In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, host Jim Schleckser interviews Brent Yeagy, the CEO of Wabash, a publicly traded company specializing in transportation and distribution assets, including trailers and digital solutions. Wabash, founded in 1985, operates across manufacturing, service, and distribution locations, generating billions in revenue. The discussion delves into how Wabash differentiates itself through customer-focused, innovative services, including their subscription-based "t...
Nov 10, 2024•36 min
Welcome to The CEO Project Podcast, where Jim Schleckser, author of Great CEOs Are Lazy , discusses ways top CEOs can optimize their businesses. Jim announces the rebranding of the podcast from "The Lazy CEO" to "The CEO Project Podcast," aligning with the project's broader mission. Today's guest, Bradley Hamner, a business growth coach, shares his journey from struggling in his first business to developing a scalable process architecture that allowed him to work "on" rather than "in" his busine...
Nov 03, 2024•35 min
In this 100th episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser marks the milestone by announcing the show's upcoming name change to The CEO Project Podcast, reflecting its focus. Beginning with episode 101, listeners will find all content under the new name. Jim's guest is Jennifer Frye, the CEO of Appreciated Asset Business Solutions, which specializes in building robust sales pipelines for industry disruptors through a unique prospecting and appointment-setting service. Jennifer emphasizes...
Oct 27, 2024•33 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser, founder of The CEO Project, announces the upcoming name change of the podcast from The Lazy CEO Podcast to The CEO Project Podcast. The current episode is number 99, and the switch will happen after the 100th episode, although all past episodes will remain accessible. The guest on this episode is Don Schmincke, a researcher with a background in MIT and Johns Hopkins. He shares insights from his research on the high failure rates of ma...
Oct 20, 2024•34 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO podcast, Jim Schleckser, host and founder of The CEO Project, introduces Ilias Simpson, the new President of Cart.com. Ilias talks about Cart.com's comprehensive supply chain solutions, emphasizing its omni-channel capabilities and how they manage everything from digital storefronts to order fulfillment. He explains the company's end-to-end approach, handling fulfillment for big brands like PacSun and Toms. Cart.com's ability to offer integrated marketing, order m...
Oct 12, 2024•34 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast , Jim Schleckser, founder of The CEO Project, discusses the growing field of customer experience engineering alongside Sharon McGuire. The episode explores how companies can design processes that delight customers, turning their experiences into key marketing tools. The hosts emphasize that understanding customers, including segmenting them based on their unique needs, is critical for crafting a successful customer journey. They touch on methods like surve...
Oct 05, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser interviews, Erwin Visser, a business development leader at Microsoft who has not only achieved success in tech but also in extreme sports, having summited Mount Everest. The conversation covers several key topics, starting with hiring top talent, focusing on exceptional personal achievements like mountain climbing. The guest shares insights on cloud migration trends and the role of AI in enhancing productivity and cybersecurity, discus...
Sep 28, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast , host Jim Schleckser dives into the world of podcasting as a business tool, exploring how it can drive growth and success. Jim welcomes Seth Greene, an expert in the field and co-host of The SharkPreneur Podcast . Seth shares his unique approach, highlighting that podcasting isn't about getting millions of downloads or sponsorship revenue. Instead, it's about building relationships with guests and leveraging those connections for business success. Seth ex...
Sep 19, 2024•33 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast , host Jim Schleckser discusses the importance of a relentless desire to learn, particularly for CEOs and leaders. Schleckser introduces his guest, Damon Lembi, a two-time bestselling author and learning platform host, who has helped over two million people enhance their skills. The conversation centers around the concept of learning as a key competitive advantage for companies and leaders. Lembi shares his personal journey, from his early career in baseba...
Sep 14, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser talks with Ronak Patel, CEO of Sunflower Labs, about integrating AI and machine learning (ML) into business processes to augment human efforts. Patel explains AI's potential, common use cases, and ethical considerations, especially around AI as an assistant rather than a full replacement for human roles. They discuss AI's current applications, such as automating customer service, HR functions, and financial processes, emphasizing that ...
