The Thoughtful Entrepreneur

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Leadership Coach and Strategic Advisor of Quiet Advisory, David DresslerOne of David’s starting business ventures was in the restaurant industry with Tender Greens. They worked to create a stable and good environment for workers as the restaurant industry can have a rough culture behind it. David explains that through working in the restaurant industry, he and his partners learned how not to be to their team members. They decided they would be whatever the team members needed such as a guiding hand or dad figure to promote interdependent relationships within the business. David advises that working with everyone in a business and having a conversation about building a better business is something all industries could take from the restaurant industry. Strategy is an important aspect of business, however, culture can determine how well a strategy can operate. David explains that having a better work culture can help make the strategies work much better for a business. In many businesses, they will present their work culture in one way publicly and in a completely different way internally. David explains that when employees can agree with how the culture is perceived publicly, that is a positive for the business. However, many times employees disagree with how the culture is perceived as it is not accurate to how they are treated. David explains that conversation aids in honesty and transparency within a company because it gives an idea of what needs to be improved in a company. Quiet Advisory works with clients in many industries such as manufacturing, law, and restaurant industries. David explains he works with them in two primary ways as either a leadership coach to aid his clients as a whole or as a culture coach for the entire team of a business.  Key Points from the Episode:David’s impact in the world Restaurant cultureLessons from the restaurant business that could aid other industriesThe balance between strategy and cultureThe hypocrisy of culture  Honesty and transparency Who and how clients are worked with at Quiet AdvisoryAbout David Dressler:David Dressler grew up in Montreal, Canada. From the age of six, he spent his summers in benign indentured servitude, washing dishes, hauling suitcases, and pouring coffee at his family’s hotel in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. At 18, he moved to Switzerland to study hotel and restaurant administration at the Ecole Hôtelière in Lausanne. Forming connections with fellow students from over 40 countries, he happily shared the cost of gas and travel throughout Europe. His catering pay financed “educational tours” of North Africa and Asia. After completing the 4-year program, Dressler moved to California and joined Hyatt Hotels. In his 4 years with Hyatt, he worked every conceivable food and beverage management position before moving to New York to open the Four Seasons Hotel on 57th Street. He soon became the Four Seasons’ go-to career guy, in key markets such as Dallas, Beverly Hills, Carlsbad and Newport Beach. After falling in love with the woman who would become his wife of 20 years, Dressler decided to plant roots in California. It was there, as Director of Operations at Santa Monica’s famed Shutters on the Beach, that he met and befriended his future business partners. The three restaurant professionals, close in age, tired of the rat race, and ready for an adventure, left Shutters in 2004. After cobbling together $900,000 in friends and family seed money in 2006 they opened their first Tender Greens restaurant in Los Angeles. Over the next decade, the partners built a market-defining, heart-centered, purpose-driven $100 million business. It has often been said about Dressler that he was “the company’s heart and its backbone”. Cofounders Erik Oberholtzer and Matt Lyman focused mainly on the yeoman lift of operations, enabling David to foster the company’s culture. The intent was to build “restaurants that people really love” - carefully creating the kind of place where he would want to work - a place that valued its team members, cultivated excellence and compassion, and favored win-win outcomes and servant leadership. Dressler brought his years of mentoring, self-study, and a suitcase full of hard-learned lessons to build, as Tender Greens’ current VP of Restaurants calls it, “a culture of love and discipline”. Of equal significance was his work on the company’s infrastructure - instilling a sense of thinking big and developing sturdy systems to enable the company’s expansion. Dressler’s business responsibilities encompassed all equity and debt facilities, financial management, compliance, management and employee training programs, human resources, and system development. To grow the organization, Dressler replaced himself with qualified executives, and mentored their development as well-rounded, insightful, and heart-cent

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the CEO of Very Good Marketing Consultants, Josh Rosenberg!Very Good Marketing Consultants provides fractional CMO services for online businesses. Josh shares his passion and understanding for strategy. His company provides fractional CMO (chief marketing officer) through virtual services with the full benefit of a chief marketing officer at a fraction of the cost.Josh discusses the lifecycle of a business and considers virtual CMO’s impact. He shares his analogy of looking at businesses as a living, breathing thing and expresses how sales and marketing are the oxygen that you breathe in. He emphasizes without those two things, there’s no revenue coming in.Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Josh Rosenberg offered!Key Points from the Episode:Standard Operating ProceduresKey Performance IndicatorsImpactful BonusesAbout Josh Rosenberg:Josh Rosenberg, founder and CEO of Very Good Marketing Consultants, LLC, is a serial entrepreneur and is regarded as a top authority on direct-response marketing, online business strategies and marketing operations. In 2007 he started, developed and grew an online adult education company from ground zero to over $2 million in sales in less than 15 months, before selling it to an investor. In 2016, he started and grew an online music education business, which is continuing to grow larger every day. Also in 2016, Josh began working as a freelance marketing consultant for numerous online businesses. Since then, his work has generated over $100,000,000 in revenue for businesses in more than two-dozen verticals.INTERVIEW TOPICS • How to generate a massive ROI while giving your marketing team the best quality of life possible. • Three ways entrepreneurs can grow their business in 2022 and beyond. • How to avoid critical mistakes that can cost you a fortune when working with outside vendors.Tweetable Moments From this Episode: 03:59 - "Without marketing, without sales, without customers coming in, you're dead in the water.13:25 - "We live in a world where everything is evolving so rapidly."Apply to be a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Josh Rosenberg’s website at www.VeryGoodMarketingConsultants.comCheck out Josh Rosenberg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-rosenberg-copywriter/Check out Josh Rosenberg on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosenberg.joshDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Business and Life Strategist, James Heppner.James explains that those that have invested in themselves are in a good spot it is not too late to invest in yourself. Pain or conflict is something that many people shy from and attempt to avoid. However, James to embrace that pressure and pain to better yourself and help create passion. Problems will always be a part of life and something that cannot be avoided. However, how one handles these problems can determine the momentum of the future. James explains that being able to benefit from problems is important to gain a tolerance for them -- they will not affect an individual as much as before. They provide experience with issues and without the chance of loss, there is nothing to work towards. Challenges often provide a dopamine rush when they are solved which provides happiness for an individual.James works with his clients either one on one or in groups. The ideal clients are often individuals who are working on themselves or working to do more. James explains that when an individual does more within themselves, they can enjoy the things they create more. When bringing about deep areas within the human spirit, it can make an individual light up and understand their purpose.Key Points from the Episode:James’s impact in the worldHow problems can be beneficialClarityHow James works with clientsAbout James Heppner:James’s life worked, until it didn’t. Business was strong, capital was plentiful and life seemed all he had ever dared wish it to be. Performing life vs. Living life nearly cost him his business, his investments, his children and his marriage. The never ending hyper-vigilant striving to achieve the next level of success suddenly awakened him to the deep emptiness of his current lived experience. Unable to truly celebrate and instead deeply anxious about the rawness of who he really was on the inside, he between being restless & bored, and anxious & depressed. Thankfully peace didn’t come but instead, he fell into a million tiny pieces. It forced him to build a new infrastructure grounded upon authenticity and gratitude. He made critical decisions like “his joy is not for sale” and “losses are simply disguised gifts hidden in plain sight”. He has spent the last decade designing his life of gratitude and can honestly say he has an unshakeable love with his life. Not in spite of the losses that he had to endure however rather BECAUSE of the losses that he has utilized well. Fearing Fear itself has now left him. Today he helps people ignite their vibrant energy towards life by turning towards what they really want - to courageously step towards their comforts and discomforts with curiosity and an open embrace of the goodness that lies at the core of both the win and the loss. Truth is - Real life is made up of both wins and Both were designed for the individual good - that's basic reality. Without facing and learning how to embrace losses for greater gain, one misses out. Why choose to leave 50% of  life experience on the table when there is a choice to do the work so that one can have it all? Life can be good news - if we let it. Life can shine through the cracks - if we let it in. He invites you to take the ride of your life by engaging with him as your guest on your show. Together we can deliver a transformative and deeply invigorating message that meets people exactly where they are at today.Tweetable Moments From this Episode: 04:51 - "All of what is brought to you is a gift to you and specifically for you."05:54 - "Regardless of what's happening to the world, you get to decide by how you lean into your inner work."09:17 - "If we wanna be in a positive, good, rich state of energy, to not have problems is a problem."Apply to be a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestWant to learn more? Check out the James Heppner’s website at https://www.jamesheppner.com/Check out James Heppner on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesheppner/Check out James Heppner on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JamesMegHeppner Check out James Heppner on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JamesHeppnerCoach/photos/a.178063967219302/494110768947952/?type=3Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Chief Learning Officer of Qlik, Kevin Hanegan.Qlik is a data and analytic company that helps clients make better business decisions  based on the data collected. Qlik was developed when analytics started becoming popular in the 90’s and there was a need for change from static data to real time data. There are typically three avenues businesses can take in regards to data usage, they are either using data correctly, using data incorrectly, or not using data at all and using intuition. Kevin explains that using intuition is not bad to use to make decisions, however, there needs to be a balance of intuition and data in a business.There can be unconscious bias while collecting data and that is not how data needs to be used. Kevin advises using methods such as the scientific method works well as you can test data to try to disprove it. However, if it cannot be disproved, it shows that it may be a valid source for business usage. Kevin explains that there is a culture within the workplace where challenging an opinion is not encouraged. This could be a downside because mistakes or new ideas could be found by challenging an opinion, ultimately leading to better business decisions. Kevin explains the ideal client for Qlik is anyone trying to make more sense of their data.Key Points from the Episode:What Qlik isKevin’s backstoryWhere Qlik came fromCompanies using dataKevin’s advice on data usageChallenge cultureKevin’s book recommendationsThe ideal client for QlikAbout Kevin Hanegan:Kevin Hanegan is a senior leader who likes to transform, innovate, and continuously improve organizations to make them the best they can be. His passion is the intersection of business, technology, learning, and psychology. He believes the world is constantly evolving and we should always be evolving and improving ourselves in business and in our personal life. He is a firm believer in open communication and making sure everyone is aware of strategy and why they are doing what we are doing.Through many years of working in a variety of businesses and industries, he has been able to leverage technology and psychology to improve organizational performance and transform businesses into high performing organizations. This includes both cost centers, like Learning & Development departments, as well as P&Ls, which have revenue and profit targets.Tweetable Moments From this Episode: 2:22 - "It's about learning what I call the forever skills or the soft skills of how you can apply them and get different perspectives."6:50 - "What was relevant five years ago might not be relevant today."Apply to be a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Qlik website at https://www.qlik.com/us/Check out Qlik on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/qlik/Check out Kevin Hanegan on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhanegan/Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with business coach, Hailey Rowe!Hailey started in the coaching field back in 2010. She achieved a variety of certifications and then continued on to pursue her bachelor's in entrepreneurship. She later joined the field of health and wellness in many of their start-ups. This allowed her to gain knowledge and experience in the processes of startup and marketing. She discusses the principles of building relationships and the principles of following up and building trust. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Hailey Rowe offered!Key Points from the Episode:The importance of communication in direct condensed waysMarketing with both longterm and short-term strategiesGetting the clarity, structure, and accountability you need to get resultsAbout Hailey Rowe:​​Hailey Rowe is a Marketing/Sales Coach & Strategist.She helps health, life, & mindset coaches (and women business owners) get clients consistently, develop their no brainer offers, & grow their income & impact. She shares her F.A.S.T. framework, marketing, and business  tips in her Health Coach Nation Podcast & in the Health Coach Nation Facebook Group (Facebook.com/groups/healthcoachnation).Hailey also offers Linkedin Lead Generation if you’re looking to increase your number of discovery calls & clients.Since 2010, Hailey has worked in the coaching industry, as well as in Business Development & Marketing for several wellness companies & startups. She’s also a certified behavioral change specialist and human potential coach.Hailey’s philosophy: You can have an amazing service and impact to make, but without a strong mindset, and sales and marketing plan, your business will remain a hobby. To learn more about Hailey, go to haileyrowe.com, or connect with her directly on Instagram.com/hailey_rowe.Tweetable Moments From this Episode: 03:58 - "One of the main things that has changed in the industry is now the expectations are different from the market."08:21 - "When it comes to marketing, you have to have a combination of both long-term and short-term strategies."Apply to be a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Hailey Rowe’s website at https://www.haileyrowe.com/Check out Hailey Rowe on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/HaileyrCheck out Hailey Rowe on Facebook at https://facebook.com/OfficialhaileyroweCheck out Hailey Rowe on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Hailey_roweCheck out Hailey Row on Instagram at https://instagram.com/Hailey_roweDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with Chief Storyteller and President at Word Write, Paul Furiga!Author of Finding Your Capital S Story, he gives an overview of his work. Paul shares how he started in journalism, then worked in the public relations agency industry, and then created Word Write a few years later and now focuses on Story, or the Capital S. He shares that the Capital S Story answers these fundamental questions: 1) Why would somebody buy from you 2) Work for you 3) Invest in you 4) Partner with you. He shares what he calls Capital S because it stands before everything else as a business leader.Paul discusses how we are all wired for narrative, in his book he explains the biology, sociology, and psychology of stories. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Paul Furiga offered!Key Points from the Episode:Your Capital S StoryStorytelling as the most portable means of communicationHow the brain works in communication and success in businessAbout Paul Furiga:Paul Furiga is president and chief storyteller of WordWrite. Since its founding in 2002, WordWrite has grown into one of the Pittsburgh region’s largest independent public relations agencies. A perennial top-ranked firm in the annual O’Dwyer’s national rankings, WordWrite posted the fourth-greatest growth among 123 ranked agencies in 2017. In 2019, the Pittsburgh Business Times named WordWrite one of the region’s 50 fastest growing companies. WordWrite has become the region’s go-to crisis agency. In any given year, the firm handles 12 major crises, two that make the news and 10 that do not. Recent engagements have included major bridge fires, mold deaths in hospitals and rare book thefts. In 2013, Paul was honored by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) with The Renaissance Hall of Fame Award. The chapter’s highest honor is presented to a veteran public relations professional who has made a substantial impact in the Pittsburgh region. WordWrite has received numerous awards for its work, from PRSA, IABC and other professional organizations. Its work has also appeared in PR News books as case studies of excellence. Paul’s passion for storytelling inspired him to form WordWrite and to write a book on the importance of storytelling in business, Finding Your Capital S Story, available on Amazon. An organization’s Capital S Story is the story above all others that explains why someone would work for the organization, buy from it, partner with it or invest in it. The book builds on WordWrite’s trademarked storytelling process, StoryCrafting®. Before founding WordWrite, Paul was a vice president at Ketchum Public Relations, where he served clients including Alcoa, Bridgestone/Firestone and Rutgers University. Previously, Paul spent two decades as a journalist. He edited the Pittsburgh Business Times from 1994 to 1998. Paul was an editor and correspondent for the Thomson Washington, D.C. bureau from 1988-1993, where he covered Congress, the White House and four presidential nominating conventions. He also was senior editor of OhioWeek and a reporter for The Cincinnati Enquirer. As a Congressional Fellow of the American Political Science Association in 1986-87, Paul was an aide to U.S. Sen. Paul Simon of Illinois and later, issues director for Simon’s 1988 presidential run, leading a staff handling speechwriting, debate preparation and opposition research. Paul graduated from Miami University in Ohio in 1980 with a degree in mass communication. He is an Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) through IABC and is active in the community, serving as vice chair of the River City Brass, and on the board of The Rivers Club. He has also served on boards for the Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival, the IABC Pittsburgh Chapter and the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania.Tweetable Moments From this Episode: 01:51 - "The capital S story answers these fundamental questions: why somebody would buy from you, work for you, invest in you and partner with you?"09:23 - "If people don't understand that what they do on a daily basis is a component of the overall story and success of the organization, you're missing a huge opportunity."12:43 - "Storytelling is the original communications medium."Apply to be a guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur:https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guestLinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Paul Furiga’s website at https://www.wordwritepr.com/our-team/paul-furigaCheck out Paul Furiga on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfuriga/Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my fre

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the founder of totallifefreedom.com, author of Wealth of Connection, and podcaster, Vincent Pugliese!Vincent discusses the inspiration behind his book Wealth of Connection and how many people in business don't know why they are struggling. He discusses that many are doing all the right things, and the key is care. Reciprocal caring connections and relationships that are built on networks to support you, and you to support them.He shares the importance of being connected with others in a collaborative way through character, curiosity, and interest in others. Vincint discusses the idea behind the book and the understanding that too many people are doing business backward. He shares how people try to sell their stuff without building trust first and the importance of creating products through the content of how the product serves others. He talks about the philosophy that the only thing that matters for success is today and three years from today. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Vincent Pugliese offered! Key Points from the Episode:Wealth of Connection Total Life Freedom Networking and Relationship with MastermindAbout Vincent Pugliese:Vincent Pugliese is, most importantly, a husband to his wife, Elizabeth, and father to their three sons, Andrew, Nolan and Dylan.Vincent and his family live in Bradenton, Florida, where they homeschool their children through interest-based learning. Vincent is keynote speaker, the host of the Total Life Freedom Podcast, the author of The Wealth of Connection as well as Freelance to Freedom, and he is the owner of The Total Life Freedom Mastermind Community for entrepreneurs and those looking to become entrepreneurs to build a life of time, money and location freedom.Tweetable Moments:06:56 - "The best time to buy real estate was always yesterday, especially cash flow-producing real estate."11:18 - "You have to look at the economics of a market. What we have right now is way different than what we had in 2008."12:38 - "You have to understand your product. You have to understand the supply and demand on the backside..."Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Vincent Pugliese’s website at https://totallifefreedom.com/ Check out Vincent Pugliese on LinkedIn at http://linkedin.com/in/vincent-pugliese-3955321a Check out Vincent Pugliese on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vincent.pugliese.16 Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the founder of totallifefreedom.com, author of Wealth of Connection, and podcaster, Vincent Pugliese!Vincent discusses the inspiration behind his book Wealth of Connection and how many people in business don't know why they are struggling. He discusses that many are doing all the right things, and the key is care. Reciprocal caring connections and relationships that are built on networks to support you, and you to support them.He shares the importance of being connected with others in a collaborative way through character, curiosity, and interest in others. Vincint discusses the idea behind the book and the understanding that too many people are doing business backward. He shares how people try to sell their stuff without building trust first and the importance of creating products through the content of how the product serves others. He talks about the philosophy that the only thing that matters for success is today and three years from today. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Vincent Pugliese offered! Key Points from the Episode:Wealth of Connection Total Life Freedom Networking and Relationship with MastermindAbout Vincent Pugliese:Vincent Pugliese is, most importantly, a husband to his wife, Elizabeth, and father to their three sons, Andrew, Nolan and Dylan.Vincent and his family live in Bradenton, Florida, where they homeschool their children through interest-based learning. Vincent is keynote speaker, the host of the Total Life Freedom Podcast, the author of The Wealth of Connection as well as Freelance to Freedom, and he is the owner of The Total Life Freedom Mastermind Community for entrepreneurs and those looking to become entrepreneurs to build a life of time, money and location freedom. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Vincent Pugliese’s website at https://totallifefreedom.com/ Check out Vincent Pugliese on LinkedIn at http://linkedin.com/in/vincent-pugliese-3955321a Check out Vincent Pugliese on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/vincent.pugliese.16 Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with CEO of Market Domination LLC and co-host of the Sharkpreneur podcast, Seth Greene! Seth discusses Market Domination LLC and the two different divisions within the company. In the first division, they recruit a cult of 50 evangelists that will promote their clients' business every single day for a year. The other is the trafficking conversion division that builds online marketing funnels which generate leads, strategy sessions, webinar attendants, and direct sales and drive both online and offline traffic to make sales and grow their clients' businesses. Seth discusses what works well in marketing today. He shares that marketing really boils down to two things: behavioral psychology (why we do the things we do) and math. He discusses the two strategies that work really well. One is human relationships and the other is where you show up in a market. He emphasizes the importance of direct mail and how that outreach is becoming more effective as it is also becoming less common. Seth discusses his relationship with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington, and how their years of collaboration originated. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights Seth Greene offered! Key Points from the Episode: The importance of quality content How personalization can positively impact marketing The positive impact of focusing on others professionally and personally About Seth Greene: Seth is the nation’s foremost authority on growing your business with a direct response marketing podcast. Seth is the co-host of The Sharkpreneur Podcast with Shark Tank's Kevin Harrington, which was named the number 6 podcast to listen in 2019. He is also the founder for direct response marketing firm marketdominationllc.com and he is an 8 time best-selling author who has been interviewed on NBC News, CBS News, Forbes, Inc, CBS Moneywatch and many more. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Seth Greene’s website at https://marketdominationllc.com/ Check out Seth Greene on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethgreene/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.   Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the CEO of That Marketing Team, Tai Goodwin! Tai Goodwin is a marketing strategist that has a passion for coaching. She works with CEOs and other business leaders that are trying to run their businesses and be marketers at the same time. What Tai Goodwin and her organization, That Marketing Team, does is the heavy lifting and take the marketing off their client's plate. One of their mottos at That Marketing Team is No Tech, No Time, No Team, No Problem! She discusses the learning process of marketing and the balance of marketing and navigating running an organization. Tai shares how she and her organization differentiate themselves from others in the industry through using a strategy, not just tactics. She shares the example of the tactic of visibility, the importance of the necessity of strategy, and how that content is applied with regard to the audience. Tai discusses her marketing jump-start strategy sessions that put together a strategy to find the top three things that can be done to get the goals that are desired achieved. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Tai Goodwin offered! Key Points from the Episode:The importance of organic outreach Visibility versus Strategy The processes of marketing About Tai Goodwin:Tai Goodwin is the CEO of That Marketing Team and the creator of the Liberated CEO Accelerator. She's an award-winning instructional designer with 20+ years of experience creating learning experiences and content for Fortune500 companies like Barnes & Noble and tech start-ups like Leadpages. Coaches, consultants and course creators work with Tai when they are tired of trying to figure out how to do marketing on their own. They get the strategy, training and implementation support that allows them to create a marketing system that actually works.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Tai Goodwin’s website at https://thatmarketingteam.com/doneforyouservice Check out Tai Goodwin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/taigoodwin/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Author of Beyond the Pale, Matthew Turner.   Matthew Turner’s latest book Beyond the Pale is a fable that follows the main character Ferdinand Foy on his entrepreneurial and personal growth journey. Matthew explains there is a toxic nature behind hustle culture such as the message gurus send that if you are not working, you are failing. While social media is a good thing, it also has negative effects such as comparing the journey of one person to another while their paths are completely different. It causes insecurity or doubt that could lead to listening to gurus and overworking oneself. It takes the form of a negative feedback loop where if you are failing, you work harder until you reap the negative effects of it. Matthew explains that hustle culture can negatively affect the mind, body, and soul causing physical burnout, mental decline, and drainage of the soul. While there are negative effects to hustle culture, there are instances where you will have to work more based on the circumstances if the hustle is a means to an end. Matthew explains that there needs to be a deadline to it so it does not spiral out of control causing the consequences of the culture. Working harder is not the only way to achieve success. Matthew explains practices such as working smarter, reevaluating cost, changing business models or overcoming adversity can be better at achieving success compared to being sucked into hustle culture.   Key Points from the Episode: What Beyond the Pale is about Hustle culture How the negative effects of hustle culture affect the mind, body, and soul A personal story of how Matthew avoided being dragged into the culture of hustle Other avenues to achieve success that isn’t working harder About Matthew Turner: Matthew Turner (aka: Turndog), is a Storytelling fiend who enjoys a rich cup of black coffee. First and foremost, he is a father, and everything he does is dedicated to his blossoming family. This is what motivates him, so when he talks about WHO he is, it’s important to focus on this before everything else. Beyond that, he is a writer. In his eyes, everything is a story. We trust stories. As a species we’ve evolved the way we have because of stories. We feel them… deeply. This is his gift to the world. The topics may change and the books may differ, but storytelling remains his constant throughout.     Want to learn more? Check out Matthew Turner’s website at http://turndog.co/ Check out Matthew Turner on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/turndog/ Check out Matthew Turner on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/matthewturner.writer/ Check out Turndog on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/turndog.co/ Check out Matthew Turner’s latest book Beyond The Pale at https://beyondbook.co/   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and CEO of Matrix Group International, Joanna Pineda. Matrix Group is a digital agency that works with businesses to make their customers' journeys amazing. They work to identify the focus of a specific business's digital journey and help them fix that in ways such as a rethinking of ideas or website redesign to increase their revenue. Joanna explains that there is a misconception about ecommerce being that when a store is brought about, it will instantly gain traction and find its target audience. However, there are many instances where consumers get lost during their search for websites and fixing that friction in the process will help consumer experience. Joanna advises to step into the shows of a customer to understand their viewpoint. Through doing this, you may find some of the issues that are driving customers away giving new insight to what should be done. Joanna explains that Matrix Group can do projects for clients but has a high retention rate. Some consumers explained that they could not find specific information on the Matrix Group website. After some digging, they found that the search engine did not include everything on the website. Joanna explains once they made the search engine compatible with all the platforms used on their website, customers were more satisfied.   Key Points from the Episode: What Matrix Group is Why businesses and ecommerce can't run without companies like Matrix Group Joanna’s advice on how to be more empathetic to customers A story about how Matrix Group directly helped a client by using analytics and stepping into the consumers shoes The timespan of a relationship with Matrix Group Using the properties of Matrix Group to fix their own website User testing About Joanna Pineda: Joanna Pineda is the CEO and Chief Troublemaker at Matrix Group International, Inc., a web design and development firm based in Arlington, VA that helps trade associations, professional societies, foundations, private firms and think tanks do business online. Matrix Group clients look to us for strategy, web design, app development, association management software, content management systems, integration, custom web development, hosting and e-marketing services. She tends to work with clients at the onset of projects to help organizations define their goals, target audiences and service offerings. She will ask questions like, "Who are you? Why does your organization exist? How do you make the world a better place? Why do people join or become customers?" She wants to work with organizations that have big dreams, have senior leadership support for their online initiatives, aren't too dysfunctional and full of silos, and are looking for a partner to help them find their path online. When you are a Matrix Group client, they will make a commitment to get to know you and your organization, you'll get phone calls about "crazy ideas," you'll get excellent project management, you will love her amazingly talented technical team, and you'll be amazed at how ridiculously creative her staff can be. When you get to know her, you'll learn that she is devoted to her kids, her company and her husband, she’s a HUGE taekwondo fan, and she never goes anywhere without her camera.   Want to learn more? Check out the Matrix Group International website at https://www.matrixgroup.net/ Check out Matrix Group International on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/matrix-group-international/ Check out Joanna Pineda on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannapineda Check out Matrix Group International on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MatrixGroup/ Check out Matrix Group International on Instagram at https://instagram.com/matrix_group Check out Joanna Pineda on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jmpineda   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.   Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.    

