People are essential to every business that is growing fast. The heart of leadership is focusing on your people. Your product or service is essential, but scaling quickly requires people to feel like you care about them. Today's guest is Kurt Donnell, CEO at Freestar. Inc Magazine ranked Freestar #1 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. They were also ranked 36 in the 2020 list. Freestar works with businesses to build brand awareness, establish marketing campaigns, and increase revenue based upon content p...
Dec 25, 2020•21 min•Ep. 670
Culture is just as essential as your service or product. In fact, I believe that your people should feel like they come first. This is what I call an employee-first culture. Today’s guest is Mel Gun, CEO at SYNERGEN Health. Inc Magazine ranked SYNERGEN Health #3906 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. They have been honored on the Inc 5000 five times. SYNERGEN Health is an end-to-end revenue cycle management solution that ensures the financial success of medical practices. Mel and I discuss the critical e...
Dec 24, 2020•24 min•Ep. 669
Leaders that invest in employees dare to see a future where their employees are an essential part of the business growth. When you fail to prioritize your employee’s development, you may not feel it immediately, but you will see it in the long term. Today’s guest is Gregg Cohen, CEO at JWB Real Estate Capital. Inc Magazine ranked JWB Real Estate Capital #1841 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. They have been honored with this eight times. They provide high-quality single-family rental homes to thousands...
Dec 23, 2020•27 min•Ep. 668
Most early-stage companies focus on the product or service they are bringing to market. What you sell is essential for sure. However, the fast-growth companies think beyond the business model to the culture alignment. In short, CEOs that I have talked to know the importance of people. Culture alignment is a function of how do the people feel aligned with their work. Do they love it or do it because that is what they get paid for. Today's guest is Thomas Black, CEO at Nepali Capital. Inc Magazine...
Dec 22, 2020•24 min•Ep. 667
Your culture is defined by the way people communicate, work, and behave. The problem is many people believe culture is something you do once. However, the truth is culture is never-ending. Fast-growth companies know the importance of culture. Today's guest is Olin Hyde, CEO of LeadCrunch. His company was ranked #35 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. LeadCrunch is a leader in AI-based lead generation for B2B. Olin shares what leaders must do given culture is never-ending. Discover the keys to hiring and ...
Dec 21, 2020•23 min•Ep. 666
Way too many leaders don't understand the importance of leading with core values. After hundreds of interviews with founders and CEOs, I can tell you those creating strong teams are leading to core values. Today's guest is Damon Decrescenz, CEO at The Credit Pros. Inc Magazine ranked The Credit Pros #4626 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Damon has to lead them to six consecutive times on the Inc list. We look at the different strategies he has leveraged to leading with core values. Discover where you ...
Dec 20, 2020•25 min•Ep. 665
Every entrepreneur has faced challenges in their journey. You know the importance of tenacity when growing fast. One hurdle is to get your team members to be tenacious. Today's guest is David Coppins, CEO of IntelyCare. His company was ranked #41 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. David talks about the importance of tenacity with stories that get you to think about your leadership differently. We look at how to get others to give the extra effort when needed. Get the show notes for The Importance of Ten...
Dec 19, 2020•24 min•Ep. 664
Many high and low-level decisions are on data. Many organizations strive to be data-driven. What does it truly mean for an organization to have a data-driven culture? Today’s guest is Ray Lui, Co-Founder at Sprinly, which ranked #113 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Sprinly delivers organic plant-based meals. Although profit and revenue goals are important factors for driving business growth, try using the takeaways from this episode to build a data-driven culture. Data is beneficial for both external...
Dec 18, 2020•24 min•Ep. 663
Being deliberate about culture takes intention, strategy, and a lot of heart. As a result, culture can be sacrificed if leadership is not committed to the vision it takes to be deliberate about culture. Today’s guest is John Lincoln, Co-Founder at Ignite Visibility, ranked at #1836 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Ignite oversees internet marketing, serving both large national brands and smaller companies. In this conversation, we discuss why being deliberate about culture is not a nice-to-have but is...
Dec 17, 2020•21 min•Ep. 662
How has your strategy for company growth been working? How did you pivot plans for company growth during a pandemic? Today’s guest is Rick Carlson, CEO at Sharpspring, Inc. Sharpspring, Inc. is a rapidly-growing, highly-rated global provider of affordable marketing automation delivered via a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Rick and I discuss avoiding stagnation through efficient company growth. Don’t miss the gems in this conversation for your own 2021 plans. Get the show note...
