Interviews with CEOs and Entrepreneurs about the frameworks they are using to build and scale their businesses.
Episodes
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Emma Giles is the Co-Founder & COO of SoWork, a fast-growing startup on a mission to move the world of work from the Earth to the Cloud by building virtual spaces. We discuss the future of virtual work, tips on working remotely across different time zones, and what it's like to work in a virtual office.
Time Stamps
00:42 Emma's transition from neuroscience to entrepreneurship
02:50 How SoWork evolved into a metaverse company
06:15 Emma's experience with management blueprints
09:21 The Working Genius Framework, but with a twist
10:40 The six types of working genius
12:05 How SoWork is changing virtual work as we know it
15:50 What you need to know about the metaverse and the future of work
18:24 Working in the metaverse: what virtual office life looks like
19:58 Things you should know before adopting a virtual office setup
21:50 Type of companies that could thrive in a virtual office
23:57 Technical challenges of building a metaverse-type business
26:53 The target market for metaverse virtual offices
28:56 Tips on working remotely in different time zones
31:11 Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick M. Lencioni
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Thursday Jan 05, 2023
Dave Beeler is the President of Beeler Construction, a 3rd generation, family-owned commercial general contractor which runs projects across all industries from medical to retail to manufacturing. We discuss characteristics of successful family-owned businesses, how to grow your business using management blueprints, and ways to attract top talent and top clients.
Time Stamps
[01:00] What it takes to build a successful family-owned business
[03:00] How family-owned businesses appoint managers and leaders
[05:21] Dave’s experience with management blueprints
[08:14] Most influential tools from the Pinnacle Operating System
[11:05] The future of Beeler Construction
[16:41] How to eliminate peaks and valleys in your business growth journey
[18:50] Ways to attract and keep high-quality talent
[20:57] Why success in business is built on attracting top talent and top clients
[24:23] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Dave’s Email - Dbeeler@beelerconstruction.com
Beeler Construction on Instagram
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Monday Jan 02, 2023
Mark Bealin is the Founder & Principal of SearchLab, a rapidly growing internet marketing agency that helps local businesses grow through search engine optimization, paid search marketing, and website design. We discuss the evolution of SEO, how to drive sales through conference speaking, and ways to get more conference speaking opportunities.
Time Stamps
[00:42] Mark's entrepreneurial journey
[02:40] SearchLab's unique sales framework
[05:22] Proven strategy to drive sales using conferences
[07:55] How Mark gets numerous opportunities to speak at events
[10:54] The growth and evolution of SEO
[15:37] Factors that influence a successful pay-per-click campaign
[17:34] What is a good enough return on ad spend?
[19:31] The types of businesses that work well with SEO
[21:37] Understanding how consumers research and buy products
[24:12] Areas SEO struggles to drive results
[25:08] The misconceptions about how people search online
[27:09] Why and how Mark started his podcast Suds & Search
[29:55] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Mark's LinkedIn
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
Thursday Dec 29, 2022
Aki Balogh is the co-founder and President of MaketMuse and the CEO of DLC.link, a platform that lets users lock their Bitcoin in escrow, supply Bitcoin as collateral, and earn a yield while maintaining full ownership. We discuss ways to leverage your Bitcoin to earn a yield, what a wider crypto adoption means for other currencies, and the basics of Bitcoin smart contracts.
Time Stamps
[00:58] Aki's entrepreneurial journey
[03:07] Why Aki went down the crypto path
[06:30] The current state of the crypto space
[10:28] Do we really need all these cryptocurrencies?
[13:10] Understanding cryptocurrencies with limited supply
[16:45] How a wider adoption of Bitcoin will affect economic policies
[20:16] Why Bitcoin mining is increasingly becoming decentralized
[22:07] How to earn a yield on Bitcoin
[27:10] Understanding the crypto borrowing and lending market
[28:20] All you need to know about smart contracts on Bitcoin
[30:01] Crypto loans and what happens to defaulters
[32:35] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Connect with Aki on Twitter
Aki's LinkedIn
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Monday Dec 26, 2022
Ian Schnoor is the Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute (FMI) and Founder of The Marquee Group, a leading financial modeling training, consulting, and accreditation provider. We discuss financial modeling essentials, the basics of giving equity to your employees, and effective ways to attract and retain good employees.
Time Stamps
[00:38] Ian’s entrepreneurial journey
[04:18] How Ian turned his teaching practice into a thriving business
[06:30] When Ian decided to hire his first employee
[08:05] Ways to attract and keep exceptional talent
[11:50] Dos and don’ts of giving equity to your employees
[15:23] The true worth of equity in a business
[18:35] Why financial modeling is essential for business success
[20:09] What is a financial model, and why should you care?
[23:38] The goal of a good financial modeler
[26:55] The evolution of practical financial modeling
[29:51] Benefits of learning financial modeling
[33:07] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Financial Modeling Institute (FMI)
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Thursday Dec 22, 2022
Dave Fink is the CEO and Co-Founder of Postie, a marketing technology company that has transformed Direct Mail by enabling it to perform like a digital channel. We discuss the new age of direct mail marketing, why customers prefer direct mail over other marketing channels, and the benefits of testing everything in your business.
Time Stamps
[01:10] Dave’s entrepreneurial journey
[04:50] Using direct mail to get past the toughest gatekeepers
[07:15] The challenge with people working from home
[09:22] The evolution of direct mail marketing
[14:09] Comparing the effectiveness of direct mail versus digital marketing
[15:22] How to measure the success of direct mail marketing
[19:06] Ways to get people to open and respond to your direct mail
[22:30] Consistency and authenticity are key to business success
[25:41] Why you should never be afraid to test everything
[27:12] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Monday Dec 19, 2022
Joyce Durst is the co-founder and CEO of Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP), a leading nearshore software development company that partners with US-based clients to develop custom software applications. We break down what it takes to keep customers for life, how to run remote teams successfully, and ways diversity can be a company's secret weapon.
Time Stamps
[00:50] Joyce's entrepreneurial journey
[04:21] Learning to be the CEO of a successful startup
[06:38] How Joyce and her team managed to generate a 40% yearly growth rate
[09:14] What it takes to keep your customers for life
[11:58] How to create alignment around your company "why"
[13:44] Breaking down GAP's company culture
[18:10] Diversity can be a company's secret weapon
[23:01] Creating a culture where everyone can be a leader
[26:12] Ways to become more effective at execution
[29:00] Take care of your team, and they will take care of your customers
[31:40] Do's and don'ts of remote working
[35:00] Benefits of having in-person meetings as a remote company
[36:20] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Growthaccelerationpartners.com
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Friday Dec 16, 2022
Ayush Singhvian is an experienced engineer, entrepreneur, and Founder of Byldd, a venture studio that helps early-stage founders build and launch revenue-generating platforms in under a month and for less than $10K. We discuss proven ways to find a technical co-founder quickly, the basics of product validation, and how entrepreneurs can build a minimal viable product (MVP).
Time Stamps
[00:40] Ayush's entrepreneurial journey
[03:39] What is a Minimal Viable Product?
[06:20] Why most startups fail
[09:02] How to identify a problem worth solving in your business
[11:40] Proven ways to find a technical co-founder quickly
[14:22] Product validation: When and why to do it
[16:17] Things entrepreneurs should do while product development is going on
[18:01] Understanding the SaaS business model
[19:53] Reasons customers would want to pay a monthly subscription
[22:07] The real pressure to succeed as a startup
[24:10] Differences between a good engineer and an excellent engineer
[26:31] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Julian Chapman is the President of Forrest & Company, an organizational transformation firm that helps companies achieve strategic competitive advantage through consulting, coaching, and training. He is also the author of The Managerial Leadership Journey: An Unconventional Business Pursuit. We discuss what it means to be a servant leader, the science of structuring an organization, and the difference between military and business leadership.
Time Stamps
[00:30] Julian's entrepreneurial journey
[01:31] Difference between military and business leadership
[03:18] Army leadership principles that don't apply to business leadership
[05:01] How military leaders use empowerment to build trust and excellence
[06:19] The Leading Leaders and Managing Managers framework
[08:47] Key differences between leadership and management
[11:30] What it means to be a servant leader
[13:20] Was Winston Churchill a servant leader?
[14:50] How to become a transformational leader
[17:13] How Julian and his team grow leaders of character
[20:56] The science of how to structure an organization
[22:14] Four factors that define human capability
[24:47] The intersection between cognitive skills and leadership performance
[27:48] Dissecting the Managerial Leadership Journey
[30:28] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Julian's website - Forrestandco.com
Managerialleadershipjourney.com
The Managerial Leadership Journey: An Unconventional Business Pursuit by Julian Chapman
The Pursuit of Prime by Ichak Adizes Ph.D.
Work with Steve - Stevepreda.com
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Thursday Dec 08, 2022
Enrique Alvarez is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics, which is dedicated to changing the world through supply chain. We discuss the benefits of having financial transparency in an organization, how the self-managing "sell-cells" at Vector work, and the secrets of great results in an organization.
Time Stamps
[00:30] Enrique’s entrepreneurial journey
[02:30] The Vector Culture Model and how it works
[05:12] Logistics with purpose: The passion for giving back to the community
[06:31] The Self-Managing "Sell-Cells" at Vector
[09:20] How the "Sell-Cells" work and remain productive
[11:44] How to cultivate a results mentality in your organization
[15:40] Does financial transparency improve employee confidence?
[19:51] Key benefits of financial transparency in an organization
[22:15] Importance of trust in the workplace
[24:13] Vector's disaster relief efforts in Ukraine
[29:02] Parting thoughts
Links and Resources
Steve and Greg Cleary's Book: Pinnacle: Five Principles that Take Your Business to the Top of the Mountain
Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution by Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson