INspired INsider Podcast

Nathan Imperiale is the CEO of NJI Media, an award-winning creative agency solving complex public affairs challenges with fully orchestrated, elegantly crafted content. He uses his insider knowledge from Capitol Hill and the White House as an asset when planning campaigns and the associated digital assets. Nathan also acts as a partner at FamousDC and FDC Media. Josh Shultz is the Founder and CEO of NJI Media. He is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of managing creative and digital media professionals. As a seasoned executive and communications professional, Josh has a unique blend of public affairs experience, business savviness, and digital marketing expertise that has helped shape the creative concepts, architectures, and strategies instrumental in helping clients to succeed online. He is also the Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of FamousDC, one of the most widely-read and talked-about blogs in the Beltway. In this episode… Are you struggling with digital content and audience engagement in public policy? Where can you get the support to remove the complexity from campaigns in this niche? Many companies are challenged by public policy-related issues in the business world. Nathan Imperiale and Josh Shultz recommend partnering with creative agencies that combine best-in-class creative, technical expertise, and exceptional client service to help businesses navigate their way. They share their journey as co-CEOs running a global creative agency in public policy and beyond. Listen to this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring Nathan Imperiale and Josh Shultz, co-CEOs of NJI Media, to discuss how to be creative in the public relation space. They talk about the issues NJI solves for people, how they got into creative and public affairs, how they attract and hire top talent, co-CEO ing, and their customer success stories.

Hannah Smolinski is the Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group, a virtual CFO agency providing small businesses with financial clarity and profit maximization strategies. As a CPA, Hannah's professional experience with one of the world's largest accounting firms shaped her vision of bringing high-level financial expertise to the small business community. She founded Clara CFO Group as a trusted resource for small businesses as they navigate key financial decisions, work toward sustainable revenue, and plan for scale. In addition to her work with Clara CFO Group, Hannah hosts a YouTube channel with over 50,000 subscribers, where she continues her mission of empowering small businesses. Through this platform, she shares financial strategies, best practices, and educational resources that assist companies in understanding their financial statements and achieving financial success. In this episode… Finance for small businesses calls for a specialized combination of expertise, communication skills, and adaptability. Hannah Smolinski, an experienced financial strategist, has mastered these skills and offers exceptional guidance to newly established businesses and fast-growing startups on their financial journey. So what does it take to navigate the ever-evolving realm of small business finance successfully? According to Hannah, the key lies in understanding businesses' various needs and expectations, building strong relationships, and skillfully managing the complexities of financial forecasting and planning. This approach ensures seamless financial operations and assists clients in making informed decisions that best align with their business goals. Join Jeremy Weisz, host of the Inspired Insider, in an engaging conversation with Hannah Smolinski, Founder and CEO of Clara CFO Group. Hannah delves into the dynamic nature of business finance, aligning financial strategies with business objectives, the value of comprehensive financial planning, and the need to continuously adapt and pivot in response to the changing economic landscape.

Jeffrey Ryznar is the Founder and President of 898 Marketing, a strategic integrated marketing consultancy empowering brands through accountable business solutions. In addition to ranking among the top 10 places to work in Ohio, 898 Marketing was recognized by Adweek and Inc. magazines as one of the fastest-growing companies in Ohio and 23rd in America. For over 20 years, Jeffrey has delivered results for brands like the Ford Motor Company, General Motors, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Before 898 Marketing, Jeffrey was the Vice President at Phizzle, an engagement automation software. In this episode… Marketing agencies are critical in establishing brand messaging and driving profits. However, the industry is plagued with client and agency trust issues. According to research, 56% of marketing executives say their agencies are more interested in selling them services than solving their problems. How do you align your work and assets with each client's voice, brand, and vision to build a culture that embraces a commitment to the customer? Digital guru Jeffrey Ryznar emphasizes transparency as the hallmark of marketing practices. Fostering a culture of trust is critical in achieving creative success on campaigns.  In this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz sits down with Jeffrey Ryznar, the Founder and President of 898 Marketing, to discuss how the best agencies leverage transparency and accountability to stand out. Jeffrey explains how serving clients with integrity helped the firm accelerate its growth. He also talks about his journey from the NBA to running an agency, 898 Marketing's origins, and case studies of successful campaigns.

