Business

SharkPreneur

Welcome to the Sharkpreneur Podcast with Kevin Harrington and Seth Greene. Kevin Harrington is the inventor of the infomercial, one of the original sharks from the hit tv show shark tank, and has generated over 5 billion dollars in TV and digital direct response sales. Seth Greene is the world’s #1 trusted authority on cutting edge direct response , a best-selling author, the only 3x Marketer Of The Year Nominee, and the founder of http://www.MarketDominationLLC.com On the podcast, Kevin & Seth interview SharkPreneurs who share straight talk on what it takes to explode your business.

Latest Episodes:

Evan Hackel May 03, 2016

Show notes

A dynamic, innovative, thoughtful and inspiring leader with 30 years of experience in franchising, distributed networks and cooperatives. Successful history of: (i) turning around a $700 million distressed franchise system into a $2.0 billion revenue business in four years, (ii) reviving and re-energizing a $3.5 billion revenue franchisor and (iii) founding three franchise systems. Experienced corporate board member.

Currently, a consultant to some of the largest franchise systems in North America. A franchise industry leader, widely published, keynote speaker, member of the New England Franchise Association Board, and Co-chair of the International Franchise Associations Knowledge Share Task Force.

Specialties: ·

• Aligning franchisor/member and franchisee/member goals

• Strategic planning

• Communication strategies

• New initiative planning and launch strategies

• All aspects of training

• Creating / improving Advisory Councils / Networking Groups

• Creating meaningful franchisee/member events

• Franchisee/Member/Customer surveys

• New franchise/group development

• Capturing /sharing best practices and ideas

• Board management

• Bylaw review, enforcement

Seth Greene is a 6 Time Best Selling Author, Nationally Recognized Direct Response Marketing Expert, and the only back to back to back GKIC Dan Kennedy Marketer of the Year Nominee. To Get a FREE Copy of Seth’s new book Podcast Marketing Magic, and access to a Live Podcast Marketing Training Conference Call go to http://www.UltimateMarketingMagician.com

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Sylvie Di Giusto May 02, 2016

Show notes

People Packaging is what I do... It's as simple as that.

People whom we meet make quick decisions about us. Should they hire us? Vote for us? Buy something from us? Seven seconds. This is that brief moment in time when others first see you, or your employees, whether it’s at a meeting, on the job, or at an interview. They may have some prior knowledge of you, but this is the first time they actually lay eyes on you.

I help individuals and companies to explore how people make up their minds very quickly about you, your leadership potential or your company, and either open the door for you or slam it shut.

The good thing is that this process is entirely under your control. You can choose to present yourself as a leader, or not. Because, your image is something you can control. You can make it what you want. You can control the message you send to the people who see you and interact with you. It’s a combination of your dress, your attitude, how you communicate and how you present yourself on the internet. These are all things that you can shape and mold to work in your and your company's favor, and help you to rise to the level of leadership to which you aspire.

Twenty years of corporate experience, educating and inspiring thousands of clients across Europe and around the world, made me familiar with the typical challenges that professionals face in their workplace. Over the years I’ve learned it’s better to craft the way others are going to perceive you, rather than to sit back and hope it’s going to be in a great way.

I'm a professional speaker, corporate trainer and image consultant for professionals who place great importance in themselves and their powerful appearance. I'm also the author of "The Image of Leadership", available on Amazon as print or e-Book.

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Nick Petit Apr 29, 2016

Show notes

Nick is an experienced technology and innovation leader. As CEO of Kahoots, Nick inspires a multi-talented team of passionate professionals toward Kahoots’ ultimate goal: simplifying how we connect.

In his current role as Founder and CEO of Kahoots (kahootsapp.com), Nick leads a company of six people that's reinventing personal networking and enterprise sales software.

Prior to Kahoots, he led Infosys' Innovation Team in N.A. which researched major technology shifts and made large strategic investments in anticipation of how these changes would alter the landscape of individual businesses and macro-markets.

He began his career in Morocco as a volunteer in the US Peace Corps.

Nick serves on the board of directors for G-PAC - Gun Violence Prevention PAC.

