Today’s guest believes thoughtful planning can lead to great success in business.

For the past two decades, he has helped individuals and organizations build and grow revenue streams through designing and growing their thought leadership platforms as well as acting as a guide and advisor for increasing business to business sales of thought leadership products.

His clients come from a diverse set of backgrounds and specialties. They include New York Times bestselling business book authors, members of the Speakers’ Hall of Fame, recipients of the Thinkers50 award, CEOs of public and privately held companies, and academics at prestigious institutions such as Yale, Wharton, Dartmouth, and London School of Business.

He is the host of the “Leveraging Through Leadership” podcast where he explores how independent thought leaders bring their ideas to scale within the business world.

Please join me in welcoming Peter Winick.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is the ability to get others to voluntarily want to follow you using a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic tools.”
• his college experience and trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.
• the influence of watching his father being an entrepreneur who owned his own limousine business in New York.
• what caused him to never want to work for someone else ever again.
• his first business venture creating a food delivery service.
• how he met Keith Ferrazzi and how they worked together as he was starting his business.
• the importance of maintaining relationships vs. popping up to ask for a favor out of nowhere.
• using the recession as an opportunity instead of a stopping point.
• his prediction for the future of public speaking.
• his strategy during the pandemic and being forced out of his comfort zone.
• how he nurtures and sustains his network.

Today’s guest believes marketing and selling are two different things. She knows the problem is that selling to new clients feels uncomfortable and salesy, especially when you've never had to do it before.

She is a three-time business owner who started her career in corporate marketing. She didn’t learn to sell by being a commissioned salesperson. She taught herself everything she could about selling, overcame selling shyness, and created a sales approach that feels comfortable, builds strong client relationships, and gets results. In weeks, she teaches women what took her years to learn.

She is a sales coach for women who run B2B consulting and coaching businesses, the founder of Smart Gets Paid, and the host of The Smart Gets Paid podcast.

Please join me in welcoming Leah Neaderthal.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is about enabling others to do something in a better way or be their better selves. It’s leading side-by-side.”
• being bullied growing up and not realizing she had leadership skills.
• how her first boss was a quiet leader and her realization that there are different kinds of leaders.
• how coming out empowered her to really step out into the world.
• everything she learned about being an entrepreneur stemmed from her corporate world.
• her entrepreneurial role models as a child.
• developing businesses and selling them to embark on a new journey.
• she explains her theory of “show me how you make friends and I’ll show you how to network.”
• how she nurtures and sustains her network.
• what she’s most looking forward to in the year ahead.

Today’s interview is a bit of an experiment as we met for a live interview that was streamed to LinkedIn and Facebook.

This was the first of a series of conversations I’m having with entrepreneurs who read my latest book, “Small List, Big Results: Launch a Successful Offer No Matter the Size of Your Email List” to find out how they’re implementing the strategies in the book to grow their business.

We dig into what mindset junk came up while reading, what aha! moments they experienced, and what steps they are now committed to taking.

My first guest in this series has had access to this material for longer than anyone else and her feedback along the way has helped me shape the book’s content and how it was marketed.

She has been supporting my business in a wide variety of ways since February 2020, which means she has had a front-row seat to the wild journey I’ve been on over the last 20 months.

Please join me in welcoming my assistant, Peya Robbins.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on Robbie’s new books and why she believes it’s a quick read that took her a long time to read.
• her very visceral responses to some of the contents of the book and how that fueled new ideas for her.
• the importance of having a support system when being an entrepreneur.
• the headtrash of being an entrepreneur.
• discovering that her network she needed to workshop ideas with already existed.
• why people do not ask for help or take advice.
• the behind the scenes on launching Robbie’s newest book.
• the real reason for an email list.
• the implementation of the Big Results Toolkit.
• her daily morning habit of asking herself “How will I complicate my day today?”

Today’s guest is a multi-passionate Renaissance woman with an incredible knack for shining the spotlight on the people and projects she cares about.

She runs a thought leadership consulting agency to help her clients leverage their online presence through engaging social media posts, getting invited to speak on TEDx stages, and being booked on podcasts.

