The Corporate Escapee

On this episode, we welcome Nicki Perchik to the program. Nicki is the founder/CEO of The NLP Group, a boutique Executive Search Firm based in Chicago. NLP works with Senior and Executive level professionals on opportunities covering a broad spectrum of industries and functional areas. NLP’s clients span the entire United States and globe, ranging in size from early stage start-ups to Fortune 50 companies. NLP has consistently been recognized for outstanding performance, exceptional results and unmatched levels of service and support. Website: https://www.thenlpgroup.net/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicoleperchik

On this episode, we welcome Tessa Herd-Court to the program. Tessa Herd-Court is the CEO and co-founder of IntelligenceBank, a smart content management platform that helps businesses streamline processes and put governance around digital content. IntelligenceBank is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in the US and Canada. In 2013, IntelligenceBank was named a Deloitte Asia Fast500 winner and Tessa was named as a finalist in the NAB Women’s Agenda Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. IntelligenceBank Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLYvrwegGWE Website: https://www.intelligencebank.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessacourt/

Branding is one of the first things that companies work on when they start to do business, and yet it is one of the last things that ever gets finalized within the organization. From explaining to clients and customers what a company's value is, to making sure that their positioning in the marketplace is well represented, branding accounts for a lot of a company's ability to succeed. Diana Finley the Co-Founder of InnerView Group and today’s guest on the Hardwired for Growth podcast, knows a thing or two about the power of a strong brand. She works with internal brand representatives to help organizations rethink and imagine the way that they are organizing their teams around their marketing messages. Website: https://innerviewgroup.com/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diana-finley-4692026

On this episode, I am thrilled to have Dan Weinfurter join the program. Dan was the Founder of GrowthPlay, an integrated sales effectiveness services business that grew rapidly to be ranked #22 on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies. In Dan’s 25 years as a serial entrepreneur, he has built three prior private equity-backed companies from start-up to considerable scale, including Parson Group, his first startup that landed #1 on the coveted Inc. 500 list. He is the author of Second Stage Entrepreneurship, Ten Proven Strategies to Drive Aggressive Growth (Macmillan/Palgrave, 2013). Dan was an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Dan is currently a Director at Mentor Group UK. Mentor is a London-based global technology-enabled services firm that delivers solutions focused on improving sales productivity, leadership capability and revenue growth. Visit: www.mentorgroup.co.uk and www.danweinfurter.com

Michael Haynes is a B2B Growth Accelerator. His passion and focus is helping start-ups and Small-Medium Businesses (SMEs) to use buyer driven approaches to develop products, services and solutions that business customers want thereby enabling them to acquire the corporate customers they seek. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Michael has been living in Sydney Australia for over 19 years. Michael has over 23 years’ experience working with companies in Australia, Brazil and Canada across a range of industries including Financial Services, Professional Services, IT and Telecommunications to develop and implement customer driven strategies and initiatives to drive business growth and performance. He has been interviewed on international podcasts including Accelerate Your Business Growth and The B2B Growth Show here in the US, the Start-up Canada Podcast as well as the Making It Count podcast in Australia. Michael is also the author of the book, Listen Innovate Grow: A Guidebook for Start-ups and SMEs to Acquire and Grow Business (B2B) Customers. Michael’s Social Channels: LinkedIn Website Twitter

Rachel Clapp Miller is the Vice President of Marketing and Digital Engagement at Force Management. She leads digital marketing campaigns and has worked to build the brand’s content strategy to target both c-level executives and salespeople focused on closing opportunities. She brings an extensive television and media background to her marketing role. She has earned two Emmy awards and six Emmy nominations for her producing work. In addition to her role at Force Management, she also runs Content Hacks, a website and social brand dedicated to helping people produce content easily and effectively. Rachel earned her Masters in Communication from Wake Forest University. Her Master’s research focused on effective social media communication by organizations. She also served as a faculty adjunct at Wake Forest teaching relational communication in the undergraduate school, as well as Communication for Business Professionals in the Executive Program at the school’s Charlotte Center. Rachel’s Social Channels: LinkedIn Website

Jim Vaselopulos is a C-level executive with a proven record as a rainmaker and new business development expert. With a reputation for principled leadership, strategic vision, and effective execution, Jim has built successful new enterprises and turned around underperforming organizations. Jim has been a consultant to many companies across nearly every industry. An entrepreneur at heart, Jim has started many companies, managed partnerships and participated in several well-orchestrated exits. As the founder of Rafti Advisors, Inc., Jim helps early stage companies get off on the right foot, growth stage companies push through plateaus and mature companies with strategic shifts and complex challenges. Jim is a sought after executive coach focusing on leadership, business development, effective communications and professional development. He is a frequent speaker on leadership, sales, professionalism, networking and innovation. Jim volunteers regularly with veterans groups and business incubators. Jim is also co-host of The Leadership Podcast LinkedIn Instagram Twitter

One third of our lifetime is spent at work. Great leaders see this as an opportunity to revolutionize the human experience by making work valuable. Teresa has dedicated her career to this concept. Having spent the past 14 years helping companies attract, engage, recognize, and retain the employees driving their companies to be successful, Teresa has worked with some of the best companies in industries ranging from media to tech. In 2017 she founded Culture Engineered, an employee feedback tools & services company helping small and mid-sized businesses improve business performance by creating a thoughtful, unique, employee experience. Committed to advancing SMBs, Teresa hosts monthly events featuring employers with outstanding company cultures, connecting traditional businesses with modern people strategies – that work. Teresa’s Social Channels: LinkedIn Website

Kati has built a world class, award-winning training programs for companies like Instacart, Gannett, LivingSocial, and others. Founding A Positive Adventure, an L&D consultancy business based in the Bay Area, Kati is a highly respected leader in the industry. She is a professionally trained and engaging public speaker and subject matter expert. She has spoken at industry conferences including Training Industry Conference & Expo, ATD International Convention, contributed content to publications such as ATD Blog, #GirlBoss.com‬‬‬, and been quoted in Fast Company on effective team building practices. Kati’s passion is making learning stick, enjoyable and helping employees and companies reach their full potential through learning. Kati’s Social Channels: LinkedIn Instagram Twitter

Forty-three percent of start-ups fail because of a lack of product/market fit. Brandon Mateika is passionate and a tad bit unrelenting when it comes to helping business owners achieve their business goals and objectives. Brandon breaks down the steps new and existing businesses should take to validate product/market fit. He shares a number of real-world examples of success and learnings from the companies he works with. Brandon is the CEO and founder of Sales and Marketing Inc., a growth agency dedicated to taking the confusion out of sales and marketing. He specializes in the SMB market, but has worked with numerous Fortune 500 and Inc. 5,000 companies across the United States and globally, including companies as large as Google. In addition to running Sales and Marketing Inc., Brandon works with America’s SBDC of Iowa, 1 Million Cups, Kirkwood Community College, and the University of Iowa as a mentor and business coach. Due to this outreach, he has helped over one-hundred business owners across the United States reach new levels of success personally and professionally. Brandon’s Social Channels: LinkedIn Website

Why is different more impactful than better? On this episode, I am thrilled to have Tim Caito join the program. Tim and I break down the importance and value of understanding your company’s value drivers and why it is critical that the entire organization and not just your sales team is aligned around them. Tim is a Senior Partner at ForceManagement and responsible for their Customer Strategy and Success Center of Excellence. This center provides Force Management customers guidance on how to align their sales effectiveness strategies with their overall growth strategies, creating a success roadmap for achieving sustained sales productivity. Tim Caito 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. Tim holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Bowling Green State University. Tim’s Contact Information: LinkedIn Website

Brett Trainor gets you ready for his new podcast, “Hardwired for Growth” by letting you know what to expect when the podcast debuts on June 25.