Measure Success Podcast

Latest Episodes:

How to skyrocket your personal and leadership development — one book at a time — with BookThinkers Founder Nicholas Hutchison Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

What if you could spend just one day learning what it took someone else *decades* to learn?

That's the power of picking up a book: you get the most important lessons and advice, condensed down into a couple of hundred pages. Spend just one afternoon reading a great personal development book, and you could reap the benefits for decades to come.

It's that concept that inspired Nicholas Hutchison to start his business, BookThinkers.

Nicholas is our latest guest and is the Founder of BookThinkers, a company dedicated to spreading the power of personal development books. Nicholas is focused on developing insightful content and interviewing the world's top non-fiction authors for his podcast, BookThinkers: Life-Changing Books. As a digital nomad, Nicholas runs his business from a different country every month and gives all the credit for this lifestyle to some of the early books he has read.

Tune into the full episode for more on Nick's top book recommendations (of course), how new authors can market their books even if they don't have a huge platform already, why great leaders should read as much as possible, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

More about Nick's business and how he got started in the book world
The connection between great leadership and reading habits
Some of the statistics around supply and demand in the book industry, especially with the increase of self-publishing
What gives books staying power beyond just an initial bestseller lists
How Nick helps authors market their books, even if they don't have an existing large platform
What's surprised Nick the most about working in marketing and the book industry, plus what it means to "condense decades into a day"
The percentage of books that Nick reads multiple (and many) times
How Nick measures success with his clients, and how some of those KPIs have changed over the past few years
Why books are the business cards that entrepreneurs actually need
Some of the daily habits Nick has integrated to maintain peak performance, including physical movement, biohacking, fasting, and more
Why Nick actually has more energy as he's gotten older, and some of the routines that have helped him maintain that energy level
The power of asking yourself "What am I optimizing for?"
How one book completely changed the narrative of long-term travel for Nick, and how travel has impacted Nick's own self-development

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Book Thinkers website
Book Thinkers podcast
Nicholas Hutchison on LinkedIn
Book Thinkers on Instagram
"Own the Day, Own Your Life: Optimized Practices for Waking, Working, Learning, Eating, Training, Playing, Sleeping, and Sex" by Aubrey Marcus
"$100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No" by Alex Hormozi
"The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success" by Darren Hardy
"No Excuses!: The Power of Discipline" by Brian Tracy
"Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!" by Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
"The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success" by Ed Mylett
"The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals" by Chris McChesney
"Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel" by Rolf Potts
"How to Die Happy: Curated wisdom, stories, and utilities for the art of living" by Martin O'Toole
Buy a copy of "Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Strategy" by Carl J. Cox
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to travel the world — and have the confidence that your business is still running without you — with Nigel Bennett Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

As a teenager, Nigel Bennett showed up for his first-ever job alongside his dad — and ended up in a helicopter that Colombia FARC forces were shooting at. It's been a worldwide adventure for Nigel ever since, as he eventually started his own company and scaled it to the point of working in more than 100 countries around the world. In his decades as a successful business owner and international traveler, he's still found time to spend with his family — and keep his business running without him.

Nigel joins us in this episode of the Measure Success Podcast. He is the Co-Founder of Aqua-Guard Spill Response, which provides a range of state-of-the-art oil spill response solutions. He's also the author of "Take That Leap: Risking It All For What REALLY Matters" and co-host of the Impact Podcast.

Tune into the full conversation for more on Nigel's twisting and turning journey, his secrets to scaling a company, info about oil spills worldwide (which his company helps clean up), his year-long trip around the world with his family, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

More about what Nigel's company does in relation to containing oil spills — plus how often these spills occur
Why Nigel's first day of work ever involved Colombian FARC forces trying to shoot down his helicopter, plus more about his time working in Egypt
Why Nigel had to build up the courage to tell his dad he was leaving his company and starting his own
How Nigel expanded and scaled his business to providing services in 105+ countries
What got Nigel to the point of wanting to leave the business 10 years in — and how he got himself out of that burnout
When Nigel realized that "poaching" managers and dropping them into his business wasn't working (and what he figured out he should do instead)
How Nigel has been able to set up his business to run even when he's not in it day-to-day — including when he and his family traveled the world for a year, including to places like Myanmar and Burma
Why Nigel brought his teenage kids to high-level business meetings
How Nigel measures his own success, plus how those metrics have changed over the past couple of decades
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make and why leaders need to spend a couple of days on their own after a planning retreat in order to actually put ideas into action
The one thing that Nigel started doing during the pandemic that's had the most impact on his day-to-day life

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Nigel's website
Aqua-Guard Spill Response on Facebook
Impact Podcast
TruBeach
GiftADD
"Take That Leap: Risking It All For What REALLY Matters" by Nigel J. Bennett
Nigel Bennett on LinkedIn
"From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life" by Arthur C. Brooks
Buy a copy of "Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Strategy" by Carl J. Cox
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to become your team's favorite boss, with global HR expert Paul Falcone Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Winning the war for talent will be one of the top ways that the businesses of tomorrow will not only succeed — but survive. So how do you actually win that war? How do you become the leader — and company — everyone wants to work for? Our guest this week is the perfect person to answer those questions.