She is the author of two books: “Social Your Book Launch” and “Spread Your Idea,” and hosts two podcasts: Coffee With Entrepreneurs and From The Wings. She has spoken on two TEDx stages and organized her own TEDx event.

As a creative professional, she has written and produced two plays, "A Very Queer Holiday" and "Two Anxious Bisexuals".

Please join me in welcoming Marie Incontrera.

In this episode we discuss:

• his/her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is how you show up in the world. We are all leaders whether we know it or not.”
• how Dorie Clark got her thinking about her band as a startup and that changed everything.
• how skipping the 8th grade forced her to grow up and really hone in on being a high achiever.
• how being offered a profession in music early in her career shaped her journey.
• how she thought about growing her team after leaving her career in music.
• learning the ins and outs of running her business to a team of 12.
• her commitment to diversity and inclusion when she hires new people on her team.
• the importance of putting our values out there for potential clients and referral partners.
• her plans for the future in her business.
• the organic growth of her business and how trying new things allowed her to be firmly established for new clients to reach out to her.
• how she nurtures and sustains her network and how getting to know her clients quickly in a short amount of time is an asset in relationship building.
• how her life and business changed due to the pandemic.

Today’s guest believes human beings just want to be appreciated.

He believes that appreciation is rocket fuel to create lifelong business relationships and has built his career around this single idea. To that end, he is an 8-Time TEDx speaker and the producer of a 55-year event series for entrepreneurs, called Thank U Live. The annual gratitude experience for entrepreneurs to look back on their year, celebrate their progress, and appreciate their people.

Because of his unique approach to appreciation he has been hired to deliver keynotes on over 1,000 stages and invited to work with companies like Lululemon, LinkedIn, and Microsoft.

Please join me in welcoming Blake Fly.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is a willingness to speak to people in an impactful way.”
• how winning the heart award at graduation impacted him because it wasn’t linked to grades but more his character.
• how listening to a training presentation in his first part-time job sparked a love for being a keynote speaker.
• his detour after college before becoming a professional speaker.
• how he prepared for his valedictorian speech for high school and the lens of appreciation that came from prepping for that experience.
• his passion for transitional moments between high school and college.
• his takeaway during the global pandemic and his scoreboard theory.
• how he nurtures and sustains the outer layers of his network.
• the importance of appreciating others and the strategy he uses to practice appreciation in his life.
• the importance of taking thoughtful risks in your business.
  what he’s looking forward to in the next year.

Today’s guest is one of the best-connected people in the social good world.

She is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert. She is the founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy focused on the intersection of brands and social impact, providing storytelling, partnership creation, and visibility to corporations, NGOs, and social enterprises.

She has 25+ years of experience in marketing, public relations, and sustainability communications, speaking regularly at industry conferences, and contributing to the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes. She is a Vital Voices global corporate ambassador and has received numerous accolades for her voice on social media platforms from Fortune Magazine, Fast Company, and Elle Magazine.

She is the author of “The Lost Art of Connecting: The Gather, Ask, Do Method for Building Meaningful Relationships” reminding readers that we should connect on a human level and build authentic relationships beyond securing a new job or a new investor for your next big idea.

Please join me in welcoming Susan McPherson.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leaders know your followers work with you and not for you.”
• how she bases her company on compassion and kindness.
  her natural inclination to want to be around people and organizing activities, even as a child.
• her strategy of supporting non-profit organizations to meet people while being socially conscious.
• her experience working for Ted Kennedy’s campaign and realizing she didn’t want to work in the government.
• her first job at USA Today and how much that influenced her current business.
• how she contacted all of her contacts via email when she started her company asking for referrals.
• her advice to entrepreneurs to hire people to do the things they are not good at or love doing.
• what inspired her book and the importance of making connections.
• how she nurtures and sustains the outer layers of her network.
• the joy she gets from showcasing others.
• what she would do if she had an extra five hours a week.

Today’s guest has launched a children’s brand that inspires young minds.

Today’s guest is more like a cohost and we’re going to dish about why I felt the need to write my newest book, “Small List, Big Results: Launch a Successful Offer No Matter the Size of Your Email List.”

She’s my book launch success manager and has been supporting my business over the last year as my systems and processes coach.

