When Marcus Whitney was 24, he and his family moved to Nashville, TN without any idea how things would work out. He had to convince himself that he was a good computer programmer to even begin a career. That seems like a world away from Marcus' resume now. Today he is a co-owner in 5 ventures, he is a strong advocate and investor in healthcare, and Marcus has a Ted Talk. He is also a co-owner of the Nashville Soccer Club, which will make its' debut in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2020. Be sure t...
Jun 26, 2019•55 min•Ep. 19
Getting two unbelievable leaders to join the show at the same time leads to incredible conversation. That's what we have this episode, as Ruel Joyner and Michael Owens discuss reluctant leadership, stoicism, growing a family owned small business, handling 14 million visitors to the city of Savannah GA, and much more. Ruel is the owner of 24e Design as well as Commissioner of the Georgians First Commission. Michael is the President/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council as well as the Chariman of ...
Jun 12, 2019•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 18
For 7 years, Chris Hervochon was happy working full time for somebody else while enjoying his side hustle. Finally one day during a meeting with a boss, something inside clicked and told Chris that it was time to do something else. That led to the creation of SOAR, a better way CPA. Chris discusses some of his misperceptions going in to owning and running his own business. We talk about the evolution of building a brand, building word of mouth, and how he has seen the most success in getting mor...
May 30, 2019•34 min•Ep. 17
Different perspectives and alternate opinions can often be an incredible strength in business. Fabio Ansaloni approaches his business hurdles with perspectives from doing business in many countries including Italy, France, Germany, and the United States. In this episode, Fabio talks about the challenges of going to a different country such as figuring out the culture and norms. We also go deep on the opportunities. Fabio, who is currently the COO of Mirage USA, values how working and living in s...
Apr 17, 2019•42 min•Ep. 16
The workforce is changing, and our guest is leading the way in helping companies thrive with the evolving environment. Terri Gallagher, owner of Gallagher and Consultants, created the Workforce Solutions Ecosystem Model to allow organizations to find great talent and create a culture where "non traditional" workers such as temporary, contract, and the digital workforce can thrive. We get in to how this evolution is happening, how getting fired turned in to an amazing change in her life, how wome...
Apr 09, 2019•37 min•Ep. 15
Jeff Pell led a successful career in logistics and sales. With the motivation and desire for Jeff and his wife to create something for themselves, they began researching potential businesses to start. They reflected on opportunity, business potential, and an area where they could positively impact their community. Jeff has been the owner and full time operator of Amada Senior Care of Knoxville for 8 months, and is quickly overachieving on their growth goals. Jeff attributes this to consistent an...
Mar 20, 2019•27 min•Ep. 14
This episode of Success Defined, we have Steve Milo on as our guest. Steve started a collectible and comic mail order business in college. He grew the company was a leader in the e-commerce world. But after investors convinced him to sell, all of the shares Steve received in the exit were worthless after the tech bubble popped. Steve went on to create and build VTrips, an online vacation rental platform. We discuss how he is growing strategically, the importance of great employees, not getting i...
Mar 05, 2019•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 13
Kicking off Season 2 of Success Defined, we have Kevin Quat. Kevin is the Owner of Absolute Island Management, a property management company overseeing more than 400 properties. Kevin was able to start his own firm by jumping at an opportunity when others weren't willing to do the job right the first time. It was full throttle from there as Kevin learned the ropes of entrepreneurship on the job. We discuss how to harness personal qualities, what is most important about leading a team, how to mai...
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 12
Eric Acton is a Chief Digital Officer, Chief Technology Officer, has started his own companies, and worked for major corporations. His experience goes well beyond and C-Suite Title. Eric has been in positions that instilled a belief of innovation. Whether Eric is working for companies like Dell or advising a startup, Eric Acton's experience allows him to find the area of disruption. In this, Eric discusses the typical issues with why major corporations fail. He goes in to different leadership st...
May 22, 2018•55 min•Ep. 11
Mekenzie Riley has competed multiple times at the Crossfit Games. She is also a Registered Dietician who runs her own company. After a childhood of athletics, Mekenzie would work out for 3 hours on a daily basis. When she was introduced to Crossfit, the variety, competitions, and constant improvement were appealing. Mekenzie talks about what it takes to dedicate yourself to being one of the best in the world at something. We go in to sacrifice and aligning your life to fit your version of succes...
May 10, 2018•49 min•Ep. 10
Erin Padgett owns and operates Erin Padgett Events and Paige & Elliott Bridal Boutique. After starting and growing her events company for a few years, Erin was ready for more. She saw a gap in the market and knew that she could fill that gap well. Now she bounces back and forth between two locations and working with 9 employees. Erin talks about how she has been able to empower her employees so each company can run while she is at the other location. She goes in to how she maintains focus on...
May 03, 2018•26 min•Ep. 9
Mac Lackey had 2 business exits each for 8 figures- in his 20's. He went on to create and sell 3 more businesses so far. Mac has sat on the Board of Directors for public companies, he is passionate about entrepreneurship and has invested in many startups. Possibly most impressive of all, Mac has been able to make his wife and daughters a top priority through it all with his philosophy called Life Wealth. We go in to what Life Wealth is compared to Work Life Balance. We talk about the benefits an...
Apr 25, 2018•52 min•Ep. 8
Cliff Gardner has been a CFO and a NASCAR and MLB licensee He created and eventually sold the largest online auto parts platform. Now, Cliff runs Schedule Any Lesson, a site that connects instructors, coaches, and teachers with lesson takers. A passion for baseball and a dedication to his family highlight the well rounded person Cliff has become. In this podcast, we discuss the turning point that got Cliff out of Corporate America. Cliff also goes in depth on how he built great teams through cul...
Apr 18, 2018•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 7
Jesse Cole owns and runs a multi million dollar company, is a successful author, and a keynote speaker around the country. He can also be simply known as The Yellow Tux Guy. Jesse began by running a fledgling baseball team as General Manager. He took risks, thought differently, and created an exciting atmosphere at the ballpark. Today, his company Fan's First Entertainment, focuses on creating a show filled with entertainment. There happens to be a baseball game going on at the same time. In Jes...
Apr 11, 2018•56 min•Ep. 6
In this episode, we talk with Joel David. After achieving his initial vision of success, being a strength and conditioning coach for a professional basketball team, his definition of success began to evolve. Joel is now focused on using his knowledge and experience to have a larger positive impact through his company My Fitness Foundation, an in person and online personal training company. We talk about how Joel's experiences have helped him identify how to best reach and add value to more peopl...
Apr 04, 2018•59 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, we talk with Nate Andreu. Nate is an Engineer turned Crossfit Gym Owner. Nate bought Crossfit Eternal Davidson and began the massive turnaround while still holding down his full time engineering job. We talk about the evolution of his priorities and what pushed him over the edge to leave his comfortable career to pursue his passion of health and fitness. We go in to the surprises Nate faced of taking over an existing business. We also go in to how his business has thrived by val...
Mar 28, 2018•54 min•Ep. 4
In this episode, we talk with Drs. Marc and Jolene Fondino. Marc and Jolene own Davidson Chiropractic in Davidson, NC. We talk about how they handle running a business together as spouses, as well as how their son helps them step away from the business when they get home. You also get to hear about how they went from both losing their income at the same exact time to buying their dream practice- without the ability to get a business loan. The creativity and problem solving to achieve this is inc...
Mar 21, 2018•55 min•Ep. 3
Today we take a quick look at the journey of my first company and the future of this podcast.
Feb 20, 2018•8 min•Ep. 2
