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

Cathy Mendell has an extensive background in business development and growth management. Her roles have included 25-years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 company. Additionally, she has been a founder and Vice President of Sales in two startup companies. Cathy has taken her passion for business growth to a new level in assisting individuals in their financial success. Cathy is also the Fundraising Chair for The Orphanages of Kenya. She is responsible for the funding resources of the orphanage — and through her efforts — 36 children now have a home to call their own, loving guardians, medical care, and are receiving an education.   Secret – timesaving technique Cathy keeps the main thing the main thing – don’t get distracted. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Find your quiet time – Cathy gets up early and focuses. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Cathy had to back away from her business – and Cathy tells the whole story here. Most critical skil

Patricia Fripp is one of the few professional speakers who can transform the presentation skills of others — she is an executive speech coach and sales presentation skills trainer. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance wrote that “one of the best investments in your career is Patricia’s presentation skills training.” She is now virtually everywhere with her interactive training, FrippVT.com.   Secret – timesaving technique Patricia is disciplined – and she lives a good, clean life. ONWARD! Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “You need to be able to tell your story effectively – answer the question of what do yo do in an interesting and not a dull, predictable way.” Most influential lesson learned from a mentor “Don’t concentrate on making a lot of money – concentrate on becoming the type of person people want to do business with and you most likely will make money.”     Final Round – “Breaking Down the Recipe for Success”   How do you make the audience the hero of the presenta

Anthony is the Managing Director of B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy, a boutique sales coaching and consulting firm. Anthony works with Fortune 500 sales organizations like Accenture, Abbott Laboratories, and CH Robinson. He helps companies produce increase sales by improving individual sales representative performance, providing tools and methodologies for more effective sales management, and through executive level coaching to senior managers. Anthony is a prolific writer, posting daily to his personal blog: The Sales Blog, which was named the #1 sales blog in the world in 2010. Anthony was named one of the 50 most influential people in sales and marketing in 2012. He also publishes a bi-monthly column in the Think Sales Journal and is a Contributing Editor at SUCCESS Magazine.   Secret – timesaving technique Anthony spends Saturday organizing his life and Sunday planning his week – be proactive, not reactive. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Have coffee and head to the gym – Anthony creates

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media.   Good Morning, Onward Nation…I’m Stephen Woessner. Since the advent of the commercial Internet…I have collected tens of thousands of data points that have given me the ability to identify what I call the 8 Money Draining Mistakes. These are the things that literally cause a business website – like yours – to leak serious money every day. You may remember that I mentioned the Money Draining Mistakes during episode #68…but we didn’t have time to dig deep. So for today’s solocast, I decided to loop back around and dedicate today’s episode toward how to fix one of the most expensive mistakes. It’s Money Draining Mistake #5…and I call it “Not Knowing Your Customer.” I am excited to share this strategy and recipe with you because every time

Payman Taei is the founder of Visme and HindSite Interactive. In late 2001 he started creating websites for businesses to pay his way through college. With $170 and a vintage Pentium processor in the corner of a small apartment, over the last 14 years he grew HindSite to a stable award winning web consulting company with two profitable divisions; a web consulting firm and a Software as a Service (Visme) which allows 250,000 businesses and individuals to create professional presentation and infographics right in their browser.   Secret – timesaving technique Payman has a daily task/goal list to stay focused – be productive every day. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Be consistent – Payman sees success by keeping clear, consistent goals in sight. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Payman’s nine-month developed product wasn’t being used – and Payman tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “

Dr. Marcie Beigel has been redesigning behavior for professionals, families, schools, and businesses for over 15 years. Her specialty is engaging with behaviors directly and giving clear and insightful directives to clients ­­ who are oftentimes ­­ business owners looking for balance at home to help create balance at work or new approaches to become better leaders. Her approach is heartfelt, but filled with tough love. You can get her weekly behavior newsletter at BehaviorAndBeyond.net. Dr. Marcie is also featured on NBC's Parenting Toolkit.   Secret – timesaving technique Dr. Marcie delegates tasks so that she has the time to do the things she loves – hire employees that love the tasks you don’t. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Never stop learning – Dr. Marcie continues to learn so she can share her knowledge with others. Could have ruined your business – but now – an invaluable learning experience Dr. Marcie had to completely rehaul her business model – and Dr. Marcie tells the whole story h

Cody is one of the three Founders of Advisors Excel. In 2004, after leaving a corporate job to partner with David Callanan to be financial advisors, they decided there was an opportunity in the marketplace. So, in 2005, along with Derek Thompson, they formed Advisors Excel. Currently, Cody plays an integral part in the development and execution of the revolutionary marketing and training systems that Advisors Excel continues to bring to the table for their advisors. Advisors Excel has become one of the fastest growing insurance marketing organizations in the country, and their story has been featured in SUCCESS Magazine, Cody was interviewed by Darren Hardy publisher of SUCCESS who also profiled Advisors Excel in his latest book The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster. Cody and his organization were also featured in Tony Robbins' #1 New York Times bestselling book, Money -- Master the Game.   Secret -- timesaving technique Cody focuses on three priorities that align with their organizational model. ONWARD! Daily habi

