The Corporate Escapee

If you are a regular listener to the show, you know that I usually have discussions with guests. This is the first in a new weekly series where I do a deeper dive into a single topic. This could be something top of mind, in the news or questions I get from my customers or audience. Feel free to shoot me a note if there is a topic you want me to cover. In today’s episode, I take deeper dive on the power and the potential competitive advantage that data and analytics can provide a startup. I hope you enjoy the new segment. We will still have the longer form interviews every Tuesday. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor www.BrettTrainor.com

On this episode, we welcome Sue Tyrrell and Kala Liebe to the program. Sue is the founder and CEO and Kala is the Chief Experience Officer for a company called Hands Up Communications. Hands Up is a single point of contact for language access needs. They offer offer a mixture of interpreting, translating, and captioning solutions. Their story is an interesting one. Sue started the company, merger with a company in 2015 then took the company back and partnered with Kala to build what is now known as Hands Up Communication. It is a cautionary tale about failed partnerships and ultimately having the right complementary management team. Key #LessonsInGrowth: Why the keys to success are having a very solid executive team The pros and cons of strategic partnerships (and mergers) and what to look for Why dissolving the merger was a better path to growth for Hands Up How a complimentary skill set allowed Hands Up to flourish Warning signs that a potential partnership may not be right for your business

On this episode, we welcome Tim Caito. Tim is a Senior Partner at ForceManagement. He combines more than 30 years of sales, management, professional development and business consulting experience to help selling and buying organizations, challenged by dramatic shifts in market conditions, win better deals and improve critical seller-buyer relationships. He helps companies define and articulate their unique differentiators and value drivers. Key #LessonsInGrowth: Messaging must come from the perspective of your customer not your company Understanding the Zero Moment of Truth for your customers Why you MUST be an expert on your customer problems How to avoid the common disconnect between sales and marketing If technology or pricing is your differentiator you are on a race to the bottom These are only scratching the surface of what we discuss.

On this episode, we welcome Pam Didner. She is an author, speaker, podcaster, adjunct professor, marketing strategist and a Fortune 100 Marketer. She leads a boutique-consulting firm that trains, coaches and provides strategic guidance on audience development, messaging, editorial planning, content creation, media buys and social media outreach on a global scale Key #LessonsInGrowth: Who do you hire first, sales or marketing (the answer might surprise you)? The power of word of mouth referrals How startups should think about sales enablement (and what is it). How to think about and execute account-based marketing (ABM) Why there are only TWO types of qualified leads. and buyers are buying on their own schedules, not yours!

On this episode, we welcome Ricardo Regalado, the Founder and CEO of Rozalado Commercial Cleaning Services, plus 3 other companies including his latest venture Route, an end to end software platform for service providers. Ricardo shares his personal journey from buying his uncle’s franchise commercial cleaning business where he and his wife were working 18 hours a day to a soon to be $10 million company that was featured on Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies, which is a rare feat for a cleaning services business. Key #LessonsInGrowth: How scaling to $1 Million was different than from $2M to $4M and from $4M to $7M. How he successfully balanced family and business (he has 17 family members working in the company). How he was able to scale from 5 employees to over 300 and keep the culture. How intuition, persistence and relentlessness were the key drivers of success Plus numerous other words of wisdom for entrepreneurs

On this episode, we welcome Kelly Glover, founder of The Talent Squad. The Talent Squad is a boutique podcast agency that book podcast tours for entrepreneurs. Kelly started podcasting in 2007 and has an 18-year track record working in media and talent management. Kelly knows what producers want because she's been one! With a background in commercial radio, Kelly has walked her talk and hosted her own syndicated radio show, worked as a talent agent, celebrity interviewer, and has produced award-winning podcasts. Key #LessonInGrowth: Podcast guesting, yes, it is a thing, is an unbelievable opportunity to jump start growth (if you are prepared) Why launching your own podcast is a long tail growth strategy while guesting is a shorter term strategy? Podcast guesting- it is not about you, it is about the audience Size doesn’t always matter when pitching a show- make sure you can add value to the audience How to effectively pitch to guest on a podcast- hint- the key is to make it easy for the producer/host How to repurpose your podcast guesting episode content for maximum impact Website: http://thetalentsquad.com/

On this episode, we welcome Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey to the program. Michael and Michael & Bonnie are the founders of Barefoot Wine, America’s #1 Wine Brand. Their New York Times Business Bestseller, The Barefoot Spirit, is now required reading in more than 50 schools of entrepreneurship In this episode Michael and Bonnie shares their remarkable journey from a laundry room of a rented farmhouse to the boardroom of the world’s largest wine company, E&J Gallo and how that journey paved the way for their future endeavors and the creation of a new category of audio books called Audio Theater. Key #LessonInGrowth: The Barefoot Spirit equates to an entrepreneurial mindset (West Coast Style)- opportunistic and problem solving Not being an “expert” on insider allowed them to ask dumb questions to break out of “this is how it has always been done” mentality Consistency in the wine/product was a differentiator to the current model. Why 500 Cases of Wine/year was their top priority Leveraged outsourcing and partners to scale the business Leveraging grassroot tactics and community level brand building helped accelerate acceptance and growth. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bonnieharvey/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mhoulihan/ Website: www.thebarefootspirit.com Website: www.barefootaudiobook.com/ Click here for a free audio episode of The Barefoot Spirit.

On this episode, we welcome Phil Hollyer to the program. Phil is the Co-Founder, former CEO and now Executive Chairman for Bounteous. Bounteous creates big-picture digital solutions provider that helps drive growth for their clients. In this episode Phil shares the Bounteous journey from a 2-person startup to a high growth company that has been featured in Inc.’s fastest growing companies. Bounteous now has over 300 employees and is closing in on the $100 million in annual revenue. We go deep on how Dominos became one of their first customers how their partnership launched both companies to the next level, especially in the digital revolution in the early 2000’s. Questions we answer: How Phil and Bounteous were pioneers in creating a virtual organization How working with a couple of large, enterprise customers, Ceridian and Domino’s proved to be the right strategy How Bounteous was at the center of the digital revolution with Dominos Why they chose a Horizontal vs. a Vertical focus on growth- broad vs. niche Why Human Resources was a critical focus early on The power and constraint of unicorn employees

On this episode, we welcome Christine Perakis to the program. Christine, AKA the Storm Warrior, is a serial entrepreneur, business coach and author. Christine’s first entrepreneurial venture was a fragrance company. Since then, she has started, grown and expanded 9 others as well as advised 100s of clients on five continents. Her remarkable journey includes surviving two record-breaking category 5 hurricanes, including the first one that left her buried alive for nearly 24 hours and forced her to survive without electricity, running water and telecoms for a couple of months on an isolated adopted-island nation. The leadership and resilience lessons that she learned have been incorporated into her next book, The Resilient Leader, which is being released in 2020. In this episode Christine offers strategies that anyone can use to weather the inevitable storms of life and business and come through thriving.

On this episode, we welcome Victoria Tretis to the program. Victoria is a former executive assistant that became a virtual assistance before starting her current company- VA Matchmaker. VA Matchmaker helps take the confusion and complexity of using virtual assistants. She matches entrepreneurs with the skill set they need. In this episode Victoria breaks down the What, the Why, and the How of using remote resources to drive efficiency and value in your growing organization. She also provide tips on what not to do. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/victoriatretis Website: https://www.victoriatretis.co.uk/

On this episode, we welcome Matt Morse to the program. Matt is the Founder and CEO of Precision Today. They are a Chicago based plumbing services company that started over 25 years ago. In this episode Matt lays out a blueprint for scalable growth. He shares what worked and what didn’t work during his growth journey. Even though this is more of a traditional main street type of business Matt really is a modern visionary on how to grow a company in the digital era. His company enjoys a 4.9/5.0 Google review rating with over 1380 reviews! Key take-a-ways: Top priority is creating an employee centric culture Always have a plan! Why buying out his co-founder was the right strategic move Expansion for expansion sake is not always the right move Hiring folks that aligned values to company vision Transitioning from the day-to-day operations allowed the company to thrive Plus many additional lessons Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.precisiontoday.com/

On this episode, we welcome Jo Johnson to the program. Jo is known in Australia and Worldwide as the Content Coach. She turns Experts into Thought Leaders - one story at a time. She raises the visibility of entrepreneurs and small business owners through using the art of storytelling. Aligning your Brand values with effective storytelling is a powerful combination that can energize your customers to take action. In our really informative conversation, Jo breaks down what, why, and how to incorporate storytelling into all aspects of your business.

On this episode, we welcome Gregory Skeete to the program. Gregory helps entrepreneurs and business owners to 'engineer' their best selves and systematically achieve results that are both successful and significant while maintaining their ideal work-life balance and lifestyle. Gregory’s unique background has allowed him to provide a unique and powerful perspective on how entrepreneurs can become the best versions of themselves and not only transform themselves but also their businesses. This was a really interesting discussion. Questions we answer: Why you need to build your business “with the end in mind” Why process and documentation are fundamental to scalable growth Why benevolence is important for the entrepreneurial journey Why inspiration is better than motivation LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gsskeete Website: https://www.gregoryskeete.com/ The Exact Instruction Challenge (PB&J Instructions)

If you are a regular listener to the podcast, you know I usually have discussions with guests. In this episode, we're going to be doing something a little bit different. Today, I'm not interviewing anyone, and I'm actually going to host and guest on my own show. I review the 3 stages of startup growth, the common thresholds where founders get stuck, and how to prioritize focus for each stage of growth. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bretttrainor www.BrettTrainor.com

On this episode, we welcome Kenneth Kinney to the program. Kenneth is the host of “A Shark’s Perspective,” a nationally recognized podcast featuring the "who’s who" of experts and thought leaders in marketing, and he's the VP of Marketing and Digital Strategy at Ai Media Group, a leader in performance marketing. Kenneth is a highly accomplished and creative marketer, growth executive, consultant, and speaker. He is passionate about lead generation, leveraging data in omni-channel strategies, driving growth, digital marketing, advanced TV, and helping make marketers better. Here's what we cover in today's episode: Why you need to invest in marketing early How smaller companies can compete with bigger brands Why you need to have a marketing strategy Don’t create content to just create content Why data is critical

On this episode, we welcome Bill Bice to the program. Bill is the CEO and Founder of Boomtime. Boomtime built the world's first marketing-as-a-service platform: fuse. Bill is a serial entrepreneur, he is passionate about helping small businesses grow. Bill started his first company at age 18, growing ProLaw Software into the largest law firm automation system for small and mid-size law firms. Bill's goal at Boomtime is to enable smaller businesses to more effectively compete with their larger competitors.

On this episode, we welcome Bob Furniss to the program. Bob is the Godfather of Customer Experience. He spent his entire 30+ year career helping companies of all sizes better connect with their customers. Bob was awarded the ICMI Lifetime Achievement Award and has also been recognized as a Top 50 Contact Center Thought Leader. He is also an author and a keynote speaker. You can reach Bob at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter: @bobfurniss.

On this episode, we welcome Martin Hill to the program. Martin is the CEO, Founder and inventor of The Beebo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CK4izXDxLA The voice you heard a moment ago is that of Martin Hill. Martin is the CEO, Founder and the inventor of the The Beebo. The Beebo is a free hand bottle holder designed to enhance the feeding time between you and your baby. On this episode, Martin shares his unbelievable growth journey. It was an amazing combination of ingenuity, timing and a successful pitch on the shark tank. Plus, Martin even announces that his company is for sale at the end of the show. Questions we answer: How he was able to get an investment from Shark Tank investors Lori Griener and Ashton Kutcher How he scaled a fast-growing company with only a couple of employees Why Martin doubled down on understanding the flaws with his design How he was 1 of 100 that were selected out of 50,000 to appear on Shark Tank How he leveraged outsource partners to scale his business Why he decided to sell the company LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/martin-hill-33b88ba9 Website: https://www.thebeebo.com/ Twitter: @the_beebo Instagram: the_beebo

On this episode, we welcome Nicole Wood to the program. Nicole is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ama La Vida. Ama La Vida is an innovative leadership and career coaching company. They believe that there doesn't need to be a tradeoff between success and happiness and that with the right tools, coaching and accountability, everyone can find meaning and purpose in their work.

On this episode, we welcome Vivek Khandelwal to the program. Vivek is a co-founder and COO of iZooto. iZooto is the World's First Owned Audience Marketing Platform that helps media publishers and retailers to own, build and engage their audience using web push notifications. Over 15,000 marketers push over 18B notifications every month to engage their audience and drive repeat traffic. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/khandelwalvivek Website: https://www.izooto.com/ Twitter: vivekk

On this episode, we welcome James Carbary to the program. James is the Founder and CEO of Sweet Fish Media. Sweet Fish Media produces podcasts for B2B companies. Their service allows you to partner with your ideal clients to create industry specific content through an interview-based podcast. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jamescarbary Website: SweetFishMedia.com Twitter: jamescarbary Book Referenced: https://www.tablegroup.com/organizational-health

On this episode, we welcome Lindsay Kelley to the program. Lindsay is the Vice President of Content and Digital at Telit. Lindsay is an inbound and marketing expert that has is using conversational marketing to help drive large increases in qualified, new business leads to her organization’s sales teams. Lindsay has over 20 years of experience in marketing, both from the start-up world and large enterprise organizations. She has been at the forefront of marketing innovation, whether it was the early days of marketing automation on the current revolution of chat bots and conversational marketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsaykelley/ Twitter: lvkelley Website: https://www.telit.com/

On this episode, we welcome Ovi Negrean to the program. Ovi is the Co-Founder of Chief Executive Bee of SocialBee.io SocialBee.io offers which offers social media management tools, training and teams. LinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/socialbee.io/about/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ovidiunegrean Twitter: https://twitter.com/OviNegrean Website: http://socialbee.io/

On this episode, we welcome Dan Pfister to the program. Dan is the founder of StrategicWinBack.com. He’s also the co-founder of two other businesses where he's helped generate over 50,000 customers, and has worked with brands like Fidelity Investments and people like Tony Robbins. Strategic Win-Back’s sole focus is re-engaging and re-activating lost, forgotten and disengaged clients. To learn more about the exceptional ROI that winning back past clients can generate. Website: https://www.brightmove.com/ LinkedIn Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/customerwinback/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danmpfister

On this episode, we welcome Dave Webb to the program. Dave is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BrightMove, Inc. – pioneers of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) – and now one of the fastest growing global providers of hiring and recruiting software within the HR Technology industry. While working in the evolving digital economy, David and his colleagues discovered a market opportunity in recruiting and staffing highly specialized information technology professionals for large scale projects. They also decided to build their own ATS solution with the granular-reporting and data-analytic features that would result in better- informed business decisions – for themselves and their clients. Thus, licensing the ATS software, which they called BrightMove, became a business of the same name in 2005. Website: https://www.brightmove.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightmove-inc./ LinkedIn Dave Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidwebb/