"The moment we crossed the Boarder I realized I was responsible for my family." -- Max Emma, Founder When your personal Independence Day is marked by the first day you started making your own money and not taking a paycheck from your employer-- you have unlocked the power of Entrepreneurship. And what makes Max's personal Independence Day even more amazing is that he grew up in the Soviet Union. Max and his family sought Independence, to live in a free Society and to work knowing you will be rew...
May 01, 2023•57 min
"We fundraise in our local community-- we have been successful reducing barriers by fundraising that way." -Trent Jones, Executive Director First Tee provides opportunities for kids to play. They are playing golf for sure but the opportunity for a kid, any kid, to engage with other kids in willful play is crucial to healthy development. First Tee of Greater Wichita continues to privately raise funds so there are no barriers for kids to play. The campaign to expand opportunities to kids is underw...
Apr 24, 2023•51 min
"I competed for a spot." -- Lily Wu Leadership takes courage in any aspect of life. It is a selfless act. And it gives us all a chance to positively affect one another-- a uniquely human attribute. Lily Wu is a Leader. She is humble, she is resilient, she has a genuine curiosity and interest in the success of people. She proves that every day. Her journey is a remarkable story. I have learned on my entrepreneurial journey that Attitude and Commitment are more important than anything else. Lily's...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 8 min
"We can't be a crockpot in a microwave world." -John Rolfe Taking action is critical in life. And the positive results add up quickly. The Wichita Chamber of Commerce has a talented staff and a thriving membership because they help us take action. John Rolfe is a significant reason why our community takes action and improves conditions for commerce to take place. He is pursuing that agenda and publicly available to help move the agenda and that is what it takes from a leadership position. That i...
Apr 10, 2023•1 hr 8 min
"There's lots of beer out there-- are people going drink this?" -Stacy Ward, Hopping Gnome Brewing Stacy Ward had a conversation with her husband Torrey Lattin and they made the decision to become entrepreneurs. They immediately understood that to be successful they must embrace a division of labor-- Stacy ran the business and marketing and Torrey honed his technique to make the product the best it could be for their customers. The courage to start is as important as the courage to keep going ev...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 20 min
"Successful Diplomacy hinges on Collaboration." -- Lance Minor The Kansas Family Business Forum has the leadership of a man who understands challenging situations and has the courage to meet them head on and pivot when necessary so business and the family can move forward, together. We are grateful to have Lance Minor back on the ictpodcast.com after 5 years. Lance pursued this role, leading KFBF and it is a resource entrepreneurs and Family Businesses cannot ignore. Communication is crucial in ...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 26 min
"The only skillset you have may be to work hard-- and you still have to work hard." If it is a cliche, it is because it is true. No one possess more cliches than a successful entrepreneur. Chad Hessen went to work as a young man and just kept after it (cliche). Amazing things happen in your life when you grind through the tough times (cliche). Chad Hessen finds himself today as an owner/entrepreneur of a remarkable company, Tournerr Doors. And as they say, the man at the top of the mountain did ...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Complex problems are best solved by intelligent, thoughtful people. Changing human behavior so that we can fully unlock our potential individually and as a planet-- that's a hard problem. Chief Vision Officer, Robert Feeney is an intelligent and thoughtful man with the tenacity and judgement to take on this problem. Ringorang is his technology and it will optimize human behavior so we can continue taking on and solving human problems. Humanity is the beneficiary.
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Use tools in your life to improve your life. Sounds simple enough. Tools of improvement today mean technology. Put down the technology that is NOT making your life better and CHOOSE the technology that will make your life better. Thumbscore.app is the tool you need to start using. Financial Stress is REAL and Thumbscore will help guide you no matter where you are in your financial process. The science of behavioral economics is what drives Thumbscore so that is can drive you to make better decis...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 16 min
"Sovereignty was the hook." -- Frank Sell, Jr. When you have a great tagline that captures people immediately, that’s fantastic marketing. When that tagline actually has relevance in someone’s life that helps them in a positive way --like taking action-- it creates a Movement! (and the delicious coffee helps as well) Frank Sell is undoubtedly a fantastic entrepreneur. It is his intentional approach to life that helps you fill the void in your thinking. I am grateful to share this conversation ab...
