Business Design

We talk to quirky, brilliant, successful folks who are able to smarten business down, sharing insights on great business design. Guests are all thought leaders in their own niche, and we challenge them to speak outside of talking points, which ultimately should make for a few interesting minutes of listening. Design your business for success, with a few thoughts from those who have been there.

50. Henry DeVries & Marketing Books for Impact

📗 Specific colors on and around Henry.  01:21⚾ Henry is a baseball nut, and he visits baseball parks. 02:53🙃 Good book ideas vs. the lunatic fringe. 05:28☕ The Misery approach for an urgent project for McGraw Hill. 07:58👔 In publishing, no one reads the whole book: A good marketing plan is essential. 09:56👦 What the teacher wrote about little Henry. 11:35👨‍🎓 Henry fell in love with writing early and pursued two degrees. 13:14👨‍💼 Became the vice president of a $5 billion financial services firm without an MBA and then pursued his executive MBA.14:49🤓 “At the intersection of art and commerce, exactly where a Dutchman belongs.”. 17:33🎙️ Future of publishing: Digital technology changed publishing and a growing trend in audiobooks and podcasts as promotion for books.  20:02📚 Helping independent consultants market with a book and a speech. 22:31Connect with Steve: www.indiebooksintl.com🤓 Connect with us: www.resonateengine.com

12-30
26:36

49. Anza Goodbar & Defining Your Audience for Success

🌞 Saying her name: Anza means filled with beauty and grace. 01:21 🍫 Cool last name: Goodbar is a sweet and salty way to start a conversation with Anza. 02:25🤓 Facial expressions and covering up ourselves: Glasses that do not cover her eyebrows. 03:45 🏦 Anza was in mortgage lending: The kindest description of clients' care and the mortgage lending process.  05:59 👧 Microwave hype: Anza learned how to build client loyalty and referrals in the business when she was only 11 and selling microwaves. 08:20👨‍👩‍👧 Father knows best  kind of family: a supportive family of entrepreneurs.11:42🙃 Finding your emotional trigger: “The things that hold us back are from those conversations that we had as a kid.” 13:15📊 Using data science to find your targeted audience: People do not create a highly defined avatar when searching for clients.  14:17🤷‍♀️ Anza`s avatar audience are coaches that are doing things but have no conversions. 20:03📈 What are the conditions for successful marketing and growth? 21:35⛏️ Delivering all of the data to people instead of mining or selling to a big audience on socials. 24:04🔄 “If data can be used to sway a political campaign, can it not be used to sway people to purchase a particular item?” 26:00🔎 Defining the audience to get in front of the right people or to get in front of more people more quickly. 30:26 Connect with Anza: www.audientum.com🤓 Connect with us: www.resonateengine.com

12-21
32:58

48. Mary Meston & Coaching with Clarity

📚 Mary has the most incredible background behind her. 01:39🪶 The Quilly Award for a best-selling book. 03:15🏆 The Road to Success book with Jack Canfield. 04:103️⃣ Right-handed and left-brained: Mary was a parent to her brothers. 06:28💧 Clarity: helping people get clear; it sounds so very simple, it's so basic, but it is really foundational and fundamental. 08:56⚖️ Balancing time, scope, and budget with clarity to get the best possible results. 10:20🤔 Back in the day, big brands and logos won the day, but now flexible players are breaking in the space. 12:15😎 Family history: Triggers Mary’s brothers know how to use. 14:17⭐ Sense of oscillation built-in adaptability, capability, and flexibility for Mary.16:31🧐 The knee-jerk moment for Mary is when people she is working with think they’ve done it all perfectly. 17:50🧠 Developing the EQ doesn’t come only with experience. 19:30😇 Coaching for Mary is an advisory and a guide. 21:48⚡ You have Mpowered behind you. 25:09Connect with Mary: www.mpoweredsolutionsgroup.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

