Change Your Mindset

Do you know the difference between time management and energy management? If you’re a CPA, accountant or anyone that's entering their peak revenue season, this podcast is a must-listen. We have a number of tips and techniques on how to get the most energy out of ourselves and how to generate more energy when we need it. Greg Conderacci is an expert on energy management. He wrote Getting Up!: Supercharging Your Energy and rode his bicycle across the United States of America in 18 days averaging 150 miles a day. He really understands energy management. Greg believes that we should move away from those old time management techniques into a new and more productive method of managing our energy.   “We’re kinda missing the boat here in the 21st century by talking about time management time management time management when, really, I think this is the century of energy management.”   The emphasis on time management goes back a couple hundred years. When most people in the U.S. worked on farms, the day started when

Matt Horan is a professional development consultant with experience in engineering, practicing law, the Navy and management. In this episode, he explores why we need to be teaching people leadership skills earlier, before they are leaders. He also offers, possibly for the first time ever in a podcast, a good definition for “adding value.” Some people naturally want to be leaders and some people are thrust into leadership, but it doesn’t matter which camp you fall under – everybody needs to learn how to be a good leader before they can actually lead effectively. If you have never had the opportunity to lead, where do you start? Self-awareness. It's understanding your own strengths, skills, priorities, values and expectations. “If you know yourself, then you can start to lead other people because to lead people you need to set expectations with those people.” Set goals based on what you want to achieve. Find a mentor, and don’t be afraid to ask someone to be your mentor. Matt rejects the notion of “fake it ‘t

We talk about how learning improvisational skills can be a valuable tool in your continued professional education (CPE) all the time. Today, we’re learning how other comedy skills can help hone different presentation and communication skills for professionals. Greg Kyte is the Founder of Comedy CPE, a stand-up comedian, a CPA and a cartoonist. In other words: he is a standup comedian, with a niche in accounting. We go into detail about the ways in which humor helps break down barriers in the workplace to facilitate open and honest communication. We also discuss how putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, and overcoming that discomfort, can improve your performance in every aspect of our lives. “The humor that I can bring to the job really breaks down barriers, breaks down people's defenses, and it makes for some real open and honest communication – which, in the long run, really helps me be more effective at what I do.” As a special treat, Greg shares one of his biggest claims to fame as a standup: open

Today’s guest, Randy Nelson, is CEO of Gold Dolphins, LLC author of "The Second Decision: The Qualified Entrepreneur.” It’s a wonderful book that has changed the way I lead my own business. The first decision is your decision to start a business. The titular Second Decision comes in after the business is up and running smoothly. The Second Decision is whether or not you, as a Founder of a business, are the right person to run a business. The book helps you answer the question, “Am I the right person to lead this company for the next 3-5 years?” Randy defines five roles in the book – three are qualified to help run a business and two are not. The Leader is the person who is at CEO and wants to be the person to lead the company’s future. The Role Player is the person who doesn’t want to lead the company but has their own expertise, and they might fill a position like Chariman of the board. The Creator is the person who loves getting businesses off the ground, they’re a startup person, but they aren’t passionat

Bob Dean is a collaborator, innovator and talent developer. His firm, Dean Learning & Talent Advisors LLC, consults with companies on learning and development, talent management and customer experience. “I believe that learning and development needs to be a life-changing experience for people.” He is a ”Certified Experience Economy Expert” and joined the first group of professionals certified by the authors of The Experience Economy, Joseph Pine and Jim Gilmore. The book explores the opportunities that businesses have in order to create a better experience within whatever platform they’re on. Bob is passionate about virtual meetings, virtual collaboration and virtual learning – he has been ever since he saw the first virtual meeting platform in 1997 – but the PowerPoint platform has had a negative impact on both face-to-face business and virtual experiences. Bob was very excited about the potential for the virtual classroom because he envisioned subject matter experts being able to extend their reach to many,

2016 flew by faster than a european swallow, or maybe that's an African swallow? Well, in any case, on June 27th this podcast was launched with the intent to help my audience strengthen their communication and leadership skills through improvisation. I wasn't sure what I was walking into but I did tell myself that I needed to invest a year's worth of time to see if this was right for my business and I can answer that question right now with a resounding, “Yes!”   This episode includes a short review of the past 29 episodes and my favorite quotes. For more information and to see all the quotes, visit my website: PeterMargaritis.com/podcasts   Resources: Want to be a guest? Send me an email: Peter (at) PeterMargaritis.com Gaitten Wellness Listen to the cbuzz podcast (hosted by Dan Swartwout) Trusty & Company: Website | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn College Bound Advantage Gratitude Marketing by Mike Sciortino Stop Knocking on my Door: Drama Free HR by Karen Young Accounting Dreams and Delusions: Scenes From

Today’s guest, Dr. Jay Young, just launching College Bound Advantage to provide more value and information to any college applicants, and their families, in the Ohio area. At College Bound Advantage, Jay will use his 20 years of academic experience and months of in-depth campus research to provide applicants with a trail map and all of the information they will need to make the best decision. His expertise and knowledge is only $549 – well under the $3,000 it costs, on average, to hire a college consultant. “People look for colleges but it's really like hiking without a trail map.” When people apply to colleges, they are often going into the experience somewhat blind. College consultants and school counselors have a keen understanding of the academic timeline and the best strategies for applying to a college, but they don’t necessarily know about academic programs. Jay’s primary focus is on academic programs. He’s interested in the ways that they are connected to each other and the kinds of opportunities they

Today’s guest on the show is Jamie Richardson, the Vice President of Government and Shareholder relations at White Castle Systems, Inc., the Chairman of the Ohio Restaurant Association, and a family-owned business advocate. “It's 95 years ago that the epicenter of all cravings was launched, and we’re going better and bigger and having more fun than ever.” White Castle is celebrating its 95th birthday this year – and its 95th year as a family-owned business. Jamie is an advocate for family-owned businesses. He believes it is important for family-owned businesses to share their story with thought leaders and lawmakers, whether that's at the state level or the federal level, to ensure that lawmakers consider the impact that new policies might have on family-owned businesses. Jamie believes that family businesses are unique in a number of ways. “They are very distinctive… because a lot of the the businesses that are known for treating their team members well… tend to be family businesses.” Being family-owned giv

Today on Improv Is No Joke I am talking to Janis R. Cohen, a licensed clinical social worker and author of The Intuitive Therapist. She has been a practicing therapist for the past 25 years, but eight years ago her practice changed dramatically when Janis’ intuitive and psychic skills opened up and her practice completely shifted. Janis is a clairvoyant, an empath and a medium.   Janis’ goal in life is to teach other people. She wrote The Intuitive Therapist because she wants therapists to know how to do what she does so that they can help their clients faster and more effectively. It offers both professionals and laypeople effective strategies for getting in touch with the major driving system within them – their intuition.   “I am addicted. I am obsessed with helping people end their pain and suffering.”   She also wants to provide real, tried-and-true strategies about how to problem-solve on your own. She will do whatever it takes to help her clients achieve happiness, and all of that together was the imp

I spent 10 years in higher education, with eight of those years at The Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio. One of the great benefits of being a professor is seeing your students graduate and start developing wonderful careers. Today, I’m excited to be joined by one of my former students, Ashley Matthews, Senior Tax Manager at Rea & Associates. A constant struggle in public accounting is that work is always being added, but never subtracted – and this issue was exacerbated by the economic downturn in 2008. Public accounting practices became leaner and hiring slowed down to a crawl. The result is a gap in experienced senior managers, because there were so few new hires 5-8 years ago. CPAs rising in the industry need to be adaptable and maintain an open line of communication with the people they work for, in addition to their clients. “I found that you have to be stern and you have to mean what you say in order to be taken seriously. People have a tendency to pile on and see how much you'll take, and so

