Interviews with CEOs and Entrepreneurs about the frameworks they are using to build and scale their businesses.
Episodes
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Randy Gage is a thought-provoking, rags to riches entrepreneur who has published 14 books in 25 different languages including the New York Times bestseller Risky is The New Safe.
Time Stamps
[02:16] How Randy Gage built his speaking and writing business
[04:55] Randy’s entrepreneurial journey
[06:30] The power of leverage
[07:39] Trading hours for money
[08:55] How Randy accidentally became a speaker
[12:05] Understanding the principles of prosperity
[13:58] Applying the principles of prosperity to a pandemic world
[16:32] How to adapt when faced with life’s challenges
[18:07] Leveraging time
[20:19] Risky is the new safe
[22:43] How to question the premise
[25:26] How to dominate your market
[27:58] The relationship between storytelling and business growth
[30:05] Envision possibilities
[33:05] The three things your potential customer is struggling with
[34:22] The radical rebirth
[36:59] Companies do not evolve until the people running them evolve
[40:30] The radical part of evolution
[45:22] Making incremental changes and living your best life
Links and Resources:
Randy’s book: Risky is the New Safe
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Monday Dec 28, 2020
Chad Willardson is the founder and CEO of Pacific Capital, a fiduciary wealth management firm, the co-founder of The Draft Sports Complex, and twice-elected City Treasurer of Corona, California. He recently published Stress-Free Money: Overcome These Seven Obstacles to Find Financial Freedom, which already accumulated 89 five-star reviews on Amazon.
Time Stamps
[00:53] Chad’s professional background and why he started his company
[03:10] The evolution of Pacific Capital since its inception
[06:55] How Pacific Capital is different from other wealth management firms
[08:40] Financial health checks and recommendations for financial robustness
[10:52] Major money mistakes that people make
[13:03] How Pacific Capital helped an entrepreneur find clarity
[15:59] Pacific Capital’s big and small client services
[17:58] Levels of diversification and asset classes
[20:58] Advice for high-risk investment
[22:49] The effect of low interest rates on investment
[25:07] What to look for in a fiduciary advisor
[26:58] Chad’s mentors and influences
Links and Resources:
Chad Willardson’s LinkedIn Profile
Chad Willardson’s book Stress-Free Money
https://StevePreda.com
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Dr. Kelly Henry is a customer experience consultant who founded and ran the Henry Chiropractic Clinic for 20 years. By using a system based approach to customer service, he was able to catapult HCC into a leading organization in its field. His book, Define and Deliver Exceptional Customer Service, will launch in January 2021.
Timestamps
[01:16] Dr. Kelly's journey to becoming an expert in customer service
[03:25] Defining exceptional customer service
[05:09] Two key principles of customer service
[06:51] How to improve customer experience in 3 simple ways
[10:21] Why businesses don’t deliver good customer service
[12:04] Common misconceptions about customer service
[13:29] Metrics and tools to measure customer service
[16:55] Companies that provide excellent customer service
[18:50] Common mistakes businesses make when trying to improve
[21:03] The 5% bump
[25:06] How to maintain customer service quality
[26:59] Dr. Kelly’s business frameworks in growing his business
[28:56] Develop a good team atmosphere because your employees are assets
[31:49] Customer acquisition through referrals and loyalty
[33:38] Improving ease of convenience for customers
[36:10] How to communicate and solve problems with customers
[40:10] There is no failure, only feedback
Links and Resources
Dr. Kelly Henry’s Website
Dr. Kelly Henry’s LinkedIn Page
Dr. Kelly Henry’s Email
Dr. Kelly Henry’s book
TractionEquity.com
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Charles Read is a serial payroll entrepreneur and the CEO of GetPayroll. He is also the founder of Custom Payroll Associates and Payroll On A Budget and has over 40 years of experience in the industry. Charles is a US Tax Court Practitioner and a United States Marine Corps veteran.
Time Stamps
[01:14] Charles’ professional background and why he started his own company
[03:05] Charles’ entry into the payroll industry
[04:34] The move from Payroll On A Budget to GetPayroll
[06:52] The appeal of the payroll business
[08:38] How Charles helps businesses beat the IRS
[14:36] The difference between employees and contractors
[18:28] The true expense of using PEOs
[20:32] How the pandemic is changing how employees and businesses think about work
[25:08] Advice for new entrepreneurs incorporating a business
[27:35] Major mistakes that businesses make
[29:45] The tax implications of skipping W-2 income
[32:36] Charles’ tips for avoiding employment tax penalties
Links and Resources:
Charles Read’s LinkedIn Profile
Charles Read's The Payroll Book: A Guide for Small Businesses and Startups (Amazon)
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Dec 07, 2020
Monday Dec 07, 2020
In this episode, I interview Justin Goldston, a senior managing director at Nestell and Associates, a strategy consulting firm, and a five times TEDx speaker on emerging technologies. He is a Professor at Penn State University on Project Management and Supply Chain Management. We discuss how you can harness emerging technologies to grow entrepreneurial companies of any size.
Time Stamps
[01:02] The importance of technology in small and medium size enterprises
[02:05] How technology can help you make better decisions in your business
[03:52] The tools to use during business process automation
[07:42] Defining digital transformation maturity
[10:10] The augmented intelligence age
[11:09] The Agile mindset
[12:47] Why the Agile method works best in startups
[18:28] The difference between the Agile and the Waterfall approach
[20:15] The Hybrid project management approach
[20:40] The downside to the Agile approach
[22:06] Implementing Lean Six Sigma in a privately owned business
[25:03] The DMAIC approach
[27:15] Blockchains as decentralized computers
[32:37] Why blockchains are easy to implement
[34:50] How AI is used in predicting future trends
[38:08] How to harness the power of AI to make your business better
[39:40] How the chat box works and how to incorporate it into your business
[43:06] The chat box as a machine learning tool
Links and Resources
Justin Goldston’s LinkedIn Page
TractionEquity.com
https://StevePreda.com
Monday Nov 30, 2020
Monday Nov 30, 2020
In this episode, I interview Mike Lander, CEO of Piscari Limited and Chairman of Re:Signal, a consultancy agency that drives organic growth for ambitious brands, in the UK.
Time Stamps
[01:16] Mike's entrepreneurial journey
[02:25] Mike's transition from freelancing to entrepreneurship
[04:49] How Mike managed to buy his first company
[07:48] Why timing is an integral part of every company's success
[08:50] Mike's first managerial steps in a new company
[11:44] How to implement a diversification strategy
[12:43] The importance of investing in sectors you completely understand
[17:47] How Mike sold his school business
[19:43] How to grow an ambitious brand
[21:38] Why you need to manage your emotions during negotiations
[23:18] Things to watch out for at the negotiation table
[25:09] Delivering quality while driving value
[27:55] Mike's business strategy model and how he ran his business
[29:52] Coaching versus mentorship
[32:10] The most invaluable framework in Mike's business toolkit
[38:01] Why finding your niche makes it hard for people to compete against you
[39:53] Mike's advice to his younger self
[42:40] The importance of having mentors
Links and Resources:
Mike Lander’s LinkedIn profile
TractionEquity.com
https://StevePreda.com
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
Tuesday Nov 24, 2020
In this episode, I interview Steve Anderson, publisher of a leading industry newsletter on how to maximize your technology in investment and insurance. He recently published a best-selling book titled, The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles To Grow Your Business Like Amazon.
Time Stamps
[00:55] How Steve utilized his insurance expertise to successfully write a book about Amazon
[01:29] The biggest risk businesses take is actually not taking enough risks
[03:18] What makes Jeff Bezos unique
[04:33] Taking calculated risks while protecting your downside
[06:10] How Amazon employees get more focus by being obsessed with their customers
[08:56] Jeff Bezos’ long-term thinking
[10:20] Amazon’s business management blueprint
[13:09] Growth principles that can really help grow small to medium-sized businesses
[15:17] What Amazon does to create Jim Collins’s “flywheel effect”
[18:51] The four key growth cycles that every successful company is constantly moving through
[21:30] How to simplify complexity
[25:33] The high-velocity decision-making process
[27:53] The essence of having small teams
[28:34] The two types of decisions in Amazon
[30:45] Amazon’s hiring process
[32:35] The main idea behind the customer experience pillar
[35:40] Jeff Bezos’ commitment to zero emissions and driving change
Links and Resources:
The Bezos Letters: 14 Principles to Grow Your Business Like Amazon
TractionEquity.com
https://StevePreda.com
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
Thursday Nov 12, 2020
In this episode, I interview Ben Feferman, the CEO and co-founder of Amuka eSports which is Canada’s leader in esports venues, leagues and tournaments. His firm also raises capital for fast growing esports businesses, and Ben is the co-founder of Canada's first and only incubator for esports-related companies.
Time Stamps
[01:20] Ben’s professional background and why he started his own company
[03:00] The evolution of esports: how video games became a competitive spectator sport
[05:42] Building community through esports
[07:24] Gamifying the workplace as a team building practice
[08:26] What an esports-facilitation business model looks like
[09:45] How the pandemic has reshaped the esports industry
[15:06] The upside of transitioning to virtual operations
[16:13] Trial and error in the esports business model
[17:47] How Ben divides his time between his ventures
[19:01] Using acquihire to build a team
[22:10] The size and potential of the Esport market
[24:14] Ben’s forecast for mobile gaming and VR esports
[25:42] Next steps for Amuka Esports
[26:45] Celebrity investments in esports teams
[29:16] Professional esports league models
[30:46] The challenges of transient popularity in esports
[32:10] Fostering creativity through lateral organisation at Amuka Esports
Links and Resources:
Ben Feferman’s LinkedIn profile
Ben Ferferman’s Twitch channel
https://StevePreda.com
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
In this episode, I interview Steve Deller, Founder and CEO of Virid, a business that helps retailers navigate ecommerce best practices.
Time Stamps
[01:00] Steve’s professional background and why he started his own company
[03:40] How his company has evolved in the past 20 years
[04:36] The unique features of a company that offers both professional services and technology products
[06:36] Combining consulting and software implementation
[10:46] How might ecommerce evolve in the future
[12:36] How retailer websites can compete with Amazon
[14:57] The main challenges Virid faced, and how they overcame them
[18:11] Overhead challenges when transitioning from services to software
[19:14] Steve’s role models and what he learnt from them
[20:41] Why Virid implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System
[23:52] How EOS helped Virid’s business
[28:04] Advice that Steve would give to his twenty-year-old self
[31:08] How to diagnose issues with clients’ ecommerce platforms
Links and Resources:
Steve Deller's LinkedIn profile
Join a webinar with Steve Preda
Book a free consultation with Steve Preda
https://StevePreda.com
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
In this episode, I interview Debbie Tyler, Vistage Chair and CEO Coach who is a former CEO of TakeCharge Technologies and holds several board positions, including at Arcitell, the Center for Innovation and Development, and MindShare, a network of technology companies in the D.C. area.
Time Stamps
[00:53] Debbie’s childhood business and her journey to becoming a CEO and coach.
[01:39] Why its people are the most critical asset for a company
[05:21] The importance of strong leadership in tech companies
[07:14] The challenge of finding customers and how companies can overcome it
[10:49] The importance of finding employees who fit the culture of your business
[16:46] Why Debbie transitioned from running a business to helping other people run businesses
[21:22] Why difficult conversations are welcome among high-performing people
[23:51] Why curiosity is the key to good coaching
[26:28] How to set goals with people that you are coaching
[30:06] How having a common shared goal and alignment can help a company succeed
[36:45] Advice that Debbie would give to her 20-year-old self
[37:51] The importance of being in the moment
[41:46] Lessons that Debbie learnt from her parents and grandparents
[45:38] Famous leaders who inspired her
[47:40] How her parents would describe what she does for a living
[48:33] How to reach out to Debbie
Links and Resources:
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
Book a free consultation with Steve
https://StevePreda.com