CEO Coaching International Podcast

In this age of social media and internet activism, lots of top CEOs have Tracy Williams on speed dial for when a crisis hits, or a lawsuit threatens a company’s brand or reputation. Even companies that are vigilant about living their values, following best practices, and creating a healthy workplace culture are vulnerable to the wrath of online mobs if they don’t have an action plan in place when inevitable misunderstanding or slipups do occur. On today’s show Tracy Williams discusses reputation management in the age of social media, particularly how to protect yourself and your company from a PR disaster that could explode as fast as a tweet.

So how do you break into an industry as specialized as dental supply? Easy. Have a dentist tell you, “No!” “My oldest brother is a dentist,” explains Steve Kizy, “and when I graduated from college it was in 2008 and we were in the recession and I asked my brother if I could work for him and help him grow his dental practice. He looked at me straight in the face and said, ‘No, you cannot work for me. One brother already works for me and I'm not going to take care of another.’" Steve’s brother did however point him to a niche market with a lot of opportunity and potential for growth. Combine that with an entrepreneurial drive that went back to selling cell phones in his dad’s convenience store as a high school student, and a fast-growth entrepreneur was born. On today’s show, Steve Kizy discusses how his company is growing so fast in a highly competitive industry and the challenges that go along with that fast growth. We discuss how to foster a culture of teamwork and pitching in that will help any firm in any field get through the rough patches and make BIG happen year after year.

You worked hard to build your business. You made mistakes. You learned from them. Nothing was given to you. You had to rely on your grit and determination to earn every inch of your success. So why should your kids have it any different? Because even the toughest CEO can turn to mush once we hear “Mommy!” or “Daddy!” We don’t want our kids to have to struggle like we did. We want their lives to be as easy and pain-free as possible. But Dr. Tim Jordan has found that our best intentions often lead to negative results. And in many cases, the same knack for prescient problem-solving and planning that’s made your business successful can hold back your kids’ development. On today’s show, Dr. Tim Jordan discusses the five biggest parenting mistakes that CEOs and entrepreneurs make and offers some expert tips that will prepare your kids to make their own BIG happen.

Getting BIG requires big cash. But the venture capital landscape is more crowded and competitive than ever. How is your company going to stand out from the masses of wannabe entrepreneurs? Do you have a vision that will tantalize investors? The right numbers to secure the right investment? The right plan to capitalize on that investment? The right team? The grit and determination necessary to make BIG happen? On today’s show, serial entrepreneur Anthony Venus talks about the genesis of his new company YayPay, how he determined when the company had achieved product-market fit, and the steps he used to raise $8 million in venture capital money.

Jim Weaver didn’t set out to be a 5-time CEO in such a diverse array of businesses. But whenever opportunities presented themselves, Jim took advantage, pivoting his companies and himself towards new experiences, better markets, and BIGGER growth. Now he’s ready to share what he’s learned from five stints in the big chair with CEO Coaching International’s clients. On today’s show, Jim Weaver discusses his transition from government work to the private sector to going public, and what his experiences at the top of multiple companies have taught him about being a great CEO in any field.

After a highly-recognized career in tech sector sales management – including working for IBM at its peak – Jerry Swain jumped off the corporate track and became an entrepreneur. He started, of all things, a high-end specialty chocolate company that ended up receiving four buyout offers before Jerry finally sold to a strategic buyer. On today’s show, Jerry Swain discusses the lessons he learned from IBM’s world-class sales training program, and how he applied that wisdom to his own BIG entrepreneurial ventures.

Ash Garg spent the first 25 years of his career working for large companies like Lockheed Martin and Hughes. Then, at age 46, he decided to become an entrepreneur. But he wasn't interested in just being self-employed. Ash had a vision from day one that he wanted to build a pharmacy company in India that was as big as any in the world. 13 years later, Guardian Pharmacy was a $100 million business. On today’s show, Ash Garg discusses how he shifted from working for some of the biggest companies in the world to making BIG happen on his own terms.

Asha Saxena is a self-described data nerd, but she preaches the importance of using data as a tool, and not as a whole solution to a business’ challenges and opportunities. Unfortunately, too many struggling CEOs don’t grasp that distinction. Even worse, some CEOs put so much stock in what the numbers are saying that they ignore the human ingenuity and intuition that companies need to adapt to an ever-changing business landscape. On today’s show, Asha discusses combing data analytics with your top-level CEO judgement to ask better questions about your business, and make smarter, more profitable decisions that will help you make BIG happen.

Like any other discipline in life, you have to master the basics of business if you want to run a successful company. Have a clear vision. Set your targets and put steps in place to hit them. Measure your progress. Optimize your cash flow. Hire the best people. Keep learning. But once you have your fundamentals covered, how do you set yourself apart from the competition? How do you broadcast and leverage what’s unique about your company to expand your client base and start ramping up towards BIG? On today’s show, Anthony Geraci explains how his team started thinking outside the box to change how a law firm traditionally operates and create a radical new approach to marketing. The result of this innovative thinking? An incredible 70% growth in one year.

Business leaders and thinkers love using sports analogies to motivate their teams, “win the day,” and craft a game plan to beat the competition. Rafe Wilkinson’s career proves just how applicable lessons from professional sports really can be to growing your company and making BIG happen. On today’s show Rafe Wilkinson discusses what his NFL career taught him about playing to his strengths, the importance of team-building, and how he hurdled a common CEO stumbling block while growing his company from 30 employees to over 1,000.