Disruptive CEO Nation

Latest Episodes:

Episode 271: Fractional Real Estate Ownership Opens New Doors with Duncan Kreeger, CEO and Founder of TAB; London, England, UK Oct 30, 2024

271 Fractional Real Estate Ownership Opens New Doors with Duncan Kreeger, CEO and Founder of TAB; London, England, UK

Duncan Kreeger, the visionary founder and CEO of TAB, is on a mission to democratize real estate investment by making it more accessible and liquid for a broader audience. Drawing from two decades of experience in the property market, Duncan seeks to revolutionize traditional investment methods, which he views as risky and limiting, by offering fractional ownership opportunities that spread risk and allow more people to participate.

Under his leadership, TAB enables individuals to invest in high-value properties with minimal capital, while also handling management responsibilities to provide a hassle-free investment experience. By leveraging technology and real-time information, Duncan is committed to educating potential investors and continually evolving his platform to open up real estate opportunities to a wider audience.

Highlights of our conversation:

- TAB facilitates fractional ownership in real estate investments for as little as £1,000, enhancing accessibility to a broader range of investors.

- Investors utilizing TAB can effectively diversify their portfolios across multiple properties to mitigate risk and enhance accessibility to real estate investments.

- Duncan underscores the significance of a robust team structure within TAB to effectively address competitive demands and propel business growth.

- The core mission of TAB is to democratize real estate investments through technological innovation and streamlined investment processes.

Duncan Kreeger is a leading figure in the world of property finance. With a career spanning over two decades, Duncan has built and sold West One Loans, now part of the ENRA Group, which recently sold for 350m GBP. He has successfully managed over 500m GBP of private capital. His expertise extends to completing secured loans worth an impressive 2.5bn GBP. In 2018, Duncan founded TAB, a pioneering property finance and investment firm that revolutionises the industry by offering accessible opportunities to investors through the TAB Market. With a commitment to trust, transparency, and simplicity, Duncan Kreeger is reshaping the way people invest in real estate.

Connect with Duncan:

Website: https://tabhq.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncan-kreeger-0395a45/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 270: Leveraging Human Interaction for Authentic CEO Branding with Raoul Davis, CEO of Ascendant Group; Newark, DE, USA Oct 23, 2024

270 Leveraging Human Interaction for Authentic CEO Branding with Raoul Davis, CEO of Ascendant Group; Newark, DE, USA

Raoul Davis, the CEO of Ascendant Group, is a pioneering advocate for the institutionalization of CEO branding, emphasizing its critical role in building trust and authentic connections. He advocates for executives to actively manage their personal brands, ensuring alignment with their company's ethos to enhance long-term market presence.

Raoul underscores the importance of humanizing businesses through executive branding, leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and strategic partnerships to weave personal narratives that resonate globally, respecting cultural nuances. By championing CEO branding, Raoul positions leaders as chief storytellers who, by sharing their stories and values, can not only enhance market trust but also inspire others by demonstrating authentic leadership.

Highlights of our conversation:

- CEO branding is essential for building trust and authenticity by positioning CEOs as the chief storytellers of their businesses, emphasizing human interaction over products or logos.

- Highlighting the power of human connection in branding, CEOs can set their companies apart in a competitive market and establish deeper connections with consumers by sharing personal stories and values.

- Emphasizing the importance of showcasing the human side of CEOs, positioning them as industry leaders and fostering organic relationships with their target audience.

- Amplifying a CEO's strengths and aligning their personal brand with the company's values can enhance shareholder perception, marketplace trust, and establish them as industry thought leaders.

Raoul Davis is CEO of the Ascendant Group, an award winning, global leader in CEO branding firm. PR News top 100 ranked elite agency, #1 ranked minority owned PR firm celebrating 20 years working with CEOs and executives of leading businesses in the world. Ascendant offers one of the most integrated agency models in the world including brand strategy, PR, literary representation, design, social media, video, photography, and strategic relationships. Clients include Fortune 500 executives, INC 5000 CEOs, Venture Capitalists, high performing entrepreneur brands, and bestselling self-help Authors looking to amplify their reach.

Davis regularly writes content for Forbes and Entrepreneur and has been invited to small business summits at the White House, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Senate. He is the author of the book Firestarters: How innovators, initiators and instigators can inspire you to ignite your own life.

Connect with Raoul:

Website: https://www.ascendantgroupbranding.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 269 Bringing Radical Focus to Startup Success: A Conversation with Cam Doody, Co-Founder of Brickyard, Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA Oct 16, 2024

Cam Doody knows what it takes to move an early-stage start-up through product fit, function, and successful launch as he has honed in on creating the right environment and formula for success. As co-founder and general partner of Brickyard, a venture capital firm based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Cam and his team specialize in supporting early-stage tech startups and have built a reputation so strong that they are expecting possibly up to 10,000 pitch decks of founders hoping to enter their program.

Cam’s philosophy is all about radical focus, grit, and fostering an ecosystem where founders can thrive in the most challenging stages of their journey. His commitment to family and the quality of life in Chattanooga underlines his focus on what truly matters, both professionally and personally, as he strives to back companies that will redefine their sectors and become household names.

Here are some highlights:

- Cam talks about how his experience scaling Bellhops into a national moving company helped fuel his transition into venture capital, leading to the founding of Brickyard.

- Brickyard’s unique model requires founders to relocate to Chattanooga, where they spend up to two years in an environment designed for relentless focus on growth and achieving product-market fit.

- Cam shares what he looks for in founders—those who understand the long, difficult path of building a company and are willing to make significant sacrifices, including moving to a less tech-dense location.

- Brickyard fosters a supportive community of founders, all in the same critical phase of their startup journey, which helps combat the loneliness and stress of building a high-growth company.

- Cam outlines his vision for Brickyard to become one of the most exclusive and successful pre-seed and seed-stage investment programs, backing category-defining companies that harness the power of AI and the internet.

Cam Doody is the co-founder and general partner of Brickyard, a Chattanooga- based venture capital firm that helps early-stage startup founders get Series A funding. An Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business graduate, Cam is no stranger to entrepreneurship and taking risks. In 2011, Cam co-founded another company, Bellhop. Originating in his college dorm room, Bellhop rose to national prominence with $56 million in equity capital. Today, the company has raised over $90m in venture capital and expanded to serve state-wide and long-distance moves in more than 65 cities.

Connect with Cam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cam-doody-b489a124/

Website: https://www.justlaybrick.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 268: Bringing Non Obvious Thinking to Your Business with Rohit Bhargava, Founder and Trend Curator at Non-Obvious Company; Washington, D.C., USA Oct 09, 2024

Rohit Bhargava is a person you should know and follow. He is a pioneering thinker renowned for his expertise in non obvious thinking, a philosophy he champions through his speaking, consulting and body of work. We invited Rohit to tell us about his new book, Non Obvious Thinking: How to See What Others Miss.

Rohit believes in the necessity of non obvious thinkers to drive innovation and disrupt conventional business paradigms, a vision he communicates through books, podcasts, and newsletters. He also carried this through by founding Ideapress Publishing so that he could help lift up the work of other great thinkers. He firmly believes that everyone can build the skill of seeing what others miss.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Why encouraging individuals to embrace non obvious thinking and recognize its value in uncovering insights and generating creative ideas will help businesses thrive in the future.

- A CEO must see fostering an innovative mindset as an imperative in all team members and not just a specific innovation team.

- That non obvious thinking can be learned, which is why he has written his latest book.

- A tenant of non obvious thinking emphasizes the importance of supporting female leaders for opportunities in business to lend to diversity and inclusivity in innovative thought processes.

- Rohit is passionate about promoting innovative thinking through various platforms like podcasts, book awards, newsletters, and speaking engagements and all CEOs and business leaders need to recognize that they can also elevate their thoughts and voice in the same way.

- The Non Obvious Book Awards were established to honor outstanding nonfiction and business books, promoting insightful literature and unique perspectives.

Rohit Bhargava is on a mission to inspire more non-obvious thinking in the world. He is a 3-time Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of ten books and is widely considered one of the most entertaining and original speakers on trends, innovation, and marketing in the world. Rohit has been invited to deliver “non-boring” keynotes and workshops in 32 countries around the world to change the way teams and leaders think at the World Bank, NASA, Intel, LinkedIn, MetLife, Under Armour, Univision, Disney, and hundreds of other well-known organizations.

Rohit's body of work, including his bestselling trend reports, aims to inspire individuals and organizations to think creatively, cover blind spots, and foster a culture of curiosity and risk-taking. To further amplify his message, he established the Non Obvious Book Awards, recognizing exceptional nonfiction and business literature, and continues to advocate for diversity and innovative thinking as catalysts for progress.

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur and founding the Non-Obvious Company and Ideapress Publishing, he spent 15 years leading marketing strategy at Ogilvy and Leo Burnett where he advised global brands on human behavior, marketing, and storytelling.

Connect with Rohit:

Website: https://nonobvious.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitbhargava/

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rohit-Bhargava/author/B001JRWL64?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1728051894&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 267: Peak Performance and Executive Decision-Making with Nuala Walsh, Founder and CEO MindEquity, London, UK Oct 02, 2024

Every day CEOs and senior leaders are faced with a tsunami of information and requests so we invited Nuala Walsh, leadership expert and author of Tune In: How to Make Smarter Decisions in a Noisy World to share her esteemed insights. With her distinguished 30-year career in financial services and as the founder of Mind Equity Consulting, Nuala brings a profound understanding of human behavior to the forefront of business decision-making.

In a world rife with data overload and disinformation, Nuala underscores the necessity of a nuanced approach to decision-making, promoting strategies like the SONIC mnemonic to combat cognitive biases and enhance organizational performance.

Nuala advocates for leaders to be vigilant of default biases and overconfidence, stressing the importance of self-awareness and seeking external perspectives to avoid negative consequences.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Human decision risk is a crucial factor in leadership decisions due to data overload, disinformation, distraction, and filtering out irrelevant voices.

- Default bias leads humans to trust people similar to them, potentially resulting in errors in decision-making.

- Avoiding bad news and over-trusting can lead to detrimental decisions, highlighting the importance of critically evaluating information.

- Social comparison and bandwagon effects can lead to feelings of inadequacy when comparing achievements to others.

- Behavioral Analysis in Business emphasizes the need to refrain from hasty conclusions and understand the complexities of decision-making processes.

Nuala Walsh is a non-executive director, adjunct professor of behavioral science in Trinity College Dublin, CEO at MindEquity Consulting, and author of the award-winning TUNE IN: How to Make Smarter Decisions In A Noisy World. With a three-decade career in global investment management at BlackRock, Merrill Lynch and Standard Life Aberdeen, latterly as Chief Marketing Officer, she has been recognized among the 100 Most Influential Women in Finance

Her board and advisory appointments span business, sport and non-profit organizations including UN Women (UK), the British & Irish Lions, World Athletics, The FA, the Innocence Project London, and President of the Harvard Club of Ireland.

A TEDx speaker and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, her insights feature in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, the Financial Times, Inc, the Economist, BBC, CNBC and Fox Business.

Connect with Nuala:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nualagwalsh/

Writing website: https://www.nualagwalsh.com/

Consulting website: https://www.mindequity.co.uk/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 266: The Franchise Journey: Building from Few to Many with Charles J. Bonfiglio, CEO of Tint World, Boca Raton, FL, USA Sep 25, 2024

266 The Franchise Journey: Building from Few to Many with Charles J. Bonfiglio, CEO of Tint World, Boca Raton, FL, USA

Charles J. Bonfiglio, a celebrated entrepreneur and founder of Tint World, has revolutionized the franchise business model with his innovative approach, earning him accolades such as the Inc. 5000 award nine times. Initially facing challenges in securing leases and loans for his business in Florida, Charles turned adversity into opportunity by embracing franchising, starting with a Meinecke discount muffler shop. He advocates for balancing consistency and quality in franchise operations while inspiring franchisees to adhere to established systems, recognizing their valuable insights.

His strategic focus on continuous learning, team-building, and robust support infrastructure has driven Tint World's expansion to over 142 stores, with plans for further growth through strategic partnerships and collaborations with major industry players like Rivian and Tesla.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Charles’s strategic approach involved building the system, improving the brand, and assembling the right team to handle growth effectively.

- Actively seeking knowledge through books, podcasts, and audiobooks is vital for enhancing business acumen and adapting to changing circumstances.

- Charles highlights the value of continuous learning from various experiences and individuals in the franchise business.

- Finding the right fit and cultivating a loyal team aligned with the company's values are essential for managing growth in a franchise business.

- Forming strategic partnerships, expanding capabilities, and collaborating with big brands are key strategies for driving growth and enhancing services in the industry.

Charles has been the CEO and president of Tint World since September 1, 2006, where he leads all aspects of the company, including franchise development, sales, and marketing. He transformed Tint World from six independently owned centers into an international franchise chain, formalizing operations and securing FTC approval for franchising in 2007. Charles also founded Auto Parts Network® in 2006 and served as CEO of Meineke Car Care Centers from 1983 to 2014. His extensive background includes founding multiple companies and managing large-scale real estate projects in New York and South Florida.

Connect with Charles:

Website: https://www.tintworld.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 265: Building a Better Therapist System with Alex Katz, Founder & CEO at Two Chairs, Los Angeles, CA, USA Sep 18, 2024

We respect the mission of Two Chairs because we believe that human potential relies on individuals remaining mentally strong. Enter Alex Katz. He has a clear vision for company growth and expansion, deeply rooted in his personal experiences and commitment to improving mental health care. But this is not just about access, the systems are highly sophisticated to introduce the patient to the right therapist based on personalized matching factors.

Alex emphasizes the importance of building a strong foundation before scaling, particularly in healthcare, where patient outcomes are critical. His approach involves investing in the right clinical culture and technology, ensuring that the company stays true to its core values of patient and clinician care while attracting aligned investors.

As Two Chairs has grown to connect around 600 therapists with clients - and these are employees, not an independent network so they are verified and aligned with the brand. Alex aspires to expand the company's reach across multiple states, addressing the mental health crisis on a larger scale and making quality care accessible to more communities.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Two Chairs aims to expand to help more people by making it easier to find the right therapist. In fact, 98% of clients find the right therapist on the first try.

- The matching algorithm used by Two Chairs considers therapist identity, clinical expertise, therapeutic style, and logistical factors to ensure patient satisfaction.

- Two Chairs is proud to have diverse, multi-lingual, multicultural therapists that are direct employees.

- Alex discusses the barriers to accessing therapy and mental health services across states due to licensing restrictions and discusses future changes in the health space. Currently they serve California, Florida, and Washington.

- Founder support networks are crucial for navigating the challenges of leadership, as highlighted by Alex in the success of Two Chairs.

Alex Katz is the Founder and CEO of Two Chairs, an innovative multi-state outpatient mental health system. Prior to founding Two Chairs, Alex led the Consumer Goods group at Palantir Technologies and served large health systems at McKinsey & Company, where he gained an appreciation for the barriers to getting great care within the existing U.S. healthcare system. He received his M.S. and B.A. from Stanford University.

Connect with Alex:

Website: www.twochairs.com

LinkedIn: www.twochairs.com

Twitter/X: https://x.com/twochairsmh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twochairstherapy

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 264: Rocking the Utilities Paradigm while Building a Brand for the Future with Supratim Srinivasan, CEO & Co-Founder of Atma Energy; San Antonio, Texas Sep 11, 2024

Supratim Srinivasan is deeply concerned about the fragility of the electrical utilities industry, so he is doing something about it.

As an engineer with a strong background in finance, he co-founded Atma Energy to make distributed energy resources like solar and energy storage more accessible to the individual homeowner and business owner while at the same time enabling them to capitalize on surplus power that they may be generating. This development of virtual power plant programs leverages and aggregates individual energy sites into a robust, utility-supportive fleet. This innovative approach enhances grid resilience, especially during natural disasters, and facilitates a transition towards a more sustainable and distributed energy model.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Supratim is on a mission to provide clean energy solutions, especially in vulnerable regions like Texas.

- Visionary leadership and belief are crucial in tackling the problem of making solar energy more accessible even in remote areas while at the same time impacting the utility marketplace.

- Natural disasters and climate change predictions highlight the need for the transition to a resilient distributed energy model.

- Government regulations in the energy sector can be tough but dialogue amongst stakeholders is critical for change.

- Supratim prioritizes customer experience and ethical practices - he is about helping the ‘small guy’ not only benefit from sustainable power but to supply and earn income through selling their excess power.

Supratim Srinivasan is paving the path to a brighter future through Atma Energy. He began his renewable energy journey while earning his Bachelor’s in Engineering from St. Mary’s University. During his time at St. Mary’s, he designed and built a solar-powered disaster relief trailer which fueled his excitement for solar. Supratim then attended the University of Texas at San Antonio to earn a Master’s in Electrical Engineering where he met co-founder Jaro, and together they researched new solar technologies. While attending graduate school, Supratim began his formal career in solar energy providing engineering and operations services to a residential and commercial solar developer.

Over the last decade and a half in renewable energy, Supratim has worked his way up from engineering to leadership and CEO positions in firms that have helped bring solar energy to thousands of Texans. When Supratim is not in the office leading the solar revolution, he enjoys spending time with his 2-year-old son and his wife, whose support never wavers.

Connect with Supratim:

Website: https://atma-energy.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/supratim-srinivasan-8b188127/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 263: Fearless in Business with Dr. Benjamin Ritter, Founder of Live For Yourself Consulting; Austin, Texas Sep 05, 2024

Dr. Benjamin Ritter sees in others what they can’t yet see in themselves, which is what we love about his work. So we invited Dr. Ritter to join us and discuss his book, Becoming Fearless, because we believe that everyone should feel in control of their business journey and find joy along the way.

This book is a reflection of his work with CEOs, founders and senior leaders where he has helped individuals move from self-doubt to self-mastery - in fact he cites 65 ways that anyone can do this. His guidance to his clients places a strong emphasis on skill development in effective communication, performance management, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance to prevent toxic relationships and turnover. He knows that leaders who learn to tone down the fear and amp up the confidence move further faster on the quest for success.

Highlights of our conversation:

- To rise up one needs to break free from limiting beliefs and create a career aligned with true desires.

- You must be your greatest champion and learn to take active control of your path and your time.

- Great leaders understand the role leadership presence plays and they seek to fine tune this skill for their benefit.

- Note only does the CEO's vision shape the culture, engagement, and success of the organization, but their level of confidence and self-mastery supports buy-in and engagement from others.

- Credibility and reliability are critical - teams must ‘see’ their leader as the expert and have trust in them.

- Fearless leaders empower employees, support their professional growth, give them control over their careers and motivate them to contribute effectively.

- Executive coaching benefits leaders by providing a safe space for personal development, working on leadership brand and vision, improving self-doubt, building positive relationships and operating in that fearless zone.

Dr. Benjamin Ritter, founder of Live For Yourself (LFY) Consulting and author of Becoming Fearless is an international leadership and career coach, Sr. Talent Management Consultant, Top LinkedIn Voice, global speaker, and host of The Executive, and the Live Fearlessly Podcast. Ben has coached over 500 leaders with a strong focus on senior level executives across multiple industries and geographic regions, within organizations that varied in scale from 50 to over 250,000 employees, and have included names such as, Amazon, Coursera, Doordash, Google, Fiserv, Northwestern, Pinterest, Yelp, and more.

Becoming Fearless is OUT NOW on Amazon! Get it at the link below.

Connect with Ben:

Website: liveforyourselfconsulting.com/becomingfearless

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbenjaminritter-leadershipdevelopment/

Instagram: instagram.com/drbenjaminritter

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 262: Human Leadership with Vidusha Nathavitharana, Founder of Luminary Learning Solutions, Sri Lanka, Colombo Aug 28, 2024

Vidusha is a distinguished expert in leadership training and coaching, with over 20 years of experience in the field. As the founder of High Five Consultancy and Luminary Learning Solutions, she has made significant strides in HR consulting and leadership development, authoring over 70 books and establishing herself as a thought leader.

Vidusha's perspective on leadership emphasizes that leaders should not see themselves as superhuman, but rather as individuals performing a role, where self-doubt is a healthy trait that can lead to better decision-making. In other words, be human as you lead.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Leaders need to be confident and selfless to grow a strong leadership pipeline.

- Joy, self-awareness, and positive leadership are crucial for fostering a supportive environment for leadership development.

- Self-doubt is important in decision-making to prevent toxic behavior and promote collaboration.

- Understanding one's mortality and focusing on shared success are key for building a legacy of successful leadership.

- Investing in mentoring and coaching future leaders is essential for sustainable leadership excellence.

Vidusha is a valued individual in my personal network and I hope you add him to yours as well.

Vidusha is an HR Consultant and Leadership Trainer based out of Sri Lanka. For over two decades, Vidusha has conducted training and consulting assignments across 15 countries in person, with participants from over 30 countries online. His work in creating a framework to assess validated ROI after training was one of the first frameworks around linking Leadership Training and ROI, and won him a place on the TedX Colombo stage.

Vidusha has won many recognitions over the years for his pioneering work in the Leadership space, including being the only Sri Lankan to be in the Top 50 Leadership Thought Leaders in Global Gurus, as well as being identified as one of the Top 30 Global Thought Leaders in Management and Leadership by Thinkers

Vidusha has over 70 self published books - all of which are available for free (honouring a commitment he made to his father not to ‘sell’ books he writes) on www.booksbyv.com. This is the same reason all proceeds from this book too will go directly to charity

Connect with Vidusha:

Website: https://luminarylearningsolutions.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidushanathavitharana/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 261: Innovative Sustainability Practices for Eco-Conscious Consumers with Cold Brew with Alex French; Minneapolis, MN, USA Aug 21, 2024

Alex French, the co-founder and CEO of Bizzy Cold Brew, has steered his company from the remnants of a failed snow sports venture to a thriving brand known for its exceptional 48-ounce cold brew coffees. With his extensive background in marketing at Best Buy and General Mills, Alex has channeled his expertise into creating a product that stands out for its high quality, significant caffeine content, and affordability.

He underscores the meticulous effort invested in crafting the perfect cold brew coffee, overcoming numerous challenges, and targeting a niche market within the food and beverage sector. Alex takes immense pride in the brand’s growth, now available in 8,000 stores, and relishes the sight of strangers enjoying his product, validating its value and impact in their daily lives.

Highlights of our conversation:

- Bizzy Cold Brew was founded to cater to the demand for ready-to-drink beverages, recognizing the popularity of cold brew coffee and the inefficiencies of making it at home.

- Leveraging his background in engineering, marketing, and data analysis, Alex created a product that catered to the market need for convenient, affordable, and energy-boosting beverages.

- Bizzy Cold Brew's commitment to sustainability, organic ingredients, and recycling materials has positioned the brand as a top player in the competitive cold brew market, resonating with environmentally conscious consumers.

- The company's exploration of innovative ways to upcycle spent coffee grounds, such as converting them into biochar for concrete, showcases their dedication to sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

- The fulfillment and joy experienced by the founder in seeing employees well-compensated, strangers buying the product, and customers benefiting from the functional beverage highlight the positive impact Bizzy Cold Brew has on individuals' lives.

Alex is an innovative thought leader, early adopter, and disruptor in all things consumer brands. Where others see challenges and hardships, Alex sees an opportunity to innovate, disrupt, and accelerate new ideas. With passions and expertise in health and wellness, food and beverage, technology, and the millennial consumer, Alex has had the opportunity to consult, lead teams, and launch businesses within the food and beverage industries.

Alex currently acts as CEO of Get Bizzy Inc., a beverage company whose mission is to be the best by providing the highest quality and most convenient beverages on the market. When not working on his business, Alex spends his time mentoring college students and training for ultra-endurance races.

Connect with Alex:

Website: https://bizzycoldbrew.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bizzycoldbrew/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexjfrench/

Socials @bizzycoldbrew

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 260: Connecting Engagement, Data and Revenue in Sports with Ed Birchall, Founder & CEO of Sobirho, London, UK Aug 14, 2024

Ed Birchall, the founder of Sobirho, brings a wealth of experience from his professional rugby career and roles in finance and technology to revolutionize fan engagement in the sports industry. He passionately believes that Sobirho's data-driven AI technology is crucial for delivering hyper-personalized interactions and maximizing revenues.

I met Ed while I was speaking at SEICon (Sports, Entertainment and Innovation Conference) and was impressed not only by his ease and knowledge of intelligently using data to drive financial performance but his passion for keeping minor league sporting teams from soccer and cricket to baseball and football alive and relevant in their communities. He emphasizes that understanding fan behavior and preferences is key to driving revenue and fostering deeper connections between teams and their towns.

Highlights of our conversation noted:

- Sobirho’s start-up story and why it is a personal mission.

- Why a focus on hyper-personalized fan and player engagement is critical for the livelihood of a team.

- How teams can increase revenue harnessing data-driven AI technology.

- How Sobirho aims to empower disadvantaged individuals in the data-driven AI industry, particularly women in technology.

- The importance of bridging the gap between big-budget teams and grassroots organizations.

- How Ed envisions Sobirho as the future on-ramp for helping sports teams manage data, organization, and operations with cutting-edge technology and innovations.

Ed Birchall, is a former professional rugby player and the visionary CEO of the Sporttech firm Sobirho. Ed leads this London-based AI startup with the goal to transform the sports industry by offering hyper-personalized experiences for fans, athletes, and sponsors, while improving operational efficiencies and profits worldwide. Leveraging his background in financial services and roles at leading tech companies, Ed's expertise in process improvement and technology utilization helped generate substantial revenue, including a $150 million increase at CAPCO financial services.

Inspired by his athletic experience and belief in AI's transformative power, Ed founded Sobirho to optimize sports engagements through real-time analytics and personalized content, enhancing user engagement and athletic performance. Under his leadership, Sobirho has become a pioneering force in the Sportech industry, delivering innovative solutions that redefine the sports ecosystem and cementing Ed's reputation as a tech innovator across finance, sport, and manufacturing sectors.

Connect with Ed:

Website: https://www.sobirho.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edbirchall/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 259: Inner Strength and Navigating International Business Safety with Jose Pereira Aug 07, 2024

Jose Pereira, a renowned leader and former CEO of Citgo Petroleum, exemplifies resilience and leadership, especially highlighted through his harrowing experience as one of the Citgo Six who were wrongfully detained and held hostage by the Venezuelan government from 2017 to 2022.

During his unjust imprisonment, Pereira's perspective on resilience evolved profoundly, leading him to become a motivational speaker and author. He also is now a champion for raising awareness on kidnapping and hostage situations not only for the business person, but for their family members who are with them.

In his book From Hero to Villain: True Story of the Citgo Six and through his program "Life Pills for a Surviving Guide," he emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing physical and mental health to navigate challenges effectively. Pereira advocates for raising awareness about critical issues and sharing personal experiences, believing these actions can inspire others on their journeys towards resilience and effective leadership.

We loved getting to know Jose and hearing his story. Highlights included:

- Resilience is crucial in leadership positions, as highlighted by Jose Pereira's experience as a former CEO and hostage survivor.

- Kidnapping insurance is important for employee safety, but there is a gap in coverage for protecting employees' families in hostage situations.

- Accepting one's new reality is essential when facing unexpected challenges because the faster you can accept that a situation has changed the faster you can forge a path for the next steps.

- Finding purpose and meaning in suffering can help individuals overcome hardship and access inner strength.

- His work to bring back other individuals who are political hostages wrongfully detained through the Bring Our Families Home Campaign.

- Today, Jose enjoys working with CEOs and sharing his story from the stage.

Jose Pereira, is a former oil company executive with thirty-five years of experience and the former CEO of Citgo Petroleum, endured 1,775 days of unjust captivity in Venezuela as part of the CITGO6, a group of six Americans employed by Citgo. His wrongful detention, solely based on his American nationality, lasted from November 21, 2017, to October 1, 2022.

Jose walks the walk and talks the talk as a true survivor. He implemented his unique Leadership and Resilience coaching technique to survive his 5 years of captivity, where he discovered that everyone has an inner force inside. He will make you unleash your unbreakable spirit to convert you into a Great Leader in your Business and in your life. Pereira's memoir offers a gripping account of the events leading to and during the CITGO6 imprisonment. He and his wife engaged in a daring act of smuggling letters to each other, reminiscent of Anne Frank's bravery during the Nazi regime, providing vital inspiration for his book. Their determination under duress adds depth to Pereira's narrative, transporting readers to his grim cell and eventual joy upon learning of his impending release.

Connect with Jose:

Website: https://joseconnect.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-angel-pereira/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 258: Productivity Smarts for High-Performing Teams with Gerald Leonard, CEO and Founder of the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute, Washington, DC, USA Jul 31, 2024

Who doesn’t want their teams to be agile and shoot for success? Well, enter Gerald Leonard, a seasoned expert in project, program, and portfolio management who passionately shares his insights on productivity smarts and wisdom.

In addition to the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute, he is also the CEO of Turnberry Premiere. Gerald believes that effective productivity is not just about managing time, but about prioritizing daily actions and moving steadily toward well-defined goals while relishing the journey. He advocates for the importance of setting goals and managing priorities, emphasizing that this approach leads to both personal fulfillment and professional success. And if you are lucky, you may hear him play some bass guitar for you as well.

Listen to our conversation and gain some advice that will be music to your ears:

- Setting goals and enjoying the journey are key to productivity and wisdom for every individual.

- Culture and leadership in business play a crucial role in success, emphasizing shared vision, values, and execution cadence.

- CEOs face various challenges including stress, burnout, and strategic alignment, highlighting the importance of the human factor in decision-making.

- Managing priorities effectively and finding joy in the journey towards goals are essential for achieving success and fulfillment.

- Reading books like 'The Goal' and 'Grit' can enhance personal and professional development.

Gerald Leonard offers a unique productivity approach to accomplishing more every day. Gerald J. Leonard PMP, PfMP, and a C-IQ Coach; he's the Publishing Editor, CEO, and Founder of the Leonard Productivity Intelligence Institute, as well as the CEO of Turnberry Premiere, a strategic project portfolio management and IT governance firm based in Washington, DC. Gerald is also an Author, TEDx Speaker, Management guru, and, importantly, a Bass player. He brings all these traits and skills into his presentations and interviews.

Gerald is the author of A Symphony of Choices (A Business Parable), Culture Is The Bass, Workplace Jazz, and the upcoming book Productivity Smarts.

Through his podcasts, writings, and collaborations with high-profile clients, Leonard underscores the value of personal growth and giving back, ultimately creating impactful business value and enriching lives.

Connect with Gerald:

Website: https://productivityintelligenceinstitute.com/

Website: https://turnberrypremiere.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geraldjleonard

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 257: Teaching, Coaching, Mentoring: Keys to Team Resilience with CEO and Founder of TRG International Rick Yvanovich; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Jul 24, 2024

Rick embarked on an unexpected founder's journey to Vietnam that ultimately led to remarkable success. Initially hesitant about moving to Ho Chi Minh City, Rick embraced the opportunity, which catalyzed the founding of TRG International, now serving clients in 80 countries.

His experience underscores the importance of adaptability and proactive decision-making, especially in navigating the challenges and uncertainties of a dynamic business landscape. Through his journey, Rick champions resilience, continuous learning, and the power of seizing new opportunities, encouraging others to shape their own paths and legacies.

Some key takeaways from our conversation:

- Embracing new opportunities can lead to unexpected and fulfilling outcomes in business.

- Resilience is key in navigating through disruptive times and evolving industries.

- Continuous self-learning and growth are important for both individuals and teams.

- Being a lifelong learner is essential to staying relevant in rapidly changing business landscapes.

- Public speaking engagements can be significant milestones in showcasing expertise and thought leadership.

Rick is a true master of the business coaching craft. His proven track record of helping companies and individuals achieve unprecedented levels of success is a testament to his unparalleled ability to combine business experience with coaching interventions. Through systematic processes and unwavering commitment to employee empowerment, Rick translates vision into actionable steps that propel his clients forward towards their goals and milestones.

As a serial entrepreneur with a knack for scaling businesses in multiple industries, Rick has achieved repeated success and created a multimillion-dollar company servicing clients in 80 countries, including half of the top 20 hotel chains and several Fortune 500 businesses. His diverse background includes stints as an executive coach, entrepreneur, techie, baby boomer, and professional bean counter (earning him the prestigious FCMA CGMA FCPA designation). With over 40 years of experience spanning supermarkets, accounting, breweries, newsagents, defense manufacturing, IT, talent, F&B, property development, and BP, Rick is a true veteran of the business world.

Connect with Rick:

Website: https://www.trginternational.com/

Website: https://www.rickyvanovich.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickyvanovich/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 256: Executive Expansion in the Gig Economy and Other Ways Entrepreneurial Thought is Changing Business with Pat Lynes Founder of Sullivan & Stanley; London, England, UK Jul 17, 2024

Pat Lynes has been consistently at the forefront of business evolutions impacting teams and human capital management. Lynes has utilized his experience as a senior figure in the UK recruitment sector to challenge the dominance of large consulting firms and inspire the future of work by founding Sullivan & Stanley (S&S).

We spoke with Lynes on his entrepreneurial journey, how managers today should nurture teams differently, and why he believes that senior leaders need to better position themselves for a future where they control their options related to work.

Some key takeaways from our conversation:

- Executives are encouraged to explore freelance roles, step out of their comfort zones, and embrace opportunities in the freelance world.

- This is why he wrote The Disruptive Executive book which offers a practical roadmap for executives to transition to a plural portfolio executive arrangement.

- He believes that practicing gratitude can significantly impact one's outlook on life, leading to a more fulfilling and balanced life.

- He urges business leaders to implement programs focused on health and wellness, as well as strategies to position employees for success citing that this is crucial for team development and collective growth.

- Entrepreneurship is a team effort that requires prioritizing employee development and well-being for enhanced engagement and performance.

Pat Lynes is an award-winning entrepreneur and Founder of Sullivan & Stanley (S&S), a change consultancy that helps organizations bridge the gap between investment and value realization. Before founding S&S, Pat worked in the IT and change knowledge worker recruitment game for over 15 years, being recognized as Global Interim Recruiter of the Year in 2015. He has delivered over 100 transformation teams for organizations including Three Mobile, Shell Energy, Burberry, and WH Smith.

Pat was a pioneer of the executive gig economy well before “The Great Resignation”, and he shares his experience and expertise in the best-selling book, The Interim Revolution which helps anyone wanting to work in a dramatically different way, as a disrupted executive. His latest book, The Disrupted Executive, is a sequel that provides a practical guide for executives who want to take control of their careers and work on their terms.

Connect with Pat:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patricklynes/

Website: https://www.sullivanstanley.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 255: The Power of Creative Media with John Sampogna, CEO and Co-founder of Wondersauce, New York, NY, USA Jul 10, 2024

John Sampogna is a forward-thinking leader recognized for his creative impact in the advertising industry. His perspective on paid media strategies is rooted in a comprehensive understanding of the full customer journey, encompassing all touchpoints and platforms. He advocates for innovative media placements and encourages brands to diversify beyond traditional outlets like Meta and Google.

What we enjoy about Wondersauce, is that John believes in the importance of returning to the art of marketing, urging brands to create engaging and fun content that attracts organic interest, much like the early successes of direct-to-consumer brands such as Dollar Shave Club and Casper. He also thinks there is a place where art and advertising can beautifully intersect.

Through our conversation, John explains:

- The inception of Wondersauce including how it got its name and progressed from a small independent venture established in 2011 to an expansive team doing remarkable client projects.

- The importance of dissecting and intimately knowing the full customer journey for brands to effectively diversify their strategies.

- How curiosity plays a significant role in fostering successful client relationships and tailoring marketing strategies to meet customer needs.

- Why brands should be open to investigating independent podcasts as a marketing platform. Podcasts can be an effective paid media strategy that allows for personalized advertising with host-led readouts resulting in higher engagement rates.

- The payoff when innovative approaches are embraced in client campaigns such as utilizing memorable artwork or adding unique humor.

- How the core values of integrity, curiosity, and communication lead the way to building strong relationships with clients and fostering creativity within the agency.

John Sampogna is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Wondersauce, an agency specializing in brand storytelling, paid media, e-commerce, and digital experiences. With over 15 years of experience in digital marketing and advertising, Sampogna has created and led work for a wide range of clients such as L'Oréal, Scott’s, Brookfield, Golf.com, and Subway, amongst many others. Featured early in his career in Business Insider’s “30 Most Creative People In Advertising Under 30”, Sampgona’s insights have been featured in numerous media outlets, including Glossy, Adweek, CNBC, Medium, Yahoo, and Digiday. Today, he manages a team of over 75 creatives, strategists, producers, and technologists at Wondersauce, and is well-regarded industry-wide for his innovative approach toward digital marketing and brand storytelling.

Connect with John:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsampogna/

Website: https://www.wondersauce.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #brand #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 254: Transforming Logistics by Engaging People Who Make Movement Happen with Todd Haselhorst, CEO & Founder of HEALE Labs, Miami, FL USA Jul 03, 2024

254 Transforming Logistics by Engaging People Who Make Movement Happen with Todd Haselhorst, CEO & Founder of HEALE Labs, Miami, FL USA

We love innovative companies seeking to elevate the participation of all people working in the supply chain; that is just what HEALE Labs is doing.

With a deep-rooted passion for logistics, Todd Haselhorst has dedicated his career to revolutionizing the transportation industry. His innovative approach, fueled by knowledge gained in economics, game theory, and technology, has led him to found HEALE Labs. HEALE Labs tackles the $268 billion data coordination problem in logistics by leveraging open and decentralized networks. His perspective highlights the importance of timely solutions to optimize the middle mile of the shipping process and address the challenges of errors, fraud, and waste in the industry. But on a simplistic level, his approach demonstrates value in each critical stage of the transportation and delivery ecosystem.

Here are some highlights from our chat:

- Creating an open data infrastructure to connect systems and establish a master record can streamline coordination and reduce costs.

- Incentivizing accurate data collection by workers and drivers through a reward system can minimize errors, theft, and waste, ultimately increasing profits.

- Data Coordination in Logistics is crucial for solving data and shipment coordination issues by creating a master record with real-time information.

- Using tokens as incentives for accurate data input and timely payments enhances the logistics process for shippers, brokers, carriers, and drivers.

Todd Haselhorst is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO/Founder of logistics startup HEALE Labs. Born in Hays, Kansas, to an entrepreneurial family, he started his first business at 12 (a lawn and landscaping operation) and hasn’t looked back. As an adult, Todd has built and exited several successful businesses including Auto Transport Plus (sold to NYSE-KAR) and CubeMonk, a transportation and labor marketplace for the logistics industry (sold to Cend).

With HEALE, Todd created the first open architecture, a zero-trust blockchain protocol designed to make the shipment lifecycle more predictable, profitable, and sustainable. HEALE’s tech stack reduces fraud, waste, and theft, making the lives of shippers, brokers, carriers, and drivers easier.

Connect with Todd:

Website: https://healelabs.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/0xtoddguru/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #Transportation #shipping #blockchain #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 253: Spinouts and Encouraging Innovation from Within with Dr. Andre Le Plume, Professor at Ted Rogers School of Management, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Jun 26, 2024

In today's environment, innovation is recognized as a critical business practice, but do companies encourage innovation to the fullest? Do business leaders feel secure in allowing ideas to grow and potentially sprout into a completely new organization?

In this episode, Dr. Andre LePlume shares insights from his extensive research on spinout ventures explaining how companies can benefit from encouraging employees to form internal corporate ventures and pursue innovative ideas. Based on his book, Spinout-Ventures-Transitioning-Employees-Entrepreneurs, he also expresses his view that the best new companies aren't founded in garages, but rather come from a place of keen knowledge and understanding of the needs in a market.

Episode Highlights:

- Defining Spinout Ventures: Spinouts are created using knowledge and resources transferred from a parent organization. They can ultimately benefit the company even if the spinout founder creates a new company as it may offer needed services.

- Encouraging Innovation: Andre points out the need for businesses to create an innovative culture, allowing employees the freedom to explore and develop new ideas internally and externally.

- Success in Spinouts - These founders typically have greater experience, are more knowledgeable, and have positive support systems compared to other founders.

- Case Study - Zoom: Zoom emerged as a successful spinout from Cisco, highlighting the potential of spinouts to revolutionize industries.

- Navigating Legal Challenges: He notes the evolving legal landscape around non-competes and intellectual property, and how businesses can manage these issues to encourage spinouts.

- Recommended Reading: "The Innovator's Dilemma" by Clayton Christensen; "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey Moore; and "Zero to One" by Peter Thiel.

Dr. Andre Laplume is a co-author of Spinout-Ventures-Transitioning-Employees-Entrepreneurs. Andre is a Full Professor in Entrepreneurship and Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management, which is part of Toronto Metropolitan University. Laplume researches the intersections where new entrants and incumbent firms meet to break down the barriers facing entrepreneurs while helping managers deal with entrepreneurial ambitions in their organizations.

His research has appeared in top journals like Human Relations, Journal of International Business Studies, and Journal of Business Research, among others. He received his PhD in Management from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and spent seven years at Michigan Tech, teaching in its MBA program. Earlier, Laplume was a business and information technology consultant, helping clients integrate businesses and automate units. He is a frequent judge at entrepreneurship pitch competitions and an experienced entrepreneur, having launched a startup while in Michigan.

Connect with Andre:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-laplume-90639433/

Book: Spinout Ventures: Transitioning Employees Entrepreneurs can be found on Amazon

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#spinout #innovation #CEO #AI #Tech #Enterprise #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 252: Accelerating Medical Advancements with Charles Fisher, CEO and Co-Founder of Unlearn.ai, San Francisco, CA USA Jun 12, 2024

Charles Fisher is a pioneering figure in the application of artificial intelligence to medicine and healthcare. With a PhD in biophysics from Harvard and a robust background in machine learning research, Fisher believes that AI has the potential to revolutionize medicine by addressing complex challenges and he does with the handpicked team he has assembled at Unlearn.ai.

He highlights the rapid advancement of AI technologies, while also acknowledging that the current systems are not yet all-encompassing but improve annually. Fisher emphasizes that high-quality medical datasets are crucial for training effective AI models and views the creation of large datasets as essential for unlocking significant improvements in healthcare.

Here are some highlights are from our chat:

- AI advancements in medicine are underhyped, with rapid progress driven by machine learning technologies, better computers, and data accumulation.

- The medical field lags behind consumer applications in AI due to the need for comprehensive medical datasets for training models effectively.

- Digital twins in healthcare are used to create virtual replicas of patients, improving outcomes and personalizing treatments.

- AI technology can predict outcomes in clinical trials, reducing the need for placebos and making studies more efficient and aligned with patient needs.

- AI has the potential to accelerate medical research, reduce drug development costs, and lead to significant improvements in solving medical problems within the next 5-10 years.

Charles Fisher is the CEO and co-founder of Unlearn.ai Charles is a scientist with interests at the intersection of physics, machine learning, and computational biology. Previously, he worked as a machine learning engineer at Leap Motion and a computational biologist at Pfizer. He was a Philippe Meyer Fellow in theoretical physics at École Normale Supérieure in Paris, France, and a postdoctoral scientist in biophysics at Boston University. Charles holds a Ph.D. in biophysics from Harvard University and a B.S. in biophysics from the University of Michigan.

Connect with Charles:

Website: https://www.unlearn.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskfisher/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #AI #Tech #Enterprise #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 251: Reimagining the Way Teams Interact with AI to Transform Your Business Results with Eric Vaughan, the CEO of Ignite Tech and GFI Software Jun 05, 2024

Eric Vaughan is a pioneering leader in the realm of AI-first transformations, advocating for the urgent adaptation to Generative AI. At the Imagine AI conference,Eric emphasized that this shift is not only essential but crucial for maintaining competitiveness in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

In this episode, Eric explains how he completely reimagined the structure, talents and thinking needed to prepare Ignite Tech and GFI Software to be stand out category leaders in the future.

He draws parallels between this transformative trend and past revolutions like the Internet and iPhones, underscoring the necessity for businesses to foster a culture of AI-first thinking.

Here are some highlights are from our chat:

- Gen AI is the fifth trend that has changed the world, following the Internet, personal computers, the web, and the iPhone.

- CEOs play a crucial role in leading AI initiatives and championing AI within their organizations.

- Eric's hands-on leadership includes personally interviewing AI innovation specialists, ensuring they share his vision of integrating AI into all facets of the organization to drive efficiency and innovation.

- Businesses need to adapt by integrating AI into various aspects of the company to stay ahead of the curve.

- Transforming companies into AI-first organizations and developing AI skills are essential for success.

- Continuous learning, skill development, and staying updated with AI advancements are necessary to avoid being left behind in the tech landscape.

- Removing every excuse for failure needs to be a leader’s motto.

Eric Vaughan is an experienced technology and M&A executive recognized for his innovation in the enterprise technology space. As IgniteTech’s CEO, Eric is responsible for setting and executing the Company’s vision, leading and motivating the global IgniteTech team to continue to drive the Company’s business to success in the eyes of its customers.

Eric is a frequent and noted author in industry publications including featured columns for executives in the enterprise software industry, and is a highly regarded speaker and thought leader on AI, GenAI and enterprise software company transformation.

Connect with Eric:

Website: https://ignitetech.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericlvaughan/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #AI #Tech #Enterprise #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 250: Crisis Preparedness for Business with ‘Disaster’ Patrick Hardy, Founder Reverse Disaster; Sacramento, CA, USA May 29, 2024

250 Crisis Preparedness for Business with ‘Disaster’ Patrick Hardy, Founder Reverse Disaster; Sacramento, CA, USA

Patrick Hardy is a renowned expert in the field of emergency response challenges, boasting an impressive background which includes founding reversedisaster.com and accumulating hands-on experience from real-life emergency scenarios. This is why he is known in the industry as ‘Disaster Patrick’.

Patrick has developed a perspective on emergency response that emphasizes proactive preparation and planning. His clients have covered everything from standard offices to alligator farms. Believing strongly in turning a disaster into an opportunity for growth and resilience, he promotes a culture of preparedness in both personal and professional settings. His unique approach to emergency readiness along with his wide ranging experiences have enriched his insights, making him a valuable source of guidance and expertise in the realm of emergency response.

Patrick shares insights from his book Design any Disaster and touches on:

- His journey from a single letter launching his career in emergency response, to founding his company, to stepping out as Disaster Patrick taking the culture of preparedness to the masses.

- He explains the chronology of an incident and what you need to know about command, communicate, and carry out.

- He uses the example of the chaotic aftermath of the false missile alert in Hawaii highlighted to demonstrate the cracks in a top down approach to disaster preparedness and the importance of empowering individuals at all levels to understand the proper emergency response plans.

- He shares how he is now taking on ‘disaster challenges’ where he is receiving challenges to go into scenarios with little knowledge and design and carry out an emergency response plan. Such as evacuating 300 cats from a cat sanctuary in a timed situation.

- He explains how launching emergency response scenarios is something every business leader should do to educate teams and eliminating dependencies on there must be ‘a boss around to tell us what to do’ thinking. This is crucial for business resilience and disaster prevention.

Patrick is a graduate of FEMA’s Advanced Academy and has also gone on to gain numerous certifications including FEMA’s Master of Exercise, Certified Emergency Manager, Certified Risk Manager, and Master Business Continuity Professional. Drawing from his wealth of experience in disaster preparedness and response, Patrick equips audiences with practical strategies to break the Crisis Creation Chain and teaches them to eliminate disasters by turning disruptions into opportunities. His first book: Design Any Disaster: The Revolutionary Blueprint to Master Your Next Crisis or Emergency was released in late Spring of 2023.

Connect with Patrick:

Website: https://disasterpatrick.com/ and https://reversedisaster.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/disasterpatrick/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #disasterpr #crisismanagement #publicrelations

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 249: Reimaging Brand Position and Strength: The Compelling Case of Circuit City with Ronny Shmoel, CEO or Circuit City; New York, NY, USA May 22, 2024

Ronny Shmoel, CEO of Circuit City, has a background forged in successfully exiting multiple companies over the past two decades. His perspective on the transformation of Circuit City is rooted in the brand's core values of service and innovation, acknowledging the power of adapting these values to fit the modern market. His goal is to ensure that their brand is the leader in customer service and that ‘Powered by Circuit City’ becomes a place of comfort and trust for the consumer.

By expanding thoughtful partnerships while still doing what they do best, Ronny plans to bring Circuit City into the future while staying true to its roots. Here are the highlights of our talk:

- Circuit City aims to redefine the consumer electronics market through service and innovation, prioritizing customer service and a consultative approach to stand out from competitors.

- The company plans to expand into a third-party marketplace, allowing quality sellers to offer their products under the Circuit City brand, creating a unique niche in the US consumer electronics market.