We met while working at Mirasee and witnessed firsthand the many common mistakes entrepreneurs make when they’re just getting started with their business or when they’re ready to move from one-on-one coaching to group programs.

What I love about working together is that she believes that the sensible and practical side of life meshes perfectly with the woo-woo side of life. As a heart-centered entrepreneur myself, I really appreciate her point of view.

As the Chief Technology Therapist at Sensible Woo, she teaches highly sensitive & neuro-divergent online business owners how to replace technological chaos with a harmonious technology system.

She is an accredited librarian with a Master of Science in Information and set the foundation of her career as the first digital archivist for Disney Animation Studios.

Please join me in welcoming Mary Williams.

In this episode we discuss:

• a behind-the-scenes peek into the process of writing and releasing Robbie’s new book.
• my desire to create resources for others.
• the distractions we all use that get in the way of monetizing our ideas.
• the common error that entrepreneurs make when talking to potential clients about their big P problems.
• how to build a runway for your offers and the importance of leading people to it.
• some of the pitfalls of sharing value with others and rushing the process.
• how not to isolate yourself and build things in your own head.
• the importance of meeting your clients where they are.
  the four things you need to launch a pilot.
• the importance of taking inventory in your business.
• a pragmatic approach to running your business.

Today’s guest has launched a children’s brand that inspires young minds.

She has over twenty-five years in marketing and branding, including FM/AM radio broadcasting, and as the host of The Business Experience Show. She is a speaker, songwriter, and award-winning author of the book series, Unicorn Jazz™ - she’s written a total of 17 books.

After interviewing 13 notable entrepreneurs on what makes for a meaningful, happy, and prosperous life she was inspired to launch her own multi-media brand, starting with a book about a shy unicorn. The book series offers social-emotional learning components (empathy, kindness, love, belonging, believing in others, feelings, and more).

When the pandemic began, she knew she had to do something outside the box to continue creating and developing her characters for children.  She launched Unicorn Jazz Presents The Thing I Do which is available on Amazon TV/Prime. What’s really neat is kids can send in their own video content, music, and talent to be part of the show!

Her work has been featured in Forbes, ABC, CBS, and USA Today.

Please join me in welcoming Lisa Caprelli.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is helping others to create and do more with their innate ability.”
• her curiosity about how to best help young kids start developing strong ideals for happiness and not just lucrative careers.
• the impact her grandmother and her 1st-grade teacher had on her at a young age.
• the origin story of why she created Unicorn Jazz.
• how she mastered the art of writing.
• her thoughts on why it’s so important to compliment others and help them develop.
• how she navigated the world being really, really shy.
• how the recession in 2009 led her to start her first marketing business.
• her decision to create a children’s brand and how easy it was to make that choice.
• her thoughts about “million-dollar ideas”.
• how she nurtured her network and was able to build from the people she already had connections with.

Today’s guest believes relationships are the assets that always yield the greatest returns - maximizing lifelong happiness and fulfillment.

With his background in cognitive science & psychology, he understands knowing how to initiate quality relationships is a must for any professional, particularly when searching for a job, recruiting new talent to your workplace, exploring acquisition opportunities, building new sales relationships, and so on.

He is the founder of Cogent Connections, a young sales consulting and marketing firm that helps businesses build genuine, thoughtful, and productive professional relationships. He helps you connect with the right people, initiate productive conversations, and nurture your network.

Please join me in welcoming Chris Gittings.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is something that requires a bit of courage and the ability to take risks.”
• his experiences growing up being picked last and experiencing harassment/bullying in school.
• his love of watching and learning about history.
• finding his mentor in his high school history teacher.
• his developing love of human behavior and how there is still so much to explore.
• his work at The Cleveland Clinic with kids struggling with ADHD.
• how the relationships he has built allow him to take risks in trying new things.
• his strategy about asking people for help when he needs it.
• how he nurtures and sustains the outer levels of his network.

Today’s guest has discovered the secret to tapping into your authentic self and turning it into a superpower at work and in life.

