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John Corcoran
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Dec 24, 2021 • 45min

Jeff Goldscher | Combining a Passion for Sports with Creative Marketing Strategies

Jeff Goldscher is the Principal and Outsourced Chief Marketing Officer at JK Squared. He has been an advertising and marketing professional since 1993, working on behalf of global brands like Comcast, Microsoft, Choice Hotels, Target, and the National Football League. He started and built three different businesses including an advertising agency and a sports marketing agency, both named multiple times to the Inc. 5000 list.  Jeff was a state finalist for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award and since 2014 has been helping other business owners do the same by supplying fractional CMO services through JK Squared. He currently works with clients from different industries including home improvement, financial services, real estate, and hospitality.  In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by Jeff Goldscher, the Principal and Outsourced Chief Marketing Officer at JK Squared, to talk about sports and coming up with creative marketing strategies. They also talk about the benefits of hiring a fractional CMO, Jeff's background in sports journalism, and the benefits of building a diversified business. Stay tuned.
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Dec 20, 2021 • 31min

Scott Empringham | [Top Agency Series] Scaling an Agency to Over $10M, Losing It All, and Rebounding in 14 Months

Scott Empringham is the Owner and CEO of Empringham Media Group. For more than 21 years, his passion has been helping Fortune 50 companies to break through the clutter using digital marketing and social media to drive results in areas that matter most — customer retention and acquisition. Scott’s mission is to share his digital marketing and social media expertise to drive new business, retain current customers, and conquest the competition. Scott is also a member of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) Orange County. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Scott Empringham, the Owner and CEO of Empringham Media Group, about how he scaled his digital agency to over $10 million, lost it all, and his journey to recovery. Scott also explains how his EO forum members, family, and friends helped him rebound and shares the lessons he learned from the experiences. Stay tuned.
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Dec 17, 2021 • 43min

Stu Wolff | Growing to Over $1 Billion in Sales, Breaking Up with a Business Partner, and Financial Peer Groups

Stu Wolff is a seasoned entrepreneur, business coach, Certified EOS Implementer, and Detroit Chair of TIGER 21. He started a company providing sales and marketing assistance in the food services industry back in 1997, changed ownership, and then rebranded as The Wolff Group which he built up to 40 employees managing sales of $140 million.  Stu then started working with Gino Wickman, the Founder of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), and with the help of a great leadership team, grew his company to over 160 employees across 10 states managing over one billion dollars in sales. They made 10 strategic acquisitions and increased their footprint before selling the business in April 2013. Stu is now a business coach and professional EOS implementer. He also runs a peer group through TIGER 21. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran sits down with Stu Wolff, Certified EOS Implementer and Detroit Chair of TIGER 21. Stu shares the steps he took to build up his business to the billion-dollar range, how he broke off a poor partnership, and how he drives acquisitions that match his core values. Plus, Stu discusses the ways in which peer groups are transforming the way we think about business. Stay tuned!
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Dec 13, 2021 • 29min

Nick Leighton | [Top Agency Series] Getting Held Hostage and Breaking into the Playboy Mansion

Nick Leighton is an agency owner, founder, and serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience working across the globe in North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. He owns and operates a coaching and peer advisory board agency, an international marketing agency, and a project management company.  Nick is the Author of the book, Exactly Where You Want To Be: A Business Owner's Guide To Passion, Profit and Happiness. He also does professional speaking and executive coaching for business owners and facilitates various peer advisory boards. Fun fact: Nick met his wife at an event at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. Nick Leighton, the Owner and CEO of The Alternative Board, is John Corcoran's guest in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast where he talks about running an agency and coaching fellow agency owners to build more profitable businesses. Nick also shares an experience getting hijacked in Pakistan, talks about champagne moments, and explains how humanitarian activities have impacted his agency. Stay tuned.
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Dec 10, 2021 • 37min

Kent Gregoire | [Conscious Leader Series] Launching Over a Dozen Businesses and Promoting Conscious Capitalism

Kent Gregoire is the Founder and CEO of Symphony Advantage. He is a serial entrepreneur who launched his first manufacturing company at the age of 14. Since then, he has founded and led more than a dozen organizations throughout his entrepreneurial journey. Kent has also provided advisory training and coaching services to executive-level management under the Symphony Advantage Brand. He is an angel investor in purpose-driven companies as well as a sought-after speaker in the US and beyond.  Part of what makes Kent unique is his 'why,’ which is a focus and passion for the widespread adoption of conscious capitalism. He is one of the first certified Conscious Capitalism Consultants in the world. Fun fact: Kent is a part-time farmer in Vermont and a van life enthusiast. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Kent Gregoire, the Founder and CEO of Symphony Advantage, about conscious capitalism and building a conscious business. Kent talks about managing a company from the bottom up, the lessons he learned as a serial entrepreneur, and the current movement towards conscious capitalism. Stay tuned.
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Dec 6, 2021 • 39min

