The CEO's Heart for Service | Scaling Business Without Compromise

Ever wonder what happens when a prospective client takes your referral, pastes it into ChatGPT, and asks the AI who they should actually hire? If you're not showing up in that conversation, you're already losing business you don't even know about. Cassie Egli — AI visibility strategist and founder of Straight4ward Consulting and Marketing — joins to unpack the new layer of search that every B2B service provider needs to understand: answer engine optimization (AEO). We explore why AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are now functioning as an unofficial "BFF" in the referral process, how to make sure machines and humans alike can immediately tell your business is the right fit, and what to do when your own business needs a pivot. Cassie shares the cautionary tale of running two brands at once and how consolidating her message turned things around in just six weeks. From the three levels of online visibility to the website elements you can't afford to skip, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for anyone who wants to be the recommendation — not the afterthought.HighlightsWhy AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude have become a "new layer in the referral process" — and what that means for B2B service providersHow Cassie confused her audience (and the machines) by running two separate brands, and how unifying her message turned things around in six weeksThe three website elements Cassie recommends for visibility: a clear "who this is for" statement, transparent pricing, and FAQs on every page (not just one section)The difference between being found, being chosen, and being the recommendation — Cassie's three levels of visibilityWhat "position zero" means and why it sits above the traditional ten blue links on GoogleWhy you can't be known for all things online — and how planting a "big damn flag" on what you do and who it's for helps both humans and AI understand youThe Bob Mackie lesson: how individuality and authenticity in branding draws the right audience (with a Cher and Carol Burnett detour)How to navigate a business pivot thoughtfully — passion, client benefit, team alignment, and online visibility all matterWhy Cassie thinks you could have gotten away without SEO, but you won't get away without AEO — even if you're a referral-only businessWhether websites will still matter three years from now, and the real-world use case that might surprise youChapters0:00 — Introducing Cassie Egli3:32 — Human First Marketing4:15 — Childhood Dreams and Cher7:06 — Bob Mackie and Branding11:28 — AI Visibility Explained13:32 — Two Brands Confusion17:21 — Ideal Client Deep Dive19:51 — Website Visibility Framework22:09 — Messaging Flags and Fit22:47 — Plant Your Flag Messaging23:49 — AI and Human Attention24:33 — Stop Being Generic25:30 — AEO Acronyms Anxiety26:32 — Position Zero Roadmap29:32 — Do Websites Still Matter31:28 — Pivoting With Service36:57 — Three Levels of Visibility39:41 — Behind the Brand Lightning Round45:10 — How to Reach Cassie45:59 — Final Wrap and CTAResources MentionedStraight4ward Consulting and MarketingPosition Zero ChallengeWhat to Make of a Life Scale Beyond ReferralsThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What if the most powerful thing about AI isn't how fast it works, but how much time it gives you back to be more human?That question sits at the heart of this conversation with Dr. Steven Kirch and Suzy Coconato-Kirch, the father-daughter team behind Profit Minds, an AI consultancy helping small to mid-size businesses and nonprofits implement AI practically, safely, and ethically. Their mantra — "AI forward, people first" — runs through every part of the discussion, from how they guide reluctant adopters past fear and overwhelm, to the decision framework they use to help organizations figure out where AI belongs (and where it doesn't), to the deeply human reason they do this work in the first place.Steve brings decades of experience as a physicist and business coach, while Suzy entered AI through a circuitous path from mathematics to natural language processing. Together they help clients compress five days of drudgery into three and spend the reclaimed time on the things that actually matter — building relationships, coaching teams, and showing up as humans in a world increasingly saturated with automated content.Whether you've been using AI for years, are just beginning to explore it, or have been holding off because the whole thing feels intimidating, this conversation offers