Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional
Unleashed explores how to thrive as an independent professional.
Mon, March 17, 2025
604. Stephan Meier, Author of The Employee Advantage
Show Notes: Stephan Meier, a professor at Columbia Business School, is the author of the book "Employee Advantage." He teaches the business strategy core class, which is required for all MBA students. Stephan also teaches an elective on the future of work, focusing on how treating employees and labor interacts with technology and business strategy. Stephan conducts international trips to African countries, such as Ghana, South Africa, and Kenya, to provide students with international experiences and perspectives on businesses, strategy, and different environments. His focus is on putting workers first to help businesses thrive. The conversation turns to Stephan’s book and the concept of the workplace and business strategy. He mentions how the pandemic brought the workplace under the spotlight and technology use ramped up, while at the same time, Stephan was teaching a class on the Future of Work. The conversation turns to the concept of putting workers first as a key element of business success, and how the business language reveals the mode of managing the employee base. This outlook has led to a large divide between employee and employer. According to Gallup surveys, about 65% of Americans are not engaged at work, and this number is even higher worldwide. Stephan also talks about customer centricity and how employee experience is crucial for both innovation and customer satisfaction. The Employee First Approach Stephan cites Jeff Bezos, and Amazon as examples of organizations that prioritize employee satisfaction. Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos believes that learning from dissatisfied employees can lead to continuous improvement and better business outcomes. This mindset is also seen in other industries, such as Costco in the US, which provides clear career paths, communicates clearly, and promotes internally. DHL Express, for two years in a row, was named the best employer in the world on the best workplaces in the world list for two consecutive years. They put employees first because they realized that turnover is terrible and happy employees are more engaged and leads to satisfied customers. They changed aspects of communication, listening, training, and career path within the organization, leading to financial success. How the Employee/Customer Centric Approach Wins Stephan discusses the importance of treating employees well and putting them first at the margin when making trade-offs. He talks about Starbucks, where the company's customer-centric approach has led to a loss of a customer-centric environment. He talks about how this could be improved. Stephan also emphasizes that both customers and employees are critical stakeholders that create value within the organization. Companies that prioritize their employees are more likely to be successful. This is because they have a strong focus on competence, which is encouraged by offering
Mon, March 10, 2025
603. Dori Yona, Founder of Simple Closure, How to Shut Down a Business
Show Notes: Dori Yona, founder of Simple Closure, explains the process of shutting down a company. The process is painful, manual, and bureaucratic, with an average time of nine to 12 months. It can cost companies thousands of dollars or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees. Many companies end up doing it incorrectly, leading to fines and penalties. The Multiple Moving Parts of a Business Shut Down Dori explains that the main difficulty in shutting down a company is the coordination of multiple moving parts, such as the state of incorporation, IRS, lawyers, accountants, payroll provider, vendors, service providers, investors, payroll, and state departments. The average shutdown for a venture-backed company has about 95 moving parts, and if any of them are missed or not done correctly, the process can drag on and on. First Steps in Shutting Down a Business Dori talks about three typical approaches for a shutdown of a firm, which they categorize into three main “buckets”. The first bucket is companies that reach out six to nine months before they need to shut down, as they are running out of cash and trying to raise another round or convince existing investors to invest more in their company. They want to be ready for what happens if it doesn't work out, so they reach out to the Simple Closure six months before to discover what the process involves. Dori mentions the Shut Down calculator his firm developed and put on their website to help business owners work through costs and assess the time they have left before going into the red and complicating the shut down. Bucket number two is when companies decide to shut down immediately, need quick media advice, need help presenting to the board, or with winding down the business. Bucket number three is when companies have shut down operationally six months or a year ago but never dealt with properly winding down the business. They may face penalties, fines, and liens on their personal property due to improper actions. The Financial Reality of Shutting Down a Business Dori emphasizes that it is not easy to walk away from a company, as it can come back and haunt the owner(s). He explains that while a corporate entity is there to protect board members, investors, and founders, if certain things are not done properly, it can pierce the corporate veil, making the board and founders personally liable and potentially sued. The most common issue is wages, where an employee is owed wages and has not been paid. Companies should make sure that the proper winding up process is done to avoid loose ends and potential lawsuits from stakeholders, such as vendors, investors, state departments, and payroll departments. Dori also stresses the importance of considering investors during the shutdown process. Payroll Providers and the Shut Down Process <p dir="lt
Mon, March 03, 2025
602. Jacob Bank, Founder of Relay.app, No-code AI Agents
Show Notes Jacob Bank, founder and CEO of Relay.App, talks about the rise of AI agents, a type of chatbot that can work on your behalf in the background. He explains that AI agents can perform tasks similar to junior-level employees or interns. How AI Agents Work An example of an AI agent working on your blog post is Chat GPT, which can automatically draft a blog post about a new recipe. The agent may ask for feedback and then publish it for you. This makes AI agents less of a thought prompt partner and more like an intern who takes on a mission on your behalf. There are two ways AI agents can take action on your behalf: making direct computer calls called API calls, or controlling your computer. API calls allow agents to make direct connections with tools like Salesforce, Calendly, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, and HubSpot. The second approach involves the AI controlling your computer, i.e., constantly looking at the screen and clicking buttons on it. Relay.App focuses on business productivity applications and automated calls, so it cannot log into your bank and perform actions on your behalf. However, a tool using the computer use capability would need two factor authentication and captcha. AI Agent Interaction: Solutions and Problems AI agents can interact with any website or tool that has an API, such as email browsers, CRM systems, and business productivity tools. There are three categories of AI agents: APIs, which perform tasks on a computer screen, AI in-built capabilities, and capabilities in reasoning. One problem AI agents need to solve is how they interact with their tools, such as reading and writing data from Salesforce, and how they can do this either via an API or by controlling the browser. Additionally, AI agents have the ability to extract information from PDFs, translate language information, turn text to speech, create videos automatically, and browse the web and do research. Three Models of AI Agents There are three models of AI agents to keep in mind: one class is a tool like relay.app, where the tool comes on your cloud or services, and interacts with things, while another class is a tool owned by the customer or freelancing agents. Models to consider when building AI agents: pre-built AI agents, which are commonly used in customer support tools, custom AI agents, and freelancing agents. These models are designed for specific vertical use cases and can be hosted on a platform or servers. AI agents can interact with various tools and platforms, including email marketing tools, CRM systems, and cloud-based versions of Microsoft tools. They can also perform tasks such as transcription, summary notes, and internet research. Customer Service Agents Customer service agents can be trained on a company's knowledge base. These agents can take various actions, such
Mon, February 24, 2025
601. Nikola Lazarov, Co-Founder & CEO at Eilla AI
Nikola Lazarov is the co-founder and CEO of Eilla AI, a tool that provides AI workers for private market intelligence. Nikola is an AI engineer who started his career at a London-based hedge fund, Marble Bar Asset Management, where he worked as a quant. He realized the value of AI in structuring unstructured data for private companies and decided to start a company almost three years ago. What Eilla AI Does While Nikola mentions that their target clients are investors and investment bankers, Eilla AI's tool does various tasks, such as finding competitors, analyzing their USP, target market, and financials. It also offers a solution for finding comparable transactions and conducting valuation reports. By searching for similar companies, it can determine their multiples, revenues, and valuations. The tool collects data from various data providers, including CrunchBase Zero and PitchBook, and scrapes it on its own. One of the most exciting solutions offered by Eilla AI is finding comparable transactions and doing valuation reports. This involves finding similar companies, analyzing their financials, average multiples, and what is driving these valuations. The tool automatically gathers and compares the data, providing valuable insights for startups, investors, and investment bankers. How Eilla AI Works The conversation turns to how it works. Nikola talks through using the software and explains the visuals on the screen, which includes tabs such as company, profile, competitor, research, buyer, selection, investment highlights, key questions, risks and mitigates, and a one-pager. The company profile page provides a consolidated set of information about the company, including its headquarters location, number of employees, founding status, total raised, and last transaction. The company description, industry, problem solved, key team members, funding, product, clients, business model, digital intelligence, and news are all included. The platform is similar to CrunchBase and other data aggregators, but it aggregates data from various sources, such as LinkedIn, their website, CrunchBase, and Capita. The platform also offers footnotes for each piece of data, allowing users to hover over it to see the source of the information. The platform also provides information on the website traffic, such as the source and the number of followers. Aggregating Data from Various Sources Nikola explains how the tool works using competitor research as the example to find the closest competitors to Pay Hawk. He explains that this process saves time and helps save time by aggregating data. However, what differentiates Eilla AI is what happens on top of this aggregated data. It uses a proprietary database of in-depth product information to gather information from over 7 million companies, ranking them based on funding, cat count, and other factors. AI is used
Mon, February 17, 2025
600. Jeff Sinclair, The History of the Operations Practice at McKinsey
Jeff Sinclair, a senior global leader at McKinsey, discusses the history of operations at the firm. The firm was initially known as a strategy firm and did some organization and marketing work. However, in the 1980s, clients began to draw more attention to operations, particularly in the automotive industry in Europe and North America. Operations became a strategic function for automotive OEMs and part suppliers, as they needed to serve their customers with high quality, cost-effective, and operationally effective services. Operations Practice at McKinsey When Jeff joined the firm in 1981, there were about 500 people in the firm. Today, it is estimated that there are 40,000 people worldwide. The firm started building its operations capability in the 80s by recruiting people with specific functional expertise, particularly in manufacturing. They started hiring people from Toyota Supplier Support Center, and creating a well-defined career path within the firm, which is the specialist path or expert path. The operations practice was at the leading edge of other functional practices, such as marketing, market research, and organization. However, the firm had to create new career paths, which led to many iterations of the expert path. The firm had to continuously improve how it recognized and understood their contributions beyond the traditional generalist path. Bureaucratic Maneuvering in Creating a Career Path Jeff discusses the transition from a strong culture to multiple career paths within McKinsey. He explains that this change took about 18 years and was driven by the firm's strong culture and the willingness of senior partners in positions of power to help navigate the new path. As employees advanced in the firm, they had to develop relationships with senior executives, which led to ongoing opportunities to serve them. This made it difficult for experts to fit in and develop new service lines and ways of thinking about problem-solving. The firm struggled to recognize the contribution of subject matter expertise to their ability to serve clients and give them credit for developing new service lines and ways of helping clients execute more effectively. Experts were used on projects in a mixture of subject matter expertise, consulting director roles, and full-time execution people. The Evolution of Consultants at McKinsey The firm gave some of the personnel role responsibility to the functional practices themselves, hiring lean manufacturing or supply chain experts into the practice. They would take over the personnel development role, evaluation of performance, counseling, and coaching on how to evolve these new career paths. Over time, the firm recognized the high value added contribution of functional practices and expanded its service to clients. While there is still a tension between generalist and specialist paths within McKi
Mon, February 10, 2025
599. Anne-Laure Le Cunff, Author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World
Show Notes: Anne-Laure Le Cunff, author of Tiny Experiments and founder of Ness Labs, shares her approach to understanding her own life and why she does things the way she does. Anne-Laure explains that self anthropology is a powerful tool for problem-solvers and doers to understand their own lives and prioritize their priorities. By embracing uncertainty and turning it into curiosity, individuals can overcome procrastination and achieve more in their lives. She emphasizes the importance of self-anthropology in helping people become anthropologists of their own lives by observing themselves throughout their daily lives and asking themselves why they are doing things the way they do. This allows them to understand what is happening right now before planning for the future. Overcoming Procrastination with Curiosity One example of how self-anthropology can be applied to procrastination is by focusing on the problem with curiosity rather than trying to beat it. Procrastination is often seen as a signal from the brain and body that something is not working for you right now. By approaching procrastination from a place of curiosity, individuals can learn useful things from it. By identifying the problem, learning more about it, addressing it constructively, and seeking mentorship, coaching, and the right tools, individuals can design tasks in a more fun and enjoyable way. This approach allows individuals to move forward and get unstuck from the pressure to beat the problem. Anne-Laure explains that self-anthropology is a powerful tool for problem-solvers and doers to understand their own lives and prioritize their priorities. By embracing uncertainty and turning it into curiosity, individuals can overcome procrastination and achieve more in their lives. A Framework for Overcoming Procrastination The conversation turns to the effectiveness of a framework that treats procrastination with empathy, and overcoming procrastination by asking questions and experimenting with different approaches. This approach can be applied to various challenges, such as managing anger, managing health, and examining patterns in emotions and anxiety. Journaling is a great tool for reflecting on experiences and understanding the root causes of issues. Journaling is a mindfulness practice that allows for non-judgmental observation and self-anthropology. By taking notes about thoughts, emotions, and behavioral patterns, one can ask questions about why they happen, what could be different, and what new approaches or ideas could be explored. Regular reviews of journal entries can help identify patterns and changes in one's life, which can help in dealing with challenges in the present moment and providing material for future reflection. Tiny Experiments and Atomic Habits Anne-Laure discusses the concept of making PACTs and how they can be used in conj
Mon, February 03, 2025
598. Harsh Sahai, AI-powered Due Diligence
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman interviews Harsh Sahai, CEO and co-founder of Bridgetown Research, a company that has built an AI tool and he talks about it in this episode. Harsh previously worked at McKinsey, where he focused on commercial due diligence. He also ran a machine learning lab at Amazon, where they researched sequential decision-making algorithms. AI Pricing Algorithms and Convex Optimization Harsh talks about his work at Amazon where main use cases were pricing products, as people tend to remember old prices and make decisions based on what they remember. For example, planning the sequence in which to launch products or introducing new shows on Prime Video could be done in a multi-step planning process. Harsh talks about his background in convex optimization, which is a mathematical model that can be used to represent various outcomes. Convex optimization is often used to model price versus volume, and it helps in making more sequential decisions for more than just pricing. Bridgetown Research Explained On founding Bridgetown Research, many of Harsh’s former colleagues joined him in the mission to build tools for the consulting industry and more. Bridgetown Research developed a platform that automates data collection and analysis, allowing them to curate these analyses and deliver value to clients. The firm developed software products that can conduct interviews at scale at a fraction of the cost, run 300 common analyses, evaluate approximately 10 decisions, and work alongside clients to build interactive documents. The firm primarily serves investors in the software industry, similar to McKinsey due diligence. Automating Consulting Groundwork They use AI agents to conduct interviews, breaking down high-level questions into sub-questions that can be answered by the AI agents. The agents then map the best sources of data for each analyze, such as Gartner or Forrester, and compile secondary research. The AI agents are integrated with a few expert networks, which they recruit on the company’s behalf. They have a fully adaptive conversation, similar to a consultant's conversation, and then parse out the analysis to answer the main questions. The cost of these interviews is lower than a normal human-to-human interview because they can do it on their own schedule. Harsh also discusses the benefits of owning a research platform for consultants. They have researched this topic extensively and have 1000 interview transcripts of both people who hired a consultant and like consultants. The platform offers voice-based conversations, text prompts, and interactive screens for additional context. Using AI Agents in Surveys The AI agent in the discussion is similar to a traditional survey, but it allows users to answer questions directly on their screen. It ca
Mon, January 27, 2025
597. Jim Ettamarna, A Framework for Commercial Excellence
Show Notes: Jim Ettamarna, a renowned expert in commercial excellence, defines it as incorporating commercial efficacy and efficiency. He believes that there are two key branches to drive down in this area, and it holds tremendous potential for clients and organizations. Jim's framework for commercial excellence is value creation, which involves understanding market demand, go-to- market models, market growth, and demand trends with a focus on each specific industry. A Six Sigma Lean Framework Jim uses a lean framework, starting with Six Sigma, to standardize the right work and ensure associates and employees are conducting the right activities and behaviors. He also emphasizes the importance of systems in psychology in commercial results, as it helps design standardized systems for onboarding talent, enhancing team engagement, and engaging with customers. In sales, motivation is crucial, and the human element of having a team is essential. However, dealing with complex buying processes can be challenging, so it is essential to tune processes and approaches to the specific needs of the customers. A Go-to-market Model The go-to-market model is a linkage between strategy and execution and commercial excellence. It should be tuned for the company's strategy and the strategic context. For example, a $300 million middle market private equity-backed company serving the Durable Medical Equipment market that sold to 5,000 independent organizations and specialty retailers. The company had to strategically think through market growth, accounts to capture, and the buying cycle for customers. To drive efficiency and effectiveness, the company had a set of building blocks, including an online component, independent sales reps, an inside sales team, and specialty sales people. The strategy piece involved determining what would drive value, growth, renewals, base volumes, and pricing. The go-to-market model was designed around these building blocks, and commercial excellence was driven by optimizing these aspects. Components of Commercial Excellence Jim discusses the importance of breaking down commercial excellence into various components, including channels, sales operations, content, and management systems. He emphasizes the need for segmentation at the top level to understand what will drive value and optimize the go-to-market model for the business. Within this model, he suggests ways to optimize each element, such as sales enablement, which includes training, scripts, and engagement strategies. He also emphasizes the importance of benchmarking and understanding the nuances of sales teams. He shares an example of a furniture retailer where he worked with 2500 full-time employees and 1000 part-time employees. The performance of the company was analyzed using Pareto curves, but some outliers were more successful than averages. T
Mon, January 20, 2025
596. Bart Sayer, Looking Beyond the Mirror: The Business and Science of Beauty.
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman interviews Bart Sayer, an expert on the beauty industry. Bart worked for nine years at the Estée Lauder Companies, most recently as the International General Manager for one of its largest brands, Clinique, managing the $1B P&L. Previously, Bart was a partner at Booz & Company (now Strategy&, part of PwC), focused on strategy and commercial transformation in the Consumer & Retail sectors. The conversation focuses on understanding the structure of the beauty market and the main drivers of value creation. The Beauty Industry Explained Bart explains that the beauty industry is divided into four main categories: skincare, makeup, hair, care, and body. The market is divided into luxury and mass segments, with luxury beauty expected to grow between six and 8% in the foreseeable future. Taking the example of the United States, mass brands are more likely to be found in drugstores, such as Walgreens and CVs. Premium brands are more available in department stores or specialty multi, such as Sephora and Ulta, and a third channel being direct to consumer. At Estee Lauder they believed that distribution defines your equity, so prestige brands are careful about where they appear, hence the careful consideration and strict conditions associated with entering a channel like Amazon. Looking beyond the NA market, Travel Retail has been an important growth vehicle for luxury beauty brands over the past decade, though this growth has tempered in the past few years. Future growth of the beauty industry will remain defined by its two largest markets, the United States and China, while up-and-coming middle market countries will also represent attractive opportunities (e.g., India, Mexico, Brazil). Manufacturing, Testing and Ingredients The ingredients in mass and prestige products can differ in terms of the scarcity or rarity of the actives, including use of proprietary ingredients and formulations. Formulation philosophies vary widely across different entities. Many brands, for example, put extra protections in place to ensure product safety for sensitive skin and/or to conduct rigorous allergy testing. Bart discusses the importance of clinical testing in product and research development, highlighting that it is a high barrier to entry for indie brands. He also discusses the evolution of more nimble production models, including the prevalence of contract manufacturers that can manufacture the latest ingredients and bespoke formulations in quicker and more cost-effective ways than many of the brands themselves. This approach is not binary, as L'Oreal has over 40 different manufacturing facilities worldwide. Before leaving the manufacturing discussion, Bart quickly hit upon another topic, that of the evolution to more earned m
Mon, January 13, 2025
595. Robert Garmaise, AI Marketplace Insights
Rob Garmaise, VP of AI research at Info-tech Research Group, is at the forefront of Info-tech research, helping clients identify best practices across their IT operations. They conduct extensive primary and secondary research, speaking with industry experts and other clients to understand the drivers of value and proof that a given practice leads to better results. AI Vendors, Verticals, and Research Taxonomy Rob explains that the firm has a vast research taxonomy, with AI being an important part of it. They have a team in place to connect with thought-leading vendors and their leading adopter clients to gather insights on various functions, rules, verticals, and sub-segments where AI is taking root. The strength in the marketplace currently lies in the horizontal focus on functions and roles across organizations rather than the various verticals or lines of business. Most AI vendors aim to maximize their total addressable market which is difficult to do when focusing on just one vertical. The Market and Vertically-orientated Competitors Rob predicts that the mix of vertically-oriented competitors will change as the market evolves. Currently, the strength is 80% on functions and roles, 20% on verticals. This approach allows AI vendors to maximize their total addressable market and stay competitive in the market. In this discussion, Rob discusses the implementation of AI solutions in various functions and roles within companies, including IT. He highlights the strengths in CO generation, data and analytics, service management, HR, sales, and marketing. AI in HR, Sales and Marketing, and Operations In HR, AI is being used to improve employee experience by indexing content and interacting with users. Talent acquisition recruiting uses AI on both sides of the recruiting equation, with AI being used in talent assessment, helping to cut through biases and improve diverse hiring. Sales enablement and sales automation tools are the top lead and revenue-driving categories, while customer experience is the top cost-saving category. Operations are also being explored, with AI parsing information captured from video cameras for various applications such as shop floor settings, retail environments, and restaurants. Natural language conversations with equipment can lead to predictive maintenance, allowing organizations to strategize and optimize operations. Robert goes on to explain more about the improvements made using AI in HR, IT, and sales and management. AI-based Solutions in the Retail and Insurance Industry The conversation turns to the use of AI in various industries, including retail, and insurance. In the retail industry, AI-based solutions have impressed with their ability to scan store shelves with smartphones and receive critical metrics like stock availability, pricing, promotion,
Mon, January 06, 2025
594. Marilyn Lin, SaaS Customer Support
Show Notes: Marilyn Lin, a customer support thought leader with over two decades of experience, discusses the importance of customer support in driving business success in the Software as a Service (SaaS) industry. She has led global Technical Support Teams that not only resolve issues but also foster customer loyalty, drive renewals, and inform product strategies. In today's competitive SaaS landscape, customer support is not just a cost center but a linchpin of retention and growth. Customer Support in the SaaS Industry The conversation turns to the different terms for customer support, such as customer support, customer service, customer care, and customer success. Marilyn identifies the difference between terms. She equates customer success to the team focused on the health of a customer, focusing on how they are leveraging and using the product and solution, realizing value from their investments. They are more akin to the account management side of the organization, taking care to understand the customer's top priorities and helping guide them through leveraging and using the solution and products they have purchased or subscribed to. She explains that customer support and customer service are terms used interchangeably to describe the teams that help customers resolve issues with using their products or services. In B-to-B environments, customer support are more technical support teams, while customer care and customer service is more tactical and often describe teams within B-to-C environments. Subcategories within Customer Support There are different subcategories within customer support, such as onboarding teams, which help new B2B customers onboard with a SaaS company. Major functions tied to customer support include customer training and onboarding, customer delivery teams, and customer escalation teams. The support delivery team handles cases and interacts with end users, helping them find solutions to their issues. A customer escalation team is involved when customers escalate issues or outages, ensuring timely resolution. Marilyn explains that historically, customer support organizations have been seen as reactive and cost centers rather than a strategic arm. However, there is a treasure trove of insights from the interactions with end users, which can be used to drive improvements in the product and solution. This information can feed into the product development cycle, helping product and engineering teams prioritize their roadmaps and drive the voice of the customer. Support teams can also provide insights related to training and enablement, usability, and user experience, which can be shared with the enablement and design teams. The Importance of Customer Support in Business The importance of customer support in a business is discussed, incl
Mon, December 23, 2024
593. Scott Markman, Conducting a Brand Diagnostic
Show Notes: Scott Markman, founder of MonogramGroup, discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and the challenges he faces in the private equity sector. Scott kicks off the conversation with a quick introduction to his podcast, "Beer Stories for Private Equity," which focuses on issues related to the firms, companies they own, and consultants. About the Agency Scott founded the agency, MonogramGroup, in 1990. The agency has evolved from a design firm to a full-fledged agency, with a focus on brand expertise and deliverables. Services include research, insights, positioning strategy, ideation around who or what is a brand today versus tomorrow, building out content, and creating a reservoir of assets. They also address the complexity of audiences, competitors, and going to market. For example, Starbucks has a single brand but must address specific needs for consumers, employees, coffee growers, Wall Street, and social media audiences. Scott talks about the agency’s work and how they serve their market. Defining Brand Scott defines brand as two things: the DNA of an organization, which is connected to the ‘why’ of an organization, relating to Simon Sinek’s definition of a company’s mission, which should connect to all aspects of the brand. The second is that the brand is the everything and Scott explains how this ties to all aspects of the company. This approach has been successful for them serving large global brands for about 20 years, including Life Fitness, Mintel and Sensata, the world's largest maker of sensors for vehicles. A Focus on Private Equity and a New Brand The agency’s focus turned to private equity firms when Scott was introduced to the sector in 1996. They created a brand called Antares Capital, which is the largest provider of credit to PE middle market deals. The success of this brand earned recognition across the private equity sector in North America. The practice has since grown to include 90 clients, and over this period, they have interviewed investment bankers, representatives, institutional capital, pension funds, foundations, insurance companies, hired CEOs, founders, and sellers of businesses to private equity, which has given them in-depth knowledge in this field. Among agencies, there is typically a competitive conflict issue where working for two competitive companies is not allowed. The Role of Branding in Private Equity Firms The conversation turns to the role of branding in private equity firms (PE firms) and their portfolio companies. Scott explains that the business model is to get gigs with PE firms or lenders, but now it is secondary to engagements with portfolio companies. The primary goal is to create relationships with PE firms, building trust and proving themselves. He also discusses the concept of differentiating between PE firms and portfo
Mon, December 16, 2024
592. Matthew Hunt, Generating Clients through LinkedIn Thought Leadership
Show Notes: Matthew Hunt talks about Demandii, a firm that helps busy B2B executives create snackable content for LinkedIn from a single monthly interview. Matthew explains that most clients struggle with time, and they don't know how to create content or want to do it. Demandii offers a structured approach where they interview executives privately, turn their one-hour interview into 40 hours of content in a variety of formats. They then work on it until they are satisfied, and syndicate it across social media, focusing on LinkedIn. Demandii Customers The types of customers for Demandii include CEOs, founders, SAS owners, consultants, and small businesses selling high-ticket items. They help them create various formats of content, such as videos, audio grams, text pieces, and graphic or image pieces. The most impactful content for clients is usually video-based, as people can consume the whole view, see, hear, and feel the content, attracting their tribe. Demandii's primary channel is LinkedIn, as most B2B executives want to be known and seen. The ACES Method for Content Creation Matthew discusses the ACES method for creating content for an audience. The ACES method consists of three core pillars: Authority, Content, Connect, and Engagement. Authority refers to the knowledge and expertise of an expert in a specific field, such as marketing, SEO, or digital PR. Content should be engaging, heartfelt, and relatable to the audience. Engagement is achieved through asking probing questions or starting conversations on social media. S stands for Show and covers showing content, which includes behind-the-scenes stories and achievements, is also important. The 100-foot View Explained The 100-foot view involves creating content that is interesting, compelling, helpful, and that the author will be proud of. The best content creators are good coaches and teachers, and to engage your audience, Matt suggests thinking about a problem the audience has and leading with that. He then states that the content should also agitate the customer by discussing the negative consequences of not solving the problem. This helps the audience recognize that the problem is not their fault and encourages them to resolve it. Matt shares the formula for the above content tactic. The formula for creating content is P, A, S. The formula stands for people plus problem, A is agitate plus absolve, and S is sell with a story or show how you solve the problem. This approach will create content that is helpful and that the author is proud of. The B2B LinkedIn Demand Generation Course In this discussion, Matthew Hunt discusses his B2B LinkedIn course and offers three options for clients: do-it-yourself, done-with-you, and done-for-you. The do-it-yourself course is free and can be completed by busy individuals or those with a
Wed, December 11, 2024
591. River Tompkins, 17-year-old Independent Consultant
Show Notes: River Tompkins, a 17-year-old high school senior, started his own consulting practice in Austin, Texas, with five different clients. He provides services in the experimental education space, helping school owners implement systems and train teachers. His first clients were a group of schools in Florida, where he worked on implementing student government and learner-driven accountability. He has been at Ackman Academy for 10 years, a learner-driven off-the-beaten-path education, and now he is going to other younger schools to share his experience. Finding Clients as a New Consultant To find clients, River emailed schools in Florida to see what they were doing and potentially get a teaching job. They eventually invited him to visit for a couple of days to consult. He now seeks out clients with the primary goal of consulting. He targets schools in the Acton Academy domain, as his experience at Acton Academy is not applicable to the general masses. River discusses the unique approach to education that he has developed. He explains that the Acton Academy is a learner-driven model where teachers guide students through their learning process, allowing them to see progress and make decisions. River shares more about the Acton Academy approach and how he sets pricing and payment for his consulting services. Educational Consulting Services Explained River discusses more about the Acton Academy approach and his plans for expanding his practice and mentions giving a guaranteed parent speech to every school he visits, which is his journey, how the Acton approach works and why, followed by a Q&A session. River mentions that the Acton Academy is open to different school types, age groups, and staff levels. The Acton Academy Education in Action The conversation turns to potential education and structure models that work in the Acton Academy by breaking it down into a range of dimensions. River explains that Acton Academy has small class sizes, with elementary students ranging from 20 to 40 kids, middle school students from sixth to eighth grade, and sixth to eighth graders in the same classroom. Acton Academy runs in person classes with online courses through programs like Khan Academy Newsela, allowing students to work on core curriculars like math and reading in the same space while working at their own pace with their own computer. The first half of the day focuses on individual studies, such as math and reading, while the second half is more project-based electives, such as science engineering or real-world skills. Teachers are known as guides while students take a proactive approach to learning. The older kids are encouraged to tutor and mentor the younger ones, focusing on leadership skills. Extracurricular activities are often outside of the school, as they are often independent of the school. De
Mon, December 09, 2024
590. Jenelle Sheridan, How to Analyze a Retail Company
Jenelle Sheridan, a former VP and GM at Athleta, discusses how to analyze a retail company. Jenelle has 15 years of experience in retail and e-commerce, working as a consultant and operating executive. She has experience in pre-revenue startups and larger enterprise businesses, and recently launched her consulting and advisory practice, Far View Partners, which focuses on helping consumer and retail companies unlock growth. Jenelle served on the leadership team at Athleta for almost 10 years, leading strategic growth from a $200 million business to over a billion dollars. She has also held functional roles in marketing, strategy, and business development. Metrics to Measure for Success Jenelle emphasizes the importance of metrics in understanding success and how to look at performance in retail companies. She talks about the importance of evaluating company performance and effectiveness across various stages of maturity. Jenelle emphasizes that success depends on growth metrics like brand awareness, customer acquisition, and revenue growth, while profitability is less critical at emerging retailers. For established retailers, operational efficiencies like inventory turns and return on gross margin are critical. The Big Three Metrics for Investors Jenelle states that, regardless of stage of maturity, the big three metrics for investors are same-store sales growth, sales costs, and sales comps. Same-store sales growth measures the change in revenue for stores that have been open for at least a year, helping to isolate organic growth. A strong sales comp metric indicates increasing consumer demand or successful product strategies, while a low or negative rate may signal challenges or market saturation. She explains that best in class sales comps are in the five to seven percent range, the industry average, and discusses the potential consequences of flatlining or decelerating sales comps, such as increased foot traffic, conversion, and basket sizes. Jenelle believes that delivering zero growth is not acceptable for mature brands, as it may not be enough to meet the needs of shareholders and leadership teams. However, if a brand is experiencing flatlining or decelerating sales comps, it is essential to see growth to keep pace with accelerating costs. By focusing on these metrics, retailers can better understand their performance and make informed decisions about their strategies. Underlying Sales Drivers The conversation turns to sales and the underlying drivers such as traffic, conversion rate, and transactions. Stores typically have a lower traffic number, but when traffic decreases, the conversion rate increases due to more intentional buyers. The overall basket size is typically the same, but slightly upticks in the basket size are observed. Jenelle explains that public companies typically report store sales growth on traffic and co
Mon, December 02, 2024
589. Gerd Schenkel, How to Analyze a Telecommunications Company
Show Notes: Gerd Schenkel discusses his experience in creating new telco businesses and how to analyze a telecommunications company. Gerd has spent over 10 years as a consultant and 15 years as an executive in banking and telco. He aims to make a differentiation in consulting work by bringing together both worlds. Developing a Telco Company Gerd spent six years at Telstra, Australia's incumbent telco, and three years as the CEO. He talks about his experience there and moves on to his first experience at creating a business which was for National Australia Bank, where he launched a digital bank called EuBank. He later worked as the CEO of a digital team and was tasked with building a telco division. Gerd discusses the creation, development and success of a telco project. He talks about launching a project, what it requires, and what he learned through the process, including accepting and meeting a 10-week launch deadline. He talks about key learnings from his time there, managing the team, product pricing, and making the process of developing and delivering a product simple and effective. A Telstra Broadband Brand Success Telstra's internet broadband product was competing with its parent company's product, but the difference was not in speed or quality. The brand and marketing strategy was more about the connection to the local exchange, where the availability of ports was crucial for competitive dynamics. A former Telstra employee and artist was hired to help develop the brand. The team knew they would need to market locally, and in some areas, they would spend more money. However, they turned this limitation into a positive, creating a brand story called "Belong." The name "Belong" was about belonging to the local neighborhood, and the advertising would be with local shops. The brand was launched with white lists, indicating that the product was only available in certain areas. The name "Belong" was part of the "local connection" concept, and the bank "Eubank" was launched to create a national brand story. Challenges Faced by Telco Startup Gerd discusses the challenges faced by a startup telco, Telstra, in complying with specialist regulations. The telco license had provisions for executing government and police directions, which were not widely known and not widely discussed. Our team was unaware of these requirements until a dedicated Telstra person contacted us about it. The team found a solution by flying a UK-based technician to install the necessary technology in exchanges. Gerd explains that, in terms of regulation, startups can do all their work upfront, but there are always unknowns and unexpected issues that need to be addressed. Flexibility and agility are essential in finding creative solutions, as demonstrated by Telstra's experience. Customer Service, Operations, and Billing Gerd shares an example of changes made to billing, and communication at Telstra. He explains that pro rata was a major cause for comp
Mon, November 25, 2024
588. Daniel Bauer, Creating a Summer Entrepreneurship Program
Show Notes: Dan Bauer, a Harvard Business School graduate and independent consultant, talks about the NSLC “Business & Entrepreneurship” program , sponsored by Inc Magazine. The program offers a nine-day immersion in entrepreneurship for high school students aged 14 to 18 from around the world. The students are vetted on their GPAs, and the program takes place on six prestigious college campuses, including Yale, Columbia, Duke, Michigan, Cal-Berkeley, and UCLA. The NSLC Origins Story The origin story for the program began with Dan’s business, the MBA Exchange, which focused on career and education consulting. After selling the business in 2016, he decided to find another outlet for teen entrepreneurship education and found that there was room for a better resource with the pedigree of top colleges and a platform for engagement with real-world entrepreneurs from various industries. Dan chose to aggregate best-in-class offerings, such as curriculum, camp teachers, and sponsors, and worked with them to create a successful partnership. Unpacking the NSLC “Business & Entrepreneurship” Program The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) provides campus housing, administration, supervision, academic adjacent components, social aspects, leadership training, field trips, and dorm life for high school students. It also offers a business simulation where students make real-time decisions that impact the share price of a fictitious public company. The competition is augmented by a pitch competition where students form small teams and work together to formulate a business idea using lessons learned about business and entrepreneurship. There are four sets of partners: individual colleges providing dorm space and classroom space, the National Student Leadership Conference providing administration, adult supervision, and teachers from the National Federation of Teaching Entrepreneurship. Inc. Magazine promotes the program and participates in the curriculum and structure. Teachers also participate in the judging panel and presentations for the group going to Columbia. Dan explains what his experience brings to the table and experiences gained through recruitment and outreach to CEOs who want to pay it forward and share their experience and knowledge. The NSLC Model Dan explains the structure of the business, which is a joint venture between a group of partners, with the NSLC being the core strength. They have a solid foundation in hands-on interaction with students and parents, with full-time staff. Dan handles interaction with entrepreneurs, speakers, and judges, while NFTE handles teacher selection training and placement. Inc. provides promotional support and weighs in on content topics and speaker selection. The conversation turns to building long-term, intensive relationships with schools, which involve multiple administr
Mon, November 18, 2024
587. Jonathan Schwartz, How to Analyze a Manufacturing Company
Jonathan Schwartz discusses how to analyze a manufacturing company. Jonathan's background includes working in operations improvement, starting with manufacturing and then transitioning to banking and non-manufacturing roles. He has worked with private equity firms and has been a lean champion at a private equity firm. Sales and Operations Planning Process One of the first types of analysis Jonathan talks about is the sales and operations planning process (SOP), which involves integrating what is being told to the sales team with what is being produced. This alignment and match is based on the equipment and production capabilities of the company. The main idea is to align what is going to make the plant the most money with how it is incentivizing the sales team.The main idea is to align what is being sold with what is being produced, and to charge more based on the value added services provided by the company. This aligns with the company's goals and equipment to make the most money. Production Scheduling Process Jonathan explains that the production scheduling process in a company can be complex, with different tools used for larger plants and more complex situations. For example, a simple company might schedule production in batches, depending on the flexibility of their equipment and the economic batch size. This helps avoid having a large amount of inventory sitting in inventory when orders are placed for other parts. In some cases, private label products may not be suitable for production, while others may require make to stock or make to order processes. Delays in customization can affect the capacity to build up inventory. To assess the quality of a factory's production scheduling, it is important to consider the number of changes in the schedule over time and overall on-time delivery. An assessment of inventory levels can help identify bottlenecks, quality problems, equipment downtime, or matching schedules from pre-production steps to middle production steps. Visualizing the inventory levels and identifying visible metrics or schedules can help identify areas for improvement. Jonathan shares a couple of war stories as examples. New Process Implementation and Change Management The conversation turns to implementing a new process. In manufacturing, while some change management communications can be done ahead of time, training should be done right before the team starts using the new process, rather than a week or two weeks ahead of time. As soon as you implement something that makes their jobs easier, employees become a fountain of ideas and improvements, which can lead to quick changes in morale and overall productivity. Jonathan states that a clear production schedule is crucial for ensuring everyone knows what's up next for their line and is prepared for any changes. By implementing a two-bin system and addressing stockouts, organizations can improve on-time delivery numbers and predictabilit
Mon, November 11, 2024
586. Sanjar Iyer, How to Analyze a Telecommunications Company
Sanjay Iyer, a consultant for 25 years, discusses the evolution of telecommunications companies, focusing on network, infrastructure, quality, and coverage analysis. He explains that coverage is the first aspect of a network, determining the reach and number of homes it can deliver service to. The structure of networks has evolved over the years, with different types of networks for broadband, such as fiber to the home, hybrid fiber coax, and fixed wireless axis. Assessing the Infrastructure Quality Sanjay explains the process of assessing the infrastructure quality of a telecommunications company, which involves evaluating speeds, latency, and other factors such as the density of homes in the neighborhood. Speeds are rated at megabits per second, but factors like the number of people using television, density of homes, and latency can affect the speed of upstream and downstream packets. Latency is another factor that covers systemic network design quality. Sanjay also mentions that there are temporary issues in a coax network, such as fluctuation noise and overhead versus underground cables. To understand the total quality of a network, it is essential to separate temporary issues from systemic problems. He suggests measuring the quality at a home level, rather than at the broad network level. Network Assessment Factors Sanjay explains the importance of assessing network outcomes such as latency and speed when buying a provider and explains why companies should focus on outcome metrics and infrastructure quality. He talks about the first and second metric, capital expenditure efficiency and network upgrades. Sanjya explains why getworks have been continuously groomed and expanded to deliver more bandwidth over the years, and understanding how they have done it historically and what it will take to achieve the gold standard of one gigabits per second downstream to every home is crucial and what it would cost. Challenges Faced when Analyzing Networks The conversation turns to the challenges companies face in analyzing their own networks, as there is no single source of truth for determining their network coverage. One challenge is the cost of bandwidth, which can be expensive and unpredictable. To get the bandwidth right, companies must calculate the capex efficiency model, which assumes an average number of households per node and exploits it to the entire country. This model is often incorrect, leading to unpredictable network costs. Another challenge is fiber optic and broadband penetration analysis. The Federal Communications Commission has created a national database that tracks every household's speed and coverage from service providers. This information is publicly available and can be used to analyze homes and serviceable locations. The FCC has also created a service coverage map at a national scale, which can be used to all
Mon, November 04, 2024
585. Matt Sobieski, How to Analyze a Manufacturing Company
Matt Sobieski discusses the process of helping a manufacturing plant improve its performance by understanding the problem statement and 47 different analyzes. He suggests talking to the plant manager or head of operations to understand the biggest challenges, cost buckets, operational constraints, and capacity constraints. Diving into One of 47 Analyzes Matt explains more about the 47 analyzes, one of which is the cost of goods sold, breakdown, and margin analysis, which helps in understanding the cost structure of the plant. This includes examining production, backlogs, inventory levels, and other factors. In the case of an agricultural manufacturing company during the pandemic, the focus was on streamlining their ordering process to increase productivity. Matt also discusses the importance of understanding the big cost buckets, such as labor, materials, waste, and inventory management. He shares a case where a client had issues with their cost per unit, where they could not get their arms around their cost per unit. The data provided by the client was not high-quality, and it was difficult to differentiate between different lines. Matt shares a few ways to address this issue. Dealing with an Inflationary Environment In the current inflationary environment in the US, costs have been increasing, particularly labor costs. Consultants can help plants by asking questions and providing a fresh perspective to understand why material costs and overtime costs are high. This can lead to better scheduling and equipment utilization, which can help reduce costs and improve productivity. One example of this is an agricultural manufacturing plant where the plant manager was unaware of the importance of morning production meetings. By asking open-ended questions and being curious about how things run, consultants can identify areas for improvement. Overall Equipment Effectiveness Operations professionals should always have a plan for the day and recover from deviations when necessary. Asking open-ended questions and understanding the fundamentals of operations can help identify areas for improvement. One analysis that consultants like to use is the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), which is a measure of overall equipment effectiveness. OEE is calculated by comparing the performance of different pieces of equipment and identifying areas for improvement. Matt goes on to explain how the analysis of OEE is defined and quality calculated. He stresses that it is crucial to calculate the correct OEE and quality first time, as not all units are produced correctly. It is important to ensure that the correct approach is taken when analyzing OEE data. Identifying Waste in Manufacturing Plants Matt discusses the concept of identifying waste in manufacturing plants, including the classic seven or eight types of waste. T
Mon, October 28, 2024
584. Paul Millerd, Good Work
Show Notes: Paul Millerd, author of The Pathless Path and Good Work talks about his books. He explains the behind-the-scenes process of writing about work and the relationship to it. He explains the origin story of The Pathless Path, and how falling love with a woman and with writing led to a complete change in his professional direction. Paul, who had worked in strategy consulting for many years, left his full-time job and became a freelancer. He talks about this experience and how he felt like he was wasting his talent and needed a new story to make sense of how he felt and identify the possibilities that were emerging. The book is not a how-to book, but a friendly companion or guide for people already on similar paths. The book offers mental models, frameworks, and inspirational stories to help them venture into their own work. The conversation turns to money earned and why Paul chose to make less as a freelancer than he had in an employed position. He also talks about the impact of the money script and how societal views on taking a less-trodden path. A Discussion on Good Work Paul explains that 'good work' is defined as connecting with oneself and the work, which can be done in various forms. He believes that good work is time well spent, things one cares about, and that it will be interesting to see if people will connect with it. Paul shares his experience of writing for seven and a half years, where he has earned less than 30 grand a year due to some sales in his first book. He and his wife are aligned on the trade-offs and sacrifices they make, such as not owning a house or moving abroad for lower costs. Paul believes that good work is not for everyone, but rather for those who find it fulfilling and want to point their life in this direction. He has met hundreds of people from around the world who have material circumstances, but generally, they are not elite, educated, or high-wage workers. He doesn't recommend it for high achievers with expensive lives, as it is difficult to break out of the identity around status and continued achievement. Examples of Good Work Paul also shares examples of people doing what they consider good work, which is not necessarily creative pursuits. For example, someone taking care of a sick relative can shift work during their career, while a singer in Greece shares his music and feels good when he does so. He believes that good work is about prioritizing something of value in one's life and not just making money from it. Over the last year, Paul has been doing nothing but write and take care of his daughter, spending more than he has brought in, and seeing his income decline dramatically over the past six months. However, he believes that if he can get five to 10 experiences of writing a book or doing similar things, he will be happier with how he spends his life. Exploring the Concept of Leaving Mo
Mon, August 12, 2024
583. Christian Hyatt, Growing a Cybersecurity Firm
Show Notes: Christian Hyatt, Founder of Risk3Sixty, discusses the top three or four things that chief information security officers at sub-enterprise firms are most worried about right now. He explains that these concerns include the business environment, threat actors, cybersecurity regulation, nation-state actors like Russia and China, and phishing campaigns. He also highlights the unique bridge between cybersecurity and information technology coming to a head with the recent CrowdStrike incident. Advice to Clients on Cybersecurity Christian suggests that independent consultants should ask clients questions or warning signs to raise their concerns and consider consulting a cybersecurity expert. He suggests that clients are looking for someone who is a good listener and not operating off fear, uncertainty, and doubt. By listening to clients' needs and concerns, consultants can offer advice on implementing best practices on their existing toolset and spreading security awareness. Christian emphasizes that many big enterprise tools, such as Office 365 and Google Suite, have built-in security, covering many bases. Independent consultants should listen for how well implemented their tools are, listen for business problems they have, and offer security assurance. Offering advice on implementing best practices and spreading security awareness can help firms understand how security is impacting their business and make informed decisions about investing in security measures. Cybersecurity Due Diligence In the context of due diligence, Christian states that it is important to consider the company's internal infrastructure, including its cloud-based and on-premises systems. This can help identify potential red flags and ensure the company's sustainability and scalability. For example, if a product company is being acquired, it is crucial to ask about its application security, product security, and scalability. Additionally, understanding the company's mastery of its own product and its ability to scale without the team is essential. Another key factor to consider is the company's internal infrastructure, whether it is cloud-based or on-premises. Integrating with the acquiring firm can impact the cost of the process. Cybersecurity for Independent Consultants and Boutique Firms Independent consultants and boutique firms with a few employees should also take cybersecurity precautions. Some good tools for small businesses include G Suite or Office 365, which have built-in tools for file share sharing, email security, and internal messaging. These tools help protect against cybersecurity attacks that originate from email. Installing antivirus tools like CrowdStrike and Sentinel can help prevent attacks at the endpoint level. Blocking and tackling security processes, such as using file sharing platforms like OneDrive or Dropbox.
Mon, August 05, 2024
582. Strategy Mavericks: Disrupting Traditional Approaches to Business Strategy
Show Notes: In this panel discussion, Lisa Carlin, director of Future Builders and author of the newsletter Turbocharge Weekly, and strategy execution specialist introduces the three panelists, who discuss the challenges of traditional strategy development, including volatility, uncertain business environments, and significant digital and AI disruption. The panelists, Will Bachman, Founder of Umbrex, a global community of independent management consultants, Alex M.H. Smith, breakthrough strategist and author of No Bullshit Strategy, and Rob McLean, investor, philanthropist and co-author of two books on strategy, discuss the challenges of traditional approaches to business strategy. The Problem of Business Strategy Rob emphasizes that, previously, strategies were deterministic and assumed certainty in business plans. However, increasingly, there is global uncertainty, and risk and probability should be included in a strategy. He mentions that there are assumptions about uncertainty that don’t hold true. He also highlights the fast change and that the cadence of strategy is changing, but despite this, many enterprises are locked into three and five-year plans. Alex explains why he believes that many businesses lack understanding of effective strategy development and deployment. He emphasizes the importance of making precepts accessible, engaging, interesting, and usable for medium-sized businesses. He believes that traditional strategy is not bullshit but has limited purchase as it doesn't address the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Will shares his experience with 500 conversations per year with clients seeking consultants, and he shares the main trends in what clients want from consultants and states that it has not changed dramatically over the years, but he also stresses the need for alignment, clarity, and action. Alex identifies the importance of substance and the ability to convert to action. He mentions the difficulty of achieving engagement, encouraging action, and the underemphasis of style in communications. He suggests thinking about strategy as a motivational discipline. Alex suggests that focusing more on sexing up the strategy can make a significant difference in making progress. He suggests that if strategy is viewed as a motivational discipline, it is essential to motivate people to do it. He believes that making the strategy “sexier” will bring stronger results in engaging and motivating buy-in. Problem-solving, Strategic Intent and Strategic Development Robs talks problem-solving as a driver of strategic development. The identified problems are viewed through different lenses to achieve a 360-understanding. He mentions the greater premium on new data, and on trials and experiments, and mentions strategy that includes peeling back layers of uncertainty, putting people in a position where they can make decisions and e
Mon, July 29, 2024
581. David A. Fields, Pursuing Cold Leads
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman discusses cold outreach with David A. Fields. David advises that cold outreach is a last resort tactic and should not be included in the mix of marketing strategies. Instead, he suggests that consulting firms should focus on the five marketing musts to build their network. Why Cold Outreach is Inefficient David emphasizes that cold outreach is remarkably inefficient for most consultants, as it is often slow to close and has a long sales cycle. He suggests that firms should experiment with cold outreach to find the best approach based on client feedback and experience. David also shares some historical insights about cold outreach. Cold outreach tends to respond better when closer to product sales when hardcore selling messages works better. David states that, when selling expertise and experience which is trust driven, cold outreach doesn't work well. The Aggressive Reframe Approach Aggressive reframe, which involves asking for something rather than just asking for it, can also work well for cold outreach. David suggests that most consulting firms think they should differentiate versus competition, but this is not how they win business. David explains what the aggressive reframe approach is and how it works for consultants. The 111 Messaging Effective Outreach Technique David discusses the effectiveness of 111 messaging, a technique developed for cool contacts in your network core. This approach is particularly effective for cold outreach on LinkedIn, as it requires some modifications. He explains that 111 messaging is a way to construct messages to people, focusing on the other person and their needs. It is a right-side-up email, one line, and one question that must be easy to answer. The 111 approach is designed for cold outreach and works well on LinkedIn. The message should be one-sided, one-line, and asks one simple question. The message should be short and simple, and the recipient should be able to answer the question easily. David shares the response rate from this technique, which is better than any other engagement technique, and offers examples of simple questions to ask. How to Use Cold Outreach Effectively David talks about using cold outreach correctly in acquiring clients. He believes that it is not efficient enough to get leads, as it requires a long sales cycle and a high close rate. To do cold outreach correctly, he suggests viewing it as the first step in a three-year process of winning clients and think of it as an investment in gaining future clients. David shares his tips on how to engage someone connected through LinkedIn who may be a potential client. The best practices in messaging are discussed, including keeping messages short to the point and focused on a topic that meets the needs or interests of
Mon, July 22, 2024
580. Tish Baldez, Training Consultants
Tish Baldez, a leading expert in management consulting, has worked with small and mid-sized consultancies and 20,000 professionals worldwide. She shares the trajectory of her career from an independent consultant to a managing partner and leader at P31 Consulting LLC, a training program for professionals in management consulting, life science, IT consulting, finance, banking and more, and how they became a 100% referral-only business. The Foundations of the Consultants Training Program Tish introduced the foundations for consulting skills program about a year and a half ago, which enables small businesses hiring new analysts, consultants, and engagement managers without formal structure training on how to do consulting or work in a consultative way. The program focuses on providing foundational skills, storyboarding, and teaching how to synthesize data and communicate it meaningfully for clients. The program is currently running multiple sessions a year in the US, UK, and Latin America. The P31 Academy offer to help scale up and accelerate the learning curve of consultants, allowing them to be more effective and successful. Storyboard Presentations for Consultants Tish also trains 30-40% of their people on how to storyboard presentations in the traditional consulting way, teaching the principles of how it works and why it works. They also have a special version for scientists, medical professionals, and people working within Life Sciences or data science organizations, helping them become business fluent. This program helps them understand what they’re presenting and translate it into language that is meaningful for their audience, making it easier for them to make decisions and take actions based on the presentations. The Foundation for Consulting Skills Program The foundation for consulting skills is a 100-day experience that combines online, self-directed, and self-paced learning in addition to a combination of in-person and virtual-led instruction with expert consultants. The program includes a three-day intensive, where participants work independently for a few weeks, then come together for a three-day intensive in different locations in the UK and the United States. The remaining weeks involve small group exercises and one-on-one coaching and group coaching sessions. The focus is on major transformational bills, such as skill development, practical application, and theory. The program ends with a celebration of complet
Mon, July 01, 2024
579. Michael Rubenstein, Organizational Culture in Mergers and Acquisitions
In this episode of Unleashed, Michael Rubenstein discusses the importance of organizational culture in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Michael's expertise is broader than organizational culture; he offers a bird's eye view of an organization to help move it to the next phase in their evolution which includes: Strategy, M&A, Value Creation, People and Culture, etc. It’s all about moving an organization to the next phase in their evolution and includes: Strategy, M&A, Value Creation, People and Culture, etc. He believes that culture is the key to a successful integration and that it often goes unnoticed. He suggests that when assessing a company's culture, it is essential to identify the culture elements of the current company and the target company, and identify any gaps. Key Points in Assessing Company Culture To do this, Michael recommends conducting self-assessments and assessments of both companies, as well as conducting interviews with stakeholders such as leadership, employees, customers, and suppliers. These interviews can help identify critical issues that could be problematic or could be beneficial. A culture diagnostic is a process that involves asking open-ended questions about how decisions are made within a company. This can include whether the organization is meritocratic, where instructions come from the top, or more empowered, where people have more autonomy in their roles. It is also important to consider whether the decision-making process is customer-driven, or operationally driven. Unpacking Elements of Company Culture Michael states that culture is a complex concept that encompasses behaviors, norms, and rituals. Behaviors involve people working together, collaborating, hiding information, and doing things for the greater good or their own benefit. Norms are standards that hold individuals accountable for values, self-integrity, and communication within an organization. Rituals are important and often involve stories and networking opportunities. The Benefits an Organizational Diagnostic An organizational diagnostic can help identify gaps in culture, which can be useful in assessing the current state of the organization and the target acquisition company. A visual representation of the organizational diagnostic can help identify gaps and areas for improvement. For example, if the company being acquired is more advanced than the current one in terms of collaboration, it can help probe and identify areas for improvement. Michael explains that a case study can help assess the impact of a mismatch between cultures and the success of a merger. In a successful merger, culture was a key factor, as the acquiring company focused on taking the best people, processes, and models from both organizations. However, in a failed merger, the acquiring company ignored the value of the best people and processes, leading to a loss
Mon, June 24, 2024
578. Lisa Carlin, Growing a Membership Community
Lisa Carlin, founder of Future Builders Group, discusses her experience in consulting and the need for a more passive income stream. She has over 50 strategy execution projects and programs that focus on business strategy, project management, and change management. Lisa believes that achieving scale in these areas requires changing the focus of the business and execution messages to what is important to the culture. In this episode, Lisa talks about developing and running a membership community. Building a Subscription Business The TurboCharge Hub membership offers a platform for functional experts to learn how to develop and execute strategies. The group is currently launching its own website called TurboChargers.com, and she meets with members twice a month on Zoom. One of the biggest lessons learned from her experience is the importance of understanding the client's pain points and tailoring their solutions accordingly. As people join, Lisa learns about their ideal customer profile and their biggest pain points, which allows her to provide key messages to the market. Lisa also shares her lessons learned from her own experiences, such as being clear on the ideal customer profile and understanding the key message. By learning from her clients and focusing on their needs, she hopes to help others build their own successful memberships. Key Steps in Recruiting Members for a Subscription Business Lisa shares how she built a following, which included learning more about building a strong brand, and reaching out to B2C and B2B communities. She started doing podcasts, signing up for conferences, and having a lead generation machine set up on LinkedIn. This has been effective in growing her LinkedIn profile and inquiries. She met with people she knew would sign up. The next phase of people signing up was people who heard her on a podcast or at a conference. The audience is mostly business leaders, CEOs of medium to large organizations, and entrepreneurs with a strong innovation flair. Lisa has also learned to hone her writing skills and set up a newsletter. The community now consists of 7300 people, mostly CEOs of medium to large organizations and entrepreneurs. Working with a Podcast Agency Lisa discusses their experience with a podcast agency and the results she has received from it. She shares information on fees and services, which involves developing a podcast profile and reaching out to potential clients. The agency also offered the opportunity to choose the podcasts she wanted to produce and post them on LinkedIn as native content and as YouTube clips for their YouTube channel. She also mentions that she has not considered offering a special discount code for listeners of the podcasts, but she is interested in taking on affiliates to distribute their software. She is also interested in partnering with consultants to
Mon, June 17, 2024
577. Jeremy Greenberg, AI-powered Audience Simulator
Show Notes: Jeremy Greenberg discusses the AI-powered audience simulator built by the Avenue Group. The tool allows users to provide a set of custom instructions for different audience segments, like research or interviews. It allows users to ask questions of qualitative and quantitative nature, and within minutes, results from simulated respondents are obtained. The tool mirrors the sentiment of collective segments and audiences, similar to chats or LLMs on a one-on-one basis. This tool is useful for collecting the opinions of celebrities, for example, Steve Jobs, highlighting the immense power of LLMs in capturing the distributions of the underlying population. Creating an Audience Jeremy discusses the process of updating the front end and the first section of the tool. He states the importance of setting this to create an audience, which is the global population interested in a specific topic, such as Americans drinking Coca Cola. This audience is then used to create sub-segments within the audience, each with its own criteria. For example, if the audience is comprised of decision-makers who decide on software for small businesses, they can segment them into different countries. The Creation of Segments The second section of the tool allows for the creation of segments. These segments can be categorized by industry, such as executives responsible for sourcing and procuring uniform rental services. For example, if the audience is comprised of executives in the food service industry, they can create a segment with one trait, such as "work in the food industry." The third section allows for the addition of more traits, such as "work in the food service industry," to further narrow down the audience. This allows for more targeted and targeted marketing efforts. An Example of Segmentation Jeremy uses the example of the janitorial services industry to identify the three segments. They create a review section that outlines the different traits and elements that comprise each segment, with a sample for each and a percentage base of the total. The group is asked questions about their current use of uniforms and key buying criteria. Jeremy recommends starting broad and going deeper with research, such as asking about the company, title, years in the industry, demographic information, and other relevant details. Open-ended questions can be added to gauge the industry's knowledge and understanding. For example, asking about the company's history and the number of vendors they work with could provide valuable insights. Quantitative questions can also be added to gauge the wallet fragmentation and the primary vendor's satisfaction level. For example, asking about the number of vendors they have for uniform rental services could provide insight into the distribution of the wallet. Additionally,
Mon, June 10, 2024
576. Bryan Caplan, The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulations
Show Notes: In this discussion, Professor Bryan Caplan discusses the science and ethics of housing regulations and the argument for housing deregulation, which he believes benefits everyone across the political spectrum, including lower costs and more equity. Barriers to Radical Housing Deregulation Bryan believes that to achieve radical housing deregulation, it would require convincing a large audience of people that it is a good idea. He explains that most people don't see the connection between letting people build and low prices, and there is a hypersensitivity to the harms a building can cause. The conversation also explores issues of environmental regulations and renewable power, and opposing forces lobbying to keep current housing regulations in place, such as community activists and the construction industry. Housing Developers and Zoning Laws The discussion turns to various types of regulation and barriers faced by developers, including zoning laws, which are often used to separate industry from commercial and residential areas. He talks about the expression “the zoning tax”, used by economists. Bryan believes that abolishing these regulations would be the best solution, and that, unfortunately, there is a slippery slope in allowing owners to preemptively stop someone from using their property as they want, it stymies action of any kind, and it can lead to laws that are overreaching and, most often, unnecessary. He talks about the law of nuisance and the burden of making a lawful complaint should be the responsibility of the complainer and not of the court to mitigate potential complaints in advance. Historical Preservation and Housing Regulations He discusses the issue of historical preservation regulations, which may not necessarily lead to the demolition of historic buildings. Market forces play a role in preserving historic buildings, as people often value them and don't want to tear them down. However, if there is a significant difference between the value of renting office space in historic buildings and the extra value from turning them into residential spaces, the market is spoken. He mentions that every historic building was built on the rubble of a previous, more historic building. Bryan states what he believes is the best, most easy solution to this problem. He also offers an example of why the motivation to preserve many historic buildings is quite ironic. Environmental Building Regulations Bryan addresses the environmental regulations that new builders face when building new buildings. He believes that current environmental protection laws are counterproductive, as they prevent developers from building in areas with favorable climates and reducing carbon emissions. Instead, he suggests making it easier to build in areas with good conditions, such as South
Mon, June 03, 2024
575. Maria Isabel Rios, How to Make Your Consulting Firm Work for You
Show Notes: Maria Isabel Rios discusses the importance of making a firm work for you, rather than working for your firm. She emphasizes that firm leaders often immerse themselves in their firm in service to growing the firm to make it successful. Maria Isabel suggests that a better way to be a firm leader is to make your firm work for you. This involves finding ways to evaluate your firm, add value to your life, and bring success into the picture. A Formula to Make Your Firm Work for You A formula for making a firm work for you includes identifying key areas of importance in your personal life, and looking at your consulting firm's purpose, values, and intentions. Then, you can look at how these elements can intersect. The formula should be tailored to your needs and preferences, and should be specific to your goals. For example, if you want to spend one weekend day with family, zero work, every week for the next 52 weeks, this can be a more specific goal. Another example is a firm leader setting their goals for financial success, which can be a specific percentage of their income that goes into their retirement account. By making these personal intentions specific, you can create a formula that works for you and your firm. Personal Intentions and the Intersection with Work Maria Isabel discusses the importance of identifying personal intentions and focusing on what brings joy to oneself then move on to the intersection with a firm. She describes five models of intention for firms and how this intersects with personal goals. Maria Isabel gives examples of firm leaders intentions and what they want in their personal and professional life, and how they make both work. She suggests that, by focusing on these models, individuals can better understand their intentions and make decisions that align with their goals and objectives. Maria Isabel explains how the different models work in both professional and personal life. Shifts and Growth in Business Models Maria Isabel talks about the concept of a shift in business model. She shares examples of clients who are overworked and need help to reduce their hours and focus on a healthier lifestyle. She emphasizes that independent consultants often have an embedded model in mind, which often involves working long hours for high profits and success. However, when clients feel burnt out, they may need to consider the happiness the firm life brings to the firm leader. To make a shift, Maria Isabel suggests that clients should consider their personal intentions and work backwards to determine how to achieve this. This could involve taking larger projects or creating more sustainability in their pipeline. Additionally, they should strategically shift the model of how they deliver to reduce the firm leader's role in delivery. Maria Isabel also touches on other aspects of the firm's role, such as building a reputation as a thought leader or creating an
Mon, May 27, 2024
574. Lindsay McGregor, Co-founder and CEO of Vega Factor
Show Notes: Lindsay McGregor discusses her firm's focus on building high-performing organizations. She explains that the highest performing organizations motivate people in a specific way, unlocking play, purpose, and potential for the problem they're solving. The firm trains leaders to be inspirational and consults with organizations on designing their operating models. She shares a story about how the firm explained the deeper concepts of play at work and how implementing these concepts of play was worth millions of dollars to the fund's portfolio managers every year. Play is often seen as something we do during our hobbies, but when we feel engaged by what we're solving, we perform at our best.Utilizing Play Concepts for Growth ManagementLindsay talks about the tools used to facilitate the play process and shares a sample engagement with a client who was the founder of a tech company that had scaled rapidly and the former processes no longer worked. Lindsay shares examples of the challenges faced in managing a team due to the rapid growth of the organization, including issues of talent retention, burnout, and AI adoption. To address these issues, Lindsay’s firm found three simple, easy-to-implement routines: goal checks, health checks, and skill checks. She shares a story that demonstrates the benefit of problem-solving activities. She explores each routine and explains that, by focusing on these strategies, companies can ensure their teams are equipped to handle the demands of their rapidly growing environment and maintain a competitive edge.Outcome-related Goals, Process-related Goals, and Idea-related GoalsThe conversation moves to outcome-related, idea-related, and process-related goals in a company. Lindsay emphasizes the importance of tracking process metrics and idea metrics to track how many ideas or experiments are being run. Aggressive goals can lead to increased effort, but it's crucial to manage experimentation and work smarter instead. For example, a tech company's recruiter had to fill double the number of jobs in the coming quarter than she normally does. By breaking down her goal into six categories, AI helped her create five sub-goals that focused on working smarter, not harder. This allowed her and her leader to focus on creatively adapting their approach.Team Alignment, Strategy, and Outcome GoalsIn some organizations, having a senior leader join the goal meetings and challenges can be powerful, as it allows senior leaders to help block the team and identify blockers that are outside of their control. This creates a sense of understanding and cooperation between the team and the executive. The quarterly health process and skill check are essential for ensuring the right goals are set and the team has the necessary skills to accomplish them. Motivation in the workforce is a key factor in achieving success. A study found that people who learn valuable skills on the job and have good work-life bala
Mon, May 20, 2024
573. Ron Razmi, AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Dr. Ron Razmi discusses his book, AI Doctor: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, which focuses on the applications of AI in various areas of healthcare. Ron talks about AI as a foundational technology that uses statistical methods to analyze data and understand its meaning. It can be applied to various areas, such as coding and documentation, and can create algorithms to analyze heartbeats and detect abnormal rhythms. AI Use in Diagnostics In diagnostics, AI can be helpful in analyzing clean structured data, such as radiology files from CAT scans or MRIs. AI can be trained to identify bleeding or abnormalities on these scans, but it must be trained on specific abnormalities. Currently, AI excels in radiology due to the digitized and structured data, but it's not as effective in narrative formats. Ron states that AI's applications in healthcare are vast and deep, and while it's still in its early stages, it has the potential to revolutionize various sectors, including healthcare. AI Tools in Radiology and Triage AI is increasingly being used in various fields, including radiology, dermatology, and sound AI. In radiology, AI tools are helping radiologists identify potential issues that might have been missed in traditional workflows. There are applications that read CAT scans for bleeding and stroke in acute settings, allowing radiologists to quickly identify and treat stroke patients. This helps in regaining function and ensuring patient recovery. AI can also aid in triage, prioritizing tasks based on urgency. AI in Dermatology In dermatology, AI applications can help diagnose skin lesions. Additionally, sonar technology can be used to monitor people's activity and detect falls. This passive data collection method allows AI to analyze the signals and take action, reducing the need for manual data entry and manual data input. This technology is particularly effective for elderly individuals who may not want to be monitored with cameras, as 50% of falls occur in the bathroom. This technology is particularly useful for those who prefer to stay home but still need constant monitoring, such as those in assisted or independent living facilities. AI in Cardiology In cardiology, AI tools can help read EKGs, which are crucial for diagnosing heart conditions. Historically, algorithms have been used to read EKGs, but they were often basic and inaccurate. AI has shown great promise in finding abnormalities on single lead data collection, as it can discern the rhythm of an EKG from a live core or smartphone application. This field-based data collection could significantly reduce the simple analytic and downstream work needed by clinicians in the medical staff. AI in Therapeutics AI takes action in therapeutics, such as
Mon, May 06, 2024
572. Divya Agarwal, Somatics 101
Show Notes: The Benefits of Somatics Divya Agarwal, founder of Vivekam, explains what somatics is and what the benefits are. Somatics is a term used to describe body-based techniques that can be used with the body to build more body/mind awareness, manage emotions, and respond more effectively. These practices involve using techniques such as breathing, generating heat, and visualization practices to sense oneself better and improve self-awareness. These practices can help individuals feel more connected to their emotions and be present in various situations, such as negotiations or job evaluations. Mindful presence, which has been emphasized in mainstream literature and coaching, is another way to be present. However, there is a growing trend towards using “embodiment” (the quality of being/feeling the body) as a way to enter presence. Some simply techniques to build embodiment involved breathing exercises, visualization exercises, and body scans. Divya explains that somatics works at the nervous system level. Over time, these practices rewire the body and teach the nervous system to respond differently, making it easier to come into presence and calmness. Building Embodiment with Somatics Divya discusses the difference between exercise and somatics. She touches on the concept of embodiment, or being embodied, in relation to exercise. She believes that being in the body allows us to be more present and feel emotions such as anger, joy, anxiety, and fear and to manage those emotions. Divya states that the more we are embodied, the more we can be aware of emotions (since they show up as sensations in the body), and then choose how we respond with those emotions. Body-based techniques like breathing and visualization can help manage these emotions. The science behind starts with some basics of the brain and nervous system. To keep it simply, understand three areas: the amygdala (base of brain, often called "the reptilian brain"), the sympathetic nervous system, and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system responds to reactive stimuli and triggers the amygdala into action (fight, flight, or freeze), while the parasympathetic nervous system allows us to be calm a
Mon, April 29, 2024
571. Kathy Hines, Unleashing Brand Fundamentals
Kathy Hines, former Chief Marketing Officer at brands like Dickies and Vice President at brands like North Face and Kipling ,shares her experiences. She started her career in career management consulting at Bain and later went on to Nike, where she gained foundational experience in lifestyle and sports marketing. At Kipling, she led marketing strategy and E-commerce. She then led marketing and strategy for the North Face in Europe. After a four-year stint in VF Europe, she returned to the US and took on the role of global chief marketing officer for Dickies in Texas, where she was also responsible for licensing. Her experience at VF has given her a broad range of skills and experiences. Developing a Professional Marketing Plan Using a sports and lifestyles brand as an example, Kathy shares her process for developing a professional marketing plan. She begins by identifying the brand's aligned corporate strategy and working closely with the leadership team to understand financials and operational opportunities. The team then collectively develops long-term objectives, such as being the leader in performance and lifestyle apparel across key markets. For example, strategic choices include improving gross to net profits, targeting specific geographies, such as the UK, China, and the US, or focusing on elevating iconic products to consumers. The latter approach allows the brand to ensure it is the best in the world at that product. The marketing strategy should align with these strategic objectives and align with the brand foundations, which include the purpose of the brand, brand values, and brand personality. The Importance of Brand Foundations The brand foundations are essential for the marketing team to align on who they are and why they exist. These foundations include the brand purpose, the brand values, which define the brand, and the brand personality, which guides the direction of the brand in terms of the brand and design guidelines which are visual manifestations of the brand, while the tone document informs global communications, PR, and social media. The marketing plan should also include a clear vision for the brand, a clear mission statement, and a clear communication strategy. By focusing on these areas, the marketing team can create a comprehensive and effective marketing plan that aligns with the brand's long-term objectives and strategic choices. Examples of Brand Purpose and Its Place in the Marketing Plan Kathy shares several examples of brand purposes, including Kipling's brand purpose of making happy, and Napapijri’s brand purpose of Unlimit the Future. These examples demonstrate the power of brand purpose in shaping a company's identity and strategy. A marketing plan can be a singular page or a series of sub-chapters, with the brand purpose at the top. The purpose is the pinnacle of the brand, defin
Mon, April 22, 2024
570. Dimitris Samouris, Founder of Junior, Harnessing AI to Extract and Structure Expert Call Insights
Show Notes: Dimitris Samouris discusses the development of a tool called Junior, an SaaS tool built on large language models and speech to text models. It leverages AI to help process primary research workstreams, particularly in the due diligence process, especially for primary interviews. How Junior Works - A SaaS Tool to Clean Transcripts Junior helps automate a significant portion of the administrative tasks associated with research execution, allowing users to focus more on the big picture answer rather than the execution side of things. The tool provides a highly accurate transcript of each call, including the name, segment, company, customer size, date and time of the interview, call status, and review status. The call tracker is a knowledge repository that displays the names, segments, job title, company, customer size, country, date and time of the interview, call status, and review status. The call screen is a customizable project management tool for running the call workstream. Junior has three parts: a call drawer, which has three parts: verbatim transcript, clean transcript, and audio file backup. The first step is to chunking the verbatim transcript into relevant question and answer pairs, then cleaning those pairs for colloquialisms and repetition interruptions. This process typically strips out about half of the text in the verbatim transcript, making it more digestible. The Benefits of Using Junior - Workflow Tools for Consultants Junior allows users to create a clean transcript of a call and then convert it into a call summary. The tool has two components: a stats box that extracts every numerical data point referenced in the call and stores it in one place for review after the call, and a set of key takeaways that are AI-generated summaries of the key points of the call. The tool leverages information from the beginning of a project, such as a scope document or interview guide, to help guide the summary. The tool also offers workflow tools specifically designed for the consulting industry to help get to the slide output faster. One of the main features is Ctrl. F. This feature helps users find relevant quotes and questions related to the topic, such as contract structure, pricing, implementation, and renewal processes. This feature is particularly useful for human consultants who may struggle to trace quotes due to sanitization or paraphrasing issues. An AI native spreadsheet table automates data input for questions that need to be tracked systematically across research or used in market models. It allows users to set up questions and track transcripts, with the source information attached for verification. The data is exportable into Excel for further analysis. Junior also has a chatbot that handles transcripts for consulting and investment research use cases. It produces structured answers with evidence attached to each argument,
Mon, April 15, 2024
569. Ran Harpaz, Automating Tax Accounting for Solopreneurs
In this episode of Unleashed, Ran Harpaz, founder of Lettuce, discusses the importance of an automated tax and accounting system for businesses and that Lettuce is entirely focused on independent consultants. Independent consultants who make over $100,000 per year often overpay their taxes by $10,000 or more. Lettuce is a FinTech software company that helps these professionals incorporate their business into the right S corporation with the IRS, open a business bank account, run bookkeeping, run accounting, predict and file taxes, all done automatically through software. The company offers two levels: Pro (300 dollars a month) and Premium (700 dollars a month). The service includes accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation, and tax preparation. Tax Strategies for the Independent Consultants Ran explains how many independent consultants are often double taxed as sole proprietors due to the IRS's coordination on annual tax returns. He offers an example to demonstrate how this works. Ran also discusses the concept of an S Corp and its implications for tax calculations. He mentions that Lettuce exists as a software solution that does this daily on every dollar, as income fluctuates throughout the year. This automated solution monitors every payment, calculates and withholds the right amount automatically, and keeps the balance to the IRS constantly close to zero. The S Corp also offers more advanced tax strategies, such as retirement matching, qualified business income deductions, and better healthcare premium payments. Once an S Corp is established, it can unlock all the tax strategies typically available to corporations. The tax system and everything around it are well optimized for corporations, and larger organizations have a finance department, FEMA, and tax experts. While the savings on Social Security and Medicare may be capped, other benefits like retirement and healthcare premium payments open up once an S Corp is established. Using Retirement Plans as a Tax Strategy Ran discusses the advantages of using retirement plans as a tax strategy for individuals, particularly those with limited liability companies (LLCs). They mention that having an SEP IRA or a defined benefit plan can provide tax-free income, but it also comes with higher limits. The speaker emphasizes that this becomes a multivariable optimization problem, as individuals may want to save more through retirement, allocate more to Social Security, optimize for salary distribution, maximize expenses, and consider factors like business use of home and mileage. He suggests that these tax strategies should be solved by software products rather than human efforts. He explains that Lettuce is a replacement for QuickBooks accounting bookkeeping packages. Instead of having multiple software solutions, Lettuce provides a single solution that includes incorporating LLCs, makin
Mon, April 08, 2024
568. Salah Zalatimo, Integrating AI into a 100-year-old Media Business
Salah Zalatimo, former Chief Digital Officer at Forbes, discusses the history of magazines and digital transformation. Magazines have been around for a while, with many well-known brands being founded around 100 years ago. Technological innovations have enabled new businesses to launch, such as the Direct to Consumer (DTC) boom and the cheaper printing costs around the turn of the last century. A Short History of the Magazine Industry Salah talks about the background of Forbes, which was launched around the Great Depression, and goes on to why the magazine industry was much like VC Investing today, and how it changed with the advent of the internet. The tension between maintaining journalistic integrity and separation was a challenge. However, the internet revolutionized the way magazines operated, leading to many magazines going out of business in the past 20 years. Integration with the Digital Media Space Salah started his career in 2001, drawn to the digital media space after experiencing the first broadband connection and discovering Napster and music. When he arrived at Forbes, he found it to be one of the few companies that successfully adapted to these new business models. Forbes had more traffic and audience than any other magazine and competed with some of the largest information and news websites in the world. He joined Forbes in 2016 and discovered that their adaptation to the new business model was kind of outside their capabilities. Forbes adopted a new business model in 2016 when they acquired True Slant, a platform that allowed writers to write articles and receive a revenue share on the content. This aligned the incentives of all stakeholders in the content creation process, with writers and publishers trying to generate more revenue and being paid based on the success of the content. Forbes adapted this business model to their own newsroom, increasing their content production and SEO significantly. How Forbes Maintained Zero Liability The Google algorithm, which was maturing at the time, was a link-sharing system, making it difficult to lose a lead in SEO. Forbes was one of the first companies to dramatically increase their content production and SEO, leaving everyone behind. This led to a virtuous cycle where writers had their own social media accounts and audiences, which added to putting Forbes ahead of the curve in terms of adaptation. However, content production still operated as a newsroom, and digital transformation was needed to adapt the business model. Salah explains why tension arose between traditional journalists and freelance journalists and how Forbes maintained zero liability for user-generated content.. Problems Facing The Digital Media Business Model The digital media business model is facing a number of problems, including misaligned incentives and the need for a
Mon, April 01, 2024
567. Henry Oliver, Author of Second Act, on The Secrets of Late Bloomers
Show Notes: In this discussion, Will Bachman interviews Henry Oliver, author of the forthcoming book Second Act about late bloomers. Oliver has a background in English literature and marketing. He worked for an MP and later in employment marketing. Defining a Late Bloomer Henry’s interest in late bloomers came from his work in employment marketing, and during his research, he found a wealth of talent in an older demographic. During the course of his research, he found that cognitive ability is the number one predictor of job performance regardless of age. A late bloomer is someone who is no longer expected to achieve anything significant. However, Henry states that many people start a successful career late in life. Henry’s book is structured as a series of short biographical sketches that illustrate themes such as the right people, networks, influence, being at the right place, the right time, and meandering career paths that many high profile leaders, including Margaret Thatcher, are prime examples of the late bloomer. The Focus on the Book His decision to focus more on the biographical sketch approach was influenced by his background as an A talent and employment brand consultant. He believes that the book should be focused on more than just the social science approach, as it allows him to explore the complexity of life. The concept of inefficient preparation, as discussed by Henry, is a concept that has been gaining attention in recent years, especially with the emergence of AI. He talks about the meandering career path of Calvin Coolidge. He explains that many people are considering how to prepare for different careers. However, he emphasized that this approach is not necessarily always the best career strategy, as it can lead to inefficient outcomes. One example of this is Dwight Eisenhower, who was a young soldier during World War One and was kept in America to train on tanks. Despite the shrinking army and the lack of pay at the end of the war, Eisenhower continued to study military strategy and find mentors, which eventually paid off with the advent of World War Two. Henry mentions that many people have a meandering inefficiency in their careers, and if they can find a way to switch into a more challenging job, it can pay off well. This combination of a wait-and-see approach and serious planning can help individuals make the most of their time and achieve their career goals. How to Make Networking Work Henry talks about the problem of focusing on building a network and why it’s important to find the person with the right influence for whatever it is you want to do right now. He shares an example of this with the story of Margaret Thatcher’s leadership election in the conservative party. Henry discusses the importance of corporate culture in shaping one's career trajectory, and how the culture helps or
Mon, March 25, 2024
566. Craig Callé, Third Party Risk Management and Cyber Security
Show Notes Craig Callé talks about third party risk management (TPRM), with an emphasis on cybersecurity. TPRM is a subset of Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC), which aims to help organizations achieve their objectives, address uncertainties, and act with integrity. TPRM is crucial as over half of all data breaches occur through insecure third parties. Companies need to understand their third party relationships and monitor them more carefully, which requires a variety of tools and processes. Craig explains that TPRM can cover a variety of risks, including cybersecurity, but also financial viability, compliance with privacy, sanctions and other regulations, reputation management, supply chain issues, and alignment of ESG and sustainability objectives. Defining GRC and Third Parties Craig explains that GRC is a broad category that includes TPRM, but also enterprise risk management (ERM), business continuity or operational resilience, policy management, controls compliance, privacy and ESG. ERM typically includes a risk register, which compiles all the potential threats that can affect a company, and it is crucial to building a more predictable and measurable system to achieve its objectives at the lowest possible risk. He mentions that the term “third parties” should include not just vendors and suppliers, but also often overlooked entities such as outsourced service providers, software as a service (SaaS) apps, cloud hosts, contractors, ecosystem partners, technology partners, and financial counterparties. GRC Frameworks He mentions that a lot of the governance aspect of GRC work involves picking a suitable framework and building a program around it. For example, in cybersecurity, a popular standards body would be NIST, and he mentions a few others that give leaders a roadmap apropos to achieving high standards of operation. Organizational Relationships The head of GRC is responsible for ensuring that the organization operates within its control frameworks. For example, in a Fortune 500 company, the executive responsible for G
Mon, March 18, 2024
565. Ivan Oransky, Co-founder of Retraction Watch
Show Notes: In this conversation with Will Bachman, Ivan Oransky, a co-founder of Retraction Watch, shares his experience as a medical journalist and with Retraction Watch. Ivan explains that his friend and co-founder, Adam Marcus had uncovered a massive story about scientific fraud in Western Massachusetts, where an anesthesiologist had made up all clinical data. Adam, who was managing editor of an publication called Anesthesiology News got the scoop on the story, and Ivan, who was impressed with the story, suggested they start a blog about retraction notices, it turned out there were far more happening than previously thought. 13 and a half years later, Retraction Watch is still going strong and has a large audience. Adam and Ivan are volunteers but have four staff two of whom run a database of retractions that was recently acquired by CrossRef, a nonprofit that tracks scientific data and papers. The other two staff continue to contribute to the journalism work they started 13 and a half years ago, while Ivan and Adam still supervisor edit and direct it. How to Evaluate an Article Ivan shares his advice on how to evaluate an article in a medical journal or any published article. He emphasizes the importance of showing one's work and examining the evidence used to reach a conclusion. He explains that, when looking at articles, it is crucial to consider the original sources, citations, and the journal's track record of quality. He also emphasizes the importance of humility in making claims and not making pronouncements about things he or she doesn't know anything about. He also warns against trusting credentials to suggest expertise, as it can be misleading, Ivan shares the example of a time when he was asked to peer review papers about COVID-19, simply because he had co-authored a letter about retractions of work. However, he is not an expert on the subject. Ivan believes that an expert should only be asked to peer review papers that they believe are likely to hold up or should not be published. Leading Causes of Retraction Ivan explains that factors that commonly lead to a retraction. Two-thirds of retractions are for misconduct. This number is consistent across various works and he goes on to explain that there are several definitions of misconduct to take into consideration, including fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism. About 20 percent of the time, it’s due to a what’s known as honest error, and Ivan offers a few examples. The deeper cause is the requirement that researchers must publish in certain places to get a job in academia, tenure, promotion, and prizes. This drives people to do all sorts of things, and while this drives most people to work harder and try to work more efficiently, others may take a different approach. In fact, Ivan states that 2 percent of researchers admit to committing misconduct. <p dir
Mon, March 11, 2024
564. Melanie Espeland, Executive Presence Presentation
Show Notes: Melanie Espeland, a TEDx speaker and executive coach with 17 years of experience in strategy, operations, and coaching, she’s former McKinsey, and in this episode, she discusses the importance of executive presence and how to achieve it. Communication in Executive Presence In this workshop, Melanie explains that executive presence is important because it provides access to insider discussions, meetings, events, and happy hours. Access is crucial for success, and influence is essential for those with a purpose or vision. Executive presence allows for a balance and integration of power, authority, respect, trust, warmth, and likability. Melanie also discusses the concept of compassionate authority, which she sees as a combination of power, authority, respect, trust, warmth, and comfort with the people you are speaking with. This external communication and ability to share thoughts and feelings are key to achieving executive presence. By understanding the value of executive presence and its impact on success, individuals can better navigate their roles and achieve their goals. Melanie explains that executive presence is a complex concept that varies across different personalities and people. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for expressing presence, as there are different ways of expressing it. Steve Jobs and Michelle Obama are examples of individuals with different styles, each with their own unique qualities. However, there are common threads or levers in executive presence that can help individuals build their personal and professional style that aligns with their strengths and personality. Building Executive Presence A structured approach to building executive presence consists of two pillars: the literal (physical, tangible) and the figurative (mental, emotional). Under each pillar, there are three common threads or levers: voice, body, and appearance. Voice refers to the speaker's voice, verbal communication, body language, posture, and physical presence. Body language, posture, and physical presence are also crucial. Application is the first impression, and it is important to consider how our appearance may impact our professional image and relationships. By understanding these common threads and levers, individuals can develop a unique and authentic executive presence style that aligns with their strengths and personality. The figurative pillar of executive presence is relevant for mid to senior level professionals as they move up the ladder. Authenticity, confidence, and vision are important for connecting with others and understanding one's strengths, weaknesses, wants, intentions, and motivations. Authenticity is crucial for connecting with others and making them feel comfortable. Confidence is different, as it involves feeling confident in oneself and being clear on one's goals. Vision is crucial for building
Mon, March 04, 2024
563. Alex Brueckmann, Author of The Strategy Legacy
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Alex Brueckmann discusses the concept of strategy and its importance in business. Alex states that strategy is defined as a set of integrated choices made to win in a chosen marketplace. It is not just about playing the game, but about creating value that convinces or influences customers to buy from the company. A good strategy should be cohesive and integrated, making sense together, and Alex explains what defines a good strategy. Defining Key Factors in a Strategy When discussing a strategy, it is important to understand what the company does, for whom, what they offer, and who their customer is. This information can help businesses define their niche, mission, and goals. The next piece of information should be a clear description of what the business will look like in the next few years. The end state of the business and the strategy cycle should be defined, with what will be achieved by implementing the strategy and what actions will be taken. By knowing what you do, for whom, what you work toward, and the few choices that make 80% of the impact, businesses can focus their resources on the most important aspects of their strategy. Helping Companies Develop a Strategy Alex talks about the process of helping companies develop their strategy. He begins by helping clients understand their playing field, recent past changes and challenges, and aligning them with what the reality looks like. He discusses future changes and challenges, dissecting them into opportunities and defining target markets and clients. Alex helps clients understand what they need to do to make clients choose them over competitors in various industries. He also introduces the framework of the nine elements of organizational identity, which is an integrated approach to understanding every aspect of an entity. This includes customer experience, who the company is as a company, and the impact they want to have by providing a service to the world. The Nine Elements of Organizational Identity Alex talks about the frameworks he uses to help clients develop a strategy, including the nine elements of organizational identity and how he has defined key factors into the inner circle, the middle circle, and the outer circle. The Inner Circle Business Strategy He talks about the inner circle of a business and what it involves, including impact, mission, and principles. Impact is the change you want to create, based on your purpose and reason to exist as an organization. Mission is what an organization aims to do, and principles are the underlying values and behavioral guidelines.He explains how each element works and what the difference between impact and mission is. Iimpact is the change you want to create, while mission is what an organization aims to do. For example, a vehicle
Wed, February 28, 2024
562. Karen Friedenberg: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: Karen Friedenberg discusses a project she worked on to design an Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence for a Fortune 500 medical supply company. The challenge was that the organization was initially looking to leverage robotics process automation (RPA) technology to automate repetitive and manual processes. This led to the development of Intelligent Automation, also known as hyper automation. Defining the Meaning of Intelligent Automation The first step in this project was defining Intelligent Automation and defining its meaning. The client wanted to develop a center of excellence to coordinate efforts across the company to take advantage of new technology and benefits quickly and in a coordinated way. The center of excellence would serve various needs and be a resource for the organization. Karen explains that the first step was to identify the pockets within the organization where people were learning about robotics, process automation, AI, and chatbots. She then interviewed stakeholders to understand their strategic imperatives and goals, and a key understanding was to let business lead the way, not the technology. The second step focused on developing the structure of the Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence (COE), its interaction with other teams, and the roles and competencies of the COE team. The COE team would be responsible for staying on top of the evolving technologies and coordinating efforts to leverage project management and program management capabilities in a coordinated way. One of the great things about new technology is putting it in the hands of the business and users, allowing them to solve problems themselves. However, there were challenges, opportunities, and fear to address, such as change management and fear of the business starting to do this. For example, IT was beginning to fear redundancy in many of their roles. As a solution to these challenges, it was necessary for the COE team to identify their mission, roles, and responsibilities. The Center of Excellence Explained The Center of Excellence (COE) is a team that works to identify and prioritize automation candidates in business units. Karen talks about the knockout criteria they use to assess if a process is an automation candidate and if it can be done within existing systems. The COE then uses a box prioritization matrix to assess the impact and effort of each candidate. If it is easier and less risky, it may be a candidate for a citizen developer role. Governance is also a key aspect of the COE's role. The COE's role involves oversight and sharing best practices. They train and certify citizen developers to use new technology and processes, ensuring proper controls are in place. The SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle) is a model that aims to maintain flexibility and speed while ensuring proper controls.</
Tue, February 27, 2024
561. Why and How to Become an Adjunct Professor
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, the panel discussion focuses on the pros and cons of becoming an adjunct professor. The panelists discuss the motivations behind teaching courses as an adjunct professor, how to get hired, whether to teach in traditional MBA programs or other certificate or degree programs, the amount of work involved, typical pay, relationship building opportunities, project opportunities, and ancillary benefits such as access to datasets or research services. The discussion kicks off with Adam Braff, a data analytics executive/advisor, shares his reasons for teaching, stating that the best reasons to teach are not practical instrumental reasons but more passion and love for teaching and believes it is a creative act. Mary Kate Scott follows Adam. She teaches at the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business in the MBA program, and Keck School of Medicine, focusing on healthcare. She has taught the business of healthcare, innovation and health care, new business models in health care, entrepreneurship and health care, and medical device business models. Mary Kate also shares her background with Procter and Gamble and later joined McKinsey for two years to become a better professor. She found she loved the position and stayed there for seven years, but she states that she found the joy of teaching to be both inspirational and fun. She enjoys the level of engagement and interaction in her classes. Sven Beiker teaches Strategy Making in an MBA program at Stanford Business School, and also at a university in Sweden about AI and product development. He discusses his experience teaching at Stanford and their passion for teaching. He began his teaching career at Stanford which led from a position as an automotive program manager. He also enjoys working with younger people, finding it intellectually stimulating. He has also found the position to be an asset in branding, and has found that it helps in terms of being considered as a keynote speaker from Stanford Business School. Mohannad Gomaa shares his experience teaching at US Navy PostGraduate School, which was motivated by a contract with a colleague and his subject matter expertise. He designed and delivered the curriculum. He has also taught in consulting colleges, and recently, he was authorized by the Association of Supply Chain Management to teach supply chain certifications, including the CSCP certified supply chain professional certification. This allows him to associate with a reputable knowledge body and meet with stakeholders interested in his work. He has also signed an agreement to be a consulting partner for the ACM, which will allow him to explore more opportunities across industries. He believes teaching is a passion that can generate revenue beyond the passion. An adjunct professor at the University of Copenhagen sha
Mon, February 26, 2024
560. Russell S. Reynolds, Jr. Building a World-class Professional Services Firm
Show Notes: Russell Reynolds, founder of Russell Reynolds Associates and RSR Partners, shares his story of starting his own executive search firm in the 1960s. He served in the Air Force and later joined JP Morgan. After working there for six or seven years, he joined William Clark Associates. However, shortly after, he decided to start his own firm with his friend OB Clifford and a few other friends. They collected $50,000 and started Russell Reynolds Associates. He also decided to invite his friend Lee to join the firm as partner. The firm was established in 1969, and the partnership worked well. Today, Russell Reynolds Associates is one of the largest search firms in the world. As a big producer, Russell believes that success in a service business is about doing a good job and connecting with clients. He was introduced to the senior partner of Oppenheimer and company; they became great friends which eventually led to many more clients. Key Factors in Hiring Talent Russell states that it is important to look for people who are well adjusted, positive, and excited about the future. He believes that integrity is the single most important ingredient for success, and if people are honest and try to do the best they can, they will prevail. He shares the key points he looks for in people, including whether they are givers or takers and the questions he asks candidates. When hiring for Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the key questions is whether the person has integrity or adapts to their style of client service. Russell asks for samples of their writing, because communication skills are so important, and he also asks about family relationships and what they do on weekends. He also emphasizes the importance of taking them off base to see how they really behave, and allows him to see how well they are prepared and how they can be receptive to new ideas. Russell believes that bright young people are the key to success in a business because they are motivated, hungry, and want to please you. Building the Board and Expanding the Firm Russell discusses the role of an external board of advisors, which included prominent business leaders from JP Morgan and Shell. He shares the firm's approach to governance, and how it was run like a public corporation. He also discusses the institutions and practices set up to develop people. The firm grew through branch offices, and rules established by each branch, but there were certain rules that were set up across all branches, and he explains what they were and certain aspects which were encouraged such as involvement in charitable and political activities. Russell shares stories of when he was involved in fundraising for both charitable and political campaigns, including meeting then Prince Charles, and time spent raising funds for George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. Success Facto
Mon, February 19, 2024
559. Paul Gaspar: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Paul Gaspar discusses his experience working with artificial intelligence at a major global insurance conglomerate in Japan. The company faced pressure to streamline operations and reduce costs within its auto business. Paul, who was in a role leading the data science function, suspected that the claims area in insurance was a target-rich environment for delivering value with advanced analytics and technology. He found that similar processes were being utilized on claims regardless of the size, leading to the opportunity to put analytical rigor behind the claims estimation process. AI Use for Processing Insurance Claims Paul and his team looked at information flows at various points in the process, specifically evaluating how information collected at the time of the accident could be used to provide insight on losses. Using this information, they built predictive models using AI techniques that would allow them to predict the ultimate value of these claims from a $1 perspective, using a subset of the initial information collected at the time of loss. By building models that could do this quickly and accurately, they were able to set thresholds that would allow for automated processing and payment of claims amounts on about a quarter of the total claims volume. This reduced the workload for the team handling claims and sped responsiveness to customers with smaller claim amounts. The Process of Assessing Information Paul explains the process of assessing the quality, consistency, and reliability of information for a client. This involves assessing the types of information, blending them with data analysts experienced with using different modeling techniques and programming languages. Paul and his team used Python to investigate particular approaches, and testing results to identify useful data elements for creating meaningful insights. This process is not necessarily feasible for a data analyst with minimal data science knowledge. Instead, a step-by-step approach involves evaluating the data, considering viable modeling techniques, and experimenting with them to ensure accuracy, speed, and processing power. A team of experienced data scientists can help guide the technical approach and modeling techniques used in the case. This approach is essential for evaluating claims and determining the appropriateness of claims based on the available data. To ensure precision across various claim types, it is crucial to segment claims by value and look at the ones with the lowest value. This helps identify potential risks and minimizes leakage, which is the risk of overpaying for claims relative to processing costs. Predictive analytics is a complex art and science, and it is essential to be careful about how and where to use it, ensuring that risks are well understood and balanced against the benefits of
Sun, February 18, 2024
558. Astrid Malval-Beharry: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Astrid Malval-Beharry discusses an AI case study with a top 50 homeowners insurance carrier in the US. Astrid was approached by their underwriting and innovation teams to digitally transform their underwriting workflow. Astrid shares an overview of the industry at present. The industry is facing challenges due to an increase in natural catastrophes, inflation, disruptions in the supply chains, and policyholders who prefer to have an Amazon or Uber experience with their insurance carrier. The client had three goals for the digital transformation project: increasing the level of straight-through processes, improving risk assessment, and realizing greater investment in inspection. Astrid explains what straight-through processing is and how it works using data analytics and AI-based and technology solutions. The second goal was to improve risk assessment by analyzing the location of the property, the condition of the property, and the policyholders themselves. The client wanted to know how AI solutions could help enhance risk assessment, reduce premium leakage, and charge the right price for coverage. The third goal was to improve the inspection process, which currently costs carriers a lot of money but only yields a few actionable insights. To achieve this, Astrid’s team shadowed underwriters across both regions and senior IDI to understand how consistently underwriting guidelines are being applied. The team also interviewed and benchmarked against competing carriers, InsurTech carriers, and carriers that look at the underwriting workflow with a different lens. This allowed them to see the art of the possible and make informed decisions about their underwriting practices without disrupting the workflow. Employing AI Solutions for Insurance Companies Astrid talks about what follows the research and benchmarking exercise and how they mapped the workflow and the ideal future state. Premium leakage occurs when insurance companies charge less for a policy than the actual premium should be to reduce losses and charge the right price for the coverage. The inspection process is often done by agents or license inspectors, leading to a lack of actionable insights. To address this issue, a preferred digital transformation engagement was conducted by shadowing underwriters across both regions and senior IDI. This allowed the team to understand the consistency of underwriting guidelines and the impact of different levels of underwriters on the process. Competitive intelligence benchmarking was conducted against carriers with similar profiles and InsurTech carriers. This allowed the team to map the workflow as the ideal future state from an underwriting workflow perspective. However, the change should not be too abrupt, as the procurement process in the insurance industry is notoriously long.
Sat, February 17, 2024
557. Julie Noonan: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: Julie Noonan shares a case study on using AI while working with a top 15 global pharma company to get the most insight from the data and reduce time to market or time to development of their particular molecules and drugs. In early 2022, the pharma company was using artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze clinical and research data. The organization Julie worked with was a digital and data concentration alongside data scientists and computer scientists. Julie shares where this organization placed focus and what their goal was with regards to using AI and machine learning(ML), and the role she played in developing this center of excellence. Company Use Cases of AI and ML Most of the early use cases involved clinical data and research data. Clinical groups were conducting the first clinical trials with animal populations, and recording their data in various tools. They were studying a specific model molecule to understand its implications across projects. For example, they were studying a molecule for one disease indication and wanted to predict its relevance for another project that another team was working on. AI and machine learning prompts were used against the data, allowing them to organize and prompt data to return potential other indications that could be tested with the collected data. Julie talks about how companies are grappling with the rapidly evolving AI technologies, and a center of excellence can be a solution. However, concerns may arise about adding bureaucracy and slowing down innovation. She explains how she helped her client deal with these concerns. The company culture of this global organization highly values entrepreneurialism, and allows data ownership within its group, allowing for experimentation unless it directly impacts patients. She mentions that they were able to educate interested groups about the importance of patient safety and ethics. The organization rewards innovation by publicly recognizing those who come forward with project ideas. Even if the project is not great or a failure, it is a lesson learned. The company's top priority is the patient, and they reward those who come forward with ideas without imposing penalties or shutting down projects. The organization also stresses the need to comply with correct procedures to avoid ethics violations. Inspiring a Company Culture of AI and ML Innovation Julie talks about how her role in change management helped inspire innovation within the company. They used polls to encourage innovation and encourage change. They run exciting advertising, competitions, and partnerships with universities, allowing for the introduction and excitement of new AI technologies. This approach helps companies navigate the challenges of AI adoption and ensures that their innovation is not stifled by bureaucra
Fri, February 16, 2024
556. Markus Starke: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: Markus Starke, an advisor for cybersecurity and digital process transformation, has recently been working in cybersecurity for the AI applications that corporations are using. Marcus explains that, AI plays a significant role in work, particularly in intelligent process automation. This concept involves combining technologies like robotic process automation, process mining solutions, chatbots, Optical Character Recognition, and more advanced forms of machine learning and generative AI to build end-to-end processes. However, cybersecurity issues can affect these automation systems, especially as more users use them individually. Safety Measures with AI Automation Markus talks about several dimensions of cybersecurity with AI automation. To ensure the safety of AI-related automation situations, clients are asked to review their setup from a Target Operating Model perspective. A framework is created to guide this process, including governance, secure development processes, and creating awareness about potential risks. Governance involves governing roles and responsibilities, access, user rights, and other aspects of the system. Secure development processes ensure that solutions only access the data they should access, store data securely, and use encryption. Securing the platform is another dimension, involving standard frameworks for cloud-based solutions. Awareness about the human factors in reducing risk levels is crucial for achieving good cybersecurity. And lastly, monitoring and reporting ensure that the environment is controlled to a degree. Examples of Cybersecurity Threats Using AI Tools Markus discusses cybersecurity threats with AI tools, such as generative AI (GPT) for working on company data. One example is a human user extracting data from their corporate data pool and sending out an email with this data, and sending it to their private email account, which could be used in a public chat GPT instance. This can be controlled by creating awareness and setting up standardized IT security control mechanisms to limit data extraction from corporate networks. Another example is using proprietary corporate data for advanced data analytics on GPT, which could expose it to a potential attacker. Private computers are typically less secure than corporate ones, making them more prone to being attacked or losing data to an attacker. Corporations generally want to limit the type of data that is made publicly available in generative AI applications. He states that it is not always clear what happens to the data that is input to AI applications. Markus also discusses the risks associated with using consumer versions of chat GPT, as any data uploaded could potentially be put into its training data. However, there are options for setting up AI applications in a limited way for specific corporate
Thu, February 15, 2024
555. Cheryl Lim Tan: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: Cheryl Lim Tan discusses her experience working with a financial wellness product powered by AI. The client was early in their journey and needed to raise awareness of their product. They needed to refine their product further and gain more users to gain feedback and make adjustments to its features. Cheryl was brought in to take care of the entire marketing function. Cheryl's approach involved figuring out the company's brand, target audience, and value proposition. She also focused on articulating the unique value proposition of the product compared to free tools like Chat GPT. By addressing these aspects, the consultant was able to create a clear framework for the client's marketing function and reach investors. Prompting AI Tools Cheryl highlights the importance of education in the AI world, as AI tools are prompt-driven and consumers may not know how to interact with the interface and how to prompt it. To address this, they developed a suite of YouTube videos on how to prompt the tool for different situations or information. Another key aspect of targeting the client was developing personas. These personas were identified and distilled into a framework that included the top three messages, pain points, and expectations for each persona's customer journey. Consumer Education and AI Tools Cheryl emphasizes the importance of consumer education in the AI world, as it helps to draw the right audience in and ensures the success of the product.She also shares consumer insights about the types of users who are open to using AI tools, such as Gen Z, who are digital natives and more likely to adopt AI in their everyday lives. The proliferation of AI in 2023 has helped AI companies get in front of their target audience and engage with them. Gen Z is likely to be one of the highest adopters of AI, while millennials and Gen X are more cautious and hesitant. To ensure AI adoption applies to their market, companies must be clear about their personas and target audience, and consider using colors and layouts that appeal to the everyday consumer rather than catering to programmers. SEO and AI In terms of SEO, search engine optimization, and paid search, Cheryl highlights the importance of being conscious about who they are trying to reach and how to present their brand accordingly. She also discusses the challenges faced by early AI startups in figuring out who they are targeting and how to signal their preferences. She shares their marketing mix, which includes SEO, content marketing, working with influencers, an affiliate program, email marketing, and discord communities. They found that email marketing still works and was a great way for them to pick up new users. They also mention brokers for finding AI email lists that are a good fit for their brand and audience. The Benefits of a Discord Community <p d
Wed, February 14, 2024
554. Barry Saunders: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: Barry Saunders, a digital expert at McKinsey, discusses his background in the firm and his experience in AI-related projects. He worked in the LEAP practice, which built platforms for video streaming, preventative maintenance, and optimization tools. He left McKinsey to become Chief Product Officer at an Australian fashion company and recently joined MXA, a strategic digital technology company in Australia. Barry suggests a two-by-two typology classification scheme for AI-related projects. The first quadrant focuses on understanding patterns of behavior, while the second quadrant focuses on predictive behavioral modeling, third is more about text orientated and understanding meaning. The fourth quadrant focuses on regenerative AI and content creation. Barry believes that combining these quadrants can lead to personalized content for different customers and valuable insights and can unlock interesting value. AI Use Case Study Barry and his partner have been working on an AI toolkit to automate time-consuming work for management consultants. They developed a startup called First Things, which uses Gen AI to create classic McKinsey storylines from unstructured data. This tool has helped executives work through their strategies and report outcomes. They have also worked with clients on the AI journey, especially regulated industries. They have found that some tasks can be done more effectively with AI. One project they did was analyzing insurance policies for large-scale agricultural businesses, which are often complex and drift in meaning as language is updated. They created a tool that would analyze these policies, extract semantic meaning, and identify where drift took place, allowing them to align documents and simplify policies. One of the projects they are currently working on is simplifying lending policies for banks. In Australia, many lenders do home lending as their primary base, but the technical platforms used by banks and non-bank lenders are ancient and difficult to navigate. They are working on simplifying policies and offering home loans more simply. Building AI Tools The level of effort required to build a tool like this is not limited to building it. Many of the tools available are free, and there are many software as a service tools available that can perform similar tasks. To build a tool like this, one should be clear on what they are trying to do, such as simplifying a policy or comparing two different policies. The AI toolkit has proven to be effective in automating time-consuming work for management consultants and other clients. It is essential to be familiar with the tools and their capabilities to effectively utilize AI in various aspects of business operations. The legal space offers a vast array of tools for generating and analyzing contracts, including software as a service tools. To use these tools effectively,
Tue, February 13, 2024
553. Phil Bellaria: AI Project Case Study
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Phil Bellaria shares a case example of building a Chat GPT using open-source large language models. The client was a large telecommunications company with an immense amount of unstructured data, including customer feedback, feedback from employees through surveys, and transcript transcripts from millions of phone conversations and text chats. The problem statement was to derive insights and understand the state of the business, identify trends and topics as quickly as possible. The process took place through 2018-2020. Working with a data scientist, and using Google's BERT methodology for natural language processing, the team coded an algorithm that identified topics and classifiers from the unstructured data, scored each topic and phrase on sentiment (positive or negative comments) and created a short summary of customer or employee comments related to each topic. The process of building and running the model was processing intensive, and the first step was testing and iterating the model on smaller samples of data. The company held employee surveys, which was processed through the test model, the data was reviewed by HR business partners and business leaders to check for accuracy. The model was trained on all the information in Wikipedia, but other specific information and words were added to refine it. Over six to eight months, the model was able to accurately represent what employees were saying. Using AI to Improve Sales Pitches Phil discusses the use of AI in business applications and how it can be used to improve sales pitches. He explains that the problem was to understand why sales agents were not pitching a strategic product effectively. By feeding data from conversations with customers about the product, the algorithm was able to identify words and phrases associated with successful sales and non-successful sales. This information was then used to train sales agents on the right expressions and words to use when pitching the product. Phil shares some phrases that work well and those that don't, such as promoting a streaming product by associating it with popular shows. He also discusses the challenges of building AI models and securing and protecting data. He also addresses the cost of building an AI model. Using AI for Next Best Customer Actions Phil shares one example of AI-related projects which used AI algorithms to predetermine the next best action for a customer that can be used in real time to learn the best approach in customer interaction. The AI engine uses reinforcement learning to improve the power of the recommendations. The process involved building the right APIs into existing systems and ensuring SLAs in terms of responsiveness. The algorithm itself uses sophisticated statistical modeling techniques, but the main challenge was int
Mon, February 12, 2024
552. Diane Flynn, Coaching a Growth Mindset
Diane Flynn, a multi-talented professional and author of two books and two popular courses on Udemy, Growth Mindset and Communicating with Confidence, has been working with her company, Reboot Excel, for the last decade. The company aims to help women feel current with technology, connected with a professional network, and confident in their return to work. She has had thousands of people go through their programs and continues to offer resources on their website and coaching workshops. Diane talks about her experience of returning to the workplace after taking a long hiatus, and how she became aware that many women wanted to return to careers but found it difficult to do so for a variety of reasons. She observed that many women returning to work are immensely talented and capable, but they often face a confidence crisis when trying to get back into the workplace. Consequently, she was inspired to start Reboot Excel with four friends. The company was successful, and through her work, she found that many people in the workplace also needed the same leadership skills. She launched her own company and started working in the B2B space. Today, she coaches executives to build more inclusive workplaces and empower people to do their best work. Helping Women Return to the Workplace As a stay-at-home mom, Diane met many intelligent, skilled, and immensely talented women who had been successful in their prior careers but had lost confidence. To help women regain confidence, she encourages them to reframe their achievements and skill sets based on what they have done, whether they received a paycheck or not. Many of these women have since landed amazing careers, and some have even held significant roles at Stanford University. Diane also worked closely with Carol Cohen, founder of I Relaunch, who works with companies like McKinsey, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. They offer a return-ship program, similar to an internship for someone returning to their career, which is usually three months long and provides extra mentorship. Diane uses this program daily to help women navigate the latest workplace technologies and navigate the culture they'll be working in. Typically, 80% or higher of the women who go through these returnships are hired into full-time roles. Diane recommends checking out I Relaunched.com for more information on their work in this area. Working As an Instructor at Modern Elder Academy She mentions that Chip Conley, an instructor at Modern Elder Academy, founded the program to help people stay relevant, purposeful, motivated, and energized in midlife. She shares what motivated Chip to start the program or, as it is also known, the first modern wisdom school. The course is designed for women aged 45 to 70, but can accommodate older and younger individuals. The focus is on helping
Mon, February 05, 2024
551. Making Aid Count: Terry Roopnaraine on Development Consulting
Show Notes: Terry Roopnaraine, a technical consultant for international development projects, has been working in the field for about 25 years. He provides technical services to support projects funded by bilateral donors, UN agencies, and multilateral agencies like the World Bank. Over the last decade, an increasingly important area of the practice has been working with foundations. Terry's work involves providing services that are required to make these projects work and deliver the best impacts on the ground for the beneficiary populations they serve. There is a huge accountability chain because these projects are often funded through the public purse of one country or another, so there must be some kind of proper accountability and evaluation. The Role of a Technical Consultant Terry talks about the roles a technical consultant might play. He divides his work into two broad areas: project implementation and management, and learning evidence and evaluation. The implementation side of technical consulting focuses on getting a project up and running, recruiting staff, putting in inputs, designing activities, and ensuring that things are run according to time and budget. The learning evidence and building the knowledge base aspect of technical consulting is also crucial, as it ensures that a program is delivering on time, not leaking funds, and has robust monitoring systems in place to capture change systematically. Evaluation of effectiveness is another dimension of technical consulting, as it is about delivering the best impact for the beneficiary population. Research and Evaluation in Technical Consulting Over his career, Terry has worked more in the research evidence and evaluation side of technical consulting, which is partly an artifact of being a refugee from academia. His intellectual and academic orientation was research-directed, and when he moved to development work, he focused more on research evaluation and evidence building. One of his early projects was Conditional Cash Transfer Evaluations in Latin America, which were an aid instrument that aimed to incentivize uptake of health and education services. These programs were popular throughout Latin America and were easy to evaluate quantitatively. However, there was a growing awareness that the program's effects were not as expected. To understand why the program didn't have the expected effects, Terry began conducting ethnographic and qualitative research. He worked with other qualitative researchers to push the idea that understanding the voices of people who were benefiting from these programs was important. Terry talks about the projects he worked on during the early 2000s in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Peru and how his background in anthropology influenced his approach, and how they conducted research differently from previous projects. <p dir=
Mon, January 29, 2024
550. Jared Simmons, Design to Value
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman talks to Jared Simmons, business consultant, coach, and speaker, on design to value. Jared defines the term ‘design to value’, offers examples of how it can be used, and talks about the various steps involved. Using the example of a design to value playbook, Jared talks through each essential step that should be included. Step one is defining value and creating a shared understanding of it. This involves getting everyone on the same page about the intended purpose. Understanding value involves both the company running the project and the end consumer of the product. The project's goals should be determined, such as cutting costs, making it more of a premium, or growing volume. Step two is mapping out the value chain end to end, from materials to end use, and understanding the basic cost structures associated with each step. This ensures that the project is designed to value both the organization and the end consumer. Jared discusses the importance of mapping the value chain for a product or project. Step three is understanding consumer priorities and preferences which is crucial in determining what they care about and are willing to pay for. Step four involves mapping these preferences to each other, such as the cost of delivery or raw material(s). Step five is creating projects and programs to capture defined value. He emphasizes the need for a shared understanding of who is responsible for which steps in the value chain, including incoming raw materials, converting them into products, and the decision rights and responsibilities within those steps. He also highlights the importance of understanding how each person in a large company works with different materials and services, and what they are trying to accomplish within their roles, such as procurement, shipping costs, currency, and supplier selection. Jared advises senior associates to understand high-leverage starting materials and manage them effectively to achieve cost savings. He emphasizes respecting the intelligence and effort of those involved in the value chain and not just looking at the price but also considering what makes the cost palatable for the procurement person and the rest of the organization. Mapping the value chain is a crucial step in achieving cost optimization in a product or project. It requires a deep understanding of the decision rights and responsibilities within the organization, as well as respecting the intelligence and effort of those involved. Internal and External Benchmarking Jared discusses the importance of internal benchmarking in converting products across the entire value chain. He believes that external benchmarking can be problematic due to the lack of context on how ot
Tue, January 23, 2024
549. Chad Oakley, The Current State of the Consulting Job Market - January 2024
Show Notes: Chad Oakley, CEO at the executive search firm at Charles Aris, discusses the current state of the consulting job market. He kicks off the conversation by explaining who Charles Aris is and what they do. Chad shares his perspective on three key areas: the market for strategic services, training Chief Strategy officers, and advice for Chief Strategy officers to make themselves more valuable in a down market. The Market for Strategic Services He states that the market for consulting services is currently down significantly due to the down macro environment. Major consulting firms like Bain, BCG, McKinsey, Deloitte, and Accenture have experienced a decline in revenues and project counts. However, they are hopeful that the current low watermark will lead to increased demand, but they are not seeing significant improvements just yet. The good news is that the need for strategy never goes away, and the market for consulting services is often a bellwether for how companies think about strategy these days. As the market continues to down, it is crucial for companies to focus on new and exciting strategic initiatives during downturns and outperform competitors when the market rebounds. He explains that the consulting industry is experiencing a tight market, with more people on the beach than in the last five to five years. Consulting firms are implementing recessionary strategies, such as lowering bonuses, reducing annual raises, and slowing promotions. He talks about delayed start dates, takes a look back at 2023, and how the current situation compares to 2009 and how 2024 is shaping up. He explains that Chief Strategy officers from incorporations are hearing more about companies slowing down strategic projects, special projects, and extraneous growth initiatives. They are also concerned about layoffs and job security, so they want to be on the radar screen for potential opportunities. Advice for Chief Strategy Officers When there are fewer opportunities, Chief Strategy Officers still have the same tasks. He talks about a bright spot for independent consultants and that connecting with these individuals and offering contract solutions can help consultants navigate the market downturn. Private equity-backed companies tend to have more flexibility and are willing to spend money when it will help them make money. He recommends a variety of different companies to consider during this time. He also explains that during a downturn, Chief Strategy Officers (CSO) focus on short-term versus long-term initiatives. In a market downturn, companies tend to retrench to their core products and services, making it more risky for CSOs and consultants working on long-term projects. Instead, they should focus on projects that make a quantifiable impact in the short term, such as increasing revenue or decreasing costs, and focusing on core products
Mon, January 22, 2024
548. Adam Braff, Business Analytics Diagnostic
Show Notes: The Umbrex Business Analytics Diagnostic Guide that is discussed in this episode can be downloaded at no cost here: https://umbrex.com/resources/business-analytics-diagnostic/ In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman and Adam Braff discuss the creation of a data analytics diagnostic guide. Adam, a former partner at McKinsey and a consultant on data analytics, discusses the importance of data analytics in solving business problems in any company or investment firm. He explains that a business analytics diagnostic is designed for organizations with multiple people, computers, and analytics processes. The goal of this diagnostic is to determine the performance and alignment of the data science or analytics function with the overall mission of the company. He explains the size and type of company that uses this and who would monitor and manage the data analytics of a company The Diagnostic Guide Format Explained The diagnostic guides follow a format with scorecards for individual pieces of an area, typically 15 to 25 different scorecards, and within each one, objective criteria ranging from nascent to optimized. These guides are divided into categories and subcategories, such as analytics strategy, data management, advanced analytics, AI, talent, decision-making process, tools, and infrastructure. Adam explains the format of the diagnostic guide, beginning with top level categories including analytics strategy, strategic alignment, performance measurement, and future roadmap. Analytic strategy involves understanding the business objectives and problems to be solved, such as growth, customer retention, risk management, and problem-solving. Strategic alignment also involves determining the location of analytics people, whether centrally located in a Center of Excellence or distributed across different functions. Performance measurement involves tracking key performance indicators for the analytics function, such as cross-sell, revenue, pricing, and marketing ROI teams. Benchmarking this number against competitors can help determine if the company is on track and if it is underinvesting in analytics. Performance measurement also includes ROI, which is the understanding of specific goals and projects that the analytics team is working on. By tracking these metrics and reporting the total impact analytics has on the business each year, the analytics strategy part can be evaluated. A Roadmap for the Analytics Strategy Adam emphasizes the importance of having analytical people distributed throughout the business and dedicated resources for analytics initiatives. To round out the analytic strategy, it is crucial to have a roadmap of the next eight quarters, such as tackling Net Promoter Score analysis, customer sati
Mon, January 01, 2024
547. Tyler Cowen, Author of Talent
Tyler Cowen, author, economist and philanthropist, talks about the inspiration for his new book and the importance of talent identification in business. He believes that talent assessment is an art rather than a science and that institutions like the Florentine Renaissance, which had a competitive process for identifying talent, have been particularly good at this. Tyler also mentions the success of identifying American business talent in the Midwest during the 20th century. China has also done a remarkable job in identifying CEO talent in a world where almost no one had an MBA, and India is currently the single hottest blossoming talent spot. He discusses the trend of companies investing in spotting talent overseas, particularly for smaller companies. With the pandemic and work from a distance, the chance of hiring talent in Indonesia or the Philippines is much higher than it was just a few years ago. However, it is harder to evaluate talent in other countries due to cultural differences and difficulty in interpreting references. And while talent is evenly distributed around the world, opportunity is not. Companies need to adapt their strategies to better identify and mobilize talent, as well as invest in international talent identification. Screening Applicants and Recruiting Talent Tips The increasing trend of independent professionals entering the international market and the importance of investing in pre-existing networks of soft contacts, Tyler suggests that companies should focus on building talent scouts or people who can help navigate different geographies around the world. He shares an example of hiring an Indian person who is well connected in India through his blog and podcast, which serves as a filter for potential applicants, reaching the people who are already aware of the company and will take the first step of contact. He also discusses the importance of screening applicants before the interview process, focusing on established track records, but with emphasis placed on behavior and actions taken and not merely words, and entrepreneurs who demonstrated curiosity and initiative, and those who can work independently but understand how they fit into a team. He emphasizes the importance of using soft connections to winnow down the field as much as possible. For the initial screening phase, Tyler suggests using pre-existing soft networks, such as those within the company or those who know them and can speak credibly about them. This approach is the highest yield way of approaching a problem where there are a large number of potential applicants and ensures that the candidate knows enough about the company and fits in. Skills Assessment and Onboarding Talent Tyler also emphasizes the importance of clear writing skills and how companies like Amazon and Stripe prioritize this aspect. He also shares a few tips to use during the interview p
Mon, December 25, 2023
546. Tiago Forte Author of Building a Second Brain
In this session, Will Bachman and Tiago Forte discuss Tiago’s new book Building a Second Brain. They discuss how the concept provides value and work through each key learning aspect, the importance of using note-taking apps, including CODE and Para. Tiago talks about the background that led to the creation of the book and how it was strongly shaped by his experience in consulting. Tiago shares his background as a junior project analyst at a boutique consulting firm called FaberNovel, where he learned the business model of consulting. Consultants are rapid learners, learning new things about the market, landscape, competitive arena, and internal aspects of clients. They must learn the client's culture, power structure, priorities, and communication preferences quickly and use as few billable hours as possible. Tiago emphasizes that consultants must bring their best thinking to the table every day, as they are being paid to think. The results of their efforts are based on the quality of their thinking. He explains that once they learn a subject, they must apply it to as many projects and clients as possible to be profitable as a consulting firm. Absorbing, analyzing, and applying creative thinking to the client’s problem is the overall triangle, but within the bigger picture are many time consuming and expensive research branches, each of which must be understood and analyzed at speed. Gathering, keeping track of and accessing the information needed – quickly – is essential, and this essentially begins with note-taking. The Development of the Knowledge Repository Tiago started taking notes professionally, realizing that his effectiveness as a professional and results for clients, in addition to quality of life depended on his ability to be efficient. He talks about the development of the principles in building a second brain, and how they can be applied to management consulting assignments, such as market landscape studies, focusing on the client's culture, power structure, priorities, and communication preferences. By doing so, consultants can improve their effectiveness, results, save time, and ensure quality thinking again and again. He discusses the core principles of creativity and how they can be repurposed for various purposes. He shares his model, CODE, which is a simple framework designed to be universal across any profession. He outlines each stage of CODE. The first step involves capturing ideas and knowledge in various formats, such as photographs, sketches, drawings, text, and web bookmarks. Once captured, it is organized into groups based on the project, client, or aspect of the business. The next step is distilling the information into its essence, refinement, and synthesizing it into main takeaways or highlights. This process is essential for finding the signal in the noise of information, which is crucial for eff
Mon, December 18, 2023
545. Melanie Espeland Shares Tips from a Voice Coach
In this episode of Unleashed, Melanie Espeland talks about the importance of using one's voice to make a powerful first impression. Melanie, an executive coach and life coach, shares her structure for building an executive presence. The structure includes two pillars: the literal (physical world) and the figurative (mental and emotional world). Voice Is The First Impression The literal pillar focuses on the speaker's voice, which includes nonverbal communication, posture, and body language. The figurative pillar includes authenticity, confidence, and vision. Authenticity is crucial as it involves being connected to oneself and having clarity about who they are and how they want to show up. Confidence is separate from executive presence as it involves believing in the effectiveness of their actions and their ability to connect with their audience. Vision is influenced by watching great leaders speak and media training work, and it involves articulating one's thoughts, needs, and future focus or thesis in a clear, consistent, and well-understood manner. In summary, Melanie emphasizes the importance of using one's voice to make a powerful first impression in various aspects of life. She provides a series of voice exercises that can be done at home and offers tips on how to use one's voice to make a powerful first impression. By understanding and practicing these techniques, individuals can build their own executive presence and improve their overall professional image. Voice Exercises - Training the Tool Melanie jumps into the exercises to demonstrate how they work. One important exercise is warming up the voice, starting with humming the sound as an H. This will help with projection and open up the mouth for the arm. The speaker also suggests doing a simple vocal warmup, such as a e Oh, ah, to start articulating around the mouth, tongue, and facial articulators. She compares the voice to an instrument, and the body is an instrument, and the voice is the sound it creates. To tune up the voice appropriately, the speaker suggests stretching beforehand to avoid injury or muscle hamstrings. Melanie also emphasizes the importance of giving the jaw and tongue muscles a little bit of love and attention. She suggests using a lion and mouse exercise to warm up the face and facial muscles, making them small and tight, and then expanding them. This helps the face constrict and expand, working those muscles and wake them up. The jaw needs a little bit of love, as the jaw and tongue are the most overworked muscles when it comes to speaking. To relax the jaw, the speaker suggests yawning or letting it relax naturally. Melanie explains the importance of a vocal warmup, which can range from two minutes to an hour, depending on the individual's needs and skill level. She suggests building this routine into your daily or every other day routine, making it whatever length
Mon, December 11, 2023
544. Ron Lumbra, How to Join a Corporate Board
In this live event hosted by Umbrex in November 2023, Ron Lumbra, a member of the CEO & Board of Directors Practice and Partner at Heidrick and Struggles, discusses how to get on a corporate board. He shares insider knowledge about the process. The event was recorded as a streaming event, with approximately 300 people signing up for the session. The discussion was facilitated and included questions from attendees. Exploring the Landscape of Board Roles The discussion focuses on the different types of board roles, such as Fortune 500 companies, other public companies, PE-owned portfolio companies, and family-owned companies. The top of the pyramid is the public company corporate board, which is the most sought-after and difficult to join. People often serve on various types of boards, such as large-cap corporations, smaller publicly traded companies, private companies, family businesses, and nonprofits. These boards have similar structures, committee structures, and skills matrix, making them valuable ground training experiences for those looking to join corporate boards. A board is a group of experienced business people who are responsible for running and governing a company. It is not just a group of smart people, but specific roles that a board seeks to fill. He identifies the difference of a philanthropic board. When searching for a board member, companies often seek specific skills, such as financial experts with experience in China, supply chain, or being female. Ron talks about a typical board structure and defines the importance of what a candidate can bring to the board. The board consists of about 10 people, with four or five members fit into the CEO club or those who have run a big business club. The number one in demand skill set is financial experts, with three seats focused on audit and finance committees. The number one skill set is CFOs, while the other three are controllers, treasurers, VPs, SVPs, or audit partners from one of the big four. Companies are also looking for leaders in certain fields at specific times. Generally at present, their expertise in cyber and AI, supply chain, and ESG areas are in demand. Supply chain has seen a surge in demand, especially during the pandemic. Boards are looking for people who can lead, guide, and help with challenges they may face. They create a skills matrix to identify the various skills needed, which is more than the number of seats. People who can check more boxes credibly tend to be more attractive board candidates. The Benefits of Being on a Board Ron explores the reasons people want to be on a board and the benefits they receive. Operating executives with a day job often go on boards to expand their skill set, gain an outside perspective, and learn from others in different industries. As they age, they may consider a different career path and seek ways to contribute, give back, stay eng
Mon, November 27, 2023
Episode 543. Jill Stoddard, Author of Imposter No More
In this interview, author Jill Stoddard and Will Bachman discuss the concept of impostor syndrome. Jill defines the experience as a state where individuals question their competence and legitimacy, even when there is objective evidence to support their accomplishments. The fear is that they will of be outed as a fraud. The phenomenon was officially identified in 1978 by Pauline Clance and Suzanne IMEs, who believed it only existed in high-achieving women. However, culture rebranded it as a syndrome which Jill addresses. The Background on Imposter Syndrome Jill believes that the imposter phenomenon has been around for a long time, with prevalence rates averaging between 40 and 70 percent. She suggests that it has been present in early humans, who, when part of a tribe, had a survival advantage due to social comparison and fear of being ousted from their tribe. Early humans engaged in social comparison to ensure they didn't get kicked out of their tribe, which was often a life-or-death situation. The modern world, with technology and social media, has created a context where this issue has been amplified. Jill calls for a cultural rebranding and a redefining of the impostor phenomenon or impostor experience. This phenomenon has not been extensively researched, and it is important to know that most discussions focus on hypotheses rather than empirical questions. However, research suggests that these impostor thoughts and feelings are positively correlated with success, making the more successful an individual, the more likely they are to have these feelings. Jill discusses the complex reasons behind this phenomenon, including the assumption that others are more competent than they are, the Dunning Kruger cognitive bias, and social and cultural influences. She mentions that in the 70s, when this phenomenon was thought to only impact high-achieving women, it was rebranded as sexism. Her hypothesis and others have suggested that people who have experienced marginalization, such as being told they don't belong in male spaces, or being told they don't belong in white spaces, are more prone to experience imposter syndrome. Understanding Imposter Syndrome Jill asserts that it is important to recognize that the more we know and the more we believe others are competent, the more likely we are to feel impostor syndrome. Additionally, it is essential to acknowledge that the stigma surrounding this experience is often perpetuated by those who have experienced marginalization, such as women, people of color, and gay individuals. Jill mentions that impostor syndrome can negatively impact career success, and that it is important to recognize that this is a systemic and organizational issue rather than an individual problem. She believes that individuals should be given tools to manage their feelings and self-doubt, such as psychological flexibility, to overcome this
Mon, November 20, 2023
542. William Magnuson, Author of For Profit: A History of Corporations
William Magnuson, a professor at Texas A&M Law School and former Harvard University professor, discusses his book For Profit: A History of Corporations. The book covers eight different corporations throughout history, illustrating different facets of corporations. William chose these eight corporations because they were relevant to the modern world and their importance in shaping society. He aimed to explore the origins of corporations, focusing on foundational moments in corporate law, such as ancient Rome's tax-gathering entities, and the Medici bank. He talks about how studying corporations over 2000 years brought to light trends and why today’s citizens are more impacted by corporations than at any other time in history. William considered including the Soviet Union, which was one of the world's great experiments in trying to structure and economy without corporations. However, he did not include any consumer packaged goods or retail companies on the list. He also considered researching other major tech companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, but ultimately chose not to include them. He also considered adding Japanese corporations, as there is a long history within corporate law scholarship that has similarities with US law but also some major differences. He highlights the importance of understanding the legal concept of corporations and the evolution of their features over time. He also acknowledges the potential for further research into other cultures and corporations, such as Japanese corporations, which could provide valuable insights into corporate law scholarship. Common Characteristics of the Modern Corporation The concept of a corporation has its roots in various ancient cultures, including the Incas, Chinese, and Japan. Europe was largely based on the Roman model, which outsourced government services to private individuals or organizations. This model was copied in Renaissance Italy and eventually moved up to the joint stock era in the 1600s. Japan has a long history of large conglomerate organizations, which are family-oriented and have evolved over time. The American corporation is largely based on the European tradition. Some common characteristics of modern corporations include limited liability, professional management class; single entity operation, and immortality, where a corporation never dies or ceases to exist, unlike partnerships, which end when one partner dies. This is important because historically, partnerships ended when one partner died, which was problematic for tax gathering in ancient Roman republics. Corporations are immortal, meaning they continue to exist even after the death of a single member or stockholder. The Birth of the Corporation The Roman Republic's Fabian strategy, which involved avoiding set battles and using private enterprise, played a significant role in the creation of corporati
Mon, November 13, 2023
541. Scott Ratliff, Commercial Leadership Roles in Professional Services Firms
In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman talks to Scott Ratliff, who is a principal at the search firm Beecher Reagan. Beecher Reagan is a specialty retained executive search firm that works across three industries: professional services, digital and technology services, and private equity. As a principal at Beecher Reagan, Scott leads the commercial excellence sales and marketing practice, focusing on growth roles across these industries. Scott talks about commercial leaders within professional services, specifically in three forms: true Hunter BD people, who are responsible for going out into the market, setting meetings, driving revenue, and bringing in new logos; a hybrid, who owns client relationships, farming large accounts, finding new lines of business within those accounts; and a commercial operations type of role, who sets up and builds out a sales structure, identifying the right people to process technology to build or develop a sales culture within a firm. Depending on the size of the firm, its growth journey, and the talent available, firms may have specific roles specific to one of these verticals or firms looking for someone who can come in and play across. Scott explains that some types of professional services firms have people who are separate from the actual delivery teams brought in as commercial salespeople effect. The traditional model in consulting involves starting as an analyst and working your way up to the manager level, where you shift into being commercially wired and focused. However, there has been a spike in commercial leadership in several places, such as the lower middle market, high growth, emerging market, and larger firms looking to build out new functional capabilities or geography. In addition to selling services, commercial leaders should also understand how to sell services specific to that functional area. This helps firms continue to supercharge growth and drive revenue. The Roles of Hunter/BD People in High Growth Firms Scott discusses the roles of Hunter/BD people in high-growth firms. He explains that these roles can range from five to $10 million firms looking to grow organically to $25 million and potentially leverage M&A. The role involves understanding prospective clients, targeting companies, gathering data for an effective approach, outreach, scheduling meetings, and creating a lead generation engine. The Hunter BD person's role is crucial in identifying potential clients and building relationships with them. They are responsible for taking initial calls, developing relationships, and deciding whether to bring in a partner or subject matter expert. Different firms have different compensation structures, with some expecting the sales leader to close business and the delivery team to execute or the role may be to generate meetings. There are two types of Hunter BD profiles: those who understand the business well enough to take the sales cyc
Mon, November 06, 2023
540. Ammad Ahmad, How Expert Networks Can Add Value to Primary Research
Show Notes: Will Bachman talks to Ammad Ahmad, founder and managing director of Atheneum, a top global expert network that works with management consulting firms and provides access to niche industry experts, and offers research as a service (RaaS). These experts have spent 20-25 years in a particular function or industry and can provide tacit knowledge and insights from industries. They help clients understand challenges when implementing AI-related solutions in healthcare, due diligence cases, or when a PE firm is looking to make an investment. Atheneum has about 11 offices across the world, ranging from San Francisco to Tokyo, with roughly 500-600 SDEs around the world, and they offer one-to-one expert calls, surveys, quantitative surveys, and reports. The majority of their business comes from the expert session side, where many clients want to meet the experts in person. Ammad started the firm in 2010 after working as a management consultant in Washington, DC. As a management consultant, a large part of his work was research and sourcing expert networks, and vetting the experts. When he moved to Germany, he contacted former colleagues from the consulting arena and suggested setting up a firm to help consulting firms access the industry experts they needed with the primary research required for each project. Founding and Scaling Atheneum Ammad and his co-founder Mathias set up in an incubator where they had access to laptops and interns and were able to get down to business. By week two they had secured projects from their old consulting firms. Every week they were getting requests for experts in Europe or the emerging markets. As time went on, word of mouth spread and they earned more and more clients. Today, Atheneum works with all of the top 10 management consulting firms, many private equity and corporates, and pharmaceutical companies. Atheneum’s core focus areas include healthcare, with offices in New York, San Francisco, Santiago, Berlin, London, Lahore, Pakistan, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Korea. When they were setting up their firm, they found that there was a lack of insight and intelligence into many of those ex-U.S. markets. They recruit experts in the local language. They custom recruit on many projects. This allows them to better screen for quality and match experts for clients, and the expert database themselves are fresh and engaged, and meet requests in new markets. When COVID hit they were inundated with requests for experts which enabled them to differentiate and scale. Managing Client Relations Ammad discusses the importance of staying ahead of client needs and staying informed about their needs. He suggests that independent consultants should stay in front of clients and work hard to understand their needs and provide
Mon, October 30, 2023
539. Nancy MacKay, Founder of MacKay CEO Forums
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman interviews Nancy Mackay, founder of MacKay CEO Forums (MC ACO), a peer advisory group that provides confidential peer support groups for CEOs and business owners across Canada. The group aims to populate the world with inspiring leaders by offering confidential peer support groups to hundreds of members. Nancy states that, in today’s challenging fast-paced business-world, and with a growing mental-health crisis, leaders need more peer support and trusted advisors. The Mackay community includes over 1200 CEOs, executives, and business owners from various industries across Canada, participating in over 114 person peer learning groups. Over 60 consultants have been trained and certified to offer peer learning support to members, and the leadership team is focused on supporting form Chairs who offer peer learning support. Nancy started her group over fifteen years ago and still Chairs the group. Her group has 14 CEOs from various industries, with revenue sizes ranging from 5 million to 5 billion plus. Most of the groups are for entrepreneurial, privately held individuals who want to grow their businesses. The meetings are confidential, non-competitive, and require six meetings a year for a day, and they hold a 2-day annual retreat. Each meeting features a one-hour speaker, followed by confidential updates where CEOs discuss their biggest issues, challenges, and opportunities related to business, family, and personal. They place issues they want help with on the table, and after the issues are discussed, the group encourages sharing experiences. A Forum that Helps CEOs One of the biggest objections to joining a peer group is the lack of time. However, the reality is that everyone can make time, and having a group of 14 CEOs with a growth mindset can save time and provide support for all issues, including business, family, and personal. All the forum Chairs at MacKay are modern, trusted advisors with extensive experience working with CEOs, executives, and business owners, playing a crucial role in Chairing meetings and retreats, creating a confidential space for CEOs and executives to be vulnerable and succeed in their careers without sacrificing their health and important personal and family relationships. Nancy shares examples of how peer groups have helped individuals navigate their transitions, such as selling their business, scaling their business, finding talent, and recession and succession planning. Nancy highlights the importance of segmenting peer groups, with specific groups catering to different types of CEOs, CFOs, HR Rows, and cross-functional executives. These groups ensure that each member's background experience is taken into account, ensuring that everyone is a best fit for the group. The group also address personal and family issues, allowing members to discuss their challe
Mon, October 23, 2023
538. Pam Fox Rollin, Growing Groups Into Teams
In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman and Pam Fox Rollin, author of Growing Groups into Teams, discuss the concept of a team and its benefits. Pam opens the conversation by defining what a team is. She emphasizes the importance of a shared promise and a commitment to coordinate to fulfill that promise. A team is not just a group of people who report to the same people but are a group of people who are committed to accomplishing a shared goal for their customers, whether internal or external. Pam also discusses the challenges faced by executive teams, where they may not be a team at all. For example, if a sales team is independent and not collaborating with other departments, it may not be considered a team. Instead, the best teams are clear on their promises and partner with each other to achieve them. The Importance of Diversity in Team Building Pam reveals what common beliefs about teams she disagrees with. She shares research on diverse teams and why it’s not always productive to work with the smartest people. Pam emphasizes the importance of diversity of thought and cognitive diversity on a team. She explains that diversity doesn't necessarily mean being smart or not smart, but rather diversity of thought and perspective. This can come from different undergraduate majors, cultures, and cognitive backgrounds. Racial and gender diversity is also important, as it helps to create a more inclusive team environment. For example, women are more perceptive about power structures, while people of color are more perceptive about power structures. Responsibility and Accountability in a Team The conversation shifts to the concept of responsibility and accountability. Pam believes that responsibility involves taking a promise seriously and taking responsibility for the success of an event. This includes ensuring that everyone on the team understands what success looks like and can communicate with others when necessary. However, there are some problems with accountability, such as not being accountable to a promise you never made or not being able to recover the promise. In conclusion, diverse teams are essential for success in various industries, including sales, marketing, customer service, engineering, and more. They also require a balance between responsibility and accountability, as well as a willingness to learn and grow from each other. By embracing these values, teams can create a more inclusive and effective workplace environment. Pam talks about a chapter in her book, “When the Team You Need Doesn’t Exist” and goes on to share a unique story of working with teams to diagnose issues and help them improve. She started her career at Bain and Company, where she met the people at Accenture's Healthcare Strategy Group. She fast-tracked to an associate partner, got married, decided to leave her job and become an executive coach.</
Mon, October 16, 2023
537. David A. Fields, How to Work Effectively with Visibility Partners
In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman interviews David A. Fields on how to work with industry associations and other types of groups to build businesses and create value. He touches on the concept of trade associations, and how we should view the trade association as a source of prospects. It's important to consider other types of associations that have a large group of prospects in their tribe, such as software platforms, data providers, headhunters, and journalists. Data providers often need the help of consulting firms to ensure their data remains relevant and useful. For example, data providers can provide information on social media trends, transportation logistics, and more. In conclusion, trade associations can be a valuable tool for firms to connect with prospects and build their business. They can also serve as visibility partners, helping firms reach out to potential clients. David talks about connecting with visibility partners and what you can do to raise your profile through that relationship. For small firms with no specific focus, it is important to find the right group by focusing your business on a few industries and engage with associations or other providers to find potential partners. This approach makes it easier for the firm to find prospects and be more valuable to them. David shares examples of clients who have successfully worked with data providers as visibility partners. One example is a consulting firm in Virginia that has grown from about $1 million to $15 million through targeted visibility building with data providers. The firm has done research work with the data provider to demonstrate the importance of creating value for both partners and their clients. Connecting to a Visibility Partner To get started with a visibility partner, David suggests reaching out, offering to meet, building relationships, and staying right-side up. For example, a consulting firm might have worked with multiple clients using data from a data provider and had a history of complaints about the data. By introducing the firm to their contacts to help the data provider improve their service, they can help address the client's concerns and also improve their visibility. David discusses how to increase visibility by getting on a podcast. Will suggests reaching out to the host of a podcast and posting a summary on LinkedIn to tag the host. This approach is often overlooked by hosts, but it can be a great way to reach potential clients. David stresses that this is a long-term relationship building strategy, and not a quick fix. Furthermore, he encourages people to get involved in small podcasts, new podcasts, and podcasts with only 12 listeners, as they are more likely to have a smaller audience. This can lead to better targeted discussions and better results. David talks about the pros and cons of ta
Mon, October 09, 2023
536. Davina Stanley, Elevating the Quality of Business Presentations
Show Notes Davina Stanley, a consultant and author, has recently published the book Elevate: How to Lift the Quality of Thinking in Your Team's Board Papers without Rewriting them yourself. She spent 15 years at McKinsey and coached consultants for 15 years. Her core work involves understanding the stakeholder environment and structuring messages based on the Minto pyramid principle. She brings her public relations and communications background, McKinsey Consulting experience, and her original background as a kindergarten teacher together to help people engage senior leaders and boards. ClarityFirst Communication Program Davina works with mid to senior level executives, often one-on-one or in small groups. She typically works with groups of 15 to 25 people. She helps build skills by giving them homework to do and working through the process together. She talks about how she works with senior executives and how she offers a structured program that can be tailored to budgets and ambitions. For groups with technical backgrounds with a fairly modest project, she might offer a three-hour workshop where they work through the process together and think through summarizing and synthesizing data and context. For groups with deep technical backgrounds, she might offer a six-week workshop with learning in advance. This allows the group to practice and learn, ask questions, and interact with the material. She explains how she structures the courses, why she adopted the drip model, and why she started teaching online. Davina currently offers books and online courses as preparatory work for people to use in their own work. Rise. Ready. Iterate. Settle Embed. Davina identifies key points that people should take away from her sessions. She focuses on two streams of work: collaborating to get the final messaging and document right, and getting the actual messaging right itself. She emphasizes the importance of clarity and quality of insight in structuring messages, beginning with understanding who this is for and what the core message is. Davina suggests that one message per slide should be embedded in the title of the slide, and other key lessons to be learned include understanding the stakeholder environment, getting ready to understand the communication strategy, iterating around the message as a one-pager to nail it with stakeholders, settling the document, and embedding learnings form both the process and outcome Clear Communication Skills for Leaders Davina’s book, Elevate, helps leaders build their own foundations in understanding the importance of clear communication. She suggests that leaders should build their own foundations by thinking differently about their communication, lifting their own skills, and elevating the team. She talks about the importance of leadership involvement in building quality communicatio
Mon, October 02, 2023
535. Michelle Drapkin, Research-based Approaches to Driving Change
Show Notes: In this episode of Unleashed, Dr. Michelle Drapkin, author of The Motivational Interviewing Path to Personal Change: The Essential Workbook for Creating the Life You Want, discusses her book and her work as a Board Certified Clinical Psychologist and behavioral scientist, focusing on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Michelle is known for her work at Johnson and Johnson and the Veterans Administration, and she shares science-based techniques on how to change behaviors beyond intuition or folk knowledge. CBT and Motivation Michelle explains cognitive behavioral therapy and her motivational interview technique. Her area of focus within psychology is the common sense approach of using intrinsic motivation to drive behavior change that aligns with an individual's values and goals. She also emphasizes the importance of aligning these values and goals with the context of the organization. Michelle addresses myths about what motivates people and how to overcome them. One myth is that simply telling people what to do is enough, but it's not always the case and doesn’t always endure. She also discusses the importance of fostering a supportive environment and setting clear expectations. She believes that a supportive environment can help individuals feel more comfortable and confident in their decisions, leading to more effective behavior change. Discussing the McKinsey Change Model Will and Michelle discuss the McKinsey change model, which consists of four parts: understanding and skills, commitment, leadership modeling, and accountability. They agree the McKinsey model is mostly right, but Michelle also mentions the missing motivation component. She talks about the Combi model, which combines capability, opportunity, and motivation to achieve behavior change. However, the accountability mechanism and measurement are missing in the McKinsey model. She offers an example to prove the point. She suggests that the McKinsey model might not be the best fit for organizations, as it may not be suitable for adopting new habits or habits that require a different approach. She suggests using motivational interviewing, which is a more compassionate and empathic approach that helps people connect with their internal intrinsic motivation to change. Michelle explains what motivational interviewing is and how it was developed 40 years ago as an alternative to confrontational approaches in the addictions field. It is a gentle, compassionate approach that meets someone where they are at and helps them connect with their internal intrinsic motivation to change. By using motivational interviewing, organizations can help individuals change behaviors for themselves or at least for their own benefit. Michelle talks about the importance of self-compassion, the best-self, and various exercises and strategies for enhancing team a
Mon, September 25, 2023
534. Joe Pope, From Cold Outreach to Warm Leads: What Works in the Professional Services
Show Notes: In this discussion, Joe Pope, the Partner and Director of Business Development at Hinge Marketing, discusses cold outreach. He explains that it is crucial to understand the key issues, topics, and channels that target audiences in order to effectively engage with them. The old method of folding dialing and outsourcing has developed a reputation for not seeing ROI or benefit from the time spent on it. Joe suggests that when developing an approach to cold outreach, it is essential to focus on understanding social media cadence, marketing strategies, the target audience's industries, key issues, and subject matter expertise. This will help avoid falling victim to the sea of sameness and ensure that the message is tailored to the specific needs of the target audience. Joe offers an example of an independent consultant who wants to expand their circle of clients. They have 15 years of experience in strategic sourcing and procurement. They may have already reached out to past clients and people they know but now want to expand their circle. Joe suggests making sure they know the title of the contact and ask questions around directly relatable topics and issues. Linkedin should be used for commenting and sharing on posts or connection requests. Connection requests should only be used if you can offer valuable services, but InMail messages tend to be a waste of time. Joe explains the type of messages and messaging that work and what doesn’t work, including to avoid spam, use a slightly warm connection in your connection request, such as mentioning a secondary or third connection. If you're cold, make a reason why you're reaching out, such as having a secondary connection in common or being in an industry that you just created a presentation for or something of value.. Joe discusses reaching out to people to work together on content creation on email rather than InMail, but you should identify the value to them. It’s also a good tactic to use connections from your college or business school, former colleagues, or other relevant sources to move the needle closer to potential clients, and likewise, following the same topic feeds as potential clients and commenting on posts they read. Joe talks about the importance of subject lines and email length in cold outreach, highlighting that they can lead to positive ROI. Subject headlines should be short, around six to eight words, and tied to a resonating topic such as events. This approach has been successful in generating responses and open rates. Short, personalized subject lines should avoid using emojis, as they may not resonate with the intended audience. Event-related subject lines can be used to reference specific services or resources that resonate with the target audience. For instance, a firm could send a targeted list of people in industries that resonate with database decisions or artificial intell
Mon, September 18, 2023
533. Richard Langlois, Author of The Corporation and the Twentieth Century
Richard Langlois, author of the book The Corporation and the 20th Century: The History of American Business Enterprise , and Will Bachman discuss the transition from entrepreneur-led businesses to modern multi-unit businesses. Richard talks about the drivers behind this transformation, including antitrust, which led to unintended consequences such as making coordination between firms illegal, and the shift from vertically integrated businesses to modular corporations. His book highlights the impact of the depression, which eliminated many financial institutions, making it possible for internal capital markets to function and fund innovation. His book also explores the issue of price controls and government interference with markets also interfered with market mechanisms, making it difficult for smaller businesses to coordinate resources. From Entrepreneur-led Businesses to Multi-unit Businesses Richard explains that the rise of large companies and far-flung enterprises in the mid-20th century required conscious management and professional managers who weren't also owners, and that transactions in a market require market supporting institutions, such as financial markets and legal systems, which can be provided in a decentralized way or within the firm. He argues that the success of large, vertically integrated corporations is partly due to the lack of success of alternatives to these structures. Antitrust also plays a role in this transition, as it made it difficult for firms to engage in complex contracts and do things internally. He talks about how the transition from entrepreneur-led businesses to multi-unit businesses was driven by factors such as antitrust, the Great Depression, World War 2, and the New Deal. Richard offers a few examples of antitrust in action with the concept of block booking, where movie studios pre-sell entire blocks of movies to cinemas without allowing them to preview them first to ensure the studios could recoup costs of production. Another interesting aspect he cites is the leverage theory. Taking us back to the 1930s, he talks about IBM who used control over proprietary punch cards to sell their mechanical computing equipment to maintain quality control and price discrimination, which is charging high prices to those who want the product and low prices to those who don't. He goes on to explain how this became the "one lump of monopoly theory," and what this means. The History of Leasing Machines and Government Opposition <p class="MsoNormal" style= "line-height: normal; mso-pagination: none
Mon, September 11, 2023
532. Jon Cobb, Building a Following on LinkedIn
Jon Cobb, a LinkedIn expert, shares his unique style of posts, which are short, concise, and impactful. His biggest post this year has received 236,000 likes and almost 18 million impressions. It highlights the importance of leadership and culture change, which resonates with many people due to the timing of layoffs and the appreciation for empathetic leadership. Jon also shares a few of the most popular posts, including one that emphasizes hiring someone with the right mindset over someone with the right resume, emphasizing the importance of understanding the motivations behind an individual's interest in a job. He shares posts that suggest people should focus on long-term growth opportunities rather than just the most lucrative job offers. Jon talks about his company called Jon Cobb Coaching, and an app he built called the Job Search Boot Camp. The app helps people identify mistakes they might be making in their job search process and adopt a more strategic approach. He advises people to step back, think more strategically about their job search, and focus on networking before applying. He encourages people to apply for companies they truly want to work for, as this will lead to a full-quality application. Jon’s app includes an audio course that walks people through these stages, such as networking correctly, reaching out to new connections on LinkedIn, building a compelling resume, and interviewing effectively. By following this structured approach, people can increase their chances of success and happiness in the long run. Job Search Boot Camp offers resources, resume templates, cover letter templates, negotiation letter templates, and a community forum for users to connect with the author. The course is affordable and designed to help people get hired faster and make more. He left Deloitte consulting a few years ago and focussed on business consulting. He works with people across different elements of their life and challenges they face. He now runs a life coaching practice, helping entrepreneurs, relationship challenges, and developing a mindset of success, and career coaching is a significant part of this practice. Best Practices on LinkedIn Posts Jon's approach to LinkedIn posting began with posting on topics that matter to him. He has found that success involves trial and error, experimentation, and understanding what matters to you. He began posting about work culture and personal and professional progress, and over time, refined his voi
Mon, September 04, 2023
531. Huijin Kong, Author of Positive Influence, The First and Last Step of Leadership
In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman and Huijin Kong discuss her new book, Positive Influence , The First and Last Mile of Leadership, co-authored with Tsun-yan Hsieh. They talk about the basics of influence and how to present different influencing techniques. Huijin’s book emphasizes the importance of focusing on both task outcomes and relational outcomes, as well as the impact of one's own heart and soul on others. Huijin emphasizes that people are influenced more by how they feel about the task and their purpose in influencing others. She explains that traditional consulting can be more powerful if professionals spend more time on mindshare and their own heart, rather than just defining and laying out the task. The book lays out three aspects of influencing: personal qualities that are universal, such as courage, care, and compassion. Courage helps us face difficult situations and fears, while care involves caring about people's experiences and challenges, rather than just the task itself. Compassion is crucial in challenging times, as it builds the basis for being more open to what people are resisting and why. Humility and curiosity are also central to creating a powerful common ground for discussing difficult issues. By focusing on these qualities, professionals can create a more powerful and impactful influence on their clients and clients. She also mentions ‘state’ which deals with composure and being present. It is important to align your state to your intent. These two-thirds can mean the difference between being a good influencer or a great influencer. Defining Influence Pathways Huijin talks about the importance of being deliberate in influencing others. Huijin emphasizes placing focus on positive outcomes and the importance of considering the context and pressures in higher stakes situations, in addition to the starting attitude of the people who need to be influenced. This intentionality allows for the development of an influence pathway, which involves guiding each person to think, feel, and do differently than their natural current inclination. She qualifies that being deliberate is not like military planning, but rather requires being conscious of how your influence attempt is going and how the person is responding to your actions. This allows you to adjust your strategy and align your being, state, and
Sat, September 02, 2023
533. Richard Langlois, Author of The Corporation and the Twentieth Century
Richard Langlois, author of the book The Corporation and the 20th Century: The History of American Business Enterprise , and Will Bachman discuss the transition from entrepreneur-led businesses to modern multi-unit businesses. Richard talks about the drivers behind this transformation, including antitrust, which led to unintended consequences such as making coordination between firms illegal, and the shift from vertically integrated businesses to modular corporations. His book highlights the impact of the depression, which eliminated many financial institutions, making it possible for internal capital markets to function and fund innovation. His book also explores the issue of price controls and government interference with markets also interfered with market mechanisms, making it difficult for smaller businesses to coordinate resources. From Entrepreneur-led Businesses to Multi-unit Businesses Richard explains that the rise of large companies and far-flung enterprises in the mid-20th century required conscious management and professional managers who weren't also owners, and that transactions in a market require market supporting institutions, such as financial markets and legal systems, which can be provided in a decentralized way or within the firm. He argues that the success of large, vertically integrated corporations is partly due to the lack of success of alternatives to these structures. Antitrust also plays a role in this transition, as it made it difficult for firms to engage in complex contracts and do things internally. He talks about how the transition from entrepreneur-led businesses to multi-unit businesses was driven by factors such as antitrust, the Great Depression, World War 2, and the New Deal. Richard offers a few examples of antitrust in action with the concept of block booking, where movie studios pre-sell entire blocks of movies to cinemas without allowing them to preview them first to ensure the studios could recoup costs of production. Another interesting aspect he cites is the leverage theory. Taking us back to the 1930s, he talks about IBM who used control over proprietary punch cards to sell their mechanical computing equipment to maintain quality control and price discrimination, which is charging high prices to those who want the product and low prices to those who don't. He goes on to explain how this became the "one lump of monopoly theory," and what this means. The History of Leasing Machines and Government Opposition <p class="MsoNormal" style= "line-height: normal; mso-pagination: none
Mon, August 28, 2023
530. Soren Kaplan, Scaling Your Consulting Business
Show Notes: Soren Kaplan, author of Experiential Intelligence: Harnessing the power of experience for personal and business breakthroughs, talks about his book, his experience as a consultant, and the software company he founded, Praxie.com, to digitize his consulting processes and help other consultants and Fortune 1000 clients scale their processes. Soren decided to scale up his experience in executive education, leadership development, and innovation and strategy work, which led him to create the no-code software platform he uses to digitize his own consulting work processes and create annuity revenue streams. SaaS as a Service Business Model for Consultants Soren's team has done extensive work in work process digitization, and they realized that the best scalable way to do this is to create a platform that anyone can use to do it themselves or help others do it in a fast and easy way using no-code software. Soren talks about the first application and use case and how it helps consultants to access templates and processes, and streamline workflow. Soren's innovation consulting experience led him to create a platform for running the innovation process for a large steel manufacturing company. He shares how the team has their customized process digitized in a workflow that their entire team can now use in a repeatable way. He explains that the software is a SaaS software as a service business model, combining consulting with work process design. Soren explains the innovation process: idea generation, validation, and implementation. The process involves evaluating the different dimensions of the first phase, selecting which ideas to move forward, and then evaluating the results. The process then moves on to validation, where the user evaluates the assumptions and moves them to the next phase. The digitized workflow allows individuals or teams to view their entire portfolio as a dashboard, showing pipeline, portfolio maps, and financials. Teams can work through their own product ideas and provide access to the dashboard for reporting. The application also includes tools for execution and dashboard elements for reporting. A Branded SaaS App for Consultants Soren talks about the low cost of the digital application, as it digitizes hundreds of tools and templates. For example, a PowerPoint or Excel file can be converted into an interactive template online, making it more cost-effective for clients. The sales process is the engagement process, with the cost depending on the level of customization. The Praxie tool is similar to SaaS software, with a monthly fee per user. He explains how a consultant can use the platform to develop their own business process software, and how the pricing model is adapted to the user and the customization. The business model is being built with tools which allow consulta
Mon, August 21, 2023
529. James Agres, Market Sizing
Show Notes: James Agres is the founder of 2nd St Strategy, an independent consulting firm focused on private equity and commercial due diligence work. He has experience in various industries, including software, industrial, and healthcare. James discusses the importance of market sizing in commercial diligence projects. In this episode, he talks about the importance of market sizing varies project to project, and how it helps businesses understand the size of opportunities available to them. A large market can represent a large opportunity, while a small opportunity may be more limited. James explains that understanding the market's competitive dynamics, market share, and growth drivers is crucial for businesses. James shares the different terms for market size, such as total addressable market (TAM), serviceable addressable market (SAM), and serviceable obtainable market (SOM). The total addressable market is the total population of the town, the number of haircuts, and the price of the haircut. The serviceable addressable market is the percentage of the town represented by men in a certain income demographic or willing to spend a lot on haircuts, and the serviceable obtainable market is the percentage of the town represented by men in a certain income demographic or willing to spend a lot on haircuts. Determining Market Size James explains that to reach the desired audience, businesses must advertise to the entire town or reach specific demographics and geography within the town. He talks about various market sizing approaches, including price times quantity and quantity times price, by segment. He explains that the most basic market sizing framework is price times quantity, which can be applied to dental practice management software. The market size is about half a billion, with 138,000 stores in the US and a close-to-100% adoption rate. He offers another example of software used to manage reservations at state, national, and local parks in the US and Canada. The market size can be estimated using various methodologies, such as the p times q methodology, which uses data on visitor numbers, pricing, and vendor percentages. The state parks and target organizations can also be used to determine their market share and percentage charges. James presents various market sizing approaches, including price times quantity and quantity times price, to analyze the market size of various industries. By utilizing these methods, he aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the market size and competitive landscape in the dental practice management software market. Estimating a Company’s Market Share The second method involves estimating a target company's market share based on their revenue. This method assumes that all competitors operate similarly to the target company. This method can be applied to t
Mon, August 14, 2023
528. Brian Ortiz, Building a LinkedIn Audience
Show Notes: Brian Ortiz talks to Will Bachman about their use of various tools and CRM systems to manage their LinkedIn presence which has 70,000 followers. Brian talks about his history in marketing, his move into real estate investing, his purpose on LinkedIn, and the CRM tools he uses. Brian explains how he manages the actual inflow of messages, especially when dealing with heavy volume. He talks about an interesting system where he can reply quickly by using specific keywords or dates in their replies, and how he uses LinkedIn’s data system which allows them to sort and segment by different criteria. Brian explains that he initially lost 50-60% of messages in the shuffle, but now he has a system where they can filter and sort messages into as granular groups as possible. He also has assistants who go through the CRM and spreadsheets to maximize the volume and ensure no important messages are lost. Using AI and CRM Tools to Manage Message Flow Brian talks about using AI and what he looks for when investing in projects. He also offers advice on how to manage viral posts and the volume of inbound messages has increased quickly. Brian shares the tools he uses based on the type of post or his schedule for the week. He mentions LeadDelta, and the features this system offers. He also mentions FOLK, a system that is similar to Google Sheets, to manage contact information. Another go-to CRM system is Raindrop, which allows him to save messages in the system and it has an extension in Chrome. Brian explains how you can use LinkedIn to download and manage messages. He shares some inside information on LinkedIn’s messaging algorithm. He shares important tips on consistent patterns when messaging in large volume and the benefits of manual messaging. He also offers working insight into LeadDelta to avoid violating LinkedIn’s rules of engagement and how it competes with LinkedIn’s services. Brian shares how he manages his large volume of connections and why he keeps 400 open slots. He talks about the LinkedIn loophole he found and the value of messaging and not just following. Frequency of Posting Content Brian initially was hesitant to post content, but with 73,000 connections, people send him lists of investors to him. He uses tools like Tap Leo, which shows other people's highest engaged content to see what is popular and engages a high volume of views. If a gated post generates two or three million views, Brian sends a quick message to the creator, asking if they want Brian to share it. He also still posts investing or startup contrarian posts on LinkedIn, and follows around 100 people. He has trained his virtual assistant to recognize high-velocity posts and repurpose them for different content. He combines high-velocity posts to create unique insights into high-demand topics, and the engagement pro
Mon, August 07, 2023
527. Justin Nassiri Shares Tips to Optimize Your LinkedIn Posts
Show Notes: LinkedIn has become a powerful platform for professionals to connect, share insights, and build their personal brand. But how can executives effectively leverage LinkedIn to maximize their content strategy? To answer this question, Will Bachman talks to Justin Nassiri, founder of Executive Presence, who conducted a comprehensive analysis of client posts on LinkedIn. Justin talks about software his company uses for data analytics to see valuable data on engagement and trends and how to use it. The Power of the Hook One of the most significant insights from Justin’s analysis is the importance of the hook in LinkedIn posts. The hook refers to the first line of a post, which aims to capture the reader's attention and entice them to engage further. Nassiri emphasizes the need for a bold and provocative hook, stating, "The first line of a post really determines its success." By taking an extreme stance or making a surprising statement, executives can stop the scroll and compel readers to delve deeper into their content. Justin advises executives to avoid generic and overused hooks, such as "I'm humbled to be featured by Forbes." Instead, he suggests crafting hooks that are concrete, surprising, and contrary to common beliefs and offers a few examples. Furthermore, Nassiri highlights the importance of formatting the post to make the hook stand out. By using line breaks and creating distinct lines, executives can make their hooks more visually appealing and increase the chances of capturing readers' attention. The Visual Advantage Another key finding from Nassiri's analysis is the significant impact of visuals in LinkedIn posts. According to the study, posts with photos receive 115% more views than those without any visual content. Graphics, on the other hand, result in a 28% increase in views. He emphasizes the need for original and relevant visuals. Stock images are not effective in capturing readers' attention and should be avoided. Instead, executives should use their own photos or graphics that directly relate to the content of their posts. For example, if the post discusses leadership, including a photo of a team or a relevant graphic can enhance the post's impact. Justin also offers a few tips on how to generate ideas for visual content. The Power of Data Analysis Beyond the specific findings, Justin highlights the broader value of LinkedIn as a tool for data analysis, and how executives can use LinkedIn to gain insights into the topics and ideas that resonate with their audience. By analyzing the performance of their posts, executives can identify their "zone of genius" and focus on topics that generate the most engagement. He encourages executives to view LinkedIn as a platform for testing and refining their content strategy. LinkedIn provides a data-driven approach to understanding w
Tue, August 01, 2023
526. Alex Boyd, Organic LinkedIn Growth for B2B
Show Notes: Will Bachman welcomes Alex Boyd, the founder of Revenue Zen, a B2B organic growth marketing firm. Alex talks about organic growth marketing and how it is simply sharing knowledge about a product or service through platforms like websites, forums, and social media without relying on paid advertising. Alex's strategy works because clients are drawn to the content and reach out to him. He is now helping other B2B companies achieve success through organic growth marketing. Developing Organic Content for B2B Markets Alex Boyd works with B2B clients who typically have an average order value of at least 20k to 50k or more. He helps them to find their voice, clarify their thought process, produce content, get it out there, and watch that turn into leads and pipeline. His clients are usually software companies, consultancies, and other service providers who sell digitally and have a higher than average ticket size. By writing LinkedIn content that is well targeted and speaks to their audience and producing blog posts that are targeted to niche, lower volume keywords, his clients can see a huge ROI with just a few leads. Alex talks about how they help software companies create content. He explains how they have a structured interview with the founders of the companies to understand their needs and goals, and draw out their expertise. Then, they create content that focuses on the specialty of the company as well as how technology can be used as part of the process. He emphasizes that the founders may not be social media writers, but they can provide valuable insights on how to implement the solution. Alex offers a sanitized case study of a software client. Most of his clients receive targeted, well-written content that they can post themselves. Alex’s business helps clients craft effective social media content that can help them generate leads. He advocates for a structured interview process to draw out the client's expertise, and then they can coach them or produce content that the client can edit. Alex shares a few interview questions that help draw out valuable information on the company that helps build engaging content that yields results. He identifies the type of content that works. Tips on Creating Engaging Content He suggests starting with an origin story, as it helps the client's network to understand why they started the business. He also suggests asking about the client's favorite interview questions to draw out the information. Alex believes that making up content for social media does not work, and that it is important to draw out the expertise and knowledge of the client to create effective content. He emphasizes the need to be short and insightful in content marketing. Alex explains how to manage reaction and engagement to social and content posts, and how to transition from commenting on someone's posts to having meaningful conversation. He offers tips on ba
Mon, July 31, 2023
526. Alex Boyd on Organic LinkedIn Growth for B2B
Will Bachman welcomes Alex Boyd, the founder of Revenue Zen, a B2B organic growth marketing firm. Alex talks about organic growth marketing and how it is simply sharing knowledge about a product or service through platforms like websites, forums, and social media without relying on paid advertising. Alex's strategy works because clients are drawn to the content and reach out to him. He is now helping other B2B companies achieve success through organic growth marketing. Developing Engaging B2B Content Alex Boyd works with B2B clients who typically have an average order value of at least 20k to 50k or more. He helps them to find their voice, clarify their thought process, produce content, get it out there, and watch that turn into leads and pipeline. His clients are usually software companies, consultancies, and other service providers who sell digitally and have a higher than average ticket size. By writing LinkedIn content that is well targeted and speaks to their audience and producing blog posts that are targeted to niche, lower volume keywords, his clients can see a huge ROI with just a few leads. Alex talks about how they help software companies create content. He explains how they have a structured interview with the founders of the companies to understand their needs and goals, and draw out their expertise. Then, they create content that focuses on the specialty of the company as well as how technology can be used as part of the process. He emphasizes that the founders may not be social media writers, but they can provide valuable insights on how to implement the solution. Alex offers a sanitized case study of a software client. Most of his clients receive targeted, well-written content that they can post themselves. Developing B2B Social Media Content Alex’s business helps clients craft effective social media content that can help them generate leads. He advocates for a structured interview process to draw out the client's expertise, and then they can coach them or produce content that the client can edit. Alex shares a few interview questions that help draw out valuable information on the company that helps build engaging content that yields results. He identifies the type of content that works. Tips for B2B Engaging Content He suggests starting with an origin story, as it helps the client's network to understand why they started the business. He also suggests asking about the client's favorite interview questions to draw out the information. Alex believes that making up content for social media does not work, and that it is important to draw out the expertise and knowledge of the client to create effective content. He emphasis the need to be short and insightful in content marketing. Alex explains how manage reaction and engagement to social and content posts, and how to transition from commenting on someone's posts to having meaning
Mon, July 24, 2023
525. Chris Heivly, Author of Build the Fort: The Startup Community Builder's Field Guide
Show Notes: Chris Heivly and Will Bachman discuss the concept of startup communities and the importance of building them. Chris is the co-founder of MapQuest, which was sold to AOL for $1.2 billion, and the author of the Build the Fort. His second book, The Startup Community Builder's Field Guide, focuses on how five simple lessons learned as a 10-year-old can set entrepreneurs up for startup success. Chris defines a startup community as a set of people involved in innovative activities in a particular geography. He explains that startup communities can be incredibly powerful in helping entrepreneurs to succeed and should be proactively built by providing resources, mentorship, and capital. The Benefits of a Startup Community Chris talks about the concept of startup communities and how they are no longer geographically bound. He believes that networks are essential in order to develop a successful startup community, and that all members of the community, such as corporate innovators, investors, founders, researchers, and university students, should work together for the greater good. Additionally, he mentions that the concept of startup communities applies to industry-specific communities as well, and not just geographically bound ones. He believes that the key to advancing technology is through startups and corporate innovation, and that these networks should be utilized to the fullest extent. Chris points out that it is important to rely on people outside of one's geographic network to build a successful community. He explains that it can be difficult for founders to invest time and energy into the community due to the amount of tasks they have to complete in their business. He mentions that it is important to build meaningful connections in order to make a successful community and connect with venture capitalists, local investors, and to get involved in the local economy to make sure that it is thriving, and that one will gain knowledge and potential customers by doing so. Chris suggests startup lawyers, marketing experts, economic development professionals, and people from universities want to ensure the success of startups and help create a vibrant local economy, and he shares a case study on a startup community he was involved with. The Advantages of a Local Tech Scene Chris talks about the advantages of being in a local tech scene, rather than working in a virtual space. He adds that the local physical advantage is that one can easily access mentorship and advice in a formal sense. He notes that this may come in the form of attending events, or engaging with other startups in the same building. He also points out that networking with local resources can be beneficial for finding answers to questions, and finding the right attorney for legal needs. He explains the importance of providing resources, such as programming and co-
Mon, July 17, 2023
Episode 524. Adam Braff, ChatGPT Code Interpreter
Show Notes: In this episode, Will Bachman talks to Adam Braff, a former McKinsey partner who specializes in data analytics. Adam has been using chat GPT to explore how this powerful tool can be harnessed for data analysis. He explores the implications and potential impact of this innovative approach. The Quest for Analyzing Quantitative Data The ability to analyze quantitative data using generative AI has long been a holy grail for many data scientists. While Chat GPT and other language models have proven their prowess in generating text and even creating visual content. Adam talks about how to tackle the challenge of applying these tools to analyze large datasets problems and uncover potential solutions. Adam outlines four key aspects of the problem at hand. First, there is a need to upload data into the Chat GPT tool, as the existing training data may not encompass the specific dataset of interest. Second, an intuitive interface is required to facilitate a conversation with the tool, allowing for iterative exploration and analysis. Third, the ability to visualize the data in various formats, such as tables and graphs, is crucial for understanding and validating the results. Lastly, incorporating up-to-date contextual information about the world around us is essential to gain insights into correlations and patterns within the data. Uploading Data: Bridging the Gap To address the challenge of uploading data into Chat GPT, several options have emerged. One approach involves integration with popular spreadsheet tools like Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Users can interact with the data by writing formulas and commands directly within the spreadsheet software. Another option is to paste data directly into Chat GPT, as long as it fits within the context window. This approach allows for a quick overview of the data and initial exploration of its contents. The ability to have a conversation with chat GPT is a significant breakthrough in data analytics. Adam highlights the emergence of third-party plugins that enable users to interact with the tool directly. These plugins, such as "chat with your data" and "chat with G sheet," bring us closer to the goal of conversational data analysis within the chat GPT environment. Additionally, separate startups have leveraged APIs to connect with open AI models like GPT 3.5 and GPT 4. These startups, such as seek.ai and data DM, provide an alternative approach to interact with the data, although they operate outside the chat GPT window. Code Interpreter: The 800-Pound Gorilla Among the various solutions, Chat GPT code interpreter stands out as a powerful tool for data analysis. As an official open AI product, it offers a native and robust interface within Chat GPT. By activating code interpreter, users gain access to a chatbot-lik
Mon, July 10, 2023
523. Keith Durst, Designing Food and Beverage programs at NYC Landmark Destinations
Show Notes: Keith Durst runs Friends of Chef (FOC), a consulting firm that works at the intersection of hospitality and real estate. Keith has worked on major projects in 15 different states, and he lists several projects they have worked on in New York City, such as Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, the Whitney Museum, and Blackstone's corporate headquarters as just a few of his projects. Reimagining the Rockefeller Center Keith uses Rockefeller Center as a case study to explain the different stages and services his firm provides to their projects. The initial phase of the project involves understanding the needs and goals of the developer or owner. He talks about researching the market, designing the concept, and bringing it to life with construction. Finally, they help with the launch of the project and ensure its success. The goal of the project at Rockefeller Center was to create a place where New Yorkers would want to spend their time, rather than focus on it as a tourist destination. To achieve this, the development team looked at what was missing and why and how they redeveloped the area to be more open and accessible to New Yorkers. He talks about the changes that were made and how these changes have made the area an attractive destination for locals to visit. Keith explains the specifics of how to do a needs assessment for the Rockefeller Center, including assessing the local community. They wanted to create an authentic New York experience on the campus, so they didn't rely on the competitive set. The goal was to create different levels of food and beverage, including bakeries, breweries, cafes, and sit down seating that would give people working at Rockefeller Center the ability to stay in the area to socialize and make reservations at popular places, but also that it would attract a wide demographic. In the end, Keith hopes that the changes will give people the time and energy back to spend more than one day in the area. The Friends of Chef Mission and Vision The goal of the FOC team is to create an environment that is welcoming to all kinds of people from different parts of the city. The team also plans out different day periods to maximize the restaurants' potential and manage flow periods. Keith explains why the balance between destination restaurants and quick lunch spots is important. He emphasized that it's important to bring in businesses that understand throughput and have efficient POS and under periods. Once customer needs and establishment needs have been assessed, the next step is working with the team and their engineers and leasing people to ideate and figure out how to make their plans a reality. Viable Financial Planning for Restaurants Keith talks about the process of developing a space for a restaurant. The first step is to conduct an assessment and
Mon, July 03, 2023
522. Oscar Trimboli, Listening Secrets Every Consultants Should Know
Show Notes: Oscar Trimboli is the author of How to Listen and the host of the podcast Deep Listening. He talks about the importance of listening in the context of an initial discussion with a client, and highlights the importance of being present and mindful in the conversation, and to focus on understanding the other person's perspective. Oscar stresses the need to be aware of underlying emotions, and to be patient and respectful during the conversation. He concludes that having an open dialogue and listening to the other person's point of view is paramount to building a strong relationship and achieving successful outcomes. How to Improve Client Projects Oscar talks about the importance of listening during the context call with a client on their project. He emphasizes that listening should not be limited to face-to-face conversation but should include pre- and post- conversation activities as well. As an example, he mentioned his own pre-interview question to the client about the audience in attendance. Oscar suggests three questions to ask prior to entering the room. By posing these questions, you can gain a better understanding of the client's needs and desires and be better equipped to lead the conversation. Oscar explains how to best approach a context conversation for a potential project by asking these three questions, which should include the characteristics of a great listener: curiosity, flexibility and openness. In email introductions, Oscar explains how to add three bullet points to an email introducing the project, which should include mentioning three common issues the project may have, and how to refer to these issues to position yourself as knowledgeable while also gaining information. These questions can also position you as a problem solver and not just as a gaining a client for your business. The Importance of Listening to what Is not Said In order to be a great listener, one must understand the science and art of conversation. Oscar talks about the importance of listening and the gap between thinking speed and speaking speed. Oscar suggests that we should be conscious of what is not being said in a conversation and offers some ways to self-assess. An effective listener should focus on both what is being said and what is not being said. A speaker typically speaks at 125-150 words per minute, but can think in a range of 900-1600 words per minute whereas you can listen up to 400 words per minute. Paying attention to what the speaker hasn’t said can help create a more meaningful conversation and create a more positive experience for the client. As a result, referrals should increase as clients feel heard and valued. What to Avoid When Mirroring Clients Oscar talks about the best way to ask questions when trying to understand a project from a client's perspective and the importanc
Mon, June 26, 2023
521. John Horn, Author of Inside the Competitor's Mindset
Show Notes: Will Bachman and John Horn talk about competitors and how they should be taken into account when formulating a strategy. John points out that lowering the price is an easy response to a new product or market entry, which can prevent success. He suggests that understanding the competitor's mindset is a key element to predicting their next move and positioning oneself for success. He also emphasizes the importance of being aware of the competitors' strategies, as it can influence the success of any new idea or product. A Framework to Understand the Competitor’s Mindset John states that companies should pay attention to both their customers and their competitors depending on the type of market they are in. For established markets, such as toilet paper, companies should focus on competitors and their pricing, product innovation, and market entry challenges. For newer markets, like AI, companies should focus on customers since customers may not know what they want and the market is open and wide. John believes that it is important to have different departments that focus on each aspect since customer and competitor focuses require different approaches. However, it is essential for companies to be aware of both their customers and their competitors in order to remain competitive in the market. John talks about the importance of competition intelligence in developing an organization's strategy. He explains the Blue Ocean analogy-- the idea of swimming in uncharted waters to find success. He emphasizes that one must understand why the competition is not in the blue ocean before considering it as a viable option. He then outlines his four-step framework for gathering competition intelligence: reviewing public communication and actions; assessing competitor assets and resources; considering the human factor; and predicting, observing, and adjusting. This framework can help organizations build a picture of their competitors' mindset and ultimately develop a successful strategy. How to Gather Competitive Intelligence John offers advice to a growing company that wants to build a competitive intelligence function. John recommends gathering information from companies that scrape and gather information from publicly available sources such as SEC filings, the company's website, and social media. He notes that the most valuable information comes from within the organization, and suggests running WarGames, which are business simulations that involve setting up players, choices, and a timeframe to unlock competitive insight. John gives a few examples of questions that should be asked. Companies can use a CRM system to gain better insight into their competitors. The idea is to start with one question, such as Who do you talk about? and then gradually add more questions to the CRM form to prime sales agents to ask about competitors. This will
Mon, June 19, 2023
520. David A. Fields, Effective Outreach Emails
Show Notes: David A. Fields talks about the purpose of outreach emails and how to ensure they are effective. The purpose of outreach is not to sell, but rather to create conversations. He talks about both ‘cold’ outreach, which is to contacts who you don’t know and 'cool' outreach, which is sending emails to people who the sender knows, but who have not been in contact in a few years. He also covers developing a tracking system, and follow-up calls.Regardless of the type of outreach, the goal is not to sell, but rather to create conversations that may lead to relationships and opportunities. David talks about the importance of creating meaningful conversations instead of transactional ones when reaching out to potential clients. He states that jumping right into “Do you need my help on anything?” or selling, can ruin a relationship. He suggests using the 111 Email approach which has been found to be extraordinarily effective. Instead of focusing on oneself, the email should be about the recipient and what they are interested in. This approach can get a response rate of 40-50%, which is a very high rate for cool outreach. David explains that the email should include only one line and one focus question. He gives an example of a 111 Email and emphasizes that the focus should always be on the other person and not on trying to sell something. David emphasizes that even if the person is not a client, it is still beneficial to talk with them as it increases the chances of business finding their firm, and that the more conversations one is a part of, the more likely it is that business will find their firm. Emails Questions that Engage Clients David shares an effective approach to continuing the conversation. One tip is to give a link to schedule a time for a call, and decide that it would be better to simply ask the other person if they would like to catch up. When asking someone for a quick catch up, conversation, or call, he suggests to not be too business-like and to keep it simple by starting with Are you up for a quick catch up? Follow up questions should include: “I'm gonna have my assistant scheduled something,” “What about these times?” “How's next week?” etc., to make it easier for the other person to respond. He also suggests not asking too many questions on the email, but to keep it simple with the goal of getting the other person on the phone or into a Zoom call. David discusses the importance of using live conversations, as opposed to email or other messaging apps, in order to create better relationships with clients. He provides examples of how to transition from email conversations to live ones, such as asking if the client is open for a quick conversation and catch up. David also advises against using humor in emails, as it can often be misinterpreted and can put one at risk. The goal of the email is
Mon, June 12, 2023
519. Ashlee Horn, Training New Sales Leaders
Show Notes: Will Bachman and Ashlee Horn spoke about her practice, which focuses on coaching new sales leaders. Ashlee outlines the problem she is trying to solve that 50% of new sales leaders fail within the first year. She speaks about the lifecycle of a sales manager and why sales leaders are so important to an organization. She explains that she focuses on those who are new to frontline sales management or director roles. She works with star performers who have made the leap into leadership, and star managers who are now trying to manage teams of teams. Ashlee provides coaching for these roles to help them drive sustained behavior change. Training Sales Leaders Ashlee outlines her approach to promoting new sales leaders. She has identified six key areas of focus: building relationships, holding people accountable, multiplying themselves, creating a culture of execution, developing their team, and driving strategic planning. She stresses the importance of building relationships based on trust and value, as well as the need to be able to articulate what makes them successful. Additionally, she emphasizes the need for leaders to be able to hold people accountable and have candid conversations. Lastly, she highlights the importance of creating a culture of execution, developing their team, and driving strategic planning. All of these areas are essential for successful leadership. Ashlee recommends that salespeople prioritize the highest revenue generating activities, focus on effective communication, simplify complex topics, and use data-driven decision making. She has experience working with technology sales and service sales, specifically SAS sales. Time Management for Sales Managers For frontline salespeople, she recommends they focus on facetime with clients, build pipeline, and take care of customer service activities. For frontline sales managers, she suggests they prioritize their time and get six to ten people motivated to make changes to their daily habits that will lead to success. A good time allocation for a frontline sales manager with eight reps at a tech company may include focusing on individual team member goals, mentoring and coaching, analyzing data to make decisions, creating and executing sales plans, and managing customer relationships. Ashlee talks about the importance of reverse engineering a sales manager's priorities. According to Ashlee, the majority of the manager's time should be spent on coaching activities that improve customer retention, as this will be the highest revenue generating activity. This includes one-on-one meetings with the team members, team meetings, and individualized programs. Additionally, Ashlee suggested that the manager should spend 70% of their time with the team, observing calls, preparing for calls, and reviewing deals. The remaining 20% should be spent on broader team activit
Mon, June 05, 2023
518. Josh Leibowitz, Author of The Parenting MBA
Josh Leibowitz spent 13 years at McKinsey and was elected partner in New York. He then moved to Miami and grew the office there before joining Carnival, the largest leisure company in the world. He talks about the ideas behind Parenting MBA, a book that aims to help parents give their children the skills they need to be successful in life. Josh joined the cruise line Cunard as Chief Strategy Officer, and eventually became president of the luxury brand Seaborne. Post COVID, he was tasked with supporting the relaunch of the line, and made it his goal to ensure every employee was back to work. This spring, Josh left the company after bringing back 4,000 employees and launching a new expedition division. Josh explores misconceptions people have about the cruise industry, explaining that most people don't appreciate how special of a way it is to see the world, as it's 70% water. He added that Seaborne specialized in three different kinds of places: big cities, secondary cities, and remote expedition destinations like Antarctica and Greenland. During lockdown, as a father of three children, Josh had more time to reflect on how much time work took from family life. He reflected on how his experiences from work could be used in parenting and decided to write the book, Parenting MBA, which applies the principles of success in business to raising and preparing children for life as an adult. He stresses the fact that he is not a parenting expert and that the book merely puts forward points that he has found to be successful in his life. An Inside Look at the Book, Parenting MBA The book is divided into three sections: getting the vision right, managing the day-to-day, and long-term performance. The first lesson of the book is to act as a mentor to your children and show them unwavering support. Josh believes this can help you raise incredible human beings. He provides a case study example from Harvard, in which a student suggested that rather than firing an employee who was underperforming, they should mentor them instead. Josh reflects on their own experience with mentors who overlooked mistakes he made, and how mentorship helps people develop and achieve goals. Josh talks about what it takes to be a mentor. Josh explains that the first characteristic of being a mentor is having an unmatched belief in the mentee and what they can do. Even as an adult, it can be difficult to believe in oneself and thus having a mentor who has an unmatched belief in the mentee is special. The second characteristic is having close and meaningful interactions. Mentors often know more about the mentee than the mentee knows about themselves. Trust and honesty is a key component of the relationship, and the mentor should also be demanding, providing encouragement while also pointing out errors. Management and Branding Techniques Applied to Parenting</
Mon, May 29, 2023
517. Mahan Tavakoli, Leadership Consulting, Coaching & Speaking
Show Notes: Mahan Tavakoli is a consultant, leadership coach, and host of the podcast Partnering Leadership. He talks about his podcast, the incredible guests he has had on his show, and his time at the Dale Carnegie Leadership Institute. Mahan has been an avid podcast listener for over a decade, and he decided to launch his own podcast in 2020. His podcast focuses on the journey of CEOs and leaders in the Greater Washington DC region. He has interviewed some impressive names and his show is now in the top 1% of podcasts in the leadership category. He credits the pandemic for allowing him to make his podcast more antifragile, as he is now able to reach a much wider audience. Promoting a Podcast and Crafting a Compelling Story As the host of the podcast Partnering Leadership, he has conversations with CEOs from the Greater Washington, DC DMV region on Tuesdays, and leadership book authors on Thursdays. He has interviewed authors such as Seth Godin, Ken Blanchard, John Kotter, Stephen Covey, and Ciaran. He offers tips on reaching out to authors, including using the momentum of the podcast being in the top 1% of podcasts, and often the agents for the authors who want to promote their book reach out to help promote the book. CEOs he interviews are often people he knows well enough to invite on to the show. He shares what he has learned from the CEOs he has interviewed and notes that they have a tremendous sense of humility and confidence, as well as a growth mindset, and are constantly looking to learn. Mahan talks about the importance of storytelling for CEOs. He believes the key to a great story is to focus on one moment in time and draw inspiration from Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. He suggests that the leader be the guide of the story, not the hero. He also sends stories of successful storytelling to CEOs, so they can learn to do the same. This will help them communicate their story both internally and externally, which can strengthen the organization. Podcast Promotion, Content Development, and Distribution Mahan and Will discuss strategies for promoting a podcast. Mahan offers valuable tips, including creating micro content, posting on other places, and getting guests to send out notes. He also suggested posting on LinkedIn as a way to raise awareness. He suggests creating multiple pieces of content from each episode to promote over a six month period. His team focuses primarily on promoting on LinkedIn, but also shares content on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Mahan discusses how he has focused his content development on LinkedIn to get the most traction. He also explains how videos from his interviews go up on YouTube, even though less than 1% of his audience actually watch them. He shares a story of when he got a great client, where he believes they discovered him from his website, podcast, and person
Mon, May 22, 2023
516. John Driscoll, President U.S. Healthcare at Walgreens and Host of CareTalk
Show Notes: John Driscoll is the President of Walgreens Boots Alliance and the co-host of the second largest healthcare podcast on YouTube, CareTalk. In this episode, host Will Bachman welcomed John to the show. John has extensive experience in the healthcare industry, having played a leading role in creating successful companies like MedCo, Surescripts, Oxford Health Plans, and Care Centrix. John discusses topics such as monkeypox, mask mandates, baby formula shortages, Silicon Valley Bank's failure, and healthcare related topics. He also shares his opinions on a variety of healthcare issues. The Future of Pharmacies John started his career in health care after being influenced by his mother, a nurse. After college, he developed housing programs for homeless and mentally ill people. He then became a management consultant, before moving to Asheville Health Plan. He has worked in multiple parts of the health industry spectrum, gaining experience in Medicare and Medicaid. He has found his career to be full of big and challenging problems, but is motivated to improve the world and create successful businesses. His main initiatives involve investing in Village MD, Summit, and Espadin Shield Specialty Pharmacy to show how an integrated pharmacy and clinical model can improve outcomes at lower cost. Walgreens is also working with health plans and has 9000 stores and 90,000 clinicians to provide access and convenience, trust, and traffic. Their goal is to become essential in healthcare by leveraging their expertise in retail and pharmacy services. He discusses how pharmacies can become better partners to health plans by taking advantage of their advantages in brand marketing, trust, convenience, and patient specificity. He shares a specific example of how a large regional health plan achieved a return rate of three times greater on colorectal screenings than before they partnered with the pharmacy. The pharmacy was also able to increase the rate of colorectal screenings up to 51% in underserved areas due to the support of non-clinical personnel in their stores. Additionally, the pharmacy is partnering with health plans to reduce admissions to nursing homes by 20% through nurse visits, follow-ups, and care navigation. The system leads to better patient and contact information. Overall, the pharmacy is providing an invaluable service in helping health plans lower costs while improving outcomes. He explains how his company invests in bespoke automation machines to allow pharmacists to spend more face-to-face time with patients, and how pharmacists could be more involved and take on more responsibility in the treatment of patients and how this would expand access to more care in an overburdened health system. Pharmaceutical Healthcare, the Pandemic, and Value-based Care John reflects on health regulatio
Tue, May 16, 2023
515. Chad Oakley, The Current State of the Consulting Job Market
Show Notes: On May 12, 2023, Chad Oakley, CEO of Charles Aris, a top retained search firm in the US for placing former and current management consultants, spoke to members of Umbrex about the current state of the job market for consultants. Chad gave an introduction to Charles Aris and spoke about their strategy practice. He encouraged attendees to ask questions to make the conversation interactive. The conversation focused on the job market for consultants, including the current state of the market, the opportunities available, and the strategies consultants should use to navigate the market. Chad offered his perspective on the job market and provided insights for consultants looking for positions. Charles Aris, Executive Search Firm Charles Aris is a classic executive search firm that has been in business for 54 years and has 90 team members located across 15 states. They specialize in bespoke searches and their five main areas of focus are strategy, corporate development, finance and accounting, engineering, operations and supply chain, and sales and marketing. Their client base is split between private equity firms and non-private equity organizations. They also produce monthly newsletters about their searches and offer reports and compensation studies. Charles Aris has the largest strategy recruiting practice in the United States and their practice is headed by a former consultant from Deloitte Consulting and Wharton MBA. They specialize in placing current and former strategy consultants from firms such as Bain, BCG and McKinsey in various positions from pre-MBA level to partner level. Increased Demand for Management Consultants Since May 2022, the United States experienced unprecedented economic growth during the past year and unprecedented numbers of employees leaving current positions which led to a shortage of staff in many firms. As a recruiting firm, Charles Aris was overwhelmed with search requests and had to implement a 40-day delay on all new searches for the first time in its 54-year history. A pullback started in December, and interest rates were raised to tame inflation, even if that meant driving the economy into a recession. We are now in the middle of a transition from a 100% candidate-driven market to a 75% company-driven market. Despite this, mixed messages are coming from the market causing confusion; major corporations such as Amazon are announcing sizable layoffs, while the monthly labor reports are robust and unemployment rates have fallen. Chad explains what is behind the conflicting reports between the numbers. He goes on to explain how this has impacted the consulting sector, how numbers of hires have fallen dramatically compared to the previous year. He mentions how major consulting firms are rolling out their playbook, how they are managing people out, and promotions are slowing, taking on fewer hires, and he identifi
Mon, May 15, 2023
514. Evan Polin, Generating Referrals from Your Existing Network
Show Notes: Evan Polin, founder and operator of Polin Performance Group, talks about how his firm helps professionals in the service industry build their businesses and grow their practice. He helps them get in front of their ideal clients, make sure they're not giving away their expertise for free, and qualify opportunities more quickly. He also helps them take a strategic approach to problem solving and use their expertise to close more business with the kind of clients they'd like to work with. Evan provides professional services firms with sales and business development advice. He starts with a diagnostic, using the Harver behavioral-based assessment tool. This gives him a 35-page report on the client's strengths and weaknesses in sales and business development. He asks about the client's goals and what kind of practice they want to build, how much revenue they'd like to develop, and what their mix of clients should be. He then puts together a customized business development plan to help the client reach their goals. Strategy to Leverage Your Contacts Evan helps individuals and businesses reach their goals by breaking down the process scientifically. He typically starts with helping them understand how to get in front of the right opportunities. He also helps with issues such as people feeling like they are being used for free consulting, and those not getting as many referrals as they think they should be. He helps them leverage the relationships they have already developed, and figure out the most effective way to use them to get introduced to the right people and focus on the right opportunities. To get in front of opportunities, he advises clients to first sit down and think about what their ideal client looks like and whom they need to target within an organization, and what the engagement looks like. Furthermore, he suggests leveraging their relationships and current context to start by downloading their LinkedIn connections into a CSV file. This file can then be separated into three categories - A list, B list, and C list. A list contacts are those who are more likely to get back to the consultant within a week. The B list is composed of contacts who may take a bit longer to respond, while the C list includes those who may not respond at all. Cold Outreach Tips and Using Sales Navigator Evan talks about reaching out through telephone calls and emails. He explains how to be successful with cold outreach, and suggests that it is better than making a cold call but cautions not to set expectations too high as the response rate would still be low. Common best practices include sending a message that introduces the person and their role, and mentioning any connections they might have in common. Evan explains how to use Sales Navigator to manage the outreach list of contacts. Evan suggests sen
Mon, May 08, 2023
513. Sarrah Rose, Executive Intimacy Coach
Show Notes Sarrah Rose is an executive intimacy coach who runs the firm CEO on Fire. CEO on Fire helps senior level executives optimize their lives. Sarrag works with clients to help them achieve personal growth and spiritual development. She has been working in this field for the past 10 years, and rebranded to CEO on Fire to focus on executives specifically. Sarrah works with primarily male senior executives to help them balance their personal and professional lives. She looks at their relationships, sex lives, and other aspects of being human to give them more fun in life. Some of the challenges of working with senior executives include having less time for family, travel, and the specific personality type needed to become a CEO. ADHD is common among executives and can be both a superpower and a challenge. The benefits include hyper focus, the ability to see the bigger picture and from different perspectives, there’s also a lot of sexual energy. Sarrah introduces her clients to tantra which helps them use and channel this sexual energy productively. She has noticed that many clients are self-made and grew up in a more impoverished situation. This change in their lives often leads to a disconnect with who they were and who they are now, and how they are perceived. Rose helps her clients overcome these difficulties and create a balance between their personal and professional lives to better enjoy their lives. Relationship Challenges of Senior Executives Sarrah talks about the challenges that high-powered male executives face in their roles as fathers and in their relationships with their significant other. Sarrah explained that presence and empathy is one of the biggest areas that executives need to focus on to provide for their children. They need to be able to give their children their undivided attention and love, safety, and belonging. Sarrah explains that the process she takes her clients through helps them develop these skills. Will asks Sarrah how executives manage to shift roles from boss at work to partner at home. Sarrah explains that it depends on the relationship. She talks about the initial attraction to the partner is a combination of nature and nurture, and that the attraction is often tied to wounding. To navigate this, Sarrah helps her clients understand the layers of attraction, create more intimacy, and be aware of the different seasons of relationships and how to intelligently navigate the changes and the tough times. Sarrah believes that one of the challenges that these executives often face is understanding the difference between men and women, and how to seduce their partners and maintain a state of heightened arousal. To help her clients, Sarrah suggests flirting through text throughout the day and engaging in roleplay and fantasy before you enter the bedroom. She also emphasizes the importance o
Mon, May 01, 2023
512. Jimmy Soni, Author, Speaker, Speechwriter
Show Notes Author Jimmy Soni kicks off the conversation by explaining why the PayPal mafia is more noteworthy than other large startups. Soni explains that he wrote the book to document not only the business successes, but also the personal stories of the founders. He explains that the market has been good and that people can learn a lot of new things from the book. Soni reveals that his favorite thing about the book is learning about the inventiveness and innovation PayPal had. The Birth and Growth of the PayPal Mafia Jimmy and Will discuss the phenomenon of the PayPal Mafia, the group of entrepreneurs who emerged from PayPal's success and went on to found some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley. Soni explains that the PayPal Mafia is a unique phenomenon because the founders were relatively young when PayPal was successful, they had faith that businesses on the internet could be successful, and they supported each other's ventures. PayPal alumni invested in and supported each other's companies, and they hired alumni as their first employees. This mutual support and collaboration was key to the success of the PayPal Mafia, and their success has been a major factor in the success of Silicon Valley. He shares how PayPal was able to succeed in the early 2000s due to their right timing and how important that was, the selection of very talented people, and the nurturing of their employees. They were able to take advantage of the increasing ubiquity of email addresses and the platform of eBay, which hadn't yet sorted out its payment infrastructure. They also managed to survive the .com burst and make a successful IPO. This was due to their selection of very smart and entrepreneurial people, and their experiences of putting a company together from scratch and having it be a success. He mentions how the book The PayPal Wars by Eric M. Jackson shows how messy real companies can be and how PayPal started out as two companies, Con Finiti and X.com, that merged and began toying around with the idea of beaming money from one palm pilot to another. Building a Startup Jimmy reflects on his experience of studying the formation of PayPal and how it taught him about Silicon Valley strategy and the messiness of how companies actually grow. He emphasizes that building a company from scratch is much harder than most people think and that things that seem inevitable can often look ridiculous at the start. He demonstrates this by using the example of the Palm Pilot that was labeled one of the 10 worst business ideas of the 1990s but that company became PayPal. He emphasizes that researching the book has made him more aware of the difficulty of creating something and has taught him to not to dismiss ideas that seem silly or take for granted the companies that occupy our lives. The creation of PayPal was a “dogfight” that
Mon, April 24, 2023
Ep. 511. David Newman, Author of Do It! Selling
