Everyone talks about the need to be more authentic. But what does that really mean? And how can leaders be more authentic while still being professional? According to Bert Ohnemueller, 2022 is the year of the whole heart. And that includes taking a more heart-centred approach to what we do - including leadership. In this episode, Bert talks about: - What a value-based business might look like - Why leaders need to be able to lead themselves before they can effectively lead a team - Why successfu...
Feb 14, 2022•21 min•Season 6Ep. 7
If you’re like most people you don’t think about the used car market very often. Only when you might want to sell your car and buy a new one does this market come across your radar. However although we might not see, it used cars are a huge market, and at present, a very lucrative one too! So not surprisingly, it’s seen advancements in digitization that is helping facilitate buying and selling, as well as taking what used to be a very localised market (typically a listing on Craig’s List or some...
Feb 04, 2022•29 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Today it seems like everyone is talking about downsizing. People are really taking the saying ‘less is more’ to heart. In a reversal of a decades long trend where it seemed as if even too much wasn’t enough, now a growing number of people are looking to get rid of all those things that they don’t they need. One area where this has become evident is in housing. The old days where people wanted to trade up to the largest place they could afford are seemingly gone. Now it’s all about smaller homes....
Jan 28, 2022•29 min•Season 6Ep. 6
If you’ve ever looked a bit enviously at those brands who customers are so loyal that they’ll pay a premium for their products, endure long waits for access and can’t be persuaded to switch brands - regardless of the offer - and if you’ve wondered how you might be able add some of that ‘secret sauce’ to your business - then this is the podcast episode for you! What do companies like Apple, Harley Davidson and Disney, for example, do differently that turned their customers into loyal fans? What i...
Jan 23, 2022•41 min•Season 6Ep. 4
One of the great things about technology is that it has leveled the playing field, giving even small businesses access tools that used to be only available to the big players. Despite that fact technology is more accessible than ever before, it seems that many companies - particularly small to medium sized suppliers - are still not taking advantage of it. It turns out that most SME’s look at digital solutions and think ‘only the big players can afford this. Those systems are not for companies li...
Jan 19, 2022•39 min•Season 6Ep. 3
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic its that even the best employees can struggle to keep up with both personal and work requirements. Companies have started to address things like child care, mental health and financial pressures facing their employees. Many have been expanding the support they provide employees from more flexible hours to education benefits and other initiatives that consider a person’s work life balance. However there’s one area that seems to have slipped pas...
Jan 10, 2022•30 min•Season 6Ep. 2
If there’s one thing we’ve learned it’s how fragile - and unpredictable - supply chains can be. Ideally, companies need to be able to forecast potential disruptions - and be able to see possible workarounds - preferably in real time. It’s the next big step in achieving the agility that is becoming critical to surviving in complex market conditions. But can we get this kind of sharp view that pulls together a wide range of moving parts operating at the same time in multiple locations around the w...
Dec 28, 2021•43 min•Season 6Ep. 1
E-commerce has seen it’s market share rocket during the past two years as the pandemic made shopping from home a must in many markets. But one of the biggest gains has been the quantum leap that online retail has made in developing markets. Growth of domestic platforms as well as cross border trade has opened up literally a world of shopping opportunities for consumers in these markets. This has been aided by new payment services that are enabling consumers who don’t have access to traditional c...
Dec 28, 2021•22 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Many people have at one time or another dreamed of a being in show business. From red carpets to a jet setting celebrity lifestyle - a career on camera has been seen as the road to fame and fortune. But is it really as glamour as it seems? And what does it take to not only break into the entertainment business - but to survive in an industry that offers no job security whatsoever. This episode is part of our ' Launch to Legendary' series where we get to hear from entrepreneurs and innovators who...
Dec 18, 2021•42 min•Season 5Ep. 12
One of the biggest shifts brought on by the pandemic is the number of people who have opted to quit their jobs. The media has handily named this the ‘Great Resignation’ and whether the number of people leaving their posts is quite as high as the headlines imply, there has certainly been a surge in the number of people who are disgruntled and find their work - well somewhat soul crushing. Have so many companies become terrible places to work? Or have employees simply raised their expectations as ...
Dec 05, 2021•35 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Most companies are using some form of digital marketing. However a growing number are struggling to achieve the results they hoped for. What used to be a handful of digital options has now mushroomed into a vast array of choices and complex media plays. Those early days of banner adverts, sponsored content and posts on a few social media platforms have morphed into a situation where companies are struggling to keep up with a massively time consuming frenzy of online activities - often without ha...
Nov 24, 2021•51 min•Season 5Ep. 10
It seems that everyone is talking about data. At first it was big data. Then it was data privacy … data mining … data management … cloud data. And more recently, how big tech is handling our data. Whether you’re a massive corporation or a solopreneur, today everyone has the ability to collect customer data - and is seeing lots of advantages in doing so. The challenge is what do we do with the growing mass of data that we are able to collect? How do we turn it into something that is actionable - ...
Nov 14, 2021•43 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Brands are facing massive market changes. Supply chain disruptions have pulled the rug out from under fast fashion. Eco-conscious consumers want more sustainable apparel. And new direct to consumer brands are rapidly gaining market share. When the dust settles there will be winners and losers, but one thing is certain - new brands are bringing new demands to suppliers. Gone are the days when most brands wanted the same thing - and typically that was lower prices. We know that the new brands have...
Oct 30, 2021•43 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Everyone is talking about the importance of digital transformation, yet many companies are stuck as to how exactly to best implement it for their business. Regardless of what business you’re in, shifting away from legacy systems is never easy and not knowing best practices or even how to evaluate which system is best for you can make the process even more daunting. To get insights into what companies need to consider when making the leap into digitising their operations, I sat down with Sunny Ha...
Oct 24, 2021•32 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Starting a business is easy. Scaling it is where things get a bit more challenging. 70% of start ups fail within two to five years of launching. Not encouraging numbers. In today’s competitive market, even establish businesses are facing new and unanticipated market challenges. Still, we are firmly in the Age of the Entrepreneur, with solopreneurs launching new micro businesses, creators developing new products and services, and mega corporations being told to “be more entrepreneurial” in their ...
Oct 16, 2021•36 min•Season 5Ep. 6
There are probably almost as many trading systems and investment philosophies as there are active traders. Each strategy promising to help people beat the market. But what if success was less a matter of a system or a strategy and more a matter of a certain mindset? Roger Khoury has over two decades of experience the field of market forecasting. In 2010, he developed an innovative probability-based form of price forecasting, called Market Vulnerability Analysis™, to overcome an inherent flaw he ...
Oct 09, 2021•41 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Building a reliable supply chain is never easy. Especially when you’re dealing with a vast number of suppliers and when you are facing cultural differences in your vendor markets. It gets even more complicated when the product you’re sourcing is fresh food. So what are the best practices learned over the years from industry leaders who’ve meet the many challenges, spent sleepless nights and ultimately managed to succeed? One man who has been in the supply chain trenches - and succeeded - is Xavi...
Oct 02, 2021•44 min•Season 5Ep. 4
If you’re trying to make sense out of a world where everyone seems to be launching the next unicorn. And where valuations seem to have little correlation to corporate values or even the value of revenue or profit generated … If you’re running a business without VC investment and feel like every day you’re pushing water up hill … or feel that your less glamorous, but profitable business is nothing compared with those start ups that keep getting new rounds of funding … Then this is the podcast for...
Sep 25, 2021•43 min•Season 5Ep. 3
If you’re confused about commodities… perplexed about where prices might be headed … and increasingly concerned about those rumours about potential shortages of certain raw materials - well you’re not alone. At a time when we seem to be surrounded by uncertainty, it’s difficult for even the most confident to leaders not to second guess themselves. While many analysts expect to see price increases as part of the fallout from the pandemic, others believe that higher costs are likely to linger - be...
Sep 18, 2021•32 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Most brands are looking for new markets where there’s strong consumer demand - and buying power. Yet most over look Japan. Too complicated … takes too long to get into the market … then there’s the language barrier and cultural differences. Many would rather avoid it than risk possible failure. But what if the Japanese market wasn’t as challenging as it looks? What if brands could actually do quite well there, if they just understood what to do and how to do it? The Japanese market might be diff...
Sep 11, 2021•39 min•Season 5Ep. 1
When your computer freezes you simply rebooted it. When your modem is running slowly tech support tells to try rebooting it. But what about when you feel that your life is stuck? When you feel that you’re going in circles? Or going nowhere. When you simply don’t know what what you want to do next. Perhaps what you need is to reboot your life. If you feel like your life could use a reboot then this podcast episode is for you! Debbie Gissoni faced life changing tragedy and had to find a way move p...
Sep 05, 2021•43 min•Season 4Ep. 13
One of the key differentiators between good and great companies is leadership. For most companies the focus tends to be on financial results, product development - and recently on juggling supply chain crises. That leaves little time to think about leadership - let alone getting involved in professional development. However as many of have learned, the value of having capable leaders at the top and middle level of your organization can be a game-changer - and often times a lifesaver! Being a gre...
Aug 30, 2021•31 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Direct to Consumer brands have been a rising market sector for over a decade. The massive shift to online shopping during the pandemic was the rocket fuel that propelled many new brand launches, and made many traditional brands aware of the huge opportunities in selling online. From potentially better margins to building closer engagement with consumers, most brands have made Direct to Consumer a priority. While DTC doesn’t necessarily mean that the consumer purchases the product online, it does...
Aug 23, 2021•41 min•Season 4Ep. 11
When most people start a business their core focus is on product development, driving sales and creating customer loyalty. Few think about selling the business. Or more importantly, “if some day I wanted to sell this business what would make it attractive to investors?” By the time they start to think about this, it’s often too late. Turns out, that what’s a great business for the owner, is not necessarily that appealing from an investor’s point of view. If you’re looking to ensure that your bus...
Aug 14, 2021•55 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Have you ever thought of what it might be like to live your dream life? But then thought “well that will have to wait. There’s no way I can do that right now. “ Or maybe you’ve felt stuck, a lack of opportunity because of where you’re living or the nature of your job? What if there was a way to start moving towards living your dream life right now. A way to build a successful and happy life, regardless of where you are? This episode is part of our Launch to Legendary series where we get to hear ...
Aug 07, 2021•40 min•Season 4Ep. 10
One of the many sectors that have been disrupted by the pandemic is commercial real estate. From consumers embracing online shopping and people working from home for over a year - to what could be long term migrations out of cities, this kind of movement clearly impacts the property sector. However to fully understand what’s happening - and to be able to see where there might be opportunities - or obstacles - requires data. And the ability to not only collect that data, but also to analyse it in...
Jul 31, 2021•40 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Many people dream of launching their own fashion brands but once they get started find that it’s much more complicated than it looks. That leads to stalled - or even failed businesses. Brilliantly creative products - that could be part of profitable companies - even up dyeing on the vine. Never making it beyond the sample room. If you’re thinking of starting a fashion brand - or if you have brand and you’re stuck trying to grow it, then this podcast could bring you some of the answers you’re loo...
Jul 24, 2021•30 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Amazon is usually admired for its massive scale, obsession with serving customers and founder Jeff Bezos’ relentless entrepreneurial spirit. What doesn’t get discussed as often is the management principles and strategies that are the backbone of this organisation. The tenets that provide the infrastructure on which the Amazon empire has been built. However Amazon’s management philosophy and organisational tactics and strategies played a critical role in getting Amazon to where it is today - and ...
Jul 16, 2021•38 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Performance apparel remains a bestselling category. The challenge is to continue to add innovation - while meeting growing demand for better quality. All of which comes down to not only more investment in R&D but more strategic investment . When it comes to performance 5.11 Tactical is one brand where functional properties can be a matter of life or death. The brand’s core products are purpose-built to support first responders whose work requires gear that provides wearers with safety, ease ...
Jul 09, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 13
What can business leadership learn from a professional artist? Turns out - a lot! At a time when we’re being encouraged to ‘think outside of the box’ fine art is probably as far outside of the traditional business setting as you can get. Yet it seems that occasionally swapping Excel sheets for art supplies can give executives a totally new perspective on where their business is now, where they could be heading - and how to get there. I’m Jane Singer and Welcome to A Seat at The Table! Each week ...
Jul 02, 2021•37 min•Season 4Ep. 6
