Stay ConnectedThe Edge Of Excellence Podcast is about exploring how young aspiring leaders can create a personal impact today, tomorrow, and create their dream future now. The goal is to deconstruct and synthesize successful archetypes and proven principles from high-profile entrepreneurs, systems, and resources that work, successful peers, mentors, and creators.
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Sean talks with David Boyd, President of QuesTec Mechanical. David was selected for Como Business Times’ issue 20 Under 40 Class of 2023.
David reflects on his early days and how he got to where he is today. He originally wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become an engineer, but realized that was not his passion. It was only during his studies that his passion for leadership took shape. He will talk about how he was inspired by books that explored his potential and the power to influence others. This discovery caused him to question his choice of major, which led him to switch from engineering to Spanish and finally to business.
David emphasizes the value of College Works and the skills he learned that have had a lasting impact on his career. You will understand why College Works was central to his current company, QuesTec. Additionally. David explains how he got into the construction industry. Although initially unsure and patting himself on the back for being the boss's son, he focused on becoming an outstanding project manager at QuesTec, always striving to do more and make a remarkable impact.
He recalls his first challenging experience on a painting job at College Works. He tells how the direct and transparent approach he took then to find a solution has stayed with him throughout his career and also contributed to QuesTec's success. You will learn what he likes best about his role as president and what is less glamorous but still requires a lot of attention to detail and problem solving.
David offers some advice for young people in their 20s, especially those who are unsure about their career path. These principles will help you build a solid foundation for success and personal growth, regardless of your chosen career path.
Join Sean and David for an insightful conversation on being competitive and being the best, the company president's role, and principles that will help you succeed and grow personally and professionally.
Enjoy!
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Vash Tomanec, co-founder and mindset coach at Mindtrepreneur, CEO and founder of Ecomtrack and founder of BullAds. Vash is passionate about building meaningful businesses that bring great value to others.
Before attending university in England, Vash grew up in a small town in the Czech Republic, leading a normal life of video games and sports. At 18, he read ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad,’ which inspired him to become an entrepreneur and made him promise to start his own business before he graduated. Vash will talk about the negative effects of social media and what he has discovered about successful entrepreneurs. He will also talk about his experience starting a marketing agency and why he chose e-commerce businesses in the US and Canada. A fun fact: Vash had already made a monthly profit of $10,000 after just three months into his business. You will discover the different factors you should consider when choosing the most viable business option.
Vash will also talk about his second venture, a software company that was born out of the need to solve a problem caused by an iOS update from Apple that made e-commerce marketing difficult. He will talk about his experience transitioning from a marketing company to a software company, where he partnered with the head developer and gave him 1/3 of the company.
Vash started coaching entrepreneurs on mindset after they saw his success and asked him to coach them. This led to the creation of Mindtrepreneur, which now has over 1,000 entrepreneurs in its program. Learn more about Mindtrepreneur and why it became so successful. You will discover principles, tools and techniques that young entrepreneurs can use to master their mindset. Vash sees meditation as an incredible tool that he uses in two ways. Listen to discover these two ways and their benefits.
Join Matt and Vash for an enlightening conversation on being an entrepreneur.
Enjoy!
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Mindtrepreneur | Václav Tomanec (@vash_tomanec) Instagram
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Doug Diakite, a real estate investor and managing member at Nationwide Community Revitalization, about providing an affordable path to homeownership.
Doug will talk about his career path, from working in sheet metal contracting to becoming a successful real estate investor. He will also delve into his college life experience at UC Santa Barbara, where he came across College Works during his junior year. Doug admits he felt unprepared and shell-shocked when he started at College Works, but he shares how those experiences prepared him well for future challenges. You'll learn how he struggled to hire reliable and good painters and how he encountered many crew issues. Doug also offers new entrepreneurs advice on interviewing and hiring.
Working in his father's sheet metal company proved beneficial, and you’ll discover the lessons Doug learned. The experience also gave him time to reflect on his next move, which led him to real estate in the midst of the 2008 financial crisis. He initially considered becoming a real estate agent or loan officer but instead took a job with a start-up asset management company. He will discuss the company's rapid expansion as well as his own professional advancement.
The desire to become an entrepreneur was sparked by his work at College Works. After years of learning and earning, Doug teamed up with a partner to start his own business. He walks through his decision to give up a six-figure income and stability for uncertainty. Fortunately, the partnership proved successful after they overcame the initial hurdles. He will talk about the obstacles they faced and the lessons they learned.
