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

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Krystal Luxury Transportation Mar 21, 2019

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Antonio Grahm and Daniel Cline are the co-founders of Krystal Luxury Transportation, in Austin, Texas. Check out episode 443 of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" podcast to hear their story of entrepreneurship. Krystal is a family and friends owned and operated chauffeur company founded in 2013. When the two young entrepreneurs arrived in Austin, Antonio and Daniel noticed one big issue with the Austin chauffeured industry - The service sucked. They witnessed chauffeurs were often under dressed, unclean vehicles were the norm, and drivers regularly arrived late. In founding a new company, Daniel and Antonio wanted to fix the fundamental issues of the industry. In their first year the co-founders of Krystal focused on mastering the basics. After they got the service right, they were able to focus on other systems. The duo worked hard to make sure their company was committed to ease of booking and billing for their clients. They created a system of easy communication with chauffeurs via GPS tracking of vehicle and chauffeur location sent directly to the client’s cell phone. Krystal is focused on building real relationships with clients, so they understand the personal preferences of everyone; having a newspaper, coffee, or specific water brand in the vehicle upon arrival. Over the past six years Krystal Luxury Transportation has been able to refine their chauffeur service to provide a remarkable, consistent, transportation experience. Antonio and Daniel have been friends for over 20 years. Growing up in the city of Tyler, Texas, they moved to Austin in their twenties to start their ground transportation business. Growing a company has presented many challenges. Any company with two hard driven founders, with different temperaments, will face ups and downs. Both these young entrepreneurs have unique talents and understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses has allowed them to overcome all the challenges of launching a new company. Krystal cares about the great city of Austin and everyone who visits. They are hands on with the Austin Concierge and Gust Services Association and sit on the board of the Austin Hotel and Lodging Association. These dynamic entrepreneurs believe that from the time a traveler sets foot in Austin to the time they leave they need to experience the great hospitality the city has to offer. Additionally, they work hard to ensure local customers are given the same high level of personal care. https://www.krystalluxuries.com/ info@krystalatx.com (512) 944-8470

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Conference Season Mar 19, 2019

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The Spring is time for live events. If you are in business, the odds are you will be attending meetings in your industry sometime soon. Local events for groups like a chamber of commerce or national multi-day conventions seem to all clump in the fall and spring (winter and summer have other challenges that make many associations and companies hold their gatherings in these time frames). This episode of CTED podcast is for you if you are not sure why to attend a industry meeting, or you want to make sure you get the most ROI for your time or money. Live events can change the trajectory of your business and career. The education, networking and motivation / inspiration all can come together and get you to take new actions. But change does not happen by accident. You need to be prepared to maximize your time at the event. Meetings today are different than they were ten or twenty years ago. The expectations of participants has changed. People do not want some "sage on the stage" to talk at them, but they want to be engaged and feel they are part of the event. Attendees want the event to be interactive, engaging, and willed with actionable learning with a good amount of networking. Planners of meetings have to be willing to take risks. (Check out this article in the MPI Magazine about how one organization threw away the standard keynote and created a peer to peer learning session - https://www.mpiweb.org/blog/article/making-attendees-the-star-of-the-show). 5 Reasons to attend live events: 1. Educational Opportunities 2. Networking with Peers 3. Encounter Vendors and Suppliers 4. Position Yourself as an Expert 5. Have an Experience / Have Fun 5 Tips to Maximize the Conference 1. Attend with a sense of adventure 2. Do not spend all your time with co-workers and friends 3. Say "Hello" to others 4. Talk to the speakers after their presentations 5. Plan for the follow up ******************* Thom Singer is a keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies. He is also the host of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" podcast and the author of 12 books. He can be reached at https://www.ThomSinger.com

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WTF?! (Willing to Fail) with Brian Scudamore Mar 14, 2019

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Brian Scudamore is the founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?. He is also the author of "WTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success" Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, and later went on to franchise 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a way to expand operations. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has 1000 trucks on the road throughout some 180 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Brian has received wide recognition in the media and business community. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has celebrated appearances on the highly-acclaimed Undercover Boss Canada, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, CNN, ABC Nightline, the Today Show, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, and the View. His story has been told in Fortune Magazine, Business Week, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Wall Street Journal, to name a few. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is currently the starring junk removal attraction on the hit A&E reality show, Hoarders. In addition to interviews and guest appearances, Brian contributes written articles on building a business and entrepreneurism to many national magazines, including a monthly column in PROFIT Magazine. In 2004, Brian was inducted into the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and served as a board member for the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization (YEO). In 2007, Brian was honored to have been named the International Franchise Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Other accolades include Fortune Small Business’ Best Bosses Award, Globe & Mail’s Top 40 under 40, and a three-time winner of a prestigious “Best Company To Work For” award. As a public speaker, Brian has brought his entrepreneurial success story to many conference stages, including the Fortune Small Business Magazine’s national conference. A strong believer in personal and professional development, Brian graduated from MIT's four-year Birthing of Giants program, and has subsequently completed several years of MIT’s BOG’s alumni program, Gathering of Titans. He is also a participant in a nine-year executive education program at Harvard University through YPO Presidents’ University. Connect with Brian on LinkedIn here.
Connect with Brian on Twitter here.

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Live Your Dream Mar 11, 2019

Show notes

While at the SXSW Conference in Austin, Texas, Thom Singer had the chance to meet author and speaker Laura Gassner Otting (author of Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve Your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life). She started her SXSW presentation with a powerful statement: "You can't be happy living someone else's dream" Boom. That stuck in Thom's mind for the last few days, and when preparing for Episode 440, he knew he had to share this quote and the reasons it resonated with him. By the way, Laura agreed to be a guest on "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do", so look for that episode in April 2019. Thom Singer spent most of his career with his "ladder against the wrong wall". He was doing a career that he fell into (sales and marketing). While he was very successful, it was not his dream. Happiness was not front and center. Fast forward to today and Thom is a successful professional speaker and podcast host. He is living a life that few people get to live, and he is happy. Not happy every single minute of every day, but when it comes to his career, he knows how fortunate he is and reminds himself of this daily. This episode is a challenge and he point blank asks the question of all listeners; "Are you living your dream?" Check out this episode and then email or DM Thom about what your career dream is all about. http://www.ThomSinger.com

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Don't Chase The Money - With Alex and Tim Porter Mar 07, 2019

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This episode is co-produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council, the largest tech industry organization in central Texas that empowers members by using insights, resources, and connections their members need to succeed and thrive
Join Underminer Studios CEO, Alex Porter and CTO Timothy Porter for a look into their startup company and how Austin has played a role in their growth. They are candid about working together as a married couple and how they navigate emerging technology markets.
Underminer utilizes Visualization Technology like Augmented and Virtual Reality as well as Volumetric Video to design innovative products for business that will help define the future of human-computer interaction.
Alex’s background in physical and digital design started with her education in Interior Design and made its way to founding a tech company. She drives the vison for the company with a focus on how their work can contribute to accessibility and functional uses for technology.
Tim spent a decade in games and movies specializing in optimization, automation, and pipelines. He uses many of those entertainment paradigms in leading-edge technology applications across health, marketing, education, and business tool creation.
Together they are working to humanize the digital world. They were both recognized by Intel Software as 2018 Top Innovators. Austin is home to their family which includes their two young kids, a cat, and their business.
Check out this interview with host Thom Singer.
https://underminerstudios.com/
https://www.thomsinger.com/podcast

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What is Repurposing Content Strategy? Mar 05, 2019

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All businesses should be creating some sort of content marketing. In the age of the internet, content has become more necessary than ever in history. But dropping a blog post onto your website and hoping for millions of views is not realistic. So what is a entrepreneur or business leader to do? In episode 438 Jill Schiefelbein and Thom Singer talk about how to repurpose content. Jill has lived this...and she found ways to create real results. She has millions of YouTube views, but didn't stop there. She turned her video strategy into paying clients, syndication offers, and a collaboration with Entrepreneur Magazine. Listen to this episode for actionable strategy on how to take a single piece of content and turn it in dozens of different digital touch points across the web. About Jill Schiefelbein University faculty-turned-entrepreneur, Jill Schiefelbein is an award-winning business owner, author, and recovering academic. She taught business communication at Arizona State University for 11 years, analyzed terrorist documents to provide counter-terrorism messaging strategies to the military, and was a pioneer in the digital education space, creating an office serving 60,000 students and—with no staff or operational budget—adding $1M in revenue in its first year.
Today, Jill resides in New York City and runs The Dynamic Communicator®, providing custom communication training and strategies for her clients—through workshops, keynote 438
speaking, consulting, and virtual training. She’s helped clients all over the spectrum learn dynamic communication skills: from Boomers, to Millennials, to Generation Z, from Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, and even some reluctant professional athletes.
She's a VIP contributor to Entrepreneur, and a livestream video personality. She has a syndicated YouTube channel that teaches communication skills and reaches thousands each week. Her latest book, Dynamic Communication: 27 Strategies to Grow, Lead, and Manage Your Business, is in bookstores around the country. http://thedynamiccommunicator.com

