Bombshell Business Podcast with Amber Hurdle

Latest Episodes:

Personal Growth as the Path to Personal Power with Annie Holcombe (148) Oct 22, 2022

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Most people would describe Annie Holcombe as experienced, supportive and about as genuine as they come. This unassuming rock star came into my world, and let’s just say neither of us let the other go! We, along with her podcasting partner in Crime, Alex Husner, became fast friends, all fully committed to being women who support other women, while still cheering on the guys, too, of course! That’s why it’s been incredibly overwhelming for me to have a front row seat to her personal journey throughout the past year, watching how as her personal growth evolved, so did her personal power. Since launching the Alex & Annie Podcast, Annie increasingly dismissed where her comfort zone even was, which skyrotted her as a vacation rental authority and the podcast was featured as a Top 30 Hospitality Podcasts by the Global Hospitality Institute having been on air for less than a year!!! Join us as we have a transparent conversation about what it takes to go inward in order to shine your brightest outwardly. The week we recorded this, there were just so many wins for these two that my eyes might have leaked more than once. I think you will see what I saw in this Bombshell since the day I met her! Connect with Annie Holcombe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-holcombe-vrgal/ Alex & Annie Podcast: https://www.alexandanniepodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing Your Brand with a “Wow” Factor with Robin Craigen of Moving Mountains (147) Oct 21, 2022

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Robin Craigen, CEO of Moving Mountains, is the perfect example of my branding philosophy that breaks brand success into three parts: personal brands, employer brands and business brands. You see, when leaders leverage their personal brands to uphold their company’s employer brand through communication, engagement and infusing the company’s culture into every aspect of operations, customers then enjoy a strengthened business brand experience, true to the heart and soul of the organization. It takes all three pieces working together for a company to find longstanding success. A true leader in his industry and community, Robin figured this out along the way, and now enjoys all of the benefits that come with an intentional focus in these key areas. Robin and his super star wife, Heather, have the best backstory that led them to where they are today: the leading luxury vacation rental management company in Colorado. (Just Google them and plenty of articles will say this for them.) I’m happy to rock the mic with him as he imparts his hard-earned wisdom while sharing it on the show. Their focus is on creating a “wow factor” for their guest experience, but they get there by investing in their team. Like many of us, Robin admits he probably learned the most about business the hard way, but this family business has always failed forward allowing them to enjoy consistently high net promoter scores and a direct booking rate of 70-80%. While this is the Vacation Rental Takeover Week of the Bombshell Business Podcast, truly anyone can learn from the “WOW” factor that is Moving Mountains! Connect with Robin Craigen and Moving Mountains: https://www.movingmountains.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/robincraigen/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Best Teams Win with Better Talent (146) Oct 20, 2022

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In this episode I get to interview four key players on the Better Talent team, an outsourced talent acquisition team for the vacation rental industry who finds full-time, part-time, on-call, seasonal and contract workers to round out their customers’ people stacks and offers ongoing talent strategy and support through an easy, affordable, subscription-based model. Tune in as Steve Trover, Adam Tully, Stephanie Rounds and Corrie Baguio walk you through what best practices they use to attract talent on behalf of their customers. Of course, I asked all of the questions so YOU know what a first-class recruiting experience looks like so you can pull out the parts that are realistic for you to implement in your own hiring efforts. I also really dug into the importance of culture, and how each of them contribute to the Better Talent culture, so you can see what that looks like through the lens of both senior leaders and team members. Finally, I ask them to share the success factors the companies who routinely get the best talent share, as well as the key success factor for the most successful companies in general. And bottom line? The companies who have the best teams win. Connect with Better Talent Website: https://bettertalent.com LinkedIn: Better Talent Individual LinkedIn Profile: Steve Trover, Adam Tully, Stephanie Rounds & Corrie Baguio The Vacation Rental Industry Take Over Week We are showcasing some of my friends and a couple new friends between The Book Direct Show and the VRMA International Conference, so Bombshells can learn from some of the most innovative, flexible and authentic business people out there! From mindset to business modeling, culture, employer branding, marketing, leadership, personal growth, work-life balance, systems and beyond, anyone in any industry can benefit from these daily drops! We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed creating them! Here's the lineup: 🏠 Sarah Franzen, Natural Retreats (143) 🏠 RYAN LUKE, Luke Capital Group (144) 🏠 Natalie Palmer, Host With Natalie (145) 🏠 Steve Trover, Adam Tully, Stephanie Rounds & Corrie Baguio, Better Talent (146) 🏠 Robin Craigen, Moving Mountains (147) 🏠 Annie Holcombe🎙, Alex & Annie Podcast & Lexicon Travel Technologies (148) 🏠 Alex O. Husner 🌎, Alex & Annie Podcast & Casago (149) 🏠 Lauren Madewell, Auntie Belham’s Cabins of Gatlinburg (150) 🏠 Tyann Marcink Hammond, Touch Stay (151) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Create Spaces You Want To Be In with Natalie Palmer (145) Oct 19, 2022