Today, rent-to-own agreements might be stigmatized; however, Doug's company offers a different model. He'll go into details about it and share how it allows renters to improve their credit scores and qualify for a better interest rate.
Join Matt and Doug for a fascinating discussion about the power of grit, fulfilling and expanding your potential, and their rent-to-own model.
Enjoy!
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Sean talks with Orlando Ordonez, a project engineer at Sundt Construction.
Orlando grew up in Honduras, where soccer was a big part of his life. His love for soccer opened many doors for him, including scholarships to college. Despite having to work to support his family from the tender age of 12, Orlando persevered and eventually earned a degree in engineering. He shares his experiences immigrating to the U.S. and taking odd jobs, emphasizing the importance of being positive about all opportunities and believing there is always something to gain and learn.
You will learn how he got into the construction industry and discovered his passion for it. He is now a project engineer for a major construction company and recently worked on a billion dollar project. You'll also learn how working in construction as a field engineer is different from what they learned in college, and how secure construction jobs and opportunities are despite the recession.
Orlando, an engineer at heart, tells why he left his position at Amazon as the area manager. He also shares how he returned to the construction company where he started and how he felt like he was back on the edge of excellence. You'll learn more about his successful business back in Honduras, which he has operated for nine years. He shares his experience working multiple jobs while in college, including College Works.
Join Sean and Orlando for a fascinating discussion about the power of resilience and a positive mindset.
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Phong Vo, CEO of Phong Vo Media and host of The Phong Vo Show podcast.
During the episode, Phong reveals how he transitioned from his job to a full-time entrepreneur. You'll learn why you should look for internships. He'll talk about finding his personal tribe through College Works and highlight the benefits that came with that.
After graduating, Phong had to make a difficult decision between a six-figure corporate job and working at a startup accelerator. You'll learn why he chose the startup route and the success he had with it. After being inspired by Edwin Edebiri's story, Phong decided to join the Happy Neighborhood Project. Edwin is the Chief Happiness Officer and a TEDx speaker.
At the time of recording, Phong had been working on Phong Vo Media on the side for a year, but he has not yet decided to focus on it full-time. He talks about Phong Vo Media and his day-to-day business as CEO. You’ll learn more about Phong Vo Media's services. He'll also talk about his next business ventures and how valuable reading The ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ was for him.
Join Matt and Phong for a fascinating conversation about transitioning from a normal life to a life of prosperity and purpose, how to find your tribe, and how to build a business that will last forever.
Enjoy!
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, our guest us Nick Niehaus, co-founder, and head trainer of the Business Video School. Nick is passionate about helping professionals learn how to use video in their businesses.
The show opens with Nick explaining his definition of excellence. He also talks about who he was before he came to College Works and how that experience helped him overcome his social anxiety. College Works was pivotal for Nick because he comes from an engineering background and has always wanted to be an inventor. He'll talk about his decision to become an entrepreneur and change his engineering major.
Soon, Nick quit his job and set out to build his own business. You'll learn more about his first company, Connect Video, and his second, Business Video School, which teaches real estate agents how to leverage video to better communicate and grow their business. Learn more about the services their teams offer online. He'll talk about his business' early success as they mark their third anniversary.
Nick started Business Video School during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the challenges he encountered and how he remained committed, as well as his ambitions to advance his public speaking career. As he shares his opinions on AI, specifically ChatGPT, he’ll offer advice on achieving excellence. You’ll discover how he runs his business, similar to College Works.
Join us for a fascinating discussion about finding long-term, fruitful partnerships, networking, and building influence.
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Jason Bay, founder and CEO of Outbound Squad, a sales coach and trainer for B2B reps and sales teams.
Jason had an extremely structured childhood, thanks to his father being a former Marine and his mother, an immigrant from Hong Kong. This contributed to his early success as valedictorian at his high school, as well as his later work with world-class sales teams at companies like Gong, Medallia, Zoom, CBRE, Monday.com, GoGuardian, and many others.
He'll explain why starting his own company was like a form of rebellion against his parents. He'll also discuss his definition of excellence, referencing the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. As a student in college, he went through an identity crisis, but College Works came to the rescue. You'll discover how and why he joined College Works, as well as how he quickly mastered the intricacies of running a painting business. After that, the sales experience became an obsession for him. He'll talk about how he honed his sales skills and progressed in his sales profession.
After working as a corporate marketing director and sales trainer at College Works, Jason decided to start his own painting business. While he shares great advice on starting a successful business, he also delves into the lessons he learned from his initial mistakes. He'll transition into how he started a consulting firm and how it evolved into sales training, first for small businesses and eventually for Fortune 500 companies.
Join Matt and Jason for a fascinating discussion about honing your sales skills, the process of starting a business, taking risks, and being extremely resourceful in your twenties.
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Johnny Rhee, founder and chief strategist of Next Door Home Upgrades. Johnny Rhee has over a decade of progressive business experience, including buying a struggling company in his early twenties and growing it into a top-performing business, as well as mentoring numerous executives and entrepreneurs. He believes in aligned values, teamwork and a culture of performance and accountability.
In today's show, Johnny breaks down his definition of excellence, which is largely influenced by his hero John Wooden, who defines success as "peace of mind that can only be achieved through self-satisfaction, knowing that you have striven to achieve the best that you're capable of."
Growing up in a third-world country and then being given the opportunity to come to UCLA, Johnny developed an attitude of gratitude. He talks about how this was a cornerstone of his success. You'll learn more about his career at College Works, from District Manager of the Year to EVP, the systems he created during his time there, and the key lessons he learned. Johnny also talks about his journey to entrepreneurship. This includes working at College Works on a part-time basis and working as a consultant before turning to his solar business full-time.
Access to clean water has always been a matter close to Johnny's heart. You'll learn about his project in Colombia installing solar desalination systems in remote areas. He'll discuss how micromanaging his time has helped him succeed in college and how he's able to live a life of excellence.
On a more personal level, he'll talk about his hobbies, healthy lifestyle, spirituality and faith.
Join Matt and Johnny for a fascinating discussion on maximizing your potential to make a positive difference, the concept of quitting quietly, time management and leaving a legacy.
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On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt chats with Shawn Baldwin, President of Baldwin & Sons, who has an extensive background in residential real estate development and has held various positions of increasing responsibility with the Baldwin Companies. He is a graduate of the College of Southern California. Baldwin & Sons has been in business since 1956. Shawn will talk about his definition of excellence and the importance of leaving a legacy for future generations. He will also talk about how to become a real estate investor, land and real estate development, and the many roles in real estate. You will learn how to excel as an entry-level real estate developer. You will understand the difference between vertical and horizontal land development.
He has a land development business, a real estate development business, a construction company, an investment company, and a property management company; he will talk about how he ran all these companies, including his path to becoming president. He will talk about his seven-month trip abroad to find himself and the transformation that experience brought. You will understand how Shawn's father laid the foundation for them to be excellent. You will discover what Shawn considers one of the most momentous decisions he has made in his life.
Join Matt and Shawn for a fascinating conversation about real estate, the legacy of a generation, and mentors.
Enjoy!
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Meet The Team | Baldwin & Sons (baldwinsons.com)
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Lulu Lantzy, Chief Activation Officer at Auraria Higher Education Center and board member of the Asian Chamber of Commerce Colorado Board of Directors. Lulu, named one of the 40 Under 40 by the Denver Business Journal and one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Women's Chamber, has dedicated her career to mentoring and supporting students.
Immigrating to America at the age of nine sparked her interest in entrepreneurship. She will talk about how she turned her feelings of jealousy and bitterness when she had to work in high school into motivation. You'll learn about her college experience, why it sucked to have so much free time for the first time, and how working multiple jobs improved her academic performance.
After working as executive vice president at College Works for several years, Lulu joined Emily Griffith Technical College as director of innovation and partnerships. She will talk about her true calling, what led her to Emily Griffith, and rural college recruitment versus high-ranking colleges. You will learn the difference between her current position and her previous position at Emily Griffith, as well as the impact she hopes to make at Auraria. You will also learn about the skills she learned at College Works that are essential in succeeding in corporate America. She will give young people one piece of advice that can completely change their lives.
On a more personal level, she will talk about her solo travels as they share their fascinating experience of traveling to Saudi Arabia together.
Join Matt and Lulu for a fascinating conversation about using past jealousy to drive achievement, being more productive and letting go of jealousy, and transitioning from entrepreneurship to corporate.
Enjoy!
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