An Indianapolis Business Podcast: Off the Circle

On this episode, we interview Michael Reynolds of InnovateMap. His firm's expertise has been in assisting businesses to develop digital products and experiences. The pandemic has forced a transition of virtually every business to go digital with every aspect of their business. Whether it's their marketing efforts where in-person meetings and conferences have shut down, sales processes and meetings via online video conferencing, or even remote delivery of services... businesses have been forced to adapt and adopt new methods if they hope to survive. Michael's firm is proficient at researching behaviors and developing products and roadmaps that meet the markets' needs. Now, more than ever, traditional businesses need to be listening to their prospects and customers to better understand how they can respond with changes in their processes and products to not just survive these difficult times... but to transform their business for the future. Michael provides sage advice for business leaders to plan this digital transformation. Special Guest: Mike Reynolds.

On this episode, we interview Julie Kratz. Julie is the founder and CEO of Next Pivot Point, an accomplished author, and public speaker. Julie is passionate about assisting business leaders focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace to improve business results and workplace culture. Julie is an amazing, positive force in the workplace for helping businesses understand how inclusive leadership transforms workplace culture and business results. Julie provides some incredible feedback for how we can listen, be curious, be willing to learn, and become allies in our industry and personal lives when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Julie also provides advice to candidates and employees on how to transfer and leverage their diverse talents to become more attractive to employers. Listening to this discussion with Julie is a great way to start your journey. The next steps are to get Julie's incredible books here in the show notes! Special Guest: Julie Kratz.

On this episode, we interview Randie Dial of CLA (https://www.claconnect.com/) (CliftonLarsonAllen) and Michael Kelly of FullStack PEO (https://www.fullstackpeo.com) about the importance of financial auditing, taxation, consulting, and wealth advisory services to privately held businesses. In May, CLA and FullStack PEO have teamed up to ensure that FullStack PEO customers had access to great financial advisors. We got to speak to Michael and Randie about company growth, tax issues, and when a company should engage with wealth advisory services. CLA is a "cradle to grave" businesses across any industry to provide everything from bookkeeping, to compliance, to financial audits. With the pandemic and associated stimulus programs, Randie also discusses PPP loans that the government has been providing businesses due to the pandemic. There's some great advice here for every business owner. Specific to FullStack PEO, the CLA team is focused on advising young technology startups, small investors, and non-profits with companies with less than 20 employees. Special Guests: Michael Kelly and Randie Dial.

On this episode, we interview Jack Klemeyer, a veteran business coach with 25 years of experience. Jack provides his insight into the current uncertain economic future of business and how leaders should respond, react, and succeed. On this episode, we discuss some key issues that are near and dear to leaders' hearts during these troubling times: How do leaders continue to motivate employees in a downturn? How can leaders continue to maintain optimism? How do leaders know when to pivot when their industry and cashflow are impacted so severely? How do leaders make tough decisions… without making them too late. Jack provides some fantastic advice on leading your organization through these uncertain times. Special Guest: Jack Klemeyer.

On this episode, we interview Susan Marshall, founder and CEO of Torchlite. Susan shares the organization's partnership and focus on supporting small businesses with their Salesforce Essentials implementations and support. Salesforce Essentials is a CRM that's specifically designed for small businesses from Salesforce. In true Salesforce fashion, the platform can be tailored to your business, is quite flexible, and has a ton of integration capabilities. Implementing, integrating, or customizing the platform is possible but some companies often don't have the resources or expertise to do it. Torchlite worked directly with Salesforce to develop a team of Flexperts that can be hired as needed to assist your small business. As well, Torchlite offers a number of affordable Playbooks - standard packages to get your business up and running. Special Guest: Susan Marshall.

On this episode, we interview Julie Kratz. Julie is a speaker, author, and leadership consultant who assists leaders with driving business results with proven strategies to pivot to the next level with diversity and inclusion. Despite the best of intentions, very few organizations are reaching their equality goals, even those deeply committed to diversity and inclusion. Our national protests and racial division, combined with the challenges with an economic crisis due to the pandemic, have added more challenges. Women and minorities are overwhelmingly impacted by our crisis. Leaders must work harder to be an ally and pivot their businesses to drive diversity and inclusion. This isn't just a political an economic issue, it's proven to be a great business decision. Many people are stating we need an honest conversation about diversity and inclusion... this conversation with Julie is just that. Special Guest: Julie Kratz.