11-12
28:40

47. Briar Dougherty & Finding the Seed of Growth in Your Business and Life

🤩 Briar’s beautiful and earthy background. 01:21😇 She hated her name when she was a kid, but loves it as an adult. 02:45🏫 School days where no one pronounced her first nor last name correctly. 03:57🎗️ Thyroid cancer diagnosis came when her baby boy was one, and all the changes she has implemented in her life since. 06:38🌱 Her meaning of organic: “Everybody has this raw opportunity inside of them.” 08:45🖌️ From a young age, Briar loved creating cards, ceramics, writing, and storytelling. 10:47🌞 She was an old soul with a very clear vision of what she wanted to be. 12:39🎯 Briar’s amazing career aspect is making people listen to her plus her inner awareness creates a unique position for her to coach. 14:11🌺 Naturally gravitated to helping people grow and now enjoying changing the course of her client’s trajectory.16:33😎 Program that helps professionals and students with the accessible price point and growing group coaching 19:50👉 Briar works with people who don't make excuses. 22:25Connect with Briar: www.briardougherty.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

11-09
26:04

46. Ashley M. Williams & Monetizing Thoughts and Talents

🌸 Ashley has a cherry blossom picture in the background. 01:43🙃 Describing her business to a three-year-old. 02:46👍 Today there are more ways to monetize thoughts and talents than ever. 03:57🤝 Ashley used every opportunity to build relationships in her journalism career. 05:34😇 She is creating more of a conscious world and awareness in taking in loads of information. 07:54❗ Helping young people find their purpose is critical for the development of our world. 09:21🤔 Young people are more likely to listen to a friend. 10:58🤗 It all comes down to your intuition and what makes sense to you. 12:39🤩 Ashley's parents and professors were very encouraging and she was ‘hooked’ on everything related to journalism. 14:04🌞 We need more empathy: everyone is interested in gaining power in some regard. 16:41🤸‍♀️ Adults should be more childlike. 18:51👁️ Looking for content creators who are creating authentic content towards a more conscientious world. 20:59✌️ The name of her company Rizzarr means to ripple in Spanish. 23:20Connect with Ashley: www.rizzarr.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

11-05
26:04

45. Yannis Moati & Creative and Comfortable Hotel Stays

🌿 Yannis loves plants and he grows them with his wife. 1:44📍His family life and growing up in Tunisia, North Africa. 3:35🏆Yannis speaks Italian, Tunisian,  Arabic, French, English and Spanish. 3:53🌱 Connecting avocado pips with startups and three components of a winning recipe. 5:43✈ Yannis was a travel agent and a tour operator before launching HotelsByDay. 6:33 💡 “My mind was always trying to creatively construct things, and from a tender age, I always wanted to reinvent the wheel.” 12:01🏨 Everything has changed: The best hotels pre-pandemic, we're running at about 85% occupancy per year. 14:52🎯 Yannis is not building to flip, he is building for the long term. 22:38🎖 Hotels have all the protocols and infrastructure to be able to surpass a co-working space in service. 27:20🔍 We're always on the lookout for more supplies to sell. 29:40Connect with Yannis:  www.hotelsbyday.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

11-02
33:21

44. Andrew McConnell & Sophisticated Tools for Swimming in the Rental Ocean

🍌 Bermuda bananas are delicious. 01:26 🏊‍♂️ Living in Georgia vs Bermuda: Andrew can’t swim four miles every day like in Bermuda. 02:12🌬️ Andrew decided to go for a long swim just one day before the hurricane hit. 03:27🌊 Tricks for swimming in the open sea with a lot of waves. 03:52👔 Entrepreneurship is like swimming: Staying above waves in the market. 05:02⏰  Cadence in  business: “Your time is your most finite resource, your time and your mind.” 06:47🧠Mental tenancy concept and his book Get Out of My Head. 09:11👉 Sophisticated pricing and revenue management tools are not used as much as they should. 11:34🏘️ Providing pricing and revenue management solutions for professional vacation rental managers and Airbnb managers.13:39⚙️ Art tool for setting the right price for every property. 14:35📈 Taking fragmented local management companies and provided them scale as a service.16:49🤩 Subtracting from the wants: Andrew crafted his life to be happy today. 19:00🚼 Good at planning for the future but having a really hard time living in the present. 20:58💻 Having a 100% remote team. 23:17📴 Andrew is not giving mindshare to social media channels too much. 26:18Connect with Andrew: www.rented.com and www.linkedin.com/in/mandrewmcconnell🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-29
29:16