Dec 16, 2020•30 min•Ep. 661
CEOs often look for ambition within their organization but can overlook the importance of coaching up the ladder. Today’s guest is Lawrence Armstrong, Chairman at Ware Malcomb, ranked at #4019 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Ware Malcomb provides planning, architecture, interior design, branding, and civil engineering services to commercial real estate and corporate clients. Lawrence has reaped the benefits of coaching up within an organization in his leadership position. He encourages all organizati...
Dec 15, 2020•26 min•Ep. 660
Nearly every company has put profit first for decades. However, when they put people first, they see tremendous company growth. Today’s guest is Boris Epstein, CEO at Binc. Inc Magazine ranked Binc #3250 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. This company has been honored on the Inc 5000 list two consecutive times. Binc is a recruiting company that assists entrepreneurs and technology companies with their hiring processes. Boris shares his insights on putting people first. We look at the ins and outs of the...
Dec 14, 2020•25 min•Ep. 659
Every fast-growth company has a tremendous capacity for adaption. Embracing change is part of their DNA. Today’s guest is Zac Paulson, CEO at True IT. Inc Magazine ranked True IT #1057 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. This company has been honored for three consecutive years as an Inc 5000 company. True IT is a managed IT services and application development company. Zac shares his leadership journey and talks about why embracing change is so important. He gives tips about hiring people that have the ...
Dec 13, 2020•23 min•Ep. 658
Driving company growth is more than just the bottom line. Many companies on the Inc 5000 are mission-driven. These leaders know the mission is important. Today's guest is Matt Fielder, CEO at Vinyl Me, Please. Inc Magazine ranked Vinyl Me, Please #342 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. This company made the Inc 5000 for the last two consecutive years. Matt and I discuss why the mission is important and how it affects the growth of the business. He shares insights about his purpose that will help you wit...
Dec 12, 2020•26 min•Ep. 657
The path forward will require new ideas that change how your clients engage with your company and services. You must focus on leading innovation if you want to stay relevant. Leadership requires different strategies when leading innovation is important. My guests today are Joel Cox and Dave Miles, Co-founders of Strategus. They were #2217 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Strategus operates in the realm of OTT (over the top) ad placements to effectively reach your ideal audience segments. It has requir...
Dec 11, 2020•22 min•Ep. 656
When you walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk, you are leading by example. The complexity of running a fast-growth company requires you to be a role-model at all times. Today's guest is Aaron Riley, CEO at Cannasafe. Inc Magazine ranked Cannsafe #13 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Aaron shares the importance of leading by example. We look at all aspects of leadership in this interview. When you are leading by example, you show others how they should behave. Get the show notes for Leading by Example for Fa...
Dec 10, 2020•24 min•Ep. 655
If the challenges of 2020 have taught us anything, it has certainly taught us the importance of being adaptable. Inside of our companies, we have had to create new ways to work and connect with each other. Today we are looking at the keys to having a flexible culture. Our guest is Ryan Kohler, CEO at ApplicantPro. Inc Magazine ranked ApplicantPro #4225 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list and made the Inc list seven consecutive times. Ryan gives you the elements of a flexible culture. He dives into the rea...
Dec 09, 2020•30 min•Ep. 654
Every team has to work at forming better as a team. Executive leadership teams are not immune. Today we look at how to increase alignment with the leadership team. Our guest is Michael Bor, CEO at CarLotz. Inc Magazine ranked CarLotz #435 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. CarLotz is a consignment store for used vehicles. Michael shares insights on how to increase alignment with the leadership team. We talk about some simple strategies that you can use to improve the performance of your team. Get the sh...
Dec 08, 2020•27 min•Ep. 653
As you grow, every founder begins to think about creating an executive leadership team. You may be able to promote within, which is usually a good idea when you have the talent ready to step up to be strong leaders. For many growing companies, they have to look outside their current employees. Today we look at hiring a great leadership team. Our guest is Abe Kleinfeld, CEO at GridGain. Inc Magazine ranked GridGain #558 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. GridGain provides software and services for big da...
Dec 07, 2020•28 min•Ep. 652
Leading by example is not just a good idea. It is THE idea. Leaders must be a role model of leadership to their people. Today’s guest is Betsy Bassan, Founder of Panagora Group. Inc Magazine ranked Panagora Group #451 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. Her company provides solutions for an open marketplace in health, development, and learning. Betsy shares her journey of leadership. We look at being a role model of leadership to those around you. Join us for this powerful conversation about real leaders...
