Problem Solvers

Notion is changing the way people communicate and collaborate. Cofounder and CEO Ivan Zhao has an unusual philosophy about how to do it — which anyone can follow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine Connelly cofounded one of the first social media platforms, and was early in the online dating space. And over time, she learned how to do a very hard thing: She killed features that she loved, and that customers loved, because they no longer served the company. How and when do you do that? She discusses. Read Catherine's new book, Designing Success: Lessons from 20 Years as a Female Tech Entrepreneur. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carla Ondrasik hates the word "try." She says it's holding you back from taking action achieving your goals. On today's episode, Carla will give you a better way to approach big and scary tasks: No more trying allowed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you grow, while staying true to what made you successful in the first place? It's something that Chip & Joanna Gaines (Fixer Upper, Magnolia) think a lot about. In this episode, a candid conversation with them about growth, challenges, and what should always remain the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I bombed on stage. It was terrible and embarrassing. Then I learned something very important about how to recover, and it's a lesson I'll use for the rest of my life. Here it is. It'll make you feel better the next time something goes wrong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Work is changing. People don't feel job security they way they did before. So how do you motivate teams that are operating scared? Mithu Storoni has a unique answer. She's a physician, neuroscience researcher and ophthalmic surgeon who advises multinational corporations on mental performance and stress management (and author of the new book Hyperefficient). On this episode, she explains what really motivates people, and how to create that empowerment despite turbulent times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to build incredible products? Listen closely to your customers, and (importantly!) have a system to turn those insights into action. In this episode, I speak with Mary Beth Westmoreland, VP of Selling Partner Experience at Amazon, about how this happens on her global selling partner experience team. Her team's products impact millions of businesses, so the stakes are high — and she's incredibly thoughtful about how great leadership, teamwork, and customer feedback systems can combine in all the right ways. To learn more about how Amazon is helping independent sellers succeed, visit http://sellingpartners.aboutamazon.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We had an idea: What if we took a talented but financially struggling artist, and paired them with a coach who helps artists build businesses? The result was magic! Today, you'll hear art-business coach Carolyn Edlund work with photographer Matthew Cortellesi. At the start, Matthew was selling occasional photos but had no idea how to create a real business. By the end, he had a new website and an entirely new sales strategy. This episode is for anyone who makes something they love, but can't figure out how to make money doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pasta is a crowded space, so how did Amazon help Madalina Defta and Arash Hashemi, the husband-and-wife duo behind Kaizen Food Company, transform their vision into a thriving brand without relying on traditional marketing? In this episode, they explain how they did it: They leveraged engaging content to build a loyal clientele, refined their product that speaks to an underserved customer base, and, when faced with overwhelming demand for fulfillment and customer service, strategically pivoted to Amazon. To learn more about how Amazon is helping independent sellers succeed, visit http://sellingpartners.aboutamazon.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Erin Wade hated her job. So she created a mac & cheese restaurant called Homeroom, then rethought how every other employee should be treated. In this episode, she explains how she rethough discipline, incentives, and the working environment, and built a place that people actually want to work in. Erin's new book about this is called Mac & Cheese Millionaire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Maples Jr. is one fo the pioneers of seed-stage investing, and invested early in the likes of Twitter, Twitch, and Lyft. I asked him to do something a little unusual: give advice to small business owners who, instead of pitching VCs like him, are instead pitching their family and friends. His advice reveals a lot about how investors think, whether they're pros like him or just a mom or pop at home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you see the opportunity that others don't? That's what we discuss with Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, who has overseen a massive transformation of the company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Lee cofounded LegalZoom, ShoeDazzle, Honest Company, and now Arena Club, and he believes a lot of conventional business wisdom is backward. Here, he shares the hidden path to founder success. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Removery had a problem: It wanted to rapidly expand and become the world's largest tattoo removal company, but it couldn't find enough tattoo removal specialists to hire. So it built a system to create its ideal employees. Here's a lesson for anyone looking to hire the right people. Removery COO Jo Kelton explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you prepared to sell your business? Even if a sale is many years away, you should start planning now — and avoid the common mistakes that devalue many other businesses. CLA managing principal of industry Brandon Knight explains why not all businesses are sellable, why you need to build a leadership team, and why it's so important to look at your impact beyond your business. This episode is brought to you by CLA — CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. See how CLA can help you, your family, and your employees prepare for the seamless transition of your business. Visit CLAconnect.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does self-promotion make you uncomfortable? You need to start — because if you don't talk yourself up, nobody else will! On today's episode, I offer my four rules of self-promotion, four ways to talk yourself up if you're afraid to do it, and then how to handle the inevidable haters. These are all tips from my newsletter, One Thing Better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Walker is the Founder of iCell Consulting LLC, a consulting firm specializing in telecommunications analysis. After a successful career in telecommunications, David decided to start the business by pursuing his skill of analyzing telephone records. Working with multiple telecommunications companies, David has helped solve over 200 criminal cases, bringing him across the country over the last decade. Listen to the Side Hustle to Small Business podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit: entm.ag/hiscox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you know what makes your brand special? Sometimes, you're wrong — and the "special sauce" you cling to can actually be holding your company back. That's the story of HiBall, an energy drink that was struggling to gain traction... until they rethought a critical part of the brand. Sales went through the roof, and the company was sold to Anheuser-Busch. Here, HiBall cofounder Dan Craytor explains what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to become a keynote speaker, but you're not sure how to get on stage and get paid? Katrina Mitchell has advice. She's the founder of Franchise Speakers, an agency that books speakers for franchise events, and shares how speakers can find their niche, develop their product, and start making money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneurs make a mistake: They often think of decisions as binary, where one answer is definitely right and the other is definitely wrong. Astrophysicist Saul Perlmutter says there's a better way to approach decisions — and it's with "probabilistic thinking," a concept that's familiar to scientists but less so to businesspeople. Today, he explains. Saul also writes about this in his new book Third Millennium Thinking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Entrepreneurs often take on too much, so when should you say "yes" to something new? I talk about that with best-selling author Dan Heath, a busy guy who took on a new project, a great podcast called What It's Like To Be... In this episode, we discuss how to evaluate new ideas, which are worth committing to, and how to know if they're truly valuable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We often take on too much, desire too much, or feel stuck between different paths. How can we navigate it? Social psychology professor Tessa West, author of the new book Job Therapy, helps us make sense of our complex paths — and our often complex relationship with work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In every partnership, there will be disagreements. But they don't have to ruin your relationships. Today, listen in on a coaching session about this: Jason talks with an entrepreneur who disagrees with his cofounders (and family members!). This is an episode from Jason's other podcast, Help Wanted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andrew Wilkinson went from barista to billionaire, and often wonders: When does it feel like he's accomplished enough? It's why he wrote his new book, "Never Enough." In this deep and personal conversation, we explore what it means to constantly want more, and how to find satisfaction in your accomplishments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are we often unaware of problems? It's because we're not asking the right questions. Jeff Wetzler is a master of asking better questions, and teaches us how to extract the information we need from others. His new book is called "Ask: Tap Into the Hidden Wisdom of People Around You for Unexpected Breakthroughs In Leadership and Life". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can you build a business, without it consuming your life? Kathleen Griffith, author of the book "Build Like A Woman", explains how to keep both things healthy — step by step. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaliyla Fraser is the Founder and CEO of Fraser’s Mathematics Solutions. What started as a STEAM summer camp for students, Fraser’s Mathematics Solutions now provides high-quality mathematics learning for administrators, teachers, and parents to help the students in their lives succeed. Fraser’s Mathematics Solutions also produces school supplies for students to help them reach their full potential. Listen to the Side Hustle to Small Business podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit: entm.ag/hiscox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to be more productive, and use your time more wisely? Take advice from Laura Mae Martin, Google's in-house productivity expert, and author of the new book "Uptime". In this conversation, she lays out a plan for focusing your time and your energy. You'll never look at to-do lists the same again. Thanks to our sponsor Hertz Business Rewards for helping small businesses save big. Join for free at Hertz.com/businessrewards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to get your ideas into the world? Writing coach Amber Rae (see: amberrae.com) has some counterintuitive advice: Don't think about your audience, and don't write what you "should" write. On this episode, she explains some of the most common mistakes that entrepreneurs make, and how anyone can find great stories and create meaningful, memorable work. Thanks to our sponsor Hertz Business Rewards for helping small businesses save big. Join for free at Hertz.com/businessrewards. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many people start businesses with friends and loved ones — but if you're not careful, you can destroy both your company and your relationship. So how do you do it right? Take it from two women who know: Julie Griggs and Danielle Dietzek, cofounders of FourPlay Social. They share the very personal, often difficult side of their relationship, and how they've learned to thrive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our jobs are not to do things perfect. We can't! But we can make our mistakes very useful. Here's how — along with a personal story about a very recent, embarassing failure. (To see the newsletter I talk about in this episode, visit jasonfeifer.com/newsletter) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where there's a void in leadership, negativity will fill it. That's Jon Gordon's message. He's the best-selling author of 28 books (most recently, "The One Truth"), and has a company that teaches what he calls "positive leadership." In this conversation, he explains how workplaces become negative, how to diagnose the problem, and how leaders can create positivity instead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you ready to adapt quickly? Billionaire tech investor Thomas Tull says you should be—because these days, there’s no other choice. Entrepreneur’s 45th annual Franchise 500® ranking shines a light on the unique challenges and changes that have shaped the franchise industry over the last year—and how franchisors have adapted and evolved to meet them. See the list here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices