEO requires ongoing investment in content, backlinks, and time

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is the process of optimizing your online presence to attract customers from a specific geographic area. It’s most relevant for businesses that either have a physical location or serve customers within a defined region. When someone searches for “near me” or includes a city name, local SEO determines which businesses show up.

Unlike broader SEO strategies, local SEO is heavily influenced by proximity and relevance.

Key elements that shape local SEO performance include:

Optimizing your Google Business Profile
Targeting location-specific keywords
Building local citations and directory listings
Generating and managing customer reviews

These factors work together to improve your visibility in local search results, including map listings and localized organic rankings.

The benefits of local SEO include targeting users who are ready to take action. Someone searching for a service in their area is often closer to purchasing someone conducting general research.

What is National SEO?

National SEO focuses on ranking for keywords that are not tied to a specific location. This approach is ideal for businesses that operate online, serve a wide audience, or are not limited by geography.

Instead of optimizing for “dentist in Washington DC,” for example, a national strategy might target broader terms like “best dental care tips” or “affordable dental services.” The goal is to attract traffic from across the country—or even globally—through high-quality, scalable content.

This type of SEO relies heavily on:

Content depth and topical authority
High-quality backlinks from reputable websites
Strong technical SEO foundations
Consistent keyword strategy across multiple pages

Because you’re competing with a larger pool of businesses, national SEO requires a more sustained effort. It’s less about quick wins and more about building long-term visibility and authority in your niche.

When Local SEO is the Right Choice

If your growth is tied to visibility in a city or region, focusing locally allows you to compete more effectively and generate faster returns.

This approach is especially valuable for businesses that rely on foot traffic or location-based services. Instead of spreading your efforts thin, you concentrate on becoming the go-to option in your immediate market.

Local SEO also allows for more targeted messaging. You can tailor your content, offers, and keywords to match the needs and behaviors of your local audience, making your marketing more relevant and effective.

Example Scenarios

Certain types of businesses naturally benefit more from local SEO because their services are tied to proximity. These businesses don’t need nationwide visibility—they need to dominate their local market.

Examples include:

Restaurants, cafes, and retail stores that depend on nearby customers
Clinics, salons, and gyms serving a defined community
Service providers like plumbers, electricians, or cleaning companies

In these cases, ranking locally isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. Trying to compete nationally would dilute your efforts and attract traffic that doesn’t convert.

When National SEO Makes More Sense

National SEO becomes the better choice when your business isn’t limited by location. If you can serve customers across multiple regions—or entirely online—then expanding your reach makes strategic sense. This approach allows you to scale your visibility and tap into a much larger audience.

Example Scenarios

Some business models are inherently suited for national SEO because their offerings can be delivered anywhere. In these cases, restricting your strategy to a local area would limit your growth potential.

Examples include:

eCommerce stores selling products nationwide or globally
SaaS companies offering digital tools or platforms
Online education platforms, blogs, or media brands

For these businesses, success depends on visibility at scale. Investing in national SEO helps build long-term authority and consistent traffic across a wide audience.

Can You Combine Local and National SEO?

In many cases, the choice between local and national SEO isn’t strictly one or the other. Businesses with multiple locations, expanding service areas, or diverse offerings can benefit from a hybrid approach.

Combining both strategies allows you to capture high-intent local traffic while also building broader visibility through content and authority. This is particularly useful for companies looking to grow beyond their initial market.

For example, a business might dominate local search results in its primary city while also publishing content that targets national keywords. This creates multiple entry points for potential customers.

A hybrid strategy often includes:

Location-specific landing pages for each service area
National-level blog content targeting broader topics
A strong internal linking structure to connect local and national pages

This approach requires more planning but offers greater flexibility and long-term growth potential.

How to Choose the Right SEO Strategy

Choosing the right SEO strategy starts with understanding how your business operates and where your customers are. Instead of following trends, you need to align your approach with your actual service model and growth goals.

A clear strategy prevents wasted effort and ensures that every piece of content, optimization, and investment moves you closer to measurable results.

A Simple Decision Framework

If you’re unsure which direction to take, use the following framework to guide your decision:

Where are your customers located? Are they concentrated in one area or spread out?
Do you serve a specific region, or can you deliver your product/service anywhere?
Is your goal to dominate a local market or expand your reach nationally?

Answering these questions helps you quickly identify which strategy aligns with your business reality. It also highlights whether a hybrid approach might be more suitable.

Questions to Ask Before Deciding

Before committing to a strategy, it’s important to evaluate your resources and expectations. SEO is a long-term investment, and choosing the wrong path can slow your progress.

Consider the following:

What is your budget and how long can you invest before expecting results?
How competitive is your industry at both local and national levels?
Are you looking for quick wins or long-term scalability?

These questions add a practical layer to your decision-making process, ensuring that your strategy is not only effective but also sustainable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One of the most common mistakes businesses make is targeting a broad audience too early. While national SEO may seem more attractive, it often leads to slower results and higher costs if you don’t have the resources to compete.

Another issue is ignoring local SEO when it’s clearly the better fit. Businesses that rely on local customers sometimes overlook the importance of optimizing for their immediate area, missing out on high-intent traffic.

Other pitfalls include:

Misaligning SEO strategy with the actual business model
Underestimating the level of competition in national search
Spreading resources too thin across multiple strategies

Avoiding these mistakes can save time, reduce frustration, and improve your chances of success.

Final Thoughts: Choosing the Right Path for Growth

There’s no universally “better” option between local and national SEO—only what’s right for your business. The most effective strategy is the one that aligns with how you operate, who you serve, and where you want to grow.

If your customers are local, focus on dominating your area before expanding. If your business operates without geographic limits, invest in building authority at scale. And if you fall somewhere in between, consider a hybrid approach that balances both.

Ultimately, SEO works best when it’s intentional by attracting the right audience and turning visibility into real business growth.

Ready to choose the right SEO strategy for your business?
Whether you need help with local visibility or scaling nationally, the right approach makes all the difference. Get in touch with our team to build a strategy tailored to your goals: https://blue16media.com/marketing/contact-us/

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Why SEO Is a Long-Term Asset, Not Just a Marketing Expense

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:16:57 -0400

Most businesses treat SEO like a monthly expense—something to spend on, evaluate quickly, and cut if results don’t show fast enough. But that approach overlooks the bigger picture. SEO as a long-term asset works differently from traditional marketing because it builds momentum and compounds over time.

When you shift your perspective, SEO becomes more than a tactic. It turns into a system that consistently generates visibility, attracts qualified traffic, and supports growth long after the initial work is done. That shift is often what separates businesses that struggle with SEO from those that see lasting results.

The Common Misconception About SEO

Oftentimes, businesses expect SEO to function like paid advertising: you invest money and get immediate traffic or leads. That expectation comes from familiarity with platforms like Google Ads or social media, where results can appear almost instantly.

When SEO is treated as an expense, the focus stays on short-term returns—what you gained this month compared to what you spent. This often leads to impatience and constant changes in direction before any meaningful results, which can slow progress.

Another issue is how SEO is sometimes positioned. Promises of fast rankings or quick wins create unrealistic expectations. Without understanding how SEO builds over time, it’s easy to treat it like a short-term campaign instead of a long-term growth strategy.

What Makes SEO a True Business Asset

Every piece of optimized content you publish—whether a blog post, landing page, or guide—becomes a long-term entry point to your business. As your site gains authority, new content tends to rank faster and perform better and earlier efforts make future results easier to achieve. With occasional updates, older pages can maintain or even improve their rankings, driving consistent traffic without requiring you to start from scratch.

Unlike paid channels, this is visibility you own and can continue to improve. As your content library grows, so does your presence in search results. You’re not just creating pages; you’re building multiple pathways for potential customers to find you. Over time, this creates a strong, interconnected digital presence.

For instance, a well-optimized article can rank for several related keywords and bring in steady traffic for months or even years. When you scale this across dozens of pages, SEO becomes a portfolio of assets—not isolated efforts.

SEO vs Paid Advertising: A Critical Comparison

Short-Term Gains vs Long-Term Growth

Paid ads are effective when you need immediate results—whether for product launches, promotions, or testing offers. However, the moment you stop spending, your visibility disappears. There’s no lasting impact.

SEO takes longer to build, but once your content ranks, it can generate consistent traffic without ongoing cost per click. That makes it more sustainable over time. Instead of asking what SEO produced immediately, you look at what it’s building over time—content, trust, relevance, rankings, authority, and visibility.

A balanced strategy often works best:

Use ads for short-term visibility and testing
Use SEO to build long-term growth and stability

This approach allows you to capture quick wins while investing in future performance.

For a deeper comparison of how SEO stacks up against paid channels like PPC, this article walks through key differences and helps answer the question “Does SEO still work?” — https://blue16media.com/blog/seo-vs-ppc-does-seo-still-work/

When to Use SEO, Ads, or Both

SEO and paid advertising serve different purposes, and choosing between them depends on your goals.

Ads are useful when you need quick insights or immediate traffic. SEO, on the other hand, is better suited for building authority and reducing long-term acquisition costs.

In practice, many businesses benefit from using both:

Ads help validate messaging and target high-intent keywords quickly
SEO builds a foundation that reduces reliance on paid channels over time

As SEO gains traction, it often becomes a more cost-efficient driver of traffic and leads.

How to Build SEO as a Long-Term Asset

Core Pillars: Content, Technical SEO, and Authority

A strong SEO strategy relies on three core elements:

Content: Relevant, high-quality information that matches user intent
Technical SEO: A fast, well-structured, and accessible website
Authority: Backlinks and signals that build credibility with search engines

These pillars work together. Strong content without technical performance struggles to rank, while authority without useful content won’t convert. A balanced approach ensures long-term results.

Align SEO with Business and Revenue Goals

SEO should directly support your business objectives. Whether your goal is generating leads, increasing sales, or building brand awareness, your SEO strategy should reflect that.

This means targeting keywords that align with what your audience is actively searching for—and connecting that intent to your offerings. It also involves creating content that moves users through the buying journey, not just attracting traffic.

When SEO ties back to measurable outcomes, it becomes easier to track performance and justify ongoing investment.

Measuring the Long-Term ROI of SEO

Key Metrics That Actually Matter

Traffic and rankings are useful indicators, but they don’t tell the full story. The real value of SEO lies in how it contributes to business results.

Focus on metrics that reflect impact:

Organic traffic growth
Conversion rates
Leads and revenue generated

These metrics show how SEO supports your bottom line, not just your visibility.

Final Thoughts: Start Thinking Like an Investor, Not a Spender

Sustainable SEO is built on consistency, strategy, and alignment with business goals. It’s not about quick wins—it’s about creating long-term value.

When you treat SEO as a long-term asset, you move away from chasing short-term results and start building a system that supports ongoing growth. You’re investing in visibility, authority, and a presence that continues to deliver over time.

The businesses that succeed with SEO aren’t the ones looking for instant results. They’re the ones willing to build something that lasts.

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CEO Guide: Evaluating Digital Marketing Agencies the Right Way

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:16:32 -0400

Evaluating digital marketing agencies with the right criteria is just as important as finding one.

Case studies can look impressive. Dashboards appear sophisticated. Metrics trend upward. Yet months later, the business itself may not have meaningfully improved.

Lead volume increases, but sales cycles lengthen. Marketing activity expands, but revenue predictability remains unchanged.

For a CEO, choosing a digital marketing agency is not simply a marketing decision. It is a capital allocation decision.

This guide outlines how to evaluate digital marketing agencies through an operational and economic lens.

Start With Business Economics, Not Marketing Tactics

Before assessing any SEO agency or digital marketing partner, clarify your own business economics. Marketing should support your financial structure and strategic objectives.

Define what growth means for your company. Are you prioritizing profitability, market share, cash flow stability, enterprise valuation, or exit preparation? Each objective requires a different marketing approach and risk tolerance.

If an agency begins with tactics — advertising channels, SEO campaigns, content production, or funnel structures — without first understanding your margin structure, sales cycle, or lifetime customer value, the conversation may be incomplete. Strategic alignment begins with financial clarity.

Understand Your Unit Economics

A credible digital marketing agency should be comfortable discussing the financial drivers of your business. This includes customer acquisition cost (CAC), lifetime value (LTV), payback period, contribution margin after marketing spend, and operational or sales capacity constraints that influence growth.

If the marketing strategy cannot be clearly connected to these numbers, performance discussions risk focusing more on activity than on economic impact.

Why CEOs Sometimes Rely on Incomplete Evaluation Signals

When evaluating digital marketing agencies, executives can unintentionally prioritize surface-level indicators.

The Case Study Perspective

Case studies demonstrate what worked in another company, under specific conditions — including different margins, market dynamics, and internal capabilities.

When reviewing case studies, consider whether the company’s sales model, margin structure, and brand positioning are comparable to your own. A case study reflects past execution, but it does not automatically guarantee similar outcomes in a different context.

Activity Metrics vs. Business Metrics

Impressions, click-through rates, keyword rankings, and engagement metrics provide useful visibility into marketing activity. However, business evaluation should extend further.

At the executive level, stronger indicators include CAC trends over time, LTV: CAC ratio, consistency of marketing-driven revenue, contribution margin, and revenue stability. A campaign can generate positive performance metrics while still requiring closer examination of its broader economic contribution.

Channel Expertise and Strategic Integration

An agency may have strong expertise in paid media, SEO, or social media marketing. Execution capability is valuable, but it should be accompanied by an understanding of how each channel integrates into your broader revenue system.

The central question is whether the agency sees marketing as an isolated function or as part of your overall growth architecture.

Evaluating Strategic Depth in an SEO Agency or Digital Marketing Partner

When choosing a digital marketing agency, consider shifting from “What will they deliver?” to “How do they approach thinking about growth?”

Do They Diagnose Before Recommending Solutions?

Strategic partners begin by asking thoughtful questions about revenue mix, conversion rates, customer quality, acquisition history, and operational constraints. Their goal is to understand where growth may be constrained before recommending solutions.

A well-prepared agency should be able to explain what they believe the primary growth constraint is and how their proposed strategy addresses it.

Do They Think in Systems Rather Than Short-Term Campaigns?

Campaign-based growth can produce results, but system-based growth builds compounding advantages.

For example, a well-executed SEO strategy develops durable inbound visibility. While paid advertising can generate faster results, organic search can contribute to long-term stability and reduced channel dependency when implemented thoughtfully.

A strong SEO agency considers search intent alignment, authority development, technical infrastructure, conversion pathways, and content aligned with revenue goals — not traffic volume alone.

Can They Articulate Tradeoffs Clearly?

Every marketing strategy involves tradeoffs. There is a balance between speed and sustainability, paid and organic investment, aggressive expansion and margin preservation, volume and lead quality.

An experienced agency acknowledges these tradeoffs openly. They discuss cost structure, timeline expectations, potential variability, and associated risks. Clear conversations about both opportunity and constraint reflect strategic maturity.

Evaluate Risk Alongside ROI

CEOs are responsible not only for growth but also for managing risk. Marketing influences both.

Channel Concentration

If a significant percentage of growth depends on a single paid channel, the business may be exposed to cost fluctuations or platform changes. A diversified approach — potentially including durable channels like SEO — can contribute to greater long-term stability.

Data and Asset Ownership

When evaluating a digital marketing agency, clarify who owns advertising accounts, analytics infrastructure, and website assets. Ensure documentation is transferable and systems remain accessible. A healthy partnership strengthens internal capability rather than limiting it.

Revenue Stability vs. Revenue Spikes

Sustainable growth is typically reflected in consistency. A healthy marketing system supports steady improvements in qualified lead flow, conversion efficiency, and cost discipline.

Short-term revenue increases can be positive, but they should be evaluated within a broader trend. Long-term predictability and improving efficiency are often stronger indicators of structural progress.

The Financial Lens CEOs Should Apply

Marketing performance should ultimately be evaluated at the business level.

Examine CAC trendlines over time rather than focusing on isolated months. Monitor the LTV: CAC ratio to assess long-term value creation. Evaluate the payback period to understand capital recovery timelines. Review contribution margin after marketing spend to ensure revenue growth aligns with profitability objectives.

Revenue growth that strengthens margins and predictability supports enterprise value. Growth that increases complexity without improving economics deserves closer review.

Structural Indicators of a High-Quality Agency

Strong agencies demonstrate transparency in reporting and tie results to meaningful business outcomes.

They explain attribution logic clearly and communicate assumptions behind projections.

They establish review cycles, define success benchmarks, and outline how strategy may adjust as business conditions evolve.

Most importantly, they position marketing as part of the broader growth system. Their strategy aligns with sales, operations, and financial objectives, ensuring marketing contributes to the overall direction of the company.

A CEO-Level Framework for Evaluating Digital Marketing Agencies

Before entering an engagement:

Audit your internal economics.
Assess the agency’s strategic thinking, not only proposed deliverables.
Model realistic performance scenarios.
Define measurable success criteria tied to business metrics.
Establish review checkpoints and clear transition terms.

Approaching agency selection with this level of structure helps ensure marketing investment aligns with long-term business objectives.

The post CEO Guide: Evaluating Digital Marketing Agencies the Right Way appeared first on .

Hidden Marketing Costs That Hurt Small Business Growth

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:16:40 -0500

Growth can still feel uneven where marketing is invested consistently. The challenge most small businesses face often isn’t the willingness to spend — it’s the hidden marketing costs quietly affecting efficiency, margin, and momentum.

Ad budgets are easy to track. Software subscriptions and retainers are clear line items.

What’s less visible are the structural gaps beneath the surface — positioning that lacks clarity, messaging that doesn’t fully connect, or systems that aren’t aligned. Over time, these inefficiencies make marketing feel heavier than it should.

When marketing feels active, but growth feels unpredictable, the issue is usually alignment rather than effort.

The Real Cost of “Doing Marketing”

Marketing becomes expensive when activity outpaces strategy.

Posting consistently without defined positioning builds visibility, but not always demand. Running ads without clear conversion benchmarks generates data, but not necessarily direction. Hiring support without measurable outcomes creates movement, yet limited momentum.

The visible spend tells only part of the story.

The deeper cost often lies in inefficiency — longer sales cycles, lower conversion rates, and missed opportunities to position more strongly.

When structure improves, spend becomes more productive.

The Hidden Drains on Growth

Several patterns tend to create hidden marketing costs within growing businesses:

1. Expanding Tactics Without Strategic Clarity

New platforms and tools offer opportunity, but without a clear foundation such as audience definition, value proposition, and messaging hierarchy, marketing efforts can feel scattered.

A strong strategy ensures every tactic reinforces the same narrative and builds cumulative impact.

2. Generating Leads Without Clear Qualification

Lead generation is valuable when it aligns with the right audience.

If targeting is broad or messaging is unclear, teams spend additional time nurturing prospects who may not be ideal fits. Refining qualification criteria improves both efficiency and revenue velocity.

3. Relying on Price to Drive Decisions

When differentiation is subtle, pricing becomes the main lever.

Stronger positioning allows businesses to compete on value instead of discounts, preserving margin and strengthening long-term growth capacity.

4. Inconsistent Messaging Across Channels

Consistency builds trust.

When website copy, advertising, and sales conversations reinforce the same message, prospects gain clarity more quickly. Alignment across channels reduces friction and improves conversion performance.

5. Investing Time in Non-Compounding Efforts

Marketing performs best when it builds assets like refined messaging, optimized funnels, and high-performing campaigns.

Activities that operate in isolation may create short bursts of activity but structured systems create sustained results. Go for the latter.

Where Budgets Quietly Lose Efficiency

Even well-funded marketing initiatives benefit from tighter integration.

Activity Without Revenue-Based Benchmarks

Tracking the right indicators supports better decisions. While visibility metrics are helpful indicators, sustainable growth often depends on deeper performance markers such as cost per acquisition, customer lifetime value, and pipeline progression.

Partnerships Without Defined Outcomes

What problem is being solved? How will success be measured and how will adjustments be made when performance shift? External partners can significantly accelerate growth when success is clearly defined from the start.

Agreed performance benchmarks, timelines, and accountability structures can drive impact beyond activity. Clear scope, decision-making frameworks, and defined revenue expectations ensure that effort translates into measurable progress.

Marketing and Sales Operating Separately

When marketing and sales share common definitions of qualified opportunities and success metrics, performance improves across both teams.

Shared definitions of qualified opportunities, aligned messaging, and integrated reporting systems reduce friction across the customer journey. When both teams understand the target audience, positioning, and conversion goals, the handoff from lead to client becomes more seamless.

Regular communication between departments also reveals valuable insights — objections heard in sales conversations can refine messaging, while marketing data can help sales prioritize higher-intent prospects.

Rebuilding Marketing Around Efficiency

Reducing hidden marketing costs begins with clarity and structure.

Clarify Positioning Before Scaling Spend

Clear answers to foundational questions improve every marketing initiative:

Who is the ideal customer?
What specific challenge is being solved?
What differentiates the solution?
What measurable outcome is delivered?

When positioning is clear, campaigns perform more efficiently.

Build a Focused, Measurable System

An integrated marketing system connects awareness, consideration, and conversion.

This includes:

Defined customer journeys
Conversion-focused landing experiences
Unified messaging frameworks
Structured performance tracking

When these components work together, marketing investments produce stronger returns.

Prioritize Conversion Quality

Growth becomes more sustainable when attention shifts from volume to alignment.

High-fit prospects, shorter sales cycles, and stronger messaging create predictable revenue patterns and healthier margins.

A More Strategic Way to Think About Marketing

Marketing functions best as a growth engine supported by structure.

With strategic alignment, tactics reinforce each other. Clear positioning strengthens messaging while measurable systems support confident decision-making.

Many small businesses already invest a meaningful effort into marketing. Refining structure and alignment ensures that investment compounds over time.

Addressing hidden marketing costs strengthens profitability, improves clarity, and creates momentum that is easier to sustain.

Conclusion: Turn Marketing Into a Structured Growth Asset

Marketing becomes more predictable when it is structured intentionally.

The most impactful improvements often come from aligning positioning, messaging, systems, and measurement. Closing those gaps thus protects margin, strengthens conversion performance, and builds long-term resilience.

If you’re ready to transform marketing from scattered activity into a cohesive growth system, explore how strategy-led execution can elevate your results at Blue16 Media

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SEO vs PPC in 2026: Does SEO Still Work in the Age of AI?

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 09:16:57 -0500

For a long time, SEO vs PPC were easy to compare. SEO was about playing the long game, while PPC offered quick visibility for a price. That distinction still exists in 2026—but it’s no longer the full picture.

