Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

David Nguyen is the Founder of My Consulting Offer, a firm that helps experienced professionals and students get job offers from the top management consulting firms. In this episode, David shares his firm's process, and what explains how his firm manages to help 85% of its clients get an offer from a top firm. To learn more, visit: https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/

Nick Kane is a Managing Partner at Janek Performance Group, which provides sales training, coaching, and consulting. Learn more about Janek Performance Group at: https://www.janek.com/

Srikumar Rao developed the groundbreaking course "Creativity and Personal Mastery" at Columbia Business School, which I had the good fortune to take in 2003. It is the only business school course in the world with its own active alumni association - including annual retreats for CPM alums. Srikumar has taught this course at other top business schools and delivered a program based on the course to many corporate clients. He is running an online program that is currently taking applications: https://theraoinstitute.com/cpm-online-2020/ He is the author of two books: 1) Are YOU Ready to Succeed?: Unconventional Strategies for Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life 2) Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful - No Matter What In this episode, Srikumar discusses several mental models, including: "Good thing, bad thing, who knows?" and "Don't shoot the second arrow."

Jim Peters is the Chief Operating Officer at Rite Aid, which is number 150 on the Fortune 500, with $21.7 billion in revenue in 2019. For the three years prior to joining Rite Aid, Jim ran his own boutique consulting firm serving healthcare and life sciences companies. In this episode, Jim discusses the steps Rite Aid has taken during the coronavirus epidemic to keep its employees and customers safe. Jim also covers the innovation initiatives Rite Aid has underway, including steps to help pharmacists operate at the top of their license. For more on Rite Aid, download this 2020 Investor Day presentation: https://www.riteaid.com/content/dam/riteaid-web/corporate/investor-relations/analyst-day/20200316_Rite_Aid_Analyst_Day_Presentation.pdf

Umbrex member and McKinsey alum Tim DeRoche is an independent management consultant, a screenwriter, an award-winning novelist and a non-fiction writer. In Episode 66 of Unleashed, Tim discussed his novel Huck and Miguel, a re-imaging of the story of Huck Finn, set in modern-day Los Angeles. In today's episode, Tim discusses his latest (non-fiction) book, A Fine Line: How most American kids are kept out of the best public schools. Learn more about Tim: https://timderoche.com/a-fine-line/

Michael Niczyporuk, currently SVP of Global Product Strategy at Visa, has been the Chief Strategy Officer at USAA, the Global Head of Strategy at Citi FinTech and Digital Payments, and the Head of Strategy for Digital at Capital One. In this episode, Michael draws on his broad experience across digital financial services to discuss innovation in the payments industry.

Alan Iny is the Global Lead for Creativity and Scenarios at Boston Consulting Group, and the co-author of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity. In this episode, Alan shares practical tips to unleash creativity in your business. Follow Alan on Twitter: @Alan_Iny Alan's bio at BCG: https://www.bcg.com/en-us/about/people/experts/alan-iny.aspx Check out Alan's book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-New-Boxes-Paradigm-Creativity/dp/0812992954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TUCBZAF10VEY&dchild=1&keywords=thinking+in+new+boxes&qid=1592407024&sprefix=thinking+in+new+boxes%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1

Jamie Head is the Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries, which is an agricultural cooperative with over 700 member growers. The cooperative accounts for over 70% of North American cranberry production. In this episode, Jamie discusses innovations that are underway at this leading global producer. To learn more about Ocean Spray (and find plenty of recipes), visit: https://www.oceanspray.com/

McKinsey alum Eli Diament is the Founder and Director of Azurite Consulting, which specializes in conducting B2B surveys that require high volumes of niche B2B buyers, decision makers, and product users. In this episode, Eli discusses the principles behind constructing a B2B survey that will yield useful insights, and some of the issues to be mindful of when engaging a survey firm. Learn more about Azurite Consulting at: https://www.azuriteconsulting.com/

Matt McDonald, a Partner at Hamilton Place Strategies, was recently named one of 38 "Power Players in Consulting" by Business Insider. In this episode, Matt explains how public affairs consulting firms operate. Learn more about Hamilton Place Strategies at: https://www.hamiltonplacestrategies.com/about/

Dan Goldman is the Global Head of Strategy at The North Face. In this episode, he provides his perspective on leading a strategy team during the pandemic. https://www.thenorthface.com/