Sep 07, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser, joined by co-host Sharon McGuire, dives into the world of private equity, a hot topic expected to gain even more traction in the coming years. The discussion starts with an overview of private equity firms, comparing them to private mutual funds that invest pooled capital into various assets, often with a lifespan of 8-10 years. These firms face pressure to deploy their cash quickly, especially after the large sums raised during COVID...
Aug 31, 2024•34 min
In this episode about Succession Planning for CEOs and Their Organization · Talent Assessment and Development: The episode emphasizes the importance of using the ABC rating system and the 9-box exercise to regularly assess and develop talent within the organization, focusing on both current performance and promotability. · Succession Planning Tools: Jim and Sharon discuss practical tools like depth charts to ensure a robust succession plan, highlighting the need to have a pipeline of talent at d...
Aug 27, 2024•30 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast , host Jim Schleckser interviews Adam Coffey, a seasoned CEO, board member, best-selling author, and speaker with extensive experience in private equity, particularly in the context of exits and ownership. Coffey, who has led the acquisition of 58 companies and generated over $2.5 billion in exits, shares insights from his career, which includes building three national companies under nine different private equity sponsors. The conversation delves into the...
Aug 17, 2024•39 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser dives into the concept of business models and how they impact the success of a company. He compares a good business model to a low-gravity environment, making it easier for a business to thrive, while a bad business model is like heavy gravity, where progress is slow and challenging. Jim emphasizes the importance of choosing the right business model, as it determines how a company competes, innovates, and serves its customers. He outli...
Aug 10, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser, founder of the CEO Project, welcomes Kim Scott, author of "Radical Candor" and "Radical Respect." Kim shares her extensive experience as a CEO coach and faculty member at Apple University, along with her work with tech companies like Dropbox, Qualtrics, and Twitter. The conversation begins with an exploration of "Radical Candor," a framework that combines caring personally with challenging directly. Kim explains the four quadrants of ...
Aug 03, 2024•41 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser interviews Mike Melo, the CEO and co-founder of ITA International. Mike shares his journey from being a US Navy Surface Warfare Officer to founding ITA with his wife, Kathy, in 2005. ITA started with a single government contract and one employee, growing to over 300 employees across 20 states and six foreign countries. Mike discusses the challenges and triumphs of building ITA, including maintaining a strong company culture, handling t...
Jul 20, 2024•33 min
Jim Schleckser introduces Kirk Aubry, highlighting their long-standing friendship and Kirk's career trajectory from an ad agency to a Chief Strategy Officer at Textron and now CEO of Savage, a logistics company. Savage, founded 80 years ago by three brothers, has grown from a single truck to a global company with 4,200 team members and 225 locations. They handle the transportation of bulk products, such as petroleum coke and grain, which are critical to their customers' operations. Kirk discusse...
Jul 13, 2024•38 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser welcomes Mark Cabrera, the CEO of Saddle Creek Logistics. Mark has been with Saddle Creek for over 20 years, starting as CFO and taking over as CEO a few years ago. He shares insights into managing a family business, the logistics industry's challenges, and the importance of innovation. Mark explains Saddle Creek's operations, which span 33 million square feet across the US, employing about 6,000 associates and operating a fleet of 500...
Jun 29, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, the host welcomes Louise McEvoy, VP of US Channel Sales at Trend Micro, to discuss the growth of channel ecosystems and her experience as an Everest summiteer. McEvoy elaborates on Trend Micro's mission to secure endpoints, data services, and cloud data for businesses of all sizes. Highlighting the relentless nature of cyber threats, she discusses the importance of AI in enhancing security measures and the significant processing power required to stay ahe...
Jun 22, 2024•39 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser delves into the prevalent issue executives, CEOs, and entrepreneurs face in generating sufficient revenue and establishing trust with clients. He is joined by Todd Duncan, a multiple-time New York Times bestselling author and renowned sales leader, who shares his expertise on these topics. Duncan emphasizes the paramount importance of trust in the sales process, highlighting that tension and suspicion can severely hinder successful bus...
Jun 08, 2024•37 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser introduces Simone Severino, the founder and CEO of Strategy Sprints, to discuss revenue growth strategies. Jim highlights that revenue is a common constraint for many CEOs, with about 60% citing it as their primary challenge. Simone, joining from Austria, claims his techniques can double a company's revenue in 90 days. Simone emphasizes the importance of addressing evergreen bottlenecks, particularly pricing power, to achieve significa...
Jun 01, 2024•35 min
Welcome to another episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, hosted by Jim Schleckser, founder of the CEO Project. In this episode, Jim delves into one of his favorite topics: recurring revenue. He emphasizes that a high degree of recurring revenue is a hallmark of a great business, allowing for better sleep, planning, and overall business stability. Jim defines recurring revenue as contractually obliged revenue over time, distinguishing it from repeat revenue, which lacks contractual commitment. Example...
May 25, 2024•35 min
In this episode of "The Lazy CEO Podcast," host Jim Schleckser discusses the integration of purpose into businesses. Jim shares his perspective that businesses shouldn't abandon their platforms once they've established success but should instead use them to make positive contributions. He references his midlife insights from the book "Halftime," which suggests a shift from success to significance in life's second half, a concept Jim feels could be initiated much earlier in a business lifecycle. ...
May 18, 2024•29 min
In this episode of "The Lazy CEO Podcast," host Jim Schleckser delves into the critical topic of delegation within the context of executive leadership. He emphasizes the importance of mastering the basics to excel in any field, comparing it to essential skills in sports like soccer. Jim's main focus is on how CEOs can effectively delegate tasks to manage their time efficiently and avoid overworking, aligning with the podcast's theme of promoting a 'lazy,' yet highly effective CEO lifestyle. Jim ...
May 11, 2024•28 min
In this episode of "The Lazy CEO Podcast," host Jim Schleckser interviews Nancie Ruder, an accomplished marketing strategist with over 25 years of experience working with major brands like Georgetown University, Nike, and Samsung. Nancie shares insights on the complexities of marketing, explaining it as both an art and a science that requires deep understanding and strategic implementation. Nancie discusses her background, including starting her career in a large ad agency, and her move to estab...
May 04, 2024•32 min
In this episode of "The Lazy CEO Podcast," host Jim Schleckser explores the complex and often misunderstood world of strategic thinking and execution. He begins by highlighting the sobering statistic that over 50% of strategies fail due to poor execution or deployment. Schleckser emphasizes that strategic planning and execution should not be viewed as separate processes but as a unified one, drawing on insights from thinker Henry Mintzberg. Schleckser argues for the effectiveness of small, strat...
Apr 28, 2024•33 min
In this episode of "The Lazy CEO Podcast," host Jim Schleckser speaks with Allison Shapira, a former opera singer who now specializes in improving communication styles, particularly public speaking. Though not the founder, she has been involved with the nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership. The podcast delves into the universal fear of public speaking, its evolutionary roots, and how public speaking is an opportunity for collaborative leadership. Shapira emphasizes the importance of identif...
Apr 21, 2024•35 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser introduces Eric McNulty, an expert on leadership in crisis situations. McNulty, who is the Associate Director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, discusses the importance of understanding energy systems in the workplace and how decisions impact both employees and the broader environment. He emphasizes the power of empowering every level of an organization to create meaningful work experiences. McNu...
Apr 14, 2024•38 min
The podcast episode features an interview with Bill Simmons, the founder of Thrive Business Operations, discussing fractional CXO roles. The host introduces the concept of fractional CXOs, such as CFOs, CMOs, and Chief Revenue Officers, which are hired for specific needs or to fill critical positions temporarily. Bill Simmons explains how his company provides operational support for businesses through fractional CXOs, helping them navigate challenges and improve operational excellence. They disc...
Apr 06, 2024•33 min
In this episode of The Lazy CEO Podcast, host Jim Schleckser interviews Doug Conant, a seasoned leader with over 40 years of experience, including roles such as Former CEO of Campbell's Soup, on the Power of People in Achieving Results. Conant shares insights on leadership and teamwork in large organizations. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing the power of the organization over individual contributions and discusses the pivotal role of community and engagement in achieving productivity ...
Mar 30, 2024•36 min
