Every business dreams of being able to create more predictable success for their companies. Doing that has become increasingly challenging - especially in today’s fast changing and very unpredictable markets. But what if one CEO has figured out a way to get predictable and repeatable outcomes? Today I’m talking with Thomas Douglas, CEO of JMark, an award-winning innovative IT solutions provider. Tom has formulated processes that provided repeatable outcomes and a predictable revenue stream - tha...
Aug 14, 2022•33 min•Season 8Ep. 8
There’s an old show biz saying that goes ‘always leave them laughing’ . Turns out that this can also be applied to growing sales. In a hyper competitive market, brands need to do more than simply ‘think outside of the box’ in order to get the attention of customers - let alone close sales. That led one smart marketer to see the potential in combining humour with a sales message. The results have been remarkably successful. Today I’m speaking with Joseph Wilkins, founder of Funny Sales Videos, wh...
Aug 11, 2022•49 min•Season 8Ep. 14
One thing that tech startups and most B2B companies have in common is their aversion to marketing. Most prefer to go deep on product development - and then take a ‘build and they will come’ approach to marketing. Not surprising then that so many struggle to get customers - especially in hyper competitive markets. But how can companies with limited budgets compete - even with bigger players? In this episode I'm speaking with Christine Wetzler, Founder and President of Pietryla PR & Marketing,...
Aug 07, 2022•31 min•Season 8Ep. 9
There’s a lot of conversations around leadership strategy and the important role that leadership skills play at a time when markets are becoming more complex and staff retention is more challenging. We’ve seen a rash of new theories, approaches and tactics that look at how we can build better leaders. Yet often times we fail to look at what gets in the way of people being effective leaders. And how we can support people in our organisations to achieve their leadership potential. Today I’m speaki...
Jul 31, 2022•36 min•Season 8Ep. 6
As retail reopens there’s been a lot more conversation around the role stores will play in an increasingly digital world. Many see physical stores as dinosaurs whose role will increasingly be a combination of a distribution centre supporting e-commerce and a product showroom of sorts. But others argue that shopping is a social activity that is a fundamental part of most consumers’ lives. And that Gen Z and younger Millennials seek experiences, creating a huge opportunity for physical stores. So ...
Jul 24, 2022•39 min•Season 8Ep. 5
One of the biggest challenges that is standing the way of greener energy is finding ways to store that energy. This is particularly true for electric vehicles, as well as other sectors. The solution is the development of batteries with greater storage capacity. The challenge is creating these batteries - in a way that is sustainable and affordable. While we know that there have been huge advancements in EVs, how far have we come in developing those all-important batteries? In this podcast I’m sp...
Jul 17, 2022•47 min•Season 8Ep. 4
Digital transformation is one of the most talked about concepts in the business community. Most of the conversations focus around the pros and cons of various software solutions or in many cases simply the need for companies to digitise more of their operations. We don’t often hear much about the back end of digitization - what’s happening further upstream that’s powering all of our applications. Although we might not be aware of it, there’s a lot happening in the cloud - and one company that fe...
Jul 13, 2022•35 min•Season 8Ep. 7
Leadership and branding are two words that don’t typically appear in the same sentence. We think of branding as something that’s applied to products to give them an identity or greater consumer appeal. Leadership tends to conjure images of building team spirit or guiding a company through tough times or towards greater success. But what if to be more successful senior executives need to combine the principles of both branding and leadership? Today I’m speaking with Brenda Bence, whose has deep e...
Jul 10, 2022•32 min•Season 8Ep. 3
One of the lessons from the pandemic that is often overlooked is the critical role that data plays in the healthcare sector. Admittedly, if you don’t work in the sector then it’s something that you’d be likely to think about. However the importance of having your own health records digitised - and the ability for healthcare professionals to be able to access patient data across nationwide or even international platforms can be lifesaving. And yet despite huge tech advancement in diagnostics and ...
Jul 06, 2022•44 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Data security is something we take for granted. We don’t often think about the consequences, until one of our devices or data servers gets hacked. I’m talking about password protection. It’s a subject most of us overlook - me too! - until its too late. And it’s not only personal data, companies face dire situations when a hacker gets into their records and holds them for ransom. Today I’m speaking with Denis O’Shea, a technology expert and founder of Mobile Mentor, an endpoint ecosystem helping ...
Jul 03, 2022•31 min•Season 8Ep. 2
As economies around the world start to reopen, one of the issues facing businesses is whether to bring everyone back to the office, continue working from home or implement some hybrid work format. Most people want to work from home at least some of the time. But how can leadership manage to keep teams engaged and productivity up to speed when everyone seems to working in different places and on different schedules? And will what worked when people were trying to get through the pandemic crisis s...
Jun 26, 2022•37 min•Season 7Ep. 4
We’ve talked a lot about leadership from the point of view of managing our teams. What we don’t address as often is executive burnout. And yet especially in recent years, executives have faced excruciatingly stressful situations. So what can leadership do to help them reduce the stress and position themselves for greater success? Today I’m speaking with Michael King, an executive coach who has created a proprietary methodology called T.E.A.M.S For over 20 year he’s worked with both entrepreneurs...
Jun 19, 2022•36 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Amazon tends to be the elephant in the ecommerce room. The platform has massive amounts traffic - which attracts a huge number of sellers to its marketplace, but being able to drive sales on Amazon is getting increasingly difficult - and expensive. So is there a way to succeed on Amazon - without breaking the bank? Today I’m speaking with Laura Meyer, founder and CEO of Envision Horizons, a leading Amazon Agency that was named in the top 18 Amazon Advertising Agencies by Business Insider. In thi...
Jun 12, 2022•44 min•Season 7Ep. 11
If you’re tech geek like me you not only want to learn about what’s new, but you also want to get feedback and opinions from tech insiders about which new apps, software and devices are worth using. But where can you find a community of tech experts who discuss everything from from computers to space exploration - and whose opinions you can trust? Today, I’m talking with Lisa Laporte, CEO of TWiT.tv, a dedicated podcast network that is the go-to place for anyone with a passion for technology and...
Jun 09, 2022•30 min•Season 7Ep. 10
If you are like most people you are probably at least a little confused at where the markets might be heading. Commodities prices seem to have a mind of their own. Inflation is surging, even though consumer demand continues to weaken. After years of talking, central banks are now actually starting to raise interest rates. Despite what looks like a recession, many economists are saying that things are not as bad they look, while others are saying hard times are ahead. In this podcast I am speakin...
Jun 05, 2022•44 min•Season 7Ep. 9
One of the biggest challenges leaders face when managing multicultural organisations is getting everyone on the team to be engaged and to participate. Typically, one or two people do most of the talking, while many others sit quietly on the sidelines. But just because someone is hesitant to speak up in meetings, doesn’t mean that they don’t have ideas or insights to share. So how do we help our more introvert team members speak up - especially when English might not be their native language? Tod...
May 26, 2022•32 min•Season 7Ep. 8
Every company talks about the importance of innovation and investment in innovation continues to grow. However many companies are finding that the time and money invested is not giving them the pay back that they had hoped for. But Is it possible to structure your initiatives so that you can drive better return on investment? And if so, what would that look like? Today I’m talking with Dan Toma, an innovation strategist and author of Innovation Accounting: A Practical Guide for Measuring Your In...
May 19, 2022•36 min•Season 7Ep. 7
When we think of innovation we usually think of startups - certainly not large corporations. Typically people think that if they want to be more creative or innovative then they have to leave the corporate world and either become an entrepreneur or at least look for a job with a newer and smaller company. But the idea that startups are the right environment to cultivate innovation might be more myth than truth. In fact, a lot today’s leading innovation is coming from enterprises such as Microsof...
May 12, 2022•40 min•Season 7Ep. 6
It seems like everything about the way we used to run our companies is changing these days. It’s not just remote working or employee resignations or digitization - companies are also realising that their entire corporate structure might no longer serve them as well as it used to. With this in mind, what might the new organisational best practices look like? And how can leadership determine which changes might lead their companies to better outcomes? Today I’m speaking with Jay Goldman, CEO of Se...
May 05, 2022•30 min•Season 7Ep. 5
Ecommerce has moved logistics from the backroom to the boardroom. But it’s not only ecommerce - a growing range of businesses are looking for ways to optimise deliveries - whether it’s to consumers or to other businesses - even within their own locations. But how can businesses compete in the face of shortages of drivers, rising fuel costs and increased pressure to meet sustainability standards? Today I’m speaking with Bill Catania, founder of OneRail.io, an advanced last mile delivery fulfilmen...
Apr 28, 2022•40 min•Season 7Ep. 4
If digital marketing is part of your business then you’ve probably noticed that it’s gotten a lot more expensive. Customer acquisition costs have gotten so high that it’s been driving digital brands to open physical stores - which is now seen as the less expensive way to attract new customers. Is it just that the price per click is higher - or has the performance or conversion as it is called - gotten worse? And what can marketers do improve both conversion and return on their investment in digi...
Apr 21, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 3
We often hear about people who’ve turned a hobby or an interest, or as its now often referred to ‘a passion’ into a profitable business. But what does it take to actually achieve this? And is there a business model or a road map that people who have succeeded in doing this have followed? Today I’m sitting down with Cody Bramlett, who founded Science Natural Supplements and built it into a multi-million dollar ecommerce business. In addition to running his business, Cody now teaches other entrepr...
Apr 14, 2022•39 min•Season 7Ep. 3
There’s a lot of focus these days on the number of people who are quitting their jobs. Many companies feel that they don’t need to worry about those people that are still working for them. However, not everyone has the option of leaving their jobs, but that doesn’t mean that they are happy, enthusiastic or engaged in their work. But why suddenly are so many people dissatisfied? And what don’t they like about where they work? Today I’m speaking with Paul Glover, a C-Suite performance coach, Membe...
Apr 07, 2022•34 min•Season 7Ep. 1
The outdoor sports sector has experienced explosive growth over the past decade - with both traditional sports markets and emerging markets getting on board. But what’s next for outdoor sports? Where could brands find the next growth opportunities? And in a market dominated by a handful of power brands, will we be likely to see new brands coming in - and succeeding? Today I’m speaking with Danay Lea, chief triage officer at Fluid State, where he helps outdoor sports brands solve business growth ...
Mar 31, 2022•29 min•Season 7Ep. 2
If you’re a SaaS software developer or start up that’s looking to scale or sell to enterprise customers, then this episode is for you. If you aren’t working in the tech sector - this episode is also for you. It’s my pleasure to welcome Girish Redekar to A Seat at The Table. Girish founded - and exited - RecruiterBox, a SaaS platform that helps HR departments manage recruitment applications. Girish shares not only a very candid view of what it takes to build software that meets enterprise standar...
Mar 24, 2022•31 min•Season 6Ep. 13
It’s not often that words like marketing, creativity and digitalisation come up in the same sentence. However digital transformation is working to take marketing and make it more of a science than an art. But can we really automate creativity? And do we risk losing the human touch as we push for greater automation? To learn more about how digital transformation is changing, shaping and maybe even revolutionising advertising and marketing, I turned to Prantik Mazumdar, managing director of CXM Gr...
Mar 17, 2022•25 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Energy is an integralpart of everyone’s life and business, but few people outside of the sector really spend much time thinking about it. We just sort of take it for granted. However, there’s been heighten concern about the environmental impact of carbon gases prompting governments and companies to focus on reducing CO2 emissions. Even for those people for whom Climate Change has not been top of mind, the sudden rise in energy prices in the past month or so got their attention. The solution - to...
Mar 10, 2022•27 min•Season 6Ep. 10
Most companies are talking about trying to be more sustainable and the importance of giving back to society, but when it comes down to 'walking the talk' in their day-to-day business operations, often time's the train veers off the tracks. One company has been making this a core part of their business for over two decades - a business with operations in more than 30 countries. That company is the QI Group, founded by legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist Vijay Eswaran. Forbes has named Vijay...
Mar 03, 2022•36 min•Season 6Ep. 11
For most companies simply trying to develop a successful business strategy while facing constantly shifting market conditions is challenging enough - without having to think about their corporate culture. But if culture isn’t a luxury that only a handful of powerful companies can indulge in, then what about it is so important? How can rethinking our corporate culture be that game-changer that actually gets us to our goals? If you think your corporate culture might be sabotaging your market strat...
Feb 24, 2022•35 min•Season 6Ep. 9
All eyes are on retail now that stores are finally reopening. But will people go back to making at least some of their purchases in stores now? And what is likely to make that in-store experience so great for them that people want to keep coming back? Even people who never liked shopping are - at least for now - enthusiastic about visiting shops. This could be a big moment for retail to score some points with consumers. To get a deeper understanding of the opportunities that smart retailers coul...
Feb 15, 2022•23 min•Season 6Ep. 8
