Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Bill Fotsch has a 20-year track record of improving company sales and profits in an array of industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated as a Baker Scholar. He has co-authored several published articles and serves on the board of several companies that practice Open-Book Management. You can learn more about his company at https://openbookcoaching.com, or email Bill at Bill.Fotsch@openbookcoaching.com or reach out on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/billfotsch. Key points include: 05:07: Where to start with open-book management 08:57: Examples of companies switching to open-book management 17:04: Big changes in operations 28:03: How Bill launched his writing career 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

Ben Legg helps entrepreneurs reinvent themselves and society for the better. His career has included relieving the siege of Sarajevo in 1995, McKinsey strategy consultant, turning around Coca-Cola India and the COO of Google Europe. In this episode, he discusses his latest venture The Portfolio Collective. You can learn more at https://portfolio-collective.com Key points include: 01:00: Who can become a portfolio professional 04:48: How the Portfolio Creative developed 10:03: The benefits of joining the Portfolio Collective 20:32: Branding diverse skill sets and services cohesively 22:25: Entry 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

Mary Cummins has an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA with Honors in Electrical Engineering from Cambridge University.  Her consulting career includes equity partnership at The Boston Consulting Group, and at Deloitte Consulting. Mary’s experience spans across traditionally siloed healthcare sectors and includes serving on the Board of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (the largest non-profit home health agency in the US). On this episode, she talks about value-based care and the shift from volume to value in the healthcare system. Key points include: 10:38: Transitioning to new models after the Affordable Care Act 16:00: How a hospital adapts to a value-based care system 21:09: Examples of how hospitals operate differently 23:44: How the pay structure affects the model 31:44: Current experiments in value-based care Learn more about Mary’s company at www.certusadv.com and connect on www.linkedin.com/in/maryecummins 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.

Dr. Anders Corr is an alum of both Harvard and Yale. He led the Social Science Research and Analysis (SSRA) group in Afghanistan, which oversaw 600 Afghan contract employees on 44 survey projects, before founding Corr Analytics and the Journal of Political Risk in 2013. He is an author and a political risk consultant on national risk assessment focused on China. On this episode, he talks about his work as a political risk consultant. Key points include: 03:39: An example of clients and projects undertaken 10:32: Initial information offered to corporate clients 16:12: Key factors that contribute to a negative view of China 21:51: Deliverables generated for clients 24:28: The Wisdom of Crowds approach to forecasting Learn more about Anders’ firm at http://www.canalyt.com. 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.

Robert Hardy has recently started an online coaching platform to help creatively inclined individuals promote their work. On today’s episode, he explains how his program works, why quality trumps quantity, and how to find your niche. Key points include: 01:38: Why most marketing advice is wrong 06:27: The fragmentation of the Internet and niches 11:12: How the Ungated program helps people find their niche 13:54: Coffee and keyword roulette 24:41: Tactical niche marketing steps Learn more about Ungated at https://ungated.media/, his filmmaking site at www.filmmakerfreedom.com, and check out his thoughts on what it means to be a citizen at www.citizenwithin.com.  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.

Alex P. Bartholomaus is President and CEO of People Stretch Solutions, a Washington DC based management consulting firm specializing in revenue growth consulting and scaling organizations. He is a published author and professional speaker on the topic of OKRs, Sales Effectiveness, Elite Business Performance and Emotional Intelligence. On this episode, Alex talks about his company with a focus on growing sales. Key points include: 08:43: The wine industry taxes and distribution chain 15:12: The business focus of objective and key results 18:00: Examples of OKRs and how they differ from goals 29:12: Different aspects of the management system To learn more about Alex’s firm visit https://www.peoplestretch.com/ or message Alex on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbartholomaus. 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.

Jonas Altman is a speaker, writer, and entrepreneur who creates transformational learning experiences to elevate and grow leaders around the world. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and he has recently published the book, Shapers: Reinvent the way you work and change the future. On this episode, Jonas talks about his book, his work, the power of harnessing creative energy, and how it helps motivate his clients. Key points include: 03:35: How the future of work may evolve 13:16: The need to expand the learning mindset 23:16: Coaching style and client types 27:10: Two case studies on achieving aspirational targets   You can learn more about Jonas at Jonas Altman.com, you can learn more about the work he does at social fabric.com, and find the book at shapers.life. 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.

Susan Meier is a brand strategist and a Harvard-trained artist. She applies a creative mindset to the craft of strategy to develop a brand strategy and has worked with the world’s most beloved brands, from Pepsi to Lipton, M&Ms to Doritos. Her art is in private collections of Saatchi & Saatchi, the New York Stock Exchange, and Pfizer and has been exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History.  In this episode, she talks about her latest side-hustle, www.workspace-studio.com. Key points include: 02:13: How workspace was developed 05:28 The important elements that make a great workspace 12:41: How the space is a portrait of the person 17:56: The creative strategy of no-destination travel 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.

Tineke Keesmaat has over 15 years of consulting experience with McKinsey & Company, Accenture, and as the founder and CEO of  TILTCO Inc. She has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University with a subspecialty in Entrepreneurship and a B.A with Honours in Psychology from Queen's University. In this episode, she talks about the hybrid business playbook her company has published.  Key points include: 01:11: The process of developing the playbook 11:49: Developing a podcast series  17:30: The impact of the podcast 26:27: How companies can build a hybrid business You can find out more about the playbook and Tineke’s business at www.tiltco.ca. 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.

Amanda Wright has a Master of Business Administration in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in molecular biology. She is an experienced management consultant who provides business advisory services to her clients.  Today, she talks about her program to help women from professional services firms make the leap to independent consulting. Key points include: 02:07: The structure of the Take the Leap program 09:43: The importance of the company name 13:31: Building the right mindset for a successful business 17:59: Managing your money 25:00: Marketing the coaching program You can learn more about the Take the Leap program at https://www.thewrightcompany.ca/taketheleap and sign up for Amanda’s weekly newsletter. 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.