Gym Business - Business for Unicorns Podcast

Joanna is currently the Vice President of Marketing at WeWork, a seven year old real estate-meets-technology-meets-community start-up, originally founded as a shared office space provider - now on a mission to transform the way we work, live and play.  Before WeWork, Joanna spent over 10 years in the fashion world at brands like J.Crew, Lilly Pulitzer and Vera Wang, working across retail and digital marketing.  Joanna also did a brief stint on Wall Street, working on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs right out of college.  She did her undergraduate degree in French and Political Science at Georgetown University, and has a Masters in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design.    In this podcast Michael and Joanna discuss: How Joanna’s eclectic background is her greatest strength. What makes a great leader. How to stay focused in a fast-past, rapidly growing business. When and how you know it’s time to scale your team. How to turn your customers into evangelists for your brand. The challenge of scaling culture and community. The role design can play in creating community. The promise and peril of close friendships at work. How millennials are driving new expectations in the workplace.

Dan Emery is on a mission to bring the thrill and pride of guitar playing to the world.  He is the founder of NYC's friendliest and fastest growing guitar schools, New York City Guitar School, Brooklyn Guitar School and Queens Guitar School. He is the author of the Amazon best selling guitar book "Guitar For Absolute Beginners" and several other books on guitar playing and deliberate practice. He has a Masters in Education from Columbia University Teachers College, and extensive performing experience as songwriter and guitarist for The Dan Emery Mystery Band. Besides loving to play guitar and teach guitar, he enjoys coaching new business owners in the Entrepreneurs' Organization Accelerator Program, learning about music from his three kids, and reading books. And, as you’ll hear us talk about in the podcast, Dan’s official life mission is "coaching personal greatness, one lesson at a time."   In this podcast Michael and Dan discuss: Creating a mission statement for your life and work. How to keep your team in sync. How your team can demonstrate your values every single day. Dan’s approach to meeting rhythms. The importance of clear and consistent expectations. Dan’s approach to checklists and accountability. How being relentlessness can be a magical superpower.

Mona is the CEO of Motivate design, UX expert, professor, speaker and author. “I work to make technology approachable. At first, I got to think about keeping shuttles in space and medical equipment operating smoothly. It was groundbreaking and heavy, and I thrived. It gave me a distinct POV: there is no problem too big to solve for, and no design too small to make a big impact.” In 2009, Mona started Motivate Design, a UX/UI research and design agency. They are based in NYC and their clients Fortune 500 companies from all over the world. Our UX staffing agency UX Hires (2010) was born soon after to support a need Mona saw in the community. Motivate has been on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list three years in a row. Mona’s latest project is a new proprietary method of customer investigation, Insider Insights. It uses the best practices of investigators to get to the truth about what customer’s think about your company. We talk about this exciting new project in the podcast – it’s brilliant. Mona also does a million other things, so go to businessforunicorns.com/podcast to read her full bio.   In this podcast Michael and Mona discuss: Mona’s amazing book Reframe: Shift the Way you Work, Innovate and Think. Why business leaders are crummy at defining our actual problems. Mona’s 8 BS Excuse Personas. The power of “what if” questions. The importance of design in the customer’s experience. Common design pitfalls most companies make. The key signs that your company should consider doing market research. Mona’s advice on personal branding, speaking, and becoming an author.

Steven M. Ledbetter, aka "Coach Stevo" on Twitter, is an expert in the science of human behavior change and has been helping people who know what to do, but can't make themselves do it since 2008. He is the CEO of the behavior change consulting company Habitry which he co-founded in 2014. Originally from rural Georgia, he moved to San Francisco in 2005. He collects mid-century modern furniture, never carries more than 6kg of luggage, and is a third generation Eagle Scout. In this podcast Michael and Steven discuss: The building blocks of motivation science. Self Determination Theory and how it applies to the workplace. The value of processes over goals. How to embrace an experimental mindset. Steven’s tips on driving client retention. How to manage your team so they get results without feeling micromanaged. What to do when you know what to do, but just can’t make yourself do it. What is “emotional labor” and why most of us fear it.

Susan Blackwell is on a mission to free people’s self-expression. As a performer, writer, speaker and educator, she champions this cause around the world, on Broadway, off-Broadway, in classrooms and writing, and on TV, film, sound recordings and the Internet. As the founder of Susan Blackwell & Co, she partners with like-minded, compassionate artists and thought leaders to deliver inspiring entertainment and educational offerings aimed at freeing people’s creative self-expression. As an educator, she has empowered thousands of people to identify and slay the vampires that stop them from being free. In this podcast Michael and Susan discuss: The value of defining your purpose for yourself and others. How leaders can build instant rapport and connection. How to bring play and fun into the workplace. Why an acting class might be the education all leaders need. How to build fun, memorable, and engaging learning experiences. Susan’s tips for dealing with resistance in meetings and workshops. How to access creativity in your life and work.

Erik Gensler is the President of Capacity Interactive, a digital marketing consulting firm for the cultural sector, whose clients include the country's leading arts institutions. In 2010 Erik founded Digital Marketing Boot Camp for the Arts, the only conference 100% focused on digital marketing for arts and cultural organizations. Erik hosts a podcast series about arts administration called CI to Eye. He is most proud of CI placing #25 on Crain's Best Places to Work in NYC in 2016 and 2017.     In this podcast Michael and Erik discuss: How to think about creating the "right size" company. Erik's best digital marketing strategies. How to create a compelling story in your digital marketing. Why knowing your key metrics is essential for marketing success. How to use Facebook in your marketing funnel. Erik's predictions for the future of digital technology. How to build a values-based culture. How to find the best people for your team and set them up for success. Erik's approach to giving critical feedback.

In this podcast Michael and Mark discuss: How to manage constant change in a growing business. Mark's recipe for continuous learning and personal development. How to treat feedback like a gift and improve your ability to give feedback. The 3 levels of management that we all experience. How to deal with the chronic stress of leadership. How to balance transparency and privacy in your communication. Mark's roadmap to building a personal brand and speaking career. How to use content marketing to attract more of your ideal clients.