Giant Nuggets With Rj Huebert

28: Andrew Machota on finding success: “Figure out your purpose, figure out what you’re good at and passionate about, and then put them together, and make it happen.” Andrew is the founder and CEO of New Town Connections, the exclusive social club of Tampa Bay that brings together young professionals for a member’s only experience. He is an entrepreneur that found a need in the marketplace, and within a few months of preparation, brought his concept to market. Listen now and learn how he makes all people feel welcome at his parties, how he vets potential members, and his ultimate goals for the business. Some things really surprised me, such as how he get venues to participate, how he recruits new members, and how he best targets his audience for advertising purposes. This interview is a must for those who are interested in starting a new business, or for those who want to get involved in a social group in Tampa that has an air of exclusivity. Is this a dating event service? D

27: Jason Dias: “Whatever you want to do, don’t let anybody say, ‘But nobody has ever done that before.’ There’s never been a successful idea or marketing campaign that was based on ‘we want to do this exactly like somebody else has done it.” Jason joins this week’s podcast live from Tampa, FL at GTE Financial’s headquarters. He’s from Texas and is a super Steelers fan, and has a national podcast with over 100,000 downloads. As a professional podcaster, he links up with credit unions, interviews their employees, tells the inside stories, and showcases businesses across the U.S. Listen now as he talks about how he got started in his career, what made him quit drinking for almost a decade, and how he inspired me to start the Giant Nuggets podcast. He hosts the Power of Performance show and has been hosting that for over six years; the show features huge credit unions and their all-star employees around the country. This show isn’t all about credi

26: Nik Parks on taking action when starting a new project: “There’s just so much information out there. Being in the information age, you can get overloaded and overwhelmed… [it can lead to] analysis paralysis. You don’t do anything, you don’t take action. The best decisions I’ve ever made came from knowing just enough so that things wouldn’t blow up in my face.” Nik Parks joins this week’s Giant Nuggets podcast. Parks is a stand-up comedian, writer, podcaster, and social media marketer from New York. I thought that he would be a great guest on the podcast because he’s an everyday guy, wanting to improve on the skills he already has, and is constantly challenging himself to learn and follow new passions. Listen now and hear how his Pentecostal upbringing inspires his comedy, his favorite 1970s-80s sitcoms, and how his family and friends from Arkansas took his moving to NYC to pursue his dreams. Along the way we discuss Donald Glover, his Kenneth co

25: Heather Salovin on a social media brand she admires: “I can’t recall the last time I saw them do a post about a sale, or buy now. But they have this influence, just by sharing fun. They do content really well.” Heather is a social media expert, consultant, creative marketer, and teaches local Tampa Bay businesses how to transform their social media marketing. On this podcast, we talk about Facebook marketing, tracking, analytics, how to measure social marketing campaigns, and how to target specific users of your product. Hear insider tips on how to sell your potential clients on reaching their social media goals. You’ll get more business, and help them reach their goals. Also, find out where your potential customer is, and what social media channel they prefer. “We are definitely living in a pay to play arena right now.” Find out what she thinks about the Facebook “boost” button, how to hit your sales objectives, and “dummy-proofing” your ads. Re

24: “In order for us to be successful, it’s always important to pay attention to people in your industry who are five steps ahead of you. You can gauge what’s successful, and then tailor your message.” Listen now and find out how a serious car injury lead her to go from music composing, to DJing. Shannon, who was once a corporate trainer, left her cushy day job for the performing hustle.  As an entrepreneur, find out what web sites she uses to book gigs, her equipment, and networking for success. Do you like humiliating stories? Shannon tells us a wedding horror story that deals with inclement weather, a cocktail dress, and how it became her worst wedding gig ever. We discuss James Blake, syncing properly when performing, how to get started in the industry and marathon DJ sessions that can last up to 12 hours. If you ever had dreams of becoming a DJ, Shannon C gives you the tips and insider knowledge to get started, learn how to book gigs, and eventually become a paid DJ. Reach DJ

23: Blake Cortes on professional hurdles: “I see some people who are trying to do something awesome, and at first they're getting no feedback, or they're not getting to where they want to be. But then you have to keep pushing. You don't take no.” Blake is a professional lifestyle photographer out of Tampa, FL. But he didn’t start out as a photographer. He somehow fell into it after an unexpected illness lead to his finding a passion in photography. "I don't like to shoot what everybody else is shooting." On hearing from a mentor: "No matter how good the camera is, if you don’t know what you're doing, it's going to look like shit. I took that to heart." Learn about one of his favorite shots at a beach hotel in St. Petersburg even though he planned for a sunny day, but got storms instead. He’ll tell you that the “rain didn’t help.” Even cloudy skies didn’t stop his epic moment. Who does Blake look up to? He drops Scorsese, who is a mastermind, talks about a

22: Ben Mena on chasing your goals: "The biggest thing that holds people back is they're afraid to commit a certain number of extra hours outside of their day job, to try and chase a dream." Mena, a popular ex-Tampa recruiter and entrepreneur, joins the podcast this week and tells us what lead him to DC, and it wasn't the public transportation, or the Nationals! One of his main focuses now is The Mena Report; listen to him describes the email newsletter that arrives three times a week. He likes to describe it as the "John Oliver approach to the news.” But how does he know what content to deliver? "It's the most intense algorithm, more intense than Google or Facebook put together, and we just dump wine into the algorithm, and out comes the news." Press play now and find out how he manages to toe the line on controversial topics, and also practical information such as how to achieve 60% open rate for your e-blasts. This is a seriously motivating man, one who’s going places, so get in now and fo

21: Robert Yaniz Jr on starting a new challenge: “The more you think about it, the worse you are making it for yourself. You're better off delving into it, and then course correcting along the way." This week I welcomed Rob, of the Crooked Table, on to the Giant Nuggets Podcast. Listen how he got started writing about movies, first at USF at The Oracle, and then on his own blog called Crooked Table: The world of film through a fresh angle. We go deep into his love of movies and talk about current effects in movies, such as how CGI loses its impact. The question arises, 'How many times can you see New York City get destroyed?' Rob then talks about his blog, the curse of everyone having a voice, and standing out from the crowd, when there's a million blogs out there. Learn about how he manages writing what an audience wants to read about, and what he really wants to write about. Along the way we discuss our thoughts about Jesse Eisenberg, which aren’t entirely positive. Find out his real thoughts on

20: Pat Walsh, 6 Mile Cellars owner, on focusing your efforts on one specialty: "What we've counted on is letting our growers do the best that they can do with what they know...so that we can concentrate our efforts on producing the best quality wine." Walsh joins the Giant Nuggets podcast this week and talks about starting a winery called 6 Mile Cellars, and gives us the history of starting his own business. He tells a story how winning a business competition, turned in to a viable business. Listen now and learn the insides of the wine business, and what it takes to make, and market, local wines. Do you like horror stories? Pat tells one about when he lost a harvest due to a hard freeze on the lands. How do you make wine with no grapes? However, there are always positives on this podcast, and he delivers a story about when he knew that his business was on the right track: 6 Mile Cellars won Best of Show, Hybrid wines and getting in to a large distributor. Some questions for Pat: Does he recommend stomping on

19: Anson Angail on building your crew: “Surround yourself with people that are smarter than you, people that inspire you, people that you look up to. At the end of the day, you're a product of the five people that you hang out with the most." On today’s podcast, recent college graduate, Anson Angail, let’s us in on the feeling of what it's like to be a fresh graduate in today's economy. He also speaks about growing up in Qatar and living in three different countries. What a perspective! Find out what he learned by being a staff auditor for two fortune 500 companies. Angail also tells us how to get your hands dirty when starting an internship for the first time. Along the way, we speak about McDonald's hourly wage for workers, and how he would ultimately like to leave his internship in an epic fashion. Listen now and hear how he got some prime mentorships and how you can do the same! He said, “[on mentors] you have to pursue them. When they see the hunger in you, sometimes it reminds t

18: Julianne Cross on following her passion: "Go for it. If you have a calling, or a drive to do something, follow the fear, and then you'll no longer be afraid." Julianne recently launched her web series entitled “Exit Strategy” on YouTube. The comedy follows two friends as they quit their safe corporate jobs, and follow their hearts for other pursuits. Learn how Julianne’s acting career got started much earlier in a little town called Erie, PA.  In NY, she started improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade because it seemed accessible, and she loved performing. After taking some classes, she got hooked, and met writers, performers, and those that had other successes in the creative industry. Listen how she broke the news that she was leaving her job to her bosses! She also describes how some of the episodes came about from real life experiences. She also lets us in on the long game of her career, and who her comedy icon is (who she happens to have met in NBC’s cafeteria!).  Jul

17: Adam Causgrove on the importance of meeting new people: "When you make the effort to go out and meet people, to engage, and then build on those relationships...it opens up doors that wouldn't be there for you." Sit back and listen as we discuss one of the greatest cities in the world: Pittsburgh. Adam also talks about winning the 2012 Robert Goulet’s Memorial Mustached American of the Year Award from the American Mustache Institute. Find out how you can be a part of the most handsome group in America. Gausgrove states, “Mustaches seem to be a universal language that everyone likes to get involved with.” Man, woman, and child, you can support the mustache movement. All facial hair aside, Adam speaks about how he co-founded the Tailgreat, which partners with local businesses and non-profits in the Pittsburgh, Erie, and Palm Beach. About 500 people came out to the last event, a process which they've refined over 10 years. He also co-founded Side Project Inc. almost three years ago with his

16: Sean O'Brien on the madness of scheduling: "What it's like booking a festival with a band member who's in three of the performing bands - It's a task!" Listen now how he got started with concert promoting and forming Brokenmold Entertainment with his high school friend Phil. Slowly, he started managing bands, and drops a story about having huge house parties on Davis Island, the poshest neighborhood in Tampa Bay. Find out why he thinks promoting is so difficult in Florida, and how he started one of the hottest, and before it's time, festivals in St. Pete called Anti-Warp. Sean gives us the inside story on how it ultimately fell apart after four years and almost a hundred bands performing at its apex. The festival hit a pivot, jumped across the bridge to Ybor in Tampa Bay, and is now the highly anticipated Plan B festival. The next show is in late September 2015. Do you know why he books what he books (concerts)? It's simple—He only books what's good, regardless of musical genre. "If the fans want it, and

15: Chris James on Success: "Success is usually gauged by title. But success to me is being better or improving on something that you couldn't do yesterday, each day." Chris joins the podcast this week and talks about following one of his passions in life, which is football. He is a contributor to Football Gameplan, a one-stop shop for everything football related. He focuses primarily on player analysis, and has done over 120+ podcasts on his Draft Analysis program on Blog Talk Radio. Listen now as he tells a story about taking a scandalous football nightmare and turned it into the start of his writing projects. He also talks about turning his failure on the University of Florida football team into something positive. Along the way, he tells how you can be successful too, just by doing the "ground work!" This episode is a must hear as he shares the secrets to doing what you love; Chris never gets tired of talking about football, and his joy of the sport is infectious. Reach Chris James on Twitter, and vi

14: Brian Willis on co-creating a transportation improvement group in Tampa Bay: "We needed to create a group where regular people can say, I want to be a part of this group, I want to support this group because I support better transportation. There was a gap that needed to be filled." Willis was a co-founder of Connect Tampa Bay, and recently announced his candidacy for County Commission (FL-Hillsborough). Tune in to the Giant Nuggets podcast now and hear how the press found out Brian was running for local office, when he started to see the revitalization of Tampa, why he co-founded Connect Tampa Bay, why the county needs to improve transportation, and what he'll focus on if he gets elected to county commission. Brian also speaks about how to make amazing campaign videos, what gives him inspiration, and who he looks up to in the government and the reasons why. This is a must hear for those that want to get to know a real person who is striving to make their city a better place for current and future citizen

13: "As long as you're offering an amazing customer experience, that's the number one thing you need to focus on. It's what everyone sees and feels." Claire Selius, Co-Owner and Co-Race Director of the Great Mother's Day Race and Great Father's Day Race 5K joins the podcast this week. This is a very special episode because she is my business partner for the races, and is an overall great person! Listen now as she describes finding influence from artists, why she co-founded the Great Mother's and Father's Day Race 5K, continuously learning and improving your business, finding and showcasing local businesses so you can both grow together, creating an unforgettable family experience, working as a right brain passionate person, and wanting to rip the face off of her business partner. She also gives a background on the Big Brothers Big Sisters where she is Director of Marketing. Listen and find out who inspires her to work on a multitude of projects, and how she's going to be her own boss one day.   Reac

12: "Never say no to an adventure. You never know where you'll end up." Scott Butherus' life motto is to live every day to its fullest, to seek adventure, to make every day different. I was happy to interview him for this podcast episode, and I gained knowledge into the life and times of a multi-media journalist from Cape Coral, who works at the Naples Daily News. Listen now and learn about Scott's shark fetish, his advice to new students in journalism school, how print media differs from online journalism, and how the editorial team decides what content to feature. Butherus then goes deep and tells what a Rays player did on spring training to get into trouble, how he fits in to gain athletes' trust, what he thinks about click bait headlines, his Giant Nuggets name interpretation, what he'll do when he hits his career fork in the road, and taking selfies with Danny Trejo. Scott, it was a great pleasure learning about your craft. I'll leave you, the listening audience, with a few favorite quotes from this epis

 11: "Do it with grace, with patience. Look like you have it together." Erin Cassidy, Emerge Tampa Bay's Program Chair, stopped by the Giant Nuggets podcast this past week. She is a highly passionate individual who is aiming for success, and she shares her journey in this episode. Listen now as she describes getting a runner's high with Jason Aldean, what she's doing at 5am, being the best "Erin" she can be, searching for a greater purpose, and when she's going to be content in life. Of course, we also talk "Girl Power" and the Spice Girls, her advice to other young women on shooting for the stars, and what it feels like to really know and understand what your higher "meaning" is.   Erin was a very special guest, and I hope that you enjoy our conversation, and pick up a few nuggets!   Reach Erin Cassidy on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Follow the Giant Nuggets podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Visit the Giant Nuggets website. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes

10: "It's not about what you say about your brand, it's what everyone else says about it." Pete DeMichele of Erie, PA joined the Giant Nuggets podcast for its 10th episode! I can't believe we made it to ten, but you're in luck because you get to hear stories from a guy who is the co-owner of Erie Apparel. In this episode, Pete describes hustling in high school, working with the Browns on their game day staff, understanding the wants and needs of your customer, wearing t-shirts in the Erie snow, how the original Erie Apparel shirt came to be, capitalizing on the Browns drafting Johnny Manziel, using social media as the primary driver for sales, adding a personal touch to connect with the customer, his greatest fun fact (hint hint) it has to do with his legs, and his giant nugget! Listen to Pete now, I guarantee you'll pick up some valuable information for your own brand or business.   Reach Pete DeMichele on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and check out Erie Apparel's website and Instagram.

09: "You think you know it all, but in reality you don't. Accept that and be open to learning new things." Alex Hinojosa, media expert and VP Media Director at KEF Media, stopped by the Giant Nuggets podcast this week. Alex started his career in broadcast radio, and he brings 15+ years of experience to this episode. He discussed how to be a social media influencer, how to pitch the media so that your business gets coverage, and knowing how your audience behaves so that you can provide great content. Alex also spoke about hitting the mass media lottery, his "Rule of 3," the genius of JJ Abrams, and discussed how and why media goes viral. Finally, Alex emphasized how to be authentically different if you want to be successful. I could have spoken with Alex for hours! Let his message soak in; there are many takeaways to help you become a media expert! Reach Alex Hinojosa on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.  Follow the Giant Nuggets podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Visit the Giant Nuggets webs