43. Bryan Falchuk & Innovation in the Insurance Industry

☕ Bryan loves to combine his coffees. 01:28💡 A logo with a lightbulb, shield, and lock. 02:02📈 Influx of startup activity and venture capital funds in the insurance industry. 03:17📊 Intelligence in decision-making is changing. 05:43😞 Annual policies and the negative things in insurance. 07:28💯 New ideas and disruptive ways that insurance is funded and sold. 11:35🗣️ The world is different and navigating through changes is important, not just having meetings but execution. 13:10🚘 A car nut from a young age: wanted to be an aeronautical engineer. 15:01🙃 Bryan got into the insurance industry by accident. 15:39👨‍🚀 Interstellar traveling and ensuring people go to Mars. 17:55🤔 Insurance products are confusing: simplifying and rethinking insurance products is needed. 20:47👍 Creating better outcomes for more people is critical for insurance. 24:28Connect with Bryan: www.insurance-evolution.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-26
27:52

42. Kareem Anabtawi and Building a Technological Hub

🗣️ Short practice of Arabic. 01:41📈 Growing the tech industry within the United Arab Emirates. 02:31💻 Building a technological hub for the Middle East. 03:57👉 Kareem returned from the US to reach great success at only 25 years old.  08:11🌍 Loosened regulations for tech companies, but breaking into the global market is tough. 13:02🎯 Exciting times: The goal is to facilitate growth for UAE startups and be more than a marketplace for the US. 16:28📱 Gaps in the market and using blueprints to create success 19:07🙌 Embracing the outside world: “UAE is the most successful cultural melting pot.” 22:05😇 Kareem’s legacy, facilitating the success of others. 23:12⏩ Spurring technological innovation that can move the country forward. 24:51Connect with Kareem: www.annexinvestments.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-22
27:53

41. David Matthews & Interconnected HR

🙃 His mom named him David, not Dave. 01:17🦸 His favorite hero is Batman, and David’s nickname is Batman. 02:22🤝 HR should be a business partner and really help in times of crisis. 04:01🎓 Being very busy with campus organizations. 05:48🏛️ Impact of a professor on Davids’ HR journey. 07:31👍 First on the block: developing a diversity awareness program. 10:19😇 When you have someone to tell you that the emperor has no clothes on. 11:07🤩 Minorities, trauma, and self-awareness in managing others. 12:19👑 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday: The most valuable and important thing is to understand the interconnectedness of all of us. 15:00😃 “David can upset the Pope.” 16:59🎯 HR department is No department: You can choose the ways to work within the company, but it can have consequences. 18:24🗑️ When your business plan is just a nice-looking PowerPoint presentation without real content. 22:33👀 Look for employee engagement, absenteeism, and mental health assessment in your workforce. 26:17💡 Blended approach in addressing issues with coworkers. 28:37⚠️ Mental health issues are going to be the next pandemic. 29:08Connect with David: www.linkedin.com/in/davidmatthewscornell🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-19
32:00

40. Mike Weston & Post Traumatic Growth

🎙️ Rebranding his name: Michael was once the most popular name in New Zealand. 01:29👩‍✈️ Mike’s favorite moment at the LA airport. 02:31😎 A data science consultancy: being at the forefront of new stuff.  04:13😷 Post traumatic growth.is going to be very exciting, and we can all build better. 06:23🙂 “We're in a period where everything is on hiatus, and when we come out of it, we need to make sure that we've got escape velocity” 08:17🔃 Change the relationship with change because it creates opportunity and threatens. 09:49🖐 Scenario planning approach: “Five forces” framework around mindset planning. 13:40🤕 Denial is not so great a superpower: Mike’s experiences with a brain tumor and post traumatic growth.16:36🐑 Sheeping in NZ: catered at the high end of the market rather than think about it as a mass market.19:11💪 Making the future better for the company, everyone in the company, and all that interact with it. 23:54Connect with Mike: www.escape-velocity.co.uk🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-15
29:05

39. Dianne Crampton & TIGERS in Business

↪️ The most aptly named city for an entrepreneur. 01:17✌️ A collaborative mindset: we're going to be seeing a lot of disruption. 02:17🤔 How are leaders going to work through the conundrum of employee empowerment?  05:02🤓 Leaders have issues in understanding how to harness the collective intelligence of their team. 06:50😎 Tapping and harnessing talents as a guiding approach. 09:45👉 When a leader truly shows an interest in how an employee thinks and what they’re capable of. 10:47🦾 Future: Robotic economy doesn’t need people. 14:05🔎 Why Gen X and millennial-run businesses are failing? 15:56🤦 A culture of failure. 18:40💡 Boomers mentoring the Gen Xers and millennials. 19:35🙌 “The best time to make a decision about your work culture is before you hire the first person.” 23:16Connect with Dianne: www.corevalues.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-12
27:17