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Our guest today is Natalie Palmer, who runs a boutique vacation rental management company, is actively growing her real estate portfolio, and hosts No Vacancy The Podcast, where she shares weekly hosting advice. She works diligently to help set up hosts for success, and loves sharing relatable hosting content. She lives in Southern California and manages her mountain listings remotely, while staying home with her two kids under two. (Yes, you read that right!) Natalie shows how niching down in any industry can launch an entire career that you can design to work around your lifestyle simply by creating spaces you want to be in. Connect with Natalie Palmer Instagram: https://instagram.com/__nataliepalmer Podcast: https://www.hostwithnatalie.com/podcast The Vacation Rental Industry Take Over Week We are showcasing some of my friends and a couple new friends between The Book Direct Show and the VRMA International Conference, so Bombshells can learn from some of the most innovative, flexible and authentic business people out there! From mindset to business modeling, culture, employer branding, marketing, leadership, personal growth, work-life balance, systems and beyond, anyone in any industry can benefit from these daily drops! We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed creating them! Here's the lineup: 🏠 Sarah Franzen, Natural Retreats (143) 🏠 RYAN LUKE, Luke Capital Group (144) 🏠 Natalie Palmer, Host With Natalie (145) 🏠 Steve Trover, Adam Tully, Stephanie Rounds & Corrie Baguio, Better Talent (146) 🏠 Robin Craigen, Moving Mountains (147) 🏠 Annie Holcombe🎙, Alex & Annie Podcast & Lexicon Travel Technologies (148) 🏠 Alex O. Husner 🌎, Alex & Annie Podcast & Casago (149) 🏠 Lauren Madewell, Auntie Belham’s Cabins of Gatlinburg (150) 🏠 Tyann Marcink Hammond, Touch Stay (151) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Self Awareness, Culture and Systems for the Win with Ryan Luke, Short Term Rental Titan (144) Oct 18, 2022

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Our guest today, Ryan Luke, CEO of Luke Capital Group, exploded onto the Short Term Rental scene and acquired a controlling portfolio of over $80m in under three years. He believes his previous jobs and failing businesses helped change his mindset and actions which have led to this result. He also firmly believes the product or service doesn’t matter, that business is business, and there are some core principles that great success rests on. Tune in to find out what he focused on to find this level of success in this episode! Connect with Ryan Luke LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlukeuk/ All of the Links: www.linktr.ee/officialryanluke The Vacation Rental Industry Take Over Week We are showcasing some of my friends and a couple new friends between The Book Direct Show and the VRMA International Conference, so Bombshells can learn from some of the most innovative, flexible and authentic business people out there! From mindset to business modeling, culture, employer branding, marketing, leadership, personal growth, work-life balance, systems and beyond, anyone in any industry can benefit from these daily drops! We hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we enjoyed creating them! Here's the lineup: 🏠 Sarah Franzen, Natural Retreats (143) 🏠 RYAN LUKE, Luke Capital Group (144) 🏠 Natalie Palmer, Host With Natalie (145) 🏠 Steve Trover, Adam Tully, Stephanie Rounds & Corrie Baguio, Better Talent (146) 🏠 Robin Craigen, Moving Mountains (147) 🏠 Annie Holcombe🎙, Alex & Annie Podcast & Lexicon Travel Technologies (148) 🏠 Alex O. Husner 🌎, Alex & Annie Podcast & Casago (149) 🏠 Lauren Madewell, Auntie Belham’s Cabins of Gatlinburg (150) 🏠 Tyann Marcink Hammond, Touch Stay (151) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Passion, Profession and Imposter Syndrome with Sarah Franzen (143) Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Today’s guest is someone I’ve had the privilege to get to know over the past year, and as a brand connoisseur have developed a deep respect for her unapologetically authentic personal brand. What I’ve learned about her is that she has found her way to pursue both her passion and her vocation, as different as they may be, while overcoming limiting beliefs to successfully define and position her value within her industries. Importantly for me, anyway, I have fallen in love with her deep intention in all areas of her life, while nurturing the connections she makes along the way. About Sarah Franzen Sarah Franzen, Director of Revenue Management and Analytics at Natural Retreats, a luxury vacation rental management company, is the recipient of the inaugural “Vacation Rental Revenue Manager of the Year” award, presented at the DARM conference in 2021. Methodical, yet a creative strategic thinker and doer, Sarah is a seasoned professional with dynamic experience and education in sales, business, marketing, revenue management, and the performing arts. With an MBA from the UGA Terry College of Business, a Master of Music from San Joe State University, and a double undergrad major in both Music, Vocal Performance and Business Statistics, Sarah is passionate about the arts and arts education, understanding human behavior and what drives it, and establishing and nurturing mutually-beneficial relationships with my global community. Connect with Sarah Franzen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahfranzen/ About Natural Retreats Natural Retreats is a luxury vacation rental management company operating in some of America’s most iconic destinations. From well-appointed vacation homes with guest services and access to unforgettable activities, we elevate the travel experience to make our guests feel at home and our homeowners feel like guests. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas with Jeff Madoff (142) Oct 13, 2022

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What a joy it was to chat with Jeff Madoff, who has his fingerprints all over brands such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, Radio City Music Hall, and the Harvard School for Public Health. He also had the opportunity to pull from his many years teaching as a professor to hone his message into easily absorbed ideas for his book and his podcast, both named Creative Careers. He talks about the value of experimenting with different forms of expression and remaining curious as you pursue various forms of education – be it reading a book, attending a play or experiencing visual or performance art. From a deep place of experience, Jeff shares how to run your ideas like your business and turn your ideas into a living. He also shares sage advice to not lose the trust of your customers – which is critical today more than ever! Jeff says that creativity is the ability to see relationships between ideas, which I absolutely agree with! As someone who was raised (and put through private school) by a drummer and a culinarian and who is a “creative” myself, I genuinely enjoyed this episode and think you will, too! About Jeff Madoff B. Jeffrey Madoff is the founder of Madoff Productions, based in New York City. A gifted storyteller and incisive interviewer, Jeff has used those talents to help position major brands such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret, Radio City Music Hall, and the Harvard School for Public Health. Jeff began his career as a fashion designer. He was chosen one of the top 10 designers in the U.S. then switched careers to film and video production. He has since expanded his reach to include teaching, book and playwriting, and theatrical producing. He is an adjunct professor at Parsons School for Design, teaching a course he developed called Creativity: Making a Living with Your Ideas”. Every week Madoff has a conversation with a guest from a wide variety of fields, from artists and entrepreneurs to venture capitalists and business leaders. The book about his class, “Creative Careers: Making a Living with Your Ideas”, was published by Hachette in 2019. The podcast launched in 2021. Connect with Jeff Madoff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acreativecareer/?hl=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-jeffrey-madoff-5baa8074/ Website: https://madoffproductions.com/ Email: jeff@madoffproductions.com Podcast: Creative Careers Book: Creative Careers: Making a Living With Your Ideas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Wins & 5 Fails Forward in 10 Years of Business: The Anniversary Episode (141) Oct 06, 2022

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I cannot believe I’ve been in business for TEN YEARS! Apparently, I become a busy gal in October. After all, it’s my birthday month! It’s also the month that I tend to…well…birth things! 🥳As of the airing of this episode my 43rd birthday is tomorrow, October 7th. 🥳On October 1st we celebrated the FIVE year anniversary of the release of The Bombshell Business Woman: How to Become a Bold, Brave Female Entrepreneur. 🥳And on October 9th we celebrate TEN years of being in business! 🥳Later this month, just to add to it, we are launching Employer Brand Central to all! According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 65% of new businesses fail during the first 10 years. Yikes! So in celebration of a decade in business, surviving all of the twists and turns, I present to you the five wins that I think led me to making it through the past ten years. Yet, I also present to you the top five ways I had to fail forward. Here’s a sneak peek, but you’ll have to tune in for all the stories and reflections! At the end of the day, you have to trust God, you have to trust yourself, you have to trust the process, you have to trust your TEAM, and you have to trust in your vision. Thank you to my team, our customers, our vendors and agency partners, our audience members, my family and friends (especially my kids who SURE didn’t get a “normal” mom, but love and support me still), my colleagues, and everyone who has helped us live our mission of empowerment + business mastery! Much love to you! xo, Am Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Know & Share Your Value with Carolyn Strauss (140) Sep 29, 2022