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Entrepreneurship Shapes The World Feb 28, 2019

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Michael Smerklo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Austin-based venture capital firm Next Coast Ventures. NCV provides early-stage capital to high-growth startups in ‘Next Coast’ markets, using macro trends and themes to guide their investment strategy. Michael has been in the technology industry for almost 20 years as an operator, investor and board member/advisor. Michael currently sits on the board of NCV portfolio companies Tenfold, Navegate, LeanDNA and AlertMedia. He serves as a board observer for NCV portfolio companies EverlyWell, Stoplight and Cloverpop. Previously, he served on the board of OnRamp (acquired in July 2018) as well as SPS Commerce (NASDAQ: SPSC). Prior to founding NCV, Michael was an investor and advisor to emerging growth companies in Silicon Valley and Austin, Texas from 2014-2015 via his personal entity, True North Ventures LLC. From 2003 to 2014, Michael served as CEO (and Chairman from 2008-2015) of ServiceSource International, a company he acquired via a search fund, at a time when the company had one office, 35 employees and a few million dollars in revenue. Under Michael’s direction, ServiceSource grew from a groundbreaking idea into a publicly-traded company that is the market leader in Recurring Revenue Management (NASDAQ: SREV). Michael was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Award Finalist in Northern California in 2010. Michael retired as CEO in 2014 and from the Chairman role in 2015 as part of his planned relocation to Austin.
Prior to ServiceSource, Michael was an early employee at Loudcloud (renamed Opsware), working closely with Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz in Business Development. He previously worked at Morgan Stanley (Silicon Valley Technology Investment Banking), Lehman Brothers (M&A) and Ernst & Young (Audit, CPA). Michael received his MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern (with distinction) and a BS in Accounting from the Miami University (Ohio). Michael is an active member of Young President Organization (YPO) in Silicon Valley. He is also an active blogger, focused on the Entrepreneur’s Journey, on his personal site www.mikesmerklo.com .

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The End of New Year's Resolutions Feb 26, 2019

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Most surveys show that the New Year's Resolutions we set are abandoned by the end of February. People set goals, and then the routines of their life set in and we fall into the same path we have been walking for a long time. Thom Singer believes in goal setting and New Year's Resolutions. While he knows that most people never do much with working long toward their goals, for those who do, it can be magical. But it is not about reaching to goal, the success in in the progress you make along the way. As humans, we like the idea of a "fresh start". This is why birthdays, anniversaries, and New Year's Day are such a big deal. We get to move ahead with a new path. We get excited about that potential, but potential is not a solution. Potential does not equal results. The key here is "performance". In observing peak performers, Thom Singer has seen a pattern. There are things people do who reach come closer to reaching their potential, than those who are stuck in a rut (Thom believes that you never really reach your potential, as once you climb a mountain you find bigger mountains to climb). Peak performers keep trying and they enjoy the journey. Peak performers take action. Many people feel they are coming up short, and those are often the same people doing the same routine day after day. Those who are achieving more are not static in their actions. What Peak Performers Do: 1. Peak performers "Try New Things" and pivot off actions that are not working. 2. Peak performers take ownership of their life. 3. Peak performers set goals. 4. Peak performers are not sidelined by doubt and fear 5. Peak performers connect with people and show gratitude 6. Peak performers believe in themselves. Check out episode 436 of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" podcast. If you like this episode, please share it on social media or with your friends.