Search results look different with competition going higher. Ad costs continue to rise. And businesses are asking a more important question than ever: Where should I actually invest my time and money?

This article breaks down how SEO and PPC compare today, what has changed, and whether SEO still delivers real value.

Understanding SEO vs PPC in 2026

The Current Landscape of Digital Marketing

Search behavior has changed dramatically. Users expect faster answers, more relevant content, and seamless experiences.

Businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to stay visible in search results. Voice search and natural-language queries have grown in importance, and content now needs to match how people ask questions in real life.

Regardless of SEO or PPC, being prominently displayed in search results remains critical. High visibility drives traffic and conversions. Understanding user behavior and search engine updates is essential to maintain or grow visibility.

SEO vs PPC: Key Differences and Similarities

While both aim to drive traffic, their methods and timelines differ.

Choosing between SEO and PPC depends on the goals one has, resources, and timing.

Characteristic	SEO	PPC
Payment Structure	Ongoing effort and optimization	Budget for each click
Focus	Organic search rankings	Paid ad campaigns

Integrating SEO and PPC allows businesses to capture both organic and paid audiences. Paid campaigns can complement slower-building SEO results, while SEO sustains visibility over time.

The Role of AI in Digital Marketing

AI in SEO and PPC

AI affects how search engines understand content and user intent. It also helps automate ad bidding, optimize campaigns, and analyze performance trends.

Marketers using AI tools can make better decisions and target audiences more precisely.

AI content creation is another area where AI is making waves, offering the potential to generate high-quality, engaging content at scale.

Embracing AI in digital marketing is no longer optional; it’s a necessity for staying competitive and achieving optimal results in the age of AI.

AI Content Creation: Impacts on SEO Rankings

Creating content efficiently can help improve SEO, but quality and originality are still what matter most. Search engines favor content that provides real value, is well-written, and shows expertise.

Marketers should focus on producing engaging, informative content that aligns with what users are searching for. Balancing efficiency with a clear, unique voice is key to maintaining strong SEO performance.

Voice Search and Its Influence on SEO and PPC

Voice search is becoming increasingly important, affecting how people find information and how marketers optimize their strategies. To stay visible, content should answer common questions clearly, use natural, conversational language, and be easy for both users and devices to read.

For PPC, campaigns can target longer, conversational phrases that match how people speak. Adapting to voice search helps reach a growing audience and ensures content remains relevant in today’s search landscape.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of SEO in 2026

Does SEO Still Work in the Age of AI?

In 2026, SEO remains effective, but the approach has evolved. Focus on creating content that provides real value, answers user questions, and is structured for modern search behavior. Consistency and relevance matter more than ever.

Organic Search vs Paid Ads: What Should Marketers Focus On?

A balanced digital marketing strategy often uses both, leveraging their strengths for the best results: the key is knowing when to use each.

Strategy	Benefits
PPC	Quick wins and immediate visibility.
SEO	Sustainable, long-term growth.

Technical SEO Considerations for Future Success

As we move towards 2026,

Optimize website speed and mobile-friendliness.
Use structured data to help search engines understand your content.
Ensure content is readable for both humans and automated search tools.

Ignoring technical SEO can hurt visibility, regardless of content quality.

Developing a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy

Integrating SEO and PPC for Maximum Visibility

A complete digital marketing strategy leverages SEO to improve organic rankings through optimized content and technical improvements, while PPC campaigns, like Google Ads, provide immediate visibility for specific keywords.

By combining the two, marketers can reach different segments of the audience, maximize results, and build a strategy that works both in the short and long term. The debate between SEO vs. PPC in 2026 is no longer about choosing one—using both strategically is the most effective approach.

Adapting to Algorithm and Behavior Changes

Search engines are continuously evolving, incorporating AI systems to better understand search intent and deliver relevant results. One significant shift is the rise of AI overviews and AI summaries, which alter how people search and find information.

Optimize for AI search by creating content that not only ranks well in organic search but also provides concise, informative answers for AI-driven summaries. The emergence of voice search also influences user behavior, necessitating optimization for natural language queries.

Future Trends in Digital Marketing and Their Implications

As AI visibility becomes more prominent, optimizing for AI-driven search results and AI answers will be crucial for staying visible in search results. The integration of AI in PPC campaigns will enable more precise targeting and automated optimization, enhancing campaign performance.

The rise of AI systems hasn’t changed Google’s need for revenue, and while SEO still works, using PPC for quick wins shouldn’t be discounted. The modern SEO landscape treats SEO, PPC, and AI hand-in-hand.

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How Content Marketing Generates Leads (Not Just Website Traffic)

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 09:16:32 -0500

For a long time, content marketing has been measured by one main metric: traffic. More page views, more clicks, more impressions. While traffic can signal visibility, it often creates a false sense of success. This is where content marketing lead generation shifts the focus—from simply attracting visitors to capturing genuine interest. A blog post can attract thousands of visitors and still fail to contribute anything meaningful to business growth because traffic shows who showed up. Leads show who is interested enough to take action.

The real power of content marketing lies not in attracting eyeballs, but in guiding the right audience toward conversion. When done strategically, content becomes a consistent lead-generation engine—not just a visibility tool.

Rather than focusing on direct sales, content builds trust through education and consistency.

Why Traffic Isn’t Enough

High traffic numbers don’t tell the full story. Page views alone don’t indicate intent, interest, or readiness to buy. Many businesses invest heavily in content that ranks well but attracts the wrong audience—or visitors who consume and leave without engaging further.

There are countless examples of blogs generating massive traffic with little to no impact on revenue. Viral posts, trend-based articles, or overly broad topics may bring visitors in, but without a clear next step, those visitors disappear.

That distinguishes between vanity metrics and conversion metrics. Vanity metrics include page views, likes, and shares. Conversion metrics focus on actions that move a visitor closer to becoming a customer—email signups, downloads, demo requests, or inquiries. Content that performs well should be evaluated by how effectively it drives these actions, not just how many people read it.

Content Formats That Drive Results

Different content formats serve different stages of the sales funnel.

I. Targeted Content for Specific Buyer Personas

Lead-driven content starts with clarity about who it’s for. When content speaks directly to a specific buyer persona—their challenges, goals, and questions—it feels relevant and valuable.

For example, a general blog post might attract broad interest, while a targeted guide, checklist, or webinar designed for a specific role or industry attracts qualified prospects.

Blog posts educate, downloadable resources capture contact information, and webinars allow deeper engagement. Each format plays a role when aligned with a defined audience.

II. Content Optimized for Intent

Some content answers questions, while other content supports decision-making. Informational content helps users understand a problem, while transactional or decision-focused content helps them choose a solution.

Aligning content with the buyer journey—awareness, consideration, and decision—significantly increases lead potential. Educational blog posts introduce problems.

Comparison guides, case studies, and solution-focused content support evaluation. When content meets users where they are, conversions happen more naturally.

III. Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

Even the best content won’t generate leads without a clear next step. Calls-to-action guide visitors toward meaningful engagement.

Effective CTAs are visible, relevant, and aligned with the content itself. A blog post might invite readers to download a related guide, subscribe to a newsletter, or request a demo. CTA placement, design, and messaging matter—overly aggressive CTAs push users away, while helpful, well-timed CTAs encourage action.

IV. Content Gated Strategically

Gated content locked behind a high-value resource often plays a key role in lead generation when used thoughtfully.

Reports, templates, in-depth guides, and webinars tend to convert well because they offer clear value in exchange for contact information. Strategic gating ensures users perceive the exchange as fair, increasing both lead quantity and quality.

Measuring Content Success Beyond Traffic

Measuring content success requires looking beyond surface-level metrics and focusing on indicators that reveal real audience intent. Businesses should track metrics tied to action and progression within the funnel. Lead volume shows how many visitors are converting into contacts, while marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) indicate the quality of those leads based on predefined criteria such as engagement level, industry, or readiness to buy.

Conversion rates reveal how effectively content turns readers into leads, and assisted conversions highlight the supporting role content plays across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey.

Connecting content performance to lead outcomes requires the right tools and systems. Analytics platforms reveal how users interact with content, while CRM systems and marketing dashboards link those interactions to actual leads and revenue. This helps teams understand which content assets attract high-intent prospects and which ones underperform.

Just as important is analyzing where users drop off. If visitors consume content but fail to take the next step, it may signal unclear messaging, weak calls-to-action, or a mismatch between content and audience intent. Reviewing funnel behavior allows teams to refine CTAs, adjust content positioning, and improve alignment with the buyer’s journey.

Ultimately, content marketing success is built through continuous testing and optimization. High-performing content is rarely created on the first attempt. Instead, it evolves through ongoing analysis, experimentation, and refinement. When performance insights guide content decisions, marketing efforts become more strategic, efficient, and consistently focused on lead generation rather than traffic alone.

Best Practices for Lead-Focused Content Marketing

Lead-driven content performs best when mapped directly to the sales funnel. Each stage should have content designed to educate, nurture, or convert.

Personalization strengthens this process. Email follow-ups, retargeting campaigns, and segmented content help maintain momentum after the first interaction.

Integrating SEO, social distribution, and content strategy ensures that the right content reaches the right audience at the right time, maximizing lead capture opportunities.

Conclusion

Content marketing lead generation, when approached strategically, becomes a powerful system for attracting, engaging, and converting potential customers.

Rather than asking how much traffic content generates, businesses should ask how effectively it moves people toward action. Auditing content with a lead-first mindset reveals gaps, opportunities, and untapped potential.

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New Year Marketing: How CEOs Should Set Effective Marketing Strategies to Drive Results

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 09:16:42 -0500

The dawn of a new year presents a unique opportunity for CEOs to reassess and invigorate their marketing strategies. In 2026, it’s crucial to understand that effective new year marketing strategies are not just about fleeting campaigns but about setting a course for sustained growth and competitive advantage.

A well-defined marketing plan is the backbone of any successful marketing initiative. CEOs should collaborate with their marketing team to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Key Metrics and KPIs for CEOs to Monitor

For CEOs, defining success in marketing requires a focus on key metrics and KPIs that directly align with business goals. These marketing goals, often expressed as KPIs or OKRs, should be data-driven, tracked using analytics, and regularly reviewed to ensure they remain aligned with overall strategic planning

What Metrics Matter?

It’s not enough to simply launch campaigns; CEOs need to understand which marketing efforts are actually driving revenue growth and increasing brand awareness. These metrics include;

1. OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) – they provide a powerful framework for CEOs to set marketing goals and drive results.

2. Customer acquisition cost (CAC)

3. Customer lifetime value (CLTV)

4. Return on ad spend (ROAS)

5. Website traffic, conversion rates, and social media engagement to gauge the effectiveness of marketing efforts.

6. Lead generation and sales funnel metrics to understand how new customers are moving through the buying process.

A data-driven approach, where metrics are carefully tracked using analytics is thus required to set goals. Analyze data-driven analytics to identify which marketing strategies are driving results and tailor your approach accordingly.

Collaborating with Your Marketing Team

Align Business Goals with Marketing Strategies

CEOs must ensure that all marketing strategies are tightly aligned with overarching business goals. This requires ongoing communication and collaboration with the marketing team to ensure that all marketing efforts are geared towards achieving measurable outcomes, such as revenue growth, increased market share, and enhanced brand awareness. This way, CEOs can set goals in accordance with industry trends.

Partner with the CMO in Strategy Development

The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) plays a critical role in developing and executing effective new year marketing strategies. CEOs should empower their CMOs to drive results through innovative campaigns, data-driven decision-making, and a deep understanding of customer behavior. The CMO is responsible for crafting a marketing plan and ensuring the team follows the actionable steps.

Build a Cohesive Organization-wide Approach

Successful marketing requires a cohesive organization-wide approach, where all departments are aligned and working towards common business goals.

CEOs can foster this collaboration by promoting open communication, sharing data insights, and ensuring that all employees understand how their individual roles contribute to the overall success of marketing efforts.

Leverage LinkedIn for Effective Marketing

Engage Influencers on LinkedIn

Influencers on LinkedIn provide a unique opportunity to reach new customers and boost sales. By partnering with thought leaders in their industry, marketers can amplify their message, increase brand awareness, and build credibility among potential new clients.

This collaboration should align with the overall marketing plan, ensuring that the marketing efforts of influencers resonate with the target audience and align with business goals.

LinkedIn Analytics for Strategy Adjustment

Effective new year strategies demand a data-driven approach, and LinkedIn provides robust analytics to track performance.

CEOs should work with their marketing team to monitor key metrics and KPIs on LinkedIn, such as engagement rates, website traffic, and lead generation to identify what content creation resonates with the audience and tailor their approach accordingly.

These insights are crucial for strategic planning and ensuring that marketing efforts are optimized to drive results throughout 2026.

Best Practices for LinkedIn Marketing

Here are some key steps CEOs can take to elevate their LinkedIn game as we head into 2026. These include focusing on:

High-quality content creation: Share insights, industry news, and articles to position your company as an industry leader.
Active engagement: Respond to comments, join discussions, and share content creation from influencers.

Furthermore, don’t forget to utilize LinkedIn’s advertising tools to reach target demographics and achieve specific business goals.

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Chat#115 – Secrets to Building Generational Wealth Now

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:21:47 -0500

Discover the secrets to building generational wealth now with insights from Shona Bell of Beyond Freedom Financial, a certified public accountant and entrepreneur previous guest featured on the I AM CEO Podcast. In this episode, Shauna shares a powerful CEO Nugget about leveraging tax strategies, financial planning, and unique tools like creating your own family bank to grow wealth and establish a legacy. She emphasizes the importance of mindset, financial awareness, and intentional planning to achieve true financial freedom and impact future generations. Gresh and Shona talk about various ways that entrepreneurs can consider in building wealth like franchising and real estate.

This conversation ties directly into the Financial and Strategy pillars, offering actionable advice on how Builders can start creating wealth today—whether through strategic tax planning, leveraging life insurance for investments, or educating their families about wealth-building tools. Shauna’s journey highlights how entrepreneurs can balance freedom, family, and financial success while avoiding common pitfalls.

Why generational wealth starts with a decision, not a windfall

Building wealth that lasts for generations begins with clarity about purpose and intentional use of financial tools. Many entrepreneurs start businesses to gain freedom for family and time, but the day-to-day demands often push that original why out of focus. The difference between surviving and thriving is deliberate planning: tax strategy, financial planning, and the right capital structures.

From accountant to wealth architect

A certified public accountant who transitioned into entrepreneurship illustrates this path well. Initially providing CFO and tax work for business owners, she shifted toward tax strategy and formal financial planning to help clients convert hard-earned income into freedom—now and for future generations. The journey shows that technical expertise plus a wealth mindset creates leverage far beyond individual paychecks.

Three pillars that accelerate generational wealth

Use these three pillars together rather than in isolation:

Tax strategy — Minimize unnecessary tax drag so more of earned income becomes investable capital.
Financial planning — Consolidate retirement accounts, optimize insurance, and build repeatable funding sources.
Asset strategy — Deploy capital into vehicles that produce cash flow and can be replicated, such as franchises, certain real estate models, and private financing structures.

Reframing what people already have

Many owners don’t realize the assets they already control. Loose 401k accounts, scattered savings, and overlooked insurance structures are often predictable sources of funding if consolidated and repurposed. Awareness becomes a realization that unlocks options—rather than waiting to “have enough,” owners can organize what they already own to start growing wealth today.

The family bank: an often-missed funding strategy

One powerful structure discussed is the “family bank” concept. This typically uses permanent life insurance or cash-value policies that grow tax-advantaged cash value over time. Instead of borrowing from a bank at market rates, owners borrow from their own policy, set their own repayment terms, and continue to let the policy compound.

Key benefits of this approach:

Access to liquidity without qualifying for a traditional bank loan.
Continued cash value growth while loans are outstanding in many policy structures.
Death benefit protection that can serve legacy planning needs.

Franchising as a replicable route to multi-asset wealth

Franchises present a strategic way to own businesses that can scale without reinventing the operating model each time. For entrepreneurs who want businesses that can exist beyond the founder's daily presence, franchising offers a replicable system, established brand, and operational playbook. When combined with a private funding strategy like a family bank, entrepreneurs can reduce reliance on external lenders and capture more of the upside.

Common funding pitfalls and how to avoid them

External lending is a useful tool, but terms matter. Deferred-payment offers and promotional financing can sound attractive but create long-term interest burdens that erode profit. Before accepting funding:

Review repayment terms and total interest cost, not just monthly payments.
Run cash-flow scenarios to ensure payments do not choke operating profit.
Consider internal financing options such as borrowing against cash-value policies or converting dispersed retirement assets into a more controlled vehicle.

Mindset and money trauma: the psychological foundation

Money behaviors are often formed by early memories and family patterns. Those relationships shape risk tolerance, saving habits, and views on debt. Addressing money trauma and changing the financial atmosphere—what one reads, who one studies, and who one networks with—reshapes identity and expands possibility. Surrounding oneself with people who model the desired outcomes creates a new default for what is possible.

Practical 90-day plan to move from idea to action

For someone who wants to own a franchise or replicate an income-producing asset but believes funds are lacking:

Inventory current assets: list all retirement accounts, savings, life insurance, and small investments.
Talk with a tax strategist and financial planner to understand consolidation opportunities and tax consequences.
Explore the family bank option—determine the cost to establish and how soon it can provide borrowing capacity.
Vet franchise models and compare required startup capital, expected cash flow, and franchise support.
Run conservative cash-flow models that include loan repayment terms to ensure the business can sustain operations and return funds to the family bank.

“If something is in you, it is not a no. It is a not now.”

How planning creates true legacy

Legacy is more than an estate number. It is a set of repeatable, teachable financial habits and structures that can be passed down. When families intentionally build predictable funding sources, teach children about compound growth and stewardship, and document strategies, wealth becomes generational in both dollars and knowledge.

Resources and next steps

Practical resources to continue learning and to take action include foundational business and planning guides available on CEO Hack:

General business strategy and startup guidance: https://ceohack.co/business-plan/
Articles, interviews, and entrepreneurial insights: https://ceohack.co/blog/
Explore franchising suitability with an assessment: http://bluestarfranchise.com/assessment
Contact and planning conversations: https://ceohack.co/contact/
Additional learning and resource landing page: https://ceohack.co/landing/

FAQ

What is the “family bank” and how does it work?

The family bank uses a permanent life insurance policy or similar cash-value vehicle as a private source of financing. Policyholders build cash value through premiums, then borrow against that cash value for investments like franchises or real estate. Loans typically do not trigger immediate taxes, the policy can continue to grow in many designs while loans are outstanding, and repayment terms are set internally.

Can someone start a franchise without large personal savings?

Yes. Entrepreneurs often combine strategies: seller or franchisor financing, equipment loans, SBA loans, or private financing. Consolidating existing assets, using cash-value policy loans, and optimizing cash flow projections can reduce the need for large up-front personal savings. However, careful review of loan terms and cash-flow sensitivity is essential. You can always work with a franchise broker to help you find the best options.

How does tax strategy fit into generational wealth building?

Tax strategy preserves more of earned income so it can be reinvested. Proactive planning across entity structure, retirement account consolidation, and investment vehicles reduces tax leakage. Working with qualified tax strategists ensures entrepreneurs avoid paying more tax than necessary while staying compliant.

Is real estate the only route to generational wealth?

No. Real estate is a common and effective strategy, but it is not the only path. Franchises, private businesses, cash-value insurance structures, and repeatable private lending strategies can all generate durable wealth when combined with disciplined planning and the right legal and tax frameworks.

What should someone do first if they feel “not ready” to start building wealth?

Start with awareness. Inventory assets, consolidate scattered retirement accounts, and schedule a conversation with a trusted tax strategist or financial planner. Small, intentional steps compound. The important mindset shift is to treat “not ready” as a signal to explore and plan rather than a permanent refusal.

Closing thought

Generational wealth is less about a single overnight win and more about designing repeatable systems that convert earnings into assets and knowledge. When tax-smart choices, financial planning, and replicable business models like franchising come together, families can build lasting freedom and pass both capital and the know-how to future generations.

The post Chat#115 – Secrets to Building Generational Wealth Now appeared first on CEO Chat.

Chat#114 – Podcasting Secrets Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:50:57 -0500

Podcasting can be one of the most potent tools for entrepreneurs who want to become visible, share ideas, and lead their niche with authenticity. But it is not a quick marketing trick. It is a vehicle for thought leadership, self-exploration, and consistent communication—when done for the right reasons and with clear intention. Gresh and podcast host Nick McGowan host of The Podcast & Self Mastery Show chatted about this powerful medium and how you can leverage it as an entrepreneur or business owner.

Why Thought Leadership Starts with You

Thought leadership is not a title to chase. It is the byproduct of consistently sharing what you think about and what you care about in ways that make sense to you. Everyone’s version looks different—some people lead through writing, others through art, and many through conversation. For verbal communicators, podcasting is a natural fit.

“Thought leadership can look different for different people. It's really being the thought leader to what makes sense to you.”

Start by following breadcrumbs: small recurring interests, skills you enjoy exercising, and the types of conversations that light you up. Take inventory of the work you’ve done, the problems you enjoy solving, and the moments you felt most alive. Those breadcrumbs point to the themes you can own.

Practical exercises to find your voice

Write a list of five moments when you felt deeply engaged or fulfilled at work or personally.
Identify the common thread across those moments—problem solving, storytelling, teaching, analysis, etc.
Test topics in short formats (notes, micro-episodes, conversations) and notice which ones generate meaningful reactions.

Entrepreneurship Equals Hope—But Not for Everyone

Entrepreneurship is often an expression of hope and creative problem solving. For some people it is the right path; for others the best route is to be an exceptional team member in an existing organization. Either way, the more honest you are about why you want it, the better decisions you’ll make.

Before launching or doubling down, ask: Are you chasing prestige or money, or are you pursuing something that aligns with your inner values? That distinction matters because it determines whether you’ll burn out or build something sustainable.

Questions to ask yourself

Why do I want this? (Be brutally specific.)
What am I avoiding by chasing entrepreneurship?
What parts of the day energize me and which drain me?

Deep personal work—understanding subconscious strategies learned in childhood, confronting trauma, clarifying motivations—turns uncertainty into strategy. That internal alignment is what makes authentic content land with an audience.

Podcasting: The Right Tool for the Right Person

Podcasting is especially powerful if your best communication style is spoken conversation. But don’t force it. If you are a brilliant writer, a book or newsletter might serve you better first. The medium should match the messenger.

Two paths: Be a guest or host your own show

If you want to be a guest:

Lead with value: Explain why your topic matters to that audience.
Be specific: Offer clear takeaways the host can promise listeners.
Share references: Include past interviews or relevant work. If you’ve never been on a show, say so and explain why you still fit.
Leave selling out of the pitch: Hosts want conversations that benefit their listeners, not ad reads.

If you want to start a podcast:

Clarify your why: Purpose beats tactics every time.
Pick core topics: Define 2–3 buckets your show will consistently explore.
Design for evolution: Your show will change. Start, learn, iterate.
Invest in fundamentals: Good audio and distribution matter—but only after you know why you’re doing it.

Outreach template for podcast guest requests

One-line hook: who you are and the single topic you want to cover.
Why it matters to their audience: the specific value you bring.
Reference: link to past interview or short clip, or a concise case study.
Availability and a clear closing: “I’d love 30 minutes on [date range].”

Tools and resources that make podcasting easier

Use tools that match your workflow. Here are practical resources to save time and increase reach:

Recording and remote interviews: Riverside.fm, SquadCast
Editing and repurposing: Descript, Repurpose.io, Vizard.ai
Transcription and show notes: Otter.ai, Transcript LOL
Hosting and distribution: Podbean, Blubrry, Spotify for Podcasters
Website and discoverability: Podcastpage
Promotion and clips: Headliner, Repurpose.io

For a beginner-friendly guide on launching an SEO-friendly podcast website, see the podcast landing resource: https://ceohack.co/landing/podcastpage/

Mindset and mastery: the long game

Self-awareness is the competitive advantage. Podcasting forces you to think clearly, ask better questions, and refine the ideas you want to share. The two most important pieces are:

Keep going: Progress is made by persistent, imperfect action.
Do the inner work: The clearer you are about your motives, the more authentic your message becomes.

“If I'm going to be here, I'm going to be here. Suicide's off the table. So if I can't take myself out of the game, might as well play the game. But I'm going to play the game my way.”

That candor is a reminder: visible work and inner work go hand in hand. The more you heal and clarify your purpose, the better your content will connect. Purpose is communal in effect but personal in origin: your role might simply be to be the best version of yourself in your corner of the world.

Getting started checklist

Define your why and 2–3 core topics.
Test short conversations or micro-episodes to validate interest.
Choose recording tools that fit your budget and technical comfort.
Create a simple outreach template for guest appearances.
Set a modest publishing cadence and commit to three months of consistent episodes.

Last word

Podcasting is a tool. The real power comes from knowing who you are, what you want to say, and why it matters to others. Take small, consistent steps. Do the inner work. Show up honestly in conversation. Over time, a clear voice plus consistent action becomes real influence.

Keep going. Be curious. Make your content a reflection of your best thinking and your truest self.

The post Chat#114 – Podcasting Secrets Every Entrepreneur Should Know appeared first on CEO Chat.

Chat#113 – From Layoff to Podcast Hosting: Our Roadmap from Uncertainty to Entrepreneurship

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:17:41 -0500

A candid conversation between Gresham and Dray Jankowski traces a familiar modern arc: job loss followed by reinvention. Their stories reveal a central idea: a layoff can be less an end than a moment that clarifies purpose, forces decisions, and accelerates action. The practical lessons that follow are for two groups: people actively looking for a job and people curious about franchising or starting something of their own.

The moment that changes everything

Dray experienced a layoff and, rather than chronicle day-to-day drama, chose to document the full emotional and practical journey. He launched a podcast to capture highs, lows, and lessons from others going through the same disruption. Gresham, who has navigated layoffs and big career moves, reflects on the isolation and identity questions layoffs can create and how storytelling and community break that isolation.

Key idea

A layoff is data. It reveals gaps, priorities, and time to create something that proves value. Dray saw it as an opportunity to build a platform. Gresham used career transitions to experiment, sharpen skills, and pursue opportunities that would not have been available if he had stayed comfortable.

Prepare before it happens

Both emphasize preparation well before any disruption. That preparation is practical and psychological: savings, deliberate learning, and a portfolio of proof.

Savings and runway: Build a financial buffer even while paying down debt. A runway buys options.
Continuous learning: Take courses, collect certifications, and build skills while employed.
Build proof today: Create content, case studies, and small projects that demonstrate results before a crisis hits.

Use content as a living portfolio

Dray and Gresham argue that content does more than tell a story. It becomes evidence of competence. A podcast episode, a blog post, a LinkedIn thread, or a short YouTube walkthrough demonstrates thinking, execution, and reach in ways a resume rarely can.

For creators and job seekers, the production tools are within reach. Record interviews, transcribe them, and repurpose the material into short clips, show notes, and social posts. The point is to show the work, not only claim it.

Tools and resources to publish and repurpose

Recording and publishing: SquadCast, Riverside, Descript
Transcription and notes: Otter.ai, transcript-lol
Repurposing long-form into social: Repurpose.io, Vizard.ai, Taja AI
Podcast websites and hosting: Podcastpage, Blubrry, Podbean
AI writing and content automation: ChatGPT, Copymatic, Writesonic

Learn-by-doing matters. If the exact tutorial for a tool is missing, create it. That video, blog post, or step-by-step guide becomes both an asset and a signal that the creator knows how to solve problems.

Job search strategies that actually work

The conversation surfaces tactical, high-leverage moves for anyone pursuing a new job.

Don't hire only for a manager: Managers make or break roles, but hire for at least three reasons—the role, the team, and the growth opportunity—so one change doesn't collapse the decision.
Be deliberate about referrals: Networking and referrals move the needle. People who worked at big-name firms usually find new roles more quickly because the network effect multiplies their reach.
Prepare rigorous evidence: Create a folder, portfolio, or one-pager with tangible results. Gresham described building interview packets with stories and metrics for each interviewer—an expensive discipline that pays off.
Negotiate for pay, not title: Titles matter emotionally, but pay buys choices. Consider offers where pay and growth trajectory align with goals.
Beat automation with quality: Many hiring systems use screening tools. Make your application stand out with concrete metrics and portfolio items that human reviewers can share.

Entrepreneurship or franchising? Choose the right model

Not every entrepreneurial path suits every person. The conversation distinguishes two sensible models:

Franchising: A readymade playbook with training and community. Ideal for people who want a tested system and executed operations.
Startup or independent business: A higher-ambiguity option that rewards visionaries who can assemble partners, sell a solution, and navigate product-market fit.

Gresham points out that franchise assessments and psychological fit tests can reveal whether someone prefers the structure of a playbook or the freedom (and risk) of building from scratch.

For early-stage ideas, follow a lean methodology and build an MVP rather than overbuilding. A concise recommendation: read The Lean Startup and run small experiments before scaling.

Useful reading and planning resources:

Imposter syndrome and the mindset shift

Both guests admit to imposter syndrome. Their solution is not eradication but changing the relationship with fear: feel it, then act. Gresham and Dray both advocate for a “do-first” approach—the best antidote to self-doubt is practice and visible progress.

How AI and workflows increase leverage

AI is not a threat to every job; it is a lever. Simple automations free time from repetitive tasks: meeting transcription, follow-up emails, content repurposing, and template generation. Learn the tools so they work for you.

Practical AI advice:

Use ChatGPT or similar models to draft messages, resumes, and outreach sequences.
Automate meeting notes and action items with Otter.ai and Descript, then feed transcripts into an AI summarizer.
Repurpose long-form audio into short videos using Repurpose.io, Vizard.ai, and Taja AI.

Learn-how links and reviews:

Actionable checklists

For job seekers

Inventory skills and proof: List measurable achievements and convert them into short case studies.
Optimize a portfolio: Publish a 1-page case study, a short video, or a sample project that proves impact.
Practice interviews: Use flashcards and rehearse STAR stories. Prepare a folder or electronic packet to leave with interviewers.
Network intentionally: Ask for referrals and offer value first. Leverage alumni and prior coworkers.
Leverage AI for speed: Draft resumes and outreach through AI, then refine with human feedback.

For aspiring entrepreneurs and franchise seekers

Define why: Decide whether you want a playbook (franchise) or a product vision (startup).
Build an MVP: Start small with a testable offer—use a questionnaire, a landing page, or a pilot project.
Document results: Turn early wins into content and case studies that attract customers or investors.
Use inexpensive talent: Hire virtual assistants and freelancers for repetitive tasks. See outsourcing resources: https://ceohack.co/directory/onlinejobs-ph/ and https://ceohack.co/directory/upwork/
Learn continuously: Take free or low-cost courses, and use YouTube tutorials to close skill gaps.

Recommended operational tools and resources

Content republishing: https://ceohack.co/2024/04/26/repurpose-io-review-the-ultimate-content-distribution-powerhouse/
Podcast hosting and editing: https://ceohack.co/directory/podcastpage/ and https://ceohack.co/directory/descript/
AI-driven copy and content: https://ceohack.co/directory/copymatic/ and https://ceohack.co/directory/writesonic/
Transcription and meeting notes: https://ceohack.co/directory/otter-ai/
Lean startup methodology: https://ceohack.co/directory/the-lean-startup/
How to start and grow: https://ceohack.co/business-plan/

Final thoughts from Gresham and Dray

Dray turned a layoff into a platform. He used a podcast to learn publicly, create community, and open doors he had not expected. Gresham kept pushing boundaries—applying for roles that seemed out of reach, preparing obsessively, and using every resource to stretch possibility.

Their combined advice is simple and practical:

Prepare now: Save, learn, and document.
Show, don't just tell: Create content and build a portfolio that proves capability.
Use tools: Automate and augment mundane tasks with AI so human judgment and creativity lead.
Act despite fear: Imposter syndrome is normal; the difference is showing up anyway.

For those starting a podcast, launching a side hustle, exploring franchising, or returning to the workforce, the advice is the same: make one testable move today. Small, consistent experiments compound into momentum.

Where to learn more

Curated resource pages and tool reviews mentioned above are a good place to start:

CEO Hack blog and reviews: https://ceohack.co/blog/
Repurpose.io review: https://ceohack.co/2024/04/26/repurpose-io-review-the-ultimate-content-distribution-powerhouse/
Vizard.ai review: https://ceohack.co/2024/08/08/vizard-ai-reviews-the-ai-powered-video-trimming-tool/
Podcast hosting and tools: https://ceohack.co/directory/podcastpage/
Descript: https://ceohack.co/directory/descript/
Lean Startup methodology: https://ceohack.co/directory/the-lean-startup/

Both Gresham and Dray encourage curiosity, experimentation, and generous networking. Whether the next step is a job application, a franchise assessment, or an MVP launch, the work that matters most begins with one lean experiment and the discipline to follow up.

The post Chat#113 – From Layoff to Podcast Hosting: Our Roadmap from Uncertainty to Entrepreneurship appeared first on CEO Chat.

Chat#112 – Overcome Fear & Unlock Your Entrepreneurial Potential – Who’s Interviewing Who?

Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:50:48 -0400

Fear is one of the most common hurdles entrepreneurs face on their journey to success. In this insightful discussion between Gresh from the CEO Chat Podcast and Inga Maskun, we dive deep into understanding fear—not as an enemy, but as a natural companion on the path of entrepreneurship. This article explores how fear manifests, practical ways to neutralize it, and how to harness it to unlock your true potential.

Understanding Fear: A Constant Companion

Fear is not something we can completely eliminate. Inga shares a powerful perspective: “Fear will always be around us. Why try to haggle with it?” Instead of fighting fear, the key is to make peace with it—acknowledging it as a friend or a companion in life. Just like some friends we live with even if we don't always sync perfectly, fear is something we can learn to coexist with and navigate around.

This mindset shift is crucial because many people misunderstand fear. They want to get rid of it entirely, but fear often arises even before we are consciously aware of it. It can stop us from pursuing our dreams or starting a business. Normalizing fear as neither good nor bad but simply present allows us to begin working with it rather than against it.

How Fear Shows Up: Four Common Forms

Inga identifies four ways fear can disguise itself, particularly when pursuing entrepreneurial goals:

Delay: Putting off action with thoughts like “I’ll do it later” or “I need to do something else first.”
Distraction: Getting sidetracked by less urgent tasks or excuses that prevent focus.
Dissuasion: Internal voices that sow doubt, such as “You failed before, are you really cut out for this?”
Freeze: Feeling stuck or overwhelmed to the point where you can’t move forward.

These forms often feel practical or logical but are actually fear in disguise, trying to keep you from stepping fully into your potential.

Neutralizing Fear: Tools and Mindset Shifts

Neutralizing fear begins with making an upfront agreement with yourself: you cannot get rid of fear, but you can let it guide you without dominating your decisions. When dissuasion arises—those internal doubts—question their validity. For example, if you failed before, remind yourself that you are better equipped now, perhaps with mentors or coaches to support you.

Working with mentors or coaches can help transform the inner voice of fear into one of inspiration and empowerment. They serve as sounding boards that help you challenge limiting beliefs and take meaningful action.

Another powerful way to neutralize fear is by shifting the questions you ask yourself. Instead of asking limiting questions like “What if I fail?” or “I don’t have enough money,” try reframing to empowering questions such as:

“What can I do to move forward despite fear?”
“What resources or support can I find to help me succeed?”
“What is the vision I am working towards, and how does it feel?”

Inga shares a compelling example from her mentor: instead of asking how to travel to France without losing money, she asked how to travel to France and make $10,000. This shift in mindset opened up new opportunities and creative solutions.

Operating with Fear: Clarity, Decision, and Action

Fear tends to be more powerful when there is a lack of clarity or a clear vision. Entrepreneurs often face conflicting voices: the excitement of being their own boss versus doubts about their qualifications or past failures. Inga reminds us that learning any new skill, whether biking, cooking, or running a business, involves trial, error, and persistence.

Making a firm decision to be “all in” is critical. Dipping toes in the water isn’t enough to overcome fear and uncertainty. Once you decide to pursue your vision fully, fear becomes a signal that you are expanding and stepping outside your comfort zone.

Gresh echoes this, noting that successful entrepreneurs develop a strong relationship with time and purpose—they see their investments as opportunities to open doors, not just costs to avoid.

Barriers to Moving Forward: The Enemy of Great is Good

One of the most subtle fears is contentment with “good enough.” Many people settle because their current situation feels comfortable or “good,” even when their dreams could be bigger. This is a form of dissuasion—fear reasoning that warns against risk and urges staying safe.

Inga highlights a powerful mantra from her school days: “Don’t settle for good when you know you can be great.” Recognizing when fear is trying to keep you in that comfortable “good” zone is essential to pushing beyond limits.

Whether someone is facing a layoff or considering adding a new venture, those with an abundant mindset who embrace growth tend to overcome fear and take bold steps forward.

Love as the Opposite of Fear

Love is a compelling force that pulls us beyond fear. Inga and Gresh discuss how love—for your family, your passion, your purpose—can fuel the courage to act despite fear. Love invokes different senses and motivation than obligation or responsibility.

For Gresh, faith and a deep love for entrepreneurship provided the drive to push through doubts and challenges. This love, combined with an abundant mentality, opens doors to greater possibilities and success.

Listening to Your Intuition and Inner Voice

Entrepreneurial ideas often come from a small inner voice—an intuition or calling to grow and expand. Growth is a natural order of the universe, and resisting it often stems from conditioned beliefs or fear-based messaging to “be humble” or “be grateful with what you have.”

Recognizing and nurturing that inner voice, rather than suppressing it, is vital. Growth and expansion are signs that your dreams are alive, and fear often signals that you are pushing boundaries.

Taking Action and Staying Open to Opportunities

Fear can be settled by taking action and opening yourself to receive guidance and support. Inga encourages celebrating awareness of fear rather than condemning it. When fear arises, acknowledge it, then shift your focus to moving forward with openness to unexpected opportunities.

“When the student is ready, the teacher will show up,” Inga reminds us. Often, the resources or people who can help us are already present—we just need to be ready and receptive.

This openness can lead to serendipitous connections and breakthroughs, helping entrepreneurs move beyond fear into empowered action.

Conclusion: Embrace Fear, Cultivate Vision, and Take the Leap

Fear is an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey, but it does not have to hold you back. By understanding fear’s many disguises—delay, distraction, dissuasion, and freeze—you can learn to recognize when it is trying to stop you.

Neutralize fear by making peace with it, shifting your mindset to abundance, asking empowering questions, and cultivating a compelling vision rooted in love and purpose. Surround yourself with mentors and coaches who can guide you and help transform fear into a motivating force.

Finally, take decisive action and remain open to the unexpected. Your dreams are bigger than your fears, and stepping outside your comfort zone is where growth and greatness happen.

If you’re ready to explore your entrepreneurial potential and need guidance, consider connecting with Inga Maskun at ingemaskun.com or livingyourinspiredlife.com for a complimentary session to start your journey.

For more insights on entrepreneurship, mindset, and business strategies, explore related resources here on CEO Hack:

The post Chat#112 – Overcome Fear & Unlock Your Entrepreneurial Potential – Who’s Interviewing Who? appeared first on CEO Chat.

Cash Flow Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Must Avoid: Insights from Dan DeGolier

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 17:04:23 -0400

Managing cash flow is one of the most critical challenges entrepreneurs face as they build and scale their businesses. In this comprehensive guide, we explore essential strategies to avoid common cash flow mistakes, inspired by the expertise of Dan DeGolier, founder and CEO of Ascent CFO Solutions. Dan brings over 30 years of financial leadership experience, helping entrepreneurs understand their finances, forecast cash flow, and secure the capital needed to grow. Whether you’re just starting your entrepreneurial journey or looking to accelerate your company’s growth, these insights will help you maintain financial health and make strategic business decisions.

Dan DeGolier’s Journey: From CPA to Fractional CFO Leader

Dan’s story begins with a traditional accounting background as a CPA at a global firm, but his passion for entrepreneurship and innovation led him to focus on high-growth technology companies early in his career. He gravitated toward roles where he could help disrupt the status quo and support companies changing the way business is done.

After working as a CFO in various technology firms, Dan encountered a recurring problem: many startups and growing companies needed CFO expertise but couldn’t afford a full-time financial executive. This realization sparked the idea of fractional CFO services — providing part-time, flexible CFO leadership to multiple companies simultaneously.

Though the term “fractional CFO” wasn’t widely used at the time, Dan pioneered this model, eventually founding Ascent CFO Solutions in 2016. Today, his firm employs 40 people and serves over 90 companies across diverse industries. Their mission centers on helping entrepreneurs grow by providing expert financial leadership on a flexible basis.

Understanding the Role of a Fractional CFO

Many companies, regardless of size or stage, require strong financial leadership to manage cash flow, plan for growth, and make informed decisions. Dan emphasizes that whether a business is venture-backed, angel-funded, or self-financed, visibility into cash flow and future financial scenarios is paramount.

Ascent CFO Solutions helps clients with:

Cash flow forecasting: Developing detailed financial models that project revenue, expenses, and cash needs over three to five years.
Fundraising support: Assisting with equity and debt financing to fuel growth.
Exit planning: Preparing companies for eventual sale or transition.

At the heart of their service is creating robust financial models that incorporate:

Sales pipeline and conversion rates
Costs related to sales, marketing, engineering, supply chain, and operations
General and administrative expenses such as headcount and facilities

Dan stresses the importance of a strong accounting foundation. Accurate historical financials are essential for reliable forecasting. To that end, Ascent CFO Solutions employs skilled controllers, accountants, and analysts who ensure clients’ books are accurate and compliant with accounting principles.

The Secret Sauce: People and Technology

Dan attributes much of Ascent CFO Solutions’ success to two core pillars: their people and their technology-first approach.

People

Hiring the right team is crucial in a professional services firm. Dan describes a rigorous recruitment and vetting process focused not only on financial expertise but also on communication skills and cultural fit. Since fractional CFOs and accountants serve multiple clients, they must be adept at managing different client expectations, deadlines, and communication styles.

The company prioritizes:

Excellent communication and transparency
Respect and alignment with company values
Underpromising and overdelivering on commitments

Technology

Ascent CFO Solutions is a technology-first organization that leverages modern cloud-based tools to automate manual processes and save clients time and money. By connecting bank accounts directly to accounting software and integrating data from CRM and HR systems, they provide real-time dashboards and insights to clients.

Dan highlights their proprietary dashboarding solution, “Insights by CFO,” which empowers companies with up-to-date financial and operational data to make smarter decisions. This blend of human expertise and advanced technology creates a powerful service delivery model.

While AI and automation offer exciting possibilities, Dan notes that human oversight remains essential. AI can assist with tasks but cannot replace the nuanced judgment and verification required in finance and accounting.

Key Financial Priorities for Entrepreneurs

When working with clients, Dan consistently emphasizes the critical importance of cash flow management. Here are some of the key financial priorities he recommends entrepreneurs focus on:

1. Cash Flow Visibility and Scenario Planning

Understanding your cash flow risks and opportunities is fundamental. Entrepreneurs should develop financial models that allow them to run multiple scenarios — including best-case, worst-case, and most likely outcomes. This helps anticipate funding needs and operational adjustments.

2. Diversify Customer Base

Customer concentration is a significant risk. If one client accounts for a large percentage of revenue (e.g., 20-30%), losing that client could jeopardize business stability. Entrepreneurs should create contingency plans and actively seek to diversify their client portfolio.

3. Insurance and Risk Management

Proper insurance coverage is a safeguard against unexpected costs. Dan advises entrepreneurs to ensure they have adequate protection to mitigate financial risks.

4. Strategic Investment with Contingency Plans

Growth initiatives such as geographic expansion or new product lines require capital and carry risk. Entrepreneurs should model the financial impact of these investments and have backup plans if market acceptance falls short.

CEO Insights: Leading with Openness and Collaboration

Dan shares valuable advice for entrepreneurs and CEOs about leadership and mindset:

Be open to change and alternative viewpoints: Avoid surrounding yourself with only like-minded people. Diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making and innovation.
Lead by example: Demonstrate the behaviors and values you expect from your team.
Build a complementary team: Recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and hire people who fill the gaps.
Embrace mentorship and coaching: No one has all the answers. Being open to learning from others accelerates growth.

Dan notes that these leadership traits developed over time through mentorship, coaching, and a willingness to experiment with new ideas and technologies.

Recommended Resources: Books and Personal Hacks

For entrepreneurs looking to deepen their knowledge, Dan recommends several classic business books:

Blue Ocean Strategy: Focuses on how to disrupt markets and create uncontested market space.
Traction by Gino Wickman: Introduces the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a framework for managing and scaling businesses.
Good to Great by Jim Collins: Explores what makes companies transition from good to great performance.

On a personal level, Dan credits having a long-term executive assistant (EA) as a key productivity hack. Delegating time management and prioritization to a trusted EA has allowed him to focus on strategic leadership and growth.

Final Thoughts: Running Your Own Race with Financial Clarity

Entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. Dan’s overarching message is that understanding and managing cash flow is the fuel that powers your business race. Without clear financial visibility and risk planning, even great ideas can falter.

He encourages entrepreneurs to find their unique strengths and to build collaborative teams around them. By embracing technology, maintaining accurate financial data, and planning for multiple scenarios, business owners can confidently navigate uncertainties and seize growth opportunities.

Connect with Dan DeGolier and Ascent CFO Solutions

If you’re interested in learning more or need expert financial leadership for your business, Dan and his team are accessible through:

LinkedIn: Follow Ascent CFO Solutions for insightful content and updates.
Website: Visit ascentcfo.com to explore their services and contact the team.

With a growing team of 40 professionals, including 14 CFOs, Ascent CFO Solutions is well-equipped to support companies at various stages, especially those on a growth trajectory seeking strategic financial guidance.

Conclusion

Cash flow mistakes can cripple even the most promising ventures. By learning from seasoned experts like Dan DeGolier, entrepreneurs can avoid common pitfalls and build a strong financial foundation for sustainable growth. Key takeaways include the importance of accurate accounting, scenario-based forecasting, risk diversification, and embracing both people and technology in your financial operations.

Above all, successful CEOs lead with openness, collaboration, and a commitment to continuous learning. They understand that managing cash flow isn’t just about numbers — it’s about running a smart, resilient business that can weather challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

Set yourself up for success by prioritizing your financial health today and running your own race with confidence.

The post Cash Flow Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Must Avoid: Insights from Dan DeGolier appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

CEO Helps Sales Agents Boost Their Sales and Broaden Their Market

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 17:30:19 -0400

Listen to the Podcast: I AM CEO Podcast – IAM2474 – CEO Helps Sales Agents Boost their Sales and Broaden their Market

In the world of entrepreneurship and sales, success often comes from more than just hard work; it requires authenticity, alignment, and a deep connection to one's purpose. Kash Fadaie, founder of Fadaie Insurance, exemplifies this approach through his unique blend of spiritual insight and business acumen. Building an $11 million revenue agency from the ground up, Kash has transformed not only his own career but also the lives of the agents he mentors. This article explores Kash’s inspiring journey, his philosophy on integrating spirituality with business, and practical advice for entrepreneurs looking to thrive in competitive markets.

From Refugee to Resilient Entrepreneur: The Early Journey

Kash Fadaie's story begins with profound challenges and cultural transitions that shaped his resilience. Born in Iran in 1974, his family fled the political upheaval of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, settling first in Germany before moving to Florida, USA. These early life experiences of displacement and adaptation were difficult but foundational. Kash reflects, “Those adjustments, though difficult, were foundational in the decisions I would make later and who I am today.”

Rather than seeing hardship as an obstacle, Kash views it as preparation. He explains, “When you come through these things, they are actually not your foes; they’re your friends. They are your next level.” This mindset of gratitude and growth through adversity is a cornerstone of his philosophy.

The Power of Curiosity and Self-Knowledge

As a young boy, Kash was driven by a deep curiosity about life, purpose, and spirituality. He was fascinated by the concept of freedom—not just in the external world but within himself. This led him to explore diverse spiritual traditions, from the Bible to Zoroastrianism, Vedic teachings, Buddhism, Sufism, and shamanism. Through this exploration, one theme resonated profoundly: “Know thyself.”

Kash’s spiritual journey introduced him to meditation as a tool for accessing higher states of consciousness and pure awareness. He discovered that true freedom and power come from within, reached through practices that quiet the mind and open the soul. This inner work laid the foundation for his approach to business and life.

Belief to Knowing: The Evolution of Consciousness

Kash describes the progression from belief to knowledge as crucial in personal and professional development. “Belief is like a rocket booster,” he says. “You start with belief, but eventually, the belief has to fall off, and the rocket keeps going to the source—that’s knowledge and wisdom.” This transition from external faith to internal knowing is what empowers entrepreneurs to operate with clarity and confidence.

Entrepreneurial Beginnings: Building Businesses with Purpose

At just 13 years old, Kash started his first business—a grass-cutting service in Florida. This early experience ignited his passion for entrepreneurship. Over the years, he experimented with various ventures including car washes, produce businesses, souvenir stores, massage services, and even becoming a raw food chef. Each of these endeavors taught him vital lessons about resilience, adaptability, and service.

In 2004, Kash found his calling in the insurance industry. Starting as an agent in Southern California, he quickly realized that insurance combined his desire to serve others with his entrepreneurial spirit. By 2006, he launched Fadaie Insurance, an agency that has since grown to over $11 million in revenue.

The Secret Sauce: Merging Spirituality with Professional Life

What truly sets Kash apart is his integration of spiritual principles into his business. He emphasizes the importance of unifying professional work with spiritual practice, creating a higher vibrational frequency that naturally attracts clients and builds trust.

“When we unify all of our life to be spiritual practice—no separation—then we bring the divine into our work. The person receiving our service doesn’t know why, but they just want to be with us. There’s a love, a genuineness, a magnetic attraction.”

This authentic approach transforms sales from a chase into an attraction. It fosters a culture of benevolence, patience, and service within the team and the brand. The result is not only increased sales but also meaningful, lasting relationships with clients and team members.

Building a Culture of Benevolence and Patience

Kash’s leadership style emphasizes patience and long-term vision. Rather than rushing for quick wins, he cultivates an environment where values like patience and kindness shape every interaction. This shift in energy opens the heart chakra metaphorically, leading to higher vibrations and greater wealth attraction.

Why Insurance? A Noble and Recession-Proof Business

For entrepreneurs considering their next venture, Kash highlights insurance as an ideal industry. He points out several advantages:

Emotional Intelligence and Work Ethic: Success in insurance comes from grit, determination, and emotional intelligence rather than prior industry experience.
Recession-Proof: Insurance is essential; people always need coverage regardless of economic cycles.
Residual Income: Policies have long shelf lives, generating commissions for years through renewals.
Flexibility: The business can be run remotely, meeting clients via phone, email, or text.
Noble Work: Agents protect clients’ financial legacies, earning trust and respect.
Human Connection: Despite advances in AI, clients prefer human advisors for nuanced decisions.

Kash envisions franchising Fadaie Insurance to 10,000 locations in five years, empowering entrepreneurs to become CEOs and investors in their own right.

Essential Traits for Aspiring Franchisees

When selecting individuals to join his franchise network, Kash looks beyond insurance knowledge. He seeks entrepreneurs with:

Emotional Intelligence: The ability to understand and manage emotions effectively.
Work Ethic: Commitment to consistent effort and growth.
Obsession: An intense passion and dedication to their business, surpassing mere commitment.

He likens entrepreneurship to a spiritual practice where trials refine and purify the individual, much like gold being purified by fire. Accountability and daily discussions within the team help maintain focus and alignment.

Daily Routines: The Cornerstone of Success

One of Kash’s most practical and impactful recommendations is the power of daily routines. He advocates building strong morning, afternoon, and evening rituals that nurture mind, body, and spirit.

Starting with simple habits like exercise, meditation, and breathwork, routines can evolve to include fasting, journaling, and reading. The key is consistency and patience:

“You don’t have to have crazy DNA. What you can control is building the right habits and sticking to them. Once you taste the nectar—the benefit—you will double down and add more layers.”

Being around like-minded people who support growth and accountability further strengthens these habits, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.

Presence Over Outcome: The True Secret to Fulfillment

Kash emphasizes the importance of being present in the journey rather than obsessing over the destination. This presence allows entrepreneurs to enjoy the process, learn from every step, and avoid burnout or frustration.

He shares a powerful insight:

“The journey itself is the bliss. The outcome you’re looking for is already at hand. When you stop obsessing about when it will happen and just do the work faithfully, success naturally unfolds.”

This mindset encourages letting go of rigid expectations and trusting that the highest possibilities will manifest.

Defining the CEO: A Role of Trust and Service

To Kash, being a CEO is more than a title—it is a sacred responsibility. It means being entrusted with a mission to create freedom and serve others at the highest level.

“Being a CEO means putting all your chips in, being willing to be transformed, and becoming a conduit for benevolence and servant leadership. It’s about carrying out a mission to create freedom in people’s lives.”

This definition beautifully encapsulates the integration of spiritual purpose with leadership and business success.

Connecting with Kash Fadaie

Kash invites entrepreneurs and seekers of higher consciousness to connect with him. Whether you’re interested in learning insurance, exploring spiritual growth, or becoming part of the Fadaie Insurance franchise network, Kash offers guidance based on two decades of experience.

To reach Kash, visit Fadaie Insurance, email him at cash@kaiinsurance.com, or engage through the chat feature on his website.

Final Thoughts

Kash Fadaie’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, curiosity, and the integration of spirituality with entrepreneurship. His approach teaches us that success is not merely about sales or revenue but about aligning with our highest selves, serving others authentically, and embracing the journey with presence and patience.

For entrepreneurs seeking to deepen their understanding of what it means to be a CEO and build a thriving business rooted in purpose, Kash’s story and insights offer invaluable lessons.

If you are inspired by this journey and want to explore more about becoming a CEO and building your business with intention, visit the I AM CEO community or browse through resources on business planning and entrepreneur podcasts to fuel your growth.

Explore More Resources for Entrepreneurs

For entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to expand their knowledge and stay updated with valuable content, exploring comprehensive resources can be highly beneficial. To access a wide range of articles, posts, and guides that cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, leadership, and business growth, visit the CB Nation sitemap. This sitemap provides organized links to multiple categories, ensuring you find relevant and insightful information to support your journey.

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Why Entrepreneurs Need Harmony, Not Hustle

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 15:07:38 -0400

In the ever-evolving world of entrepreneurship, the constant push for hustle often overshadows the vital need for harmony. Asmâa Methqal, a global business consultant and the creator of the Fire & Flow leadership methodology, emphasizes that true success lies in balancing action with intuition. This powerful approach not only ignites businesses but also nurtures holistic leadership.

In this blog, the reader will be let into the secrets of Asmâa on how entrepreneurs manage to maintain a good balance of both their personal and professional lives resulting in them being fulfilled as well as successful.

Understanding the Fire & Flow Methodology

The process of Asmâa is Fire & Flow is applied is to enable these leaders reconnect with their major aim and resolve the intricacies of contemporary business. The main parts of this way are: Fire, representing action and execution, and Flow, which symbolizes trust in one's intuition and inner strength.

The pandemic saw a good number of entrepreneurs who had to go through emotional disconnectedness that prevented them from being their true selves. According to Asmâa, the curfew which was the major part of the pandemic stimulates individuals to stay still that finally letting them realize a truth: one should firstly focus on being and then do it. The new outlook is visible but is necessary for one to dream and to succeed.

The Importance of Self-Leadership

The subject of Asmâa is self-leadership, which is the key to her teachings. According to her, there are indeed many people who follow the career paths predetermined by society rather than their own wishes. As a result, they become unwelcome and sometimes destituted people. Asmâa brings up the fact that entrepreneurs have to face the difficult question about their actual selves. The question that is, “If there were no limits, who would you be?” This question acts as a stimulus for the realization of what you are on earth for.

The path of self-identification is about getting rid of the burden of external validation and accepting one's distinct advantages. Asmâa tells her story about how she had to climb the wrong ladder in her profession only to find out that the real happiness is in the conformity of their actions with their inner essence.

Creating Sacred White Space

Among the main practices Asmâa promotes the formation of sacred white space in our timetables. This means purposely taking time out to stop and reflect, which is a great way for people to get back to their own inner wisdom. In a society that is often very busy doing things and seemingly too busy to just be, the simple act of just being could open up a whole new world of understanding and clarity.

According to Asmâa, it is best to start with small steps—like spending a few minutes each day to do this practice. Individuals can deepen their connection to intuition and creativity by the act of sending a message to the self that this time is valuable.

Embracing the Duality of Being and Doing

Business owners regularly find themselves caught in a conflict between being efficient and giving up the pressure of existence. Asmâa brings up that it is essential to find a fair balance between the two states. Instead of seeing them as opposing, she supports the inclusion of both in one's daily life.

The state of equilibrium that allows people to grow both emotionally and professionally, therefore, will bring about more joy to their business voyages. The entrepreneurs, who choose to rely on their gut feelings and love who they are, will be the ones to make available to the company an environment that nurtures creativity and innovation.

Transformational Insights for Entrepreneurs

Through her work experience, Asmâa has come to realize the impactful ability of self-acceptance and being true to oneself. She motivates enterprisers to express themselves allowing no apologies, having noticed that their diversity in idea is what distinguishes them in the market.

Innovation of the heart and authenticity of the leader are the two things that entrepreneurs need to have in order to influence others and form valuable links. Asmâa's last piece of advice is spot on: to go within and discover your essence. This path of self-awareness is the grounding of meaningful and lasting success both at work and in daily life.

Conclusion

The journey towards harmonious entrepreneurship is not a destination but a continuous process of self-discovery and growth. By integrating the principles of Fire & Flow, creating sacred white space, and embracing the duality of being and doing, entrepreneurs can unlock their full potential and lead with purpose.

For more insights on achieving balance and harmony in your entrepreneurial journey, check out Asmâa Methqal's work and explore the CEO Hacks for additional resources and strategies.

Podcast Episode: https://iamceo.co/2024/12/13/iam2314-global-business-consultant-empowers-leaders-and-businesses-to-unlock-their-potential/

LinkedIn: Asmâa Methqal

Website: Fire and Flow with Asmâa

Instagram: iamasmaa

Previous Episode: iam612-educator-harnesses-teams-collective-strengths

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Founder Empowers Future Female Leaders in Food & Beverage Industry

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 10:56:27 -0500

Christie Lawler is the founder and owner of CJL Consulting, a beverage marketing agency, and the WITI Group, a nonprofit female leadership in the food and beverage industry.

She is also the host of the Lawler Out Loud Mixing Up the Mainstream Podcast and an advocate on several industry boards.

Christie is recognized for her leadership, including being named “Innovator of the Year” (2022) and “Most Influential Beverage Strategist” (2021).

Christie discusses the emotional and relational benefits of the initiative, the challenges faced during conferences, and the importance of resilience and problem-solving.

Moreover, she emphasizes persistence and never misses deadlines, describing herself as a realistic optimist.

Website: CJL Consulting

LinkedIn: Christie Lawler

Previous Episode: iam823-founder-supports-national-hospitality-industry-and-future-female-leaders

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Podcast Interview: https://iamceo.co/2024/12/06/iam2307-founder-empowers-future-female-leaders-in-food-beverage-industry/

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CEO Helps Business Owners Focus on High Impact Activities

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 10:46:45 -0500

Frank Goodman is a seasoned business consultant and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience.

Frank has worked with startups, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies, holding degrees in computer engineering and systems engineering.

Frank shares the importance of understanding where clients want to go and the external factors that might affect their businesses.

He emphasizes the need for thorough assessment rather than quick fixes.

Frank discusses the challenge of businesses adapting to tools rather than the tools fitting their processes.

He believes technology should enhance existing workflows without forcing companies to change their fundamental operations.

The conversation highlights the importance of buy-in from the team for any technology or process changes to be effective.

Website: ROI for Pros

LinkedIn: Frank Goodman

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

I AM CEO Handbook Volume 3 is HERE and it's FREE. Get your copy here: http://cbnation.co/iamceo3. Get the 100+ things that you can learn from 1600 business podcasts we recorded. Hear Gresh's story, learn the 16 business pillars from the podcast, find out about CBNation Architects and why you might be one and so much more. Did we mention it was FREE? Download it today!

I AM CEO Podcast Interview: https://iamceo.co/2024/10/19/iam2259-ceo-and-founder-helps-business-owners-clear-their-plate-of-responsibilities-to-focus-on-high-impact-activities/

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Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 5. OPERATIONS / LEGAL

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:09:20 -0500

In this episode, Gresham discusses pillar number 5 and the process of drilling down into the various business pillars. He mentions that they have taken the insights and hacks from over 1600 episodes and condensed them into 16 themes, which they now refer to as pillars.

Gresham emphasizes the importance of identifying and focusing on a single pillar that can drive growth in business. He discusses the importance of focusing on various pillars in business, including entrepreneurship, strategy, products/services, people, operations/legal, visibility, finance, and technology. They emphasize the significance of understanding operations and legal aspects in structuring a business.

In addition, Gresham highlights the benefits of systematizing tasks and operations for a better working environment for both the team and clients.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO Podcast, and this is a special I AM CEO Podcast because we're gonna be focusing on the 8 business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy taking a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600+ episodes we did at the I AM CEO Podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the 8 pillars that can help you level up your business.

And, really, what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate, and this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're gonna put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh here, and this is the episode where we drill down a lot more on pillar number 5. And there's many different pillars in business. If you just listened to this, we took the 1600+ episodes. We drilled down into that. Had hundreds of hacks, hundreds of nuggets that we accrued from each of the episodes. We took those. They became the 16 themes, which we originally called pillars, but they actually became themes. And then we really want to drill down on those 8 pillars. The reason that we chose 8 pillars is because we started to do a little bit more homework and research into business in general, but also into the things that were consistently coming up when we were doing these interviews.

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And we thought that these pillars were gonna be a little bit more foundational, not necessarily because they tell you all the things about business, but because they're very over encompassing. So that if you could potentially focus on maybe one pillar for a year, you could potentially see a lot of growth if you select the correct pillar. But it's also important to understand how interconnected they are because as you focus on one, you're deciding not to focus on another potentially. And if you decide to split your time between both, then understand you're not going to see the potential growth if you can find and identify the quote unquote one thing or the one pillar that could, really drill things, drive things forward even more.

So with that being said, we're gonna focus on and drill down into pillar number 5 with this operation/legal. It was just operations and then that legal part is obviously a huge part of business and entrepreneurship. So we wanted to make sure that it was under something that was one of the core parts of business, sometimes the quote unquote less sexy part of business. The business the part of business that is extremely important, but also is something that, maybe doesn't get the airplay, the fascination. You don't see a lot of TikToks that are around the legal part of business or the operations.

Although, they are very sexy if you're running a very strong business. So keep in mind that as I drill down a little bit more into this specific pillar, we wanna keep in mind that there are many other pillars, 8 other or seven other pillars, 8 total, that you want to make sure that you're focusing on. And those pillars, I'm gonna go down the line. Entrepreneurship and journey is gonna be your 1^st one. Strategy is gonna be your 2^nd one. The 3^rd one's going to be offering/your products and services. Number 4 is people in the human part of business. Number 5, we're gonna talk about a little bit more today, which is operations/legal. Then we're gonna drill down a little bit more into visibility.

Then number 7 is gonna be financial. And then finally, we're gonna cap everything off with technology. So understanding operations and legal part is really gonna be how you're structuring your business and what that looks like, how things are moving along. Now one of the most exciting things you can you can have is you start out with your idea. You realize that, okay, I have this business idea. I have this problem, this opportunity that I wanna serve, and you strategize around it. You figure out exactly how you're going to make that happen, and then you produce the idea or the concept, or maybe you get to test out your product and service.

And then you understand that this is how we're going to serve that human part of what we're doing. And you start to do that one time, two time, three times. You start to do that at a certain level. And then you realize you need operations because it's essentially going to be the engine that's going to allow you to serve the clients that you're working with. And so you really wanna understand the fundamentals of operations and systems and what they that looks like. Of course, you wanted to make sure that you're operating and optimizing those processes and systems.

And, obviously, we're gonna drill down a little bit more into pillar 8 around technology. But for a lot of businesses, not necessarily all businesses, technology is gonna play a huge role. So I think it's important to mention that, of course, because that could be one of the most impactful things, I think. And that's one of the reasons that it went from 7 to 8 pillars largely because of the the impact of technology. So know that automation, a lot of technological tools, things like project management software, all these things gonna play a really big part in terms of understanding exactly how to keep the trains moving, how to keep the trains moving consistently, and how to make sure that there's less spillage, for lack of a better term, and there's that same experience that you're providing throughout the entire journey for a client or customer, but also internally for your team.

How do you make sure that the business doesn't revolve around one person? It's gonna be your operations. It's gonna be your systems. It's gonna be those SOPs, those things you put in place to make sure that you are consistently growing the business into where it ultimately needs to be. So keep in mind that this flows over many different aspects of running a business, everything from supply chain management and those best practices to, like I mentioned, the legal considerations, understanding the way that you incorporate your business or actually even incorporating your business, how you, create, that structure and and what that looks like.

And we're gonna drill down a little bit more to the financial piece and and pillar number 7. But know that a lot of times the structure that you're creating does impact the financial aspect of your business, the amount of revenue that you're bringing in, and kind of, like, what that's going to look like. But also making sure that you're you're fully protected and what that looks like. And a lot of times when you hear attorneys, and by no means am I an attorney, but they'll talk a lot around making sure that you have your trademark, your patents, all those things in place.

Also know that it's probably I don't even know if it's more important, but I know it's also important to make sure that you're enforcing those trademarks and those patents because people can infringe upon them. And you wanna make sure that you're setting yourself up as much as possible to succeed. So make sure you have all those things that are in place, understanding business law, having any compliance checklists or things that you need to get done, agreements and contracts and templates, having those template templates, but also making sure that you're structuring those so that even if you're having conversations with someone that is extremely close, a friend, a relative, that you have a contract in place is going to be extremely important.

No matter who you're communicating with because or you're coming to agreement with might be a better way to say that because you wanna make sure that you're protected and that person's name is protected as well too. So know that's a big part as well too. Risk management strategies is another big part, of course, like I mentioned a little bit. Supply chain management is gonna be a really big part. So keep in mind that we have this offering, this product and servicing that you're doing to to make that impact. How are you, from an operation standpoint, going to ensure that that experience is going to happen?

No operations all can often speak to the idea of bringing on new clients or customers. But there could be operations around every single aspect of business, and often we don't realize that even those of us that provide custom products and services have certain aspects of what we do to be operations. And what I wanted to do is draw that a little bit deeper. We talked a little bit around the last pillar of the human part of the people part of business. Understand, like, how powerful it has been, hearing over and over again the power of morning routines. That it doesn't necessarily mean that there's a specific way that you have to do your morning routine, but just to be able to set yourself up for success is going to be huge.

And the reason I bring that up here is because when you're thinking about operations, of course, think about your business, but also consider hiring. Also consider how you're marketing your business or what the process is when there's a high rate client. All those things can be operations and SOPs that are put in place to make sure there is that somewhat consistent experience for everyone. But keep in mind that you also can create the operations in your life as well too. And when we talk about filling up your cup, when we talk about making sure your oxygen mask is on, as an individual and as a leader, understanding that human part, know that the operations and what you do on a regular basis also plays a really good part of through that too.

So with that being said, that's pillar number 5. Your operations, your legal part is gonna be such a big thing. Many people will argue while it's the least sec one of the least sexiest things, and maybe financial can give it a run for its money for a lot of people if you're talking about accounting and things like that. But keep in mind, it's the thing that might really open up that opportunity for you to scale the processes, the systems, the operations. Having those things in place can really take things to an entirely different level.

So this is, Gresh signing out. Remember, your operations are huge personally, professionally, and all the things that you're doing. So as we drill down more and more and more and provide more content in our community and, of course, in our library around what and how to improve your processes and your operations. Know that there's a lot of CEO hacks that help out with that, whether it's project management software. Just know that it sometimes could be one of the biggest things that you can lean into that's actually going to give you more time. And it allows you to sometimes invest that time by having to create processes, systems, operations.

But in the long run, it ends up creating those, consistent practices that allow you to be able to not work as much on or in the business as you are maybe presently and to focus more on working on the business. So think about what things can I systematize, what things can I create operations for, because it's only going to to create a a better environment, for you and the people that, you're impacting? And that's talking about your team, but also your clients as well.

Outro 10:11

Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO Podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these 8 pillars to show you as a builder how you can leverage these 8 pillars and really level up there so it helps you level up your business and organization.

So hope you enjoyed this episode, and definitely please check out the show notes so you can learn more about the pillar, learn more about the person that I guested on their episode, and, of course, learn more a little bit more about us as well too. This is Gresh signing out. Hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 4. PEOPLE = HUMAN PART OF BUSINESS

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:06:45 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh delves into the eight foundational pillars that can help elevate your business.

Derived from over 1600 episodes and copious insights from CEOs, these pillars were condensed from 16 themes into a course aiming to boost business success rates.

This episode specifically highlights the fourth pillar: People and the Human Part of Business.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of recognizing the human element in business, touching on aspects such as recruitment, talent management, and maintaining a conducive environment for both employees and strategic partners.

He also underscores the necessity of self-care for entrepreneurs to avoid burnout and ensure sustained success.

The discussion aims to remind listeners that balancing the needs of the business and its people is crucial for long-term growth and impact.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast. And this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy and take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight pillars that can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course in that library of content and information, we're going to put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh here. And now we are talking about pillar number four people slash the human part of business. And I often say over and over again in episodes, you never want to forget about the human part of business.

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And if you're just listening to this, we're going through the eight pillars of of business really that I've gleaned from doing over 1600 episodes. Again, we took the 1600 episodes, 1600 plus episodes, and they became hundreds of CEO hacks and CEO nuggets and information we've learned from CEOs, entrepreneurs, business owners. And then it drilled down into the 16, what I called pillars then, but it's now the themes.

The themes that were consistent around business and one of them is, don't forget about the human part of business. And that is what brought us to the eight pillars. The eight pillars are really those foundational elements that are going to help you to level up within your organization.

And what I want to do with each of these episodes is drill down a little bit further into each of these eight pillars, not to give you a, all the information because you can consistently learn about each of these pillars. And these pillars aren't definitely separated. They aren't siloed. They are very much so interconnected.

But sometimes if you have the opportunity to really focus on one, it could be and have that dramatic impact upon your business. So with this one, we're going to focus on. People in the human part, that's pillar number four.

So just give you a little bit more of a recap. If you haven't listened before, the first pillar was entrepreneurship and focusing on the journey. The second one was strategy. The third was your offering or your product or service.

The fourth is going to be people slash the human part, which is what we're going to talk about today. Then we're going to talk in. A little bit more about operations slash the legal side. Number six, we're going to go into visibility seven financial. We're going to close everything out with the biggest one, I think. And one of the most impactful ones I think is technology.

So with each of these different pillars, we're going to draw down more and more and more so you can learn more about what it's like. To be a CEO entrepreneur and business owner and how you can make that impact into your business and what that looks like.

So one of the biggest things that we often hear, but sometimes we don't internalize entirely is understanding the human part of business. And the reason I wanna say human, rather than people who can often hear about human capital, you hear about how important it's to make sure that you're bringing on the right people, you're creating an environment for them to excel and for them to succeed.

But we often forget about the human part. When we're talking about the clients that we want to connect with, we just want to take our product to service and just tell them this is what they need. And this is why they need it without actually having that connection, that interaction, that communication that comes from even some of the other pillars, the marketing, the sales, the visibility part.

We often just say, okay, this is what we are great at. This is what we've created. This is why it's cool. And forget about That human part and how we're actually connecting with the people that we ultimately want to serve. So that's one of the really big things we want to try to take into account as we're thinking about that human part.

But we, of course, want to keep in mind that recruitment, talent acquisition, making sure that we're getting the right people are the right butts in the right seat is going to be something that's very important. And then when we get them there, are they engaged? Are they staying? Are they growing? Just all that about creating a great environment for the people that are close to you.

But also know that the people part does include people that you're connected with. So yeah, That's everything about building a strong team. The team we often think means employees or sometimes contractors, but the team also means strategic relationships. It also means mentors. It also means consultants that you might have or board members or whatever it might be that are going to be those.

human parts that are pouring into your business. So make sure that you're keeping that in mind. Leadership and management also play a really big part in this as well as far as like being able to create that environment and that culture for you to succeed. But understand that, that could be one of your most impactful aspects of your business by getting the right people.

You can really level up your organization, but sometimes not getting the right people can actually have the opposite effect as well, too. So It's so important to forget about that human part and to not forget about that human part and to keep that in mind and understand how important the talent the resources, the people that are in place are going to be in terms of helping you to grow.

Now, one of the things that I haven't really drilled down on one of the themes that we had, one of those 16 themes was not forgetting about the I and team or realizing that there is no I and team. And that was very important because as you start to grow, you want to make sure you're creating an environment, a culture where everybody's going to have that opportunity to really excel.

And you're putting the greater good for lack of a better term above your individual goods. And that's for everybody that's on the team. So you want to definitely create that environment. One of the other themes that we had is that There is an I in WIN and so when you're trying to create that environment in order for you to succeed and excel, it's so important for you to not forget about the you not forget that you also are a human and you also are important to be able to help the business to excel.

So putting your oxygen mask on first. Specially for those people that really grasp and really understand that entrepreneurship part about serving and being able to support people. It's so important to not forget about that human part because you don't want to get into a place where your business is not going to have the opportunity to accelerate and make the impact it could because you're facing burnout.

Or because You haven't created a great environment for yourself to excel because you're not doing the things that will allow you to continue to run the marathon that is entrepreneurship.

So all those things are very much focused on you realizing that you're a human as well. So it doesn't mean necessarily that you're Always going to necessarily put yourself first, but I think it's very important for those people that may be skewed more towards givers that give tremendously from everything that they do.

They're always thinking about others to really start to think a little bit more creatively on how you're giving to start to think a little bit more creative on that, how you can create a win, lose or lose win, but how can you create win, win, win, win, win scenarios for your team.

And keep in mind one of those Wins is going to be you making sure your cup is full, making sure you have your oxygen mask on and making sure that you are making that impact. So definitely don't forget about the human part of a business. And of course, we're drilling down more and more and more into our community and the library and all the information that we're providing so that you can learn more and more and more on what that looks like and how you can make that impact.

But keep in mind that I really struggled with if I wanted to put this first, because I think it's something that we will gloss over, especially ourselves more than anything else. So as people that are givers know that you can, you can, you can serve others and you can also serve yourself. And don't forget by serving people, by serving humans, you also are human as well, too.

So do not forget about yourself. So this is Gresh signing out. This is pillar number four people slash the human part of business. So don't forget that and make sure that you are keeping that top of mind. As I mentioned, you can visit everything on our site cbnation.co/pillars to find out more about the pillars and all the awesome things that we're creating around that.

But keep in mind that These things can help you to level up in your business. And we're going to draw down more and more and more into each of those other pillars. So stay tuned.

Outro 08:07

Hello, hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode. And definitely please check out the show notes. So you can learn more about the pillar.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 4. PEOPLE = HUMAN PART OF BUSINESS appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 3. OFFERING – PRODUCTS/SERVICES

Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:03:37 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh dives deep into the eight essential business pillars derived from over 1600 episodes and 16 key themes, which now became 8 business pillars.

The episode focuses on understanding and enhancing your business offering, highlighting the importance of seeing your product or service as a means of providing impactful transformations to clients.

Gresh outlines the crucial business foundations such as strategy, people, operations, visibility, finance, and technology, emphasizing their interconnectedness and how they help improve business success rates.

Additionally, he stresses the significance of understanding the entire customer journey and the value you bring to their lives.

This episode is a precursor to a more detailed course aimed at helping businesses level up.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

Check out our CEO Hack Buzz Newsletter–our premium newsletter with hacks and nuggets to level up your organization. Sign up HERE.

Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course. And that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up. So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:37

What is your offering? How are you making an impact into the lives of people or even organizations. That's what this pillar kind of really drills down. So if you listen into previous episodes, we talked about entrepreneurship and journey. We talked about strategy right now we're drilling down into offering or your product or service.

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I'm going to go more into. Pillar number four, which is people slash the human part. Number five is going to be operations slash legal. Then we're going to go into number six, which is visibility seven financial, and then eight is technology.

So going into each of these aspects of business and each of these foundations, it's not anything more than being able to arm people with a little bit more insight and information to the complexity of business, not necessarily how.

All the different aspects are siloed, but actually how they're very much so intertwined and how you want to have greater awareness around all those things, because they're very much so, interconnected and they depend on one another. Just, if you want to check out CEO hack, check out this book called Range.

And the kind of idea behind it is that the people that are able to have a range of different experiences and perspectives are going to be able to solve the problems of tomorrow. And it's often because there is a world where everything is becoming so much more specialized. You hear it so many times and even us with our digital marketing company.

We going back and forth about whether or not we should specialize on a specific industry. And there's pros and cons of each. A lot of it dials into exactly what we talked about in the previous pillar, which is around strategy. What is the strategy of the business? Like, how do you define success?

What does success look like? And that could be different things for different people. But because it didn't necessarily align with our strategy, that wasn't something that I necessarily wanted to do and nothing that we felt very strongly compelled to do.

But, what we wanted to draw down is really start to understand why you're doing the things that you're doing. Often when people start businesses, when they have that napkin and they're writing down the ideas they're learning more about entrepreneurship.

When they're going into the strategy of what exactly you're doing, they find themselves saying, okay, now how do I do this? How do I package this? And that's really what the offering is like, what are you offering To potential clients and customers so that you can make the impact in their lives and their businesses, or what transformation are you ultimately trying to achieve?

Now, we're going to drill down a little bit more into the next pillar on the next episode, which is the human part of business. But what I really wanted to do is make sure that you understand that a lot of times people want these things to lead to some types of type of transformation. Often your product and service that you're talking about is not the thing that you're actually offering.

Usually it's something else. If you are a fitness trainer, while you're trying to help people lose weight, gain muscle whatever that might be. And however, we're so often like looking at that, if you're, doing nutrition planning or you're planning or you're doing meal prep or something along those lines, you're typically not doing the thing that you think that you're doing.

What you're doing is you're providing some type of transformation. So what is this transformation? This transformation for the fitness coach could be helping people to feel more Life within who they are so that it could positively impact their wives, their spouses, it could be their sons and daughters to help them to show up better at work.

All these things could be results of being able to provide that transformation. But the big thing is that you want to really start to drill down on the impact that you're making. And a lot of times you do that by not just saying I provide nutrition planning or I do meal prep or I potentially add a debt to your house or I fix leaky pipes so that you don't have to have issues.

You're providing some type of transformation. The key is like, how do you dial into that? How you tap into that? So, of course, generally speaking, you're going to talk about your products and services and what exactly you do, because at the end of the day, you want to make sure. That you are able to find the people that you're able to serve.

If somebody has a leaky pipe, it doesn't make sense for you to maybe say, okay, I don't want to talk about your leaky pipe. I want to talk about how we're providing transformation in your house. No, not necessarily, not in that case. Exactly. So what you want to understand that these are ways that you are able to have a communication with clients, but it also is a way for you to understand exactly what you're doing and the impact that you're making.

The problem that you're ultimately because what you're doing when people call you is you're providing them peace of mind, that peace of mind is allowing them to work on other aspects of their business is allowing them to spend more time with their spouse, their Children is giving them an opportunity to not have to worry about that aspect of the business so they can work on other things.

So are you saving them time? Are you giving them the mental piece that they're ultimately achieving. These are things that you want to make sure that you are communicating because that's ultimately what you're doing while you are definitely, obviously, of course, fixing that pipe while you are, of course, helping people to lose weight.

Understand that you're allowing that person to be able to be confident enough to walk into their boss's office or virtually walk into their boss's office and ask for a raise. That confidence is something that you will see pours into each aspect of their life because things are not siloed.

So you want to dread out more and more and more and understand that human part, which of course I'm going to dive into and delve down a little bit later.

But know that this is going to be all around your product and service and the offering that you're providing. So make sure you define exactly what that is and what that looks like.

A lot of times because we're in digital marketing, we will ask, actually ask clients to rank their services as far as like the ones that are making the most impact, what drives in the most revenue for you.

Because often when you have a better understanding of not just one aspect of what you're providing, but the catalog of what you're providing. You're able to understand if one is more valuable than another per se, or if something is maybe a little bit more experimental. So maybe you're testing or trying something out.

Or maybe you paid attention to clients or your product and service offerings going to be evolving, changing, and improving. So you want to pay attention to those things and know that it can evolve and change. And definitely, of course, give you a space and time to be able to test those things out.

And of course, to be able to improve those. And you want to, of course, be able to have those conversations with clients and customers, but know that it comes back to you. Like, how are you solving that problem? This is, you had a problem, you understood in entrepreneurship, it's all around problem-solving.

This is how you package it. This is how you let people know. These are my coaching services. This is my public speaking business, or potentially this is how exactly I'm providing coaching services. HVAC services, or potentially I am that plumber and I'm going to come through and provide emergency support, or we're going to be on the offensive and we're actually going to help you before you have to call us.

Or going to be on call if you have any tech issues, or you want to redesign your website, or you're trying to get more business through Google ads, whatever that might be. It might be packaged in different ways, but no, this is a transformation that you're provided just Don't forget about that human part, because that's going to come through and everything that you're doing.

But also know that you want to make sure of course that you're providing the product or service, but you want to really dial into the full journey of your potential client and customer. And now this touches a little bit more on that visibility piece, but know that. As you understand more about that journey that they're going through, you're going to be able to serve them even better because that's what happens at the end of the day.

Product and service services for you to serve. So no, this is offering as a way for you to serve. So if you understand that before someone calls or reaches out to a fitness instructor, that maybe your ideal client and customers have a little bit of. apprehension or even fear around health, wellness, and fitness is going to change the way that you position yourself.

It may even change your offering may even change what you call your offering. You might not want to call it a bootcamp if you're dealing with people that haven't gone through that process, but maybe you do want to do that because you want to really hammer home that the transformation that you're going to provide, we're going to bootcamp, we're going to make this, we're going to make, we're going to get you into the way that you need to, so that you can have that transformation in your life.

You just want to understand each of those aspects and understand what that process looks like before the person calls, when the person's, when you're serving that client, whether it be one time or on a continual basis, and they didn't even have to end after the end. And after that, and after that, and after that.

Just think about these apps that you might have on your phone when you're getting a message from Starbucks that there's a potential sale. And I don't, I don't go to Starbucks that much, so I'm not sure if there's actually sales. I'm sure there are, but you're getting points. So maybe you're 25 points away from getting a free local frappuccino or whatever that might be here with drink a choice.

The point being is that you have a really good idea on what that journey looks like and how that journey extends beyond when they're buying your potential products and services. So again, the more you can understand what that offering is, the more you can provide more value and value doesn't always have to mean your product service.

As we'll talk on, talk about a little bit later. And in each of the pillars, you can provide value with the visibility that you're sharing the things that you're doing, the way that you're getting in front of your clients and customers. So just know and understand that that whole kind of customer journey and make sure that you're able to see and evaluate how you're able to provide value according to that journey.

But that's pillar number three you're offering product to service. Of course, we're going to drill down more into each of the other eight seven, eight total. Pillars and see how that could potentially help you out with your business. But my goal here is just to give you a little bit more of an idea on what that looks like and how you could potentially provide that impact.

And of course, us be able to position and drill down on the content that you're listening to. So that it. We'll help support each of these aspects. So you can know exactly what you're looking for. And of course you can check out our community that we're relaunching so that you can draw down a little bit more on each of those aspects and what that looks like.

So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day. Don't forget you are providing service to people that you ultimately want to work with. Think about how you're able to solve that problem, how you're able to make their day better.

And then that's going to allow you to be where they're searching for and think of you when they're trying to do that. Thanks. And I'll talk to you soon.

OUTRO 11:11

Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps to level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode Definitely please check out the show notes. So you can learn more about the pillar.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[/restrict]

The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 3. OFFERING – PRODUCTS/SERVICES appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 2. STRATEGY

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:17:56 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh dives into the critical pillar of ‘strategy' as part of an eight-pillar framework for successful business development.

Gresh emphasizes the importance of having a strategy to turn ideas into actionable plans and achieve business goals.

He outlines the entire set of eight business pillars—entrepreneurship, strategy, product/service offering, people, operations/legal, visibility, finance, and technology—offering a high-level overview of each.

Gresh also discusses the significance of market understanding, SMART goals, and KPIs to improve execution and achieve long-term success. Tune in to learn how to leverage these pillars and elevate your business from a builder to a luminary.

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http://community.cbnation.co

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I AM CEO podcast, and this is a special I AM CEO podcast because we're going to be focusing on the eight business pillars. I hope you get to enjoy kind of take in a lot of these different pillars that came from the 1600 plus episodes we did at the I AM CEO podcast, which became the 16 themes, which eventually now became the eight business pillars. That can help you level up your business.

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up.

So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

All right. So for this next episode, I'm going to focus on the pillar of strategy. So you've gone through the first pillar, you have entrepreneurship and the journey. You understand a little bit about strategy, which I'm going to talk about today.

Then we'll go a little bit more into your offering your product or service. Number four is going to be the people, the human part of business. Number five is going to be operation slash legal side. Number six is going to be visibility. Seven financial eight is technology.

So I just want to give you a quick recap about each of the different pillars as I go down and delve a little bit deeper into those. Of course, I'm always looking for feedback. If you feel like a pillar is missing or something that should be nestled into something, please definitely do this.

But this is just going to be a quick high level overview of the strategy pillar. And the reason that strategy is so important is because there's a quote vision without action is merely a dream.

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And one of the things that I think sets really entrepreneurial people apart is it's not necessarily coming up with the idea. And even me, when I started my business I Remember one of the jobs that I left one of my bosses said that you're definitely an ideas person. And I took it and I still take it as Hey, I'm more than an ideas person.

I'm an execution person. So I've been trying to really focus on execution, but know that I am an ideas person. I have breakout room. A tremendous amount of ideas. I can't even execute on all the ideas that I have. So that's why it's so important that you have that strategy in place so that you know this is exactly how you're going to execute on what those things actually are.

And I think that is what's going to separate people because you can have ideas. You can literally go into Technology, which is another pillar in all these different tools and softwares that are coming about with A. I. But even things that have existed before to help you to develop what those ideas are going to be.

The question is, how are you going to execute it? And execution is all around the strategy. The strategy is basically, I think, creating a clear Idea of how exactly you're going to reach the goals and aspirations that you have within your business. So think about things such as developing a strategy, developing a business plan.

Even though there's obviously a lot of. Pros and cons of being able to create a business plan. Just know how important it is to create a plan so that you increase your likelihood of success. There's even statistics that say the more time that you spend writing down your goals or writing down your vision is going to increase the likelihood of that success happen.

Know that many things, go into that you're planning process where you're trying to understand exactly where you want to be. 1 of the big things that I talk about a lot around when I say everybody is a media company, when you go through that course and understand exactly what that looks like.

You understand that I often say that you can have the exact same business as somebody else, which you might execute it in a completely different way largely because you have different goals and different aspirations.

Somebody that has a digital marketing business that wants to drive home, thousands of clients is going to look at it differently from someone that wants to have maybe just a solo business and be a solopreneur and just do a lot of consulting to other entrepreneurs and business owners versus somebody else that doesn't really want to do anything but of course, and just teach all their information.

So each of these three people have similar businesses, similar ideas, but they're executing completely different ways.

So your strategy is going to be a hugely important thing. And the big thing about strategies, I think a lot of times people will downplay the importance of being able to take steps ahead and plan what that is. Don't get me wrong. You're not going to necessarily have all the things in place, which is why there's a big argument about the business plan.

Why having the 30 40 plus Page business plan. A lot of people scarf it because you get books like the lead startup by Eric Ries . I always forget how to say his name. It talks so much around putting something out there essentially. Doing it in a minimum viable product and MVP so that you can get market feedback from that market feedback.

You go from there. So my thing about strategy is not necessarily the same strategy has to be long and extensive, but you want to actually have a plan in place.

So going back to that first pillar, what problem are you solving? Thinking about what that problem is, how you're going to actually solve them and what you want your business and organization to look like is going to be the next progression along the journey of being able to do that.

If you don't have an idea about what exactly that's going to look like, then that's going to leave you at a disadvantage. So. Know you can always kind of look into different things like your competitors and get an idea of exactly what they're doing to get in a better idea.

Sometimes the biggest, opportunity and I think honestly, this goes a little bit into the visibility piece that pillar, but it's not understanding exactly what's out there in the market because when you're trying to solve the problem, sometimes part of your strategy is going to be understanding what's out there.

Not necessarily so that. You can pay attention to your competition because I always say if you're running on a race, you can't lose, but so that you're able to get a better understanding of what you're doing is sometimes the best way to understand what you're doing is to understand what's out there because that's going to open up your doors and opportunity to understand what is your quote unquote secret sauce, the thing that you feel like sets you apart and makes you meet.

But it doesn't necessarily make sense to say, Hey, I'm going to create it. A social media site that is going to have groups that's going to have pages that's going to basically be large in the countries. And I'm going to call it book face or something along those lines. Something like that might actually exist.

So you want to make sure that you're paying attention to what's out there, not necessarily so that you can emulate what's out there, but so that you can say, okay, this might exist, but where is it?

Kind of falling short. Is it falling short in the way that it's marketed in the way that it's executed in its strategy in and of itself? Is it not serving the right clients? You start to have all these conversations, but that's where, understanding that the market understanding what's out there is such a big thing.

And anytime you want to create any goals, you want to make sure that the smart goals those smart goals are going to help you to increase your likelihood of success. And you want to make sure that KPIs that are with it as well. So those KPIs are gonna be ways that you determine what success is. That says it could be number of employees.

It could be your your market penetration. It could be your revenue. It could be your total annual revenue, whatever it might be. You just want to make sure that you outline exactly what that is so that you can go about execute upon that strategy and continue to monitor those results.

So again, the strategy part is not something that. You should gloss over, which is why I wanted to make sure that it was the second thing that I touched about because I think so many times we fall in love with the ideas that we have the ideas we're writing down on the napkin. Exactly what our vision is.

And we're taking that idea and we're running with it. But how do we run with it? Run with it without a strategy, even if your strategy is just to say, let me put it out there and see what happens that in of itself is a strategy. I think it goes along the lines, although it's more technical upon the the framework of the lead startup where you're testing out, just see if the market thinks it's of any value, but know that strategy plays a really big part.

And a lot of times we will hear from people, especially on the show that talk a lot around where your business is ultimately trying to go what that looks like. Succession planning, those things. Are you setting up your business to sell? Are you setting up your business to hand down to your family?

What does that look like? All those things become a part of your strategy and it ends up being really, really extensive because it's ultimately deals. I think with where you are and ultimately where you want to try to go and everything in between that. But know that it can definitely be written in pencil.

It doesn't have to be written in. Ink or a permanent marker, you get to take those steps to see that come to fruition. So that's one of the big things around strategy. So again we're drilling down into each of the different business pillars. You're gonna see a lot of our content that's going to delve into that.

You can, of course, join our community. We're relaunching our community. So you'll be able to check that out to hear a little bit more about what it is that That we're doing and why we're doing it. But again, a lot of it is to increase that likelihood of success as much as it's great to listen to these episodes and hear all the things my goal was really to say, okay, if you're trying to increase your likelihood of success and you realize that you don't have a strategy, maybe you focus more on this pillar so that you can increase your likelihood of success, or maybe you understand.

That some other aspect or some other pillar is going to be more important for your business. And it's not to say that you do all the things. You just want to be aware of all the things very similarly to, I say, like going to the grocery store, figuring out what the ingredients are. You want to know all the aspects of business so that you can increase your likelihood of success even though you're not going to be focusing on.

Every single aspect. So this is Gresh signing out. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I'm looking forward to, delve in a little bit deeper into each of the different pillars.

Outro 09:24

Hello, hello, this is Grash again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to Laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder, how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there.

So it helps you level up your business and organization. So hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes.

This is Gresh signing out. I hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day.

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The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 2. STRATEGY appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP and the JOURNEY

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 04:15:47 -0500

In this special episode of the I AM CEO podcast, Gresh shares valuable insights into the importance of building a media company and leveraging other media platforms to support business growth.

He introduces the concept of the Eight Business Pillars, derived from over 1600 podcast episodes, which include entrepreneurship, strategy, offerings, people, operations, visibility, finances, and technology.

This episode focuses on the entrepreneurship pillar, exploring the journey of entrepreneurship, the misconceptions of overnight success, and the importance of problem-solving.

Gresh emphasizes resilience, passion, and continuous learning as critical components for navigating the entrepreneurial path. Tune in to understand how these pillars are interconnected and essential for elevating your business and personal growth.

http://cbnation.co/pillar
http://community.cbnation.co

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Full Interview:

Transcription:

The full transcription is only available to CBNation Library Members. Sign up today!

Intro 00:00

And really what we're trying to do is increase the business success rate. And this is going to eventually become a course. So you hear some of these snippets actually be in that course and that library of content and information we're going to put together to help you level up.

So sit back and enjoy this special episode of the I AM CEO podcasts.

Gresham Harkless 00:38

Hello, hello, hello. This is Gresh and I am here with a special episode of the I AM CEO podcast. These next few episodes, we're going to focus on the eight pillars in business and give you a little bit more of a insight into each of these eight pillars, what they'll look like. Why? We've even created to that.

But basically fast forward or rewind actually into one of the previous episodes, you get an idea of what those eight pillars are. But one of the things, if you're just listening to this, solo, I wanted to give you an idea of what those eight pillars are. Where those eight pillars came from just to give you a little bit more of a recap is we took the 1600 episodes, came up with about 16 or so themes. Those themes became 8 pillars.

8 pillar is exactly what we wanted to structure a lot of the content around to be able to level up your business, your organization and all the awesome things that you're doing. So what are those eight pillars? What pillar am I going to focus on today 8 pillars.

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Are going to be entrepreneurship journey the journey of entrepreneurship, strategy, your offering slash your product or service, people slash the human part of business operations slash legal visibility, which is marketing, sales, advertising, all of those aspects, your financial piece. And then, of course, the big 1 that I added on because I wanted it to be 7, but end up being 8 was technology.

And the one that I'm going to focus on today is going to be a lot around entrepreneurship. I literally just completed a, an interview, which you should hear coming out live in about about 60 days or so.

We talked a lot around the secret to overnight success. It takes a 10 or 15 years. So, there is not a kind of magic bullet that you have with your business. No matter what people might tell you, this is the only thing that you need that's going to completely change your business. The reality is that even with each of these pillars, you start to realize that you can maybe not focus on all the different aspects at the same time.

So you have to maybe pick one, maybe two, just to focus on during a short period of time to be able to get more traction in your business, more opportunity to grow. But. I think that goes back to entrepreneurship and the journey, the secret to the overnight success. It takes 10 or 15 years. What that means is it's not necessarily always instant.

And even for those people, that it isn't. And when they do start a business and it ends up happening or ballooning or, doing some phenomenal numbers within the year, it's, a lot of times because some of the other aspects may be a little bit more developed than they might seem.

So, for example, a lot of times you'll hear around people that have built new businesses, but they've had the previous experience. So when they're building the new business, they're not isolated from that experience that they had before. So all this means is that you should really understand what you're getting into when you're talking about entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, I believe at the heart is around problem solving. And so when you're really starting to solve the problems, you realize it doesn't always happen as quickly as you want it to happen. It doesn't necessarily mean that you can't solve the problem. Sometimes it's so many other aspects that you need to take care of.

If you're bootstrapping the business, maybe the financial aspect is not exactly where you want it to be. But Maybe you have an idea on what the solution might be, but maybe there's not an actual market for it.

So that's where it's so important to really understand entrepreneurship, what that journey looks like, because a lot of it is going to require, I think a lot of quote, unquote, failing a lot of mistakes, a lot of things, not necessarily going the way that you want them to go, but that resilience, the grit is going to be such a huge thing because as you start to do that, Delve into each of these aspects of business, you'll start to realize that they're not isolated.

They're actually fully intertwined. But the reality is that if you don't have an idea that when you hit a roadblock, when you hit a setback, that it's not the end of the world, that some of the most successful people, I would probably even got to say all of the most successful people have had some type of speed bump, potholes, something that has happened that was not expected within their business.

So the really big thing that I want to get across, and we're going to drill down course, more and more on is to understand that entrepreneurship is definitely not linear. It's not a straight path. It's not a straight line, and it doesn't happen at the snap of your fingers.

So once you start to understand that, I think it gives you a little bit more of a awareness around what you're getting into. It gives you awareness around the mistakes, the things that don't go the way that you want to go and being even opportunities to learn. And one of the things that I've even brought up a lot of times during the episodes is that there's a story. Sarah Blakely tells a lot around why she looks at failure in a completely different way.

And the reason is because her dad used to actually high five her. If she made some type of mistake during the day, or if she has some type of failure, she did something that was outside the realm of what and how she defined success as a, as a young lady, as a young, as a young girl.

So what you start to realize is it changed the way that she looked at failure. So when she went around to starting Spanx, she already had imprinted in her a foundation that really celebrated failure because knowing that failure was not final, but it was a way and path that was very intertwined with success. You need it to have the favorites. You have the success. So that's one of the really big things that you want to take away.

More than, anything else. Loads of CEO nuggets that, of course, that we've had on our podcast, but just know that the essence of entrepreneurship is all around problem solving. It doesn't necessarily mean that you need to have that to reach success. But I think a lot of people that get into entrepreneurship and business are trying to solve problems.

They're trying to make an impact. That might be looked at from a revenue standpoint, X amount of clients, X amount of, revenue that you want to achieve. But when you start to drill that down, it's like, how many people are you helping? How many people are ultimately impacting? I think that, that's the heart of entrepreneurship and understanding that journey is not always just about.

Are you able to create a better mousetrap? But does anybody else know about this mousetrap? Does the visibility part play such a big part? So, as you will hear during each of these episodes, I'll go a little bit more in depth around all the other aspects, all the other pillars, but know that entrepreneurship, I think it's definitely the essence of business.

I think, honestly, it's one of the essences of life because when you approach life with the mentality that you're going to solve the problem, you're not asking or seeing the world as this is how it is. You're seeing the world within opportunity of ways that you can change. You just have to determine if it's It's going to be worthwhile to go on that path and pursue and invest the resources to be able to solve whatever the problems might be.

And that's where a lot of times you'll hear people saying you want to be passionate about business. Do you need to be passionate about the business that you're in? Absolutely not. But the reason that you. Considering the passion about it, you probably want to be passionate about it because it's so hard and so difficult.

It's so draining. So that when you hit those roadblocks, when you hit those speed bumps, when you don't have any more gas that's in the tank, so to speak, you're going to be pulling upon that passion to get you through those challenging times. So you're more likely to stick with it. And have a stick to it.

If you are passionate about than if you're not. So that's one of the really big things I wanted to get across. When you're looking at this pillar, of course, you can definitely check out our site to hear a little bit more about each of those pillars. And, of course, be able to join the community where we're going to be delving down deeper into each of these different pillars.

And especially, of course, entrepreneurship and demystifying what that looks like and what that is, but doing it in a way that I think is going to be a lot more enjoyable than it would have been if you had gone through it. So while you're going through this path of entrepreneurship, I salute you for doing it.

I commend you for taking that step, but please keep in mind. That just because you're hitting roadblocks, you're hitting speed bumps, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing it wrong. Now, don't get me wrong. You could absolutely be taking in some data and information to be able to pivot and change, but so many people throw in a towel because they say that I'm not good enough.

I'm not cut out for this. And in reality, I don't know anybody is. I think you just develop the ability to be able to sustain this. You have a strong why that's going to fuel you more. The motivation is there to keep you up and going because even the mental, the emotional, financial all those challenges that you go through.

It's going to be an opportunity for you to develop yourself as much as you're developing your business. You're also developing yourself as you're going through those journeys. So the trials and tribulations are not there just to create Roblox success. Actually, it allows you the opportunity to develop that endurance and be able to go past the path that you ultimately thought you could.

So with that being said, this is Gresh signing out. Remember, this is the first pillar, entrepreneurship and the journey. Make sure you understand the journey that you're getting in, understand ultimately what you're doing, which is problem-solving. So there's going to be loads and loads of information that we'll have within our community.

But make sure that you of course, check out the other pillars, check out some of the information that we're providing and remember the journey that you're in and I wish you the best towards your success.

Outro 09:34

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh again, and I hope you enjoyed that special episode of the I AM CEO podcast.

Just like I mentioned in the beginning, we're really trying to laser focus on these eight pillars and show you as a builder how you can leverage these eight pillars and really level up there. So it helps to level up your business and organization. So I hope you enjoyed this episode and definitely please check out the show notes.

So you can learn more about the pillar, this is Gresh signing out. Hope you'll have a phenomenal rest of the day.

[/restrict]

The post Understanding the 8 Business Pillars: 1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP and the JOURNEY appeared first on CBNation TV - Entrepreneurship Videos, Steps to Start a Small Business.

Chat#111 – The Power of Putting Customers First [SPONSORED POST]

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 17:32:38 -0500

Gresham W. Harkless Jr. sits down with Jasmine Price of M & D Cleaning Services at Intelligent Office in Alexandria Virginia.

M&D Cleaning Service Provides top-notch commercial and janitorial services to businesses of all sizes. They specialize in creating pristine and hygienic environments that enhance productivity and leave a lasting impression.

Jasmine Price, born and raised in Northern Virginia, is the founder of a family-owned business established in 2014. The company was built upon a simple idea – the desire to assist people with cleaning and organization. Jasmine's passion for cleaning has flourished over the five years the business has been operating.

Throughout this time, Jasmine and her dedicated team have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know the most amazing customers in the DMV. The mission plan for Jasmine's business is centered around providing exceptional customer service. While acknowledging that they may not be perfect and could miss a few things, the commitment is to approach each space with the best customer service and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

Timestamps

Intelligent Office of Alexandria offers 23 private offices and three meeting rooms, two of which can be configured in many ways to meet your meeting or training needs.

Relevant Links:

Intelligent Office of Alexandria – https://www.intelligentoffice.com/virginia/alexandria
M&D Cleaning Services – https://manddcleaningservice.com/
DMV Resources – https://dmvceo.com/resources
BNI Chapter – https://dmvceo.com/resources/#franchisenetworking

Additional Resources:

Download our FREE CEO Hacks Guide and subscribe to our newsletter to help you be more effective and efficient – https://cbnation.co/newsletter/
Check out more CEO Hacks that help you be more effective and efficient – https://ceohack.co/
Freshdesk (An online cloud-based customer service software providing helpdesk support with all smart automations to get things done faster. – https://ceohack.co/refer/freshdesk

About Intelligent Office Alexandria

Discover the ideal workspace solutions with Intelligent Office Alexandria! Whether you're in need of a virtual receptionist, private office space, or a flexible conference room for hourly rental, our experienced and dedicated staff is here to help you achieve your business goals.

Intelligent Office of Alexandria boasts 23 private offices and three meeting rooms, two of which are customizable to suit various meeting or training requirements. Located in a Class A building, our facility offers complimentary surface parking, access to an on-site fitness center, high-speed internet, and more!

Explore our range of services, including:

Virtual Reception Services
Business Address
Mail Services
Arranged Access to Our Other Washington D.C. Intelligent Office Locations
Private Office Space for 1–5 People
Conference Room Rentals
Ongoing Professional Development Seminars
Elevate your business presence and functionality with Intelligent Office Alexandria – where your success is our priority!

This is a sponsored post.

Transcription

00:00:17 – 00:00:47
Speaker 1: You're an entrepreneur, and you make vital decisions that hopefully blossom into a business. You're the savvy out-of-the-box risk taker who believes wholeheartedly in the process of innovation. Innovation that will change the world. This is CEO Chat with Gresham Harkless and you're about to embark on a journey through the awesome world of business. Gresham is the epitome of drive and desire as he works to help support small businesses and entrepreneurship.

00:00:48 – 00:00:59
Speaker 1: And you're about to learn from this entrepreneur how you can improve your odds of success in the business world. Welcoming the host of CEO Chat, here's

00:01:01 – 00:01:04
Jasmine Price: Gresham Harkless.

00:01:06 – 00:01:18
Gresham Harkless: All right, hello, hello, Hello. This is Gresh from the I am CEO podcast, CEO podcast and Blue 16 Media. And I have a fantastic guest with us today. I have Jasmine Price of MND Cleaning. Jasmine, excited to have you on the show.

00:01:18 – 00:01:22
Jasmine Price: Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure to meet you. It's a pleasure.

00:01:23 – 00:01:37
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, absolutely. Well, you're doing so many phenomenal things. So super excited to have you on the show and hear a little bit more about your rise, all the awesome things that you're doing. I know we were talking a little bit offline, so I hope we get to talk a little bit more about the inauguration. All the awesome things you've been able to do.

00:01:37 – 00:01:43
Gresham Harkless: And of course, super excited to be here at Intelligent Office in Alexandria, Virginia. They're hosting us for this podcast.

00:01:43 – 00:01:46
Jasmine Price: Love Intelligent Office. Shout out to them.

00:01:46 – 00:01:56
Gresham Harkless: Yes, They do phenomenal things. And I know that's what brought us together too. But I guess to kick everything off I wanted to rewind the clock a little bit more on how you got started. What I call your CEO story.

00:01:56 – 00:02:22
Jasmine Price: OK. How did I get started with MD Clean and Service. MD Clean and service really was just an idea I came up with to help people and also just to get an extra flow of money, flow of cash. And it kind of just literally just. Kind of grew from there.

00:02:23 – 00:02:39
Jasmine Price: I've seen the. Impact on the community. Helping people with. Employment and things like that, and I just. Start taking off with it, I really didn't think it was going to take off the way.

00:02:40 – 00:03:01
Jasmine Price: It took off, I just was trying to keep myself. Just busy and just busy, really. I'm optimistic on. Trying to do something a little different. And I always wanted to be an entrepreneur.

00:03:01 – 00:03:18
Jasmine Price: Like that was number 1. I started as a massage therapist. So I was like, I always. Knew I kind of wanted to do my own thing. To like, extend and just kind of.

00:03:18 – 00:03:18
Gresham Harkless: To like, Extend and

00:03:18 – 00:03:20
Jasmine Price: it just kind of Grew from there.

00:03:20 – 00:03:38
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, well, No, it's kind of great to hear, you know, you're Doing so many phenomenal things and to hear Like how it started about you always wanting to Have that kind of seed planted and Wanting to do your own thing and just kind of running You know, with that. How was the massage business? And do you think that that helped you in terms of your cleaning business and being able to kind of transition from there?

00:03:38 – 00:03:50
Jasmine Price: Oh, definitely. I love the massage business. It was awesome. I did that for about 4 years. It's still a passion of mine.

00:03:51 – 00:04:04
Jasmine Price: From the massage business, I started a. Mobile, it was like a. Mobile spa, so we should do, like. Pop up shop. Yes.

00:04:06 – 00:04:34
Jasmine Price: Yes. It was so nice. We did. Like, bridal showers parties, bachelorette. Parties like, and it was just awesome to be able to connect with other like women and to build a business and also just to really Try to bring people Together to make money And that was the goal.

00:04:34 – 00:05:13
Jasmine Price: So I had like a nail tech, makeup artist, and we would come in and like pamper the ladies and get them ready for their day or whatever it was. And it was just so fulfilling, you know, for them to get pampered and see them like relaxed and happy and enjoying their friends. So I've always kind of been in the business of customer service. So I just kind of, you know, focus on that and it just kind of grew from there. So the.

00:05:13 – 00:05:23
Jasmine Price: Cleaning business, it was a super easy transition. Super easy transition. And you know, you're helping people. So it just all worked out.

00:05:23 – 00:05:38
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, I love that. And I think so many times we forget about in business, like when we're figuring out what our products and services are, you know, our name and our logo, our color, all those things that we do, our finance, all those things, we sometimes forget about like the actual people that we're serving.

00:05:38 – 00:05:39
Jasmine Price: So I

00:05:39 – 00:05:44
Gresham Harkless: love how that is kind of first and first and front and foremost and everything that you do.

00:05:45 – 00:06:15
Jasmine Price: Yeah I started working at a very young age. My first job was in customer service. It's actually at Bed, Bath & Beyond. And I was about 15, 16 years old and that was number 1 customer service like they installed it and so on so many different levels. So by the time I was about 17 I was the customer service manager.

00:06:15 – 00:06:37
Jasmine Price: So I was running the front running the front. And you know because I understood the business you know. So once you understand the customer is just always right, I mean, you'll be okay. It is what it is, you know, It is what it is. And that's what happens when you run a business.

00:06:38 – 00:06:42
Jasmine Price: So our customers are our priority. Yeah. Number 1.

00:06:42 – 00:07:01
Gresham Harkless: Yeah. It's funny that you said that because I don't know if you found this exact same thing where a lot of times there's this perception when you're not running your business that if you jump into running your business, you can be your own boss. You're not going to have to answer to anybody, but the reality is that you don't just have 1 boss. Now you have a lot of bosses. Here's all your clients.

00:07:01 – 00:07:11
Jasmine Price: Now I have hundreds of bosses. I went from 1 to hundreds of bosses and I don't want to piss anyone off. So, you know.

00:07:11 – 00:07:34
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, but I know that it makes so much sense because everything has to be particular on how they want things. You have to understand. I love that customer service background because it's not just sometimes providing the service I imagine. It's probably also adding that customer service feel of like you know even when you go to a hotel and you know you go walk in and they clean up and then they have the little men on your just those little small things go along

00:07:34 – 00:07:35
Jasmine Price: with it.

00:07:35 – 00:07:35
Gresham Harkless: Is it

00:07:35 – 00:07:45
Jasmine Price: is the details. It's the communication. You know it's a variety of things. But you know customer service like that's the umbrella of

00:07:45 – 00:07:46
Gresham Harkless: it all.

00:07:46 – 00:08:00
Jasmine Price: You know you have those basic foundations. You'll be good to go. I mean, you need those. You need the foundation and if you got it, you can do whatever business you want to do. I really believe that.

00:08:00 – 00:08:11
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, I say that so many times you forget about like the human aspect of business. And I love that you have that foundation because just as you say, whether it's the massage business that you were able to do for, I think you said 4 or

00:08:11 – 00:08:12
Jasmine Price: 5 years, or

00:08:12 – 00:08:15
Gresham Harkless: obviously the cleaning business you've been doing for I think 10 years.

00:08:15 – 00:08:16
Jasmine Price: Yeah, I've been doing it for a while now.

00:08:16 – 00:08:24
Gresham Harkless: Yeah. So I think once you have that foundation you know people you know how to serve them the customers first then you can really take things off from there.

00:08:24 – 00:08:26
Jasmine Price: So for sure for sure.

00:08:26 – 00:08:32
Gresham Harkless: Absolutely. So I wanted to drill down a little bit more here a little bit more on how you serve your clients. Can you take us through the services that you're providing.

00:08:33 – 00:08:51
Jasmine Price: Sure. So, we offer commercial. And residential clean, so we do. Post construction cleaning Move out services, we offer recurring cleanings. So we offer a variety of.

00:08:52 – 00:09:11
Jasmine Price: Services we have a website, you go on there and you pick what you need, which you're looking for. If you don't see it, or you have any questions, just give us a call. But we do offer. And a variety of services are. Most popular services are our.

00:09:11 – 00:09:28
Jasmine Price: Housekeeping and our janitorial services. Okay. Yeah, so we serve a lot of businesses and. In the area with keeping their. Offices clean their businesses, their restaurants.

00:09:29 – 00:09:40
Jasmine Price: Just a variety of day hotel cleaning. We do a lot of different things. We just did a. Turnover cleaning for the college of. On the University of Maryland.

00:09:41 – 00:09:41
Gresham Harkless: Okay.

00:09:41 – 00:09:54
Jasmine Price: So, yeah, we had a. Turnover there. Off campus dorms, I think we did, like, 700, 800 dorms. Yeah, it was crazy, but it was. It was a good experience, so

00:09:54 – 00:10:00
Gresham Harkless: I imagine so that I didn't even I'm not even familiar with that turnover and I'm thinking back to me going to college and, you know, you just want

00:10:00 – 00:10:08
Jasmine Price: to start like that. Right? Yeah. Got it. We got to slip it.

00:10:08 – 00:10:29
Jasmine Price: So, yeah, we go in and we turn over the whole dorm. We do the cleaning of the kitchens, the bathrooms. We do trash removal, if needed, carpet cleaning. So it's a lot, yeah.

00:10:29 – 00:10:38
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, that makes sense. Sometimes you don't think about all those things. Like, again, you just show up the day with all your stuff. It is clean. You just assume that is the way that it

00:10:38 – 00:10:39
Jasmine Price: always is.

00:10:43 – 00:10:53
Gresham Harkless: Exactly. So I love that. And you said that you also do the janitorial services as well. Is that for like the commercial? Yeah.

00:10:54 – 00:11:06
Jasmine Price: Yeah. Yeah. So that's commercial. We have commercial cleaning. We have a variety of clients from offices here.

00:11:06 – 00:11:24
Jasmine Price: Oh town from. Like doctors offices. We have all different types of different things. School buildings that we serve is. And basically for the janitorial cleaning.

00:11:25 – 00:11:41
Jasmine Price: It's normally on a daily basis. Come in, pull trash. Vacuum. Sanitize disinfect. On a daily basis, and.

00:11:43 – 00:11:55
Jasmine Price: That's more of a. What's the word for that's that's more just to keep the germs controlled, so we can make sure

00:11:55 – 00:11:56
Gresham Harkless: that it doesn't get out

00:11:56 – 00:12:07
Jasmine Price: of hand. Exactly. The office is getting cleaned. Nobody's passing anything back and forth while you're, you know, so you can have that level of comfortability. Yeah.

00:12:07 – 00:12:09
Jasmine Price: It's coming back into the office.

00:12:09 – 00:12:25
Gresham Harkless: Yeah. And that's what made me think a lot of I imagine love to hear more about, especially around Kobe. I can't imagine what that was, but. I imagine as people have gone back or starting to go back, they just started to really think about like, do I have that security? Do I have that safety?

00:12:25 – 00:12:39
Gresham Harkless: Are things going to be clean? And I imagine that's where a lot of the great work that you all do helps out in terms of doing that. So was that something that you saw that was kind of different during COVID, kind of the same or just like more communication? What happened I guess in that time?

00:12:39 – 00:13:10
Jasmine Price: Yeah, COVID was very interesting and of course it was a first for everyone So it was very unpredictable. So when we 1st. Enter code, everything was completely. Shut down, so the work completely stopped for us. And then slowly, once everything started to open back up, it just got crazy.

00:13:10 – 00:13:26
Jasmine Price: So everybody wanted everything clean, sanitized. Oh my goodness, fog. During Oh, my goodness. Fog. During COVID, the viral sanitation fog was a big thing.

00:13:28 – 00:13:52
Jasmine Price: So we were super busy with that. And now, since Everybody's really coming back to the office. I'll say this past. Year really offices have been calling this crazy office cleaning has been. Very, very popular because everybody wants to get back on the schedule.

00:13:54 – 00:14:19
Jasmine Price: So it's been good for us. It's a good business. It's very needed. It's very needed. I think people kind of pass over the cleaning at times, but it's very essential to have your business clean on a daily basis.

00:14:20 – 00:14:52
Jasmine Price: And it's something that your customers look at different things. Like I always tell you, owners, business owners, like people are eye, like they'll catch the eye. So if you've got different things, like, have these spots, like, it really throws the average person. All So I'm like, this is like the basics. So you got to get the basics done on the daily.

00:14:52 – 00:15:18
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, I love that you said that. And you know, we talked about building that foundation, you having that customer service as your foundation, but in much the same way, like the businesses, they have to have that foundation. And like you said, I never really thought of that being like a brand piece. But I imagine if I walk into especially a restaurant, and things don't look exactly as clean as I think that they should be, I'm probably not necessarily gonna buy that business. I'm not gonna buy the food.

00:15:18 – 00:15:34
Gresham Harkless: I might not even want to eat that food because that speaks to the brand. Like, they're not taking care of those essential things. They're not taking care of those basic things. And if they can't take care of that, then who knows what the food or, you know, the whatever I buy there is going to look like. So I appreciate you mentioning

00:15:34 – 00:16:07
Jasmine Price: that. Yes, the sanitation is very important. It's very important when you're running any business. And call us to get it right. A lot of businesses try to cut corners for getting their employees to do the cleaning and it's, you know, it's great you have to do what you have to do, But to ensure that you're getting that deep cleaning, hire a professional.

00:16:08 – 00:16:16
Jasmine Price: You know, just hire the professionals. We're here to get it out the way.

00:16:16 – 00:16:44
Gresham Harkless: Yeah, that makes sense. And I feel like that's even what brought us here, you know, in intelligent offices, like kind of knowing like those quote unquote back-end things are kind of taken care of. And a lot of times we do that by making sure that we lean on the people that are really great at what they do. And I think you also have had that experience with the intelligence office if I'm correct where you know we there's so many things in the business. And you know we of course sometimes when we walk into the business and start the business we think that we're going to do all the things.

00:16:44 – 00:16:48
Gresham Harkless: But it starts to come realization that you can't juggle all the balls.

00:16:48 – 00:17:21
Jasmine Price: Intelligent office helps me out so much from answering our phones when we're too busy, handling our mail. I mean, it's just an array of things that they offer and they're reliable, reasonable. The office staff is wonderful. Yeah, I love them. And I wouldn't be here without, here with you without knowing them.

00:17:21 – 00:17:55
Jasmine Price: And yeah, like the networking circle that they bring to you by you coming to them. Yeah I have been really Yeah, I have been really. Developing so much within the past. Year from networking with, you know,

IAM1909 – CEO Leads Healthcare Innovations

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 22:31:32 -0500

Why it was selected for “CBNation Architects”:
In this episode of IAMCEO podcast, Gerry Miller, CEO of Cloudticity, discusses his extensive experience in the technology industry and how he leads healthcare innovations at Cloudticity.
Gerry Miller is a serial entrepreneur and healthcare fanatic with over 30 years in the technology sector. He has held multiple executive roles, including COO at ePrize, CTO at Microsoft's US Central Region, and Global Business Unit Leader at Microsoft overseeing General Motors. Gerry currently holds all five AWS certifications.
Cloudticity is a company that strives to revolutionize healthcare utilizing cloud technologies, enabling improved clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, and

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

16 Entrepreneurs Share Their Favorite CEO Hack/Resource That Makes Them Successful

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 12:16:51 -0500

As an entrepreneur, you have that gadget, habit, app, or book that makes your work easier, and motivates you to do more and that’s what we refer to as a CEO Hack. It helps you achieve maximum productivity and stick to your goals regardless of the hurdles you face as an entrepreneur. For instance, it […]

11 Entrepreneurs Share How They Incorporate Innovation Within Their Organization

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 12:16:29 -0400

Innovation lies at the heart of organizational growth and sustainability, playing a pivotal role in shaping a company's competitive edge in today's dynamic business landscape. Incorporating innovation within an organization demands a holistic approach that embraces creativity, technology, and a culture of continuous improvement. By fostering an environment that encourages curiosity and risk-taking, organizations can effectively nurture a mindset where novel ideas are not only welcomed but actively sought after.

We asked entrepreneurs, and business owners how they incorporate innovation within their organization. Here are the responses.

#1- By leading passion projects

Photo Credit: Ryan Stone

We're a creative organization, and we recognize that everyone in the team wants their own sense of creative freedom. To accommodate that, we offer the opportunity to lead on ‘passion projects' – projects that don't serve financial aims or adhere to client requirements. Instead, they are projects where we retain 100% of the creative freedom to innovate. The company invests both time and money in these projects and grants autonomy to the team member who kickstarted the project.

Thanks to Ryan Stone, Lambda Films!

#2- By encouraging curiosity and experimentation

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

It's not only vital to foster a culture that values innovation but also one that thrives on it. To do this, we've embraced an approach that encourages curiosity and experimentation across the board. It begins with providing our team with the resources and opportunities to explore new tools and ideas together. For instance, when we faced the challenge of establishing a seamless communication channel between our clients and their dedicated support agents, we harnessed our team's collective intelligence.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided!

#3- By encouraging creativity

Photo Credit: Paul Mario Vratusha

Incorporating innovation within my organization has been a journey filled with learning and adaptability. It's about fostering a culture that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. I've found that providing a safe space for my team to voice their ideas, no matter how unconventional, is crucial. I actively seek to stay updated with industry trends and emerging technologies. This helps me identify opportunities to integrate innovation. More than that, I believe in leading by example. I strive to model innovative thinking by constantly exploring new methods and ideas myself.

Thanks to Paul Mario Vratusha, D-Studio Consulting!

#4- By experimenting with different solutions

Photo Credit: Lily Stoyanov

At Transformify, we believe that innovation is the key to success in the digital era. We are constantly looking for new ways to improve our platform, our services, and our impact on society. We foster a culture of innovation within our organization by encouraging our team members to share their ideas, experiment with different solutions, and learn from their failures. We also collaborate with other innovative organizations and partners to create synergies and leverage best practices.

Thanks to Lily Stoyanov, Transformify!

#5- By developing new ideas

Photo Credit: Priyanka Swamy

Innovation is at the heart of our business. We encourage our team to develop new ideas regularly and create an environment where everyone is encouraged to try new things. To implement innovation, we analyze industry trends, customer insights, and market research regularly. We invest in R&D to develop new products and enhance existing ones. We build relationships and collaborate with other companies in related industries to get new ideas and perspectives. We also like to keep our staff up-to-date with the latest tech and practices.

Thanks to Priyanka Swamy, Perfect Locks Hair Company!

#6- Using a diversification strategy

Photo Credit: Shannon Birthisel

IDL has embodied innovation and a full brand update and name change this year was a big step towards showcasing that to the staff, supporters, and clients. This name change from Idyll Wine Co to IDL in January 2023 cemented IDL's diversification strategy as they positioned themselves as more than just a winery. With a growing portfolio of cider, ready-to-drink spirit-based products, non-alcoholic products, and increased manufacturing capabilities the Idyll Wine Co. name no longer reflected the innovative, forward-thinking, and dynamic nature of their daily operations.

Thanks to Shannon Birthisel, IDL!

#7- Through various ways

Photo Credit: Andrew Chung

We incorporate innovation through several practices and initiatives at Bestcafedesigns dot com. In the space of weeks we translated an idea from thin air into a website with a global audience on cafe designs. This site is enjoyed by designers, and travelers and allows cafe operators a space to promote their cafe in a fun and new niche format. We used Upwork to identify tasks that could be outsourced and more promptly attended with specialist talent, that otherwise couldn’t have been executed by the original team.

Thanks to Andrew Chung, Bestcafedesigns.com!

#8- By empowering employees

Photo Crdit: Cort Adair

To foster innovation, we maintain a culture that encourages every team member to contribute innovative ideas and solutions. Our leadership philosophy emphasizes staying humble and continuously learning, recognizing that innovation can come from anyone, regardless of position. We also regularly assess market trends and conduct competitive analysis, allowing us to adapt swiftly. Embracing change and empowering our employees to contribute to our evolution have been central to our success.

Thanks to Cort Adair, ShirtMax!

#9- By pushing ourselves

Photo Credit: Thomas Samuels

One of the best ways for us to incorporate innovation into our company is to push ourselves with customer projects when the opportunity arises. Our job is to determine if it’s doable and help them make it happen if we can. This openness to new and exciting projects is a major way we’ve expanded our capabilities in the past, from working with LED video walls for booths to incorporating games like skee ball or mini golf into an exhibit. By working on these projects, we get new ideas for future work, learn how to streamline new processes for next time and refresh our portfolio with pieces that attract other innovative projects

Thanks to Thomas Samuels, Cardinal Expo!

#10- By embracing uncertainty

Photo Credit: Solomon Thimothy

To incorporate innovation into your organization, it's crucial to understand the distinction between invention and innovation. Embrace uncertainty and don't wait for a predefined map. Cultivate a culture of creativity and experimentation, dedicating a portion of your time and resources to testing new ideas. Consider establishing a dedicated R&D or “Labs” department, providing them the autonomy and resources to pioneer groundbreaking innovations. Encourage your team to think differently and foster an environment where trying new things and taking calculated risks is valued.

Thanks to Solomon Thimothy, Clickx!

#11- By teaching employees

Photo Credit: Andy LaPointe

We foster innovation within our gourmet food business by teaching our employees how important our gourmet food pr

Ready to tell your story? Podcast Day at Intelligent Office in Alexandria Virginia

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 17:15:31 -0400

Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 10am – 4pm
Location: Recording at Intelligent Office in Alexandria, VA
Details: For more information and to secure your 30-minute slot, call 703-224-8800
Availability is on a first-come-first-served basis

More Information: Want to tell your story? Blue16 Media will have LIVE podcast recordings for the I AM CEO Podcast at Intelligent Office of Alexandria on Wednesday, November 15 from 10am-4pm. You must sign up to participate for the limited slots. Sign up for a 30-minute slot to tell your story and talk about what you lean on to make your business more effective and efficient. The interviews will be around 15-25 minutes. Interviews will go live in early 2024. To reserve your slot, call Intelligent Office of Alexandria at 703-224-8800. Availability is on a first-come first-served basis.

8 Entrepreneurs Reveal How They Have Failed and What They’ve Learnt

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:16:51 -0400

In the face of failure, entrepreneurs come to recognize their transformative power, utilizing setbacks as a means for personal and professional advancement. It is through past challenges and errors that we grasp the significance of perseverance and flexibility, understanding that each stumble is an opportunity for growth. These experiences foster a deep sense of introspection, emphasizing the importance of embracing failure as a stepping stone towards success, showcasing resilience and determination to emerge stronger from adversity.

We asked entrepreneurs, and business owners how they have failed and what they have learnt. Here are some responses.

#1- Align with your power

Photo Credit: Jane Baker

I failed after achieving success, it happened because I forgot my own power, what really worked for me, who I really was, and what I really wanted. I ended up listening to too much noise around me and took paths that were really not the best ones for me. This mistake meant that slowly, I ended up going from success into struggle. The valuable lesson I learned is that everyone has their own unique superpowers, what is right for someone else is simply not always going to be right for you and it's more important to ensure the advice you‘re taking and acting upon is actually in alignment with you.

Thanks to Jane Baker, House Of Motorsport Brokerage!

#2- Don't be afraid to pivot

Photo Credit: Lily Stoyanov

I am an entrepreneur and CEO of Transformify, a platform that connects freelancers and businesses around the world. I have failed many times in my journey, but I have learned valuable lessons from each setback. Don't be afraid to pivot. You have to be flexible and willing to adapt to changing customer demands and feedback. Don't try to do everything yourself. You need to delegate tasks, outsource functions, and hire experts who can help you grow your business. Don't neglect your personal life. You need to find a balance between work and life and make time for yourself and your loved ones.

Thanks to Lily Stoyanov, Transformify Ltd!

#3- Be resilient and do market research

Photo Credit: Matt Little

One of the biggest mistakes I made was jumping in without doing enough research on a new market. I didn't realize how important it was to understand the local culture, and I made a product that didn't do what it was supposed to. Another mistake I made was hiring. It's about finding people who share your values and goals. These mistakes have taught me how to be resilient, how important it is to do your homework, and how to create a great team. Remember to embrace your mistakes because they're the key to success.

Thanks to Matt Little, Festoon House!

#4- Prioritize the fundamentals

Photo Credit: Tom Walls

Early on, I was so caught up in the excitement of the business – the creative and enjoyable aspects. What I failed to realize was that the behind-the-scenes operations are just as crucial. It's like trying to build a sandcastle without a solid foundation. The takeaway here was clear: prioritize the fundamentals of the business first. Establish a robust operational framework, and only then indulge in the more thrilling aspects without the looming concern of a structural collapse. Striking a balance between passion and pragmatism turned out to be the key to sustainable growth and success.

Thanks to Tom Walls, The Modern Back!

#5- Embrace the value of sales

Photo Credit: Namanh Hoang

I can confidently say I'm a seasoned startup failure. As funny as it sounds, it's something I'm proud of because I've learned tremendously from those experiences. Among these failures, one of the greatest I've had to overcome is undervaluing skills outside of my core competency. As a designer and engineer, it is common for me to undervalue sales. No matter how good your product is, you may need someone to convince people to buy into the idea. A good salesperson has the emotional quotient to craft and deliver messaging that resonates with different audiences. It's essential since capital funding is often the leading cause of startup failures.

Thanks to Namanh Hoang, Ask Nam!

#6- Partnerships should be a thoughtful decision

Photo Credit: Dmytro Sokhach

Stepping into various partnerships should be a thoughtful decision. I recall one partnership that cost me both time and money. The essence of any partnership is being on the same page and having that shared passion for the project. One partner I had was juggling work with me alongside another project, waiting to see which one took off faster. As a result, the quality of the work he promised to deliver wasn't up to the mark. We eventually had to shut the project down. That wavering partner, who couldn't make up his mind, is now working a regular job.

Thanks to Dmytro Sokhach, Editorial Link!

#7- Think through the details

Photo Credit: Julia Shih

When I started out, we decided to include hemp-based CBD in our formula. We didn't anticipate, that banks are federally regulated and wouldn't work with companies that sold CBD. Any credit card processing could only be done through small, less reputable processors. We had two processors who ran off with all of our transactions. My advice to those venturing out to start their own businesses is to really think through the details in that planning stage—do as much research as possible, and be aware of every aspect of your business that will affect you.

Thanks to Julia Shih, Body + Soul!

#8- Have a team of advisers

Photo Credit: Kraig Kleeman

At the inception of my first company, we accomplished the remarkable feat of soaring from zero revenue to an impressive $30 million in annual sales within just 4 years. During this rise, our most critical marketing partner began showing a keen interest in acquiring our company. This led to intense negotiations and seemingly endless due diligence. When considering the sale of your company, prioritize actively engaging potential acquiring partners and invest significant effort into fostering a competitive bidding environment. Additionally, ensure you have a team of advisors by your side.

Thanks to Kraig Kleeman, The New Workforce!

How have you failed? What did you learn? Tell us in the comments below. Don’t forget to join our #IamCEOCommunity.

IAM1904 – CEO Provides Access to Mental Health and Fitness Resources

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 22:37:32 -0400

Why it was selected for “CBNation Architects”:
In this episode of IAMCEO podcast, Corey Lewis, CEO and Founder of 1AND1 LIFE, shares his journey of promoting mental health and wellness, particularly among the African-American community.
Corey's platform, 1AND1 LIFE, is dedicated to curating and customizing content, tools, and products that address the lack of mental health and fitness resources available for African Americans, especially men. The content curated by Corey and his team seeks to define what mental health and wellness mean to the Black Community and aims to break the associated stigma.
Besides mental health advocacy, Corey is also passionate about performance

Listen to the full podcast. This is Originally posted here.

Monday Motivation: Decide What You Want. Make a Plan and Work on That…Every. Single. Day

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 09:16:38 -0400

This motivational video is to help CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners start the week off inspired to become great.

Here are some takeaways from the video:

It's not what you're capable of, it's what you're willing to do
Will is a powerful thing, what are you willing to do?
How can you be strong unless you were once weak?
Attack like you're trying to save the world
Resilience in life is the proper preparation

30 Entrepreneurs Share Essential Skills One Needs to be a CEO

Sun, 29 Oct 2023 12:16:16 -0400

There are skills one has to adapt to be an effective and efficient CEO. Anyone can be a CEO. “It’s within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO,” says Martha Stewart. The most common skills are decision-making, being the leader of the team, and communication. Some CEOs are born with these skills while others have to acquire them through consistent practice. As a CEO, you have to remind yourself it's not always about you and you should practice servant leadership.

We asked entrepreneurs what critical skills one must have to be a CEO and here are the awesome responses

#1- Three skills

Photo Credit: Mitch Chailland

The amalgamation of visionary leadership, adept decision-making, and interpersonal skills sets a CEO apart. A CEO or any individual in a leadership role, should inspire trust, foster collaboration, and create an environment where employees feel comfortable challenging themselves and taking risks, even if they don’t always work out. Moreover, adaptability is crucial, especially as the workforce continues to shift to more remote work. Ultimately, any leadership role demands a holistic approach where strategic planning meets human-focused leadership.

Thanks to Mitch Chailland, Online Optimism!

#2- Leading and delegating

Photo Credit: Thomas Samuels

Leading and delegating are two important skills that go hand in hand for a CEO. Plenty of business owners run into trouble when they lack the ability to delegate work effectively. They end up with too much on their plate, which can lead to delays, errors, inefficiencies, and lower quality. Or they micromanage their staff and risk losing or underutilizing their talent. At the same time, as you delegate more work you need to keep everyone on the same page, motivated, and following the same set of values. Strong leadership skills are necessary to set the tone for a company’s culture, inspire your team, and rally everyone around a common goal.

Thanks Thomas Samuels, Cardinal Expo!

#3- Confidence

Photo Credit: Shideh Kaviani

The most essential leadership skill for an entrepreneur is confidence. Confidence in yourself, in your business and in your team is imperative to operating a successful business. Your team members look up to you and will feed off the confidence you have in yourself. Your team will feed off the confidence you have in your business, and thus in the work that they are doing. Your team will feed off the confidence you instil in themselves, which will help them work at maximum motivation and morale.

Thanks to Shideh Kaviani, Naked Wardrobe!

#4- Problem solving skills

Photo Credit: Stephanie Venn-Watson

A CEO must have strong problem-solving skills to tackle any issues that may arise. Businesses will consistently face challenges as the company develops over time. Whether it's industry changes, employee retention or technology issues that are out of our control, it's important for CEOs to remain level-headed and determine a solution quickly and effectively. How a CEO responds to those challenges will determine a company’s success.

Thanks to Stephanie Venn-Watson, Fatty15!

#5- Effective leadership

Photo Credit: Steven Light

One essential skill needed to be a successful CEO is effective leadership. CEOs must inspire and guide their teams, set a clear vision, make strategic decisions, and lead by example. Strong leadership encompasses the ability to communicate a compelling vision, delegate tasks effectively, solve complex problems, and adapt to changing business environments. It also involves being empathetic, approachable, and able to motivate and align the organization toward common goals. Leadership is a cornerstone skill that underpins a CEO's ability to drive their company's success.

Thanks to Steven Light, Avenue B!

#6- Self-awareness

Photo Credit: Cheshtha Lakhchaura

One often overlooked but crucial skill for a CEO is self-awareness. It's about understanding yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, what drives you, and how you handle your feelings. Being self-aware is a game-changer for CEOs because it helps in making better decisions. When you know your strengths and weaknesses, you can make choices that align with your values. It's important to know yourself and build strong connections with your team. Listening is a goldmine for understanding what's happening. Staying humble, learning from mistakes, and staying super passionate about your business are must-haves.

Thanks to Cheshtha Lakhchaura, Gleexa!

#7- Setting a positive example

Photo Credit: Loren Howard

As an entrepreneur and business owner, I've learned that the ability to lead, inspire, and collaborate with a team is essential. CEOs must be visionaries, capable of not only creating a clear and inspiring vision for their company but also rallying their team around that vision. Leadership extends beyond decision-making; it's about setting a positive example, fostering a culture of innovation, and continuously striving for growth. So, for aspiring CEOs, honing your leadership abilities should be a top priority on your journey to success.

Thanks to Loren Howard, Prime Plus Mortgages!

#8- Collaboration

Photo Credit: Dr. Miles Beckett

CEO's must remain open to the idea of collaboration. While the initial dream could be to work entirely for yourself, call all the shots, and not share any of the profits, the truth is that you will probably need some help. Even if it's just a little bit of outsourcing, you eventually need to accept that you cannot always do everything alone. Be grateful to those who are willing to help and understand that team efforts can often expedite the progress of a business.

Thanks to Dr. Miles Beckett, Flossy!

#9- Building an outstanding team

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

Building an outstanding team is your ticket to success, and leaders who can both attract and keep top talent are like the magic wand of productivity. To unleash their full potential, you've got to create a team that's all in—one that's deeply committed to your organization's growth. And it's not just about wooing highly qualified candidates with perks like signing bonuses and competitive salaries. To keep those star players in your corner, you've got to build an environment where they're encouraged to shine their brightest because they believe wholeheartedly in your mission.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided!

#10- Leadership

Photo Credit: Johannes Larsson

Being a CEO is not just about being the boss. It's about leadership. The skills which I've developed as a solopreneur, have led me to becoming the CEO of a multi-million-dollar global business with only a team of 70 remote members in less than a decade. Soft skills such as communication, empathy and having a vision which your team believe in are essential for talent retention and loyalty. Then there are other skills such as effective delegation and team building, financial acumen, strategic thinking, and storytelling which will not only impact your leadership but also your bottom line.

Thanks to Johannes Larsson, Financer.com!

#11- Adaptability

Photo Credit: James Emery

As the co-founder and CEO of The Neighbours Cellar, a business that specializes in personalized wine gift boxes, I've found that adaptability, people management, and a keen eye for detail are essential skills for the role. Adaptability allows you to respond to market changes and customer demands effectively, especially in an industry as dynamic as e-commerce. People management is crucial, not just for leading your team but also for understanding customer needs and maintaining relationships with suppliers.

Thanks to James Emery, The Neighbours Cellar!

#12- Emotional intelligence

25 Entrepreneurs Explain Their Motivation to Grow Their Business

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:16:29 -0400

Being an entrepreneur or business owner has its share of ups and downs. While the downs can be pretty low the ups always seem to triumph for a true entrepreneur at heart. Milestones are what entrepreneurs and business owners work towards. Once you finally reach a certain point then reflection can truly begin. Finding the motivation in growing your business keeps it from becoming stale in the long run. No matter which part you love most, loving them all is equally as important.

We asked entrepreneurs and business owners what motivates them about growing their business and below are their replies.

#1- Empowering women to reach their potential

Photo Credit: Roopa Gulati

My motivation for growing “The Style and Mindset Connection” is deeply rooted in my passion for helping independent professional women reach their full potential. Many of these women have faced challenges that have affected their self-esteem and hindered their professional growth. By expanding my business, I can reach and empower more of these incredible women, helping them regain confidence, improve their mindset, and elevate their personal and professional lives. It's immensely rewarding to witness their transformation and see the positive impact it has on their productivity and results.

Thanks to Roopa Gulati, The Style and Mindset Connection!

#2- Passion and purpose

Photo Credit: Daniyal Sanaullah

Growing our business is driven by a deep passion for what we do. We started SocialSharings because we believe in the power of connecting people and businesses through social media. Every day, we see the positive impact our platform has on individuals and brands, and that's what keeps us going. The thrill of innovation and the desire to make a difference in the world through technology constantly fuels our drive. We also understand that growth brings opportunities for our team to learn and develop, which is incredibly motivating. Ultimately, our journey to grow SocialSharings is fueled by a combination of passion, purpose, and the pursuit of excellence.

Thanks to Daniyal Sanaullah, SocialSharings!

#3- Love of travel

Photo Credit: James Smith

First and foremost, I am motivated by a love of travel and a faith in the transformative powers of travel. Travel-Lingual was founded to make travel more accessible and rewarding for people of all backgrounds.In addition to passion, the need to innovate and make a difference is a major factor. In conclusion, I am driven by the outstanding individuals on my team. Their commitment, ingenuity, and collective vision motivate me to lead and expand Travel-Lingual into a global leader in the travel sector. Together, we are redefining the way people travel, and that is a journey that excites me daily.

Thanks to James Smith, Travel-Lingual!

#4- Independence and market share

Photo Credit: Percy Grunwald

When I started my business, there were several factors that I considered. The main reason for entrepreneurship is usually that people want to be their boss and avoid corporate slavery. When there is no profit sharing, the motivation to grow increases, regardless of the several challenges involved such as capital, the risks involved, and competition. Market share: My marketing team has successfully run some large-scale social media marketing campaigns which lead to great sales boosts. This gave me the motivation to grow my business.

Thanks to Percy Grunwald, hostingdata.com!

#5- Maximize impact

Photo Credit: Alex Freeburg

So, why do I want to grow my business? Simple — expand reach, maximize impact. My motivation is rooted in the knowledge that there are so many people out there who need legal guidance but are either unsure where to turn or hesitant due to the complexities of the legal system. When you can make the legal process more accessible and human, it's not just good business — it's socially responsible. Just like a lifebuoy in the open sea, legal help can be a lifesaver, and the more people we can throw that lifeline to, the better.

Thanks to Alex Freeburg, Freeburg Law!

#6- Passion for well-being of pets

Photo Credit: Mathew Coulton

First off, as the founder of “Gentle Dog Trainers,” I'm incredibly passionate about the well-being of our furry friends. This passion has driven me to create a platform where dog owners can find not just trainers, but compassionate professionals who understand the importance of positive reinforcement and empathy in training. It's a mission close to my heart, and it's what motivates me every day. Now, let's talk about what motivates other entrepreneurs and business owners to grow their businesses. Motivation can vary widely, but there are some common themes that resonate with many of us.

Thanks to Mathew Coulton, Gentle Dog Trainers!

#7- Enriching customer experiences

Photo Credit: Andy LaPointe

The motivation to grow our nationally award-winning gourmet food company, Traverse Bay Farms, is our ability to be a part of the life experience of countless people. We understand our customer buy our products for the special events and experiences in their lives. For example, our products are being enjoyed during birthday parties, graduations, engagement parties, baby showers, more. This means we aren't cherry juice concentrate in a bottle, we are helping our clients enjoy memorable moments in their lives.

Thanks to Andy LaPointe, Traverse Bay Farms!

#8- Empowering children and families

Photo Credit: Seth Besse

Every child deserves to thrive, no matter what challenges they face. Throughout my experience, I have seen firsthand the incredible strength and determination of families raising children with disabilities and learning differences. Our goal is to provide them with the tools and resources they need to navigate this unpredictable journey. This way, we can help parents and caregivers better understand and meet their children's specific needs, resulting in the best possible outcomes for everyone involved.

Thanks to Seth Besse, Undivided.io!

#9- Passion and personal growth

Photo Credit: Tabatha Farnel

My motivation to grow my business stems from a combination of personal and professional factors. First and foremost, I'm driven by a passion for what I do. I'm driven to share my enthusiasm and make a positive impact in people's lives. This intrinsic motivation fuels my desire to expand and reach a broader audience. Additionally, I'm inspired by the opportunity for the learning and creativity that growth brings. Growing my business allows me to take on new challenges and continuously evolve both personally and professionally.

Thanks to Tabatha Farnel, Aroma Authority!

#10- Take on new challenges and continuously evolve

Photo Credit: Ankit Prakash

At the core, my motivation to grow my software product technology company isn't merely about revenue figures or market dominance. Think of it as cultivating a garden; each product we develop, each client we assist, and every retail, D2C ecommerce, and SaaS business I mentor, are seeds we're sowing. As these seeds flourish, they transform into flowers—representing innovation, solutions, and transformative impacts. Managing my AI and software products team directly, I've witnessed first-hand the ripple effect of empowering small, high-performing teams.

Thanks to Ankit Prakash, Sprout24!

#11- Fostering growth and innovation

Shrinkage includes inventory loss from other sources like returns fraud and human error. The current returns process has too many touchpoints where shrinkage can happen. The expansion of e-commerce should also bring about seeing returns as a strategic lever, similar to how companies used faster delivery to drive customer experience and revenue.

Thanks to Christian Piller, Pollen Returns!

#2- Envisioning a strategic direction

Photo Credit: Danielle Sabrina

I think that it is of paramount importance for a CEO to possess the ability to envision a strategic direction and be able to conceptualize the path required to realize that vision. Often underestimated, intuition serves as a vital resource for an effective CEO, allowing them to navigate situations characterized by limited data yet full of potentially lucrative opportunities. Another critical attribute for a CEO is an acute sense of self-awareness.

Thanks to Danielle Sabrina, Society22 PR!

#3- Investing both time and finance

Photo Credit: Jonathan Hussey

The biggest thing for me is to understand what you're undertaking before you start. Services like Shopify and BigCommerce have given many people the impression that eCommerce is an easy industry to succeed in. The reality is that eCommerce is not quick, easy, or cheap, and getting your store online is only a small part of the battle. You need to be prepared for hard work and to invest significantly both in time and financially if you expect to compete, and succeed. However, if you do manage to find success, the rewards can be significant.

Thanks to Jonathan Hussey, Developer Connection!

#4- Invest in content marketing

Photo Credit: Alex Nigmatulin

As entrepreneurs and business owners, one of our top tips for building a successful e-commerce venture is to invest in content marketing right from day one. While platforms like Instagram offer a great starting point, the key to differentiation lies in the age-old strategy of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). By creating high-quality, engaging content on your website, you drive sustained traffic over the long term and establish yourself as a reliable player in the market.

Thanks to Alex Nigmatulin, PRNEWS.IO!

#5- Calculate stock reorder levels

Photo Credit: Dani Mechlowitz

When building an e-commerce business, it's essential to keep track of your inventory to avoid sell-out periods. In that initial growth phase, running out of stock can be detrimental and slow down the momentum of your business growth. As soon as you have 2-3 months' worth of sales data to work with, use a formula to calculate stock reorder levels to ensure you always have stock ready to go, especially if you're promoting your products on platforms known for viral content, like TikTok.

Thanks to Dani Mechlowitz, Delta Fulfilment!

#6- Hire an attorney and SEO expert

Photo Credit: Priscilla Christine

When establishing your business, there are several essential tips to keep in mind for long-term success. First and foremost, consider hiring an attorney to assist you in setting up your business structure, drafting contracts, and establishing store policies. I also suggest protecting your brand by trademarking your business name, ensuring it's uniquely yours. With an e-commerce business, it will be difficult to succeed without a strong online presence so you should prioritize SEO by either hiring an expert or researching how to optimize your digital efforts.

Thanks to Priscilla Christine, The Little Catholic!

#7- Differente from the competition

Photo Credit: Chris Gerbig

The key to success for a new e-commerce business owner would be to find something that differentiates from the competition. There has to be some sort of ‘angle’ or unique aspect of the business that allows the company to stand out. Think of it from the customer's perspective – Why should this customer shop from your store instead of the other stores selling this product? Without separating yourself from competitors, it will be more difficult to succeed in an already flooded market.

Thanks to Chris Gerbig, Pink Lily!

#8- Focusing on digital marketing and UX

Photo Credit: Todd Simon

For 60 years decades, my family’s 106-year-old business has provided at-home delivery services for gourmet meat lovers. These days, we have a strong e-commerce presence – focusing heavily on digital marketing and user experience, providing deals and promotions throughout the year on the Omaha Steaks website. Across these efforts, we strive to keep consumers engaged by offering tips from butchers, recipes from our chefs, and tutorials on how to prepare your food.

Thanks to Todd Simon, Omaha Steaks!

#9- Design a user-friendly e-commerce website

Photo Credit: Brian David Crane

Designing a fully functional and user-friendly e-commerce website is critical for an e-commerce business. A website is a digital storefront for customers to order and place products in their online shopping cart. The first step is to have a domain name that matches your business name. One can choose to build their online eCommerce shops on inclusive and pre-made e-commerce shopping software platforms like Woocommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, or Magento based on what suits their bandwidth and individual needs and how they will manage inventory and shipping orders.

Thanks to Brian David Crane, Caller Smart!

#10- Go offline

Photo Credit: Jane Harbison

An important part of growing an online business is going offline. There are many ways to do this, including going onto other people’s podcasts, talking at events, attending local Chamber of Commerce functions, talking about what you do at parties, and writing articles for other people’s publications like this one. But if you are an introvert, all this public speaking and networking may terrify you. There is one cheap and often forgotten way. It is to wear your business on a T-shirt.

Thanks to Jane Harbison, Jane Harbison Design!

#11- Optimize the online shopping cart

Photo Credit: Stephanie Venn-Watson

Losing customers during the checkout process is a major pain point for eCommerce merchants. Therefore, I recommend fully optimizing your online shopping cart to eliminate pain points. Ensure your checkout experience is fast and straightforward. Consider implementing a one-click buying option so customers can purchase items instantly. By eliminating a long and complicated payment process, shoppers are much more likely to complete their purchases.

Thanks to Stephanie Venn-Watson, fatty15!

#12- Focus on UX and website design

Photo Credit: Steven Light

Prioritize user experience (UX) and website design. A well-designed, user-friendly website can significantly impact your business‘s success. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and is mobile-responsive to cater to a diverse audience. Implement clear product categorization, intuitive search functionality, and a streamlined checkout process. High-quality product images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews can also enhance the user experience.

Thanks to Steven Light, Avenue B!

#13- Pay attention to product pages

Photo Credit: Nikhil Jogia

When operating an e-commerce business, your product pages are your frontline sales team — only there's no room for negotiation. Every element on the page needs to be tuned to help convert visits into sales. I can't overemphasize the importance of high-quality images and thorough, easy-to-understand descriptions. We've found that this approach encourages customers to make purchases and establishes a level of trust that turns them into repeat clients.

Thanks to Nikhil Jogia, Jogia Diamonds!

#14- Blend technology and marketing

Photo Credit: James Emery

Building an e-commerce business like The Neighbours Cellar involves a blend of technology, marketing, and customer-centricity. First, invest in a reliable and scalable e-commerce platform that can adapt as your business grows; we opted for Shopify for its robustness and ease of use. Second, focus on digital marketing channels that align with your target audience—SEO, social media, and email marketing have been invaluable for us.

Thanks to James Emery, The Neighbours Cellar!

#15- Build customer loyalty

Photo Credit: Liz Raad

We can safely say that e-commerce is among the most common types of online business. And yet, it’s surprising how hesitant small businesses are to engage in loyalty programs. And that can make or break your customer retention, especially in the early stages. If you’re still building your customer base, you can offer referrals for expensive products/services or first-time buyer incentives – for example, a free gift or special discount with the second purchase.

Thanks to Liz Raad, eBusiness Institute!

#16- Focus on traffic-generating skill

Monday Motivation: You Must Come Back And Finish What You Started

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 09:16:14 -0400

This motivational video is to help CEOs, entrepreneurs and business owners start the week off inspired to become great.

Here are some takeaways from the video:

Sorround yourself with people who will challenge you to grow
Control what you can control
There is a light within ourselves that can guide us forward during the darkest of times
The best version of yourself is yet to be revealed to the world

27 Entrepreneurs List Their Favorite Business Books

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 12:16:24 -0400

As musician Frank Zappa once said, “So many books, so little time.” For a business owner or budding entrepreneur, books can be a life preserver. Of course, valuable lessons often come from doing. Business lessons can be learned by trial and error and by putting yourself out on the line. But the same lessons can also be learned from a book. Reading about the errors and triumphs of other business leaders can prevent you from making mistakes and push you in the direction of success. Beyond lessons, a good business book can inspire you to lift your business to an even higher level.

Below is a selection of business books chosen as favorites by entrepreneurs and business owners.

#1- “Good to Great” by Jim Collins

Photo Credit: Vikas Kaushik

Collins' ideas on focused thinking, exacting action, and unshakable dedication to excellence have perfectly complemented my customer-focused mindset and TechAhead's quest for digital transformation expertise. “Good to Great” emphasizes the importance of consistent discipline, technology-enabled agility, and a team-driven strategy, just as TechAhead works to exceed client expectations through new mobile apps and digital solutions.

Thanks to Vikas Kaushik, TechAhead!

#2- “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek

Photo Credit: Mark Buskuhl

This great book by Simon Sinek tells the story of how leaders can inspire others to take action through a simple but powerful model, which he calls the Golden Circle. It focuses on understanding why we do things and how those reasons can become motivating forces for people. It also explains how our why can drive our success and help us achieve more. Sinek explains his theory by using real-life examples from some of the world's most successful companies, including Apple, Starbucks, and Google.

Thanks to Mark Buskuhl, Ninebird Properties!

#3- All You Need to Know About the Music Business

Photo Credit: Alyssa J. Devine

“All You Need to Know About the Music Business” by attorney Donald S. Passman provides practical insight for creatives with limited knowledge of business principles. The book begins by providing a 10,000-foot view of the music industry and the different considerations involved with hiring an attorney, accountant, and other business professionals. Passman uses plain language to describe the recent changes in the law (and standard business practices) that have affected and will continue to impact the music industry, such as streaming and the Music Modernization Act (MMA).

Thanks to Alyssa J. Devine, Purple Fox Legal!

#4- “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

Photo Credit: Nicholas Dragolea

My favorite business book is the classic “Think and Grow Rich” as it has been an essential cornerstone in my journey as an entrepreneur. Not a huge reader myself, it’s actually the only book that I found myself reading three times! Authored by Napoleon Hill, the book focuses on priceless business advice on positive thinking and overcoming adversity both in business and in personal life. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone whether in their teens, twenties, or later in life.

Thanks to Nicholas Dragolea, Fetched!

#5- “Playing to Win” by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin

Photo Credit: Corwin Smith

I recommend Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin as my go-to book. This book is the perfect example of strategic thinking. It is about identifying where you’re going to play in the marketplace, which customers you’re going to serve, and how you secure those customers. The book also teaches you that not all customers are good customers.

Thanks to Corwin Smith, Culture to Cash!

#6- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini

Photo Credit: Evan Tunis

This classic business book is a must-read for entrepreneurs and business owners. Written by Dr. Robert Cialdini, it provides insights into the psychology of persuasion and how to be an effective negotiator and leader. It covers topics such as understanding people's motivations, creating trust with clients and customers, and mastering the art of influence. This book has been praised by entrepreneurs and business owners for its engaging writing style, practical lessons, and insights into effective communication.

Thanks to Evan Tunis, Florida Healthcare Insurance!

#7- “One Little Spark” by Marty Sklar

Photo Credit: David Brewer

Without a doubt, one of my favorite business books is ‘One Little Spark’ by Marty Sklar, the former head of Imagineering at Disney. It’s a collection of anecdotes and personal stories that incorporate Mickey’s Ten Commandments and the Disney methodology into their narrative to help the reader understand how to implement and utilize them in their professional and personal lives. It was, is, and always will be indispensable to me and the way, my business, works

Thanks to David Brewer, Protect Line!

#8- “Hard Times Create Strong Men” by Stefan Aarnio

Photo Credit: Luke Lintz

Gen Z is extremely lazy. This idea immediately brings to mind insights from Stefan Aarnio’s book “Hard Times Create Strong Men”. He drew a comparison to a cycle, where challenging times give rise to individuals with resilience. These individuals then contribute to periods of prosperity. However, during these prosperous times, a certain complacency can set in, potentially leading to a generation that faces difficulties. His explanation of this cycle sheds light on the changes within our society.

Thanks to Luke Lintz, HighKey Enterprises LLC!

#9- “Making It In Real Estate” by John McNellis

Photo Credit: Jonathan Ayala

Making It In Real Estate by John McNellis is a great deep dive into real estate investment, ownership, and development. What I loved most about the book is how super real it is. If you're in this business you'll immediately recognize the wily developers of the 1980s and the overconfidant upstarts at the turn of the century. It provides you not only with hard-hitting facts about the industry but it's more importantly filled with personal anecdotes told by a natural storyteller, who paid his dues in this business.

Thanks to Jonathan Ayala, Hudson Condos!

#10- “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

Photo Credit: Karen Green

He presents nine principles of negotiation that might be counterintuitive such as never splitting the difference! which as a sales expert and former retail buyer, I totally agree with. If you are selling to someone and they start with a ridiculously low offer, splitting the difference between that and your reasonable offer is only going to lead to a lower-than-necessary result. There is loads more valuable advice just like this and is relevant whether you are seeking out new business or negotiating with suppliers.

Thanks to Karen Green, Buyerology!