- Circuit City's e-commerce strategy focuses on personalized customer service, curated shopping experiences, live chat support, and personalized assistance in the product selection process.

- The company differentiates itself from retail giants by offering a personalized, consultative approach to shopping, leveraging technology and human interaction to enhance the overall shopping experience.

Ronny Shmoel is a seasoned serial entrepreneur with a highly successful proven track record of generating exceptional returns by building multiple businesses from the ground up, scaling them rapidly, and positioning them for successful exits. Ronny is an accomplished eCommerce and technology executive with 22 years of experience in the industry. His vast background in brand strategy, marketing, and intellectual property enables him to create and manage successful brand IP portfolios. Throughout his career he has consistently demonstrated a strong and consistent ability to drive growth and profitability for eCommerce businesses through effective strategy development, innovative marketing, and streamlined operations. Ronny has transformed struggling brands into successful ventures, with his last venture becoming one of the "Top 500 Internet Companies in the United States" for several consecutive years.

He is widely respected in the business world and has been recognized numerous times for his groundbreaking accomplishments in the eCommerce and consumer electronics industries.

Connect with Ronny:

Website - https://circuitcity.com/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnyshmoel/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #AI #Bootstrapping #Amazon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 248: Is an Amazon Business for You? With Steven Pope, Founder of My Amazon Guy; Georgia, USA May 15, 2024

248 Is an Amazon Business for You? With Steven Pope, Founder of My Amazon Guy; Georgia, USA

Steven Pope, widely known as "my Amazon guy," is a seasoned entrepreneur who transitioned from TV reporting to creating a 500-person agency focused on enhancing businesses' presence on Amazon. His unique perspective on Amazon delivery and ordering is shaped by his profound experience in e-commerce. He perceives Amazon Prime's delivery service as unrivaled in convenience and speed, thanks to its customer-centric approach and efficiency. He sees Amazon as a marketplace where many businesses can thrive due to high customer demand, though he notes not every business will succeed in this highly competitive platform.

Steven believes that everyone can succeed on Amazon but cautions he has spent years learning the ins and outs that can keep you from stumbling when you take your own business down this path.

Here are the highlights of our talk:

- Native Born Amazon Brands are unique to the e-commerce world and exclusively exist on Amazon.

- Sellers on Amazon face challenges like price pressure, Chinese competition, and changing rules by Amazon.

- Amazon Prime's fast delivery service is discussed compared to Walmart and Target.

- Setting big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs) is crucial for overcoming growth challenges.

- Replacing yourself in leadership is essential for scaling up and advancing in a leadership role.

- Sticking to known expertise is crucial in business for sustained growth.

Steven is the founder of My Amazon Guy, an agency with 20-million dollars in annual revenue and 400+ active brands. Steven is a best selling author with his book “Amazon Selling Tips.” Steven started his career as a TV reporter in Idaho, then was an eCommerce Director for 10 years for brands ranging from Gold & Silver Coins to Women’s Plus Size Clothing. Steven then created My Amazon Guy, an agency with 500+ employees on growing traffic and sales on Amazon. Steven not only owns MAG but also My Refund Guy, My Warehouse Guy, 4 Amazon Brands: Momstir & Age of Sage, HOLSTIT, and Lilly Posh. Steven has been viewed by millions of people on YouTube in thousands of videos where he shows how to handle ANY problem faced on Amazon.

Connect with Steven:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-pope/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/myamazonguy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myamazonguys/

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/myamazonguy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #AI #Bootstrapping #Amazon

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 247: Empowering the Frontline Workforce with Jason Radisson, CEO and Founder of Movo, San Francisco, CA USA May 08, 2024

Jason Radisson was introduced to us as a serial ‘unicorn breeder’ that we needed to talk with. Well, yes, he has over 20 years of experience in strategy, operations, and growth with global companies like Uber and Brazil's 99Taxis, but what we were really excited about was his passion for bringing frontline workers digital advancements so that they weren’t left behind and left out of the technology revolution that has improved the worklife of desk workers in the last five years.

Jason is the founder of Movo, a platform designed to streamline processes for any ‘on their feet’ or ‘in the field’ workforce member by providing a flexible and better connected work experience. All with the goal to lead to productivity enhancements, employee satisfaction and reduction in turnover.

Our conversations balanced lessons learned by Jason as a business builder as well as the ambitions of his latest work through Movo. Here are the highlights of our talk:

- Motivation Behind Movo: Jason identified a significant gap in the market for digitizing frontline work, particularly for blue-collar workers who lacked the benefits of automation and connectivity seen in white-collar settings.

- Value of Experience: Drawing from personal experiences, Jason stresses the importance of gaining industry experience before venturing into entrepreneurship. He suggests that learning from seasoned professionals can help avoid common pitfalls and accelerate growth.

- Team Dynamics: A key aspect of Silicon Valley's success, according to Jason, lies in the team's ability to tackle any problem collectively. He emphasizes the importance of fostering a team culture where members feel empowered to solve challenges effectively.

- Knowing the Value of Where You Come From: Jason shared how his humble beginnings led him to value education and seek out more in life. He explained how his drive was enriched by a self-funded education, a Fulbright scholarship, and graduate studies at Harvard.

Jason Radisson started his career at McKinsey & Company, where he worked with the Firm’s top clients in Spain, Germany, and Latin America on high-profile, M&A, organizational design, and workforce projects. As a Regional General Manager at Uber, he launched and grew cities in the western US. He was then hired to run Brazil’s 99Taxis, where as COO he grew the business 10x on $50M in invested capital, and sold it to DiDi Chuxing for $1B, making it the most capital-efficient scale-up recorded by a gig marketplace. He is also a member of the Rappi-Mafia, where he was an early investor and helped the Rappi founders scale their Operations and Growth teams efficiently across Latin America. Today, more than 20 venture-backed CEOs are alumni of his earlier teams.

Jason is passionate about using mobile technology and algorithms to empower and uplift the frontline workforce, which he believes is the foundation of the economy and society. He founded Movo to address the challenges and opportunities of digitizing this workforce, which is overlooked and underserved by the horizontal technology incumbents.

Connect with Jason:

Website: https://movo.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-radisson/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #FrontlineWorkers #AI #Bootstrapping #GlobalEntrepreneurship #LatinAmericaInsights #RideSharing #EntrepreneurialAdvice #MarketDynamics #HiringAutomation #ProductivityBoost #ExperiencedEntrepreneurs

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 246: Navigating Innovation from the Earth to the Stars with Shayna Solis, CEO of Navteca - Washington DC, USA May 01, 2024

Shayna Solis is a creative soul applying her vision and dreams to shake up technology applications through her company Navteca. Focusing on emerging tech and IT innovation, like cloud, ML/AI, and virtual reality, Navteca develops technical solutions for government clients like NASA, NOAA, and the Spain Ministry of Tourism.

Shayna's vision for Navteca extends beyond business success, aiming to leverage technology, particularly AI and data visualization, to address pressing global challenges like climate change.

Here are the highlights of our talk:

- Voice Atlas Revolutionizes Access to Knowledge: Navteca's Voice Atlas is a product born out of their exploration of natural language processing and AI. Initially piloted with NASA, Voice Atlas enables users to access designated knowledge bases securely and seamlessly through voice-enabled devices, revolutionizing information accessibility and usability.

- A Twist on the Path to Being a Founder: Shayna's journey to becoming a tech entrepreneur wasn't linear. With a background in fine arts and a childhood dream of becoming a NASA astronaut, she emphasizes the value of multidisciplinary experiences in bringing fresh perspectives to the tech industry. Her eclectic inspirations from music, literature, and current affairs underscore her multifaceted approach to innovation and leadership.

- Global Teams Cultivates Creativity: Despite being headquartered in Washington, DC, Navteca boasts a global team spanning across continents. Shayna underscores the importance of diversity and creativity within their team, fostering an environment where innovative ideas flourish.

- Lessons in Entrepreneurship: Shayna shares candid insights into the challenges of entrepreneurship, from facing fears head-on to the importance of building and maintaining relationships, especially during tough times such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

- Tech Ecosystem in Washington, DC: Contrary to misconceptions, Washington, DC, hosts a vibrant tech ecosystem, particularly in collaboration with government agencies. Shayna highlights the opportunities and benefits of being located in DC for tech entrepreneurs aiming to work with governmental and international organizations.

Shayna Solis is the co-founder, CEO, and creative mastermind behind Navteca, a technology company with a focus on emerging technologies and IT innovation. For more than a decade, Navteca has created practical applications based on new and emerging technology to help fulfill customers' needs, solve real-world problems, and use technology for good through artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud technology, high-performance computing, platform engineering, virtual and augmented reality, and GIS data visualization. Solis is also the visionary behind Voice Atlas, a safe and secure conversational AI product tailored for government and enterprise use. Currently employed by entities such as the D.C. Government, NASA, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab, Voice Atlas facilitates insightful answers and knowledge across custom, curated databases. She is a graduate of Towson University, where she earned her Bachelor's degree with a dual concentration in English and Spanish.

Connect with Shayna:

Website: https://navteca.com/index.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaynasolis/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #aerospace

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 245: Brewing Success: The Journey of Green Coffee Company with Cole Shephard, the founding partner of Legacy Group and the Green Coffee Company; Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia Apr 17, 2024

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of coffee and business intersectionality with Cole Shepard, the founding partner of Legacy Group and the visionary behind Green Coffee Company, Colombia's largest coffee producer. Cole shares his journey, from merging asset management with agriculture to building a vertically integrated coffee empire emphasizing that it's the people that matter when it comes to building a successful enterprise

Cole also highlights emerging opportunities in Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Argentina, offering valuable insights for business leaders eyeing an expansion in the region.

Here are the highlights of our talk:

-The Birth of Green Coffee Company: Cole shares the genesis of Green Coffee Company, highlighting its evolution from an asset management venture to Colombia's leading coffee producer. With a focus on consolidating coffee farms and enhancing infrastructure, Green Coffee Company has transformed into a vertically integrated powerhouse in the coffee industry.

-Navigating Colombian Terrain: Cole's transition from a career in financial services to entrepreneurship in Colombia was met with skepticism. However, his keen eye for opportunity and the untapped potential of Colombia's coffee sector propelled him to leap despite initial challenges and language barriers.

-Challenges and Triumphs: Building Green Coffee Company from the ground up was no easy feat. Cole reflects on the early struggles, from capital constraints to operational hurdles, and emphasizes the importance of perseverance in entrepreneurship. Despite the setbacks, strategic hiring and a relentless pursuit of excellence paved the way for success.

-Impact on Local Communities: Green Coffee Company's expansion brought both excitement and skepticism among local communities. Cole shares anecdotes of how the company's investments in infrastructure and formal employment opportunities have transformed small towns like Salga, Colombia, offering residents new avenues for growth and prosperity.

-Traceability and Sustainability: In an increasingly conscious consumer market, traceability and sustainability are paramount. Cole discusses Green Coffee Company's commitment to transparency, tracing coffee origins from farm to cup, and embracing sustainable practices to meet evolving consumer demands.

Cole Shephard is the founding partner of the alternative investment firm, Legacy Group, and the founder and a board member at the Green Coffee Company, Colombia's largest coffee producer. With over 3,000 hectares of farmland, Green Coffee Company owns and operates 39 farms and manages over 11.5 million coffee trees. Cole is a PwC alum having worked in accounting, advisory, M&A and consulting across the United States, Bermuda, Hong Kong and Beijing, Cole is an expert in emerging markets and understanding the capital movements of high-net-worth investors.

Legacy Group is a leading investment firm in Latin America with a strict focus on high-quality LATAM businesses for international high-net-worth & accredited investors that can produce outsized returns.

Connect with Cole:

Website: www.gcc-coffee.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-shephard-67b1a51a/

Instagram: @gcc.colombia

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast #coffee #specialtycoffee #coffeeexporters #sustainableagriculture

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 244: Grabbing Life by the Vine with Marian Leitner-Waldman, Founder and CEO of Archer Roose Wines; Boston, MA, USA Apr 10, 2024

In this episode, we dive into the world of wine with Marian Leitner-Waldman, the founder and CEO of Archer Roose Wines. Join us as we explore the journey of building one of the fastest-growing and fun-loving wine companies in the U.S.

Self-proclaimed as a luxuriou-ish wine, canned to perfection, Archer Roose is female-founded and co-owned by Elizabeth Banks.

Marian provides insight into the evolving landscape of consumer preferences and behaviors and why we need this creative brand to bring joy to our lives from stadiums to movie theaters and from retail stores to having it shipped directly to your doorstep. Be a rebel and live by your own rules when it comes to your wine!

-Redefining Wine Consumption: Archer Roose Wines is a brand focused on providing consumers with a better wine experience through innovative packaging and a commitment to quality, transparency, and sustainability. The brand's mission is to eliminate the internal conflict often associated with opening a full bottle of wine by offering single-serve packages that maintain freshness and reduce waste.

-The Story Behind the Name: Archer Roose: Marian shares the creative inspiration behind the brand's name, which centers around a fun and quirky character named Archer Roose, representing adventure, boundary-pushing, and whimsy. The goal is to create a unique brand identity that stands out in a crowded market and resonates with consumers looking for authenticity and enjoyment in their wine experience.

-Navigating Consumer Trends in the Wine Industry: Despite initial expectations of a shift towards e-commerce post-COVID, consumer behaviors have largely reverted, emphasizing the importance of in-person experiences and word-of-mouth recommendations. Consumers seek authenticity, connection, and transparency, challenging traditional marketing narratives. Leveraging omnichannel distribution, Archer Roose focuses on reaching consumers in diverse settings, from bars and restaurants to music venues and airlines, reflecting a shift towards experiential consumption rather than product-centric marketing.

-Sustainably Produced Products: Archer Roose believes in low-intervention winemaking by partnering with wineries located within 20 miles of where the grapes are grown. They prefer vineyards that leverage solar energy and are a dry vineyard. They use no additives in the process and seek only to deliver the highest quality products.

Marian Leitner-Waldman is a wine lover and adventurer who is passionate about bringing you great wines at an affordable price. Marian is the founder and CEO of Archer Roose Wines, one of the fastest-growing wine companies in the U.S. She is on a mission to democratize fine wine by making the wine industry more inclusive and leveraging format to fit the lifestyles of modern consumers. Her emmy-award winning commercials, starring business partner Elizabeth Banks, have been lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle as the "most innovative wine marketing around." Archer Roose has been recognized by Wine Spectator and the Beverage Tasting Institute. Her wines can be found in James Beard Award Winning restaurants, Target, Hannaford and JetBlue.

Connect with Marian:

Website: https://archerroose.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianleitner/

Instagram: @ArcherRooseWines

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 243: The Competitive Advantage of Mental Strength with Scott Mautz Apr 03, 2024

Scott Mautz, the celebrated author and keynote speaker, is well known for his competence in leadership training and the books he has authored, such as "Find the Fire," "Make It Matter," and "The Mentally Strong Leader". With a special focus on the mental strength aspect of leadership, Scott’s perspective is shaped by his belief in the necessity of self-regulation of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, to achieve productive outcomes despite unpredictable circumstances.

In a rapidly evolving world marked by uncertainty, division, distraction, and fear, he emphasizes mental strength as an indispensable leadership superpower. The habits that underpin this strength, according to Scott, are vital for leaders to navigate challenges and lead effectively amidst adversity. His commitment to these principles is palpable in his coaching and training efforts, as well as in the wealth of free resources on his website.

Here is some of what we discussed:

- Mental Strength Defined: Mautz defines mental strength as the ability to self-regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors for productive outcomes, emphasizing its significance in today's uncertain and chaotic world. He highlights elements like fortitude, confidence, and positive messaging as key components of mental strength.

- Impact of Remote Work: The shift to remote work has significantly impacted workplace dynamics, leading to increased insecurity and self-doubt among employees. Mautz discusses the challenges of maintaining connections and identity in a remote environment and the importance of self-assessment in building mental resilience.

- Overcoming Indecision: Mautz addresses the prevalence of indecision in the workplace and its detrimental effects on productivity. He emphasizes the need to recognize one's baseline of mental strength and shares tools for overcoming indecision, such as setting time-bound parameters and accepting inevitabilities.

- Decision-Making: How decision-making is a critical mental muscle for effective leadership. Mautz highlights common biases that affect decision-making, such as confirmation bias and sunk cost bias, and provides strategies for making informed and objective decisions.

- Goal Focus: Maintaining focus on goals amidst distractions is essential for achieving success. Mautz introduces the concept of the "mental spotlight," a metaphorical tool for staying focused on priorities and avoiding distractions. He emphasizes the importance of simple habits in building mental strength and offers practical tips for enhancing goal focus.

Scott Mautz is the CEO and Founder of Profound Performance™, a keynote, workshop, and training organization empowering business leaders to become better, more inspired versions of themselves. Scott is an award-winning bestselling author, a popular LinkedIn Learning course instructor, and a faculty member at Indiana University’s School of Business for Executive Education. His most recent book is The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Thoughts, and Behaviors. Scott’s unique combination of corporate experience, research, storytelling techniques, comedy, and dynamic delivery engages both hearts and minds.

Connect with Scott:

Website: https://scottmautz.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmautz

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCESjWJrnWegel9lAlhXDS3A

Book on Amazon

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 242: Navigating the Narrative Economy: Building Relationships and Purposeful Brands with Kristian A Alomá, PhD, CEO of Threadline; Chicago, IL, USA Mar 27, 2024

Today, we delve into the world of the narrative economy and its profound implications for businesses. Our guest, Kristian Alomá, CEO of Threadline, offers insights into the power of storytelling, branding, and purposeful marketing. I have known Kristian for many years and I am always impressed by the wisdom and insights he brings to strategic business conversations.

Is your team doing all it can to build meaningful connections with target audiences in today's dynamic landscape? See what Kristian thinks you should consider as you expand your brand.

- Understanding the Narrative Economy: Kristian introduces the concept of the narrative economy, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in branding and marketing. Drawing from his background in psychology, he highlights the parallels between human relationships and brand-consumer connections, stressing the need for authenticity and emotional resonance.

- Building Relationships with Brands: Kristian discusses how consumers form relationships with brands, mirroring the dynamics of interpersonal connections. By focusing on enhancing the customer experience and aligning with their values, businesses can foster loyalty and trust, transcending transactional interactions.

- Know the Role of Purpose in Branding: Kristian emphasizes the significance of purpose-driven branding in today's market. He shares case studies, including Tony's Chocolonely, to illustrate how brands can align with social causes and advocate for positive change, resonating with socially conscious consumers.

- Consider Narrative Design Principles: Kristian explores the core principles of narrative design, a framework rooted in narrative psychology. By understanding and shaping the stories that resonate with their audience, businesses can craft compelling brand narratives that engage and inspire, driving long-term relationships.

- Know Trends in Marketing: Kristian reflects on current marketing trends, cautioning against a sole focus on virality over purpose and authenticity. He highlights the evolving expectations of consumers, particularly younger demographics, who prioritize brands that demonstrate social responsibility and ethical practices.

Kristian is a seasoned storyteller and strategist who believes in harnessing the power of narrative psychology and social sciences to forge meaningful connections with audiences. Kristian has spent over 20 years enhancing major brands like Harley-Davidson and Coca-Cola and boosting nonprofit outreach with his marketing acumen.His brand strategy firm leverages his PhD in narrative psychology to develop impactful stories that engage stakeholders. A lecturer at the Kellogg SchoolCenter for Nonprofit Management at Northwestern University and author of "Start with the Story," Kristian champions storytelling's role in brand building, especially for nonprofits. Committed to ethical communication, he contributes to the American Psychology Association and B Lab's Marketer’s Network.

Connect with Kristian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristianaloma/

Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Story-Brand-Building-Narrative-Economy/dp/1544537379/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YLBakXksk8A5MMPV7kuXBjmsP-l5rlzSwBEcMM64oxE.YHNJb5BblzS-UpuS7L4fiPpTucb9GCe9SzpGCQhFD9o&qid=1708439935&sr=8-1

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 241: Diversity and Creativity: Fostering Innovation in Marketing with Clemence Sop, Head of Marketing Innovation at InterSystems; Cambridge, MA Mar 20, 2024

Clemence Sop is a global thinker and distinguished marketing expert renowned for her proficiency in data-driven strategies. As the current head of marketing innovation at InterSystems, Sop's proficiency in creating innovative campaigns that incorporate advanced technologies stands out. Her unique engineering-minded approach revolves around the use of data and algorithms to deliver personalized messages, adapting to the unique qualities of the targeted audience.

Drawing from her life experience in Africa, Europe and the US, she emphasizes the need for understanding the evolving customer journey, mastering the art of identifying customer challenges, and offering personalized experiences. Even as she recognizes the role of AI tools in enhancing productivity and data interpretation, Sop warns against over-reliance on AI, advocating for the integration of a human touch in marketing to foster authentic relationships and stimulate word-of-mouth recommendations.

Here are the highlights:

– Innovation in Marketing: Creating disruptive campaigns that utilize the latest technologies to solve problems efficiently is crucial to effectively reach and engage customers in today's digital landscape.

- Global Marketing Impact: Utilizing data-driven strategies in global markets is necessary for meeting customers' needs and building trust through content. By using AI tools for personalization and adjusting tone of voice for different cultures, marketers can navigate the evolving buyer's journey and create unique experiences that resonate with customers.

- Innovation and Vision: These ideas are closely linked, with a leadership team playing a key role in guiding innovation towards tangible outcomes. Clemence also highlights diversity as crucial for fostering creativity and innovation, leading to more effective problem-solving and greater business success.

- Entrepreneurial Passion: Clemence encourages early business leaders to embrace their unique value proposition, learn from mistakes, and continue growing. She says it’s important to believe in your product's unique value proposition, learn from mistakes, and keep growing by staying open to learning opportunities.

Clemence Sop has built a career out of crafting disruptive strategies focused on reaching sales, social recruiting and go-to-market goals. Her career has taken her across Europe including offices in Monte Carlo, Germany and now the U.S. where she serves as Head of Marketing Innovation at InterSystems. InterSystems is the leading data technology provider for critical healthcare, finance, and logistics data. Its cloud-first data platforms solve global interoperability, speed, and scalability problems for large organizations.

Connect with Clemence:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemence-sop/

Website: https://www.intersystems.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 240: Becoming Better Together: Focus on Female Founders with Andrea Sommer Mar 13, 2024

Andrea Sommer has spread her wings worldwide and is helping female founders crack the code to business success. Hive Founders is a global network supporting female founders in launching, funding, and scaling their businesses. The focus is on providing access to capital and building robust businesses to increase funding success; and the results are amazing. They are moving the needle from averaging funding levels of 2% up to 70% in some instances, proving that the right coaching and knowledge network pays off.

As I always say, Andrea is someone to connect with and follow. Here is some of what we talked about:

-Origins of Hive Founders: The initiative began as a collaborative support group when Andrea and a colleague, struggling with fundraising, realized the lack of representation for women in pitch events. This led to the creation of a network that has since grown to 2000 members globally.

-The Investment Playbook: Hive Founders emphasizes building robust businesses through deep analysis and problem-solving. They support and teach women the fundraising process successfully, tailored to their needs and experiences.

-PR and Personal Brand Management: Fundraising is compared to a performance where founders need to effectively communicate their vision. Andrea stresses the importance of founders being comfortable in the spotlight and authentic in their presentation.

-Diversity of Founders: Hive Founders attracts founders from various industries, promoting diversity of perspectives and ideas. They believe good ideas can come from anywhere and encourage a generalist approach to entrepreneurship.

-Trends and Sustainability: Andrea discusses the growing importance of sustainability in business performance, driven by legislative changes and investor interest. Businesses are focusing on sustainability as a performance improvement strategy.

-Personal Approach and Advice: Andrea shares her personal approach to balancing work, family, and hobbies, emphasizing the importance of making the world better for future generations. She also advises embracing discomfort and viewing anxiety as excitement to seize new opportunities.

Andrea is an entrepreneur, advisor, investor and strategist with global expertise in investment strategy, emerging technology, innovation, and strategic growth initiatives. She’s built four businesses in the technology space, including in analytics & event technology, femtech & wearables and HRtech.

Before her entrepreneurial career, Andrea was Director of Strategic Initiatives Europe at Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture & Microsoft where she focused on growth and optimization projects and M&A. She also consulted for other technology brands including Microsoft in the US, South America and Europe.

Connect with Andrea:

Website: https://www.hivefounders.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrealsommer/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 239: Special Edition: International Women's Day 2024 Mar 06, 2024

Welcome to this special edition of Disruptive CEO Nation, where we celebrate International Women’s Day by honoring the trailblazing female founders and executives shaking up the business world. In today’s episode, we are spotlighting the achievements and challenges facing women in entrepreneurship and leadership.

Here's a brief overview of what we discussed:

- Highlighting Female Founders: We pay homage to Katie Sturino, founder of Megababe, whose innovative products tackle everyday issues for women, provide a shout-out to other female founders who are leading the way, and encourage listeners to nominate outstanding female founders for future podcast features.

- Understanding International Women’s Day: Delving into the history and significance of International Women’s Day and tracing its origins from the women's rights movements of the 19th century to its current theme of "Invest in women: Accelerate progress."

- Women in Government and Business: Exploring the importance of representation in government and business, noting milestones in women's political participation and the ongoing challenges they face in achieving gender parity.

- Gender Disparities in Business Leadership: Discussing the gender gap in corporate leadership, including statistics on women in the workforce versus women in senior leadership positions, and highlighting the importance of gender diversity for business performance.

As we celebrate the achievements of women in business, let’s also recognize the work that still needs to be done to achieve true gender equality in the entrepreneurial landscape.

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 238: Business for the Changing Social Fabric with Courtney Leimkuhler, Co-Founder Springback Collective; New York, NY, USA Feb 28, 2024

In this electrifying episode, we delve into the future of career, care, and consumer behavior with Courtney Leimkuhler, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Springback Collective. Join us as we uncover the secrets behind Courtney's journey from the heights of corporate finance at Marsh and the New York Stock Exchange, to her current role as a venture capitalist shaping the landscape of the new care economy.

With the mindset of a futurist and a firm background in finance and infrastructure knowledge, Courtney and the team at Springbank seek to elevate unique companies that are positioning services to meet the challenges of the next generation of the workforce. With an eye on gender equity and family care, they partner and invest in mission-based companies referred to as 'The Builders' to be catalysts of change.

Here are some of the topics we touched on in our conversation:

- Venturing into the Unknown: Courtney shares her insights on transitioning from the traditional corporate world to the dynamic realm of venture capital, and how her diverse background has shaped her approach to investing in disruptive startups.

- Pioneering Business for the New Care Economy: Dive deep into the innovative start-ups Springback Collective supports, and discover how they are revolutionizing how we approach caregiving and inclusive work environments. For example, Wellthy is a company that offers human-powered care concierge and it is sold as a benefit through employers for employees. And Brisk is using AI to build tools for teachers to make their workflows much more efficient.

- Trends that Every Business Must Watch: Highlighting the data behind key demographic trends that are shaping corporate priorities, government initiatives, the insurance landscape, and consumer behavior. And we discuss how these trends, if not addressed will affect worker productivity, presence, and ultimately profits.

- Unveiling Financial Frontiers and Shinning a Spotlight on Data: Explore the next wave of financial progress as I discuss the evolving landscape of fintech and the opportunities it presents for investors and entrepreneurs alike.

Courtney also serves as a board member or advisor to several companies including New Front, Dandi, Parento, Orchard, Coverwallet (sold to Aon in 2020), Betterment and Asta Capital.

Courtney is a graduate of Harvard College summa cum laude and Harvard Business School where she was a Baker Scholar. Courtney and her husband live in New York City with their two daughters.

Connect with Courtney:

Website: https://www.springbank.vc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-leimkuhler-32459b/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 237: Mastering Influence and Perseverance with Entrepreneurial Maverick Matt Brown; Denver, Colorado, USA Feb 21, 2024

Matt Brown is a seasoned entrepreneur as the founder of 14 startups. Matt is also a globally recognized podcaster, speaker, and 3 x Amazon best-selling author. Matt shares his incredible journey from South Africa to the U.S., discussing how failures shaped his curiosity and determination. As the CEO of ShowWorks Media, he delves into the art of influence, emphasizing the importance of elevating others over self-enrichment.

Throughout our conversation, Matt threads the significance of mindset and perseverance in the dynamic world of business. Here are the highlights:

-Building Businesses in Challenging Environments: Drawing from his experience in South Africa, Matt contrasts the challenges of building businesses in emerging markets with those in the U.S. He underscores the universal importance of hunger, resilience, and merit-based success.

-Transformative Power of Podcasting: The inception of the Matt Brown show a decade ago marked a pivotal moment. Matt details how the podcast transformed him from an introvert to a recognized influencer, sharing insights with global business leaders.

-The Inner Game of Success: Matt's book, "Your Inner Game," sheds light on the internal aspects of success. Through inspiring stories, he encourages entrepreneurs to embrace perseverance, recognizing that success can manifest at any moment.

-Influence and Its True Meaning: Matt challenges conventional views on influence, emphasizing its ethical dimensions. He highlights the pitfalls of influencer marketing and advocates for an approach centered on elevating others.

-Navigating Networking with Purpose: Acknowledging his introverted nature, Matt shares the art of asking better questions to deepen connections. He stresses the importance of quality over quantity in networking, urging entrepreneurs to focus on meaningful interactions.

Matt Brown is a veteran founder and entrepreneur zealously dedicated to aiding, entrepreneurs, CEOs, business leaders and the broader business community in fostering positive change. A veteran founder of 14 companies across a span of 25 years, successfully exiting multiple businesses.

The Matt Brown Show features over 800+ episodes, ranked in the top 2.5% of all podcasts globally and has an audience in 100+ countries. Today the show is a lexicon of high-value content for entrepreneurs, startups, investors and business thought leaders, around the world.

Connect with Matt:

Website: https://mattbrownshow.com/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 236: Revolutionizing Sustainable Construction with Tim Sweeney, Founding Principal at Sweeney Architecture; Reno, Nevada, USA Feb 14, 2024

As the founding principal of Sweeney Architecture, Tim Sweeney is driven by a passion for reversing climate change by revolutionizing the way we build homes, businesses, and structures by aligning with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Tim sheds light on the staggering fact that buildings in the US are responsible for 39% of all emissions. His solution aims to significantly reduce this impact by addressing construction and material production processes.

One thing we love about Tim's story is that even after a long and satisfying career, he is willing to go all in on building a company with a product he believes in, proving there is no age limit on being a disruptive CEO. Here are highlights of our conversation:

-Innovative Solution: Tim introduces a groundbreaking patent-pending building system that combines the energy-efficient passive house design with panels made of magnesium oxide. This fusion creates an unprecedented level of sustainability.

-Career Evolution:Tim's journey highlights the diverse experiences of his career that have led to the creation of his unique and sustainable architectural solutions.

-Patent Process: Tim shares insights into the patenting process, emphasizing the simplicity of securing a provisional patent and the ongoing efforts to improve and finalize the patent. He hints at future developments that could make their approach carbon-negative.

-Versatile Applications: The patented system is adaptable to various construction needs, from single-family homes to multi-family buildings and commercial structures. Tim envisions a broad impact across different scales and types of construction.

-Strategic Growth: Sweeney Architecture's growth strategy involves a multi-faceted approach. Tim discusses the importance of strategic partnerships, finding responsible and reliable collaborators, securing project-based funding, and potentially franchising the technology to share its benefits globally.

Tim is both a Certified Passive House Designer and tradesperson, as well as is highly experienced in designing, detailing, and building panelized solutions that offer numerous benefits over conventional design and construction. As a result of his unique capabilities, Tim's clients can build faster, less expensively, and with higher quality and better results, as only a handful of professionals in North America are qualified to do. With over 40 years of design and construction experience, Certification as a Cohousing Facilitator, and a planner that develops superior consensus and pathways using the Design Down Process, Tim's clients are afforded much greater opportunities to achieve their desires, needs, and more.

Connect with Tim:

Website: www.sweeney.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-sweeney-8a303114/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 235: Addressing the Affordable Housing Delima with Franco Perez, founder of Franco Mobile Homes; San Jose, CA, USA Feb 07, 2024

Franco Perez is on a mission to revolutionize the conversation around mobile homes and affordable housing. Based in Silicon Valley, Franco's mission stems from the pain of his own family struggling with rent and the desire to help others facing similar challenges. But this isn't only about mobile homes, it's about bringing people financial education, an understanding of building credit, and gaining dignity.

Here are the top takeaways from our conversation:

-Making Affordable Housing Sexy: Franco's team challenges the misperception of mobile homes and strives to make this form of affordable housing more appealing. Through this, they help low-income families enter homeownership and build equity.

-The Business Model: Franco's unique business model combines real estate, construction, and community development. By introducing modern and aesthetically pleasing features to mobile homes, he aims to elevate their value and offer an affordable entry point to homeownership.

-Changing Perceptions: Franco addresses the stigma associated with mobile homes by showcasing the diversity in mobile home communities. He emphasizes that, like any other housing, there's a spectrum, and his company aims to beautify and enhance the quality of mobile homes.

-Value-Driven Leadership: Franco highlights the importance of having a strong why and purpose in business. His motivation comes from the joy of helping families achieve homeownership, and this purpose-driven approach guides his decision-making and partnerships.

-Collaboration and Problem-Solving: In the challenging world of real estate, Franco emphasizes collaboration and sharing value. He discusses the importance of addressing problems transparently, being emotionally secure, and approaching challenges with critical thinking.

As Franco continues to disrupt the affordable housing space, his vision extends beyond his company to seek to influence policies and perceptions on a broader scale. Franco is on a mission to create affordable housing in Silicon Valley. He discovered that the Bay Area’s mobile home parks offer an abundance of underused land with great growth potential. After years of dedication to his vision, Franco has established a devoted team of like-minded individuals who believe that their positive impact equals success.

Connect with Franco:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francoperezhomes

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francotv/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexymobilehomes/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@francomobilehomes9706

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 234: Linking Humanity and Nature in the Global Toy Marketplace with Vishnu Chandran, CEO of Wild Republic; Cleveland, OH, USA Jan 31, 2024

Vishnu Chandran, the CEO of Wild Republic, is carrying forward his grandfather's legacy in the family business. But, this is not your typical family affair. Wild Republic is a global brand dominating the sales of realistic stuffed animals and toys often found in the shops of zoos, national parks, and other venues where wildlife may be found. Wild Republic also sets itself apart by being nature-related, sustainable, and innovative in the toy industry.

Here are highlights of our conversation:

- Wild Republic, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, has expanded its presence globally with locations in Denmark and Australia, and factories in India and China.

- Wild Republic is committed to sustainability, using innovative methods to create products with a reduced environmental impact.

- The company has eliminated single-use plastics, uses recycled water bottles for stuffing, and introduced fully recycled stuffed animals. In 2024, they plan to launch biodegradable toys and plush lines, reinforcing their dedication to the planet.

- Vishnu emphasizes the importance of putting passion and love into product design, making Wild Republic's stuffed animals stand out in design and quality.

- Vishnu emphasizes the company's commitment to making a difference, citing examples like eliminating phthalates from toy products years before regulatory changes and introducing fully natural stuffed animals.

- Vishnu shares insights into his unique leadership role as a third-generation CEO steering a family legacy.

- The company's future vision involves continued localization, expanding sustainability efforts, and introducing more earth-friendly materials. Vishnu finds motivation in self-help resources, podcasts, and literature, embracing a holistic view of leadership.

With over 15 years of expertise in the toy industry, Vishnu has honed skills in nature conservation, corporate social responsibility, and global leadership. Committed to preserving his grandparents' legacy, Vishnu expands their influence across the US, Europe, UK, Australia, China, India, Japan, Africa, and New Zealand. For Vishnu, toys transcend play—they serve as bridges connecting humans to animals, emphasizing sustainability. The forthcoming launch features entirely biodegradable toys, reflecting a dedication to eco-friendliness. Vishnu envisions a world where humans and animals coexist peacefully, urging collective action for a greener, more compassionate world.

Connect with Vishnu:

Website: https://www.wildrepublic.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishnu-chandran-09805428b/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation as one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024! https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 233: Michael Hoffman, Founder and CEO of Gather Voices; Chicago, IL, USA Jan 24, 2024

This episode focuses on your ability to unveil the power of authentic brand stories. Our expert is Michael Hoffman, founder and CEO of Gather Voices, a leading platform revolutionizing how organizations harness authentic video content.

Entering 2024, we must consider the dichotomy of AI-generated content versus the growing human craving for authentic connections. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation:

-The AI Duality: We unpack the interesting interplay between the rise of AI-generated content and the increasing demand for authentic human stories. Michael shares insights on how organizations can navigate this balance effectively.

-The Event Renaissance: Discover the resurgence of the event industry post-COVID and its pivotal role in fostering genuine human connections and how brands should use these gatherings to collect stories.

-Gather Voices' Mission: Gather Voices was founded to help brands address the challenge of creating quality video content efficiently. Michael sheds light on the platform's unique approach to enabling organizations to tap into the authentic voices of their community.

-The Evolution of Video Content: Michael discusses the shift from brand-created content to user-generated content and the importance of humanizing brands and building trust through storytelling.

-Design Thinking for Life: Michael shares a refreshing perspective on design thinking and how design thinking principles can enhance both professional and personal journeys.

Michael Hoffman is the co-founder and CEO of Gather Voices, a technology company that automates the creation, management, and publishing of video content. He is also the founder of See3 Communications, a digital marketing agency in Chicago and the founder of the DoGooder Video Awards which honors the best social cause video on YouTube each year. Hoffman taught marketing at the University of Chicago and is an internationally sought-after speaker and trainer who is a trusted advisor to business leaders on engagement strategy.

Connect with Michael:

Website: https://gathervoices.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhoffman/

Connect with Allison:

Feedspot has named Disruptive CEO Nation is one of the Top 25 CEO Podcasts on the web and it is ranked the number 10 CEO podcast to listen to in 2024. https://podcasts.feedspot.com/ceo_podcasts/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 232: Kenneth Berger, Kenneth Berger Coaching; San Fransisco, CA, USA Jan 17, 2024

Kenneth Berger is a seasoned technology professional turned executive coach. Having been an early team member at Slack and holding personal experience with startups, Kenneth's unique approach to coaching combines his technology background with a relatable demeanor.

In this episode, we focused on common concerns of business builders, including:

-Doubling Down on Your Path: Kenneth challenges the conventional career trajectory, urging us to question our chosen path. Is it about climbing the corporate ladder, or is it about making a meaningful impact?

-Intentional Asking: Arriving at your desired destination by unpacking the complexities of asking for what you want.

-Expanding Your Range: Break free from narrow communication styles, whether it's about building relationships or asserting your desires.

-Building Internal Safety: Burnout is a common challenge in the startup world. Cultivating internal safety and a deep trust in oneself is critical to enabling sustainable growth and resilience.

-Confidence vs. Imposter Syndrome: We explore the paradox of confidence and imposter syndrome, realizing that vulnerability and admitting uncertainty can be the most confident statements.

Kenneth Berger is a veteran of the tech world. He's one of Slack's first key hires and contributed as a Product Manager. He's also the former Co-founder and COO of YesGraph - a social graph analysis technology, later acquired by Lyft. He now helps startup leaders articulate what they truly want, take a courageous stand for those desires, and accept the world’s response so they can move forward. Over 20+ years in technology as a founder, operator, and executive coach, he’s seen both the promise of these companies and all the pain they can create. Now he’s sharing the tools he’s developed to help leaders succeed.

Connect with Kenneth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kberger/

Website: https://kberger.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 231: Skye Logan, CEO of Philanthroinvestors; Puerto Rico Jan 10, 2024

Skye is a maestro of philanthropic capitalism, blending venture capital tools with philanthropic principles to tackle global challenges while making a profit. Did that sound like a mouthful? Well, Skye makes it sound much easier than that.

We caught up with Skye at his home in Puerto Rico, and here is just some of what we covered:

-Venturing Beyond Profit: The mission of Philanthroinvestors is to prove that one can both make money and contribute to solving global issues simultaneously.

-Diverse Impactful Verticals: Delving into the diverse projects, Skye outlines Philanthroinvestors' focus on ten essential life verticals. From air and water to health, housing, and education, each vertical aims to address critical global needs, making a meaningful difference in people's lives.

-Housing for Families in Need: Skye discusses the housing initiatives, sharing their success in providing homes for underprivileged families in the U.S. market. With an average cap rate of 11.93%, Philanthroinvestors is striving to create a positive impact in the housing sector.

-Global Ventures: From environmental initiatives in Dubai to implementing recycling programs in Argentina, Philanthroinvestors is making waves globally. Skye touches on the company's reach in Nigeria, Jordan, and other regions, showcasing the extensive network and impact they've achieved.

Skye Logan has been “in business” from the age of 12. Since that young age, with an overriding purpose to help others, he has a long history of volunteer and humanitarian work. Before his successful career in the real estate sector, Skye was instrumental in developing and managing a one-of-its-kind multilocation medically assisted holistic drug and alcohol detox and rehab program. As a 2x Inc. 500 Executive, his work has spanned many facets of the real estate industry, from residential sales to helping build a $ 50 million-plus housing philanthroinvesting portfolio. Skye is a devoted husband and father of six.

Connect with Skye:

Website: https://philanthroinvestors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/philanthroinvestors/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philanthroinvestors/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 230: Joe Meyer, Founder & CEO of ExecThread; New York, NY, USA Jan 03, 2024

Joe Meyer is a man on a mission to elevate the ease with which executives connect to opportunities. As founder and CEO of ExecThread, he has grown a platform that is transforming the executive job search game.

In this conversation, Joe shares the secrets behind ExecThread's success and discusses the challenges and triumphs of entrepreneurship.

VIP Access to Career Opportunities: ExecThread serves nearly a million professionals with exclusive access to confidential career opportunities. From VP to C-suite, including board-level positions, ExecThread leverages a unique crowd-sourcing approach to unlock hidden career paths.
Founding Philosophy: Joe reflects on the inspiration behind starting ExecThread. Frustrated with being approached only for opportunities aligned with his past experiences, he envisioned a community where executives could confidentially share opportunities beyond the recruiter's radar.
Leveling the Playing Field: Joe explains the limitations of traditional networking and job boards and how ExecThread bridges the gap by connecting a vast network of professionals directly.
Personal Branding for Executives: Under ExecThread's suite of services are services that support personal branding - an area Allison feels very strongly about.
Words of Wisdom: Joe shares his leadership values, the hard lessons learned in entrepreneurship, and his evolving philosophy of success.

Joe Meyer is the Founder & CEO of ExecThread, a VC-backed crowdsourcing platform and premium job-sharing network that enables 450k+ professionals to access the “hidden job market”. ExecThread is the largest global aggregator of unpublished executive-level job opportunities.

Joe is a successful start-up CEO and operating executive at high-growth tech companies with a strong track record of recruiting teams, launching new products, raising venture capital, growing traffic, eliciting engagement, scaling revenue and achieving liquidity.

Joe was also cited as the Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by Crain's New York Business, and was #9 on Business Insider's 2013 "Silicon Alley 100" list (as one of the Top 100 tech executives in NYC).

Connect with Joe:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExecThread

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/execthread

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 229: A Year in Review with Allison Summers Dec 27, 2023

What a great year of guests on the Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast! In this episode, Allison K. Summers breaks down her experiences of 2023 highlighting where she has been and what she has been doing.

This episode also contains a shout-out to insights gained from some of the great guest conversations, featuring:

- Roger Krulak, Founder of FullStack Modular

- Sanchali Pal, Founder and CEO of Commons

- Dr Sophia Yen, Co-Founder and CEO of Pandia Health

- Chloe Duckworth, Co-Founder and CEO of Valence Vibrations

- Ivan Anz, Founder of CAPITANZ Family Office

- Jeffrey Klubeck, Founder and President of Get a Klu Inc and author of The Integrity Game

- Dr Jeffrey Magee, Founder of Performance Media Group

- Przmek Szleter, Co-Founder and CEO of DAC.digital

Allison closes by challenging listeners to set their sights on elevating their personal brand presence in 2024 setting their sights on developing how they will raise their voice and what beautiful things they can share with others. She reminds the listener to understand how you currently show up in the world and determine what success point you are trying to reach. She encourages everyone to reach for their transformative zone in 2024 because building authority has reach and reach delivers money!

If you would like a free copy of Allison's book Building Your Brand: Make Business Happen in a Global Economy, send her a note at Connect@allisonksummers.com.

You can also connect with Allison on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 228: Cari Jacobs-Crovetto, CEO and founder of The Force Majeure; Orinda, California, USA Dec 20, 2023

Have you ever wondered what is really on the mind of an ambitious startup founder? For this episode, we turned to the incredible Cari Jacobs-Crovetto, CEO and founder of The Force Majeure and a Stanford University Graduate School of Business executive coach and T-Group facilitator.

Based in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area, Cari has been a part of multiple startup teams and today is on a mission to ensure that leaders are tapping into the human side of business goals and relationships while on their path to success. When talking about the realities of begin a founder we touched on:

- Loneliness at the Top: Cari shares how many young CEOs, especially those under 40, grapple with the loneliness of leadership and the challenges that may come from guiding a company without a personal support system.

- The Fear of Being Found Out: Unveiling the second layer of vulnerability, Cari discusses the fear many CEOs harbor—the fear of being found out for what they don't know. Learn how young CEOs navigate the pressure of knowing everything and the unknowns they grapple with in private.

- Transitioning Team Dynamics: Building and evolving teams as the business needs change is a significant task for a less experienced founder. From hiring super horizontal talent in the early stages. to the pivotal shift toward specialists as the business grows is an area many fail to address early enough in the startup lifecycle.

- Navigating the Red Zone: Cari introduces the concept of the "red zone," a challenging phase where startups move from the green zone of endless possibilities to a constrained and stressful environment.

- Gender Bypassing: Reflecting on gender dynamics and differences between make and female founders, Cari touches on the concept of gender bypassing and the deeper work required for gender equality in the startup community.

Cari Jacobs-Crovetto is an executive coach and advisor specializing in leadership development. She built a career at ad agencies in the 90s, working with prominent brands like Levi’s, P&G, and Lexus. She then moved into the entertainment industry with NBC and CBS and contributed to Bay Area startups, including Sunrun and ModCloth.

In the early 2000s, Cari pivoted towards promoting personal growth, earning mindfulness certifications from Google and UC Berkeley. She eventually founded The Force Majeure, offering executive coaching to startup CEOs and founders, including clients from LinkedIn, Coinbase, and Twitch. Additionally, she is an active coach at Stanford University and regularly published in Forbes, as a Forbes Council Member.

Connect with Cari:

Website: https://www.carijacobs.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CariJacobsSF

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cari_jacobs_sf/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carisf/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 227: Simon Bacher, CEO and Co-Founder of Ling; Hong Dec 13, 2023

Meet Simon, the CEO and Co-Founder of Ling. Simon shares the journey of creating Ling, highlighting its unique features, playful brand, and the cultural experience of being an entrepreneur in Thailand.

The episode covers Ling's motivation to stand out in a competitive market, its bootstrapped journey, and the company's vibrant corporate culture. Simon also discusses Ling's diverse user base and future plans, including integrating AI for an interactive language learning experience.

- Gamified Language Learning: Explore Ling's unique features as a gamified language learning app supporting hard-to-learn languages like Thai and Chinese.

- From Prototype to Platform: Simon shares the inspirational journey of starting Ling from a small prototype to becoming a comprehensive language learning platform.

- Playful Branding: Learn about Ling's playful branding, featuring a monkey named Ming, symbolizing both the app's connection to linguistics (Ling) and the fun, approachable nature of language learning.

- Entrepreneurship in Thailand: Discover the challenges and advantages of being an entrepreneur in Thailand, including the abundance of talent and the thriving digital nomad community.

- Corporate Values and Culture: Explore Ling's corporate values, including curiosity, supportiveness, and an entrepreneurial mindset, fostering a transparent and empowering culture within the company.

Simon Bacher is CEO and Co-Founder of Ling which is a gamified language learning app. His vision is to use the power of language to break down barriers, open people's hearts to culture, and connect people by offering a tool where people can access languages spoken by many, but taught by few.

Connect with Simon:

TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@ling_app

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SimyaLearnLanguages

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ling_app/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simya.learn.languages

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 226: Satyam Kantemneni, CEO at UXReactor; San Francisco, CA, USA Dec 06, 2023

Meet Satyam Kantamneni, the managing partner and chief experience officer at UX Reactor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Satyam shares insights on the work of UX Reactor and why he believes focusing on 'experience' should be considered a powerful superpower in a CEO's toolkit.

Here are five high points from our conversation:

- Satyam emphasizes the importance of the human-centered design process in making technology more user-friendly and efficient. UX Reactor specializes in bringing human experiences to technology, making products easier and more efficient to use.

- Key considerations when working with enterprise clients in the software space, such as ServiceNow, Nokia, VMware, and Compass. The focus is on creating seamless experiences for complex products used across different contexts and modalities.

- Satyam introduces a test for leaders to determine if they are truly user-centric. The four key questions are: Do you know who your user is? Do you know the top pain points? Do you know what you're doing about it? Do you know the measure of success? User-centricity involves understanding users, their pain points, and continuously working to improve their experience.

- Satyam's vision for the future is to scale the impact of UX Reactor at a global level. The goal is to do what they do at scale, focusing on efficiency and effectiveness in driving business growth through experience design.

Prior to founding UXReactor, Satyam led various in-house design organizations such as Citrix and PayPal. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School. While at Harvard, Satyam realized that most businesses aren’t leveraging the full power of User Experience (UX) Design as an engine for strategic growth. So, he resolved to change that. Through UXReactor, Satyam demonstrated that UX can and should drive enterprise-wide innovation and business outcomes. UXReactor has enabled its clients-partners to generate hundreds of millions in additional revenue from user-cen- tered innovation. Satyam is passionate about user-centered innovation and he is authoring a book titled User Experience Playbook: A Practical to Fuel Business Growth, which will be released on May 10, 2022.

Connect with Satyam:

Website: Uxreactor.com

Facebook: /UXReactor/

Instagram: /UXReactor/

Twitter: /uxreactr

LinkedIn: /company/uxreactor/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 225: Sanchali Pal, Founder and CEO of Commons; Oakland, CA, USA Nov 29, 2023

Meet Sanchali, a woman on a mission to help everyone be a good climate-conscious citizen. In this episode, we cover Sanchali's business story and discuss the trajectory for Commons, an app that places sensible choices in the palm of the consumer's hand.

We caught up with Sanchali as Common is on its way to scale to one million users. The app's data demonstrates that users can reduce emissions by 20% in the first year alone. This is all part of the company's goal to help everyone 'decarbonize their life' by the 2050 planet targets.

Here are highlights of our conversation:

- Sanchali shares her journey from working in international development to founding Commons, including her thoughts on what it takes to build, scale, and grab hold of consumer attention in the app space.

- We gain insights into the impact the app has on reducing emissions and how users can save money while shopping sustainably. She explains how none of the companies on the app have paid to be there but that all are vetted independently based on Common criteria.

- We dive into how users can be better motivated by harnessing rewards and incentives for making eco-friendly choices.

- Sanchali talks about Commons' growth strategies, including lessons from working with the Sequoia ARC accelerator and building a team that continues to grow.

- We even get a sneak peek into the app's future developments, including enhanced data visualizations and gamification.

Commons, recognized as one of Time's top 100 most innovative companies, is revolutionizing sustainable spending. As the founder and CEO of Commons, Sanchali shares insights into the app that helps users make eco-friendly choices effortlessly. From discovering sustainable brands to earning rewards for conscious shopping, Commons is transforming the way we spend.

Sanchali founded Commons to empower people to make spending choices that are better for them and the Earth. Prior to founding Commons, Sanchali worked in sustainable development at Dalberg, during which time she lived in Ethiopia and India and worked with communities directly affected by the climate crisis. Sanchali holds a BA from Princeton in Economics and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Connect with Sanchali:

Website: https://thecommons.earth/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanchalipal/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.commons.earth/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 224: Frank Husman, CEO and Founder of Maxiality; Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands Nov 27, 2023

In this episode, we take time to connect with the exceptional Frank Husman, founder of Maxiality and an expert in authority marketing for B2B SaaS companies. Frank shares his insights into the dynamic realm of authority marketing and offers practical ideas that can elevate your approach to authority marketing.

Here are the key takeaways:

- Frank emphasizes the significance of showcasing your company's journey and thought leadership. By documenting your experiences, challenges, and successes, you can build trust and authenticity in the eyes of your audience.

- In the evolving landscape of content marketing, business leaders must shift from traditional blogs to engaging multimedia content. Leveraging platforms like YouTube and LinkedIn for short, impactful videos can captivate your audience and make your brand more relatable.

- Frank shares his experiences working with European SaaS companies targeting both local and international markets. Understanding the nuances of each country and tailoring your marketing strategy accordingly is crucial for success in the global landscape.

- The conversation delves into the growing importance of personal branding for leaders. CEOs should be more human in their approach, sharing experiences, and connecting with the audience on a personal level can significantly impact a company's growth.

Frank Husmann is an internet entrepreneur focused on B2B and SaaS marketing. As a former SaaS founder, he knows the challenges and pitfalls of growing a company. With over 20 years of experience in B2B marketing and sales, his goal is to assist B2B founders and marketers to show their expertise.

Frank started an internet agency for the travel industry on the 11th of September, 2001. A recession right after that hit the global economy, and despite that he has managed to create an agency with about 15 people and sell it in 5 years. After that, he was a co-founder of an international lead generation agency operating in 10 countries with 30 people. After he sold this agency, he started a SaaS business in B2B marketing and sold that after 5 years. Right now, he's using all the knowledge he has accumulated in these ventures to help grow B2B companies with his agency Maxiality.

Connect with Frank:

Free training: How To Become An Industry Authority And Consistently Generate Opportunities

https://maxiality.com/training-expert-content/

Website: https://maxiality.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zinspiratie/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 223: Jessica Young, Founder and CEO of Bubble Goods; New York, NY, USA Nov 15, 2023

Meet Jessica Young, the founder of Bubble Goods, who is on a mission to change the way we think about buying food products. In this episode, we dive into the world of food innovation, consumer choice, and the disruptive business model of Bubble Goods.

Building on her view as a trained chef, Jessica matched gained business skills with passion and great technology to design a business ecosystem supporting the needs of independent health-conscious food producers with health-conscious humans.

Here are highlights of our conversation:

- How Bubble Goods serves as an online marketplace for emerging and "better for you" food brands, offering consumers a curated selection of unique and health-conscious products.

- Unlike competitors like Thrive Market, Bubble Goods operates like an Etsy for food, giving vendors and food makers direct access to a targeted audience, offering a unique alternative to the traditional bulk-buying model.

- The platform curates and filters collections based on current food trends, helping consumers discover the latest and greatest products, such as those trending on TikTok.

- Jessica discusses the streamlined onboarding process for food brands, allowing them to create an account on the platform, get approved quickly, and start growing their sales with ease.

- Jessica shares her journey from being a chef to becoming the founder of Bubble Goods, highlighting her dedication to quality and her mission to connect people with high-quality food sources.

With 10+ years in the food and wellness industry, Jessica saw a gap in the market: food brands were innovating (specifically in the health foods sector), but they didn’t have the digital know-how or right platform to launch and scale on. It was becoming harder and harder for these brands to get onto Whole Foods, launch and scale within Amazon, and inefficient to drive customers into their own singular e-com channels. Jessica saw an opportunity to launch something similar to what Farfetch has done in fashion and Etsy has done in the handmade goods space: create and curate a marketplace for the innovative, truly strict label, independent food brands.

Prior to launching Bubble Goods, Jessica worked as a chef in NYC in Michelin-starred restaurants, before transitioning to the food startup scene, which eventually led her to become the first employee and Head of Product and Operations for Daily Harvest.

Connect with Jessica:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bubblegoods/

TikTok: @bubblegoods

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJM3giq6He1fbVPYQxx2zsA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BubbleGoods

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 222: Daniella Green, Founder of Slaypedia; Houston, TX, USA Nov 08, 2023

Meet Daniella Green, a TEDx speaker and globally acclaimed authority in coaching the C-suite. Daniella shares her expertise in helping professionals break through the glass ceiling and advance their careers while addressing issues of diversity and pay disparity. She also provides insight into why CEOs and business builders need to consciously care about valuing diversity on their teams.

Daniella is a passionate advocate for closing the wealth gap in Black households and tackling pay disparities among women of all backgrounds. She emphasizes the importance of individual contributions to bring about these positive changes.

Here are some of the keypoints in this episode:

- Importance of Diversity in Leadership: The conversation delves into the significance of diversity in the C-suite. It's not just about appearing socially responsible but it’s also a risk avoidance strategy. Having a diverse leadership team helps organizations avoid ignorance, reputational risks, and misunderstandings in an increasingly diverse world.

- Transparency Reporting and Accountability: The discussion touches on the importance of transparency reporting, especially for company founders and CEOs. Transparency reporting is essential in maintaining a company's financial health and addressing issues that might hinder its growth and success.

- Trends in Tech and Beyond: Daniella highlights the blurring of industry lines, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the problems you can solve rather than limiting yourself to a specific industry. Tech is no longer confined to those with a tech background; it encompasses various sectors, offering opportunities for professionals from diverse backgrounds.

- Preparing for Conflict: Why a critical part of planning for diversity is also planning for how people develop open communication pathways and have a safe space for conflict resolution.

Daniella Green is not only an accomplished executive coach but also a trailblazer who's making a significant impact in the world of business. Her dedication to closing the wealth gap and addressing disparities is inspiring. If you want to learn more and benefit from her wealth of knowledge and insights, you can connect with her on social media, where she shares valuable content and holds free workshops on career development.

Connect with Daniella:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@slaypedia

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/slaypedia/channel/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Slaypedia/

YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UClp4tTnjgn39bvRuTKyD4Gg

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellagreeninternational

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 221: Jonathan Keyser, Founder/Managing Partner at KEYSER; Pheonix, AZ, USA Nov 01, 2023

In this episode, Allison welcomes Jonathan Keyser, the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller You Don't Have to Be Ruthless to Win. Jonathan is the founder and managing partner of Keyser, a global commercial real estate firm, where he has been recognized in USA Today as an "Industry Disruptor". He is also an expert on the topic of business trust and how a company can be positioned to be a business partner of choice in today's fast-paced world.

The episode touches on Jonathan's personal journey, lessons learned, and the principles that have made his company, Keyser, one of the most trusted in the industry. Highlights include:

- The Journey to Success: Jonathan shares his unique journey, starting as a Christian missionary kid in Papua New Guinea and entering the cutthroat world of commercial real estate to achieve financial success.

- Selfless Leadership: The discussion highlights the importance of selfless service and how success can be achieved by helping others succeed. Jonathan's company focuses on advocating for the tenant's interests in real estate transactions.

- Redefining the Industry: Keyser is known as a commercial real estate disruptor, challenging the traditional practices of the industry. They emphasize giving tenants a fair shake and helping under-served company leaders regain control of their real estate processes.

- The Power of Perseverance: Jonathan stresses the value of not giving up, even when facing challenges as a leader. He shares the wisdom of staying committed, learning from mistakes, and constantly striving for self-improvement.

Jonathan Keyser is the founder of Keyser, one of the most innovative and trustworthy occupier services commercial real estate firms in the country. Along with their international partners, they have over 560 people worldwide. Jonathan is a #1 Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author for his book, “You Don’t Have to be Ruthless to Win”, and he was named "The Commercial Real Estate Disruptor" by USA Today. He has also been named a "Top Social Capital CEO" by the International Business Times, is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, a thought leader featured in over 150 articles, publications, and podcasts, and during the pandemic was recognized as one of the "Top 20 Virtual Keynote Speakers" in the country.

As an entrepreneur himself, Jonathan has built Keyser into an eight-figure firm named recently as one of the "Top 50 Most Trustworthy Companies in America" by The Silicon Review. Today through his 6,7,8 Selfless Leadership workshop series, he helps other business leaders activate the three levels of reinvention to boost profits while increasing client and employee retention. Jonathan's efforts to change the business world through selfless service manifest in his content, his thought leadership, and the level of excellence he holds his team to within Keyser.

Connect with Jonathan:

Website: www.keyser.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathankeyser/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 220: Melissa Llarena, host of the Unimaginable Wellness Podcast; Austin, TX, USA Oct 25, 2023

On today's episode, we're joined by creativity coach and podcaster Melissa Llarena. Melissa discusses her mission to empower working moms through her book "Fertile Imagination" and podcast "Unimaginable Wellness." She shares how she developed the concept of "fertile imagination" and some big names she's interviewed. Melissa also offers insight into waking up your imagination when it's feeling dormant. Plus, she recalls a piece of memorable life advice involving intergenerational connections. Tune in to learn Melissa's techniques for tapping into your imagination and living an unimaginable life.

Here are the key points of our conversation:

- Melissa's mission is to ensure that every working mom doesn't feel left out of the world of business and commerce.

- Her podcast, Unimaginable Wellness, explores creativity, imagination, and wellness via interviews with entrepreneurs, creators, and founders including Gary Vee, Beth Comstock, and David Roberts.

- The book, Fertile Imagination: Every Mom's Superpower, focuses on three stages to optimize your imagination and is not just for moms but anyone looking to boost their creative thinking abilities.

- The ability to use one's imagination is a critical component of finding joy in life and business.

Melissa Llarena is an author, imagination coach, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million+ views, and the host of Unimaginable Wellness, the podcast for entrepreneurs, founders, and creators who are moms. Featured guests include GaryVee and Beth Comstock. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons. Visit www.fertileideas.com for a 5-day imagination to impact challenge, quiz, and for more goodies for moms.

Connect with Melissa:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissallarena/

Website: www.fertileideas.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Fertile-Imagination-Stretching-Superpower-Maximum-ebook/dp/B0CJGTZ9MJ/ref=sr_1_11?keywords=Melissa+Llarena&qid=1695746846&sr=8-11

Podcast: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/

Book release date is October 31, 2023! Want a jet engine to deliver on your dreams? Check out the book: Fertile Imagination: A Guide for Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower for Maximum Impact

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 219: Dr. Sophia Yen, CEO and co-founder of Pandia Health; Sunnyvale, CA, USA Oct 18, 2023

In this episode, we explore the correlation of the importance of caring for women’s health to her success in business. For this, we turn to Dr. Sophia Yen, one of the top authorities in this space in the US. Dr. Yen also shares her journey in founding Pandia Health and its mission to revolutionize women's hormonal and reproductive health. When you listen to this episode you will recognize why Dr. Yen was named one of Inc's Female Founders 200 in 2023.

Here are the key points of our conversation:

- Breaking Down Taboos: Dr. Yen discusses the need to break the taboo surrounding women's health and why women must seek help and not "suck it up."

- The Intersection of Women's Health and Business Success: Discover how women's health, including menstrual care, impacts professional success, and why it's essential for businesses to care about these issues.

- The Birth Control Revolution: How Pandia Health is focused on transforming the landscape of women's health by providing an end-to-end solution for hormonal health. Dr. Yen has developed a unique algorithm for birth control options to match individuals with the most suitable birth control based on factors like age, body mass index, and race.

- A Mission to Empower Women: Understand the importance of eliminating obstacles in accessing birth control, such as the need for prescriptions, to empower women to take control of their health and life.

- Menopause Matters: Dr. Yen explains the lack of knowledge and expertise related to menopause and how she is poised to provide expert care for this stage of life.

- Challenges and Growth: Insights into business building in the highly regulated healthcare industry and Pandia Health's vision for the future, including expansion and growth that leads to ringing the Nasdaq bell.

Sophia Yen, MD, MPH is the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Pandia Health, the only women-founded and women-led birth control delivery service and is one of Inc.’s 2023 Female Founders. Pandia Health has recently expanded into acne services and will be launching menopause services by the 2023 holiday season. Dr. Yen has more than 20 years of experience in medicine and graduated with a B.S. from MIT, M.D. from UCSF Medical School, and M.P.H. from UC Berkeley in Maternal Child Health. She serves as a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford Medical School and has co-founded three non-profit organizations and projects in her endeavors to improve the lives of women: The Trust Women Silver Ribbon Campaign, SheHeroes.org and the #FFF movement.

Connect with Dr. Yen:

Pandia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pandiahealth

Pandia Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/pandiahealth/

Dr. Yen TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drsophiayen

Dr. Yen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsophiayen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pandiahealth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pandiahealth

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pandiahealth

Website: https://pandiahealth.com/periodsoptional

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 218: Eric Ressler, Founder of Cosmic; Santa Cruz, CA, USA Oct 11, 2023

One of our values at Disruptive CEO Nation is doing business while still being able to deliver social good, but in a cluttered market and constant noise, how do change agents get the attention they deserve? Enter Eric Ressler, the founder and creative director of Cosmic, a social impact creative agency based in Santa Cruz, California. Cosmic serves non-profits, B Corps, funders, and organizations dedicated to advancing humanity.

Eric discusses the importance of authentic messaging and their team's unique approach to creative design and he even shares insights into an organization that they are currently helping in Morroco.

Here are some of the stops we made in our conversation:

-Introduction to Cosmic and its mission to serve social impact organizations.

-The concept of the attention economy and its relevance in today's digital world.

-The why behind Cosmic’s manifesto and tips your organization can take in developing your own.

- Balancing the creative process with sustainable work-life balance. Think rest equals better business results.

- Eric's journey from a freelance designer to founding Cosmic.

-The role of AI in content creation and the importance of human connection.

-Distribution channels, focusing on email as an owned channel, and building authentic communities

Eric Ressler is the Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, a Social Impact Creative Agency.

Eric launched Cosmic in 2009. Cosmic empowers social impact organizations to catalyze real-world change by helping them nail their impact story, build brand awareness, and inspire action. Cosmic is a distributed team of creatives, strategists, and technologists with roots in Santa Cruz, CA but working around the world.

A self-taught photographer and cinematographer, Eric operates the camera on Cosmic’s photo and video shoots. He's also one of our primary video editors and colorists. His musical background frequently comes into play during the video post-production process.

Connect with Eric

LinkedIn Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosmiceric/

LinkedIn Cosmic: https://www.linkedin.com/company/design-by-cosmic-inc-/

Website: https://designbycosmic.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#digitalmarketing #branding #socialgood #Bcorp #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 217: Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director of Newton Venture Program; London, England Oct 04, 2023

217 Eleanor Kaye, Executive Director of Newton Venture Program; London, England

As the Executive Director of the Newton Venture Program (affiliated with the London Business School and in partnership with Local Globe VC), Eleanor Kaye focuses on diversifying the venture capital (VC) ecosystem. The discussion highlights the importance of representation in the VC industry and the need to empower individuals from overlooked backgrounds.

Eleanor also discusses the challenges and opportunities specifically for women entrepreneurs seeking investments and the impact of remote work on diversity and inclusion. The interview concludes with Eleanor sharing insights from her own career journey, emphasizing the value of diverse backgrounds and the importance of self-awareness and adaptability in leadership.

Take a listen and learn...

- Newton Venture Program's mission is to diversify the VC landscape to better represent the world's diversity.

- The program uses blind hiring to ensure a diverse cohort of learners, with around 50% female participants from various backgrounds.

- Diversity of thought is highly valued, as it leads to innovative solutions and approaches to problems.

- The program teaches not just practical skills but also personal skills, like networking and communication, that are crucial for success in VC.

- There's no one-size-fits-all path in venture capital; individuals should carve out their unique journeys and leverage their personal strengths.

- The program aims to make VC education accessible globally by developing open-source resources for learning.

- The future of VC involves embracing diverse perspectives and leveraging backgrounds, even outside of traditional finance and technology industries.

Eleanor Kaye is the Executive Director of the Newton Venture Program. Newton is a leading executive education provider with a mission to level the playing field for people from typically and structurally overlooked and underestimated backgrounds - ensuring that the next generation of investors represents the world we live in.

Connect with Eleanor:

Website: https://newtonprogram.vc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EleanorK_Newton

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanorkaye/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 216: Adam Robinson, CEO of retention.com; Austin, TX, USA Sep 27, 2023

This week’s high-powered episode provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs from founder and CEO Adam Robinson. Adam discusses his journey from a career in finance to founding multiple successful companies, including his most recent business retention.com. Retention.com helps solve a major problem for e-commerce businesses by using innovative technology to capture deliverable emails for a significant portion of anonymous website visitors.

Adam opens up about his background and experiences scaling previous ventures. He shares practical lessons learned around maintaining financial independence and exposing yourself to opportunities through experimentation. Adam also gives a glimpse into the operations at retention.com, including how he approaches scaling the team while upholding integrity as a core value.

Here are the highlights of our discussion:

- Building retention.com after successfully exiting his previous company, which identified a valuable feature for retention.

- Retention.com can capture deliverable emails for 30% of anonymous web traffic visiting Shopify stores.

- Stressing the importance of exposing yourself to opportunities through experimentation and keeping financial independence.

- Scaling his team while maintaining integrity and velocity as core values.

- Frank Luqman's book "Put Up" serves as an inspiration for raising standards and intensity.

Adam Robinson has never been afraid to shake things up. He’s a serial entrepreneur, a wizard of high-ROI marketing strategies, and a heterodox thought leader in the realm of digital privacy. At the helm of his MarTech startup Retention.com, he’s melding his iconoclastic style with groundbreaking identity resolution technology to solve the #1 problem marketers and eCommerce brands face today: growing, engaging, and reactivating their first-party database.

Connect with Adam:

Website: www.retention.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-robinson-64409348/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 215: Brianna Socci, Co-Founder of UBERDOC; Boston, MA, USA Sep 20, 2023

Today's healthcare system is insanely complicated and on average patients wait 25 days just to get a doctor's appointment. Enter UBERDOC and its mission to reduce barriers and red tape for individuals who need (and deserve) a fast pass to the appropriate medical care.

In this episode we speak with Brianna Socci who is an emerging industry leader in digital healthcare. Working with co-founder and surgeon Dr. Paula M. Muto, Brianna has skillfully built up UBERDOC as a nationwide direct-to-doctor platform for individuals to get immediate access to doctors without insurance obstacles and extensive network wait times.

Loving what she does, Brianna shared insights into their business story highlighting:

- The motivation behind building a healthcare access model that would allow a consumer to go online, choose the physician that they needed and pay one single transparent price.

- How the model also benefits physicians who are still in private practice.

- Their growth journey; scaling from a startup in 2016 to a platform with 5,000+ doctors in all 50 states and how her marketing and advertising background was a perfect complement to navigate the expansion.

- How they moved from bootstrapping, to physician angel investors, to series A funding with the moto ‘reinforce and scale’.

- The evolution of not only being a direct-to-consumer model, but that they are attracting the attention of larger employer and union organizations who wish to leverage the physician network.

Brianna merged marketing expertise and technology innovation to transform the bureaucracy of healthcare.

She successfully supported customers through digital marketing, platform development, and business growth initiatives. Brianna has led multi-million dollar investment rounds, and has been featured in several business and technology initiatives, including BossBabe, HealthTech, and was a TiE NY Pitch finalist. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and leadership from Binghamton University’s School of Management.

Connect with Brianna:

Website: https://uber-docs.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 214: Shireen Muhiudeen, Founder and Principal Corston-Smith-Asset Management - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sep 13, 2023

Shireen Muhiudeen, Founder and Principal Corston-Smith-Asset Management - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Shireen Muhiudeen is an extraordinary individual. She was the first female chair of the Malaysian Stock Exchange and the former CEO of AIG Investment Corporation (Malaysia). She is an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) trailblazer, encouraging organizations to become ESG-sustainable, either as investors or as board members.

Shireen’s book, We Are All Stakeholders, was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top books to read for entrepreneurs who want to break the mold.

We sat down with Shireen and here are highlights of what we discussed.

- Why companies can be even more profitable and sustainable with proper governance structures and systems.

- That a focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) does not require consultants or increased overhead, it just requires the right vision.

- Founders and leaders must set the tone from the top.

- Founders must also be aware of outside investors who come in with their own views about a company. If a founder's vision is not strong, the investor's ethos will take over.

- That women on boards can elevate the business outcomes because diverse views will overcome groupthink and groupthink destroys businesses.

- Business leaders must be aware of the rising concerns on sourcing and traceability of resources for products from certain parts of the world due to sanctions and problematic labor practices in the supply chain.

Shireen Muhiudeen is the Founder and Principal of Corston-Smith-Asset Management. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Shireen guides companies seeking to expand and raise capital in the Asia-Pacific region. She has served on investment, nomination and governance, compensation, risk, and ESG committees within banking, port, plantation, property, and media companies.

https://www.weareallstakeholders.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireen-muhiudeen/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 213: Hanieh Sigari, CEO of Qyral; California, USA Sep 06, 2023

This week we come back to the USA with Hanieh Sigari, a serial entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for the aging industry. Hanieh shares how her interest in longevity started at a young age when she befriended elderly neighbors and worked in a nursing home. This early passion led her to found multiple healthcare businesses focused on aging issues over her career.

Hanieh goes into detail about her current company Qyral, a telehealth platform launched to make treatments for aging more accessible. Qyral offers prescription skincare, weight loss products, and educational resources through a direct sales model. Hanieh explains how this unique approach empowers women financially by compensating consultants directly. She also opens up about lessons learned from past ventures that informed Qyral's scalable business model.

Here is what we explored:

- Founding multiple healthcare companies focused on aging, including a home health care company.

- Qyral; a telehealth platform that offers prescription skincare, weight loss products, and other longevity solutions.

- Qyral's business model focuses on empowering women financially through a direct sales/affiliate model that compensates consultants directly rather than spending on ads.

- The goal is to make treatments for aging more accessible and help people live longer, healthier lives through education, products, and services.

- Hanieh aims to continue expanding Qyral's offerings like hormone therapy to treat the whole person and help prevent diseases of aging.

Hanieh Sigari is an entrepreneur, biochemist, anti-aging industry disruptor, and mom. Her holistic California-based skincare brand, Qyral, is the culmination of a lifelong mission to improve lives and increase longevity. She combines her business acumen, bioscience knowledge, and passion for empowering women to be beautiful and financially free.

Connect with Hanieh:

Website: https://www.qyral.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qyral/

Blog: https://www.thelongevitymom.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qyral/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxOzo0SIdq0Rez_r7obeSA

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 212: Jason Fahy, CEO of Placecube; Exeter, England Aug 30, 2023

Welcome to Placecube, a company that helps organizations work with modern technology on tight budgets, primarily in the UK public sector. The founder and CEO, Jason Fahy, discusses Placecube’s approach of building technology in a modular way using "cubes" or digital building blocks.

Allison and Jason discuss Placecube’s use of open source technology and how it builds security around these systems. Jason also shares his background before founding Place Cube and what motivated him to start the company. He outlines Placecube’s vision, values and culture as the company has grown internationally.

Here is what we explored:

- An overview of what Placecube does, which is helping organizations work with modern technology on tight budgets.

- An example case study of how Placecube built a customer relationship management system for a local authority.

- How Placecube approaches building technology stacks in a modular way.

- Placecube’s values and culture.

- The vision for where Placecube could be in 5-10 years.

Jason brings over 30 years of commercial, operational and relationship management experience to the business and considers himself adept at building great teams. Jason's focus is developing and delivering on strategic objectives alongside the Placecube Board and Leadership Team.

Connect with Jason:

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jasontfahy?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Website: https://www.placecube.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 211: Massoud Alibakhsh, President and CEO at Xeba Technologies; Atlanta, Georgia Aug 23, 2023

What if you could completely redesign the way tech platforms process, think, and inform you? That is exactly the mission that Massoud Alibakhsh is on while leading the way in object messaging models.

As a four-time company founder and expert in deep integration AI ( or AI fusion), Massoud is ready to place his fingerprint on the future. We caught up with him at a great time, as he is at a really exciting place with his new company, Xeba Technologies.

Here is what we explored:

-How the AI we see today is merely a magical word calculator, but is nothing compared to what is to come.

-Every CEO in the world should be asking the question: how do we bring this technology in and apply it to our pain points?

-The ineffectiveness and problems of current business communication models.

-How Xeba’s technology will transform the management of systems and operations by building an intelligent partnership of machine, data, and pathways to better business outcomes.

Massoud is a tech entrepreneur with a background in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Creating multiple software technology startups & building comprehensive operations consisting of production, marketing, sales, support, implementation and administration has given him a true and unique insight into the fundamental challenges and the urgent need for optimal and synchronized communication especially in tech producing organizations.

Connect with Massoud:

Website: www.xeba.tech

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massoud-alibakhsh-7b139753/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 210: Chris Caldwell, Founder and CEO, United Renewables; Douglas, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland Aug 16, 2023

Chris Caldwell is on a mission to bring renewal energy to all, even those in remote and isolated regions of the world. As CEO of United Renewables, a leading renewable energy developer and cleantech investor, he has become known as a go-to authority in this space.

In this conversation with Chris, we explored:

- His start in developing little turbines with a small team to a globally recognized sector leader.

- The team's passion for making a difference in the world’s energy transition.

- Why building renewables and expanding clean tech, such as carbon capture and storage biological solutions, is very important.

- The unfortunate truth that not everyone understands renewables are essential.

- His role as host of Conversations on Climate, where he shares how to ethically leverage sustainability to attract new customers, talent, and increase profits.

United Renewables is an established leader in the world of renewable energy. Their primary focus is on the improvement of lives in island communities through the generation of renewable energy. They develop, own, and operate renewable energy sites in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man, as well as operating in island communities globally.

Prior to founding United Renewables, Chris was an investment banker and a corporate lawyer. As a part of the transition into entrepreneurship, Chris obtained an MBA from London Business School.

Chris hosts the Conversations on Climate podcast series exploring the wide range of solutions to the global climate crisis through interviews with leading thinkers, researchers, builders, and makers who are tackling the issue of climate change from a range of perspectives.

Connect with Chris:

Website: https://unitedrenewables.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-caldwell-a8a196/

Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@conversationsonclimate/videos

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 209: Patrick Danial, Co-Founder and CTO of Terakeet, Syracuse, NY, USA Aug 09, 2023

Patrick Danial was a teenage gamer in the 90s who recognized the power of the world wide web to share ideas. He started a website offering tips to other gamers when one day, he was approached to run ads on his site for his audiences. From there, his curiosity and drive to understand online engagement, optimization, and reach were born.

In this conversation we touch on:

-Just out of high school he and his business partner created search engine but as it was right around the time Google was building, they had to pivot.

-The business channel they choose to stand in became helping brands position themselves on search engines and being able to guide and better manage the processes on their own.

-What brands must consider winning in the online market and reputation space.

-Insights into campaigns and why owned asset optimization is a formula for success.

-Developing content for organic ranking purposes.

-The right measuring stick whether sentiment, awareness, lift, affinity, or immediate ROI.

-Why the best content does not interrupt but compliments and informs the online user.

- The evolution and scale-up of growing a business to 400+ employees with a vibrant culture that has landed them on multiple best places to work lists.

In 2001, Patrick Danial co-founded Terakeet, which serves as the preferred owned asset optimization (OAO) partner for Fortune 500 brands seeking meaningful customer connections and online business growth. Terakeet is pioneering a unique approach to leveraging owned assets to help brands better understand their customers’ needs and delight them throughout the digital journey.

For 22 years, Patrick has guided the company’s product vision and innovation, co-leading the company’s growth from a dorm-room startup into a global enterprise partner. He has built, operated, and led several industry-leading technological platforms.

Connect with Patrick:

Website: https://terakeet.com/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terakeet/

Patrick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdanial/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 208: The Next You Part 3: High Risk/High Awesome Aug 02, 2023

This episode concludes 'The Next You' series where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 3, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'high risk/high awesome' and why you need to make space for risk in your life. Allison shares her personal 'yellow post-it note' story insights including:

- Why if NFL legend Charles Woodson can take a risk and build a new next you can too.

- Understanding opportunity windows.

- Why you need a framework for decision-making that serves you well.

- If you have intentionality around time, money, and relationships so you can mitigate the chance of failure.

- No success comes without pain and concern so recognize this and move forward anyway.

- Have what you don't want in life push you as much as chasing what you do want will propel you forward.

- Set your intentions on having the next 12 months develop a new you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 207: The Next You Part 2: The Yes Line Jul 26, 2023

This is the second episode in a series of episodes where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 2, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'The yes line' and shares insights and thoughts into:

- Life accelerates according to the yes line.

- Get out of your own way and keep your ego in check.

- Make space for new.

- Activate the field of possibility.

- Understand the success triangle.

- Write out a question list that will pull you to your future.

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

New boost

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 206: The Next You Part 1: Future State/Future Vision Jul 19, 2023

This episode kicks off a series of episodes where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 1, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'The next you' and shares insights and thoughts into:

- Getting the motivation to set future goals.

- How to see the field of possibility but not get lured away from the path to your future.

- Thinking about the impact of technology on your future.

- Finding people and resources that will help you see the future and meet it with success

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 205: Mickey Balter, CEO of Oriient, Tel-Aviv, Israel Jul 12, 2023

Mickey Balter is the CEO & Co-Founder of Oriient, an in-store navigation technology provider that offers hyper-accurate indoor positioning using the earth’s magnetic field and built-in smartphone sensors. Mickey is a serial entrepreneur and a veteran of the Israeli semiconductor industry, with over 20 years of experience in combining deep technology to solve business challenges. Prior to founding Oriient, Mickey founded and led Scientra which developed the world’s fastest High-Frequency Trading platform. Before that Mickey held senior leadership positions at Siverge Networks and Broadlight (acquired by Broadcom).

In this conversation we touch on:

- The beginning of indoor GPS.

- Practical applications of the technology, inside and outside large retailers.

- The principles that guide the staff at Oriient.

- The need for speed and the willingness to share.

- The future vision for Oriient and its GPS tech.

Mickey started his career in the IDF’s elite cyber-security unit. Mickey holds an MBA from Tel-Aviv University and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

Connect with Mickey:

Website: https://www.oriient.me/

Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oriient/

Mickey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balterm/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 204: Benjamin Netter, Founder & CEO of Riot, Paris, France Jul 05, 2023

90% of cyberattacks start with human error. In this episode, we speak with the founder of Riot, a platform designed to protect your company by preparing your employees to deal with cyberattacks in a modern and engaging way. The number of cyberattacks exploded last year, and everything suggests it will be even worse going forward. Long before AI steals our jobs, it will enable hackers to craft much more sophisticated attacks at scale. These attacks will be far more personalized, far more difficult to discern, and far more devastating. Riot started at Y Combinator in 2020 and is now protecting more than 200,000 employees worldwide.

In this conversation we touch on:

-Benjamin's personal experience with the attack on his first company.

-The mission of making cyber security accessible to everyone and affordable for small business and non-profits.

-How an intelligent tool, 'Albert', makes the experience personable for employees by offering training in small bites based on the user's role and digital habits.

-Why offering a first attack excerise for free can really sell a company on just why they need the service.

-His experiences at Y Combinator and why having mentors who have already been where you want to go is important.

-Insights into raising $15 million in Series A funding.

Benjamin Netter is a cybersecurity expert and the founder and CEO of Riot, a cybersecurity training tool created for employee protection. Benjamin’s platform teaches employees about cybersecurity through mock phishing drills and cyber awareness content custom to each user. Last year, Riot protected cyber attacks across 500 companies.

Connect with Benjamin:

Website: https://www.tryriot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tryriotdotcom

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tryriot/

Benjamin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/benjaminnetter

Benjamin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/b-netter/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 203: Dmytro Gryn, CEO at Jooble, Kyiv, Ukraine Jun 28, 2023

Dmytro Gryn, CEO at Jooble, Job Aggregator. Dmytro is an expert in the information technology industry with 15 years of experience. He joined the Jooble team in May 2007 as a Software Engineer, becoming the first employee in the company after its two founders. Before becoming CEO of Jooble Job Aggregator, Dmytro worked as an engineer, team leader of the development team, and CTO of Job Aggregator.

It was our pleasure to speak with Dmytro about Jooble and what is like leading a global company whose international headquarters is in Ukraine.

Here is what we covered:

- Dmytro's personal commitment to the mission of Jooble and how he rose from his start as a software engineer, to be the CEO.

- Why he believes part of their success story is their culture story. He explains that people are attached to the culture and that brings commitment.

- Lessons learned from expanding into nearly 70 countries.

- What it is like to be a wartime CEO to manage global operations and remind people to take care of themselves.

- How the book The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz offered valuable insight for him as a tech CEO facing challenges.

- How Jooble has its sights set on fulfilling the role of a job search product and expanding to meet all job search needs.

As CEO, Dmytro led the international scaling of Jooble to foreign online recruitment markets, created and controlled all the necessary processes, and assembled and trained a team. Today, he continues improving the company's capability to create more value for Jooble clients.

Jooble’s mission is to help people find work. The company is constantly working to ensure that the employment process is as comfortable and fast as possible for both the applicant and the employer. Every day, Jooble aggregates vacancies with more than 140,000 resources from around the world. Sources include corporate websites, social networks, classifieds, and other resources. Thus, all job offers are available in one place.

Connect with Dmytro:

Website: https://jooble.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmytro-gryn-7282802a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DmytroGryn

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 202 Chloe Duckworth, CEO of Valence Vibrations, San Francisco, CA, USA Jun 21, 2023

Chloe Duckworth is the co-founder and CEO of Valence Vibrations, an AI startup delivering emotional classifications in real-time conversation to improve communication and promote empathy across demographics, including neurotypes.

Chloe is personally motivated by democratizing access to wellness in every facet of what it means to be well. In the wake of the pandemic, she co-founded Hope Hearted, a Bay Area-based nonprofit that has provided PPE to thousands of unhoused people.

Here is what we discussed:

- Her path to becoming a computational neuroscience expert and how she was inspired by exposure to haptic feedback and sensory augmentation work.

- What neurodiversity is.

- Partnership on Vibes for Apple Watch.

- How one function of their platform provides emotional subtitles in digital spaces to enable people to connect, and the details of how that works.

- Her approach to pricing and having a fee-based app versus a free one that may sell data for money.

- How a digital accessibility tool like theirs can break through discrimination in employment settings and also extend to elevating customer support.

- Her take on the rapid development of AI and the opportunities to integrate with voice assistant tools.

Connect with Chloe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chloe-duckworth/

Website: https://www.valencevibrations.com

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@valencevibrations

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 201: Mohammed Widdi, CEO of Soul Detox, Brooklyn, NY, USA Jun 14, 2023

201 Mohammed Widdi, CEO of Soul Detox, Brooklyn, NY, USA

The main purpose of business, in our guest’s opinion, is to make a difference in people’s lives. In this episode, Mohammed ‘Moe’ Widdi speaks about his latest business venture, Soul Detox, and his feelings about holistic healing and business practices.

Always intrigued by the ways CEOs and high-performing business leaders manage stress, I was curious about what Moe would have to share. Here is what we discussed:

- What does it mean to cleanse your soul?

- Why we need to explore alternative ways to relieve stress.

- How to choose the right kind of healing for you.

- The interconnections of life- spiritual, physical, financial, etc.

- Thinking of business as interacting with fellow humans instead of money moves.

- Taking care of yourself and your business.

Mohammed Widdi is a Brooklyn-based social entrepreneur with a background in fitness science. He has founded several startups. Mohammed is passionate about health, wellness, and spirituality, leading to him starting his latest venture, Soul Detox, which raised $400K in pre-seed funding. Soul Detox just celebrated the grand opening of its Brooklyn location in January 2023 and has plans to expand in the US and abroad.

Connect with Moe:

Website: https://getsouldetox.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moe-widdi/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 200: An Interview with Host, Allison Summers Jun 07, 2023

We are doing a happy dance at the Disruptive CEO Nation podcast because this is our 200th episode, and to celebrate, we made Allison the guest.

In this episode, Bruce Corris from Market Domination takes the interviewer's seat and helps listeners get to know Allison better and what is behind the career that has enabled her to work with CEOs and senior leaders in over 90 countries. Through the conversation, we explore:

- A glimpse into Allison's childhood and how that formed her life's work.

- The unique position of being a first-generation college student and what that meant to her.

- Her early years in business when she figured out her drive to want to achieve more.

- Why she embraces the philosophy 'The start of amazing begins with a question'.

- Lessons learned being a podcast host (and why she wishes there was a podcast hall of shame for bad guests).

Allison K. Summers, CAE, is a global business expert and recognized association management professional with 30-plus years of experience on the international stage working with ground-breaking industry leaders across six continents. As the host of the Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast, she has interviewed 200+ company founders, CEOs, and cutting-edge thinkers on topics ranging from advancements in tech to leading in the #futureofwork. Allison is an international best-selling author of books such as Building Your Brand: Make Business Happen in a Global Economy and Connect to Influence. Allison is passionate about support systems for youth experiencing illness and their quality of care based on her own experiences with her son and his multiple auto-immune disorders.

Connect with Bruce:

Email: bruce@marketdominationllc.com

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 199: Eric Passon, CEO of Ancore Health, Franklin, TN, USA May 31, 2023

Eric carries more than two decades of experience in the healthcare advisory space and leading teams at Southwind and The Advisory Board Company. His background in financial operations, mergers and acquisitions, technology innovation, and traditional consulting services sets the foundation for creative and bold solutions.

Here is what we discussed:

- Why 'curiosity meets clarity' is important to the DNA of the business.

- Insights into working with physicians and administrators and other key individuals to design better outcomes.

- Why understanding data compared to the perception of data is so important when working with people and systems to find opportunities for an optimal future.

- Why looking at data analytics alone without having the right subject matter expertise will cause failure and why you must have all the key stakeholders and players in the room.

- How boldly walking away from a corporate job with a young family to start his own business ended up being the right equation for success, even with its challenges, but how the support of family made all the difference.

- The growth journey for the company, from working his own network to becoming a recognized brand and why it is key that you do not try to make your business all things to all people.

Eric’s passion for answering the “up-at-night” questions led him to build our company from the ground up. As a creative and strategic thinker, Eric leads his team to live outside the box to build innovative and sustainable solutions for our clients.

When not sporting a colorful shirt or crazy socks around the office, Eric enjoys spending time with his wife, two kids, and their dog, CC. He loves biking the Natchez Trace with old and new friends, as well as “working” from the Cape in the summer.

Connect with Eric:

Website: https://www.ancorehealth.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 198: Sharekh Shaikh, Founder of CleverX, San Francisco, Dubai, and Singapore May 24, 2023

Did you know that in the US alone, almost 55 billion is spent on conducting online surveys, and another 10 billion on conducting product research interviews? And do you know if all that data gathered is trustworthy? Well, Sharekh Shaikh founded CleverX on a mission to not only make it easier for marketers and researchers to reach the right audiences, but to also make sure that the data is reliable to count on for business decisions and strategic planning.

CleveX is a platform that powers market research teams by providing them with access to the tools and the hardest-to-reach commercial audiences. The company's platform allows users to build a network with business professionals and fellow entrepreneurs via video calls, enabling entrepreneurs to avail expert advice and grow their businesses. CleverX is building the next generation of work collaboration platform, where you can collaborate with >20K senior professionals ranging from the world’s leading companies like Apple, McKinsey, NASA to founders of exciting startups.

We caught up with Sharekh at his office in San Francisco, CA, USA, and here is what we discussed:

- His business adventures from his start in India to professionals stops in Dubai and Singapore before landing in the US.

- Why it was so important to him that CleverX be a product-centric company built with the goal of solving massive problems in the research industry.

- That while billions are being spent on the survey industry, when you look at the online survey market it has 40% fraud data. That means that for everyone hundred dollars of spend on an online survey project, $40 traditionally has been a waste.

- How the CleverX platform resolves unreliable data by gathering a professional network with 10,000 users on the platform and so companies have the ability to connect their research tools to this incredible verified audience.

- And a discussion on AI trends and if AI can ever replace authentic market research - surprise, Sharekh's answer is no.

Sharek Shaikh founded CleverX in 2020 so that the world's leading research teams could access hard-to-reach-business audiences and amazing research tools, all in one place. Prior to that Sharek was a Government and Public Sector Manager at Gartner UAE, the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Other professional stops included time with Columbus Global, Sonata Software, and Nokia Siemens Networks. Today Sharek is on a mission to place expert contacts directly into the hands of the businesses who need their expertise and insights.

Connect with Sharekh:

Website: https://cleverx.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharekh-shaikh-4591874/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleverxhq/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 197: Phil Alves, CEO of DevSquad, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and Brazil May 17, 2023

DevSquad is a bootstrapped, profitable, ~90-person boutique consulting firm that specializes in strategizing, designing, and developing SaaS products. We build SaaS products for bootstrapper founders, VC-funded fast-growing startups, and big enterprises like ADP, Box, and the US ski team.

Here is some of what we touched on:

-Phil's journey from Brazil to the United States and how he has developed his team, their core values, and why simplicity is so important to them.

-The mindset difference between a founder and CEO and the beauty in founder thinking.

-Insights into lessons learned through rapid scaling.

-How Dev Squad seeks to reduce the chance of SaaS development horror stories and increase the odds of success and satisfaction for clients who build custom SaaS products.

-The importance of their website in lead development and how relevant content is to inbound pull and then the story will help potential customers self-select that the fit is right for them.

-Technologies they are coding in today such as JavaScript and React and why sometimes the simplest technology is the best solution.

-How Phil balances stress with adventure as a pilot flying his own plane, cycling, and Brazilian jujitsu.

Phil Alves is a man on a mission: helping underdog SaaS founders compete against Big Tech. As the CEO and Principal Consultant at DevSquad, he’s led the build of over 100 SaaS products for bootstrapped founders and VC-funded startups alike, leading multiple clients to multi-million dollar exits along the way. Now, he’s paving the way for other up and coming SaaS founders by developing the strategies, tactics, and insights they need, earning a reputation as a leading expert on taking on tech giants… and winning.

Connect with Phil:

Website: https://devsquad.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philalves/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 196: David Harel, Co-Founder and CEO of CytoReason, Israel May 10, 2023

CytoReason is supporting some of the largest pharma companies and research institutes with their boldest attempts to improve people lives through improved clinical design and speeding the discovery of new life-saving drugs.

Using the knowledge the world has accumulated to intelligently augment clients’ data and to identify patterns within it and generate a system-level understanding of immunity. These patterns then become powerful tools for explaining, predicting and optimizing outcomes proving guidance in both drug discovery and clinical trials.

I spoke with David from his office in TelAviv and here is some of what we touched on:

- What it means to be the first cell-centered computational model for human disease.

- How CytoReason's massive database and AI-led platform supports the pharma and the biotech space to make decisions on what drug to give to what patients.

- It's not one company, it's not one person, it's not the brilliance of one researcher or one invention but rather a long, long, long chain of people, different people, different companies, different research institutions, different governments all contributing to bringing therapy to a patient somewhere in the world.

- Five of the world's top 10 pharma companies use CytoReason technology in order to manage their research and development.

- The why behind his personal drive to improve patient outcomes in healthcare.

- The early stages of getting the business off the ground and bootstrapping the company until they knew the exact value they could bring to the market and then scaling to 150 team members globally.

David Harel, co-founder and CEO of CytoReason, is a well-rounded business leader with proven strategic thinking and demonstrated execution in healthcare, technology and finance. He spent the first part of his career in private equity, focusing on strategy and financing of growth companies in industrial and healthcare IT markets. Prior to CytoReason, David served as the CEO of Virtual OfficeWare Healthcare Solutions. He is an expert at evaluating business models, creating targeted go-to-market plans and focusing on the right opportunities. David has excellent negotiation skills with the ability to close large contracts. David also has direct experience in P&L management, M&A, market evaluation, sales planning and financial analysis.

Connect with David:

Website: https://www.cytoreason.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 195: Dr. Jeffrey Magee, Leadership Strategist, CBE, CSP, CMC, PDM May 03, 2023

In almost 200 episodes I have not repeated a guest until now. Dr. Jeffrey Magee is an incredible leadership and business expert who works with business owners and leaders and someone I thoroughly enjoy speaking with.

Here are some highlights of our conversation on our second go around:

- Why business leaders need to pay more attention to human capital (because every problem and challenge you have in your business is because of human capital).

- The reality for most of us is that there are disruptions, interruptions, challenges, unforeseen opportunities, and problems that pop up for all of us every day so we need to understand that change is where we live.

- Transformational leaders are the people that create change. Transformational leaders are the people that write the rule.

- We operate in a time when people have not been taught how to make a decision so he often trains on the STOP method: stop and look at a new stimulant, target and think, organize options, and pick and proceed.

- The importance of diversified teams. Google evaluated the top 32 businesses that filed bankruptcy in America, one of the interesting phenomena is that no one in the executive team ever spent time in sales and marketing.

- The big challenge globally facing all employers is recruiting and retention and the disruption of the negative 10% of the workforce - but he provides his advice on how to deal with them.

- Why new businesses today need to focus on two things - scalability and sellability.

Dr. Jeffrey Magee CBE, CSP, CMC, PDM is often referred to as one of today’s leading Leadership Strategists. Dr. Magee believes that in both the start-up to mature-growth market business sector, the number one resource companies have is human capital and successful leaders bring out the best in people to help organizations thrive.

Dr. Magee is the author of over 30 books, three college graduate management textbooks, four best sellers, and is the Publisher of PERFORMANCE/P360 Magazine. He was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and twice selected to represent the United States at the World Congress as a Leadership Speaker.

Connect with Jeffrey:

Website: http://www.jeffreymagee.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjeffspeaks

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 194: Aric Dromi, Aric Dromi, Founder of Tempus.Motu group, Plovdiv, Bulgaria Apr 26, 2023

Simply put, Aric Dromi fascinates us. A self-proclaimed futurologist, innovation strategist, philosopher and professional trouble maker, we caught up with Aric to discuss his new book The Intellectual Rage and his views and work in the area of innovation and disruption.

On the day we caught up with Aric he was in Sweden and energized with insights and ideas. In our conversation he touched on:

- The excitement he holds in helping companies see the forces that can help shape their future and view into what could happen and the great potential of would could be.

- That most businesses need to hone a culture of innovation but they settle for modification and simple change.

- The true purpose of leadership is not commanding but building a vision that others will follow. Great leaders are driven by curiosity and the passion of discovery and are intellectually hungry.

- That you need to recognize that if you are the smartest person in the room then you are in the wrong room.

- How most consulting has brilliantly failed businesses. That having the same advisors is not diverse enough in thinking and what he has built his practice to offer a revolving table of knights to shake up innovative insights for clients.

- That human must rethink their relationship with technology. The axe was created to expand human potential, that's how we should look at tech and the rapid advancement of tech. Often, companies look at tech as a quick shallow solution.

- A great advisor will help a company ideate, calibrate and educate.

Aric Dromi is a highly respected keynote speaker, futurologist and innovation strategist. Aric spent years helping executives and decision-makers to refine their offer and understand the potential impacts that lie along the road ahead.

His focus areas include: Automation and fast-tracking, Privacy, integrity, surveillance and legislation, Social trends and economic models, Transformation, smarter innovation and monetization structures, Mobility, logistics, energy, communication and smarted data, The reciprocal relationships between policy, society and technology, The future of cities and urban structures, The next frontier of Intelligence amplification in the era of VR, AR and AI.

Aric's book The Intellectual Rage: The underground, unfiltered guide to corporate innovation & bullshit can be found on Amazon under the pseudonym D.B Solomon.

Connect with Aric:

Websites: blackswantheatre.com

tempusmotu.com

Risingstringsacademy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aricdromi/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 193: Jeffrey Klubeck, Founder and President Get A Klu, Inc. and author of The Integrity Game®️- San Diego, CA, USA Apr 19, 2023

Jeffrey is an engaging and brilliant executive coach who has knowledge that you and your teams need to know. Currently, he is motivating business leaders to evaluate the topic of integrity via his book and program The Integrity Game®️. Jeff is also serving as a Professor of Communications at San Diego State University where he is challenging emerging leaders to understand their values and how to carry and communicate them into the world.

Here are some highlights from our conversation:

- The motivation behind The Integrity Game®️ and why integrity isn't what everyone thinks it is.

- The importance of personal accountability and self-leadership and that The Integrity Game®️ was born in the land of personal accountability.

- Why companies, their KPIs and the shareholders need teams to know how to operate within the framework of integrity for increased opportunity for success. And why leaders who get permission to lead achieve a higher level of employee engagement.

- The concept that there is never any traffic on the extra mile.

- The rise of the concept of individualism and 'the authentic self' affecting the workplace.

- Jeff's work in the university classroom and why he is passionate about impacting the mindsets of his students.

Jeffrey Klubeck, Author of The Integrity Game® which is evolving into a comprehensive soft skills development company. An upbeat and charismatic coach and consultant. He focuses on how to make businesses and entrepreneurs thrive while not losing a sense of what makes a company outstanding: leadership. Jeffrey is a successful author that has worked with small and big businesses.

Connect with Jeff:

Website: https://getaklu.net/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/getaklu/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialcoachjeffrey/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/getaklu?lang=en

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 192: Maxwell Nee, Managing partner of Oeno, Wine and Whiskey Investment and Chairman of Family Office Association of Australia Apr 12, 2023

Maxwell Nee's journey began with a burning desire for freedom, experiences, and meaningful relationships. As a young professional climbing the corporate ladder, he found himself feeling unfulfilled and unhappy, despite his impressive achievements. Maxwell realized that the path laid before him in the corporate world did not align with his core values, leading him to make a bold decision to quit his job and pursue a more fulfilling life. It wasn't easy – Maxwell had to sell personal belongings, sleep on couches, and live frugally – but this challenging period taught him the value of persistence and determination.

Through sheer hard work and a keen eye for unique opportunities, Maxwell eventually found success in the world of coaching and business development. Now, as the managing partner of Ono Wine and Whiskey Investment, Maxwell continues to embrace a growth mindset, pursuing new and exciting ventures while cherishing the simple joys of life.

While Maxwell is originally from Australia, he's worked in places like Mexico, Chicago, Miami, Copenhagen, and we caught up with him in Barcelona. Here are highlights from our conversation:

- The trigger point when he walked away from banking and sought a life of self-determination which included co-founding High-Performing Coach Ltd., a company which grew 300% in the first five months of the pandemic to a staff of 35 covering the world.

- Why a leader must know their personal core values, and with entrepreneurs growth must be one of the three or it will not work out.

- The why behind his belief in the value of the Ono Wine and Whiskey Investment Fund and the paths to investor choices.

- The importance of having the right network of experts for individuals who grow their personal net wealth.

- Why entrepreneurs need to be in love with how people use and need their products verses how they view their own products. If someone is not using a product or seeing their life as becoming better because of it, success will not come as easily.

Maxwell Nee is the Managing Partner of OENO Wine & Whisky Investment and Chairman of Family Office Association of Australia. He’s a multi-award-winning entrepreneur who earns his investors a recession-proof and market-beating return with wine & whisky alternative investments. He is active on LinkedIn and a great mind to add to your personal network.

Connect with Maxwell:

Website: http://oenowinewhiskyfund.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellnee/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #familyoffice

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 191: Mark Firth, CEO of B2B Growth Team, UK and Colombia Apr 05, 2023

B2B Growth Team is not an agency or coaching program. It is a B2B growth company with a unique hybrid model that provides education, advisory and coaching together with our own technology platform.

The company is on a huge mission to help 5k B2B Consultants and Professional Services Businesses to stop chasing clients on social media.

In this chat we touch on:

-The need for CEOs to have an impenetrable personal brand that compliments the business.

-That your marketing goal should be to lead people to feel safe, that your marketing provides subconscious tick marks that their need will be met.

-Listening to the challenges you hear your customers talking about.

-That we need to focus on sales behaviors and how to respond to the human buying mind more than avatars.

-Why mini-events can be a strong catalyst for growth.

-That for all business leaders progress takes place in the face of discomfort.

Mark Firth is the CEO of B2B Growth Team. Mark Firth spent a large portion of his life working a corporate job in London, he worked for companies like IBM and Siemens but he was left feeling unfulfilled. He went in search of answers and an 11 year journey from the UK to Colombia for a decade, fell in love and started a family and then a business.

He finally made it into Florida on an investment visa supported by his business. He runs B2B Growth Team which has helped hundreds of B2B consultants to land clients through a mix of organic and paid business strategies.

Connect with Mark:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markfirthonline/

Website: https://www.markfirthonline.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #selfhelp #selfservice #socialselling, #leadgeneration, #salesnavigator, #virtualselling

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 190: Richard van der Blom, Founder and CEO of Just Connecting, Spain Mar 29, 2023

Richard van der Blom is on a mission to help sales and marketing teams leverage the world of LinkedIn for brand awareness, lead generation, thought leadership, and more. Personally, Richard has been a valuable member of my LinkedIn network for years and I thought it was about time that you got to know him as well.

Richard founded Just Connecting in 2009 in the Netherlands and today leads operations from Spain with an international team. Richard strongly believes that the sales environment is changing rapidly and requires a different approach and those that will win have a knowledge network to support them.

In this chat we touch on:

- The power of LinkedIn as the ultimate B2B tool.

- The ability of their team to deliver LinkedIn training in seven languages focusing on marketing, content and employee advocacy training.

- Why businesses need to stop playing numbers games of bad one-to-one pitching and optimize LinkedIn campaigns and ads.

_ Using content strategy on LinkedIn.

- His journey of building his company to multi-national status.

- The benefit of his monthly membership group and how it has served as an indispensable

Richard van der Blom is the Founder/CEO of Just Connecting HUB, an international operating agency providing Virtual & Social Selling LinkedIn training and consultancy. Since 2010 he has provided training and sessions for over 200,000 professionals and served more than 750 companies worldwide. Amongst his clients are companies like Nestlé, NetApp, InterSystems, Salesforce, TEVA, Philips and many more.

Just Connecting provides Social Selling strategy and training for (inter)national clients with a sales force of at least 15 representatives. With their B.E.S.T. Social Selling method they train sales representatives how to easily and quickly identify potential clients and how to generate leads. Amongst clients are ING Netherlands, Graydon, Nuance, Alliance Business Center Network, Randstad, Mövenpick Hotels and LinkedIn itself.

Connect with Richard:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardvanderblom/

Website: https://www.justconnecting.nl/en/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #selfhelp #selfservice #socialselling, #leadgeneration, #salesnavigator, #virtualselling

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 189: Ivan Anz, Founder CAPITANZ Family Office, Argentina & USA Mar 22, 2023

Ivan Anz is an INC 500 Magazine-recognized international serial entrepreneur operating companies in 14 countries. Throughout his journey, Ivan has always viewed himself as the Chief Dream Officer considering hiring a solid CEO as his top priority for his companies. We invited him on as a guest because we admire his approach to leading teams and inspiring those around him.

Here are some highlights of our time together:

- Brands he has built, expanding from Argentina to the US and what it was to be one of the youngest individuals to found a family office.

- The CEO handles the creation of right now - or present activities, and the reason he needs to be the Chief Dream Officer creating the future aspects that do not exist yet.

- Why you need to be a leader who allows people the space to grow and how to get team members to take on ownership responsibilities to achieve better results.

- You can't grow if you live in the past, that you need to learn to let things go and being mad is expensive.

- Insights into what a family office is, how it operates and the value to managing assets.

- How his focus today is moving beyond wealth to well-being.

Ivan has been an entrepreneur since he was seven years old, selling candy to his friends in Argentina. As he grew older, he continued his business efforts. And his investments from real estate and his Toyota dealerships had impressive growth. But simply making money was not furthering his burning passion for building a better world.

In 2014, not speaking a word of English, he brought his passion for helping to America. His intention to help led him to the discovery of a unique approach to stabilize families in their own homes. And Philanthroinvesting was born. Philanthroinvestors now span the globe in 16 countries.

Connect with Ivan:

Website: www.ivananz.com

Website: www.philanthroinvestors.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivananzig/

Podcast: https://philanthroinvestors.com/podcasts/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #selfhelp #selfservice

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 188: Daniel James, CEO and Founder, Mint Performance Marketing, Los Angeles, CA, USA Mar 15, 2023

Daniel James has a unique mind for performance growth marketing because he has successfully navigated the wave of digital trends and the social media landscape from the early days of MySpace to influencer marketing and everything in between. What you get with Daniel is an innovative mind with an edge of 'been there done' that practicality that delivers results and this is what makes him a man worth listening to.

Mint Performance Marketing is a full-service growth marketing agency working with e-commerce brands across everything from creative influencer marketing, paid advertising on social and Google as well as email, SMS, and website development. In 2021, the business was acquired by Social Chain, a world-leading social media and e-commerce group, but Daniel remains at the helm.

So what did we learn from our sit down with Daniel?

- Various digital platforms and the challenges and myths around metrics.

- That what must remain true of any brand is a real focus on customer experience and customer attention.

- How businesses are on a race to the bottom if they are not increasing the lifetime value of existing customers. If you're only ever scaling the front end of the business, but you're not paying attention to retention you will be in trouble.

- That you need an ecosystem that allows you to understand your business and be able to plan and therefore measure how effective your marketing is being - but also be looking for what you are missing in opportunity.

- You need to have a 360 aspect of customer acquisition but it must allow space for creative testing, lots of social proof and influencers support backed by a really cohesive paid retention strategy.

Part of the Digital/Social Media Landscape since 2004, Daniel James has led digital strategy at companies including MySpace, AOL, and Turn for some of the world's most successful companies. Today, he heads up Mint Performance Marketing, a full-service performance marketing agency based in LA with a growing global footprint, whose mission is to accelerate growth for disruptive DTC/eCommerce brands through cutting-edge strategies across creative, influencer marketing, paid social, paid search, email and sms.

Connect with Daniel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieljamesgraham/

Website: https://www.mint-performancemarketing.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #selfhelp #selfservice

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 187: Natalie Ruiz, CEO of AnswerConnect - Portland, Orgeon Mar 08, 2023

In honor of International Women's Day, we had the great privilege of speaking with Natalie Ruiz, CEO of AnswerConnect. Natalie is a business builder with a unique background. In fact, she started with her company as a temporary employee in an operation of 30 employees. In 2015, she assumed the role of CEO and today AnswerConnect has over 1,500 global employees who operate 24/7 365 days a year.

Natalie is a big believer in the human spirit and in mentoring others to succeed. Her motto is "Leaving people and places better than I find them."

Here is some of what we covered in our conversation:

- The importance of human connections in a business world that leverages so much technology and her belief that business should strive to provide customers with the shortest distance between 'I have a problem' and 'my problem is solved' and her belief that it is still a human.

- Learning that there are many paths to success but it really comes down to grit, resiliency, and curiosity.

- The revolutionary leadership lesson she learned under the guise of, "What would you do differently as a manager if the team that you have right now was the team you were going to have forever?"

- Trying to follow other people's archetypes or narratives only to realize they do not serve you.

- The dream of 'hockey stick' growth but the challenges and cautionary tale that comes with such success.

- How they manage global training via an online university called Adaptview and then support success by partnering people up.

Connect with Natalie:

AnswerConnect Website: www.answerconnect.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliesruiz/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its_natalieruiz/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #selfhelp #selfservice

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 186: Manuela Seve, Co-Founder and CEO of Alphaa.io, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Mar 01, 2023

If you want to follow the innovations happening in the blockchain and NFT space then you need Manuela in your network. Manuela Seve is co-founder and CEO of Alpha’a & alphaa.io through which she is changing the way we think of asset ownership by connecting the physical and digital realms via blockchain certification, licensing, and dropshipping.

She has been in the tech and art sector for the past 8 years successfully raising funds from industry leaders such as: Metaprop vc, EOS VC, Chingona Ventures, and Gaingels among others funds. With a background in finance, Manuela worked as an equity analyst at GáveaInvestments, one of Brazil’s most reputable investment management firms.

Alphaa.io gives brands verified proof of who their biggest fans are and provides special access to anything online or offline.

Some great intelligence and insights shared with us:

- How Alphaa.io is using blockchain for authenticity, resale tracking, and community building for sports teams, luxury brands, and companies.

- How this technology allows for ongoing royalty tracking on the resale of products, memorabilia, autographs, and more leading to residual revenue, community tracking, and more. For example, 80% of athletes go bankrupt 18 months after they leave the courts but by putting a resale royalty for articles that they create during their careers they can continue to earn income.

- How businesses such as Starbucks are using NFT loyalty programs, which is basically just the evolution of the punch card but on a much more massive scale that can also utilize geofencing and provide loyalty rewards in an entirely new way. These digital wallets are the way of the future.

- Other unique aspects of NFTs allow for people to purchase NFTs as a pre-order on products which becomes production on demand and can significantly zero waste.

- How the rise of the backend revolution and how it will upset power dynamics and what this could mean in terms of government organizations is massive.

Connect with Manuela:

Website: https://www.alphaa.io/home

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphaaio/?hl=en

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 185: Dena Prastos, CEO and Founder of Indigo River, New York, NY Feb 22, 2023

Evolving weather patterns are dramatically impacting our lives and businesses. To address this, we need insightful, forward looking leaders who can guide us safely forward. Well, Dena Prastos and the team at Indigo River are up for this challenge.

Indigo River is a woman-owned, trans-transdisciplinary design firm focusing on progressive waterfront architecture built for resiliency and climate adaptation. The waterfront inherently is one of our most vulnerable zones subject to sea level rise, as well as floods and inundation but that should not be a barrier to proper utilization.

In this episode we discuss:

· How typical upland design and construction differs from considerations for structures located on or near the waterfront.

· Dena's perspectives about being faced with inconvenient truths, climate change, hyper-urbanization, rising economy, and social challenges.

· The types of projects Indigo River works on ranging from marinas, ports, and maritime infrastructure to waterfront parks and recreational access areas.

· Dena’s mission to build a transdisciplinary team comprised of traditionally trained architects, naval architects, environmental planners, marine engineers, coastal engineers, etc.

· Insights into the company's growth and Dena’s leadership vision.

As Founder and CEO of Indigo River, Dena Prastos, AIA, is the first "waterfront architect," trailblazing a new category in the industry. Indigo River is a leading authority in the New York Harbor and beyond. The firm specializes in climate adaptation through waterfront solutions that seamlessly transcend boundaries - guiding and executing projects from ideation through final construction and operations.

Waterfront architect, civil engineer, futurist, climate adaptation expert, entrepreneur, and creative original, Dena is driven to transform the built world at the water's edge. With transdisciplinary and progressive views, she is fueled by the overlapping of design, technology, and nature.

Connect with Dena:

Website: https://www.indigoriver.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indigo_river_/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/indigo-river-consulting/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #archetecture #climatechange #climateadaptation #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 184 Richard Newman, Founder of BodyTalk, London, England Feb 17, 2023

Richard Newman is a world-renowned communication expert and the founder of Body Talk: the Science of Communication, and he has a new book coming out in 2023 called Lift Your Impact.

In this episode, we headed over to London to hear how a trip to Katmandu and Tibetan monks shaped Richard’s future and influenced his work.

Cool things we talked about with Richard:

- How body language and tone of voice can be used at a deeper, richer level than most people generally think about, to really convey and communicate and connect with other people.

- What leaders are looking for today in terms of training for themselves and their teams and how this ranges from public speaking to one-to-one interactions to becoming an effective storyteller and being able to do it in 30 seconds, just like a brilliant TV commercial.

- Engaging the survival mind, the emotional mind, and then the logical mind…and if you do not, people get cognitive fatigue.

- His book Lift Your Impact elevates the focus that we all need to think about intention towards others and the ability to lift up other people from a negative or a neutral state towards a more positive state by the time you leave the room

Body Talk is the global leader in evidence-based training on the psychology of communication. They have created one of the largest academic studies on communication and influence in the world and commissioned peer-reviewed research to create award-winning programs that shape the way the business world communicates. Over 22 years and across 45+ countries, they have partnered with the world’s biggest corporations to amplify the commercial power of every conversation, presentation, and event.

Connect with Richard:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardnewmanspeaks/

Website: https://ukbodytalk.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 183 Przemek Szleter, Co-Founder and CEO of DAC.digital, Poland Feb 08, 2023

Przmek Szleter has built his business on the theme of ‘Changing ideas into digital products’. DAC.digital is a team of engineers & problem solvers who deliver value across areas of #IoT, hardware, embedded systems, #bigdata, #machinelearning, #blockchain, DevOps, and software engineering. Today, DAC.digital is one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Europe.

In our conversation we touch on:

- The differentiating factor of being a scientific-based tech company with Ph.D. thought leaders on staff to keep them on the leading edge.

- Some insights into current projects such as gaze estimation and eye tracking software on smartphones and the complexities of building IoT software and interfaces.

- The driving objectives for why he started the company and why he is passionate about showing the world that there are world-class tech professionals in Poland.

- Scaling lessons: paying others before yourself, “hiring smarter” than you, and when to bring in support at the top.

- The future vision of opening offices in Germany and the US.

- Not waiting for the world to show you what to do but being in the position to lead the world.

Przmek holds over 14 years of professional experience as a Business & IT Executive and has MSc-level degrees in tech and business gained at universities in the UK and Poland.

DAC.digital has delivered over 60 dedicated tech solutions for clients in a range of industries, including Fortune Global 500 companies in over 20 countries. They’ve worked with partners like Estee Lauder, Thales, and Infineon. They have received recognitions such as: Leading Service Provider 2020 by Clutch as one of the top IoT developers in Poland; PwC awarded the title “Polish Company – International Champion” in 2020; cited in the "Master of Innovative Transformation" competition organized by ICAN Institute; a special mention from the Editorial Board of MIT Sloan Management Review in "Technology and market" category; and more.

Connect with Przmek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szleter/

Website: https://dac.digital/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #fertility #femtech

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 182 Jenny Saft, Co-founder and CEO of Apryl, Berlin, Germany Feb 01, 2023

Jenny Saft is CEO and co-founder at Apryl: a Berlin-based fertility benefits platform helping companies across Europe offer staff access to inclusive fertility and family-forming services - everything from egg freezing through to adoption and IVF. According to the World Health Organization, 15% of all reproductive aged couples worldwide are affected by infertility and in many countries additional barriers exist for single women, same-sex couples, or even individuals who are deemed to live in the wrong postal code zone.

In this episode, we discussed the following:

- The motivation for founding Apryl and insights into her startup story.

- Why being on a mission to democratize fertility solutions is by lowering existing barriers is so important no matter the gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, or financial means.

- How Apryl partners with companies to offer fertility support services as an employee benefit.

- The benefit to companies and why supporting parenthood rights is the right thing to do.

Jenny was inspired to start Apryl when her own experience of freezing her eggs fell short. In addition to founding Apryl, Jenny is an Angel investor, investing in early-stage startups through the Atomico Angel Programme. Prior to starting Apryl, Jenny worked in project management and business development at several big companies, including Fyber in San Francisco and Dutch fintech Adyen.

Connect with Jenny:

Website: https://apryl.co/

LinkdIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennysaft/?locale=en_US

Instagram: @apryl_fertility

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #fertility #femtech

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 181 Matt Orlic, Founder of Inspire Digital Group, Sydney, Australia and Zagreb, Croatia Jan 25, 2023

We caught up with Matt Orlic, founder of Inspired Digital Group as he was working out of his Croatia location and the energy you see in the digital world rings true when you meet him in-person.

Matt Orlic is the founder of Inspire Brands Group, which creates and develops brands worldwide by designing and manufacturing products in several industries, including consumer electronics, sports equipment, toys, sports apparel, and more. His brands are distributed globally through mass retailers. He is also engaged in licensing agreements with some of the world's biggest brands, including Angry Birds, Liverpool FC, Manchester United and UMBRO.

Inspired Brands was born out of learning the tough lessons of business vulnerability and the need for diversification and growing expertise at social selling. Matt has had a hand in growing over 25 businesses and brands over the last 15 years.

His firm has placed over 46 million on ad spend that has yielded 270 million in return.

In this episode, we discussed:

-The need for marketers to focus on a single product with a single avatar at a single market awareness level.

-Insider tips on the changing aspect of Facebook ad placements and thoughts on other social channels as well – but why he believes the best thing you can do is jump in and learn.

-Why Matt sees himself as a business designer and why he is so excited about his current endeavors centered around high performance and the sporting world.

-Leadership lessons learned through good and tough times.

Connect with Matt:

Website: https://inspiredigitalgroup.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattorlic/?hl=bg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredigitalgroup

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-orlic-1a927a29/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MattOrlic

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast #martech #marketing #brand

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 180 Ally Fekaiki, Founder and CEO, Juno - London, UK Jan 18, 2023

It is a known fact in today’s marketplace that businesses worldwide struggle to meet employee expectations and create authentic engagement. Equally, employees have experienced higher stress and lack of balanced well-being.

Enter, Ally Fekaiki, a man on a mission to create positive change in #futureofwork with the founding of Juno.

Branded as Juno: the life company®️, the Juno platform lets staff choose perks that chime with their definition of well-being, using credits allocated by their employer each month. Employees can choose from hundreds of options (from fitness classes to healthy meals, to mental health support) or use their points to reimburse things like cleaning and childcare. Juno's user base grew tenfold last year as employers looked for new ways to support hybrid teams, improve work-life balance and retain staff.

In this episode, we discussed:

- The motivation behind Juno and why it is so personal to Ally that employee benefits are not treated as a ‘one size fits all’.

- The path from startup to scale-up to serving customers in 70+ countries with 400 global product solutions.

- The imperative for businesses to care about employee wellness and benefit options and how employee choice leads to employee satisfaction.

- What Juno points are and how they can be used to purchase a range of services and products for their wellbeing – from organic vegetable boxes to therapy sessions and language courses.

- How Ally is harnessing marketing to be a category leader and build a globally recognized brand.

Ally Fekaiki founded Juno at the start of 2019 to tackle what he believes to be a well-being crisis in the workplace. Ally is a Social Impact founder with a demonstrated history of growing early-stage businesses from Seed to Series A and beyond. Prior to Juno he held positions as head of growth and head of user engagement at Cleo, Yolt, and LOQBOX. Be sure to check out Ally’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ally:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allyfekaiki/

Website: https://juno-7d66b1.webflow.io/

Instagram: @with__juno

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 179 Yochi Slonim, Co-founder & CEO of Anima Biotech, Bernardsville, New Jersey with offices in Israel, UK and UAE Jan 11, 2023

With pandemics and global health concerns in the headlines, it is good to know there are companies like Anima Biotech leveraging advanced technology to accelerate pharma solutions. Under the leadership of Co-founder and CEO Yochi Slonim, the team at Anima Biotech is advancing mRNA Lightning, a novel platform for the discovery of small molecule mRNA drugs and their mechanisms of action. If you do not understand what this means, take a listen as we promise you will be fascinated and learn something new.

In this episode, we discussed:

- How Yochi made the leap to founding a company that is at the leading edge of the intersection of technology and medical discovery.

- How using AI and machine learning is a complete game changer in #medtech.

- Why mRNA Lightening is so critical to the swift discovery and treatability process for existing and evolving diseases.

- How their differentiated approach combines high-scale phenotypic screening that automates millions of experiments in live mRNA biology with MOAi technology using AI to elucidate the mechanism of action of active molecules.

- Why the best people and best solutions require a global team to make up Anima and so their eye is on expansion and partner networks.

Yochi Slonim is a serial entrepreneur in software and biotech who has built multiple companies through all phases of growth all the way to IPOs and large M&A exits. As a Co-founder and CEO of Anima Biotech, he is driving the company's vision and strategy, fundraising, and partnering.

Prior to Anima, Yochi was a co-founder of Mercury Interactive. As CTO and VP R&D from the company's early days, he created product vision and strategy and led a multi-product organization of 200 developers. After going public and reaching revenues of over $1B annually, Mercury was acquired by HP for $4.5B.

In 2000, Yochi was the founder and CEO of Identify. The company reached revenues of $50m in less than 5 years and was acquired by BMC in 2006 for $150m in cash.

Yochi founded ffwd.me, a unique startup acceleration program where he led a team that worked with over 25 startups in diverse areas and technologies, developing strategy, products and go-to-market operations while raising multiple rounds of financing from VCs and private investors.

Be sure to check out Yochi’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Yochi:

LinkedIn: https://www.animabiotech.com/

Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yochislonim/?originalSubdomain=il

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #construction #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 178 Roger Krulak, Founder of FullStack Modular, Brooklyn, NY, USA Jan 04, 2023

Roger Krulak has over 35 years of bringing innovation to the construction and development sides of the real estate business.

For twelve years, Roger served as SVP of Mixed Use and Residential Development at the Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC). During that time, he was responsible for entitling and planning over 1,000 residential apartment units integrated into many of FCRC’s retail projects.

In our conversation, we discussed:

- How Roger fell in love with modular construction and why he started his mission to be one of the global authorities on this form of urban development.

- Construction represents 13% of the global economy, but how we build needs to change

- How modular construction provides a high-quality product, delivers more predictability in the build time, is safer, uses less water, and reduces on-site time.

- The role Roger plays as a consultant to the world as others seek out his expertise and guidance.

- The future vision for FullStack Modular in opening locations, franchises and strategic alliances.

In 2016, Roger formed FullStack Modular after assembling an investment group to purchase FC Modular’s IP and facilities from FCRC. Since its founding, FullStack Modular has established itself as a first mover in using advanced technologies for building design and using high-rise modular construction. Their current pipeline includes hundreds of thousands of buildable square feet for hospitality, multifamily, and student housing. Notable wins include the Grant Ave Municipal Lot RFP by New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)—an RFP specifically issued to support modular construction for the city’s affordable housing supply.

Be sure to check out Roger’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Matt:

Website: https://www.fullstackmodular.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 177 Matt Fullbrook, Founder of Ground-Up Governance, Toronto, CA Dec 28, 2022

Matt Fullbrook is a corporate governance speaker, researcher, advisor, and educator based in Toronto. For over 20 years, he led the Rotman School of Management’s governance research at the University of Toronto as the head of the David & Sharon Johnston Centre for Corporate Governance Innovation. Matt has worked in over 250 boardrooms in North America and Europe, supporting boards and executives to optimize their approaches to decision-making.

Matt has dedicated his professional life to becoming a governance expert. In this session we 'nerd out' over what governance means and touch on:

The definition of good governance - or as close as we can get.
Why entrepreneurs should think about governance early in the life of their company.
Observations made and lessons learned from years of working with boards.
Why a founder should consider options when determining if an investor should or should not be invited to be a voting board member.
Understanding aspects of power, authority, and accountability and why a founder needs to consider this for board members and staff leaders.

Matt is the creator of Ground-Up Governance, an online platform that is an equal parts encyclopedia, graphic novel, and meeting place for governance nerds. He is also the host of the One Minute Governance podcast, which offers provocative corporate governance perspectives and questions one minute at a time.

Matt is also a professional musician and is the bass player for KC Roberts & the Live Revolution, an original touring band whose seventh album, Grit, was released in June 2022.

Be sure to check out Matt’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Matt:

Website: https://groundupgovernance.substack.com/

Podcast: https://pods.to/omg

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 176 Jennifer Smith, CEO of Scribe, San Francisco, CA Dec 21, 2022

If Jennifer Smith is right, the way anyone shares how-to knowledge is about to change forever. A former VC and McKinsey consultant turned accidental CEO, she interviewed more than 1,200 business leaders on a quest to understand everything there is to know about processes, best practices, and productivity. Now with her startup Scribe, she’s empowering people to own their processes by building the world’s first operating system for know-how.

In our conversation we touch on:

How Scribe has grown from inception in 2019 to be used by hundreds of thousands of organizations in nearly every country.
Why Scribe is so powerful. Research estimates that knowledge workers spend about 20% of their time just trying to figure out how to do their jobs. Scribe permits anyone to quickly make training materials and resource documents with little effort.
How the strategy of running painfully lean in the early years paid off until they were finally ready to run a $30M funding round - made more challenging as Jennifer was 8 months pregnant when the close of the round was announced.

Jennifer has a BA from Princeton in Economics and Finance and an MBA from Harvard.

Be sure to check out Jennifer’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jennifer:

Try Scribe for free: https://scribe.how/tryfree
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferreneesmith/
Website: https://scribehow.com/
Twitter: @scribeceo

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 175 Russel Karim, Founder of Dhakai, Iowa, USA and Bangladesh Dec 14, 2022

Russel Karim is a serial entrepreneur, programmer, and fashion supply chain, enthusiast. He launched Dhakai in 2021 and is building it to be the number-one platform for sustainable and ethical sourcing. Russel founded many companies while in college and beyond.

In 2018 Russel was recognized as 20 under 40 by the Courier newspaper for his leadership, community work, and business. He has received the 2019 Outstanding Immigrant Business Award from the National Immigrant Entrepreneurs Summit. He has received the GOLD and Bold award from the University of Northern Iowa.

In our conversation we touch on:

Russel's journey as a serial entrepreneur who has gone from building his first tech platforms out of his dorm room to two successful exits and now onto tackling the supply chain in the apparel industry - 1 2 trillion dollar marketplace.
Why Dhaka is first connecting the world to manufacturers in Bangladesh - did you know it's the second largest clothing manufacturer in the world with 4.5 million people sewing every day?
How Dhaka's end-to-end platform connects apparel brands directly with verified manufacturers making sustainable and ethical sourcing more accessible and affordable.
His thoughts on why a startup founder must focus on financial models, customer research, and measure opportunities to cost.

Growing up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Karim has seen the struggles of people who work in the fashion and apparel industry from the worker and manufacturing sides. Karim, launched dhakai.com in 2021 to transform the clothing supply chain. Currently, Dhakai employed over twenty employees in Des Moines, Iowa, and Dhakai, Bangladesh. Dhakai has transacted over $1.3 M in production through their platform.

They work with over 50 prominent clothing brands and 500 manufacturers around the world. Dhakai has raised seven hundred thousand in venture capital funds to grow its business from Techstars, Pax momentum, and other prominent investors.

Be sure to check out Russel’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Russel:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russelkarim/

Website: www.dhakai.com

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 174 Kathy Lee-Sepsick, Founder, CEO, and President of Femasys - Georgia, USA Dec 07, 2022

Kathy, an inventor, is the Founder, CEO, and President of Femasys and has served as a senior executive in the medical technologies industry for nearly three decades and holds over 100 patents globally for Femasys’ products and product candidates. As a first-generation born American, Kathy’s immigrant parents instilled in her a strong work ethic that influenced her professional journey and led her to start her own company, specifically focused on breaking into the historically male-dominated medical device industry.

Kathy is a global leader in women's health tech with a brilliant founder story. In our conversation we touch on:

Where her passion for women's health comes from.
The fact that Kathy is a patent ninja as she holds over 100 patents globally for Femasys’ products and product candidates.
Her founder's journey included choosing to take her company from private to public and what that means to her today - On Nasdaq as FEMY.
How businesses focused on #femtech are dramatically underfunded.

Since founding Femasys in 2004, Kathy has spearheaded FDA-clearance of multiple products while taking the company from private to public (NASDAQ: FEMY). Under her leadership, Femasys is now a commercial-stage company and continues to advance clinical-stage products.

Be sure to check out Kathy’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Kathy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathy-lee-sepsick-6b680b7/
Website: https://femasys.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 173 Dr Nayan Kalnad, CEO and co-founder at Avegen, London, England, UK and Pune, India Nov 30, 2022

Dr. Nayan Kalnad has over 20 years of experience in healthcare. He began his career as a practicing medic, before transitioning into the world of pharma to work at the forefront of digital health innovation at Janssen. He is now CEO and co-founder at Avegen: a technology company that helps health organizations build digital health products that empower patients to manage long-term health conditions.

We caught up with Dr. Nayan about digital health products and improving patient experience. In our conversation, he explains:

Improving Outcomes for Individuals with Long-term Conditions.
As many as 1 in 4 patients are living with long-term conditions and the cost of caring for those patients is increasing.
Digital health products (DHPs) are the answer but an ever-changing deployment landscape is holding innovators back.

Nayan is motivated by the needs of the patient, can empathize with the challenges facing clinicians, and is energized by how Avegen’s work enables data to impact lives. Avegen's products have been used by over 1 million people globally and include maternity monitoring tools, cardiac rehab apps, and digital HIV care programs.

Be sure to check out Dr. Nayan’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dr. Nayan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nkalnad/
Website: https://avegenhealth.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 172 Steve Kahan, High-Velocity Digital Marketing, Texas, USA Nov 23, 2022

Steve Kahan is a marketing strategist, TEDx speaker, start-up guru, and author of Be a Start-Up Superstar and High-Velocity Digital Marketing. He has used his unique marketing skills to help grow 7 start-ups from the early stages of development to going public or being sold, resulting in a total value of over $5 billion.

We caught up with Steve to talk about his book High-Velocity Digital Marketing. In our conversation, Steve explains:

Insights into how companies can increase their revenue in brutally competitive markets online by building relevant content and writing with SEO in mind.
How buyers today rely nearly 100% on digital marketing and a brand's digital presence for decision-making and so the content must be developed to capture the imagination of the buyer at all stages of the experience.
How his passion about economic development coming from the startup community has led him to work with the American University of Kiev to mentor entrepreneurs intent on rebuilding Ukraine.

Steve currently provides marketing advisory services to startup businesses including several Insight Partners portfolio companies. In his previous position as Thycotic’s CMO and Chief of Staff, he has helped guide the company through incredible growth and a successful exit at $1.4B. It’s been a similar story with the other companies where he’s brought his talents over the past three decades, including KnowledgeWare, PentaSafe, Postini, Quest Software, and The Planet. A previous board member of Target Hunger in Houston, Steve is passionate about making the world a better place by helping those who need it most.

Be sure to check out Steven’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Steven:

Website: www.stevenmarkkahan.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevekahan/
TEDx Talk: https://youtu.be/n0FRyqF7e0w

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 171 Navid Alipour, Founder and CEO, AI Med Global, San Diego, CA, USA Nov 16, 2022

Navid Alipour is the Chief Executive Officer at AI Med Global, a company focused on Artificial Intelligence Technology that improves healthcare and helps save lives. AI Med Global is a roll-up of two companies Navid co-founded, CureMetrix and CureMatch. He is also a founder of an AI-focused VC fund, Analytics Ventures.

In our conversation, Navid explains:

The critical way that CureMetrix harnesses AI to address women’s health releated to mamograms and inidicators for heart health.
The use of intelligent data interpretation as a predictor for the best personalized cancer treatment care.
His founders journey from being in the investment world to leading cutting edge medical companies.
Insights as a business leader learned and what it means to him now as a partner at Analytics Ventures.

Be sure to check out Ronan’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Through the founding of multiple Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies, Navid is a long-time entrepreneur in the AI space with an emphasis on the convergence of AI and the life sciences, which is also called Wellness Science. He seeks to identify scientists and domain experts in their respective fields that are solving massive pain problems to take to market, by building companies from inception. While he is a VC and part of the founding of Analytics Ventures, he considers himself an entrepreneur at heart.

Connect with Navid:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/navid-alipour-a295777/
Website: https://aimedglobal.com/
Twitter: @aimedglobal

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO # medtech #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 170 Ronan Burke, CEO and Co-Founder of Inscribe, San Fran USA and Dublin, Ireland Nov 09, 2022

Ronan Burke is the co-founder and CEO of Inscribe, the leading fintech solution for fraud detection and risk management. He and his twin brother, Conor Burke, co-founded Inscribe in 2017 with the goal of creating a more fair and efficient financial services ecosystem.

In our conversation, Ronan explains:

The mission to reduce fraud in the #Fintech space, for example, first-party and third-party application fraud that costs the industry countless dollars lost each year.
How smarter tech can lead to more fair and equitable practices for access to loans for more people.
The journey from Ireland to the US and why the relationship with his co-founder works.
Experiences with Y Combinator and how it changed the trajectory for the organization.
His philosophy of giving people autonomy and setting up the right environment for people to really flourish and do their best work.

Be sure to check out Ronan’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

A 2020 Forbes “30 Under 30 Europe” honoree, Ronan is a frequent guest on industry podcasts and has been featured in Fast Company, VentureBeat, and The Irish Times. He graduated from the University College Dublin with a Bachelor's degree in Electronic Engineering and later completed the Y Combinator startup accelerator program. An Ireland native, Ronan currently splits his time between Inscribe’s San Francisco and Europe offices.

Connect with Ronan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rnnbrk
Inscribe: https://www.inscribe.ai/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/
Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com
Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 169 Ross Maguire, CEO and co-founder of Azure Printed Homes, Culver City, CA Nov 02, 2022

Ross Maguire, CEO and co-founder of Azure Printed Homes, the first-to-market construction company to utilize 3D printing technology and recycled materials to create modern prefab units 70% faster and 30% less expensive than ever before, while making a positive impact on the environment. Ross holds an MS in Civil Engineering and has 13 years in construction, design and project management. He grew his London-based construction company for 8 years, and co-founded Azure in 2019. Azure initially bootstrapped its growth and raised a pre-seed angel earlier this year. The company generates $400K/mo in revenue and has $11.5MM in pre-orders. Mass production of the units will begin before the end of this year.

Ross holds over a decade of front-line construction experience - committed to ensuring client gratification, guiding design development to achieve & surpass client desires whilst always keeping two eyes on live & anticipated costs, two hands on swift & precise delivery whilst maintaining two feet on the ground - providing open and honest communication from beginning to end with every benefactor of the process.

In our conversation, Ross explains:

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure: the importance of recycling during the homebuilding process
Factory-made homes bring a level of consistency not found during the traditional homebuilding process
Word-of-mouth advertising is sometimes all you need to grow a business, as long as you have a product that sells itself
Using crowdfunding as a seed money source to maintain independence
Your family is your refuge; finding strength in loved ones

Be sure to check out Ross and Azure Printed Homes listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ross Maguire

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-maguire-77093b40/

Azure Printed Homes: https://azureprintedhomes.com/

Azure LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/azure-printed-homes/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 168 Jonas Nyvang, CEO & co-founder of STILRIDE, Stockholm, Sweden Oct 26, 2022

STILRIDE is a Sweden-based startup pioneering industrial origami – a cutting edge sheet metal shaping procedure using origami folding techniques, laser cutting and industrial robotics. Bringing innovation and disruption to the personal transport space, their products are built from sheet metal that has been folded to perfection by artisanal robots to deliver sustainably conscious electro-mobility machines that are designed for the future.

We caught up with, CEO Jonas Nyvang in the semi-secrete lair to hear about their startup story. In this interview he explains:

- How two friends decided to build a multi-national corporation building bikes with green metal

- The importance of doing market research before charging forward with a product

- Designing a manufacturing company that can be set up anywhere in the world

- Using origami as a construction method, first as small paper, then as larger sheet metal

- Creating local production hubs to satisfy local demand, reducing the need for transportation and shipping

Jonas brings over two decades of fashion, marketing and business development experience to STILRIDE. He is the founder of several successful companies, including software engineering and digital product agency Ape Group. He has also been instrumental in developing the marketing, sales and business development at Fox Interactive Media, Starcom MediaVest and the Björn Borg group. STILRIDE officially launched in 2019 and has quickly made its presence known.

Be sure to check out Jonas’ links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jonas Nyvang:

Website: https://www.stilride.com/

Jonas’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasnyvang/

Stilride’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stilride

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stilride/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stilride/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stilride

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: www.DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 167 Kazuki "Kaz" Ohta, Co-Founder and CEO at Treasure Data, Palo Alto, California, USA Oct 19, 2022

Kazuki “Kaz” Ohta is the CEO at Treasure Data, a leading customer data platform and InfoWorld's 2022 Technology of the Year Award winner. Previously, he was the founding Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the company. Prior to that, in 2009, Kaz co-founded the world’s largest Hadoop User Group.

In our conversation, Kaz explains:

- The drive that took him from Japan to arrive as an unknown underdog in Silicon Valley.

- Success principles for building a solid business.

- The importance of a Customer Data Platform (CDP) when 70% of today's customer journey takes place online.

- How in a demanding market, businesses must be more efficient and they can do that if they know their data.

- The value of being a multi-company founder and how that has shaped his outlook on his business life.

Kaz moved to America without even knowing how to speak English, where he overcame this obstacle and majored in computer science. During that time, his professor built the world’s faster supercomputer (essentially 500K computers combined into one), and Kaz was part of the team that built the file system.

A long-time open-source advocate, Kaz has made numerous contributions to open source software and was instrumental in developing the open-source applications Fluentd, Embulk, and Messagepack.

Be sure to check out Kaz’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Kaz Ohta:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kazukiohta/

Twitter: @kzk_mover

Website: https://www.treasuredata.com/

Forbes: https://profiles.forbes.com/members/tech/profile/Kazuki-Ohta-Founder-CEO-Treasure-Data/9fcb6c9e-d7af-44f1-b6a4-2b1344bc09df

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 166 Chris Colbert, CEO and Founder of DCP Entertainment, New York, NY Oct 12, 2022

Christopher Colbert is the CEO and Founder of DCP Entertainment, a media platform for underrepresented voices, including people of color, women, the LGBTQ+ community, and other overlooked communities. DCP provides branded content services and hosts a network for podcast creators.

Speaking to us from his studio in Times Square, Chris explains:

- Having the confidence to start his own business after years of successfully building brands for others.

- The importance of providing a platform and vehicles for underrepresented voices to have a space to build authority and grow.

- The future of content creation and how brands need to rise above self-interest and noise to achieve meaningful engagement.

- Tips for success in the age of on-demand ecosystems.

- Common challenges facing entrepreneurs from decision fatigue to the stress of caring for people.

Chris began his career at SiriusXM helping create Jamie Foxx’s comedy & music channel, The Foxxhole, before going on to create two new comedy channels and becoming the Director of Urban Talk & Comedy. Just before starting DCP, Chris served as the VP of Programming for the podcast company, Cadence13. Chris is an award-winning documentary host, producer, and writer of the podcast series, Say Their Name, and his passion for conversations surrounding mental health have led him to create the fireside series, Entrepreneur Struggle, where Chris talks about the various mental and emotional challenges that particularly impact business owners and executives.

Be sure to check out Christopher’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Chris:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-colbert-dcp/

Website: https://www.dcpofficial.com/

Twitter: @DCPofficial

YouTube: DCP Entertainment

IG: dcpofficial

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #tech #AI #businesspodcast #podcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 165 Dorian Selz, Co-Founder & CEO of Squirro, Zurich, Switzerland Oct 05, 2022

Dorian founded Squirro ten years ago, a company that focuses on building insight engines for financial institutions, to aid them in the process of analyzing and working with unstructured data. In the past ten years Squirro has established itself as a successful competitor in the industry and has been recognised by Gartner as a Visionary in their Magic Quadrant report. Apart from winning numerous awards such as; the Big Innovation AI Excellence Award, the SEF4KMU Label by the Swiss Economic Forum and many more, Squirro is also proud to count the likes of Bank of England, European Central Bank and Standard Chartered to its clients.

Dorian himself has been selected among the top 100 Digital Shapers in Switzerland for the past three years and therefore was inducted into the “Hall of Fame'' by Bilanz & Le Temps. Dorian has also been named among the top 30 Digital Leaders in Switzerland. For his entire professional career Dorian has looked for ways to innovate industries and has done this fortuitously with other companies he has founded such as, Local.ch and Memonic.

In our conversation, Dorian Selz explains:

- Dorian’s marketing strategy for Squirro

- Dorian’s best advice for a startup leader or business builder.

- How one can invest in sustainable development funds

Be sure to check out Dorian’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dorian:

Website- https://squirro.com/about/

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dselz/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 164 Steve Gallion, Co-Founder & CEO of MedTrainer, Los Angeles, California, USA Sep 28, 2022

Steve Gallion launched his second company, MedTrainer. His mission was to empower healthcare organizations through compliance automation. He is passionate about supporting all healthcare organizations, which have been put under enormous pressure and demands. With a 100% customer-inspired product, internal healthcare thought leaders, and custom curated content, MedTrainer set out with a mission to solve healthcare’s largest problems using a single platform.

Today MedTrainer has grown to become a respected market leader in the healthcare community. MedTrainer’s success is attributed to over 200 dedicated healthcare SaaS professionals who strive to provide the best experience to our customers every day. MedTrainer and its management team continue to invest every day in the success of our people, culture, and customers, with a focus on our core mission: Being the best compliance solution for every healthcare organization.

In our conversation, Steve Gallion explains:

- How Steve got started with the concept of health care education?

- The importance of finding the right talent for Steve's executive leadership team.

- The next phase of growth for his company.

Be sure to check out Steve’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Steve Gallion

Website- https://medtrainer.com/about-us

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevegallion

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 163 Jem Bourouh, CEO & Founder of Adcubator, UAE/Bali/Germany Sep 21, 2022

At 24 years old, Jem Bourouh has spent the last four years launching and selling 7-8 figure eCommerce brands, with totals of more than $20 million in sales. After his massive success, he decided it was on to his next projects. He launched his marketing agency called Adcubator in 2018, which also acts as a VC and invests in smaller direct-to-consumer brands. Jem also has an education-focused entity called eCom Incubator. With extensive knowledge in marketing fundamentals, consumer behavior, branding and positioning, business strategy, media buying, copywriting, and creating landing pages, he and his team manage the entire Google Ads platform and take eCommerce businesses to million and multi-million-dollar success stories. His drive and motivation to dominate the industry make him an inspirational powerhouse with a talent for teaching others to think outside of the box and solve problems from a unique perspective. He leads with the belief that if you are working hard enough, it is not if you will succeed, but when. This makes him and his company unstoppable.

In our conversation, Jem Bourouh explains:

What is the future of e-commerce like?
How do I show the respect of products benefits to a prospect?
An example of a brand that he has helped recently that he’s been really excited about.

Be sure to check out Jem’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jem Bourouh:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jem-bourouh/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 162 Gillian O'Brien, Founder in Residence at Pilot, California, US Sep 14, 2022

Gillian O'Brien, Founder in Residence, Pilot, California, USA - Why companies can benefit from a Founder in Residence and why being loud about failure can lift up the startup community. At 27, Gillian has had more adventure in her career than others do in a lifetime.

Pilot serves over 1,000 customers who are founders and business leaders with their accounting, finance and accounting needs. Having a Founder in Residence helps deliver insight, empathy, and meaningful ideation for their customer base. Pilot has a staff of 400 people strong and is valued at over a billion dollars.

In our conversation, Gillian O”Brien explains:

Her experiences at Y Combinator and why founders need a community of supporters.
Her first startup Cherry, an HR Saas business, and her willingness to be public and 'loud' about lessons learned in failure as she had to shut down the company at the beginning of the pandemic.
Understanding resources needed by founders and helping them with investor conversations.

Be sure to check out Gillian’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Gillian

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/gillian-obrien/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 161 Rabi Gupta, CEO of EvaBot, San Francisco, CA Sep 07, 2022

Rabi is changing the way companies show their thoughtfulness in a way that captivates and engages customers and employees. His company, EvaBot, runs on AI-squared: The Artificial Intelligence to get deeply personal and he Actionable Intelligence to make better business decisions. In other words, it's the intelligence behind thoughtfulness. Rabi is a serial entrepreneur. Working alongside his current founding team for 10+ years, they have used AI to build recommendation engines, social platforms and enterprise software. His first startup iDubba/iCouchapp was a “TV show recommendations + social engagement” app that had 2M+ monthly active users at the time it got acquired. Rabi then made a bold move to Silicon Valley to start a new company. While there, Rabi became frustrated that the ability to build relationships lacked technological innovation and intelligence. And so, EvaBot was born.

EvaBot is an emotionally intelligent gifting relationship solution that enables thoughtful companies to accelerate the key relationships that increase both growth and competitive advantage. With a platform built to generate emotional engagement and to collect actionable intelligence, they are the standard in amplifying the customer and employee experience, creating an unforgettable journey for the recipient and truly valuable

insight for the company.

In our conversation, Rabi Gupta explains:

- How Rabi built his company, and the steps it took for him to do this.

- How Rabi created his start up in a new city, on his own in San Francisco, CA.

- The specific roles Rabi and his Co-Founders take on with EvaBot

Be sure to check out Rabi’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Rabi Gupta

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabigupta

Website- https://www.evabot.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 160 Emily Bibb, Co-Founder of Breef, New York, NY Aug 31, 2022

Emily is an award-winning marketer and passionate entrepreneur who is empowering the next generation of work. She has reimagined the way projects are outsourced, creating the first agency marketplace for high-value, high-consideration transactions online.

As Co-Founder of Breef, Emily uses innovative technology to empower brands and agencies to work better, together — improving productivity, business outcomes and relationships. Her leadership has grown the company's network to 5,000 digital and creative agencies globally with users in over 20 countries in less than two years, while securing significant venture funding for expansion.

Prior to Breef, Emily brought early-stage startups into culture as a digital marketing leader, working with some of the most sought-after brands, including VSCO, POPSUGAR and S'well. Here she experienced firsthand the challenges in-house marketers face to keep up with the demands of modern marketing.

In our conversation, Emily explains:

- How COVID and the opportunity of remote work helped Emily grow her business!

- Emily’s push of making her company as innovative as it can be.

- The idea that good things take time, and how success stories may not come over night.

Be sure to check out Emil Bibb’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Emily:

Website-https://www.breef.com/emilybibb

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 159 Ziga Fajfar, Co-Founder of Flowout, Slovenia Aug 24, 2022

Ziga is the co-founder of Flowout, an Unlimited Webflow design & development subscription service. From an early age, Ziga was always passionate about entrepreneurship. After discovering the power of coding, he joined one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in Slovenia straight after college where his career kicked off. With acquired knowledge and network, he went ahead and started multiple successful tech ventures.

As a developer, Ziga saw the opportunity in the no-code space where his coding background gives him a big advantage. No-code tools helped him create new products and prototypes faster and with ease. This led him to be more successful in testing the market, finding a product-market fit, and thus solving consumer problems

In our conversation, Ziga explains:

- His partnership with his co-founders and how it took a few failures to finally achieve the right formula for the business they were destined to build.

- The mission of Flowout, and how changing the pricing model to offer tiers of service and a subscription/retainer model was right for them and the customer.

- The vision of becoming a company that builds more products client-solutions products while still benefiting from being a services company business model.

Be sure to check out Ziga’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ziga:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/zigafajfar

Instagram- zigafajfar

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 158 Shriya Sekhsaria, Founder & CEO of Lumhaa: The Memory Jar Company, Tamil Nadu, India Aug 17, 2022

Shriya Sekhsaria runs Lumhaa: The Memory Jar Company, which helps people create and save memories together in "memory jars" (online folders/albums). Lumhaa was founded based on her award-winning research from Princeton which showed that even 10 minutes with memory jars made people happy -- it's one of the first social media platforms (if not the only social media platform) that shows statistically significant improvements in psychological well-being. Aside from powering users across 190 countries (and ranking in Apple's Top 50 Social Apps in 90 countries), her company has helped a few dozen artists in Indian villages find dignified income through their physical memory jar product orders. Shriya is 25, currently lives in India, and has won awards like 2021 Superwoman of the Year award (in association with the Indian Govt) and 2020 STEM Woman Entrepreneur of the Year (AWIS

In our conversation, Shriya explains:

Why Shriya decided to create her company Lumhaa, and how she built her company up to where it is today!
Why Shriya wanted to create a product that makes people happy and brings them joy.
The idea of design thinking, understanding from people and their needs.

Be sure to check out Shriya listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Shriya Sekhsaria:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/shriya-sekhsaria-22964ba7/?originalSubdomain=in

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 157 Blima Ehrentreu, Founder & CEO of The Designers Group, New York, NY Aug 10, 2022

Blima Ehrentreu is the Founder and CEO of The Designers Group, an interior design firm based in New York, Miami, and Toronto. As an MWBE (Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise) owner in the commercial real estate industry, she knew she had to build a brand that required acceptance and respect in such a male-dominated industry. Investing in the community and supporting women in the construction industry is something she is very passionate about. Blima opened The Designers Group in Toronto, Canada, back in 2009. After establishing the company in Canada, she took the company internationally by opening an office in New York in 2016. Cementing their presence in a design hub like New York proved to be a game-changer for The Designers Group. Since then, TDG has designed over 200 residential, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial projects. We have an incredibly diverse portfolio and are always looking for innovative ideas to stay on the cutting edge of design.

In our conversation, Blima explains:

Bold ambition to grow her company internationally and the lessons she learned along the way.
What motivated her to create The Designers Group.
Creativity and her experience in design.

Be sure to check out Blima’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Blima

Linked In- https://www.linkedin.com/in/blimaehrentreu

Website- https://www.thedesignersgroup.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 156 Vanessa Karel, Founder & CEO of Greether, San Francisco, California Aug 03, 2022

Vanessa Karel, is a second-time Founder, Serial Entrepreneur, Storyteller, and Creative Producer. She was recently named as one of the 100 rising Latinx Startup founders to watch through her work founding Greether; a travel startup that helps women travel safer. Vanessa is also currently leading Girls in Tech, San Francisco as their Manager Director. Born in the USA, raised in Mexico City. Growing up constantly traveling, Vanessa always found an interest in exploring different cultures and expanding horizons. In 2020, she finally realized what had been lacking throughout her solo journeys, while traveling alone being stranded in Morocco in the middle of the pandemic. Which led to her founding a safety platform for female travelers around the world named Greether. The platform targets some of the most important SDGs and sustainable UN development goals, which are to reduce safety risks for women and to increase income opportunities for them through sustainable tourism. Having only worked on Greether for a year, the web application has organically grown users in over 80 countries and 300 cities around the world.

In our conversation, Vanessa Karel explains:

Vanessa’s travel experiences in other countries and why she created Greether to keep travelers safe in unknown countries.
Vanessa’s journey into Silicon Valley and the other various tech startups she has managed.
Increasing job opportunities for women.

Be sure to check out Vanessa’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Vanessa

Website- https://www.greether.com/vanessakarel

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-karel/

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/greet.her/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 155 Melissa Bauknight, Founder of The Ripple Connection, Golden, Colorado Jul 27, 2022

Melissa Bauknight is a multi-passionate entrepreneur, adventurer, mother, wife, and a Business and Life Coach. As a collegiate athlete, she graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Finance and has since earned an applicable Ph.D. in Life. She garnered over 15 years of sales and business development experience in the corporate world working across 6 states and consistently performing in the top 10% of her peers. Having checked many boxes on her life goals list - traveling the world, achieving corporate success, marrying a loving husband, and starting a family, she still felt anxious and incomplete.

She knew there were untapped parts of her soul longing to be unleashed.

Melissa chose to boldly follow that inner knowledge leaving her corporate career and went on to be in the top 1% of a social impact direct sales company, build a coaching business at The Ripple Connection, and coach over 1,000 women in sales, mindset, and life alignmen

In our conversation, Melissa explains:

- The most admirable common traits among successful women.

- The more common barriers and roadblocks women may face in business and how to overcome them.

- Using your own inner wisdom as your GPS.

Be sure to check out Melissa’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Melissa:

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/therippleconnection

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/therippleconnection

Website- https://www.therippleconnection.com/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 154 Josh Fraser, Founder & CEO of Estated, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada Jul 20, 2022

Josh Fraser, the founder and CEO of Estated (based in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada). Estated’s open-source API provides easy and transparent access for clients from a wide range of industries to integrate and implement property data into their workflows to start generating insights into their customers within minutes of signing up to our intuitive platform. Each property record contains hundreds of different data points from parcel and boundary information, structural building data such as square footage and roof type, historical deed information including sales and transfer of ownership, market value which uses an industry leading AVM to accurately valuate properties, taxes, and assessment data, as well as current ownership information. Estated works with a variety of industry leaders including State Farm, Capital One, Swiss RE as well as emerging proptech, real estate tech, and insurtech startups like Obie, Kin, and Blend Insurance.

In our conversation, Josh explains:

- How Estated operates and the various types of technology Josh’s company uses in the real estate market!

- How Josh started Estated based on other companies he worked with, and how he built leads and advertising resources for Estated.

- How Josh and his team find the best results and what they use for their development process

Be sure to check out Josh’s below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Josh:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/jgfraser

Website- https://estated.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 153 Paulina Walkowiak, Co-Founder & CEO of CUX.io, Lisbon, Portugal Jul 13, 2022

Paulina Walkowiak is a co-founder & CEO of cux.io – the first-ever tool for UX Automation, a behavior, and user experience analysis application, currently operating in 102 countries. She's the only specialist training in behavior patterns analysis in CEE, who helps companies translate knowledge about users into specific business decisions.

She supports enterprise-level organizations in data-driven transformations and developing analytical strategies. Paulina worked with, among others, TVN Media (Discovery Group), Prisjakt (Shibsted), and EFL. She's the author of the Product Analytics workshop “Data-driven design”, a TEDx speaker, and an academic lecturer. She has been featured twice in the Strong Women in IT 2019 and 2021 reports. Alongside her husband (and cux.io co-founder), she's won the 50 Most Creative People in Business Award. Furthermore, as a mom of two, she proudly calls herself #Mompreneur

In our conversation, Paulina Walkowiak explains:

- What lead Paulina to start her company and her inspiration to become a manager and be her own boss.

- Paulina’s specializations and her expertise and knowledge in business.

- Where she wants her company to focus their attention next!

Be sure to check out Paulina’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Paulina

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulinawalkowiak

Twitter- @plnwlkwk

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 152 Irete Hamdani, Founder & CEO of askBelynda (a Google Chrome extension) Denver, Colorado Jul 06, 2022

Irete Hamdani is an entrepreneur and founder of askBelynda, a Google Chrome extension helping consumers reduce their carbon footprint by recommending sustainable products while they’re shopping online. She has a Computer Science MSc. with honors from Tel Aviv University and is an AWS Certified Associate Developer and Solution Architect. Irete uses her 25 years of tech experience to develop askBelynda. She believes in a greener future with the expansion of sustainable consumer goods. Irete resides in Denver, CO, with her husband and two daughters.

In our conversation, explains:

- The importance of reducing your carbon footprint and how people can do this!

- Why Irete started her company and the different functions and services askBelynda provides!

- askBelynda’s team structure and overall management process.

Be sure to check out Irete’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Irete:

Website-https://www.askbelynda.com

LinkedIn-https://www.iretehamdani.com/about

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 151 Christine Akselsen, CEO at Kezzler, Oslo, Norway Jun 29, 2022

When Christine Akselsen accepted her role as CEO of Kezzler, a leading product traceability technology provider, she set out to change the way that consumers and companies think about the global supply chain. It’s not just about getting an item to a buyer. It’s about ensuring that what they receive is safe, authentic, and produced sustainably. Fast forward to 2022: Amid a stagnant global supply chain, keeping track of products and assuring their quality can be the competitive edge that keeps an organization viable.

Kezzler’s traceability technology uses specialized codes on individual products to secure their validity. They utilize patented serialization technology to track products through their entire supply chains while ensuring the products we consume (such as food and pharmaceuticals) are safe prior to use. From source to consumer, data is associated with the product through the code.

In our conversation, Christine Akselsen explains:

- Christine’s role at Kezzler and the products Kezzler traces.

- Why tractability is important and what it provides to supply chain technologies.

- The problems with supply chain that Kezzler solves!

Be sure to check out Christine’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Christine:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-charlotte-akselsen-b552288

Website: http://www.sweetprotection.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 150 Martin Luenendonk, Co-Founder of The Founderjar.com, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Jun 22, 2022

Martin Luenendonk is a 3x serial entrepreneur who founded the Finance Club (community of 1.6m finance professionals), Cleverism.com, and Founderjar.com. He loves to share his learnings about business model generation, entrepreneurship, and digital marketing. A product of his generation, Martin thrives in the world of digital communication, which is why marketing is his natural calling. Always sprouting a smile on his face, he gets way too excited about everything new in the marketing world. FounderJar helps small businesses grow faster by choosing the right software tools and with practical in-depth guides on how to start and grow a business.

In our conversation, Martin Luenendonk explains:

- What his company Founder Jar is and how it operates!

- The resources Founder Jar provides and how they help others start their own businesses.

- The advice Martin provides to fellow entrepreneurs and business owners.

Be sure to check out Martin’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Martin:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinluenendonk

Website- https://www.founderjar.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 149 Richard White, Founder & CEO of Fathom, San Francisco, California Jun 15, 2022

Richard White is founder and CEO of Fathom. Video, a free app that records, transcribes & highlights your calls so you can focus on the conversation instead of taking notes.

Fathom was a part of the Y-Combinator W21 batch, is one of only 50 Zoom App Launch Partners, and is one of a small handful of companies Zoom has invested in directly via their Zoom Apps Fund. Prior to Fathom, Richard founded UserVoice, one of the leading platforms that technology companies, from startups to the Fortune 500, use for managing customer feedback and making strategic product decisions. UserVoice was notable for being the company that originally invented the Feedback tabs shown on the side of millions of websites around the world today.

Richard previously worked on Kiko, a company in the first batch of Y-Combinator, with Justin Kan and Emmett Shear who subsequently went on to found Twitch. Richard is passionate about designing intuitive productivity tools with delightful user experiences.

In our conversation, Richard explains:

- How his app Fathom works and how it improves customer communication within a company.

- Why Richard decided to start Fathom and his business model.

- Fathom’s strategy of giving some users advisor status within the company.

Be sure to check out Richard’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Richard White:

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrwhite

Websites- https://kitcaster.com/richard-white

https://fathom.video

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 148 Ben Worthen, CEO of Message Lab, Oakland, Californi Jun 08, 2022

Ben is the CEO of Message Lab, award winning storyteller, he’s showing businesses and content entrepreneurs how to use data to tell stories and build audiences that produce business growth results. He’s sharing how to overcome the cultural and organizational obstacles to doing content marketing well.

Message Lab combines journalism, data and design to create content that resonates with the people their clients most need to reach. They believe engaging people around their interests is more effective than always trying to sell. They use their training as journalists to learn what people are interested in and then write, shoot and design stories they care about. They make sure the content they create reaches the right audience and apply a measurement framework that focuses on business outcomes to show their work gets meaningful results.

In our conversation, Ben explains:

- How to “talk right” when marketing your business and how to create a positive brand.

- Becoming a seller that makes customers fall in love with your ideas.

- Creating content for ROI and not just creating content for the sake of content.

- How you can measure this ROI!

Be sure to check out Ben’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ben Worthen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benworthen

Website: messagelab.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 147 Andy Paul, Sales Expert & Host "Sales Enablement Podcast", San Diego, California Jun 01, 2022

Andy has been in sales for over four decades. His first sales job was selling women’s shoes at JC Penney. In his professional career Andy has sold everything from computers to small businesses to complex communications systems that sold for tens of millions of dollars to some of the world’s largest enterprises. Andy closed hundreds of millions of dollars in products and services before starting his own company. He has grown and managed large sales teams from scratch. He has coached average performers into being top producers. Andy is #8 on LinkedIn’s list of the Top 50 Global Sales Experts to follow. More than 170,000 people have signed up to follow the advice he shares there. His podcast, Accelerate Your Sales!, is on the top of every list of the best sales podcasts with over 2 million downloads to date, and was on INC Magazine’s list of the top leadership podcasts. His two award-winning books, Zero-Time Selling and Amp Up Your Sales, were both Amazon best-sellers.

In our conversation, Andy Paul explains:

- Andy’s book and its highlights!

- The idea of having a “wrong mindset” as a seller.

- How to listen to your buyers and help them achieve what they want to buy.

Be sure to check out Andy’s listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Andy Paul

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/realandypaul

Website- https://www.revenue.io/sales-enablement-podcast-with-andy-paul

https://www.andypaul.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 146 Josh Gilbert, Co-Founder & CEO of Sust Global, London, England, United Kingdom May 25, 2022

An entrepreneur and thought leader in geospatial analytics and climate tech, Josh Gilbert is Co-Founder and CEO at Sust Global. He has spoken on these topics at events such as COP26 in Glasgow, and has helped Fortune 500 companies, NGOs and the UK Government to integrate cutting edge climate technologies. Sust Global’s mission is to democratize access to satellite-validated climate data, and Josh developed his idea for Sust Global through first-hand experience working with climate innovation and geospatial technology sets.

His previous experience includes his role as Environment and Resources Lead at Cleantech Group, go-to-market consulting at Orbital Insight, where he helped launch the market-leading Orbital Go product.

In our conversation, Josh explains:

Transforming climate complexity into business intelligence.
The climate risks Josh’s company looks into and how they help companies manage their supply chains through these risks.
How Josh’s team operates and Sust Global’s company culture.

Be sure to check out Josh’s links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with

Website- https://kitcaster.com/josh-gilbert

LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshjgilbert/?originalSubdomain=uk

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 145 Kate Westad, Founder, Palette by Pak May 18, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 145 Kate Westad, Founder, Palette by Pak

Kate Westad is the inventor and founder of Palette by pak, a refillable, reusable, sustainable beauty system. While packing for a trip after a long day at the office, she realized that there had to be a better way to bring, store, and reuse the many goops, glops & glam™️ she was taking with her on her vacation. As an attorney by trade, Kate began the research process and soon learned that the beauty industry was fueling its sustainability crisis. With statistics including the ones below, Kate knew she had to change the beauty industry from disposable to sustainable. She's a Forbes Next 1000 honoree, has been featured in Glossy, Martha Stewart, Travel + Leisure, Women's Health, Glamour, and more.

In our conversation, Kate explains:

Her packaging and inventory management with her products.
The steps she took when inventing her product and creating her brand.
How Kate balances her work life and home life as an entrepreneur.
The tips and tricks Kate has created in order to keep organized and build her company.

Be sure to check out Kate’s social links listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Kate Westad:

Website: https://palettebypak.com/pages/contact

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katewestad/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 144 Nicky Senyard, Founder/CEO, Fintel Connect, Vancouver, Canada May 11, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 144 Nicky Senyard, Founder/CEO, Fintel Connect, Vancouver, Canada

Nicky Senyard’s two core beliefs are contribution and growth.

Throughout Nicky’s career, these focuses have allowed her to achieve both commercial success and to create a business culture that fosters collaboration and personal achievement.

Not only has she had the fortune of growing a market-leading business organically over a 15-year period, she has also had the opportunity to positively influence the evolution of a lucrative niche industry through innovation and leadership.

In launching their next venture, Fintel Connect, their mission is to disrupt performance marketing in the fintech space by providing greater transparency, scalability and growth.

In our conversation, we discuss:

Her company, Fintel Connect

How culture creates connections to bind and drive a company

What performance marketing is

The lessons learned from building her first company

The most important qualities of a leader

Nicky’s vision for her business in the next five years

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nicky:

Website: https://www.fintelconnect.com/about-us/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickySenyard

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickysenyard

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 143 Ashif Mawji, Managing Director, Scale Good Fund, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada May 04, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 143 Ashif Mawji, Managing Director, Scale Good Fund, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Ashif Mawji is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, venture capitalist, mentor, and community builder. Ashif moved to Canada in 1987 and his parents instilled in him the idea that one can have anything they want in life, but to get there you must work and pay for it.

Ashif has directly invested in over 100 companies globally, is invested in over 10 funds, and serves as a venture partner with Rising Tide, a VC firm in Silicon Valley. Ashif has built and exited several companies in the tech space.

What Ashif has recognized in every country where he has interests is that the same problems of poverty, homelessness and addictions exist. His perception is that new solutions to the same problems need entrepreneurships and innovation, and this is the catalyst behind the formation of his starting the Scale Good Fund.

In our conversation, we discuss:

In the social impact fund, financial returns are expected, but the hope is for real social impact.

Companies from all over the world, in any discipline, can take part if they have demonstrated a measurable way of showing social impact.

His like for non-traditional pitch decks.

A description of what makes a great pitch.

The criteria for investing can vary from company to company.

The hope to find entrepreneurs that are coachable and companies that have talented teams behind a strong leader.

Participation in various networks and organizations.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Asif:

Website: http://mawjiventures.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashifmawji

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 142 Eddy Badrina, CEO, Eden Green Technology, Texas, USA Apr 27, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 142 Eddy Badrina, CEO, Eden Green Technology, Texas, USA

Vertical farming is not a new idea. However, Eddy Badrina, CEO of Eden Green Technology is taking a novel approach that takes all the efficiencies of a greenhouse and adds the density of vertical farming that no other company does to provide produce that is affordable, partly because of its unique distribution model.

Since running the company in 2019, retailers, researchers, cities, and governments have discovered how Eden Green Technology’s turnkey solutions can help them establish food safety, food independence, and sustainable farming, unlike any previous AgTech solution.

Eddy’s background and education give him the foundation for cultivating deep relationships to support his person mission. His purpose and gifts include scaling organizations and understanding the cultural and global impact of their work.

Our conversation includes wisdom from his education, operating other companies and the unique thinking behind Eden Green Technology’s fast scaling. Highlights include:

The customers for Eden Green are the private labels and distributors that provide the private labels to retailers and grocers.

The history of being co-founder of Buzz Shift.

The three-step process used for scaling a company.

The funding process and going out to raise $100 million in the next three to six months.

The new locations for the greenhouse modules.

The goal of having greens from harvest to your fridge in 72 hours and it lasts for weeks.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Eddy:

Website: https://www.edengreen.com/eddy-badrina-ceo-bio

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddybadrina

@eddybadrina

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 141 Jason Ash, CEO, Young Planet, UK Apr 20, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 141 Jason Ash, CEO, Young Planet, UK

Jason Ash is the CEO of a circular-economy app called Young Planet. The app encourages families to adopt a circular method of the giving and receiving used items. The app is free at the point of use and allows parents to upcycle unwanted clothes, toys, and other items.

The app is a tech tool, but it’s also a tool for making community connections. Young Planet is a for profit company, but Jason believes that brings aligned incentives and drive.

From being a professional rugby player to an outstanding leadership career as general manager and CEO for recognized brands, Jason is now on a mission to help individuals shift from depending on a linear economy to a circular economy mindset.

Highlights of our conversation include:

How the platform can be customized for corporations to support employees with CSR goals.

The strategic thought behind building an advisory board.

Thinking through why a company that is for good should be a non-profit or a commercial endeavor.

Securing VC support and crowd-funding rounds to speed up success.

Having trusted on-shore and off-shore business partners.

The future view of Young Planet and how there are no barriers to wide and expansive growth if they stay true to their mission.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jason:

Website: https://www.youngplanet.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-ash-6700922

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 140: Bob Miles, Co-Founder, Salad Technologies, Salt Lake City, Utah Apr 13, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 140 Bob Miles, Co-Founder, Salad Technologies, Salt Lake City, Utah

Leaving his home in Australia, Bob Miles became the Co-Founder of Salad Technologies based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company’s mission is to build the foundational layer of computational resources (PC power) for Web 3.0.

To start the effort, Bob enlisted the aid of gamers worldwide to share their individual computer power and to reward them with game gift card subscriptions.

Salad is building mission-critical infrastructure that will help preserve the integrity of the Internet and democratize access to computational resources, a commodity that is becoming increasingly important to everyone’s digital life.

The company started in the gaming space, but the vision is to become a more mainstream with consumers in the next two or three years.

In our conversation, we discuss:

Bob’s journey from Australia to Salt Lake City, Utah to lead in the world of distributed computing.

His belief in expanding the sharing economy in the digital space.

How the mission to engage gamers has engaged nearly 900,000 registered users and over 7,100 years of computing time.

The big goal of changing an individual’s relationship with the Internet to be the easiest and most trusted platform in distributed computing.

Elements of their startup journey, including building open-source code and seeking venture funding.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Bob:

Website: https://salad.com/company

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milesbob

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 139: Ron Rudzin, President and CEO Saatva, Texas and New York Apr 06, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 139 Ron Rudzin, President and CEO Saatva, Texas and New York

Sometimes disruption can lead to a chaotic marketplace and the mattress industry has been one of those places. In 2010, the mattress industry had less than 1% of annual sales online. Today, online sales in the US make up 21% of all mattress sales. However, the number of companies launched and failed are in the hundreds.

With all the competition and confusion, we looked to Ron Rudzin, co-founder, President and CEO of The Saatva Company to share how Saatva has become a market leader in this space.

This luxury mattress company started in 2011 was the fastest-growing major direct-to-consumer mattress brand from 2019 to 2021. In 2021, Saatva ranked 101 on Inc’s list of the top 500 retailers of the year.

Ron is also proud of his partnership with Pencil, where he serves on the board of directors, and HACA in Austin, Texas. Both organizations provide educational and social support to young people.

Our conversation touched on:

The ‘why’ behind being a luxury, full-size mattress company that is an e-commerce first business.

How Saatva intentionally and purposefully sought to be the next great “S” company in the marketplace. Ron shares the story of the company name, which in Sanskrit means “pure.”

How they are performance marketers first with an efficient and effective growth strategy.

The decision to invest in eco-friendly material sourcing.

Expansion and working with 19 factories and 150 delivery hubs.

The development of viewing rooms and the conversion strategy that makes them the highest-grossing mattress retailer based on space.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ron:

Website: http://saatva.com

Website: http://www.saatvamattress.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-rudzin-84880ab

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 138: Nicholas Mattingly, CEO and Co-Founder, Switcher Inc, USA and Switzerland Mar 30, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 138 Nicholas Mattingly, CEO and Co-Founder, Switcher Inc, USA and Switzerland

Nick Mattingly, CEO and co-founder of Switcher Inc., is the creator of Switcher Studio, an exciting software that helps creators and businesses produce multi-camera production videos easily and affordably.

Nick is based in Kentucky and his co-founder runs the team in Switzerland. Together, they support creators in 150 countries and have partnered with companies including Facebook Live, LinkedIn and Microsoft Stream.

Switcher Studio lets users sync multiple iOS devices to capture video content and allows for real-time editing. Switcher Studio also integrates with streaming platforms and video conferencing tools.

The company has been featured in TechCrunch, USA Today, Inc. Magazine, and BBC. Nick is also a member of the highly competitive Endeavor Entrepreneur network.

Nick has great enthusiasm for marketing his product but believes that “It’s not about selling products, it’s about bringing joy and solutions to people.”

Highlights of our conversation include:

The two-year journey to develop the technology platform.

Solo bootstrapping to reach the official launch. Cheers to his wife for being the first investor and vision supporter.

How Nick found his partner based in Switzerland and why the partnership works.

Benefits of Switcher Studio for multi-camera and multi-source video used for live selling, events, sports, worship, and many more applications.

The significant potential to elevate reach through selling in e-commerce environments.

How Asia is ahead, and live selling represents up to 30% of all revenue generated online.

Customers will always be your best investors.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nick:

Website: https://switcherstudio.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickmattingly

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 137 Jennifer Mitchell, Founder-Natura Solve, Utah Mar 23, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 137 Jennifer Mitchell, Founder-Natura Solve, Utah

This episode is a discussion with a real trailblazer on a self-funded, solo founder, entrepreneurial journey. She is in the clean tech space revolutionizing the way on how we can create a clean and sustainable future.

Jennifer Mitchell founded Natura Solve, a company with a product that cleans up some of the nastiest stuff on the planet while doing great things for soil and water conservation.

She is an emerging leader with global impact in the new clean tech industry and growing fields of bioremediation and bio augmentation.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The importance of cleaning up pollutants, bacteria, and unwanted impurities from soil and water.

How the product includes natural biological medium-beneficial bacteria and fungi, putting good biology back into the soil or water.

How the product supports soil recovery in agriculture and the positive impact it has made on the Navajo Nation.

Latest projects, including cleaning Utah Lake and the Save the Beer water conservation awareness campaign.

Understanding water conservation. As an example, it takes 1,056 gallons of water from bean to brew to make one gallon of coffee.

The founder’s journey, including self-funding, juggling multiple businesses, and growing Natura Solve.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jennifer:

Website: https://naturasolve.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennlynn/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 136 Grant Botma, Founder Stewardship Mortgage, Insurance Planning and Financial- Gilbert, Arizona Mar 16, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 136 Grant Botma, Founder Stewardship Mortgage, Insurance Planning and Financial- Gilbert, Arizona

Grant Botma, the founder of Stewardship, is an inspiring thought leader who twice has put his company on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies. He is the author of the best-selling book, The Problem Isn’t Their Paycheck, and in his latest book, Work-Life Harmony, Grant shares the systems he has put in place that allow him to have his definition of life and work balance.

Grant has an unlikely founder’s journey. He grew up on a farm, attended a Christian college, worked as a collections cold-caller, and then became passionate about helping people with their finances through what he calls wisdom and love.

Highlights of our conversation include:

How his background influenced his passion to love and respect people and to build a business from that perspective.

When you look at the Stewardship website or walk into their offices, the experience immediately differs from the look and feel of other financial service organizations.

The importance of culture-building, including meeting the motivation hierarchy of employee need.

His thoughts on firing people from his organization.

The relationship with his co-founders and their focus to best serve the business.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Grant:

Website: https://stewardship.pro/grant-botma

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantbotma?fref=ts

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-botma-33a1671b

Twitter: @grantbotma

Instagram: grantbotma

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 135 Aaron Templer, Founder- Three Over Four Marketing Agency, Colorado Mar 09, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 135 Aaron Templer, Founder- Three Over Four Marketing Agency, Colorado

Aaron Templer, owner of Three Over Four, is a 25-year marketing veteran and a thought leader that works with people and organizations that have values at their center. This episode concentrates on how Aaron and his team help CEOs and founders rethink the pressures of heavily investing in social media. He speaks from experience and backed by data as explained in his new book, Leading in a Social World: Stop social media marketing and build social capital instead.

Aaron is also an American Marketing Association professional instructor and past president and volunteer for their national Professional Chapters Council. He is a firm believer that we need to bring ethics back into marketing.

The advice that Aaron shares about marketing is invaluable. Highlights of the conversation include:

Only 26% of social media activity ties onto business results and why this should make all leaders pause and think.

The flaw in how social media marketers measure their data and how data frequently comes from the platforms that want to sell you more.

Why the solution is investing in building social capital.

Social media is a not a platform for sales but for customer engagement, especially nurturing those who already love us.

Sharing the experience of building a great company of expert contract employees who have a stake in the outcome.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Aaron:

Website: https://www.aarontempler.com/bio

Website: https://threeoverfour.com/

Book: https://www.leadinginasocialworld.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarontempler

Twitter: @AaronTempler

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 134 Carolyn Barbarite, Creator & President, JavaMelts, New York Mar 02, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 134 Carolyn Barbarite, Creator & President, JavaMelts, New York

Carolyn Barbarite, Creator and President of JavaMelts, is an extraordinary example of entrepreneur perseverance. Starting her product concept in 2016, her hand produced flavored sugar product was reaching fast success and winning awards in the B2B and B2C market.

She was gaining momentum and Covid hit, creating one obstacle after another, especially since she was near the epicenter of Covid, outside of NY City.

Carolyn’s founder’s story is a roller coaster journey of rising, falling, and rising again, even stronger. It’s a lesson of committing to your vision, even when everything seems stacked against you.

Carolyn is in the food industry, but her story about pivoting and changing applies to any entrepreneur. Highlights of our conversation include:

The agony of losing production partners and how the negative turned into a positive product reformulation.

Amazon is a critical player in the business, even though they once shut her storefront down.

Her belief in the product, persistence and determination had her story featured in Entrepreneur magazine.

How the business is growing with new products and additional industry awards.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Carolyn:

Website: www.javamelts.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-barbarite-4bb3a3147/detail/photo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolyn.barbarite

Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/stores/JAVAMELTSFlavoredSugar/JAVAMELTSFlavoredSugar/page/891AE2E5-2316-4C54-9EAC-B4DD1FDA1C00

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 133: Nuno Fonseca, Creator & CEO Sound Particles, Leiria, Portugal Feb 23, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 133 Nuno Fonseca, Creator & CEO Sound Particles, Leiria, Portugal

This episode is a conversation with a university professor in a small town in Portugal who contributed and changed the game of audio production in major Hollywood, film, and game studios because of his revolutionary 3D sound technology. Nuno Fonseca, a professor with a PhD in computer audio, is the creator, founder, and CEO of Sound Particles, based in Leiria, Portugal.

Sound Particles software is an immersive audio software capable of generating thousands or even millions of sounds in a virtual 3D audio world that allows for major sound sequences to be created quickly and easily. This ground-breaking technology uses computer graphics techniques applied to audio. The software combines particle systems with a 3D Computer Graphics-like engine.

The software is used by major Hollywood studios, in productions such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Frozen II and Dune. It’s also used by video game companies including Blizzard, Epic Games, and PlayStation.

Nuno shares his journey and long-term vision, including:

Using the top-down approach in reaching professionals in the target market.

The urgency to start a company when others started to create similar technology.

The risk for a professor to start a company.

Engaging with professionals, growing relationships, and building community cost effectively.

Enjoying the privilege of working with top professionals and Hollywood studios.

The importance of focusing on technology while simultaneously working on the short and long-term goals of the business.

How Sound Particles differentiates its 3D sound product and how the strategy integrates with the company’s long-term goals.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nuno:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nuno-fonseca-04250a30/

Twitter: @soundparticles

Website: https://www.soundparticles.com/community/customers

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 132: Ninh Tran, CEO and Co-Founder Snapbrillia, USA Feb 16, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 132 Ninh Tran, CEO and Co-Founder Snapbrillia, USA

Ninh Tran, CEO of Snapbillia, was born in Viet Nam, raised in the Czech Republic, traveled all over Europe, studied at Berkeley and now lives in King City, California. Ninh and his co-founders are on a mission to change the way people hire in tech, using their SaaS platform and taking advantage of its AI capabilities to mitigate systemic bias.

The platform is an AI interviewing and assessment tool that speeds up hiring and embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workspace. The tool is called a hiring manager’s best friend and is aimed at helping engineering hiring managers, engineers, and interviewers, plus recruiters and recruiting leaders. The big goal is to make it easy to help a million people get a job in tech.

In our conversation, we discuss:

An overview of the platform and how it differs from other similar platforms.

The objective to bring humanity to business in all the ways Snapbrillia shows up and interacts with customers.

The concept of building something that gives a user an easy winning moment to build emotional attachment to their product’s solution.

Ninh’s experience as a three-time founder and the humility gained when a business doesn’t succeed.

The benefit of all founders engaging and being aligned in the mission full-time.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ninh:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninhtran08/

LinkedIn Company Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/snapbrillia/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snapbrillia/

Website: https://www.snapbrillia.com/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 131: Charlotte Journo-Baur, CEO/Founder Wishibam, Paris, France Feb 09, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 131 Charlotte Journo-Baur, CEO/Founder Wishibam, Paris, France

After traveling around the world, Charlotte Journo-Baur came back home to become the CEO and founder of her tech company, Wishibam, when she was only 25 years old.

Charlotte graduated from one of the top French business schools, EM Lyon. She started her career as a strategy consultant in the retail practice of AT Kearney in Paris.

Wishibam works with real estate companies, local authorities and retailers who want to increase profitably by using technology. Her platform helps retailers rethink the customer experience with a solution that brings the convenience of e-commerce and the complexity of their physical stores together. The French government has labeled the solution as necessary for retailers to recover post-Covid.

Charlotte is part of the French Forbes 30 under 30 and a member of the executive board in charge of communication and public relations at the French Prop Tech. She operates in five European countries and is expanding to other continents.

Charlotte’s experiences apply to many entrepreneurial leaders. In our conversation, we discuss:

How she drew on the strength of her family’s business background in retail and real estate to reconcile online and physical retail challenges.

Her mission to help independent and large retailers re-think their business model and extend the physical point of sale into greater opportunities.

How the easy-to-use tech platform helps clients reduce the expense of being visible online and offers seamless transactions and stock reconciliation.

Raising investor dollars to scale and working on another seed round.

Acknowledging that as a founder, everything can be more difficult than you imagined, and you can feel alone. Her advice - put together a great team and support system.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Charlotte:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-de-wishibam/

LinkedIn Company Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wishibam/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wishibam/?hl=fr /

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wishibam /

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 130: Ashley Crowder, CEO and Co-founder Vntana, USA and Europe Feb 02, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 130 Ashley Crowder, CEO and Co-founder Vntana, USA and Europe

Ashley Crowder is the Co-Founder and CEO of VNTANA, the world’s first 3D content management system with patented optimization that makes 3D fast and easy to scale for eCommerce. She has worked in the mixed-reality space for over 10 years helping Fortune 1000 brands, including Adidas, Lexus, and AT&T, to launch XR applications to increase sales.

Ashley has 14 patents on mixed reality technology and leverages her engineering background to guide VNTANA’s overall direction and technology development to shape the future of e-commerce.

Allison had an incredible conversation with Ashley, learning how her company’s groundbreaking services are helping businesses move products and make profits online by making it easy to create a 3D version of every product imaginable.

Highlights include:

An explanation of the Metaverse in simple terms.

Why CEOs need to invest in the development of 3D assets as part of their value proposition.

How VNTANA solutions support 3D creation and distribution, including their Smart 3D compression.

Serving as a thought leader in your market space can attract and grow new business.

How the team holds meetings in VR to keep things lively. (Visit www.rec.net or www.vrchat.com)

Finding and sharing support with other female entrepreneurs.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ashley:

Website: https://www.vntana.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-crowder-55a9875/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 129: Grant Blaisdell, CEO Copernic Space and Coinfirm, Poland Jan 26, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 129 Grant Blaisdell, CEO Copernic Space and Coinfirm, Poland

The space economy is going to touch everyone and there are entrepreneurs other than Bezos and Musk who are making a difference. One of those entrepreneurial pioneers is Grant Blaisdell, CEO of Copernic Space and Coinfirm, based in Poland. Grant knows that we need the democratization of space, and the concept of space democratization developed by his grandfather, one of the first aerospace professors in Poland, inspires him.

Grant is an early innovator in applying blockchain technology to various industries. By applying innovative models and technologies such as blockchain, Copernic Space makes digital space assets such as satellite imagery and or even fractional ownership of a satellite accessible and easy to acquire for millions around the world.

We bring the conversation down to earth with exciting concepts that Grant is bringing to all of us. Highlights of our conversation include:

How his platform can allow the average person and the mass market to become economically involved in space through tokenized payload space.

Space tech is green tech. Applications can provide actionable results for people on earth.

Viewing himself as a creator makes him a better founder and business builder.

The mistakes and failures of prior startups have helped him achieve a profit in his recent ventures.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Grant:

Website: www.copernicspace.com

Website: www.coinfirm.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 128: Eliane Luggasy, CEO & Co-founder Witco, Paris, France Jan 19, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 128 Eliane Luggasy, CEO & Co-founder Witco, Paris, France

Eliane Lugassy is CEO and co-founder of Witco. The company, based in Paris, offers a customizable web and mobile app enabling interactions between tenants and building managers, real-time data, and analytics to improve building maintenance and management, and user metrics to improve tenant satisfaction. The app is proving to be essential, especially with hybrid work expansion.

Wito clients and partners include multi-tenants, coworking spaces and managed residential buildings such as Amundi, Swiss Life, IPSEN, Guerlain, AXA IM, Covivio, BNP Paribas Real Estate, Union Investments and Unibail URW.

Witco is finalist of the PropTech Europe Awards 2020, winner of the Bouygues Viva Tech Award and has featured on the Wavestone Smart Building Startups since 2019.

In our conversation, Eliane shares her journey from studying business law and working in mergers and acquisitions to entering the entrepreneurial tech space.

Highlights include:

Lessons shared from self-financing to raising $14 million in Series A.

Starting in France, now in Spain, Germany, UK and moving to the U.S.

Company expansion starts with five team members in each country responsible for sales and marketing.

A key to success-hire people with skill sets that are better than yourself.

Continuing with self-improvements-networking, having a coach, and listening to podcasts.

The importance of having a team and running it properly to be successful.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Eliane:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elianelugassy

Website: www.witco.io

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 127: Dominic von Trotha Taylor, Chairman & CEO, IOV42, United Kingdom & Austria Jan 12, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 127 Dominic von Trotha Taylor, Chairman & CEO, IOV42, United Kingdom & Austria

Dominic von Trotha Taylor, Chairman and CEO of IVO42, leads a team which is building blockchain-inspired tools to revolutionize public services, including everything from finance to healthcare.

In 2018, the European Commission brought IVO42 in to support the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI).

Dominic’s company is based in the UK with a subsidiary in Austria. During this conversation, Dominic was working in Malta. We discussed applications and trend of blockchain today and business insights including:

The importance of business trust and reducing fraud through use of blockchain.

The value exchange of the Internet and how blockchain supports IP (intellectual property) protection, digital product passports, industrial identity, and verification of workers.

A timber industry case study on how blockchain can support credibility and product traceability.

His four pillars of advice on leading companies for founding CEOs.

His path from years on a navy submarine to leading major tech companies.

The work of IOV42 today and the platform’s ability to provide scalability, sustainability, and flexibility.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dominic:

Website: https://iov42.com/

Email: dominic@iov42.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 126: Jillian Michaels, International Entrepreneur and World’s Leading Fitness Expert Jan 05, 2022

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 126 Jillian Michaels, International Entrepreneur and World’s Leading Fitness Expert

Welcome to 2022! To kick off the new year, we have a conversation with the remarkable and brilliant entrepreneur Jillian Michaels, as well as provide some tips to set yourself up for success in the new year.

As the world’s leading fitness expert, Jillian Michaels is committed to helping people to be the best versions of themselves and live their happiest and healthiest lives. Jillian has dominated the health and wellness space in every realm of media–apps, podcasting, streaming, television, print, publishing, and social media with a collective community of over 100 million strong. The Fitness App created by Jillian is the top-rated diet and exercise app for women, having won best-of awards from both Google and Apple.

In 2008, Jillian launched her company, Empowered Media, LLC, with her business partner Giancarlo Chersich. Over the past decade, Empowered Media has become a monumental wellness empire dedicated to total-life solutions comprising all aspects of living well, including nutrition, fitness, self-help and overall lifestyle. The company has invested in like-minded companies, including Thrive Market, Lucky Jack Coffee, AQUAHydrate, Flywheel, and Alaya Naturals.

In this episode we discuss:

Jillian’s first big, bold move when she started her company and how she financed it.

The relationship of ‘pivot, adapt and shift’ to long-term relevancy for your business.

The philosophy that how you deliver on your brand promise is EVERYTHING in the success of your business.

That you are the brand, so you need to pay attention to all that you do.

Jillian is an Emmy nominated television talent. Her extensively successful fitness DVDs are the highest grossing, best-selling home workouts in history. She is the author of 8 New York Times best-selling books, and host of the Apple award-winning podcast, Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jillian:

Websites: www.jillianmichaels.com, www.fitfusion.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-michaels-6795b3165/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillianmichaels/

Instagram: Instagram: @jillianmichaels @thefitnessapp

Twitter: @JillianMichaels

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JillianMichaels

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keeping-it-real-conversations-with-jillian-michaels/id418368811

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 125: Sagi Eliyahu, CEO & Co-founder, Tonkean, Israel Dec 29, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 125 Sagi Eliyahu, CEO & Co-founder, Tonkean, Israel

Sagi Eliyahu, CEO and co-founder of Tonkean, has created a software that is known as the operating system for business operations. Tonkean AI autonomously coordinates, executes and manages business workflows across data and people, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Tonkean is a platform that allows companies in different industries and sizes to take ownership of how they solve problems in their organization and improve their business processes.

Instead of buying software products that don’t integrate with each other, Tonkean offers a solution that enables teams to build and compose their own customized solutions that is easy to execute and does not require coding.

In our conversation, we discuss:

The importance of recognizing that business processes are about people, not data.

The concept of how the software works as a composable building block.

Sagi’s journey in the software industry from serving in the Israel Defense Force to startups.

Growing with his co-founder, Offir Talmor.

Building a network of mentors and learning from their experiences.

The vision of helping to close digital divides.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Sagi:

Website: https://tonkean.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tonkean/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliyahusagi/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 124: Alex Young, Founder & CEO Virti, U.K. & USA Dec 22, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 124 Alex Young, Founder & CEO Virti, U.K. & USA

Alex Young, Founder and CEO of Virti, is a former surgeon turned human performance expert, who specializes in revolutionizing the way people learn, train and perform through immersive technology. His company is unique in how it builds training tools to improve how employees learn and retain skills.

Virti is a cloud-based training platform which incorporates AI, computer-generated avatars, videos, gamification techniques, experiential learning and virtual reality. The backend includes measurement of employee engagement and retention.

Virti has being named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2020 and Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2021.

The company started with a focus on healthcare, but clients are using the technology in a variety of settings, leading the company to grow from a team of 10 to 50 people in six months.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Alex’s thoughts on why everyone should have a side hustle and how his side hustle while working as a surgeon changed his life.

Virti’s funding journey from pre-seed to a $10-million Series A investment.

The importance of company culture to human performance and success.

Learning how to be a great CEO and leader and the critical action of delegating.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Alex:

Website: https://www.virti.com/

Twitter: @alexanderfyoung

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-f-young/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1QnKYxNXosv9ykUt_6wCMg

Blog: https://blog.alexanderfyoung.com/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 123: Zak Holdsworth, Co-founder Hint Health Dec 15, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 123 Zak Holdsworth, Co-founder Hint Health

In both technology and vision, Zak Holdsworth’s story is inspirational on how he went from a small farming community in New Zealand to fulfilling his dream of making it in Silicon Valley. Today he is working on democratizing the world of primary care physicians to free them from the complex world of US insurance carriers.

Zak is a change maker, helping physicians cut out the insurance process by going direct to consumers and using the new model for direct primary called subscription as a service.

Prior to co-founding Hint, Zak was VP Business Development at WellnessFX, the first direct-to-consumer clinical diagnostics/telemed company in the US, a startup he invested in during his time at Voyager Capital. Zak holds a BE (Honors) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Highlights of our conversation include:

Complexities of disrupting any existing system, especially one with a trillion-dollar risk.

How transformation requires support from the communities of people on the path of change with you.

Challenges facing physicians who choose to step outside of the status quo and take the leap of faith to restart their practice from scratch under the new model.

The relationship Zak has with his co-founder - how they went from professionals who butted heads to synchronized collaboration and trust.

How the Hint platform provides a total business solution and integrations for physicians wanting a one-to-one relationship with their clients.

How a mission-based sales process and providing an annual Hint Summit builds relationships with physicians that results in referrals and retention.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Zak:

Website: www.hint.com

Website: www.summit.hint.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hint-health/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zakholdsworth/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HintHealth

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 122: Salil Pande, CEO & Founder, VMock, Chicago, USA and New Delhi, India Dec 08, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 122 Salil Pande, CEO & Founder, VMock, Chicago, USA and New Delhi, India

Salil Pande, CEO and Founder of VMock, has a passion to use AI and machine learning to create better career systems for candidates and corporations. The SMART Career Platform technology provides students and professionals with instant feedback and guidance. The company employs 120 people and operates between Chicago and New Delhi, India.

Before founding VMock, Salil was the Head of Emerging Markets for Siemens, where he led the firm’s emerging market strategy. Prior to that, he was Director of Sales at the Corporate Executive Board, where he worked with Fortune 2000 clients. He is a frequent speaker at the Kellogg School of Management.

In our conversation, Salil shares his founder’s journey, including a focus on:

How VMock helps individuals in their ‘learning to earning’ journey by harnessing technological ‘tutoring’ through automated tools for resumes, interview skill feedback, and coaching.

What it has been like building the company with a co-founder spouse and how undivided trust will pull you along.

The value of placing a pause on investor money if you can accelerate the strategies and get your company to stand on its own.

Envisioning the long game, securing patents, and the focus on constant improvement as a growth strategy.

Viewpoints on trends for educational institutions to survive and thrive in the future - think fewer offerings and more highly branded expert programs.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Salil:

Website: https://www.vmock.com/site

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vmock-inc/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salilpande01/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 121: Lindsey Allard, CEO & Co-Founder Playbookux, New York Dec 01, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 121 Lindsey Allard, CEO & Co-Founder Playbookux, New York

Lindsey Allard, CEO and co-founder of PlaybookUX, knows the importance of finding unbiased user research. Lindsey is a former product manager for three innovation-based startups and has built a product that primarily serves product managers and user researchers.

Her software is a video-based user feedback application that streamlines the user feedback process. The company started by serving small and medium-sized businesses, freelancers, and nonprofits and offers multiple price points. Major corporations are now part of the company’s growing portfolio.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The importance of user research democratization.

How AI can provide a new level of user testing to companies of all sizes.

Using AI can also remove creeping bias in user testing results.

The slow and steady approach to building the company with her co-founder spouse led them to be fully self-funded.

The philosophy of product excellence and how it led to organic, product-based growth.

Being an entrepreneur is a marathon, not a sprint, and consistency is a key to success.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Lindsey:

Website: https://www.playbookux.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseyallard2/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 120 Brian Roland, Rounder and Social Entrepreneur Nov 24, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 120 Brian Roland, Rounder and Social Entrepreneur

Brian Roland is a natural entrepreneur who immediately started by building new sales methods by looking for gaps and figuring out to fill them. Following that method, his first clients included the US Army, Walt Disney Company and Oracle.

Abenity, his privately funded company, co-founded with his brother, helps businesses large and small bring perks and benefits to employees and coordinates the complex partnerships on the backend. The technology handles data, privacy, changing tax rates, corporate compliance and more.

The social mission for the business is a long-time partnership with World Vision that now exceeds $1-million in giving to fight extreme poverty.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The incredible partnership with his brother and why it works.

Leading a remote team across 30 States.

How being a people first company contributes to its success.

The importance of giving teams a “why” and purpose, especially remote teams.

Recognizing when it was time to hire a CEO for the company he built.

Favorite resources to stay energized about business.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Brian:

Book: Text Rulesto +1 615 802 6853 Free Rules of Engagement to help you build a connected remote team.

Abenity.com – Use coupon DISCOUNT CODE to save $150. off first month’s service

Free Giveaway: https://abenity.com/?utm_source=p_disruptiveceo&utm_medium=podcast&utm_interview_9/28&utm_content=brian

Website: https://www.brianroland.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianroland/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 119: Shawn Harper, International, corporate motivational speaker Nov 17, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 119 Shawn Harper, International, corporate motivational speaker

Shawn Harper is a seven-year former NFL offensive lineman who played with the Rams, Oilers, Colts, and NFL Europe. He now owns and operates American Services and Protection, a multi-million-dollar security services firm headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Shawn is a leading motivational speaker whose lessons from the NFL locker room to the corporate culture of the boardroom prove that one can win both worlds by using the same principles and strategies.

Shawn has a high energy and spirit that makes our conversation so memorable. He shares his journey of overcoming adversity and deciding to win in life. That decision took him from barely making it out of high school, to the NFL and outstanding success in business.

Our conversation includes Shawn’s journey from being a silent investing partner in a security business, to becoming a leader, taking personal responsibility and ownership, and navigating challenges.

We also discuss insights from his book, The Winning Edge, including:

How winners look for the edge in tactics and strategies.

The best leaders know their opponents and competition even better than themselves.

How to center yourself and build capacity.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Shawn:

Book: The Winning Edge https://shawnharperspeaking.clickfunnels.com/opt-in

Website: https://www.shawnharper.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnharperspeaks

Instagram: @shawnharperspeaker

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnharper75/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shawnharper075

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 118: Robert Kaul, Founder and CEO Cloud DX, Canada and USA Nov 10, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 118 Robert Kaul, Founder and CEO Cloud DX, Canada and USA

Robert Kaul is founder and CEO of Cloud DX, a leading North American provider of virtual care and remote patient monitoring solutions. The Cloud DX tech platform uses virtual care to address chronic illness, post-surgery care and maternal/natal care.

Chronic illness is the number one healthcare challenge worldwide and is the largest cost in healthcare budgets. The company’s mission is to deliver quality healthcare that improves outcomes for patients on a large scale, is easier for clinicians to use and is less expensive.

Robert has nearly 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and operations leadership, including a successful 17-year track record of leading early stage technology companies. Founded in 2014, Cloud DX is Robert’s sixth startup. Robert has a BSc in Biology and a certificate in Operations Strategy from MIT-Sloan.

In our conversation, Robert shares how Cloud DX is disrupting the healthcare space and insights learned as an entrepreneur. We discuss:

Overcoming barriers to disrupt the healthcare industry.

How COVID-19 helped accelerate the transition to virtual care.

The strategy for finding the right market fit.

Advice for entrepreneurs: team up with a great co-founder, use investors who can be mentors, and find the right team.

Pitching investor insights: find networks of people who understand your mission.

Next marketing steps: educating and finding patients qualified for virtual chronic care.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Robert:

Website: https://www.clouddx.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clouddxinc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cloud.dx/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloud-dx/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CloudDX

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 117: Muna AbuSulayman, Saudi Arabian Entrepreneur and Media Icon Nov 03, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 117 Muna AbuSulayman, Saudi Arabian Entrepreneur and Media Icon

It’s a privilege to have a conversation with one of the most influential woman from Saudi Arabia, a serial entrepreneur and media superstar, Muna AbuSulayman. Muna continues hosting the seven years running, number on television show in the Arab world that centers on social issues.

Muna is internationally recognized as an expert in management, education, sustainable development, female empowerment, and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, UN, and The World Bank.

Muna created five centers of Islamic Studies at Harvard, Georgetown, Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities. She has also launched, managed, and scaled multiple businesses and is running a consultancy that focuses on solving problems in education, gender issues, media, and entrepreneurship.

Muna’s mission is to transfer outside knowledge to Saudi Arabia, especially to female entrepreneurs who are bringing transformation to the country. She shares her story of being a media icon to entrepreneurship, and explains how being a social impact investor, and the importance of social entrepreneurism, can provide solutions from both profit and non-profit sectors.

We discuss a wide variety of topics, including:

· The launch of Adri with her New Zealand co-founder.

· Using AI to translate thousands of pages in minutes.

· Muna’s personal ethics of how she works with people.

· Invest in the legal documents for setting up a business and set roles properly.

· The media pressures of an entrepreneur and the downside when creating a “successful image.”

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Muna:

Website: https://adri.nz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriinstitute

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muna_abusulayman/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #business #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #entreprenuer #entrepreneurship #entreprenuerlife #tech #technology #startups #startupstory #AI #machinelearning #founder #femalefounder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 116: Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers Oct 27, 2021

Show Notes

Disruptive CEO Nation Podcast with Allison K. Summers

Episode 116 David Wood, Founder, Focus CEO

Who would think that so much wisdom could be shared from discussing and smiling about Dracula and The Gong Show! This episode is with the world’s number one life coach David Wood, founder of Focus CEO.

David has thousands of coaching hours with high-performers from around the world. He explains his philosophy of what it means to be “living in” business by moving from a pure money and systems focus to being more “human.”

David shares relatable examples, plus thoughts from his new book, The Mouse in the Room. Highlights from our conversation include:

· A framework for courage-if you wait for competence, nothing happens.

· Overcoming the imposter syndrome and being more courageous.

· Prep like a bad ass and get the win!

· How focus propels you to succeed faster.

· The importance of a coach and what to consider when hiring yours.

· Why you need to be aware of the small things around you.

Take advantage of David’s gift basket listed in the notes.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with David:

Website: https://focus.ceo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/focus-ceo/

Freebie Goodies: http://www.myfocusgift.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 115 Mitch Russo, CEO and Consultant Oct 20, 2021

Mitch Russo has been featured in Forbes, Inc. Entrepreneur and Fortune throughout his career as a CEO and thought leader. In 1989 and 1991, he was nominated for Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.

In 1985, Mitch co-founded Timeslips Corp, which grew to become the largest time tracking Software Company in the world. Ten years later, Timeslips was sold to Sage Plc. and while at Sage he served as Chief Operating Officer, a division with 300 people with a market cap over $100-million.

Mitch also worked behind the scenes as CEO with Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins. Together they created Business Breakthroughs, Int’l, a company serving thousands of businesses a year with coaching, consulting and training services, generating over $25-million a year in revenue.

Today, Mitch serves world-class leaders who want to take their business to the next level with his coaching and wisdom.

Here are some highlights of our conversation:

· The most important role when you’re a CEO.

· How to build your team culture and tribe.

· Sell nothing unless you know what you’re selling next.

· How a podcast can solidify your brand and start client conversations

· Three critical traits of a disruptive CEO.

Mitch also shares how he balances business with being a world class photographer. You can view his work at https://lenstraveler18.smugmug.com/Travel

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Mitch:

Website: www.MitchRusso.com

Books: www.InvisibleOrganization.com and www.PowerTribesBook.com

Software App: www.ClientFol.io

Podcast: YourFirstThousandClients.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 114 David Fink, CEO and Co-Founder, Postie Oct 13, 2021

There’s a wealth of information in this episode for start-up entrepreneurs building consumer brands, and those who value using automation and quantitative analysis in marketing tools. David Fink gives insights to both worlds, first from being a founding partner at Science Inc. and working with over 75 consumer internet companies, including the Dollar Shave Club, Jessica Simpson and other top brands.

Today he is CEO and Co-Founder of Postie, where his team uses direct mail to transform brands including Lyft, Casper, Warby Parker and more.

The conversation starts with David giving a great perspective in explaining the difference between a new business being opportunistic versus a disruptor or problem solver, and which has a better chance of succeeding.

We also cover other topics, including:

· The elements that predict a successful startup: Solution, TAMS (Total Addressable Market Size) Clear business model, Team players.

· The rise of social media as a transformative place and the Dollar Shave Club example.

· Postie delivers direct mail solutions for data conscious digital marketers.

· Marketers need to control engaging brand storytelling in impactful ways.

· Brands are investing in budgets to use storytelling on social channels.

· Platforms like Tech Crunch keeps his thinking sharp. So does his library of 2-thousand books!

Enjoy the show!

Connect with David:

Website: https://postie.com/index.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlfink/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 113 Nora Herting, International Visual Strategist, CEO, Co-Founder of ImageThink Oct 06, 2021

Nora Herting, CEO and Co-founder of ImageThink, is a pioneer in using visual imagery as a method to create personal and organizational change. Nora and her entrepreneurial team work primarily with Fortune 100 companies, using a design thinking method as a catalyst to help unlock human potential.

In our conversation, Nora gives examples of how the process works and how it leads to easier facilitation of ideas and moving a company’s vision forward.

Nora is an international thought leader and has presented at Cannes Lions, SXSW Interactive, WBENC, and is often featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and MSNBC.

Highlights include:

· The neuroscience of how the brain is wired to process visual thinking.

· How imagery can expedite forward movement and change.

· How visual thinking can move teams from different realities to shared understanding.

· How the ImageThink Method™ is a great diagnostic and storytelling tool for leaders to engage internal and external stakeholders.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nora:

Website: https://www.imagethink.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nora-herting-imagethink/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 112 Dan McGaw, CEO, McGaw.io Sep 29, 2021

Dan McGaw, CEO of McGaw.io, is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in marketing technology and marketing analytics. Dan was formerly the head of marketing at Kissmetrics and was head of growth at CodeSchool.com which was acquired by Pluralsight. He’s also a 500 Startups Mentor.

Dan has been called one of the original growth hackers and godfathers of marketing technology. He has helped thousands of companies over his career, and in today’s episode he helps to demystify marketing tech. His company helps customers choose their tools, integrate and operate them, and then leverage their tech stack to grow their business.

Check out the notes below as Dan is giving listeners a free download of his latest book, Build Cool Sh*t. Think of it as a short executive guide on how to use your tech stack to grow your business.

Highlights of our conversation include:

· Being an entrepreneur is tough, but you get to Build Cool Sh*t.

· An entrepreneurial ecosystem requires building a culture that allows for failure.

· Your brand value must be clear on the customer journey. Make things easy for the customer.

· Design marketing systems and funnels to measure and track.

· Dan’s practice of being an avid reader and how that can help you grow.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dan:

Free Book Offer: Build Cool Sh*t. Text Martech to 1.415.915.9011

Website: https://mcgaw.io/

Website: https://web.utm.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmcgaw/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/danielmcgaw

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 111 Benjamin Talin, CEO and Founder, More Than Digital, Switzerland Sep 22, 2021

Benjamin Talin is truly a technology disruptor and digital futurist. Based in Switzerland, Benjamin is the founder and CEO of More Than Digital.info, which helps companies survive the tech future by providing access to knowledge about technology trends.

Benjamin and his team have over 1.7 million people in 100 countries sharing expertise about the digital world. His team is also working on highly scalable solutions to help companies and individuals with new technologies and services. Their goal is to be sure that no company is left behind and that every individual has access to education and knowledge sharing.

Benjamin promotes the topics of digitization, digital transformation and innovation internationally. He is an Advisory Board Member for the University of Digital Science in Berlin and a member of the Digital Society Initiative, University of Zurich. As a Member of the Global Panel of Massachusetts Technology Review and the Harvard Business Review, he works with leading executives around the world to share knowledge on technology trends and the impact on businesses.

Highlights of our conversation include:

· The journey of building the More Than Digital community.

· The truth of platform building-99% of businesses fail and it takes five years to see revenue.

· Starting as a young entrepreneur, the “f*ck ups” along the way, including fighting the status quo, bouncing back and listening to criticism.

· Why CEOs and C-suite executives need to network with other industries.

· Future vision–to change the education system.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Benjamin:

Website: https://morethandigital.info

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 110 Achal Patel, CEO and Co-Founder Cabinet Health Care Brand Sep 15, 2021

Achal Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Cabinet Health Brand, has a vision to provide high-quality medicine with environmentally sustainable packaging that makes people feel cared for. Along with his co-founder, they started with two over-the-counter products on Amazon, and within a year became an eight-figure healthcare digital brand.

Achal attributes part of the company’s early success to listening and communicating directly with customers. Cabinet Health is committed to showing transparency that every medicine sold is free of carcinogens, toxic metals and allergens such as gluten and soy.

Both partners have previous experience in the supply chain process, which gives Cabinet the advantage to oversee quality control, purity and traceability of ingredients.

In our conversation, we discuss:

· Growing and serving customers with a product first mentality.

· Communicating to consumers that Cabinet’s products have extra quality controls, including third party testing.

· The responsibility of a B corp to its team, partners, and customers.

· Creating packaging to combat the estimated 150 billion bottles of waste from medications.

· The three-part vision for the company.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Achal:

Website: https://cabinethealth.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/achalapatel/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cabinet-health/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearecabinet/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearecabinet

Twitter: https://twitter.com/achal_patel1

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 109 Galiano Tiramani, Co-Founder Boxabl, Las Vegas, NV Sep 08, 2021

Everything about the Boxabl story is disruptive and unconventional. It answers the problem of the major housing shortage in America. It is being funded by investors sourced from social media. It has multiple patents because of how it’s constructed and shipped, developed and launched with team members found on freelance Internet sites, and that’s just part of the story!

Galiano Tiramani is the co-founder of Boxabl, a patented system that delivers factory-built rooms, all fabricated and ready to open on-site in just hours. Boxabl is the world’s most advance modular house that provides versatile residential and commercial solutions, with floor plans and architectural styles chosen by the customer at extremely competitive prices.

Galiano started Boxabl with just ideas on paper, doing Internet research and is now ready to open the manufacturing facility in Las Vegas.

Galiano shares his incredible story, including:

· How Boxabl solves a major problem in the US.

· How the California market immediately responded with open arms.

· Designing with shipping concerns immediately addressed.

· This is not a tiny house. It’s a building block process.

· The investment strategy and scaling up.

· The patent process.

· 40-thousand people are already on the waitlist.

Look at the great videos listed below to spark your imagination. Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show!

BOXABL IS CONSIDERING UNDERTAKING AN OFFERING OF SECURITIES UNDER TIER 2 OF REGULATION A. NO MONEY OR OTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING SOLICITED, AND IF SENT IN RESPONSE, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. NO OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES CAN BE ACCEPTED AND NO PART OF THE PURCHASE PRICE CAN BE RECEIVED UNTIL THE OFFERING STATEMENT FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC HAS BEEN QUALIFIED BY THE SEC. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN OR REVOKED, WITHOUT OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND, AT ANY TIME BEFORE NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE GIVEN AFTER THE DATE OF QUALIFICATION. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST INVOLVES NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND. A COPY OF OUR PRELIMINARY OFFERING CIRCULAR MAY BE OBTAINED HERE, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1816937/000109690621000494/box_1aa.htm

Connect with Galiano:

Website: https://www.boxabl.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boxabl/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_boxabl

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_boxabl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boxabl/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/boxabl

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 108 Tess Cosad, CEO and Co-founder Bea Fertility, UK Sep 01, 2021

The advancements of healthcare technology are changing the way people have accessibility and affordability to healthcare. Tess Cosad has tremendous insights into the disruptive health tech space. She is a FemTech founder based in the UK, the CEO and co-founder of Bea Fertility, a venture-backed startup which brings fertility treatment that’s affordable, safe and administered at home.

Tess previously founded Emberson Ventures, a B2B marketing agency specializing in tech sectors. She also created Hers By Design, a female-led, female-focused FemTech brand, and in 2018 was the first woman to lead a digital marketing-focused accelerator program in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Growth Velocity Academy.

In our conversation, Tess shares her passion for being able to solve anything that doesn’t strike her as fair, the behind-the-scenes work required in a startup, marketing insights and more. We discuss:

· The co-founder’s responsibility to sell and keep the vision.

· Being a medical device company going direct to consumers.

· Putting a spotlight on FemTech is necessary, but someday the focus should just be on healthcare.

· Funding the pre-seed round and now ready to start the seed round.

· Product positioning and strategic marketing based on market segmentation.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Tess:

Website: www.beafertility.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beafertility/

Twitter: @beafertility

Instagram: @beafertility

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tess-isabelle-cosad/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 107 Marina Tran-Vu, Founder & CEO EQUO, Ho Chi Minh City Aug 25, 2021

Marina Tran-Vu is an environmental super hero based in Viet Nam. She is the founder of EQUO, a company that creates better solutions for plastic and paper products. Marina has an incredible story of being a female founder, a Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank contestant, and a marketing expert who understands what it takes to innovate and bring eco-friendly products to market.

For over 10 years, Marina worked in brand management, including Unilever, Bacardi, LG Electronics and Spin Master. She is a recipient of the SME100 Fast Moving Companies Award, featured on FORBES, admitted as the first Vietnam-based company backed by TechStars, named to Vegpreneur’s 25 Vegan Companies You Need to Know, and is one of Flik’s 21 Women Entrepreneurs to watch in 2021.

Our conversation covers a range of topics from Marina’s initial product idea to global execution, including:

· The path to innovation, starting EQUO, and manufacturing opportunities in Viet Nam.

· The Viet Nam TechStars and Shark Tank experiences.

· Branding sustainable, eco-friendly products to be fun and attractive.

· The responsibility of being a sole female founder and encouraging investors to support women.

· Working in both the B2B and consumer markets.

· Using experts in a variety of distribution channels to scale responsibly.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Marina:

Website: https://equointl.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marina.tranvu

Twitter: @marinatv_

Instagram: @marinatv_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marinatranvu/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 106 Blake Sherwood, Strategic Partner Nix Covid Aug 18, 2021

American Blake Sherwood was 17 years old and living in Shanghai as part of the National Security Language program sponsored by the US State Department. After graduating and back in the States, Blake checked in with his Chinese host family and heard about COVID-19 months before it was on the radar of North Americans.

When he saw nurses stapling masks together, he knew there was a better way to do things. His friends in China sent him 500 masks, and he began his PPE journey. Blake immersed himself in learning supply chains, shipping logistics, government relations, quality control, and fraud in the industry.

His first major client was the State of Illinois and thorough networking, he became a Strategic Partner with Nix Covid, a leading medical equipment provider. Now, at age 22, Blake continues his consulting and working with the team to introduce a Covid detection technology using AI.

Blake’s story as a young entrepreneur is remarkable and inspirational. In our conversation, we cover a wide range of topics, from how he executed this project to insights on what it takes to be a successful businessperson.

We discuss:

· The study and process of supply chains and logistics.

· Essential entrepreneurial fundamentals.

· The unique partnership and how Nix Covid operates.

· Overcoming PPE industry fraud.

· The next Covid detection technology using AI.

· Giving back to the community by donating PPE.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Blake:

Website: www.nixcovid.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nixcovid

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-sherwood/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 105 Nevsah Fidan Karamehment, President, International Breath Coach Federation Aug 11, 2021

I’ve interviewed entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the world, and the successful ones are those who keep to their core values, find that inner wisdom to keep focused, and remain calm under pressure. My guest, Nevsah Fidan Karamehmet, helps everyone from leaders, business owners, corporate employees, and celebrities tap into self-mastery through her courses and breathing techniques.

Based in the UK, Nevsah is the President of International Breath Coaching Federation and meditation expert who launched a unique meditation with breath app during the lock down called Breath Hub.

She is a faculty member at The Breathing Sciences Faculty - Graduate School of Behavioral Health Sciences, the Vice President responsible for UK and European Operations of the Graduate School of Behavioral Health Sciences, and the national representative of the International Breathwork Foundation. Nevsah is also the author of best-selling book, Awakening is Not What You Think.

In our conversation, we discuss:

· Living and working wisely.

· The shortcut to self-mastery.

· Lessons learned from Ted Baker.

· Launching the app with celebrities, influencers and raving fans.

· The importance of having a personal connection to the brand.

· A breathing exercise to practice any time of day.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nevsah:

Website: https://nevsah.co.uk/

App: www.breathhub.app

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 104 Frans Johansson, Founder and CEO – The Medici Group Aug 04, 2021

There is a global resonance, a societal energy behind the topic of diversity and inclusion. Yet it remains a challenge for people to get the diversity inclusion equation correct in the workplace. Frans Johnasson, Founder and CEO-The Medici Group is creating a great disruption to changing organizations, especially large-scale global companies meet the diversity challenge with his successful program called Renaissance.

Frans knows that diversity inclusion drives innovation. He is a breathing testament with his long-time work on the subject and is influenced with his own background of being raised in Sweden by a Swedish father and an American/Cherokee mother.

Frans is also the author of two books–The Medici Effect and The Click Moment. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Brown University and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School. He is an international speaker and has been published in Harvard Business Press.

Diversity inclusion is an urgent challenge in the world today, and so is the need to innovate, grow and adapt. I hope you will accept the challenge and learn from this very insightful conversation. We discuss:

· Diversity looks differently depending on where you are in the world; however, working with teams from many countries doesn’t mean you’re inclusive.

· How do you activate diversity?

· How do you activate innovation?

· How to make behavioral shifts in the workplace to scale ideas forward and generate positive business impact.

· The necessity of building community and networking in the technology industry.

· How the Renaissance program removes the pain points of change management.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Frans:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fransjohansson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Frans_Johansson

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 103 Nicolas Mendiharat, Founder – Palate Club Jul 28, 2021

French native Nicolas Mendiharat is on a mission to democratize and demystify the world of fine wine. In 2017 he founded Palate Club and developed an unheard-of approach of using data science to help match individual tastes and preferences with sustainable wines.

In our conversation, Nicolas shares a real behind-the-scenes look at how the North American wine industry works, and how he is disrupting both supply change issues and opening the door for the average consumer to truly enjoy consuming wonderful wines without the snobbery. And Palate Club members have a great time learning about their palate!

Nicolas previously launched and led five startups, including Europe’s most successful ski vacation booking site with over $100-million revenue, and 300 thousand customers during his leadership.

Nicolas shares his insights on topics including:

· Being successful depends on customer service and satisfaction.

· The US wine supply chain - insights on markups, marketing, and subpar products.

· The science of Taste Matching Technology.

· Combing talent-mathematicians, sommeliers, neuroscientists, and mathematicians.

· How blind tasting kits create a curated portfolio of wines to satisfy your palate.

· The App #1 AOS ranking in Android for “Wine”

· #1 AOS ranking in Android & iOs for “Wine Club”

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Nicolas:

Website: https://www.palateclub.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mendiharat/

Instgram: @mendiharat

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mendi

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 102 Thejo Kote, Founder-Airbase Jul 21, 2021

Thejo Kote was a co-founder of Automatic, which was sold to Sirius XM for $110 million. Although Thejo was a success, he experienced a lot of painful lessons about running a company and knew he wanted to do it better next time. The most inefficient area he saw was non-payroll spend and that no one had designed a fully articulated, consolidated software solution to fix this broken process. That gave Thejo the idea to start Airbase.

Today, Airbase is the leading spend management platform for small and midsize companies. It combines comprehensive accounts payable, an advanced corporate card program, and employee expense reimbursements into one system. Airbase automates accounting and operational workflows for a faster close, real-time reporting, and a consistent platform experience for all non-payroll spend. So far, the company has raised $30.8 million in venture funding.

Highlights from our conversation include:

· Team collaboration over nine countries and 100 individuals.

· The reason behind having a free tiered version for smaller companies.

· Favorite tools for working remotely, Slack, Notion and Asana.

· Insights on venture funding.

· Asking people in your network to open doors for your business.

· The value of case studies to sell your brand.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Thejo:

Website: https://www.airbase.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejo/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/airbaseinc/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AirbaseHQ

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 101 Christian Giordano, President & Co-Owner, Mancini Duffy Jul 14, 2021

Christian Giordano, Co-Owner of Mancini Duffy, is one of the most innovative and influential people in the architecture and design space today. Christian is revolutionizing the industry with Toolbelt, a patent-pending software that allows users to explore and manipulate 3D models collaboratively. It enables clients to put on VR goggles and stand in 3D models of their architectural projects and change plans in real-time.

Christian has put Mancini Duffy, a 100-year-old company, into the forefront of design and is listed as one of Building Design + Construction’s “40 Under 40” for his leadership. He has also launched Design Lab, an incubator which brings together designers, technologists, and clients to leverage technologies like Virtual Reality, 3D Printing, Drones, Generative Design, and Artificial Intelligence.

Highlights of our conversation include:

· Defining a new model of differentiation for customers using new technologies.

· Eliminating the need or desire for flat drawings.

· How the gamification of architectural design accelerates the understanding and consensus for client approval and sign off.

· The power of finding great intrapreneurs to drive brand success.

· Being a leader requires setting a vision for your brand.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Christian:

Website: https://www.manciniduffy.com

Website: https://thetoolbelt.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manciniduffy/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdgiordano/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mancini_duffy/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 100 Ken Wentworth, aka Mr. Biz Jul 07, 2021

Ken Wentworth, aka Mr. Biz, worked his way up to the top three percent at a Fortune 15 company when he took the leap to become an entrepreneur. Ken credits his confidence to make that bold transition because of his competitive athletic career and holding six world records in the sport of bench press!

Ken is the award-winning host of Mr. Biz Radio, which airs 55 hours each week across six different networks. Ken has a social media following of over 280 thousand and has been featured on Forbes, Yahoo Finance, Fast Company, The New York Finance, and American Express.

His most recent book, Pathway to Profits, provides an actionable blueprint to excel in any economy. Based in Columbus, Ohio, but working globally, Ken shares insights on cash flow, sales, marketing, and other topics including:

How Fractional CFO/COO/CEO services can support growing startups and provide multiple returns to the bottom line.
When choosing outside expertise, consider what you gain in security, protection and exponential income.
Don’t DYI (do it yourself) with everything in your business.
Understand your talents and be honest about how additional expertise will grow your business.
The importance of a strong balance sheet, improved cash flow and budgets.
Make intellectual property trademark a priority.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ken:

Website: www.MrBizSolutions.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MrBizSolutions/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mr-biz-wentworth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrBizTweets

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 99 Brett Wigdortz, CEO and co-founder Tiney, UK Jun 30, 2021

Brett Harris Wigdortz, OBE is the co-founder and CEO of Tiney, a UK digital B-Corp focused on reimagining at-home childcare and unlocking the potential of all children. Previously, Brett founded and is the Honorary President of Teach First, an educational charity working to break the link between low family income and poor educational attainment in England and Wales. He was CEO of Teach First from its launch in 2002 until October 2017. He is originally from Ocean Township, New Jersey and is a dual US/UK citizen.

Brett has the philosophy that a good business story is written by having good people around you, and he shares that in our conversation. Other highlights include:

· The vision for Tiney, a B-Corp, and creating a new model for finding quality pre-school teachers to be trained, registered and licensed.

· The due diligence to find the right co-founders and interviewing 40 plus candidates to find the right CTO.

· Tiney is also a Fin Tech company running invoicing and banking through the app.

· Startup support from the UK government and business.

· The prior experience of founding Teach First.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Brett:

Website: https://www.tiney.co

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 98 Dr. Jeffrey Magee, Leadership Strategist, CBE, CSP, CMC, PDM Jun 23, 2021

Dr. Jeffrey Magee CBE, CSP, CMC, PDM is often referred to as one of today’s leading Leadership Strategists. Dr. Magee believes that in both the start-up to mature-growth market business sector, the number one resource companies have is human capital and successful leaders bring out the best in people to help organizations thrive.

Dr. Magee is the author of over 30 books, three college graduate management textbooks, four best sellers, and is the Publisher of PERFORMANCE/P360 Magazine. He was recognized as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans by the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce and twice selected to represent the United States at the World Congress as a Leadership Speaker.

In our conversation, we discuss leadership topics including:

· 13 questions to ask before going into business with a partner.

· How to cut through the noise and create a clear mind for decisions.

· The four points customers look for in your business.

· The number one question to ask when making a business decision.

· Considerations when choosing your mentors.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dr. Jeffrey:

Website: http://www.jeffreymagee.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjeffspeaks

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 97 Kizzy Parks, PhD, Owner-K. Parks Consulting Jun 16, 2021

Kizzy Parks, PhD, owns and operates multiple businesses and has secured over $50 million in government contract awards. Dr. Kizzy started K. Parks Consulting, KPC, ten years ago because of an unexpected government consulting contract. Today, through her GovCon Winners program, she helps service-based small business owners learn how to bid and then win profitable federal government contracts.

Dr. Kizzy knows first-hand that there are thousands of opportunities and it's overwhelming to find the correct agencies that need small business services, projects that need fulfillment and surprising opportunities for what she calls low-hanging fruit.

Some topics Dr. Kizzy and I discuss include:

· Why pursuing government contracts may be right for your business.

· What types of government contracts are available.

· Key insights on how to approach the application process, including timelines.

· Government contracting and necessary documents.

· Why a leader needs to choose to lead from a point of humility.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Dr. Kizzy:

Website and free gift: https://www.govconwinners.com/7-mistakes-to-avoid-in-government-contracting/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DKP2007

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kizzy/

Twitter: @KizzyKPC

Connect with Allison:

Website: www.allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 96 Victor Fredung, CEO-Shufti Pro Jun 09, 2021

Victor Fredung is a Sweden-based FinTech innovator who co-founded Zensed and is currently serving as the CEO of Shufti Pro, an AI-driven identity verification service provider.

Because there is so much fraudulent activity in finance, banking, and other businesses, there is a need for real-time, dependable identity verification. This is an amazing story of how within two years, Victor and his team developed a breakthrough technology platform that now serves clients in over 150 countries.

In our conversation, we discuss:

· How the Shufti Pro solution can support 3,000 types of ID documents in over 150 languages.

· How harnessing AI transforms commonly used high-touch manual processes to a swift, seamless solution.

· Various types of verification needs and processes, including Know Your Business, KYB, Know Your Client, KYC, MFA, biometrics, etc.

· The development of new tech platforms, including design, piloting, and marketing.

· How a start-up needs to build trust, PR, and attraction in its early days.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Victor:

Website: https://shuftipro.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheShuftiPro/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shufti-pro

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ShuftiPro

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 95 Grant Morgan, Co-founder R-Zero Systems Jun 02, 2021

At the start of the pandemic, everyone started thinking of the best ways to clean and disinfect our environments. Those harsh chemicals and cleaning products aren’t healthy for the professional cleaners that use them, don’t reach all the places that need to be cleaned, or consider the effects on the environment.

Using his background in mechanical engineering, Grant Morgan developed a portable and financially enticing product for disinfecting hospital areas. Within six months, Grant and his co-founder developed and booked over $5 million in sales, raised $15 million in capital and started a company, R-Zero.

The company’s lead product, Arc, is a Hospital-grade UV-C power device, proven to destroy surface and airborne pathogens in a thousand square foot room in just seven minutes. The UV-C disinfection unit can destroy over 99.99% of pathogens to make commercial space as safe as possible for employees and customers. It incorporates IOT connectivity and data science to automate workflows.

R-Zero is a biosafety company with the mission of developing technologies and products to reduce deadly pathogens such as the Coronavirus, Influenza, norovirus, E. coli, common cold, and other common infectious diseases.

And that’s just the start of Grant’s story. In this episode, Grant shares this rare pandemic success story including:

· Innovation and speed to market comes from asking the right questions.

· Making a product financially feasible to other businesses using a hardware as a service model – meaning equipment rental verses ownership.

· Moving from a $1.6 million seed round of funding to $15 million in investors.

· The benefits of data intelligence being incorporated within the product and accessing data in real time.

· Future company growth beyond the Coronavirus pandemic.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Grant:

Website: https://rzero.com/

Facebook: @rzerosystems

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/in/grant-morgan-63707439

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 94 Cenk Sidar, Co-founder and CEO, GlobalWonks May 26, 2021

We are living in a fast-changing world where everyone needs access to information, knowledge and expertise in a way that is fast and accurate. As an example, think about how everyone needed information from around the globe regarding the pandemic.

Cenk Sidar, Co-founder and CEO of GlobalWonks, has a technology platform that removes barriers to accessing information, while creating equity in the global workforce. The platform allows information and expertise to be shared within minutes.

Before starting the company, Cenk spent 12 years as a global risk executive. His work includes assisting top financial institutions, multinational corporations, risk management firms, and legal firms operating in high-risk regions.

Cenk’s extensive degrees includes a Master’s in international economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, a postgraduate in European studies from SAIS’s Bologna Center in Italy, and a Bachelor’s in business administration and international relations from the Istanbul Bilgi University.

Highlights from our conversation include:

· Moving from a Minimally Viable Product, MVP, to a global network of over 27,000 experts.

· How the proprietary system harnesses human intelligence, AI and data so people can quickly connect to experts and insights.

· Working in emerging markets and pay equity for all.

· How the platform creates workplace equity for women.

· The lean organizational structure and fundraising.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Cenk:

Website: http://www.globalwonks.com/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 93 Maia Monell, Co-founder, CMO Nav.it Money App May 19, 2021

What if a financial app could help a user take the stress out of finances, by helping a user look at saving and spending habits from a holistic, health and wellness approach? Maia Monell is the Co-founder and CMO of Nav.it Money App. It helps users track and improve financial habits, just as a fitness routine can help keep one healthy.

Maia and her co-founder, Erin Papworth, are taking a fresh approach to Fintech, making Nav.it a relatable, trusted and approachable, money management app. They base the approach on behavioral science and support it with peer-to-peer learning.

Maia is devoted to closing wealth gaps perpetuated by a system not built for most Americans and is driven to make an impact in the lives of those less fortunate than herself.

There is so much to learn from Maia’s story and the approach to developing this app. In our conversation, we discussed:

· The startup process as a female founder in the FinTech space.

· Developing apps and being “top of phone.”

· Launch and quick pivot strategies made because of the pandemic.

· A delayed revenue strategy that actually added more users and strengthened the app’s features.

· Extending the brand through partnerships.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Maia:

Website:https://navitmoney.com

Instagram:@maiamonell

Twitter:@maia_maude

TikTok:@LetsNavit

Clubhouse:@maiamaude

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 92 Elnaz Sarraf, Founder, CEO Roybi Robot May 12, 2021

Elnaz Sarraf, CEO and founder of the award-winner Roybi Robot, has an incredible story, not only for her drive as an entrepreneur, but as an immigrant from Iran to the U.S. who had the tenacity to achieve success.

Roybi Robot is the world’s first AI powered smart toys to teach children language and STEM skills. It’s listed as one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions in Education, on the 2019 CNBC Upstart 100 list as one of the world’s most promising startups, and on Fast Company’s 2019 World-Changing Ideas.

Elnaz is a Board Member at the Consumer Technology Association, Small Business Council, and a member of the Forbes Technology Council.

In our conversation, we discussed:

· The story of her first company, iBaby Labs, featured in 10,000 store fronts.

· Leaving to devote her attention to Edu-tech and providing active learning experiences for children.

· Attracting investors with only a prototype.

· The perseverance of pitching to 2,000 investors to become funded.

· Usability and user experience in children’s product development.

· How she drives success with a lean team of 20 people across multiple countries.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Elnaz:

Website: https://roybirobot.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elnazsarraf/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elnaz_sarraf/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 91 Jehan Hamedi, Founder and CEO VIZIT May 05, 2021

We’ve all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words and visuals are a key deciding factor in consumer purchase decisions. For every company where visual imagery is important, it would be incredible for those companies to harness AI to place facts behind the images that are chosen to improve customer sales conversion rates.

Jehan Hamedi, Founder and CEO of Vizit, is the world’s first visual intelligence agency. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the technology can measure and analyze the effectiveness of visual content and design for many marketing communications and product concepts.

Jehan has more than a decade of experience in computational social science and artificial intelligence. His innovations have led to important advances in AI and computer vision, consumer insights and e-commerce, resulting in eight patents and an award-winning software platform. Before launching Vizit, Jehan led growth and innovation for Crimson Hexagon (acquired by Brandwatch), one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in Web, working with leading global brands, retailers, technology and media companies, including Google, Twitter, Walgreens, Toyota, and Paramount Pictures.

This technology is exciting and groundbreaking. In our conversation, we discussed:

How Vizit’s AI platform dramatically improves customer conversion including ecommerce, packaged goods, marketing messages, etc.
The history of building the platform and the team.
How the AI works to run images through an AI generated audience lens.
The three-year effort to develop the database to offer predictive views verses human subjective views.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Jehan:

Website: https://vizit.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10811155/admin/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VIZITLabs

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 90 Mark Cann, CEO/CTO CryomatiKs Inc. Apr 28, 2021

Mark Cann is the CEO/CTO of CryomatiKs Inc., a product development firm that uses the air we breathe to power a Zero Emissions Range Extender for electric vehicles (EVs). The Liquid Air “fuel” that powers their Range Extender is unlimited, because the air we breathe is unlimited. The Range Extender allows for five-minute quick refueling that is safe and convenient.

Mark wrote and submitted the patents of the core technology and is a highly skilled specialist in mechanical energy systems with over 20 years of hands-on experience in design and installation for specific automotive vehicle technologies.

Mark has a passion for the clean tech space and knowing that he can help transform the automotive industry.

In our conversation, we discussed:

· Moving from napkin design to the real-world execution including funding approaches.

· Taking your great idea and pivoting to meet the market and develop solutions.

· Insights on intellectual property, patents and “trade secrets.”

· Working with the government to create a substantial change in the clean tech space.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Mark:

Website:www.CryoEnergy.Tech

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 89 Kevin Condon, CEO/Founder at PayByCar and Verdeva Apr 21, 2021

Kevin Condon is an experienced chief executive officer with a history of working in fintech, transportation policy, B-2-B media and public policy. Kevin is the inventor of PayByCar and Efficient Vehicle Assessor (EVA) platforms that change how consumers do business from their cars.

PayByCar is an in-vehicle transaction company that makes in-vehicle payments easy, safe and fast. All it takes is a toll transponder and smartphone, but if you don’t have a transponder, you can use PayByCar’s non-toll tag.

I caught up with Kevin right as PayByCar is getting ready to tip into greater scale. Here are the highlights of our conversation:

· The massive market of in-vehicle transactions.

· The future opportunity-U.S. citizens spend $800 billion annually while in their cars.

· Developing and vetting the concept.

· Building a two-sided marketplace.

· Getting the word out: earned media and enrollment partnerships.

· The social aspect of building a small ‘d’ democratic tech solution that the masses can attain.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Kevin:

Website: https://www.mypaybycar.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-condon-35526a4/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyPayByCar/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPayByCar

PayByCar:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/paybycar/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 88 Ferruccio Bottoni, Co-Founder and CEO of USound GmbH and Fauna Audio GmbH Apr 14, 2021

If you enjoy music with crystal clear sound, then note USound, a company that has a mission to change the world by making audio systems better. Ferruccio Bottoni is Co-Founder and CEO of USound GmbH and Fauna Audio GmbH, strong-growing Austrian high-tech companies revolutionizing the personal audio field with their MEMS speakers-based products.

Ferruccio is a physicist who understands how to engineer a product that will disrupt and revolutionize the audio industry. Ferruccio and his two partners are growing the company rapidly because of their business models. They are also entering the Wearables market.

In our conversation, Ferruccio shares the company’s background and growth, including:

· The journey of USound to advance audio technology to change the acoustic world.

· The approach to manufacturing and worldwide distribution.

· A viewpoint on having three co-founders and the strength and talents of his two partners.

· The importance of a mission driven company and leaving egos behind.

· Collaboration is everything–working with 75 team members representing 18 nationalities.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Ferruccio:

Website USound: www.usound.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/usound-gmbh/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USoundTech/

Twitter: @USoundTech

Website Fauna: wearfauna.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearfauna/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/wearfauna/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearfauna/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 87 Alejandro Laplana, Founder and CEO, Shokworks Inc. Apr 07, 2021

Alejandro Laplana, Founder and CEO of technology and investments company, Shokworks Inc., has developed over 150 digital platforms and apps for exciting brands, entertainers, sports teams, growth start-ups, enterprises and broadcasters.

Some of his clients and co-investors include, The Colombian National Soccer Association, DIMAYOR Colombian National League, Millonarios FC, FC Barcelona, La Liga, Real Madrid, PSG, Kinesis Money, Start-Up Chile, Dupont Chemicals, The Las Vegas Raiders, The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, The Pittsburgh Steelers, Fox Sports, and HBO. The company has also worked with The United Nations and the Governments of the UK, Mexico and Panama.

Shokworks holds a staff of over 250 full-time employees that design, develop and operate highly scalable software solutions including mobile, web and AR/VR. Shokworks and its portfolio of companies have generated over $100-million in revenue.

Alejandro’s journey as a founder is impressive. This episode provides his insights into:

· Moving from startup to over 300 full-time employees worldwide.

· Scale and disruption of technology- AI, IoT, and blockchain.

· The future impacts of blockchain to remove middleman and decentralize finance.

· Don’t raise money until you are in a position of strength.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Alejandro:

Website:shokworks.io

LinkedIn:Alejandro Laplana

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 86 Marisa Santoro, CEO & Founder- In Our Shoes and Gutsy Leadership Academy Mar 31, 2021

Marisa Santoro is a TEDx speaker, author, career coach, Gutsy Leadership Trainer and motivational speaker. A former Wall Street executive, she is the founder of the career platform, In Our Shoes and the online school, Gutsy Leadership Academy. She trains and coaches workplace professionals, small business owners, and sales leaders.

In our conversation, we start with the concepts in Marisa’s book, Own Your Own Authority: Follow Your Instincts, Radiate Confidence, and Communicate as a Leader People Trust. We discuss how we can accelerate our confidence and authority, and as Marisa puts it, “follow a navigational path to becoming an expert.”

We also discussed:

· The importance of being intentional and having clarity.

· What immigrant thinking means and how to continue after hearing a “no.”

· Create better conversations with proper word choices.

· Be aware-you are always marketing yourself.

· Leading with instinct and intuition.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Marisa:

Website: www.inrshoes.com

Book: Own Your Own Authority: Follow Your Instincts, Radiate Confidence, and Communicate as a Leader People Trust.

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 85 Lars Ronning, Co-founder - Ailuna Mar 24, 2021

Lars Ronning, Co-founder of Ailuna, has a personal mission to make more environmental-friendly choices to help save the planet. He also wants to create a community where people can help each other create long-term habits that contribute to healing the environment.

Lars has a long history of working in the tech space, working with teams from around the world. His unique approach to creating the Ailuna app calls upon an expert in behavioral science to help people create and keep habits.

The Ailuna app is being used by consumers in 50 countries. The vision for the app’s development is to encourage citizen engagement by businesses, schools, local governments and charities.

In our conversation, Lars discusses the development of the app including:

· Building technology with a purpose.

· The challenges of building and working with a remote team.

· Citizen engagement technology-building a network of connections with common purpose.

· How software and apps can use behavioral science to change personal habits.

· The special meaning behind the name Ailuna.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Lars:

Website:https://www.ailuna.com/Lars/

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 084 Harel Tayeb, CEO of Kryon Systems Mar 17, 2021

The fourth industrial revolution is the RPA, which stands for Robotic Process Automation. Leading the revolution is Harel Tayeb, a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years’ experience in the technology ecosystem, and CEO of Kryon, an enterprise automation software provider. Harel is leading Kryon’s aggressive growth strategy while building a world-class team of curious, innovative problem solvers. The company, based in Israel, has 10 offices worldwide and serves clients including HSBC, Allianz, AIG, Great Eastern in Asia-Pac, Wyndam Hotel and several Telcos.

Prior to joining Kryon, Tayeb was an investor and advisor at Plus Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing tech startups. He has held several leadership positions at AVG (acquired by Avast for $1.3B) and Como (CondulT Mobile), a mobile app platform.

The idea of RPA is to have virtual workers. These “workers” do the boring jobs so that employees can focus on more innovation, communication and creating things that are more impactful for the employer and organization.

In our conversation, Harel shared:

· The growth of RPA and its role in Covid-19 vaccinations in Israel.

· Encouraging RPA development with low code or no code interfaces.

· The opportunities of the “citizen developer.”

· The future of RPA and the workplace environment.

· Leadership insight as an accomplished entrepreneur and company builder.

Harel also addressed the fears people may have when a new technology is introduced that might replace traditional workers. With his examples, people will easily see the advantages and new opportunities for RPA.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Harel:

Website:Kryonsystems.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 083 Aline Muylaert, Co-founder CitizenLab Mar 10, 2021

Aline Muylaert is the co-founder of CitizenLab, a civic engagement platform. The software meets the need of local governments that want to connect with citizens digitally, in a safe and efficient way. CitizenLab’s technology allows increased transparency within governmental processes, and to engage citizens in policymaking. 150 local governments in over 50 countries currently use the software.

Aline is on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for social entrepreneurship. Her journey has so many lessons for entrepreneurs. We discussed:

· Standing firm in your social mission while measuring both revenue and impact goals.

· The need to digitize democracy to increase citizen engagement.

· Harnessing AI for data aggregation to make data-driven decisions.

· Having diverse teams and being aware of biases that can influence coding and products.

· Start up funding, Impact VCs, and rapid expansion.

· Building initial brand trust by piloting and sharing relatable, success stories.

