

Smart Business Revolution | Turn Relationships into Revenues | Networking | More Clients | Relationship Advice
John Corcoran
"Top 100 Small Business Podcasts 2014" -- Small Biz Trends. Former Clinton White House Writer John Corcoran shows you how to build relationships intelligently to get more clients, grow your income and advance your career. Discover how you can use win-win networking and intentional relationship-building with Influencers and VIPs, even if you "hate networking" or feel like you have "nothing to offer" people who are successful. Interviews with today's top entrepreneurs and authors such as Dan Pink, Michael Port, Gary Vaynerchuk, Marie Forleo and Guy Kawasaki, who reveal how they use relationships to grow their businesses and their incomes. Find out more at SmartBusinessRevolution.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 1, 2022 • 42min
Rich Mulholland | From Rock and Roll Roadie to Top Speaker Presentation Trainer
Rich Mulholland is the Founder of Missing Link, a presentation powerhouse. He is a rock and roll roadie-turned-entrepreneur who knows firsthand the impact that memorable presentations can make. He now works with executives and speakers from around the world, helping them to deliver unforgettable presentations that activate audiences and generate income. Rich is also the Author of three books including Legacide, Boredom Slayer, and his latest, Here Be Dragons. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Rich Mulholland, the Founder of Missing Link, about his transition from being a rock and roll roadie to becoming an entrepreneur and speaker coach. Rich talks about his background doing sales and working as a roadie, the entrepreneurial lessons he has learned over the years, and how different coaches and peers have impacted his career.

Jun 17, 2022 • 29min
Jon Maddux | Songwriting, Helping Homeowners With Foreclosures, and Building a Subscription-Based Tequila Company
Jon Maddux is the Co-founder and CEO of FundLoans, a wholesale mortgage lender that specializes in Jumbo Non-QM solutions. He was once an on-staff songwriter for Warner Brothers, writing music for bands like Smash Mouth and Plain White T's. He then transitioned to the real estate and mortgage finance industry where he has been working for more than 25 years. Jon also runs We Drink Tequila, a handcrafted tequila subscription business and is the CEO of Drop Mortgage. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Jon Maddux, the Co-founder and CEO of FundLoans, about how he built a company to help homeowners deal with foreclosures. Jon also talks about songwriting, Non-QM lending, and starting a craft tequila subscription business. Stay tuned.

Jun 10, 2022 • 45min
Don Williams | The Sales Process for Top Performers and The Importance of Practicing Gratitude
Don Williams is a keynote speaker and the CEO of Don Williams Global, where he helps businesses grow and multiply sales. Over the last 30 years, Don has worked with about half of the Fortune 500 companies in marketing, sales, and customer experience. He has written four best-selling books including Romancing Your Customer and D.I.Y. Outbound Contact Center Toolbox. His latest book, Gratitude: Stories From Our Hearts, shares inspiring stories of the power of gratitude in people's lives. Don is the Host of The Proven Entrepreneur Show and lives in Texas with his wife, Leta, and their two chocolate Labrador Retrievers, Maggie and Tess. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Don Williams, the CEO of Don Williams Global, about his sales process and entrepreneurship journey. Don also talks about the challenges he faced building his wholesale buying business, the importance of practicing gratitude, and why he started a contact center. Stay tuned.

Jun 3, 2022 • 41min
Richard Palarea | Building a Real Estate Appraisal Company and Transitioning to a Cost Reduction Company for Telecoms and the Healthcare Industry
Richard Palarea is the Co-founder and CEO of Kermit, a Baltimore-based healthcare cost reduction and spend management company that brings automation and insight to the high-spend category of implantable medical devices within hospitals and health systems. Since its founding in 2011, the company has saved hospitals more than $200 million. Prior to co-founding Kermit, Richard was the Co-founder and CEO of PA & Associates, the originator of the logistics 4PL category in parcel package cost reduction and spend management (acquired by Prostar Logistics). In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran sits down with Richard Palarea, the Co-founder and CEO of Kermit, to talk about how Richard started a real estate appraisal company after college and how he transitioned to building a cost reduction company. They also discuss how Richard managed his company remotely 20 years ago, how he has been helping companies reduce costs, and what he learned from working with his father. Stay tuned.

May 13, 2022 • 39min
Rich Russakoff | From Entrepreneurship to Business Brokerage and Why Some Inc. 500 Companies Go Out of Business in Two Years
Rich Russakoff is a business coach, speaker, author, and serial entrepreneur. He brings more than 45 years of experience successfully starting and developing businesses, working with CEOs and other entrepreneurs, training, consulting, and business brokering. He is the Author of Make Banks Compete To Lend You Money: The Complete Guide to Business Loans, which is known as the Bible of bank financing. He also authored the chapter “Mastering the Art of Bank Financing” in the book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish. His newest book is The Art of Managing People Time & Money: Inspiration and Wisdom for Every Entrepreneur. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Rich Russakoff, a business coach, speaker, author, and serial entrepreneur, about his journey from entrepreneurship to business brokerage. Rich talks about selling his business, discusses some common barriers to success, and explains why some Inc. 500 companies go out of business in two years.

