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

Jane Park is the President and co-owner of Belle Destination Weddings & Events, Inc., a luxury wedding planning and design firm based on the island of Maui. Jane began her event planning career in 2005. After working in the industry for another planning firm, Jane identified a lack of luxury planning & design services in the Hawaii destination event industry. Focusing on this niche, she formed Belle Destination Weddings & Events in 2008. Undeterred by the bleak state of the economy at the start of the recession, Jane began Belle with one motto, "Do things the right way the first time around", setting up her business to grow successfully. She was joined 2 years later by fellow event designer and business partner, Lena Sebag. With the addition of Lena's talents, the two catapulted Belle Destination Weddings & Events into the company that it is today. With an almost obsessive attention to detail, an emphasis for design, and a "little black book" of some of Hawaii's leading professionals, Belle qu

When Ty was 21 years old, he and his brother Scott started a business in direct sales, which they built to over $20 million in annual revenue while still in their twenties. Since that time, he has developed over 500 sales managers globally with sales and leadership in 37 countries. As a young entrepreneur, Ty continues to engage his teams focus to grow sales. He uses the power of influence and storytelling to get buy-in to the vision of growing their multimillion-dollar sales organization. With a natural ability to engage and empower others, Ty draws on his experience in the trenches to share real and tangible techniques about the principles of leadership that continue to create his success. The founder of Leadership Inc., who has been featured as one of the Top 40 Under 40, Ty is a young fresh voice providing interactive presentations that are engaging, dynamic and inspiring. His clients include some of the most recognizable brands in the world such as: Coca-Cola, Subway, Wounded Warrior Project, Blue Cross

Good Morning, Onward Nation…Stephen Woessner here… I am going to do something really different for this episode…episode 65 (and I cannot believe this is 65 already). I decided to go solo today and fly this episode without a guest.  And I did that because recently I was having a conversation with one of my mentors and he said to me…”Stephen, Onward Nation is great and it is wonderful how you always put the spotlight on the business owners – the incredible guests on your show – but I want to know more about what you think – what your path has been – tell me more about what you think about the same questions you ask your guests.” And I thought – wow – that is a really good question – but it really pushed my comfort zone. Although as I thought about his question -- I realized this would be an opportunity to add and share value with you, Onward Nation, in a completely different way. So I accepted his challenge – and depending on how this episode goes – I am planning to record a new solocast once a week where I rea

Called an “uncommonly honest author" by the Boston Globe, a "marketing guru" by The Wall Street Journal, and a sales guru by the Financial Times, Michael Port is a NY Times bestselling author of six books including Book Yourself Solid, The Think Big Manifesto and his hot new release, Steal the Show. Interestingly, he is probably the only NY Times bestselling business book author to have also been a successful professional actor, guest starring on shows like Sex & The City, Law & Order, Third Watch, All My Children and in films like The Pelican Brief and Down to Earth. These days, Michael can be seen regularly on MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS as an on-air expert in communication and business development.   Secret -- time saving technique Don’t try to do everything yourself -- create a collaborative environment at your workplace. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Michael wakes up early -- is proactive throughout the workday -- and does something special for someone in need. Could have ruined your b

Growing up in a blue-collar neighborhood, Tim sought out his fortune early, but it remained elusive. Even after bankruptcy in 1991, he persevered. In 1996, he started his umpteenth business, but this time he grew it to over 300 employees and sold it for $20 million in 2003. Now, he's bootstrapping again with his time-saving content manager, tweetjukebox.com. Having laid a tremendous groundwork through his two years on Twitter, the app is taking Twitter by storm. In 2016, the service will expand to other social media platforms as well.   Secret -- time saving technique Making a list of two or three vital priorities is the go-to timesaving technique that helps Tim move his business forward. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Tim exercises every morning, which helps him kickstart the early part of the workday. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Tim had to go through a long legal process -- and Tim tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think

Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder of Alta Growth Capital and Alta Ventures, both based in Mexico. Paul’s passion is supporting the growth of Latin America’s vibrant entrepreneur ecosystem and has invested into more than 30 promising companies focused on Mexico and Latin America. Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture backed entrepreneur and now as an investor. After directly observing the patterns of startup success and failure of more than 100 startup investments over the past 15 years, he noticed some amazing patterns of entrepreneurs that had the habit of getting it right. Paul distilled these observations on how to increase the odds of getting it right in the book Nail It then Scale It. He received his BA in Communications from Brigham Young University and received an honorary Doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Netanya, Israel.   (Part 1 airs on 9.3.15) Secret -- timesaving technique Paul focuses on a few priorities, which include getting the biggest task out of the way first. O

Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder of Alta Growth Capital and Alta Ventures, both based in Mexico. Paul’s passion is supporting the growth of Latin America’s vibrant entrepreneur ecosystem and has invested into more than 30 promising companies focused on Mexico and Latin America. Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture backed entrepreneur and now as an investor. After directly observing the patterns of startup success and failure of more than 100 startup investments over the past 15 years, he noticed some amazing patterns of entrepreneurs that had the habit of getting it right. Paul distilled these observations on how to increase the odds of getting it right in the book Nail It then Scale It. He received his BA in Communications from Brigham Young University and received an honorary Doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Netanya, Israel.   (Part 1 airs on 9.3.15) Secret -- timesaving technique Paul focuses on a few priorities, which include getting the biggest task out of the way first. O

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has spoken to more than one million people across the United States and around the world, giving them the tools they need to achieve their goals on and off the job. He is the author of award-winning book, Payoff Principle: Discover the 3 Secrets for Getting What You Want Out of Life and Work. Dr. Zimmerman is also a highly sought after speaker and works with a variety of organizations and professional associations.   Secret -- timesaving technique Dr. Zimmerman believes the only place success comes before sweat is in the dictionary. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Dr. Zimmerman puts time aside every day to conduct research and focus on writing. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Dr. Zimmerman learned to deal with difficulties -- and he tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner will find payoff if they have a purpose, passion, and a specific process.”

Kim is the best-selling author of Will The Real You Please Stand Up; Show, Up, Be Authentic, and Prosper in Social Media. She is also the CEO of Boom Social, a social selling training and consulting company that helps businesses of all sizes leverage social and digital marketing strategies to increase their traffic, leads, and sales. She is internationally recognized as a thought leader in the social media space. Forbes named her as one of the Top 10 Social Media Power Influencers and she regularly contributes to Entrepreneur.com and Huffington Post. Her own blog, KimGarst.com, is one of the top social media resources in the world.   Secret -- timesaving technique Kim makes a basic list -- making a list helps Kim manage and structure her time. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Kim wakes up with a servant based heart -- it’s about doing the right thing every day. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Kim initially struggled with the business learning curv

Joshua is an entrepreneur and speaker. He and his team build products and companies. Joshua is the founder of ChopDawg.com and has been featured on FOX, MSNBC, CBS, Technically, and Mashable.   Secret -- timesaving technique Joshua identifies his time sensitive vital priorities the night before to ensure he can move forward the next day. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Joshua likes to meditate every morning -- it’s a great way to relieve stress and remain focused. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Joshua had to figure out how to better manage clients -- and Joshua tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to have emotional stability -- don’t get too high or too low.” Most influential lesson learned from a mentor “Don’t be satisfied -- complacency will lead to your downfall -- continue to evolve.”     Final Round -- “Breaking Down the Recipe for Success”   What sys

Melinda Emerson is known as the Small Biz Lady — and is Americas #1 Small Business Expert and the author of “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Work.” She is an internationally known keynote speaker and expert on small business start-up, business development, and social media marketing. Melinda’s advice is widely read reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. And Forbes magazine named her the #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.   Secret -- timesaving technique Melinda always creates a list of five vital priorities the day before she sets out to complete each individual task. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Melinda wakes up early -- gets her vital priorities done by 11:00 am -- and even finds a way to budget time for herself. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Melinda built a business that could not run without her -- and Melinda tells the whole story here. Most critical skill

Anthony Lee Witt is the founder and creator of The Champion Entrepreneur — a top-rated podcast in iTunes and resource for entrepreneurs. He believes in challenging limitations and has spent his life looking for how he can create and provide value to others and their businesses by changing the status quo. The Champion Entrepreneur provides valuable information and resources to help others become the Champion they know that deep down inside they already are. Anthony believes that no matter who you are — there will always be struggles that attempt to hold us back from becoming the champions we were meant to be. He takes great pride in helping others overcome these struggles.   Secret -- timesaving technique Anthony creates time blocks -- which help him remain efficient throughout the workday. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Anthony wakes up early -- getting up before the kids can be a great way to remain focused. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Anth

Mark Babbitt is the co-author of A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive, an Amazon best-seller that takes an inspiring look at the impact of social media on today's business world. Mark is the CEO and Founder of YouTern, an award-winning social community for young professionals and was recently named to Inc.’s 100 Great Leaderships Speakers and to Business News Daily’s Top Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter. Mark is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Inc., and Huffington Post; his work has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Bloomberg News and many other publications and media outlets.   Secret -- timesaving technique Mark is a morning person -- kickstart your day early -- take advantage of the extra hours. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Mark takes the time to build mutually beneficial relationships with his client base -- know them on a personal level. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Mark had to

Ari Weinzweig is CEO and co-founding partner of Zingerman's Community of Businesses, which includes Zingerman's Delicatessen, Bakehouse, Creamery, Catering, Mail Order, ZingTrain, Coffee Company, Roadhouse, Candy Manufactory and the newest business, Cornman Farms. Zingerman's produces and sells all sorts of full flavored, traditional foods in its home of Ann Arbor, Michigan to the tune of $55,000,000 a year in annual sales. Ari was recognized as one of the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America by the 2006 James Beard Foundation and has awarded a Bon Appetit Lifetime Achievement Award among many recognitions. Ari is the author of a number of articles and books, including Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon (Zingerman's Press), Zingerman's Guide to Giving Great Service, Zingerman's Guide to Good Eating (Houghton Mifflin), Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 1: A Lapsed Anarchists Approach to Building a Great Business, and Zingerman's Guide to Good Leading, Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchists Approach to Being a

Josh is the founder of Social Change Nation, whose mission and passion is to provide startup social entrepreneurs with the best tools for growing their ventures. He hosts a podcast featuring interviews with the worlds leading change agents and creates online content to help startups make a dollar AND a difference. When he's not podcasting, Josh can be found cooking up the latest Paleo dish (his fiances fault), cycling all over Gods creation, and/or endeavouring to understand the mysterious ways of the universe.   Secret -- timesaving technique Get your hardest task done first thing in the morning -- this mindset will help boost productivity. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Joshua likes to exercise -- a fitness routine helps to create positive energy and motivation. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Joshua had to find a way to create valuable content -- and Joshua tells the complete story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to m

Justin Topliff is a Product Marketing Manager at Infusionsoft, one of Arizona's top tech startup success stories. He is helping change the future for 30,000 small businesses. Justin leads the product messaging and launches for Infusionsoft’s core and ancillary products and has led the marketing efforts that helped grow annual revenues by 40%. He is also the founder of ProductMarketingSummit.com, which disseminates free knowledge from over 40 of techs top product marketers and create a community for product marketers to share their tribal knowledge and learn from one another.   Secret -- timesaving technique Justin learned to say no -- avoid shiny object syndrome -- and not to juggle too many tasks at once. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Justin likes to exercise -- you can’t neglect your body -- exercise is a great way to clear your head. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Justin switched companies during a challenging time -- and Justin tells the c

Lori Highby is the owner of Keystone Click, an interactive marketing agency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since 2008, her agency has seen consistent growth. Lori is the 2013 recipient of the "Bravo! Entrepreneur Award" from BizTimes Media. She has been helping businesses market themselves online for nearly 15 years. Lori speaks and blogs on the topics of social media, e-commerce, online marketing, and entrepreneurship.   Secret -- timesaving technique Lori stays focused and remains productive due to the allocation of a diverse Post-it note system. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success Lori plans her workday every morning -- she gives herself plenty of time to focus on her vital priorities. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Lori decided to leave a full-time job -- and Lori tells the complete story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to remain focused -- don’t always chase the shiny object.”

Alan Becker is the CEO and Founder of Retirement Solutions Group, Inc., and co-founder of RSG Investments, Inc., a leader in the world of financial security for pre-retirees and retirees. With over 18 years of helping his clients learn to plan with purpose, Alan utilizes his proprietary financial tools in addition to the best available industry services.   Secret -- timesaving technique Take a few minutes of quiet time -- make a list -- try to progress through the list during the workday. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success You have to show up -- it’s pretty simple -- your presence is the first step to success. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Alan brought people into his business that he shouldn't have -- and Alan tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to be able to plan -- manage their time effectively -- and study the industry.” Most influential lesson learned

Chris Brogan is CEO of Owner Media Group, a highly sought after professional speaker, and the New York Times bestselling author of eight books and counting...including the forthcoming...Insider: Strategies and Secrets for Business Growth in the Age of Distractions. Chris has spoken for — or consulted with — Disney, Coke, Google, Microsoft, and many more. He’s appeared on the Dr. Phil Show, interviewed Richard Branson for a cover story for SUCCESS Magazine...and once...even presented to a Princess. Most importantly, Chris provides education and tools to help you make your life and your business thrive, by teaching you which actions will get you what you want. Through books, speeches, courses, and workshops, Chris is dedicated to helping you grow your capabilities and connections and to getting you to that next level of success -- no matter where you are in the process right now.   Daily habit that contributes to success Chris places emphasis on health and fitness -- it’s important to develop a daily routine. O

Leanne started her marketing agency called Stitchcraft Marketing over 5 years ago — and she did that to meet the every changing needs of the yarn and craft industries. Leanne and her team work with manufacturers within the fiber arts industry across the country to increase website traffic, build their brand and platform, and ultimately…to increase sales.   Secret -- timesaving technique Trello is a website that acts like a sticky note bulletin board -- this website helps to save a ton of time. ONWARD! Daily habit that contributes to success You have to have the right work life balance -- finding the right balance will help with focus and motivation. Could have ruined your business -- but now -- an invaluable learning experience Leanne had to rebrand her company-- and Leanne tells the whole story here. Most critical skill you think business owners need to master to be successful “A business owner has to become a leader who truly cares about every person in their circle.” Most influential lesson learned from a