Aline’s journey started like so many other entrepreneurs. She found a problem and set out to solve it. And then she found a way quickly to grow and monetize. I hope you’ll learn from her experiences.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Aline Muylaert:

Website:http://www.citizenLab.co

Email:Aline@citizenlab.co

Connect with Allison Summers:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#socialentrepreneurship #founderstory #Forbes #Forbes30 #startup #BusinessBelgium #Brussels #AI #data #tech #coding #socialimpact #voting

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 082 Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder Web in Travel, WiT Mar 03, 2021

For this episode we head to Singapore to speak with Yeoh Siew Hoon, a remarkable businesswoman, friend of young entrepreneurs, and the founder of Web in Travel (WiT). WiT launched in 2005 and was acquired by Northstar Travel Media in 2104. Siew Hoon continues to lead the platform, having extended editions across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe.

Siew Hoon started the company based on her interest on how technology was changing the way people book and plan their travel but over the years expanded the focus and the product lines while staying true to the company’s brand message - Our purpose is to take your mind to new places, so that together we can accelerate travel innovation.

In our conversation, Siew Hoon shares her story of how she built her company and provides insights on the Asian entrepreneur community. We discuss:

· Building a community around travel technology and trends.

· Telling your company’s story and repurposing content across media platforms.

· Supporting Asian entrepreneurs with the WiT Startup competition.

· Supporting startups by matching investors, sharing expertise and building relationships.

· Cultural aspects of entrepreneurs in Asia compared to places like the U.S.

Siew Hoon believes everyone should express his or her creativity. She expresses hers by writing books, including Around Asia In One Hour: Tales of Condoms, Chilies & Curries, and her children’s books, Adventures of Habibie The Turtle, and The Story of Baitong and Boon.

You can learn more about travel in her podcast, A Life In Travel.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Yeoh Siew Hoon:

Website: https://www.alifeintravel.net/

Website: https://www.webintravel.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siew-hoon-yeoh-b11b69/

Facebook @yeohsiewhoon

Instagram @yeohsiewhoon

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#CEO #founder #travel #traveltech #travelasia #Singapore #businessasia #travelpodcast

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 081 Priszcilla Varnagy, CEO Be-novative Feb 24, 2021

Priszcilla Varnagy is the founder and CEO of Be-novative, a Design Thinking Process Management Platform. Priszcilla is recognized by Forbes 30 under 30, and is a winner of several competitions including Singularity University’s first Global Impact Competition in the CEE region in 2012, The Next Web’s Innovation Challenge, TechMatch Europe Silicon Valley, Morgan Stanley CTO Summits.

Priszcilla graduated as a psychologist, so she has a unique take on human nature and the intersection with technology. Be-novative is being used in over 500 Open Innovations projects. This software represents the future of work.

In our conversation, Priszcilla explains how the software uses design thinking and how companies can engage teams to innovate and problem solve. We also spoke about:

· Design thinking and how companies can engage teams to innovate and problem solve

· The connection between creative people and self-confidence and happiness

· Product development for a tech platform

· Scaling focused on quality of clients not just quantity

· Leveraging competitions for brand awareness and fundraising

· The intersection of AI development and human intelligence

· Singularity University and why you should check it out

Be sure to check out Priszcilla’s free Skillshare class listed below. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Priszcilla Varnagy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/priszcilla/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHB9BMnXtziEO9g-TMNLbJw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vpriszcilla/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/priszcillav

Skillshare: skl.sh/34VlZko

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#tech #SAAS # business #designthinking #AI #creativesociety #teambuilding #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #futureofwork

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 080 Patricia Osorio, Founder & CMO Birdie Feb 17, 2021

Patricia Osorio is the Founder & CMO at Birdie, a venture backed startup that develops proprietary AI (artificial intelligence) models to help brands understand what consumers think and want from brands and their products. Patricia is also the co-founder of GVAngels, an Angel investment Group with 200 plus members that have invested more than $2-million in 20 startups in Brazil.

Patricia’s tech startup journey started in Brazil, continued in South America, and expanded to the U.S. One of her clients is Samsung electronics.

Our conversation covers Patricia’s tech journey and understanding the data aggregation process. We discussed:

Scaling a tech company and aggregating third-party data using AI to understand how consumers actually use products
How brands can use customer insights to improve their products
Funding and mentoring from VC resources and groups like 500 Startups
The cultural differences when working in South America or the United States.

Patricia is a great example of being a tech disruptor. Enjoy the show!

Connect with Patricia Osorio

Website: https://birdie.ai

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciaomg

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#dataanalytics #AI #consumerelectronics #Tech #marketing #500startups #Entrepreneur #startup #startupstory #CEO #founder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 079 Mathew Sweezey: Director of Market Strategy, Salesforce & Author of The Context Marketing Revolution Feb 10, 2021

Mathew Sweezey, Director of Market Strategy-Salesforce, is one of the leading thought leaders on the future of marketing. His visionary insights into consumer behavior, technologies and business strategies have changed the way startups, Fortune 500 and nonprofit organizations have customer conversations. He frequently writes for the Economist, Forbes, HBR, The Observer, and AdAge magazines.

In our exciting conversation we covered the new world of marketing, including:

· Consumers own the media environment; not businesses.

· Consumers are the largest creators of “noise.”

· Why messaging is changing and using terms such as available, personal and authentic.

· Marketing co-creation.

· Creating communities.

Mathew’s book, The Context Marketing Revolution: How to Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media from Harvard Business Review Press is exceptional. I hope you’ll use his insights to help in your marketing.

Connect with Mathew Sweezey:

Book on Amazon: The Context Marketing Revolution: How to Motivate Buyers in the Age of Infinite Media

To find out more about the book, visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Context-Marketing-Revolution-Motivate-Infinite/dp/163369402X/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia-wc-rsf-lq2a1_0?crid=2BW97BDIGZL0&cv_ct_cx=the+context+marketing+revolution&dchild=1&keywords=the+context+marketing+revolution&pd_rd_i=163369402X&pd_rd_r=414832de-e3af-47dc-ac9b-54e858b9babe&pd_rd_w=bYRtK&pd_rd_wg=efy0d&pf_rd_p=52f9c563-bb87-44f4-9d9d-e1c03402d90f&pf_rd_r=JK6Z99Y8FS553GKP5QSY&psc=1&qid=1610748976&sprefix=The+context+%2Caps%2C174&sr=1-1-d3e58e83-6458-471c-a87e-175495b96a10

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewsweezey/

Connect with Allison:

allisonksummers.com

#marketing #CX #HBR #media #AI #brand #business #saleforce #ex #consumer #marketingtransformation #future #futurism #contentcreators

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 078 Yuting Su, Founder and CEO, Thinker-Tinker Feb 03, 2021

Technology is pushing many industries to the edge, including the toy market. Yuting Su is the Founder and CEO of Thinker-Tinker, an Educational-Tech gaming company. Yuting is the genius behind Octobe, a patented character-based smart toy learning platform. Yuting is using all her skills as entrepreneur, inventor, and storyteller with a background in digital and physical game design, experience design, and bioinformatics to bring this smart, cuddly creature to market.

In 2017, Yuting was listed in the Forbes 30 Under 30–Games Category. Her company is in the heart of Hollywood, which brings her closer to partners in the entertainment industry. Thinker-Tinker’s unique hardware-software tech solutions bring kids’ favorite characters to life with an expandable content library. The company was part of the Comcast Techstars accelerator and is now working with Universal Brand Development to create new, interactive experiences.

In our conversation we discuss:

· Smart toys and game design solutions.

· Product development and patents.

· Yuting’s perseverance as an entrepreneur.

· Lessons learned and working with contractors.

Yuting’s tip for entrepreneurs? Be open-minded and talk to people, consume knowledge in multiple places.

Website: Tinker-Tinker.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suyuting/

Social handles: @thinkertinkerinc, @playoctobo, @musicstarsgame

#CEO #startupstory #entrepreneurlife #business #toys #kids #gamedesign #octobo #play #learningthroughplay #game

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 77 Michelle Seiler Tucker Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Inc. Jan 27, 2021

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation we speak with mergers and acquisition expert Michelle Seiler Tucker about her new book Exit Rich. Michelle is passionate about supporting business owners building a business that is scalable and salable. She covers the principles of the Six P's Method that she believes, if followed, a founder can guide a business to a positive valuation and future sale.

Michelle Seiler Tucker is the Founder and CEO of Seiler Tucker Inc. She holds a M&AMI (Mergers & Acquisitions Master Intermediary) title and as a 20-year veteran in the M&A industry, she has a wealth of experience regarding buying, selling, fixing, and growing businesses. Her and her firm have sold over a thousand businesses in almost every vertical and have a remarkable track record of success.

In addition to being featured in INC, Forbes, and USA Magazine, Michelle is a Keynote Speaker and makes regular radio and TV appearances on Fox Business News and CNBC.

Connect with Michelle Seiler Tucker:

Personal Facebook, Business Facebook Page, Instagram, Twitter, & LinkedIn

Website: www.seilertucker.com

Book: www.exitrichbook.com

Connect with Allison:

Website: allisonksummers.com

#Exitrich #business #businessbuilder #founder #owner #valuation #DisruptiveCEONation

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 76 Prince Adu-Appiah – Founder and CEO, 1 Billion Africa (Ghana) Jan 20, 2021

For this episode, we headed to Ghana to speak on social entrepreneurism with the Founder and CEO of 1 Billion Africa, Prince Adu-Appiah.

Prince shares his vision of ‘Turning problems into projects’ and how he approached developing a movement whose projects and activities have impacted over 12,500 Africans, with the majority being youth, women and children. We discuss his love of leadership, his tech background, his start up story, branding, marketing and how he activated a base of supporters, donors, and leaders. We also discuss leadership principles and what it means to inspire Africa’s Youth to find problems in their communities and to turn them into projects.

Prince Adu-Appiah is a social entrepreneur, a thought leader, a development worker, and a tech consultant whose passion is to help eradicate poverty in Africa and to raise young leaders. He is the Founder and CEO of 1Billion Africa (www.1billionafrica.org). His work has attracted honors and recognitions both locally and globally including; receiving the JCI 2015 Top 10 Outstanding Young Persons in Ghana Award, recognized as part of JCI World's 2015 Top 20 Outstanding Young Persons in the World, recognized in 2015 Top 30 Under 30 Future of Ghana young talents in Ghana, recipient of Unsung Hero People of Distinction Humanitarian Award, USA, and listed in Leadership Expert Gordon Tredgold's 2014 TOP 10 F.A.S.T Leaders list. Prince is a 2-time TEDx Speaker, a 2017 Kumvana Fellow, a 2016 Brightest Young Minds alumnus, an Ashoka Changemakers Scholar, and an Associate Fellow at the Royal Commonwealth Society. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Ghana Business School in Organizational Leadership & Corporate Governance.

Connect with Prince on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/princeaduappiah or via social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/princeaappiah

Twitter: www.twitter.com/princeaappiah

Instagram: www.instagram.com/princeaappiah

#socialentrepreneur #CEO # founder #startupstory #nonprofit #ngo #Ghana #SDGs

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 75 Francisco Webber - Co-founder and CEO of Cortical.io Jan 13, 2021

We head to Vienna, Austria to meet Francisco Webber, founder of multiple companies, Natural Language Understanding (NLU) expert and inventor of Cortical.io’s proprietary Retina technology – a technology applies the principles of cerebral processing to machine learning and natural language understanding (NLU) to solve real-world use cases related to big text data.

In this episode, we discuss big data and the problems that need to be solved to sort through and interpret that data. Francisco provides insight into semantic folding processing and how Cortical.io (www.cortical.io) is pushing forward smarter machine automation. At Cortical.io solutions are based on the actual meaning of text, rather than on statistical occurrences. We also discuss how the business was built and how they have harnessed a multi-national team to collaborate and innovate.

Francisco’s interest in information technology developed during his medical studies, when he was involved in medical data processing. Over the course of two decades, he explored search engine technologies and documentation systems in various contexts but became increasingly frustrated with the limitations of state-of-the-art statistical methods. In 2005 he founded Matrixware Information Services, which developed the first standardized global patent database. In 2007 he set up the Information Retrieval Facility with leading academic expert in information retrieval Professor Keith van Rijsbergen. Francisco recognized that the brain was the only existing reference system when it came to processing natural language. While closely following developments in neuroscience, he formulated his theory of Semantic Folding, which models how the brain represents language data.

Cortical.io provides natural language understanding (NLU) solutions that enable large enterprises to automate the extraction, monitoring, and analysis of key information from any type of text data reducing the time and human effort it takes to complete business-critical data search and review processes. Coritcal.io has been implemented at multiple Fortune 100 businesses and featured in the Economist, Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg and Gartner.

Cortical.io has offices in Europe (HQ in Vienna) and in the US (New York and San Francisco).

Connect with Francisco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/franciscoeduardodesousawebber/

#Tech #bigdata #automation #NLU #machinelearning #Fortune100

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 74 Vidusha Nathavitharana: Founder & Destiny Architect, Luminary Learning Solutions & High5 Consultancy Jan 06, 2021

In this episode we head to Sri Lanka to speak with Vidusha Nathavitharana. Vidusha is a vibrant and motivating leadership and human resource expert who possesses a wide corporate background that has served as a positive foundation to launching his businesses. He is also the author of over 50 books and a TedX speaker.

We have an open and honest conversation on his first startup High5 Consultancy and the lessons learned that he improved upon in his second venture Luminary Learning Solutions, which has scaled up and delivered executive training, team building and other services in 25 countries and counting. Vidusha has pioneered the concept of ROI based leadership training and boasts the ability to offer quantifiable and verifiable ROI after each of his signature leadership programs - possibly a first across the globe. We also discuss the influence of his father on his business life and why he is so passionate about training the next generation of business leaders and offers all his books for free - honouring his fathers’ request to ‘payback’ for the free education he received in his normative years.

Vidusha holds a bachelor’s in business management from the University of Lincoln, UK, a master’s in leading innovation and change from the University of York St. John, UK and a MBA from the University of Wales Trinity St. David, UK. He started his career in branding and marketing, moved to manufacturing and finally ended in HR and HRD, with his last corporate role at Sara Lee Courtaulds. Vidusha founded High5 Consultancy (www.highfiveconsultancy.com) in 2005 where his clients include The World Bank, The UN, MAS Holdings, John Keells Holdings, HSBC, Deutsch Bank, BRAC University, CARE International, top corporates and INGOs. In 2018, he founded Luminary Learning Solutions (http://www.luminarylearningsolutions.com/). Vidusha was also a lecturer for the CIM program in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He was on the Board of Advisors for CARE Sri Lanka, and helped form Chrysalis (a social enterprise focusing on Women and Youth) as one of the two founding Directors. Connect with Vidusha on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidushanathavitharana/.

#CEO #founder #entrepreneur #startup #training #HR #HRD #business #SriLanka

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 73 Carlos Castelan – Founder and Managing Director of The Navio Group Dec 09, 2020

Retail is a sector that has experienced unprecedented shifts related to customer behaviors, changes in loyalty, digital strategies, AI advances, the rise of influencers and more. For brands it is no longer only important to get a product on the shelf and for stores the stakes are now high on how to engage and entice the in-person purchase experience. Retailers need tailored solutions and guidance on how to innovate for the world of tomorrow.

Enter The Navio Group founded by Carlos Castelan. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation we speak with Carols about his founders story and his vision to establish a lead boutique firm focused on helping retailers transform their business, drive cost savings, reinvent core business, and develop innovation.

Through The Navio Group, Carlos supports clients range from Fortune 500 retailers to high growth direct-to-consumer businesses. Prior to Navio, Carlos was a Partner & Chief Strategy Officer at Conlego, a premier negotiations and partnership firm. There he advised on growth strategy, negotiated key agreements and was the principal partner to open new accounts. Carlos previously founded & was the Managing Director at Noma Consulting Partners (acquired by Conlego Consulting in 2016). Carlos has worked at The Boston Consulting Group and at Target Corporation. He holds a B.A. and B.S. in International Studies and Economics from the University of St. Thomas and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Find out more at www.thenaviogroup.com. Connect with Carlos on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carloscastelan/

#retail #customers #B2C # #Harvard

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 72 Oleksandr Kosovan – Founder & CEO of MacPaw, Founder of SetApp Nov 25, 2020

From college student to world domination and all the tough work that takes place in-between, this is the story of Oleksandr Kosovan. For this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we went to the Ukraine to speak with this tech-entrepreneur who has achieved what only others have dreamed of. As the creator of CleanMyMac, Oleksandr has witnessed his app pass the count of 4 million users, in fact, every 5th Mac on Earth has a MacPaw app installed on it and there is at least one MacPaw user in Antarctica.

Oleksandr shares his founder’s journey which began as a hobby project spending one year developing his first app over nights and weekends and once ready, he chose to allow open access to it. His journey is an amazing one that covers product development, distribution, customer feedback, and accelerated growth, all while bootstrapping his way to leading a 260-employee organization. We also discussed the careful balance of the life of an entrepreneur, starting a family, and giving back.

MacPaw is headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine. The company develops and distributes software for macOS and iOS and is one of the biggest software developers on the Mac market. MacPaw's flagship app, CleanMyMac 3, cleans 614 TB of junk every day - two times the size of the Library of Congress. In 2017, MacPaw launched Setapp, the first subscription service for Mac apps.

Today, Oleksandr invests in the local IT field, providing funding and mentorship programs for young specialists. He has co-founded SMRK (smrk.vc), a venture capital fund with global reach. Though SMRK he has invested in world-famous projects like AJAX.Systems, Madberry, Amazing Hiring, and Allset. Connect with Loeksandr on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/akosovan/?originalSubdomain=ua and visit www.macpaw.com.

#tech #CEO #founder #entrepreneur #startup #MacPaw #macOS # iOS #apple #apps #setapp #business #Ukraine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EP 71 Tim Spiker: Founder of The Aperio Nov 11, 2020

Whether you are in startup, scale up or running steady and strong, every business builder needs to be a great leader. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Tim Spiker, author, trainer, team builder and leadership development expert. As the founder of The Aperio, Tim can uniquely relate to entrepreneurs and the decisions and pressures on their shoulders as they navigate business. He also shares his own story of planning his leap from receiving a paycheck to writing the check for others.

Tim’s book, The Only Leaders Worth* Following, reveals that 77% of leadership effectiveness comes from who a leader is and not what they do. Using this principle, Tim helps people become, be, and stay leaders who are actually worth following.

Tim has worked with leadership teams in North America, Australia, and Asia. Tim’s work includes delivering keynote talks, creating unique and customized learning experiences, and guiding long-term development journeys including teaching on the Who* Not What Principle. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and four children.

Connect with Tim on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/timspiker/. Visit his company www.theaperio.com. Follow on Twitter @TimSpiker.

#Leadership #Business #Founderstory #Atlantabusiness

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karolyn Hart - Founder of InspireHUB Oct 28, 2020

A big part of any business is the basis for its tech framework. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation we speak with Karolyn Hart, an award-winning Canadian entrepreneur, technology executive, activist, speaker, author and Founder of InspireHUB. Our conversation transverses topics of digital experience platforms, data security, data ownership, and how to have a simple, organic, business ecosystem that allows start-ups and small business owners focus on their objectives and customer care rather than risks and stumbling blocks of the tech framework.

We also talk about Karolyn extraordinary journey as an entrepreneur and founder that included being sought out by the Mandela family to bring her skills to a very special project in South Africa. With a vision to ‘Fred Rodgers’ the business world, Karolyn is a person to know in your network. She has also made "The Ultimate Small Business Survival Guide" available to help navigate crisis management and shore business continuity plans: https://www.inspirehub.com/en-us/small-business-survival-guide

Karolyn has spent two decades building a unique skill set around engagement including as a technologist with experience implementing large scale projects in financial services, automotive and healthcare; an entrepreneur launching a national television show; an award-winning economic developer working in community engagement; and a startup founder designing and working with the latest in Progressive Web App technology. Karolyn has been covered in the Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, The Globe and Mail, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, GCN and SD Times. She was recognized as one of 99 Limit Breaking Female Founders by Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global and was featured as a Top Female Disruptor in Authority Magazine. Her technical white papers have been published by various industry magazines, and her 2017 white paper garnered the support and participation from leading engineers in Google Chrome and Samsung Internet.

You can listen and learn from Karolyn on the "Big on Small" business podcast. Visit her company at www.inspirehub.com and connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karolynzhart/.

#entrepreneur #smallbusiness #tech #dgital #DXP #datasecurity #CEO #founder #canadabusiness #womeninbusiness #female founders #DisruptiveCEONation

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff Chastain - Founder and CEO, Admentus Oct 14, 2020

For this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we head to Texas to speak with Jeff Chastain, founder of Admentus and a professional Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS®) Implementer. We have a candid conversation with Jeff about his own career and the motivation to establish his own business. We then focus on the challenges faced by all business builders and approaches to ease stress as a business grows. We all know that it takes very different skills to start a business then to sustain one, and that if you don’t have the right advice, cracks can show up rather quickly.

Complementing fifteen years in the technology space, Jeff founded Admentus to help entrepreneurs and business leaders embrace systems that can predict success. Jeff is a big believer in the EOS Model™ and mentors and trains founders and business creators on the Six Key Components™ that must be managed and strengthened to be a great business: vision, people, data, issues, process and traction. Of course, here at Disruptive CEO Nation, we also would add networks and coaching to that equation because business builders at every stage need to hear from those that have gone before them to help make their own path a little clearer.

You can connect with Jeff on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffdchastain/ and visit his company at www.admentus.com.

#entrepreneur #Texasbusiness #startup #CEO #EOS #EOSmodel #founder #DisruptiveCEONation

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Theresa M. Līna – CEO, Loina Group Inc and Author of Be the Go-To Sep 30, 2020

What can you learn from a recognized Silicon Valley thought leader and strategist? A whole lot about market domination strategies.

In this episode, we talk with Theresa M. Lina. the author of the best-selling bookBe the Go-To: How to Own Your Competitive Market, Charge More, and Have Customers Love You For It. Every business builder knows they need to find that perfect edge to their value proposition and using ‘The Apollo Method for Market Dominance’, we discuss with Theresa what elements it takes to achieve success as a premium Go-To brand. Her tips and insight on how you shouldn’t be competing on price are good reminder for all our listeners that you constantly need to evaluate the course of your mission.

Theresa M. Lina is the CEO of Līna Group, Inc., which specializes in market dominance strategy. Over her professional life, she has served as chief strategy and marketing officer for several technology startups and has advised hundreds of companies. She began her career at Accenture, where she helped found, lead, and grow the firm’s communications industry group, now a multibillion-dollar business unit. Theresa is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on strategy, market leadership, innovation, and technology topics.

Always helping those coming up behind her, Theresa has been involved at Stanford University since 2006 as a course facilitator at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, teaching courses on Marketing, Strategic Leadership, Critical Analytical Thinking, and Principled and Purposeful Leadership.

To connect with Theresa on LinkedIn visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresa-lina/. You can find her on Twitter under @theresa_m_lina. Be the Go-To is available on Amazon and other bookstores.

#Business #CEO #marketing #Stanford #businessstrategy #valueprop #dominance #leadership #startup #founder #entrepreneur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Locke - Partner & CEO UK and Europe at Rainmaking Sep 16, 2020

Chris Locke is an innovative business growth and start up expert who has a legacy of working with corporates and individuals to build powerful, sustainable, and socially minded organizations. But aside from being a wealth of knowledge, we love the ease at which he approaches his conversations and clients – it makes him a pleasure to know.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we talk with Chris about the current economic environment, evolving business models, opportunities, rapid shifts in customer bases, and the tenants for a successful business. Chris share case studies (Nokia), data (the average age of successful entrepreneurs is 45) and talks about businesses focused on solving problems and delivering positive impact under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (check out their SDG Compass program).

At Rainmaking, Chris and his team work with corporates by implementing a systemic approach to driving innovation and developing new business models to unlock future growth. Under the ASPIRE program, the Rainmaking team has an ambitious goal to help individuals displaced by redundancies and reductions to be gain the knowledge they need to launch their own companies. Since 2006, Rainmaking has helped scale and build over 900 tech companies and hundreds of other companies across a variety of sectors. Prior to Rainmaking, Chris led Pearson's award-winning Global Innovation Team, leading the company through its transition from print to digital. He also founded Startup Republic, a UK focused edtech company, which enabled students to unleash entrepreneurship and build startups whilst studying.

Connect with Chris Locke on Twitter @clocke78 and LinekdIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-locke-28680517/

To learn more about ASPIRE and Startupbootcamp visit https://rainmaking.io/aspire/

#CEO #business #founder #startup #techstartup #entrepreneur #business #motivation #success #entrepreneurship #entrepreneurlife #smallbusiness #businessowner #hustle #ASPIRE #Rainmaking #SDGs #socialimpact #startuprepublic #Nokia #redundancies

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Ogurchak - Co-Founder & CEO, STACK Sep 02, 2020

Sometimes we meet entrepreneurs who amaze us and Jonathan Ogurchak, the Co-founder and CEO of http://stackpharmacy.com/, is one of those people. Jonathan stepped away from a lucrative career as a pharmacist to build a platform that could transform the way #pharma business gets done, and he did so as a father of two children with one on the way and he literally started this great business in his garage (and here we must pause for quick salute to his wonderful wife).

In this episode, we hear the #startup story of Stack, a compliance management software designed to simplify the “outside of the dispense” complexities associated with running successful pharmacy organizations; however, the principles and functions of the STACK information ecosystem principles can translate to multiple industries.

Jonathan is also Managing Partner of Rhythm Group, a consulting and technology solutions organization, and is a Certified Consultant with Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). Jonathan has designed programs and services for both Accredo and PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy focusing on implementing innovative uses for technology, including high-touch pharmacist-driven programs focused on dosing efficiency, clinical monitoring of patient outcomes, and integrated patient engagement. He is on faculty for the Master of Pharmacy Business Administration (MPBA) program through the University of Pittsburgh, leading the Specialty Pharmacy Management curriculum. He currently serves on the editorial board for Specialty Pharmacy Times, holds CSP Certification through the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board, and serves as an Educational Consultant for the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP).

Jonathan is a disruptive entrepreneur you just may want to follow @stackpharmacy and connect with via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanogurchak.

#CEO #founder #business #startupstory #tech #pharma #pharmacy #entrprenuer #medtech #healthcare #h2p #Pitt #Pittnow #DisruptiveCEONation

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pedro Pico (a.k.a. Teresa Al Dente) – Founder, Drag Taste Aug 05, 2020

Pedro Pico is both an inspiring businessman and gem of a woman. For this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we head to Lisbon, Portugal and meet Pedro, whose motto is ‘My secret to get things done is getting started’.

Pedro is a creative adventurer who has built a business out of his love affair with food. He produced his own cooking show on YouTube which led to founding Tasty Studio, a company specializing in branded food and beverage media content. He has also hosted hundreds of home-cooked dinners for people from around the world all of which has led to his latest business venture: Drag Taste.

Featured by Airbnb as one of the top experiences in the world, Pedro developed Drag Taste with spouse Nikolay (a.k.a. Irina Ganache). They have an amazing team of the best drag queens from all over the world and, under a chandelier of red high heels, they host events such as "Drag-up Cooking Class", where they transform every guest in drag and host a Portuguese cooking class and event. Not to be side tracked by COVID, the team converted the event experiences to virtual and are now the top online Airbnb Experience with ‘Sangria and Secrets with Drag Queens’, where they actually dramatically increased their revenue beyond the ability of the restaurant. Next up? Opening Drag Taste locations worldwide.

To connect with Pedro visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedropico89/, however, to connect with Teresa al Dente visit www.dragtaste.com or sign up with Sangria and Secrets at https://www.airbnb.com/experiences. You can also follow the adventure on social at @DragTaste

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patrick Ungashick – CEO, NAVIX Consultants Jul 22, 2020

You know what they say, ‘Begin with the end in mind’ and that’s how you need to approach building your business. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Patrick Ungashick, author of Dance in the End Zone: The Business Owner’s Exit Planning Playbook, and the award-winning A Tale of Two Owners: Achieving Exit Success Between Business Co-Owners. Patrick works with company founders and business owners to prepare for and achieve happy and successful exits.

As a business owner himself, he founded and leads two separate companies. As a speaker, Patrick typically addresses more than 50 groups per year, sharing exit advice and solutions to owners of privately-held companies from several million to over a billion in revenue. Additionally, he has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and Financial Week. During his nearly 30 years’ career, Patrick has helped hundreds of business owners achieve exit success.

Outside of work, even though he cannot juggle nor play a musical instrument, Patrick is a proud member of the Atlanta Distinguished Clown Corps, a group of full-time business leaders and part-time clowns that raise money and lift smiles at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the largest pediatric hospital in the U.S. Patrick is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball and the University of Georgia football teams. Patrick has three boys, and lives with his wife Maggie in the Atlanta area.

For more information, visit www.patrickungashick.com. To connect with Patrick, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickungashick/

#Business #founder #CEO #Entrepreneur #business #owner #company #exitstrategy #NAVIXconsultants

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sumaira Isaacs - CEO Global Tourism Forum (Brand of World Tourism Forum) & Serial Entrepreneur Jul 08, 2020

Sumaira K. Isaacs is a woman who knows the world and a woman the world should know. When we booked her, our intent to was to explore the close correlation between a country’s open borders and lively tourism to the opportunity for entrepreneurs to achieve business success, but we just happened to schedule this call amid the global COVID-19 pandemic and ended up with a rich conversation about what happens to business when borders close and events cancel.

The movement of people is critical to success of business and unless business tourism returns, can there be a full economic recovery? Afterall, one in ten people in the world work in a role that is part of the hospitality and tourism industry. And with the potential for 75 million hospitality jobs to be lost worldwide and forecasts of half the global airlines closing down, what does the post-COVID-19 global scenario look like?

Originally from Pakistan, with a long base of business in Dubai, and now residing in Canada, Sumaira is an International tourism industry veteran with over 25 years’ experience establishing companies, growing international brands, strategizing mergers and acquisitions, and serving as an expert consultant and advisor. She has worked with companies, tourist boards, associations (serving on several industry boards) and local governments in Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and North America. Now through the platform of Global Tourism Forum (WoTF Brand) Sumaira is making a difference alleviating poverty and creating jobs by creating a tourism legacy in the developing countries.

Connect with Sumaira on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumaira-isaacs/ and visit https://www.globaltourismforum.org/. You can also find her on Twitter as @Sumairaki.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anna-Mieke Anderson - Founder, CEO of MiaDonna Jun 24, 2020

We invite you to spend time with Anna-Mieke Anderson, a B Corp founder and CEO of MiaDonna & Company and The Greener Diamond (www.miadonna.com). Named by Entreprenuer Magazine as one of their 100 Powerful Women in 2019, we thoroughly enjoyed discussing how the passions that inspire the birth of a business still require sound strategies to keep that mission alive.

Based in Portland, OR, USA, Anna-Mieke is globally recognized as the pioneer of the lab-grown diamond (LGD) industry. After learning the conflict origin of her own earth-mined diamond in 2005, Anna-Mieke challenged the notion that gemstones, particularly diamonds, could only come from a place of unnecessary hardship. In 2007, she launched MiaDonna and pushed the quality of lab-grown diamonds to the highest levels. Today, ten percent of net profits are given to their non-profit foundation, The Greener Diamond, which helps free women and children oppressed by the active conflict diamond mining industry.

Anna-Meike is a dedicated mother of 2, an avid philanthropist and successful entrepreneur, who is internationally recognized as a humanitarian and activist who works tirelessly to inspire other young women to follow their entrepreneurial spirit. Connect with Anna-Meike via LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annamieke

You can also find her via Facebook

- https://www.facebook.com/annamiekeanderson/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/annamiekeanderson/ and Twitter @MiaDonna_CEO

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ron Carucci - Co-Founder of Navalent Jun 10, 2020

Ron Carucci is a voice of wisdom for founders whether they are seeking Series A Funding or managing a mature business. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we explore topics such as founderism, strategy, growth and the insights into how 15% of your efforts can be the secrete sauce to success if you lift your head and lead the way you should. Ron also shares how investors are evaluating your business to spot a winning team, a winning leader, and a winning idea and challenges business leaders to understand their differentiators and firmly know why you have a right to win business.

As co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, Ron has been working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries. From start-ups to Fortune 10's, turn-arounds to new markets and strategies, overhauling leadership and culture to re-designing for growth, he has worked in more than 25 countries on 4 continents. In addition to being a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and Forbes, and has been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, Business Insider, MSNBC, Inc, Business Week, Smart Business, and thought leaders.

You can connect with Ron at www.navalent.com or via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/roncarucci/.

Honestly, he is one of the smartest cookies we have met his year.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julian Fisher - Founder & CEO of jisp May 27, 2020

Julian Fisher is the founder and CEO of jisp, a lifestyle app that digitizes products and experiences to bring the best of online into physical spaces offering digital baskets, gamification, and the ability to tap product labels and have instant information. In this episode Julian shares insight into his entrepreneurial journey, growing companies, and product development in the digital space.

What we appreciate about Julian (aside from the smile in his voice) is the rich history (and frankly love story) he has with technology which is rooted in his launching the UK’s first internet exhibition in 1994. Since then his work has remained inexorably linked to technology, improving sales and payments, and tackling compliance issues for a wide group of blue-chip companies. Today, the jisp solution serves many of the UK’s biggest and well-known stores such as JD Sports, H&M, Topman, Whittard of Chelsea, Crew Clothing and Yankee Candle.

You can connect to Julian through www.jisp.com or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-fisher-901270. Or follow in social media @jispapp

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Farah Asemi – Founder of ecofleet May 13, 2020

Join us as we head to the UK to discuss socially conscious business with Farah Asemi, founder of ecofleet, a sustainable mindful B to C logistics service using carbon-neutral electric cargo bikes and vehicles. In this episode we transverse topics of product development, white label service, warehousing in a city like London and management of a unique workforce. Currently, ecofleet riders do 12,000 laps of the world every year. But what we love oh so much is the branding – it is worth checking out.

We also cover the question of why enter the #greenbusiness space and Farah shares if the trigger moment when she knew there needed to be a call for change. When we caught up with Farah she was entering her first round of fundraising after starting the company with personal seed money and a government grant. We also cover the unique process to hire riders that will fulfill the mission in rain or shine – ok, this is London – so in rain or rain.

Prior to ‘cycling into action’, Farah had a successful career within property development and real estate. She trained as an interior architect at the Mount Vernon School of Design in Washington DC. And then specialized in the renovation of London apartments. Farah’s desire to improve living conditions continued with her focus turning to our environment, a cause which Farah has been passionate about all her life.

Connect with Farah on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/farah-asemi-973a50193/ and visit Instagram at theecofleet.

#Startup #entrepreneur #green #London #sustainablebusiness #femalefounder #CEO #Founder #UKbusiness

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Bachman – Co-Founder & Managing Partner at Umbrex Apr 29, 2020

Will Bachman is a brilliant mind at work connecting other brilliant minds to business today. As co-founder and Managing Partner of www.Umbrex.com he has brought together a global, collaborative community connecting 800 top tier independent management consultants across fifty countries. He is also the host of How to Thrive as an Independent Professional, which has over 270 published episodes. If you want to know how to set up a successful solopreneur practice in a gig economy, this is the man to know.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we touch on the principles Will has employed to grow this impressive ecosystem of independent professionals that anyone can use to grow business in your market niche as well. We discuss the value of content creation as a door opener to more meaningful client relationships and how providing your client community a platform to engage and connect will extend the value of your brand.

But we also love that Will is simply an interesting CEO. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Business School but from 1992 to 2000, he served in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear-trained submarine officer, making major deployments in support of national security and receiving three Navy Achievement Medals. Post military he moved on to McKinsey and then launched UMBREX.

You are invited to listen to Unleashed – How to Thrive as an Independent Professional https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/.

Will is also happy to accept LinkedIn connection requests from listeners of Disruptive CEO Nation: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willbachman/

#business #consultants #CEO #founder #podcast #businesssolutions #McKinsey #consulting #gigeconomy #professionals

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nikolaus Kimla – Pipeliner CRM and Salespop Apr 15, 2020

Nikolaus Kimla – Pipeliner CRM and Salespop

Nikolaus Kimla is a business Rockstar, innovator and influencer that you should know. Crossing from Austria to California, Nikolaus has created six businesses in the tech space and in this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, he shares insights into what it took to conceive and launch his latest endeavor, serving as the founder and CEO for Pipeliner CRM.

As an expert in process efficiencies, digital workflows and CRM, Nikolaus has designed a solutions platform to enable sales teams to navigate complex sales processes in the B to B space and beyond. He shares views on tech design and how better adoption rates are achieved with a deep knowledge of the user perspective. Also the founder of Salespop, Nikolaus shares insight into how to leverage content creation for community building as Salespop articles can have tens of thousands of views and professionals the world over visit the platform’s educational portal: https://salespop.net/sales-management/.

Nikolaus is the kind of entrepreneur we love as he is driven by creating companies that serve people. He has published three books in both German and English on the subjects of salespeople, the IT revolution, and on economic principles and their application and speaks on these topics regularly. His organization also partners with institutions like DePaul University. Find out more at www.pipelinersales.com and connect with Niklaus at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolauskimla/ and on Twitter @kimlanikolaus.

#sales #salespeople #salesgoals #CRM #business #tech #founder #CEO #leadership #entrepreneur #DisruptiveCEONation #Startup #Salespop #Pipeliner #Californiabusiness

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Ben Schmidt – RoadBotics Apr 01, 2020

How can artificial intelligence help strengthen roads and infrastructure? On this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, RoadBotics co-founder and President, Dr. Ben Schmidt shares his unlikely journey to revolutionize the way local governments assess and maintain their roads.

RoadBotics was spun out of Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) Robotics Institute in 2016 and has raised $11.4M in venture capital investment to date. Ben shares insights into how the company developed including his theory about ‘brain trusts’, raising capital, protecting intellectual property, and working with governments. He also shares how machine learning from companies like Roadbotics can help government make better data driven decisions.

Ben studied bioengineering in college and received his PhD in that same field, but halfway through his PhD program, he realized that academia was not for him. He completed his dissertation, earned his title, but he wanted to do more. Instead, he took that knowledge decided to start a company. To learn more visit www.roadbotics.com or connect with Ben at https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidtbt/ or on Twitter @RoadBoticsNA.

#roads #AI #machinelearning #roadconstruction #CarnegieMellon #Founder #CEO #Startup #entrepreneur #govtech #publicworks #civictech

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tiffany Jana – Founder of TMI Consulting Mar 18, 2020

In the future of work, culture will drive everything, and Dr Tiffany Jana will be there advising clients on how to optimize their workplace and community environments to benefit customers, stakeholders and staff. A lifelong diversity and inclusion expert, Dr. Jana is a proven business builder, highly sought-after speaker and prolific author whose latest book, Subtle Acts of Exclusion, is now available. We also will say she is one of the biggest bundles of energy we have ever met!

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, Dr. Jana shares how she founded and built www.tmiconsultinginc.com. She is an expert on ‘interpersonal competencies’ and touches on the process to identify engagement gaps, human equity gaps and systems gaps. She discusses problems in the workplace, such as microagressions, that can kill teams. Dr Jana also insights into how she became an author and why being an author is good for your business.

Dr. Jana is the Founder of TMI Consulting and has helped orchestrate the firm’s tremendous growth over the past 17 years. This includes establishing a national network of consultants and spearheading the company’s transition into the world’s first Certified Benefit Corporation with a diversity and engagement focus. Dr. Jana has positioned TMI Consulting as the global leader in social enterprise, values-based engagement. As TMI's leader, Dr. Jana oversees the development of the firm's strategy, client relationships, and team. Dr. Jana also serves as a strategic advisor on client engagements, and has deep expertise in diversity and inclusion, marketing, leadership, and stakeholder engagement.

To connect with Dr, Jana visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyjana/.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Broomhead - Co-founder & CEO of Trade Hounds Mar 04, 2020

David Broomhead is the co-founder and CEO of Trade Hounds in Boston, a startup that’s created a mobile app and social network for America’s 13-million construction and trade workers, providing them an online forum to share their work and life experiences.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, learn how the team at Trade Hounds approached developing a platform to serve as a digital ‘Town Hall’ that lets construction workers, contractors, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, etc. connect with each other to discuss their jobs, new work opportunities, their families and work issues.

Broomhead grew up in a small, blue-collar town in Australia and at an early age gravitated towards the family construction business. Immigrating to the U.S., Broomhead was at Babson College earning his MBA, when he began engaging in conversations, research and development with both workers and employers to deliver what the market was missing.

For more information visit www.tradehounds.com or connect with David on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-broomhead-63839730/

#TradeHounds #construction #app #Tradespeople #work #contractor #startup #CEO #founder

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May Al-Karooni - Founder & CEO of Globechain Feb 19, 2020

May Al-Karooni is the CEO & founder of Globechain, a reuse marketplace that connects corporates to charities, small businesses and people to redistribute unneeded items, generating social impact data.

In this episode, May describes the organization’s journey from inception to scaling across multiple countries and continents while providing insight into holding the vision as the founder, building technology platforms, and knowing when and how to seek investors. May shares how last year 5,100,000 kilos were diverted from landfills by being redistributed through Globechain’s 10,000 members, demonstrating the need for being Commercial with a Conscience ®,

May is a global citizen who has previously worked within the investment banking and asset management industry, fundraising monies for venture capital, property and hedge funds for the last 10 years totalling over £120 million in funds raised. In 2015 May set up Globechain after seeing a demand for a new online circular economy within the waste management industry after her own bank employer expressed a need to reuse items in a more collaborative way. In 2019, Globechain launched in Spain, United Arab Emirates, hosted a panel at COP25 Madrid and won multiple awards including May being recognised as one of the Women Leading in Real Estate.

To learn more visit www.globechain.com and follow on Twitter @Globechain. To connect with May, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/may-al-karooni/.

#innovation #reuse #reusemarketplace #sustainability #reducewaste #circulareconomy #green #greenkey #sustainablefashion #CEO #Founder #womeninbusiness

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ishu Singh - Founder of Innstal Feb 05, 2020

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Ishu Singh, founder of Innstal. Innstal is an app that seeks to revolutionize the commercial and retail sales industry. Recognizing the disconnect between sophisticated electronics coming with printed manuals, Ishu had a vision that would alter the way instruction guides, warranties and receipts could be accessed and stored for the consumer all while reducing millions of tons of paper waste a year for manufacturers.

Ishu shares insights into the road he took to move from vision to product development and encourages founders that you can’t compare the timing of your journey to others. If you are interested in starting an app, then this episode is for you.

Now based in Toronto, Canada, Ishu has been an entrepreneur for the last 14 years. During his corporate career, he built the management systems of many companies, handled the projects of a few thousand to multi-million dollar projects while dealing with major corporations like Nissan, GM, etc. Innstal has been featured in Inc. magazine, Global TV Morning Show, Yourstory, iheart radio and other media.

Learn more about Innstal from by visiting www.innstal.com

Get in touch with Ishu here- https://twitter.com/iamishusingh?lang=en

#Innstall #Tech #Apps #GooglePlay #DisruptiveCEONation #business #Manufacturing #businessowners #warranty #manuals #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #podcast #interview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebecca Liebman - LearnLux Jan 22, 2020

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Rebecca Liebman, co-founder of LearnLux, a fast-scaling startup that empowers modern workplaces to offer financial wellness tools and education as an employee benefit. Rebecca shares the story of how she lived in Kenya and studied microfinance in an informal economy and completed research in Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Then, along with her brother Michael Liebman, she became determined to democratize access to financial guidance and make expert resources available to all. Starting their company while they were still in college, Rebecca provides insights into the journey to build an impactful and profitable organization, including how they secured the company's last round of funding which was led by Ashton Kutcher's Sound Ventures and Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff.

LearnLux scales and goes to market by partnering with the world’s best companies to offer valuable benefits that help employees do their best work every day because they feel confident in their finances. LearnLux offers lessons and resources that are built to be engaging, interactive and jargon-free, and approved by Certified Financial Planners Ⓡ.

Rebecca has been honored with accolades such as Business Insider’s One of 7 Women Business Leaders Under 40 to Watch in 2019 and the 2016 Forbes "30 Under 30" list for education. She worked at the MIT Center for Collective Intelligence and founded Take Back the Tap at Clark University to reduce half a million plastic water bottles from landfills. She has spoken around the country at events related to the future of work, HRTech, Fintech, Women in business, impacts of financial stress in the workplace, and innovation in financial wellness.

Discover more about LearnLux by visiting www.learnlux.com or follow on Twitter @LearnLux and @BestofBecca. Connect with Rebecca at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccaliebman/

#LearnLux #Fintech #finance #womeninfinance #DisruptiveCEONation #business #money #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #HR #podcast #interview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skyler Ditchfield - GeoLinks Jan 08, 2020

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Skyler Ditchfield, co-founder and CEO of GeoLinks. Skyler is an award winning, lifelong risk taker and entrepreneur delivering innovative telecom solutions. He shares how GeoLinks was started in 2011 with $550 in startup capital and a bold vision and now stands as a highly recognized change maker in the network connectivity marketplace. Our conversation covers his founder’s journey, company growth, culture, team building, taking on the big guys, the value of serving on boards, keeping money in the company, the decision for outside funding and his passion for closing the digital divide by reaching underserved communities and offering price competitive services.

GeoLinks has revolutionized the way data is transferred from global data centers to its final delivery destination. GeoLinks builds custom solar powered and wind turbine relays as part of their mission of providing a green network footprint and as solar relays don’t require connection to the electric grid it has allowed them to be recognized for emergency connectivity service during severe wildfires. GeoLinks has been ranked on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America three-years running and they have also been recognized as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine 2018 and 2019. GeoLinks delivers Enterprise-Grade Internet, Digital Voice, SD_WAN, Cloud On-ramping, Layer 2 Transport, and both Public and Private Turnkey Network Construction.

Skyler dove into the world of technology at the age of 13 when he set up a bulletin board system (BBS) to service 200 members of his local community with dial-up Internet. Directly after high school, he accepted a Network Engineer II job at the Private Network Management Center (PNMC) of MCI Worldcom in Silicon Valley where he was the youngest technician at the maximum-security PNMC and then quickly promoted to Network Engineer III. From there he started, sold and bought companies and has become highly recognized receiving honors such as 40 under 40 2019 – Pacific Coast Business Times; Most Influential Leaders 2018 and 2019 – San Fernando Valley Business Journal; 30 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs of 2019 – Insights Success; and Top 100 Innovator in Diversity and Inclusion - Inc. 5000 2017, 2018, 2019.

Discover more by visiting www.geolinks.com or follow on Twitter @GeoLinks_usa or @SkylerJesseD. Connect with Skyler at https://www.linkedin.com/in/skyler-ditchfield-9aa7b946/.

#GEOLINKS #5G #clearfiber #DisruptiveCEONation #Industry40 #business #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #network #wifi #connectivity #podcast #interview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maximilian ‘Max’ Pinker - HiveNet Dec 18, 2019

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we speak with Dr. Maximilian ‘Max’ Pinker, founder and CEO of HiveNet.cloud. Max shares insights on his startup journey and the vision for HiveNet which is building an advanced distributed cloud computing network whose goal is to be a powerful future force in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency by allowing everyone with a computer to be able to rent out their idle machines and thus disrupt the billion dollar big cloud computing organizations.

HiveNet is currently at its halfway mark on its roadmap to an anticipated public launch and Max excitedly shares insights into building the company, core development team and why they want to make a positive impact on the environment and society. Max firmly believes that as HiveNet increases the usage of available computers it can directly decrease the need for more new computers thus less electronic garbage will be created.

Dr. Pinker is a scientist, polymath, and blockchain expert who is happy to make new connections and share the story of HiveNet. Discover more about HiveNet by visiting www.hivenet.cloud or follow on Twitter @HiveNetCloud. Connect with Max at https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxpinker/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/hivenetcloud/.

#HiveNetCloud #blockchain #DisruptiveCEONation #business #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #cloudcomputing #BusinessinGermany #machinelearning #blockrocket #cryptocurrency #podcast #interview

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Munson – Saddleback Leather Nov 27, 2019

The phrase ‘purpose driven business’ can all too often be thrown around as a marketing strategy, however, Saddleback Leather was born out of purpose. It is a brand with a presence, a personality, good people and a passion for outstanding quality.

This episode of Disruptive CEO Nation enjoys a conversation with company founder Dave Munson. He tells of the unlikely journey of how an appreciation for a well-made bag led to years of figuring out how to make it work, selling products out of his truck, selling on eBay, and ultimately building a robust ecommerce platform. This episode also covers the challenges that can come when building a factory and production line in Mexico and operating an operations and sales team out of the US all while trying to maintain as much of a virtual workforce as possible.