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the President and CEO of 97 Display, Houston Goodwin. 97 Display is a software company that facilitates a lead generating website platform that works with digital marketing focused primarily on the fitness industry. Houston explains that his goal is to provide a good internal and holistic environment for his employees as well as a good environment for the consumers of his clients. Clients that use 97 Display are typically not getting much from the way their website is currently run and not using SEO to their advantage. Houston explains that there is a major misunderstanding between inbound and outbound leads especially when a company is not using SEO to pull their target audience. Consistency is important while working with leads as you can test your results over time to see what is working and what is not over a certain time period. If the lead is interested, Houston advises to be heavy on follow ups for the first ten days. Websites need to be updated frequently as this is often a first impression for consumers. Houston explains that businesses need to utilize different features on their website such as testimonials, as they appeal to outbound clients and reviews, as they appeal to inbound clients. Some business owners will give up before they are able to make their mark on their industry. Houston explains it is important to get through the breaking point to achieve successes and a way this could be done is staying consistent and not giving up.   Key Points from the Episode: What 97 Display is and does What clients are doing before using 97 Display Bad marketing advice given in the fitness industry What a studio should do when they have a warm lead How a studio gets noticed in a busy industry About Houston Goodwin and 97 Display: 97 Display, led by CEO Houston Goodwin, connects local businesses with their communities through their proprietary lead-generating website platform and suite of tools and resources for lead conversion. Having worked primarily in the martial arts and fitness industries for its entire 12-year history, the company’s exponential knowledge for generating growth has helped thousands of businesses own the space in their local markets.       Want to learn more? Check out the 97 Display website at https://www.97display.com/ Check out 97 Display on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/97-display-software-company/ Check out Houston Goodwin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/houstonlikethecity Check out 97 Display on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/97display Check out 97 Display on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/97display/?hl=en   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.  

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO, President, and Bilingual Telemarketing Trainer of Costa Rica’s Call Center, Richard Blank. Costa Rica’s Call Center is a bilingual call center with high caliber college educated employees. Richard explains that ecotourism, cost of living, and culture are major advantages to living in Costa Rica compared to countries such as The United States. Costa Rica’s Call Center was created when Richard worked at a friend’s call center in Costa Rica teaching English. The work was something he gravitated to and decided he wanted to start his own call center business venture. Richard explains they work to fulfill the needs of the client and agent by providing support, training, and adequate hiring. Richard explains that he helps make his employees feel more confident in their language skills and broaden their vocabulary to aid them in their work duties. Costa Rica’s Call Center sets itself apart from other competitors as they are bilingual with an incredible skill set that also upholds the reserved values of Costa Rica. Richard explains a misconception about working with Costa Rica’s Call Center is getting a cheaper price because that is the price commonly used by other call centers in different countries such as India. Another misconception is the being able to partner with the company and not blurring ideals between the two such as using profanities when they do not do so as things work differently between different areas.   Key Points from the Episode: What Costa Rica’s Call Center is Advantages of Costa Rica How Costa Rica’s Call Center was created The importance of linguistics How Costa Rica’s Call Center differs from its competitors Misconceptions of using Costa Rica’s Call Center   About Richard Blank: Richard’s journey in the call center space is filled with twists and turns. When he was 27 years old, he relocated to Costa Rica to train over 5000 employees for one of the larger call centers in San Jose. With a mix of motivational public speaking style backed by tactful and appropriate rhetoric, Richard shared his knowledge and trained over 10 000 bilingual telemarketers. Richard Blank has the largest collection of restored American Pinball machines and antique Rockola Jukeboxes in Central America making gamification a strong part of CCC culture. Richard Blank has been the Chief Executive Officer for Costa Rica’s Call Center since 2008. Mr. Richard Blank holds a bachelor's degree in Communication and Spanish from the University of Arizona and a certificate of language proficiency from the University of Sevilla, Spain. A Keynote speaker for Philadelphia's Abington High School 68th National Honors Society induction ceremony. Giving back to Abington Senior High School is very important to Mr. Blank. As such, he endows a scholarship each year for students that plan on majoring in a world language at the university level.     Want to learn more? Check out the Costa Rica’s Call Center website at https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/costa-ricas-call-center-2/ Check out Richard Blank on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/costaricascallcenter/ Check out Costa Rica’s Call Center on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessprocessoutsourcingcallcenter Check out Richard Blank on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/richardblank44/ Check out Richard Blank on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Richard15050746   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Co-Founder of ACE and SocialBee.io, Ovi Negrean. SocialBee was created because entrepreneurs do not have much time or money to handle social media. The platform automates social media postings as well as marketing activities for their clients. Ovi explains that social media is important but not sufficient alone for businesses to rely on. ACE was created to attract more leads and grow business through marketing, sales, and operations management. SocialBee can be used to group content into different pockets and has options to set when content comes out so it is not constantly on a business mind. Ovi explains that they are adding more features to SocialBee and are not changing their prices which helps with retention. Ovi explains that it is difficult for businesses to understand and properly use all these tools associated with business. ACE meetings have been out for a few months and on par with many use cases of its competitors. ACE Meeting has a feature that allows the user to set up preferred call times for other individuals to view, this is a feature that other competitors do not offer. Ovi explains that there is a want for ownership within the economy which is why they created ACE Coins. ACE Coins are earned using ACE Meetings and as a client earns coins, they can be used to obtain governance in decision making for matters that affect the client and company as a whole.   Key Points from the Episode: What SocialBee does What ACE does SocialBee features The development of ACE How ACE Meeting differs from its competitors ACE Coins About Ovi Negrean: Ovi has over 10 years of experience in building SaaS and mobile products, managing software development teams, and creating ROI-positive marketing initiatives.   He devotes his time and knowledge to helping startups worldwide build effective solutions and create marketing strategies that minimize risks and maximize growth.   Ovi is also SocialBee’s Co-founder & CEO.     Want to learn more? Check out the ACE website at https://useace.com/ Check out ACE on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/acemybiz/ Check out the SocialBee.io website at https://socialbee.io/ Check out SocialBee.io on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/socialbee.io/ Check out Ovi Negrean on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovidiunegrean/ Check out Ovi Negrean on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OviNegrean   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.  

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Founder of Betts Recruiting, Carolyn Betts. Betts Recruiting builds market teams for gross stage technology companies. Companies can access all the talent and data from sales performance to quota on their platform. Carolyn explains the job market is going through a great reshuffle as businesses are trying to figure out their strategy towards talent acquisition and retention. Employees are realizing their potential for growth also causing a reshuffle in the hiring process. The marketplace has been swinging like a pendulum significantly though the past few years but is starting to stabilize. Carolyn advises that flexibility is the number one focus within a company to aid in recruitment and pay is secondary. Compensation has increased significantly in 2021 which caused a shift in how businesses handle their recruitment. Carolyn explains that clear expectations, training, and integrating new employees is important for maintaining good hires and the company needs to set them up for success rather than bringing them in blindly. Businesses tend to put too much focus on getting new employees rather than maintaining and assisting new and old employees. Carolyn explains Betts Recruiting has the largest network of the most highly qualified individuals that understands what their clients need. They have the talent and data to integrate with the clients systems to create a high quality and transparent business relationship. Carolyn explains that AI, security technology, and infrastructure businesses are popular within the market today while cryptocurrency and real estate are having a decline. Key Points from the Episode: What Betts Recruiting does The status of jobs versus available staff Carolyn's advice for recruiting talent The importance of setting up new employees for success How Betts Recruiting is different from other recruiting agencies. Businesses or Industries that are popular and not popular in the market today About Betts Recruiting: Betts Recruiting is the best in the world at helping companies scale for growth and making career dreams come true. From our recruiting services to Betts Connect, our online platform making it easier than ever for top talent and top companies to directly connect, we’re the leading recruitment firm for go-to-market roles. Since 2009, Betts has partnered with the biggest names across various sectors offering a customized approach to each search. We’ve established networks of genuine relationships that allow us to source the highest-quality talent and execute quickly. With locations in San Francisco, New York, Austin, Chicago and Los Angeles, we work nationwide, to help you build your organization, and to guide talent into an exciting career, faster and smarter.     Want to learn more? Check out the Betts Recruiting website at https://bettsrecruiting.com/ Check out Betts Recruiting on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/betts/ Check out Carolyn Betts on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbetts/ Check out Carolyn Betts on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BettsCEO   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.   Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.    

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Co-Founder of Chamaileon, Roland Pokornyik. Chamaileon is an email creation platform for marketing teams with around 50 to 100 employees. Their clients tend to have a marketing team of around three to five employees who want to make their email creation process more efficient. Chamaileon is not meant to replace personal email platforms but to aid in email marketing tools. Jon explains that the niche that Chamaileon is involved in is becoming more recognized as marketing teams are looking for more efficient ways to create. Roland explains that personalization, segmentation, and storytelling is working well in email marketing today. This is because it brings humanistic value to a business to allow the consumer to connect on a deeper level rather than only transactional. Communication pacing is important because newsletters are how many businesses receive revenue or new leads. The pacing of communication is based on what information is being delivered to the audience.  Roland explains that tracking still works but advises to make sure it is hosted on a reputable server. Companies that already have an email program that struggle with inefficiencies for more than 1-2 weeks are good candidates for Chamaileon.  Key Points from the Episode:What Chamaileon is Chamaileons role in the marketWhat is working in email marketing today Communication pacingTracking Who needs Chamaileon About Roland Pokornyik: Roland Pokornyik helps digital teams transform their traditional linear email creation process into a no-code agile email workflow. The switch usually results in 10x faster email production and eventually a 2-3x improvement in their email marketing ROI.He has dedicated over 7+ years of his life so far to understand how digital teams imagine the ideal email production process and thanks to his team of 15+ smart individuals they managed to build the email design platform of their dreams.Sounds like an overstatement, he knows, especially since there are so many email design products already that they get compared with every day. Each of them seems to miss the point in one way or another.For example, enterprise tools like Stensul or Taxi for Email completely lack email design capabilities since their customers still need to hand-code their master email templates / modules.If he looks at other competitors like Bee or Stripo, they lack design flexibility and the email code quality doesn't satisfy higher-grade customer's needs either at all.They devoted 30+ years of developer time and millions of USD to build Chamaileon.io the best no-code email design platform for digital teams. But what makes it the best?1. A no-code visual email builder interface with deep design customization options and the flexibility needed to to create any bespoke email design system.2. Our no-compromise approach to email HTML quality (https://chamaileon.io/compatibility) featuring background image support in Outlook, Gmail Promo card capabilities and email accessibility standards.3. Real-time editing, team collaboration, and streamlined review & approval to help teams get their emails to the market ASAP.  Links Mentioned in this Episode:Want to learn more? Check out the Chamaileon website at https://chamaileon.io/Check out Chamaileon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/chamaileon/Check out Roland Pokornyik on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rolfic/Check out Roland Pokornyik on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rolficDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.Want to learn more about all the podcasts managed by UpMyInfluence? Opt in here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Co-Founder and CEO of SmartSuite, Jon Darbyshire. SmartSuite is a work management product to help organizations manage processes and projects on a single platform. The company has worked with a little over 100 developers during the company's development to help with companies regardless of their size. Jon explains that he is familiar with the problems associated with not being fully prepared when launching a platform. Enterprise accounts will not want to use a platform that is not reliable and scalable. Jon explains SmartSuite was an idea he had around 20 years ago and he was able to embark on its creation recently as the technology has developed through the years to support the processes. SmartSuite has signed up around 400 accounts in the past few months through their inexpensive pricing and availability for all business scales.  Jon explains that through SmartSuite clients can import data through their old platform to the new platform. Automations such as pulling information from Google and sending text messages to clients are integrated into the platform. SmartSuite caters to many agencies that are between 35 and 50 employees within the company. This allows the company to set up their marketing processes internally on how they do production and share that information to their customers. Jon explains affiliates are the way for SmartSuite to go to market without having a large international sales team. Key Points from the Episode:What SmartSuite isThe launching of SmartsuiteWhat led to SmartSuite How SmartSuite frames platform changes for businesses Use cases for SmartSuite AffiliatesAbout Jon Darbyshire:In 2021, Jon and his team launched SmartSuite, the work management platform that manages any process, from any industry, on one platform. Now, SmartSuite unites essential elements used to get work done, regardless of company size or type. In the year 2000, Jon founded Archer Technologies, an enterprise governance, risk and compliance software, giving business users—not developers—the ability to adapt software to their unique business requirements. Jon and the Archer team built a flexible, award winning platform and solution suite that became the mainstay of governance, risk and compliance teams for some of the world’s most powerful organizations, including 1 in 3 of the Fortune 100. Archer Technologies was purchased by EMC Corporation in 2010. Throughout his career, Jon has been dedicated to automating everyday, essential business tasks to create smarter, more efficient organizations, no matter what the industry. Prior to Archer Technologies, Jon held leadership positions at both EY and Price Waterhouse, honing his skills in understanding the need to automate and simplify work for the enterprise. Want to learn more? Check out the SmartSuite website at https://www.smartsuite.com/Check out SmartSuite on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/hellosmartsuite/Check out Jon Darbyshire on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondarbyshire/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Slique Media and Partner of With My Coffee, Andrew Le.  Slique Media is a social media creative agency with a specialization in restaurants and hospitality. They focus on content creation and influencer management. Andrew explains that the first clients came from past business ventures between him and his business partner. With My Coffee was invented as a fix for Slique Media’s problem with labor management and recruitment. Through this, With My Coffee was created to help businesses find employees that fit their needs. Andrew explains that it is important to find qualified workers as they represent your business like any other team member. For example, when delegating accounting work, you will hire a qualified accountant to do the work. The same should be done for designers to help grow the business. Andrew explains that he vets candidates for clients as he would for his own company. This is done through finding out what his clients need and searching for candidates until their client is satisfied. Andrew explains that branding is crucial because the first impression made by consumers is the initial sales pitch.  Key Points from the Episode:What Slique Media DoesWhy With My Coffee was createdWhat With My Coffee DoesThe importance of qualified workersHow Andrew vets candidatesThe perspective of consumersPricing About Andrew Le:Andrew Le is a creative agency owner with 10+ years of experience in the advertising/marketing space. He has scaled his own agency from a team of 10 to 40+ in 2 years, managing a 30% annual client growth rate & simultaneously increasing profit margins by 300%. He is nothing without his clients. He has worked with over 300 clients over the years, ranging from new concepts to multi-unit franchises to billion-dollar corporations. Self-admitted jack of all trades, expert at none but with the determination to learn and do what is needed to succeed for himself and his clients. Relationships are built on a value proposition.  Want to learn more? Check out the Slique Media website at https://www.sliquemedia.com/.Check out Slique Media on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/slique-media/Check out the With My Coffee website at https://www.withmycoffee.com/Check out With My Coffee on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/with-my-coffee/Check out Andrew Le on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewdl/.Check out Andrew Le on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sliquemedia.Check out Andrew Le on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/SliqueMedia/?hl=enDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Client Attraction Specialist, Luke Charlton. Luke works with coaches and professionals to help grow their businesses. With the example of SEO owners in need of clients, Luke advises them to keep it simple with their marketing if their business is under six figures. This is because extensive marketing takes more time which will be less time allotted towards their clients. Building lists are important for all businesses as the business can control the traffic and obtain leads. Luke explains that marketing towards a dream client will help with generating leads within that specific area. Luke explains that an email list is foundational to a business as it can bring in sales and leads in an efficient way. Luke advises to send one email per day to warm up clients to the business and establish a relationship. Adding entertainment within emails is important as it breaks up the informative content and makes it feel more personalized than formal. Luke explains that when you visit his website, you can opt in for his free guide and view his blogs to see how he builds his emails.  Key Points from the Episode:Luke’s backstoryAn overview of what Luke has accomplishedUse cases with examplesHow to keep relationships with prospective clientsEntertainment within emails What to do on Luke’s website About Luke Charlton:In 2013, Luke Charlton (AKA: The Aussie Hermit) decided to quit his comfortable 6-figure/yr government job, move halfway around the world, and start an online business as a Coach. Thinking he knew enough about marketing to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world (London), he quickly realized this online thing wasn’t as easy as it looked. Through years of trial and error struggling and nearly going bankrupt, Luke finally discovered the formula for online success now helping over 4,000 Coaches grow their business online. Along with that, he's been featured in “6-Figure Coach” magazine, spent in excess of $16 million on advertising, banked $50M+ in sales for his clients, and has been hired by top ad agencies to write copy for experts such as... Bob Proctor, Mike Dillard, Neil Patel, Grace Lever, Ryan Moran and many more. Now he spends his days as a hermit living somewhere near Byron Bay, teaching other Coaches how to get a lot of clients sending just one 15- minute email per day, which he’d love to share with your audience. Want to learn more? Check out Luke Charlton’s website at https://lukecharlton.com/.Check out  Luke Charlton on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukecharlton/Check out  Luke Charlton on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theaussiehermit Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the cofounder and CEO of Drisit.com and author of 101 Clues on How to Live a Happy Life, Alex Bäcker!Drislit is a platform that allows drones to be driven through one’s cellular device anywhere in the world. This can also allow for a drone owner to allow anyone to use their device and make a profit on it. Alex discusses a way to see anywhere in the world and how Drisit meets the need for that. Drones today are connected to a remote control and with Drisit drones can be navigated through the internet. He discusses construction projects and crops and the benefits of being able to visually monitor them on demand in real-time. He talks about security, filmmaking, infrastructure monitoring, and all the variety of ways Drisit can serve remotely. Alex emphasizes the flexibility that remote drones offer when the driver of the drone no longer needs to be tethered to utilize its functions. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Alex Bäcker offered! Key Points from the Episode:Online drone navigation in real time Security access to dronesSharing drones to create a positive impact About Alex Bäcker:As an inventor, I invented Drisit, remote mobile queueing, evolutionary marketing, & a semantic search engine that beat Google 3:1 in the relevance of people search results, among many other inventions.As an entrepreneur, I co-founded and lead Drisit to make humans a multi-location species, and QLess and grew it as its founding CEO to eliminating well over 100 million instances of waiting in line. QLess was honored as the best computer services company in the world 3 times, and the best in the USA for 6 consecutive years. I have been honored as the Best IT Executive in the world by the International Business Awards.As a financier, I have raised tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, private equity and venture debt.I am the author of 101 Clues to a Happy Life and several forthcoming books, including 25 Blunders You Can't Afford to Make in the Board of Directors: A Pocket Guide to Surviving the Board. My writings have been published in the New York Times & the LA Times.As a consultant, I help boards be more effective, and help private and public organizations innovate more and better.As a speaker, I have given TEDx talks in multiple languages in two continents, and have been honored as the keynote speaker of Tech Week LA, among talks at Caltech, Harvard, Humanity+, ITBA, Innovate Pasadena and many other organizations.As a scientist, I discovered neural coding & computation principles published in Nature, Neural Computation and beyond. I was also the first to show the dramatic effect of sunlight and vitamin D on COVID-19, and explain why African Americans and Latinos are treated differently by the epidemic.As a coach, I have led a team to win the AYSO championship in one of the largest regions in the USA.I bring about innovation through science and technology. I am always looking to work with the best and brightest entrepreneurs, particularly software engineers.My goals are to allow humans to see remotely, to eliminate standing in line from the face of the Earth, to add enjoyable time to our life, to establish a laboratory that efficiently turns inventions into products, to develop algorithms that compose personalized music, and to build software more capable than the human brain.You may read more at http://alexbacker.pbworks.com/Who+Alex+B%C3%A4cker+isLinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Alex Bäcker’s website at https://www.drisit.com/ Check out Alex Bäcker on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbacker/#experience Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

Unlocking Leadership and Resilience with Marty Strong of SAGA Consulting In this inspiring episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we had the privilege of speaking with Marty Strong, CEO of SAGA Consulting, former Navy SEAL, author, and speaker. Marty’s journey from a small-town kid in Nebraska to an elite Navy SEAL and then to a business leader and author is a story of resilience, vision, and continuous growth. Resilience Forged in Adversity Marty shared how his time as a Navy SEAL instilled in him a relentless mindset. The SEAL training process, which he describes as "uncovering what's already within you," taught him to embrace challenges and failures as opportunities to grow. This philosophy remains a cornerstone of his leadership style, emphasizing the value of perseverance and adaptability in both military and business environments. Lessons in Failure and Leadership Marty’s reflections on failure are profound. He views it as a crucial training exercise, encouraging leaders to foster a culture where learning from mistakes is celebrated. By analyzing setbacks and seeking higher targets, he believes individuals and organizations can achieve significant breakthroughs. The Power of Nimbleness and Visionary Leadership As the author of Be Nimble and the soon-to-be-released Be Visionary, Marty advocates for intellectual humility, curiosity, and creativity as pillars of effective leadership. These qualities, he argues, help leaders navigate uncertainty and guide their teams toward success. More Than Just a SEAL Marty’s literary contributions extend beyond leadership advice. He’s also authored science fiction and SEAL-inspired novels, showcasing the breadth of his creativity. His latest release, Kandahar Moon, delves into the ethos and challenges faced by SEALs, offering a nuanced perspective beyond Hollywood stereotypes. Marty’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, vision, and a willingness to embrace failure as a stepping stone to success. To learn more about Marty’s work, visit MartyStrongBeNimble.com. Additional Resources: Navy SEAL Ethos – Learn more about the principles Marty embodies. Leadership Development Tips – Explore actionable leadership insights. How to Learn from Failure – Insights into reframing failure for growth. Marty's Books on Amazon – Discover his books, including Be Nimble and Be Visionary.   Apply to be a Guest on The Thoughtful Entrepreneur: https://go.upmyinfluence.com/podcast-guest   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!   More from UpMyInfluence: We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here. Want to learn more about all the podcasts managed by UpMyInfluence? Opt in here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the President ProSulum, Dean Soto! Dean discusses his passion for systematization and how ProSulum works. He shares that his ideal customers are those who understand processes and systems but don't know how to actually utilize them and create them; or someone who hasn't been through documentation of processes yet. He talks about the realistic expectations of Virtual Assistants and how the tool can be utilized well. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Dean Soto offered! Key Points from the Episode:The process of hiring, delegating and creating balance.Knowing you need to build a team and knowing how to build that team through process documentation. Virtual Assistants and systematization processes to create success. About Dean Soto:Systematizing businesses is what Dean Soto helps people with every day. He often wonders why so few business owners leverage this power. Dean has a unique story about how business owners can become truly wealthy in all areas of life if they just commit to systematizing their business in just five minutes a day.Dean Soto Helping Business Owners Scale their Time, Freedom, & Profit "Dean's organization skills proved key to our success as little structure existed—much less documented processes or procedures. He handled visits from senior executives with style & grace no matter the intensity or stress levels." —SCOTT NIEBUHR www.ProSulum.com Speaking Topics: Productivity and Time Management Strategies for the High-Performing Entrepreneur; How to Scale Your Business and Gain Back Your Freedom with Process; Documentation How to Outsource the Recurring and Profitable Bio: Dean Soto is passionate about systematizing entire businesses — helping the founders focus on only the critical things that can speed up growth & scalability. He has a really unique take on how business owners can become truly wealthy in all areas of life by simply committing just five minutes a day. As Seen In: Ouch Sourcing — Outsource What's Recurring And Profitable The Bottom Line — Scaling Your Business through Process Documentation The HERO Show — Freedom in Five Minutes a Day with the Help of a VSALinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out ProSulum’s website at https://www.prosulum.com/ Check out Dean Soto on LinkedIn at https://www.LinkedIn.com/in/fdsoto Check out ProSulum on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/prosulum/ The BIG DOMINO That Could Double or Triple Your Profits In The Next 12 Months or Less https://www.freedominfiveminutes.com/masterclass  Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the founder of Price Associates and the President of TTI Success Insights, Ron Price! Ron Price shares his knowledge of leadership with over 50 years of experience as a leader himself and as a teacher of leadership. Some of his teaching topics that he shares on this episode include different principles of leadership. Ron Price shares his history in theater and also working in the tire industry and the lessons of working collaboratively in both industries that helped influence his career. He discusses the broad spectrum of what you have to be able to master to succeed in business. Ron gives his definition of leadership. He defines leadership as making an impact in someone else's life. He shares how this is done through different kinds of leadership including character leadership, expert leadership, and structural leadership. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Ron Price offered! Key Points from the Episode:Impact of psychometric sciences to use and help people discover and pursue their greatest potential. How to spark transformative experiences in everyday lives.You can’t start too early to learn how to become a leader and how everybody is a leader in some way. Identifying lessons in leadership from experiences around us. About Ron Price:​​Helping people and organizations discover and pursue their greatest potential.My mission is to discover and pursue the best version of me and to help others do the same. I am doing this by focusing on character, then expertise, and finally by being a good steward of the authority and responsibility I have been given.I have shared the most important things I'm learning through five books: Treasure Inside, Growing Influence, The Complete Leader, The Innovator's Advantage, and Optimizing Strategy For Results. I'm very grateful for the co-authors who helped make these books better!Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out TTI Success Insight’s website at https://www.ttisi.com/  Check out Ron Price on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronprice89/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the CEO of Raydiant, Bobby Marhamat! Bobby Marhamat has spent 20+ years learning from the brightest minds in business. His company Raydiant is an experience platform. From signage to menu boards to kiosks and managing employee experience. Raydiant uses modules that tie into point of sale and helps companies on the employee experience side including communication, engagement, and keeping the employees really excited about the brand. It is a platform that helps companies manage, excite, and inform people into their brand. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Bobby Marhamat offered! Key Points from the Episode:Flexibility of Raydiant’s platform Emphasis on experience through Raydiant Bobby Marhamat’s book The Experience Driven Business Bobby Marhhamat’s Podcast Brick & Mortar Reborn About Bobby Marhamat:Bobby Marhamat started building businesses in the 4th grade and he hasn’t stopped since. Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Bobby remembers watching his father launch several small businesses, taking in each success and failure. He still applies the lessons he learned from his father to this day. Bobby served as an executive for technology companies including Verizon, Revel, and Highfive before becoming the CEO of Raydiant in 2019. Today, Raydiant stands as the most innovative, fastest-growing and most funded in-location experient management platform with more than $30 million in funding as of early 2022. Bobby hosts the Brick and Mortar Reborn podcast and regularly has insights and expertise published in Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine, Newsweek, and various industry media outlets.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Raydiant’s website at https://www.raydiant.com/ Check out Bobby Marhamat on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbymarhamat/ Check out Bobby Marhamat’s book The Experience Driven Business at https://theexperiencedrivenbusiness.com/ Check out Bobby Marhamat on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bobbymarhamat/Check out Bobby Marhamat on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bobbymarhamatCheck out Bobby Marhamat on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bobby.marhamat/?hl=en Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with CEO and cofounder of Ash, David Stein! Ash is an at home diagnostic testing platform. They partner with providers, hospital systems, public health departments, and universities to turn on self testing programs through at home testing kits.  He discusses the future of Ash and expresses them as a technology company first. They started in diagnostics as a gateway for individuals into health care to do a test and understand where they are on a spectrum of diseases and disease states. He discusses the changes in health care since Covid-19 and how health care is adapting to home health care. David shares how he hopes that his platform can help people access healthcare in places that are most convenient and most comfortable for them. This makes it a lot more accessible and inclusive and ultimately the hope is that the long term health outcomes are better because people are actually able to receive the help they need. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that David Stein offered! Key Points from the Episode:Power at home testing programs creating more accessibility to healthcareAdapting from B2C to B2B with home diagnostic testing platforms Changes in traditional health care and the adaption to home health care Impact of greater accessibility to healthcare through providing at home health care services About David Stein:David Stein is the CEO of Ash Wellness, a B2B at-home diagnostic company launching remote care services for healthcare organizations and D2C businesses. Ash Wellness offers white-lable operations management, testing via a CLIA/CAP certified lab network, kitting and fulfillment, and modern technology infrastructure. In his role, David is responsible for mission vision, strategy oversight, fundraising, and corporate development. He is a graduate of the Cornell Tech MBA programLinks Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Ash’s website at https://www.poweredbyash.com/ Check out David Stein on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstein100/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with content strategist and business consultant, Ina Bakalova.Ina helps experts package their skills into a high ticket consulting offer using content. Ina explains that she stays away from teaching clients things that work now. This is because the trends are moving very fast and there will be a constant need to keep up. Ina explains that a trend happening now is social media sites such as Instagram are harder for businesses to use. While Instagram is still relevant, it is harder to gain traction from there. TikTok has become a better site nowadays as it allows for creativity in a less polished manner. Ina explains that TikTok content can be as easy as sharing your thoughts which is different from how Instagram works. Ina explains that in the beginning of content creation on a new platform, it is normal to not see results immediately and that should be expected. On Youtube, an individual should expect to have to create content for years before it gains the traction they want and the timespan for TikTok traction is around 1-2 months based on how much content is pushed out. Ina helps her clients launch their consulting services by using social media to gain their first clients organically. Ina explains that they work with clients for about 3 months and sets clients up to not need her after that time period. Key Points from the Episode:The work that Ina does and how she does itTrends Ina advises businesses to keep an eye onHow TikTok has become better for businesses The process of gaining traction through content and its timelineHow Ina works with her clientsSell versus serve Client engagementAbout Ina Bakalova: Ina Bakalova is an Online Marketing Expert focused on organic content strategies and social media. Through her signature program, the Content Accelerator, Ina helps online business owners and educational creators to create and market a profitable consulting offer, and ultimately sign clients. After experimenting with different business ventures in her early twenties, Ina officially started her career as a property investor. She created the Content Accelerator after freelancing as a copywriter and social media manager for other property entrepreneurs. She saw that many of them were struggling to communicate their uniqueness online, at the same time that she experienced success in her own consulting practice. This led her to merge the two, and help other consultants, mentors and educational creators to monetize! Having emigrated from Bulgaria to the UK when she was five, Ina has witnessed the incredible opportunities that entrepreneurship opens up. This experience fuels her desire to help her students monetize their unique skills through online consulting.Want to learn more? Check out Ina Bakalova’s website at https://inabakalova.com/Check out Ina Bakalova on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ina-bakalova/?originalSubdomain=ukCheck out  Ina Bakalova on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/inabakalova/?hl=enCheck out  Ina Bakalova on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCykp1-0zuyVl5Th39rgsWqQCheck out  Ina Bakalova on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@inabakalovaDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and President of Stealth Venture Labs, Brent Freeman. Brent Freeman is a digital entrepreneur who has co-founded or founded around twenty  companies. Stealth Venture Labs is a digital marketing firm that focuses on business growth through digital media advertisements. Stealth Venture Labs has worked with well known companies such as Home Chef, Poo Pourri, and Factor 75 who sold to Hello Fresh, whom Stealth Venture labs still works with today. They work to help businesses who are having a growth plateau get to the next step in their journey, as well as helping businesses come to the market. Brent explains common hurdles for businesses are getting their ideas to the market, getting consumers to buy their product at a good rate, and getting to their first million in revenue. Brent explains that summer in Ecommerce now has become a volatile environment compared to being slow in the past and the additions of privacy or tracking gaps have caused issues. Small businesses are being affected by this because they are thrown into a difficult environment for businesses that are less established. Brent explains that the changes over the years has made for a bigger focus on adapting to challenges such as becoming a hybrid business doing it partially online or in person. Businesses dealing with growth plateaus who want to scale and individuals needing to take a step back to enjoy the journey are good candidates for Stealth Venture Labs. Key Points from the Episode:What Brent doesWhat Stealth Venture Labs does Past successful partners of Stealth Venture LabsCommon roadblocks for Ecommerce businessesEarly customers How Ecommerce has changed in the recent yearsWho is a good fit to work with Stealth Venture LabsSocial impact About Brent Freeman: Brent Freeman is the Founder & President of Stealth Venture Labs and a serial entrepreneur who’s passionate about using business to generate both profits & social impact. In 2009, Brent founded Roozt.com, an online marketplace platform for social good consumer brands which was featured in Mashable, Forbes, Huff Post, INC, The Today Show, NBC, and ABC. He was honored by Forbes as a Name You Need to Know in 2011. Today, Brent is an angel investor, former venture capitalist, and writes for Entrepreneur and INC on startup life. He is the Founder & President at Stealth Venture Labs, has co-founded five ecommerce brands, and is the Chairman of the Board of the Bay Area chapter of the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship that teaches entrepreneurship to inner-city kids. In his free time, he loves to travel to Italy, give back and spend time with his family and friends. In 2020, Brent received the high honor to be knighted by the Italian Royal Family, Casa di Savoia, for his commitment to philanthropy and giving back.Want to learn more? Check out the Stealth Venture Labs website at https://www.stealthventurelabs.com/Check out Stealth Venture Labs on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/stealth-venture-labs/Check out Brent Freeman on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentjfreeman/Check out the Brent Freeman’s website at https://brentfreeman.me/Check out Brent Freeman on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/brent__freeman/Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with business strategist, Toni Bache! Toni loveall things online. She serves cross creators, membership owners, and group coaches to scale their business without sacrifice. She believes that you don't necessarily need to hustle to get freedom, flexibility, and commitment from your business. Toni is passionate, especially at helping women in these environments learn how to create this. She discusses the difference between busy work and effective work and how it’s generally the deeper evaluation that helps people drive forward. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Toni Bache offered! Key Points from the Episode: Representation and opportunity of women entrepreneurs The 5 Minute Process - creating and implementing The Scale Society  Atomic Habits About Toni Bache:Toni Bache is an Australian-based, 7-figure business coach helping busy women build and scale their high-ticket memberships without sacrifice. Only a few years ago, Toni served as the global Vice President to a Fortune 500 company, responsible for multi-billion dollar deals. While the role required big credentials and brought an even bigger paycheck, it left her feeling unfulfilled and lacking freedom. Toni knew it wasn’t working. What began as a journey to routinely move every day for 30 days turned into 365 days. After posting one blog post about her journey, she landed a major feature and repost in Thrive Global, setting off her exit from the corporate world and entry into entrepreneurship. Today, Toni inspires female founders to create hustle-free $1M+ dollar memberships through her Scale Society and 5 Minute Business programs. She has helped close to 25,000 women to-date with multiple clients having achieved 7-figure annual years while working with her. When she's not busy coaching inside her memberships, she can be found renovating homes, training for 29029, or volunteering her time on the beach as a surf life saver.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Toni Bache’s website at https://the5minutebusiness.com Check out Toni Bache on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonibache/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with brand architect and marketing strategist, Rich Kozak!Rich’s has been defining and languaging brands for more than forty years. He discusses helping brands adapt and grow and the comprehensive process that it is. Now Rich specializes in impact driven branding working with individuals who are determined to make an impact on other people. He discusses branding and how to become the champion of your brand. He discusses how branding can seem mundane but when you reach into your heart and write down the impact you clearly see making when you thrive; you can define the brand you must become to make an impact on those around you. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Rich Kozak offered! Key Points from the Episode: The art of defining and languaging brands Strategy, creativity and marketing Purpose driven brandingAbout Rich Kozak:Rich Kozak is a leader and an expert in helping businesses and professionals strategically maximize the impact of the branding process. He insists that clients maintain the integrity of the brand and "never cross the credibility line". He listens and identifies what is at the heart of the brand and how large a "footprint" the brand can have on the world and the people it touches. The simple but masterful process with which he organizes and defines the brand serves businesses well in creating the "Language-of-the-Brand" which enables the brand to take credit for its achievements and characteristics. The clean logic and process of preparing for digital marketing is a missing skill among businesses, and its results are distinguishing for those businesses diligently committed to growth and setting themselves apart to be seen as outstanding. Rich Kozak has a rare skillset that flows through him like water through a river, to see quickly how your brand will excel, to share the wisdom that comes from decades of assessing and defining brands about what gives a brand life, and to offer practical ideas to apply right now to elevate the brand's impact and effectiveness.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Rick Kozak’s website at https://thebrandyouwillbecome.com/ Check out Rich Kozak on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/richkozakrichbrands/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder and President of The Block Group, Patty Block .The Block Group works with women business owners to understand dynamics in their business and shift their mindsets to generate more revenue with less hassle. The Block Group primarily works with accountants, attorneys, engineers, marketing or public relations professionals, and the elder care industry. Patty explains that in women owned businesses, women undervalue themselves, the work is often underpriced and the services are over delivered which causes limits within a business. Patty explains this as the broken cookie effect and works with her clients to beat this effect. Some of the consequences of not having enough of a profit margin in a business are the inability to hire more individuals, the inability to help clients to businesses' fullest potential, and resources becoming limited. Patty explains that there is a fear in women owned spaces to change things in the business that could create conflict. The way to fix some of the issues associated with the broken cookie method is to evaluate pricing. This can be done through testing to see how clients will react to different pricing options to find the best option. Patty explains through The Block Group, they will help individuals build their confidence when they speak on their business and pricing to no longer be fearful of asking what they deserve for their services. Pricing can affect the view of a business because the typical mindset is to view low pricing as low quality. Patty explains that the mindset needs to be more aligned with what you value and are looking for. Patty works with clients in many ways, one being an outsourced chief operating officer to help clients build their company and even exit their company. Key Points from the Episode:What The Block Group does and who they work with The broken cookie effect The consequences of not having enough profit marginHow to work on fixing the broken cookie effectHow pricing can affect a consumer's view of a businesses quality How Patty works with clients About Patty Block:Patty Block teaches women business owners who are experts in their fields how to turn up their power to price, sell and run their business on their own terms. This means fine-tuning their operations and scaling their revenue for strategic growth. As their trusted advisor, she brings a unique perspective, having experienced and solved many of the same complex issues women face, as leaders, moms, daughters and sisters. Forming a partnership of unbiased accountability, she helps women position their companies--financially, operationally, technologically--for game-changing results. Patty raised three fantastic kids, all of whom are business owners and also work in Patty’s company (she essentially raised her own workforce!) Want to learn more? Check out The Block Group website at https://theblockgroup.net/.Check out The Block Group on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/theblockgroup/.Check out Patty Block on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pattyblock/Check out Patty Block on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/patty.block/Check out The Block Group on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theblockgroupinc/Check out The Block Group on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TheBlockGroupDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here. 

