Onward Nation With Stephen Woessner | Interviews With Todays Top Business Owners | Careers

Gary Melling is the President and CEO of Acquired Insights, which is an artificial intelligence and machine learning company bringing new and disruptive, cross-industry, cross-functional solutions to market. His expertise has been referenced by organizations and clients such as NASA and the US Federal Reserve Bank. Gary has over 40-years of experience working in classified military defense systems, global enterprise management consulting, corporate transformations and turnarounds, business systems integration, and predictive analytics. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How growing up in a military family taught Gary to embrace change and prepared him to be a leader The background and future of artificial intelligence and how it’s disrupting a lot of businesses and industries An example of how predictive analytics, a type of artificial intelligence, is changing healthcare and helping children with cancer have better chances The aspect of his job that makes Gary excited to go to work every day Why the w

Mike Banks is the COO of Fund & Grow, providing financial and strategic advisory services to business owners and real estate investors. They help their clients obtain unsecured funding with creative 0% interest business credit lines. Fund & Grow handles all of the time-consuming work of establishing and building business credit for their clients, including developing new financial relationships, as well as structuring all legal agreements and authorizations required before beginning the credit building process. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Mike stopped going to college and got started with Fund&Grow How Mike has personally benefited from Fund&Grow, giving him the confidence to get started in real estate The way business credit works and why you should avoid using personal credit for your business Examples of ways you can use Fund&Grow for your business Repairing your credit if you need to get it higher in order to use Fund&Grow’s services Benefits you’ll get, including

Our special encore guest today is Justin Copie. Justin is the CEO of Innovative Solutions and is leading a bold move forward — instilling growth in employees and inspiring change well beyond the four walls of Innovative. Yes…the 80 people working at Innovative don’t work for him — he works for them. As CEO and leader, Justin provides safety and direction, safety in voicing opinions, trying new things, failing, and direction in where to go on the path to success. Now…you may remember Justin and the wisdom he shared during Episode 584 of Onward Nation. If you haven’t listened to, studied, and applied all he shared during his previous interview…I highly encourage you to add Episode 584 to your list of vital priorities. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Justin, as CEO, works for his employees, rather than the other way around, and what he does to create a positive working environment Principles for success Justin follows himself and teaches to his employees The way Justin navigated the most challengin

Dr. Larry Senn is a pioneer in the field of corporate culture, having conducted the world’s first research on corporate culture in 1970. As chairman and founder of Senn Delaney, a global transformational and culture-shaping organization, Larry has been on a mission to make “culture shaping” an everyday practice of companies around the world. Larry is also the best-selling author of several books, including, 21st Century Leadership, Winning Team Winning Cultures, and most recently The Mood Elevator. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How people are greatly influenced by significant adult figures in their lives and who first influenced Larry. Larry’s first entrepreneurial efforts and how they worked for him through school and then through college. The reason Larry compares many companies to dysfunctional families (with turf wars, politics, and trust issues). Larry’s connection to Walmart and its founder who envisioned bringing low-priced consumer goods to rural America. Why leaders have obligations to be

Danny Schuman is a writer, marketer, entrepreneur, and president of the marketing consultancy, Twist, which specializes in brand marketing as well as product and service innovation. Before starting Twist, Danny wrote and directed marketing campaigns that helped build iconic brands like Quaker Oatmeal, Coors Light, and Gatorade. His bestselling book “The Worst Business Model in the World: A New Kind of Guide for a New Kind of Entrepreneur” is available on Amazon. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How the big economic downturn of 2008 launched a new adventure for Danny. How crumbs from agencies Danny worked with in his corporate career become the dough for his business when he created Twist. Why Danny believes the economic downtime was actually the perfect time to go out on his own when conventional wisdom suggests otherwise. Hint! The numbers support him. Why Danny continues to operate on a “startup” model even though Twist has been in business for 10 years now. How Danny came up with the title of his

Jared Nichols is a futurist, advisor, and faculty member at the University of Tennessee’s Haslam College of Business, in Graduate and Executive Education. He is the founder of The Foresight Academy where he teaches leaders, teams, and individuals, how to think like futurists so they can create the best future possible, for themselves and the people they serve. Jared is sought out by leaders, organizations, and entrepreneurs to help them identify how emerging trends in technology, media, business, and public policy, may fundamentally change society and shape the future. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Jared responded when he came to a crossroad in his life and in his business. The way Jared was able to reach and teach more people by leveraging the tools and technology available to him. What Jared meant when he described himself as feeling misaligned in what he was doing before and what it took to realign him and his mission. Authenticity. Why Jared believes it’s so important to help you understan

Sue Hawkes helps CEOs and their leadership teams succeed. As a bestselling author, keynote speaker, and globally recognized, award-winning seminar leader, she brings over 25-years of experience to her clients. She is CEO of YESS!, founder of Ideal Coaching international, Inc., and has designed and delivered programs for thousands of people. Her most recent book, Chasing Perfection: Shatter the Illusion, Minimize Self-Doubt, & Maximize Success, is available now. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why Sue believes you’re either learning or winning in business and what that means in the grand scale of things. Overcoming imposter syndrome and why it’s so important to do just that. Why Sue believes it’s important for business owners to get what they want out of their businesses rather than feeling chained to their businesses. Hint! It can cause resentment toward the business. Even leading to fantasies of being employed. The importance of being self-aware and understand what we’re not good at, as entrepr

Dr. Alice Loy is the co-founder & CEO of Creative Startups. She has over 20 years of experience working with entrepreneurs in the creative industries. Widely considered a leading authority on entrepreneurship in the creative economy, Alice built the Creative Startups Accelerator with a vision for catalyzing high growth company formation in the under-served creative economy. Today the accelerator operates on four continents serving over 50 creative companies each year. Alice also co-authored the book, Creative Economy Entrepreneurs: From Startup to Success. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Alice defines entrepreneurship The story behind the book, Creative Economy Entrepreneurs How creative entrepreneurs are transforming the global economy The startup accelerator for creative entrepreneurs and how it works Why startups are a race against time Keys to focusing on your vital priorities The importance of building discipline in your thinking How social change happens How mentorship can accelerate s

Bianca Caban is Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Republic, a platform that connects tech startups and blockchain projects with retail investors from around the world. Prior to Republic, she worked on Wall Street for five years and also founded a consultancy, Tai — eeno Capital, where she worked with various entities on new fund infrastructure and business development. Bianca is a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers and the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How successful leadership in Rwanda, where 70 percent of parliament was comprised of women at the time inspired Bianca to invest in revitalization strategies for businesses closer to home. Why Bianca is so committed to bringing investment capital to women-owned businesses in areas that are seeking to revitalize (Detroit, Puerto Rico, etc.). Bianca’s discovery that women were the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs throughout the U.S. and how important access to capital is to

Fernando Schiantarelli is an entrepreneur, TV and radio producer and creator of “Cómo Lo Hizo”, which translates to “How did they make it?” — a podcast that focuses on helping Latino entrepreneurs in co-production with iHeart Radio in Los Angeles. What you’ll learn about in this episode: Inspiring stories of creative entrepreneurs who immigrated to other countries and were able to build successful businesses out of pure innovation and hard work Two of the most important qualities for an entrepreneur are humility and resilience Humility is required, because it’s important to understand your place in the market, how to properly approach new contacts, and where you need to go to succeed, keeping everything grounded in reality Resilience is important because there will always be naysayers who try to discourage entrepreneurs from pursuing specific goals or who are sure that an idea is doomed to failure – people you have to press past However, passion can only get you so far, and it’s important to not mistake resi

Good Morning — I’m Stephen Woessner, CEO of Predictive ROI and your host for Onward Nation. I’m excited to share the lessons and the insights of today’s episode with you — but before I do that — I wanted to take you behind the curtain to share some additional context with you around why I have been focusing my last several solocasts as well as my weekly videos on YouTube around the Trojan Horse of Sales Strategy. My decision to do this has been based on several recent conversations with business owners who are also avid Onward Nation listeners. Each of them took the time to walk me through why they thought it would be helpful if I broke down the Trojan Horse strategy into granular steps…into more detail…and…why it would be helpful if I connected it back to the actual Trojan Horse story so the strategic metaphor that I am making when I say “Your Trojan Horse of Sales” could be better established. To say that I was grateful for their feedback is a major understatement. I say often how much I value your feedback

Shannon Miles is the CEO and Co-founder of BELAY, a staffing company serving businesses all over the U.S. Without an office, BELAY has graced the Inc. 5000 list four times — and four years in a row — and was awarded the number one spot in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Company Culture. Shannon’s new book The Third Option: Why a Woman Doesn’t Have to Choose Between a Career and Family, but Can Actually Have Both and Succeed is available now. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The story behind how Shannon and her husband started their business, BELAY How having the right help can help you grow your organization Why it’s vital to ensure that your team is happy Why it’s not wise to satisfy other people’s perceptions of you Why business owners need to consider what working remotely would look like for them Why Shannon was compelled to write her book, The Third Option The importance of having the mindset that you don’t have to do it alone Why you need to assign value to your time The power that comes from shif

Our special encore guest today is Jody Steinhauer. Jody is the Founder, President and CBO (Chief Bargain Officer) of the Bargains Group — an award-winning discount wholesale and promotional products company. She is also the founder of Engage and Change — a national charity focusing on “good people working together for the good of people.” — and Kits for a Cause, a social enterprise that helps companies make a positive impact in their communities. Now…you may remember Jody and the wisdom she shared during Episodes 20 and 364. If you haven’t listened to, studied, and applied all she shared during her two previous interviews…I highly encourage you to add Episodes 20 and 364 to your list of vital priorities. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The rise of social enterprise, or finding out how businesses can help fix problems in society while also being business – a concept that Jody’s company has been practicing for 30 years How businesses can help society in specific ways without being a charity and consta

Peter Mehit is the Owner and Chief Operating Officer of Custom Business Planning and Solutions. After a successful career in the Fortune 100, he has helped over 2,500 clients start, grow and expand their businesses and has written business plans that have raised over $160 million. He is also the co-author of Killer Business Plan, a book that can help you choose the business that is right for you. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The reason Peter stepped away from Fortune 100 and what he decided to do instead How Peter’s life completely changed after he said “no” to his boss Why small businesses are so important and how Peter helps them succeed One of the obstacles to success in today’s day and age and Peter’s technique to overcome this Examples of simple systems that can help you make the most out of each day What a good, usable business plan looks like along with the most important question you need to answer to guide your plan The types of businesses investors are interested in How to get your busi

Molly Grubb is the President and founder of Grubb Wealth Management, an exclusive wealth management firm that helps business owners gain control of their business in order to allow them to realize their purpose and build personal wealth through a well-defined process. She is one of only 200 Certified Business Exit Consultants and less than 7 percent of advisors that utilize all the fundamentals of wealth management. Molly has been a featured speaker and presenter at many professional organizations and business groups. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How nothing improves you more as a person than being a business owner Working with the people you know vs. the experts you need How to prepare your business for a market decline Key ways to free up your wealth within your business Why it’s vital to have a process for everything The one question that you should ask yourself, as a business owner What you can do to ensure that your business is serving you instead of you serving your business Common mistakes

Sam Silverstein is founder and CEO of Sam Silverstein Enterprises, Inc., an accountability think tank dedicated to helping companies create an organizational culture that prioritizes and inspires accountability. He’s a leadership keynote speaker, business advisor, and author of seven books including Non-Negotiable, No More Excuses, Making Accountable Decisions, No Matter What, and The Success Model. Global Gurus recently announced Sam as one of the World’s Top 30 Organizational Culture Professionals. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Sam came to the realization that everything comes down to accountability Why focus is a vital trait to have in business Why you need to pay attention to staying in your lane How to make your product even more valuable The real problem in organizations today Why everything we’ve been told about accountability is wrong How all rises and falls with leadership The importance of aligning your actions with your words The real value of relationships, family, and caring for p

At age 40, Gary Wilson retired as the corporate vice president of mergers & acquisitions from a national bank — and then embarked on building his wealth in real estate. In his first 6 months after earning real estate license, he created a six figure income by working with investors. He has since traded over 3,000 investment properties, written five books sharing his expertise so others in the business can do the same, and has taught his Path to Prosperity System to over 14,000 agents and investors across the country. Gary has appeared on over 100 national and local media outlets including CBS, FOX News, NBC, ABC, and Business Week. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Gary got involved in real estate in a small way which quickly grew in a large regional business – which wasn’t entirely satisfying How finding passion later in life can be a great way to kickstart your career and become a happier person overall with a little thought How important localization is when selling real estate Gary’s exper

John Furth is the President of Furth & Associates where he works with leadership teams to achieve breakthrough performance and growth. He has spent 25-years working with CEOs and their C-suite executives at some of the largest corporations in the world. In 2015, John became Vistage’s Chair for Brooklyn, a role which allows him to draw on his experience and extensive network to coach and advise CEOs and business owners of NYC-based small and medium-sized companies. John is also author of the new book, “Owning Tomorrow: The Unstoppable Force of Disruptive Leadership.” What you’ll learn about in this episode: Why you need to first learn how to disrupt yourself before you can disrupt others How the things we don’t know can disrupt our lives How John came up with the title for his book, “Owning Tomorrow: The Unstoppable Force of Disruptive Leadership” Why most successful disruptors make a ton of money How, in disruption, more stays the same than changes Why there is very thin line between disruption and destr

Jon Vroman inspires others to Live Life In The Front Row™ by teaching the art of moment making. He is an award-winning speaker, #1 bestselling author of The Front Row Factor, podcast host, and founder of Front Row Foundation, a charity creating front row experiences for individuals who brave life-threatening illnesses. What you’ll learn about in this episode: The “why” and the stories behind Jon’s Front Row Foundation The importance of finding ways to lift other people up The power of giving Why many men hide behind their work How changing the conversation changes the game Why you can’t measure good deeds The power of creating moments in small ways Why you need to be conscious of the story that you’re telling yourself Why it’s a natural thing to get caught up in your past Why you need to have a mindset of possibility and potential Ways to contact Jon: Website: FrontRowFactor.com Website: FrontRowDads.com Instagram: @jonvroman Facebook: www.facebook.com/jonvroman Book: Front Row Factor

Kirk Deis is the CEO of Treehouse 51, a digital agency based in Newport Beach and the new web app “The Bug Squasher,” designed to simplify and streamline project communication and website management. Kirk has worked with clients all over the world and has been a featured contributor for several sites including Forbes. What you’ll learn about in this episode: One of the biggest lessons that Kirk has learned on his entrepreneurial journey Why having a beginning, middle, and end to a story is so important The importance of being confident and okay with failure Why you need to always be focusing on business development The value of focusing on building a team of talented people and providing an environment where they can grow Why you need to strive to always be a student of your industry Why you should always be testing your marketing Why you shouldn’t underestimate the value of free Why it’s critical to take risks when things are tough Passing the DUMB test before spending money on something Ways to contact Ki