Paul Falcone is principal of Paul Falcone Workplace Leadership Consulting, LLC, specializing in management and leadership training, executive coaching, international keynote speaking, and facilitating corporate offsite retreats. He is the former CHRO of Nickelodeon and has held senior-level HR positions with Paramount Pictures, Time Warner, and City of Hope.

Listen to the full conversation for more on talent scarcity (and how to overcome it), what younger generations want in the workplace, Paul's secret to writing 15 bestselling books, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

How Paul Falcone "back doored" into his career path in human resources
How Paul found time to write 15 bestselling books in the midst of his successful corporate and consulting career, plus why he thinks his books have stood out in the publishing landscape
Why talent scarcity is one of the top factors that will impact the next era of work
The key to holding your employees accountable
Why leadership is the greatest gift a workplace can give
What it means to "sit around the campfire" — and why today's society has lost the ability to do it
The difference between someone's "doingness" and their "beingness"
Why Gen Z is considered the most isolated and lonely generation in history, and what that means for mental health in the workplace
The power of gratitude when it comes to HR, recruiting, and hiring
What the younger generations of workers want in a company and boss
What the leap to entrepreneurship from the corporate world has been for Paul, and why he wasn't ready for it earlier in his career
How to measure success in the HR world
Why leaders shouldn't be responsible for motivating their employees — but instead create an environment in which they can self-motivate
More about Paul's book-writing process, and why that mode commonly hits him in the middle of the night

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Paul's consulting firm, Paul Falcone HR
Paul Falcone on LinkedIn
Paul's SHRM author page
"The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century" by George Friedman
Buy a copy of "Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Strategy" by Carl J. Cox
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to create trust with investors to successfully sell a business, with Greg Sheldon Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

When it comes to starting, building, and eventually selling a successful business, there's one often overlooked ingredient that can make or break a company: trust. Trust among coworkers. Trust with clients. Trust with investors when it's time to sell. In an era where fewer and fewer people are doing what they say they will, trust in business is at an all-time premium.

Our guest this week is one who knows that concept well — and who works with business owners every day to build valuation and sell their companies. Greg Sheldon is the Founder of Metal Merger Corp. His business is a medium for generations of hard-working metal and steel people: if it wasn't for them, modern life wouldn't be possible.

Tune into the full episode for more on the metal industry's enormous significance in today's economy, how owners can set their businesses up for success even after they depart, the power of establishing a "why" for selling a business, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

How Greg got started in the metal industry, why he felt like he had a "duty" to his industry, and why the industry is so pivotal to our modern economy
The first questions Greg asks of someone when they are thinking about selling their business — and the power of asking "why?" more than once
How Greg helps clients visualize what will happen to their business after they leave
The importance of equity for the whole team when it comes to selling your business
How Greg measures success with his clients
Why Greg is so inspired by the U.S., plus the power of being able to do business anywhere in the world
Why "analyzing the crap out of something" doesn't always work, and why it can't be someone's entire approach
What an "algorithm of the gut" is, and why it's so important when it comes to taking action in life
How to jump from "small thinking" to "big thinking" — and why it's harder to do smaller things than bigger ones
The one habit from the "seven habits of highly effective people" that has made the most impact on Greg's life, plus a couple of his other book recommendations
The importance of trust in business

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Metal Merger Corp.
Greg Sheldon on LinkedIn
Greg's Linktree
"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill
"The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything" by Stephen M.R. Covey
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey
Buy a copy of "Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Strategy" by Carl J. Cox
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How small business can lean on innovation in the face of AI, technological advancement, and more, with Trent Gillespie Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

If you're a small or medium-sized business hoping that all the buzz about AI and other recent technological innovation will just die down without you having to do anything about it… well, you're already behind the 8-ball. The time to take advantage is now — or you risk being left behind quickly by your competition.

Our latest guest is someone who knows innovation — and how to use it — well. Trent Gillespie helps companies out-innovate Amazon, based on his 9 years as a senior leader there managing major global expansion and innovation programs, and his over 20 years of technical experience.