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder of Intellitonic, Alex Bruner.Intellitonic is a digital marketing agency with a specific focus on Google products and managing them for businesses. Alex explains that there has become a push to transition into Amazon in the recent years. There are some aspects of Google that have stayed the same over time such as focusing on content, messaging, and maintaining credible hyperlinks from other websites. The evolution of Google has changed in Google being more open about anti spam tactics, mobile responsiveness, and site speed optimization.  Alex explains that Intellitonic works with a range of clients from regional to national business. The typical clients are but are not limited to builders, medical services, municipalities, and tourism organizations. Alex explains that municipalities and tourism organizations know what they need. However, they are understaffed and overutilized and that is why Intellitonic can come in to help them bring their vision to life. Alex explains that they work with nonprofits using the Google Ad Grant program. Intellitonic has grown their business carefully to make sure the staff are supported as well as building trust within the company. Alex explains that they hire individuals who want to be there and grow with the company, put them in the right positions, and pay them well for their efforts. This also allows for better client relationships as their points of contact do not change since the staff are staying the same. Alex explains that their business is where it is because of the relationships that were made over the years. The good treatment and relationships with others, allows them to come back to be potential clients because that trust is already instilled in them. Alex explains that individuals need to look into their marketing and if analytics or tracking are missing, an SEO company like Intellitonic, can be highly beneficial to a business. Key Points from the Episode:Who Intellitonic is and what they do The evolution of working with GoogleIntellitonic clientele Municipalities and tourism organizationsGoogle Ad Grant What makes Intellitonic differentRelationships with other individuals and businessesAlex’s advice about when SEO help is needed About Alex Bruner:Alex managed SEO, PPC and social media for the Tribune Company’s digital marketing agency, where he oversaw the web efforts of clients including those of the L.A. Times, Chicago Tribune, and the Sun Sentinel. Alex’s long-term dream has been to turn his digital marketing skills toward making the world a better place.Want to learn more? Check out the Intellitonic website at https://intellitonic.com/.Check out the Intellitonic on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/intellitonic/.Check out Alex Bruner on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderbruner/.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder of Sand & Shores, Tonya McKenzie.Sand & Shores is a public relations firm that works primarily with nonprofits, law enforcement, and authors. Tonya explains that the public needs to see good public relations from civic organizations to build trust. Many individuals worry that sharing their strong suits will come off as insincere or similar to bragging to their audience. Tonya explains that this is not bragging as you are sharing information as to what you are good at. Civic organizations can start building a rapport with their community simply by actively listening to their community members. It is also important for organizations to listen to understand rather than listening to defend. Tonya explains that leaders or members of an organization that notice a lack of communication as well as a rock block in productivity, are good candidates for her services. She wants to help organizations become comfortable with engaging in difficult conversations for the betterment of the organization as well as the community it serves. Tonya advises to use the contact me tab on her website to set up a time to chat. Explaining your current situation and why you reached out to Tonya will help get the conversation moving in the right direction.  Key Points from the Episode:What Sand & Shores is and who they work withThe importance of public relations for civic organizations How to handle objective feelings about “bragging”Ways civic organizations can start building a rapport with their communityThe negative effects of listening to defendIdeal ClienteleHow to engage with Tonya  About Tonya McKenzie:As the founder of Sand & Shores, Tonya McKenzie brings more than 20 years of experience in media relations, marketing, and client relations. Her non-profit experience includes being an Associate Executive Director, raising over a million dollars to open a new YMCA in Northern California and serving as a Los Angeles County Commissioner. Tonya McKenzie has built and led marketing departments for various companies. Tonya published Real Estate Agent Magazine in 2016 and hosts 2 successful podcasts. Tonya is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and chartered a graduate chapter in Northern California. You can find Mrs. McKenzie highlighted in the book, “AMAZING MOMS: Parents of the 21st Century” Tonya McKenzie is a child advocate and staunch supporter of children's rights. She is the author of “A Child’s Memories of Cartoons & Murder”, a memoir discussing her own (adverse childhood experiences) A.C.E.s. She co-authored the F.I.T. Kids Manual utilized by the Pittsburg School District (California), established several unique youth wellness programs and served as a Youth Commissioner for Contra Costa County Supervisor Federal Glover http://federalglover.com/. She is a graduate of California State University, Northridge with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Currently, Tonya serves as the Past President of the North Redondo Beach Business Association, is the first African American woman elected to the Board of Directors of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce, holds a seat on the Redondo Beach Police Department Community Engagement Board, and The City of Redondo Beach GPAC. She serves as the Vice President of Black Public Relations Society – Los Angeles and on the Board of Directors for Better Youth. Tonya was named as the Redondo Beach Woman of the Year in 2021 and continues to proudly serve her community, Los Angeles County, and the Culture. Want to learn more? Check out the Sand & Shores website at https://www.sandandshores.com/.Check out Sand & Shores on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandandshores/.Check out Tonya McKenzie on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyamckenzie/.Check out Tonya McKenzie on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tonyamckenziespeaks/.Check out Tonya McKenzie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tonyamckenziepr/ .Check out Tonya McKenzie on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tonyamckenziepr. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Vice President of Marketing for Rootstrap, Patrick Ward. Rootstrap is a custom software development agency but as Patrick likes to describe it, the technology team behind Masterclass. Masterclass gained help from Rootstrap to aid in making sure their technology can handle its audience and keeping it consistent between devices. Due to Masterclass being a premium service, the need for good technology is higher. Typical clients involve individuals with time sensitive projects or individuals needing ongoing technical advice. Patrick explains that changing the roadmap on a developer will cost the client. This is because compromises did not have to be made as they were able to work on it on their own timeline. Patrick explains he would rather keep his integrity with his clients rather than making more money off them. The work culture of Rootstrap has been able to stay strong and close throughout the pandemic. This was due to the management taking the necessary changes to promote remote work and providing resources to help their employees during this time. Patrick’s book he wrote alongside Adam Torres, Money Matters: World's Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips To Success (Business Leaders Vol.3 - Edition 5), is good for CEOs or entrepreneurs of small to medium scale business who need a better idea of marketing.   Key Points from the Episode: What Rootstrap does The needs and the importance of creating a good experience on Masterclass Individuals that would be a good fit for Rootstrap Patrick’s advice for working with developers Integrity over money Company culture Patrick’s book and the appropriate audience for it   About Patrick Ward: Patrick Ward is the VP of Marketing for Rootstrap, a custom software development agency that digitally transforms companies like MasterClass & Google, along with A-List Celebrities like Tony Robbins & Snoop Dogg, and the Founder of NanoGlobals, an expert-led platform that helps mid-size tech companies tap into global markets through remote hiring, offshoring, and international market expansion. A writer by trade, Patrick's international brand & B2B marketing expertise has been featured in Forbes, Ad Age, Fast Company, Morning Brew, Hacker Noon, HuffPost & Business Insider. He is currently a member of the Forbes Communications Council, an invitation-only organization for senior-level communications executives, and Pavilion, formerly Revenue Collective, a private, invitation-only community of sales & marketing executives at growth-focused companies. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce (Liberal Studies), majoring in Marketing and Political Science, from the University of Sydney. Want to learn more? Check out the Rootstrap website at https://www.rootstrap.com/. Check out Rootstrap on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/rootstrap-it/. Check out Patrick Ward on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickjamesward/. Check out Patrick Ward on Facebook at https://facebook.com/paddyjward. Check out Patrick Ward on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/paddyjward/. Check out Patrick Ward on Twitter at https://twitter.com/paddyjward. Check out Patrick Ward and Adam Torres’s book, Money Matters: World's Leading Entrepreneurs Reveal Their Top Tips To Success (Business Leaders Vol.3 - Edition 5) at https://www.amazon.com/Money-Matters-Leading-Entrepreneurs-Business/dp/1949680320 Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.   Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.    

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Owner of SEO Optimizers, Brandon Leibowitz.SEO Optimizers focuses on organic traffic and they work with small to medium sized businesses such as service based or ecommerce businesses. Brandon explains that nowadays, there is a larger push for quality rather than quantity. If a company has fewer backlinks, but they are more reputable, they will be pushed to a higher ranking compared to someone with more backlinks of lower quality. One way of obtaining more backlinks is by comparing backlinks with others and using tools to see the data behind them. Brandon explains that using marketing to obtain backlinks is good and that an individual needs to stick to websites related to them. Brandon explains that SEO Optimizers are different from other SEO companies by focusing on the quality of the backlinks and keeping up to date on system changes. SEO Optimizers aims to make the process hands free for their clients so they can focus on their business rather than the SEO information. Progress based on the work SEO Optimizers does for clients ranges in time due to the difference in establishment, ranking, or competitors. These ranges also come into play with the pricing, the more established a company is with fewer competitors, the lower amount they will have to pay for SEO services.  Key Points from the Episode:Who SEO Optimizers are and how they operateThe difference between page rankings many years ago compared to knowHow to get more backlinks How SEO Optimizers is different from other SEO companiesThe importance of personalize and not spammingProgress timelines Pricing for SEO Optimizers Resources on the SEO Optimizers website About Brandon Leibowitz: For the past 14 years, he has been helping websites rank higher on Google using SEO strategies. He has helped hundreds of websites rank for hyper-competitive keywords that convert into sales and leads. He received his Bachelors of Science in Business Marketing for California State University of Long Beach.Brandon Leibowitz runs and operates SEO Optimizers. They are a digital marketing company that focuses on helping small and medium-sized businesses get more online traffic, which in turn converts into clients, sales, leads, etc.He got his start in digital marketing in 2007 after graduating from college with his degree in Business Marketing. In his first job, he handled the marketing aspects of an e-commerce website.The company that he worked for was a national e-commerce brand that had recently built their website and was looking to bring more traffic to it. He had no idea what he was doing and neither did they. He spent a lot of his time reading books and joining digital marketing forums to learn as much as possible about this new type of marketing.He helped them with the following tasks: search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns, creating an affiliate program, optimizing paid ads on Google AdWords, setting up social media profiles, and a bit of web design. You could say that he wore a lot of hats working for this company.In 2008, he realized that most businesses would need a website to stay competitive in the future. Having a website is only one piece of the puzzle. Ultimately, they need someone to help market their website to bring in traffic that will, in turn, convert to clients.He made the decision to stick with digital marketing and since then have started his own company, SEO Optimizers. A friend of his built him a website in exchange for doing SEO for his insurance website. He got him ranked above government websites for all of his major keywords.He has always worked full time at ad agencies helping their clients with search engine optimization. At night after work, he would work on his freelance clients from SEO Optimizers. He was recently able to quit his daytime job to pursue my company full time.He is happy to help small and medium-sized companies get ranked at the top of Google by using search engine optimization tactics and bringing in traffic via social media, paid ads, etc.Want to learn more? Check out the SEO Optimizers website at https://seooptimizers.com/.Check out SEO Optimizers on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/seo-optimizers/.Check out Brandon Leibowitz on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonleibowitz/.Check out Brandon Leibowitz on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrandonLeibs.Check out  Brandon Leibowitz on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/leibowitzbrandon/.Check out  Brandon Leibowitz on Twitter at https://twitter.com/brandonleibs.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOC

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO and Founder of Allset, Justin Clegg. Allset is a texting platform that is specifically for home service businesses. Allset wants to help those in the home service business space to broaden their business’s communication reach. Allset offers four key components on their platform. Text to pay allows for individuals to pay for services quicker and more efficiently. Tipping is another feature that allows the customer to tip for their services and it goes directly to the technicians. Justin explains that through tipping, it creates the space for a qualified positive review due to the extra amount paid for the service. Allset has access to capital efficient sales leaders to create a strong internal structure. Justin explains that they work to pull in service providers by communicating with them when the service provider is able and by attending trade events. Community is an important basis for Allset. Justin explains that they are trying to build out community and the company is being empathic to the service professionals. Allset charges monthly or yearly subscriptions fees to their service ranging based on limited access or full access. Justin explains that when you go to the Allset website, try out a demo and get into contact with them through email or phone. The demo lasts for 30 days and there is no cost to the customer.  Key Points from the Episode:Who Allset is and what they doThe home service industryThe four key components the Allset platform offersReview Culture Allset strategies Allset pricing What Justin recommends to do on the website About Justin Clegg:Justin is an entrepreneurially minded business leader with experience in software as a service. He co-founded three Silicon Valley startups and was selected by The Guardian as a rising star in AI and conversational commerce. Prior to startups Justin led product and marketing efforts for Fortune 500 software companies including Intel, Oracle, and Adobe.Justin has studied, lived and operated in a variety of international locations including Singapore, China, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mozambique and New Delhi and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and conversational Hindi. He has been profiled by VentureBeat, Deseret News and Entrepreneur.com and is a frequent public speaker. In his spare time, Justin enjoys playing indoor soccer, tennis and mountain biking.Want to learn more? Check out the Allset website at https://tryallset.com/.Check out Allset on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/allsethq/.Check out Justin Clegg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/justindclegg/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the President of Phelps United, Adam Shaffer. Phelps United is dedicated to helping businesses from small to large scale become successful in the ecommerce marketplace. Adam explains that getting products into an ecommerce marketplace like Amazon can help with a businesses growth exponentially. There are negative effects to not being on a platform like Amazon such as losing out on sales or resales of a company's product for less. Reselling is a major issue as products are being sold for less than retail street price by some distributors and it could harm ties with loyal distributors who are selling at the retail street price. Phelps United works to end the harmful reselling by taking the selling for their clients into their own hands by either selling through their ecommerce store or managing the client’s ecommerce store. Adam explains that businesses with some momentum would be great clients as they are not completely starting fresh and have room to grow the most efficient way. Phelps United has a very good standing with Amazon allowing them to ship their client’s items from their warehouse which cuts down on time. Adam advises to go onto their website and fill in your information on the contact form to get in touch with them. Key Points from the Episode:Who Phelps United is and what they doThe downsides to not being involved in an ecommerce marketplace such as AmazonWhy reselling can be a big problem and how to combat itHow Phelps United helps curb reselling issues for businessesThe Amazon marketplace and how Phelps United works with themWho needs to get into contact with Phelps United About Adam Shaffer:Adam Shaffer is currently the President of Phelps United LLC. Shaffer found success helping Amazon sellers through his company’s proprietary technology, services, and distribution platform. Ultimately, helping clients navigate the most complex waters of the largest E-commerce site in the world. Shaffer’s brands include Sourcing Solutions, Omni-Channel Distribution, Advanced Micro, Zell Technologies, and Plaid Beaver which serves the distribution, reseller, ecommerce and marketplace sales channels. Shaffer is a pioneer in direct marketing and digital ecommerce of technology products and solutions to both consumer and commercial markets. Shaffer was involved in one of the earliest ecommerce websites selling technology and electronics products direct to consumers and businesses. At TigerDirect, Shaffer was responsible for launching and managing the Company’s ecommerce Marketplace business on Amazon, eBay and later Walmart. Both companies achieved over $200 million in sales annually on these marketplace platforms.Want to learn more? Check out the Phelps United website at https://ecommerce.phelpsunited.com/.Check out Phelps United on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/phelps-united/.Check out Adam Shaffer on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-shaffer-3666697/.Check out Phelps United on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/omnichanneldistribution.Check out Phelps United on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/omnichanneldistribution/.Check out Phelps United on Twitter at https://twitter.com/OmniChannelDis1.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO of Articulate Marketing, Matthew Stibbe.Articulate Marketing specializes in helping technology agencies with their website traffic and turn the visitors into leads or customers. Content is a major aspect of what Articulate Marketing does as building a good rapport is crucial to growing a business. Matthew explains that Articulate Marketing words with a large range of clients from small to large businesses. The needs of each client vary as their size and business models are different from one another. Articulate Marketing’s focus is helping businesses differentiate from their peers. Matthew explains many individuals in the technology sector seem to congregate around the same ideas and designs. The ability to be different can help them gain more traction as they are something new to others. Matthew identifies many website clichés that many technology companies use such as blue backings or stock images. Webinars are used with midsize businesses that work with Articulate Marketing. Matthew explains webinars are a good stepping stone for getting potential clients to get in contact. Engagement is something Matthew looks for in a website as there should be a specific number of individuals engaging rather than simply visiting. Key Points from the Episode:Who Articulate Marketing is and what they doStrategies Articulate Marketing uses to help their clientsHow to bridge the gap between informing and engagingArticulate Marketing’s ClienteleThe need for differentiating oneselfMatthew’s top website clichés Matthew’s webinars and their effectiveness as a marketing toolWebsite EngagementAbout Matthew Stibbe:Matthew Stibbe is a serial entrepreneur, marketing maven, writer, pilot, and wine enthusiast. But not necessarily in that order. He created marketing strategies, content and campaigns for clients including Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn and HP and contributed to Wired, Forbes and Popular Science. Currently, he is CEO at Articulate Marketing, a UK marketing agency specializing in the technology sector. Also, his geek credentials are strong. Previously, he was founder and CEO at Intelligent Games, a 70-person computer games company where he designed games for LEGO and produced two games based on Dune. Matthew also has his commercial pilots license and an advanced wine diploma. (Have you seen the film Somm? Like that!) At some point in the previous millennium, he studied history at Oxford University. These days, he blogs about modern management at www.geekboss. com, about marketing at www. articulatemarketing.com and wine at www.vincarta.com.Want to learn more? Check out the Articulate Marketing website at https://www.articulatemarketing.com/.Check out Articulate Marketing on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/articulate-marketing/.Check out Matthew Stibbe on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewstibbe/Check out Matthew Stibbe on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mstibbeDon’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the founder of Growth Molecules, Emilia D’Anzica.Growth Molecules helps companies develop their strategies and playbooks for what happens after their product has been purchased. This can help influence repeat customers and positive word of mouth for their company. Emilia discusses previous clients and what engagement looks like. She discusses being able to go into organizations and helping teams better serve their clients. The client engagement process can last anywhere from four weeks to seven months. She shares how the goal is to be extremely impactful with as little long-term leaning on Growth Molecules as possible so that the organizations they help have the ability to manage on their own eventually.Emilia shares how Growth Molecules aim to make everything that they do accessible to anyone. On Emilia D’Anzicas LinkedIn and on Growth Molecules webpage there are hundreds of resources including actionable blogs, free webinars, and a maturity assessment that helps organizations understand where their business is currently and where they want to go next. She also highlights the academy that Growth Molecules offers. In this affordable academy, there are self-paced programs and a six-week program. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Emilia D’Anzica offered!Key Points from the Episode:- Helping companies redefine their strategy- Customer Success Academy- Soft skills and essential skillsAbout Emilia D’Anzica:Management consultant, board advisor, author, and educator, partnering with companies to create scalable growth & metrics-driven customer programs from onboarding to adoption, renewals, and advocacy. Founder of Growth Molecules, a management consulting firm. Our team also works with individuals who are seeking to take the next step in their careers. You can find out more at www.growthmolecules.com.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Growth Molecule’s website at https://growthmolecules.com/Check out Emilia D’Anzica on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emiliadanzica/Check out Pressing ON as a Tech Mom at https://www.amazon.com/Pressing-Tech-Mom-Industry-Boundaries/dp/1956955194Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence:️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with real estate broker, sales strategist, and host of his own podcast, Jas Takhar.Jas Takhar discusses his now almost 30 years of experience in real estate and media. He shares how he enjoys the process of leaders becoming and developing other leaders. Jas believes in giving away all your best education as your service and establishing trusted authority. He talks about the roles of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs and the differences in responsibility and agency between them. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Jas Takhar offered! Key Points from the Episode:-Success Table of Elements. - LDL Leaders Develop Leaders.- Developing strengths and outsourcing weaknesses.-Thinking outside the box.About Jas Takhar:Toronto native, Jas Takhar, has been in the sales and service industry for over 27 years. Soon after deciding to try his hand in real estate, he founded REC Canada under Royal LePage, and for over 5 years has successfully kept his team in the top 3 in the country. With 54 realtors and 11 support staff, the team advises and assists over 625 buyers, sellers and investors, yearly, across the Greater Toronto Area, resulting in a total of over $2.1B in transactions. This year alone Jas’ core sales team has done over $300 million in sales. Jas’ area of expertise is in helping investors build out their real estate portfolios. Wanting to share his knowledge and experience with the masses, he wrote a book titled, Real Estate Intelligence, which teaches anyone how to buy or sell real estate on their own. Furthering his pursuit to educate and motivate, he developed a love for content creation, and now not only hosts one of the top business podcasts in North America – The Jas Takhar Podcast – but also founded his own media company, From The Ground Up Media where he helps other real estate agents produce quality content. His hope is to provide inspiring education through his guides, seminars, and content to aid others in removing the friction from their own life in order to help them get from where they are, to where they want to be.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out FTGU Media’s website at https://www.ftgumedia.com/  Check out Jas Takhar on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jastakhar/ Check out Jas Takhar on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jastakhar13/ Check out Jas Takhar on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JasTakhar Check out Jas Takhar on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jastakhar13/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Co-Owner of the TTC wetranslate, Levent Yildizgören.TTC wetranslate helps businesses get their message across to foreign areas using different languages. This is done so consumers feel comforted that they can understand the language being used for marketing. TTC wetranslate works with a range of businesses, however, the majority of their clientele comes from manufacturers with international operations. Levent explains that the way they help clients now is vastly different to how they helped clients in the past, due to the company’s 27 year long standing. Levent explains that business growth can be directly correlated with the amount of languages offered to its customers. The more languages that are offered, the wider the customer pool can become. In Levent’s book, Good Business in Any Language, he explains the processes business typically go through to be successful internationally. The purpose a client has when working with TTC wetranslate can influence how they are helped. TTC wetranslate wants to help their clients with what they need, not with extra aid the client may have not wanted. Levent explains by doing this, it allows for customers to keep coming back as they trust the company. Levent’s podcast, Thrive in Global Markets is about sharing experiences of successful entrepreneurs who expanded internationally and helping others achieve the same.  Key Points:What TTC wetranslate does for its customersTypical clientele for TTC wetranslateThe evolution of TTC wetranslate How TTC wetranslate helps businesses growThe basis of Levent’s book, Good Business in Any LanguageHow the clients purpose changes the avenue taken for growthWhy clients revisit based on the way TTC wetranslate works with clientsWhat Levent’s podcast, Thrive in Global Markets, is aboutAbout Levent Yildizgören: Levent Yildizgören was born in Turkey, but has spent the last quarter of a century running a highly successful, professional localization service based in the UK. His decades of learning about the pitfalls and prizes the export market presents are shared in this book through his LINGO model. He has helped companies to do business in more than 100 languages!Want to learn more? Check out the TTC wetranslate Ltd website at https://ttcwetranslate.com/.Check out TTC wetranslate Ltd on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/ttcwetranslate/.Check out Levent Yildizgören on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/leventyildizgoren/.Check out Levent Yildizgören on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/levent.yildizgoren.Check out Levent Yildizgören on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/levent.yildizgoren/.Check out Levent Yildizgören’s book, Good Business in Any Language at https://ttcwetranslate.com/business-resources/claim-free-book/ or at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HZY7YPY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder of Brueckmann Executive Consulting, Alex Brueckmann.Alex Brueckmann helps business owners create maps to achieve success in their business. Alex explains that strategy is not as difficult as many people make it out to be. Individuals find this difficult because they may not have a background in marketing and do not know the tools or processes to make it easier. Alex explains that the needs for a business are similar to strategic pillars and all businesses have them, even podcasts. Focusing on strategic pillars as a business is important because these will translate ideas into reality and will allow them to stop focusing on things that are not conducive to the business. Alex explains that successful businesses operate by allowing for positive conflict, as it allows for individuals to be heard. If these individual’s ideas are heard, they are more apt to put more effort into their work, regardless of the outcome of sharing their ideas. Alex explains that his book, The Strategy Legacy, was created to help individuals not familiar with strategy and to help them focus on the bigger picture of strategy. As the book has not been published yet, the framework for Alex’s book is found on his website as well as free strategy resources. Key Points:Alex’s impact on the worldHow Alex helps his clients create roadmaps to achieve successHow strategy can help podcasts achieve successStrategic pillarsRealizing the liberation of staying in your laneHow to handle differing opinions in a business The target audience for Alex’s book, The Strategy Legacy, and how it aides the audienceWho Alex works with What to do on Alex’s website.  About Alex Brueckmann:Alex is a strategy entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He specializes in coaching business owners through purposeful strategy processes. He has impacted thousands of people in organizations across the world, ranging from multinationals and solopreneurs. His passion lies in helping clients build profitable businesses with a positive impact in the world. He particularly helps entrepreneurs close the expensive gaps in their businesses, so that they increase profits and build the life they want to live. Alex speaks on the topics of strategy, purpose, productivity, and well being. And when he doesn’t work he loves riding motorcycles, gardening, and exploring the outdoors around his home in Maple Ridge, BC, Canada.Want to learn more? Check out the Brueckmann Executive Consulting website at https://www.brueckmann.ca/.Check out Brueckmann Executive Consulting on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/brueckmann-executive-consulting/.Check out Alex Brueckmann on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderbrueckmann/.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the owner and CEO of Ballistic Arts, Ted Lau. Ballistic Arts is a digital marketing lead generation agency for servicing B2B service providers, distributors, and manufacturers all along the west coast. Ballistic Arts help clients grab leads through compelling digital marketing with data provision. Ted shares how they marry the creative and that data to help generate strong return on investment. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Ted Lau offered! Key Points from the Episode:- Building relationships through marketing. - Communicating to prospective clients through creating solutions and content. - Being precise to lower cost per click. - Creating bingeable marketing and content. About Ted Lau:Ted Lau is the Owner and CEO of Ballistic Arts. Founded in 2002, Ballistic Arts is a high-touch award-winning Lead Generation Digital Marketing Agency that focuses on online lead generation and brand awareness for North America's best known brands, B2B Professional Services Provider Companies, and Membership Based Associations. Ballistic Arts has full divisions in lead generation digital marketing, graphic design, video production, and web development. Their client roster includes Century 21, Tim Hortons, KPMG, Seaspan, Raymond James, and B2Gold, to name a few. By marrying compelling creative content with precise lead conversion data, Ballistic Arts has successfully increased clients leads by up to 650%, while beating industry standard ad buys by 30-80%. Named Top 100 Digital Agencies by Clutch as well as Business of the Year Winner (11- 30 Employees) by the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce, Ted is grateful to have built one of North America's top Lead Generation Digital Marketing Agencies. He is also a host on national marketing podcast, Marketing News Canada, where he has interviewed Google's Chief Measurement Strategist Neil Hoyne, former Bumble CMO Chelsea Cain-Mclain, Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, Karina Kogan CMO of Oura Ring. He’s an avid NFL fan, loves to cook delicious plant-based meals, and lives on the West Coast with his wife and daughter.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Ballistic Arts’ website at https://www.ballisticarts.com/ Check out Ballistic Arts’ on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/BallisticArts/ Check out Ballistic Arts’ on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BallisticArtsCheck out Ballistic Arts’ on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/BallisticArts/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with co-founder of Rebel Fish Local, Liz Cortes. Rebel Fish is a marketing agency that loves to help local businesses drive online traffic through search engine optimization and google advertising. Liz discusses the importance of updating systems and the importance of google analytics to understand online traffic. This allows us to see if the content being put out is working.Rebel Fish has helped mostly small businesses achieve customers within a radius distance to their business. This allows those client's close to their local business to find them through the generation of online traffic. Liz discusses staying up to date in what people are searching for online to help create more opportunities. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Liz Cortes offered!Key Points from the Episode:- Keywords that generate online traffic.- Recent trends including G4 (Google analytics 4).- The importance of scaling and leveraging clients.- Title Tags and keywords and how they impact online search accessibility.About Liz Cortes:Liz Cortes went from fitness influencer to working full-time with her husband 7 years ago. RebelFish Local marketing agency is in San Diego California. They help small businesses across the US get more local website traffic from Google Maps and Google Ads. Liz’s role in the company is B2B sales and marketing. She helped grow the B2B Sales Magic Clubhouse and is the only co-moderator that isn’t a sales trainer.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Rebel Fish Local’s website at https://rebelfishlocal.com/Check out Liz Cortes on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizcortesonline/Check out Liz Cortes’ Free Mini-Course & PDF to learn the steps to show up on more local Google searches https://rebelfishlocal.com/5-hacksCheck out Rebel Fish Local on Facebook at https://facebook.com/rebelfishlocalCheck out Rebel Fish Local on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rebelfishlocalCheck out Liz Cortes on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/lizcortesonline/Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Assistant, Bestselling Author, and Performance Productivity Consultant, Sabrina Runbeck. Sabrina explains her beliefs on how we have more leadership and decision making issues than an issue with burnout. Comparisons are often made within business as a way to measure performance in a specific field. However, these comparisons can be detrimental to business as the circumstances between one business and another are not equal standards. Mental clarity can help with becoming immune to the feelings of burnout as well as managing expectations better. Sabrina explains that throughout consulting, some individuals realize their expectations are what they truly want, while others realize it was a skewed idea of what they want. Hypervigilance is a common characteristic among high achievers and it can lead to a disassociation when things are slowed down. Sabrina explains that individuals need an unbiased source to speak to about information and that is what she is for her clients. She explains that the way she works with clients is in two main ways which are a come and go basis or a more structured basis. To get into contact with Sabrina, you can go to her website and get a consultation.   Key Notes: The backstory to Sabrina Why comparisons lead to failure Why mental fitness builds mental immunity How expectations are deeper than an idea that is wanted How Sabrina works with clients   About Sabrina Runbeck Sabrina Runbeck, MPH, MHS, PA-C is a Cardiothoracic Surgery Physician Associate with more than 10 years of experience in public health and neuroscience. After overcoming burnout, she became an International Peak Performance Keynote Speaker and Advisor. Now she empowers ambitious and overwhelmed health practice owners and their team gain back a day per week. Her clients stopped having endless to-do lists or constantly needing to put out fire, and they are able to move steadily forward without experiencing upper limits. She is still practicing in surgery and empowering other healthcare leaders to have a double win in both work and life. That’s why people call her the Queen of Performance and Productivity. Sabrina hosts the Provider’s Edge podcast and is an international bestselling author of the book, Asian Women Who BossUp.   Want to learn more? Check out Sabrina Runbeck’s website at https://sabrinarunbeck.com/ Check out Sabrina Runbeck on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrinarunbeck/ Check out Sabrina Runbeck on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sabrina.sxc Check out Sabrina Runbeck on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sabrinarunbeck Check out Sabrina Runbeck on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sabrinarunbeck   Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time! More from UpMyInfluence: ️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE.   Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here.   What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.    

