Unleashed - How to Thrive as an Independent Professional

Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman had a trick of always maintaining a list of his twelve favorite problems. Anything new he learned he tested whether it could be used on any of those twelve, and he attributed his success to this technique. This episode gives a short overview of Feynman's approach and how you can apply it. I learned of this tip from Tiago Forte's course, Building a Second Brain. Key points include: Richard Feynman's path to becoming a genius The dormant state of ideas Passive problem solving 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

Robyn Bolton is a leading innovation consultant. A BCG alum, she was a partner at Innosight, a top innovation consulting firm that was founded by Clayton Christensen. She has been an independent consultant focused on innovation since 2018. You can reach out to Robyn or follow her thought leadership blog on her website at milezero.io. Key points include: 01.03 How innovation differs from R&D 04.16 An example of innovation consulting for a sporting goods manufacturer's business model 08.54 The diagnostic of the current state of innovation within the company 11.53 Categorizing each project on dimensions 16.56 Getting the project off the ground 25.32 Innovation that gets results 32.00 Venture teams as a 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

Kyle Sturgeon, an alum of Alvarez & Marsal and McKinsey, is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of MERU. He has led complex transformations and restructurings for companies across industries, with a focus in retail and consumer, healthcare, and materials. Today we discuss what's involved with guiding a company through bankruptcy or restructuring. To find out more about Kyle's company visit: wearemeru.com. Key points include: 00:58: The birth of Meru 04:32: Shutting down a $200,000 company 10:22: How to sell off inventory 17:06: How Kyle's business model works 21:34: A restructuring project 22:47: The Tough Mudder case study 31:52: Orientation towards cash 41:30: The growth of Meru 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

In today's weekend edition of Unleashed, I share a list of 20-25 questions that David A. Fields and I usually ask our clients during the initial conversation to help engage the client and secure the project. Key points include: Focusing on the client's needs Understanding the scope of the project Understanding the client's expected outcomes Insight into the internal team and the stakeholders involved

As independent consultants, we often look for ways on how to grow our business. In today's episode, you'll find a round up of 21 business development ideas that can help build your business this year. You'll also find all the relevant links to Unleashed episodes where we explore these items in more detail. Create a portfolio of sanitized work (Episode 121) Create a project list (Episode 140) Update your LinkedIn profile (Episode 211) Set up a CRM system (Episode 172) Make outbound calls (Episode 170) Email a past client ("Would love to hear about your plans for the year") Reach out to clients where you LOST a proposal, just to check in Update your resume (Episode 253) Ditch the yahoo, Gmail, AOL and get a professional email address Start a podcast and invite potential clients as guests (Episode 10) Comment on LinkedIn posts by potential clients Post 3-5 times per week on LinkedIn on the topic you want to be known for (Episode 235) Organize a virtual event Create, or update, your website (Episode 59) Create a course teaching some skill that a potential client might be looking for* ("How to organize an Integration Management Office") Update your email signature to include your phone number (on the computer AND phone) Create – or refine – your Fishing Line (Episode 1) Ask past clients for feedback Build relationships with other independent consultants serving your niche Read The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients by David A. Fields Contact me at and sign up for weekly podcasts: unleashed@umbrex.com

In this week's episode, I talk to Tekla Back, McKinsey alum, former senior vice president of strategy at PepsiCo., and founder of the snack, Keho. Tekla reveals how she got into nutrition, the truth behind the nutritional labels, and how she developed the Keho snack bar. You can learn more about Tekla's campaign on nutrition by emailing her at tekla@keho.life or visit her company website at keho.life. Key points include: 03:51: The problem with nutritional labels 05:34: The math behind recommended daily amounts 09:47: What you should know about cholesterol 12:53: The missing information on sugar 19:03: The factors influencing the FDA 22:37: The process of certifying a nutritional label 23:44: The impact the FDA has on changing what we eat

While it's great to pursue excellence, there's a strong argument for getting bad at something. -- Unleashed is produced by Umbrex. To learn about our global community of independent management consultants, visit www.umbrex.com

I was inspired to launch Umbrex after reading Seth Godin's book, Tribes. So, I am delighted to talk to him today. In this episode, Seth discusses his career trajectory, his books, his daily practices, his view on content marketing, and why he made the decision to avoid social media. I'm also giving away 100 copies of Seth's new book, The Practice. To receive your free copy of The Practice while supplies last, fill in your name and address info on this form: http://bit.ly/ThePracticeGiveaway Key points Include: 04:10: How Seth creates a library of his experiences 07:17: What success looks like to Seth 08:29: How Seth curates and decides what content to consume 12:09: Seth's views on mentors and heroes 15:20: The key to Seth's productivity 19:08: Seth's views on social media 26:07: A key insight on creating and distributing content 30:54: The advice Seth would give our leadership on how to market mask wearing to people that don't want to?

Rudra's family has been growing tea for over 100 years. They have tea estates in Darjeeling and Assam in India, and in Rwanda. They also manufacture handmade carpets and furniture. He is also an adjunct professor in International Management Institute in Calcutta, and writes for several publications on history and business. Rudra can be reached through his website, RudraChatterjee.com. To find out more about his businesses, go to Luxmi Tea and Obeetee.com. Key points include: 06:51: Top recommended books 07:57: Online events with top economists 11:45: ESG priorities in business 18:16: The elimination of child labor 21:49: Running the family business 27:17: Examples of consulting recommendations that did not work with personal business experience 31:07: The caste system 34:42: How the caste system frustrates progress or impedes Rudra as a business person 36:59: COVID in India

James Carbary is the founder, executive producer, and co-host of Sweet Fish Media, a company that produces podcasts for B2B brands. Today, he shares his expertise on creating, distributing, and getting the most mileage out of your podcast. Key points include: 01:28: Tips on how to create a great B2B podcast 07:07: The naming philosophy of a podcast 10:33: Common mistakes people make when setting up a B2B podcast 14:37: How to make it a memorable experience for the guest 16:59: Sourcing freelancers to create micro videos 18:13: Turning the podcast into a blog post 23:54: Implementing keywords 30:24: The services Sweet Fish Media provides 35:48: A strategy to get more listeners Check out James' company Sweetfishmedia.com or connect to him through LinkedIn.