Tune into the full episode for more on the rapid evolution of AI in recent years, what businesses can do to stay ahead of the curve, how companies can build cultures of innovation internally, and a lot more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

What Trent believes is one of the most valuable skills you can learn, especially in the face of technological development, AI, and more
Some of the recent innovations in the AI space, and what they mean for the future of business
The top use cases for AI in business, especially ChatGPT, and where small to medium-sized businesses can do now to take advantage of this technology
Whether businesses should be worried about AI, and why Trent believes they really only have 5 years to respond to today's technological innovations
How Trent has transformed his experience at Amazon into his current work now
The one characteristic that every successful company should structure their business around
What "sustainable innovation" is, why it's so important for businesses to invest in, and why Amazon actually isn't great at this type of innovation
How to create a culture that embraces innovation, and what that means for an organization's incentive programs
Why innovation should factor prominently into your hiring strategy
How Trent measures success in his own business, with his clients, and in his personal life
Why Trent has shifted the measure of his happiness from simply money to quality of life

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Trent's company, Day One Innovation
Trent Gillespie on LinkedIn
"The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)" by Clayton M. Christensen
"[Non] Human Intelligence: AI, Automation, and How Robots Will Make Us Better People" by Cesar Keller
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't" by Jim Collins
"How Will You Measure Your Life?" by Clayton Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon
Buy a copy of "Lost at CEO: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Strategy" by Carl J. Cox
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to shift from "founder" to "CEO" in order to scale your business, with Dr. David Stern May 30, 2023

Show notes

So many company founders out there have found success because they've had a great idea, a particular skill set, and a willingness to put in the long hours. But those 3 characteristics are NOT how to scale a company. Instead, to become a successful CEO of a growing business, founders have to evolve what they do within that business — and this can be one of the toughest transitions for them to make. Letting go of job duties or responsibilities doesn't come easy for these high-achievers.

Our latest guest, Dr. David Stern, MD, is someone who has gone through that transition himself. Stern is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Experity, a GTCR portfolio company and a leading software and services company providing integrated solutions to more than 50% of the U.S. urgent care market.

Tune into the full conversation for more on David's journey from doctor to business owner, how he's evolved as a leader over the years, the pros and cons of mergers, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

More about what David's company, Experity, does
How the introduction of electronic medical records inspired David to start his own business
The value of firsthand experience in developing the product that would make up the core of David's business
How David morphed his job duties over the years, and how that helped scale the company
Why founders are "scary" to investors
What "drivers" are and the two conditions they have to meet
The potential benefits and risks of doing a merger between two competitors — and what made David's so successful
How David has transitioned his work habits so he can spend more time with his family
The routine David has with his daughter, and how that has made his personal life so much more meaningful
David's book recommendations, especially for business owners looking to scale their companies without stretching themselves too thin or trying to do everything all at once
The one habit that successful CEOs consistently maintain

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Experity Health website
David M. Stern, MD on LinkedIn
David M. Stern, MD on Twitter
"The Great Game of Business: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company" by Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't" by Jim Collins
"The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals" by Chris McChesney
"The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth About Extraordinary Results" by Gary Keller
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to cut through the noise and craft marketing messages that sell, with copywriting expert Csaba Borzasi May 23, 2023

Show notes

In an age where the average person sees tens of thousands of marketing messages every day, how do you as a business owner actually stand apart? The answer involves both psychological and copywriting principles — and our guest this week is an expert in both.

Csaba Borzasi is a former psychology researcher turned direct response marketing consultant and sales funnel copywriter. He helps ambitious online businesses engineer profitable marketing funnels and persuasive sales messages, so they can unlock more consistent cash flow while impacting more people around them.

Tune into the full episode for more on Csaba's tips for better copywriting that can help you stand out from the competition, how to narrow down your niche, typical marketing mistakes that Csaba has seen business owners make, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

How Csaba migrated from psychology to copywriting, and more about what his business does now
Some of the biggest mistakes Csaba sees business owners make when it comes to messaging, marketing, and copywriting
The key to competing against some of the biggest companies out there who spend millions on marketing and ad spend
More about the "blank page syndrome" and how to avoid it
How to narrow down multiple customer avatars in order to focus on the one that's the best fit for your product or service
One of the most surprising copywriting methods that actually work
The "five stages of awareness," and how understanding this framework can uplevel your marketing and copywriting
Tips and tricks for how to stand out from the competition in each step of your marketing funnel
How Csaba measures success in his business (and life)
The importance of not just email clicks, but email replies
The typical open and click-through rates that businesses can try to target
The personal habits that Csaba has integrated into his life — and how he sees his productivity changing once he becomes a father

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Game of Conversions website
Game of Conversions course
100-Day Proven Sales Letter Breakdown Playlist
"Breakthrough Advertising" by Eugene M. Schwartz
"Great Leads: The Six Easiest Ways to Start Any Sales Message" by Michael Masterson
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

How to (correctly) quantify what your business is doing — and where it's going — with accounting expert & co-founder Dave Ashworth May 16, 2023

Show notes

If you want to actually understand the story of your business — what's happening, where there are opportunities, and what the path is to meet your goals — you need one important piece. A solid bookkeeping foundation. Without correct, comprehensive numbers, your business will inevitably flounder.

But actually ensuring you have that foundation in place? Not always so easy. That's where this week's guest, Dave Ashworth, helps small business clients. As the co-founder of Quantify for 10 years, Dave has helped countless business owners add a few extra hours of sleep per night knowing they have accurate and financial information to grow their business. Prior to founding Quantify, Dave's expertise was utilized by one of Pennsylvania's biggest regional public accounting firms.

Tune into this week's episode for more on the "clean-up" process for messy books within a small business, some tips he has for entrepreneurs frustrated or intimidated by their bookkeeping, the importance of business owners paying themselves, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

More about Dave's business and what kind of clients they serve
How long it takes to "clean up" a business's books that might be a bit of a mess
The kind of reactions Dave's clients give after their books have finally been cleaned up — even if they never thought that was possible
Why having accounting peace of mind is so important for the future of a business
How common it is for entrepreneurs to not actually pay themselves a salary (or at least a good one)
Why you need a foundation of good numbers in order to tell the story of your business
When you should (and should not) reinvest back into your business (and what this means for how you can get paid)
How to quantify what you're doing and where you want to go
More about the course that Dave created, and how it can help small business owners
How Dave measures success — and impact — with his clients, team, and the industry
More about the personal habits Dave has integrated into his life to ensure success, plus a few of his favorite book recommendations

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The Quantify Group website
Dave Ashworth on LinkedIn
The Quantify Group on Facebook
Use code QUANTIFY100 for The Quantify Group course
"Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds" by David Goggins
"Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't" by Jim Collins
40 Strategy
Contact 40 Strategy
Carl J. Cox on LinkedIn

The Real Impact of AI and ChatGPT, with AI2 Incubator Director Jacob Colker May 09, 2023

Show notes

If you've been anywhere near the news recently, you know that AI and ChatGPT is one of the hottest topics. But what does AI really mean? How will ChatGPT impact your industry? And how does someone develop an "AI-first" company?

Our guest this week is the perfect person to answer all those questions. Jacob Colker is a Managing Director at the AI2 Incubator, a one-of-a-kind place to build an AI-first company at the (Microsoft Cofounder) Paul Allen Institute for AI.

Listen to the full conversation for more on where AI innovation is headed, how Jacob's incubator helps AI-first companies develop and grow, the importance of customer feedback in building a successful AI company, and more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

More about Jacob's incubator for "AI-first" companies, plus what makes it different from other startup incubators out there
How customer feedback is integrated into the process by which Jacob's incubator chooses companies to work with
What AI is at its core, plus what "generative AI" is
Historical trends around AI, and what it says about what could be on the horizon
What companies should be looking out for, as AI and other technology continues to innovate
The difference between "and" and "or" — and what that says about the messaging around AI
How Jacob and his incubator measure success with their companies, and why 80% of those metrics fall under the standard VC umbrella, and why 20% is "impact"
The habits Jacob has integrated to be at his best at work every day, and what it means to him to be "one spoke in a wheel"

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

How to attract better employees, avoid candidate "ghosting," and navigate economic downturn through hiring, with Ryan Englin May 02, 2023

Show notes

These days, hiring is one of the top challenges for businesses everywhere — no matter their size, industry, or geography. But no matter what's going on in the economy or world, there are a few principles that organizations can follow to stay ahead of the curve and pull in the best candidates for open positions.

Our guest this week is an expert in hiring and recruitment. Ryan Englin is the CEO and Founder of Core Matters, is passionate about supporting growing businesses to build amazingly productive companies by providing coaching and training on attracting, hiring, and retaining rock star employees using his proven process, the Core Fit Hiring System.

Listen to the full episode for more on how to attract better job candidates, what today's prospective employees are actually looking for, how to build better hiring processes, more about ghosting in the hiring world, and a lot more.

Here's a Glimpse of What You'll Learn:

Why entrepreneurs don't typically have a knack for recruiting and hiring
What makes an organization attractive to potential employees and what it means to attract "with the right bait"
Why companies should stop posting jobs solely on job boards — and where to recruit instead
How business owners can make sure they're in the right spot to attract future employees
How to create your own "fishing pond" of prospects — and why that's so crucial to avoiding the chaotic search for a candidate after someone leaves unexpectedly
What to do and change about your hiring process when unemployment or other economic trends are shifting dramatically
More about the things that candidates are looking for out of a company
How "ghosting" came about in the hiring process — and how to avoid it as an employer
Why having a "process designed for speed" can help give companies a leg up in the hiring process
How sourcing processes might change depending on whether you're hiring for lower level employees or middle managers and leaders
Why leaders should treat potential job candidates as "warm leads"
Why new employees are only at about 50% of full productivity after 6 months in a position
The power of cultivating a "sense of belonging" within a company culture
Why having a best friend at work is such a strong indicator of employee engagement

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

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