Marina Byezhanova is the Co-founder of Brand of a Leader, a personal branding agency for entrepreneurs and executives. As an entrepreneur, global speaker, show host, and personal branding expert, she has been quoted and referenced in various publications, including Inc.com, Forbes.com, Yahoo News, Financial Post, Fast Company, and Success Magazine. Marina's mission is to inspire entrepreneurs to speak up, stand out, and be radically authentic through the power of building their personal brands. She's a tenured member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and has served in local, regional, and global roles.  In this episode… Being a successful entrepreneur involves more than just opening up shop. It requires vision, resilience, adaptability, and the ability to embrace the journey with its highs and lows. It's these traits that have sustained  Marina Byezhanova through her journey. Marina works at the intersection of personal branding and leadership development. Through innovative strategies and a people-centered approach, she helps individuals and organizations craft an authentic brand narrative and foster an inspiring company culture. Join Jeremy Weisz, host of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, for an enlightening discussion with Marina Byezhanova. They dive into Marina's entrepreneurial journey, her insights on personal branding, and the challenges of fostering company culture within a team of freelancers. From her immigrant roots to building a business that aligns with her strengths, Marina's story is filled with valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Kara Brown is the Founder and CEO of LeadCoverage, a B2B marketing firm specializing in lead generation in the supply chain space. She has an impressive marketing background and was one of the early employees at Echo Global Logistics. Under her contribution, Echo exhibited rapid growth, leading to its successful public listing in 2009. Beyond her work at LeadCoverage, Kara continues to make career strides, demonstrating her communications prowess while managing a significant crisis at a Nashville-based supply chain management company. In her move to Atlanta in 2016, she fostered business growth and played an instrumental role in cultivating the city's female entrepreneurs. She also co-founded CloseHer, an initiative aimed at establishing a supportive community for women in sales. In this episode… Navigating the world of B2B marketing and lead generation in the supply chain market requires a deep understanding of client needs, innovative strategies, and effective follow-up techniques. Kara Brown, a seasoned marketing professional and the Founder and CEO of LeadCoverage, has demonstrated unrivaled expertise in these areas as she helps clients boost their marketing ROI, secure valuable leads, and drive business growth. So what does it take to thrive in the challenging and competitive landscape of B2B marketing in the supply chain sector? According to Kara, the key lies in crafting targeted public relations, developing a data-driven demand generation strategy, and ensuring timely follow-ups with leads. This approach not only helps businesses improve lead conversion rates but also enables them to maintain a strong and consistent brand presence in the market. Listen to this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, featuring Kara Brown, Founder and CEO of LeadCoverage, a B2B public relations and demand generation agency specializing in the logistics and supply chain space. Kara shares her insights on the importance of effective cold outreach, maximizing trade show and webinar success, and leveraging account-based marketing to improve lead generation and conversions in the supply chain industry.

John Li is the Co-founder of PickFu, a do-it-yourself consumer research platform that instantly connects you to real people with relevant opinions. He helps businesses apply consumer insights to accelerate success. Before PickFu, John held different executive roles at Microsoft. He has a BS in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the Co-founder of Menuism, an online dining community and the web's largest aggregator of online restaurant menus.   In this episode… Do you have a business idea but are scared of investing your time, money, and resources in launching it because of the fear of failure? What can you do to prevent this from happening?  If you’re a business founder, there is nothing more devastating than poor reception and market response. John Li recommends doing split testing and consumer research to get actionable pre-launch feedback and know what sells before producing and selling it. He shares how he helps people get reliable consumer responses for any project to help them make smarter, faster, data-driven decisions. In this inspiring episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz welcomes John Li, Co-founder of PickFu, to discuss how entrepreneurs can succeed through consumer feedback. John talks about PickFu and how it helps people, the different applications of the platform in various industries, its marketing strategy and pricing model, and the challenges faced growing and running it.

Laura Bergheim is the Founder and CEO of Wordsmithie, a content marketing agency providing content development and strategy services. She is a writer, editor, content strategist, and entrepreneur with extensive experience with all media formats. Laura has written for global technology, retail, healthcare, travel, and financial industry brands.  Before Wordsmithie, Laura was the Senior Program Manager for Content Strategy at Google, responsible for creating and managing site and customer support content for Google Ads and other monetized products. She founded two agencies, served as Creative Director at Resource Interactive (now part of IBM), and managed a 20+ person feature-writing team at Lycos. She is also the author/co-author of eight non-fiction books and two novels. In this episode… Are you trying to get the attention of your target audience and convert them into customers? The secret to success lies in how you tell your brand's story. So how can you craft the messages that accomplish your brand goals and suit your business? According to Laura Bergheim, having a good brand with good products is not enough to succeed. If no one knows about it, the brand will fail. She recommends hiring content marketing agencies — experts who will evaluate your brand, your products, and your target audience to help you tell your brand's story in a way that will capture and convert people into customers.  In this inspiring episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz welcomes Laura Bergheim, Founder and CEO of Wordsmithie, to discuss how brands can effectively tell their story. Laura talks about Wordsmithie and what it does, how it narrows down the content to focus on what resonates with its clients’ audience, and the essential components for a good story.