Feb 27, 2023•1 hr 3 min
When you make a profession out of the things you love-- enduring the challenge of wearing several hats every day-- you are leading with Entrepreneurship. Tommy Castor admits, "I always wanted to own my own Radio Station.." and since that did not come to fruition, he thought he wasn't going to be an Entrepreneur. And he was wrong. Tommy took the attitude that "failing up" was possible. The irony that this radio personality who "didn't want to be Programmed" is why he is able to make a career out ...
Feb 20, 2023•58 min
Audra Dinell had a vision to create a Women's Leadership development group at a very young age-- probably well before she had a deep understanding of the impact it could have. And she wrote it down. Her vision was on its way to becoming a reality. Audra started her 1st Cohort for the Thread, Women's Leadership Collective, 2 years ago. The impact in the community is remarkable. And as Audra says, "you have to ask yourself 'What do you want?' because what you focus on is what you will get." Her "c...
Feb 13, 2023•1 hr 1 min
"I wanted to build a platform to engage with the world the way I want to." - Manroj Sangha Be intentional with the idea you have or it could end up as a foolish endeavor-- wasting your time and the time of others. This is the thought I had when I first met Manroj Sangha as it was clear that he was fully committed and focussed on his entrepreneurial journey. A journey that led him to Found and operate Empowered, Opportunities Engineered. Rarely do I get the chance to meet an entrepreneur in the t...
Feb 06, 2023•1 hr 8 min
On Winning/Success "It shows that you are making an impact-- that your hard work is paying off." -Asher Whitaker The best Coaches are the ones that know how to communicate with the Player in a meaningful, mutual way and get out of the way giving credit to his players. That is what 9X State Championship Coach Corey Novascone does. And his player, 2X (because he has only had 2 shots at it thus far) State Champion and Youngest Kansas Amateur Champion since 1925, Asher Whitaker wants to be coached a...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Dr. Chris Majors wants you to have more control over your health and deliver medical services at a lower cost. This is a valiant effort. Chris believes so strongly in this pursuit that he dedicates his professional life to it, for you. Most professionals do not make a significant change in their lives in the middle of their career. This is what makes Chris Majors so interesting and so powerful as a messenger for Medical Freedom. "Insurance is for risk. We need to take control of our own healthca...
Jan 23, 2023•53 min
"I want to be a voice to educate people who want to get into this industry." Brett Harris is dynamic. And we need dynamic leadership in life-- especially where a message must be accurately communicated. Brett has represented the real estate side of the hemp business and through that journey he has become the voice in Kansas for practical hemp legislation. Kansas lags in this and it is putting us at a disadvantage to other State that have sound policy around the hemp industry. States are benefiti...
Jan 20, 2023•52 min
Shelly Prichard advances opportunities by asking the difficult questions, collaborating with stakeholders and working-- working every day to communicate solutions. The Wichita Foundation, with Shelly as the CEO, has sparked community engagement and that leads to community improvement. This is leadership. Shelly is one of the most entrepreneurial Leaders-- and she Leads by taking Action. I am grateful to share our conversation.
Jan 16, 2023•1 hr 5 min
"People asked me 'what was your secret?' And the secret was, I wanted it bad enough." You want to be impressed? You want to be inspired? Talk with a person who overcame, accomplished the goal and lives every day with intention-- continually improving. Discipline isn't temporary. It is every day. You should always celebrate your wins. If you are not trying to improve, you are slipping into the warm comfort of gooey mediocrity-- and that's a shame. Once you are on that road to incremental improvem...
Dec 19, 2022•1 hr 20 min
"We are going to set a GOLD Standard for how we deal with Mental Health, nationally." --Ryan Baty You can study leadership, view it as transactional, follow blindly or ignore it altogether for hopes that people will just leave you alone. There are significant consequences to all of those. How does a leader become Transformational? Transformational leaders gain buy-in and commitment by encouraging, inspiring, and caring for their followers towards a vision. Leaders get results by transforming the...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 6 min
"We have to have a thriving economy... and part of that is investing in the community." Congratulations on 10 years, Monarch! Congratulations to Jennifer Ray and her wonderful team of people who make the Monarch the special place that it is. And congratulations on not giving up despite the serious challenges that face entrepreneurs and businesses; finding an audience, managing labor, limited kitchen space, forced shut downs, a pandemic, supply-chain, recession. Jennifer Ray created the Monarch a...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 11 min
"Its not that [they] have a lot to lose... they don't know how much they have to gain." Leadership matter. It sets the tone. And leadership can give people the best opportunity to succeed when the Leader has principle centered values. Brad Elliott has led Equity Bank from 19 people to over 800 people and from assets of 30 million to more than 4 Billion-- he leads with principle centered values. He says regularly, "the right thing to do is the right thing to do" and he lives those words. We are g...
Nov 28, 2022•56 min
"We are not sitting around thinking of esoteric things [to defend], these are real!" -- Sam MacRoberts Sam MacRoberts is doing the hard work of helping you understand why you are ABLE to do things you want to do. Sam and the Kansas Justice Institute defend people against the government when the government intrudes on your Constitutional rights. The government is large and it is getting larger. The people who are the most susceptible are those in with the least amount of means. You want to start ...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min
The Most important Election! (since the last election) We learned some things about people in these mid-terms. And it's not what is being screamed about in the headlines and in other legacy media outlets-- it's much more sublte. We hope you enjoy our version of nonsense around the chaos. We also want you to seek out knowledge so you can understand the issues of the day. It's messy because people are messy. Policy made in haste is a waste and it sets us all back. Where we find common ground, we h...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 35 min
Leadership is not reserved for a particular kind of human being. Leadership is for anyone who wants to make life better for others-- without motives. That is why the simplest definition I have heard for Leadership is: Leadership is love. Leadership is also a discipline. We often learn love and leadership from those who have lived longer and experienced more. This is why I was so excited to talk with Conni Mansaw. She spent much of her career studying gerontology and working with the aging. Well,...
Nov 07, 2022•55 min
The game of golf attracts people from all different backgrounds. How you were introduced to the game is almost as special as how you play the game. Cary Cozby was introduced to the game by his father-- one of the more special bonds that can exist between a father and son. Golf is a game and the game itself requires dedication and work if you want to succeed at the top. More importantly golf parallels life and if you want to succeed at the top of life it takes work and dedication. The lessons lea...
Oct 31, 2022•57 min
Its hard work to function properly-- hard work that is worth every minute of the pursuit. Dr. Christy Sutton has spent her professional life in the middle of that pursuit. She wrote a book, Genetic Testing: Defining Your Path To A Personalized Health Plan. And just the pursuit of researching and completing the book demonstrates her commitment. When you talk with her, you deeply understand the reasons she wants you to better understand your body so you can optimize your health.
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 21 min
People who do difficult things at the highest level have a positive influence on the world. This life is full of difficulties and we have the tools to work through them. When we do not have the tools, we have others to help. I am grateful for the conversations we have on the ictpodcast. These are amazing people. Let's keep making great connections and doing difficult things at the highest level-- like taking the risk, committing to your unique ability or simply sharing love. Humanity is the bene...
Oct 17, 2022•33 min
Leadership can do amazing things-- it can inspire others to lead, take action and the results are exponential improvement! Leadership can also divide. One of the brightest young leaders I have gotten to know is Dalton Glasscock. He has experience in levels of leadership ranging from local to international. That experience shapes you. It has shaped Dalton. He is entrepreneurial and thoughtful and that makes him a leader we should embrace.
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 15 min
"You are never the 'only one' when you are an entrepreneur." Curiosity remains one of the most valuable tools in life. Curiosity coupled with determination and follow through-- now we are talking about success. Jacob Christian became an entrepreneur because of his incessant curiosity and the consistent follow through. Jacob studied entrepreneurship, received the coveted Jabara Scholarship at Wichita State University, became a founder and his entrepreneurial life began. His creativity and curiosi...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 36 min
James Williams came back to Wichita USA because he knows the resources, the talent, the culture and the people are here to create a successful, meaningful life. We get to talk about energy and the importance of all sources of energy in order to continue to create better lives for all people. James works with Black Hills Energy and Black Hills supports the energy needs of many customers in the middle of the country. When James came to Wichita he created StartUp Week. StartUp Week gives all of us ...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 7 min