She has spent the last 14 years traveling the globe, training senior execs and teams from Fortune 100 companies like Google, Pepsico, Uber, and Disney. She's turned technologists into creative forces, bankers into storytellers, and has brought a serious dose of badass-ness to boardrooms everywhere.

She is a former TV host turned trainer, speaker, and Swagger coach. She’s the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of “Swagger Unleash Everything You Are and Become Everything You Want.”

Please join me in welcoming Leslie Ehm.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is about anyone in service of growing other humans. It’s the intention to help others grow.”
• how she learned to be a leader by realizing that she did not have leadership skills and using her deficits as her inspiration.
• her experience growing up and remembering it as a difficult time.
• her journey to find a platform to communicate with others.
• how growing up with entrepreneurial parents gave her the freedom and security to build her own business.
• how living in the UK for many years and returning home to Canada made her feel about her network.
• her belief that people are already everything they need to be to be successful.
• the untruths associated with building a business.
• her experience taking a chance with a new business partner and she began losing her swagger.
• the evolution of her Combustion virtual training company.
  her dream for the Swagger Revolution.

Today’s guest believes in celebrating and embracing diversity.

With a unique and practical approach to diversity and inclusion, she helps leaders and teams promote a more inclusive work environment. She brings a fresh and uniquely positive approach to diversity keynote talks, while still challenging the status quo.

Her work has been featured in USA Today, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Fast Company. She's appeared on CNN, the Today Show, the BBC, and National Public Radio. She has been named one of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives by Crain’s Chicago Business and one of the Top 25 Women in Meetings by Meetings and Conventions Magazine.

She is the CEO of Equality Institute and an award-winning author of 4 books including “Inclusive 360: Proven Solutions for an Equitable Organization.”

Please join me in welcoming Bernadette Smith.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is someone inspiring and guiding a team towards a shared sense of purpose and goals.”
• how she used her vision to get into Woodstock ‘94 with her friends and raise money for Habitat for Humanity.
• how she found her voice in her late teens.
• the origin story of her event planning business focused on gay weddings during the start of the fight for marriage equality.
• how event planning for LGBTQ couples led to a DEI-focused transition.
• how the universe humbled her at the precise moment she wasn’t being true to herself.
• how writing a weekly newsletter can be a great way to build relationships.
• how she nurtures and sustains her network.

For today’s guest, the joy in real estate sales is forging genuine relationships with her clients.

Since 2010, she’s worked closely with home buyers and sellers of all stages of life, guiding them to intelligent, winning decisions. She’s closed over $100 million in sales in nine years and 85% percent of her business is from referrals or repeat clients.

I’ve mentioned more than once on this show how I have had less than stellar encounters with pushy real estate professionals whose marketing strategies can best be described as spray and pray. Their whole focus is giving me their business card and getting mine so they can send me spam emails. That’s why I’m thrilled to interview today’s guest because she exemplifies what is possible in real estate when the focus is relationship-building and not the sale.

Please join me in welcoming Melony Swasey.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “What makes someone a leader is their ability to listen and pay attention. The way I think about it and appreciate it best is to listen deeply.”
• what it was like being the 7th out of 8 siblings and how taking care of her younger brother gave her a sense of responsibility from a young age.
• how she came to value quality because of her parents and how quality and leadership go together.
• how she built a highly successful real estate business during “the worst possible time” in 2008.
• some of the struggles she has faced in developing a business without a blueprint.
• her incredible networking strategies and mindsets.

Today’s guest is a Wall Street lawyer turned talk show host, social dynamics expert, and entrepreneur, whose affinity for social influence, interpersonal dynamics, and social engineering has led him to, and through, many unique situations.

He spent several years abroad, speaks five languages, and has worked for various governments and NGOs overseas. His travel took him through war zones and got him kidnapped twice. He will tell you the only reason he is alive today is because of his innate ability to talk his way into, and out of, almost any situation.

Now, after co-hosting a top 50 iTunes podcast for over a decade, achieving almost four million downloads a month during its prime, he has embarked on a new adventure: running his own podcast show, where he deconstructs the playbooks of the most successful entrepreneurs, celebrities, writers, and experts on earth to share their strategies, perspectives, and insights with his listeners.

Along with his podcast show, he is one of the best and most sought-after coaches in the world because of his business sense, extensive knowledge of the industry, and his contemporary approach to teaching.

Please join me in welcoming Jordan Harbinger.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is really just leading by example, showing up every day, making sure you eat last, being transparent and vulnerable.”
• how his experiences led him to the place where he realized he was a leader.
• his first leadership mentor, and how learned about earning respect and wielding power when necessary.
• how being a foreign exchange student opened his mind and changed his life.
• his experiences with being a podcast host when it was an entirely new medium, and how it has evolved.
• the habits he has built into his daily routine to intentionally maintain connections with strong and weak connections.

Today’s guest has held a wide array of leadership positions including, presidential campaign spokeswoman, nonprofit executive director, award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and she received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. And proving that she can do anything she puts her mind to two days before this episode originally aired she became a Grammy-winning jazz producer!

All of these experiences inform her work as a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to many publications including Harvard Business Review, TIME, and Entrepreneur.

Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is the author of two books “Reinventing You” and “Stand Out.” For “Stand Out” she interviewed 50 of the world’s top experts to understand how they developed powerful ideas and got recognized for them. I’m pleased to share that I was one of the experts she interviewed. Stand Out was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine and was a Washington Post bestseller.

She consults and speaks for a diverse range of clients, including Google, the World Bank, Ford Foundation, Yale University, and the National Park Service.
She is also an adjunct professor of business administration at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Visiting Professor for IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.

She was recognized in Forbes as one of “25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015” and is quoted frequently in the worldwide media, including NPR, the BBC, and MSNBC.

Please join me in welcoming Dorie Clark.

In this episode we discuss:

• her definition of leadership: “Being aware that your actions have consequences for other people and therefore not taking them lightly.”
• how being an out gay woman, who is recognized as a business authority, is a form of activism
• how changes in how media was created and consumed required her to keep changing her business focus
• the advice she would tell anyone looking to stand out and build a following
• her strategy of hosting private dinner parties to create networking opportunities

Today’s guest is a sought-after speaker who has shared the platform with everyone from today’s business leaders and broadcast personalities to even a former U.S. President.

A prolific author of books on sales, marketing, and influence, for years he was best known for his book “Endless Referrals” - that is until he released “The Go-Giver” a business parable he co-authored. It joined The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek Bestseller lists, sold over 850,000 copies, has been translated into 28 languages, and inspired a book series. The most recent parable in the Go-Giver Series is The Go-Giver Influencer.

The American Management Association named him one of the Top 30 Leaders in Business and he was named one of the Top 200 Most Influential Authors in the World by Richtopia.

Please join me in welcoming Bob Burg.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is indeed moving people to a desired action but doing so in a way that you tie your goal into theirs.”
• how he handled learning his first role in sales, and then his first role in leadership.
• the emphasis he and many other leaders place on pull instead of push.
• his view on how we are responsible to people but not responsible for people.
• the difference between manipulation and persuasion.
• three different surprises he has experienced with reciprocity.
• his tips for what does work for networking at events.

Today’s guest understands you can’t do it all yourself. Her clients are at a tipping point, launching the next phase of their life and business while creating multiple business income streams - which is why she’s their expert resource for finding the best virtual assistant for their needs.

Based on the positive response to her two books “Become a Successful Virtual Assistant” and “Hire the Right Virtual Assistant” she decided there was a need for an association to promote a high standard of excellence among VAs. Thus, she founded the Association of Virtual Assistants.

In 2017, she became location independent and traveled to 16 countries in 12 months while growing her business at a rapid rate. Since then, she has become a sought-after Remote Work Consultant, helping individuals looking for remote work, as well as those in need of better hiring and managing their remote teams.

Please join me in welcoming Melissa Smith.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and making sure you have the ability to have people pull them out of you while you also do that for them.”
• how anonymous, random of acts of kindness with her dad and watching her mom as a soft-spoken but powerful “quiet” leader influenced who she is and how she operates today.
• how she finds joy in seeing others get over the humps in their lives to achieve the greatness they are capable of.
  the Association of Virtual Assistants she recently launched and what she loves about it.
• how she knows when she needs to hire another Virtual Assistant.
• her methods for networking and investing in relationships over the long haul.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Two decades ago, Business Week said today’s guest "may be the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age," because he’s as focused on spreading ideas as the ideas themselves.

He is a world-renowned speaker and author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. Entrepreneur said his blog was “one of the most-loved marketing blogs on the internet.”

He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting leadership, and most of all, changing everything. Some of his most well-known books include “Linchpin,” “Tribes,” “The Dip,” and "Purple Cow.” His newest book, “This Is Marketing” was released this month.

He has founded several companies including Yoyodyne and Squidoo - and he is the founder of altMBA and The Marketing Seminar, online workshops that have transformed the work of thousands of people. In recognition of his ability to create and spread powerful ideas, he was inducted into the American Marketing Association's Marketing Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Please join me in welcoming Seth Godin.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is earning the trust to have people hear and believe you and the discernment to differentiate between the people who want to go there and those who don’t.”
• how he learned to accept loss, discovered he is not good at getting elected, and ultimately learned how to be a great leader.
• his belief that true marketers learn how to identify things that need to change in the world, come up with a solution to make change happen, and find the people who need that change.
• his thoughts about how school has been designed to raise kids to be compliant, and the importance of parents to use the time with their kids to help give them the future skills they need.
• how he does not view himself as a great writer. Instead, he has written over 7,000 blogs and 120 books because he learned to speak more clearly and to write what he was going to say.
• his marketing strategy that asks “who’s it for and what’s it for?”
• what status roles are and how important they have been in his life.
• how he keeps a generous abundance mindset and thinks “how do I give them the most that I can?” instead of “how do I get the most out of them?”
• his thoughts about “tit for tat” mindsets and networking with other people.
• his mindset about people taking his ideas and running with them, and how it makes him happy to see people use his ideas to create positive change in the world.

Today’s guest believes that communication and connection are the foundation of everything.

She is known for her energetic, engaging, and authentic presentations and is an expert on workplace communications and relationships. She is an accomplished speaker, trainer, coach, and the author of several books including “The 11 Laws of Likability,” which has been translated into 9 languages and used by universities, Fortune 500 companies, and associations around the world.

She has appeared on TV and radio shows across the country and was named by Forbes as one of the 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015. Her next book, “The Connectors Club” will be available in March 2019.

Her mission is to help people communicate and lead with confidence, clarity, and connection.

Please join me in welcoming Michelle Tillis Lederman.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is a mindset and an approach to how you conduct yourself in your work. I believe we all have the innate skills to be a leader, it is just a matter of how we leverage them.”
• how many people have a confidence and comfort quality about them that other people recognize as someone they can trust to be a leader.
• her definition of the difference between networking and being a connector.
• some of the key concepts in her upcoming book about connection.
• her belief that “Diversity is important because it gives you a broader perspective and easier access to people and resources.”
• how she learned to reframe the negative “end of story” thoughts and what people can do to change the negative thoughts to affirming and powerful phrases.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Today’s guest is the entrepreneur behind 3 multi-million dollar companies, having founded and sold two of them before reaching his 35th birthday.

He is a former small business journalist for The Wall Street Journal, and he is the author of “Profit First,” “The Pumpkin Plan,” and “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur,” which BusinessWeek deemed “the entrepreneur’s cult classic.” His books have been translated into over 10 different languages.

A popular keynote speaker, he travels the globe as an entrepreneurial advocate, is an active partner in multiple companies, including an American manufacturer, a business growth consultancy, an augmented reality tech firm, and a certification organization for accountants, bookkeepers, and business coaching.

He also created the Profit First Formula, a way for businesses large and small to ensure profitability from their very next deposit forward.

Please join me in welcoming Mike Michalowicz.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “leadership is about reciprocity.
• It is truly about the fact that we will get out of others what we put into others.”
• how he believes everyone can be a leader and that they just need to embrace who they actually are and lean into it.
• how humor and being the class clown grew him into the successful author he is.
• his journey from writing a book with no sales on the launch day, to an author whose book was named the “entrepreneurs cult classic” by BusinessWeek.
• his methods for maintaining connections with his readers and fellow authors and colleagues.
• how he works to create diversity among people who serve his core listeners.

Today’s guest has found a way to marry her knowledge of the law with her experience working with influencers to create Hashtag Legal, a law firm dedicated to helping businesses succeed in a digital world. As technology created new opportunities for business owners, the legal industry did not keep up with the times. Hashtag Legal fills that void. Their clients are influencer networks, CEOs of digital empires, online entrepreneurs, creatives, and small business owners.

Previously, she was Director of Operations and Chief Counsel at Type-A Parent, the world’s premier conference, influencer network and community for mom bloggers, dad bloggers, and the marketers who want to connect with them.

She has been a practicing lawyer for over 10 years and has worked for a large, international law firm in New York City on complex commercial matters and for a Federal District Judge on both civil and criminal federal cases.  She is also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall Law School.

Please join me in welcoming Jamie Lieberman.

In this episode we discuss:

• how she defines leadership: “Surrounding yourself with people who do things better than you & being able to bring the best in them out.”
• the benefits of being the only lawyer in the room
  the important step to take before launching a business, especially a niche within a traditional industry
• building a team to complement your strengths and shore up your weaknesses
• her conference strategy to make great connections before, during, and even after the event

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Today’s guest is a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, and associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University.

He has written several books, his first was “The Myths of Creativity: The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas” and then he wrote “Under New Management: How Leading Organizations Are Upending Business as Usual,” which challenges traditional principles of business management and argues that many of them are outdated, outmoded, or simply don’t work.

His latest book,“Friend of a Friend,” takes a look at the science of human behavior and offers readers a new perspective on how to grow networks and build key connections.

His TED Talk, “Why you should know how much your coworkers get paid,” has been viewed over 1.8 million times. When he is not speaking or writing, he is in the classroom teaching students about organizational behavior, creativity and innovation, and strategic leadership.

Please join me in welcoming David Burkus

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is influencing people to move toward a mutually desired objective.”
• how his attraction to leadership roles grew as he matured and became more self-aware.
• his advice for managing your job while also building a business, requiring you to do both until one gets in the way of the other.
• how he uses a combination of an app and a strategy to grow his network.
• his belief that the lack of diversity is a networking problem, and how you can overcome it.
• his strategy for connecting with people who are different from him.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Today’s guest is an award-winning executive coach with more than 25 years of team management, business development, and sales leadership experience. Early in her career, she was recognized for her ability to negotiate multimillion-dollar contracts with senior executives of numerous Fortune 500 companies. Having mastered the art of high-ticket sales, she went on to mentor, coach, and develop some of the highest paid, most elite, sales professionals in the country who have sold well over 1 billion dollars and counting.

Every successful executive can cite a mentor or advisor who helped them bridge the gap from middle management to C-level leadership. Every business owner has relied on a trusted guide to make the jump from breaking even to breaking profit records.

Having successfully navigated each stop on the journey to elite executive status, my guest’s passion is in helping business owners, sales leaders and seasoned executives achieve the success they desire.

Please join me in welcoming Stephanie Chung.

In this episode we discuss:

• how she defines leadership: “One word describes leadership – influence.”
• her experience being a “professional new kid” and moving every two years taught her the importance of being adaptable and influenced her style of leadership
• how her c-level executive clients have, by all outside measures achieved success, but still, strive to reach their full potential. Stephanie says, “It’s no longer about success, it’s about significance.”
• challenges of being a woman and a minority in upper management in private aviation, which she moved through with her motto, “No excuse. Just produce.”
• the steps she takes to recharge and replenish. “In order to give my best, I need to be my best.”her belief that networking is about being in service as she cultivates relationships. “At some point, the law of reciprocity will kick in.”

On this encore episode, our guest went from high school English teacher to Broadway producer in under two years. How? Relationships. He is a social catalyst who believes in the power of making meaningful connections for others.

His success led him to develop a methodology that he teaches through his company Small Pond Enterprises which specializes in relationship design for founders, authors, and speakers interested in playing a bigger game. He works with thought leaders to curate, extend, and leverage their existing networks.

He cemented his reputation as a connector by founding ConnectorCon, a conference for a powerful community of thoughtful connectors who recognize the power of living in a world of abundance rather than scarcity -- and he co-hosts the Access to Anyone podcast.

Please join me in welcoming Michael Roderick.

In this episode we discuss:

• how being a teacher taught him the art of truly understanding what another person is going through, and
• how important it is to offer empathy before focusing on your own wants and needs.
• his mnemonic device for adding value to other people’s lives: RISE-UP.
• his thoughts on diversity: “there are no diversity problems in interests.” If you connect with people around shared interests you can broaden the diversity of your network.
• how he separates his work environment from his home environment by not ever bringing his work stuff into the non-work areas of his house.
• his process for being a superconnector: how he uses a spreadsheet and analyzes conversations to help connect people who will bring value to each other’s lives.
• his views on connections, and how people often keep draining people in their lives for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. However, “we have complete control over who we have in our lives,” and when we let go of the ones who don’t fit, we make room for others who do.

In this encore episode, our guest is an immigrant who went from incredible poverty to founding a multi-million dollar business.

She was born in an orphanage in Mexico and her first shot out of poverty was an opportunity to play basketball for the Mexican National Team - a shot she missed because she had broken her collarbone. Undeterred, she managed to immigrate to the United States on a basketball scholarship.

With a college degree in hand, but no job to be found, she found herself living on the streets during a snowy winter. A condition that was so familiar that she didn’t realize she was homeless. A friend saw her and gave her a place to stay.

Weeks later, she entered a Fresh Salsa competition, won unanimously, and received $800 to start a natural salsa and dips company. Which she grew into a multi-million dollar business within four years, with products distributed across 38 states to major supermarkets like Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods, and many more.

At the height of its success in 2015, she sold her company to Campbell’s and then went to Mexico and rescued 31 orphaned children from a drug cartel.

Please join me in welcoming Magie Cook.

In this episode we discuss:

• her thoughts on leadership: “The secret to great leadership is great empathy. When you can be empathetic over people and really care about them, they really respond differently.”
• some of her experiences growing up in an orphanage in Mexico, and how a basketball scholarship to the United States began her journey to a new life.
• her experience with homelessness and how winning $800 in a random salsa competition catapulted her to significant business success.
• the mindsets she has adopted that make her an incredible inspiration.
• the aha moment she experienced in her salsa business.
• how she built her business on her own and now helps other people, even competitors because she values collaboration.
• how she got into speaking, what she has learned, and where she is going with it.
• the correlation between sex trafficking, supply and demand, forgiveness, and collaboration.

Listen, subscribe and read show notes at www.OnTheSchmooze.com.

Today’s guest is not self-made… he’s Community Made.

He has a strong desire to "rise the tide" for everyone and is passionate about supporting community builders who focus their energy on under-resourced communities.

Named one of Forbes “Top Networkers to Watch” he founded one of the world’s most exclusive communities for entrepreneurs. With just shy of 19,500 applications since its inception in 2013, the invite-only MastermindTalks Community has a lower acceptance rate than Harvard University. MMT Community brings together brilliant minds from various industries for curated networking, targeted troubleshooting, and custom live and virtual events.

His work has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, Lifehacker, Business Insider, and in Tim Ferriss's New York Times bestseller, “Tools of Titans.” He is also the founder and host of Community Made, a top-rated business podcast on Apple Podcasts.

Please join me in welcoming Jayson Gaignard.

In this episode we discuss:

• his thoughts on leadership: “Leadership is creating an alignment of strengths that make weaknesses irrelevant.”
• how he didn’t consider himself a leader until the pandemic.
• his capacity for empathy and why he considers that a unique ability.
• how finding his mentor at 18 helped guide him down his current path.
• how academics did not play a huge part in his development.
  the importance of surrounding himself with people who think bigger than him.
• his start as a personal concierge being everything to everyone.
• his start in a product-based business sourcing and selling tickets to concerts and sporting events.
• how attending a Seth Godin event about connecting value changed his trajectory after his business failed (aka he burned it to the ground).
• how his first conference, which was planned more like a wedding, led to the present day MMT Community.
• how resourcefulness plays a huge role in his success.
• how he nurtures and sustains the outer layers of his network.