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Dr. Ben Adkins Apr 28, 2016

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Dr. Ben Adkins - works with companies to increase their monthly income using the Internet.

http://www.fearlesssocial.com/

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Jason Forrest Apr 27, 2016

Show notes

As a sales professional, author, speaker, and sales coach, Jason’s job is to help sales professionals increase sales and retention rates through Leadership Selling, Leadership Coaching, and Leadership Culture training.

Jason grew up under the influence of his father (a business owner and professional salesperson), his mother, (a persuasive speaking professor), and Zig Ziglar (his Sunday school teacher and world-famous salesperson/motivational speaker). Jason learned sales by selling rather than observing.

These influences and experiences shaped him into who he is today-a salesperson first, a trainer on a mission, a national speaker, and a coach who pushes sales organizations to become the best version of themselves.

Every year, Jason delivers approximately 92 keynotes/seminars and conducts 850 group coaching calls with sales teams, managers, and executives.

Jason lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife, Shelly, and their two kids, Saunders and Mary Jane. They are also the proud owners of two playful Goldendoodles named Happy and Nala.

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Matt Preachern Apr 26, 2016

Show notes

Matt Preschern is Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of HCL Technologies. Matt leads all marketing functions including global business, strategic marketing, sales enablement and corporate communications to drive demand, growth and value for HCL Technologies brand.

He has over two decades of leadership experience in marketing and strategic business development. Before joining HCL, he was Senior Vice President and Enterprise Chief Marketing Officer at Windstream where he led overall brand management, demand generation and digital content marketing. He was also responsible for product and solution marketing, pricing, channel and field marketing, public relations and industry analyst relations.

In addition to this, Matt has held several leadership positions at IBM including, Vice President of Marketing for North America Business Consulting Services, where he repositioned the organization for growth. He also played a key role in IBM’s Global ‘Smarter Planet’ campaign.

A global citizen, Matt was born and educated in Austria and has an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.

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Mark Meloon Apr 22, 2016

Show notes

Dr. Mark Meloon is a data scientist, author, and the Founder of Outlier Marketing Results, a marketing agency that combines principles of direct response marketing, neuroeconomics, copywriting, and data science to produce standout results for his clients.

Mark received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the world-famous California Institute of Technology, and he is passionate about bringing the power and effectiveness of copywriting techniques, business analytics insights, and persuasive design principles to small businesses so they can attain record levels of success and get their products and services to those customers who could benefit the most from them.

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Jay Samit Apr 21, 2016

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Jay Alan Samit is a dynamic entrepreneur and intrepreneur who is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. He launches billion dollar businesses, transforms entire industries, revamps government institutions, and for over three decades continues to be at the forefront of global trends.

Everyone from the Pope to the President calls on Samit to orchestrate positive change in this era of endless innovation. Samit helped grow pre-IPO companies such as Linkedin and eBay, held senior management roles at Sony and Universal Studios, pioneered breakthrough advancements in mobile video, internet advertising, ecommerce, social networks, ebooks, and digital music that are used by billions of consumers every day. Combining innovation with commercial success, Samit is the consummate dealmaker; his list of partners and associates reads like a who’s who list of innovators, including: Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs, Reid Hoffman, David Geffen, Richard Branson, Paul Allen, and Pierre Omidyar. A proven trend spotter, Samit accurately predicts the future because he is constantly working with those who create it.

An adjunct professor at USC, Samit teaches innovation at America’s largest engineering school and is author of the internationally best-selling book Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation (available in seven languages including Chinese, Russian, Japanese and Korean). He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and host of its documentary series WSJ Startup of the Year. Samit frequently appears on ABC, Bloomberg, CBS, CNN, Fox, MSNBC, NBC and tweets daily motivation to the over 100,000 business professionals who follow him on twitter @jaysamit. An expert on transformational corporate change, Samit has been quoted in The New York Times, The Economist, Businessweek, Forbes, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Fast Company and TechCrunch.

Samit is a change agent, who combines his bold vision and humor, to motivate audiences to become disruptors within their organizations. Samit gets people passionate about innovation, overcoming obstacles, and teaches them how to think bigger and embrace change. Samit motivates and delights audiences from Moscow to Mumbai, London to Las Vegas, Phoenix to Philadelphia, Berlin to Beverly Hills, Toronto to Tokyo, Seoul to San Francisco, with compelling keynotes that leave the crowd wanting more. Samit provides disruptive solutions for such corporate clients as American Express, AT&T, Best Buy, Clinique, Coca Cola, Disney, Ford, GE, Intel, Linkedin, McDonalds, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble, Starbucks, Unilever, Zynga and dozens more.