38. Bob Norton & Piloting Entrepreneurship

✈️Bob is a pilot and is surrounded by model airplanes. 02:20🛩️ He received his amateur pilot license: a story about piloting in a hailstorm. 03:30 🍔 Having a “$100 burger” and flying over Cape Cod. 04:12 🤕 Bob’s broken wrist: an unfortunate event while playing with a dog. 05:20👉 Why searching for competitive intelligence and creating updated competitive landscape maps for businesses is essential. 06:04👑 Small businesses should create models that have zero competitors: differentiation. + competitive landscape maps. 08:11👦 “A serial hobbyist,” as he calls himself, Bob was a curious and focused child who owned 4 businesses before he finished high school. 11:45🧘‍♂️ His Dad was passionate about education and practicing Transcendental Meditation. 13:21🗣️ Bob talks eloquently: Adjust the language you use while talking to people. 14:06🥧 “Vision pie” and 11 elements of complete vision. 16:02😎 Tombstone writing: he pushed the envelope in leadership and management systems. 18:59✌️ Bob believes in servant leadership and explains what the most significant error big companies are making is. 20:12⚡ Blockchain will touch every industry and cryptocurrency is one application of that. 21:50🎓 Entrepreneurship University.  25:09Connect with Bob: www.airtightmgt.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-08
28:12

37. Alex Brown & Truly Free Conscious Branding

🧔‍♂️ Alex has an amazing beard. 02:12🛢️ Crowdfunding project: five guys in California with greasy beards. 02:41🤩 Doing a product launch that went viral: The Beard Club. 03:25📈 Learning to grow a brand (and beards). 06:23😎 His consultant business and non-toxic detergents. 07:41🗝️ Emotional chord with customers - getting beyond the product is the key. 09:26🤢 Allergic reactions due to toxic chemicals in detergents was the initial reason to join the new business. 12:17💚 Supporting orphans, deaf people, and victims of sex trafficking. 13:31📢 Having a business model that cuts through the noise. 16:54☘️ Alex’s vision and why the grass looks greener on the other side. 18:24🤔 Addiction to entrepreneurship is real. 20:58🍏 Creating a home environment free of chemicals is attainable. www.trulyfreehome.com 22:16Connect with Alex: www.thealexbrown.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-05
26:08

36. Holly Duckworth & Being Born a Second Time

🗺️ Huge watercolor world map behind Holly. 02:15👓 Cat eyeglasses and electric blue as a brand signature. 02:54🔵 About electric blue and Debbie Gibson. 04:41🗽 As a  Bicentennial baby, Holly’s core is presence, freedom, red, white, and blue. 06:22😇 Her focus is mindfulness: being fully present in the moment with no judgment. 07:39😮‍💨 Living in an unsustainable world of getting bigger, better, faster, and having more. 09:00🚐 Growing up in a double-wide and a growing passion for presence. 10:39🪣 Bucket of mindfulness: the sense of presence comes from being fully present in this moment. 12:55🎵 Holly is a fan of country music. 15:05🧠 Mindfulness has transformed. Now, it's really neuroscience-based and a secular series of practices. 16:42💙 Growing up with love, happiness, and learning life is resilience. 21:50😎 We'll never get the brand perfected. The idea is to keep building it. 23:2Connect with Holly: www.hollyduckworth.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

10-01
25:38

35. TJ Bonaventura & Power of Podcasting

🌬️ San Francisco summers. 01:31🎙️ Left the corporate world to open a podcast production studio in the beginning of the pandemic. 03:19👌 Freedom of expression: There are no slippery slopes in podcasting. 04:57🙌 TJ never wanted to go to business school, it turns out he never needed to. 06:03🧐 Starting a podcast in 2016 was hard and frustrating. 07:13🥳 The rise of podcasting. 08:15 😀 The story behind his made-up name and Italian last name.  09:49🗣️ Creating audio content that tells a story. 12:21👍 Two growing trends in podcasting. 14:51💲 Building audio content for indirect revenue.15:48 ✍️ Audiobook podcasts are a new field for authors and writers. 16:25👂 Using podcast elements in audiobooks. 17:41🎯 Netflix is going into podcasting: Audio killed a video star. 18:22🎧 Create branded pieces of audio content. 20:13💎 Long conversational podcasts for kids are an antidote. 21:12 Connect with TJ: www.linkedin.com/in/tj-bonaventura🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com

09-28
24:06

34. Craig James & The Abrupt Nature of Change

🔠 Breaking words down into their elements. 01:23💬 Words are important at the root level to really know what we’re talking about. 01:54😹 Cat-Strat and all the funny and serious words associated with it. 03:24✌️ The need to re-invent, re-boot, restart, and to reflect is more important than ever before.04:47💫What has changed and how change is happening; 05:38🌪️ About the abrupt nature of change and the seismic and systemic element of change. 06:45🦄 Challenging people to be different from others may be boring but is impactful. 09:37🤔 Holding space and taking the time to stop and think. 12:57🆒 Experience, reputation, and recommendation as a business model.16:53😇 The generational lap instead of the generational gap. 17:55🤓 “If we focus on the negative, that’s what’s going to happen.” 20:51👉 Idealism is an important ingredient to think of what’s possible even though it’s not practical. 22:39🗣️ Craig would like to chat with Barack Obama. 25:20      Connect with Craig: www.cat-strat.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com 

09-24
29:07

33. Laura McCann & Scents With Intent

🤔 Smellovision and smell dispensers on computers. 01:37🏬 Opening a new retail store during the pandemic. 02:32😷 Masks affected her business but she was still able to provide samples. 03:22👏 As a manufacturer and wholesaler, Laura is now more focused on a direct-to-consumer model. 04:49👀 Physical stores vs. online models in the fragrance industry. 06:35🍾 Cracking the code of creating the first mainstream aroma perfume brand. 08:17👧 Laura started her career at the age of six as an actress but entrepreneurship is in her blood. 10:23❓ Online business vs. mainstream business model and retail stores. 13:30📈 “The truth is: you need more than one pillar for a business to see growth.” 16:39🤗 Educating customers about vibrational and conscious beauty is required to become mainstream. 19:40👃 Boost and shift your chakras, room, or mood. 21:22😃 Laura will send some abundance to Kent and clear away to Randy. 21:54Connect with Laura: www.adoratherapy.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com 

09-21
25:03

32. Subaila Zia & Using Telemedicine to Make Healthcare More Accessible

😃 Subaila’s big and welcoming smile. 02:11👨‍⚕️ Rural hospitals in the US have a huge shortage for sleep and pulmonology specialists.  02:33⚕️ Coming from a family of doctors, she wanted to understand the business side of medicine. 05:41🫁 Telemedicine is growing: heart and lung exams through Bluetooth technology. 07:23🩺 Five criteria for a virtual health examination. 10:27🤔 Challenges with the broad implementation of telehealth. 12:09💤 Subaila’s business is service-based, but she plans to introduce tele-sleep services to patients directly. 13:48🤩 “Don't let your fears eat away your goals, stay humble, stay patient, and just be consistent.” 15:42☀️ Her name means Sacred Light. 18:30💻 Expanding the network of health professionals and hospitals into telehealth. 19:22Connect with Subaila: www.telemedora.com🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Screw Harvard, go to Crazy MBA: www.crazymba.com 

09-17
22:33

31. Cynthia Kahn & Transitioning to an Agile Mindset

🖼️ Cynthia is an artist. 02:02🖌️ She explains the process behind making drywall sculptures. 02:46 🤓 Cynthia believes in the importance of an agile mindset in business. 04:46 👉 What’s the difference between “Getting Stuff Done” and traditional agile theory? 06:55 🙃 Focus, accomplishment, feedback, and reflection: Following processes gives you the freedom to be more creative. 09:10🎨 Incremental vs. iterative development: Cynthia paints using an iterative model. 13:03 👩‍💼 Where do you feel like you’re most effective? 16:12 🙌 Educating management on agile principles is extremely important. 18:33🎯 Make sure that you have achievable goals and keep track of them. 19:57Connect with Cynthia: https://gsd.guru 🤓 Connect with us: www.thoughtpartnergroup.com💡 Join us: www.crazymba.com 

09-14
24:47

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