Interviews with CEOs and Entrepreneurs about the frameworks they are using to build and scale their businesses.
Episodes
Monday May 24, 2021
Monday May 24, 2021
Eric Dickmann is the CEO of the Five Echelon Group, a virtual CMO and strategic marketing advisory service provider for SMBs looking for growth and profitability. We talk about digital transformation, marketing automation, and how to remove friction in the buyer's journey.
Timestamps
[00:50] Eric's transition from the corporate world into entrepreneurship
[02:37] Successful frameworks from Oracle that SMBs can implement
[04:10] How consistency affects every aspect of your business
[06:25] What is digital transformation?
[07:44] Elements of s successful digital transformation strategy
[10:13] Benefits of using integrative tools
[12:12] How to simplify and accelerate your digital transformation
[14:05] Cost-efficient hiring of software specialists
[15:40] Marketing automation and why it's crucial for business growth
[18:10] Friction in the buyer's journey
[23:09] How to eliminate friction in your buyer's journey
[25:32] The best marketing automation software
[27:17] Why you need to have a marketing strategy
[32:21] How to hire your marketing dream team
Links and Resources
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Monday May 17, 2021
Monday May 17, 2021
Brimstone is a serial entertainment entrepreneur boasting a successful and rewarding career spanning well over three decades; participating in numerous entertainment fields such as pro wrestling, radio, and acting. We talk about his experience running multiple businesses, entrepreneurship in the entertainment industry, and the life of a pro wrestler.
Timestamps
[01:25] Entrepreneurship in the entertainment industry
[03:55] Brimstone’s journey into entrepreneurship
[09:50] The Brimstone brand in a nutshell
[13:35] How Brimstone runs his brand
[22:30] How to run multiple business ventures
[26:32] Brimstone’s idea of an ideal legacy
[27:45] What Brimstone would have differently early on in his life
[31:25] Business frameworks Brimstone used to scale his business
[36:45] Success tips for young and aspiring entertainment entrepreneurs
[38:50] All you need to know about pro wrestling
[41:28] Brimstone’s upcoming projects
Links and Resources
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Monday May 10, 2021
Monday May 10, 2021
Tobin Lehman is the President and Lead Strategist at New North, a B2B digital marketing agency. He is also the author of Ride the Tornado: Continuously Improve Your Marketing Strategy in the Midst of Rapid Change, a marketing playbook that takes the mystery out of marketing. We discuss the impact of new technology on marketing, the RTS marketing framework, and using visuals and analytics to solve marketing problems.
Timestamps
[01:15] Tobin’s journey into entrepreneurship
[02:57] Using visuals and analytics to solve marketing problems
[05:45] Design thinking for marketing campaigns
[08:40] Dissecting the RTS marketing framework
[11:51] Building a timeframe for marketing success
[12:50] Assessing the effectiveness of short-term marketing campaigns
[14:42] Tobin’s thoughts on how to successfully launch and market a new book
[17:38] How to leverage marketing campaigns to optimize a fundraising strategy
[20:45] Tobin and his team’s creativity process
[24:50] Spark your creativity through a clarity break
[28:07] The impact of new technology on marketing
Links and Resources
Tobin’s New Book: Ride a Tornado
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Monday May 03, 2021
Monday May 03, 2021
Jon Arancio is the co-founder and Vice-President of Wintec Group, a CRM software reseller and application support specialty firm. We discuss the value of capturing and tracking customer data, how CRMs drive business growth, and the little-known beneficial features of CRM tools.
Timestamps
[01:05] Jon’s transition from science into entrepreneurship
[03:30] Key benefits CRM tools provide for a business
[04:30] How to create value using CRM
[06:02] How CRM tools drive business growth
[09:02] Analyzing the performance of different CRM tools
[12:35] How CRM customization affects service prices
[14:07] Trends and the future of CRM
[17:35] Tailoring CRMs to fit customer needs
[19:53] The value of capturing and tracking customer data
[22:20] Little-known beneficial features in CRMs
[24:40] How to leverage analytics tools and CRM to customize customer experience
[26:30] How Jon and his company solve customer needs through customization
Links and Resources
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Monday Apr 26, 2021
Dom Einhorn is the founder and CEO of UNIQORN, the largest rural business incubator, startup accelerator, and coworking space in Sarlat, France. He is a serial entrepreneur with multiple startups exits under his belt, primarily focusing on digital startups and angel investing. We discuss why France is a startup-friendly nation, how to launch and scale a successful tech company, and the 118-year-old startup.
Timestamps
[01:30] Dom Einhorn’s journey into entrepreneurship
[04:50] Why Dom decided to base his operations in France and not Silicon Valley
[06:40] Developing a creative tech atmosphere away from Silicon Valley
[10:55] Why France is a startup-friendly nation
[13:22] How foreigners can survive and thrive in France
[15:25] Dom’s go-to frameworks when launching startups
[18:46] Dissecting the Crawl, Walk, Thrive process at UNIQORN
[21:19] The DNA of a True Blood Entrepreneur
[24:01] Dom thoughts on commitment and fact-finding
[26:01] How to launch and scale a successful tech company
[31:30] The relationship between problem-solving and company success
[33:17] Expounding on the incubation and acceleration stages at UNIQORN
[33:55] UNIQORN’s 118-year-old startup
[38:02] The importance of liquid capital when investing in already existing companies
Links and Resources
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tuesday Apr 20, 2021
Tim Fitzpatrick is the president of Rialto Marketing, a marketing company that helps service businesses simplify marketing. We discuss the benefits of personalizing emails, the power of social media, and why business owners need to be producers and not consumers of content.
Timestamps
[00:53] Tim's entrepreneurial journey
[03:05] Tim's transition from the family business into marketing
[03:50] How service industries differ from other industries from a marketing perspective
[07:35] The gains of personalized emails
[09:05] How to narrow down personalized emails
[11:50] How Tim and his company formulate and execute marketing campaigns
[16:30] Types of content that guarantee results in today's world
[18:39] Utilizing the power of social media
[19:10] Why business owners need to be producers and not consumers of content
[21:35] How to implement and scale social media strategies
[23:26] The pros and cons of contracting social media experts
[25:48] Analyzing the ROI on Google AdWords
[30:24] Dissecting the effectiveness of offline marketing techniques
[33:22] Offline marketing techniques in the B2B space
[35:03] The top three marketing prospects for B2B service providers
[36:20] Why you need to release content on topics and mediums you're passionate about
[37:40] The power of speaking when generating leads
Links and Resources
Book your free consultation with Tim
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
Sunday Apr 11, 2021
Rocky Lalvani coaches businesses to leverage Mike Michalowicz’s Profit First System. We discuss the Profit First strategy, dissect what a healthy business looks like and contrast good and bad money behaviors.
Timestamps
[01:22] Rocky’s entrepreneurial journey
[04:40] Differentiating good and bad money behavior
[07:28] Rocky’s passion for coaching business owners on money management
[09:24] Analyzing the Profit First management blueprint
[12:45] How small businesses can adopt the Profit First strategy
[14:50] How to strategically grow your business
[17:54] The downside to impulse buying
[19:11] How to set up your business to be a Profit First business
[23:35] The pros and cons of business credit
[26:30] The link between discipline and the Profit First System
[27:30] What is a Healthy Business?
[28:40] How Rocky implements the Profit First model
[31:14] Explaining the advanced Profit First technique
[32:22] Why business owners need to pay more attention to the finance aspect of the business
[37:04] Rocky’s role in growing a business
Links and References
Mike Michalowicz’s book Profit First
Complete the Buyability Assessment
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Devin Miller is the founder and CEO of Miller IP Law, a patent and trademark firm that focuses on helping startups and small businesses maneuver the world of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. We discuss intellectual property, the pros and cons of franchising your business, and analyze how trademarks work worldwide.
Timestamps
[01:51] How Devin manages to run four companies and still have time for his family
[02:20] Devin’s passion for startups
[03:25] The legal aspects of launching and managing startups
[06:25] Devin’s go-to management frameworks
[10:40] Defining intellectual property
[13:26] How to register, manage, and expand intellectual property rights
[16:37] How Devin comes up with startup ideas
[20:55] Factors affecting intellectual property protection
[26:18] The pros and cons of franchising your business
[30:30] Dissecting the franchise agreement
[32:20] The love-hate relationship between franchising and entrepreneurship
[33:54] Distinguishing a franchise from a business chain
[37:01] The difference between R and TM trademarks
[41:15] How trademarks operate locally and internationally
[42:30] Why startups need to protect their trademarks immediately
[45:31] Devin’s goal for all his companies
Links and Resources
Book a Free Consultation with Devin
Steve's soon-to-be-published book
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Monday Mar 29, 2021
Joe Cecala is the founder and CEO of Dream Exchange, a new stock exchange that focuses on small business capital formation. He is the former CEO of Expansion Funding Partners and was part of the team that developed the first computerized trading network, ArcaEx. We discuss factors affecting small capital transactions, the Main Street Growth Act, and how Dream Exchange will impact minority-owned companies.
Timestamps
[01:10] Joe's transition from law practice into the stock exchange world
[03:10] Factors affecting small capital transactions
[07:40] Determinants that influence exchange listing fees on Dream Exchange
[09:16] Demystifying the Main Street Growth Act
[13:25] Analyzing how private placements go public through venture security
[15:48] How private companies can take advantage of public markets
[18:50] Why the Dream Exchange does not threaten private equity funds
[20:45] Ideal company sizes that will be listed on Dream Exchange
[22:16] How internal valuation affects a company's worth in public markets
[28:30] Dream Exchange's competitors and collaborators
[31:10] Limits in small capital transactions
[33:40] Why early wins will determine Dream Exchange's success
[39:20] Privacy options available on Dream Exchange
[43:03] How Joe's platform will affect minority-owned companies
Links and Resources
Oxford University's Handbook on IPOs
Steve's soon-to-be-published book
https://StevePreda.com
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Tuesday Mar 23, 2021
Lee Wochner is the CEO and creative strategist of Counterintuity, a full-service marketing agency based in Burbank, California. We discuss how to launch successful marketing campaigns, craft eye-catching messaging, and how to identify and measure social impact.
Timestamps
[01:28] Lee's entrepreneurial journey from playwriting to digital marketing
[05:08] The main messaging behind Lee's brand: Counterintuity
[08:11] How Lee built and scaled his company
[10:51] How EOS impacts a company’s growth
[12:35] Lee and his company's 10-year target
[13:56] Strategic differences between nonprofit and for-profit companies
[16:04] How to instantly grab your reader's attention
[19:05] Balancing strategy, marketing, and design
[23:16] How to conceive an identity that's unique to your client
[27:36] How to launch marketing campaigns that attract your ideal customer
[34:20] Definition of a high-performance marketing machine
[39:25] Dissecting the 'marketing for now' strategy
[43:20] How to identify and measure social impact
Links and Resources
Lee’s LinkedIn
Lee’s Website
Lee’s Marketing Whitepaper
Steve’s soon-to-be-published book
https://StevePreda.com