Apr 22, 2022 • 29min
Harold Tan | [Digital Money Series] An In-Depth Look at the Rapid Changes Across Digital Money, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, DeFi, and NFTs
Harold Tan is a serial entrepreneur with expertise in e-commerce and information systems. Harold has built and exited e-commerce companies and is currently a Co-founder at GigaWatt Inc, a solar company focused on distributing and installing residential and portable solar power. Harold first got involved in Bitcoin in 2012, making him one of the early adopters. Harold is also the Co-founder and CMO of Planet Plan Sets and an eCommerce Web Strategy and Business Consultant at H2W Ventures. He is a Board Member of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, volunteers as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UCI's Applied Innovation Cove, and helps educate startups on marketing and finance. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Harold Tan, the Co-founder, COO, and CMO at GigaWatt Inc, about the rapid changes across digital money, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, DeFi, and NFTs. Harold explains the relationship between Bitcoin and energy, the regulation of cryptocurrency and Bitcoin, and what Web3 and NFTs are.

Apr 18, 2022 • 24min
Dr. Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley | Top 25 Best-Selling Authors of All Time, The One Minute Manager, and Simple Truths of Leadership
Dr. Ken Blanchard is one of the world's most influential leadership experts. He is the co-author of more than 65 books including The One Minute Manager with combined sales of over 23 million copies in 47 languages. In 2005, he was inducted into Amazon's Hall of Fame as one of the top 25 best-selling authors of all time. He is also the Co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies, an international training and consulting firm. Randy Conley is the Vice President and Trust Practice Leader for The Ken Blanchard Companies. Trust Across America recognized him with the Lifetime Achievement Award as a Top Thought Leader in trustworthy business behavior and he is a founding member of the Alliance of Trustworthy Business Experts. Inc.com named Randy a Top 100 Leadership Speaker & Thinker and American Management Association included him in their 2015 Leaders to Watch list. Randy and Dr. Blanchard's new book is Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by Dr. Ken Blanchard and Randy Conley from The Ken Blanchard Companies, to talk about their new book, Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust. They share strategies for attracting and hiring good employees, building trust in a remote team, and discuss the upcoming movie, The Mulligan. Stay tuned.

Apr 15, 2022 • 42min
Ryan Villanueva | [Digital Money Series] Surviving the Financial Crisis at Goldman Sachs, Bitcoin, and Learning Model UN
Ryan Villanueva is an entrepreneur and educator who's consulted for the United Nations, national governments, and billion-dollar unicorns. He is a Senior Consultant at Crews Consulting Group where he helps entrepreneurs increase revenue, profitability, and valuation of their businesses. He is also the Co-founder and Chief Education Officer at Best Delegate Model United Nations, a K-12 education company that empowers students to be global leaders. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ryan was a Risk Analyst at Goldman Sachs during the 2008 financial crisis, helping to advise with corporate treasury strategy. He is also a past President of the Entrepreneurs' Organization, Boston chapter. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Ryan Villanueva, the Co-founder and Chief Education Officer at Best Delegate Model United Nations, about his experience surviving the 2008 financial crisis and leaving Goldman Sachs to go into entrepreneurship. Ryan also talks about his passion for Model UN and investing in different crypto assets. Stay tuned.

Apr 11, 2022 • 24min
Melanie Chandruang | Supporting Creative Agencies and Best Practices for Building a Remote Team’s Company Culture
Melanie Chandruang is the Founder of WeConsult, a consultancy that helps agencies scale by optimizing their operations and strategizing infrastructure around financials, HR, culture, and overall workflows in business. Melanie helps creative agencies set up their day to day operations in order to run profitably. She has more than 10 years of experience handling all the in's and out's of business administration for agencies, startups, and tech companies. Melanie Chandruang, the Founder of WeConsult, joins John Corcoran in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast to talk about her work supporting creative agencies in building better workflows. Melanie also shares her tips for building a company culture for a remote team, strategies to prevent employee burnout, and talks about the hiring challenges agencies have been facing. Stay tuned.

Apr 8, 2022 • 29min
Calvin Johnson | Developing a Costco Home Delivery Service Company, Adventure Travel, and Building Great Company Culture
Calvin Johnson is a serial entrepreneur, speaker, and coach. He founded a Costco home delivery service company in 1989 which he later turned into an e-commerce office supply company and office coffee company. He generated about $300 million over the years before selling it in 2021. Calvin now runs ClubNeed, an adventure travel company and The Culture Kitchen, where he helps businesses develop their company culture through research, speaking, coaching, workshops, and retreats. Calvin Johnson, a serial entrepreneur, joins John Corcoran in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast to talk about how he started a Costco home delivery service company, how he pivoted, and how he later sold it to a Fortune 500 company. Calvin also talks about organizing adventure travel for EO members, helping founders build their company culture, and his advice on building a happier workplace. Stay tuned.