Entrepreneurs excel at launching new business ventures. As go-getters, they have the drive and follow through it takes to move great ideas from the idea stage to reality. But the entrepreneur’s strengths are also their weaknesses, especially when it comes time to scale the business. The hardest thing for them to do? Let go of control. On this week’s episode of Best Places to Lead. I sat down with Tyler Horsley, Founder and former CEO of Nuclear Networking. Nuclear Networking helped busin...

Entrepreneurs are well known for their resilience and ability to adapt to ever-changing markets. However, evolving from an initial business model to a more sustainable, scalable one often came with its unique set of challenges. One of the most difficult aspects of this transition was learning to trust and delegate rather than maintaining tight control over every aspect of the business.In this week's episode of our podcast, we were thrilled to have Nellie Akalp, the CEO behind CorpNet, who pro...

Many business owners have overlooked the importance of creating value for people, often focusing on transactional relationships rather than transformative ones. However, investing time, energy, and resources to provide value to our people not only builds a positive reputation but also fosters meaningful relationships and strong connections.In this episode of Best Places to Lead, we dove into the mind of such a leader - Thomas Brainsky, the CEO behind Elite Operations, Bonifate, and ProfitMax....

Often, the road to success is dotted with unexpected twists and turns. Conquering adversity and navigating the choppy waters of the business world are feats that Kara Smith Brown, Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of LeadCoverage, knows all too well. With a track record of spearheading her own venture, Kara has remarkably transformed her challenges into stepping stones toward success. Drawing on her deep-rooted experience in sales, she has assembled a skilled team in a post-pandemic world, ex...

The line between competitors and customers is often quite distinct, yet Dave Walens, CEO of Exploring Digital, has managed to blur this boundary, turning his rivals into his clients. With roots in the trade show industry, Dave has taken a visionary leap through acquisition. After purchasing Brumark, a flooring solutions company, David set out to expand the business to include other related industries, such as fabrication and graphics. Now, his company provides clients with an array of design ...

Have you ever heard someone describe themself as “an idea person”? If you haven’t, you likely know at least one person who is always pitching their friends a new, million-dollar idea. What sets the ideal person apart from the entrepreneur though, is execution. Entrepreneurs don’t just have great ideas; they also commit to and follow through on an idea that ultimately, becomes a business. On this week’s episode of Best Places to Lead, I sit down with Don Henig, co-founder of AccrueMe. A fintec...

Entrepreneurs don’t set out to start companies that recreate the conditions they want to escape. Yet too often, leaders forget that starting your own business also means creating the kind of company you want to work for. But if what you left is all you know, it can be hard to see the choice points to help get you there. So how do you avoid only looking in the metaphorical rearview mirror at the past and what didn’t work and focus on the future out the windshield?On this week’s Best Places to ...

Every company needs high-achievers who execute and drive results for the team. But some people make shit happen, and others just can't get to the finish line.That's why I'm excited to share my proven execution framework with you, centered around what I call the "5 T's" of execution. With this framework, you'll be able to understand, diagnose, and take corrective action on how to cultivate ownership inside your organization. As a CEO who has led five companies in five industries to high growth...

Most people don’t set out to start a business with the intention of selling it. Even leaders of small businesses that grow into million-dollar enterprises don’t start every new day looking for a buyer. But sometimes, you have to know when to let go and start on a new adventure. This week, I'll sit down with Dave Molenda, Founder of Positive Polarity, who made the tough choice to do just that. After starting and leading his own company for almost 30 years, he made a choice to walk away due to ...

Just because you’re a leader, doesn’t mean you need to do everything. It also doesn’t even mean you’re necessarily good at everything. True leadership is possible when you recognize where to use your energy is best spent to help your organization achieve success. But when you’re so used to doing it all to make it to the top, knowing how to let go and get back to basics can be harder than you think. This week, I'll sit down with Tyler Pigott, founder and CEO of Lone Fir Creative. Lone Fir Crea...

Sometimes, business moves so fast that it can feel like the worst thing you could do is pause. And sometimes, circumstances beyond your control force you to halt all business and reassess. While your first instinct may be to either push through doing what you’ve always done or close shop forever, those are rarely your only options. But how do you figure out what those other options are? Moreover, how do you know which one is the right one for the business, especially when there’s limited info...

Do you ever find yourself struggling to make decisions in your business? Whether it's choosing which project to pursue or deciding on the best way to allocate your resources, decision-making can be a challenging process. But it doesn't have to be that way. In our upcoming episode of the Best Places to Lead Show, I'll be sharing my top tips for implementing a decision-making process that really works.In this week’s episode, I'll walk you through the steps you need to take to make well-informed...

There are many hats that a CEO has to wear, including coach, mediator, problem-solver, to name only three. It can be overwhelming to juggle so many competing priorities and needs, especially when first launching your business. As your company grows, it only gets more challenging. But there is a tool every CEO should have in their toolbox that cuts through the noise and gets to the root cause sooner, so you can act faster: frameworks for decision-making and process consistency.This week is a s...

You’ve heard me say this many times: no one shows up to work thinking, “I want to suck today.” As we know, underperformance is usually a symptom of a larger issue, such as a lack of time or training. It’s also true that sometimes, the type of work is emotionally draining, and it’s our responsibility as leaders to provide the tools and knowledge to help our teams avoid burning out. But what does that look like in one of the saddest industries out there: the funeral industry?This week, I’m sitt...

Most of us are subject matter experts in something. For some of us, it’s sales, for others, it’s a specific formula for a cleaning agent, and for others still, it’s understanding a process so well that the consultation and public speaking requests keep pouring in. When we move into leadership roles though, we rarely need to call on that expertise directly.But sometimes, we’re lucky enough that the business we lead is exactly in the thing we’re incredibly talented at. So how can we avoid getti...

We have many responsibilities as leaders. One of the most important responsibilities is keeping an eye on the financials. From monitoring project budgets to reviewing income statements, we know that everything in business comes with a cost, especially when the goal is to add value. Imagine what our organizations could achieve if every individual at every level was taught to think about the value they add and how it contributes to the bottom line. This week I had the pleasure of speaking with ...

Everyone wants to know what their Executive Leadership Team really thinks. And our Executive Leaders rarely have time to spend detailing the process behind every decision they make. But this week, they do! On this week’s episode of Best Places to Lead, join me for a special peek inside the Boardroom with 18 senior leaders. You’ll hear from industry leaders in everything from Human Resources, Construction, Marketing, Business Development, and more! Over the course of the hour, I’ll speak with ...

Remote work has given employees back a level of autonomy over how to best use their time that was sorely missed in the workplace. And despite the worries of many, companies that adopted hybrid or fully remote models long after the COVID-19 lockdowns ended to continue to do well.But with more employee autonomy comes less employer control.On a new segment for Best Places to Lead, I take the interviewee seat and develop coaching guidance for CEO Jamie Dimon (the fictional business owner who ofte...

Leaders know that communication is an essential skill. Whether closing a sale or managing a delicate change initiative, being able to clearly and directly express yourself is at the center of leading others. And it’s not just in our work lives where the ability to communicate what we need or the vision we’re working toward matters. It also impacts the always tenuous work-life balance that many of us struggle to maintain.But if you were to ask someone what scares them the most, they would be j...

Leaders are tasked with making many high-impact decisions on a daily basis. It’s important to feel confident not just in the choices you make, and in the process used to make them. But, with the extreme daily pressures, making effective decisions as fast as you need to keep pace with the business is difficult.This is why I’m bringing Clint Rusch on the show to share his decision-making formula for who, how, and what decisions need to be made in the business. Clint is the current President of ...