Show Notes: David Newman is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), marketing expert, speaker, and founder of Do It! Marketing . In this episode, Will Bachman and David discuss his new book, Do It Selling . The book is organized with 77 instant action ideas that can be used to land better clients, bigger deals, and higher fees. The book is divided into micro chapters which focus on topics such as understanding the sales process, creating an ideal customer profile, building relationships with potential clients, using content to create credibility, and closing more sales. Additionally, the book includes many stories, case studies, and advice from David's own experiences. The goal of the book is to help independent consultants learn how to market and sell their services effectively. David talks about the fact that many consultants and professional services firm principals love the work but not the sales aspect. David explains that one needs to upgrade their sales brain to be successful in sales. The idea is to replace the words ‘selling’ and ‘sales’ with invitations to conversations and reframe the idea of selling to connecting. Lead Generation and Client Communication Ninja Tricks He encourages people to change how they view sales to be less focused on chasing and persuading, and more focused on the qualifying, sorting, and filtering business rather than chasing and persuading. He encourages a shift from taking an inferior vendor stance trying to persuade the client of your value to that of a casting director for whom the clients are auditioning. He moves on to the idea of targeting the clients you want and launching intentional and specific relationships to open doors rather than “taking what comes.” This puts the seller back in control of their lead generation and prospecting, and allows them to be more proactive and hold better conversations. The crux of this approach is to lead the client to want what you do. David talks about the current approach to cold calling and prospecting when generating leads, and how the approach should be more about serving before selling and helping before pitching. He suggests making an “active 20” list and gives tips on how to reach out to and warm up those contacts and avoid your proposal landing in a black hole. David offers tips on how to connect with clients through being where they play, write where they read, and be where they attend. He talks about checking into trigger events in the industry you are targeting such as upsizing, downsizing, mergers and acquisitions etc. This entails doing thorough research on the client and understanding the clients’ situation to ensure your communication relates to their current situation. How to Reach Out to Cool Contacts Will and David discuss tactics for reaching out to cool contacts. David suggests apologizing for the
Mon, April 17, 2023
510. Greg Fincke, Managing Director of Equiteq
Show Notes Greg Fincke is a Managing Director at Equiteq, a global sector focused investment bank that works with entrepreneurs in the IT services and management consulting sectors to create exit strategies. They have offices in London, Singapore, New York with smaller outposts around the globe. They typically advise on companies with 3-25 million EBIT range, and revenue up to $200 million. The firm has 70 members around the world and did 20 transactions last year with an aggregate value of a billion. An expert in M&A deals, Greg discusses how the big deals are typically handled. What it Takes to Build a Sellable Consulting Firm The conversation focuses on the question of what it takes to build a sellable consulting firm. Greg suggests that one of the key factors to consider is key person risk; if a potential buyer is looking at a buy versus build situation and the equation starts becoming too expensive for the buy, it may be difficult to close the transaction. To build value and reduce the risk, it is important to have multiple people who can drive the business forward. Other factors to consider include developing a strong brand, having a good network of clients, a diversified client base, and a good mix of services or products. Additionally, it is important to have a good relationship with other consultants, vendors, and potential buyers. Finally, it is also important to focus on long-term goals and invest in the growth of the firm. Greg explains that when looking at the financials of the firm gross margin is an important factor. Buyers typically want to see firms with a gross margin of 40% and discounted when under 40%. When thinking about valuation, you're looking at how the business looks financially and what they do. Greg talks about gross margins for consulting firms when the owner is selling the business. He explains what the two types of gross margins are and how to calculate partner cost, and typical multiples are for a consulting firm. Scaling a Consulting Firm This conversation focuses on the difficulties of scaling a consulting firm. On one side, there is the need to acquire new clients and promote the services of the firm, and on the other, there is the need to create, onboard and teach new consultants. Achieving a balance between these two elements is crucial, as buyers are looking for firms that can deliver services that scale, on both supply and demand, and are willing to pay a premium for it. Greg talks about buyers’ preferences, suggesting that they would rather work with firms that have good web traffic and reputation and are able to generate inbound leads, rather than those that need to grow the sales side and bring in clients. He explains why they consider IP an important factor of consulting services. He talks about talent recruitment and retention, and the value of a firm that offers a strong career plan
Mon, April 10, 2023
509. Ulrich Riedel, Cold Lead Generation
Ulrich Riedel and Will Bachman discuss Ulrich's unique cold lead generation process via LinkedIn. Ulrich advises to respect the leads and to be careful to select only candidates who would benefit from this process and to be careful not to spam. He shares why he chose to find leads this way and explains why there is more upside than downside to his process. He explains that the process involves several aspects such as researching the prospects, creating a message, and following up. He also suggests focusing on building relationships and emphasizing the value of the offer. Finally, he stresses the importance of tracking results and being persistent. Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator to Contact Leads Ulrich offers three pieces of advice on how to use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to reach out to potential leads. He stresses the importance of your investment in time and money investments to ensure the leads are super targeted, as sourcing too many leads that do not fit the needs of the company will be a waste of the time and money invested. He emphasizes that real expertise and external help are needed to set up the process. Hiring an Expert in Lead Generation Ulrich discusses how he hired an expert to help him with his lead generation process. The expert used a Sales Navigator, which is a powerful search tool, to look for leads and contacts, and then organize them in groups and tag them to make sure none were duplicated. Ulrich created the messaging, but they were responsible for sending out initial connection requests and any follow-up messages. Once a prospect accepted and engaged, the expert would set up a call in the prospect's calendar and then hand the contact over to Ulrich to handle. Ultimately, the expert helped Ulrich to find, organize, and contact the leads, which saved him time. He talks about his direct and concise communication technique that helps him build a connection with suitable prospects. Reaching the Right People through LinkedIn Sales Navigator Ulrich helps reduce implementation risk and increase project value for large complex projects and strategies. He has been doing this since 2004 and has found that his initial connection requests were not reaching the right people. He now targets Senior Vice Presidents and above in companies with $3 billion or more in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. His current connection requests are clear and direct, stating his goal to reduce risk and increase project value followed by an offer to explain how he would achieve this for the person he is reaching out to. Once he has secured a lead, Ulrich transfers the client from LinkedIn Navigator to his own CRM system to keep track of communications, campaigns, and status etc. He explains how and when he makes first contact, how he follows up with them, often using GetEmail and RocketReach to find emails of his clients, and how he schedules
Mon, April 03, 2023
508. Ulrich Riedel, Value-based Pricing
Show Notes Ulrich Riedel and Will Bachman discuss Ulrich's unique pricing model for independent consultants. Rather than being paid upfront or daily rates, Ulrich gets paid a percentage of the value he creates for the client at the end of the project. To make this type of pricing model possible, Ulrich needs to make sure certain conditions are met, such as creating value for the client, measuring the value, and convincing the client of the value. He also needs to make sure that the client will be willing or able to share in the risk associated with the project. Ulrich has learned how to do this through experience, and was willing to share his knowledge with Will and the viewers of Unleashed. What to Consider with an At-risk Pricing Model Ulrich Riedel explains that there are four main themes to consider when using an at-risk pricing model. First, the offer needs to have unique value to the client. Second, the individual must be willing to accept risk. Third, the client must be open to the at-risk pricing model. Fourth, the approach to project generation must be tailored to the at-risk pricing model. He suggests that the network may not be enough for project generation because many close relations may not be able to accept at-risk pricing. A solution to finding suitable clients, may be to develop cold lead generation through LinkedIn might be helpful. He also suggests partnering with people who have contacts to potential clients and projects, and what he found most helpful is to establish oneself as an expert to increase trust. Pricing the Project Ulrich specializes in large, complex projects that are worth more than $100 million that involve many functions, hierarchies, global reach, different countries and cultures, change management with hesitancies and conflicting priorities, and the list goes on. He analyzes the entirety of the project, helps implement it, and generates an added value of 8-15%. Ulrich discusses a project they are working on with a client to shape the future. His role is to provide insight and advice on the strategy and execution of the project. He recently worked with a small company with a few $100 million turnover to help them optimize three main projects. He is also responsible for talking to many people in different hierarchies to collect data and figure out where value is hidden and how to create an intervention and implementation plan which could generate much more value. Prospect Generation Ulrich studies the mentality of the client and the company and talks to people in all hierarchies to gather in depth information from all levels, including employees at the water cooler or the factory floor during the night shift. Once he has an implementation plan in place, he sits down with the client to discuss two main variables: volume and cost. Ulrich also talks about how h
Mon, March 27, 2023
507. Tony Martignetti, Unlocking Potential
Show Notes Tony Martignetti and Will Bachman discuss the importance of maintaining energy and excitement as a solopreneur or independent professional. They talk about taking an assessment of the tools and different parts that you have been working on for your business. It is important to check in with yourself and ask what it is that you really want and what you are driving towards. It is necessary to determine which tools and activities are providing you with energy and which are draining you of energy. They also discuss how to tap into inspiration and creativity. Martignetti recommends getting out of your current environment to experience awe, which can't be done while sitting behind a desk. Tony shares a few activities where he found inspiration, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Priorities and Values in Leadership Tony talks about the concept of grounded leadership and how to achieve it in the context of executive coaching. Bachman asks for the first step to take to become more grounded. Martignetti responds that it is important to first be thoughtful, clear on one's priorities and values, and that all decisions should be based on these. From there, one can focus on creating calm within the chaos and help others to do the same. This could involve creating a plan to keep oneself grounded, such as setting reminders to pause and check in with oneself, or reflecting on values and purpose. Ultimately, it is important to remember that everything should be done with these priorities and values in mind. Tony talks about the importance of understanding the foundation of one's values, mission, and purpose in order to make decisions. Will and Tony discuss the STOP method, an acronym for Stop, Take a Breath, which is a classic mindfulness practice that can help in moments of stress and when one is triggered. Taking the pause allows them to slow down and not react. This method encourages people to take a moment to reflect on their values and ask themselves questions about why they are doing something. Dealing with Difficult Situations Will and Tony discuss maintaining mindfulness using the Stop, Observe, and Proceed method of dealing with difficult situations, which involves taking a moment to understand what emotions are coming up, and why. Will mentions the importance of not sending emails when annoyed and suggests making a phone call instead. Will talks about his executive coach’s question, “What are you currently avoiding?”. The conversation ultimately emphasized the importance of taking time to understand and process emotions before taking action. Questions Used in Coaching Tony talks about the questions he uses in his coaching practice. Tony's first question is, “when you look at the week ahead, what do you look forward to the most?” He then moved on to the questi
Mon, March 20, 2023
506. Nick Shevelyov, Cybersecurity
Show Notes: Nick Shevelyoff is a cybersecurity expert who recently left his role as Chief Information Security Officer at Silicon Valley Bank to pursue consulting services. In the mid-1990s, Nick Shevelyov began his career in technology. He soon became interested in cybersecurity and went on to work for a boutique security consulting firm. Shevelyoff later spent years working in Enterprise Risk Services at Deloitte, specializing in cybersecurity and data privacy. In 2005, he joined Silicon Valley Bank as the chief security and chief privacy officer. During his 15-year tenure at the bank, Shevelyoff became CIO and then chief information security officer. Throughout his career, he has been interested in understanding cyber risk from a holistic perspective. The Book on Cyber War and Peace Nick discusses his new book, Cyber War and Peace, which explores how organizations can learn from lessons from history and behavioral science to improve their cybersecurity posture. In his book, Nick covers a wide range of topics related to cybersecurity, from the history of technology to the importance of risk management. He highlights how ancient civilizations such as Babylon and Rome dealt with technological challenges and draws parallels to modern cybersecurity concerns. He also emphasizes the importance of knowing oneself in order to effectively defend against cyber attacks. Nick enjoys reading about ancient Greece, Rome, and the Napoleonic Wars, among other periods. He draws upon lessons from these periods in his book, specifically around the importance of practice and preparation. To get a sense of a company's current level of preparedness, Nick recommends asking questions about the company's existing investment, business outcomes, and risks. He also suggests using a framework like the National Institute of Standards and Technology critical security framework to measure the organization against that framework and understand where the gaps are. Executive Planning for Investments and Technology The need for business executives to properly plan ahead when considering investments and technology cannot be overemphasized, and Nick suggests that it is important to understand the existing conditions, the age of the company, the outcomes they are looking for, the risks they may face, and the value of the data they have. He recommends a Z-shaped relationship to connect the goals to the risks, and to understand the unique risks facing the organization. Nick also suggests that it is important to consider the volume, variability, and veracity of the data, and the layers of control that can be used to manage the uncertainty. Bespoke Security Models for Organizations Nick and Will discussed the process of creating a bespoke security model for an o
Fri, March 10, 2023
505. Using a Purpose-built CRM System
Show Notes In this episode, Will Bachman explains how independent consultants can set up and use a paid CRM system. While a spreadsheet is a great place to start when setting up a CRM system as it is free, and can help you understand which features of a paid system you would like to have, Will explains why, at one point, you might want to upgrade to a paid CRM system, and how CRM systems offer advantages over spreadsheets when tracking contacts, opportunities, and projects. Advantages of a CRM System over a Spreadsheet One advantage is that you can add documents to the categories mentioned in the previous episode: contacts, company and/or opportunity. Other features can include the ability to add notes from discussions to keep track of customer interactions, automated reminders, and tracking customer feedback. The CRM system provides the ability to attach documents, such as resumes for potential subcontractors, and add notes from conversations. It also allows for a photo of the contact to be attached, as well as other fields like name, title, employer, education, location, and LinkedIn profiles. Custom fields can also be created to track newsletters, gifts sent and received, and who introduced you to the contact. Will explains how CRM systems sync with the user's emails and the contacts' emails, making it easier to track emails from multiple addresses. Using a CRM System for Opportunities The CRM system also allows the user to track and easily see all the project opportunities associated with your contacts. Additionally, the user can tag contacts, opportunities, and projects with an industry tag, or functional tags, or skill-based or discreet defined tags, making it easier to categorize and track these elements. Using a CRM system to Manage Tasks Using a CRM system has several advantages. One of these is the ability to easily manage tasks. This can be done by adding task tags to contacts or projects and then viewing them all in one place, whether that is to follow up with a contact or submit a proposal, and you can easily mark them as done or change dates etc. Another advantage is the ability to easily manage opportunities. It is possible to have a visual view, with columns for the status of each project, and have the ability to drag and move the tiles. A third advantage is the ability to customize the names for the stages of an opportunity. These stages include identified opportunity, completed context discussion, submitted proposal, and finally whether the project was ‘lost’ or if it is ‘1 Active’, or ‘1 Completed’. Additionally, when a project is moved from one stage to another, a pop up will appear asking for the reason. You could also add other stages such as ‘On Hold’ to remind you to follow up at a later date, and you could add a ‘Future Opportunity’
Fri, March 10, 2023
504. Using a Spreadsheet as a CRM System
Show Notes In this episode of Unleashed, Will Bachman explains how independent professionals can use a spreadsheet as their CRM system. A spreadsheet can be an effective first step before investing in a paid CRM system, and for independent professionals, the most fundamental use of a CRM spreadsheet is to keep track of the people, organizations, and project opportunities, in addition to confirming new projects, but the first step in setting up a CRM system should be to create a spreadsheet of all your contacts, and another tab with all your past projects. Ultimately, using a spreadsheet as a CRM system can be a great way to get started and gain familiarity with the features of a paid CRM system before investing, but when you do, you’ll be able to upload your spreadsheet into the CRM. Will walks you through setting up a CRM system. The initial tabs discussed are 1.contacts, 2.opportunities, and 3.companies. Using a Spreadsheet for Contacts When setting up the contacts tab, a few fields are recommended, including: info about the person, like employer and title, name, pronouns, ID number URLs/links/social media links Physical address It's also recommended to have separate columns for first name, middle name, last name, maiden name, and nickname. It is also recommended to include the option to track if the contact is a connection on LinkedIn or not. When it comes to tracking contacts, emails are essential, and often, the preferred method of communication. It may also be helpful to track physical address, how the contact was originally met, the strength of the relationship, the level of decision making power, whether they are a client or potential partner, the industry they are in, the date of the last contact, the time interval between points of contact, if they are subscribed to your newsletter, if they are on your holiday card list, what gifts have been sent, topics of interest, the name of their executive assistant and their contact info, and the next action to be taken with the contact. Additionally, it is helpful to also track notes from interactions with the contact. Will suggests creating a separate tab for notes on each conversation, and to filter it for any given individual. However, the drawback of using a spreadsheet is that it is not as great as a relational database. Using a Spreadsheet for Opportunities For opportunities, the fields suggested to track are: Current pipeline Project/opportunity ID, title, associated company/organization Client executive name, billing contact, and any other names related to the opp
Mon, March 06, 2023
503. Niul Burton, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement
Show Notes Will Bachman and Niul Burton discuss procurement and strategic sourcing. Procurement is the function of acquiring goods or services as inputs to a company's operations. Strategic sourcing is a subset of procurement that focuses on the sourcing of goods and services in order to maximize value and efficiency. Niul explained that procurement involves identifying, negotiating, contracting, and working with suppliers on an ongoing basis. He also discussed the importance of understanding the needs of the company, the market, and the supplier in order to ensure that the best deal is being offered. Finally, Niul stressed the importance of building relationships with suppliers in order to ensure successful and long-term collaborations. Functions of Procurement Procurement is the process of buying goods and services from external suppliers. Strategic sourcing is a subset of procurement that takes a big-picture perspective to maximize value from spending. Other functions within procurement include contract negotiation and purchase to pay, which is the day-to-day operational execution of requisitions, purchase orders and invoicing. Third party risk management is an evolution of procurement that includes managing risk for external suppliers, licensees, and distributors. Strategic Sourcing to Drive More Value Strategic sourcing is an evolution of the procurement function to drive more value for an organization. Historically, purchasing was simply a department that executed purchase orders. Now, strategic sourcing is focused on creating value, as more than 50% of an organization's revenue goes out to their supply base. To manage costs and drive value, procurement and the relationship with the suppliers creates a tremendous opportunity. Procurement is now also doing more supplier risk management, which is a subset of third parties. Strategic sourcing is focused on understanding the current market, developing the right supplier relationships, and creating a competitive environment to drive the best value for the company. The process typically includes conducting a market analysis, negotiating with the suppliers, and implementing a contract. Strategic Sourcing – A View on Spend Strategic sourcing is a way of taking a new view on how money is spent. It involves centralizing contracts and purchases, standardizing specifications, and creating competition in the market. A former client of Niul was a big manufacturing company which had 36 different agreements for different sites, each with different terms and conditions and pricing. Strategic sourcing enabled them to look at the situation from a bigger picture view, and negotiate a commercial relationship with the supplier which was worth $1.5 billion over five years. Some of the levers used to create more value included consolidating skews, reducing the number of vendors, and h
Mon, February 27, 2023
502. Jessica Magoch, The Musicology of Sales
Show Notes Jessica Magoch is a jazz musician and sales expert who has put her two skills together to help others. She started her sales career when she was auditioning for college musical theater programs and realized that the best job for her would be one with flexibility - sales. She quickly excelled in the field and went on to work for a company that she helped build from zero to 100 million in revenue. After leaving that company, she started her own consulting and coaching business, where she helps women-led social enterprises learn how to sell. How to Improve Your Sales Technique Jessica explains that people who are successful in sales often have an inexplicable thing that cannot be taught. This is because they are able to connect with people emotionally, which is something that can be learned. She explains that music is the fastest way to affect someone's emotions and that using it in a sales conversation can make a difference. The conversation explores the idea that people make decisions based on emotions and then back them up with logic. The idea is from the study of emotional intelligence. The study found that information travels through the amygdala first before it hits the frontal cortex. The amygdala is where emotions happen, and it is also where gut reactions are. The study also found that the information in the logical part of the brain is very limited. The conversation then discusses how to incorporate these insights from music into sales. One way is to start with your scales, which are your sales frameworks, your sales techniques, and your processes. Another way is to bring artistry to it by looking at the dynamics of music and applying it to sales conversations. The salesperson's main role is to help the customer take action, and musicality can help with that by adding emotion and creativity to the conversation. Musicality can also help salespeople be more creative in general. Building Confidence in Business Jessica talks about the importance of performance in all aspects of life, from music to sales. The idea is that sometimes you have to access different parts of yourself in order to be successful and that this is not a bad thing. Beyonce is cited as an example of someone who has an alter ego that she calls upon when she needs to be fierce on stage. In business, it is often important to be able to sell oneself and one's ideas confidently. One way to build confidence is to develop an alter ego or character who is comfortable with selling. This can be helpful especially when cold calling, as it can be difficult to remain confident when speaking to someone who may not be interested. Outbound Sales Strategies Will Bachman and Jessica Magoch discuss the importance of outbound strategies that involve phone calls. Jessica says that cold calling is often ineffective becaus
Mon, February 20, 2023
501. Nate Kievman, CEO of Linked Strategies
Nate Kievman is the founder of Linked Strategies, a company that helps create better relationships between businesses and their ideal buyers. Link Strategies has been in business since 2010 and has evolved over the years into a full-service digital agency. Link Strategies Will Bachman is the host of Unleashed, and he and Nate discuss the services that Link Strategies offers. Link Strategies works with companies of all sizes, from one-person consulting shops to large enterprises like BlackRock and NASDAQ. The company typically works with companies that are looking to scale beyond their current referral- or network-based sales models. Nate discusses the lead generation industry, and how it is highly competitive and non-consolidated. He describes how there are many firms that claim to be able to generate leads, but in reality, most of them use spammy tactics and are not very effective. The book The Outsiders explores how companies like Salesforce have disrupted traditional businesses by using technology to their advantage. The book argues that companies that are able to use technology to their advantage will be the ones who succeed in the future. The book has had a major impact on the business world and has inspired many companies to adopt similar strategies. The book states that companies that are able to use technology to their advantage will be the ones who succeed in the future. Lead Generation Strategies They talk about how there is a low barrier to entry for anyone who wants to start a lead generation business, and how there are many firms that do this with very little experience. They also talk about how recent changes in spam detection have made it very difficult for companies to get their emails delivered, and how this has caused many companies to reevaluate their lead-generation strategies. Nate explains that the key to getting a response from a busy executive is to respect their time and give them enough information to make a decision about meeting with you. He also notes that it takes experience and knowledge to craft a compelling email that will engage the reader. Finally, he cautions that companies often fail at outbound strategies because they don't commit to the process. Cold Outbound Strategies Nate discusses how cold outbound strategies are designed to generate leads, appointments, and conversions, and how companies often fail to properly utilize them. He argues that companies should invest in their partners and salespeople in order to properly execute these strategies and maximize their potential. The conversation discuss tips for sales conversion on cold outreach meetings. They mention that it is important to think of these types of campaigns as a short, mid and long term pipeline development, and that most companies get into it as a tactical buy. They also mention that it is important to understand the nuances of all the facts in your current business,
Wed, February 15, 2023
Ep.500. Will Bachman, Unleashed: The Origin Story
Show Notes: Unleashed has been running for six years and has 335,000 downloads. In episode 500 of the podcast, host and creator, Will Bachman wants to share three things: the deep personal history behind the podcast, what listeners can expect going forward, and the impact it has had on him. An Interest in Journalism Will began his publishing adventures in junior high school when he started the Henry James Herald, a photocopied newspaper he sold or gave away in the lunchroom. He tried to start an alternate to the school newspaper in high school when he found the school paper to be a little less interesting than what he thought it could be. Despite not having the opportunity to pursue his initial dream of starting his own newspaper in high school, his passion for journalism continued in college when he joined the Harvard Crimson. He became a photographer and learned how to develop film and print photographs, spending around 30-40 hours a week as a photo editor. He enjoyed this experience immensely, as it gave him a sense of being in the know and being able to see his photos in print. From College to McKinsey Will discussed his experiences in college, the Navy, and business school related to publishing. During his time in the Navy as a communications officer, he created a bulletin designed to keep the crew informed during a tactical readiness exam. In business school he created an elaborate cheat sheet for his fellow classmates to use in their exams. One day when walking into the exam room, he was thrilled to see almost 80% of the room using his cheat sheet. And later in his career at McKinsey, he had a dream of gathering together a collection of resources, but never had the time to execute it. At McKinsey, Will had the idea of getting the whole business analyst class together every Friday morning to share tips and tricks they had learned from their projects. The Birth of the Book After being an independent consultant for four years, Will had an idea to write a book about how to thrive as an independent consultant. This was the birth of a book called Unleashed where he could share his experiences as an independent consultant. He designed a cover for the book with a dog leash and a dog jumping off the page which eventually became the logo for the show. Looking back on his life, Will realized that he’d always wanted to talk to people and
Mon, January 16, 2023
499. John Livesay, The Pitch Whisperer
Show Notes John Livesay is the pitch whisperer - he helps people calm down and deliver a winning pitch. He believes that the best way to win more sales is to tell a story that includes your own personal story, a company story, and then turning a case study into a case story. He was approached by Anthem insurance to be their sales keynote speaker and ended up staying for their improvisation session to help people with their pitches. Ink Magazine dubbed Jordan a pitch whisperer after she gave an example of how she helped a client tell a better story. She was working with Olympus medical, who had a piece of equipment that could make surgeries go 30% faster, but they couldn't understand why more doctors weren't buying it. Jordan explained that people buy emotionally and then back it up with logic, and then she asked the client some questions. The client told a story about how their equipment had helped a doctor at Long Beach Memorial put a patient's family out of their waiting misery. The other doctor saw himself in the story and decided he wanted the equipment. The client was amazed and said they had never thought to make the patient's family a character in the story. 4 Steps to Effective Pitches John Livesay talks about his process for pitching and how he uses a four step structure to make his pitches more effective. He gives an example of how he used this process to pitch for an airport renovation project. He first paints the picture with the who, what, where, when. Then he highlights the problem and the stakes involved. Next, he provides a solution. Finally, he brings the story to life with dialogue that allows the listener to see themselves in the story. The speakers discuss the importance of focusing on the problem statement when seeking independent consultants. They tell a story about a fictitious client, James, who needs the caliber of consultant found at a big firm like McKinsey or Bain, but without the full team. James exhausts her personal network and then has trouble finding the right person. The speakers argue that this is a problem that their company, UpWork, solves. Pitching Tips for Independent Consultants In this conversation, John Livesay discusses some tips for independent consultants who are pitching their services to potential clients. He stresses the importance of selling yourself first, as people are more likely to buy into your energy than anything else. Additionally, he talks about the importance of using stories to connect with potential clients, as this will help them to see themselves in your experiences. Will Bachman and John Livesay discuss the importance of finding a mentor, and how to go about finding one that is a good fit. They advise against simply posting a request for a mentor online, and instead recommend reaching out to people you know personally or have worked with before. They also suggest stacking multiple problems to solve, in order to make the mente
Mon, January 02, 2023
498. Peter Kelly-Detwiler, Making Energy Understandable
Peter is an energy industry thought leader, and consult and international keynote speaker and co-founder of NorthBridge Energy Partners LLC, an independent consulting organization with expertise and perspective on US energy markets. Peter has worked with and advised companies as large and established as GE, Nike, and SunPower while also helping numerous start-ups navigate the challenging path to success, and he is the author of "The Energy Switch: How Companies and Customers Are Transforming the Electrical Grid and the Future of Power." You can learn more about Peter and his work at www.peterkellydetwiler.com. Key points include: 06:02: Current challenges faced by the energy system 13:25: Energy storage and the energy grid 39:02: The future of consulting for the energy industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, December 26, 2022
497. Jonas Woost, Co Founder of Bumper
Jonas is a media and entertainment executive with a passion for innovating in the on-demand content ecosystem. In 2019 he was named one of British Columbia’s 40 under 40. As a co-founder of Bumper, Jonas uses his 20+ years of experience in the on-demand content space to help podcasters grow their audiences and return on investments. Previously, as the Director of Strategy at Pacific Content, Jonas helped clients achieve success in branded podcasting. Pacific Content is an award-winning podcast agency working at the intersection of brand strategy and high-quality audio storytelling. Learn more about Jonas and his company on Bumper . Key points include: 05:54: The range of requests and services 11:23: Podcast strategies 21:17: Reviews and vanity metrics Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, December 19, 2022
496. Todd Cherches, Visual Leadership
Todd Cherches is a visionary leader with experience as a consultant, trainer, executive coach, TEDx speaker, keynote speaker, panelist, professor, author, blogger, and thought leader in the field of leadership and visual thinking. In this episode, he talks about his patented VisuaLeadership® approach. You can learn more about Todd and his work at www.toddcherches.com or www.bigbluegumball.com . Key points include: 06:18: How to host a creative meeting to drive growth 11:43 Exercises in visual leadership 24:07: The origins of visual leadership Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, November 21, 2022
496. Sahana Sharan, Founder and Principal of Elate Health Partners
Sahana Sharan is Founder and Principal of Elate Health Partners, a company that helps hospitals participate in value-based care through a proven process that grows market share, improves financial health, and achieves cost savings. You can reach out to Sahana through her email sahana@elatehealthpartners.com or on Linkedin. Key points include: 04:35: What’s driving the adoption of accountable care organizations 10:31: How the value-based care model works 31:39: What a value-based care partnership is like Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, November 14, 2022
495. Jonathan Paisner, Brand Architecture
Jonathan Paisner has worked with B2B Fortune 1000 companies to evolve and implement their corporate brand to adapt for the changing needs of their business. He has held leadership and senior consulting roles at DeSantis Breindel, CoreBrand (now Tenet) and Siegel & Gale, and previously, he created and ran the brand licensing division of A&E Television Networks. In this episode, he shares his expertise in brand architecture. You can reach out to Jonathan on Linkedin or through his company website BrandExperiencedGroup.com. Key points include: 02:32: Brand architecture as a window to the overall business strategy 11:51: A case example of brand building 21:06: Securing alignment between teams and departments Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, November 07, 2022
494. Raffi Grinberg, Adulting 101
Raffi Grinberg is the Executive Director of Dialog and an educator. He also created and taught the course Adulting 101 at Boston College (the most popular course in the undergraduate business school). The course covered personal finance, relationships/communication, positive psychology, and career skills. In this episode, he talks about developing this program and why it has been so successful. You can reach Raffi through Linkedin . Key points include: 05:22: Cognitive skills coaching 14:18: Growth mindset 34:32: Communication skills Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, October 31, 2022
493. Joana Domingues, Senior Executive and Team Coach
Joana Domingues was an executive coach at McKinsey for 22 years. She is an experienced leadership and organizational consultant, and C-level coach. In this episode, she talks about her services, and her career path. You can connect with Joana through Linkedin or learn more about her work at Outsight.pt. Key points include: 04:29: Favorite open-ended coaching questions 27:16: A breakdown of a typical session 39:33: A case study of coaching a multinational organization Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, October 17, 2022
492. Krysten Conner, Enterprise Account Executive
After graduating with a BA in History and Education, Krysten knew she wanted a career where she could help people and make a positive impact. She became a teacher at middle school, but three years later she moved to an insurance agency where she led multiple departments, from operations to training to sales. Since the early days of her career, she has used her skills to coach sales in several industries, including entertainment, construction, retail, property management, consulting, health care, financial services, waste management, manufacturing, and software. You can reach Krysten on Linkedin or through her website Crosscuts.io. Key points include: 01:19: Tips on running a successful Linkedin content strategy 12:07: Reaching out to decision-makers 22:13: The importance of engaging with comments Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, October 10, 2022
491. Kyle McDowell, Best-selling Author of Begin with We
Kyle McDowell is an author, speaker, and leadership coach. Kyle started his career in a regional bank as a front-line customer service representative. He has nearly three decades of experience leading tens of thousands of employees for some of the biggest companies in the US, and he has recently launched his best-selling book, Begin with We , which he talks about in this episode. Kyle can be reached on his social platforms as Kyle McDowell Inc. and his website KyleMcDowellinc.com . Key points include: 09:47: Dealing with mistakes 18:31: Measuring ourselves by activities or outcomes 25:42: Challenging with diplomacy Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, October 03, 2022
490. JJ Kasper, Venture Capitalist
JJ Kasper is the founder and partner at Blue Collective, a company that invests in extraordinary entrepreneurs. JJ is also a McKinsey alum, a former teacher, and a paper boy. He is also a self-professed failed attorney, disgruntled academic, reformed consultant, retired turnaround guy, wistful musician, and reluctant VC…. You can connect with JJ through his company bluecollective.com or Linkedin . Key points include: 02:53: How venture capitalists make money 13:17: The different stages of investment 32:04: The backstory of Blue Collective Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, September 26, 2022
489. Nicolai Chen Nielsen, Advisor, Author, & Entrepreneur
Nicolai is a global leadership and transformation expert and a leading authority on developing human-centered organizations that shape the future. He has worked with more than 30 Fortune 500 companies and government ministries across 5 continents globally, and he has written best-selling books on leadership, personal development and navigating the future. You can learn more about Nicolai and access his books at nicolaicn.com and Linkedin . Key points include: 07:46: Defining achievement, well-being, and growth 14:36: The challenges of being a DJ 25:07: Issues clients are struggling with Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, September 12, 2022
Episode 488. Tom Critchlow, Writer and Strategy Consultant
Tom Critchlow is a freelance strategy consultant and writer of the book The Strategic Independent - Theory & Practice for Independent Consultants. Tom specializes in digital marketing and how to generate leads, understand clients and their needs, and how to shift to a leadership mindset. You can check out Tom’s work at tomcritchlow.com or connect with him on Linkedin. Key points include: 04:18: SEO consulting 22:27: Fees and pricing 34:41: Examples of new content initiatives Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, August 08, 2022
487. Nick Gray, Author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party
Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party . He is the founder of Museum Hack. Nick started a web hosting company called vs3 Web Services in high school, and he has sold two multi-million dollar businesses. In this episode, Nick talks about his new book and shares the secret to the success of the 2-hour cocktail party. To learn more about Nick and his businesses, check out the following links. How to Host a Party Website The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Website The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon How to Host a Clothing Swap How to Plan a Networking Event How to Host a Happy Hour My Parents Hosted a Party: Here's What They Learned Mocktail Party: How to Host When You Don't Drink Alcohol If I Had $10 Million Dollars, How Would I Live Differently? Nick Gray's personal website Nick Gray's blog Key points include: 06:05: The NICK formula 18:08: Icebreakers 27:07: Cocktails and concluding the evening Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships
Mon, July 04, 2022
486. Hark Herold on Bunkerlabs
Joe "Hark" Herold is a former Air Force colonel, he is the CEO of Design Thinking Denver, a consulting firm that takes a human-centred approach to innovation, and the president and COO of Bunker Labs. Hark's background covers information technology, cyber, civil engineering, and academia, in addition to strategy development and execution. In this episode, he talks about Bunkerlabs, an organisation that provides community, programs and courses to help military veterans and military spouses start and grow successful businesses and startups. To find out more, visit www.bunkerlabs.org . Key points include: 05:01: The programs at Bunkerlabs 08:44: Bunkerlabs’ funding sources 13:27: The CEO Circle 16:49: The Mastermind Session Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, May 25, 2022
485. Supporting Orphans in Ukraine
Umbrex co-founders, Margarita Soto and Jing Liang discuss the development of the nonprofit organization they established to support orphans in Ukraine. For more information and to donate to the organization visit: GOFUNDME: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ukrainian-orphans-need-help SUNFLOWER ACADEMY: https://sunfloweracademy.org.ua/ To support on social media: SUNFLOWER ACADEMY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sunflower.academy.ua/?hl=en SUNFLOWER ACADEMY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SunflowerAcademyUA/ Key points include: 01:10: The background on the orphan-foster situation 06:26: Growing from supporting two families to 60 10:84: Oversight on GoFundMe for nonprofits 13:44: Raising awareness for the nonprofit Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, May 02, 2022
484. Thomas Breuer, Owner at Breuer Partners
Thomas Breuer is a McKinsey alum with over 26 years of executive line level experience in the medical devices industry. He has held management positions in various international markets and regions, including Hollister Incorporated. He has also worked on a broad range of management consulting assignments in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America with McKinsey. You can reach Thomas through his website at www.breuerpartners.com , or through Umbrex. Key points include: 05:50: First line role in Mexico 11:48: Starting his own consulting firm 13:45: A case study 18:24: Creating his own subsidiary Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, April 05, 2022
483. Bryant Soullentrop, Hiring a Professional in the Philippines
B ryant Suellentrop is the founder of Elevate and Delegate, a virtual staffing company that helps professionals hire the assistants they need to run their business efficiently. In this episode, Bryant talks about hiring professionals in the Philippines and how his business facilitates the process. Learn more about Bryant’s business at ElevateandDelegate.com or reach out to him on Twitter @SullyBusiness. Key points include: 05:50: The range of rates and salaries 11:22: Tips on success in hiring and managing the relationship 15:15: Payment processes 18:58: Online security Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, April 04, 2022
482. Gabe Nelson, Financial Planner for Solopreneurs
Gabe Nelson is the owner operator of a registered investment advisory firm, a fee-based financial planning and investment advisory services to solopreneurs and self-employed professional clients. In today’s episode, Gabe talks about the important details of financial planning for solo entrepreneurs. Access Gabe’s book, The Solopreneurs Money Manifesto on Amazon, listen to his podcast, Solopreneur Money , or visit his website, GabeNelsonFinancial.com . Key points include: 04:22: The services of a financial advisor 10:16: Insurance planning 20:27: Retirement accounts 31:38: Tax changes for an S corporation Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, March 28, 2022
481. Dorie Clark on The Long Game Connection
Dorie is a strategy consultant, executive coach, keynote speaker, a recognized branding expert, and author of several books, including the bestseller The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You , and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 10 Business Books of the Year by Forbes. She has worked with a variety of high-profile clients including Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, Yale University, the IMF, and the World Bank. In today’s episode, Dorie talks about her working philosophy and her newest book, The Long Game: how to be a long-term thinker in a short-term world . Learn more about Dorie’s work at www.DorieClark.com. Key points include: 07:53: How to maximize connection dinners 18:51: Setting boundaries 25:03: The Long Game toolkit 31:01: Creating an online course Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, March 14, 2022
480. Maria Brito on How Creativity Rules the World
Maria Gabriela Brito is a Venezuelan-born curator, art advisor, and author. She is the author of How Creativity Rules the World, the art and business of turning your ideas into gold. Her published works also include Out There: Design, Art, Travel Shopping, and Greek Gotham. Maria is a graduate of Harvard Law, and after school, she moved to New York City to pursue a career as a corporate attorney. She started collecting contemporary art in the same year, and after nine years practicing law and acquiring art, Brito opened her own interior design and art advisory company. Learn more about Maria’s work at MariaBrito.co, and access her book, How Creativity Rules The World: The Art and Business of Turning Your Ideas Into Gold Key points include: 01:50: From Harvard Law school to art advisor 09:17: Her work as an art advisor and NFTs 15:28: Advice on buying art 34:02: Advice on building creative muscle Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, February 24, 2022
479. Justin Nassiri on LinkedIn Profile Managed Service
Justin Nassiri is the founder and CEO of Storybox Inc, a McKinsey alum, and president of Executive Presence, a company that helps executives become thought leaders on LinkedIn. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Academy, he is a qualified nuclear engineer, and he is a graduate of Stanford University’s School of Business. In today’s episode, Justin talks about his business and how he helps executives build a following on LinkedIn. You can learn more about Justin’s company at ExecutivePresence.io or reach out to him on LinkedIn. Key points include: 05:26: Common mistakes executives make 10:06: Social rules on LinkedIn 15:46: A case study 20:21: Content strategies Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, February 23, 2022
478. Brad Schneider on Find the Data You Need
Brad Schneider ran a data analytics firm for five years before founding Nomad Data in New York City where he is currently CEO. His experience includes but is not limited to HR technology engineer at Goldman Sachs, an equity analyst at Palo Alto Investors and Aragon Global Management, and CEO of the software company Adaptive Management. In today’s episode, Brad shares insights on how to find the data you need. You can learn more about Brad’s company at Nomad-Data.com. Key points include: 01:12: How the Nomad Data network works 04:13: The vendors of data - who they are 06:45: The company pricing model 08:35: Surprising data sources Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, February 22, 2022
477. Tushar Shah on Intro to Search Funds
Tushar Shah is currently a Managing Partner at Kinderhook Partners, LLC. Prior to Kinderhook, Tushar was a Principal at Geocapital Partners, a leading venture capital firm, a strategy consultant with the Monitor Group, where he led a range of projects in New York, London and Tel Aviv; he is a CFA charterholder and he received a B.A. in Economics from Williams College. In today’s episode, Tushar explains the fundamentals of search funds. To learn more about Tushar’s company, visit KinderhookPartners.com or reach out to him on LinkedIn . Key points include: 00:30: What a search fund is 10:51: Who can apply for the fund 15:53: Examples of business and services acquired 28:12: Assembling a pool of investors Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, February 21, 2022
476. Paul Millerd on the Pathless Path
Paul Millerd is a McKinsey alum, modern-day nomad, entrepreneur, and author of The Pathless Path - Imagining a New Story for Work & Life. Paul provides online courses on strategy consulting and freelance consulting. He is also the creator and contributor of the popular website, Boundless, a site that explores how to have a better relationship with work, and a podcast that is designed to help creatives reimagine work. In today’s episode, Paul talks about his book. You can order the book and learn more about Paul’s programs or sign up for his newsletter at Think-Boundless.com. Key points include: 02:59: What people believe about work 05:23: Tips on exploring the pathless path 19:43: The results of curiosity conversations 21:41: Disappointments on the pathless path Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, February 09, 2022
475. Jennifer Smith on Scribe
Jennifer Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Scribe, a Princeton and Harvard alum, and a former VC and McKinsey consultant turned accidental CEO. She interviewed more than 1,200 business leaders on a quest to understand everything there is to know about corporate processes, best practices, and productivity. In today’s episode, Jennifer talks about her startup Scribe , and how she’s empowering people to own their processes by building the world’s first operating system for know-how. To sign up for a free account, visit scribehow.com/signup To try a free month of Pro, use promo code UNLEASHED Key points include: 00:49: An overview of the product 06:09: Who uses Scribe and how it’s used 09:57: Finding the right scribe for your needs 12:00: Pricing model of the product Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, February 08, 2022
474. Karen Thomas-Bland on Transformation Projects
Karen is an independent consultant who focuses on transformation projects. She has 25 years’ experience leading complex enterprise-wide transformations and M&A integrations to $105bn turnover. Karen has proven expertise in strategy and transformation of complex global businesses, as an executive in IBM Global, she led IBM’s global transformation. Karen has strong cross-sector B2B and B2C, cross-functional and broad geographical experience, including operating in 180+ countries across five continents. In today’s episode, she talks about her work on operational transformation and integration. You can learn more about Karen’s company at SevenTransformation.com , or reach out through LinkedIn. Key points include: 10:14: Board member vs consultant to the company 17:00: An example of an operational transformation 23:26: Examples of cost-saving opportunities 35:58: Getting published in high profile publications Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, February 07, 2022
473. Celine Teoh on Decoding What Clients Want
Celine Teoh is an executive coach who helps senior leaders convert potential into performance by making the soft skills practical. She is a certified Tiny Habits Coach with Stanford’s Behavior Design Lab, and a facilitator for Stanford Business School’s popular Interpersonal Dynamics course. She is also an ex-McKinsey consultant, business operator, marketing strategist, and investment banker with years of strategy consulting experience with Fortune 500 executives in Asia and the USA. She holds an MBA from Stanford and a BSc from the London School of Economics. Agnès Le is an executive coach with a focus on emotional intelligence with 20 years of experience in talent development, a multicultural background, and an MBA from Stanford. She's a leadership coach in the Executive Education and MSx programs at Stanford business school, and a group facilitator for the school’s most popular elective, Interpersonal Dynamics, also known as Touchy Feely. She is also an instructor at Stanford Continuing Studies where she teaches the class “Building a Career of Meaning and Impact.” Key points include: 10:54: The challenges of practicing empathy 15:22: Three hacks based on our research and experience 25:53: Unpacking status 44:38: Understanding the market Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, January 31, 2022
472. Shane Heywood on Go-to-Market Strategy
Shane Heywood on Go-to-Market Strategy Shane Heywood is a Bain-trained consultant with 10+ years experience in Marketing, Sales, Operations and Strategy across a variety of industries. He has on the ground experience in 13 countries and currently works in private sector Emerging Market strategy. Shane is passionate about building businesses, delivering impact and helping organisations grow, and in today’s episode, he talks about his practice and processes. Shane can be contacted through LinkedIn , and you can learn more about his company at PortlandVenturesInc.com . Key points include: 05:44: Steps an organisation can take to make sponsorship happen 10:42: Sponsorship and mentorship for independent professionals 16:25: What’s included in a go-to-market project 18:38: A case example from a Sub-Saharan market Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, January 21, 2022
471. Phillip Morgan on The Expertise Incubator
Phillip Morgan has helped thousands of consultants use specialization to find a beachhead that leads to greater visibility, profitability, expertise, and success. He has recently published his book, The Positioning Manual for Indie Consultants, and in today’s episode, he talks about his expertise incubator, his book, and setting up a thought leadership program. You can learn more from Phillip’s book , and the 10-part email course . Key points include: 03:01: Examples of small scale research 06:52: Examples of projects in the program 13:02: The platformer advantage 21:51: Earning visibility without a platform Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, January 20, 2022
470.Nidhi Chadda on ESG Solutions
McKinsey alum with an MBA from Harvard Business School, Nidhi Chadda has 20+ years of experience as an investment banker, strategic consultant, and investor. She is the Founder and CEO of Enzo Advisors, a global sustainability consulting firm focused on helping companies build best-in-class sustainable business models within an ESG construct. In today’s episode, she talks about ESG in business. You can reach out to Nidhi on LinkedIn or visit her website EnzoAdvisors.com . Key points include: 02:12: ESG and investing in asset management 08:20: The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) factor 11:19: ESG and value creation 20:32: Trends in ESG Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, January 19, 2022
469. Lido Ramadan on Consulting with the Federal Government
Founder of Aminad Consulting, Lido Ramadan has over 25 years of experience in founding, growing, leading, and sustaining services organizations. Prior to establishing Aminad, Lido founded multiple successful small businesses and led the operations of several rapidly growing consulting firms. In today’s episode he talks about serving the federal government. To find out more about Lido’s firm or to contact him directly, visit LinkedIn or AminadConsulting.com . Key points include: 05:17:Consulting analysis unique to the government 09:54: Surprising insights from interviews 13:55: An effective strategy 20:11: Projects for the SEC Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, January 18, 2022
468. Alexei Leonard on Employment Law
Alexei Leonard is a Partner at Golenblock, Eisman, Assor Bell, and Pescoe where he leads the firm’s labor and employment practice. His practice spans nearly all employment counseling and litigation matters affecting employers today. In today’s episode, he talks about the legalities involved with hiring and retaining an employee. To learn more about Alexei’s services, visit www.golenblock.com or email him at Alexander@Golenblock.com . Key points include: 02:00: Key considerations 13:19: Payroll providers 19:06: Background checks 34:09: Non-disclosure agreements Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, January 17, 2022
467. Erik Lautier on Ecommerce
Erik Lautier is an expert in ecommerce, marketing, and digital strategy. After over two decades in roles dealing with ecommerce and marketing for brands like Lacoste, Bebe, and Francesca’s, he founded Erik & Co, an ecommerce and marketing consultancy serving seven and eight-figure DTC brands, retailers, and/or their private equity owners. In today’s episode he shares his expertise in ecommerce. Learn more about Erik and his company at www.Erik.co . Key points include: 07:17: The shift from theatre to ecommerce 10:14: The layers of an ecommerce assessment 12:38: Benchmarks and opportunities 18:26: The choke points in ecommerce Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, January 12, 2022
466. Andrew Seay on Smartsheet & Transformation Projects
Andrew is a former engagement manager at Mckinsey where he specialized in asset productivity and served a broad range of industries, including aerospace, automotive, consumer products and mining. He is now the lead consultant at Seay Associates, focusing on operations transformation and corporate strategy. In today’s episode, Andrew talks about how to use Smartsheet on a transformation project. To learn more about Andrew’s company, visit www.SeayAssociates.com . Key points include: 09:41: Smartsheet for Google Users 21:21: The Smartsheet dashboard 29:56: Smartsheet vs Excel and Google Sheets 44:51: Licensing and sharing with clients Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, January 11, 2022
465. Marshall Butler on How Data Is Revolutionizing Marketing
Marshall has over twenty years of experience defining, managing, and growing the world’s best-known investing brands. He has been an executive committee leader and CMO for Fortune 250 businesses in North America and the Asia-Pacific region. In today’s episode, he talks about how the world of data is revolutionizing marketing, particularly for wealth and investment management firms. You can learn more about the work Marshall does at WellsFargo.com , or reach out to him on LinkedIn . Key points include: 00:50: Data in terms of wealth Investment Management 08:39: Lead scoring in practice 20:10: Identifying poor leads 22:53: Identifying customer tiers Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, January 10, 2022
464. Mike Coleman on on Strategic Technology Leadership
Mike is an innovative and entrepreneurial Chief Information Officer (CIO) with over 30 years in executive leadership positions with global technology organizations across multiple industries, including retail, telecommunications, research, and energy. His vast range of experience includes building teams in cybersecurity, application development, cloud services, infrastructure, data centers, software as a service, and more. In today’s episode, Mike talks about strategic technology leadership. Learn more about Mike’s company at Stratus Key Advisors or reach out to Mike directly at mike@stratuskey.com . Key points include: 05:26: Data in the utility industry 14:54: Security of information 21:30: How companies are monetizing energy usage data 24:54: Key areas of focus in the utility and energy industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, January 06, 2022
463. Johannes Hoech on an Affordable MarTech Stack
Johannes Hoech is a C-level Silicon Valley executive who is experienced in "Growth Architecting”. He is an expert analyst and motivational leader with proven skills in general management, strategy, product management, and customer success. With 25+ years of experience leading technology startups through early stage, high growth, and turnaround phases, he has a strong understanding of the software entrepreneurs and consultants need to organize business operations. In today’s episode, he shares his knowledge of an affordable MarTech stack. You can access Johannes’ company blog, on Premonio.com , and the links to the tools discussed on the show are as follows: patternai.co goldcast.io dux-soup SalesHandy Pipedrive Dedupely Crunchbase LinkMatch CrystalKnows Sharetivity Hootsuite Paper.li apollo.io Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, January 04, 2022
462. Stan Sagner - Food Industry Consultant
Stan is a senior executive with deep expertise in digital and traditional media with a focus on food & beverage and hospitality-related businesses. As a food industry consultant, he has worked with a diverse range of global clients including Sony Pictures International; BBC Worldwide; and India Today Group. In today’s episode, he talks about his strategic consulting service in the entertainment and media space, food and hospitality, and the intersection of the two. You can reach out to Stan at ssagner@gmail.com. Key points include: 05:52: Types of projects 10:53: Menu insights - pricing and items 18:27: Working with developers 25:17: Room service issues Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, January 03, 2022
461. Belinda Li on Social Enterprise
Belinda Li was a senior advisor at McKinsey before she founded CiTTA, a company that focuses on promoting and facilitating the growth of the social enterprise business model and economy. Belinda has a passion for combining the power of business with the promise of social impact, and in today’s show, she talks about how her company helps foster growth in that direction. Visit the website to learn more about CiTTA or reach out to Belinda on LinkedIn. Key points include: 02:00: An overview of work with social enterprises 07:49: ROI to shareholders 17:41: A working example of a social enterprise 24:29: Consulting skills for social enterprises Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, December 28, 2021
460. Sam Lee on IndeCollective
Sam Lee has held numerous prestigious positions: he was a consultant at the World Bank, the chief of staff, Executive Office Division at Goldman Sachs, and the head of business planning and operations at AOL. He is now the founder and CEO at IndeCollective, a company that offers expert guidance to the most seasoned professionals, and that is what he is going to talk about on today’s episode. You can learn more about the program at IndeCollective.co . Key points include: 02:45: What IndeCollective offers members 04:36: The 10-week experience 21:30: Authentic ways to stay top-of-mind 31:18: Sales conversations Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, December 27, 2021
459. Josh Spector on Newsletter Growth
Josh Spector is the founder of the For The Interested newsletter; a weekly newsletter featuring ideas “to help you learn, do, and become.” He is also an audience growth strategist and a digital marketing consultant. But in this episode, he shares his expertise on newsletters. To sign up for Josh’s newsletter visit, https://fortheinterested.com/ , and to learn more about Josh’s newsletter tips visit, https://joshspector.com/ . Key points include: 03:51: Newsletters created 06:40: Josh’s consulting strategy 12:46: Newsletter tips on technology, design, sign-ups, and frequency 40:27: Curating content Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Thu, December 02, 2021
458. Hiring Your First Associate
Will Bachman hosts a panel discussion on hiring your first associate. The panel includes top-tier consultants J. Andrew McKee , David Burnie of The Burnie Group, and Belinda Li. Key points include: 04:32: Deciding to hire your first employee 07:45: The pros and cons of having employees 11:20: The right time to add additional employees 17:17: Recruiting through LinkedIn Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Wed, December 01, 2021
457. Jen Rudd Shares Airtable Use Cases
Jen Rudd, PMP is a Business Coach, Consultant, and a Cross-Platform Automation expert with an extensive background in creating systems and automation for a variety of business types. She is the CEO of Grow With Jen, an author, and has presented at numerous conferences and events, most recently at the Airtable User's Conference, which she talks about in this episode. To learn more about Jen’s company visit GrowWithJen.com . Key points include: 02:19: A case study on how Airtable works 10:26: Applications of Airtable 15:23: Different use cases for Airtable 17:49: Programming skill requirements Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Tue, November 30, 2021
456. Joe Meyer on ExecThread
Joe has been a successful start-up CEO and operating executive at high-growth tech companies. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by Crain's New York Business and was #9 on Business Insider's 2013 "Silicon Alley 100" list. Joe is the Founder & CEO of ExecThread, a VC-backed crowdsourcing platform and premium job-sharing network that enables professionals to access the “hidden job market”. ExecThread is the largest global aggregator of unpublished executive-level job opportunities, and this is what he talks about in today’s episode. You can learn more about Execthread at www.ExecThread.com . Key points include: 02:15: How ExecThread works 09:18: The ExecThread vetting process 14:49: Advice to people looking for executive roles 20:44: Advice for employers Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, November 29, 2021
455. Gaurav Bhatnagar and Mark Minukas Discuss Their New Book, Unfear
Gaurav was a consultant with McKinsey and a leader in their Organization Practice in North America. Before McKinsey, he worked in marketing for Pepsi Cola International and Procter & Gamble in Europe, the Middle East, and India, and he has counselled and coached hundreds of senior leaders as they lead their organizations through transformation, with a special focus on coaching them on personal mastery, difficult conversations, and strategic thinking. Mark is an engineer by training, he began his career as a Navy officer and member of the US Naval Construction Battalion. He is also a McKinsey alum and has worked across multiple industries, including financial services, high tech, biotech manufacturing, IT services, and governmental offices. Read more about their book at https://unfearbook.com/ . Key points include: 05:24: Gaurav’s work in cultural transformation 08:32: The art and science of achieving standing breakthrough results 13:27: Identifying and moving through fear 26:16: Freeing the angel in the stone Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Thu, November 04, 2021
454. Kay Formanek on Leading Diversity with Purpose
Kay Formanek is a global speaker on Diversity and Inclusion. Kay has also worked for leading global professional services organizations for over 20 years as Partner and Managing Director. Her proven approach to leading diversity strategically draws on extensive research and advisory work with over 50 organizations; she is now an author, and her book, Beyond DNI: leading diversity with purpose and inclusiveness, is coming out this month. In today’s episode, Kay talks about the benefits of diversity and inclusion. For more information, you can visit Kay’s website at beyonddiversityandinclusion.com Key points include: 01:14: Kay’s background, and the inspiration behind her book 06:24: How she helps CEOs reach their aspired level of diversity 11:25: The dimensions of diversity 15:19: Implementing diversity initiatives Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Wed, November 03, 2021
453. Adam Anderson on Driving Bottom Line Results
Adam Anderson is a graduate of Stanford Business School, a McKinsey alum, and he is now a strategy consultant and project manager. He has led and participated in over one hundred projects for clients from startups to multinationals, and in this episode, he shares case studies on driving bottom-line results. Adam can be reached through his LinkedIn profile , or emailed at aanderson@pa-bs.com . Key points include: 00:47: A case study on Lotek, chemical manufacturer: 20 production facilities, five countries 09:59: A case study on a small business in healthcare 20:22: Creating a competitive advantage in healthcare 25:38: Health clinics and the customer experience Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Tue, November 02, 2021
452. David Edelman on AI in Marketing
David Edelman spent 30 years as a Chief Marketing Officer (at Aetna/CVS), and consultant to executives on Digital and Marketing Transformation with McKinsey, Digitas, and the Boston Consulting Group. He is now a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and serves as an advisor to top executives in start-up, Private Equity, and larger enterprises. In today’s episode, David talks about the use of AI in marketing. You can reach David through his LinkedIn profile or email him at dedelman@hbs.edu . Key points include: 03:44: The different aspects of marketing 08:38: How AI can be used in marketing 15:50: The prerequisites a company needs to employ AI 21:16: Measuring the ROI on AI-driven tools Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Thu, October 28, 2021
451. Michael Katz Business Newsletter Best Practices
Michael Katz is the author of four books, an award-winning humorist, and the founder of Blue Penguin, a company that helps professional service firms and solos talk and write about their work in a clear and compelling way. He has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. In today’s episode, Michael talks about how he helps his clients. Learn more about Michael’s business at www.bluepenguindevelopment.com . Key points include: 02:15: Business newsletter best practices 13:41: Results that can be achieved through a newsletter 15:27: Building an email list 18:46: Newsletter management software comparison Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Wed, October 27, 2021
450. Sven Beiker on The Future of Mobility
Sven Beiker has a PhD. in Mechanical Engineering and Vehicle Dynamics; he is a technology expert in the field of automotive and high-tech topics with a strong interest in consumer products with a holistic view regarding the impact on the environment, society, business, and policy. His special focus is in autonomous, connected, electric, shared vehicles, which is what we explore in this episode. You can learn more about ACES at www.siliconvalleymobility.com, or reach out to Sven on LinkedIn . Key points include: 12:47: The issue of charging electric vehicles 18:33: Electric vehicle charging infrastructure 23:52: Shared mobility 26:54: Micro mobility Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Tue, October 26, 2021
449. Peter Costa on Excellence in Leadership
Peter Costa is the founder and leader of Capman LLC, a company that provides Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting. Peter draws on his experience leading public and private international businesses, in addition to extensive study and training in coaching, leadership, and organizational effectiveness. In today’s episode, he talks about his business’ best practices. You can listen to Peter’s Leading Excellence podcast on Spotify or Apple, learn more about his company at www.capmanllc.com, or email him at peter.costa@capmanllc.com. Key points include: 02:05: Coaching executives and rising talent 06:07: Exercises to change behaviors 12:54: The best leadership development programs 19:12: Building the client list and developing the practice Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, October 25, 2021
448. Melisa Liberman on Coaching Independent Consultants
Melisa is a former corporate tech executive turned management consultant and coach. She built and led a global professional services organization for a SaaS startup, before establishing her own coaching business where she helps consulting business owners increase their revenue. In today’s episode, she talks about identifying potential clients, pursuing leads, and the Independent Consultant’s Toolkit. You can learn more about Melisa’s services from her website, www.melisaliberman.com , tune in to her podcast at www.melisaliberman/podcast , check out The Independent Consultant’s (IC) Toolkit , and connect with her on LinkedIn . Key points include: 05.59: Marketing content headlines 10:22: How Melisa works with her clients 16:48: Aligning business methods 21:32: Ways to stay top of mind Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, October 11, 2021
447. MIchael Wise on PTSD, Psychedelics, and Executive Coaching
Michael is a McKinsey alum and executive coach. He is a former Green Beret, where he was a team medic, serving in Afghanistan. In this episode, Michael he talks about his transition from military service to McKinsey, how he healed from trauma, and how that shaped his coaching practice. To learn more about Michael’s coaching practice visit www.wsdmcoaching.com or connect through LinkedIn. Key points include: 04:10: His experiences as a Green Beret 07:20: The transition to coaching and managing PTSD 10:38: His experience with psychedelics 18:39: Finding his purpose through the healing 20:31: Michael’s clients and how he serves them Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Sat, October 09, 2021
446. Vijay Mehra on Agile Methodology
Vijay is a former digital and technology leader at KKR leader and a founding member of McKinsey Digital Labs in South East Asia. He is a highly accomplished expert consultant and Interim Chief Information Officer, and he currently serves Fortune 500 enterprises and companies invested in by the PEI 300. In this episode, he talks about a case example that illustrates the Agile methodology play in real life. Vijay can be reached through LinkedIn or Umbrex. Key points include: 03:08: Case example: a legacy bank in S.E. Asia going digital 08:48: Getting people to participate in hackathons 18:15: The concept of the sprint delivery cycle 22:38: The Agile process from having the business and making it a working product Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Fri, October 08, 2021
445. David A. Fields on the Eight-Week Planning Process
David A. Fields is the co-founder of Ascendant Consulting and is the author of the #1 most recommended book on Amazon.com for consultants interested in building a practice, The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients, and the Executive’s Guide to Consultants. David is well-known throughout North America for his expertise in the consulting arena, and in today’s episode, he shares valuable insights and advice on planning strategies. Key points include: 02:47: Planning 90 minutes each week for eight weeks 08:08: Focusing on data and lessons learned 11:32: Revisiting your mission, vision, and values 31:27: Budgets and resources To learn more about the 8-week planning process, visit 8 Weeks to Get Juiced . To learn more about the focus wheel, visit Use This Unique Tool to Focus Your Consulting Firm , and to subscribe to David’s weekly articles where you will find a plethora of valuable insights, visit www.davidafields.com/blog. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Thu, October 07, 2021
444. Pankaj Tibrewal on Bord
Pankaj is an entrepreneur, SaaS Executive, investor, and the creator of Bord, a collaborative workspace, designed by a management consultant for management consultants, where teams can brainstorm, problem-solve, and storyboard. He began his career writing code for consumer electronics, before moving on to work at Herman Miller and McKinsey where he developed capabilities in design thinking and analytical problem-solving. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering, a Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, and an MBA in Marketing and Finance. In this episode, he walks viewers through the capabilities of Bord. Access the free version at www.bord.com , and you can reach out to Pankaj@bord.com . Key points include: 01:41: Collaborating on Bord 04:36: The different capabilities of Bord compared to similar products 07:31: How to use the free model 08:15: A user demonstration of Bord Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, October 06, 2021
443. Tony Lew on InsurTechNY
Tony is the co-founder and managing director at InsurTechNY, an organization that helps startups, carriers/brokers, investors, and enablers in the New York region and beyond through hosting InsurTechNY community events, startup competitions, and accelerator. He is a BCG Alum, and his background includes product leadership at Alibaba, Gartner & NBC, an MBA from NYU Stern MBA, and a Bachelor of Sciences from Carnegie Mellon. In this episode, Tony talks about his business model. Learn more about the organization at www.insurtechny.com . Key points include: 00:53: What InsurTechNY is and who it serves 13:57: Embedded insurance plays 17:14: Blockchain in InsurTechNY 26:04: Setting up the first InsurTechNY event Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Tue, October 05, 2021
442. Maureen Sarewitz on Product Management
Maureen is the founder and managing partner at Acacia Growth & Impact Consulting. She brings 15 years of product management, marketing, and growth experience across the private, non-profit, and public sectors. Data, customer-centricity, and a focus on impact are at the core of the business. Today, she talks about the full range of services her company offers. If you’d like to learn more about Acacia Growth and Impact Consulting you can reach out to Maureen on LinkedIn and watch out for the launch of her website, www.acaciaimpact.com , or get on the email list at https://sunny-v2.netlify.app/ . To learn more about topics discussed in today’s episode, visit https://nexleaf.org/ and/or Key points include: 03:01: Case studies on product development and product management 06:29: The role of the product manager 15:39: How to gain user insights 23:00: Helping to build a design or product design organization. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, October 04, 2021
441. James Richardson on Anthropology and Marketing
James Richardson is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions, a strategic planning consultancy for early-stage consumer packaged goods brands. As a professionally trained cultural anthropologist turned business strategist, he has helped nearly 100 CPG brands with their strategic planning, including brands owned by Coca-Cola Venturing and emerging brands, The Hershey Company, General Mills, and Frito-Lay, Once Upon a Farm, Dr. Squatch Soap, and more. James is the author of Ramping Your Brand: How to Ride the Killer CPG Growth Curve , a #1 Best-seller in business consulting on Amazon. He also hosts his podcast—Startup Confidential. In this episode, he talks about his transition from anthropology to marketing and how they connect. Learn more about his services at www.premiumgrowthsolutions.com . Key points include: 01:56: The connection between anthropology and marketing 08:58: How anthropological research tactics are applied to marketing 18:08: New symbols and how a marginal product is processed to be accepted by social groups 25:20: The difference between growth pace and the pace to scale Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, September 20, 2021
440. Jay Altizer on the Food Industry 101
Jay Altizer has worked at Bain and Company, PepsiCo, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Deloitte Consulting. His extensive experience includes driving transformations and high-stakes change in a variety of industries such as CPG/FMCG, manufacturing, distribution, airlines, technology, and B2B products/services, but in this episode, he shares his knowledge and experience of the food industry. To learn more about Jay’s firm visit https://www.fallingbranchadvisorsllc.com/ , and he can be reached at jay.altizer@fallingbranchadvisorsllc.com . Key points include: 01:49: The multiple roles in the value chain 10:40: The different types of companies in mid-market food space 13:00: Issues facing food companies in the $20-500 million range 18:39: Trade spending and discounting in the food industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Sun, September 19, 2021
439. Craig Beal on the Travel Industry
Craig Beal grew up in the safari planning business. His parents were the owners/operators of Travel Beyond, a company that planned luxury safaris in Africa. After attending the US Naval Academy and serving as a US Navy Submarine Officer, Craig and his wife Kay purchased Travel Beyond in 2005. In this episode, he talks about getting into the travel business. To learn more about Craig’s business, visit travelbeyond.com . Key points include: 05:12: What the upscale Safari tour operator offers 09:36: His business and marketing approach 24:25: The $50,000 clients 25:50: What people do on a nine-day safari Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Sat, September 18, 2021
438. Rob Ristagno on Customer Segmentation
Rob Ristagno is a Harvard and McKinsey alum, he has shared expertise on digital media and e-commerce with CBS, Forbes, Adweek, and Fox. He is now the CEO of Sterling Woods where Rob and his team developed a data-enabled service, Scout X, that has created over $500 million in Enterprise Value for middle-market clients. Learn more about Rob’s company at sterlingwoods.com . 00:43: Five common flaws in customer segmentation 12:39: The process of B2B segementation 15:53: The three main categories of customer behavior 29:04: Developing the survey 36:13: Building the segments Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Mon, September 13, 2021
437. Neeraj Monga on Equity Research
Neeraj Monga is a noted research analyst on equities. He was previously head of research at one of Canada’s leading independent equity research providers. He is now a money manager and his work has been profiled in major publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times and today he’s going to share with us his experiences from his corner of the financial arena. To learn more about Neeraj's company, visit w ww.antya.ca 03:56: How Neeraj’s research discovered interesting findings 11:50: Getting deeper insights into a company 18:44: Case study on finding information that is not in a financial statement 34:18: Managing money Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
436. Paul Harrington on Government Contracting
Paul spent ~9 years with McKinsey & Company, where he was a Partner based in Washington D.C. Within the firm’s Global Public and Social Sector Practice, Paul led the Go to Market (GTM) team, which spanned 23 countries. Prior to McKinsey, Paul held roles General Dynamics Information Technology, Johnson & Johnson, Ariba (now part of SAP) and Andersen Consulting (now Accenture), and is a former U.S. Army officer. Paul has particular expertise in Public Sector Go to Market strategy and operating models, as both an advisor and practitioner. You can visit Paul’s company website at pathfinderconsultingllc.com , and he can be reached at paul.harrington@pathfinderconsultingllc.com Key points include: 03:18: Doing business development in the public sector 09:41: How the decision process works 14:04: RFPs and the procurement process 21:17: Work from the federal government for independent professionals 28:20: Paul’s work as an advisor on procuring government contracts Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
435: Sharath Jeevan on Motivation and Growth in Business
Sharath Jeevan is a l eading global motivation expert helping organisations and individuals reignite inner-drive. Sharath has addressed large global audiences at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Lego Ideas Festival in Denmark, WISE Summit in Qatar, Draper Richards Kaplan Convening in San Francisco, Varkey GEMS Conference in Dubai, and the Lemann Conference in Sao Paulo. He is also the author of Intrinsic: a manifesto to reignite our inner drive. In this episode, he talks about his book and some common misconceptions he has encountered in the business world. You can learn more about Sharath and his book at https://www.intrinsic-labs.com/. Key points include: 03:56: Purpose, autonomy, and mastery 11:27: A framework for purpose 18:47: Motivation tips for parents 23:57: Intrinsic relationships Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
434. John Van Leeuwen on the Oil and Gas Industry
John has 25 years of consulting experience consulting in Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management, Sourcing, plant and business unit transformation, revenue enhancement, growth strategies and turnarounds. He has launched many multi-year corporate transformations which have delivered over $1.5 billion in annual value. He has advised senior executives and business unit leaders in a broad range of industries including oil and gas, chemicals, basic materials, industrials, automotive, engineered products and aerospace. John’s company website is Lionstutz.com and he can be reached at JohnVanLeeuwen@Lionstutz.com. 01:50: Terminology of the oil and gas industry 07:30: Drill holes and piping 10:14: How they keep the oil and gas moving 13:17: The ecosystem of the industry 20:15: Labor in the industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
433: Andrew J. McKee on Biotech
Andrew has over 15 years of experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and other healthcare sectors. His team specializes in growth strategy projects pertaining to cutting-edge medical technologies. Since 2012, his team has conducted over 100 projects for executives in the C suite, commercial franchises, corporate development, and R&D, and spanning nearly every therapeutic area undergoing innovation. In this episode, he gives an in-depth view of the biotech industry. Andrew can be reached through LinkedIn or you can email him at Andrew@headlandstrategy.com . And you can listen to more from Andrew on Episode 355. Key points include: 01:09: A quick explanation of biotech, agricultural biotech, and industrial biotech 08:09: The difference between pharma and biotech 12:28: Drugs that fall into the biotech category 18:45: Differences in delivery methodologies between small molecule and more complex molecules 24:31: The different roles and functions at biotech and pharma companies Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
432: Amanda Setili on Fearless Growth
On her podcast, Fearless Growth, Amanda Setili interviews Mitali Chopra, UK Coach of the Year for best client results. They talk about her business and also about the karma equation for World abundance and why giving is such an important part of living. She talks about the nonprofit that she founded to help kids learn entrepreneurship by playing games. Amanda’s podcast can be found here http://bitly.bz/G5cKA. Key points include: 06:58: Overcoming fear 15:51: How company culture can hold a company back 23:32: Transitioning to other cultures 26:58: The importance of continuous growth Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
431: Samantha Saperstein on Women on the Move
Sam Saperstein has an MBA in Marketing and Strategy from Wharton, she is a McKinsey alum, and is now a managing director at JPMorgan Chase. In this episode, Sam talks about the Women on the Move program and how it helps women thrive professionally and start businesses. You can learn more about the program on the podcast, Women on the Move. Key points include: 09:07: Resources for women who want to start a business 11:56: Gaps in financial health and financial education for women. 17:55: Encouraging the careers of women at JPMorgan Chase 22:27: Negotiation skills for women Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
430: Belden Menkus on Purpose and Strategy
Belden Menkus was a senior engagement manager at McKinsey for six years and is the managing director at Menkus and Associates where they specialise in high-impact senior-level interventions that create new strategic value and growth opportunities using proven new approaches that engage head, heart and hands. In today’s episode, we talk about how he approaches developing and deploying a strategy with purpose and positive outcomes. Belden Menkus can be reached through his website at menkus.com. Key points include: 05:11: Working with the Port of London Authority 07:46: Working with organisations to reach clarity of purpose 12:35: Pursuing the ideal 17:53: The impact clarity of purpose can have on an organisation. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
429. Belden Menkus on the Purposeful Strategist
Belden Menkus is the managing director at Menkus and Associates. He is also the host of the podcast the Purposeful Strategist, a podcast that shifts the conversation from what organisations should do to what they are doing to embrace their broader purpose and translate it into tangible action. On today’s episode, we listen to one of Belden’s podcasts where he interviews Robin Mortimer, the chief executive of organization in the London Port of Authority Key points include: 06:52: What the Port Authority is and what they do 09:32: How the vision of the Thames and organisation is structured and functions 12:42: Where the Thames Vision is going 15:32: The strategy to manage the vision 21:16: How the hydrogen economy affects the Thames Vision Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
428. David A. Fields on Business Advice for Consultants or Boutique Firms
David A. Fields spent nine years in marketing for GlaxoSmithKline before jumping into consulting with a boutique firm, where he became partner. He then co-founded Ascendant Consulting and focused the practice on helping large corporations enter new markets. He is the author of two books on consulting, and on this episode, he shares expert tips for solo consultants, boutique firms, and small to medium businesses. David can be reached through LinkedIn or his website, https://www.davidafields.com. Key points include: 06:24: Structuring the discovery discussion 15:14: Partners for consultants 18:35: Big challenges for solo consultants 31:43: The challenge of growth Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, September 03, 2021
427. Tim Streeter on The Contentment Commitment
Tim Streeter spent 25 years working in consulting and human resources including global leadership roles in Talent Acquisition at Accenture and Whirlpool. As the former chief operating officer of talent acquisition at Accenture, where he was responsible for managing a recruiter headcount of 2500 people and delivering 100,000 new hires every year. He's also the author of the Contentment Commitment, which we will chat about in this episode. Tim can be reached through his website, https://www.contentmentcommitment.com/ , where you can also learn more about the book. Key points include: 00:52: The personal history behind the book 03:19: The six dimensions of contentment 08:32: The commitments Tim made 20:10: Tim’s work with organisations Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, June 21, 2021
426. Max Friberg on Inex One
Max Friberg is a McKinsey alum with an MSc in CEMS International Management who has founded the SaaS tool company Inex One with the goal to improve the exchange of expertise around the globe. Inex One is now used by leading investors and analysts. You can learn more about Inex One at inex.one. Key points include: 07:13: How Inex One improves the expert network process and experience 15:54: How the idea of Inex One was born 18:39: How the expert network is evolving 26:00: Who’s using Inex One Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, June 04, 2021
425. Chad Oakley on the Consulting Job Market
Chad Oakley is the president and CEO of Charles Eris, which is one of the top executive search firms in the United States focused on recruiting management consultants. In this Q & A episode, he shares insights and answers questions that consultants have always wanted to ask about the job market. Key points include: 09:37: The current state of the market for consultants 15:18: Areas that are in demand now and will increase in demand 21:49: Applying for a salaried position after working as an independent consultant 33:34: The best way to interact with retain search firms Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Thu, June 03, 2021
424. Sarah Locher on the Future of Change Management Project
Sarah Locher is a Senior at Independence High School. She currently works as a Hollister Brand Agent and was chosen as one of forty employees from a national pool of 2,880 applicants. As a high school student, she conducted an impressive project on the future of Change Management. She talks about why she started the project and how she did it. To learn more about Sarah’s project, connect with her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-locher-a4579b1a6/ , and to download her change management research results go to https://bit.ly/3yQLMaf . Key points include: 00:46: The future change management consulting project 07:42: Recruiting participants for the project 12:43: Key takeaways from the research Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Wed, June 02, 2021
423. Kathryn Valentine on Negotiation Strategies for Women
Kathryn Valentine is a McKinsey alum, author, speaker and founder of Worthmore Negotiations, a company that focuses on creating effective, research-based negotiation strategies for women, training women to use these strategies, and supporting them during the big negotiations of their career. Learn more about Worthmore Negotiations at www.worthmorenegotiations.com or reach out to Kathryn on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/kval. Key points include: 02:27: Why it benefits a company to teach women to negotiate 09:51: Communal negotiation and collaborative negotiation 18:38: The gold standard in negotiations 19:28: How Worth More developed 23:09: Key negotiation tips for women Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Tue, June 01, 2021
422. Bill Fotsch on Open-Book Management
Bill Fotsch has a 20-year track record of improving company sales and profits in an array of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He has co-authored several published articles and serves on the board of several companies that practice Open-Book Management. You can learn more about his company at https://openbookcoaching.com , or email Bill at Bill.Fotsch@openbookcoaching.com or reach out on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/billfotsch. Key points include: 05:07: Where to start with open-book management 08:57: Examples of companies switching to open-book management 17:04: Big changes in operations 28:03: How Bill launched his writing career Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Mon, May 31, 2021
421. Ben Legg on the Portfolio Career
Ben Legg helps entrepreneurs reinvent themselves and society for the better. His career has included relieving the siege of Sarajevo in 1995, McKinsey strategy consultant, turning around Coca-Cola India and the COO of Google Europe. In this episode, he discusses his latest venture The Portfolio Collective. You can learn more at https://portfolio-collective.com Key points include: 01:00: Who can become a portfolio professional 04:48: How the Portfolio Creative developed 10:03: The benefits of joining the Portfolio Collective 20:32: Branding diverse skill sets and services cohesively 22:25: Entry requirements Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Fri, May 21, 2021
420. Mary Cummins on Value-based Care
Mary Cummins has an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA with Honors in Electrical Engineering from Cambridge University. Her consulting career includes equity partnership at The Boston Consulting Group, and at Deloitte Consulting. Mary’s experience spans across traditionally siloed healthcare sectors and includes serving on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (the largest non-profit home health agency in the US). On this episode, she talks about value-based care and the shift from volume to value in the healthcare system. Key points include: 10:38: Transitioning to new models after the Affordable Care Act 16:00: How a hospital adapts to a value-based care system 21:09: Examples of how hospitals operate differently 23:44: How the pay structure affects the model 31:44: Current experiments in value-based care Learn more about Mary’s company at www.certusadv.com and connect on www.linkedin.com/in/maryecummins Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, May 20, 2021
419. Anders Corr on Political Risk Consulting
Dr. Anders Corr is an alum of both Harvard and Yale. He led the Social Science Research and Analysis (SSRA) group in Afghanistan, which oversaw 600 Afghan contract employees on 44 survey projects, before founding Corr Analytics and the Journal of Political Risk in 2013. He is an author and a political risk consultant on national risk assessment focused on China. On this episode, he talks about his work as a political risk consultant. Key points include: 03:39: An example of clients and projects undertaken 10:32: Initial information offered to corporate clients 16:12: Key factors that contribute to a negative view of China 21:51: Deliverables generated for clients 24:28: The Wisdom of Crowds approach to forecasting Learn more about Anders’ firm at http://www.canalyt.com . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, May 19, 2021
418. Robert Hardy on Niche Marketing
Robert Hardy has recently started an online coaching platform to help creatively inclined individuals promote their work. On today’s episode, he explains how his program works, why quality trumps quantity, and how to find your niche. Key points include: 01:38: Why most marketing advice is wrong 06:27: The fragmentation of the Internet and niches 11:12: How the Ungated program helps people find their niche 13:54: Coffee and keyword roulette 24:41: Tactical niche marketing steps Learn more about Ungated at https://ungated.media/ , his filmmaking site at www.filmmakerfreedom.com, and check out his thoughts on what it means to be a citizen at www.citizenwithin.com . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, May 18, 2021
417. Alex Bartholomaus on Objective and Key Results (OKRs) in Sales
Alex P. Bartholomaus is President and CEO of People Stretch Solutions, a Washington DC based management consulting firm specializing in revenue growth consulting and scaling organizations. He is a published author and professional speaker on the topic of OKRs, Sales Effectiveness, Elite Business Performance and Emotional Intelligence. On this episode, Alex talks about his company with a focus on growing sales. Key points include: 08:43: The wine industry taxes and distribution chain 15:12: The business focus of objective and key results 18:00: Examples of OKRs and how they differ from goals 29:12: Different aspects of the management system To learn more about Alex’s firm visit https://www.peoplestretch.com/ or message Alex on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbartholomaus . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, May 17, 2021
416. Jonas Altman on Creative Coaching
Jonas Altman is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur who creates transformational learning experiences to elevate and grow leaders around the world. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and he has recently published the book, S hapers: Reinvent the way you work and change the future . On this episode, Jonas talks about his book, his work, the power of harnessing creative energy, and how it helps motivate his clients. Key points include: 03:35: How the future of work may evolve 13:16: The need to expand the learning mindset 23:16: Coaching style and client types 27:10: Two case studies on achieving aspirational targets You can learn more about Jonas at Jonas Altman.com , you can learn more about the work he does at social fabric.com , and find the book at shapers.life . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com .
Sun, May 16, 2021
415. Susan Meier on Creating the Work-space Studio
Susan Meier is a brand strategist and a Harvard-trained artist. She applies a creative mindset to the craft of strategy to develop a brand strategy and has worked with the world’s most beloved brands, from Pepsi to Lipton, M&Ms to Doritos. Her art is in private collections of Saatchi & Saatchi, the New York Stock Exchange, and Pfizer and has been exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History. In this episode, she talks about her latest side-hustle, www.workspace-studio.com. Key points include: 02:13: How workspace was developed 05:28 The important elements that make a great workspace 12:41: How the space is a portrait of the person 17:56: The creative strategy of no-destination travel Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Sat, May 15, 2021
414. Tineke Keesmaat on the Hybrid Business Playbook
Tineke Keesmaat has over 15 years of consulting experience with McKinsey & Company, Accenture, and as the founder and CEO of TILTCO Inc. She has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University with a subspecialty in Entrepreneurship and a B.A with Honours in Psychology from Queen's University. In this episode, she talks about the hybrid business playbook her company has published. Key points include: 01:11: The process of developing the playbook 11:49: Developing a podcast series 17:30: The impact of the podcast 26:27: How companies can build a hybrid business You can find out more about the playbook and Tineke’s business at www.tiltco.ca. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, May 14, 2021
413. Amanda Wright on the Take the Leap Program
Amanda Wright has a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology. She is an experienced management consultant who provides business advisory services to her clients. Today, she talks about her program to help women from professional services firms make the leap to independent consulting. Key points include: 02:07: The structure of the Take the Leap program 09:43: The importance of the company name 13:31: Building the right mindset for a successful business 17:59: Managing your money 25:00: Marketing the coaching program You can learn more about the Take the Leap program at https://www.thewrightcompany.ca/taketheleap and sign up for Amanda’s weekly newsletter. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, May 13, 2021
412. Nadine Sinclair on Mental Health in the Workplace
Nadine Sinclair has a doctorate in molecular biology, she was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and is now an independent consultant and advises companies on how to improve conditions for mental health for their employees. Today she talks about mental health in the workplace. Key points include: 03:39: The cost of poor mental health to business 07:10: How poor mental health impacts performance 16:44: How companies can help build resilience in employees 21:13: Tackling negativity bias 28:33: Resilience training 38:45: How exercise in the morning helps performance Learn more about Nadine’s company and take the test on your emotional health at mindmatters.pro Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, May 12, 2021
411. David Fields on Fishing Lines
David A.Fields is a consulting firm expert and author. He has helped hundreds of boutique and solo consulting firms grow, increase margins, and create lucrative, lifestyle-friendly businesses. This episode is taken from a session that David A. Fields led for the Umbrex and Veritux communities on how to craft your fishing line. Key points include: 06:06: The two-by-two grid 08:32: Solving precise problems 10:17: Mistakes in fishing lines 11:07: Generic problems, generic targets, conjunctions and comets Sign up for David’s newsletter or order his book on www.DavidAFields.com . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, May 03, 2021
410. Amanda Setili and Group Discussion on In-person Events
Amanda Setili is president of the strategy consulting firm Setili & Associates, author of two books of strategy and growth, she is a McKinsey alum and an Umbrex member. On this episode, she shares expert tips on running a successful virtual event. Key points include: 06:50: First steps in connecting 13:28: Pre-event preparation 27:22: Cold call panels 29:28: Breakout group exercise on a future event Amanda can be reached through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandasetili/ or her website https://setili.com.
Sun, May 02, 2021
409: Nina Froriep on Video Content Marketing
Nina Froriep is a video producer and visual storyteller. Her company enables business coaches to grow their business with consistent and easy-to-implement video marketing, and today she shares her expertise on video content marketing. Key points include: 15:32: Finding a professional video editor 17:28: Tips of doing a video series 22:28: The impact of video posts 25:20: What converts 27:36: Equipment 31:56: Posting frequency Nina can be contacted through LinkedIn at, https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-froriep/ , or followed on Twitter @NinaFroriep.
Thu, April 29, 2021
408. Amol Sarva on Being a Serial Entrepreneur
Amol Sarva is a backer, advisor, and mentor at 50+ companies; he has co-founded several startups, including Virgin Mobile USA , Peek , Halo Neuroscience , Knotable , Knotel , and he has developed and taught the course "Venturing to Change the World" at Columbia University. In this episode, he talks about content creation and communication with his network of around 5060 people and shares a few of his experiences in business. Key points include: 05:43: The Knotel startup roller-coaster ride 10:36: Lessons learned building a business valued at $1.5 billion 22:39: How to get started in the entrepreneurial world 27:28: Advice on finding companies to get involved with 29:43: What’s going on in Amol’s lab Amol can be contacted by email, which can be found on his websites. To access his address visit http://amolsarva.com or http://amol.sarva.co/ . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, April 28, 2021
407. Shelli Baltman and Fiona Stevenson on Pandemic Burnout
The Idea Suite is a boutique agency that unlocks the creative potential of people and businesses through innovation, and on this episode of Unleashed, Shelli Baltman and Fiona Stevenson discuss how their innovation agency helps big companies deal with the challenge of pandemic burnout. Key points include: 03:51: What we mean by burnout 08:49: Managing motivation and energy 18:02: Monitoring and assessing team energy 29:27: Gratitude specificity 33:29: Dealing with self-improvement overwhelm To banish burnout, visit www.energyforgrowth.com , you can also learn more about their business at https://theideasuite.com/ or connect with Shelli and Fiona through https://www.linkedin.com/company/theideasuite/ . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, April 27, 2021
406. Zachary Schrag on History
Professor Zachary Schrag is a historian of the twentieth-century United States and a professor of history at George Mason University. His specialities are: history of technology, policy history, transportation history, urban history, and oral history. In this episode, we discuss what history means and his book, the Princeton guide to historical research. Key points include: 01:40: History as the study of people 07:23: Internal contradictions 19:48: How a historian organises information 30:04: Recommendations for history students 37:26: History’s influence on politics Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Tue, April 27, 2021
405. Samuel Bachman on The Half-Blood Report
Samuel Bachman is a film major in the 10th grade at Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens. In this episode, he discusses the hugely popular podcast he co-created and produces, The Half-Blood Report, and the inspiration behind the podcast. Key points include: 07:49: Authors interviewed on the podcast 11:57: Social media lessons learned on making a podcast 16:47: Preparing for an author interview 26:53: Skills learned from producing a podcast 32:03: Best practices for producing a successful podcast You can check out the podcast through the website https://www.thehalfbloodreport.com , follow them on Twitter @halfreport and Instagram @TheHalfBloodReport and connect with the crew on https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-half-blood-report . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Sat, April 17, 2021
404. Rick Denton and CX Passport
Rick Denton shares an episode from his podcast, CX Passport, a conversation with people about customer experience with a dash of travel. In this episode, he has a brilliant conversation with Sharon Boyd who is from the UK. She is the author of Customer Experience 2 , and the CXO of MKL Innovation. Key points include: 03:26: The power of gifting 08:34: The ten-pence CX celebration 13:07: The Valentine’s Day, greaseproof paper incident 17:31: The Disney approach to CX 21:42: CX in the airline industry Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Fri, April 16, 2021
403. Rick Denton on Excellent Customer Service
403. Rick Denton on Excellent Customer Service Rick Denton has over a decade of experience in customer service and relations; he is now the managing principal at EX4CX, a company that helps companies increase revenue by listening to customers and creating great experiences for their customers. In this episode, Rick shares his expertise in this field and talks about his new podcast. Rick can be contacted through linkedin.com/in/rickdenton or his company website http://www.ex4cx.com . You can also listen to his podcast at cxpassport.com. Key points include: 04:52: Customer experience projects 11:02: The biggest tools used in customer service 14:19: The difference between customer experience and customer insights 22:23: “Holy smokes” case examples Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Thu, April 15, 2021
402. Jonathan Baillie Strong on Spotlight Podcasting
Jonathan Baillie Strong is a B2B podcast strategist and the founder of Spotlight Podcasting, a company that helps consulting firms and mission-driven companies build more authority and grow their businesses with podcasting. Today, he shares insights from the world of podcasting from pre-production to promotion. You can learn more about Spotlight Podcasting at http://www.spotlightpodcasting.com/ , and you can connect with John through linkedin.com/in/jonbstrong , or his personal website https://jonbstrong.com Key points include: 00:29: Helping Tim Ferris launch his podcast 05:17: How podcasting has helped consultants connect with clients 09:23: The process of developing and launching a podcast 12:26: A podcast production checklist 20:41: The fee structure of a podcast production agency Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Wed, April 14, 2021
401. Rudra Chatterjee on the Tea Industry
Rudra Chatterjee is a writer, and the chairman and managing director of Luxmi Tea. While he writes predominantly about politics and economics, he is also vastly knowledgeable about tea, and in this episode, he talks about various aspects of the tea industry, from growth to distribution. Rudra can be contacted through https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudrachatterjee , and you can learn more about his company and buy tea at http://www.luxmigroup.in/ or makaibari.com Key points include: 03:10: The birth of the tea industry in India 07:55: The tea plantation organisation 14:31: Increasing the long-term value of the plantation 20:11: The relationship between the owners and workers of the plantation 29:27: How to ensure a top-quality cup of tea Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.
Mon, April 12, 2021
399. Alec Hudnut on Vici Partners
Alec Hudnut is an alum of Harvard Business School and McKinsey. He is now a managing partner at Vici Partners, a firm of experienced professionals focused on helping clients improve execution and dramatically grow earnings, and in this episode, Alec discusses the work they do at Vici Partners. You can connect with Alec on https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-hudnut-8562071, or email him at ahudnut@vicipartners.com Key points include: 02:30: The fee model at Vici Partners 05:52: The 100-day sprint surfacing phase. 12:26: The major categories of ideas 20:46: Tracking and managing ideas 27:44: Running the talent at Vici Partners Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Sun, April 11, 2021
398. Annie Scranton on Public Relations - Inside Advice
Annie Scranton is the founder and president of Pace Public Relations; she has been a producer at the CBNC, an assistant booker at Fox News, a booking producer on Good Morning America with ABC News, and has a Masters in Public Relations. In this episode, Annie shares her experience and knowledge in public relations. Annie can be reached through https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniescranton or her company website http://www.pacepublicrelations.com Key points include: 10:00: Becoming a known expert 17:19: Tips on being picked up by a reporter 23:05: Objectives and process of working with a PR agency 32:22: ROI on working with a PR agency 36:03: How to find and select a PR agency Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Sat, April 10, 2021
397. Sam Gupta on ERP Systems
Sam Gupta has nearly two decades of experience in commercializing technology solutions, building multi-million dollar technology practices, and managing large enterprise software programs to drive digital transformation initiatives. He is the principal consultant at ElevatIQ, Inc., and in this episode, he talks about manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Sam can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ or the website https://www.elevatiq.com/ Key points include: 07:20: The key processes of ERP 16:16: Inflection points and the integration of ERP systems 24:50: The range of activities of Elevate IQ 27:29: Big name companies selling ERP software 29:06: The rip and replace process Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Fri, April 09, 2021
396. Neil Gardner on IT Organisation at Regional Banks
Neil Gardner a digital strategy consultant who helps clients to design and implement digital transformations, and he is the founder and principal of NMG Advisory. As an advisor to CIOs at regional banks, he helps move their teams from cost center to value creation center. Neil can be reached through https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilmgardner/ or https://www.nmgadvisory.com/ Key points include: 00:35: What a CIO does and how much bank revenue it costs 04:17: Infrastructure operations organization 09:19: Data and architecture categories 12:53: How the IT department creates business value 25:54: IT organisation aligned with business strategy Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Thu, April 08, 2021
395. Jessica Lackey on Sales, Operations, and Planning
Jessica Lackey is an ACC Coach, a McKinsey alum with an MBA from Harvard MBA, and a Fortune 500 Operations Leader. In this episode, she talks about the mature integrated planning process and the nuts and bolts of the traditional SAP processes. Jessica can be reached at linkedin.com/in/jessica-lackey or through her website https://www.jessicalackey.com/ Key points include: 01:47: A perspective on sales and operations planning (SNOP) 08:56: Common issues in the sales and operations planning process 16:05 : AI, heuristics, and advanced planning systems 18:19: Case examples of the reconciliation process 25:22: Consulting opportunities in sales and operations planning Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, April 07, 2021
394. Drew Kerr on Delivering “Money Lines.”
Drew Kerr is the founder and president of Four Corners Communications, a company that provides pro-active strategic communications and coaching for digital media companies, high-growth startups, and consumer research firms. In this episode, he shares five key communication rules. Drew can be reached at linkedin.com/in/drewkerr or his website www.four-corners.com . Key points include: 03:52: The money line 10:58: Using a story 14:02: The power of the headline 19:20: Concise and active 23:39: How to be a good moderator Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, April 07, 2021
393. Susan Drumm on the Enlightened Executive
Susan Drumm is an Umbrex member and the CEO Advisor, Leadership Coach, and founder of Meritage Leadership. She has graduate degrees from Harvard Law School, Carnegie Mellon, and an M.A. in Drama from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and today she shares the first episode from her podcast, The Enlightened Executive. You can find Susan’s podcast at http://EnlightenedExec.com. Key points include: 06:50: Why focus is learned 10:31: The first step in focus training 13:47: The role of multitasking 18:41: An example of focusing in action Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, April 07, 2021
392. Hung Nguyen on Diversity and Inclusion
Hung Nguyen is a McKinsey alum and a principal at OUTLAST Consulting, a purpose-driven professional development + strategy firm focused on fueling innovation and empowering diverse talent. Prior to OUTLAST, she headed the Digital Center of Expertise at BP, where she piloted user-centric ways to recruit, develop, and deploy talent. Today, she talks about diversity inclusion and strategies companies and individuals can use to improve inclusion awareness. Hung can be contacted through her LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/misshungnguyen/ or reached through the Outlast LLC website. Key points include: 03:47: Situations that involve professional development for diverse talent 09:05: Tactics used to deal with difficult situations 12:21: Responding without threatening 16:13: The structure of diversity training 24:19: Clients’ objectives in diversity training 34:30: The broader impact of diversity inclusion Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Tue, April 06, 2021
391. John Jeffcock on Networking
John Jeffcock was a captain in the British Army; he is now an author, a consultant, and the CEO of Winmark, a world-leading C-suite network business that interviews and profiles Chief Executive Officers from across the global corporate landscape. Key points include: 02:45: How Winmark helps members make connections 09:40: Networking during COVID 11:04: The big topics of discussion at networking events 15:14: How to make effective connections 24:40: How the selection of content is made John can be contacted through the Winmark website or through LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Fri, April 02, 2021
390. Adam Roosevelt on Cybersecurity
Adam is a decorated combat veteran and a cybersecurity consultant who started his career with the U.S. military; he was part of the team working on the Global War on Terrorism before starting a private practice where he advises government agencies and the private sector. He is now the CEO of A.R. International Consulting, LLC and a national news on-air analyst. Key points include: 02:53: Training with NATO and being deployed to Afghanistan 07:01: Getting set up as a federal contractor 10:25: Setting up an advisory board 16:14: Specific services for the private sector 26:15 Asset recovery Adam can be reached through his website, adamroosevelt.com , or through LinkedIn . You can also follow him on Facebook , YouTube , and Instagram.
Thu, April 01, 2021
389. Braden Weinstock on the Human Operating System Manifesto
Braden is a startup entrepreneur, an action-oriented and strategic operator, and consultant with operational expertise in a broad range of experiences across crypto, hedge funds, software technology (SaaS), commercial real estate, management consulting, luxury retail, and more. In this episode, he discusses his purpose, working with Bridgewater and Knotel, and time management. Key points include: 03:06: Braden’s operating value 08:29: The list of operating practices 10:18: Installing and eliminating habits 18:57: Time blocking and deep work 27:47: Texting vs. talking 29:54: Bridgewater and Knotel Braden can be reached through his website, www.bradenww.com or through LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, March 31, 2021
388. Spish Rurak on the Remote Job Search
Spish Rurak is a McKinsey alum, the president of Rurak and Associates, and a noted advisor and consultant to consultants. Spish works with many consultants from top-tier firms based in the U.K. and has served as a career transition coach to several thousand management consultants. Today, he discusses the challenges of the remote job search and interview and how to overcome them. Key points include: 02:05: The differences of the job search during the pandemic 09:41: Supply and demand channels 17:26: The advantage to the job seeker 22:52: Three channel recommendations for the job seeker 33:29: Outreach tips 44:47: Organisation tips You can reach out to Spish on LinkedIn. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, March 31, 2021
387. Steve Pressfield on A Man at Arms and creative battles
Steven Pressfield’s books have been hugely influential on my life and it was a real thrill to welcome him on the show. Steve is the author of Gates of Fire and about a dozen other novels, mostly historical fiction set in the time of ancient Greece and Rome. He’s also the author of the modern classic The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. Steve’s latest book is A Man at Arms , a fantastic deliver-the-message tale about a retired Roman legionnaire who has been ordered to intercept the messengers who are trying to deliver Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. I liked this book so much that I’m giving away 25 copies to listeners of this show. Get your copy here: http://bit.ly/GetAManAtArms For more info about Steve, visit https://stevenpressfield.com/ Key points include: 09:56: What to do when the muse visits 15:16: Why Steven reads non-fiction. 16:17: Research for Steven’s books 22:25: Children developing creativity 26:11: Resistance is universal 27:53: How Steven recognises a professional 31:20: Thoughts on masculinity Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Mon, March 29, 2021
386. Marcia Nuffer on Leadership and Talent Development
Marcia Nuffer has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. As McKinsey’s Chief Learning Officer, Marcia was responsible for building one of the most lauded global leadership development programs in the world. She has over 25 years of strategy and leadership development experience and runs her own company, BlueShor. Key points include: 05:15: Roleplaying in training 12:35: The McKinsey Academy 17:57: The Senior Training program 20:38: Examples of exercises for senior partners 27:51: The work at Blueshor 45:07: The assessment Marcia developed You can learn more about Marcia’s company on the website at www.blueshor.com , and you can reach out to Marcia through email at marcia@blueshor.com. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Fri, March 26, 2021
385. Aneta Key on Gamification in Training and Leadership Development
Aneta Key is an independent consultant who has established her own firm, Aedea Partners, where she helps organizations design rollout and usher programs like digital transformation, or strategy rollout, or change management, and culture change. She also designs and facilitates decision-making offsites. Aneta can be reached through her website, www.aedeapartners.com and she is active on social media. Key points include: 03:27: Applying gamification to business scenarios 14:18: Capability building for consultants and consulting firms 18:39: The design and delivery of sessions 26:39: The topics covered by Aneta’s firm Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Fri, March 19, 2021
384. Sally Dominguez on Singularity and Epic Resilience
Sally Dominguez is a former architect, award-winning inventor, and author. She is a sustainable resilience expert and 10XInnovation Strategist. Today, she discusses her book, EPIC Resilience, and explains the strategies in the book for developing a personal resilience and growth mindset to not only survive but to thrive in constant change. Key points include: 01:23: The Singularity University. 05:06: How to be resilient emotionally 07:56: Identifying values and purpose 11:15: The power of authenticity 20:10: The impact of sleep and sugar 24:16: Intellectual and creative growth You can order Sally’s book, EPIC Resilience: Thriving through Chaos and Change, on Amazon , view the slim tank invention for water conservation, and visit her website at: http://www.sallydominguez.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Thu, March 18, 2021
383. Adam Braff on Forecasting
Episode 383: Adam Braff on Forecasting Adam Braff is a former McKinsey partner; he runs a data and analytics consulting firm called Braff & Co. where he advises investors, boards, and senior leadership teams on extracting maximum value from their investments in data and analytics. Today, we talk about forecasting. Key points include: 02:17: What Adam learned from running a forecasting contest 07:04: The problem with overconfidence 10:42: What differentiates a good from a bad forecaster 16:23: Researching STEM topics to make a prediction 20:42: How forecasting has manifested in Adam’s advisory work. 30:16: Addressing how to get better at forecasting You can learn more about forecasting and check out Adam’s masterclass at https://braff.co/advice . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, March 17, 2021
382. Becoming Independent
In today’s episode, I host a panel discussion with Jennifer Hartz , J. Andrew McKee , Jay Altizer , and Ashutosh Dalvi . They share insights, advice, and their own story on taking the leap from a comfortable salaried position to becoming an independent consultant. Key points include: 01:13: The decision to become an independent consultant. 08:40: The positives and negatives of the transition 14:32: Advice to those making the transition 21:22: Cash flow and workflow 25:40: People who should not go independent You can connect with members on the panel through LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehartz/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewmckee/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/altizer/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashutoshbdalvi/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Tue, March 16, 2021
381. Surbhee Grover on Launching a Personal Care Brand
In this Episode of Unleashed, I chat with Surbhee Grover. Surbhee is the consultant who runs the firm Steel and Graffiti, she has also recently launched a personal care brand love,Indus.com ; and today we discuss the whole process of creating a brand from product formulation to promotion. Key points include: 05:58: Evolving past the concept 10:18: The market research journey 12:34: Product formulation 17:54: Dealing with intellectual property rights 20:57: Cost of development 32:34: Developing the brand identity You can learn more about love,indus on the website, Instagram , or Facebook page, and you can connect with Surbhee on LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Mon, March 15, 2021
380. Stefan Kolle on the Customer Experience
Stefan Kolle is the co-founder, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board of Futurelab, a company that helps businesses improve their marketplace through meaningful innovation in customer experience. On today’s show, Stefan shares a few case studies and we discuss customer centricity and customer experience. Key points include: 02:19: Assessing the state of customer experience 05:18: Voice of the customer exercises 09:18: The changes Futurelab has helped companies make 20:23: The growth of Futurelab You can connect with Stefan on LinkedIn and learn more about his company at www.futurelab.net. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Sun, March 14, 2021
379. The Strategic Use of Units
In this episode of Unleashed, I offer a few tips on how to use units strategically to emotionally engage your clients and avoid numerical overload. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com .
Sat, March 13, 2021
378. Pronouncing Your Name on LinkedIn
In this short 2-minute episode, I share a LinkedIn trick that you can use to show people how to pronounce your name. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Fri, March 12, 2021
377. LinkedIn Connection Requests
In today’s short episode, I share a few tips on sending connection requests on LinkedIn. 01:47: Reaching out cold 02:35: Avoiding becoming spam 04:15: After 200 requests 04:50: Customized notes on the LinkedIn App Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Thu, March 11, 2021
376. Ali Ahmed on Green Strategies
Ali Ahmed is the founder and principal of Green Strategies, a company that helps clients discover sustainability opportunities. He is a recognized sustainability and energy management leader who has developed and managed more than 50 global energy and sustainability programs. In today’s episode, we discuss carbon. Key points include: 01:37: An overview of carbon credits 06:27: The companies buying carbon credits 09:02: Carbon credit audits 13:38: Carbon offset interpretations 21:42: How the soil captures carbon 30:04: Carbon accounting 37:46: The international market for carbon offset Ali can be reached through his website at green_strategies.com or connect with him on LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Wed, March 10, 2021
375. Stacy Sifleet on Customer Value Strategy
Stacy Sifleet, an alum of A.T. Kearney, helps manufacturers, distributors and service-based companies improve their profit through targeted price strategy while providing customers with the services or products they want. She is here with me today to explain how she implements and improves customer value strategies. 01:34: How customer value applies to the B2B realm 07:54: Defining groups of customers by profitability 11:39: Communicating the tier status to the customer 16:34: Maintaining service levels across tiers 21:29: How an annual performance review adds value to a client You can email at stacy@pricingvelocity.com , visit her website, PricingVelocity.com, o r reach out on LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Tue, March 09, 2021
374. Tami Lucey on The Benefits of Booking through a Travel Agent
Tami Lucey is an independent travel consultant, or as she describes herself, “a worldwide business travel hassle remover.” We talk about her four decades of work as a corporate travel agent, how the industry has changed, and her focus on working with the entertainment industry and individual consultants. 02:06: The benefits of a personalized service 04:57: The limitations of Google search in booking travel 07:47: How Tami structures her fees 11:05: What’s included in Tami’s fees 15:12: What it means to join a host agency as an independent 21:17: Working with the entertainment industry Tami can be reached through the website, Corporate Travel – The Travel Society Host Agency Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Mon, March 08, 2021
373. How to collect fees on time
Lessons learned from collecting payment on over 1,500 invoices: 1. What to include in the contract 2. Questions to ask after the contract is signed 3. What to include on your invoice 4. How to follow up after sending your invoice Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn about our global community of independent management consultants, visit www.umbrex.com
Sun, March 07, 2021
372: Read Later with Instapaper and Pocket
You get an email with an article you want to read, but you don’t want to be distracted right then. The solution is a “read-later” app. The two most popular are Instapaper and Pocket. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Sat, March 06, 2021
371: Why It’s Important to Check Your Email Name
There are a few reasons why you should check how your email name appears to others, and in this short in-between-isode, I explain how it should be done in G-Suite and Microsoft. Key points include: -The professional impression -Search solutions Check this link to Gmail and Microsoft for more information. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Fri, March 05, 2021
370. Divya Agarwal on Transformation Projects
Divya Agarwal recently left McKinsey to become an independent consultant. At McKinsey Divya was an Associate Partner in Organization and Transformation. “Transformation” is a bit of a buzzword that can be hard to pin down. In today’s discussion, Divya explains what McKinsey means by the term, the types of transformation projects, and how to set up a successful transformation office. Key points include: 01:52: What McKinsey thinks of the term ‘transformation” 03:54: Most common types of transformation 08:14: Sanitized case examples of transformation projects 13:37: How to driving a broader transformation 19:01: Consolidating the learnings from focus group sessions 23:50: Capturing and using insights Divya can be contacted on LinkedIn . Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com.
Thu, March 04, 2021
369. Cactus Raazi on Personalized Pricing
Cactus Raazi is a former Managing Director at Goldman Sachs who has been a successful entrepreneur in credit trading. He is also the author of the recently published book Price: Maximizing Customer Loyalty Through Personalized Pricing . In today’s episode, Cactus shares his perspective on personalized pricing - and how he got his distinctive first name. Key points include: 06:05: Researching his book 08:30: Examples of personalized pricing 13:03: The value of personalized pricing 17:41: Ideal businesses for personalized pricing 20:53: How to communicate personalized pricing to the consumer 24:31: Using algorithms to differentiate the customer base You can contact Cactus through LinkedIn and order his book, Price: Maximizing Customer Loyalty Through Personalized Pricing , on Amazon. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Wed, March 03, 2021
368. 12 Favorite Problems
Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman had a trick of always maintaining a list of his twelve favorite problems. Anything new he learned he tested whether it could be used on any of those twelve, and he attributed his success to this technique. This episode gives a short overview of Feynman’s approach and how you can apply it. I learned of this tip from Tiago Forte's course, Building a Second Brain . Key points include: Richard Feynman’s path to becoming a genius The dormant state of ideas Passive problem solving Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Tue, March 02, 2021
367. Robyn Bolton on developing innovation within the organisation
Robyn Bolton is a leading innovation consultant. A BCG alum, she was a partner at Innosight, a top innovation consulting firm that was founded by Clayton Christensen. She has been an independent consultant focused on innovation since 2018. You can reach out to Robyn or follow her thought leadership blog on her website at milezero.io. Key points include: 01.03 How innovation differs from R&D 04.16 An example of innovation consulting for a sporting goods manufacturer’s business model 08.54 The diagnostic of the current state of innovation within the company 11.53 Categorizing each project on dimensions 16.56 Getting the project off the ground 25.32 Innovation that gets results 32.00 Venture teams as a strategy Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Mon, March 01, 2021
366. Kyle Sturgeon on turnarounds, bankruptcy, and restructuring
Kyle Sturgeon, an alum of Alvarez & Marsal and McKinsey, is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of MERU. He has led complex transformations and restructurings for companies across industries, with a focus in retail and consumer, healthcare, and materials. Today we discuss what’s involved with guiding a company through bankruptcy or restructuring. To find out more about Kyle’s company visit: wearemeru.com. Key points include: 00:58: The birth of Meru 04:32: Shutting down a $200,000 company 10:22: How to sell off inventory 17:06: How Kyle’s business model works 21:34: A restructuring project 22:47: The Tough Mudder case study 31:52: Orientation towards cash 41:30: The growth of Meru Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Sun, February 28, 2021
365. Questions to Ask Clients in First Discussion
In today’s weekend edition of Unleashed, I share a list of 20-25 questions that David A. Fields and I usually ask our clients during the initial conversation to help engage the client and secure the project. Key points include: Focusing on the client’s needs Understanding the scope of the project Understanding the client’s expected outcomes Insight into the internal team and the stakeholders involved
Sat, February 27, 2021
364. 21 Business Development Ideas for 2021
As independent consultants, we often look for ways on how to grow our business. In today’s episode, you’ll find a round up of 21 business development ideas that can help build your business this year. You’ll also find all the relevant links to Unleashed episodes where we explore these items in more detail. Create a portfolio of sanitized work (Episode 121) Create a project list (Episode 140) Update your LinkedIn profile (Episode 211) Set up a CRM system (Episode 172) Make outbound calls (Episode 170) Email a past client (“Would love to hear about your plans for the year”) Reach out to clients where you LOST a proposal, just to check in Update your resume (Episode 253) Ditch the yahoo, Gmail, AOL and get a professional email address Start a podcast and invite potential clients as guests (Episode 10) Comment on LinkedIn posts by potential clients Post 3-5 times per week on LinkedIn on the topic you want to be known for (Episode 235) Organize a virtual event Create, or update, your website (Episode 59) Create a course teaching some skill that a potential client might be looking for* (“How to organize an Integration Management Office”) Update your email signature to include your phone number (on the computer AND phone) Create – or refine – your Fishing Line (Episode 1) Ask past clients for feedback Build relationships with other independent consultants serving your niche Read The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients by David A. Fields Contact me at and sign up for weekly podcasts: unleashed@umbrex.com
Fri, February 26, 2021
363. Tekla Back on Nutrition - The Truth behind the Label
In this week’s episode, I talk to Tekla Back, McKinsey alum, former senior vice president of strategy at PepsiCo., and founder of the snack, Keho . Tekla reveals how she got into nutrition, the truth behind the nutritional labels, and how she developed the Keho snack bar. You can learn more about Tekla’s campaign on nutrition by emailing her at tekla@keho.life or visit her company website at keho.life . Key points include: 03:51: The problem with nutritional labels 05:34: The math behind recommended daily amounts 09:47: What you should know about cholesterol 12:53: The missing information on sugar 19:03: The factors influencing the FDA 22:37: The process of certifying a nutritional label 23:44: The impact the FDA has on changing what we eat
Thu, February 25, 2021
362. Get bad at something
While it's great to pursue excellence, there's a strong argument for getting bad at something. -- Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn about our global community of independent management consultants, visit www.umbrex.com
Wed, February 24, 2021
361. Seth Godin on Best Practices in Content Creation
I was inspired to launch Umbrex after reading Seth Godin’s book, Tribes. So, I am delighted to talk to him today. In this episode, Seth discusses his career trajectory, his books, his daily practices, his view on content marketing, and why he made the decision to avoid social media. I’m also giving away 100 copies of Seth’s new book, The Practice. To receive your free copy of The Practice while supplies last, fill in your name and address info on this form: http://bit.ly/ThePracticeGiveaway Key points Include: 04:10: How Seth creates a library of his experiences 07:17: What success looks like to Seth 08:29: How Seth curates and decides what content to consume 12:09: Seth’s views on mentors and heroes 15:20: The key to Seth’s productivity 19:08: Seth’s views on social media 26:07: A key insight on creating and distributing content 30:54: The advice Seth would give our leadership on how to market mask wearing to people that don't want to?
Tue, February 23, 2021
360. Rudra Chatterjee on Business in India
Rudra’s family has been growing tea for over 100 years. They have tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam in India, and in Rwanda. They also manufacture handmade carpets and furniture. He is also an adjunct professor in International Management Institute in Calcutta, and writes for several publications on history and business. Rudra can be reached through his website, RudraChatterjee.com. To find out more about his businesses, go to Luxmi Tea and Obeetee.com. Key points include: 06:51: Top recommended books 07:57: Online events with top economists 11:45: ESG priorities in business 18:16: The elimination of child labor 21:49: Running the family business 27:17: Examples of consulting recommendations that did not work with personal business experience 31:07: The caste system 34:42: How the caste system frustrates progress or impedes Rudra as a business person 36:59: COVID in India
Mon, February 22, 2021
359. James Carbary - B2B Podcast Best Practices
James Carbary is the founder, executive producer, and co-host of Sweet Fish Media, a company that produces podcasts for B2B brands. Today, he shares his expertise on creating, distributing, and getting the most mileage out of your podcast. Key points include: 01:28: Tips on how to create a great B2B podcast 07:07: The naming philosophy of a podcast 10:33: Common mistakes people make when setting up a B2B podcast 14:37: How to make it a memorable experience for the guest 16:59: Sourcing freelancers to create micro videos 18:13: Turning the podcast into a blog post 23:54: Implementing keywords 30:24: The services Sweet Fish Media provides 35:48: A strategy to get more listeners Check out James’ company Sweetfishmedia.com or connect to him through LinkedIn.
Sun, February 21, 2021
358. Create a target list of employers or clients
In this short episode of Unleashed, I share a process that I use in my consulting practice and have found to be hugely valuable for both myself and my clients. Key points include: Creating categories of companies The power of the list Identifying the missing gems
Sat, February 20, 2021
357. Identify Your Core Network
In this short episode of Unleashed, I share a few valuable ideas taken from David A. Fields and his book, The Irresistible Consultants' Guide to Winning Clients, which I highly recommend, to help identify your core group. Key points include: Creating a master list Segmenting groups Identifying the weak ties
Fri, February 19, 2021
356. Daryl Tulimieri on Recruiting and Team Building
Daryl Tulimieri is a McKinsey alum. He has been at Owens Corning, and GLG, where he helped create and grow a group. Darryl is currently an independent consultant and Umbrex member, and he advises on M&A. But today Daryl is sharing his experience in recruiting and building a team in different contexts. Daryl can be contacted at dtulimieri@ligeradvisors.com or through LinkedIn . You can visit his website at LigerAdvisors.com. Key points include: 02:56: What it's like to participate in recruiting and how it's structured at a large consulting firm 06:23: Daryl’s role at Owens, Corning and what sort of team members he recruited and how it was a different story 10:15: An overview of strategic marketing 13:55: How to evaluate skill sets to identify the applicant who would be successful in a role 17:11: How to get the input to inform your decisions 19:04: Recruiting and building a team at GLG 25:29: The recruiting sales pitch 30:56: The time involved in recruiting 34:57: The work Daryl is doing today
Thu, February 18, 2021
355. J.Andrew McKee on How to Get Better at What You Do
In a weekly email to Unleashed subscribers in the fall of 2019, I asked, "What you are doing this fall to get better at what you do?" Umbrex member J. Andrew McKee sent me the following extraordinary response, and I asked him to be a guest on the show to discuss. To learn more about Andrew's consulting practice (which we don't discuss), visit: HeadlandStrategy.com. Here is Andrew's answer on what he is doing to get better at what he does: New: Resumed saxophone practice 2-4 times a week, with a goal to resume performing in a narrow (muse-inspired) set of genres by 2021. I may also get a teacher if I can sustain through Q1 (9 months ongoing!) Hired a change coach with psychology and spiritual training to help me vision an inspiring growth trajectory for my consulting business while balancing writing and family priorities Teaching more private webinars and a university course (one 3-hour module) (me and my staff) Teaching more lunch and learns to our growing staff Doing Zoom hip hop dance classes with my daughters (Michael Peele!) Sending more emotionally vulnerable emails to my close guy friends about the ups and downs of life, and having more 1:1 phone calls where I stop beating around the bush Protecting occasional afternoons for 3-4 hour hikes with masks with longtime friends Calling my father more regularly (Q2 weeks) Resuming a meditation practice after I intentionally let it lapse on behalf of first protecting a full night of sleep, and now that our youngest child is out of diapers and I can manage 10-20 minutes per day. Planning to hire an HR consultant to help us build behaviors to learn new knowledge and skills into a broader sense of "performance review" than is typically done. I would also like to align this with peer-encouraged deliberate practice. We are also noodling on hiring an expert for certain skills (e.g., market research interviews), and having them work with us like a coach (pre- and post-game feedback). Added volunteer programs to mentor students at a historically black university, including mock interview practice, career advice, help with career connections, and so on. Sustained: </p
Wed, February 17, 2021
354. Philipp Humm on Ethos. Pathos. Logos. The foundations of a good story
Philipp Humm is a storytelling coach who teaches how to apply the fundamentals of storytelling to sales, marketing, management and connecting with your business audience. Philipp on LinkedIn or learn more from his website, power-of-storytelling.com Key points include: 03:41: Why storytelling matters to consultants 06:03: What makes a compelling story 07:24: Six elements of story 13:33: Who approaches Andrew and how he helps them 15:27: Situations where storytelling can help 16:59: Tips on creating, preparing, and practicing storytelling
Tue, February 16, 2021
353. Jonah Gruda on Choosing the Right Entity Type for Your Practice
A common question independent consultants ask is what type of entity they should use to establish their practice. In this episode, Jonah Gruda reviews the most relevant aspects of the five types of entities that are most commonly considered: Sole proprietorship Partnership Limited Liability Company S-Corporation C-Corporation For each entity type, Jonah reviews: Formation requirements Liability Exposure Taxation at the entity level Tax rates Tax reporting <span style= "font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubunt
Mon, February 15, 2021
352. Jeffery Perry on Building an Independent Practice after Retirement
After years of professional work experience, how do you leverage your knowledge and put it to good use? After a 30-year career as a global strategic business advisor, including 20-years combined as partner at Ernst & Young (EY) and A.T. Kearney, Jeffery Perry decided to found Lead Mandates where, as an independent advisor, he helps organizations improve business and leadership performance. Today, he shares how his experience helped him reach out, connect, and communicate when starting his independent consulting practice. Learn more about Jeffery’s company at www.LeadMandate.com . He can be reached through LinkedIn or connect through Twitter . Key points include: 01:46: The strategic steps to building the practice with intention 05:28: The many reasons to serve on a board 09:06: Preparing for the career transition 11:48: Leveraging connections and reputation 15:59: Establishing a pipeline of opportunities 17:09 Joining the board of Fortune Brands 27:38: Establishing multi-dimensional purpose 34:45: A summary of Jeffery’s professional experience
Fri, February 12, 2021
351. Kian Beyzavi on Digital Health: What it is and why it matters
Kian Beyzavi , a Venture Partner at Cota Capital , is a seasoned leader in the life sciences. After several years of consulting at McKinsey & Company, a couple of stints as a venture investor and a software entrepreneur, she worked in senior leadership positions at medical device and pharma companies for 10 years. Her recent consulting work is mainly focused on innovation in life sciences, leveraging digital health, patient engagement, services, devices, and diagnostics. Kian holds a PhD in electrical engineering/applied physics from Princeton University, and she has worked Asia, the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Today she provides insight into the digital health industry, what it is, what it offers, where it’s going and how it is changing the interaction between patient, doctor, and health information. Kian can be contacted through LinkedIn. Key points include: 02:02: How people interact with digital health through wearables 05:23: Technology to monitor neurodegenerative disease 10:19: The various categories of digital health 15:06: The main three drivers in digital health 22:57: How regulation is changing 24:26: Kian’s background 33:03: Investing in the digital health industry Kian Beyzavi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kian-beyzavi-phd-36b1b5/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To inquire about joining the Umbrex community of independent management consultants, visit www.umbrex.com Unleashed is hosted by Will Bachman. Send Will an email at: unleashed@umbrex.com
Thu, February 11, 2021
350. Daniel Tunkelang - In-depth Insight into Search Relevance & Query
Daniel Tunkelang, one of the top search relevance consultants in the United States. He is a data science and engineering executive who has built and led some of the strongest teams in the software industry, including Google. Daniel was a founding employee and chief scientist of Endeca, a search pioneer that Oracle acquired for $1.1B. He was also director of data science and engineering at LinkedIn, and he studied computer science and math at MIT and has a PhD in computer science from CMU. So when it comes to understanding how search engines work and search queries, Daniel knows what he’s talking about. Today, he shares insights on how search works and how to make it work for you. You can read more about all things search on Daniel’s blogs at QueryUnderstanding.com , or, if you need expert consultation, reach out to him on LinkedIn . Key points include: 04:08: How search engines match content to search queries 09:23: How big companies search functions differ from smaller companies 12:21: The search problems companies experience and solutions offered 21:18: The surprising measures companies have used when compiling search data 25:32: How Daniel approaches search data investigation 32:27: Understanding search for staffing situations 36:35: Behind the scenes of LinkedIn’s search function 44:31: How to conduct effective search queries
Wed, February 10, 2021
349. Richard Steel on the New ESG Business Paradigm
Richard Steel is an entrepreneur, investor, and the author of Elevated Economics, How Conscious Consumers will Fuel the Future of Business. He explains how corporations are moving forward with socially responsible business strategies to meet the demands of stakeholders, with a specific focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Key Points Include: 0:40 - The tectonic shift in investing 02:52 - The total value of ESG assets 03:50 – The next generation of wealth migration 09:30 - Business Roundtable’s new statement of the purpose of a corporation. 13:33 - Corporations zero emissions goals 16:40 - The role ESG plays in the company 20:27 - How the conscious consumer finds ESG information Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, the fastest way to find the right independent management consultant for your project. Learn more at www.umbrex.com
Tue, February 09, 2021
348. Mike Sarraille on how great organizations win on talent
Mike Sarraille is a former Recon Marine and retired US Navy SEAL officer with twenty years of experience in Special Operations, including the elite Joint Special Operations Command. He is also the co-author of The Talent War: How Special Operations and Great Organizations Win on Talent . Today, Mike Sarraille is the CEO and founder of of EF Overwatch, an executive search and talent advisory firm, and Talent War Group, a leadership and business management group. In this episode Mike shares his perspective on how to identify and attract top talent. Learn more about Mike's firm EF Overwatch: https://www.efoverwatch.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, the fastest way to find the right independent management consultant for your project. Learn more at www.umbrex.com
Fri, February 05, 2021
347. How to accept payment by credit card
Generally you probably prefer to get paid via ACH or wire transfer, but some clients want to pay using a credit card. Today was my first time accepting a payment for consulting services by credit card, and in this episode I walk you through my experience. I used Stripe to actually collect the payment. To learn about how Umbrex can help connect you with other independent management consultants, visit www.umbrex.com
Wed, January 20, 2021
346. Formal communications as practiced in the Nuclear Navy
Have you ever asked someone to do a task, and they agree, only later to find that they didn't understand exactly what you were asking for? In this short episode, I share how the Nuclear Navy uses formal communications to ensure that orders don't get garbled. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn about how we can help your firm find the right independent management consultant for your project needs, visit www.umbrex.com
Tue, January 19, 2021
345. Setting the strategy for your podcast or blog
If you are setting up a podcast or blog, here are strategic questions to consider. Question 1 is discussed in Episode 344, and Questions 2-5 discussed in this episode. 1. What is my objective? (Covered in Episode 344) 2. Who is my target audience? 3. What content does that audience want? 4. What will be the format of my podcast or blog? 5. What should I name my podcast or blog?
Mon, January 18, 2021
344. Identify the reasons why you are creating content
If you are planning to create content on a regular basis, it is worth your time to get explicit - at least with yourself - on your objectives. Are you trying to learn about a topic? Build relationships? Build an audience? Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn more about how Umbrex connects independent management consultants with one another, visit www.umbrex.com
Wed, January 13, 2021
343. Agnes Kunkel on 2023
After COVID started, Umbrex member Dr. Agnes Kunkel started the 2023 Podcast, interviewing experts for their take on what life will be like in the year 2023. Check out all the episodes of the 2023 Podcast at: https://20-23.earth/ Dr. Kunkel is an expert in negotiations. To learn about her consulting and training practice, visit: https://dr-kunkel.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn more about how Umbrex can help your firm find the right independent management consultant, visit www.umbrex.com
Tue, January 12, 2021
342. Robert Lachenauer on family-owned businesses
Rob Lachenaur is the co-author of The Harvard Business Review Family Business Handbook: How to Build and Sustain a Successful, Enduring Enterprise ( Amazon) Rob is a former BCG Partner and the CEO of Banyan Global, a consulting firm focused on serving family-owned businesses. Learn more about Banyan Global at: https://banyan.global/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn how Umbrex can connect you with the right independent management consultant for your project visit: www.umbrex.com
Mon, January 11, 2021
341. Tom Libelt on how to promote an online course
Tom Libelt runs Smart Brand Marketing, and one of their main services is helping creators to promote their online courses. In this episode, Tom shares tips on how to create a marketing funnel to sell your course, and also shares advice on which platforms to use to create your course. Learn more about Tom's firm at: https://smartbrandmarketing.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn more about how Umbrex can help your organization find the right independent management consultant for your projects, visit www.umbrex.com
Mon, November 09, 2020
340. Helio Fred Garcia on crisis management
Helio Fred Garcia is a writer, speaker, educator, and consultant on the topic of crisis communications and crisis management. Fred will be leading a live, interactive training session as part of the Umbrex Presents series, November 12, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. EST. Register free here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqf-qoqzkvGdVyug7Z8KScb8wDRIil51vc After November 12, email unleashed@umbrex.com to get a link to a recording of the webinar. Fred leads Logos Consulting Group. Learn more about his consulting firm here: https://logosconsulting.net/ And follow Fred on Twitter: https://twitter.com/garciahf Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. Learn more about this global community of top-tier independent management consultants at: https://www.umbrex.com/
Fri, October 30, 2020
339. Joe McCann on tools for healthcare market research
Joe McCann is the CEO and Co-Founder of Slingshot Insights, a healthcare-focused research firm with an interesting model: they allow you to interview leading experts by splitting the cost with others. Joe also runs Truth on Call, a firm that conducts custom surveys of physicians and other healthcare providers. Learn more at: https://slingshotinsights.com/ https://www.truthoncall.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Thu, October 29, 2020
338. Mark Newsom focuses on managed care
Mark Newsom is the Founder of Health Evaluations, LLC, which focuses on business strategy, operations, and policy in the government health programs space. Mark brings a powerful set of experiences to his practice. 1) Executive branch: Mark has served two stints at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 2) Legislative branch: Mark worked in the Congressional Research Service, serving as a senior health policy advisor during the passage of the Affordable Care Act 3) Industry experience: Mark has held executive level public policy roles at CVS Health and Humana. Follow up with Mark on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markanewsom/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Wed, October 28, 2020
337. Gresham Harkless Jr on building his media agency
Gresham Harkless Jr is the founder of Blue 16 Media, which provides website design, social media, SEO services for entrepreneurs, startups and business owners. He's also the Founder of CEO Blog Nation and a podcast host. Learn more about all of his ventures at: https://iamgresh.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Tue, October 20, 2020
336. Betsy Seals on the managed care industry
Betsy Seals is a recognized leader in the managed care industry. She is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Rebellis Group, where the members have decades of experience in health plan, pharmacy benefit manager, and goverment consulting experience. In this episode, Betsy provides an overview of the managed care universe in the U.S. Learn more about Rebellis Group at https://www.rebellisgroup.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex which connects top-tier independent professionals with one another. Learn more at https://www.umbrex.com/
Wed, October 14, 2020
335. Dan Biederman rethinks urban environments
Dan Biederman was the driving force behind the redevelopment of Bryant Park in New York City and the creation of the 34th Street Partnership and Grand Central Partnership. Millions of New York City residents and visitors have visited from his efforts to rethink the urban environment. In this episode, Dan shares stories of what it took to make the Bryan Park Redevelopment a reality. We also discuss the work that his firm does in other cities across the country. To learn more about Dan's firm, visit: https://www.brvcorp.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which connects you with the world's top independent management consultants. To learn more, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/
Tue, October 13, 2020
334. Jason Sanders, top executive recruiter, shares career tips for consultants
Jason Sanders is the Managing Director of Flycast, which provides experienced talent to specialty consulting practices and top global firms. To learn more about Flycast, visit: http://www.flycastllc.com/
Mon, October 12, 2020
333. David Goldstein demonstrates the power of Mekko Graphics
David Goldstein is the founder of Mekko Graphics, a plug-in to PowerPoint that gives you charting superpowers. Mekko Graphics is a popular tool among many management consultants, particularly at Bain. In this video episode, David shows the range of charts that Mekko can create and demonstrates how to use the tool. To learn more visit: https://www.mekkographics.com/ Mekko Graphics was acquired by insightsoftware in 2020.
Mon, September 28, 2020
332. John Joseph on robotic process automation for SMBs
John Joseph is a Co-Founder of White Swan Automation, a firm that helps small and medium business implement robotic process automation. Learn more at: https://www.whiteswanautomation.com/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn more visit www.umbrex.com
Sun, September 27, 2020
331. Susan Harte on how corporate site selection works
Susan Harte has deep experience as a site selection consultant, helping companies choose where to place their next headquarters, contact center, distribution facility, or factory. In this episode, Susan shares an insider's view of the site selection process. Connect with Susan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-harte-esq-mcr-2002a04/ Unleashed is hosted by Will Bachman and produced by Umbrex. Learn more at www.umbrex.com
Sat, September 26, 2020
330. Robert Glazer on how to build your capacity
Robert Glazer has an incredible portfolio career: Founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, a leading affiliate marketing agency Keynote speaker Best-selling author Find out more at https://www.robertglazer.com/ In this episode we discuss Glazer's latest ways to build four areas of your capacity: Spiritual Capacity, Physical Capacity, Intellectual Capacity, and Emotional Capacity. Our discussion centers around his latest book: Friday Forward: Inspiration & Motivation to End Your Week Stronger Than it Started Check out my previous discussion with Glazer, Episode 262 of this show, in which we discussed his last book: Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others
Wed, September 23, 2020
329. Jeffrey Fidelman on serving the lower mid-market on strategy and operations
Jeffrey Fidelman started as a solo consultant in 2015. He had more demand than he could handle, so he hired a couple freelancers, and then saw more demand, and engaged more support. Fast forward to 2020, and Fidelman & Company has 30 employees. Fidelman & Co. serves primarily lower-mid-market firms, i.e., those with revenues in the $1 - 100 million range. In this episode, Jeffrey discusses three of his core service lines: - Outbound growth - Supporting fundraising - Documenting operating policies and procedures to support business continuity Learn more about Jeffrey's firm at: https://www.fidelmanco.com/ Follow up with Jeffrey directly at: jeffrey@fidelmanco.com The Unleashed podcast is produced by Umbrex. Learn more at: www.umbrex.com
Tue, September 22, 2020
328. Jeff Wald on the end of jobs
Jeff Wald is the Founder of Work Market, an enterprise software platform that enables companies to efficiently and compliantly organize, manage, and pay freelancers (purchased by ADP). Follow Jeff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffreyWald Jeff has founded several other technology companies including Spinback (eventually sold to Salesforce). He is an active angel investor and startup advisor, as well as serving on numerous public and private Boards of Directors. Jeff was a Managing Director at hedge fund Barington Capital and started his career at JP Morgan. Jeff has an MBA from Harvard University and a MS and BS from Cornell University. Jeff is the author of The Birthday Rules and the upcoming book, The End of Jobs: The Rise of On-Demand Workers and Agile Corporations. Jeff was named “One of the 100 Most Influential People in Staffing” by the Staffing Industry Analysts in 2017 and 2018.
Mon, September 21, 2020
327. Deb Zahn teaches the craft of consulting
Deb Zahn is an experienced healthcare management consultant who coaches professionals interested in transitioning into consulting. On her website she has a wealth of resources to help get started with your own consulting practice: https://www.craftofconsulting.com/start-here Also, check out Deb's podcast: Craft of Consulting https://www.craftofconsulting.com/podcasts
Sun, September 20, 2020
326. Laura Gariepy on getting started as a freelance writer
Laura Gariepy left a corporate job and set up as a freelance writer. Within a year, her income as a freelance writer matched her former corporate salary. Laura continues to work as a freelance writer and also serves as a coach to other writers seeking to make the leap to freelance. Visit her site at: https://www.everydaybythelake.com/
Sat, September 19, 2020
325. Melanie Espeland on executive voice coaching
Melanie Espeland is a McKinsey alum, independent management consultant, voice actor, and executive voice coach. In this episode, Melanie walks me through two sample voice exercises that she often uses when coaching executives - and you can follow along at home. If you are listening to this episode before September 24, you can register for a free Umbrex-sponsored webinar Melanie is leading from 12-1 p.m. EST that day. Sign up here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwocO-uqzgtGtY1meKqLMzVSV8f56unIJcs If you miss the webinar, email us at unleashed@umbrex.com and we'll send you a link to a recording. Definitely check out the website of Melanie's firm, where you can learn more about her voice coaching and hear her demo real, with clips from commercials she has done for the iPhone, Macy's, Claritin, Nob Creek, Lexus, and more. https://www.espelandenterprises.com/executive-voice-coaching
Fri, September 18, 2020
324. Daniel Vassallo on building - and monetizing - a Twitter following
Daniel Vasallo left a great job at Amazon in February 2019 with the idea of working independently. He thought about building a product, but decided that he first ought to build an audience, so he set out to learn Twitter. From a base of a couple hundred followers 18 months agao, @dvassallo now has over 44K followers. He wrote a technical book on Amazon Web Services that generated over $100K in revenue. And then he created a guide on how to build a Twitter following, "Everyone Can Build a Twitter Audience," based on his own experience - that guide has also grossed over $100K. After I spoke with Daniel I purchased his Twitter course and I recommend it. Purchase it on Gumroad here: https://dvassallo.gumroad.com/ And do follow Daniel on Twitter at @dvassallo
Thu, September 17, 2020
323. Dan Daughterty explains Sounder.fm, a podcast platform focused on discovery
Dan Daugherty is the Co-Founder and COO of Sounder.fm, a podcast platform for creators focused on growth and discovery. In this episode, Dan describes the features of Sounder.fm, including FREE HOSTING for shows with under 20K streams per month. Sounder provides in-stream audible search, soundbite audio share, basic transcriptions, and other tools not available with other podcast syndication tools. Check them out at https://sounder.fm/
Wed, September 16, 2020
322. Lemon Williams on how to write quality compliance documentation
Lemon Williams is a cyber security and operational risk management professional with extensive multi-industry experience establishing sustainable cyber security programs for the public and private sector applying leading industry processes and regulatory standards including Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX), North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP), Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) among others. In this episode we discuss the book he recently published: How-To Write Quality Compliance Documentation: Policy and Setting the Tone for Controlling Process. On Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08C96QRDH/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_MMoaFbW785DAQ Lemon is the Founder of The Ionado Group, and you can learn more about his work here: https://www.ionadogroup.com/
Tue, September 15, 2020
321. Sarah Preisser on talent management
Sarah Preisser spent twenty years at Accenture, twelve of those in talent strategy roles. In 2019, Sarah founded Mindset Talent, which specializes in strengthening the organizational capacity and capabilities of business, public and non-profit organizations by igniting the power of their teams. In this episode, Sarah shares lessons about talent management that are useful to any management consultant. Learn more about Sarah's firm at: https://www.mindsettalent.com/
Mon, September 14, 2020
320. Kit Lisle on conducting commercial due diligence for private equity firms
Kit Lisle is a Partner at Acclaro Growth Partners, a research-based strategy consulting firm that serves private equity firms and their portfolio companies. In this episode, Kit shares insights on conducting commercial due diligence projects. Learn more about Acclaro Growth Partners at: https://acclaropartners.com/
Sun, September 13, 2020
319. Jeff Gothelf on how to let your next job find you
Jeff Gothelf is a leading expert on digital transformation an business agility. He is a keynote speaker, consultant, and the author of four books. In today's episode we focus on his latest book, Forever Employable: How to Stop Looking For Work and Let Your Next Job Find You. Learn more about Jeff's work and sign up for his newsletter at: https://jeffgothelf.com/
Mon, August 31, 2020
318. Avy Punwasee shares a pricing case study
Avy Punwasee is a Partner at Revenue Management Labs, which helps clients develop practical pricing solutions that deliver sustainable revenue and profit growth. In this episode, Avy walks me through a detailed case study of a pricing project for an aftermarket auto parts manufacturer. Learn more about Revenue Management Labs on their website: https://revenueml.com/
Tue, August 18, 2020
317. Paddy Padmanabhan on digital transformation in healthcare
Paddy Padmanabhan is the founder of Damo Consulting, which provides digital transformation advisory services to enable healthcare organizations navigate the technology-enabled transition to telehealth and virtual care. Paddy is also the author of two books: 1) The Big Unlock: Harnessing Data and Growing Digital Health Businesses in a Value-Based Care Era and 2) Healthcare Digital Transformation: How Consumerism, Technology and Pandemic are Accelerating the Future (HIMSS Book Series) Learn more about Paddy's work at: https://www.damoconsulting.net/
Wed, August 12, 2020
316. Diane Hamilton on removing the barriers to curiosity
Dr. Diane Hamilton is the creator of the Curiosity Code Index, which helps you understand the things that might influence how much you embrace your natural curiosity. In this episode we discuss Diane's work helping clients develop action plans to remove the roadblocks to curiosity at work. Learn more about Diane's work at: https://drdianehamilton.com/
Tue, August 04, 2020
315. Trond Undheim on the aftermath of the pandemic
Trond Arne Undheim is a futurist, speaker, entrepreneur and former director of MIT Startup Exchange, based outside of Boston. He has accelerated four unicorns and helped launch over 50 startups. In this episode we discuss his latest book, the 450-page Pandemic Aftermath, which he wrote between February and April of this year. Visit Trond's website: https://trondundheim.com/ Check out his podcast, Futurized https://trondundheim.com/podcast/ And buy Pandemic Aftermath on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0894QJWW3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
Mon, August 03, 2020
314. Bethel Desmond on business storytelling
Bethel Desmond is the Founder of The Content Corp and former Chief Storytelling at IBM Global Business Services. In this episode, she shares tips on how to use stories to engage customers. Learn more about Bethel's work at: https://www.thecontentcorp.org/
Tue, July 28, 2020
313. Hannah Berson on using Mural to facilitate workshops
Hannah Berson is the Founder of SALT Collaboratory, a boutique consulting firm that relies heavily on the methods of design thinking. In this video episode, Hannah provides a introduction to Mural, a digital workspace for collaboration. Mural is a powerful tool and their collection of templates is an amazing set of frameworks worth studying. Learn more about Hannah's work at: https://www.saltcollaboratory.com/
Mon, July 27, 2020
312. Lee Frederiksen on growth drivers for professional services firms
Lee Frederiksen is the Managing Partner of Hinge, a branding and marketing firm that focuses on serving professional services firms. In today's episode, Lee shares key insights from the High Growth Study 2020 conducted by Hinge, which includes results from 1,000 professional services firms around the globe. An executive summary of this study is available free at: https://hingemarketing.com/library/article/2020-high-growth-study-executive-summary
Tue, July 21, 2020
311. Rachel Weingarten on her journey from celebrity makeup artist to beauty historian
Rachel Weingarten is a marketing and brand strategist, journalist, copywriter, beauty historian, and - in her words, a 'skillionaire.' Read more about Rachel on her website: https://rachelsfaves.com/about-rachels-faves/ Follow Rachel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rachelcw
Wed, July 15, 2020
310. Kim Calichio on feeding 700 families per week during the pandemic
Kim Calichio is a chef and educator. When the pandemic shut down NYC, she realized there were many New Yorkers who would not be eligible for government assistance and who would be going hungry. She set up Lifelife Grocery, which buys groceries from wholesale restaurant suppliers and involves volunteers to pack and deliver the groceries to 700 families per week. You can support this effort and feed a family for $35 per week by donating here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lifeline-food-packages-for-families Visit the website for Kim's firm, The Connected Chef, here: https://theconnectedchef.com/
Tue, July 07, 2020
309. Stephen Wunker on understanding jobs to be done
Steve Wunker worked closely with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen, who first popularized the concept of "jobs to be done." After serving for over five years as a Senior Partner at Innosight, the consulting firm founded by Christensen, in 2009 Steve started his own firm, New Markets Advisors. In 2017, Steve co-authored the book Jobs to be Done: A Roadmap for Customer-Centered Innovation. In this episode, Steve provides an overview of the Jobs to be Done approach. For more info on Jobs to be Done visit: https://www.newmarketsadvisors.com/jobs-to-be-done-book.html For more info on New Markets Advisors visit: https://www.newmarketsadvisors.com/
Mon, July 06, 2020
308. Sree Sreenivasan on creating world-class virtual events
Sree Sreenivasan has been the Chief Digital Officer at Columbia University, New York City, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is considered one of the most influential people in social media. We cover many topics in this episode, including the work of Sree's firm Digimentors, which produces world-class virtual events. https://digimentors.group/ Sree mentions the course he developed for Muck Rack on Fundamentals of Social Media. Check it out here: https://academy.muckrack.com/ During the COVID-19 crisis, Sree is hosting a daily, global conversation with experts: http://bit.ly/sreecovid19call How to follow Sree: Sign up for Sree's Sunday Note newsletter with tech, social and life tips: http://bit.ly/sreenote. Join his FB Group, Sree's Advanced Social Media: http://bit.ly/sreefbadvanced His NYT guide to social media: http://bit.ly/nyt2017 His five TEDx talks: http://bit.ly/sreetedxvideos Twitter: @sree: http://twitter.com/sree Instagram: @sreenet: http://instagram.com/sreenet
Sat, July 04, 2020
307. The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence Read by: Amada Soto Alejandra Bachman Sarah Sonnenfeld Naomi Soto Rosina Samadani Stacy Gilstrap Roopa Unnikrishnan Aparna Mukherjee Veronica Bachman Alejandra Campos Nancy Bachman Leah Burnett Esther Kim Surbhee Grover Julie Gupta Julie Mallozzi Maya Dijkstra Katherine Mechner Marissa Cherian Nayla Bahri Soyini Coke Lilly Minkove Evie Hantzopoulos Susie Chang DeVelde Sonia Dijkstra Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska Rebecca Tushnet Susmita Pati Tere Riera-Carrion B.B. Banful Margarita Soto Video editor: Samuel Bachman Producer: Will Bachman
Tue, June 30, 2020
306. Kwame Christian shares three steps to resolve conflicts
Kwame Christian, the Founder and Director of the American Negotiation Institute, is an expert in mediation and conflict resolution, serving a range of corporate and government clients. Links: American Negotiation Institute: https://americannegotiationinstitute.com/ Kwame is the author of Nobody Will Play With Me: Using Compassionate Curiosity to Find Confidence in Conflict https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Will-Play-Compassionate-Confidence/dp/0578414368/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=nobody+will+play+with+me&qid=1593376796&sr=8-1 See Kwame's TEDxDayton talk "Finding Confidence in Conflict" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Zg65eK9XU&t=11s
Mon, June 29, 2020
305. Cyrus Massoumi, founder of ZocDoc, shares four keys to a successful startup
Cyrus Massoumi is one of the three founders of ZocDoc, an online medical care appointment booking service that has raised over $280 million in funding and currently has roughly 600 employees. Cyrus has stepped down from his role as CEO of ZocDoc. In this episode, he shares the three pillars of his current activities: 1) Philanthropy 2) His efforts to solve the problem of "lost," manifested in a new company he founded, Shadow, which has an app that helps reunite lost dogs with their owners: https://shadowapp.com/ 3) Investing along with his partner through their fund Humbition
Sun, June 28, 2020
304. Davis Nguyen on how to get a consulting firm offer
David Nguyen is the Founder of My Consulting Offer, a firm that helps experienced professionals and students get job offers from the top management consulting firms. In this episode, David shares his firm's process, and what explains how his firm manages to help 85% of its clients get an offer from a top firm. To learn more, visit: https://www.myconsultingoffer.org/
Sat, June 27, 2020
303. Nick Kane on sales training best practices
Nick Kane is a Managing Partner at Janek Performance Group, which provides sales training, coaching, and consulting. Learn more about Janek Performance Group at: https://www.janek.com/
Fri, June 26, 2020
302. Srikumar Rao on using mental models to achieve an extraordinary life
Srikumar Rao developed the groundbreaking course "Creativity and Personal Mastery" at Columbia Business School, which I had the good fortune to take in 2003. It is the only business school course in the world with its own active alumni association - including annual retreats for CPM alums. Srikumar has taught this course at other top business schools and delivered a program based on the course to many corporate clients. He is running an online program that is currently taking applications: https://theraoinstitute.com/cpm-online-2020/ He is the author of two books: 1) Are YOU Ready to Succeed?: Unconventional Strategies for Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life 2) Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful - No Matter What In this episode, Srikumar discusses several mental models, including: "Good thing, bad thing, who knows?" and "Don't shoot the second arrow."
Wed, June 24, 2020
301. Jim Peters, COO of Rite Aid, on leading during the pandemic
Jim Peters is the Chief Operating Officer at Rite Aid, which is number 150 on the Fortune 500, with $21.7 billion in revenue in 2019. For the three years prior to joining Rite Aid, Jim ran his own boutique consulting firm serving healthcare and life sciences companies. In this episode, Jim discusses the steps Rite Aid has taken during the coronavirus epidemic to keep its employees and customers safe. Jim also covers the innovation initiatives Rite Aid has underway, including steps to help pharmacists operate at the top of their license. For more on Rite Aid, download this 2020 Investor Day presentation: https://www.riteaid.com/content/dam/riteaid-web/corporate/investor-relations/analyst-day/20200316_Rite_Aid_Analyst_Day_Presentation.pdf
Tue, June 23, 2020
300. Tim DeRoche on how attendance zones keep most American kids out of the best public schools
Umbrex member and McKinsey alum Tim DeRoche is an independent management consultant, a screenwriter, an award-winning novelist and a non-fiction writer. In Episode 66 of Unleashed, Tim discussed his novel Huck and Miguel, a re-imaging of the story of Huck Finn, set in modern-day Los Angeles. In today's episode, Tim discusses his latest (non-fiction) book, A Fine Line: How most American kids are kept out of the best public schools. Learn more about Tim: https://timderoche.com/a-fine-line/
Mon, June 22, 2020
299. Michael Niczyporuk on innovation in the payments industry
Michael Niczyporuk, currently SVP of Global Product Strategy at Visa, has been the Chief Strategy Officer at USAA, the Global Head of Strategy at Citi FinTech and Digital Payments, and the Head of Strategy for Digital at Capital One. In this episode, Michael draws on his broad experience across digital financial services to discuss innovation in the payments industry.
Sun, June 21, 2020
298. Alan Iny shares practical tips to unleash creativity in your business
Alan Iny is the Global Lead for Creativity and Scenarios at Boston Consulting Group, and the co-author of Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity. In this episode, Alan shares practical tips to unleash creativity in your business. Follow Alan on Twitter: @Alan_Iny Alan's bio at BCG: https://www.bcg.com/en-us/about/people/experts/alan-iny.aspx Check out Alan's book: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-New-Boxes-Paradigm-Creativity/dp/0812992954/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TUCBZAF10VEY&dchild=1&keywords=thinking+in+new+boxes&qid=1592407024&sprefix=thinking+in+new+boxes%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-1
Sat, June 20, 2020
297. Jamie Head on driving innovation at a leading agricultural cooperative
Jamie Head is the Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries, which is an agricultural cooperative with over 700 member growers. The cooperative accounts for over 70% of North American cranberry production. In this episode, Jamie discusses innovations that are underway at this leading global producer. To learn more about Ocean Spray (and find plenty of recipes), visit: https://www.oceanspray.com/
Fri, June 19, 2020
296. Eli Diament on how to conduct a high-quality B2B survey
McKinsey alum Eli Diament is the Founder and Director of Azurite Consulting, which specializes in conducting B2B surveys that require high volumes of niche B2B buyers, decision makers, and product users. In this episode, Eli discusses the principles behind constructing a B2B survey that will yield useful insights, and some of the issues to be mindful of when engaging a survey firm. Learn more about Azurite Consulting at: https://www.azuriteconsulting.com/
Thu, June 18, 2020
295. Matt McDonald of Hamilton Place Strategies on how public affairs consulting firms operate
Matt McDonald, a Partner at Hamilton Place Strategies, was recently named one of 38 "Power Players in Consulting" by Business Insider. In this episode, Matt explains how public affairs consulting firms operate. Learn more about Hamilton Place Strategies at: https://www.hamiltonplacestrategies.com/about/
Wed, June 17, 2020
294. Dan Goldman on leading a strategy team during the pandemic
Dan Goldman is the Global Head of Strategy at The North Face. In this episode, he provides his perspective on leading a strategy team during the pandemic. https://www.thenorthface.com/
Tue, June 16, 2020
293. Ken Cloke shares the principles of conflict resolution
Ken Cloke is a leading global expert on conflict resolution and the author of over a dozen books. In this episode, Ken shares the principles of conflict resolution, and how he became a pioneer in the field. Learn more about Ken on his website: https://www.kencloke.com/about
Mon, June 15, 2020
292. Brian Ahearn on the principles of influence
Brian Ahearn has been certified by Robert Cialdini to teach his influence methodology. Through keynote speeches, coaching, and training sessions, Brian helps professionals understand the full set of influence tools. If you have a premium LinkedIn account, check out his LinkedIn Learning courses: Persuasive Selling, Persuasive Coaching and Persuading Different Personality Styles Learn more about Brian's work at his firm's website: https://www.influencepeople.biz/
Sun, June 14, 2020
291. Paul Cuatrecasas on achieving growth through acquisitions
Paul Cuatrecasas is the Founder and CEO of Aquaa Partners, a London-based, FCA regulated boutique M&A and strategic advisory firm that advises established companies on managing transformation to create exponentially increasing market value, revenue and profits. Paul is also the author of Go Tech, or Go Extinct: How Acquiring Tech Disruptors Is the Key to Survival and Growth for Established Companies. In this episode, Paul shares his firm's approach to tech industry acquisitions. Learn more about Aquaa Partners on their website: https://www.aquaapartners.com/
Tue, June 09, 2020
290. Dhiraj Nayar, CFO of Boston Globe Media, on the media business during the pandemic
Dhiraj Nayar, CFO of Boston Globe media, provides a perspective on the media business during the coronavirus pandemic. Dhiraj discusses how the company has worked to keep its reporters and other employees safe as well as initiatives to help the communities it serves. Please do subscribe: https://www.bostonglobe.com/
Wed, June 03, 2020
289. Indranil Ghosh on how citizens can shape the 21st century
McKinsey alum Indranil Ghosh is the CEO of Tiger Hill Capital, a business-building and advisory company comitting its energy, network and capital to commercial enterprises with the potential to deliver transformative solutions for global economic and social challenges. In this episode we discuss Indranil's recently published book, Powering Prosperity: A Citizen's Guide to Shaping the 21st Century. Links: Tiger Hill Capital: https://www.tigerhillcapital.com/ Indranil on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrincipsofProsp Powering Prosperity on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Powering-Prosperity-Citizens-Shaping-Century/dp/1642933082/ref=sr_1_1?crid=6T6EMO7YQNLQ&dchild=1&keywords=indranil+ghosh&qid=1591187496&sprefix=indranil+ghosh%2Caps%2C274&sr=8-1
Tue, June 02, 2020
288. Robbie Kellman Baxter on how to create a compelling subscription model
Robbie Kellman Baxter is the author of The Membership Economy: Find Your Superusers, Master the Forever Transaction & Build Recurring Revenue, a book that has been named a top 10 marketing book of all time by BookAuthority. Robbie discussed that book on Episode 6 of this show. In today's episode, Robbie discusses her latest book, The Forever Transaction: How to Build a Subscription Model So Compelling, Your Customers Will Never Want to Leave. To learn more about her work, visit: https://robbiekellmanbaxter.com/
Mon, June 01, 2020
287. David A. Fields on how to ask clients for a recommendation
David A. Fields is back on the show, this time to help me answer a question from listener Caroline Taich, who asked for best practices on what steps to take at the end of a long project to: 1) hand over deliverables 2) ask for recommendations and referrals 3) stay in touch with key individuals you've developed relationships with over the course of the project We cover all three topics, and I found particularly helpful David's approach to asking for a recommendation. I recommend that every consultant sign up for David's weekly blog posts: https://www.davidafields.com/blog/ If you like this episode, be sure to check out the other episodes with David: 1. Winning clients 170. How to make outbound calls 172. How to set up a CRM system 182. The David A. Fields Solo Practice Accelerator 190. Partnerships, Advisory Boards, and Gifts 221: How to convert leads to projects 259. Pandemic advice for consultants 264: How to run a world-class virtual workshop
Sun, May 31, 2020
286. Venkat Nagaswamy on how contact centers have kept working during the pandemic
McKinsey alum Venkat Nagaswamy is the Group VP of Marketing at 8x8, a leading Software-as-a-Service provider of voice, video, chat, contact center and enterprise-class API solutions. In today's episode, Venkat discusses how contact centers have kept functioning during the pandemic by rapidly shifting from on premises operations to working remotely. He shares one example in which 8x8 got a call from a call center on Saturday morning and had the client ready to work remotely by Monday. To learn more about 8x8 visit: https://www.8x8.com/ To follow up with Venkat, visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venkatnagaswamy/
Mon, May 11, 2020
285. Roger Samways on air cargo in the age of the coronavirus
Roger Samways is the VP of Cargo Sales at American Airlines. In this episode, Roger first provides a brief overview of the air cargo industry, then we discuss the impact of the coronavirus, including how American Airlines has been adapting. Learn more about American Airlines Cargo at: https://www.aacargo.com/index.html
Sun, May 10, 2020
284. Kazuki Kozuru-salifoska on making women's fashion accessible to all body types
Kazuki Kozuru-salifoska is a fashion professional, a skilled creative designer as well as tech designer. Together with Doni Jantzen, she founded KEDIC Fashion Workshop. One of the services they offer is helping fashion brands get into the plus-size market. I was shocked to hear that the 'standard' clothing sizes manufactured by many brands don't fit 70% of women consumers in the U.S. KEDIC Fashion Workshop helps brands with the technical aspects of translating designs to create a plus-size collection. In this episode, Kazuki explains the whole design process from concept through production and the role that her firm plays. Learn more at https://www.kedicworkshop.com/services
Sun, May 10, 2020
283. Keith Stoeckeler on sports sponsorships in the age of the coronavirus
Keith Stoeckeler is a VP/Group Director at MKTG, where a significant portion of his time is spent working with brands to establish and manage sponsorships of sports and other entertainment events. In this episode, Keith discusses how sports sponsorships work and the impact of the coronavirus. Follow Keith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/keiths For more on MKTG, visit: http://mktg.com/ For more on Keith visit: http://keithstoeckeler.com/
Sat, May 09, 2020
282. Mark Goulston on learning to listen
Mark Goulston is a psychiatrist, consultant, and the author of seven books, including Just Listen and Talking to Crazy. In this episode Mark shares tips on learning to listen including some of the lessons he taught to FBI hostage negotiators. Ways to learn more about Mark's work: Website: http://markgoulston. com Non-profit: http://wmyst.org Instagram: https://www. instagram.com/wmystglobal/ twitter: https://twitter.com/ MarkGoulston linkedIn: https://www. linkedin.com/in/markgoulston Amazon Book Page: https://www.amazon.com/ Mark - Goulston /e/B001IZ2O3W/ youtube channel: https://www.youtube. com/user/markgoulston Speaker Hub: https://speakerhub.com/ speaker/ mark - goulston itunes: <a href= "https://itunes.apple.com
Fri, May 08, 2020
281. Austin Publicover on restaurant food safety in the age of the coronavirus
Austin Publicover is a food safety expert and the Founder of Bulletproof! Food Safety, a consulting firm that works with many of the top restaurants in New York City. In this episode, Austin discusses the services his firm provides restaurants and food manufacturers, particularly: - preparation for NYC Health Department inspections - help with obtaining and maintaining all the necessary permits. We then discuss food safety in the age of the coronavirus. Learn more about Austin's firm at: http://bulletprooffoodnyc.com/
Thu, May 07, 2020
280. Liz Dunn on the impact of the coronavirus on the retail industry
Liz Dunn is a noted retail expert who regularly appears on CNBC to discuss the industry. In this episode, Liz shares a perspective on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the retail industry. We cover multiple segments including grocery, home furnishings, home improvement,and apparel. Follow Liz on Twitter: @Lizabeth_Dunn On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizabeth-dunn-6677034/ Her company: https://pro4ma.com/
Wed, May 06, 2020
279. Frank Kochenash of Wunderman Thompson on helping brands thrive on Amazon
Frank Kochenash is President of Wunderman Thompson Commerce North America - a global eCommerce consultancy within the agency. In this episode Frank provides an overview of the agency world, explaining along the way why the term "digital agency" is now considered obsolete, as every aspect of marketing now has a digital component. We dive into the intricacies of what it takes for a brand to thrive on Amazon, and Frank also discusses how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the world of eCommerce. To learn more, visit: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/service/commerce
Mon, May 04, 2020
278. Marvin Riley on leading a global 5,000-employee manufacturing firm through the pandemic
Marvin Riley is the President and CEO of EnPro Industries Inc., a diversified manufacturer of proprietary engineered products used in critical applications. EnPro is a truly global firm - the company operates manufacturing facilities in North and South America, Europe and Asia; employs more than 5,000 people worldwide, and sells products to more than 50,000 customers in over 100 countries across the globe. In today's episode, Marvin explains how he has led the firm through the coronavirus pandemic. Learn more about EnPro at: https://www.enproindustries.com/home/default.aspx
Mon, May 04, 2020
277. William H. Bachman, PhD - a nuclear engineer turned handyman
William H. Bachman, PhD, spent 28 years designing nuclear fuel for civilian reactors. After taking early retirement in 1997, he set himself up as an independent professional - a handyman. In today's episode, my dad tells the story of his second career. Check out his one YouTube video, mentioned in this episode, on how to replace a kitchen spray nozzle (308,000 views and counting): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fuFoB_1KVk
Sat, May 02, 2020
276. Gleb Tsipursky on making better decisions and avoiding disasters
Gleb Tsipursky has a PhD in the history of behavioral science, and his research focused on decision-making, emotional and social intelligence, and meaning and purpose. In this episode we discuss his recent book, Never Go With Your Gut: How Pioneering Leaders Make the Best Decisions and Avoid Business Disasters , his work advising clients on how to avoid disasters, and his speaking career. Learn more about Gleb’s work at his firm’s website: https://disasteravoidanceexperts.com/
Fri, May 01, 2020
275. Gemma Toner on empowering women to thrive in the workplace
Gemma Toner is the Founder of Tone Networks, a video-based learning and leadership development platform that empowers female employees through expert content, live coaching and a vibrant online community. Website: https://www.tonenetworks.com/ Tone Networks LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin.com/company/tone- networks/ Tone Networks FB: https://www.facebook.com/ tonenetworks/ Tone Networks Twitter: https://twitter.com/ ToneNetworks Tone Networks Instagram: https://www. instagr am.com/tonenetworks/
Thu, April 30, 2020
274. Carolina Miranda on B-Certification: the what, why, and how
Carolina Miranda is the Founder of Cultivating Capital, whose mission is to help bring about a more just and peaceful world by supporting businesses in implementing better social and environmental practices. In this episode we discuss B-Certification, and Miranda answers my questions, including: - What is B-certification? - Why pursue B-certification? - How to get B-certification? Learn more about Cultivating Capital at: https://www.cultivatingcapital.com/
Thu, April 30, 2020
273. Jason Bernd on leading a hospital through the coronavirus pandemic
Jason Bernd is the President of the Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital. In this episode, Jason discusses his experience leading his hospital through the coronavirus pandemic. For more on Novant Health, visit: https://www.novanthealth.org/
Tue, April 28, 2020
272. Mike Freed of Mirion Technologies on leading a manufacturing firm through the pandemic
Mike Freed is the COO of Mirion Technologies, a leader in radiation safety, measurement and science. In today’s episode, Mike discusses the steps Mirion has taken during the coronavirus pandemic to protect its customers and its 1,800 employees. Learn more about Mirion Technologies on their website and their LinkedIn company page .
Mon, April 27, 2020
271. Jonathan Stark on why you should stop billing hourly
Jonathan Stark is on a mission to rid the world of hourly billing: he is the author of Hourly Billing is Nuts and three other books. Definitely check out Jonathan's website, jonathanstark.com , where you can find free resources, including links to his two podcasts, his Youtube channel, a free email-based course titled Value Pricing Bootcamp and the archive of his daily email list.
Sun, April 26, 2020
270. Jeremy Bieger on making better decisions using voice of the customer insights
Jeremy Bieger is the co-founder and CEO of Pulse Insights, a voice of the customer platform that takes a new approach to collecting and leveraging customer feedback. In today’s episode, Jeremy discusses how online voice of the customer feedback technology has evolved, and how Pulse Insights works with enterprise clients to capture insights from customers at the relevant time. To learn more about Pulse Insights, visit their website: https://pulseinsights.com/
Sat, April 25, 2020
269 Rebecca Winn on finding meaning when things fall apart
Rebecca Winn, founder of the boutique residential landscape design firm Whimsical Gardens, has won over 300 horticulture awards and five consecutive Texas Excellence in Landscaping Awards. Her inspirational Facebook blog has over 600,000 followers. In today’s episode, we discuss Rebecca’s recently published book One Hundred Daffodils, the story of hear search for meaning, identify, and purpose. www.RebeccaWinn.com www.facebook.com/WhimsicalGardens www.facebook.com/WinnRebecca IG @rebeccawinn.writer TW @RebeccaOWinn Purchase One Hundred Daffodils at your favorite retailer: INDIE BOUND: https://bit.ly/2VB9c2b BOOKSHOP.ORG https://bit.ly/2RYZyUJ BARNES AND NOBLE https://bit.ly/2UMn7kd AMAZON - USA https://amzn.to/32bft4h WATERSTONES - UK https://bit.ly/2JbhuX4 AMAZON - CANADA https://amzn.to/2IJi52d AMAZON - AUSTRALIA https://amzn.to/2WUTAr5 AUDIO LIBRO.FM -100 DAFFODILS https://bit.ly/2ygXiB0 AUDIBLE https://amzn.to/346lS3m
Fri, April 24, 2020
268. Angelique Rewers on how small businesses can land big clients
Angelique Rewers is the Founder of The Corporate Agent. Inc. Magazine has called her the undisputed champion at helping small businesses land big clients. In today’s discussion, Angelique shares tips on how to get the attention of corporate decision makers. We focus in particular on how you can create engaging events – virtual or in person. Do check out the website of The Corporate Agent , where you can find a range of free resources to get started. Also, follow The Corporate Agent at: https://www.instagram.com/angeliquerewers/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/angeliquerewers/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/GetCorporateClients
Thu, April 23, 2020
267. Lawrence Adjah on building community in the age of the coronavirus
Lawrence Adjah is an alum of Harvard, McKinsey, Stanford. He is a community builder, business advisor, and pastor. Several years ago, Lawrence organized a family-style dinner for some acquaintances at a restaurant in NYC. Rule: no phones at the table, no discussing work. Treat tablemates like family. Participants wanted to attend another dinner and bring people they knew. A movement was born. Now, the Family Dinner Foundation that Lawrence founded has 50,000 participants. Last year, Lawrence and his board began exploring how to build community beyond the dinner table, and that focus has now taken center-stage in the age of the coronavirus. http://lawrenceadjah.com/
Wed, April 22, 2020
266. Jon S. Rennie on leading in the age of the coronavirus
Jon S. Rennie is a former nuclear-trained submarine officer with more than twenty years of experience leading industrial businesses. Jon is the co-founder and CEO of Peak Demand, a global manufacturer of electrical transmission and distribution components. He is also the author of I Have the Watch: Becoming a Leader Worth Following . In this episode, Jon shares a perspective on what it means to be a leader in the age of the coronavirus. Learn more about Jon on his website: https://jonsrennie.com/
Sat, April 18, 2020
265. Olivia Chioma Elee on fighting Ebola in West Africa
In today’s episode, Olivia Chioma Elee shares her experience fighting the Ebola epidemic in Nigeria and Liberia. She coordinated a range of programs including contact tracing and coordinating the logistics for the command centers throughout Liberia. Her work involved participating in the daily briefings at the Health Ministry, running training campaigns targeted at healthcare workers, and visiting sick patients in the field. Olivia has a Masters degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and previously worked at Deloitte and Booz Allen Hamilton. Today she is an independent consultant with a focus on strategy and operations. You can find Olivia on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviachiomaelee/
Fri, April 17, 2020
264. David A Fields how to run a world-class virtual workshop
David A. Fields had scheduled an in-person two-day workshop for early April – his Solo Practice Accelerator. When the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to conduct the event in person, David and his team converted the event into a highly interactive, world-class virtual workshop. That took planning, technology, and setting up a studio in David’s living room. In today’s episode, David shares very practical tips on what it took to run a world-class virtual workshop that engaged attendees as much as an in-person event. I strongly encourage all my friends to sign up for David's weekly newsletter - the first thing I read every Wednesday morning: https://www.davidafields.com/blog/ David also kindly shared this checklist: People (not equipment, but will make some of the buying list clearer) Presenter Video controller (managing the different inputs) Zoom controller (managing breakout rooms, etc.) Computers Laptop for the presenter – any laptop will do Laptop for the Video controller – this is a dedicated laptop with a ethernet port , that connected to Zoom. Laptop for the Zoom controller – this was for the team member who managed the Zoom breakout rooms PC with large monitor and wireless keyboard – this was for the Video controller to be able to send notifications to the presenter. (For instance, “Speed Up” or “Question”) Tablets We used Samsung Galaxy 8” tablets – one per every three participants. (These were used for the breakout rooms.) https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Android-Tablet-Black/dp/B07VDB92RK/ Video Equipment Panasonic HC-V770 videocam with HDMI output. There are probably better cameras and fancier ones with remote control pan and tilt. This is a high quality camera, though, and it gives a “clean” HDMI output without any symbols on the screen. Not all videocams do that. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RBG5J02 Roland V-1HD video switcher. Possibly overkill, but allows for picture-in-picture, easy switching, etc. by the Video controller. https://www.amazon.com/Roland-V-1HD-HD-Video-Switcher/dp/B017Y3JSZ8 HDMI splitter. This allows the presenter to present to the big screen as well as the feed into the Zoom conference. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HXFARS Avio HDMI to USB converter. All the inputs (cameras, pres
Fri, April 17, 2020
263. Gary Chan shares 12 actions to enhance your information security
Hacking attempts have spiked upwards during the coronavirus epidemic as more employees work from home. Gary Chan is an information security consultant and shares 12 actions that independent consultants can take to enhance their information security profile. Visit www.alfizo.com/unleashed to download the list of actions we discuss on the show.
Wed, April 15, 2020
262. Robert Glazer on how to push beyond your limits
Our guest today is Robert Glazer, an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and best-selling author. Glazer writes Friday Forward, a weekly email that goes out to 100,000 subscribers. That started as a weekly inspiration email to his team, they forwarded it to friends, and – boom. He is also the Founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, an award winning global affiliate marketing agency – and on this episode he explains what an affiliate marketing agency does. Glazer was selected by Marshall Goldsmith as one of the 100 coaches that Marshall is mentoring – an incredible honor to be part of that select group. AND he is the author of Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits and Unlock Success in Yourself and Others , which we discuss on this episode. You can find links to his podcast, his books, his columns, and sign up for Friday Forward at his website, https://www.robertglazer.com/
Tue, April 14, 2020
261. Joshua Dick on why businesses should aim to grow like a lobster
[Note: this episode was recorded before the pandemic.] Our guest today is Josh Dick, who accomplished the dream of many entrepreneurs. In the year 2000, after stints as an investment banker at Salomon Brothers and as a Marketing Manager at Unilever, Josh joined Urnex, a small manufacturing business that was founded by his great-grandfather. Josh would go on to lead the company through fifteen straight years of 15% annual growth, and then he sold the business to a private equity firm for a sum that allows him the flexibility to choose what to do with his time. And what he’s done is move his family to Florence, Italy, learn Italian, begin advising other entrepreneurs, and write a book titled Grow Like a Lobster: Plan and Prepare for Extraordinary Business Results. You can find Josh’s blog and contact him via his website, https://www.joshua-dick.com/
Mon, April 13, 2020
260. How to write a consulting proposal
In this episode I discuss how to write a consulting proposal. You can download the consulting proposal template that I discuss on the show.
Sun, April 12, 2020
259. David A Fields suggests focusing on relationships during the pandemic
Our guest today is David A. Fields, author of The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients. In this episode, David shares his advice on the actions consultants should take during the coronavirus epidemic. He reminds us of his number one rule: to practice right-side-up thinking, that is, consulting is about the client, it’s not about us. David covers: How to reach out to clients during the pandemic How to establish new partnerships during the pandemic How to manage pricing during the pandemic David has been a popular guest on the show and I encourage you to check out our past discussions, including Episode 1: Winning clients Episode 170: Outbound calls Episode 172: Implementing a CRM system Episode 190: What makes for a successful consulting partnership Episode 221: How to convert leads into confirmed projects I also recommend you sign up to receive his weekly blog post straight to your inbox.
Sun, April 12, 2020
258. Gary Pritts helps clients comply with HIPAA and other regulatory requirements
[Note: Today's episode was recorded in January 2020.] Our guest today is Gary Pritts, the President of Eagle Consulting Partners, a firm that was a specialty in helping clients adhere to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, usually referred to as HIPAA. In this episode we discuss how Gary built a thriving practice focused on this specialty, and how they have expanded to supporting compliance with other types of regulation. You can learn more about Eagle Consulting Partners on their website, https://eagleconsultingpartners.com/
Sun, April 12, 2020
257. Sophia Ononye on scientific storytelling
[Note: this episode was recorded prior to the coronavirus pandemic.] Our guest today is Sophia Ononye, who earned a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Connecticut and did a postdoctoral fellowship in oncology at the Yale School of Medicine. Sophia is the founder of The Sophia Consulting Firm, and her focus is in creating value via scientific storytelling, primarily serving pharmaceutical and biotech firms. In this episode we discuss several of the service lines she offers, including strategic marketing, medical affairs, public relations, and scientific communications. You can learn more about Sophia’s firm at https://sophiaconsultingfirm.com/
Thu, April 09, 2020
256. Oscar Wimshurst of bench.co on the COVID-19 educational material the bookkeeping firm has created
Oscar Wimshurst discusses the content that Bench Accounting has been publishing to answer the questions their customers have been asking on how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. I learned about Bench when I searched for a good summary of the Paycheck Protection Program on March 28, 2020, the morning after it was passed, and their summary ranked at the top of the first page of Google results. They’ve had their whole content team focused on generating useful material for their customers – and potential customers – which tend to be businesses with 0-5 employees. Oscar also explains the bookkeeping services that Bench offers. Check out the latest educational material from Bench on their blog .
Thu, April 09, 2020
255. Ryan Vaughan on how independent consultants can access the Paycheck Protection Program
Today’s episode is a recording of a webinar that I facilitated on April 8, 2020, attended by 80 independent management consultants. Ryan Vaughan is a Tax Director at Mazars, a leading global accounting firm, and he answered our questions about the Paycheck Protection Program. Ryan first provides a general overview that pertains to all businesses, and then he gets into our detailed questions about how independent consultants can access the Paycheck Protection Program. Some of our key questions included: If we aren’t W2 employees of our own firms, how do we demonstrate “payroll” to ourselves How much of a loan should we be eligible for How does the loan forgiveness work The practical steps of applying for the loan Starting around the 45 minute point, we touch more briefly on the Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan. In the first part of the discussion, Ryan reviews several pages of a slide deck. We’ve posted that document on the Umbrex website, and here is the link . In this episode, Ryan zips through the highlights of the slide deck in about 10 minutes. He’s also done a full hour webinar on that deck: watch it here.
Tue, April 07, 2020
254. What to do if a client ghosts you
You've submitted a proposal to a client and then..... silence. Here are some tips on how to follow up.
Mon, April 06, 2020
253. Tips on updating your resume
Tips on updating your resume. I’ve looked at 5,000 resumes over the past four years – seen some good ones, and lot of resumes with room for improvement. This episode is particularly geared at independent consultants, but 90% of it is relevant to any professional. Sections covered: Formatting Contact info Summary section Experience Education Publications Public speaking Patents Volunteer activities Technical skills Certifications Media Functional skills Geographic flexibility Personal info Languages Citizenship
Thu, April 02, 2020
252. Nayla Bahri shares practical tips to enhance career resilience
Nayla Bahri conducted the research for her EdD on how professionals responded to layoffs during the Great Recession. She discovered that certain behaviors helped lead professionals become resilient and emerge from the crucible even stronger. In today’s episode, Nayla shares how the lessons from her research apply to those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and we discuss practical tips to do what she calls “inner work” and “outer work.” Learn more about Nayla’s work on her website: https://www.naylabahri.com/ And if you like this episode, check out my earlier discussion with Nayla on Episode 97 of Unleashed.
Wed, April 01, 2020
251. Dave Haase provides update on latest Paycheck Protection Program guidelines
Note: This episode recorded April 1, 2020. The guidelines on the Paycheck Protection Program are evolving daily. For the latest news, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/resource/paycheck-protection-program-and-sba-eidl-loans/ === Dave Haase runs Peninsula Accounting, which offers bookkeeping, tax preparation, and payroll services to small businesses. Dave’s firm is working with ~100 of their clients this week to prepare applications for the Paycheck Protection Program, and in this episode we discuss that program as well as the SBA EIDL loan. Regarding the PPP we cover: The latest guidelines from the U.S. Treasury The draft application form The information you need to pull together to apply How much will your business qualify for? How does the loan forgiveness work? Can you apply for the loan through more than one bank? Regarding the SBA EIDL we cover Documents you’ll need to apply How to apply === The U.S. Treasury application form for the PPP is here: https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Paycheck-Protection-Program-Application-3-30-2020-v3.pdf Contact Dave at: dave@peninsulaaccounting.com https://www.peninsulaaccounting.com/services-overview
Tue, March 31, 2020
250. Maureen Pritchard on how to get started with your estate plan
Maureen Pritchard is a trust and estates attorney based in New York City. In today’s episode, Maureen discusses: What information you should gather before meeting with a trust and estates attorney What is the benefit of creating a will? What are the benefits of creating a trust? What are the considerations in designating a guardian for your children? What other documents, besides a will or trust, should be included in an estate plan? How much will it cost to have the documents prepared? Why not use LegalZoom? How to select a trust and estates attorney Maureen kindly shared several documents that can help you get started: 12 tips for guardianship Estate Planning Worksheet Will Design Sheet Contact info for Maureen is on her firm’s website: https://www.wpaslaw.com/
Mon, March 30, 2020
249. How to simulate submarine life while sheltering at home
Over the past couple decades since I left the Navy, people have often asked me what it was like to serve in a submarine. Well, if you are sheltering in place, here are tips to simulate submarine life at home.
Mon, March 30, 2020
248. Why you should use a password manager / How to set up and use LastPass
Why you should use a password manager Deep dive on how to set up and use LastPass
Mon, March 30, 2020
247. How to send and receive international payments using Transferwise
How to receive payment from a client in another country when your invoice is denominated in your own currency and when the invoice is in a foreign currency How to send payment to a subcontractor or vendor in another country when the recipient’s account is denominated in your currency or in a foreign currency How to set up a recipient for payment – the account info you’ll need A deep dive on how to use Transferwise
Sun, March 29, 2020
246. Investing in your skills when you have time between projects
When you have time between projects, here are some ideas on which skills you might want to spend time investing in. Also, some tips on resources to use. Suggestions include: Writing Slides Data science and programming Data visualization Software for creative professionals Core business skills Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite Social media Google Search Liberal arts, science, engineering Industry-specific topics Drawing Economics Foreign language Suggested resources include LinkedIn Learning Udacity edx.org Cognitive Class Coursera Iversity Youtube
Sun, March 29, 2020
245. How NOT to submit expenses to a client
In this episode, tips on how NOT to submit expenses to a client. And my suggestion on one right way to do it.
Sat, March 28, 2020
244. Overview of the Paycheck Protection Program, COVID-19 pandemic loans to small businesses
This episode is U.S. specific, as I discuss the Paycheck Protection Program, which is an element in the CARES Act passed by Congress yesterday. Topics covered: Who is eligible for the loan The maximum amount you can borrow How you can get the loan forgiven. Yes, I said forgiven. The interest rate for any portion of the loan not forgiven The application deadline And whether you can double dip if you already got a Small Business Administration Economic Injurty Disaster Loan (EIDL) related to COVID-19 Useful links: The full text of the CARES Act https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116hr6379ih/html/BILLS-116hr6379ih.htm Articles from bench.co that do a great job of summaring the Paycheck Protection Program as well as the full CARES Act https://bench.co/blog/tax-tips/coronavirus-relief-bill/ https://bench.co/blog/operations/paycheck-protection-program/ A press release on the PPP from the US Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/ac3081f6-14ae-4e6f-9197-172ede28badd/71AB6CB05A08E369E0D488A80B3874A5.faqs---paycheck-protection-program-faqs-for-small-businesses.pdf A blog post from the Economic Innovation Group that has a nice table summarizing the key features of the Paycheck Protection Program https://eig.org/news/understanding-the-paycheck-protection-program A link to CareerOneStop.org, which has links to the Unemployment program website for every state https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/UnemploymentBenefits/find-unemployment-benefits.aspx A summary from Golenbock Eiseman law firm https://www.golenbock.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/GEABP-Alert-Federal-Assistance-For-Small-Business-Under-the-Cares-Act-March-27.pdf Forbes article https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2020/03/27/paycheck-protection-program-looks-like-a-very-sweet-deal/#29fe80b51c60
Fri, March 27, 2020
243. Marc Feigen on how Fortune 200 CEOs are addressing the threat posed by the coronavirus
Marc Feigen is considered the leading CEO advisor in the United States; Fortune magazine called him the “CEO Whisperer.” Marc currently advises a dozen Fortune 200 CEOs, and in today’s episode he shares the questions those CEOs are facing and the steps they are taking to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. To learn more about Marc’s firm, visit: http://feigenadvisors.com/
Fri, March 27, 2020
242. C.V. Ramachandran on how the coronavirus will accelerate digital transformation of the economy
Umbrex member C.V. Ramachandran has three decades of consulting experience, having served as a senior leader at Booz Allen Hamilton, A.T. Kearney, AlixPartners, and Accenture. Today he runs his own consulting practice focused on digital transformation. In our discussion, C.V. shares a perspective on the impact the coronavirus will have on B2C and B2B businesses. To follow up with C.V., connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cv-ramachandran/
Tue, March 24, 2020
241. Kaihan Krippendorf organized a virtual summit to support the fight against coronavirus
In a matter of days, Umbrex member Kaihan Krippendorf has organized a fantastic event to support the fight against COVID-19: the 2020 Outthinker Virtual Summit. 100% of the proceeds will go to charities working on COVID-19. Kaihan has lined up 20 amazing speakers who have each agreed to donate an hour of their time to providing a perspective on the crisis and answering questions. This online event is taking place April 6 and 7, and I definitely encourage you to check out the website and consider signing up. If you attend live, you’ll be able to submit questions to the speakers. If you can’t attend every session, they’ll be available afterwards for registered attendees. Listeners of this show can use the discount code UNLEASHED30 to get a 30% discount (disclosure statement: I do not receive a referral fee.) Read more at: https://summit.outthinkerroundtables.com/ In this episode, Kaihan explains how he and his team pulled the summit together so quickly, and provides tips on how you can set up something similar yourself – perhaps a summit for your industry or a functional area where you focus. Kaihan discusses the technology tools used to pull it together, including: Zoom – Webinar version Ticket Tailor to sell the tickets Stripe and PayPal to collect payment Squarespace for the summit’s web page Doodle to coordinate speaker schedules
Sun, March 22, 2020
240. Daniel Weiner, restructuring attorney, on options for distressed businesses
Daniel Weiner is a prominent attorney with forty years of experience serving companies in distress, guiding them through restructuring efforts. He is widely published on the subject of bankruptcy, including co-author of the Collier Bankruptcy Practice Guide and contributing author to Bankruptcy and Its Impact on LLC Membership Interests , published by The Institute of Continuing Legal Education. In today's episode, Weiner provides a broad overview of how restructuring works, and then in the second half suggests some specific steps for owners of small businesses impacted by the global pandemic. To learn more about his work, visit http://www.schaferandweiner.com/
Fri, March 20, 2020
239. Fourteen ideas for creating or enhancing your marketing collateral
If you are looking to stay productive while between projects, one way to use the time productively is to invest time in creating or improving the marketing collateral of your firm. In this episode, I share 14 recommendations. I mention some previous episodes of this show in my discussion, including: Episode 211: LinkedIn Profile Best Practices Episode 235: Mark Williams on creating an amazing LinkedIn profile Episode 140: Creating a project list Episode 121: Creating a portfolio of sanitized work
Fri, March 20, 2020
238. Technology tools for independent professionals
If you are looking to stay productive while between projects, one area to invest time is setting up technology tools for your practice. In this episode, I share 17 recommendations. I mention some previous episodes of this show in my discussion, including: Episode 172: David A Fields on setting up a CRM system Episode 236: Evernote Episode 237: MixMax Episode 73: Calendly
Fri, March 20, 2020
237. MixMax gives you email superpowers
MixMax is a tool that plugs into Gmail or G-Suite email and provides you with email superpowers. In this episode I discuss the incredible capabilities of this tool, including sending sequences with automated follow-ups, finding out who has opened your emails and when, and scheduling emails to get sent at some future time. Sign up for MixMax at www.mixmax.com
Fri, March 20, 2020
236. Tech recommendation: Use Evernote as your external brain
I highly recommend Evernote - it is far more than a note-taking app. You can also clip websites, save voice memos, store emails, and many more. In this short episode I give some examples of how I use Evernote. Sign up for your own Evernote account at www.evernote.com
Fri, March 20, 2020
235. Mark Williams aka 'Mr. LinkedIn' on how to create a best-in-class LinkedIn profile
Mark Williams, aka 'Mr. LinkedIn', is the host of one of my favorite podcasts, LinkedInFormed - I've listened to dozens of episodes, and much of what I know about LinkedIn I know from Mark. In this episode, Mark provides tips on key aspects of the LinkedIn profile: the headline, the photo, the about section, and the experience section. At one point I mention a specific episode of LinkedInFormed on the types of posts that engage. That one is Episode 242 , and it would be a great episode to start with if you haven't heard this show before. You might also check out Episode 211 of Unleashed, in which I share my perspective on each aspect of the LinkedIn profile.
Wed, March 18, 2020
234. Help small businesses navigate the coronavirus pandemic
Umbrex has set of a task force to help small businesses navigate the coronavirus pandemic. We'd love to get your help across these workstreams: 1. Create the content for the playbook 2. Design and publish the playbook (as a wiki? website? TBD) 3. Recruit coaches and consultants 4. Spread the word to business owners who need help 5. Administration of a database and reporting 6. Outreach to partner organizations and government 7. Legal advice on NDAs, employment law, etc.
Sun, March 15, 2020
233. Susan Drumm on how to facilitate an effective virtual meeting
Our guest today is Umbrex member Susan Drumm, a BCG alum and the CEO of Meritage Leadership Development. Susan has extensive experience in running virtual meetings via videoconference, and in today’s episode she shares a set of tips to make virtual meetings more effective. Susan is publishing an article on this very topic tomorrow, March 16, and you can find that article and more of her writing at www.meritageleadership.com/blog If you find some value in this episode, I encourage you to check out Episode 65 of this show, in which Susan provides tips on facilitating high-impact offsite events. In that episode our discussion focused more on content, which in today’s discussion we focus more on tactical aspects of running a virtual meeting. In today’s episode I suggest that someone on each meeting be designated to send a recap email; I discuss recap emails in more detail in Episode 203. I also mention the real-time polling tool Mentimeter, and to learn more about that tool, check out Episode 53 in which I interview Johnny Warstrom, the CEO of Mentimeter. To get your own account, visit www.mentimeter.com
Mon, March 09, 2020
232. Rhona Silverbush coaches actors to speak Shakespeare with confidence
Our guest today is Rhona Silverbush, co- author of Speak the Speech!: Shakespeare's Monologues Illuminated . Rhona teaches small-group classes and privates one-on-one coaching to actors on how to speak the language of Shakespeare. You don’t need to be a professional actor to work with Rhona: some of her students are members of the regular public who just want to get a better appreciation of the plays – and there is no better way to do that than reading the plays aloud in a group. She periodically hosts a play-reading circle in New York City, and if you are interested to learn more, check out her website: http://www.rhonasilverbush.com/
Tue, March 03, 2020
231. Jay Charkow explains the system of international tariffs
Our guest today is Jay Charkow, President of International Tariff Management. For several years I’ve been wanting to understand the basics around tariffs. In the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, usually all you get is some very broad statement such as “the Administration has imposed a new round of tariffs on goods imported from China.” I wanted to ask some basic questions: do Americans pay tariffs on goods imported from any country? Does the tariff vary by country? How much are the tariffs, and how are they calculated? Does the tariff vary by the type of good? What if you import some parts, make a good, and then export it? What if you import a part into Mexico, do some processing in Mexico, and then import the good into the US? Do we have trade deals with every country? If not, which ones do we have a deal with? If we don’t have a special deal with the country, how much tariff do we pay? How much tariff do other countries charge when the U.S. exports goods? What are the details behind the Trump trade war with China. In this conversation, Jay answers many of these questions. To learn more about Jay’s firm, visit: https://www.tariffmanagement.com/
Tue, February 25, 2020
230. Andrea Bonime-Blanc on how leaders transform risk into resilience and value
Our guest today is Andrea Bonime-Blanc, a leading global expert in the area of risk management, and the author of five books, including the recently published Gloom to Boom: How Leaders Transform Risk Into Resilience and Value. Gloom to Boom expands the traditional risk-management framework of ESG, which stands for environmental, social, and governance risks, by adding technological risks, so the acronym gets expanded to ESGT. In our discussion today we talk about her latest book and her work consulting to Board Directors on risk management. To learn more about her practice, visit https://gecrisk.com/
Mon, February 17, 2020
229. Gaurav Bhatnagar on how to lead a cultural transformation
Our guest today is McKinsey alum Gaurav Bhatnagar. Gaurav is the Founding Partner of Co-Creation Partners, where he leads cultural transformations for his clients. In this episode, Gaurav explains to me what a cultural transformation is, what you actually look at during a cultural diagnostic, and what sort of tools his firm uses to drive change in an organization’s culture. To learn more about his firm, visit http://www.cocreationpartners.com/
Tue, February 11, 2020
228. Build relationships now with future clients - a tip for executives who plan to become a consultant
For executives who are thinking about becoming a consultant in a year or two, a time investment of two hours per week now can dramatically improve your chances of success when you launch your practice.
Mon, February 03, 2020
227. Jim McEachern on how the telecom industry is fighting robocalls
Our guest today is Jim McEachern, an independent consultant who has been working with the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (or ATIS) on developing technology to cut down on robocalls. For years I’ve been wondering why telecommunications companies haven’t done more to eliminate robocalls, so when I saw Jim quoted in a New York Times article about this work, I reached out to him. I was so pleased that he agreed to be on the show to talk about his work and explain to me how spoofing works and why the existing technology has made it hard to fight robocalls. I also learned a practical tip: whenever I get a robocall, I have been blocking that phone number on my phone. Jim explained to me that I’m probably just wasting my time, since robocallers often use a different spoofed number on each outbound call. In the show notes, you will find a link to the NYT article where I first heard of Jim’s work, a link to the ATIS website that has more info on the protocols Jim discusses on this show, and Jim’s LinkedIn profile https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/technology/personaltech/robocalls-call-blocking.html https://www.atis.org/sti-ga/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mceachern-9644591/
Sun, January 26, 2020
226. Michael Sorrentino provides media training
In this video edition of Unleashed, Michael Sorrentino provides Will Bachman with an introduction to media training. No one is a natural in front of a videocamera, because you need to speak in an unnatural way and hold yourself in an unnatural position if you want to look normal. If you have invested time and effort to build up your visibility and expect to be appearing on camera, it is a worthwhile investment to obtain media training from a professional so that in your few minutes on screen you make a good impression. (Will Bachman will need a lot more than 1 session.) Michael Sorrentino's studio is located in the heart of Manhattan, and if you are interested in getting training from him for yourself or a member of your team, visit his firm's website: https://www.sorrentinomedia.com/
Tue, January 21, 2020
225. Liliana Petrova on optimizing the customer experience
Our guest today is Liliana Petrova, who runs The Petrova Experience, a consulting firm that helps brands build differentiated experiences and leverage technology to increase customer loyalty, efficiencies and revenue. Liliana was previously the Director of Customer Experience at JetBlue Airways, and on this episode we discuss some of the culture driven behind-the-scenes decisions that set JetBlue apart – including the blue potato chips and the free wifi. Then we discuss some of her more recent work, including an effort to map out and then improve the experience of fans at a sports arena. To learn more about her firm visit thepetrovaexperience.com Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilianapetrova/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilianaPetrova Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepetrovaexperience/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Petrova-Experience-419743838814954/?view_public_for=419743838814954
Mon, January 13, 2020
224. Tineke Keesmaat on the connections between strategy, organizational change, and people leadership
Today's guest is McKinsey alum and Umbrex member Tineke Keesmaat, who is based in Toronto. Tineke’s firm works with ambitious leaders and she is known for her unique blend of world-class strategy, organizational change, and people leadership. Tineke was recently awared with a MacKay Canada CEO’s Trusted Advisor Award, recognizes the contributions that Trusted Advisors make in the leadership field to enable Canadian businesses to succeed. You can learn more about her firm’s work on their website, which is extraordinarily well designed: http://tiltco.ca/
Tue, January 07, 2020
223. Consulting Revenue Equation
In my conversations with independent consultants, a common question I get is how to generate more business. There are a lot of things one could POTENTIALLY do to generate more revenue, and some people flail around putting effort into initiatives that may have a low return on investment. Of course we all want to put our time and energy into areas with a relatively high return on investment, and I’ve found that it is useful to break down all the possible factors into what I call the Consulting Revenue Equation. Also check out Episode 221, in which I discuss with David A. Fields some ways to increase your conversion rate.
Tue, December 24, 2019
222. Michael Ryan crushes inventory icebergs
Our guest today is Michael Ryan, whose headline on LinkedIn is a great example of a fishing line: "Helping B2B Manufacturers Optimize Inventory and Operations to Increase Cash Flow" In this episode, we explore Michael’s work on inventory issues. Michael is certainly in the top 1% of people I know in how he has been using LinkedIn to build a brand. Michael has posted every day on LinkedIn for six months, and his posts are always on-brand, always related to inventory management. In the second half of this show we discuss how Michael has been using LinkedIn, and the impact this investment has had on this business. Definitely check out his profile – it is a fantastic example of someone who really gets LinkedIn and social selling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isolveproblems/ To learn more about his business, visit www.mryangroup.com
Tue, December 17, 2019
221. David A Fields shares tips on how to convert leads into confirmed projects
Today we welcome back David A. Fields, the author of The Irresistible Consultant’s Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. David was my very first guest, on Episode 1, when we covered many of the topics in his book. https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed/episode-1-david-fields-on-winning-clients/ In Episode 170, David shared tips on how to make outbound calls: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed/episode-170-david-fields-on-how-to-make-outbound-calls/ In Episode 172, David explained how to set up a CRM system for a small consulting practice: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed/episode-172-david-fields-on-how-to-set-up-a-crm-system/ And in Episode 190, David discussed what makes for a successful consulting partnership: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed/episode-190-david-fields-on-what-makes-for-a-successful-consulting-partnership/ In today’s episode, David and I riff on tips to increase the chances of converting a possible consulting opportunity into a confirmed project. Definitely buy David’s book if you haven’t already, and check out his website, davidafields.com. I love his weekly blog posts and if you visit his blog and scroll down, you can sign up to get his blog posts delivered right to your inbox – it is the first email I read every Wednesday morning.
Mon, December 09, 2019
220. Paul Millerd on creating an online course
Our guest today is Paul Millerd, who has been on the show before, on Episode 62. It was great to welcome Paul back to hear what he has been up to. I’m so inspired by Paul, who has been incredibly deliberate about designing a life. He has built a practice that allows him to work completely remotely, and recently left home in Boston to spend a stretch of time working in Bali and then in Japan and now in Taiwan. He has developed several online courses with over 4,500 students on Udemy alone, he writes a very popular weekly newsletter that I love, and he is incredibly generous with his time: on his website you can book time to have a “curiosity conversation” with Paul; he has spoken with hundreds of people around the world who have reached out to him in this way. Check out Paul’s website, think-boundless.com Follow him on Twitter @p_millerd Check out the consulting skills course he created at strategy.co https://strategyu.co/ Paul has written one of the most authoritative articles on the evolution of consulting talent platforms, and I’ll include a link to that piece in the show notes: https://think-boundless.com/the-failed-promise-of-freelance-consulting-talent-platforms/ Email me at unleashed@umbrex.com and I'll add send you the weekly Unleashed email that includes a summary of each episode and bonus material.
Mon, December 02, 2019
219. Ripa Rashid shares best practices for diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace
Ripa Rashid is the Managing Director at Culture At Work, which works with Global 500 organizations to build cultural change strategies to maximize their Diversity and Inclusion efforts while generating positive business results. Ripa is the coauthor of three books: Disrupt Bias, Drive Value (Center for Talent Innovation, 2017), Growing Global Executives: The New Competencies (Center for Talent Innovation, 2015), and Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women Are the Solution (Harvard Business Review Press, 2011) She is featured often in the media as a thought leader, and has appeared on BBC, NPR, CNN, CNBC, Harvard Business Review, and Bloomberg. She is cited widely in mainstream and management publications such as The Economist, Forbes, Huffington Post, Newsweek, New York Times, Washington Post, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, HR Matters and South China Morning Post. In this episode Ripa explains to me what the research shows on the benefits of increasing diversity in the workplace, and what diversity and inclusion initiatives tend to be the most successful.
Mon, November 25, 2019
218. Nir Eyal live at Umbrex Presents: How to become Indistractable
Nir Eyal was my guest on Episode 200 of this show. I found his message so important that I asked Nir to discuss his latest book, Indistractable, at an Umbrex Presents event, which took place October 28, 2019. This episode is Nir's complete live talk to a capacity crowd at StandUpNY, followed by a Q&A period. Subscribers of the weekly Unleashed email receive private invitations to register for Umbrex Presents events before the general public. To subscribe, email unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, November 18, 2019
217. Should consultants sign up as a prospective expert with expert networks?
In Episode 213, Will Bachman discussed how to source experts for interviews - either using an expert network or by doing the work yourself. Listener Gary C. asked if consultants should sign up with expert networks as the one to be interviewed. This episode answers his question, in three parts: Will your expertise be useful to the people who are asking the questions Are you likely to get selected for an interview What are the costs and benefits of joining as an expert – so is it worth your time To connect with Will Bachman on LinkedIn, visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/willbachman/ Every week we send out an email to subscribers with summaries of each Unleashed episode, transcripts, and bonus materials. To sign up, email unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, November 18, 2019
216. David Minifie explains the role of the chief experience officer
David Minifie is the Chief Experience Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Centene Corporation. Centene is a Fortune 500 company that provides a portfolio of services to government sponsored healthcare programs. In this episode, David explains to me the role and responsibilities of a Chief Experience Officer, which includes and expands the responsibilities he previously held as the Chief Marketing Officer. You can learn more about Centene on their website, centene.com And you can see more of David’s background on his LinkedIn profile – a link is in the show notes. https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-david-minifie-50250a/ Each week we send an email with summaries of the latest Unleashed episodes, transcripts of each episode, and bonus materials. To subscribe, email unleashed@umbrex.com To connect with Will Bachman on LinkedIn, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/willbachman/
Thu, November 14, 2019
215. What have you already heard about this effort?
What should you say when you are meeting for the first time with an individual at a client you are already serving? Here's the approach I've used the past few years: “I’d be happy to provide context on the project, but I don’t want to go over material you are already familiar with. What have you already heard about this effort?” In this episode, I explain why I use that question. Every week I send out an email with summaries of each Unleashed episode, transcripts of each episode, and often some bonus material. If you’d like to receive it, send me a note at unleashed@umbrex.com
Thu, November 14, 2019
214. When do you call a plumber?
I was chatting with an independent consultant at an event last night, and he told me, “I’m having a hard time finding project opportunities, and I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve got three decades of experience, so usually if I sit down with someone and talk to them about their business, I’m able to find a way that I can be helpful, but I’m not getting the opportunity to have those conversations.” This short episode was my response. Every week I send out an email with summaries of each Unleashed episode, transcripts of each episode, and often some bonus material. If you’d like to receive it, send me a note at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, November 12, 2019
213. How to source experts for interviews
In this episode, Will Bachman explains how to source experts to interview for a consulting project. The episode covers: 1) How to work with expert networks such as AlphaSights, GLG, and Third Bridge and 2) How to source experts on your own using LinkedIn and other channels We cover: - How to identify the populations to be sourced - How to work with a researcher to generate a list of targets - How much to pay experts - Whether to record the call - Detailed tips on a Google tracking sheet Bonus material: To receive a sample tracking sheet, sign up for the weekly Unleashed email by emailing Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, November 11, 2019
212. Ushma Pandya helps clients get to zero waste
Umbrex member Ushma Pandya is the Co-Founder and Partner at Think Zero Inc, an environmental consulting firm supporting businesses' waste reduction and diversion goals. In this episode, Ushma walks me through the stages of a typical waste reduction project, and shares some of the surprising things she has found in the recycling bin. You can learn more about her firm at: https://thinkzerollc.com/ To receive the weekly Unleashed email that includes a summary of each episode, transcripts, and bonus features, send Will Bachman an email at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, November 05, 2019
211. LinkedIn Best Practices for Independent Consultants
In this episode Will Bachman covers: Which type of LinkedIn Premium subscription should you get Tips on posting LinkedIn articles and posts Recommendations on each element of your LinkedIn profile, including: Photo Name Headline Contact info Summary section Summary section attachments Experience Experience section attachments Education Skills Interests Recommendations received and given For more on LinkedIn, check out the LinkedInformed podcast with Mark Williams. Episode 242, covering effective LinkedIn posts, is a great place to start: https://linkedinformed.com/episode242/ Will has summarized all these tips in a checklist - email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com and he'll send you a copy of that checklist and add you to the weekly Unleashed email, which includes a summary of each episode, transcripts of each episode, and other bonus features.
Mon, November 04, 2019
210. Raghav Nandagopal on conducting acquisitions at scale
McKinsey alum Raghav Nandagopal is the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions at Ascensus Incorporated. In today’s episode, Raghav explains how he build an M&A group to complete acquisitions at scale at Ascensus. Ascensus is the largest independent retirement and college savings services provider in the U.S. with over $163 billion in assets under management, you can find out more about them at ascensus.com You can find out more about Raghav’s background on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raghavnandagopal/ If you’d like to receive the transcript of each episode plus other bonus features right in your inbox, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, October 29, 2019
209. Tom Schwab on using podcast guest appearances to raise your visibility
Tom Schwab runs Interview Valet, a firm that helps its clients get booked on targeted podcasts where they can speak directly to their ideal customers. In this episode, Tom shares his perspective on why being a guest on a podcast is a great way to raise your visibility How to prepare for an interview How to promote the interview How to work with a podcast interview booking firm like his And How to get invited on shows if you want to do it yourself You can learn more about Interview Valet on their website, https://interviewvalet.com/ And if you want to connect with Tom, his LinkedIn URL is in the show notes https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmschwab/ If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus features, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com to receive the weekly Unleashed email.
Tue, October 29, 2019
208. Jake Jorgovan turns consultants into thought leaders
Jake Jorgovan turns consultants into thought leaders through content marketing. Jake’s firm, Content Allies, works with consultants who have deep industry or functional knowledge, but who simply don’t have the time to sit down and get that knowledge onto paper. A writer from his team interviews the client to get a brain dump on a particular topic, and then they write the blog post or the white paper for the client. Let’s say you’ve got a lot of industry knowledge and experience, but you You can learn more about Content Allies on their website, contentallies.com And you can learn more about Jake on his own website, https://jake-jorgovan.com If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus features and summaries of each episode, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, October 21, 2019
207. Tanya Kleindienst explains what a Head of Corporate Culture does
Our guest today is Tanya Kleindienst, a culture and leadership coach based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to starting her independent consulting practice, Tanya was the Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Culture at Fifth Third Bank. In this episode, Tanya describes the roles and responsibilities of a head of corporate culture. You can connect with Tanya via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanya-kleindienst-6274541b/ If you'd like to receive Unleashed bonus materials in our weekly email, shoot Will Bachman a note at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, October 14, 2019
206. Michael Fertman explains the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization
Our guest today is Michael Fertman, a marketing consultant who runs The B2B Marketing Group based in New York City. In today’s episode, Michael explains the fundamentals of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you are looking to have your website ranked higher in search engine results, and SEO is a bit of a black box to you, then this episode could be a good place to start. You can learn more about Michael’s work on his website, theb2bmg.com and you can find Michael on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fertman/ To receive Unleashed bonus material, subscribe to the weekly email by emailing Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, October 08, 2019
205. Annie Scranton explains how public relations works
Our guest today is Annie Scranton, the Founder of Pace Public Relations,a full-service media relations and communications agency based in New York City. If you want to raise your visibility by getting interviewed on TV or by print journalists, this is the episode for you, since Annie explains to me the basics of how public relations work. You can find out more about Pace Public Relations on their website, pacepublicrelations.com Annie’s LinkedIn URL is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniescranton/ and you can follow Annie on Twitter at @anniescranton Finally, we'd like to welcome listeners Aliyak K, James M, Aidan K, Burnes H, and Hussein A. who have recently signed up for the weekly Unleashed email. If you’d like to receive the transcript of each episode plus other bonus features right in your inbox, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com.
Mon, September 23, 2019
204. Clark Beecher: How consultants can make successful career transitions
Our guest today is Clark Beecher, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Beecher Reagan, the largest U.S. executive search firm that exclusively focuses on current and former consulting talent. In this episode Clark provides tips on how to best work with executive recruiters – both when you are looking for a new role and when you aren’t. He also provides his perspective on how recruiters and employers view a stint as an independent consultant. So if you are an independent consultant considering a return to the corporate world, his tips on how to position your recent work may be particularly relevant. To learn more about Clark’s firm, visit https://www.beecherreagan.com/ If you are seeking an independent consultant to support a project at your firm, or if you are interested in joining our global community of independent management consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, September 17, 2019
203. The power of sending recap emails
A five-minute investment in sending a recap email can significantly improve the effectiveness of meetings and the overall outcomes on a project. In this episode, we discuss two flavors: #1: The post-meeting recap email #2: The weekly recap email If you are interested in hiring an independent consultant for one of your project needs, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, September 16, 2019
202. Avish Bhama on Sonia, an artificial intelligence tool that makes meetings more productive
Our guest today is Avish Bhama, the CEO of Sonia, where the mission is to build Artificial Intelligence that interprets human intent, and use it to democratize access to information-flow at work. Sonia builds tools that empower you to focus on the interesting and creative nature of your work rather than the repetitive and mundane parts. When you sign up for a plan with Sonia, you get an AI tool that can dial into your phone calls, take notes, identify the action items that are agreed to in the meeting, and then send an email afterward. While this sounds a bit sci-fi, it seems that it won’t be long before this sort of AI involvement in the work flow of knowledge workers will be the norm. Learn more about Sonia at Sonia.ai To request to join our global community of top-tier independent professionals, email host Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Wed, September 11, 2019
201. Why custom made shirts and suits for men are a better value than off-the-rack
Custom-made shirts and suits for men may cost a bit more than clothes off the rack, but are a much better value. Technical fashion designer Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska explained the economics to me. For the last six years, I've bought all my shirts and suits from Latesh Kewalramani, who goes by Harry. He is making his annual swing through the United States to take measurements and orders for shirts, suits, and jackets for men. You can download his itinerary here. If you'd like to book an appointment with Harry, email him at galleria@loxinfo.co.th or call him at 662-639-1401. If your schedule doesn't permit a visit this year, email him to get added to his mailing list. Harry will be in the following cities: New York City: Sept 9-12, 2019 Philadelphia: Sept 13-14 Washington, DC: Sept 15-16 Fort Lauderdale, FL: Sept 17-18 Boston, MA: Sept 19-20 Atlanta, GA: Sept 21-22 Chicago, IL: Sept 23-24 Scottsdale, AZ: Sept 25-26 Houston: Sept 27 Dallas: Sept 28-29 Los Angeles: Sept 30-Oct 3
Mon, September 09, 2019
200. Nir Eyal on how to become Indistractable
Our guest today Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, which has been a huge bestseller and is considered a must-read book in Silicon Valley. Nir’s latest book is Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which is being released on September 10. I’ve read a review copy, begun putting his recommendations into effect, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever been distracted. In today’s episode, Nir shares highlights from the book, and gives a summary of his four-part approach to becoming indistractable. Nir has a bunch of free downloads that go along with the book on his website at: www.NirAndFar.com/Indistractable While you are on his site, definitely sign up for Nir's weekly email - I love it. The schedule maker tool that Nir mentions in our discussion is at: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/ And distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/ If you are interested in joining a global community of top-tier independent professionals, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com and please include your resume and LinkedIn URL
Tue, September 03, 2019
199. Forty-eight tips on how to thrive for recent graduates
The New York Phi Beta Kappa Association asked me to share some tips with recent graduates in the New York City metro area as a panelist at an event this evening. I came up with a list of 48 tips and figured I'd share them here first. Some tips are probably obvious; some non-obvious tips may also be not helpful. I hope the set of non-obvious + useful tips is non-zero. To get the weekly Unleashed email that includes a summary of recent episodes and bonus material, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, September 02, 2019
198. Rima Nair: How the world of customer insights is evolving
Our guest today is Rima Nair, a McKinsey alum who is a Principal at IRI, a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help CPG, retail and media grow. In this episode, Rima explains why the largest consumer packaged goods companies subscribe to IRI’s information sources, and how the world of customer insights is evolving. You can learn more about IRI at https://www.iriworldwide.com/en-US/ And if you want to reach out to Rima, Here LinkedIn profile is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rima-nair-bb57295/ Have a questions about independent consulting? Email host Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, August 26, 2019
197. Josh Spodek on cultivating initiative
Our guest today is Josh Spodek, who last joined us on Episode 25 of this show. I was very pleased that Josh agreed to return to discuss his new book, Initiative: A Proven Method to Bring Your Passions to Life (and Work). In today’s episode, Josh shares some of the exercises from this new primer on how everyone can make change happen in the world. Josh is a busy professional: In addition to writing books, he writes a daily blog He is also the host of a podcast, Leadership and the Environment, with over 200 episodes, that feature an A-list of guests including Seth Godin, Dan Pink, Dominic Barton, Sir Ken Robinson, Ken Blanchard, Marshall Goldsmith, David Allen, Jonathan Haidt, and many other luminaries. To find links to all of Josh’s activities, visit http://joshuaspodek.com/ To receive a weekly round-up of the most recent Unleashed epsiodes, plus bonus material, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, August 26, 2019
196. Ilana Grossman on the role of the Chief Marketing Officer
Umbrex member and BCG alum Ilana Grossman, a marketing consultant based in New York City. Her firm is called B2Both, since she works with both B2B and B2C clients. Ilana has been the Chief Marketing Officer at several rapidly growing companies, and we discuss The role of the Chief Marketing Officer, and how it is changing Key performance indicators in the world of marketing And what it is like being an independent consultant focused on marketing You can learn more about Ilana’s firm at b2both.com If you'd like to receive bonus content plus an update each week on the most recent Unleashed episodes, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, August 20, 2019
195. Ray Carbonell on who really writes LinkedIn posts for busy executives
Our guest today is Ray Carbonell, the CEO at Qnary, a company that builds out and grows the reputation and thought leadership of professionals. Qnary writes LinkedIn posts and tweets for busy professionals, typically senior executives, and then writes the replies to comments on those posts. In this episode, Ray shares how his firm works with their clients to identify the content pillars that the posts will focus on, what makes a compelling post, and best practices in engaging with those who comment on the post. Ray also shares the best times to post and how often to post (3-5 LinkedIn posts per week is optimal, and a minimum of one tweet per day is recommended.) To learn more about his firm, visit https://www.qnary.com/#visible For help on finding an independent consultant for your project, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, August 12, 2019
194. Spish Rurak on how to successfully transition out of a top-tier consulting firm
Our guest today is Zbigniew "Spish" Rurak, who has served as a career transition coach to several thousand management consultants as they left top-tier global firms. In this episode, Spish shares observations on how to best prepare to transition out of a big firm and how to manage a successful job search. If you’d like to connect with Spish, find him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zbigniew-spish-rurak-4131674/ If you are interested in joining a global community of top-tier independent management consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, August 05, 2019
193. Lee Frederiksen on how professional services firms can reach their target market
Our guest today is Lee Frederiksen, Managing Partner at Hinge, a branding and marketing firm specializing in professional services. We discuss Researching your target client Developing a go-to-market strategy Benchmarking your marketing against that of high-growth firms How to differentiate your practice Visit the website of Hinge Marketing to learn more – at https://hingemarketing.com/ Click on Hinge University tab to see the firm’s online course offerings – several of which you can sample for free, and on the Blog tab you may want to sign up to receive their thought leadership posts right to your inbox. If you've got a question about independent consulting you'd like Will Bachman to answer in a future episode, email unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 29, 2019
192. Adam Braff on capturing value from data and analytics
Our guest today is Adam Braff, a former McKinsey Partner who has held senior executive roles responsible for data and analytics, and is today an independent advisor to private equity firms, corporate senior leaders, and boards in multiple industries on how to extract more business value from their investments in data and analytics. In this episode Adam shares several case studies of how he has helped clients get better results from their data, and he explains what roast chicken has to do with business intelligence. I enjoy Adam’s blog posts, and you can sign up to receive his blog updates and read all about his work at https://braff.co If you'd like to receive the weekly Unleashed email which includes transcripts of each episode and bonus material, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 29, 2019
191. Jason Bay on using customized video messages for business development
Our guest today is Jason Bay, the founder of Blissful Prospecting, a firm that helps B2B sales reps, SMBs, and nonprofits create sustainable revenue growth. In our discussion, Jason explains to me the REPLY method that his firm created to guide the writing of cold emails to prospects. REPLY stands for Results, Empathy, Personalization, Laser-focus, and You. The way I connected with Jason is that he used his own methodology on me. Jason researched me and this podcast, and then sent me a personalized video message of himself speaking to me, in which he mentioned this show, and in fact a specific episode of the show. Here is a link to that episode Jason sent me: https://embed.vidyard.com/share/RgRyiMAMGugfYPERrm3jyp?autoplay=1&vyemail=will.bachman%40umbrex.com&vydata[email]=will.bachman%40umbrex.com&vydata[name]=Will%20Bachman&vydata[messageId]=41TvW5ar9WC0DOhTZ That is the first time anyone has ever reached out to me with a personalized video, and I thought it was a pretty powerful approach, partly because it is so unscalable. Sending out 1,000 uncustomized LinkedIn connection requests can be automated or outsourced, but researching a target and recording a custom video message has a high signaling cost, and I wanted to learn more about this approach. After having Jason explain to me how he creates and uses these videos using Vidyard, I think it is an approach that could work well for many independent professionals. You can learn more about Jason on his firm’s website, https://BlissfulProspecting.com/ If you have questions you like me to answer on this show, or are interested in joining our global community of independent management consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, July 23, 2019
190. David Fields on what makes for a successful consulting partnership
Our guest today is David A. Fields, Umbrex member and the author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. David advises many boutique consulting firms, and over the years he has seen partnerships thrive and partnerships fall apart. On today’s episode, David shares some observations on how to make a partnership successful. We also discuss the idea of adding an advisory board to your firm, and we spend a few minutes on how to select the right gift for a client. Got questions about how to thrive as an independent professional? Email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 22, 2019
189. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, a thought leader in project management
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is a thought leader in the area of project management. Antonio is the author of two books: The Focused Organization: How Concentrating on a Few Key Initiatives Can Dramatically Improve Strategy Execution And The Project Revolution: How to Succeed in a Project Driven World He has been awarded the title of Thinker of the Month by Thinkers50, and has presented on the topic of project management at more than 120 conferences around the world. To learn more about his work, visit https://antonionietorodriguez.com/#!/about If you are interested in joining our global community of top-tier independent management consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 15, 2019
188. Christina Ungaro on the commercial real estate services industry
Our guest today is Christina Ungaro, the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at JLL. In case you aren’t in the real estate world: JLL is the second-largest commercial real estate services firm in the world, ranked 189th on the Fortune 500, with revenue of $16 billion in 2018. Christina was hired by JLL to build the corporate development group, and she has completed 32 acquisitions (mostly professional services firms) since she joined JLL. In this episode, Christina gives me a quick primer on the commercial real estate services industry, discusses lessons learned in building her team, and – significantly if you are ever thinking of selling your practice, Christina shares what she looks for as a buyer when she is considering the acquisition of a professional services firm To learn more about JLL, visit jll.com To learn more about Christina, check out her LinkedIn profile, a link is in the show notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-ungaro-0a17321/ If you are seeking to engage an independent consultant, or if you are an independent consultant and would like to join a global community, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 08, 2019
187. Josh Miramant on applying machine learning
Our guest today is Josh Miramant, the Founder of CEO of Blue Orange Digital, a full-stack data science agency using machine learning to simplify business decisions. In our discussion, Josh provides several case studies of how his firm is helping clients improve decisions through better predictions, including one project for a hedge fund that analyzes a wide range of data on job applicants to help the fund hire analysts who are likely to perform better. I also learn a new term: data lake Blue Orange regularly partners with consultants, and if you have a client you think you could benefit from their help, Josh would love to discuss it with you. You can reach Josh at: josh@blueorange.digital And you can read more on their website: blueorgange.digital If you are seeking the support of a top-tier independent management consultant, or if you are interested in joining our global community of consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, July 01, 2019
186. Stephen Redwood on org design and triathlons
Our guest today is Stephen Redwood, who has been a Partner in the Organization practices at PricewaterhouseCoopers, McKinsey & Co., Oliver Wyman, and Deloitte. He is now running his own firm, Redwood Advisory Partners, where he helps clients develop a high performing organization and an exceptional employee experience. In today’s discussion, Stephen explains what an organizational design project is all about, and he also discusses his other business, Tri Endeavors, where he coaches elite triathletes. To learn more about Stephen’s triathalon coaching practice, visit http://triendeavors.com/ And To learn more about Stephen’s consulting practice, visit https://redwoodadvisorypartners.com/ If you are interested in joining a global community of top-tier independent management consultants, or if you are looking for support from an independent consultant, contact Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, June 24, 2019
185. Seiya Vogt, VP of Growth at Boxed, on the latest marketing techniques
Our guest today is Seiya Vogt, the VP of Growth at Boxed – where he is responsible for Marketing and B2B Sales. Boxed calls itself “the easiest way to stock up and save for your household essentials." In today's discussion, Seiya provides a behind the scenes view of the tools available to the modern marketer, and along the way he explains why direct mail – that’s right – good old hard-copy mail – is making a comeback. After this episode you may be inspired to stock up on a bulk order of household cleaners or snacks or health and wellness products – if so, check out their website: boxed.com Sign up for their emails to get some coupons and see Seiya’s team in action. You can learn more about Seiya’s background on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seiya/ Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, the world's first global community connecting top-tier independent professionals with one another. To request to join, or to inquire about getting consulting from one of our members, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, June 17, 2019
184. Tim Hughes: Social selling is not about selling
Our guest today is Tim Hughes, who has written the book on social selling; he is the author of Social Selling: Techniques to influence buyers and customers, as well as Smarketing: How to achieve competitive advantage through blended sales and marketing. As you’ll hear from Tim, social selling is not actually about selling, or at least not about trying to sell – it is about building relationships. Tim’s LinkedIn headline is: Should have played Quidditch for England, and in today’s discussion he explains why he leads with that. Based on Tim’s advice, I have updated my own LinkedIn Headline and Summary, and since I’ve done that I’ve received a couple unsolicited comments in favor – so I’ll vote in support of Tim’s recommendations. Tim’s firm is called Digital Leadership Associates and you can learn more about their work on their website: dlaignite.com Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. If you are an independent consultant interested in joining our community, or if you are looking to hire an independent consultant, reach out to Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, June 10, 2019
183. Brian Hecht on joining an Internet startup in 1994
Our guest today is Brian Hecht, who freaked out his family in 1994, just two years after graduating from Harvard College, by leaving a perfectly fine job to join an Internet company – before that was a thing. Brian went on to have a successful career as an Internet entrepreneur, and today he is a Venture Partner at a NYC startup accelerator called Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator. Check them out at eranyc.com And as a hobby, he, along with his cousin Rachel Dodes, hosts the very popular and hilarious podcast This Week in Nope , in which they dissect the most abominable news of the week and shut it all down, usually over whiskey. Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, the world's first global community connecting top tier independent management consultants with one another and with clients. To inquire about joining our community or engaging one of our members on a project, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com or visit www.umbrex.com
Mon, June 03, 2019
182. David A Fields invites you to his Solo Practice Accelerator
Our guest today is David A. Fields, the author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. David is leading an upcoming professional development program for independent consultants that I thought could be valuable for many of the listeners of this show, so I asked David if he’d share an overview of the Solo Practice Accelerator. The next one is August 18-19, 2019 in San Francisco, CA. Details: https://members.davidafields.com/solo-practice-accelerator If after listening to this episode you are interested in attending but those dates don’t work for you, then subscribe to David’s blog and you’ll get notified of the next one. David kindly offered a bonus for listeners of Unleashed who attend the Accelerator – if you attend the program and let him know you heard about the program on this show, he will schedule an hour-long, private one-on-one phone call with you to discuss your practice. David has been a popular guest on the show three times before: Episode 001, where David shares highlights from his book Episode 170, where David discusses how to make outbound calls And Episode 172, where David shares his approach to setting up a CRM system. If you are interested in hiring an independent consultant or joining a global community of independent consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, June 03, 2019
181. Hi Leva shares a sales leader's perspective
Our guest today is Hi Leva, the SVP of Sales at Oasis Financial. In today's discussion, Hi shares key lessons learned from his career as a sales leader. We discuss recruiting a sales team, compensation, the importance of follow-up, CRM systems, how to get the most out of attending a convention, and other sales topics. You can learn about Hi’s company at oasisfinancial.com And you can learn more about Hi’s background on his LinkedIn profile, and a link is in the show notes https://www.linkedin.com/in/hileva/ If you are interested in hiring an independent consultant or joining the global community of independent consultants that I started, email me, Will Bachman, at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, June 03, 2019
180. Scott Friesen explains data analytics in the trucking industry
Our guest today is Scott Friesen, the SVP of Strategic Analytics at Echo Global Logistics, a company which serves as a broker that connects companies who want to ship something by truck to the trucking company that will give the best rate, a non-trivial exercise considering that there are 40,000 trucking companies in the United States. In our discussion, Scott gives me an overview of the two major categories of trucking: less-than-truckload and full truck load. We then explore some of the ways that analytics is changing the trucking industry, and the entry of new players including, you guessed it, Uber. To learn more about Echo Global Logistics, go to echo.com And to learn more about Scott, check out his LinkedIn profile – the link is in the show notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpfriesen/ If you are interested in hiring an independent consultant or joining our global community of independent consultants, email Will Bachman at unleashed@umbrex.com
Sun, June 02, 2019
179. Liston Witherill is a sales coach to consultants
Our guest today is Liston Witherill, a sales coach and trainer who helps non-sales people sell more client services by staying curious and providing more help to their clients. Liston has a set of great resources available to download on his website, just go to liston.io and click on the Resources tab, where you’ll find sales email templates, a CRM spreadsheet, a sales call checklist, a list of 32 ideas for lead generation, and more. If you are looking to hire an independent consultant, or if you would like to join the global community of independent consultants that I started, email Will Bachman at: unleashed@umbrex.com
Tue, May 28, 2019
178. Logan Sachon on how to buy life insurance
Our guest today is Logan Sachon, an insurance expert at Policygenius who focuses on life insurance. In this episode, Logan explains to me the types of life insurance, how to select a life insurance company, how to get a quote, and some thumbrules on how much coverage to buy. After our discussion, Logan emailed me to clarify one thing she said. I asked her the chance of a healthy 35 year old man dying before he retires, and she told me less than 2%. After we spoke she looked it up and the actual chance is closer to 0.65%. Of course, your mileage may vary. Policygenius is a NYC-based tech startup who goal is to make “insurance shopping faster, friendlier and more transparent for online consumers.” If you are shopping for insurance, you might check out their website: policygenius.com. They have a lot of useful info on their site, and a comparison tool that makes it easy to compare different providers. If you like this episode, consider signing up for the Unleashed email – each week I’ll send you a summary of recent episodes, some recommended reading, and consulting tips. To sign up, visit askunleashed.com If you are trying to find an independent consultant to help on a project, or if you are interested in joining our global community of independent consultants, email me at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, May 20, 2019
177. Mark Metry on being human
Our guest today is Mark Metry, who started a YouTube channel when he was 13 that gained 35,000 subscribers, and who started a company when he was 15 that generated six figures of income and became the #1 Minecraft server in the world. Oh, just a couple side projects. Mark, now 21, runs a marketing agency and also happens to host a Top 100 podcast, Humans 2.0, whose guests have included some of my heroes such as Seth Godin. To learn more about Mark, you can search for Humans 2.0 or visit his website: https://www.markmetry.com/ If you sign up for the Unleashed email at askunleashed.com , each week I’ll let you know about the latest episodes of the podcast, a book recommendation, and periodically, some amazing bonus materials.
Mon, May 20, 2019
176. Book recommendation - The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker
Today's episode is a new feature here on Unleashed - a book recommendation. I really loved the recently published book: The Art of Noticing: 131 Ways to Spark Creativity, Find Inspiration, and Discovery Joy in the Everyday, by Rob Walker. Here is a link to Rob Walker's website page on the book: http://robwalker.net/noticing/ If you sign up for the Unleashed email at askunleashed.com , each week I’ll let you know about the latest episodes of the podcast, a book recommendation, and periodically, some amazing bonus materials.
Mon, May 13, 2019
175. Reposting newsletter content on LinkedIn as a post or article
Jennifer Hartz sent me the following question: "Will, I send out a newsletter via Mail Chimp about six times a year. I also publish these on my website. I figure I ought to put them on LinkedIn as well – do you have an opinion about whether I should make them LinkedIn articles or Posts? If they are posts, I'd need to be regularly active to address comments, right?" I love Jennifer's newsletter - you can sign up to receive it on her website: https://corporatehartz.com/ I mention Mark Williams's podcast LinkedInFormed: https://linkedinformed.com/ And here are how to update your LinkedIn settings to get an email when there is a comment on one of your posts or articles: https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/communications-controls/email/updates-about-you To receive the weekly Unleashed email, sign up at askunleashed.com
Mon, May 13, 2019
174. How to set consulting fees
A listener asked for advice on how to set fees, and here are my thoughts. In this episode I refer to, and strongly recommend, Chapter 22 of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom , by David A. Fields Visit askunleashed.com to sign up for the weekly Unleashed email - get a summary of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips.
Mon, May 13, 2019
173. Steve Woodruff, the King of Clarify
Our guest today is Steve Woodruff, also known as the King of Clarity. Steve is the author of Clarity Wins . He helps individuals and businesses discover their professional DNA, define their offerings, target their ideal clients, and articulate their differentiating message. You can learn more about Steve’s work at https://www.stevewoodruff.com/ Never miss an episode of Unleashed - sign up for our weekly email at askunleashed.com
Mon, May 06, 2019
172. David Fields on how to set up a CRM system
Our guest today is David A. Fields, Umbrex member and the author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. In today’s episode, we discuss how to set up a CRM system for an individual consultant or boutique firm. A bit more than a year ago, I attended a training session that David led on this topic, and I set up my CRM system exactly that way he describes on this show. I’ve found the simple setup that David suggests incredibly useful, and I highly recommend it. While you can use his suggested setup with just about any program, I happen to use Pipedrive, which is the system that David uses and recommends to his clients. David has a great blog that I highly recommend - check it out and subscribe at: https://www.davidafields.com/blog/
Mon, April 29, 2019
171. Becca Braun on ghostwriting business memoirs
Our guest today is Becca Braun, an innovator and writer whose longtime passion is capturing the voices of executives, entrepreneurs, and others in new and interesting ways. Becca is an alum of Harvard Business School and Harvard College, and the President of Braun Ink, a ghostwriting firm that writes action-packed executive biographies and memoirs. Learn more about Becca’s firm on their website, https://www.braunink.com/ To sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit askunleashed.com
Mon, April 22, 2019
170. David Fields on how to make outbound calls
Our guest today is David A. Fields, Umbrex member and the author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom. David was my guest on the very first episode of Unleashed and it was great to have him back on the show. In today’s episode, we discuss how to make outbound calls to the people in your network. It is so much more comfortable to send an email. It can be awkward to just pick up the phone and make a call. David argues that picking up the phone is an incredibly effective means to reach out. And that it is much more comfortable if you have a plan for how you want the call to go, and that’s exactly what David offers in this episode. In our discussion, David mentions a script outline that he uses when making outbound calls – you can download a copy of that call outline for free on his website at https://davidafields.com/outreachscripts While you are there, you might want to get access to the full script bank that David has created, and if you use the code Unleashed, you’ll get half off from now until June 1, 2019. If you like the show, I invite you to subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, where you’ll get summaries of each recent episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. To sign up, go to askunleashed.com , or just shoot me an email at unleashed@umbrex.com
Mon, April 15, 2019
169. Katrin Siebenbuerger Hacki on life sciences consulting
Our guest today is Katrin Siebenbuerger Hacki, who runs a boutique healthcare consulting firm based on Switzerland. Katrin’s firm works with medical device, biotech, and other life sciences clients by providing marketing, sales, business developing, and funding services. You can learn more about her firm’s work on their website: http://www.medows.ch/ To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Thu, April 11, 2019
168. Does your LinkedIn headline tell a story?
Is your LinkedIn headline totally generic? Something like "Independent consultant" or "Freelance consultant"? This episode is about LinkedIn headlines that tell a story and capture the attention of potential clients. To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Wed, April 10, 2019
167. The most powerful question for finding work
This short episode is about the most powerful question for finding work - either a full time job or consulting projects. To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Tue, April 09, 2019
166. Mark Minukas brings lean ops experience to culture change
Our guest today is Mark Minukas, an Umbrex member, McKinsey alum, and partner at the firm Co-Creation Partners. Mark studied engineering at the Naval Academy and spent six years in the Civil Engineer Corps in the U.S. Navy before McKinsey, where he developed expertise in lean operations. At Co-Creation Partners, he brings his hard-core engineering experience together with the deep cultural transformation expertise of his partner, Gaurav Bhatnagar. Combining their expertise, their firm helps clients improve operations through a close focus on cultural change, and Mark discusses that work on this episode. You can learn more about Mark’s work on the firm’s website: http://www.cocreationpartners.com/ To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Mon, April 08, 2019
165. Nina Leffers helps design the next generation of cars
Our guest today is Nina Leffers, a McKinsey alum and partner in a boutique consulting firm Stahl Automotive Consulting. Nina’s firm works with auto companies around the world on developing the vision and key specifications for their future models, and in this episode she walks us through some examples of how her team works with clients to design the key aspects of cars we’ll see on the road five years from now. You can learn more about her work at http://www.sac-group.eu/ To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Fri, April 05, 2019
164. Do the goals in your organization actually cascade?
The CEO might think that everyone in the organization is working on the CEO's top priorities. It is worth checking that assumption. To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Thu, April 04, 2019
163. Simple project management update template
Complex projects need something more sophisticated. But for simple projects, this simple set of three questions forms the basis for a robust weekly or monthly update: 1. Last month, what did we promise to do over the coming month? 2. What did we ACTUALLY get done over the past month? 3. What are we going to do over the next month? This short episode elaborates. To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Wed, April 03, 2019
162. Should you do a full time job search while independent consulting?
I regularly speak with an executive leaving a corporate role, or a consultant leaving a firm, who asks me if it is possible to do independent consulting while doing a search for the next full time role. My short answer is: not a good idea My longer answer is: this episode To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Tue, April 02, 2019
161. Cyndi Freeman helps others tell their stories
Our guest today is Cyndi Freeman, who has 20 years of experience as a storyteller and 8 years of experience as a storytelling instructor. At The Story Studio, she leads classes in storytelling for business, among other courses. In this episode Cyndi shares some of her own stories and we discuss the key elements that every story ought to have. You can learn more – and register for upcoming courses – at https://thestorystudio.org/corporate/ To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email which includes summaries of each show and other bonus features, visit askunleashed.com
Mon, April 01, 2019
160. Afua Branoah Banful on tele-health and other transformational medical technology
Our guest today is Afua Branoah Banful, an Umbrex member and McKinsey alum with a PhD in Economics from Harvard. We discuss the spreading adoption of tele-health and other transformational medical technology. To learn more about Afua (who goes by B.B.), visit her firms' website: http://soundhealthadvisory.com/ To ask me a question, download transcripts of past episodes, or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email that includes bonus features of summaries of the latest episodes, go to askunleashed.com
Sun, March 31, 2019
159. Do you apply the 70-30 squared rule?
The 70-30 squared rule says that when you are in an initial context discussion with a client, the client should do 70% of the talking, and you should do 30%. And of the time you spend talking, 70% of the time should be you asking questions, and 30% of your 30% should be you speaking declarative sentences. Visit askunleashed.com to sign up for the weekly Unleashed email - summaries of each episode and bonus features.
Sat, March 30, 2019
158. What is your April Fool's Resolution?
Time to make your April Fool's Resolution.
Sat, March 30, 2019
157. Disability insurance
A listener asked me if I recommend independent professionals get disability insurance, and this short episode is my response. Short answer: yes, I encourage independent professionals to get long term disability insurance. In this episode I discuss short term and long term disability insurance, six different aspects of coverage, and the process to expect to go through to obtain insurance. Links I mention in the episode: Show notes: https://www.policygenius.com/disability-insurance/#whatislongtermdisabilityinsurance https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/your-money/life-and-disability-insurance/06money.html You can sign up for the weekly Unleashed email (summary of each new episode, links to download full transcripts, other bonus features) at askunleashed.com
Wed, March 27, 2019
156. Ten minutes of Gulf of Mexico waves lapping on the beach at Chuburná, Yucatan, Mexico
Use this episode for meditation or perhaps just as some white noise when you need to focus: ten minutes of the waves lapping on the beach at Chuburná, Yucatan, Mexico, where we stayed for a few days in July 2018. Ask me a question, view transcripts of past episodes, and sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: askunleashed.com
Tue, March 26, 2019
155. Matt Johnson runs a podcast production agency
That is Matt Johnson, who runs a podcast production agency. If you have thought about starting a podcast, but don’t want to deal with all the logistics and the marketing, his firm will take care of all the details so all you need to do is show up and share your wisdom, or interview the guests that Matt’s firm will book for you. To learn more about Matt, visit his firm’s website http://pursuingresults.com/ where there is also a link to schedule time to speak with Matt. Ask a question, download transcripts of past episodes, and sign up for our weekly email at: askunleashed.com
Mon, March 25, 2019
154. Kevin Stoneham on robotic process automation
Our guest today is Kevin Stoneham, an independent consultant who is the former COO of PwC IT Services. Kevin's current focus, DigiServ LLC, focuses on digital transformation, and we discuss in particular Kevin's experience with robotic process automation. Learn more about Kevin at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinstoneham/ Ask a question, download transcripts of previous episodes, and sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: askunleashed.com
Mon, March 18, 2019
153. Peter Winick on building an effective thought leadership platform
Our guest today is Peter Winick, who runs a firm called Thought Leadership Leverage. His firm enables thought leaders, authors and gurus to monetize their content through books, keynote speaking, the creation of training services and products and consulting and assessment tools. In our discussion, we start with the mistakes that people most often make when they think about building a thought leadership platform. And then we go through Peter’s process step by step, from setting a strategy for your thought leadership, to product design and monetization. To learn more about Peter’s work, visit https://thoughtleadershipleverage.com/ To ask a question or subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, visit askunleashed.com
Wed, March 13, 2019
152. Matt LeMay explains why Agile is for everybody
Our guest today is Matt LeMay, the author of Product Management in Practice and his most recent book: Agile for Everybody: Creating Fast, Flexible, and Customer First Organizations. In this episode, Matt discusses Agile for Everybody, which shows how to apply the principles of agile development from the world of software to the world of consulting and knowledge work. You can find out more about Matt on his personal website: mattlemay.com Matt is partners with Sunny Bates and Tricia Wang in a consulting firm named Sudden Compass, and you can learn about their work at https://www.suddencompass.com/ Sunny Bates is one of the master connectors of the 21st century, and you can hear from Sunny on Episode 64 of this show. Sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: askunleashed.com
Tue, March 12, 2019
151. Nick Sonnenberg on leveraging off-the-shelf tools
That is Nick Sonnenberg, a serial entrepreneur, author, speaker, and consultant. Nick and a partner, Ari Meisel, founded Leverage, a high-end freelancer market place, and they built the business by using off-the-shelf tools such as Slack, Trello, and Zapier. Nick and Ari wrote a book about the experience titled Idea to Execution: How to Optimize, Automate, Outsource Everything in your Business. Nick now regularly consults with clients on team productivity and how to get the most out of team productivity tools. You can learn more about Nick’s freelancer staffing firm at: getleverage.com You can ask a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, March 11, 2019
150. Dave Nelson, audio engineer for Unleashed, on podcast equipment
Our guest today is Dave Nelson, who, if you’ve ever listened all the way through the credits of this show, you’ll recognize as the audio engineer of Unleashed. Dave and I normally communicate by email, and this was the longest discussion we’ve had since we started working together 150 episodes ago. In this episode, Dave shares tips on audio equipment for podcasters and some process tips for working with an audio engineer. If you are looking for an audio engineer for your own podcast, Dave has expanded his team and does have some capacity available, and you can learn more at: https://www.lensgroupmedia.com/ Here is a link to download the list of podcast equipment Dave recommends on the show: http://bit.ly/DaveNelsonEquipment You can ask a question and sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sun, March 10, 2019
149. The Constitution of the United States
March 4, 2019 was the 230th anniversary of the day that the United States started operating under the U.S. Constitution. Which seemed like a good occasion to do a reading, out loud, of the full text of the Constitution and the 27 Amendments, something I had never done before.
Mon, March 04, 2019
148. Tobin Slaven on conversations at scale
Our guest today is Tobin Slaven. Tobin helps entrepreneurs build email lists, conduct conversations at scale, and then monetize those lists. He is the host of a podcast that I’ve been enjoying: Stop Marketing Now, Do This Instead. Tobin emphasizes the importance of engaging in a conversation with potential customers and building a relationship. In explaining to me his approach to building remarkable, successful email lists, Tobin recalled his own sleepless nights, worrying about where his next client would come from and what he could do to move beyond word of mouth. In this show we cover the nuts and bolts of which email platforms to use and how often emails should be sent as well as techniques to use email as a continuing conversation from which business can grow. To learn more about Tobin and to find plenty of useful tips, visit tobinslaven.com To ask a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, March 04, 2019
147. Gregory Albertyn on GDPR and privacy compliance
Our guest today is Greg Albertyn, an expert in data governance, risk, and privacy compliance programs. In this episode, we discuss, among other topics, aspects of GDPR that independent consultants should be familiar with. (GDPR is the General Data Protection Regulation enacted by the European Union) Among my questions to Greg was, “Can a person send an email to someone without their prior approval?” To learn more about Greg, visit his LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-albertyn/ To ask a question or subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, visit https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Tue, February 26, 2019
146. Podcast setup - how to record a phone call for podcasts
I'm often asked about the setup I use to record phone calls for the podcast, so I recorded this video. There are plenty of tools to record a call on your computer - I wasn't able to find a good guide on how to set up equipment to record two separate tracks when using a phone, so I had to figure this out through a bunch of trial and error. Here is a link to download the page illustrating the setup: http://bit.ly/PodcastSetup
Tue, February 26, 2019
145. Amy Gross helps athletes get in the zone
Our guest today is Amy Gross, a performance psychology consultant who runs a coaching practice called Pillars4Performance. Many of her clients are elite athletes, and that’s where we focus our discussion. In this episode we cover how to focus on the controllables (instead of fixating on things outside your control) how to using visioning exercises effectively how to identify and overcome self-defeating narratives how to identify your zone – and how to get into it To learn more about Amy’s work, visit pillars4performance.com To ask Will Bachman a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit: askunleashed.com
Mon, February 25, 2019
144. Kevin Terrell set up a non-profit to help kids start reading now
Our guest today is Umbrex member Kevin Terrell, a McKinsey alum and independent consultant based in Minneapolis St Paul. In addition to his consulting work, Kevin is the co-founder of Start Reading Now, Kevin read an article on how lower-income students tend to lose ground academically over the summer, and part of the reason is because they don’t read as much, and part of the reason for that is that lower-income households have fewer books in the house. In this episode, Kevin shares the story of what he did next. To learn more about Kevin’s non-profit, visit startreadingnow.org To learn more about Kevin’s consulting work, visit katanaconsulting.com To ask a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit askunleashed.com
Tue, February 19, 2019
143. Jonathan Stern's firm SnapStrat applies predictive analytics to recurring strategic decisions
Our guest today is Jonathan Stern, a former partner at Bain and the CEO and Founder of SnapStrat. SnapStrat builds tools for its clients to bring prescriptive analytics and machine learning to the tasks of regularly recurring strategic decisions. In this episode, he shares a case example of SnapStrat’s work with a top beauty products retailer, helping them use analytics to determine which free samples to give out. To learn more about Jonathan, visit his firm’s website: https://snapstrat.com/ To submit a question or sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, February 18, 2019
142. Mary Kate Scott
Our guest today is Mary Kate Scott, a McKinsey alum who has been running her own boutique healthcare consulting firm, Scott & Company, since 2002. She has been a close friend and mentor of mine for years, and in this episode we cover a wide range of topics including: - Three things MK does before every proposal, including her five-factor rule for evaluating potential projects - The three phases her consulting practice has gone through over the past 17 years - Maintaining relationships with clients over time To learn more about MK's practice, visit: http://www.marykatescott.com/ To ask a question for me to answer on a future episode, or to sign up for the weekly Unleashed email, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Wed, February 13, 2019
141. Robin Albin on building brands
Our guest today is Robin Albin, a brand strategist and brand sherpa based in the New York area. Robin has invented – or reinvented – over fifty brands for startups and major corporations across many categories, with particular expertise in cosmetics, health and wellness, and fashion. In our discussion Robin shares some case studies of how she works with clients to help them express the promise that the brand wants to make to its customers. To learn more about Robin, visit her website, www.insurgents.io Submit your question to be answered in a future episode. Record and submit at: askumbrex.com The weekly Unleashed email includes the transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. Sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, February 11, 2019
140. Jay Martin on the benefits of maintaining a project list
Our guest today is Jay Martin, who’s got over 25 years of management consulting experience, including time at Arthur D. Little and IBM Global Services and nearly 18 years as an independent consultant. Jay has done a better job than anyone I’ve met at maintaining an exhaustive list of all his projects – the document is 18 pages long and includes the details on well over a hundred projects. In this episode, Jay discusses how he started building this list and the benefits of keeping such a document. To receive a copy of Jay's project list, sign up for the weekly Unleashed email at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/ To learn more about Jay, visit his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-martin-99a69812/
Mon, February 04, 2019
139. Brad Clark with financial tips for independent professionals
Our guest today is Brad Clark, who is a former management consultant – he was a Principal at Oliver Wyman. Later, he was the Chief Marketing Officer at The Motley Fool, and he has now built a holistic financial planning and investment management service, where many of his clients are consultants. In our discussion, Brad describes the five financial planning tips he believes are essential for independent professionals: entity conversion, retirement planning, insurance, paying for college, and tax planning. You can learn more about Brad's services on his website: www.bradleyclark.com The weekly Unleashed email includes a transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. Sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sun, February 03, 2019
138. Are you selling water or chicha?
There are two types of products: Ones where we already know the story. Example: water. And ones where the customers needs to hear the story. Example: chicha. Are you selling water or chicha? The weekly Unleashed email includes a transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. Sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, January 28, 2019
137. Michael Frankel on interim CFO roles, AI, and more
Our guest today is Michael Frankel who has an amazing background – he’s been a corporate attorney at Skadden Arps, an investment banker, a private equity advisor, VP level business development roles at GE, LexisNexis, CFO of two companies, and held board positions. Michael is currently the Head of the Deloitte New-venture Accelerator. Michael shares his perspective on a range of topics including how large consulting firms are setting up talent pools of independent consultants interim CFO roles how consulting firms are investing in Artificial intelligence to enable experts with technology Here is Michael's profile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankelmichael/ Sign up to receive the weekly Unleashed email that includes a transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips, at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, January 21, 2019
136. Fredrik Thomassen on the future of work
Our guest today is Fredrik Thomassen, CEO and Co-Founder of Konsus.com, an on-demand creative outsourcing service. Fredrik shared his ideas on the future of work (hint: he says that it’s remote work), as well as the way that he runs his own company using a hybrid structure where half his team is located in Oslo and the other half are based in San Francisco. We chatted about the tools he uses to coordinate his company’s activities, how remote work is going to change the employee evaluation process, the challenges of being able to work 24/7, and how his team’s ambition is for every company in the world to eventually have a Konsus subscription. Fredrik says he is always open to chatting, and he values the many interesting conversations that have started with a simple email. You can reach him at his website: www.konsus.com or email him directly at fredrik@konsus.com .
Tue, January 15, 2019
135. Alisa Cohn on being a wise partner
Our guest today is Alisa Cohn, an executive coach, a writer, and a member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches. Marshall Goldsmith is considered by many to be the leading executive coach in the world, and Alisa shares the story of how she got to know him and get selected to join this exclusive group. You can learn more about Alisa through her website, www.alisacohn.com , and while you’re there you can sign up for her newsletter, which she calls a “barrel of goodness.” You can also reach out to her on Twitter, @alisacohn. The weekly Unleashed email includes transcripts of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. Sign up here: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, January 14, 2019
134. Lindsay McGregor helps clients achieve Total Motivation
Today’s guest is Lindsay McGregor, McKinsey alum and co-author of the book Primed to Perform. She and her co-author and former McKinsey Partner Neel Doshi created the concept of Total Motivation – or ToMo for short. Lindsay and Neel founded a consulting firm, Vega Factor, that works with clients to help implement the ToMo principles they describe in their book. In this episode, Lindsay talks about her path to understanding what drives motivation, and the impact that it has had on her own life. Lindsay views each day as an opportunity to play, and helps organizations see how that same mindset can drive productivity and profitability. Total Motivation is a measure of the degree to which individuals feel a sense of play, purpose and potential minus the degree to which they feel inertia and emotional and economic pressures. Lindsay talks about how we all can use Total Motivation techniques to manage our personal productivity and aspirations, shifting our focus from numerical, outcome-based goals to performance-oriented ones, including learning new skills to help us get where we want to go. Lindsay sand her co-author Neel Doshi are on a mission to introduce ToMo to the world, and hope that by 2050 everybody on Earth works in a high ToMo organization. To learn more about Total Motivation and Lindsay, visit the website: www.PrimedtoPerform.com. It has a short survey you can take to gauge your own ToMo, and a contact form that you can fill out to learn more about their company and their mission. To receive the weekly Unleashed email, that includes a transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips, sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sun, January 13, 2019
133. Improving the client’s experience: post-project phase [part 6 of 6]
This episode concludes our six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. In this episode, I share tips on how to provide a great client experience during the post-project Episodes 129-133 cover the five phases of a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you’ll receive a summary checklist that includes the points from the whole miniseries https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sun, January 13, 2019
132. Improving the client’s experience: wrap-up phase [part 5 of 6]
This is part five in a six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. In this episode, I share tips on how to provide a great client experience during the wrap-up phase. Episodes 129-133 cover the five phases of a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you’ll receive a summary checklist that includes the points from the whole miniseries https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sat, January 12, 2019
131. Improving the client’s experience: project execution phase [part 4 of 6]
This is part four in a six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. In this episode, I share tips on how to provide a great client experience during the project execution phase. Episodes 129-133 cover the five phases of a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you’ll receive a summary checklist that includes the points from the whole miniseries https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Fri, January 11, 2019
130. Improving the client’s experience: kickoff phase [part 3 of 6]
This is part three in a six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. In this episode, I share tips on how to provide a great client experience during the onboarding / kickoff phase. Episodes 129-133 cover the five phases of a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you’ll receive a summary checklist that includes the points from the whole miniseries. Sign up here: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Thu, January 10, 2019
129. Improving the client’s experience: proposal phase [part 2 of 6]
This is part 2 in a six-part podcast miniseries on how to improve the client experience. Episode 128 introduces the series. In this episode I discuss 29 suggestions for how to improve the client experience during the proposal phase. In Episodes 130-133, I'll be covering the next four phases in a project lifecycle: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you'll receive a summary checklist that includes the points from the whole miniseries. Sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Tue, January 08, 2019
128. Improving the client's experience: introduction [part 1 of 6]
This episode introduces a six-part miniseries on steps consultants can take to improve the client's experience across the five phases of a consulting project: The proposal phase Onboarding / kickoff phase Project execution Wrap-up Post-project I learned this five-part framework from David A. Fields, and encourage everyone to visit his website: https://www.davidafields.com/ If you subscribe to the weekly Unleashed email, you'll receive a summary checklist of all the suggestions from this client experience miniseries. To sign up, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, January 07, 2019
127. Ciaran Bossom on digital marketing
Our guest today is Ciaran Bossom, a digital marketing expert and independent consultant. Ciaran was the SVP of Strategy at VaynerMedia and most recently the Chief Digital Offier at Brown University. He has worked at several other digital agencies and held roles on the client side as well. Connect with Ciaran at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ciaranbossom/ To receive the weekly Unleashed email that includes transcripts of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips, visit: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Sun, January 06, 2019
126. Not every job has a fixed location
Not every job has a fixed location, but job-posting websites seem to think they do. There should be an option to list "Remote" as the location.
Sat, January 05, 2019
125. No more Texas email intros
Best-practice email introductions.
Fri, January 04, 2019
124. Invite your clients to an open rehearsal
Right before Christmas, I went with my family to an open rehearsal of the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. It was a lot more fun than going to the formal, black tie performance later that evening. It made me think - how can I make my interactions with clients more like that rehearsal - loose, creative, fun, authentic, human - instead of like the formal performance. If you haven't already, consider signing up for the weekly Unleashed email - you'll receive a transcript of each episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Thu, January 03, 2019
123. Chutzpah and humility
I discuss four quadrants on a classic 2x2 matrix Vertical axis: willingness to take the initiative Chutzah = high willness Compliance = low willingness Horizontal axis: openness to new information Humility = high openness Arrogance = low openness
Wed, January 02, 2019
122. Five decade time horizon
Adopting a five decade time horizon allows you to make rewarding investments in skills, relationships, knowledge, and your health that a shorter time frame would suggest won't pay off.
Tue, January 01, 2019
121. Consultants need a portfolio of sanitized sample work
You probably wouldn't hire a graphic designer or a wedding photographer without looking at their portfolio. Independent consultants ought to have a portfolio as well - samples of sanitized work you can share with potential clients. I've found that many independent consultants do NOT have a portfolio, however, and here are some thoughts on how to create one. To receive the weekly Unleashed email, which includes the transcript of every episode, consulting tips, and book recommendations, sign up here: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, December 31, 2018
120. Michael Zipursky on Consulting Success
Our guest today is Michael Zipursky, who runs a firm called Consulting Success. Michael has written multiple books on consulting and he serves as a coach to consultants, helping them grow their practice. You can learn more about Michael and get in touch via his website, consultingsuccess.com To receive the weekly Unleashed email, which includes the transcript of every episode, consulting tips, and book recommendations, sign up here: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, December 17, 2018
119. Jonathan Mann, Conference Troubadour, has written a song every day for ten years
Our guest today is Jonathan Mann, who holds the Guiness World Record for Most Consecutive Days Writing a Song. He began his Song-a-Day project on January 1, 2009, and the upcoming New Year’s Day will mark an even ten years of writing, and recording, and publishing online, one new song every day. His story is an amazing and inspiring example of how showing up regularly, creating content and sharing it with the world, can open up opportunities that we have not even imagined. In our discussion, Jonathan shares what happened on the day one of his songs was used to open a Steve Jobs press conference, and how that breakthrough moment led to him becoming the Conference Troubadour. As the Conference Troubadour, Jonathan is hired to attend conferences. He listens to the sessions over the course of the day and composes a song that includes the key messages of the event, and he closes the conference by singing the song with the attendees, since he always includes a chorus that he teaches to the audience. About 90% of songs on the radio are about love, as if that was the only topic worth singing about. Jonathan’s songs are incredibly inventive and cover everything else. He was attended conferences, and written songs about, topics as diverse as the National Apartment Association, medical case management, and internal company communications. One of my favorites of the songs he has posted to Youtube is the iOS Autocomplete Song, in which the entire lyrics are composed by the autocomplete function on an iPhone. You can learn more about Jonathan on his website: https://www.jonathanmann.net/ There you can reach out to him about attending your next conference, or for a person or a business commission. In addition to his conference work he will compose a song to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or other special event, or a song about your company. In this episode we have a few samples of his work, and I hope you enjoy the discussion as much as I did. Side note: if you visit https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/ you can sign up to receive the weekly Unleashed email, that includes a transcript of every episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips.
Thu, December 13, 2018
118. Are your filenames right-side-up?
Do the filenames you use demonstrate right-side-up thinking? That is, are you naming your files from your perspective, or from your client's perspective? Small cues matter.
Wed, December 12, 2018
117. Is your business open when closed?
We all have a choice. Is your business closed when closed? Or open when closed? How will you choose?
Mon, December 10, 2018
116. Robin Colucci ensures the book you write accomplishes your objectives
Our guest today is Robin Colucci, who is a book writing coach. If you are thinking of writing a non-fiction book to advance your career, Robin is someone who would help you think through the strategy of the book to increase the odds that all the effort you put into creating the book will have the impact you hope to achieve. In this episode, we discuss the questions that Robin asks her clients and how to think through who is the audience of a book, what that audience is already looking for, and how to serve that need. You can learn more about Robin’s services and get in contact with her on her website: http://robincolucci.com/ If you like this episode, consider signing up for the weekly Unleashed email, which includes transcripts of every episode, book recommendations, and consulting tips. Sign up at: https://www.umbrex.com/unleashed-podcast/
Mon, December 03, 2018
115. Danna Staaf on squid and science writing
Our guest today is Danna Staaf, an independent science writer and the author of Squid Empire: The Rise and Fall of the Cephalopods. Danna received a PhD from Stanford University in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography, and then rather than continuing on an academic track, she decided to become a science communicator, rather than a science generator. In this episode we discuss what makes squid so fascinating and how Danna has created a successful career as an independent science writer. You can follow Danna on Twitter at @DannaStaaf and on her website: http://www.cephalopodiatrist.com/p/home.html
Thu, November 29, 2018
114. This trick increases the chances of a client calling you
If you want to be contacted about opportunities, it helps to be contactable.
Mon, November 26, 2018
113. Nitin Rohatgi's firm provides fantastic research support to independent consultants
Our guest today is Nitin Rohatgi, who is the co-founder of Enroute Consulting, a research firm based in India. Nitin’s firm supports independent consultants around the world, many of them McKinsey alums. I've been a client myself, and I’ve been very impressed by the quality of his firm’s work. With about twenty employees, his firm typically will pull together background research using secondary sources as well as ten or so proprietary data sources they subscribe to. They have deep experience in the approach used by top consulting firms. You can learn more about Enroute and get in touch via their website: http://www.enroutellp.com/
Mon, November 19, 2018
112. Chris McKenna on The World's Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century
Our guest today is Christopher McKenna, a Reader in Business History and Strategy at Said Business School at the University of Oxford. Chris is the author of The World’s Newest Profession: Management Consulting in the Twentieth Century , which was an absolutely eye-opening book for me, and I’d say is a must-read for any management consultant interested in the history of our profession. Here is a link to Chris's bio page at Oxford: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/people/chris-mckenna
Mon, November 12, 2018
111. Michelle Welsch on Founding a Social Enterprise
Our guest today is Michelle Welsch, a social worker by training, who is leading an extraordinary life – she has organized major events in New York City for clients including Seth Godin, and for the past five years, she has been running Learning House. Learning House is focused on education and leadership. To learn more, visit www.learninghousenepal.com. I got to know Michelle through dinners that she organizes in New York City – we talk about those dinners on the show, and you can learn more about them on her website: http://www.michellewelsch.com . If you visit her site, you can download a free ebook that Michelle wrote: How to host a dinner party that gets everyone talking.
Mon, November 05, 2018
110. Rosina Samadani on managing a physically dispersed team
Our guest today is Rosina Samadani, a long-time friend who was my second Engagement Manager at McKinsey, and who provided me with invaluable advice when I was starting out as an independent consultant ten years ago. For a dozen years, Rosina ran a very successful boutique consulting firm, Capella Advisors, after leaving McKinsey. She is the founder of Truth On Call, which provides fast turnaround quantitative market research for the healthcare industry, and DocNews, which was acquired by American Medical Communications and relaunched as DocWire. Since 2015 Rosina has been the CEO of Oculogica, an innovative medical device company that is building devices that use eye-tracking technology to detect Traumatic Brain Injury. You can learn more about Oculogica at http://www.oculogica.com Her team members all work remotely, and in this short episode we discuss the tools her team uses to stay connected, in particular, Zoom and Slack.
Mon, October 29, 2018
109. Anish Shah, professional comedian and management consultant
So a professional comedian and management consultant walk into a bar... Actually, that's just Anish Shah getting a drink. Anish Shah is a McKinsey alum and professional comedian who does corporate gigs around the world as well as independent management consulting. In this episode, Anish shares the story of how he built his comedy career, and we’ll hear a clip from one of his performances. Check out videos on his website, https://www.anishcomedy.com/videos , where you can also sign up on his mailing list to get notified of upcoming shows, or reach out to him about booking him for your corporate or charity event.
Thu, October 25, 2018
108. How and why to travel around Europe by train
Earlier this month, I visited London, Amsterdam, Paris, Munich, and Zurich to meet up with independent management consultants. While I originally imagined I would fly from one city to another, I ended up taking the train from London all the way to Zurich, and it was fantastic. In this short episode, I share five reasons why you should take the train in Europe instead of flying between cities, and some tips from a train-riding novice.
Mon, October 22, 2018
107. Zachary Schrag on what consultants can learn from historians
Our guest today is Zachary Schrag, a Professor of History at George Mason University. Zach has been a close friend of mine for nearly three decades, and I asked him on the show to share some practical tips that management consultants can learn from a professional historian. Zach gives me some advice on how to read a non-fiction book to get the most value (hint – read the introduction and the conclusion first.) He also shares some book recommendations and discusses five core aspects of the historian’s approach. Zach has prepared this list of recommended reading for the intelligent, generalist reader: https://historyprofessor.org/ reading/a-laypersons-reading- list-in-american-history-2018/
Wed, October 17, 2018
106. How to pay a subcontractor
How do you pay a subcontractor? In this episode, I try to answer that question, sharing ten years of lessons learned, covering: 1) How do you actually transfer the money, covering options including check, PayPal, wire transfer, ACH, and bill.com 2) Tax implications, W9, 1099, and 'nexus issues' you need to be aware of 3) What to ask your subcontractor for in terms of an invoice 4) How to track payments to subcontractors
Mon, October 15, 2018
105. Marni Fechter on organizing "Go & Sees"
For over five years, Marni organized “Go and See” events for McKinsey, in which McKinsey clients or prospective clients would take a field trip to visit other McKinsey clients that had gone through some kind of transformation project with McKinsey’s help. On this episode, Marni shares her suggestions on what it takes to run a successful go-and-see, and the benefits to the past clients, the potential clients, and the consultant who organizes the event. After this episode, perhaps you’ll consider connecting two or more of your own clients. And if you’d like Marni’s help with that, she is now an independent professional. Her LinkedIn URL is: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marni-fechter/
Mon, October 08, 2018
104. Michael Brennan is simplifying forms so fewer people go hungry
Michael Brennan is the former CEO of the United Way of Southeastern Michigan, and now the Co-Founder and CEO of Civilla, a Center for Social Innovation rooted in human centered design to help courageous leaders tackle some of the toughest social issues. Michael decided to devote his energies to fixing a problem in Michigan: The entry point to Michigan's public benefit system is an application that is over 40 pages long. With over 1000 questions and more than 18,000 words it is the longest application of its kind in the United States. That application generated massive headache for residents trying to obtain benefits, many who got overwhelmed by the process and just never applied. It also generated unnecessary cost for the state to process the massive pile of paperwork. Michael tells a compelling story with valuable lessons for any consultant working to build alignment across multiple stakeholders. To communicate their findings and recommendations, Civilla set aside PowerPoint. They build an immersive experience in their office that senior state politicians, journalists, non-profit leaders, and other could walk through to really feel what applicants for public benefits got through. Do check out their website, for visuals and to learn more: www.civilla.com
Mon, October 01, 2018
103. Jeanne Martinet on The Art of Mingling
Our guest today is Jeanne Martinet, the author of The Art of Mingling: Fun and Proven Techniques for Mastering Any Room. I’ve always been a pretty strong introvert and never enjoyed mingling-type events very much – until I read this book about fifteen years ago. The book was eye-opening for me, and while I would not say that I’m good at mingling, the techniques in this book at least help me survive and even enjoy myself. So it was a huge amount of fun to speak with Jeanne and discuss the advice in the book and how she came to write it. If you’d like to get better at mingling, I strongly recommend Jeanne’s book.
Tue, September 25, 2018
102. Joshua Sharfstein on surviving a public health crisis
Our guest today is Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the author of a fantastic new book titled The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide: Leadership and Management in Trying Times, published by Oxford University Press. This book is a great read for any leader, not just those in public health, since the lessons are so broadly applicable, and the stories are so fascinating. Also recommended for consultants who want to know how to advise a client through a crisis. Josh is a physician and a public health leader who has held senior leadership roles at the city, state, and federal level. He’s been the Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore, the Principal Deputy Commissioner at the FDA, and the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. And he is currently a Vice Dean at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In this episode, Josh shares stories of crises he faced – include one on the very first day on the job. The Public Health Crisis Survival Guide is not a dry manual – it is full of absolutely amazing stories – including the story of Frances Kelsey, the heroine of the FDA, who saved an untold number of American children from being born with birth defects because of her courageous refusal to approve thalidomide, despite industry pressure. The book has very practical advice on how to recognize a crisis, manage a crisis, communicate through a crisis, and work to prevent the next crisis, and it is highly recommended.
Mon, September 17, 2018
101. Ethan Rasiel on The McKinsey Way
Our guest today is a hero of mine, Ethan Rasiel, a McKinsey alum and the author of The McKinsey Way and The McKinsey Mind. I read The McKinsey Way before I got interviewed by McKinsey – it helped me understand the Firm, and, well, I got an offer. In this episode, Ethan shares the story of how he got the idea for the book, how he did the research, and the reaction of the Firm.
Mon, September 10, 2018
100. Jessica Rhodes on podcast booking
Our guest today is Jessica Rhodes, who runs a firm called Interview Connections. They help their clients get booked as a guest on podcasts. Let’s say you want to raise your visibility by being on someone’s show. Jessica’s firm will come up with a list of podcasts that would be a good fit for your expertise and the audience you are trying to reach. And then they work to build relationships with hosts so they can get you booked as a guest. Their website is https://interviewconnections.com/
Tue, September 04, 2018
99. Tiffany Pham is a mogul, and so are you
Tiffany Pham is a mogul, and she wants you to be a mogul too. Tiffany is the Founder and CEO of Mogul, a platform reaching 18 million women per week – users can read trending content, take courses, solicit advice from other members, find job opportunities. Visit onmogul.com Mogul organizes an annual conference called Mogul X, billed as the modern millennial classroom, and the next one is this Saturday, September 8 in New York City – topics include Finding your mentor, finding your purpose, Building resilience, building your financial future, side hustles, building a business to work remotely – looks like an awesome day. Registration fee is $250, but Tiffany kindly offered a discount code for listeners of this show – enter the code Unleashed at checkout and you can register for just $99. Or use this link: http://bit.ly/2wC5gAr Tiffany is ALSO the author of a new book out today, You Are a Mogul: How to Do the Impossible, Do it Yourself, and Do it Now . Tiffany is truly an inspirational leader, and I hope you enjoy this discussion.
Mon, September 03, 2018
98. Wissam Kahi on Eat Offbeat
Our guest today is Umbrex member and Booz alum Wissam Kahi, who’s been a close friend of mine since we sat together in the same cluster at Columbia Business School. In parallel with running his successful consulting practice, Wissam, together with his sister, has started an amazing social enterprise called Eat Offbeat. https://eatoffbeat.com/ Eat Offbeat delivers authentic and home-style ethnic meals that are conceived, prepared and delivered by refugees resettled in NYC. Eat Offbeat was the recipient of WeWork's global creator awards and has been featured in dozens of major publications. At a time when refugees may not be feeling the most welcome in the United States, Eat Offbeat is creating jobs while also helping to build bridges. And their food is delicious – I’ve hired Eat Offbeat to cater several events that I’ve run and they always get rave reviews. Check them out online at Eat Offbeat – and if you’ve got an event in NYC, you can’t miss by having them prepare your meal.
Mon, August 27, 2018
97. Nayla Bahri on how to recover from a career setback
Nayla Bahri is a former Dean of Students at Columbia Business School who has a PhD in Adult Learning and Leadership. Nayla interviewed professionals who lost their jobs during the Great Recession, and studied their future trajectory. After that setback, some truly flourished, and ended up far better off than before they got fired. Some managed to get back to a similar role and their career plateaued. Some got derailed and didn’t really recover. Nayla sought to identify the factors that differentiated those groups, and the good news is that it wasn’t personality or something innate, but behaviors that are under our control. In today’s episode, Nayla shares the key insights from her research on the five behaviors that differentiated those who flourished after a career setback.
Tue, August 21, 2018
96. Louis Hyman on the history of temp labor in America
Louis Hyman is McKinsey alum and Associate Professor of Economic History at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. In this episode we talk about his new book: Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary. The gig economy is not a new phenomenon – this book explores how we got to where we are today. It weaves together the stories of Manpower,Inc. McKinsey & Co., the Bracero program that legally brought seasonal farm laborers from Mexico to the United States. There is also the story of how accounting firms became the big technology consulting firms. And how consultants helped encourage the rise of big conglomerates and then the reorganization and restructuring of those same companies. Fascinating throughout. To learn more, visit www.LouisHyman.com .
Mon, August 20, 2018
95. Chara McGill on bookkeeping for independent professionals
Chara McGill runs The RMG Group, what has traditionally been called a bookkeeping firm, with about 20 employees based in New York City. Chara suggests a different term for the work her firm does instead of bookkeeping – she calls it “internal accounting operations,” since the work goes well beyond the traditional bookkeeping tasks of general ledger entries. In this episode, Chara shares her advice for independent professionals on how to do the bookkeeping yourself, the signs that it may be time to outsource the work, and how to find a firm who will meet your needs. https://www.thermggroup.com/
Sun, August 12, 2018
94. Dirk Hanschur, CEO of Log-hub, supply chain software
Our guest today is Dirk Hanschur, the CEO of Log-hub, a firm that has created a range of supply chain analytics tools that work as Add-ons to Microsoft Excel. In this Episode, Dirk explains a selection of these apps which include geo-coding, distance calculator, live tracking, shortest path calculator, milk run optimization, and more. Log-hub is happy to partner with independent consultants, who can become authorized resellers of the software. A link to their website is in the show notes. https://www.log-hub.com/supply-chain-apps/
Wed, August 08, 2018
93. How a business athlete prepares for competition
To bring her whole self to the game, the business athlete Stays physically fit, flexibility, strength, cardiovascular fitness – because in long days at work, physical fitness supports mental alertness She insists on getting enough sleep She practices some form of mindfulness, to remain centered in the midst of inevitable crises She finds a coach who will help her keep improving her game through deliberate practice She puts time into mastering the basics until they become automatic - She studies the competition to understand their moves She regularly reviews, with an objective lens, her own performance, identifying what went well and what can be improved She is motivated not by standing on the medal podium, but the satisfaction of performing at the highest possible level She compares herself, primarily, not to other athletes, but to her own performance yesterday She looks out along the full arc of her future career, and not just to the next competition. She phases out from her life acquaintances who are a drag on her energy rather than a contribution to it Thanks to Michael Feiner, who, in his course "High Performance Leadership" at Columbia Business School, introduced me to this concept of the business athlete.
Tue, August 07, 2018
92. Put your eyeballs on the jobsite
In which the Engineer Officer told me that he expected me to get out of the wardroom and put my eyeballs on the jobsite. The lesson has carried over to my consulting career.
Mon, August 06, 2018
91. Nick Craig on Leading from Purpose
Nick Craig is the author of Leading from Purpose: Clarity and the Confidence to Act When It Matters Most, published in June 2018. Since 2006, Nick’s firm, Core Leadership Institute, has helped more than 10,000 leaders discover and lead from purpose. In this episode, Nick shares his perspective on: What purpose is How to discover your purpose The benefits of leading from purpose While his firm primarily leads private workshops within organizations, they do have two workshops coming up that are open to the public: Boston from October 18-19, 2018 London from December 4-5, 2018 Learn more on their website at coreleader.com
Sun, August 05, 2018
90. Why the Captain's permission is required
Certain evolutions on a submarine require the Commanding Officer's approval. This short episode is what I learned from asking permission. The same principles can be applied in any corporate environment.
Sat, August 04, 2018
89. Tell new hires what they need to learn with a qual card
The day I reported to my submarine, I was given a stack of qual cards, one of the best training technologies ever. Do you want new hires to get up to speed quickly? Then consider giving them a qual card so they can take charge of their own learning.
Fri, August 03, 2018
88. How I learned the concept of completed staff work
As a young ensign newly reported to my submarine, I handed the Engineer Officer a draft that didn't meet his standards. This short episode is the story of when I learned about the concept of completed staff work.
Thu, August 02, 2018
87. What is your time worth to you?
Every independent professional needs to determine his or her internal billing rate, that is, what is your time worth to you, in dollars. Most independent professionals I've met have not thought this through, and this leads them to spend time on low-value activities that should be outsourced.
Wed, August 01, 2018
86. BS Questions
I recently received an email with the subject line: BS Questions. Hmm - not very professional, I thought. This short episode provides some thoughts on abbreviations, and one thing I do with abbreviations at the beginning of every study.
Tue, July 31, 2018
85. The morning routine that helps me win the day
I’ve been working on eliminating decisions from my life wherever possible and replacing decisions with habits and routines. One area in particular that I’ve focused on for the past few years is my morning routine. I’ve tried adding and removing elements to see what works best for me. In this episode, I share the current version of my morning routine, which helps me win the day. I don't suggest you adopt my routine, but I do encourage you to find a routine that works for you. A book on the topic I recommend is My Morning Routine: How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired , by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander.
Mon, July 30, 2018
84. Yify Zhang - singer, songwriter, violinst, McK alum, independent consultant
Yify Zhang, a McKinsey alum, is also a singer - songwriter - violinist. In this episode, Yify shares how she combines her music with a career as an independent consultant. Do visit Yify's website, where you can stream all her songs, watch her music videos, and find out the dates of her upcoming live performances: http://www.yifyzhang.com/
Sun, July 29, 2018
83. Four required conditions to change behavior
McKinsey taught me this framework - the four conditions that are required to drive behavior change: 1) Understanding and commitment 2) Skills 3) Role modeling 4) Formal mechanisms This short episode gives an overview with an example of how to apply the framework.
Sat, July 28, 2018
82. A wedding photographer's lesson in building relationships
This is a story about the actual wedding photographer who took the pictures at my wedding, Drew, and his fictional doppelgänger, Drew Prime.
Fri, July 27, 2018
81. This midshipman has no excuse sir
Thirty years ago I stood at attention and, multiple times per day over the course of ten days, shouted "This midshipman has no excuse, sir!" What I learned from this experience at orientation before starting ROTC has proved to be a valuable lifelong lesson in extreme ownership.
Thu, July 26, 2018
80. Go. Set. Ready
Ready, Set, Go! is a great way to start a footrace. For any artistic or entrepreneurial project, not so much. When you have a new project in mind, there is no Ready. There is only Go.
Wed, July 25, 2018
79. Insights from a doorman's shoe
Asking questions with the mind of a child can yield new insights. Here's a short episode on what a friend learned when his daughter asked a doorman why the soles of his shoes are so thick.
Tue, July 24, 2018
78. Master the tools of the trade - Excel edition
You wouldn't hire a plumber who isn't comfortable using a wrench, or a lumberjack who can't handle a chainsaw. A professional needs to master the tools of the trade. For independent consultants, a fundamental tool is Excel. For most, it isn't necessary to program in Visual Basic or write macros, but it is essential to master all the basic tools, including, for example, pivot tables, vlookups, if functions, date functions. In this short episode, I share some suggestions on how to sharpen your Excel skills if they are rusty, and some particular Excel tools to prioritize learning.
Mon, July 23, 2018
77. Per Sjofors on measuring a customer's willingness to pay
Per Sjofors runs a firm called Sales for Profit – they have developed survey tools to measure a customer’s willingness to pay, and the help their clients determine what marketing method is most effective in their market which advertising targets the company should focus on which product features drive the highest willingness to buy and the optimum price of a given product or service In this episode, Per gives an overview of his firm’s methodology and how they work with clients. One thing Per told me that surprised me is that he is getting a substantial number of leads from Quora. He’s been answering questions on Quora, establishing himself as an expert there, and it is actually leading to business. You can learn more about Per’s firm at https://www.sales4profit.com/
Sun, July 22, 2018
76. Eight steps to prepare to transition to independent consulting
Are you thinking about transitioning to independent consulting? This episode provides eight steps you can take now to set yourself up for success when you officially launch your own practice.
Sat, July 21, 2018
75. 11 tips on how to interview experts
Interviewing experts can be one of the most powerful sources of insight when learning about a company or a market. This short episode has 11 tips that I've developed to help get the deepest insights from these interactions.
Fri, July 20, 2018
74. Ten influence techniques to master
Many of us stick with the 2-3 influence techniques that we are most comfortable with. Mastering the full range of 10 ethical influence techniques is a superpower. In this short episode I briefly describe each technique. My introduction to this range of techniques came during Initial Leadership Workshop at McKinsey, and I draw directly on a slim booklet that McKinsey provided called Interpersonal and Interactive Skills. That book isn't published publicly, but the author is Terry Bacon and he covers this material in detail in his book "Elements of Influence: The Art of Getting Others to Follow Your Lead."
Thu, July 19, 2018
73. Use Calendly to schedule meetings painlessly
Scheduling meetings over email is time consuming - I've spent more time scheduling a call than actually having the call. Last fall I found a solution: Calendly. In this short episode I share the basics of the tool. Check out the tool at: https://calendly.com/
Wed, July 18, 2018
72. Write down your goals to discover your goals
Yogi Berra said: "If you don't know where you're going, you might not get there." I like to step back and reflect about once a year and write down all my goals. In this short episode I describe how I approach this exercise, suggest a few variations, and the benefits I've seen. Would love to hear your thoughts, and any questions you'd like answered on the show.
Mon, July 16, 2018
71. Chad Oakley provides an executive recruiter's perspective
Chad Oakley is the CEO of Charles Aris, an executive search firm based in North Carolina. One of the firm’s practice areas is Strategy & Corporate Development – and they’ve completed nearly 600 searches in that space. Charles Aris publishes an annual strategy consulting compensation study which is available free on their website. So Chad is one of the most knowledgeable people in the U.S. about the market demand for alums of McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and other top consulting firms. In this episode, Chad shares a perspective on how a stint of independent consulting on your resume can affect your job prospects if you plan to return to a full time role at some point. We also discuss, among other topics, resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and how to reach out to executive recruiters. You can learn more about Charles Aris by visiting the website, https://charlesaris.com/ , and if you are open to new opportunities, you can send them your resume.
Mon, July 09, 2018
70. Kevin Nedd on high-impact project management offices
Our guest today is Umbrex member Kevin Nedd. Kevin is a McKinsey alum and independent consultant who focuses on running Project Management Offices, or PMOs. In our discussion, Kevin provides his perspective on when a company should set up a PMO, including examples of PMOs that Kevin has led the day to day work of running a PMO the tool kit used by a PMO, including templates and processes effective progress reviews PMO maturity levels We also discuss Kevin’s service as a township committeeman and why he walks an hour every morning. You can reach out to Kevin directly at kevin.nedd@pragmaticusllc.com
Mon, July 02, 2018
69. Ian Tidswell on pricing excellence
Our guest today is Umbrex member Ian Tidswell. Ian has a PhD in physics from Harvard. He did science for a few years but missed the human element and ended up as a management consultant at McKinsey. After McKinsey he worked at Vendavo, a software firm, and that is where he fell in love with pricing, which for Ian is the perfect mixture of the analytical and the human element. In this episode, Ian shares his perspective on pricing, including Why pricing is so important signs that a company has an opportunity to optimize pricing what good pricing looks like how to organize the pricing function and we walk through an example of pricing for a crop protection company. I enjoyed my conversation with Ian and I hope you find it helpful. You can follow up with Ian at Ian@eenconsulting.com
Mon, June 25, 2018
68. Neil Booth on structuring an elegant financial model
Our guest today is Neil Booth. In our discussion, Neil shares how he became a deep expert in how to build a really well designed model – he followed what could be termed the Benjamin Franklin method. Neil then turned that skill into a career. Neil also shares some modeling best practices – such as splitting up your formulas – do one step at a time – cells are cheap. We also geek out on cell styles, how to define constants, and whether you should include macros in your model. Neil is currently working at the investment bank Houlihan Lokey where he established the firms’ Financial Modeling as a Service group. His group offers corporate training in financial modeling best practices, and will also build the financial model for you. If you’d like to follow up with Neil you can reach him at NBooth@HL.com .
Mon, June 18, 2018
67. Scott Skibell on how and why to create your own videos
Our guest today is Scott Skibell. I’ve heard from several people that video is the new thing, that video on LinkedIn gets much higher engagement, and that if you want to work on getting your message out, you need to learn how to do video. I took Scott Skibell’s course, LinkedIn Video Marketing, and I thought it was great, and so asked Scott to be a guest on this show, to discuss video in an old-school audio format. What I really liked about Scott’s course is his message: keep it simple, your videos are about creating connection, not perfection. That said, he provides some tips on how to up the level of professionalism, and shows how you can add titles, text, and B-roll to your videos, all from within the iMovie app on your phone. It isn’t too expensive to get started. While all you truly need is your phone, it helps to buy a few accessories. In the show notes you’ll find links to the accessories I bought, which include: Tripod for $17. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B074QV4MW7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Tripod mount for $13 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B1GQ2T8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Softbox lighting kit for $70 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071GR11GT/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Cloth backdrop for $83 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BQLHFMM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Rode smartLav+ microphone for $66 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EO4A7L0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I enjoyed my discussion with Scott and hope you find it valuable. To learn more, check out his course at: www.skillcasting.com
Mon, June 11, 2018
66. Tim DeRoche, novelist and management consultant
Our guest today is Tim DeRoche, a McKinsey alum and independent consultant who is also the author of The Ballad of Huck & Miguel , a novel published in February 2018 by Redtail Press. The Ballad of Huck and Miguel is a retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in which Tim imagines that Huck is alive today and instead of traveling on the Mississippi with an escaped slave, Huck is living in Los Angeles and travels along the Los Angeles River with an undocumented immigrant. It is a fabulous novel with wonderfully inventive language and great fun to read. In this episode, Tim and I discuss how he came to write the novel, and how he combines this creative pursuit with his management consulting practice. Independent consulting provides the career flexibility to pursue a career as an artist in parallel, and Tim’s experience is a great example of that. I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did.
Tue, June 05, 2018
65. Susan Drumm on facilitating high-impact offsites
Our guest today is Umbrex member Susan Drumm, a CEO Advisor and Leadership Coach with over 20 years of experience coaching entrepreneurs and executives. Susan got her start in consulting at BCG, and she is the only person I know who has graduated from both Harvard Law School and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Susan often facilitates off-site sessions for her clients, and in this episode she shares with me a set of best practices for making off-sites successful – including how to prepare, what a good agenda looks like, tips on facilitation, and how to ensure the benefits are captured. Later in the episode she shares useful tips for staying focused and organized. Susan believes that her professional career is a natural offshoot of her own interest in leadership and self-improvement, and says, "If you would read a book or attend a conference on the subject matter that is your profession, and you would do it without getting paid because you want to, because you're so interested, you're in the right field." You can find more about Susan’s practice on her firm’s website: meritageleadership.com
Mon, May 21, 2018
64. Sunny Bates one of the master connectors of the 21st century
Sunny Bates is a legend and one of the master connectors of the 21st century. She is one of my heroes and it was really a privilege to have the chance to meet with her at her offices in Midtown Manhattan. Sunny is on the Board of Directors of Kickstarter, an Advisory Board Member at the MIT Media Lab, a Brain Trust Member for the TED Conferences, and an Advisory Board Member for the American Theatre Wing, which means she gets to vote for the winners of the Tony Awards. Sunny operates wherever executives, thinkers, artists, creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, philanthropists connect and collide around the globe. Her genius is developing networks of extraordinary people and connecting their ideas in surprising ways toward concrete outcomes. In our discussion, Sunny shared insights on what makes a great connection and how to nourish relationships. We also discussed her idea of an ideal day, routines, habits, books, and theater. You can learn more about her work on her firm’s website, which is sunnybates.com
Mon, May 07, 2018
63. Celine Teoh on customer retention
Our guest today is my good friend, Umbrex member Celine Teoh an independent strategy and marketing consultant in the Bay Area whose functional specialties include data-driven marketing strategy and execution, strategic planning and business planning. On this episode, we discuss steps firms can take to improve customer retention. We also discuss the benefits you can derive from journaling – in terms of productivity, creativity, happiness, and centeredness. Celine has been journaling actively for years, across several different styles, and I’ve been working to put her suggestions into practice.
Mon, April 30, 2018
62. Paul Millerd on the future of work
Our guest today is a good friend of mine, Umbrex member Paul Millerd. Paul has experience at McKinsey and BCG as well as the Board & CEO Advisory Group at Russell Reynolds Associates, one of the top executive recruiting firms in the world. He currently has a wide portfolio of activities – he is a real Renaissance talent. He is currently an independent strategy consultant, a career coach, the host of a podcast, Boundless, an active writer who puts out great posts several times a week. He hosts Jeffersonian dinners, he is interested in the gift economy and the future of work, Paul has created a career transition playbook and other course materials including a story course. In this episode we have a wide ranging discussion covering just a few of Paul’s interests – I encourage you to check out his website and sign up to his mailing list. Visit think-boundless.com
Mon, April 23, 2018
61. Whit Pidot on the travel industry
Our guest today is Umbrex member Whit Pidot, an independent consultant who was formerly a Partner in the Travel practice at McKinsey. His clients include the CEOs of some of the top travel companies in the world including airlines, rental cars, and hotels. Whit has been fascinated by the world of travel from an early age. As a hobby, he has been running a travel agency on the side since college. In today’s episode, we first explore some of Whit’s favorite travel hacks for business travelers, such as: For finding the best rates on rental cars, Whit likes Autoslash.com. For hotels, if you aren’t going to book directly on the hotel brand’s website, Whit’s current favorite sites are Upside.com and Rocketmiles.com. For all travel properties, ask what the Triple A rate is: sometimes the AAA rate is better than the corporate rate. Whit once had an entire McKinsey team get AAA memberships because the AAA rate at the hotel they were staying at was better than the McKinsey rate. We discuss Whit’s travel agency, and how being in the business himself with his own Sabre subscription has given him a pulse on the business that informs his consulting work. We also discuss Whit’s consulting work, which has a strong focus on loyalty programs. I love hearing Whit’s stories about the travel industry, and I hope you find this episode helpful.
Mon, April 16, 2018
60. Joachim Fischer on lean operations
Our guest today is Joachim Fischer, a mentor and good friend of mine who was an Expert in the Operations Practice at McKinsey when I got to know him a dozen years ago Joachim is the only McKinsey alum that I know who started his career as an apprentice cabinetmaker. As he explains on the show, the training he received as a cabinetmaker has been incredibly relevant to his career, probably more important than anything he learned in college. He still spends a lot of his free time building beautiful things with his hands, and that practical, craftsman knowledge informs his professional work driving improvement on the shop floor. Back in 2006, Joachim and I spent three days together on a quick operations diagnostic of maintenance workers doing A-checks on a 747 at John F. Kennedy airport, which has got to be one of the most fun things I did at the firm. Joachim started his independent consulting practice ten years ago, and after I started my own practice I’ve regularly called him for advice, and I’m really grateful for all the counsel he has given me over the years. On the show we discuss Joachim’s three main areas of focus, including lean transformations, operational problem solving, and coaching and mentoring. Over ten years, about 95% of his business has come from just twelve clients, and he offers a powerful example of building deep relationships with clients that last for years. I always learn something when I talk to Joachim, and I hope you find this episode helpful. To learn more about Joachim and get in touch, visit the website of Fischer Advisors .
Mon, April 09, 2018
59. Tsavo Neal on consulting firm websites that generate leads
Our guest today is Tsavo Neal, who has thought hard about how consultants can generate more client leads with their website. Tsavo has written dozens and dozens of posts on this topic and you can find all his work on his website, tsavoneal.com , which is a valuable resource. He’s got examples of best-practice consulting websites, dozens of specific ideas on how to raise your visibility, tips on how to convert website visitors into leads, and much more. Tsavo has many valuable insights on marketing professional services, and I hope you find the discussion valuable.
Mon, April 02, 2018
58. Aner Ravon applies AI to market research
Our guest today is Aner Ravon, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Zirra, a technology company focused on market analysis, using big data and artificial intelligence. Aner and his co-founder recognized a real pain point for investors and anyone else doing research on smaller companies: it is very time intensive to search the universe of sources and pull together a basic set of facts. They thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we could use artificial intelligence to scan public sources and pull together the basic information, so that analysts can spend their time on processing the information and synthesis. And that is just what they built. Zirra’s main product is a company snapshot that is built by a combination of artificial intelligence and a human editor who provides quality control. The snapshots are created on demand and take about 24 hours or less to deliver. I’ve tried out the service myself and I’ve been very satisfied. The report you receive looks like it was created by a human. It draws on dozens of potential sources, such as LinkedIn for number of employees, Glassdoor for employee reviews, websites of the company and its competitors. All the sources the report relies on are listed with live links. The price of this company snapshot depends on how many you are going to purchase. If you are buying only a handful, the price starts at $200. If you are industrial scale, the price can get down to $100 each. The ideal target to research using Zirra has revenue in the $5 to $100 million range. For smaller companies, there probably isn’t much public on the web for Zirra to scrape. And for larger companies you can probably find some Wikipedia article or analyst coverage to get you up to speed. The ideal time to use Zirra is right at the beginning of a project. If you’ve already been looking at a company for a couple of weeks, you will probably already know most of what Zirra will tell you. The biggest value is using Zirra to quickly get up to speed so starting on Day 2 of your project you’re prepared to ask smarter questions as you pursue your research. You can get started with Zirra by visiting www.zirra.com , click on the Pricing page and submit an inquiry. Aner himself will read your request and make sure you are taken care of.
Mon, March 26, 2018
57. David Topus talks to strangers
Our guest today is David Topus, who helps his clients turn reputation into revenue. I think that’s a pretty great positioning, encapsulating what David does in four words. And that’s what you’d expect from a professional who has been running a strategic sales messaging firm for over twenty-eight years. In the first half of our discussion, we cover personal branding, with a focus on how to enhance your LinkedIn profile. In the second half of the episode, we discuss David’s most recent book, Talk to Strangers, which is a guidebook on how to initiate conversations with strangers and includes dozens of examples of how David and those whom he has coached have turned conversations with strangers into business opportunities. I’m a bit of an introvert, and normally the last thing I’d do is to strike up a conversation with a stranger. But after my talk with David, and reading his book, I said, OK, I’ll test this out. Over a few days of skiing I went outside my own comfort zone and initiated conversations with strangers on the ski lift. Now, I never went so far as to actually ask for contact info – I was just taking some baby steps. But I did end up having over a dozen fascinating discussions. I met a woman who works as a ski instructor during the winter and during the spring and summer produces car commercials. Met the owner of a gas refinery, at attorney at Bank of America who works on credit derivatives, a woman in college who is studying to become a dentist and who plans to join the family’s 110-year old dental practice – she was helping with bite wings when she was eight years old. I met a professional rock climber, a woman who runs a business that checks on Park City condos while the owners are out of town, and the sales manager for the Western U.S. for one of the two leading printing companies. I hope you find this discussion valuable, and I hope you’ll test out David’s suggestion and strike up a conversation with a stranger today. Visit David's website: http://www.topus.com/ David's book: https://smile.amazon.com/Talk-Strangers-Everyday-Encounters-Business/dp/111820347X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521748374&sr=8-1&keywords=david+topus
Mon, March 19, 2018
56. Jonah Gruda on tax considerations for independent professionals
Our guest today is Jonah Gruda, a Tax Partner at the accounting firm Mazars USA, LLP. In this episode, we discuss a wide range of tax-related topics relevant to independent professionals. We cover differences between various structures including LLC, S-corp, and C-corp. Before our conversation, I thought LLC was the obvious choice for most independent professionals, but Jonah made me realize that there are many factors that go into the equation and you really want to sit down with a professional to figure out what structure is right for your situation. We discuss bookkeeping, how to hire a subcontractor, various deductions to keep in mind, and nexus issues you want to be aware of. We also discuss the implications of the new tax law: the short answer there is that it is going to take some time for the IRS to issue guidance to resolve some of the ambiguous or even contradictory aspects of the law. To get in touch with Jonah, you can visit www.mazarsusa.com . Here is a link for Jonah's contact info: http://mazarsusa.com/about-us/our-people/jonah-gruda/ I hope this episode answers some questions you may have about the tax side of running your own firm, and raises awareness of important points that maybe were not top of mind.
Mon, March 12, 2018
55. Rak Chugh on Byte Academy and edChain
Our guest today is Rak Chugh, the Founder of Byte Academy and the Architect of edChain. We met in his office in Midtown Manhattan. Byte Academy provides training in python development, FinTech, Data Science, Quant Algorithms, and Blockchain. They have a full-time program with modules that last 14 weeks, and a part-time program designed for working professionals. Their students include recent college graduates – even some with Computer Science degrees – as well as mid-career professionals who want to switch careers or just broaden their skill set. They also deliver customized corporate training programs. My belief is that as independent professionals, we need to be continuously working to stay current and build our skills, so I was quite interested in hearing about what skills Rak sees as most in demand. Right now, blockchain is a blazing hot topic, and companies in all industries and scrambling to figure out the implications of blockchain technology for their business and how to seize those opportunities. You can read more at byteacademy.co In addition to running Byte Academy, Rak is also the architect of edChain, which is an open-sourced, decentralized library that allows the sharing of educational content across applications and organizations. In the second half of the episode, we discuss edChain. Rak explains that his goal with the technology is to lower the cost for educators to publish content while providing full attribution and facilitating monetization across platforms. A second goal is universal access, so that students can gain access to the best of breed courses in the world, wherever they are. A third goal is to unlock value by enabling content to stay connected to an educator. And if the content creator allows it, her content can be incorporated into the courses of other content creators, and the technology ensures that the first creator would continue to capture a fair portion of the revenue stream from products that incorporate her work. You can learn more about edChain at edChain.io I’ll also mention the social handles @byteacademyco and @edchainio , and you can find them on Twitter and all the major social networks.
Tue, March 06, 2018
54. Molly Leeds on finding healthcare insurance
Our guest today is Molly Leeds, a benefits account manager at Brown & Brown of New York. Molly helps small and medium sized businesses to obtain the best package of employee benefits to fit their needs. In our discussion, we focus on healthcare benefits. If you are a solo, independent professional with no employees and no partners in the United States, your main option for getting health insurance is Obamacare, via healthcare.gov. But if you have at least one employee, or you band together with another independent professional to form a partnership and have at least two eligible members in your company, you can start looking at small group healthcare plans, which can be a better value in some, but not all, cases. Molly walks us through the various options for health insurance and we also discuss how to find and select a health insurance broker. Molly’s firm, Brown & Brown, helps clients with a wide range of products and services, including trade credit, business insurance, employee benefits, risk management, and more. You can learn more at their website, www.bbinsurance.com , where you can use their office locator to find an office near you.
Wed, February 28, 2018
53. Johnny Warstrom CEO of Mentimeter
Our guest today is Johnny Warström, the CEO of Mentimeter, which is a tool that can help you make presentations, workshops, and meetings more interactive. Here's a link: https://www.mentimeter.com/ The tool lets you take a live poll of your audience, and the results get updated real-time in your presentation. The audience doesn’t need any special hardware – just a phone or any other device connected to the Internet. When I interviewed Johnny, I had not yet used the tool. I just got back from facilitating a professional development event with about 25 independent consultants where I tried Mentimeter for the first time, and it was a massive hit. Some of the attendees said that Mentimeter was their number one takeaway! We’d be having a facilitated discussion and presenting regular slides, and the attendees were engaged, but you could see the energy in the room starting to flag. And then we’d get to a place with a Mentimeter survey, and, Bam!, the room came alive. Out came everyone’s phones, and you’d see the responses coming in on the screen, and people were looking up to see how their response compared to everyone else’s – it was awesome. I can’t imagine doing a presentation in the future to a larger group without including a few Mentimeter surveys. I’ll also say the tool is incredibly easy to set up. I had put it off for a week, because of the activation energy involved in learning some new piece of software. I shouldn’t have worried. If you can drag and drop, you can have a Mentimeter survey ready in about 60 seconds. One tip: while most of the survey templates are quantitative, do try out the “Open-ended” question type, in which respondents can type in free text. It is very cool to see all the responses popping up on your screen up in front. You might start a meeting by asking, using Mentimeter, “what are you hoping to get out of today’s session?” Or you might end your meeting by asking, “What is your key takeaway from today’s session?” or “What was most valuable to you from today’s session?” The tool allows you to export all the responses, in either Excel or PDF format, so you can use in later analyses or presentations. Mentimeter has 16 million users – I’m one of them. I do encourage you to check it out and try it in your next meeting.
Mon, February 19, 2018
52. Josh Boltuch CEO of On Demand Ops and Fancy Hands
Our guest today is Josh Boltuch, the CEO of Fancy Hands and its subsidiary, On Demand Ops, and in this episode we talk about both firms. Fancy Hands is a network of thousands of U.S. based virtual assistants. You sign up for a set number of requests per month and pay a fixed monthly fee. Each request can be pretty much anything that can be done on the Internet or by phone – whether that is calling your utility company to complain about a charge on your bill, or researching the best BBQ joint to visit on your trip to Memphis. You don’t get a dedicated virtual assistant: each incoming request gets farmed out to the next available person who is a good fit for that assignment. On Demand Ops was launched by Fancy Hands in 2017 and is geared more towards the enterprise customer. A key service of On Demand Ops is large scale lead generation, for example. They’ll work with a client to develop and refine a script and a protocol, and then they will make thousands of phone calls that have the goal of setting up calls with qualified customers interested in hearing about the client’s project. They have sophisticated quality control and analytics that Josh describes in our discussion. As an independent professional you might not need this service for your own practice, but you may well have clients that are looking for a solution like this. For those who are interested in trying out Fancy Hands, Josh kindly offered a discount code to listeners of Unleashed. Use the code Unleashed when you sign up and you’ll get 50% off your first month’s subscription.
Mon, February 12, 2018
51. How to outsource research tasks using Upwork
Outsourcing research tasks via Upwork is a superpower that every independent professional ought to master. In this episode, I provide a range of examples that illustrate the types of tasks that I have outsourced to freelancers on Upwork, and then I discuss tips and tricks on how to use the platform effectively.
Mon, February 05, 2018
50. Forty-five tips on working with staffing firms
For many independent consultants, staffing firms are an important channel for getting connected to project opportunities. This episode presents 45 tips for independent consultants on how to work effectively with staffing firms and become their go-to resource.
Tue, January 30, 2018
49. Will Bachman on Getting Some Things Done
On the show today Julia Bunte-Mein is back. Julia, a brilliant and accomplished sophomore at Harvard College, spent a day with me on a Winternship. On our last episode, Julia interviewed me about the advice I’d give to my college-age self, and related topics. On today’s episode, I share the tips that I’ve learned on Getting (Some) Things Done. I loved David Allen’s classic book titled Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. His system was a bit too complex for me, and I’ll be sharing what I do in practice to get some of the things done that I want to do. Then in the second half of today’s episode, Julia takes over and shares her productivity routine, which I must say is more disciplined and robust than mine. One of my goals this year is to improve my own ability to focus and get things done, and if you have tips, send me a message on LinkedIn. So there’s no one right answer, and in today’s episode you get two sets of ideas to think about incorporating – I hope you find something in here helpful.
Wed, January 24, 2018
48. Will Bachman interviewed by Julia Bunte-Mein on advice for his college-age self
On the show today our guest is Julia Bunte-Mein, a sophomore at Harvard College, who spent one day with me over her winter break on a Winternship. I’m pretty sure that I learned more from Julia than she did from me over the course of the day. One of the things I learned was that if I were applying to Harvard today, I would have had a lot less chance of getting in, as the bar has been raised over the past couple decades. Julia added real value on Day One. Little did I know, but she has deep graphic design experience, and she helped me dramatically improve a mailer I was designing that day. Julia has worked as a Researcher-Writer for Let’s Go and had actual internships in Belgium, Spain, Australia, and South-east Asia. She is the Social Enterprise Director for Harvard Women in Business and all-around a very impressive person. In this episode, we turned the tables and Julia interviewed me, mostly about the advice I’d give to my college-age self, and related topics. It was a lot of fun being interviewed by Julia, and I hope you find it useful: maybe you’ll even share the episode with a current college student.
Mon, January 01, 2018
47. Chris Doig on enterprise software selection
Our guest today is Chris Doig, who has thought more about enterprise software selection than anyone else I know. I’d like to thank David A. Fields for introducing me to Chris. Chris is the co-founder and CEO of Wayferry, a boutique consulting firm with a very tight focus: their entire focus is on helping enterprise clients select software. The firm has developed its own proprietary software and processes to support enterprise software selecton. Chris is also the author of a book that was published in October and is available on Amazon: “Rethinking Enterprise Software Selection: Stop buying square pegs for round holes.” For me, the takeaway from my conversation with Chris is broader than what I learned about software selection. He is a great example of how a consultant can build a successful practice by carving out a niche to serve one pain point. I know at least a dozen firms that provide a range of IT consulting services. But I know just one person with an exclusive focus on enterprise software selection. So the next time one of my enterprise clients is trying to select software, guess who I’m going to call?
Thu, December 28, 2017
46. Diane Mulcahy, author of The Gig Economy
Our guest today is Diane Mulcahy, a McKinsey alum and the author of The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want. Her book grew out of the MBA course at Babson that she developed titled “Entrepreneurship and the Gig Economy,” which was names by Forbes as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Business School Classes in the U.S. Diane’s book is structured around her ten rules to succeed in the gig economy, and in this episode we discuss several of those, including #6: Take Time Off Between Gigs. Independent professionals almost inevitably have time off between gigs, at least occasionally, and in our discussion Diane details an exercise she recommends to develop a set of ideas on how to use that unbilled time productively. Pursuing the life of an independent professional requires us to rethink many of the assumptions that employed professionals can take for granted. Diane’s book is a great guide for getting us to think about the life we want to lead. You can read more about Diane on her website: dianemulcahy.com
Thu, December 21, 2017
45. Roger Lee on IT for independent professionals
Our guest today is Roger Lee, the owner of F1 Consulting. Roger provides remote IT support for independent professionals, home offices, and small businesses. He helps his clients with network design and installation, cloud services migration, remote monitoring, and offsite data backup and disaster recovery. One of the tools that Roger mentions in this episode is LastPass, a password manager. After Roger and I spoke I adopted LastPass myself and I strongly recommend it. Roger asked me to point out that he misspoke on the cost of LastPass – the monthly fee is two dollars, not one dollar. If you are an independent professional, you ought to have an IT professional like Roger on your virtual team. I picked up a ton of useful tips in this discussion and I hope you find it helpful.
Mon, December 11, 2017
44. Jennifer Hartz on corporate and personal philanthropy
Our guest today is Jennifer Hartz, a McKinsey alum and the founder of Corporate Hartz. Jennifer has several focus areas including business-driven community relations strategies, nonprofit strategic planning, and personal philanthropy. Her philosophy is that generosity and profitability can, and should, go hand-in-hand. Her lessons learned from helping families take a strategic approach to philanthropy can be useful to all of us – you don’t need to have a $100 million fund to start a family conversation about giving. With the holidays coming up, and the tax year coming to a close, after listening to this episode you might be motivated to set up your own donor-advised fund. With a donor advised fund, you get the charitable deduction off your income taxes today when you contribute money to the account. Then you can disburse the funds over time to approved charities. You can start a fund at Fidelity with a minimum $5,000 contribution, and over at Vanguard with a minimum contribution of $25,000. In our discussion, Jennifer mentions her periodic newsletter, called Hartz and Minds – you can find an archive of all her past newsletters on her website, which also lists her very impressive set of clients and her philosophy on corporate philanthropy. Check it out at corporatehartz.com.
Mon, December 04, 2017
43. John Dranow on anthropological market research
Our guest today is John Dranow, the CEO of Smart Revenue. John’s firm has hundreds of trained, vetted field researchers available around the world, and his firm can help you fill in the data white spaces. Big data can help us analyze in exquisite detail what is happening, but it is hard to know from the data what isn’t happening. How many people walk by a store but don’t look at the window display? How many people look at the window display but don’t enter the store? How many people enter the store but don’t walk down the center aisle? How many people walk down the center aisle but don’t buy your client’s product? John’s team has a range of tools to help fill in these white spaces. In our discussion we discuss field interviews, vision tracking goggles, how Panera might study a customer standing in line to order, and much more. John’s firm does regularly work with boutique consulting firms as well as independent professionals – so if you have an upcoming project where this type of anthropological field work would provide compelling insight, check out his firm at www.smartrevenue.com
Mon, November 27, 2017
42. Will Bachman on DocuSign Expensify ScannerPro and Rev.com
In this in-between-isode, Will Bachman shares four tools useful for any independent professional: 1) DocuSign - to avoid the need to print/sign/scan/email 2) Expensify - to keep track of your expenses. 3) ScannerPro - to create multipage PDFs with your phone 4) Rev.com - quick and affordable transcripts
Mon, November 20, 2017
41. Sinisa Slijepcevic on machine learning
Sinisa Slijepcevic studied with Stephen Hawking, among other professors, while earning his PhD in applied mathematics at Cambridge University. Sinisa is a McK alum and independent consultant and runs a firm called Cantab Analytica, which is based in the UK and Croatia. Sinisa’s firm leverages machine learning to help clients make better decisions and to focus energy on the right decisions. In our discussion, Sinisa provides several case examples to illustrate how machine learning can help make decisions in three ways: First: decisions that may be subject to unconscious bias, such as the investment decisions made by venture capital firms Second: decisions that are complex and also occur very frequently, such as dynamic pricing of hotel rooms. Third: focusing management attention on the most important decisions, such as figuring out which purchasing decisions are the most critical in a supply chain. You can learn more about Sinisa’s firm on the website: cantab analytica.com
Mon, November 13, 2017
40. Karen McGrath on virtual assistants
Our guest today is Karen McGrath, who runs a firm of virtual assistants called Awan’s Assisting. If you are an independent professional and feel crunched for time, this episode is for you. Karen and I discuss why an independent professional should consider hiring a virtual assistant (a VA), the types of tasks that VAs are most commonly asked to do, how to find and screen a VA, and some tips on how to build an effective working relationship with a VA. Karen clearly knows her business, and you can find her firm at http://awansassisting.com/
Mon, November 06, 2017
39. Kenny Jahng on content marketing
Our guest today is Kenny Jahng, the founder of Big Click Syndicate LLC, a strategic positioning agency offering content marketing consulting & advisory to nonprofit, cause-driven & faith-based organizations and churches across the country. Kenny has an amazing list of clients that includes the Princeton Theological Seminary, California Baptist University, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, The United Methodist Church, & Wesleyan Investment Foundation, among many others. In our discussion, Kenny educates me on what content marketing is all about. The core of what he does starts with helping clients on their strategic positioning, building internal alignment on the mission and the vision of the organization. Often, this exercise has implications beyond communications and informs strategic decisions the client makes. We also discuss lead generation, and how Kenny helps clients build thirty or more custom landing pages that each focus on a niche audience, providing something of value to earn the right to continue a conversation with that visitor over time. I was incredibly impressed by the sophistication of what is going on behind the scenes, and we just scratched the surface. If you are intrigued by what you hear in this episode, you can learn more about Kenny’s work at www.kennyjahng.com .
Mon, October 30, 2017
38. Sri Kaza on building a SaaS company while consulting
Sri Kaza, a former McKinsey partner who specializes in sales and service, left the firm to put his sales expertise to work as the SVP of Commercial Operations at Viking Cruises, and subsequently led sales for a company offering a SaaS-based solution to obtaining tax credits. Sri is now running his own independent consulting practice while also developing two separate SaaS startups. One of them is a tool to help companies hire the employees most likely to perform well and stick around, based on academic research and testing that looks at 70 personality traits. The other one helps companies optimize their incoming leads by routing that lead to the right sales person. Sri’s consulting is focusing on these areas, allowing him to better understand unmet needs. So while he serves clients he is also doing market research for his startups. In our discussion we explore in some detail the concept of how to optimize incoming leads, and Sri shares some initial steps that you can help your clients with. Sri also mentions that he is happy to partner with other independent consultants, so if you are serving a client with a large number of incoming leads and more than, say, 10-20 sales reps, reach out to Sri to see if he might be able to help. Or if your client hires a large number of front line service personnel every year, Sri may be able to help your client reduce training and replacement costs with his recruiting solution.
Mon, October 23, 2017
37. Jason Korman on consulting through art
Our guest today is Jason Korman, who entered the world of consulting via the wine industry. Jason is the founder of Stormhoek Winery, a South African wine label. While running that label, he retained Hugh MacLeod to blog and draw for Stormhoek, creating one of the the web’s earlier social media campaigns. Even if you don’t recognize the name Hugh MacLeod, you have probably seen his cartoons, which are absolutely distinctive. Hugh’s cartoons are generally about the world of work and marketing, and the drawings are beautiful and abstract, often resembling a cross between Rube Goldberg and Pablo Picasso. I've been subscribing to his daily blog for years and years – check it out at GapingVoid.com My hero Seth Godin is a huge fan of Hugh, and I think that’s how I first discovered him. Hugh is also the author of the book Ignore Everybody, which I highly recommend. So Jason hired Hugh, and the campaign that Hugh developed was widely successful and won all sorts of awards – while the work helped sell wine, they found it was also helping people have important conversations. One thing led to another, and the winemaker and the cartoonist decided to set up a consulting firm, and the Gaping Void Culture Design Group was born. In our discussion, Jason tells me about how his firm helps corporate clients use art to drive cultural change. The firm is happy to partner with independent consultants, so if you are working to drive cultural change at your client, check out the website to explore if it might make sense to collaborate – visit gapingvoid.com
Mon, October 16, 2017
36. Ahmad Munawar shares five steps to build your marketing plan
Our guest today is Ahmad Munawar, who helps boutique professional services firms build actionable marketing plans that generate more leads so they can win more business. He’s got a podcast that I encourage you to check out called “Forecast – Marketing for Boutique Professional Services & Consulting Firms” He’s also got a free video course on lead generation that you can take at fiveleadgen.com In our discussion, Ahmad walks me through the five steps that he suggests we take to build a marketing plan, namely: identifying our target market; developing our positioning; establishing what solution we’ll offer; building a marketing funnel; and creating an action plan. While those may sound like phases that our common to any marketing plan, we dive into what each step means for a boutique consulting firm. You can learn more about Ahmad’s firm at boutiquegrowth.com
Mon, October 09, 2017
35. Sophia Dai interviews Will Bachman on the decision to go independent
On today’s episode, the tables are turned, and our guest, Sophia Dai, interviews Will Bachman. Sophia received her MBA from Kellogg and then spent the past two years at Boston Consulting Group. Now a Senior Associate, she’s decided to leave BCG, and independent consulting is one path that she is considering. Two or three or four times a week Will Bachman has a conversation with a top tier management consultant considering this option. This episode captures one such discussion. In today’s episode , Will does his best to answer her questions - including among others: why people decide to pursue the independent path, the first steps to take to start generating project opportunities, and the biggest mistakes people make when they start out.
Mon, October 02, 2017
34. Lisa Overton on customer intercept interviews
Our guest today is Lisa Overton, a McKinsey alum and an expert on market research. Today Lisa is an independent consultant working on a range of strategy, marketing, and communications issues. Previously, Lisa ran a boutique qualitative market research firm that offered traditional services such as focus groups as well as more innovative services including customer intercept interviews. In our discussion today we focus in on how to do those customer intercept interviews, and Lisa shares a range of lessons learned that you and I can apply in our practice. We discuss the incentives you need to offer the customer, how to approach customers, the best time of day to get a good interview, how to record responses, how much it will cost to hire capable interviewers, how many they can do per hour, and the types of questions you might want to ask to elicit surprising insights. We also do a role play in which I play a grocery shopper and Lisa interviews me about my grocery shopping habits.
Mon, September 25, 2017
33. Geoff Wilson on business unit and corporate strategy
Our guest today is Geoff Wilson, a McKinsey alum who subsequently served as the SVP of Corporate Strategy and Development at Milliken & Company, a privately-held, diversified manufacturing company headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina with 7,000 employees worldwide. Geoff left Millikin in 2014 and started his own consulting firm. Geoff wanted to keep living in South Carolina and keep long-distance travel to a minimum, so he has taken an intentionally geographically-focused approach to building his practice. In this episode, Geoff shares some tips on building a geographically-focused firm, and we also discuss his work on corporate strategy and business unit strategy. Geoff has been a good friend of mine for several years. We’ve worked together, he has given training at events I’ve organized, and he is one of the most capable consultants I know. You can read more about Geoff and read his blog at WilsonGrowthPartners.com
Mon, September 18, 2017
32. Amanda Setili on her new book Fearless Growth
Our guest today is Umbrex member Amanda Setili, and we discuss her new book that is being published today: Fearless Growth: The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate Your Markets Amanda has been a guest on the show before, on episode 8, when we spoke about the Strategic Agility Think Tank which she established, and her first book, The Agility Advantage. In today’s discussion we dive deep into the content of her new book. In the first half of the show we discuss five strategic dilemmas that companies face. These dilemmas include tough choices such as: To what extent should we develop a carefully thought out plan vs plunging in and trying something new? and When new capabilities are needed, should we build them internally, acquire, or partner? Amanda’s book suggests that these five dilemmas require seven new rules, and we touch on each one of those in the second half of the show. If you work on strategy projects, this book is full of fresh thinking and well worth reading. You can read more about Amanda’s firm at www.setili.com
Tue, September 12, 2017
31. Alexander Petersen on getting known in your industry
Our guest today is Alexander Petersen. He is a McKinsey alum and a successful entrepreneur, having started a pet care business called Wagly. After starting Wagly, he was able to attract private equity funding to grow the company and hire a strong full time leadership team. He is now the owner of a boutique consulting firm focused on animal health, which I learned in this episode is a $50 billion dollar industry. Alexander has built a thriving firm by tightly focusing on an industry where he’s been able to get to know all the top players and build lasting relationships that continue on beyond individual projects. You can learn more about his practice at www.danashift.com
Mon, September 04, 2017
30. Larry Oglesby on the importance of speed in lean transformations
Larry Oglesby has been a close friend and mentor of mine for over a decade. I first got to know Larry when he was my Engagement Manager at McKinsey on a manufacturing lean operations project back in 2005, and we bonded over our shared service in the U.S. submarine force. Larry is a deep expert on operational transformation – after spending time in the Ops practice at McKinsey he joined the George Group – a boutique consulting firm focused on operations. After the George Group was purchased by Accenture, Larry stayed on and ended up as the Managing Director for North American Process and Innovation Performance Service Line. Larry has now started his own consulting practice, 440 partners – and we start our discussion with Larry explaining the name of his firm. A cliché in operational transformation is: To go fast, go slow. Larry has a different approach: To go fast, go fast. In our discussion, Larry talks about the importance of speed in a successful transformation; he also shares how he incorporated into the transformation a book club with weekly discussions. To learn more about Larry, visit his firm’s website: Four40Partners.com
Mon, August 28, 2017
29. Mike Figliuolo on running a successful training firm
Our guest today is Mike Figliuolo, a McKinsey alum and West Point graduate. Mike is the founder and Managing Director of ThoughtLeadersLLC, which provides training to corporations that is inspired by the types of internal training that consultants receive at McKinsey and other top firms. He is also the author of three books One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership The Elegant Pitch: Create a Compelling Recommendation, Build Broad Support, and Get it Approved Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results, which Mike co-authored with Victor Prince. I heard about Mike’s firm from several Umbrex members, who have helped deliver some training sessions for Mike, and I recognized his name because Mike was the very first person to interview me when I applied to McKinsey, seventeen years ago. So it was nice to reconnect. In this episode, Mike gives an overview of his most popular courses and talks through lessons learned he has had in building a training firm. Lesson 1 – somewhat counterintuitive - don’t customize your training! I like the metaphor he uses to explain why: you need to be at the baseline or at the net. Mike shares the business model of how the fees get split four ways each time a session is delivered: one share for the person who wrote the course; one share for the person who sold that particular session; one person who delivered the session; and one share for the house. Do take a look at his firm’s website: thought leaders llc.com Mike is happy to write a check to consultants who help him develop new business, so if know some clients that could benefit from his firm’s services, he’d love to hear from you.
Mon, August 21, 2017
28. Ravi Rao on customer experience
Our guest today is Ravi Rao, a McKinsey alum and neuroscientist who is the author of Emotional Business . Ravi has led sessions at several professional development events for consultants that I’ve organized, and he always gets fantastic reviews. Ravi was my guest on the second episode of this show, and it remains one of the most downloaded episodes, so if you like this episode, go back and check out Episode 2. In this episode, we talk about one really creative framework that Ravi has developed that helps you think about customer experience in a new way. I used this framework on one of my own projects right after I learned about it from Ravi, and the client loved it. I was really pleased that Ravi agreed to come back on the show to walk us through it. Check out the show notes for a link to download the framework. Please do use the framework, and please do include a source line that credits the book Emotional Business by Ravi Rao.
Mon, August 14, 2017
27. Vivek Soman on tech industry due diligence
Our guest today is Vivek Soman, a former McKinsey Engagement Manager who is the founder and Managing Director of The Ananya Group, which has completed over 300 projects since it was founded in 2008. Ananya is a Bengali word meaning “unparalled.” Vivek’s firm has a very clear focus: the client focus is large $1 billion revenue and up tech, media, telecom, and professional services companies The service offering includes three types of projects: 1) competitive intelligence 2) customer intelligence 3) focused strategy projects Vivek has worked to standardize the process of doing competitive intelligence, and we discuss that as well as a couple practices I found interesting: 1) found that obscure tech journals in the Middle East and Europe – executives of large tech companies sometimes talk more openly about their product strategy that you can find in the US 2) developed a process to source 80-100 interviews, with very specific questions, just 3-4, You can read more about Vivek’s firm at www.TheAnanyaGroup.com Vivek is currently looking for someone to help with business development. If you are interested in that role, or just have other questions about his work, he invites you to contact him at vivek.soman@theananyagroup.com
Mon, August 07, 2017
26. Lauren Cole on media and entertainment consulting
Lauren Cole runs a boutique consulting firm specializing in strategy and operations for media-related businesses. Lauren got her start in consulting at Bain & Co. After getting her MBA at Stanford she entered the world of media and entertainment with a strategy role at Warner Brothers, where she worked for Umbrex member Steven Koltai, who has also been a guest on this show. She had an impressive career in the media world, which included launching, investing in, and/or overseeing 35 cable networks around the world. Then in 2002, she started her own consulting practice and has been a successful independent professional for the last 15 years, serving over 150 clients, covering everything from Broadway to sports to virtual reality. You can read more about Lauren’s firm, Cole Media, at www.ColeMediaLA.com
Mon, July 31, 2017
25. Josh Spodek on leadership step by step
Our guest today is Josh Spodek, the author of Leadership Step by Step . Josh is an independent professional who coaches individual clients teaches leadership and entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at NYU does speaking engagements runs online courses in leadership and entrepreneurship on SpodekAcademy.com For the show we met at Josh’s apartment in Greenwich Village, and in the first part of our conversation we discuss the blackboard in his room and the new course he is currently developing, which is sketched out in chalk. We also talk about what Josh has learned from blogging every single day since 2011, the impact on his fitness from doing 90,000 burpees over the past few years, and how he fits four months of garbage into one tote bag. Josh’s approach to teaching leadership and entrepreneurship is very experiential and organized around a series of exercises. We discuss several of these, including what you can learn from three raisins. You can learn more about Josh and take his online course at http://spodekacademy.com/ And buy his book here: https://www.amazon.com/ Leadership-Step-Become-Person- Others/dp/0814437931
Mon, July 24, 2017
24. Esther Kim on social sector consulting
Our guest today is Esther Kim, an independent consultant based in San Francisco who focuses on serving clients in the social sector, including non-profits, philanthropies, and social enterprises. After getting her Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from MIT, Esther got her start in consulting at McKinsey, where she worked with energy, industrial, and nonprofit clients. She then spent nine years at REDF, a venture philanthropy firm based in San Francisco. In 2014, Esther set up her own consulting practice focusing on the social sector. In our discussion we talk about the similiarities and differences between serving for-profit and non-for-profit clients We discuss what it takes to transition into the social sector, the difference in vocabulary from the for-profit sector, and how Esther tweaks frameworks such as the Business Model Canvas to apply them in her work. She also shares an inspiring story of a social enterprise Esther helped to establish- a staffing agency- that has helped hundreds of formerly homeless individuals find stable jobs. You can find Esther online at www.estherkimconsulting.com
Mon, July 17, 2017
23. Steven Koltai on international development projects
Our guest today is Steven Koltai, the author of "Peace through Entrepreneurship: Investing in a Startup Culture for Security and Development" Steven has had multiple careers. he has been a management consultant at McKinsey, the head of strategy at Warner Bros for ten years, and a successful entrepreneur. His most recent career began as a senior advisor to the US Department of State under Secretary Hilary Clinton, where Steven conceived and launched the Global Entrepreneurship Program, based on the principles that joblessness leads to violence and unrest; and one of the best ways to reduce joblessness is to foster entrepreneurship in emerging markets. After leaving the State Department, Steven has continued to advance that goal, and his consulting practice has supported entrepreneurship in over 30 countries, particularly Africa and Latin America. We discuss advice for independent professionals interested in working in international development process of getting funding for such projects key success factors for projects to encourage entrepreneurship how Steven staffs up projects in these markets some case studies, including an eight-sided box that increased revenue by 700% For more on Steven’s work, go to www.koltai.co
Mon, July 10, 2017
22. Chris Fox on strategy projects
Chris Fox, an alum of McKinsey and Marakon, has held executive leadership roles at Xerox and MeadWestvaco. Since 2014 he has been operating his own consulting practice, Meridian Strategic Consulting, based in Richmond, Virginia. In this episode, we discuss the range of Chris's practice, with a particular focus on strategy and due diligence assignments. Read more about Chris on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/chrisjfox
Mon, July 03, 2017
21. Ron Hubsher, author of Closing Time
Our guest today is Ron Hubsher, the Managing Director of the Sales Optimization Group and the author of Closing Time: the 7 Immutable Laws of Sales negotiation.” Ron’s book is in print but not available on Amazon – he explains what happens when you buy his book from his website., and why he doesn’t sell his book anywhere else. Ron has a multifaceted business – he does consulting projects to sales organizations, he provides training programs, he gives keynote speeches. In some cases he delivers his training programs himself; he’ll also license the training program to a client and make money while he sleeps. In our wide-ranging conversation, Ron discusses several case examples of how he works with clients, and along the way I learn how a playing card in an Atlantic City casino is different than one used in Las Vegas. You can find Ron’s firm on the web at www.salesOG.com
Mon, June 26, 2017
20. Mike Bendit on building a referral network
Our guest today is Michael Bendit, an independent professional based in NYC who started his consulting career as a principal at Booz & Co. Michael has two sides to his practice He runs a consulting practice, with a particular focus on strategy and pricing He also represents multiple software development shops, primarily focused on digital marketing agencies Michael has created a referral network in NYC that has been meeting every two weeks for several years. His group includes a range of independent professionals that all serve digital marketing agencies, with different specialties, and every two weeks they get together to share leads and look for ways to collaborate. Getting up a group like this up and running takes a lot of effort, but has been successful at generating a flow of work over time and is something that independent professionals might want to consider replicating. You can read more about Michael’s software firm at http://softdevresources.com/
Thu, June 22, 2017
19. Martin Pergler on risk management
Martin Pergler is Founder and Principal at Balanced Risk Strategies, Ltd., in Ottawa, Canada. Previously, he was Senior Expert in Risk at McKinsey, where he was a leader in their Corporate Risk and ERM service lines, based at various times in their Chicago, Prague, Singapore, and Montréal office.
Tue, June 13, 2017
18. Soyini Coke on creating a radio show
Soyini Coke is a McKinsey alum and independent consultant based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also the host of CEO Exclusive, a radio show in which she interviews a mid-market CEO every week. In this episode we discuss how she has invested time to build her visibility and thought leadership, such that she now has CEOs reaching out to her to get on her show. You can learn more about Soyini's firm on her website: http://annonaenterprises.com/ And you can listen to her show at http://ceoexclusive.businessradiox.com/about/
Tue, June 13, 2017
17. David Burnie on building a boutique firm
David Burnie is a McKinsey alum and the founder of The Burnie Group, a boutique consulting firm based in Toronto. We discuss how we started as an independent professional and then proceeded to build a firm and how he has partnered with software firms to offer robotic automation. You can sign up for his firm's newsletter and read more about The Burnie Group at www.burniegroup.com
Wed, June 07, 2017
16. Julie Gupta on pro bono consulting
Our guest today is my friend Julie Gupta, who has a Masters in Material Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Julie started her consulting career at Bain & Company, and after a series of roles in the tech industry she started her own practice, Gupta Consulting, in 2006 – so she has been a successful independent professional for 11 years. In our discussion, we focus on Julie’s pro bono work, which I find incredibly inspiring. She has done pro bono consulting work at fantastic organizations that include Guide Dogs for the Blind, NPR, the Girl Scouts of America, Boston Public Schools, City Year, the Humane Society, among others. Julie shares one question that has shaped her thinking and her life: “Are you optimizing your resume or your eulogy?” We talk about how as an independent professional to find those pro bono opportunities, and some best practices to make sure that you have impact and that your time is well spent. We also talk about the unanticipated benefits – such as relationships that have led to work with for-profit clients, and skills she has learned. Read more about Julie's practice at www.ConsultGupta.com.
Mon, June 05, 2017
15. Will Bachman on 27 steps to set up your firm
In this in-between-isode, Will Bachman offers suggestions on 27 action items to consider as you set up your firm.
Mon, June 05, 2017
14. Will Bachman on establishing the strategy for your practice
In this in-between-isode, Will Bachman offers a perspective on the questions you should answer to create a strategy for your practice, namely: What is your definition of success? Or in other words, What is winning? Where do you play? How do you win on the battlefields where you have chosen to play?
Wed, May 31, 2017
13. Mike Feiner on High Performance Leadership
Our guest today is Mike Feiner, who has been an influential figure in my own life since I took his class High Performance Leadership at Columbia Business School. Mike is now on his fourth career. He was the Worldwide Chief People Officer at Pepsi – so the head of HR and the top advisor on all people matters to the CEO. Here is a factoid: in the last three years, according to The New CEO Report by Feigen Advisors, 81 individuals have ascended to the CEO role. in the Fortune 250. Of those 81, eight of the CEOs had worked previously at Pepsi, several of them while Mike was the head of HR. Something special was clearly going on. After Pepsi, Mike developed and taught one of the most popular courses ever at Columbia Business School. While he loved teaching, after ten years he wanted a new challenge and took the role of Senior Managing Director at Irving Place Capital where he Lead firm's efforts in guiding portfolio company management teams build, grow & develop their leaders & managers. And now Mike is an independent professional, serving as a consultant to CEOs and senior leaders. Mike is also the author of the bestselling The Feiner Points of Leadership: The 50 Basic Laws that will make people want to perform better for you. I’ve given out copies of this book dozens of times – it is the most practical book on what leadership is that I’ve ever read. In our wide ranging conversation, we talk about how to apply these basic laws of leadership as an independent professional We talk about the Law of Intimacy, the Law of Feedback, the Law of Professional Commitment, the Law of the Emperor’s Wardrobe, and more. Mike’s been a lifelong runner, running nearly every day for over 40 years, and we also talk about his suggestion that business professionals need to think of themselves as Professional Athletes. We’re in a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to think about personal fitness, broadly conceived – exercise, diet, sleep, mindfulness all factor into our long term success as much, if not more than our knowledge of valuation methodologies or the latest digital marketing techniques. You can read more about Mike’s work on his website, feinerconsulting.com
Wed, May 31, 2017
12. Matt Weill on contracts
Our guest today is Matt Weill, who is my attorney as well as a good friend. Matt began his legal career as an Associate at Skadden Arps and then he became a partner at the firm of Golenbock, Eiseman, Assor Bell & Peskoe. His legal practice is primarily focused on business and transactional matters for a wide range of clients, including private equity and venture/growth capital funds and their related portfolio companies and investments. Matt routinely counsels entrepreneurs, startup and growth-stage companies and investors in connection with the structuring and formation of new business ventures, private placements, capital raising transactions, and agreements among founders. Matt has extensive experience working with independent professionals, and for Umbrex he has prepared three contract templates – a contract between an independent professional and a client; a contract that an independent professional can use to engage a subcontractor, and a non-disclosure agreement. If you email me at unleashed@umbrex.com , I will send those files to you. Please note: these are just a starting point and don’t constitute legal advice – you should get an attorney yourself to customize for your particular situation. That said, these templates can jump start that process and save you time and money. In the show today, Matt walks us through the contracts, explaining the key things we should watch out for. He also answers questions submitted by listeners, including steps you can take to get paid on time, how to negotiate non-circumvention clauses, and why you should read the fine print of the indemnity clause.
Mon, May 22, 2017
11. Dorene Stockman on business insurance for independent professionals
Our guest today is Dorene Stockman, an insurance agent with the Owens Group, an independent agency. Dorene helped me get my own insurance policy, and I thought she was very knowledgeable and a helpful advisor on that process, so I asked her to be on the show to share her advice for independent professionals on the types of coverage we need to consider getting. In our conversation we discuss the types of coverage that are applicable to most independent professionals, namely: Business owners insurance – closely related to General Liability policy Umbrella policy Professional liability policy Privacy / cyber policy We discuss policies that independent professionals should consider getting if you hire an employee or engage a subcontractor, including Workers comp Disability Unemployment insurance For those independt professionals that serve on the board of a non-profit or for-profit, we discuss directors & officers insurance Dorene also shares tips on how to select a broker, how often you should re-quote your policy, and how to work most effectively with a broker. Dorene prepared a much more exhaustive list of policy types that are applicable to narrower groups of independent professionals – if you email me at unleashed@umbrex.com I’ll send you a copy You can find Dorene’s firm at owensgroup.com Reach Dorene at: dstockman@owensgroup.com
Tue, May 16, 2017
10. Will Bachman on Why and How to Start a Podcast
Four reasons why an independent professional might want to start a podcast, and 17 tips on how to get started.
Tue, May 16, 2017
9. Rick Condon on his firm Inside Consulting
Our guest today is Rick Condon, a former submarine officer and a former Engagement Manager at McKinsey. He has been running his own consulting practice since 2004. The majority of Rick’s clients are privately held mid-market companies and he works on a range of topics including preparing companies for sale; turn-around efforts, and jump-starting growth. You can read about Rick’s firm Inside Consulting at insideconsulting.net
Tue, May 16, 2017
8. Amanda Setili on Strategic Agility
Our guest today is my friend Amanda Setili, the author of two books: The Agility Advantage: How to Identify and Act on Opportunities in a Fast-Changing World, was published in 2014. Her latest book is coming out in the fall of 2017, Fearless Growth:The New Rules to Stay Competitive, Foster Innovation, and Dominate your markets. Amanda has an MBA from Harvard and started her consulting career at McKinsey & Co. She has been running her own successful consulting firm, Setili & Associates, in Atlanta for nearly twenty years. Her first book emerged out of something Amanda did which I think is pure genius: she created the Strategic Agility Think Tank, which brings together senior leaders from a blue-chip list of clients, several times per year for an in-person session that includes a panel discussion and then Q&A. The Think Tank keeps Amanda top of mind with the clients she has served in the past and is a reason to reach out to new ones. It gives her fresh material and case studies for her writing. It positions her as the go-to thought leader on how to navigate turbulent markets. It takes some real effort, long term dedication, and a willingness to invest to set up something like the Strategic Agility Think Tank – that’s why most people don’t do it. Those who do, like Amanda, are scarce and thus incredibly valuable.
Tue, May 09, 2017
7. Valia Glytsis - The Paradox of Leadership
Our guest today is Valia Glytsis, who runs The Paradox of Leadership, a leadership education firm based in New York and San Francisco. Valia works with leaders and organizations that yearn for a more meaningful and impactful way of working, communicating, and leading. She’s got a blue-chip list of clients that includes HBO, McKinsey & Company, Digitas, Kiehl’s, Soul Cycle, Edelman, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York University (Stern), Georgetown University. In our wide-ranging discussion, we talk about the ways Valia builds her firm’s visibility through writing, hosting events, and speaking engagements. We talk about the three main revenue lines of her firm, namely executive coaching, training seminars, and keynote speeches. She reveals her morning routine – and I’ve already adopted some of her practices myself. She discusses her three core values, how she chose them, and what role they play. On her website, theparadoxofleadership.com, Valia has some audio products for sale, and she was kind enough to offer listeners of Unleashed a promo code INSPIRE good for 20% off her audio program or her private coaching program.
Mon, May 08, 2017
6. Robbie Kellman Baxter on the Membership Economy
Robbie Kellman Baxter served as a consultant to Netflix when all they did was mail out DVDs. That experience got Robbie thinking deeply about a new emerging business model. She developed these ideas over a period of nine years before publishing in 2015 her book The Membership Economy: Find Your Superusers, Master the Forever Transaction, and Build Recurring Revenue. In our discussion, Robbie goes into some detail of how the book came about, how she promoted the book, and how it transformed her practice from more traditional consulting projects to work that is more advisory in nature . She has made an investment in becoming a thought leader, and it has paid off: Robbie is regularly invited to give keynote speeches and she has clients who’ve read the book reaching out asking for her help. You can learn more about her work by reading her book, the membership economy, and by checking out her website: peninsula strategies.com Robbie studied at Harvard College and Stanford Business School, and started her consulting career at Booz Allen. She has been running her own consulting firm, Peninsula Strategies, since 2001, so she has been a successful independent professional for 16 years.
Wed, May 03, 2017
5. Srikumar Rao - Creativity and Personal Mastery
Several years ago, Srikumar Rao left a comfortable tenured position to set out as an independent professional. He now gives keynote speeches and offers his course to corporations and the general public around the world. His TED talk has been viewed nearly a million times. Learn more about Srikumar at https://theraoinstitute.com/ Srikumar created one of the most popular courses ever at Columbia Business School: Creativity and Personal Mastery. It is the only business school course that has its own active alumni group keeping the conversation going a decade and more after students graduate - including reunions, and Srikumar remains a beloved mentor by the thousands of students he has taught. Srikumar is the author of two best-selling books: Are YOU Ready to Succeed?: Unconventional Strategies for Achieving Personal Mastery in Business and Life and Happiness at Work: Be Resilient, Motivated, and Successful - No Matter What. In our show Srikumar discusses several practical exercises from his courses that students have found particularly powerful.
Tue, May 02, 2017
4. Lilly Minkove - Luxury retail expert
Lilly Liu Minkove is an expert in the luxury retail sector. She focused on the luxury retail industry as an investment banker at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, and as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. Then she gained experience in industry as a Director of Strategy at Coach and as a Director of Stores for Louis Vuitton. Presently she is a partner at ArtLogica Strategy Group which she co-founded with fellow McKinsey alum Jessica Zhu. ArtLogica is a marketing and strategy consultancy for the consumer, retail, and luxury industries. In our discussion, Lilly gives an insider's view into what she looks for when she does an in-store diagnostic. We also talk about how an independent professional can work with agencies to do large scale consumer surveys. Learn more about Lilly's work at http://artlogicagroup.com/
Mon, May 01, 2017
3. Susan Hamilton - Brand Identity Strategist
Susan Hamilton is a brand identity strategist and a member of Umbrex. She is an alum of Harvard Business School and Boston Consulting Group, and her firm, sh.BRAND, is based in New York City. We talk about what a brand identity is and how Susan helps firms define their brand identity. To learn more about Susan, check out her website at http://sh-brand.com/
Mon, April 24, 2017
2. Ravi Rao, Author of Emotional Business
Known for his wit, wisdom, and formerly purple hair, McKinsey alum, author and independent management consultant Ravi Rao reveals how we can improve the performance of individuals within the corporate culture through emotional intelligence. As a young man, Ravi wanted to be an actor but ended up in neuroscience. With a keen interest in the function and development of the brain, he obtained a PhD in neuroscience, became a resident physician in neurosurgery at Harvard, where he studied the emotional behavior of babies. After he made a career switch to management consulting to join McKinsey & Co., he used his training in how the brain works to bring new insights to corporate culture transformation. In our discussion, Ravi explains why the basic element of trust is behind all progressive and profitable businesses. From being open to ideas and receptive to growth, to mitigating the loss of high-performers and enabling staff to proactively anticipate and solve problems. Ravi talks about his process as an author for his book, Emotional Business: Inspiring Human Connectedness To Grow Earnings And The Economy : how he wrote it, published it, and how it has helped lead to further conversations. Ravi's got a unique morning routine that is inspired by his own neuroscience training, and he shares how he starts his day. Ravi is on Twitter @emobizguy. Unleashed is sponsored by Umbrex, the first global community of top-tier independent management consultants.
Sun, April 16, 2017
1. David Fields on winning clients
David Fields is the author of The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients: 6 Steps to Unlimited Clients & Financial Freedom , one of the best books available on business development for independent professionals. David runs a consulting consortium and serves as an advisor to independent consultants and boutique firms. In this episode, we dive into some of his key pieces of advice for client development, including right-side-up thinking, defining your firm's impact, building your visibility, how to have a context discussion, and tips on pricing. You can read more about David's work and sign up for free content on his website: http://www.davidafields.com/ David provided a list of books he recommends: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion , by Robert B. Cialdini The Trusted Advisor, by David H. Maister and Charles H. Green The Go-Giver , by Bob Burg and John David Mann Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die , by Chip and Dan Heath Predictably Irrational , by Dan Ariely Strategy and the Fat Smoker , by David H. Maister <a href=
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