Whether you love the Beatles, are a casual fan, or don't care for them, the first thought that probably pops from your mind when you hear this group's name is a famous band and one where you know all the members - Paul, John, George, and Ringo.Here's assuming you never think of the terms economics, entrepreneurship, human capital, innovation, venture capital, and management.In this show, we hear from Sam Staley as he talks about the big ideas from his book, The Beatles and Economics.

Bolanle (Bola) Williams-Olley took a circuitous route to her CFO position and also received much help along the way. Now she's doing what she can to help others in becoming the best version of themselves.Bola is also the author of Build Boldy where she tells the story of starting her accounting career with a math background in the architectural industry.Today, she is the CFO for the architectural design firm, Mancini Duffy where she is also a part-owner.

There are millions of obscure names of the men and women behind every label of the food we buy at our local grocery stores. While some of these stories are sad and despairing, others are inspiring. Benjamin Loor lifts humanity through this special book, The Secret Life of Groceries. In this episode, we hear about three of the people Ben wrote about in this book that's part entrepreneurialism and part social sciences.

My favorite books are narrative non-fiction which can inform, inspire, and entertain. When the book possesses all of these traits, we have a special book. And that's what we have with Mark Paul's book, The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told.At times, the book reads like fiction, but it's not. The book includes an NFL owner who wanted to swap his Chargers for horses, a horse trainer who acted like a CFO, a horse racing track tied to a drug cartel, and a horse named, Winning Colors.

I've been a Patrick Lencioni fan for years. His last book is The Motive and it was released during COVID. Is it his best book? Why did he write it? Where does it fit with his other great books? Brian Jones is a friend of Lencioni and one of the consultants for the author's Table Group consulting arm. Brian provides a great perspective to these questions and more.

Before Moneyball, we had Finley Ball. While Finley ball lacked the analytics brought to us by Moneyball in the same baseball city of Oakland, California, Finley Ball was about color, magical moments at the ballpark, and improving the product for the fan while still producing a winning product on the field. Our guest is the niece of Charlie Finley who owned the Oakland A's. Nancy Finley's book is appropriately entitled Finley Ball. 

If you are looking for a clear and concise explanation of ESOPs, then you'll enjoy listening to Jess Helvick of First International Bank and Trust. Jess is an ESOP expert who explains these benefit plans simply and with impact.During this conversation, we address the what, why and who of ESOPs. We examine three commonly-held myths surrounding ESOPs. We also look at the before, during, and after implementation activities of ESOPs.

Is Atomic Habits by James Clear overrated? And, is Atomic Habits worth reading?I’ve asked my friend and fellow CFO, Bruce Reed of PracticeLink to go all bookclub in this discussion. We answer these questions and hit our favorite big ideas in the book.

Dealing or coping with change is one of the most difficult challenges for any financial leader to come to grips with - either for themselves or those they lead, mentor, or coach.Rick Maurer is the author of Beyond the Wall of Resistance which includes important constructs like the three levels of resistance and the change cycle.During this conversation, Rick provides advice and guidance on how to address change in the workplace

Shannon Susko, experienced business consultant, discusses the 3HAG Way framework for achieving great results. Topics include balanced goal setting, strategic planning with leadership teams, and utilizing key function flow maps for business success.