Misty is the founder, president, and energized force behind More Than Just Great Dancing. Her mantra that drives her and her team of 39 is “We don’t teach kids to make great dancers, we teach dance to make great kids.” Misty’s studio is frequently recognized as one of the best in the dance studio industry. Her Performance Companies have performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, on Carnival Cruise Lines, and at Walt Disney World. Misty is a sought after mentor, speaker, and recently shared her business methods as a guest blogger for SUCCESS.com.   Secret -- timesaving technique Don’t look in the rearview mirror -- look forward -- make a calendar -- own your time. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Misty likes to wake up early -- eat the biggest frog first and everything else will become much easier. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Misty opened a second location after quick success -- and Misty tells the whole story here. Most criti

Hamid is addicted to the high of making products that people love to use. Sometimes, the users even pay for them, which is how he funds his enormously high cost of body-hair removal. Along the way, he’s made a couple of companies including Axosoft and Pure Chat and has helped Arizona’s tech scene create its voice with AZTechBeat.com. He’s passionate not only about achieving financial success in business but also success in health and wellness as an owner and also for his employees.   Secret -- timesaving technique Hamid tries to focus on one task at a time -- don’t get caught up in the daily complexities that tie business owners down. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Coffee! Hamid drinks three cups a day to refuel his energy reserve -- it’s a great decision-making partner. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Hamid learned through experimentation -- and Hamid tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be

Mike Kawula is the CEO of Social Quant, a tool that helps entrepreneurs increase their marketing impact on Twitter. Michael has started and sold several businesses with his most recent being ranked the 144th fastest growing company by Inc. Magazine. He’s an author of Social Media book “Connect”, has been featured in 100’s of publications & media outlets and has been interviewed by Anthony Robbins & the late Chet Holmes.   Secret -- timesaving technique Michael makes a list of activities -- and circles a few vital priorities to tackle in the morning. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Look at analytics -- measuring your activity can be a very effective way to gauge progress. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Michael’s primary account was frozen due to the rapid success of his online business -- and Michael tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “Business owners should consider f

Get ready to have your thinking challenged and expanded as you learn from an internationally recognized leadership expert. Mark is a bestselling author and noted authority on leadership, service and extraordinary performance. His bestselling book “The Fred Factor”, which sold more than 2 million copies to date has established him as the expert on turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, in business and in life. Mark is an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis. He is featured by Crestcom in DVD-based training taught in 90 countries. His list of 2,500+ clients include Harley-Davidson, Costco, Cisco, ESPN, First Data, and many others.   Secret -- timesaving technique Mark reverse engineers his priorities by looking at the accomplishments for an organization then peeling back the steps. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Think proactively -- don’t get caught up within burdensome reactions during the workday. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience

Howard Partridge grew up on welfare in Mobile, Alabama and left home at 18. He arrived in Houston, Texas on a Greyhound bus with only 25 cents in his pocket. At age 23, he started his first business out of the trunk of his car and built it up to a multi-million dollar enterprise. He has owned 9 small businesses altogether and owns 4 companies at the time of this printing. He is president of Phenomenal Products, Inc. which helps small business owners stop being slaves to their businesses by transforming it into a predictable, profitable, turnkey operation. For the past two decades, Howard has helped small business owners around the world dramatically improve their businesses. He currently has coaching members in 97 industries and 7 countries. Howard Partridge is a #1 Amazon.com best selling author of four books. He has led hundreds of seminars, webinars, workshops and holds his own live multi-day events which have featured some of America's top business trainers including John Maxwell, Michael Gerber, Bob Burg

16 Years ago, Bryan took the leap to being accountable for his own results! After coming close to bankruptcy twice, and co-raising 4+ children, Bryan and his team are now celebrating The Results Group’s 10th year in business! The Results Group is the Master Distributor in North America for Innermetrix. His team supports clients across the US with a psychometric suite of tools that provide business owners and executives with insights into the most valuable asset in their company, THEIR PEOPLE! Bryan’s organization empowers clients to do what every consultant wishes they could do…GET RESULTS! Bryan’s team instructs and supports all of the HR Managers and VPs to get results immediately at the point of incident versus waiting to talk later. As you will hear in Bryan’s voice and throughout this conversation — he is passionate about helping people get better results more often with less energy!   Secret -- timesaving technique Productivity is derived from unwavering performance -- continual learning is essential. O

