Making Waves at C-Level: Business Tips for Executives, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs

Latest Episodes:

Terp Perps CEO - Austin Wood. May 11, 2021

Show notes

Ep 653 is another visit to the cannabis industry and the world of packaging. In this case, beautiful wooden boxes for the display of different flavor profiles. Terps Perps' company mission is to optimize the cannabis shopper experience by simplifying the consumer education process. With six more states legalizing cannabis for commercial use since 4/20 last year, interest in cannabis culture across the United States is at an all-time high. However, barriers to entry for new consumers remain steep. Novice cannabis users must navigate a burdensome shopping environment that practically requires a glossary to understand: you have your types (indica, sativa, hybrid), cannabinoids (THC, CBD), new products (budder, shatter, bho, etc.), and of course, you have your terpenes.

That’s why Austin Wood, CEO of Humboldt County startup the Terp Perps , developed the “Canna Compass,” a chart that helps cannabis consumers break down terpene flavor profiles into transparent and reliable categories. A former tech startup entrepreneur, Mr. Wood first entered the world of cannabis through treatment for his colitis, and has since been inspired to move to Humboldt County on a mission to break down barriers for consumers and aspiring entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. Austin provides commentary on how the cannabis supply chain and retail experience are being compromised in the current industry model.

In this episode the tells us that simplifying terpenes would do for future regulations and state legalization efforts. He shares his perspective on how cannabis retail can simplify messaging on strains and terpenes, and how state regulatory bodies can promote messaging consistency and consumer education via state dispensary licensing processes.

Hear the lessons learned from the local cannabis industry in Humboldt County (CA), and why he is modeling Terps Perps to embody many of the original values of the cannabis industry, including simple consumer messaging and education, as well as promoting organic production and a sustainable supply chain.

https://www.thomsinger.com/podcast/Terp-Perps

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Influence Building with Patrick Emmons May 06, 2021

Show notes

Episode 652 of “Making Waves at C-Level” is co-produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council, the largest tech industry organization in Central Texas. ATC empowers members through insights, resources, and connections so their members can succeed and thrive.

This episode is an in-depth interview with Patrick Emmons, founder and CEO of DragonSpears, a consulting firm for software excellence. He wants to empower clients to become great SaaS-level software organizations. Patrick is all about partnering with clients to hit strategic initiatives. Check out this conversation about entrepreneurship, influence building, and how the city of Austin is an awesome place to start or expand a business.

Based in Chicago, Patrick and his team have gotten involved with the Austin Technology Council and the local tech community as they grow their company.

About Patrick Emmons

If you can’t appreciate a good sports analogy, movie quote, or military reference, you may not want to work with him, but if you value honesty, integrity, and commitment to improvement, Patrick can certainly help take your business or your career to the next level. “Good enough,” is simply not in his vernacular. Pat’s passion is for relentlessly pushing himself and others to achieve full potential.

Patrick Emmons is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Patrick co-founded Adage Technologies in 2001 and in 2015, founded DragonSpears as a spin-off dedicated to developing custom applications that improve speed, compliance and scalability of clients’ internal and customer-facing workflow processes.

When he is not learning about new technology, running a better business, or becoming a stronger leader, he can be found coaching his kids’ (FIVE of them) baseball and lacrosse teams and praising his ever-so-patient wife for all her support.

www.thomsinger.com/podcast/patrick-emmons-dragonspears

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Find Your Red Thread with Tamsen Webster Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

Episode 651 is a chat with Tamsen Webster. On this podcast Thom Singer interviews her about her new book "Find Your Red Thread". This is very important for anyone who has a message they need to be understood by others (ummmm, that is all of us).

About Tamsen Webster

Tamsen Webster has spent the last twenty years helping experts drive action from their ideas. Part message strategist, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories partners, investors, clients, and customers will tell themselves—and others.

Tamsen honed her expertise through work in and for major companies and organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with startups that represent the next wave of innovation in life science, biotech, climate tech, fintech, and pharma. She’s a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. She’s also served for over eight years as executive producer and idea strategist for one of the oldest locally organized TED Talk events in the world (TEDxCambridge).

She was a reluctant marathoner... twice, is a champion ballroom dancer (in her mind), and learned everything she knows about messages, people, and change as a Weight Watchers leader. True story.

About "Find Your Red Thread"

You have a terrific idea—an amazing product, an incomparable service, a bulletproof business model—and you know it is so powerful that it could change a life, a market, or even the world. There’s just one problem: others can’t or don’t see its power… yet.

While the prospect of translating a big idea into the language that leads to change can be daunting, that’s exactly what this book will help you do. Even better, the throughline that connects your idea to your audience’s hearts and minds already exists. It’s called your Red Thread, and this book offers you a step-by-step system to find and express the essence of it, to inspire people to act.