Dave Munson leads with the belief that ‘competing on price is a race to the bottom’. Saddleback focuses on nothing less than top quality and products have a 100-year warranty – it’s why their tagline is whose tagline is,“They’ll fight over it when you’re dead”. But Dave is always quick to say, they are a people business cleverly disguised as leather bag business. Today, Saddleback is a wonderful success story where true brand fans, word of mouth marketing and some interesting videos allow Saddleback to support over 200 workers at their factory in Mexico (where daycare is free and a school has been started).

Find out why Saddleback Leather is one of the Newsweek Best Online Shops of 2020 at www.saddlebackleather.com or follow on Twitter @Saddlebackbags. Connect with Dave at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-munson-736600141/.

#Saddlebackleather #leather #quality #fashion #DisruptiveCEONation #business #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #CEO #leather #BusinessinMexico #ecommerce #leatherbag #ecofriendly #corporategifts #somethingdifferent #backpack #leatherpackback #Texasbusiness #Fortworth #Fortworthbusiness #100yearwarrenty

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Morris - Topcoder Nov 12, 2019

What does it take to build a business driven by 1.5M+ design, development and data science experts from every country in the world? In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, we feature the business story of Mike Morris and how his team developed the world’s largest technology network and on-demand digital talent platform. Transparent about key learnings over seventeen years of preparation, scaling, acquisition and dedication to measurement, Mike provides honest insight into his world and that of the talented individuals who are a part of Topcoder’s global community.

A gig economy expert, Mike speaks worldwide about cultivating a passionate workforce to drive the transformative nature of digital innovation across every industry imaginable. He believes that when workers have better experiences that businesses have better results and he is an advocate for women in STEM. An active Boston College alumnus; guest lecturer at institutions like Harvard University, MIT, New York University and University of California Berkeley; and an engineer at heart, Mike continues to lead the open workforce revolution by empowering organizations with limitless software development possibilities and unprecedented access to Topcoder’s talented multinational technologists.

Mike Morris is the CEO of www.Topcoder.com and Global Head of Crowdsourcing for IT-services leader Wipro. Second only to his commitment to family—and perhaps waterskiing—Mike has served in leadership roles at Topcoder since 2002. Previously a GM|SVP at Appiro, Mike led its crowdsource offering (Cloudspokes) through the acquisition of Topcoder, and then managed customer, sales and services teams to solidify the Topcoder brand as the largest open workforce provider in the world. He was an integral part of Topcoder becoming a Wipro company through the acquisition of Appirio in 2016. Connect to Mike on Twitter @topcoder @mpmorris36 and via #LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/topcodermike/

#Topcoder #datascience #technology #gigeconomy #opentalent #Futureofwork #Entrepreneur #Founder #Business #motivationalspeaker #Success #Leadership #Influence #Passport #DisruptiveCEONation #podcast #businesspodcast #startup #startuplife #startupstory #businessowner #businessstory #BostonCollege #WomeninSTEM

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Train Your Brain for Improved Health and Performance - NeuroSource Oct 23, 2019

The future of business will not only demand that professionals keep up with technology, it will require leaders to operate at the top levels of human performance as the environment accelerates. Our brains will be faced with ever increasing choices and challenges and that is where the science of NeuroSource steps in.

Dr. Dale Foster and his wife, Lee Ann, founded NeuroSource in 2004, and together they have successfully helped clients who have struggled with many challenges, such as ADD, Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Sleep struggles, Stroke Recovery, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), but they have also aided executives in their quest to optimize the full potential of their brain. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation learn more about the field of Neurofeedback, QEEG Brain Mapping and how you can train your brain for improved health and performance. Hear from founders who share what it is like to grow a business where you must educate your customers, gain their trust and demonstrate scientific results.

Dr. Dale is a Clinical Neuropsychologist who holds the highest certifications possible in QEEG and Neurofeedback who manages NeuroSource alongside his wife Lee Ann who holds a Master’s degree in Psychology and training in biofeedback, Wellness & Epigenetic coaching. To learn more about their company visit www.neurosource.net. To connect with the Fosters, you can find them on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-foster-4361288 and https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeannfosterneurosource.

#DisruptiveCEONation #business #businessowners #founder #entrepreneur #Memphisbusiness #CEO ##neurofeedback #epigenetic #brainhealth #QEEG #humanperformance

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tobi Deckert - Shredrack, Environmentalist & Extreme Sports Enthusiast Oct 09, 2019

Tobi Deckert – Engineer, Environmentalist & Extreme Sports Enthusiast = Shredrack Tobi Deckert is a man writing his own story in business. As the founder of Shredrack GmbH (www.shredrack.com), Tobi and his team are focused on building the most useful inflatable roof rack system in the world. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, Tobi provides heartfelt honesty about his founder’s experience. As an industrial engineer by profession, Tobi shares how he went about educating himself as an entrepreneur and then embarking on a journey that included navigating prototypes, patents, production and distribution. He provides tips on validating your patent (a method using blockchain technology), dealing with challenges in production quality, using project management tools like #Asana, and how videos have become one of their most valuable marketing tools. Tobi is a forward thinker and Shredrack has received a green product award and stands as an organization that values employing people with disabilities. Take a few minutes to get to know Tobi at www.tobideckert.de. Toby is a unique business personality who has combined the mindset of an engineer with key life learnings gained as a stuntman, extreme sports athlete/model, DJ and videographer. Connect with Tobi on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobideckert/, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shredrack/, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SHREDRACK/, and Youtubehttps://www.youtube.com/user/Deckardinhostuff.#DisruptiveCEONation #startup #entrepreneur #Germanbusiness #extremesports #outdoors #cars #patent #projectmanagement #sustainablebusiness #greenbusiness #founder #businessowner #business #videomarketing #productlaunch

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Business Booster Today Sep 25, 2019

Sue Baumgaertner-Bartsch is a woman who knows how to get things done. As a serial entrepreneur she has demonstrated that she can set a course, scale fast and make a bold impact. As the VP and Co-Founder of “Business Booster Today” magazine (together with her husband Christian Bartsch) she is on path to reach her goal of empowering 20 million professionals to grow and explode their businesses.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, Sue shares insights into her journey and how with extreme focus, Business Booster Today has risen to be the number one Germany based magazine for the global entrepreneur and has global readership with subscriptions and placement in seat pockets of major international airlines and on the bedside tables of five-star hotels. She also shares how she moved from a ‘no’ perspective to a ‘yes’ mindset which led her to live and work on three continents and move from a life of a corporate financial auditor to become a powerful business builder.

Sue is someone you should add to your professional network and you can find her at www.businessboostertoday.com and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-baumgaertner-bartsch-114131/. Follow her business on Twitter @mybbtmagazine and Instagram @businessboostertoday.

Sue is an international speaker, business coach, wife and mother whohelps people to boost their life and business and increase visibility and credibility in niche areas on a global scale. Her biggest superpowers are connecting with others, building valuable relationships, and empowering others to invest in themselves and their business so they can live their purpose, get results and be happier! She has been interviewed on radio and TV talk shows in Germany, London, France, USA and Canada and in magazines in order to share her story and to inspire others on their entrepreneurial journey. As an international speaker, she has been invited to business events and functions, and has shared the stage in Los Angeles with celebrities, such as Brooke Shields,Mark Wahlberg, Steve Wozniak, Mel Gibson, Christie Brinkley, where she had the opportunity to interview American rapper, actor, and real estate investor “Vanilla Ice” in front of over 2,500 business enthusiasts from over 71 countries. #Entrepreneur #Founder #Femalefounder #Womeninbusiness #Business #Businesstips

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FAST Leadership, LinkedIn Influencer - Gordon Tredgold Sep 11, 2019

What can you learn from Gordon Tredgold? A hell of a lot as he is one of the top leadership experts in the world and highly sought motivational speaker and executive coach. Often heard saying, “People are not afraid of hard work, they are afraid of failure,” Gordon inspires entrepreneurs and corporate leaders to keep it simple and follow the four key principles of his FAST leadership methodology: Focus, Accountability, Simplicity and Transparency. In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, Gordon provides keen insight into leadership, achieving results and how to leverage LinkedIn (he averages 2,500 views per post), the formula for becoming an influencer (he has half a million followers worldwide), and tips on how to get into publications and media as an industry expert (he’s been translated into 21 languages).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Monica Weintraub Aug 29, 2019

Monica Weintraub – Down to Donate, Turning #Slacktivists into #Philanthropists

Monica Weintraub wants to teach people to do good the easy way. As the founder and CEO of Down to Donate, Monica has delivered into the nonprofit space a charity subscription service whose goal is to redefine what it means to donate and stand up for causes. Her long-term vision is to create the world’s most extensive network of philanthropists, while helping each of Down to Donate’s vetted nonprofit partner organizations receive monthly gifts from the community.

In this episode of Disruptive CEO Nation, Monica will share the story of her seven years in China where she founded her first company at the age of 23 in the ESL industry. Monica reflects on some of the challenges in the nonprofit space and how Down to Donate seeks to engage the slacktivist generation in a model that they are comfortable with while simultaneously educating donors about the world’s pressing issues through a crowdfunding-meets-subscription based platform. She believes that micro-donations and the set-it-and-forget-it method can lead to big impact.

Take a few minutes to get to know Monica Weintraub at www.DowntoDonate.com. Monica’s writings and photographs have been featured in various outlets such as CNN, Elite Daily, Inc.com, and SheKnows. You can also check out her Good Work podcast which features social impact stories about good people doing good sh*t. https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/good-work-good-work-F1feLBrn59v/Connect to Monica on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-weintraub-437703a8/Instagram: @downtodonate Twitter: @downtodonate

Disruptive CEO Nation is searching the globe to introduce you to cutting-edge thinkers and entrepreneurs whose stories will inspire you to innovate in your own business life. Your host is Allison K. Summers. Having worked with and coached CEO’s and senior leaders from over 90 countries, Allison is taking her experiences to help today's CEO's and professionals meet the ever-changing demands of the future of work. Connect with Allison on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/. If you would like to be a guest or recommend a great company founder or business influencer write Connect@AllisonKSummers.com. #Entrepreneur #Founder #Business #girlboss #femalefounder #Success #Leadership #Influence #Passport #DisruptiveCEONation #podcast #businesspodcast #startup #startuplife #startupstory #getpublished #businessstory #dreambig #nonprofit #charity #philanthropy #Downtodonate #slackivist

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Market Orders Jun 26, 2019

Sukhi Jutla is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of 3 books. She is the co-founder of MarketOrders, an online B2B platform for the gold and diamond jewelry industry. She is a leading international speaker, influencer and thought leader in tech and a qualified IBM Blockchain Foundation Developer. She is recognized by a number of industry awards including the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, Management Todays ’35 Women Under 35′ and named a Top 100 European Digital Pioneer by The Financial Times and Google. In April 2018 Sukhi made global headlines when she became the World’s First #1 Bestselling ‘Blockchain’ Author.

About MarketOrders

MarketOrders is an online marketplace helping independent retail jewelers to source the products they need faster, cheaper and direct from suppliers. Find out more at https://www.marketorders.net/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fractory May 29, 2019

Martin is a pure-bred engineer. He has had the interest from a very early age. All the preferred toys let him tinker with something. The only logical step was to study engineering at university. After his second year, he started working as a mechanical engineer for Estanc, a company specialised in pressure vessels.

After that, he went on to work at Nordic Gas Solutions. There he continued with pressure vessels and constructions as a mechanical engineer but also climber the industry ladder by taking care of production management and client/supplier communications.

It was there when it became very clear for Martin that some things are quite skewed in the industry. The ordering process was very clumsy and time-consuming. This planted the first seeds for making a change in the industry. After sharing some early thoughts with friends a family, the overall outline of Fractory started hatching.

From there, a team of 3 co-founders was established, some startup competitions won and the journey got started.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sibme May 22, 2019

TJ Hoffman is Chief Operating Officer at Sibme, a Houston, TX based SaaS and Professional Services company. Prior to joining Sibme, TJ spent 10 years working in public education as a teacher, school, and district administrator. He is passionate about the future of work and the specific challenge of eliminating the institutional barriers that get between people and the skills they need to advance professionally. TJ is a proud graduate of the Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business and a proud Houstonian. Sibme's mission is to change the way people learn at work by combining innovative, user-friendly technology solutions, implementation expertise, and ongoing support and partnership to connect people and transform the way they learn and grow professionally.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Concept May 01, 2019

Paul A. Dillon is a Certified Management Consultant with more than 45 years of experience in the professional services industry. He is the president and CEO of Dillon Consulting Services LLC, a U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs certified Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, based in Durham, NC and Chicago, IL. Paul is the creator of the concept for a veteran startup incubator in Chicago, called Bunker Labs, as well as the creator of the concept for a veteran entrepreneur support organization in North Carolina, called VetStart, which was recently rebranded as Bunker RDU.

Mr. Dillon created and teaches a course on veterans' issues, entitled “PubPol 830.05. Special Topics in Management: Public Policy and Veterans: Policy Challenges and Best Practices” at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Paul represents the nation's veteran community on the Kennedy Forum on Mental Health, and is a member of the Leadership Council of the Kennedy Forum Illinois.

His articles and quotes on veterans' issues have appeared in Forbes, HuffPost, Chicago Tribune, Crain's Chicago Business, the National Federation of Independent Businesses newsletter, Authority Magazine, Arianna Huffington's ThriveGlobal, We Are The Mighty, and USAA Magazine. He is a sought after commentator on national veteran matters on numerous radio programs and podcasts, including a recent appearance on CBS Radio's “Eye on Veterans” program on the work of the Kennedy Forum, as it pertains to veterans’ mental health.

Paul was the organizer and moderator for the Veterans Workshop and Symposium at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University in March, 2018.

He is a former trustee of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and a former Public Member and Commissioner of the national Commission for Case Manager Certification.

An avid distance lap swimmer, Mr. Dillon's interests range from veterans to business ethics and governance to the media, the last of which stems his 14 years as the supervisor of elections to both the National Radio Hall of Fame and for the Chicago/Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the Emmy Awards.

Paul holds an A.B. degree from John Carroll University (Cleveland, OH), a M.S in Ed.. from Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL), and has served as an adjunct professor or visiting lecturer at Governors State University (University Park, IL), the University of Illinois at Chicago, and at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

A U.S. Army Reserve veteran, he served in Vietnam as a 1st Lieutenant, and was awarded 2 Bronze Star Medals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TransPerfect Apr 24, 2019

Phil Shawe co-founded TransPerfect in 1992. Today, TransPerfect is a global family of companies and the world’s largest privately held provider of language and business services. Shawe oversees the day-to-day operations of the company, headquartered in New York City.

Under Shawe’s leadership, TransPerfect has received numerous awards and distinctions. The company is a three-time honoree of the Inc. 5000 Award, a six-time honoree of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and has earned multiple Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service. Crain's New York Business has ranked TransPerfect as one of the largest privately held companies, as well as one of the largest women-owned companies, six years in a row. TransPerfect was also three times named one of the fastest-growing women-owned/led businesses in North America by Entrepreneur and the Women Presidents' Organization.

In 2008, Shawe was named to the prestigious “40 Under 40 list” by Crain’s New York Business. He sits on the Board of Directors for Girls Who Code, an organization with a single mission: to close the gender gap in technology. Shawe has spoken at New York University and Columbia University, and is a member of the Association for a Better New York (ABNY).

Prior to his career in the language services industry, Shawe was a Financial Analyst at Chemical Bank and a Global Custody Consultant at Merrill Lynch. Shawe holds an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University's Stern School of Business, and he received his BS from the University of Florida where he triple majored in Finance, Marketing, and Risk Management.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cover Apr 17, 2019

Karn is responsible for operations, business development, and growth at Cover. Karn is also responsible for investor relationships on behalf of the company. Prior to Cover, Karn led Stylekick--a large mobile e-commerce marketplace that was acquired by Shopify. Before entrepreneurship, Karn was a management consultant with the financial services advisory practice, Oliver Wyman.

Karn holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University where he graduated with Distinction, and a Master of Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he attended as a Fulbright Scholar. Karn completed the Chartered Financial Analyst (“CFA”) program in the minimum possible time. He is also a Y Combinator Fellow, and YC Alumnus.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C-Suite Apr 10, 2019

Jeffrey Hayzlett is a primetime television host of C-Suite with Jeffrey Hayzlett and Executive Perspectives on C-Suite TV, and business podcast host of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzletton C-Suite Radio. He is a global business celebrity, speaker, best-selling author, and Chairman and CEO of C-Suite Network, home of the world’s most trusted network of C-Suite leaders. Hayzlett is a well-traveled public speaker, former Fortune 100 CMO, and author of four best-selling business books: Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless, Running the Gauntlet, The Mirror Testand The Hero Factor: How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures. Hayzlett is one of the most compelling figures in business today and an inductee into the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame.

As a leading business expert, Hayzlett is frequently cited in Forbes, SUCCESS, Mashable, Marketing Week and Chief Executive, among many others. He shares his executive insight and commentary on television networks like Bloomberg, MSNBC, Fox Business, and C-Suite TV. Hayzlett is a former Bloomberg contributing editor and primetime host, and has appeared as a guest celebrity judge on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice with Donald Trump for three seasons. He is a turnaround architect of the highest order, a maverick marketer and c-suite executive who delivers scalable campaigns, embraces traditional modes of customer engagement, and possesses a remarkable cachet of mentorship, corporate governance, and brand building.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Skylab Apr 03, 2019

Mr. Dean Grey has over 20 years of experience in The Science of Engagement. He is recognized globally as one of the leading experts in community-building for lifestyle brands.

Throughout his career, he has kept his finger on the pulse of the future – Because of this, he created several technology-focused organizations that facilitate change on a global scale.

Dean's sense of humor, pattern recognition, and ability to connect on a personal level with global audiences opened some large and rare doors at a young age as a futurist.

After a decade of flying around the world developing , and leading communities 3-4 times a week, Mr. Grey developed a global community of 35 million followers.

Dean documented 300-plus interviews with world influencers, coaches, military, pastors, and game designers in search of a solution to the rise of third party platforms who were Gamifying, Monetizing, and Owning their global communities.

Dean recognized platforms would become the massive disruptors in today's world, and set out on a mission to humanize technology through the application of The Science of Engagement – making the shift from the age of information into the age of transformation.

Dean launched Skylab, a game changing platform that serves as a living ecosystem that creates the conditions that engage users to take inspired actions. This results in sustainable engagement for brands, influencers, and communities.

In addition to being the Founder and CEO of Skylab Apps, Mr. Grey founded and exited successfully three other entrepreneur enabling technology based companies. He has traveled and presented to massive audiences in over 18 different countries!

However for those who truly know Mr. Grey ... he is an artist and entertainer at heart who is masquerading as a entrepreneur

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

boldSOCKS Mar 27, 2019

Bio:

Ryan Preisner is the co-founder and CEO of boldSOCKS. In his current role, Ryan oversees all of the backend business processes and operations needed to run and grow the company.

After graduating college, Ryan found a job in a corporate environment working for a large food service distributor as a Marketing Analyst. He found his interests and skills leading him towards opportunities to build efficiencies in business through systems and data. This prompted Ryan to go back to college to continue studies in Computer Information Systems. Ryan was promoted to become the Product Data Supervisor and was able to use his skills to help the organization solve complex data challenges. This included building systems used to create new product data for over 35,000 items by large teams requiring coordinated approvals and hand-offs. Although Ryan found success in his role, he lacked contentment and began dreaming of entrepreneurial ideas.

Using the skills obtained on the job and in school, Ryan began experimenting with starting his own venture on the side. This included buying and selling snowboards on eBay, buying pallets of returned electronics, building a snowboarding app, and eventually boldSOCKS.com. boldSOCKS was born out of Ryan’s desire to have fun with his work apparel and identifying an opportunity for a sock retailer to carry the best brands and patterns of socks. From the beginning, Ryan had a desire to use boldSOCKS for good and have a mission beyond simply selling socks. This originally started with what they called Bold Contributions, but has evolved into strategically supporting clean water initiatives with the Statement Sockwear brand, ensuring ethical production of their products, and developing a company culture that cares for all it impacts.

Ryan was born, raised and still resides in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area with his wife Sarah. They have three children (Breckin, Greydin, and Emberlynn). In his free time, Ryan enjoys playing hockey, hiking, helping his wife in their garden, and spending weekly one-on-one time with their kids.

Ryan Roff

Ryan Roff is a social entrepreneur with a passion for using business to create measurable change and social justice. He is an owner of boldSOCKS in Grand Rapids, MI and the co-founder of Statement Sockwear (a sock brand with a social enterprise model). Ryan represents the creative and marketing side of boldSOCKS. He currently oversees the strategic and creative development of the brands under the boldENDEAVORS umbrella (boldSOCKS.com, boldSOCKS, boldSOCKS Retail and Statement Sockwear) and casts the long-term vision for the company.

Before boldSOCKS, Ryan worked as a the packaging coordinator at a major foodservice distributor where he was able to blend strategic brand decisions, art direction, and project management while coordinating the creative development of over 1,000 pieces of packaging artwork and the redesign of four private brands.

He then moved to a mid-sized agency where he managed the strategic development and implementation of integrated marketing campaigns across various channels and tactics that included apps, web, print, trade shows, social media and videos.

Ryan now lives on the Northside of Grand Rapids with his wife Brooke and one-year son. Together, they enjoy biking, hiking, camping, climbing, cookouts and being outside. While on the Northside, Ryan and his wife enjoy connecting neighbors through social gatherings and recently developed the Northside Happy Hour—a group of more than 30 people that get together from the neighborhood to enjoy a cocktail every month.

Here are our social channels:

https://www.instagram.com/boldsocksdotcom/

https://www.facebook.com/boldSOCKSdotcom/

https://www.pinterest.com/boldsocks/

https://twitter.com/boldsocksDOTcom

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ForceManager Mar 20, 2019

Oscar Macia, Cofounder & CEO, ForceManager

Oscar Macia holds a nuclear engineering degree from the Universitat Politècnica de Barcelona (UPC) and an Executive MBA from IESE Business School. Oscar has more than 20 years’ experience in sales management. He founded ForceManager, the personal sales assistant app, in 2011 with the mission to transform the way field sales teams sell on the road - making the process leaner and easier for the sales rep, while providing greater visibility and real-time data to their managers. Today, he leads ForceManager, a company with 150 employees and clients in 36 countries.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PopCom Mar 13, 2019

Dawn W. Dickson is CEO of PopCom, an automated retail company that uses facial recognition, A.I, and blackchain technology to help retailers collect valuable customer insights. The first CRM, data, and analytics software provider for unattended retail, PopCom has developed technology to make kiosks and vending machines intelligent through data and analytics at the point of purchase. As a serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience in marketing and business development, Dawn launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002. Her most recent ventures include Flat Out of Heels (rollable flats for women to get relief from painful hears, and PopCom, after identifying a need to make vending machines more intelligent.

Dawn has received numerous awards and accolades for her business savvy and pitching skills, and has been invited to speak on numerous panels and workshops and featured in countless media outlets including the cover of the June 2018 issue of Black Enteprise, Forbes, Fortune, Venture Beat, Huffington Post, Essence Magazine, The Miami Herald, CNBC/Yahoo series 'The Biz Fix' with Marcus Lemonis, and MSNBC 'Your Biz' Elevator Pitch.

A recognized leader in entrepreneurship and digital marketing, Dawn is featured in Who's Who in Black Columbus, Who Who's in Black Atlanta, honored as one of Legacy Miami's Top 40 Under 40 Leaders in South Florida, listed among the '50 Young Visionary Women Leaders to Watch' by Innov8tiv Magazine, and named as one of INC Magazine's 100 top female founders for 2018.

Dawn received her B.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University. Additionally, Dawn was selected to participate in some of the nation's top accelerator programs for entrepreneurs including the NewME (San Francisco), Canopy Boulder (Boulder, Colorado), Techstars (Los Angeles), Brinc (Hong Kong) and is recognized as one of the nation's top entrepreneurs on the rise.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shapiro Negotiations Institute Feb 27, 2019

Andres Lares is the Managing Partner/CEO at Shapiro Negotiations Institute. While successful, SNI’s leadership understood it needed some radical changes to meet the evolving demands of the marketplace and bring innovation into the equation. Today, new technology is the firm’s biggest driver of growth with products such as virtual reality negotiation simulations that utilize AI and measure physiological reactions via biometric monitors to deliver effective training results. Lares also shares his personal journey (he hails from Venezuela) to leading a multi-national organization and what he feels are key negation techniques that every entrepreneur and business leader should use. You can contact Lares at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreslares/ or find his company at www.shapironegotiations.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Founder’s Journey Feb 20, 2019

Syed Irfan Ajmal is a digital marketing consultant working at the intersection of Content Marketing, SEO,and Digital PR. He and his boutique marketing agency has generated up to 7 figure annual revenues (in terms of USD) for various American and British e-commerce and SaaS startups. Passionate about paving the way for others to achieve success, Syed is a prolific speaker and writer whose articles have been published in Forbes ME, the World Bank, HuffPost, Business.com, SEMrush, TechWyse, Aurora, and several others.

In this episode, Syed shares his founder's journey which included breaking free of traditions and cultural mindsets, leaving his home country for an education and business experience in Europe, and then to returning to Pakistan and founding profitable companies. He also provides insights into what companies should think about when it comes to leverage content and campaigns. To learn more about his corporate services visit: www.syedirfanajmal.com. Syed welcomes new connections - find him on Twitter @SyedIrfanAjmal and LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/syedirfanajmal/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Less Doing Feb 13, 2019

Ari Meisel is a self-described, “Overhwhelmologist” who helps entrepreneurs who have opportunity in excess of what their infrastructure can handle, to optimize, automate, and outsource everything in their business, so they can make themselves replaceable and scale their business.

Ari is the Founder of Less Doing, and author of the best-selling books, “The Art of Less Doing” and “The Replaceable Founder”. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, an Ironman, and a devoted husband to Anna and father to four children, Ben, 6, Sebastien and Lucas, 4 and Chloe, 2.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pursuit Feb 06, 2019

Gautam Rao is currently co-founder and CTO at Pursuit, a technology startup enabling skilled workers to access global opportunities and fulfill their potential. Before this, he was co-founder and Head of Product at Finvoice, where he helped create a first of it's kind software for the small business lending industry, and helped steer the company towards profitability. At Pursuit, he's raised money from investors such as Sequoia, Angellist Spearhead and an early investor in Dropbox. He is a Stanford graduate and has lived and worked in 4 different countries on 3 different continents before moving to the US.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roomrs Jan 30, 2019

Or grew up in a humble Israeli family. His mother was an elementary school science teacher, and his father a travel agent. At the age of 21, Or found himself at a crossroads, either pursue a degree or find a job. He knew that attending college would be a financial strain on his family and felt that the employment opportunities available to him were disappointing, so he took a leap of faith and decided to move to NY to follow his dream of becoming a real estate mogul.

Or began his career working for a small boutique rental agency. His job was to lease apartments to young professionals and students. Being a quick learner, it took him merely a year of working in the field to confidently start his own business. He began leveraging residential properties and offering them as alternative accommodations for tourists. This way lodgers could avoid steep hotel bills and save money when they travel. While business was booming, and his company was growing fast, Or, still eager to learn more about real estate, took the next logical step in his career and joined GFI, a commercial real estate brokerage.

Not long after joining GFI, he had an idea he believed would fundamentally change the way people live. In his own life, he had moved between 7 apartments in just 6 years and describes the experience as needlessly stressful and expensive. Or's vision was to provide end-users with turn-key apartments, and to constantly improve the user experience by integrating user information. This way, renters would save both money and time while enjoying a more flexible, user-friendly, living environment.

Or believed so strongly in the success of this venture, that in April 2017 he decided to invest all his life savings into it. He worked on improving the concept for almost 6 months before embarking on his first Friends & Family investment round. Following his best friend's advice, he named the company Roomrs.

Today, Roomrs is a well-known real estate co-living operator which manages more than 400 rooms across 40 buildings. The team quickly grew from 3 people into a 25 people operation. Recently, it secured a seed round of 2.5M.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Phello Jan 23, 2019

Kurt Phelps, CEO of GNR, one of the nation's most successful high tech recruiting firms, has over 20 years experience working with executives to build some of the most powerful corporate teams in the industry. Over the last 2 decades, Kurt found that executives rarely put the same time and effort into networking, developing their digital presence, and establishing their own personal brand as they did for the companies they work for. To solve this problem, Kurt created Phello, the world's first SaaS platform, which allows professionals to organize their years of contacts, communicate with their network on a regular basis, and develop their personal brand and digital presence—laying the groundwork to be top of mind when new opportunities arise.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Impish Lee Jan 23, 2019

Impish Lee is NY-made custom apparel brand that enables shoppers to design their own intimates and loungewear online. Sisters Noelle and Kali are the designers and owners of Impish Lee. With a love for innovative fashion, the pair set out to build a company that would reflect their artistic spirit and interest in co-creation.Impish Lee has been handcrafting custom lingerie and lounge apparel for years and, in 2015, it launched the online design tool that makes the process of customization simple, exciting, and interactive. Impish Lee seeks to empower women by mainstreaming inclusivity and individuality in the fashion industry.

Kali Ventresca is the CCO and Co-Owner of Impish Lee, a customizable intimate apparel brand that enables women to design their own lingerie and loungewear online. Kali, along with her sister and business partner, Noelle, launched the Impish Lee design tool in November of 2015 after successfully funding their Kickstarter project. Kali received her BFA from SUNY New Paltz and has been working as a designer and a photographer since graduating in 2011. When Kali is not in her studio making lingerie, she can be found behind the camera at fashion shoots and weddings. Kali has applied her skills in photography and graphic design to create the Impish Lee brand, mainstreaming inclusivity and individuality in the fashion industry.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aliant Jan 16, 2019

Eric Brown, Founder and CEO of Aliant Payment Systems (http://aliantpayments.com)Founded in 2003, Aliant is a leading payment processing company that processes credit card, debit card, cryptocurrency, and automated clearing house transactions for over 7,500 merchants, with annual card volume totaling $800 million. Aliant was one of the first payment processing companies to offer merchants the ability to accept cryptocurrency payments, with its solution available to over 137,000 merchants worldwide. Aliant is currently developing its own domestic, fully compliant solution that processes crypto payments, converts cryptocurrency to USD, and offers merchants next day payouts. For the last 15 years Eric has served as the CEO of Aliant, and he has been a guest speaker and on panels at multiple finance conferences, with the most recent being Litecoin Summit. He has also been featured in Business Insider, Digital Transactions, and dozens of industry sites. You can also check out this blog, which explains a little more about the Aliant story:https://www.aliantpayments.com/aliant-payment-systems-celebrates-15-years

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tealet Jan 09, 2019

Elyse Petersen is an advocate for transparency in the global food system and currently works with tea farmers to improve the quality of their products and access market opportunities. As the Founder of Tealet, she has made direct trade available to small-scale farmers, businesses, and consumers around the world. She is a food scientist and returned Peace Corps volunteer that is committed to building a sustainable future for agriculture and communities. She has a B.S. in Food Science and Technology from Cal Poly Pomona and a Japanese-MBA from the Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FreeeUp Jan 02, 2019

Connor Gillivan is the CMO of FreeeUp.com. He has sold over $30 million online, has hired hundreds of freelancers to build his companies, is a published author, and is the owner of ConnorGillivan.com. He currently lives in Denver, CO.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eat Your Coffee Dec 26, 2018

One of the co-founders of Eat Your Coffee – creators of the original, naturally caffeinated snack bar. Founded as coffee-deprived college students rushing to our 8am classes, we were looking for a better way to stay energized throughout the day. We joked about eating our coffee, started developing some recipes in our dorm, and sold them in the library for a semester. About three years later now, we've officially graduated from Northeastern University, sold our bars into over 600 retail stores and 700 offices around the country, raised nearly $3M, and sold over 1 million bars and counting. It would be great to learn more about the book you're working on and if there's a fit for our story

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GOKONG Dec 19, 2018

Rahul is an entrepreneur, investor and mentor based out of Zürich Switzerland. He is currently building a corporate venture, GOKONG, of one of the largest private banks here in Switzerland. Prior to co-founding GOKONG, he invested in impact ventures in Asia, gaming ventures in Europe and advised academics out of University of Zurich building the next gen measurement metrics platform - FINEXUS within the sustainable finance space.

Rahul actively mentors entrepreneurs and investors on business models, strategy, scaling and operational excellence.

Rahul holds a Bachelors degree in pure mathematics and a Masters in mathematical finance and has been a high impact researcher focused on financial systemic risk. His research has not only been covered by popular news papers like the Boston Globe but has also found applications across many central banks across the world.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Castagra Dec 12, 2018

Tatsuya Nakagawa is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and expert on innovation & marketing.

He is the co-founder of Castagra Products. Castagra develops, proves and delivers, game changing innovations for the building materials and coatings industry.

http://www.castagra.com/

http://castagraroofing.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatsuya/

https://twitter.com/tatsuyanakagawa

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Content Factory Dec 05, 2018

Kari DePhillips is a digital marketing expert and the owner of The Content Factory, as well as co-founder of Workationing. She's been called a "limit-breaking female founder" by Thrive, and NBCNews has referred to her as a "CEO who takes job perks to the max" for her approach to managing her companies. All employees of TCF and Workationing work from home – or wherever – and Kari lives as a digital nomad traveling the world while working on her businesses.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Futurus Nov 28, 2018

Annie Eaton is the CEO of Atlanta-based future technologies company Futurus, where she creates immersive, engaging and interactive experiences in virtual reality, augmented reality and 360° capture. Annie earned her degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010. In 2014, she created XR Atlanta, which now boasts over 1,100 active members. Annie is involved with GeorgiaVR, Women in XR Atlanta, and is a re:imagine/ATL Alliance member. She currently serves as an advisor to the TAG Digital Media and Entertainment society and is a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council. Earlier this year, Annie received the Women in IT Rising Star award and was named the Technology Association of Georgia Young Professionals’ 2017 Technologist of the Year. Annie has vast public speaking experience, having been invited as a speaker to engagements including General Assembly, Georgia State University, Hospitality Executive Exchange, Talk NYC, Federal Reserve, OrlandoiX, FutureX Live and Atlanta Tech Edge.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“My Workplace is the Entire World” Nov 21, 2018

Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in International Marketing, a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Huntington University and a credential in Executive Coaching. She holds a certificate from the National Institution of Health in Protecting Human Research and was named to The Wall Street Journal’s Women of Note database as an innovative woman who shares her expertise and inspiration. In 2015, she was featured by American Express’s Thinking Outside the Box Forum.

But it isn’t just her education and credentials that qualify her to do what she does for others. Davis is a self-starter and has always been her own boss. At 18 she became a licensed realtor for the state of New York and sold real estate for 3 years. She later became a contractor for Mazda USA and traveled the country for six years as an automotive product specialist and speaker. Simultaneously, her entrepreneurial spirit led her to create Hoo-Kong in 2013, a jewelry line designed to empower its buyers to be the unique, world-changing individuals that they were born to be. While designing jewelry and managing her small business, Davis sought to fill a void in the fulfillment of her passions and launched the Never, Never Give Up campaign as a social responsibility endeavor under the HK umbrella. The campaign quickly gained traction and eventually overtook the jewelry line as the centerpiece of Davis’s business. Hoo-Kong organically evolved into the digital media platform it is today.

Hoo-Kong now provides tools, resources, and services to help individuals help themselves; discover, learn and grow. This fall Hoo-Kong will be expanding to offer Online Leadership Consultations anytime, anyplace, from any device. By developing this online tool and app it’s aim is to provide confidential support to executives, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders so that may effectively perform within their organizations.

Fueled by the desire to instill confidence in others, especially women and girls, Davis spends her spare time volunteering and donating her energy and resources to different causes. In 2015 she sponsored the suicide prevention stage play To Die Alone. She has also led pro-bono workshops on personal and professional development for disadvantaged youth in New York City and volunteers as an English conversation tutor at AAFSC, empowering women through literacy and language development. Davis believes education is a powerful tool and volunteers with GED preparation at Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow where she assists adults in acquiring the academic skills necessary to lift themselves out of poverty and create a better life for themselves and their families.

Davis makes a concerted effort for her team to discover and share free business and tech courses to bridge gaps between readers and opportunities for growth.

When asked her favorite quote Davis sites Itochu, “I am one with infinite missions, my workplace is the entire world.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Say Yes to Profits Oct 26, 2018

Octavia Conner is a financial management strategist, speaker, author, and accountant. Her movement, mission, company, and superpower – is helping businesses Say Yes To Profits. Here is where she strategically combines financial consulting, with proven money management and business growth strategies.

After spending 10 plus years in corporate America, helping to build the dreams of multimillion-dollar businesses as their “go-to numbers girl”, Octavia decided to ditch the 9 to 5 in 2011 and build her dream business instead.

Recently awarded one of the Top 50 Cloud Accountants in North America, her bold and fearless decision to launch Say Yes To Profits has allowed her to help hundreds of businesses around the global align their business dreams with a financial strategy that enabled them to achieve financial abundance and accelerate business growth. She specializes in closing the financial gaps and located hidden money leaks in order to significantly increase cash flow and profit margins. . As a typical result, clients increase cash flow, boost profit margins and grow their business by 50% or more in six months.

There is no denying - Octavia Conner is America’s leading expert on profit maximizing for small businesses. Are you ready to Say YES To Profits? Then connect with Octavia Conner today!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WIth Rita Kakati Shah Oct 19, 2018

Rita Kakati Shah started her career at Goldman Sachs in London, where she has been a dedicated advocate for diversity and equality issues in the workplace. She was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award for her outstanding contributions during her 10-year career at the firm. After a segue into the healthcare industry, Rita moved to New York City, took a career break to raise her children and now helms Uma, a company whose mission is empowering women to succeed at life and work after a career break or transition. Uma holds networking events that allow attendees to share valuable stories, lessons and contacts, and be part of a supportive community. Uma Academy workshops help polish skills in a constantly changing work environment, providing practical tools, clear career direction and emotional support. Finally, Umaships are curated job experiences with select companies across diverse fields, that help bridge the gap between current lifestyles and return to work. With offices in New York, London, and San Francisco, the community continues to grow every day. Rita has created an international movement by identifying pain points and challenging the status quo. From income disparity to paid family leave, she is not afraid of asking tough questions and making bold suggestions to help women succeed in life every day. Rita also advises companies on diversity, inclusion and retention strategy, and is a regular speaker at global events.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wildbit Oct 10, 2018

As co-founder and CEO, Natalie leads the direction, culture, and team happiness for Wildbit, makers of Beanstalk, Postmark and Conveyor. With 28 team members across 5 countries (15 cities) working on multi-million dollar products for developers, she’s proving that you can grow an extremely profitable business while focusing on shorter work days, an enjoyable work-from-anywhere environment, and staying small.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blockchain Oct 07, 2018

Michele is a Colorado native and 2x entrepreneur with unyielding ambition and a strong drive for success. She is the co-founder and COO of RevoKind (Revolutionary Humankind) which is an intelligent internet infrastructure that uniquely combines blockchain and artificial intelligence into a spatially-mapped platform called the RevoVerse. Michele is passionate about social impact and the potential for blockchain to empower the individual. Recently named one of Colorado’s Top 20 Female Founders to Watch in 2018, she brings energy and enthusiasm to everything she does.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Argo Collective Sep 28, 2018

Max Masure (they/them) is a gender inclusion strategist and co-founder of Argo Collective. They train organizations to use creativity, empathy and collaboration to tackle gender inclusion challenges by helping them find actionable solutions for their own issues, combining the power of Design Thinking Methodology and their lived experience as a transgender nonbinary person.

They started their career working as a User Experience and Design lead, guiding Design Thinking workshops for an array of organizations, from startups to Fortune 50 companies. They led Design Thinking workshops for the innovation departments of Essilor and Johnson & Johnson, worked with Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse on award-winning mobile banking tools and co-created the first online therapy app, Talkspace, which has successfully helped thousands of individuals connect with an online support system.

At the time, they were perceived as a woman.

When they started to live their life authentically as a transgender nonbinary person, it shifted their entire world. They realized that they could be the change and solve gender inclusion issues using their very unique perspective in the society. That’s how they co-founded Argo Collective.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PentaQuest Sep 19, 2018

Kerstin Oberprieler is an entrepreneur, gamification expert, PhD students, and martial artist. She is Co-Founder of PentaQuest, a company that uses gamification to help clients improve productivity, staff engagement, and build positive culture. Kerstin is a sought-after expert in using gamification to motivate and nudge behavior, having spoken in various countries and even having spoken on the TEDx stage. Kerstin is also a black belt in 3 martial arts (and studying 2 more).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lightning AI Sep 12, 2018

Colette Nataf is the CEO and Co-Founder at Lightning AI. Previously, Colette was a User Acquisition Manager at MileIQ. After the company was acquired by Microsoft, she managed the Demand Generation team at Intercom. Colette is now helping marketers scale their businesses through Facebook, Google AdWords, and other channels.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gnatta Aug 02, 2018

Founder & CEO Gnatta

Founder & Chairman FM Outsource

Founded his first company in 2012, now runs two successful, profitable businesses with a combined turnover of £5m. Both have been built entirely self-financed, taking on no debt or external investment.

He founded his first business due to the belief that the way customers and organizations communicate was broken – this has turned into a passion of his and he now runs a successful digital outsourcing firm and a successful technology business producing superior call center technology.

Jack is a thought leader, regularly sharing his views on customer communication, and the customer service industry in general.

A large part of Jack’s success so far has come from his focus on hiring the right talent (especially developers, initially a challenge for someone with no coding background) and creating the right culture for each business: one a 400 strong outsource operation and one a 30-strong tech team. His success in doing so has taken both companies to where they are today and his honest, engaging style has played a massive part in this.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Success By Design Jul 18, 2018

Success By Design: Designer Water “Embodies Alkaline Water Benefits”, Experts Say

CENTURION, SOUTH AFRICA, May 7th, 2018 – While high PH alkaline water has long been regarded as a “miracle of nature” by those well-versed in holistic medicine, it’s been only recently that it’s become the subject of extensive scientific research. One prime example that is packed with “vitamins, bio-available minerals, antioxidants, and incredible healing properties” is Designer Water, the high alkaline pH bottled water produced using the best available filtering methods in Centurion, South Africa.

“Water is the essence of life – but I dare say that this phrase should be more specific. High pH alkaline water is what provides the full spectrum of water’s life-enhancing qualities. Our micro-clustering technology ensures that each and every bottle we produce contains the highest quality high pH alkaline water, meaning its nutritional profile and amazing properties remain intact” said Mr. John Thompson, Founder and Managing Director, Designer Water.

High pH alkaline water benefits have not gone unnoticed by celebrities, either. Mark Wahlberg, Hollywood’s highest paid actor, sat down with Mr. Thompson in December 2017 to discuss how alkaline water changed his life, and how he decided to make selling it one of his many business ventures.

However, Mr. Thompson was quick to note that high pH alkaline water’s popularity has transcended the realm of exclusivity, seeing as people of all walks of life have come to embrace it as an inextricable part of their lifestyle.

“We’ve received emails and video testimonials from people from all around the world who rave about the transformative ways with which high pH alkaline water has improved their health and overall well being. Whether they were looking to increase their mental clarity and focus or address the symptoms of various health conditions impacting their quality of life, our customers have stated, time and again, that they will be consuming Designer Water for life.”

In addition to bottled high pH alkaline water, Designer Water further offers alkaline water products, alkaline water machines and water ionizers through its e-Shop.

Those wishing to find out more about Designer Water products and its franchise opportunities can do so by visiting the company’s website or by calling 087-550-1231.

To learn more about Designer Water, please visit: www.designerwater.co.za

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cuseum Jul 11, 2018

Brendan Ciecko is the founder and CEO of Cuseum.

Ciecko founded Cuseum in 2014 with the mission of helping museums, public attractions, and nonprofits engage their visitors and members using the power of digital. Today, Cuseum works with over 100 cultural institutions around the globe, has raised over $1.4M in funding, and is backed by Techstars, one of the world's top startup accelerators.

Prior to Cuseum, Ciecko started Ten Minute Media, an agency that specializes in digital media and creative services for the music entertainment industry. Since its official establishment in 2003, Ten Minute Media has acquired a flourishing list of clients including some of the biggest names in entertainment.

Ciecko’s entrepreneurial career and projects have gained the attention of the national press. In October of 2008, Ciecko appeared on the cover of Inc. Magazine in the feature article, Cool, Determined, Under 30: Meet the brains behind America's smartest new companies. He has also appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, New York Times, The Guardian, BMW Magazine, Boston Globe, PC Magazine and was a national finalist of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. He holds two patents in the area of mobile technology.

He currently sits on the Steering Committee of the Museum Council at Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Digital Advisory Board at the Neue Galerie New York, and Community Advisory Board for the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts. Ciecko has also served on the Massachusetts "It's All Here" Advisory Board, Board of Washington Gateway Main Streets, Boston’s ONEin3 Council, and Regional Leadership Team of Technology for Obama.

Ciecko's work has been exhibited at the Commonweath Museum in Boston, MA and is in the digital archives of the Klingspor Museum in Germany.

Brendan currently lives in Boston, MA with his wife Elizabeth and their little dog Misiu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nineteenth Admentment Jul 05, 2018

Amanda Curtis is the Co-founder and CEO of Nineteenth Amendment. As a fashion designer she went from New York Fashion Week designing for Richie Rich, DVF, and A-list celebrities to bringing a solo designed collection all the way at London Fashion Week in her first season.

Nineteenth Amendment is the result of the collision of the fashion and tech worlds; a platform & business model that gives brands a smart way break into the fashion industry with the least amount of time, effort, and money (what she calls Stiletto-Strapping), while growing domestic manufacturing and bringing amazing, undiscovered fashion from the runway to closets of fashion lovers. This 'fashion-as-experience' has led to partnerships with over 500 fashion brands across 30 countries, and global companies like Disney, Macy's, Microsoft, and Dell.

Amanda is Forbes' 30 Under 30 2016 for Retail & E-commerce, Apparel Magazine's 30 Under 30 2016, and the National Retail Federation's Person Changing Retail's Future 2018. She is a mentor with Techstars and AOL's Built by Girls.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canvas Pop Jun 27, 2018

Expert in PR. Public Relations and Growth Hacking. Founder of several multi-million dollar Internet 1000 retailers, including CanvasPop.com. Also launched top 1% iOS app PopKey. 500 Startups mentor. I can help you get massive exposure and launch your product right. I’ve been featured dozens of times in Techcrunch, Mashable, CNN, The Verge, WIRED and my products have appeared on CSI:NY, Today Show, Good Morning America, Wall Street Journal, New York Times and many more. I've helped my companies generate 100's of millions of free media impressions. I know how to help you get in front of the right journalists, at the right time with the right angle. I also will help you get traction quickly and generate revenue. I love working with and helping entrepreneurs like you kick ass.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growth Catalyst Jun 13, 2018

Kurt Uhlir is a growth catalyst - generating over $10 billion in value for investors and clients, with a personal mission to help grow the new generation of passionate leaders.

Kurt's recognized track record as a successful serial (and parallel) entrepreneur, investor and strategic advisor allows him to help spectacular companies reach their next stage of growth. He is known for building and operating businesses from start-up to over $500M annual revenue, building teams across six continents, an IPO ($880M) and multiple acquisitions.

Kurt has particular expertise in driving product experience and technology vision, increasing the customer base while lowering acquisition cost, reducing monthly churn, and increasing ARPU and lifetime value. He is the lead inventor of disruptive technologies in 4 industries, including being recognized by leading publications such as TechCrunch for three foundational patents covering Waze, check-in/location services (e.g. Foursquare, Facebook, etc.), and location-based advertising. In addition, Kurt co-founded Sideqik - one of the first influencer marketing platforms.

As a Keynote Speaker, Kurt has spoken to thousands of people at both private and public events. He speaks all over the world at conferences, corporate retreats, and professional associations on topics such as "Thriving in the Age of Industry Disruption and Technology", "Increasing Your Cadence as an Entrepreneur", "Thriving in the Influence Economy", Influencer Marketing, Autonomous Vehicles and more. Conferences consistently rank him in the top 10% of all speakers.

Toss in a history of dozens of outside and internal startups/skunkworks, some fun outside hobbies and a strong bent for serving to know more of why he jumps out of bed every morning.

After taking 18 months on sabbatical, Kurt is actively working with a number of high-growth companies and organizations. You can read more about his journey at kurtuhlir.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected