Business Infrastructure - Curing Back Office Blues

Jennifer Wang began her career with a major advantage. Being Chinese-American, speaking fluent Japanese, and having lived in multiple countries as a child afforded her an appreciation for cultural differences. Now, as a prominent event planner, she imbues this with every project. In this episode, Jennifer speaks openly about the importance of having difficult conversations to build an all-star team and the business infrastructure she leverages to land clients like Netflix. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Attend a top-ranked university, check. Move up the ranks at IBM, check. Become a CEO by age 40, check. Shellye Archambeau is unapologetically ambitious and achieves what she believes. But it's not by accident. As one of the first black women to lead a high-tech Silicon Valley company, she embodies hard work, strategic planning, and carefully crafted execution. In this episode, Shellye pays it forward by revealing the teams, technologies, and processes that helped her rise to the top and eventually turn around MetricStream. Resources: https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

When it comes to traditional and new media, Steven Cuoco has been there and done that. So, when he describes himself as the "WikiLeaks of Public Relations," it's for good reason. In this episode, he taps into his 25+ years of experience to give a no-holds-barred masterclass on pitching and presenting to media. You'll learn breakthrough strategies to protect your company's coffers and operations from publicity scams, technology blunders, and pay-to-play models. Show notes: https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Lily Allen-Dueñas is a modern Renaissance woman. Her work in marketing, the arts, and yoga has led her to teach and interact with women around the world. Now, as the Interim Executive Director of The State of Women Institute, she has a platform to amplify the voices of this under-represented and marginalized group. In this episode, Lily describes the organization's technology platform that provides access to financial resources to educate and empower diverse women and girls. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Len Samborowski moved up the ranks to become a Colonel in the U.S. Army. Realizing he would not become a General, he retired after 30 years. Transitioning to civilian life led him to an assistant football coach position and later a college professor, but it did not come without challenges. In this episode, Len shares why a veteran's knowledge of the latest technologies, experience being around different people, and a mission-focused work ethic can serve businesses well. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Tonia Morris noticed shifts in team makeup as she climbed the corporate ladder. Teams were composed of diverse generations which led to challenges and opportunities. After she became an Executive VP of H.R., she resigned and founded SimplyHR. Now, she's known as the "Generational Connector." In this episode, Tonia provides a blueprint for navigating communication hurdles caused by multiple generations and offers a process for leveraging technology to overcome them. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Gregory Brown's mother was told her son would never graduate high school. Not only did he finish high school without attending special education courses, but he also graduated from college. He never let cerebral palsy hinder him. Ultimately, his childhood love for computers led him to become a digital strategist. In this episode, Greg shares his process for selecting technologies to digitize your operations. He also reveals how to tap an underutilized talent pool – those with disabilities. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 145.

When Punam Saxena's family relocated to a small town in Georgia, her neighbors asked what tribe they belonged to. They mistakenly thought her family was Native American, not Indians from India. Growing up ostracized, she knows the impact of social isolation and vowed to do something about it. In this episode, Punam shares her process for coaching parents to become active partners with their children's teachers through open communication that leverages new technologies.

Jesse Torres is the American-born son of Mexican immigrant parents. Growing up in multi-cultural Los Angeles, he's not uncomfortable being around people who looked different from him. So, as he grew his consultancy, ArroyoWest, building a diverse team came naturally. He's also no stranger to technology. In this episode, Jesse shares how leaders can prepare for the future of work by leveraging government programs to digitize operations and diversify their workforce. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 143.

We've come to the end of another amazing season of the Business Infrastructure podcast. In this episode, Alicia does her traditional end-of-season monologue, but with a twist – she talks about the people, processes, and tools that set the foundation to scale. And, as she explains, none of this work was in vain, as evident by the special announcement she makes that will take this podcast to the next level. Get all the juicy details plus access to the show notes at: https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 142.

Although the barrier to entry into the fashion industry is low, it's also fickle and highly competitive. Yet, when Kevin Afuwah and two childhood friends started Royal Kulture, their unique spin on dashikis took off! Soon, they found themselves relocating from NYC to L.A. for cost-efficient production. In this episode, Kevin reminisces on how they scaled their brand, attracting celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker and Beyonce, only to shut it down. Find out why. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 140.

"Scaling must be done with scientific precision." Sage advice from branding expert, Maureen Mwangi. She helps product-based companies become retail-ready with strategies rooted in data analytics and marketing research. In this episode, Maureen takes us on her journey from watching her parents build a strong brand in Kenya to her scaling products for Pepsi, Dove, and L'Oreal in the U.S. She also describes the processes for scaling commercial vs. microenterprise products. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 140.

Laura Cathcart Robbins is an avid reader and dreamed of one day penning her own book. In 2018, she arrived excited at a popular writer's retreat, only to leave dismayed when she realized she was the only black person there. Soon, an article she wrote about her experience went viral on the Huffington Post. It led to a movement that quickly grew into a podcast. In this episode, Laura chronicles the behind-the-scenes work that scaled her podcast to the top 1.5 %. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 139.

Amal Hassan is living proof of the tenacity required to build, grow, and scale a business. She started a contact center three different times only to be forced to shut down. The fourth time was the charm. Now, Outsource Global employs over 850 people with clients in the U.S., UK, and Japan. In this episode, Amal gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the quality control measures to select the best people, processes, and tools that sustain Africa's top BPO provider. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 138.

Lynn Bonner's tenure at Big 4 consulting firms, as a VP at U.S. Bank, and as a Founder is a trifecta of scaling success stories. She knows it takes energy, leadership, and action to get things done. As the CEO of her firm, Action Leadership Lab, she applies agile and digital transformation principles from her corporate experience to scale her clients' companies. In this episode, Lynn shares how to build and scale a sustainable business in short, incremental steps. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 137.

There are several ways you can scale your company, one being a Merger & Acquisition (M&A). But be careful. As Jeffrey Musgrove warns, "M&As always make sense on paper. The difficulty is the people part." With a career that spans wealth management, operations, and private equity, he knew what to look for when he merged his consultancy with Think Systems. In this episode, Jeff details how to execute an M&A starting with an analysis of each company's operating model. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 136.

Henry Kaminski started his marketing agency, Unique Designz, on a high. The clients and money flowed in. But all of that changed after Hurricane Sandy. Suddenly his bank account had a negative $2,500 balance. Down but not out, he invested in a course that gave him the tools to rebound. Then he had a different problem – more business than he could handle! In this episode, Henry describes how he recruited and hired a remote team and took his business to new heights. https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 135.

Scaling your subject matter expertise may seem impossible, especially when people think consulting firms can't scale. It isn't true, as evidenced by Dorie Clark. She went from growing up in a small town to becoming the #1 communication coach in the world as well as a prolific author, speaker, and professor. How? In this episode, Dorie teaches organic marketing strategies to leverage your core competency, reinvent your brand, increase your visibility, and watch the money pour in! https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 134.

There's no one way to scale, but a common and critical component is business infrastructure. Outgrow, a digital content marketing and technology company, is proof. In this episode, Saksham Sharda, the CIO and Creative Director at Outgrow, shares their 3-pronged approach to becoming New York's top B2B software company. Now, they're expanding globally. Get the full scoop plus resources he recommends at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 133.

"Don't grow alone. Ask for help." Wise words from serial tech entrepreneur and investor, Jeff Wald. And he would know. After studying the causes of his first company's failure, he resurfaced, and, in true entrepreneur fashion, started another company. And then another. When he founded WorkMarket, he knew that scaling from 8 to 8,000 salespeople required business infrastructure. Eventually, Jeff sold two of his companies to ADP and Salesforce. In this episode, he shares exactly how he did it.

If accounting is the language of business, then technology is the language of scale. And today's successful leaders must be fluent in both. After working as an engineer and B2B salesman in Silicon Valley, Aman Agarwal started an education company to close the widening technical fluency gap he noticed among leaders. In this episode, he shares his equation for scaling and explains how you can measure your business' success by a formula. Access resources he recommends at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 131.

Kathleen Black values business infrastructure - it's the basis for how she became one of the top real estate professionals in North America! She says, "When systems are clear, people are empowered." Now, she teaches other high performers how to build the most efficient and productive teams in the world. In this episode, Kathleen shares insights on the people, processes, and tools she leverages to stay in the top 1%. Access resources she recommends at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 130.

In this Season 10 finale, host Alicia Butler Pierre unpacks the importance of converting "why" into "how" when facing business challenges. She uses this conversion as a backdrop to give updates on all guests and their respective workflows and technologies. Alicia also shares four lessons she's learned about operating a business in 2020. A special thank you to all guests, sponsors, and subscribers who made this season a smashing success!

Tasked with creating something that does good for the world, nine 10th and 11th graders conceived the HydroHat. It's a wearable technology designed to reduce heat-related stress and injuries. Though rejected by MIT for a $10k development grant, they forged ahead and formed a company called SenseHydro. In this episode, these young inventors/entrepreneurs give a live demo of their process from ideation to prototype design and patent protection. Listen, watch, and be inspired! https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 128.

Workflow improvement stumps small and large businesses alike. Where do you start? What framework will you use? As the founder of an emerging H.R. consultancy, Cornelius "Neil" Dowdell faces these questions regularly. One thing's for sure – you have to identify and document processes before you can improve them. In this live consultation, Alicia shows Neil how simple tools like stick figures and note cards can help to quickly identify processes and more! Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/.

Incorporating technology into your workflows can significantly streamline operations. However, not all technologies integrate with each other. This leads to disparate data and worse, inaccurate analysis. Vertify solves this issue. In this episode, Wayne Lopez, the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of Vertify, gives a live demo to show how it connects data and unifies teams in making better-informed decisions from a single source of truth. Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 126.

"The answers to life are written in a book called YOU." This quote comes from poet, Jeffrey Pollard. He's self-published a series of poetry books and, naturally, wants to increase distribution. With over 2,700 self-published books launched daily, how can he get his to stand out? In this live consultation, he's joined by his wife Francine Smith. Together, we discuss a book promotion process to increase visibility using digital marketing tools. Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 125.

As business leaders, we're tethered to our laptops. After all, we can take them to in-person meetings, work on them while on an airplane, and use them at our home offices. But are we sacrificing comfort for mobility? Logitech designs best-in-class products that ensure both. In this episode, Art O Gnimh, a VP at Logitech, shares how to select the right mouse and keyboard and set them up in our home offices to maximize productivity and minimize pain. Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ Ep. 124.

Deborah Bailey, Cynthia Culbreath, and Karen Mills are on a mission. They're helping entrepreneurs "get back to the basics of business" by harnessing their collective engineering and legal brainpower to power the Business Action Alliance. Part of their non-profit's outreach involves podcasting. But where do they start and how? In this episode, we walk through a process and a checklist for setting up their podcast for sustainability and profitability! Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/.

Necessity is the mother of invention. It's what led to the creation of Thinksmart Whiteboard. When Joseph Powell realized there wasn't a software on the market to emulate a collaborative whiteboard session remotely, he developed one himself. Now, Thinksmart Whiteboard powers remote whiteboarding sessions across America in real-time. In this episode, Joseph gives a demo of the app to show its versatile use in brainstorming, ideation, tutoring, and more! Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/.

At 14-years-old, Sebastian Flores is CEO of OctoGifts. What started as a unique handmade gift for his sweet-toothed friend, has now blossomed into a viable small business. Melanie Flores, his mom, lends her engineering and educator skills for operational support. But growing demand requires a more streamlined workflow. In this live consultation, you'll learn the steps this mother-and-son team can use to improve their D-I-Y products' kitting process. Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/.

Following her last corporate job Ai Ching Goh vowed, "No more Monday blues!" She knows the tedium of digesting reports filled with mounds of numerical data. There had to be a more impactful way to represent this data. This led to her co-founding Piktochart, a web-based visual storytelling app now used by over 8M people. In this episode, Ching gives a demo of Piktochart to show its use in visualizing data as infographics, presentations, and more! Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

All businesses compete for mindshare. Getting it is exciting! But what happens beyond getting attention? How do you go from clicks and views to money in the bank? The answer can stump even the most seasoned digital marketers. Among them is Ericka Bates, a consultant to freelance graphic designers. In this episode, Alicia gives her a process to test in LinkedIn. The goal is to increase the conversion of people from "interested" to "registered and paid." Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

When Twitter burst onto the scene in 2006, Janice Jensen studied its use of 140 characters. She figured video would be the next big thing. And her sister agreed. Their foresight led to the creation of rVidi – a phone app that records videos in short, 30-sec soundbites. In this episode, Janice gives a demo of rVidi and shares its multiple uses as an efficient recording, editing, and communications tool. See the video and show notes https://businessinfrastructure.tv/

Go big or go home - a fitting mantra for Clarence Levy and Derek Gauthier. As the Co-Founders of MorTec Innovation, these engineers turned entrepreneurs have big plans for their emerging company. It began with their debut product, Protect My Cell. After favorable testing results, they now want a repeatable process to scale their success. In this Season 10 kickoff, Alicia gives them a foundation to start building their commercialization process. Watch the video at https://businessinfrastructure.tv/.

When Alicia Butler Pierre started Equilibria, she provided a hodgepodge of various services. A friend challenged her to figure out how to streamline and package her services. This gave birth to the Kasennu framework for business infrastructure. Since then, thousands of entrepreneurs use the framework to structure and scale their businesses. In this Season 9 Finale, Alicia tells the story (and process) of how she created it. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 116 for show notes.

What started as a side job selling wireless modems eventually led to Tom Kulzer creating the world's first email automation tool, AWeber. As demand grew, he assembled a team and they built a business infrastructure to support the fast growth. 20 years later, over 1 million small businesses have used AWeber. 100,000 of them are active customers. In this episode, Tom provides the processes that laid the foundation for this scaling success story. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 115 for show notes.

Digital technology is great for streamlining various back-office operations. With it being in abundance, validating ideas to offer software as a service (SaaS) is critical. Yet, Ronan Walsh warns, "Many SaaS companies set about creating an MVP [Minimum Viable Product] before ever speaking to a customer." As the founder of a leading digital marketing company, he's seen many people make this mistake. In this episode, he verbally maps out a process for researching, validating, and testing software product ideas before developing an MVP.

COVID-19 leveled the playing field of veteran and neophyte teachers alike. The sudden pivot to remote instruction forced technology adoption at a record pace. But the steep learning curve hasn't slowed Rachna Nath down. As a STEM and entrepreneurship educator, she's used to thinking innovatively. In this episode, she describes her unique process for expanding her network beyond the traditional high school ecosystem to offer students a first-class experience backed by collegiate resources. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 113 for show notes.

When Kimberly Fennell graduated from college, she had trouble finding a full-time job. A chance reading of Entrepreneur magazine sparked the idea to start a business support company. 17 years later, her company continues to offer remote administrative services that support back-office operations. Her foresight has paid off, especially during the pandemic, as demand for converting offline activities to online grows. In this episode, she details the entire behind-the-scenes process for conducting remote events.

Being amicable doesn't mean you can't get the job done. And Christine Yeager is living proof. She's quickly moved up the ranks at one of the world's most recognized brands and leads large-scale data projects across their supply chain. In this episode, she compares and contrasts two of those projects and reveals how developing technical acumen is only part of her success equation. The other part involves her HAP process. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 111 for links to resources.

Content is the currency of choice in the Digital Age. You must have a system for consistently producing and distributing it. And not just any content, but content that attracts leads and converts them into customers. The challenge is finding the time to do so. Nigel Washington has the antidote. His company, ContentMates.com, has a streamlined process for delivering quality content in just 2-3 days! Find out how they do it. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/, Ep. 110 for detailed show notes.

Providing excellent customer support is just as important as the goods and services you offer. Effective communication is vital to creating a positive customer experience. Despite your team's technical acumen, language nuances can erode that experience. This is further complicated when you have an international customer base. That's where Marianne Rutz comes to the rescue. As Europe's leading multi-lingual contact centre expert, she has a proven process to improve front-line and back-office operations leading to more profits and happier customers. Gain step-by-step insights into her formula. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ for Ep. 109 show notes.

Joseph Garfield knows what it means to work his way up from the bottom. His entrée into technology started as an I.T. help desk operator. Over time, he advanced from being a "doer" to a strategist when he created his 3D Project Process. This framework not only consistently delivers I.T. projects on time and within budget, it's even more streamlined than Agile and Scrum! Discover what makes it unique and how you can apply it to your projects. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ for Ep. 108 show notes.

"Know your workflows!" Sage advice from Susan Blais as she described her experience in choosing the best technologies to optimize her sales and client engagement processes. As a Long-Term Care Professional (LTCP) she knew her decisions must be rooted in data security and HIPPA compliance. Now, she has a strong foundation in place to handle surges in demand for LTCP insurance. Learn how Susan reached this point and expand your knowledge about LTCP along the way. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ for show notes.

After years of climbing the Wall Street corporate ladder, financial advisor John Stoj became disillusioned with false promises of outperforming the market. He eventually started a sushi delivery company only to return to his first love – financial planning. But this time, things are different. Not only did he go rogue with his pricing model, but he also digitized his services without compromising security or personal touch. Learn the process for how he did it in this episode. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ for show notes.

Eagerly anticipating the release of another podcast episode, one day Berthine Crèvecoeur West found herself forgetting some critical steps. So this award-winning podcaster and global diversity and inclusion expert took a page out of her own book. She decided to not only document her process for producing her podcast, but she streamlined it too – and magical things started to happen! Get the full scoop in this episode about taking lemons and making lemonade in your business. Visit https://businessinfrastructure.tv/ for show notes.

Being in the Army taught Bill Kurzeja the importance of leadership as he quickly moved up the ranks. Upon transitioning back to the civilian world, he realized his ability to lead was only as good as his ability to communicate effectively. In this episode, Bill details the process for how his company successfully improved production by 10-20%, increased customer satisfaction, and transitioned from a culture of "your" customer to "our" customer all through the use of better communication techniques and technologies.

This Season 8 finale is different – it's not Alicia Butler Pierre's typical monologue. She's joined by her 13-year-old goddaughter, Maegan Lane - a budding teen entrepreneur and COO of a clothing startup, Karma Collections. In this episode, Alicia answers questions submitted by listeners throughout the season, and, in the process, tells Maegan how it applies to her business. The result is answers that not only address the specific questions but show the applicability to any business regardless of industry. In a surprising twist, Maegan actually asks some impromptu questions, one of which admittedly has Alicia stumped!

Mohammad Ali may not float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, like the famous boxer by the same name, but he is a champion – a champion of operations. With over 37 years of combined experience as a high-ranking military official, chemical and industrial engineer, COO, and board member, he recognizes problem-solving as the cornerstone for continuous improvement. In fact, he started the first auto manufacturing company in Jordan. In this episode, Mohammad takes us on an A to Z tour of all things operations and explains why he says, "If CEOs do not understand operations, they are bound to be replaced."