Whether you are writing marketing copy, an investor pitch, a keynote speech, a book, or all of the above, the best way to make your idea irresistible is to build the story people will tell themselves about it. Find Your Red Thread shows you how.

If you want to change the world, if you value the possibility of your idea so much that you see it as bigger than you are, if you are willing to put your idea first, but you struggle to communicate how relevant it really is, Find Your Red Thread will give you the practical tools you need to create clear, powerful messages with undeniable impact.

https://www.thomsinger.com/podcast/find-your-red-thread

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Mindset with Malorie Nicole Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

Mindset and overcoming the things that are blocking you is key to success and fulfillment. In this episode Thom talks to mindset coach Malorie Nicole about ways to find your own path to health consciousness.

About Malorie Nicole

Malorie Nicole helps entrepreneurs and executives create mental clarity, fulfillment and growth in their lives. She is the host of a #1 Forbes rated podcast and spends her days dedicated to helping others remove the mental barriers they don’t realize are blocking them. She believes in using business for good, and that entrepreneurs can solve the problems of the world.

Malorie knows and has personally seen the silent suffering stigma in the high performing and entrepreneurial world. She knows the power of the brain and the relationship between past experiences and every day business and life problems and how they are deeply connected. Her passion is to help people heal the barriers that are preventing them from experiencing life and business in the most rewarding and enriching way possible.

From overcoming a traumatic brain injury, and battling major health issues all of these things eventually led to Malorie’s own personal growth journey.

She is fascinated and dedicated to understanding the science of behavior, habit, performance, and healing. She has been featured in numerous media platforms, many top rated podcasts, offering audiences a unique understanding of the power of the mind and how to become the most powerful version of yourself. She believes the best companies, business owners, and leaders are fully committed to their own personal development and growth.

When she’s not working on her business, she spends her time outdoors whether it be a trip to the mountains or tending to her extensive plant collection. After many years spent traveling, she’s enjoying a different phase of life at home with her family.

https://thomsinger.com/podcast/malorie-nicole

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Mental Health and Your Employees with Shannon Andress Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

How are you doing during the past year of the pandemic when it comes to mental health? How are your employees? Do you really know? Just asking may not get you real answers. Episode 649 is a conversation with Shannon Andress, who shares her story about the struggles she faced over the last year and her journey to recovery.

This episode matters, as many people have had a rough year. Shannon does not hold back. And the we talked about how her employer did know how bad it was, even though her boss did reach out to check in. For you and your team, you should listen to this episode.

Disclaimer: Neither Shannon nor Thom are mental health experts. We fully recommend that you talk to a professional if you are struggling with your own issues.

About Shannon Andress

Shannon Andress is the host and creator of the podcast “You Got This! – The Journey”. After suffering from her own experience with anxiety and depression, Shannon has become an advocate for mental health awareness and helping others to find ways that they can become the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves. By sharing her story of her own personal journey, she is helping her listeners to know that they are not alone. Shannon is also Interviewing guests that will help her and her listeners to find the ways that they can become the absolute best versions of themselves. When Shannon is not podcasting, she is a fur momma, a woman who loves spending time with her family and friends, and a volunteer to her local community. Shannon is passionate about making a positive impact on everyone around her and is hoping to make a difference in the world by following her purpose.

Instagram: Shannon Andress (@yougotthis_thejourney) • Instagram photos and videos

Website: You Got This! - The Journey (buzzsprout.com)

Facebook: You Got This - The Journey | Facebook

https://thomsinger.com/podcast/shannon-andress

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Trends In Business with Mike Smerklo Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

In episode 648 of "Making Waves at C-Level" Thom chats with a repeat guest on the show, Mike Smerklo. Together they discuss trends before and after the pandemic and how business leaders can "Make Waves" in the new environment. They also talk about Mike's new book, "Mr. Monkey and Me".
About Mike Smerklo
Mike Smerklo is an experienced entrepreneur, investor and business leader driven by the desire to turn ideas into reality.
Having bought and scaled a small business into a publicly traded company worth nearly a billion dollars in value, he has a deep understanding of the hard work, dedication and grit that truly powers successful entrepreneurship.
Today, as the co-founder and managing director of Next Coast Ventures, Smerklo is a champion for a new generation of entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets. His new book, Mr. Monkey and Me (Scribe Media, Nov. 17, 2020), is a “real talk” guide for entrepreneurs who want to cut through the noise to cultivate a mindset that supports greatness.
Smerklo grew up in a blue-collar family outside of Toledo, Ohio, with dreams of achieving something more with his life. After working his way through college to earn an accounting degree and moving to Chicago to launch his CPA career, he eventually talked his way into a junior analyst gig with the Wall Street investment bank Lehman Brothers. While he hated the job, surviving two years of hellish 100-hour workweeks and countless spreadsheets (so many spreadsheets) gave Smerklo a solid understanding of finance and company building. He went on to earn an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and experienced the Silicon Valley dot-com boom as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Smerklo was recruited by legendary entrepreneurs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz as one of the first employees of their new startup, Loudcloud. Here, he learned from the very best about what it takes to grow a company from an idea through an initial public offering. Smerklo began his own entrepreneurship journey in 2003, purchasing ServiceSource, a 30-person technology services startup in San Francisco. As CEO over the next 12 years, he grew the business into a successful 3,000-person publicly traded company with close to $300M in revenue.
In Mr. Monkey and Me, Smerklo draws on his broad range of experiences and mistakes as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Using lessons he learned from renowned entrepreneurs, he developed the SHAPE formula -- Self, Help, Authenticity, Persistence and Expectations -- which gives readers an actionable approach to mental toughness that will help any entrepreneur start, grow and run a successful business. An anti-memoir, Mr. Monkey and Me features practical tools and the “other stuff” you don’t normally learn in classrooms or business books, such as the mental hurdles you have to overcome, the risks you have to take and the sacrifices and mistakes you’ll make to become a successful entrepreneur.
He has developed a new perspective on entrepreneurship at the helm of the Austin-based firm Next Coast Ventures, which has backed more than 40 companies across two funds to help startup founders achieve their goals. Mike and his wife spend the bulk of their free time chasing their four children. Visit https://www.mikesmerklo.com to read his blog and learn more.
https://thomsinger.com/podcast/Mr-Monkey-and-Me
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Entrepreneurship Over 60 with Paul Tasner Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

We often celebrate the 40 under 40 entrepreneurs in every community, but how often do you see anyone praising the 70 over 70 business leaders who are making things happen in the world of business. Paul Tasner's TED Talk on "How I Became an Entrepreneur at 66" is a must watch TED Talk (TED, not TEDx).

Paul Tasner is the co-founder and CEO of PulpWorks, and his story about career and entrepreneurship is one that everyone should hear. Thom Singer ran across his TED Talk online and immediately knew he had to interview Paul on the "Making Waves at C-Level Podcast".

About Paul Tasner and PulpWorks

PulpWorks is the capstone in a 40-year career in supply chain management for Paul. Earlier, he held leadership positions in procurement, manufacturing, and logistics in ventures ranging from start-up to Fortune 100. Included among them are: The Clorox Company (consumer packaged goods), California Closet Company (home furnishings), Method Products (consumer packaged goods), Hepagen (vaccines), OM2 (supply chain consultancy), and the Reclipse Group (supply chain consultancy). His clients have included: Clif Bar, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis Consumer Health, Borden Chemical, Dial Corporation, Unilever, and Industrial Light+Magic.

In 2008, Paul founded and continues to lead the San Francisco Bay Area Green Supply Chain Forum – the first such assembly of supply chain executives anywhere. He has authored many papers and presentations on supply chain sustainability and currently lectures on this timely topic in the MBA Programs at San Francisco State University and Golden Gate University as well as the Packaging Engineering Department at San Jose State University.

He is an Industrial Engineering graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University.

https://thomsinger.com/podcast/paul-tasner

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Hempress Hygienics Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

Episode 646 is an interview with three young entrepreneurs. Thom met the founders of Hempress Hygienics when he was the Master of Ceremonies for the 2021 San Diego Angel Conference. While this company did not win the cash prize in the angel funding competition, they are huge winners in the world of launching a start up. These women are onto something and everyone should hear their story. Marilyn Austin, Halli Briscoe, and McKenna Avery are smart, determined, and doing work they love.

This interview is the first time Thom has talked about feminine hygiene products (including tampons, pads, and liners) on this podcast. This company makes their products from Hemp, so they are 100% biodegradable. This company is "making waves" and changing an entire industry.

About Hempress Hygienics

Hempress Hygienics is an innovative feminine hygiene brand with the mission to provide products that are good for women's bodies AND the environment, and we do this through utilizing the power of hemp fiber. Our 100% hemp tampons, pads, and liners, are 100% biodegradable, chemical free, and plastic free. Hemp is also naturally antimicrobial which reduces the risk of infection and has 1/4th the carbon footprint of its main competitor cotton. We plan to launch in Q4 of 2021, and a portion of our profits go to women friendly charities focused on providing women access to healthcare, education, and products worldwide.

About the Hempress Hygienics Founders

Marilyn Austin is the CEO and is focused on the finances and marketing for Hempress. Marilyn is from San Diego, California and attended Oregon State University, where she and her co-founder Halli started Hempress. She graduated in 2019 with a double major in Economics and Business and went on to work in finance at TD Ameritrade and now Bank of America. Marilyn has her series 7 and 66 licenses and is pending CFP certification. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and is an outspoken advocate for sustainability and women's rights and advancement worldwide.

Halli Briscoe is President and her roles are focused on operations and legal. Halli is from Dallas, Texas and attended Oregon State University where she competed as a D1 All-American gymnast. Halli graduated in 2019 with her Honors degree in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, and went on to earn her MBA in Organizational Leadership from OSU and graduated in 2020. She has served at Meritize under the strategy and growth department where she was in charge of writing industry theses and presenting competitor case studies to the CEO of the company as an advisor. Halli also worked at a nonprofit care center in Ghana, Africa for previously trafficked children which further developed her passion for philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. Halli now works as a middle school science teacher and plans to go full-time with Hempress once her teaching contract ends.

McKenna Avery is Vice President and is responsible for Hempress's product development and sustainability. McKenna is from Redlands, California and attended San Diego State University where she graduated with a degree in Sustainability. McKenna was a former chair of her campus’s Sustainability Commission, a member of the University’s Senate Sustainability, and is a contracted sustainability consultant in Southern California working with a variety of businesses and cities. She also worked internationally to develop sustainable waste management systems in Cambodia. McKenna is extremely passionate about sustainability, women's health, and philanthropy overall.

https://thomsinger.com/hempress-hygienics

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Franchises with Jon Ostenson Apr 06, 2021

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Ever wondered about franchising your business or buying a franchise? Jon Ostenson joins the conversation on "Making Waves at C-Level" on episode 645.

Jon Ostenson is a consultant, investor, author, and international speaker specializing in the area of

non-food franchising. He draws on his experience as both the President of an Inc. 500 franchise

system and as a multi-brand franchisee in serving clients across these capacities.

Jon serves as CEO of FranBridge Consulting where he helps clients understand all aspects of

non-food franchising in the process of introducing them to opportunities from the over 300 high

growth brands that he represents. Additionally, Jon oversees FranBridge Capital where he and

his partners own 17 territories across 5 property service franchises.

Jon is the author of 'The Franchise Path' and is a frequent contributor and thought leader for

publications on the topic of franchising and franchise investments. Prior to FranBridge, Jon was

the President of ShelfGenie, a national franchise system with 200 locations.

Prior to ShelfGenie, Jon was the Vice President of Sales for Carter’s Inc., responsible for over

$350M in annual sales. Jon began his career as a Consultant with Accenture, often working

Internationally on behalf of clients.

Jon has BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Georgia and lives in Atlanta, GA where

he and his wife have 3 children and are active in the community

https://thomsinger.com/podcast/JonOstenson

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Making a Living vs. Making a Life with Shari Fitzpatrick Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

On episode 644 of "Making Waves at C-Level" Thom sits down for a candid talk with Shari Fitzpatrick, the founder of Shari's Berries. She tells her story of turning her love of Strawberries into a $50mm brand, how she lost the company (and got nothing), became resilient, became a motivational speaker, and how she launched a new company (Berried in Chocolate). Her story is one for everyone, as it talks about how to make a life instead of just making a living.

About Shari Fitzpatrick

SHARI FITZPATRICK is the creator of the world’s famous line of gourmet-dipped strawberries, the renowned Shari’s Berries. Shari’s love affair with strawberries began as a little girl with a strawberry patch that her Father planted for her each summer. They quickly became her favorite fruit. Later while working as a mortgage broker in Los Angeles she began making potential clients handmade chocolate dipped strawberries. The incredible popularity of these memorable edible gifts soon outpaced the success of her original career.

In 1989, with a $1,500 cash advance, having just moved to a new town, Shari took her passion and hobby of chocolate dipping strawberries and turned it into a business.

An acclaimed inspirational speaker, and now author, Shari entertains audiences of all ages and backgrounds while sharing her down-to-earth, heartfelt business story. Appealing to anyone who has a dream, she’ll take your group on an emotional journey as she intertwines the successes in her life along with her mistakes. Shari’s new book, Berried in Chocolate, points out the importance of family, faith and fearlessness while revealing how God became her best business partner and that faith and street smarts can be just as useful as a college degree.

Today Shari’s new boutique brand of gourmet chocolate dipped gifts can be exclusively found at BerriedinChocolate.com and are shipped nationwide all year round.

For over 29 years, Shari’s story and her creations have attracted attention through appearances in O Magazine, In-Style Magazine, People Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, on the Today Show, Food Network, The Apprentice, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, QVC and HSN.

https://thomsinger.com/podcast/shari-fitzpatrick

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