Croft believes that if a leader wants a different result, if they want to create a different future for their organization, change begins with them. Croft Edwards passion is coaching clients to reach for #LeadershipFlow - a heightened state of being which in turn produces peak performance at critical moments. His methodology has evolved over many years of leadership in the military, and coaching business leaders and teams. His approach begins with Self Mastery, where clients develop a clear understanding of themselves and what is masking their authentic nature. A powerful synthesis of language, moods and emotion, and history are developed through three systems of action Croft calls: Visioning the Future Cultivating other Leaders and Teams Creating Culture and Expanding Capacity A key result of #LeadershipFlow coaching is an increase in his client's capacity to navigate inevitable changes and crises. Since 2001 Croft has coached hundreds of individuals, from leaders and executives, to boots-on-the-ground tea

Laurie is Thomas College’s 5th President, and the first female and alumna, to lead the College in its 120-year history. From 2004 - 2012, Laurie served as President and CEO of the Maine Development Foundation. Prior to MDF, Laurie served three governors as the Maine State Economist and before joining state government, she served as the Corporate Economist at Central Maine Power Company. Laurie frequent author and speaker on leadership, education, and the economy in the state of Maine. Laurie also has a passion for workforce development and job readiness so the graduates leaving Thomas College are ready and well able to deliver the most value possible to their employers — or — perhaps start their own businesses.   Secret -- timesaving technique Make a list of accomplishments -- try to stay within your framework to reach those specific goals. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Laurie writes down five things she’s grateful for each day -- ending the day with an attitude of gratitude helps you sleep

With her passion for problem solving and quest for continuous improvement, Christine works with businesses, brands, communities, and individuals to help build their path to success. As the only Certified Brand Strategist in New England, Christine is driven to discover her clients unique position, put a stake in the ground, and build programs to support company goals. She founded the agency over 20 years ago to help her clients solve business problems with creativity. Prior to smith&jones, Christine worked for New York City ad agencies from creative boutiques to global firms. She took the good (amazing creative and incredible service), left the bad (bureaucracy, expensive sandwiches), and started up her own agency back in Sturbridge where she grew up. In addition to the many creative awards bestowed upon her agency, Christine has also been named Business Person of the Year by her local Chamber of Commerce and one of Central Massachusetts Outstanding Women In Business by the Worcester Business Journal. Chri

Laura Henderson is a successful technology executive who first made her mark in the industry as the General Manager of TEKLYNX Americas, Inc., the leading global provider of barcode and label software. As a strategic, results-oriented leader with a keen ability to create high-performing operating cultures, Laura consistently achieved double-digit top and bottom-line growth at TEKLYNX. After nearly two decades of success leveraging technological advancements for the betterment of businesses across a variety of industries, her marriage to a special education teacher, and being the mother of five children, Laura recognized a need for technological advancements in an entirely different area — the gap between education and 21st century skills. So Laura set out to close the gap with the 2014 launch of a personalized learning software application called Epiphany Learning.   Secret -- timesaving technique Laura empowers others so that they can focus on a single vision, which eliminates major distractions. ONWARD! Dai

Steve Fry is the co-founder of three companies over the past 19 years under the umbrella of Spindustry...Spindustry Digital, a digital marketing agency (in 2013 named the top place to work in Iowa by the Des Moines Register... Spindustry Staffing, a professional services staffing company...and Spindustry Training, an IT training center. The Spindustry team achieved both Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 recognition several times for these businesses and a variety of other "Bests" in their industry.   Secret -- timesaving technique Steve prioritizes by making a basic list, which helps manage the flow of the workday. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Steve has found great success by learning to network and service the local community. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Steve experienced a prolonged slowdown -- and Steve tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner needs to understand ho

Sharon Toerek is Principal of Toerek Law, a national intellectual property and marketing law firm focused on helping professionals in the advertising, marketing and creative services industries protect and monetize their intellectual capital, and manage the legal implications of their marketing and advertising work. Toerek is also a frequent speaker to professional organizations, advertising agencies, in-house marketing teams, on marketing industry legal issues.   Secret -- timesaving technique Sharon prepares for tomorrow with a tactical pen to paper approach, which has a calming effect. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Sharon takes the time to call her family on a daily basis -- it is a great way to show you care. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Sharon had to learn to make timely decisions -- and Sharon tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner needs to learn to co

Good Morning, Onward Nation…Stephen Woessner here. I am going to continue the solocast momentum that was started last week in episode 65 with today’s episode – episode 68. I am pleased to report that last week’s solocast went well – despite making me uncomfortable and really pushing my comfort zone – smiling – so I am going move onward with gusto and record a new solocast once a week so I can really dig deep into a topic or a business issue. I will then share strategies and ideas that we have tested and applied in our companies so you have the same opportunity to apply those recipes into your business. As I prepare for each of these solocasts…I think about you…and what I hope will be the result outcome for you as a result of listening. So here it is – for this episode – my hope for you is that this episode will help bring into focus the 6 Vital Metrics controlling your growth. More specifically…here’s what we will cover during this episode. 1) We are going to define some terminology like Vital Priorities, Vi