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the Founder of iResearch and Author of Getting to Aha!: Why Today’s Insights Are Tomorrow’s Facts, Darshan Mehta.Darshan explains that quantitative and qualitative data and surveys allow for better results. This is because you are gathering data rather than blindly trying to find the right decision. Surveys are a typical way for research data to be collected. Darshan explains that many people enjoy giving feedback to be a part of making a change in something. Darshan explains how conversations allow for better opportunities and insights that could differentiate a business from others in its field. An important aspect is that people are buying an experience rather than just the product nowadays. Darshan explains that critical feedback is a good thing as it can help you improve your business. Focus groups and conversations are good starting points before making surveys to help make them more detailed. Darshan explains that you can get in contact through the form on his website or by emailing him directly. . Key Notes:Darshan’s methods to providing market research servicesWhy these methods of market research give an individual the advantage over othersWhy surveys are not problematic for data collectionHow entrepreneurs can ask better questions for feedbackThe premise of Darshan’s bookHow conversations lead to competitive advantagesWhy critical comments are good things About Darshan MehtaDarshan Mehta is the founder and CEO of iResearch – an online insights platform that enables companies to quickly, easily and affordably extract insights from consumers or employees worldwide, and ConnectQik.com – an app for instant connections and engaging interactions.He has more than twenty-five years of branding, marketing, insight strategy, and technology experience. In 1998, he pioneered a variety of digital methodologies, including online focus groups and surveys. His experience in branding, insights, and management consulting for numerous domestic and international clients guides Mr. Mehta’s strategic capabilities.Mr. Mehta has been published in trade publications such as the Journal of Advertising Research, Quirks and Survey magazine and has traveled to more than 60 countries. Forbes Magazine recently featured Mr. Mehta has one of 9 CMOs to watch.In addition to his roles at iResearch and ConnectQik, Mr. Mehta has taught at The George Washington University in Washington D.C., at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, at Thammasat University in Thailand, at Sciences Po in France and the Franklin University in Switzerland.Mr. Mehta has also authored a book called ‘Getting to Aha! – Why Today’s Insights are Tomorrow’s Facts’, which explores the nature of insights: what they are, how to uncover them, and how to use them to drive innovation and audience engagement. Want to learn more? Check out the iResearch website at https://www.iresearch.com/.Check out iResearch on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/iresearch-com/.Check out Darshan Mehta on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta/.Check out Darshan Mehta’s book Getting to Aha!: Why Today’s Insights Are Tomorrow’s Facts at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HYP6CZ1/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with the Chief Technological Officer CEO of Cast, Leon Kuperman. Cast’s mission is to work with customers in the specific cloud technology space to ensure that they are not wasting resources in cloud expenditure. Through this discovery with clients, Cast promises to help you save half of your bill. Leon discusses cloud technology and the production of hard computer software such as chips being developed in Taiwan and the impacts that can have on cost and technology advancement. Leon’s platform thesis is that we believe the technological world is shifting to containerization and that Cast is a tool that can help that process. Cast is a three founder partnership that was established through brainstorm sessions and experimentation to discover what the market needed and how Cast could help. Cast AI is a team of passionate cloud experts. Driven by a vision of decentralizing the cloud industry, empowering innovators to build future ready products. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Leon Kuperman offered! Key Points from the Episode:- Cast allows you to analyze your costs, get optimized, stay optimized, and monitor and report. - Heavy cloud users could be great candidates for collaborating with Cast. - The future of containerization technology. About Leon Kuperman:Co-founder and CTO at CAST AI. Formerly Vice President of Security Products OCI at Oracle, Leon’s professional experience spans across tech companies such as IBM, Truition, and HostedPCI. He founded and served as the CTO of Zenedge, an enterprise security company protecting large enterprises with a cloud WAF. Leon has 20+ years of experience in product management, software design, and development, all the way through to production deployment. He is an authority on cloud computing, web application security and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), e-commerce, and web application architecture. Entrepreneurial technology leader with proven record of developing and taking large scale software solutions from inception to maturity. Expert communicator among business and technical communities. Visionary Software and Data Architect.Relationships builder, optimistic and highly collaborative, able to lead and succeed in the most complex business environments. Negotiator and consensus builder.Creates and evangelizes strategic vision, successfully leads execution. 20 years of experience in technology leadership in financial services, media, and retail industries.Links Mentioned in this Episode: Want to learn more? Check out Cast’s website at https://cast.ai/ Check out Leon Kuperman on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/leon-kuperman-9068b84/ Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️ We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

On today's episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, we are so excited to speak with Health and Fitness Business Innovation and Strategy Coach, Alison Katschkowsky. Retreats are an opportunity to come together and grow with people from all different types of experiences. With more than five years of creating the retreat process and having been in the health and fitness industry for thirty years, Alison Katschkowsky understands how retreats can truly inspire. Alison shares that retreats are an opportunity to go inward. She describes them as a chance to disconnect from the current business professional and personal world, to get a clear path on the path you want to take for your future. Alison’s mission is to help you envision, and empower you to build the health and fitness business you dream about. Don’t forget to listen to our next episode, where we recap all the great insights that Alison Katschkowsky offered! Key Points from the Episode:-Five step process for events. -Retreats inspire you with different ideas though it's a different environment. -Retreats take you out of your day to day routine. -People want community and connection more than anything, especially after these last couple of years.About Alison Katschkowsky:As a fitness innovator, I am no stranger to fitness and change. I was a competitive swimmer as a teenager and college student and have enjoyed the pillars of living to your potential via fitness and a healthy lifestyle. As an entrepreneur, I have built my business on what is TRULY possible using innovation and change as my drivers. I help you believe you can do ALL of what is possible for you--and show you how to build the business of your dreams, and the life you desire.Retreats, podcaster and innovative business expert and coach.Let's do it. Links Mentioned in this Episode: Check out Alison Katschkowsky on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-katschkowsky-98a296183/ Check out Alison Katschkowsky on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/alison.h.katschkowsky/Check out Alison Katschkowsky on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ahkatsCheck out Alison Katschkowsky on Instagram at https://instagram.com/thealisonk Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the President and Founder of Paperback Expert, Michael DeLon.Paperback Expert helps small business owners publish books and use their book to grow their business. Michael explains that they use a process of writing by the client and writer talking to one another so the writer can gather relevant data for their book. Editing is an extremely important aspect of book publishing as it can be the determining factor on if someone will read it or not. Michael explains that self publishers often do not edit properly, therefore their book may not be as inviting as it could be through a publisher. He explains that books are signifiers of authority figures or experts. Paperback Expert does the majority of the work excluding the writing process as it is spoken from the client to be written. Michael explains how you can add a large amount of content through marketing books to an audience as it conveys your views. Following up on possible leads that were not followed through is important as it could help you fix mistakes or gain that lead back. Michael explains how differentiating yourself from the masses helps create better feedback and success.  Key Notes:What Paperback Expert does for the clients How the writing process works for the client’s bookTypical clintell and their reasoning for using Paperback ExpertThe difference between poor editing and good editingHow having a book can position you as an authorityThe economics of Paperback ExpertHow books are marketing platformsWhy following up is important to business and leads Real stories about how Paperback Expert has helped ClientsAbout Michael DeLonMichael DeLon creates credibility. As the president of Paperback Expert, he helps business owners publish a book that positions them as the expert in their field.Business owners seek out Michael to clarify their brand strategy, make them bestselling authors, and set up their profitable podcast. They use his Credibility Marketing strategies to gain more clients, get more referrals, and grow their revenue.Michael is the author of On Marketing, a #1 Amazon Best-Selling author, and the Creator of The Credibility Game Plan. Since 2013, he has worked with business owners across the United States and internationally to establish and market their credibility.Michael is the husband of one and father of four. He’s a committed follower of Jesus Christ who is deeply involved in his church. You can normally find Michael investing time with his family, reading a great book, or facilitating growth in the lives of those around him.Want to learn more? Check out the Paperback Expert website at https://paperbackexpert.com/.Check out Paperback Expert on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/paperback-expert/.Check out Michael DeLon on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldelon/.Check out Michael DeLon on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/michael.delon. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.

In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with Marketing Coach and Podcast Host of The Recognized Authority, Alastair McDermott.Alistair McDermott focuses on helping others through determining their specialization and making an authority content plan. Alastair explains the stages of gaining authority in business. Within the novice stage, one must gain experience and figure out the things they prefer over others. At this point, one can still have a successful business through referrals and word of mouth. Alistair explains that to go further, you have to focus on a specific field, which can be scary to decide as it can cut off other areas of possible connections or revenue. Alastair explains that results come from consistency and a routine over a significant period of time. This is important as it gives others more trust in a business. Alistair says that time and experience is important to creating a good image for yourself or business.Key Points: Alastair’s thoughts on how authority helps business Alastair’s thoughts on the journey to authority The importance of specialization Alastair’s advice on how to build authority The importance of trust between consultants and clients Why taking your time is important to a business Alastair’s focus as a consultant and how he works with them About Alastair McDermottAlistair McDermott is an author, consultant & coach who hosts The Recognized Authority Podcast and The Specialization Podcast.Alastair helps consultants and invisible experts to become The Recognized Authority in their field so they can have more impact, command higher fees, and work with better clients.Alastair got into digital marketing and business when he built his first website on GeoCities in the “before-time” of 1996 – he has been hooked on websites ever since.Alastair left a “safe” corporate job in early 2007 to start and grow his first business during “the worst recession in modern history” – that was a wild ride.Along the way he co-founded several start-ups, some of which were mildly successful, and he has written a book called “Running a Website with WordPress: A Quick Guide for Business Owners”.His podcast and email list are called “The Recognized Authority”. You can download his free book “How to Sound & Look Good on Zoom & Podcasts” from SuccessStore and Amazon. Want to learn more? Check out The Recognized Authority website at https://therecognizedauthority.com/.Check out The Recognized Authority on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recognized-authority/.Check out Alastair McDermott on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairmcdermott/.Check out The Recognized Authority on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/recognizedauthority/.Check out Alastair McDermott on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WhatStrategy.Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:️  We are actively booking guests for our The Thoughtful Entrepreneur. Schedule HERE. Are you a 6-figure consultant? I’ve got high-level intros for you. Learn more here. What is your #1 Lead Generation BLOCKER? Take my free quiz here.