Susan MacNicol is the Managing Director of Strategic & Creative Marketing Inc., a marketing firm dedicated to assisting businesses in achieving their optimal sales. The firm helps its clients by clearly defining their target market, identifying competitive advantages, and creating powerful marketing messages and tactics that reach the right audience. She is a results-driven leader with a progressive record of developing and implementing marketing, recruiting, market research, and sales strategies for commercial organizations, government agencies, and nonprofits.  Susan has served on National Advisory Panels for LinkedIn and Facebook corporate for four years, providing feedback, ideas, and beta testing to these global leaders in social media. She has a BA in marketing communications from Columbia College Chicago and an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. In this episode… Marketing is fundamental to the success of any business. So how can you come up with effective marketing campaigns that drive results?  Many companies have a marketing team, but most don't have the expertise to create an effective marketing campaign that delivers the desired results. Susan MacNicol recommends partnering with marketing agencies with the know-how to help you build a strategy supported by processes to make it all work. She shares how these professionals conduct comprehensive reviews of target markets, sales goals, creative content, and messaging to communicate your value proposition to customers and prospects. Listen to this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring Susan MacNicol, Managing Director of Strategic & Creative Marketing Inc., where she discusses how she helps people build marketing strategies and plans that work. Susan talks about Strategic & Creative Marketing, Inc. and what it does, its relationship with Facebook, and the evolution of the firm’s services.

Adam Viener is the Founder and Chairman of Imwave, a performance search engine marketing agency focused on driving performance-based sales to companies through pay-per-click search engine advertising. He is the Founder of Yazing, an influencer monetization and cashback shopping platform, where they get a commission on every sale they make and influence online. He also co-founded Cyberia, one of the first Internet access companies, in 1993, which he sold in 1998. Adam is a recognized leader in the internet marketing world who has been on the publisher advisory boards of The Google Affiliate Network and Commission Junction. He is a Performance Marketing Association and Forbes Business Council member who has written for Forbes, ReveNews.com, and Search Engine Land. In this episode… Are you struggling with making your affiliate program a success? How can you drive the right type of traffic to your site?  Driving performance-based sales through pay-per-click search engine advertising is challenging. Adam Viener recommends partnering with a marketing agency that can help you with your marketing efforts without increasing the costs. He shares how he helps companies build and launch a large-scale search marketing campaign to drive traffic that converts to sales on their sites.  Listen to this episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz, featuring Adam Viener, Founder and Chairman of Imwave. Adam talks about the genesis of Imwave, how it helps clients build and launch effective pay-per-click search engine keyword marketing campaigns, its ideal clients, and Yazing.

Gil Allouche is the Co-founder and CEO of Metadata, a company with patented technology that combines predictive scoring and programmatic advertising to deliver a predictable pipeline of opt-in lead-qualified leads for B2B enterprises. Metadata's customers include Cisco, UserVoice, Mulesoft, Salesforce, Infoblox, and Aerospike. Gil is a software engineer turned data-driven growth marketer who founded the company to make demand generation easy for non-technical marketers.  In this episode… As a B2B marketer, are you trying to free yourself from mundane tasks so you can focus on doing the work that matters the most? How can you do so and spend more time on the big things like strategy, creativity, and driving revenue? After doing marketing for three B2B companies, Gil Allouche discovered he was dealing with too many manual and repetitive tasks. As a software engineer turned data-driven growth marketer, he started looking for ways to drive more revenue without getting bogged down by all the manual work. He shares his journey of building a platform to automate repetitive marketing tasks to give marketers time to focus on revenue-generating activities. In this inspiring episode of the Inspired Insider Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz welcomes Gil Allouche, Co-founder and CEO of Metadata, to discuss ways to automate your marketing. Gil talks about Metadata and what it does, the evolution of its product, customer success stories, and its ideal client profile.