Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Annie Scranton is the founder and president of Pace Public Relations; she has been a producer at the CBNC, an assistant booker at Fox News, a booking producer on Good Morning America with ABC News, and has a Masters in Public Relations. In this episode, Annie shares her experience and knowledge in public relations. Annie can be reached through https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniescranton or her company website http://www.pacepublicrelations.com Key points include: 10:00: Becoming a known expert 17:19: Tips on being picked up by a reporter 23:05: Objectives and process of working with a PR agency 32:22: ROI on working with a PR agency 36:03: How to find and select a PR agency 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.

Sam Gupta has nearly two decades of experience in commercializing technology solutions, building multi-million dollar technology practices, and managing large enterprise software programs to drive digital transformation initiatives. He is the principal consultant at ElevatIQ, Inc., and in this episode, he talks about manufacturing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Sam can be contacted at https://www.linkedin.com/in/samguptausa/ or the website https://www.elevatiq.com/ Key points include: 07:20: The key processes of ERP 16:16: Inflection points and the integration of ERP systems 24:50: The range of activities of Elevate IQ 27:29: Big name companies selling ERP software 29:06: The rip and replace process 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.

Neil Gardner a digital strategy consultant who helps clients to design and implement digital transformations, and he is the founder and principal of NMG Advisory. As an advisor to CIOs at regional banks, he helps move their teams from cost center to value creation center. Neil can be reached through https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilmgardner/ or https://www.nmgadvisory.com/ Key points include: 00:35: What a CIO does and how much bank revenue it costs 04:17: Infrastructure operations organization 09:19: Data and architecture categories 12:53: How the IT department creates business value 25:54: IT organisation aligned with business strategy 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.

Jessica Lackey is an ACC Coach, a McKinsey alum with an MBA from Harvard MBA, and a Fortune 500 Operations Leader. In this episode, she talks about the mature integrated planning process and the nuts and bolts of the traditional SAP processes. Jessica can be reached at linkedin.com/in/jessica-lackey or through her website https://www.jessicalackey.com/ Key points include: 01:47: A perspective on sales and operations planning (SNOP) 08:56: Common issues in the sales and operations planning process 16:05: AI, heuristics, and advanced planning systems 18:19: Case examples of the reconciliation process 25:22: Consulting opportunities in sales and operations planning 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.

Drew Kerr is the founder and president of Four Corners Communications, a company that provides pro-active strategic communications and coaching for digital media companies, high-growth startups, and consumer research firms. In this episode, he shares five key communication rules. Drew can be reached at linkedin.com/in/drewkerr or his website www.four-corners.com. Key points include: 03:52: The money line 10:58: Using a story 14:02: The power of the headline 19:20: Concise and active 23:39: How to be a good moderator 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 Drumm is an Umbrex member and the CEO Advisor, Leadership Coach, and founder of Meritage Leadership. She has graduate degrees from Harvard Law School, Carnegie Mellon, and an M.A. in Drama from London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and today she shares the first episode from her podcast, The Enlightened Executive. You can find Susan's podcast at http://EnlightenedExec.com. Key points include: 06:50: Why focus is learned 10:31: The first step in focus training 13:47: The role of multitasking 18:41: An example of focusing in action 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.

Hung Nguyen is a McKinsey alum and a principal at OUTLAST Consulting, a purpose-driven professional development + strategy firm focused on fueling innovation and empowering diverse talent. Prior to OUTLAST, she headed the Digital Center of Expertise at BP, where she piloted user-centric ways to recruit, develop, and deploy talent. Today, she talks about diversity inclusion and strategies companies and individuals can use to improve inclusion awareness. Hung can be contacted through her LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/misshungnguyen/ or reached through the Outlast LLC website. Key points include: 03:47: Situations that involve professional development for diverse talent 09:05: Tactics used to deal with difficult situations 12:21: Responding without threatening 16:13: The structure of diversity training 24:19: Clients' objectives in diversity training 34:30: The broader impact of diversity inclusion 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.

John Jeffcock was a captain in the British Army; he is now an author, a consultant, and the CEO of Winmark, a world-leading C-suite network business that interviews and profiles Chief Executive Officers from across the global corporate landscape. Key points include: 02:45: How Winmark helps members make connections 09:40: Networking during COVID 11:04: The big topics of discussion at networking events 15:14: How to make effective connections 24:40: How the selection of content is made John can be contacted through the Winmark website or 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.

Adam is a decorated combat veteran and a cybersecurity consultant who started his career with the U.S. military; he was part of the team working on the Global War on Terrorism before starting a private practice where he advises government agencies and the private sector. He is now the CEO of A.R. International Consulting, LLC and a national news on-air analyst. Key points include: 02:53: Training with NATO and being deployed to Afghanistan 07:01: Getting set up as a federal contractor 10:25: Setting up an advisory board 16:14: Specific services for the private sector 26:15 Asset recovery Adam can be reached through his website, adamroosevelt.com, or through LinkedIn. You can also follow him on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Braden is a startup entrepreneur, an action-oriented and strategic operator, and consultant with operational expertise in a broad range of experiences across crypto, hedge funds, software technology (SaaS), commercial real estate, management consulting, luxury retail, and more. In this episode, he discusses his purpose, working with Bridgewater and Knotel, and time management. Key points include: 03:06: Braden's operating value 08:29: The list of operating practices 10:18: Installing and eliminating habits 18:57: Time blocking and deep work 27:47: Texting vs. talking 29:54: Bridgewater and Knotel Braden can be reached through his website, www.bradenww.com or 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.