Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Sam Lee has held numerous prestigious positions: he was a consultant at the World Bank, the chief of staff, Executive Office Division at Goldman Sachs, and the head of business planning and operations at AOL. He is now the founder and CEO at IndeCollective, a company that offers expert guidance to the most seasoned professionals, and that is what he is going to talk about on today's episode. You can learn more about the program at IndeCollective.co. Key points include: 02:45: What IndeCollective offers members 04:36: The 10-week experience 21:30: Authentic ways to stay top-of-mind 31:18: Sales conversations Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Josh Spector is the founder of the For The Interested newsletter; a weekly newsletter featuring ideas "to help you learn, do, and become." He is also an audience growth strategist and a digital marketing consultant. But in this episode, he shares his expertise on newsletters. To sign up for Josh's newsletter visit, https://fortheinterested.com/, and to learn more about Josh's newsletter tips visit, https://joshspector.com/. Key points include: 03:51: Newsletters created 06:40: Josh's consulting strategy 12:46: Newsletter tips on technology, design, sign-ups, and frequency 40:27: Curating content Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Will Bachman hosts a panel discussion on hiring your first associate. The panel includes top-tier consultants J. Andrew McKee, David Burnie of The Burnie Group, and Belinda Li. Key points include: 04:32: Deciding to hire your first employee 07:45: The pros and cons of having employees 11:20: The right time to add additional employees 17:17: Recruiting through LinkedIn Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Jen Rudd, PMP is a Business Coach, Consultant, and a Cross-Platform Automation expert with an extensive background in creating systems and automation for a variety of business types. She is the CEO of Grow With Jen, an author, and has presented at numerous conferences and events, most recently at the Airtable User's Conference, which she talks about in this episode. To learn more about Jen's company visit GrowWithJen.com. Key points include: 02:19: A case study on how Airtable works 10:26: Applications of Airtable 15:23: Different use cases for Airtable 17:49: Programming skill requirements Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Joe has been a successful start-up CEO and operating executive at high-growth tech companies. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2012 by Crain's New York Business and was #9 on Business Insider's 2013 "Silicon Alley 100" list. Joe is the Founder & CEO of ExecThread, a VC-backed crowdsourcing platform and premium job-sharing network that enables professionals to access the "hidden job market". ExecThread is the largest global aggregator of unpublished executive-level job opportunities, and this is what he talks about in today's episode. You can learn more about Execthread at www.ExecThread.com. Key points include: 02:15: How ExecThread works 09:18: The ExecThread vetting process 14:49: Advice to people looking for executive roles 20:44: Advice for employers Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Gaurav was a consultant with McKinsey and a leader in their Organization Practice in North America. Before McKinsey, he worked in marketing for Pepsi Cola International and Procter & Gamble in Europe, the Middle East, and India, and he has counselled and coached hundreds of senior leaders as they lead their organizations through transformation, with a special focus on coaching them on personal mastery, difficult conversations, and strategic thinking. Mark is an engineer by training, he began his career as a Navy officer and member of the US Naval Construction Battalion. He is also a McKinsey alum and has worked across multiple industries, including financial services, high tech, biotech manufacturing, IT services, and governmental offices. Read more about their book at https://unfearbook.com/. Key points include: 05:24: Gaurav's work in cultural transformation 08:32: The art and science of achieving standing breakthrough results 13:27: Identifying and moving through fear 26:16: Freeing the angel in the stone Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Kay Formanek is a global speaker on Diversity and Inclusion. Kay has also worked for leading global professional services organizations for over 20 years as Partner and Managing Director. Her proven approach to leading diversity strategically draws on extensive research and advisory work with over 50 organizations; she is now an author, and her book, Beyond DNI: leading diversity with purpose and inclusiveness, is coming out this month. In today's episode, Kay talks about the benefits of diversity and inclusion. For more information, you can visit Kay's website at beyonddiversityandinclusion.com Key points include: 01:14: Kay's background, and the inspiration behind her book 06:24: How she helps CEOs reach their aspired level of diversity 11:25: The dimensions of diversity 15:19: Implementing diversity initiatives Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Adam Anderson is a graduate of Stanford Business School, a McKinsey alum, and he is now a strategy consultant and project manager. He has led and participated in over one hundred projects for clients from startups to multinationals, and in this episode, he shares case studies on driving bottom-line results. Adam can be reached through his LinkedIn profile, or emailed at aanderson@pa-bs.com. Key points include: 00:47: A case study on Lotek, chemical manufacturer: 20 production facilities, five countries 09:59: A case study on a small business in healthcare 20:22: Creating a competitive advantage in healthcare 25:38: Health clinics and the customer experience Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

David Edelman spent 30 years as a Chief Marketing Officer (at Aetna/CVS), and consultant to executives on Digital and Marketing Transformation with McKinsey, Digitas, and the Boston Consulting Group. He is now a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and serves as an advisor to top executives in start-up, Private Equity, and larger enterprises. In today's episode, David talks about the use of AI in marketing. You can reach David through his LinkedIn profile or email him at dedelman@hbs.edu. Key points include: 03:44: The different aspects of marketing 08:38: How AI can be used in marketing 15:50: The prerequisites a company needs to employ AI 21:16: Measuring the ROI on AI-driven tools Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Michael Katz is the author of four books, an award-winning humorist, and the founder of Blue Penguin, a company that helps professional service firms and solos talk and write about their work in a clear and compelling way. He has an MBA from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from McGill University in Montreal. In today's episode, Michael talks about how he helps his clients. Learn more about Michael's business at www.bluepenguindevelopment.com. Key points include: 02:15: Business newsletter best practices 13:41: Results that can be achieved through a newsletter 15:27: Building an email list 18:46: Newsletter management software comparison Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.