How many of you have worked a part-time job in food service? Anybody?

I spent my formative years working for Chick-Fil-A at South Square Mall in Durham, NC. It was quite the learning experience. I was one of those kids out with the samples passing them out to mall customers as they walked by. Chick-Fil-A believed then, as they do now, all someone had to do is taste the product once and they would be customers for life. 

What did Chic...

Given how our 2020 went, being calm is something that many people may be taking for granted.

Entrepreneurs and business owners are rushing to find ways to bring in more business. Managers are rushing to find ways to meet their goals while keeping their people safe.  In all the rushing from place to place and task to task, we’re letting life pass us by. We’re reacting to situations and not being mindful of how our quick actions are a...

Human-centered design.
 
Seems to be a catch phrase that has suddenly gotten very popular. There’s a reason for that current rise in popularity. In our digital world, if your product or service doesn’t consider your core customers, their experiences, and their desires, you can easily be replaced by the next app, product, or service on the horizon that does.

Today we're chatting with with Chris Talley, former Senior Vice President ...

Imagine how useful your phone would be if you never charged it.
   
How many emails, snaps, posts, or selfies would you be able to accomplish if you depleted the battery and didn’t recharge it? None.

Can you think of two or three things that get you jazzed up? What are those thIngs that get you excited and ready to go?

Today, I reveal some of my power sources, and give examples of some of the things you might find power in as well. It’...

As our team has been dispersed, we have had to deal with a different cultural dynamic.
   
Culture is the collection of behaviors of the people within an organization. When something changes in the workplace, behaviors change. This change could have a good or a bad effect on the business environment.

In 2020, business owners and entrepreneurs had to learn how to deal with a remote workforce and with safety measures that were not previ...

Today we're chatting with Chris Talley, former Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of USAA.
   
We'll do a quick-fire chat about what businesses need to survive in 2021.

We'll talk about cash flow, brand flow, being true to yourself, and more!

In the spirit of our quick-fire episode, let’s get right to it.

Ready? Aim! Quick fire!

If this podcast is helping you in your business than help us promote it by fol...

Ah, 2020. What a year!
 
The year of clear vision and new perspectives. Yeah. Sure.

While I am known for my optimism, it was really difficult to always be optimistic this year. While 2020 hasn’t been the year we expected, it has definitely made us stronger.

In a nutshell, now is the time to remind yourself of your "WHY." WHY do you do what you do? How can you keep your focus? Do you need to reset your lens to be as informative ...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
 
I know, I know. Now you’ll have that song stuck in your head all day. But is that really a bad thing?

We’ve all said it, but this bears repeating: 2020 has definitely been a unique year. We’ve lived through things we had never imagined. If you’re trying to wind down, as the year comes to a close, why not take a little time to reflect?

Spend some time taking inventory of the challenges you...

Effective communication is an essential skill that every entrepreneur needs to have. 

To effectively communicate, you need to know the “why” of your brand’s existence. Why do you exist? Who do you seek to serve? What is the role of every person in the organization? Once you can understand these things, you can work with your team to ensure the service they provide resonates with your “why”. 

In the end, if you are true to who you are...

Which do you value more: your profits or your people?  

Although we don’t want to admit that profits take a lot of our attention, we must not forget the people behind our brand. Your team represents your brand to your customers.

Today we’re talking to Delise Crimmins, Chief Culture Officer of the Culture Think Tank. Delise has helped brands fortify, leverage, and shift their culture to ensure they are optimized for success. Don’t get...

Would you love to have your business working for you while sugarplum fairies dance in your head? Today’s episode is for YOU.

In 2019, shoppers spent $9.4 billion on Cyber Monday. Yes, BILLION. Although 2020 has been a very unpredictable year, Cyber Monday turned out to be the largest online shopping day ever in the U.S. with $10.8 billion in sales. Were you prepared? Were your products easy to find online? Did you have a system in p...

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful or having a readiness to show appreciation and return kindness. But is your gratitude, or lack thereof, a reflection of your immediate situation?

Often, we allow our current circumstances to affect the measure and weight of our gratitude. It’s vital to keep in mind that if you’re feeling less than grateful, you should strive to look beyond what happened this morning or maybe even this week ...

Sales dollars? Measurable. Profit dollars? All entrepreneurs love measuring that. Work culture? How do you measure that?   

The fact is your work culture is a reflection of your brand, and your brand is a reflection of your work culture. The question is, how do you know how strong your culture is?

Our guest, Delise Crimmins, Chief Culture Officer at the Culture Think Tank, has designed tools you can use to make culture measurable and...

Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone.  

Some entrepreneurs feel like hamsters running on a wheel—maximum effort with no progress. Others seem to have it all figured out. These are the people who are on their game. They have a positive attitude, great habits, and an amazing outlook.

What’s the difference? Mindset. Having the right mindset can affect what you feel and ultimately what you do. Your mindset can impact how you make sen...

The situation we’re in has many people feeling disheartened. What about you? Where do you stand?  

We’re more than six months into the pandemic, and people are really feeling it. It’s easy to throw up your hands and call it quits or continue to try to drive your business from a position of fear, but now is not the time to throw in the towel. It’s time to pick yourself up, reset, and then reengage—your customers need you.

Everyone is ...

As we continue to evolve to a more digital society, we are seeing the traditional brick-and-mortar business become a thing of the past. Entrepreneurs are finding innovative ways to make their ideas become reality.

Today we’re chatting with Shaneika Burchell-Kerr, CEO and founder of Breakthrough to Entrepreneur. Shaneika helps entrepreneurs just like you start, launch, and build their own online businesses. With her online programs, ...

As a business leader, it’s really easy to get caught up in the financials. 

When that happens, sometimes we can forget the main reason we went into business. What was the reason we started this venture in the first place? You begin to question everything, and that can be a dangerous slope. You’ve got to get a handle on why your business exists. Because when you lose focus on the why of your business, it’s tough to manage the what of...

When you consider manufacturing, some have robotic innovation, while others don’t. 

When you think about industries like meatpacking, many of their teams work on the floor in relatively close quarters daily. Companies that have been around for years were designed for efficient throughput. It would be challenging to retrofit them for a circumstance like we’ve had this year.

How do companies deal with the unexpected?

Today, we’re sittin...

What is it like to work with companies larger than yourself? 

It’s a dream for many entrepreneurs to partner with Target, Walmart, or H-E-B and have their products placed in these stores. Placing your products in physical big-box stores can help in several ways—you can create a seamless shopping experience for your customers, test new product lines, and even build or add prestige to your brand awareness.

Today, we’re chatting with Mo...