His talk It’s Time to Disrupt You! is a high energy presentation on how to create and embrace change in any field. Designed to be as entertaining and inspiring as it is informative, Samit customizes each presentation to highlight the sales, marketing, and leadership goals of the audience before him. Samit delivers a speech that stays with the audience long after the conference has ended.

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Marx Acosta-Rubio Apr 20, 2016

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Marx Acosta-Rubio, 38

Onestop, Canoga Park, California

Projected 2008 sales: $22 million

Description: Office consumables distributor for small businesses

Against all odds: The saying "been there, done that" rings true for Marx Acosta-Rubio. That's not to say he doesn't have room to grow. But over the years, he's encountered almost every roadblock possible. The day in 1998 that Acosta-Rubio was fired from his job was the day before he launched Onestop and set in motion a series of obstacles, including a hysterical relative trying to renege on a loan, failure to collect a year of receivables, a lawsuit and a negligent CFO. But Acosta-Rubio says, "It's those lessons that make us who we are today."

Competitive edge: From the beginning, Acosta-Rubio has kept up with the big names by using a "customer intimacy model," he says. "Our competitors focus on price and availability, but we discovered a market that craves service." His employees contact clients before they need toner cartridges or other office supplies, and they do it over the phone, which is a rarity in this automated, web-based industry. Acosta-Rubio's former employer, who is one of his major competitors today, "did $27 million last year with 112 salespeople; we did $16 million with 14," he says. "Whose model is better? We need to focus on the human aspect of employees and customers."

In retrospect: Like many entrepreneurs, Acosta-Rubio never imagined he'd be where he is today--owner of a multimillion-dollar, 30-employee company. Even so, would he have done anything differently? "Absolutely, 100 percent!" he says. "I would have tried harder, taken bigger risks and made even more mistakes."

Follow his lead: Don't let the fear of failure hold you back from making mistakes--and learning from them.

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What is your secret to success?

Acosta-Rubio: There are two components. One is based on a quote by one of my mentors, author and speaker Jim Rohn: "Formal education will make you a living; self education will make you a fortune." I think it was my voracious appetite for learning what I didn't know that was the biggest part. So get as much education, both formal and self, as you can.

The other component is based on a quote by author and entrepreneur W. Clement Stone that says failure takes longer than success. The only way to succeed is through massive failure. We live in a society where we're conditioned to be afraid of making mistakes. But if you're only going to be perfect, you're never going to do well.

What advice would you give other entrepreneurs?

Acosta-Rubio: Again, two things. The first is, don't delude yourself. Not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur. If you don't have an overwhelming obsession, a passion for something you believe the world needs or has to hear, it's not you. You're probably an amazing human being, but I would focus my energies elsewhere. You're an entrepreneur if you can't stop talking about what it is you want to do or what has to change.

Second, don't do it for the money. I made the mistake of starting to change my direction to focus on the bottom line, and my company started to suffer. My relationships with my employees started going down the toilet, and my company didn't grow as fast. You've got to make it about the obsession of what it is you're here to do, and the money will follow.

When did you know you'd "made it"?

Acosta-Rubio: I still don't know! I got to a point two years ago where I thought, "I have arrived! I am wonder boy! I'm a multimillionaire!" But then I almost fell into depression. I thought, "Is this all there is?" I don't think you ever make it. I think if you can wake up on a daily basis and be excited that you have opportunities and challenges and problems, you're making it.

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Bernt Ulmann Apr 19, 2016

Show notes

Mr. Ullmann served as founding President & CEO of MESH, a partnership with Li & Fung, as well as President & CEO of Shop Your Way Brands, a division of Sears Holdings Corp. He was Corporate Vice-President of Donna Karan International, President of Fubu International, Managing Director of Coogi, President of Phat Fashions, and President of New Business Development for Kellwood. Mr. Ullmann has a BA and a MBA from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

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