Ken Cloke is a leading global expert on conflict resolution and the author of over a dozen books. In this episode, Ken shares the principles of conflict resolution, and how he became a pioneer in the field. Learn more about Ken on his website: https://www.kencloke.com/about

Brian Ahearn has been certified by Robert Cialdini to teach his influence methodology. Through keynote speeches, coaching, and training sessions, Brian helps professionals understand the full set of influence tools. If you have a premium LinkedIn account, check out his LinkedIn Learning courses: Persuasive Selling, Persuasive Coaching and Persuading Different Personality Styles Learn more about Brian's work at his firm's website: https://www.influencepeople.biz/

Paul Cuatrecasas is the Founder and CEO of Aquaa Partners, a London-based, FCA regulated boutique M&A and strategic advisory firm that advises established companies on managing transformation to create exponentially increasing market value, revenue and profits. Paul is also the author of Go Tech, or Go Extinct: How Acquiring Tech Disruptors Is the Key to Survival and Growth for Established Companies. In this episode, Paul shares his firm's approach to tech industry acquisitions. Learn more about Aquaa Partners on their website: https://www.aquaapartners.com/

Dhiraj Nayar, CFO of Boston Globe media, provides a perspective on the media business during the coronavirus pandemic. Dhiraj discusses how the company has worked to keep its reporters and other employees safe as well as initiatives to help the communities it serves. Please do subscribe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/

McKinsey alum Indranil Ghosh is the CEO of Tiger Hill Capital, a business-building and advisory company comitting its energy, network and capital to commercial enterprises with the potential to deliver transformative solutions for global economic and social challenges. In this episode we discuss Indranil's recently published book, Powering Prosperity: A Citizen's Guide to Shaping the 21st Century. Links: Tiger Hill Capital: https://www.tigerhillcapital.com/ Indranil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrincipsofProsp Powering Prosperity on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Powering-Prosperity-Citizens-Shaping-Century/dp/1642933082/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6T6EMO7YQNLQ&dchild=1&keywords=indranil+ghosh&qid=1591187496&sprefix=indranil+ghosh%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-1

Robbie Kellman Baxter is the author of The Membership Economy: Find Your Superusers, Master the Forever Transaction & Build Recurring Revenue, a book that has been named a top 10 marketing book of all time by BookAuthority. Robbie discussed that book on Episode 6 of this show. In today's episode, Robbie discusses her latest book, The Forever Transaction: How to Build a Subscription Model So Compelling, Your Customers Will Never Want to Leave. To learn more about her work, visit: https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/

David A. Fields is back on the show, this time to help me answer a question from listener Caroline Taich, who asked for best practices on what steps to take at the end of a long project to: 1) hand over deliverables 2) ask for recommendations and referrals 3) stay in touch with key individuals you've developed relationships with over the course of the project We cover all three topics, and I found particularly helpful David's approach to asking for a recommendation. I recommend that every consultant sign up for David's weekly blog posts: https://www.davidafields.com/blog/ If you like this episode, be sure to check out the other episodes with David: 1. Winning clients 170. How to make outbound calls 172. How to set up a CRM system 182. The David A. Fields Solo Practice Accelerator 190. Partnerships, Advisory Boards, and Gifts 221: How to convert leads to projects 259. Pandemic advice for consultants 264: How to run a world-class virtual workshop

McKinsey alum Venkat Nagaswamy is the Group VP of Marketing at 8x8, a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of voice, video, chat, contact center and enterprise-class API solutions. In today's episode, Venkat discusses how contact centers have kept functioning during the pandemic by rapidly shifting from on premises operations to working remotely. He shares one example in which 8x8 got a call from a call center on Saturday morning and had the client ready to work remotely by Monday. To learn more about 8x8 visit: https://www.8x8.com/ To follow up with Venkat, visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatnagaswamy/

Roger Samways is the VP of Cargo Sales at American Airlines. In this episode, Roger first provides a brief overview of the air cargo industry, then we discuss the impact of the coronavirus, including how American Airlines has been adapting. Learn more about American Airlines Cargo at: https://www.aacargo.com/index.html

Kazuki Kozuru-salifoska is a fashion professional, a skilled creative designer as well as tech designer. Together with Doni Jantzen, she founded KEDIC Fashion Workshop. One of the services they offer is helping fashion brands get into the plus-size market. I was shocked to hear that the 'standard' clothing sizes manufactured by many brands don't fit 70% of women consumers in the U.S. KEDIC Fashion Workshop helps brands with the technical aspects of translating designs to create a plus-size collection. In this episode, Kazuki explains the whole design process from concept through production and the role that her firm plays. Learn more at https://www.kedicworkshop.com/services

Keith Stoeckeler is a VP/Group Director at MKTG, where a significant portion of his time is spent working with brands to establish and manage sponsorships of sports and other entertainment events. In this episode, Keith discusses how sports sponsorships work and the impact of the coronavirus. Follow Keith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiths For more on MKTG, visit: http://mktg.com/ For more on Keith visit: http://keithstoeckeler.com/

Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, consultant, and the author of seven books, including Just Listen and Talking to Crazy. In this episode Mark shares tips on learning to listen including some of the lessons he taught to FBI hostage negotiators. Ways to learn more about Mark's work: Website: http://markgoulston.com Non-profit: http://wmyst.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wmystglobal/ twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkGoulston linkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markgoulston Amazon Book Page: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Goulston/e/B001IZ2O3W/ youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/markgoulston Speaker Hub: https://speakerhub.com/speaker/mark-goulston itunes: My Wakeup Call podcast HBR blogs: https://hbr.org/search?term=mark+goulston Thrive Global: https://thriveglobal.com/authors/mgoulston/

Austin Publicover is a food safety expert and the Founder of Bulletproof! Food Safety, a consulting firm that works with many of the top restaurants in New York City. In this episode, Austin discusses the services his firm provides restaurants and food manufacturers, particularly: - preparation for NYC Health Department inspections - help with obtaining and maintaining all the necessary permits. We then discuss food safety in the age of the coronavirus. Learn more about Austin's firm at: http://bulletprooffoodnyc.com/

Liz Dunn is a noted retail expert who regularly appears on CNBC to discuss the industry. In this episode, Liz shares a perspective on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the retail industry. We cover multiple segments including grocery, home furnishings, home improvement,and apparel. Follow Liz on Twitter: @Lizabeth_Dunn On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizabeth-dunn-6677034/ Her company: https://pro4ma.com/

Frank Kochenash is President of Wunderman Thompson Commerce North America - a global eCommerce consultancy within the agency. In this episode Frank provides an overview of the agency world, explaining along the way why the term "digital agency" is now considered obsolete, as every aspect of marketing now has a digital component. We dive into the intricacies of what it takes for a brand to thrive on Amazon, and Frank also discusses how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the world of eCommerce. To learn more, visit: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/service/commerce

Marvin Riley is the President and CEO of EnPro Industries Inc., a diversified manufacturer of proprietary engineered products used in critical applications. EnPro is a truly global firm - the company operates manufacturing facilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia; employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, and sells products to more than 50,000 customers in over 100 countries across the globe. In today's episode, Marvin explains how he has led the firm through the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more about EnPro at: https://www.enproindustries.com/home/default.aspx

William H. Bachman, PhD, spent 28 years designing nuclear fuel for civilian reactors. After taking early retirement in 1997, he set himself up as an independent professional - a handyman. In today's episode, my dad tells the story of his second career. Check out his one YouTube video, mentioned in this episode, on how to replace a kitchen spray nozzle (308,000 views and counting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fuFoB_1KVk

Gleb Tsipursky has a PhD in the history of behavioral science, and his research focused on decision-making, emotional and social intelligence, and meaning and purpose. In this episode we discuss his recent book, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters, his work advising clients on how to avoid disasters, and his speaking career. Learn more about Gleb's work at his firm's website: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/

Gemma Toner is the Founder of Tone Networks, a video-based learning and leadership development platform that empowers female employees through expert content, live coaching and a vibrant online community. Website: https://www.tonenetworks.com/ Tone Networks LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tone-networks/ Tone Networks FB: https://www.facebook.com/tonenetworks/ Tone Networks Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToneNetworks Tone Networks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonenetworks/

Carolina Miranda is the Founder of Cultivating Capital, whose mission is to help bring about a more just and peaceful world by supporting businesses in implementing better social and environmental practices. In this episode we discuss B-Certification, and Miranda answers my questions, including: - What is B-certification? - Why pursue B-certification? - How to get B-certification? Learn more about Cultivating Capital at: https://www.cultivatingcapital.com/

Jason Bernd is the President of the Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital. In this episode, Jason discusses his experience leading his hospital through the coronavirus pandemic. For more on Novant Health, visit: https://www.novanthealth.org/

Mike Freed is the COO of Mirion Technologies, a leader in radiation safety, measurement and science. In today's episode, Mike discusses the steps Mirion has taken during the coronavirus pandemic to protect its customers and its 1,800 employees. Learn more about Mirion Technologies on their website and their LinkedIn company page.

Jonathan Stark is on a mission to rid the world of hourly billing: he is the author of Hourly Billing is Nuts and three other books. Definitely check out Jonathan's website, jonathanstark.com, where you can find free resources, including links to his two podcasts, his Youtube channel, a free email-based course titled Value Pricing Bootcamp and the archive of his daily email list.

Jeremy Bieger is the co-founder and CEO of Pulse Insights, a voice of the customer platform that takes a new approach to collecting and leveraging customer feedback. In today's episode, Jeremy discusses how online voice of the customer feedback technology has evolved, and how Pulse Insights works with enterprise clients to capture insights from customers at the relevant time. To learn more about Pulse Insights, visit their website: https://pulseinsights.com/

Rebecca Winn, founder of the boutique residential landscape design firm Whimsical Gardens, has won over 300 horticulture awards and five consecutive Texas Excellence in Landscaping Awards. Her inspirational Facebook blog has over 600,000 followers. In today's episode, we discuss Rebecca's recently published book One Hundred Daffodils, the story of hear search for meaning, identify, and purpose. www.RebeccaWinn.com www.facebook.com/WhimsicalGardens www.facebook.com/WinnRebecca IG @rebeccawinn.writer TW @RebeccaOWinn Purchase One Hundred Daffodils at your favorite retailer: INDIE BOUND: https://bit.ly/2VB9c2b BOOKSHOP.ORG https://bit.ly/2RYZyUJ BARNES AND NOBLE https://bit.ly/2UMn7kd AMAZON - USA https://amzn.to/32bft4h WATERSTONES - UK https://bit.ly/2JbhuX4 AMAZON - CANADA https://amzn.to/2IJi52d AMAZON - AUSTRALIA https://amzn.to/2WUTAr5 AUDIO LIBRO.FM -100 DAFFODILS https://bit.ly/2ygXiB0 AUDIBLE https://amzn.to/346lS3m

Angelique Rewers is the Founder of The Corporate Agent. Inc. Magazine has called her the undisputed champion at helping small businesses land big clients. In today's discussion, Angelique shares tips on how to get the attention of corporate decision makers. We focus in particular on how you can create engaging events – virtual or in person. Do check out the website of The Corporate Agent, where you can find a range of free resources to get started. Also, follow The Corporate Agent at: https://www.instagram.com/angeliquerewers/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquerewers/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/GetCorporateClients

Lawrence Adjah is an alum of Harvard, McKinsey, Stanford. He is a community builder, business advisor, and pastor. Several years ago, Lawrence organized a family-style dinner for some acquaintances at a restaurant in NYC. Rule: no phones at the table, no discussing work. Treat tablemates like family. Participants wanted to attend another dinner and bring people they knew. A movement was born. Now, the Family Dinner Foundation that Lawrence founded has 50,000 participants. Last year, Lawrence and his board began exploring how to build community beyond the dinner table, and that focus has now taken center-stage in the age of the coronavirus. http://lawrenceadjah.com/

Jon S. Rennie is a former nuclear-trained submarine officer with more than twenty years of experience leading industrial businesses. Jon is the co-founder and CEO of Peak Demand, a global manufacturer of electrical transmission and distribution components. He is also the author of I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following. In this episode, Jon shares a perspective on what it means to be a leader in the age of the coronavirus. Learn more about Jon on his website: https://jonsrennie.com/

In today's episode, Olivia Chioma Elee shares her experience fighting the Ebola epidemic in Nigeria and Liberia. She coordinated a range of programs including contact tracing and coordinating the logistics for the command centers throughout Liberia. Her work involved participating in the daily briefings at the Health Ministry, running training campaigns targeted at healthcare workers, and visiting sick patients in the field. Olivia has a Masters degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and previously worked at Deloitte and Booz Allen Hamilton. Today she is an independent consultant with a focus on strategy and operations. You can find Olivia on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviachiomaelee/

David A. Fields had scheduled an in-person two-day workshop for early April – his Solo Practice Accelerator. When the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to conduct the event in person, David and his team converted the event into a highly interactive, world-class virtual workshop. That took planning, technology, and setting up a studio in David's living room. In today's episode, David shares very practical tips on what it took to run a world-class virtual workshop that engaged attendees as much as an in-person event. I strongly encourage all my friends to sign up for David's weekly newsletter - the first thing I read every Wednesday morning: https://www.davidafields.com/blog/ David also kindly shared this checklist: People (not equipment, but will make some of the buying list clearer) Presenter Video controller (managing the different inputs) Zoom controller (managing breakout rooms, etc.) Computers Laptop for the presenter – any laptop will do Laptop for the Video controller – this is a dedicated laptop with a ethernet port, that connected to Zoom. Laptop for the Zoom controller – this was for the team member who managed the Zoom breakout rooms PC with large monitor and wireless keyboard – this was for the Video controller to be able to send notifications to the presenter. (For instance, "Speed Up" or "Question") Tablets We used Samsung Galaxy 8" tablets – one per every three participants. (These were used for the breakout rooms.) https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Android-Tablet-Black/dp/B07VDB92RK/ Video Equipment Panasonic HC-V770 videocam with HDMI output. There are probably better cameras and fancier ones with remote control pan and tilt. This is a high quality camera, though, and it gives a "clean" HDMI output without any symbols on the screen. Not all videocams do that. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RBG5J02 Roland V-1HD video switcher. Possibly overkill, but allows for picture-in-picture, easy switching, etc. by the Video controller. https://www.amazon.com/Roland-V-1HD-HD-Video-Switcher/dp/B017Y3JSZ8 HDMI splitter. This allows the presenter to present to the big screen as well as the feed into the Zoom conference. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HXFARS Avio HDMI to USB converter. All the inputs (cameras, presenter's laptop output) video mixer are in HDMI format and so is the output from the video mixer. You need some way to get that HDMI output into your computer so that Zoom will treat it like a webcam. This cool little box from Avio did the trick well. We got two of them. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZH7HRKW We also used a lot of lighting equipment, including a soft lightbox (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GCN6HV7) a lot of LED lights (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TJ6JH6) with power adapters (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CQG4V18), and a slew of tripods and Zipwall polls. Finally, about 5 miles of HDMI cables and extenders. For example, https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CTD1HAW and https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HUWVMBW Monitors Presentation monitor – Any large, 4k HD monitor should work fine. We used this one: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-UN75RU7100FXZA-FLAT-UHD-Smart/dp/B07NC8ZDVL. We definitely needed that size or larger monitor for me to stand next to and still have the slides super legible. Confidence monitor – Again, any monitor will work fine. It has to be large enough that the presenter can see it and view all the participants in Zoom's gallery view. My first choice would have been a 49" ultrawide, and that's what we'll use next time. The ultrawide allows you to see the whole gallery and also Zoom's chat and participants windows easily. (https://www.amazon.com/Acer-EI491CR-Pbmiiipx-Technology-DisplayHDR400/dp/B07NFJ6M3R). Unfortunately, none were quickly available when we were in the throes of pulling this together, so I settled for a 40" regular monitor. We bought two like this, but only used one: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-UN40M5300A-40-Inch-1080p/dp/B071ZVQVFQ. Audio We used a Movo lavalier mic, which worked fine. We have other, fancier equipment, but couldn't actually create better sound than plugging the Movo directly into the Video controller's laptop. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HX40Q3C We also provided a headset to every attendee. https://www.cdw.com/product/sennheiser-culture-sc-60-usb-ml-headset/3091260

Hacking attempts have spiked upwards during the coronavirus epidemic as more employees work from home. Gary Chan is an information security consultant and shares 12 actions that independent consultants can take to enhance their information security profile. Visit www.alfizo.com/unleashed to download the list of actions we discuss on the show.

Our guest today is Robert Glazer, an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. Glazer writes Friday Forward, a weekly email that goes out to 100,000 subscribers. That started as a weekly inspiration email to his team, they forwarded it to friends, and – boom. He is also the Founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, an award winning global affiliate marketing agency – and on this episode he explains what an affiliate marketing agency does. Glazer was selected by Marshall Goldsmith as one of the 100 coaches that Marshall is mentoring – an incredible honor to be part of that select group. AND he is the author of Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others, which we discuss on this episode. You can find links to his podcast, his books, his columns, and sign up for Friday Forward at his website, https://www.robertglazer.com/

[Note: this episode was recorded before the pandemic.] Our guest today is Josh Dick, who accomplished the dream of many entrepreneurs. In the year 2000, after stints as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and as a Marketing Manager at Unilever, Josh joined Urnex, a small manufacturing business that was founded by his great-grandfather. Josh would go on to lead the company through fifteen straight years of 15% annual growth, and then he sold the business to a private equity firm for a sum that allows him the flexibility to choose what to do with his time. And what he's done is move his family to Florence, Italy, learn Italian, begin advising other entrepreneurs, and write a book titled Grow Like a Lobster: Plan and Prepare for Extraordinary Business Results. You can find Josh's blog and contact him via his website, https://www.joshua-dick.com/

In this episode I discuss how to write a consulting proposal. You can download the consulting proposal template that I discuss on the show.

Our guest today is David A. Fields, author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients. In this episode, David shares his advice on the actions consultants should take during the coronavirus epidemic. He reminds us of his number one rule: to practice right-side-up thinking, that is, consulting is about the client, it's not about us. David covers: How to reach out to clients during the pandemic How to establish new partnerships during the pandemic How to manage pricing during the pandemic David has been a popular guest on the show and I encourage you to check out our past discussions, including Episode 1: Winning clients Episode 170: Outbound calls Episode 172: Implementing a CRM system Episode 190: What makes for a successful consulting partnership Episode 221: How to convert leads into confirmed projects I also recommend you sign up to receive his weekly blog post straight to your inbox.

[Note: Today's episode was recorded in January 2020.] Our guest today is Gary Pritts, the President of Eagle Consulting Partners, a firm that was a specialty in helping clients adhere to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, usually referred to as HIPAA. In this episode we discuss how Gary built a thriving practice focused on this specialty, and how they have expanded to supporting compliance with other types of regulation. You can learn more about Eagle Consulting Partners on their website, https://eagleconsultingpartners.com/

[Note: this episode was recorded prior to the coronavirus pandemic.] Our guest today is Sophia Ononye, who earned a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Connecticut and did a postdoctoral fellowship in oncology at the Yale School of Medicine. Sophia is the founder of The Sophia Consulting Firm, and her focus is in creating value via scientific storytelling, primarily serving pharmaceutical and biotech firms. In this episode we discuss several of the service lines she offers, including strategic marketing, medical affairs, public relations, and scientific communications. You can learn more about Sophia's firm at https://sophiaconsultingfirm.com/

Oscar Wimshurst discusses the content that Bench Accounting has been publishing to answer the questions their customers have been asking on how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. I learned about Bench when I searched for a good summary of the Paycheck Protection Program on March 28, 2020, the morning after it was passed, and their summary ranked at the top of the first page of Google results. They've had their whole content team focused on generating useful material for their customers – and potential customers – which tend to be businesses with 0-5 employees. Oscar also explains the bookkeeping services that Bench offers. Check out the latest educational material from Bench on their blog.

Today's episode is a recording of a webinar that I facilitated on April 8, 2020, attended by 80 independent management consultants. Ryan Vaughan is a Tax Director at Mazars, a leading global accounting firm, and he answered our questions about the Paycheck Protection Program. Ryan first provides a general overview that pertains to all businesses, and then he gets into our detailed questions about how independent consultants can access the Paycheck Protection Program. Some of our key questions included: If we aren't W2 employees of our own firms, how do we demonstrate "payroll" to ourselves How much of a loan should we be eligible for How does the loan forgiveness work The practical steps of applying for the loan Starting around the 45 minute point, we touch more briefly on the Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan. In the first part of the discussion, Ryan reviews several pages of a slide deck. We've posted that document on the Umbrex website, and here is the link. In this episode, Ryan zips through the highlights of the slide deck in about 10 minutes. He's also done a full hour webinar on that deck: watch it here.