Dec 06, 2020•22 min•Ep. 651
Every leader would say that people are essential. However, most would say the business is designed to make money. When profit is more important, it is impossible to put people first. The irony within the ranks of the fastest-growth companies in America is that these leaders know the importance of putting people first. Today’s guest is Eric Griffin, CEO at Mobile Outfitters. Inc Magazine ranked Mobile Outfitters #2736 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list, and they create mobile device accessories with 800+ ...
Dec 05, 2020•26 min•Ep. 650
Why would you want to show appreciation for your employees for doing their work? The simple answer is recognizing employees is something great leaders do consistently. The problem is recognizing employees is not something that is happening enough. I talk to executives consistently about how proud they are of their people and rarely are they taking the time to show that appreciation. Today's guest is Jonathan Keyser, Foundering Member at Keyser. Inc Magazine ranked Keyser #2941 on the 2020 Inc 50...
Dec 04, 2020•27 min•Ep. 649
Company growth is not just one thing. It takes the right product/service, the right timing, and the right people. It also takes the right systems. I can attest that systems grow your business. I would not have a podcast today without the right systems that my team executes weekly to keep the content following. Today's guest is Trent Dyrsmid, CEO and host at Bright Ideas. Trent has been so successful in developing systems that he has another company Maverick Media Ventures, that made the 2019 Inc...
Dec 03, 2020•28 min•Ep. 648
Being open with your employees about financials and other aspects of the business takes real courage. When you are fully transparent, you share all that you can. When you embrace being fully transparent, you can connect with your team members in new ways. Our guest today is Tiffany Sauder, Founder of Element Three, a marketing partner to fast-growth companies. Element Three was #4125 on the 2019 Inc 5000 list. It also has grown consistently by making the Inc list six times in a row. We discuss t...
Dec 02, 2020•27 min•Ep. 647
Do you ever feel like you are behind in getting your work done? Well, you are not alone. I will share with you some simple and powerful ideas for making the most of your time. It is all about getting the most valuable work done. In my early years as the CEO of a team, I felt like I was always behind. I had to make some fundamental changes that I wanted to share with you to make the most of your time. I share a Warren Buffett story that will help you see what is most important to you. I will also...
Dec 01, 2020•19 min•Ep. 646
Every company that enters a scaling mode knows the importance of employees. Yet few leaders understand the reasons why we must put employees first. After years of studying fast-growth companies, it is evident to me that those leaders know how to put employees first. Today's guests are Arthur Barrett, President, and Tim Barrett, CEO, at Barrett Distribution. Inc Magazine ranked Barrett Distribution #4404 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. The company is a customized third-party logistics, omni-channel di...
Nov 30, 2020•26 min•Ep. 645
One profound superpower is how you leverage the power of empathy. Leaders that have a deeper relationship with their team members must use their hearts. Today we look at the power of empathy to increase connection with your people. Our guest is Jeanne David, CEO at Outer Aisle Gourmet. Inc Magazine ranked Outer Aisle Gourmet #63 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Jeanne gives us some stories that you will learn simple uses of empathy. Discover how you can create more connections with your people using t...
Nov 26, 2020•24 min•Ep. 644
Every CEO struggles with how to spend their time. I often get asked how do you balance your time doing the day-to-day stuff and being the visionary the company needs. If you want to shift into being the visionary consistently, you have to be willing to let go of the old way of leading your company. In this behind the scenes, I give you a question to help you see why you must make time to think and look around the corner in your business. We look at the constant struggle of being the visionary th...
Nov 24, 2020•6 min•Ep. 643
Hiring the best is one factor in your company building the foundation for growth. The rules to attract top talent are not just in paying the most. Your culture likely plays an even more critical factor than your payscale when you want to attract top talent. Today's guest is Jason Carter, CEO at UNCOMN. Inc Magazine ranked UNCOMN #2356 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Jason shares how he thinks about culture and why their company can attract top talent. We look at what gets in the way of having a stron...
Nov 23, 2020•28 min•Ep. 642
Teamwork requires the right people and exemplary leadership. Building the right team is an exercise in many skills of leadership. Today's guest is Jeremy Parker, CEO of Swag.com. His company was ranked #218 on the 2020 Inc 5000 list. Swag.com is more than a place to buy your logo brand gear because they are a distribution system for your branded items. Jeremy shares his insights and challenges in building the right team. We look at the hiring process and the development strategies. Building the ...
Nov 19, 2020•25 min•Ep. 641