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Comedian Motivational Speaker Feb 21, 2019

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Let’s Talk Funny Nothing is less funny than a podcast interview about comedy. Episode 435 is an interview with comedian motivational speaker Garrison Wynn. This conversation covers a lot of ground about his career and what makes things funny. Garrison got into stand up comedy early, and it has impacted his whole career. He has seen a lot of things between the world of comedy, the Fortune 500, and the speaking business. Nine months after his first open mic he was earning a living as a comic. Today he is a professional keynote speaker. On this episode we dive deep into comedy. Garrison has had a very interesting career path, and he is very open in this interview. It is hard to find funny in some rooms. You need the right environment to get the humor to connect with the audience. Most people, even when they are funny, do not realize what makes them funny. There are many things that go into making humor work. About Garrison Wynn Garrison helps people make the jump from being great at what they do to developing the qualities it takes to be consistently chosen for the job. He gets them to understand why their products, services, or leadership styles-or those of their competitors-are selected. As he says, “If the world agreed on what’s best, everybody would choose the best and nothing else would be considered. Decision making doesn’t work that way.” His presentations help people become more influential regardless of circumstances. With talents that established him as a Fortune 500 leader and professional stand-up comedian, Garrison Wynn, CSP, fuses comic timing and research to deliver motivational business expertise. For 20 years, he has given keynote presentations to clients (such as American Express, Wells Fargo, Oracle and NASA) at corporate and association events. He is the author of the Amazon bestseller The Real Truth about Success, the Amazon #1 bestseller The Cowbell Principle, has been a weekly contributor to the Washington Post and featured Forbes and Inc. Magazines. In his teens he debuted the world’s first video gaming system (Odyssey) with baseball legend Hank Aaron and as a young man spent 6 years touring comedy clubs with the top names in the business. He went on to become the youngest department head in a Fortune 500 company’s history where he researched and designed processes for 38 company locations nationwide and developed & marketed products still being sold in 30 countries. Garrison Wynn can be booked through your favorite speakers bureau or directly at https://www.motivational-speaker-success.com/ Check out his first interview on Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do from August 2016. https://thomsinger.com/podcast/long-term-success-with-garrison-wynn/ About Thom Singer Thom Singer is the host of the “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” podcast. He is also a motivational keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies. Thom took up stand up comedy at age 51 and began visiting comedy clubs, bars and coffee shops for open mic nights all over the country. While he is not a comedian, he as become a student of humor. He does not put jokes into his keynote speeches, he has learned that comedy is the best teacher of timing and audience engagement.

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Self Leadership Feb 19, 2019

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Leaders must have followers. You cannot set up to set the pace if the other people behind you don't care what you think and do not respect you.
To be a good leader, you must begin by leading yourself in a direction of more success.
Thom Singer takes this episode of the "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" podcast into the explorations of self leadership.
If you are living as a fraud, others may not know it... but you are very award. People cannot lead self if they are out of sync with their own soul. You may be acting bigger than reality, or selling yourself short. Either way, if you are not honest with yourself, you will bounce around lost for a long time.
Confidence is important, but over confidence or under-confidence are a fine line away.
How you communicate with others will impact your ability to lead, but also you ability to self lead. If others are always mis-understanding you and your intentions, then you are probably not internally clear as to who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.
The best leaders want to always be learning and growing ("those of you listening to his podcast are clearly good leaders, as you come here to learn and grow").
Be aware of who you are is hard, and often even harder for younger people. We spend a lot of time doing what we think is expected of us in our lives and careers. Somewhere around age 35 most people come to be aware of who they are (the good stuff and the bad stuff). That awareness allows you to be honest about your intentions and motivations. The games you have to play in relationships lessen, since you no longer are hiding your true self (from others of from yourself).
Becoming less judgmental of others is a big part of knowing your own strengths and weaknesses.
To lead yourself you have to define your goals. Having goals make it easy to navigate the tough decisions we all face daily.
Knowing your purpose is key. This is not some trendy "Know your why" statement, but instead a clarifying point where you realize that when you know your purpose in every interaction with others, you make a difference. This is how you leave a legacy.
And in the end, the person who masters great self leadership will have influence on others. Followers line up for the leader who knows about their purpose and can clearly communicate that message.
Listen to episode 434 and share it with a friend.
*****
Thom Singer is a motivational keynote speaker and professional master of ceremonies / emcee. If you are planning a meeting, call Thom to discover if the is the right fit to have a meaningful impact on your conference. https://www.ThomSinger.com

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