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In this episode, epic event emcee, professional speaker, former Home Shopping Network personality and CEO of a multi-apparel company, and my sweet friend, Carolyn Strauss, shares how to harvest the best outcomes from your sphere of influence. She believes that everything is about being helpful, and the more help you offer, the more money you make. While there really is a ton of genuine advice in this episode about sales, positioning and knowing your value, this is really you being a fly on the wall as my dear friend and I real talk about our experiences as speakers, as (single) women in business who are sometimes considered “too much” and so much more. I think women will relate and men will see a different perspective that is helpful. About Carloyn Strauss Carolyn Strauss is a former CEO of a multi-million dollar apparel company featured on the Home Shopping Network, one of the top professional female emcees in the world, and a sought after professional speaker having earned her CSP. She is the author of five books, the co-host of the podcast "Another Day Above Ground" and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Carolyn believes a good day contains chocolate. Connect with Carlyn Strauss LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carolynstrauss YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/CarolynStrauss Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolynstrauss Podcast: https://anotherdayaboveground.com/ Subscribe, Rate & Review Be sure to tune in on your favorite listening app or watch it on YouTube. While you are there, we would treasure your honest rating and review so more Bombshells like you can find the show. And if you are feeling super generous, share the most recent episode with a friend! Subscribe to the Bombshell Business Podcast on: iTunes YouTube Stitcher Radio Amazon Music Audible Spotify iHeart Radio Google Podcasts TuneIn Or simply tell Alexa, "Play Bombshell Business Podcast with Amber Hurdle.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surviving and Thriving Through an Economic Downturn with Tom Park (139) Sep 22, 2022

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Our guest on this episode took the consumer electronics brand, Belkin, from $400 million to one billion dollars in annual revenue in only four years. As the president of Kenmore Craftsman Diehard for Sears Holding he transformed these iconic American brands by launching Kenmore and Diehard exclusively on Amazon with Kenmore becoming the first major appliance to be sold on Amazon. He is the former president of the Disney Stores Worldwide…and so much more! As someone who has seen just a few economic cycles while running major brands, I could not think of a better guide for us all than my friend, Tom Park, who offers specific and sage advice, especially for middle and lower middle market companies, as we continue to move towards increasingly uncertain times. We also talk about consumer product trends, managing expenses, focusing on the customer experience, building infrastructure to get ahead of the curve, employee retention, creating a culture of accountability to achieve budget, the importance of market share analysis, leading well and so much more. You’re going to want to listen to this episode twice as Tom shares so many nuggets from his vast experience, all of which he continues to use today as Managing Director of Portage Point, where they offer interim management, performance improvement and board services to stakeholders in periods of distress, underperformance and transition. About Tom Park Tom Park joined Portage Point in December 2020 and currently serves as a Managing Director offering interim management, performance improvement and board services to stakeholders in periods of distress, underperformance and transition. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for Howard’s, a large independent appliance and consumer electronics retailer Prior to joining Portage Point, Tom was CEO of Incipio, a consumer products company, until he left in 2019. Tom served as President of the Kenmore Craftsman Diehard for Sears Holdings. Tom was hired in 2015 to transform these iconic American brands to maximize their value by externalizing the brands after nearly 100 years of being exclusively sold at Sears. Under Tom’s leadership, the Kenmore and Diehard brands were launched exclusively on Amazon. Kenmore is the first major appliance brand to be sold on Amazon and included delivery and installation services performed by Sears. Tom was instrumental in negotiating the sale of The Craftsman Brand in 2017 to Stanley Black & Decker for $900m Prior to joining Sears, Tom held several executive positions at Belkin International, a global leader in mobile accessories, wireless networking products and IOT smart products. Positions within Belkin included President Linksys Networking Division, President of the Americas, Chief Operating Officer and CFO. During his tenure of a dozen years, Belkin saw significant growth, more than doubling the business to $1B. Prior to Belkin, Tom spent a decade with the Walt Disney Company where he was President of the Disney Stores Worldwide. In addition, he held executive positions with Disney Consumer Products. Tom was Controller for the $3B consumer products business and Controller for Walt Disney Imagineering, the design and development group for Disney theme parks Tom graduated from Villanova University with a BS in Accounting in 1979 and began his career with Unisys holding several positions in finance and accounting for over 12 years. Tom serves on several advisory boards, including the Villanova School of Business. Tom lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Lisa Adubato Park, and is the proud father of four children and one granddaughter. Connect with Tom Park LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-park-545717b/ Website: https://portagepointpartners.com/team/tom-park/ Email: Tpark@pppllc.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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