Gym Business - Business for Unicorns Podcast

Andrea is a business leader, feminist, activist, professor, dancer, flutist, board member, mother and wife. The first ever Chief Client Officer at VaynerMedia. She is responsible for scaling VaynerMedia's full service agency business globally. She is in charge of its client teams, thought leadership, new business and brand reputation.   In this episode, Michael and Andrea discuss: Growing A Healthy Business Culture Client Management Trends in Media

Pete Dupuis is one of the few fitness professionals who identifies specifically as a "business guy." He has served as the Vice President and Business Director of Cressey Sports Performance since co-founding the company in 2007. With an MBA from Babson College, more than a decade of fitness industry experience, and a profound appreciation for the nitty-gritty realities of managing a fitness facility, he brings a unique perspective to discussions surrounding the business of fitness. Most importantly, he is a proud husband to Katie, and father to Collin and Owen Dupuis.   In this episode, Michael and Pete discuss: Positioning your business in a specific niche The social media strategy for small businesses, especially in the fitness industry Developing a gym culture

Patricia was born in Caracas, Venezuela to a Venezuelan-Slovenian family. In 2003, she received a B.S. in industrial engineering from the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas. She also studied photography at the Roberto Mata School of Photography in Caracas. In 2008, Patricia moved to New York to study at the International Center of Photography, where she was awarded with a Directors' Fellowship and graduated in June 2010. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Andrea Meislin Gallery and A.I.R. Gallery in New York. Her photographs have been published in ICP's Shift 2010, Tal Cual (Venezuelan newspaper) and Town and Country (magazine) in the Philippines. In 2011, she founded PhotoUno Photography School in Midtown Manhattan where she currently teaches. Patricia lives and works in New York with her husband Francisco and her dog named Pitta.   In this episode, Michael and Patricia discuss: Understanding customer satisfaction in a service business How Patricia differentiates her business from the competition Can artistic passion be taught? The artistic and commercial sides of photography How to turn your creative passion into a thriving business Patricia’s best tips for finding, hiring, and developing great employees

When Cary Borish opened the first Marathon in 1984, their goal was simple: to provide the neighborhood with the highest quality fresh food at an excellent value. The seeds they planted in their 10-seat burger joint in Northeast Philadelphia have grown into what Marathon is today. In this episode, Michael and Cary discuss: Cary’s experience running a family-owned business How to handle conflict when working with friends and family Lessons learned from looking back at 30+ years of business ownership The value of failure and taking risks How to know when it’s time to grow and when it’s time to scale back Cary’s thoughts on finding the right neighborhood for your business A developer’s perspective on building community

Arin Sullivan is the Director of Programs and Client Services, overseeing Education, Business Development, and the Support Center. The Programs & Client Services department endeavors to expand the knowledge of the arts and cultural sector and deepen the impact of the high-quality data and resources provided by the Cultural Data Project. An actor and stage manager at heart, prior to joining the CDP in 2008, Arin was the managing director at Hedgerow Theatre, theater manager for Drexel University’s Mandell Theater, and producer for Geva Comedy Improv at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York. Arin is also an adjunct faculty member with Drexel’s Theatre program. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, where she graduated cum laude, and she holds a Master of Science degree from Drexel University’s Arts Administration program.   In this podcast, Michael and Arin discuss: - Favorite tools or pieces of technology that help in managing projects - How to hire and develop a first-time manager - How to navigate tension between being of service to clients and needing to lead to the information that will be useful for them - How to navigate the inherent awkwardness of performance reviews

A serial entrepreneur for over fifteen years, Joe is the CEO of the publicly traded, revolutionary blockchain company, Lannister Holdings. CHRIS BROWN, Chief Technology Officer In their own words... Lannister Holdings is generating scaled revenues and growth by developing, owning, and delivering proprietary technology to the financial sector. In this conversation we discuss: Blockchain technology - what is it and why we should be paying attention. The current and possible future use-cases for block-chain technology The process of taking a company public and how you might know when that is the right decision for your company Managing a remote team

Rachelle is an accomplished Executive Coach and Facilitator who has built a stellar client reputation by getting results. As e talk about in the podcast Rachelle recently started her own leadership consulting agency called Equalibrium with her long-time friend and business partner Katie Byrme. A little more about Rachelle - She is a qualified counsellor, and certified in a variety of Emotional Intelligence and personality assessment tools. Rachelle is a proud graduate from Reed College (Oregon) and Warwick University (UK). She also spoke at the 2017 TEDx Broadway Conference on the challenges in receiving feedback.Rachelle has consulted for over 50 companies, including: Human Rights Watch, Sony Music Entertainment, NBC Universal, and so many more. Hope over to businessforunicorns.com for all the details of Rachelle’s incredible accomplishments. In this episode Michael and Rachelle discuss: The importance of having a coach or mentor for business leaders How to give and receive feedback The definition of emotional intelligence and its value for building a team Our shared experience of starting a business with a close friend.

In our first crossover episode, Michael speaks with host of The FitCast, Kevin Larrabee. They talk about the struggles of starting a new business, the rollercoaster of life, and the current state of the fitness industry. Kevin Larrabee graduated from Keene State College with a BS in Health Science in August 2008. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Kevin has had a passion for fitness and nutrition ever since winning his battle with the bulge at the age of 15. After discovering the effects of diet and exercise, Kevin lost 30 pounds in three months. Ever since then he has been striving to learn as much as he can about fitness and nutrition. He recently opened his first training studio, Allied Strength, in Gloucester, MA. Kevin created The FitCast Podcast after looking for a decent fitness and nutrition podcast and coming up empty. He has recorded more than 450 episodes and interviewed some of the best and brightest in the industry. The FitCast was named Best Fitness Podcast by Men’s Health Magazine in 2015.

Radha Agrawal is a community force. She is the Co-Founder and CEO of Daybreaker, an early morning dance movement in 22 cities around the world with a community of over 350,000 members who connect through dance, yoga, music and mischief. Her upcoming book “BELONG: Find Your People Create Community and Live a More Connected Life" published by Workman comes out next fall (September 2018) and open sources all that she learned about community building with methods and exercises she designed so that anyone could create the blueprint for their dream community. She is also the Co-Founder and Partner of THINX, a high-tech, beautiful underwear solution for women to wear during their periods with a growing community of hundreds of thousands of women globally. THINX also supports women and girls in developing countries with a 1 for 1 solution — for every underwear purchased, seven washable reusable cloth pads goes to a girl in Uganda. To date, THINX has helped tens of thousands of girls stay in school.Radha is an identical twin, half-Japanese, half-Indian French Canadian, Division 1 soccer player and graduate of Cornell University.She was the recipient of the TriBeCa Film Festival’s “Disruptive Innovation Award” and was named one of the “Top 20 Millennials on a Mission” by Forbes.   In this episode Michael and Radha talk about: How the idea for Daybreaker was born. Radha’s approach to creating community. Our cultural and personal need for connection and belonging. How to design engaging and compelling experiences. How Radha thinks about using partnerships and collaborations. The impact Daybreaker is hoping to have on college campuses. The challenges of managing a global brand.

Chris is the owner of Lift the Bar Education for Personal Trainers which offers high quality education for health & fitness pros delivered by the brightest in the industry. He is also the proud owner of Lift the Bar Gym, a training studio in England.   In this podcast Michael and Chris discuss: Chris’ ability to be a super-connector and networker. How to harness the drive for constant improvement. How to attract and hire staff that connect with your values. What steps leaders can take to set up their team to succeed. What do to when the people who want your help stop showing up. The role emotions play in consumer’s decisions. The value of rational decision-making.