In this episode Douglas interviews Indianapolis Entrepreneur, John Qualls. John has had an incredible career launching and leading several technology startups here in the city. His most recent company is Purposely (https://purpose.ly), a platform to empower employees or individuals to benchmark and optimize their culture to improve employee performance and satisfaction. Talent optimization is one of the most critical factors that will determine if your business is able to reach and exceed your desired business results. While most business strategies focus on technical and functional aspects talent optimization should be a central part of your business strategy. With talent optimization, use a human lens to convert your business strategy into a compelling story that will engage employees. Having found his strengths and blazed a path in the technology industry, John is now sharing his wisdom with other people and then putting the tools in place to help them. We discuss how critical this is to both individuals and to companies - especially in times of economic challenges. Special Guest: John Qualls.

The traditional law firm model is a dinosaur. Clients dread the billable hour and have come to think of lawyers as a necessary evil rather than a trusted adviser and business partner. Entrepreneurs, small business owners, and individuals need a new way to work with sophisticated legal professionals. There is a better way to provide cost-effective, responsive, and dynamic legal services to clients. On this episode, we interview Hannah Kaufman Joseph and Kimberly Jeselskis, two of the founding attorneys at JBJ Legal. The business of practicing law is changing rapidly with the advent of automation, self-service legal options, and increasing competition in the marketplace. JBJ Legal is small enough to maintain lower costs which benefits their clients yet sophisticated enough to provide exceptional service and representation. Special Guests: Hannah Kaufman Joseph and Kimberly Jeselskis.

On this episode, we interview Alison Barber Bell, Chancellor of WGU Indiana, and Jacob Brown, Graduate of WGU's Master's in Business Leadership and Vice President of Fifth Third Bank. We discuss WGU's unique non-profit, accredited online degree program... from WGU's new Indiana offices downtown. WGU Indiana is an online, competency-based university established to expand access to higher education for Indiana residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. Degrees are granted under the accreditation of WGU, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Teachers College programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), College of Business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), and nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). WGU Indiana has helped 7,500 Hoosiers achieve their dream of completing a college degree. Another 5,900 students are currently enrolled. Facts about WGU Indiana: In 2010, Western Governors University was approached by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels about creating a state-based model for the university. Indiana became the very first state model and the first state-endorsed online university, creating positions for a local chancellor and local advisory board. WGU Indiana is a nonprofit, accredited, online university that serves students from all different backgrounds WGU Indiana is currently serving about 5,600 Hoosiers – a 166 percent increase in enrollment since 2011. WGU Indiana serves more than 520 active-duty military members, veterans or military family members. WGU Indiana has awarded degrees to more than 7,500 Indiana residents. WGU Indiana serves students who are not well-served by traditional colleges and universities; 72 percent are classified as underserved in one or more of four categories: ethnic minority, low income, rural residents, or first-generation college students. As of 2018, 86 percent of WGU Indiana’s students work full-time jobs while pursuing a degree. According to a recent Gallup-Purdue index, which provides insight into the relationship between the college experience and outcomes, WGU consistently scored higher than the national average when measuring school compatibility, mentorship, challenging curriculum, cost-worthiness and more. WGU Indiana’s tuition fees are nearly half the national average. Tuition is about $6,500 per 12-month year for most programs, and it is charged at a flat rate, which means students can complete as many courses as they are able in any term, at no additional cost. On average, WGU graduates increase their pre-enrollment income by $12,600 within two years of graduation and by $18,400 within four years. With an average cost of $16,500 for a bachelor's degree, most WGU graduates see a positive return on their investment within two to three years. Special Guests: Allison Barber Bell and Jacob Brown.

On this episode, we interview Keaton Hendricks, founder of Sky Outfitters. Sky Outfitters is an online e-commerce company headquartered in Indianapolis. Since inception in 2016, Sky Outfitters (formerly known as Sky Footwear) has partnered with over 30 different homeless shelters across the Midwest and donated over 30,000 socks as a component of its “buy-one-give-one” mission. With every piece of apparel sold, the company donates that item to its homeless shelter of the month – August’s shelter being Milwaukee Rescue Mission. Launched in 2016, Sky Outfitters tripled its revenue in its first year – and in 2018, the company saw $127K in gross revenue – a number that is expected to steadily increase throughout the rest of 2019. Expanding the company’s retail line, the company's rebranding coincides with the launch of two new apparel products found on homeless shelters’ most requested items list – premium beanies and scarves. Special Guests: Keaton Hendricks and Keeton Hendricks.

On this episode, we interview Chef Ben Hardy and Larry Dickerson on Indiana's Culinary Crossroads Initiative. Team Indiana is a talented and diverse group of Hoosier chefs and home cooks headed to Dallas, TX to compete in the World Food Championships (https://worldfoodchampionships.com) October 16-20. They are representing the State of Indiana as part of the Culinary Crossroads initiative, with backing from the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, Indiana Grown, and other underwriters. Team Indiana is comprised of nine chefs from around the state, competing in seven different events at the 2019 World Food Championships. Among the team are several from Indianapolis, including: Ben Hardy (Indianapolis), co-owner and pastry chef of Gallery Pastry Shop Erin Gillum (Indianapolis), executive chef of Spoke & Steele Justin Miller (Carmel), executive chef of Anthony’s Chophouse Craig Baker (Indianapolis), restaurant consultant Cindy Hawkins (Indianapolis), owner of Circle City Sweets Roger Hawkins (Indianapolis), owner of Circle City Soups We discuss the cultural impact of culinary talent on the state's economy, Ben's history and his Pastry shop, as well as the upcoming World Food Championships. Special Guests: Ben Hardy and Larry Dickerson.

On this episode, we On this episode, we interview Sean Hendrix, the Director of Emerging Technology Partnerships for the Purdue Research Foundation and the managing director of the Indiana 5G Zone. We're discussing the latest public private initiatives to drive 5G implementation and innovation here in Indiana, the Indiana 5G Zone. The Indiana 5G Zone will occupy 3,000 square feet within the 24,000-square-foot downtown Indianapolis headquarters of the Eleven Fifty Academy, a non-profit educational entity that helps professionals upskill and launch careers in technology. Co-locating the Indiana 5G Zone here will integrate the 5G infrastructure and testing facilities within the academy’s immersive coding and cybersecurity training programs. The facility is being established by the Indiana 5G Forum, which has developed to include several notable stakeholders, including AT&T, Verizon, Purdue University, Eleven Fifty Academy, Indiana IoT Lab - Fishers, Battery Innovation Center, Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), Energy Systems Network, Indiana University, and the University of Notre Dame with the intent to add more partners from near and far. The Indiana 5G Zone is sponsored as part of a strategic initiative established in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to leverage Indiana’s developing digital infrastructure to catalyze innovation and support rapidly-developing companies. The Indiana 5G Zone will offer businesses, universities, government, and research institutions the ability to book fee-for-service lab space at the facility, leveraging its unique 5G network infrastructure to develop and test new technologies, products or service applications, while also having access to shared spaces for programming and events. It will be the first node of what will become a statewide 5G-related resource network. Special Guest: Sean Hendrix.

On this episode, we interview Jeffrey Smith. Jeffrey researched and identified a franchise opportunity and landed on janitorial services and commercial cleaning. City Wide Maintenance continues to grow and retain clients at phenomenal success and Jeffrey shares his experience here. City Wide is a management company in the building maintenance industry with more than 50 years’ experience offering janitorial and 20-plus other facility services. In 2005, Jeff Smith, an Indiana native, opened City Wide of Indianapolis and began offering the company’s unique experience to building maintenance and janitorial services to commercial facilities in the greater Indianapolis metro. Jeff knew from experience that truly amazing client support took an extra level of engagement but resulted in successful lifelong relationships. He was drawn to City Wide because he recognized that they had a unique business model that offered this excellent support better than any team he had ever seen. Today, Jeff is transforming an industry often plagued with mediocrity. * Offering a unique management approach * Providing more than 20 different services * Representing your needs * Focusing on vendor selection, compliance & overall client satisfaction Clients aren’t used to the attention to detail and level of communication City Wide Maintenance offers and once they hired them, they love it! Their goal is to become an extension of your management team and save you time, money and the stress associated with facility management. Special Guest: Jeffrey Smith.

On this episode, we interview Kevin MacCauley and Myles Grote, co-founders of Upper Hand. Upper Hand offers sports organizations a suite of online tools to effectively manage their businesses. By offering solutions to manage lessons, camps, clinics, teams and memberships, Upper Hand enables sports businesses to cut through the clutter of administration and enhance the clients’ experience with their organization. Upper Hand also allows sports organizations to intelligently manage their business by providing features including online registration, payments management (including cash), booking and scheduling, contact management, roster management, financial reporting, marketing and communication with their clients. Special Guests: Kevin MacCauley and Myles Grote.

On this episode, we interview Matt Hunckler of Powderkeg (https://powderkeg.com). There's no doubt of the massive impact Matt has had in Indianapolis on the technology community. From his origins as one of the first Orr Fellows (https://orrfellowship.org) to Powderkeg, he's skyrocketed and accomplished somethinging truly special. We discuss his journey and Powderkeg in this episode. Powderkeg is a network of more than 10,000 entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and supporters who are passionate about creating massive value through software, technology and their innovative businesses. They host regular tech conferences, pitch competitions, and industry events in host cities around the U.S. and publish the best strategies and methodologies for growing a technology business. Special Guest: Matt Hunckler.

On this episode, we interview Tim Houterloot, a ten year survivor of Hairy Cell Leukemia. Tim is a candidate for the Man & Woman of the Year (https://pages.mwoy.org/in/indy19/thouterloo) award. Also joining us is Katelyn Sussli, a campaign specialist for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as well as both this year's boy and girl of the year... Tyler and Piper! And of course their Moms are sharing the stories. We discuss Douglas' experience in a previous year's campaign, Tim's journey, as well as the journey's of Tyler and Piper. Please, please, please help support the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. From research, to treatment, to education, to supporting the families... they do amazing work and make every single dollar count! Special Guests: Katelyn Sussli and Tim Houterloot.

On this episode, we interview Indianapolis' former Mayor Greg Ballard. Mayor Ballard has written a new book, Less Oil or More Caskets: The National Security Argument for Moving Away From Oil (https://amzn.to/2I2puub). While that's a provocative title for a book, as a Marine who has served in Desert Storm, Mayor Ballard is passionate about our servicemen and also passionate about transportation technology. He discusses the intersection of the two in his newest book. While this may be viewed as a political view... it's actually not, Mayor Greg Ballard is a Republican. Mayor Ballard also discusses the work that Indiana is doing on workforce development, women in technology, the state's robotic championship, and other work that he's doing on behalf of Hoosiers. We also had Michael Denny sit in as a guest and he discussed the innovative work that Butler University is doing to transform higher education. Special Guests: Greg Ballard and Michael Denny.

On this episode, we interview ScoocH President and Co-founder Matt Foley on his journey to rival the PopSocket by creating the No. 1 phone case for video streaming. Four years ago, Matt, along with fellow co-founder John Stagge, saw a void in wireless phone case technology and had an idea – a phone case with versatile one-handed use. Think snap bracelets. The unique kickstand feature of the ScoocH Wingman allows you to use your device in landscape and portrait mode with ease. Not to mention that the case’s textured grip, 10-foot drop protection and car mount feature boast 4-in-1 capabilities while keeping functionality, style and durability at the forefront. In the competitive environment of consumer electronics, ScoocH (https://scoochcase.com/) has emerged as a leading competitor, expanding its presence across 6,000 retail environments across the United States and Canada. Since 2015, ScoocH’s revenue has grown from $250,000 to over $6M, doubling its revenue almost every year. In alignment with its commitment, ScoocH also provides empowerment, protection and autonomy to Hoosiers in need by donating 10% of profits to locally-based Prevail, a crisis center dedicated to empowering those affected by domestic violence. Special Guest: Matt Foley.

In this Martech Zone Interview, we speak to Mike Reynolds, founder of Innovatemap (http://innovatemap.com), a digital product agency. Mike has been ideating and delivering digital products to market for over 20 years. He is an expert in product management, user experience, and product marketing. Innovatemap helps companies of all sizes dream, design, and scale digital products and services. Innovatemap works with startups looking to build their product roadmap, scale-ups that are shifting or taking their company in another direction, and tech-enabled businesses that wish to leverage technology to enhance their non-technology company. We discuss a couple of shared clients and the impact that Innovatemap's work with them. Innovatemap has also launched A Better Product Podcast (http://innovatemap.com/podcast/) to share their knowledge with the industry. Special Guest: Mike Reynolds.

On this episode, we interview Brian Rowe of Perceivant. Brian has been a serial entrepreneur in Indianapolis since 2005, with his most notable success being the sale of iGoDigital to ExactTarget. Now, Brian is putting his knowledge of software to helping advance higher education. Perceivant (https://www.perceivant.com/) publishes and provides courseware that replace traditional textbooks with cost-effective and interactive learning experiences for both web and mobile applications. Each course is accompanied with powerful analytics and real-time data to boost student engagement and provide educators with an easier, more efficient solution to analyze course efficacy. Perceivant is also armed with editorial expertise and tools to enable educators to create custom solutions that exceed expectations and university standards. Special Guest: Brian Rowe.