Welcome to the Improv is No Joke podcast. Today’s guest is Bill Sheridan, the Maryland Association of CPAs’ Chief Communications Officer, editor, and resident social media cheerleader. He is creator and co-author of the association’s acclaimed blog, CPA Success; Certified Association Executive and thought leader at the Business Learning Institute; and manager of the association’s numerous social networks. Today we’re talking about what Bill sees on the horizon for information and technology, and how CPAs and other business professionals will need to adapt as technology changes. “I see a lot of change. It's going to get crazy, and it's going to get crazy really, really fast.” In 1965, Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel, observed that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits had doubled every year since their invention – or, more simply, the processing speed of computer technology is doubling every year. This observation is called Moore’s Law, and 51 years later it still holds true. “It's

Welcome to the Improv is no Joke podcast! Today’s guest, Brette Rowley, is a coach, educator, marketer and entrepreneur. She spent five years as a marketer before starting her own business, Brette Rowley Coaching, which leverages her experience as a business and marketing consultant in the corporate world to help young, professional job seekers brand and position themselves for success in a crowded job market. I met Brette when she was working as a Marketing Consultant and Accounts Manager at Advantage Media Group, which is the publisher of my book. When she joined the company, there was a renewed emphasis in how they could use books to help their authors really take the next step in their business and really grow their businesses. She helped authors use their books as a tool to achieve their goals. “I like to joke that I was a little bit of an accountability partner, a little bit therapist, a little bit strategist when I was on the phone with my client.” Brette and Advantage Media Group have done a great job

In today’s episode I sit down and talk to two long-time business partners, great friends and excellent marketers. Claudia and Tom Trusty are the co-owners of Trusty & Company, a full-service marketing partner that maintains a diverse clientele ranging from brick and mortar retail to healthcare providers to a popular online knitter (and, of course, they only work with the best professional speakers).   “Marketing is really about communication and so we use whatever tools and resources that we can develop that help our clients connect with their audience.” –Claudia Trusty   Trusty & Company truly is a full-service firm with a dynamic range of services: Design & Production Identity & Branding Advertising & Media Website Design & Development Interactive Media Social Media Strategy & Planning SEO Strategies Training & Education   “If you are beginning a business and you need everything from logo development to strategy then we are perfect for you because we can do it all.” –Claudia Trusty   Whether you’re starti

Today we are talking to very special guest Greg Lainas, Senior Vice President of Management Resources at Robert Half and President of the Connecticut Society of CPAs. He is also a character in the novel Flashback by Gary Bravely, an Accidental Accountant, and a world-class networker. Whether you’re a student looking for your first job or a professional who hasn’t had to look for a job in over 20 years, Greg has a lot of really useful information.   “If I can network my way into a book you should be able to network your way into a job.”   Greg also uses improvisational techniques and Yes, And to incredible effect. Through networking and saying Yes, And, Greg secured his first job as a CPA at Whittlesey and Hadley, found a way into ESPN in its infancy, received second interviews with IBM and Texas Instruments at their height, rose through the ranks of Robert Half to become Senior Vice President of Management Resources, and became President of the Connecticut Society of CPAs. Those are just some of the incredibl

Today I’m excited to be speaking with Greg Kozera. He is a leadership expert, a wonderful speaker, a leading authority on fracking, and the author of two books – Learned Leadership and Just The Fracks, Ma’am: The TRUTH about hydrofracking and the next great American boom. Greg’s first book, Learned Leadership, emphasizes the idea that leaders are not born, they are made. In the book he shares powerful stories and identifies ten keys to awakening the leader inside of you. Just the Fracks, Ma’am attempts to demystify the very technical process of fracking for non-technical people.   “Leaders know where they're going”   Greg believes that a strong, clear vision is a key component of strong leadership. Whether they’re CEO of Halliburton or captain of a high school soccer team, leaders are more effective when they communicate a strong vision with their team. A clear vision can make the impossible possible. Greg brings this point home with an incredibly powerful story that starts at Halliburton and Dick Cheney th

On today’s episode I’m talking to an extremely passionate CPA, Lisa Anderson, a partner at Morse & Company. In addition to being a CPA in tax, she is also Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) through the AICPA. Lisa originally became an accountant because she didn’t think she wanted to interact with people. However, through the many steps of her career, she has discovered that she does like being around other people – and she discovered that being an accountant isn’t just a technical job, it’s a relationship-building job.   “I have knowledge and I have a skill set that I want to share with people. If I'm not presenting it, it's not getting out there. So it's worth having that fear initially.”   Lisa is passionate about specialized tax education, particularly as it relates to divorce. She gives presentations to attorneys, other accountants and non-accountants, although she faces a major challenge in marketing divorce law education to the average person – the person

I’m extremely excited to bring you today’s guest, Judy Carter. She is a keynote speaker, an incredible author, and an effective coach. She is also retired from an impressive career as a stand-up comedian. To be completely transparent, Judy has been incredibly influential in my life and my career. One of her books, The Comedy Bible, is something that I have referred to many, many times throughout the years. More recently, Judy coached me in how to better perform comedy and present stories. Judy’s newest book, The Message of You, shares a lot of what she taught me as a coach. Judy believes that we all have a great story to share that reflects the experiences we have had, but we have to learn how to identify the important moments in our life and draft an interesting narrative around them.   “We all have this attitude that our life is absolute, random and chaotic, and in reading my book The Message of You people find that it's not random, it's not chaotic. That you actually have a message in your life and every

Today we’re speaking with Mark Wyssbrod, founder of the special firm Pro@ctive CPA and a local capitalist. He also invests in small businesses in a CFO role through a firm called Small Business CFO.   Mark was also awarded the Small Business Person of the Year by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce in 2013, the Public Service Award by the Georgia Society of CPAs in Spring of 2015, and was named in the Top 40 Under 40 list by the North Atlanta Business Post last Fall.   “Stop saying What If and start saying Yes, And.”   Mark started the firm because he wanted to help solve problems with a proactive mindset, as opposed to a reactive mindset. To learn to better solve problems proactively and communicate better with his clients, Mark spent some time studying Improv.   “If you can't connect with your client, if they don't understand your value proposition, if you can't speak their language then you're really just a bill to them … What you want to be is that confidant, what you want to be is that professio

Today I am excited to bring you a great conversation with Dan Swartwout. Dan is a stand-up comedian, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, host of the show cbuzz, a City Council Member, and an all-around great person.   Cbuzz is a Columbus’ first business-focused podcast. Dan has been hosting it for a year, and they have formed media partnerships with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, CD 102.5, Rev One Ventures and the Columbus Dispatch. Every month one episode airs on CD 102.5, and Dan recently recorded a show in front of a live studio audience with Matt Scanlon of CoverMyMeds.   “The great speaker and the good speaker are both prepared and ready and on top of what it is they're going to do. The great speaker, however, doesn't appear to be over-prepared.”   Dan recently gave a speech at the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, a warmup of sorts before the meeting. It was 8:30 in the morning, he was wearing a suit, and he had to address over 1000 people. Using the skills he has developed from standup comedy, hosting ev

I’m sitting with Kristen Rampe today, an expert in the soft skills of public accounting. Kristen founded Kristen Rampe Consulting, a company that elevates CPA and professional service firm practices through workshops and projects focused on the soft skills that lead to success. Kristen studied accounting in college, and she joined the Big 4 after graduation. She didn’t like the work-life balance of her public accounting job, so she took an industry position. Soon, Kristen was back into public accounting and tasked with forming a SOX compliance team from the ground up.   After working with CPAs for over a decade, Kristen realized that her strengths were the soft skills that many public accountants lacked: communication, client service, building great teams, etc. Kristen embraced her strengths and started Kristen Rampe Consulting to bring these essential skills back to the industry she spent so much time inside.   “I started to notice I was really adept at working with the clients and providing great service, a