Paul Bellows | [Top Agency Series] How to Niche and Diversify an Agency Business

Paul Bellows is the Founder and President of Yellow Pencil, a Canadian digital agency focused on the public sector and digital service transformation. He is a 25 year veteran of digital service industries and currently provides consulting and advisory services to leaders at different levels of government in Canada and in the US. Paul is also the host of The 311 Podcast where he features innovators in the digital space as well as in government.  In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Paul Bellows, the Founder and President of Yellow Pencil, about his work in helping governments digitize their services. Paul explains how he started his agency in the 90s, how losing a key client affected his business, and his process for helping clients adopt new technology.
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Dec 3, 2021 • 28min

Eden Gillott | Celebrity Sex Scandals, Breaking News, and More: How to Manage Crisis PR

Eden Gillott, aka the Dumpster Fire Fixer, is a crisis communications expert and the President of Gillott Communications. She has more than a decade of expertise in crisis and reputation management. She resolves issues both inside and outside the media’s glare — from celebrity scandals and corporate fraud to criminal and civil litigation. Educated at Harvard, NYU, Sejong University, and other institutions, she’s worked in Manhattan, Seoul, and Los Angeles. Eden is a Forbes contributor and has appeared in many publications including The New York Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Associated Press, among others. She is Co-author of three best-selling books: A Business Owner’s Guide to Crisis PR, A Lawyer’s Guide to Crisis PR (Second Edition), and A Board Member’s Guide to Crisis PR. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Eden Gillott, a crisis management expert, about how she helps celebrities and business owners handle scandals and crises. Eden also explains how she picks reporters to work with, shares her strategies for handling information already known by the public, and explains how to prevent future crises. Stay tuned.
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Nov 29, 2021 • 42min

Steve Parks | [Top Agency Series] Radical Transparency, Merging Four Companies Into One, and Predicting the Pandemic

Steve Parks is the CEO of Convivio where he helps agency leaders to work on their business as confidently as they work in it through writing, speaking, and training. He has experience leading creative and digital agencies for 16 years. Steve is also an Editor at Agency Radar, a briefing service for agency leaders that helps them think and plan more strategically. Steve was a Journalist for the BBC in London for 10 years. He has been named one of the most inspiring agency leaders in the UK by a Bench Press survey of over 2,000 of his peers. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by Steve Parks, the CEO of Convivio, to talk about radical transparency and helping business owners build better agencies. Steve also talks about changing careers from journalist to agency owner, doing sales for big projects, and how he prepared his agency for the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned.
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Nov 26, 2021 • 47min

Nancy Lyons | [Top Agency Series] Build a Great Culture in Times of Pandemics and Social Justice Revolutions

Nancy Lyons is the President and CEO of Clockwork, an interactive design and technology consultancy. She is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, and passionate advocate for LGBTQ families. She is the author of Work Like a Boss: A Kick-in-the-Pants Guide to Finding (and Using) Your Power at Work, and lives in Minneapolis with her spouse and son.  In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran interviews Nancy Lyons, the President and CEO of Clockwork, about how she has been building her company during challenging times. Nancy explains how the death of George Floyd impacted business in Minneapolis and in her company, explains how she evaluates clients to work with, and talks about her book. Stay tuned.
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Nov 22, 2021 • 40min

Paul Farrell | From Running Software Firms to Mentoring CEOs and Going Into Angel Investments

Paul Farrell is a longtime entrepreneur, founder, mentor, angel investor, and executive. Most recently, he was the Founder and CEO of Nehemiah Security, which he sold in September 2020. Paul has shepherded a startup from product launch to over a million in annual recurring revenue in less than two years, led a corporate acquisition that yielded a sale five years later at 10X the purchase price, and participated in the explosive growth of a global leader in business communications that yielded an 11X return on investment in just over a year.  After successfully selling Nehemiah Security to ThreatConnect, Paul is now leading Pater Holdings. His goal is to invest in companies and help them flourish. In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by Paul Farrell, an entrepreneur and angel investor, to discuss what Paul learned from scaling and selling software firms. They also talk about hiring strategies, preparing for a successful sale, and the dot-com burst of 2003. Stay tuned.

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