something valuable: a practical, grounded, and refreshingly human-centered approach to making AI work for you — not the other way around.HighlightsThe "AI forward, people first" philosophy: why putting AI first means people can't be, and how Profit Minds keeps the human at the center of every implementationSteve's early chemistry experiments with repurposed Procter & Gamble lab glassware — and how a frustrating chemistry class pushed him toward physicsSuzy's unexpected path from physics to math to natural language processing, sparked by her dad asking one simple questionWhy Profit Minds recommends starting with the task you hate doing most, not the most interesting AI use caseThe "turtle sandbox" approach to AI: play, experiment, and don't worry about picking the perfect platform before you beginHow AI can serve as a sparring partner that constructively argues with you, not just a yes-machineSteve's key insight: the real lever in AI isn't doing more faster — it's doing different things and doing them better, including spending more time being humanThe Tom's Shoes model for nonprofits: when a corporation buys a seat, Profit Minds gifts an equivalent seat to a nonprofitThe Gratitude Network story: how four staff members went through the program and came out feeling like they'd added two more people to the teamThe AI Decision Framework: a tiered evaluation covering data security, brand risk, employee impact, ROI, and feasibility — resulting in AI-driven, human-driven, or hybrid recommendationsSuzy's "campfire save" workflow and "idea log" system for managing AI conversations and staying focusedSteve's detailed ChatGPT consultation about buying a home in a flood zone — a real-world example of AI as a research and decision-making partnerSuzy's candid discussion of imposter syndrome and the ongoing journey to feel like she belongsThe Profit Minds BHAG: enabling access to AI for everyone, regardless of economic statusChapters0:00 — Today's Guests4:13 — Human First5:23 — Steve the Early Scientist8:10 — Suzy's Path Into AI12:35 — What Profit Minds Does16:11 — Where to Start With AI20:41 — Playful Approach and Policies24:26 — Time Savings: Be More Human29:05 — Ethics, Sparring Partner, and Nonprofits33:25 — Growth Challenges and Buyer Journey41:28 — AI Decision Framework43:58 — Human, AI, and Hybrid Outcomes45:22 — Selling AI Through Story47:30 — Listening First, Consulting49:32 — Behind the Brand Quiz50:48 — Personal AI Workflows54:59 — Karaoke and Laughs59:06 — Getaways and Memories1:07:19 — Success and Imposter Syndrome1:10:08 — Where to ConnectResources MentionedProfit Minds AI Decision FrameworkProfit Minds PodcastScale Beyond ReferralsThe CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

Would you rather transfer your values or your money to your children? That question — and the decades of real-life experience behind it — sits at the heart of our conversation with Leonard Raskin, President and CEO of Raskin Global and author of "Fiduci Who?" Leonard has spent 40 years building a fee-based financial consulting firm that refuses to choose between scale and soul. From his childhood dream of owning an NHL hockey team to becoming a trusted advisor who sits with families in hospice, at weddings, and around their kitchen tables, Leonard shares why the best marketing strategy he ever had was simply showing up as a human — at crab feasts, on the radio, through a podcast, and even as a cartoon version of himself on LinkedIn. If you've ever felt pressure to niche down, 10X your business, or run Google ads when what you actually want is to build deep, lasting relationships with people you'd invite to dinner, Leonard's story will make you feel a whole lot better about trusting your gut.HighlightsLeonard's childhood dream of playing in the NHL — and how he ended up owning a (very small) piece of the New York Rangers anyway through publicly traded stock in Madison Square Garden NetworkWhat it means to be a true fiduciary: looking at a client's entire financial world from first dollar of cash flow to wealth transfer, rather than calling yourself a fiduciary for only the slice you touchWhy Leonard rejected the advice to niche down, and how he built a referral-driven practice by focusing on the kind of humans he serves best instead of an industry specialtyThe "dinner test": Are the people you're targeting in your marketing people you would want to invite over to your home for dinner? And have you given yourself permission to make that a true qualifier for who you take on as a client?How an annual crab feast for 500+ households became one of the most effective (and organic) client acquisition events in the firm — without ever talking businessThe early-career rejection of traditional financial sales tactics, and why Leonard refused to join charities as a thinly veiled prospecting strategyBuilding a book and podcast flywheel: how a guest on someone else's podcast introduced Leonard to Paperback Expert, which ghostwrote and published "Fiduci Who?" and launched the Fiduci Who podcastCartoon Leonard: turning podcast clips into animated social media content with a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing avatar — and why it works better than any blog post ever couldThe question Leonard asks every new client: "What's enough?" — and how defining success on your own terms changes everything about how you run your businessBehind the Brand rapid-fire answers: favorite karaoke song, the smell of his mother's chicken soup, reliving a 14-hour heart surgery, and three words his loved ones would use to describe himChapters0:00 — Today's Guest5:13 — Hockey Dreams to CEO8:08 — What Raskin Global Does12:41 — Service Model and Values14:53 — Clients Become Family19:07 — Scaling Without 10X23:50 — Defining Success27:24 — Ideal Clients and Dinner Test32:21 — Crab Feast as Marketing36:47 — Early Career Lessons42:24 — Referral-Driven Niche43:08 — Marketing That Works43:34 — Book and Podcast Flywheel45:10 — Service Audit and Outreach47:22 — Why Keep Showing Up49:10 — Human Marketing Wins50:35 — Cartoon Clips on Social52:59 — Trust and Fit Matters56:47 — Scaling Human Connection58:29 — Behind the Brand Qs1:07:05 — Defining Real Success1:10:47 — How to Reach Leonard1:12:14 — Scale Beyond ReferralsResources Mentioned"Fiduci Who?"raskinglobal.comFiduci Who Podcast Paperback ExpertScale Beyond ReferralsStoryBrand The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What if everything you thought you knew about keeping your team safe was only scratching the surface? We tend to think of security as firewalls, access badges, and maybe an active shooter protocol — but what about the emotional, psychological, and spiritual safety of the people who give so much of their lives to your organization? Jessica Robinson, Executive Officer of PurePoint International, joins us to reshape your entire paradigm of what it means to protect a team. Her approach — holistic security — goes far beyond cybersecurity as usual, encompassing digital, physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and environmental dimensions of safety. We explore her remarkable origin story (the call to protect showed up at age five), the vision that came to her during a pilgrimage in Nepal, why the balance of feminine and masculine energy is central to real security, and why leading from a higher level of consciousness isn't optional for the next 25 years. Whether you lead a nonprofit, a social justice organization, a political office, or any team of people you care about — this conversation will change how you think about your duty of care.HighlightsJessica knew security was her calling as early as age five — from Carmen Sandiego to the safety patrol to reading every Nancy Drew book in the school libraryA near-death experience during a pilgrimage in Nepal led to the founding of PurePoint International in 2012Holistic security is like holistic medicine — it blends digital, physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and environmental security into one frameworkThe work is especially vital for communities carrying the greatest risk: social justice organizations, religious minorities, first-time public office candidates, reproductive health organizations, and immigration organizationsPurePoint's approach is co-creative and collaborative rather than top-down — clients help shape the processCOVID in 2020 and global events in 2024 both sparked waves of increased consciousness around holistic safety — and the next wave may come around 2028Jessica is pursuing a PhD to build the academic foundation for holistic security as a new field — there is currently no scholarship on this topicThe vision: an entire generation of leaders 25 years from now who practice holistic security at every level, from community organizations to the United NationsChapters0:00 — Introduction2:00 — Meet Jessica Robinson3:21 — Childhood Call to Protect5:21 — Life Shaping Security Lens10:07 — PurePoint Origin Story13:57 — Defining Holistic Security16:04 — Feminine and Masculine Balance19:48 — Who Needs This Most22:57 — How Engagements Work25:15 — Measuring Service Success27:14 — Scaling Without Losing Values30:22 — PhD Vision and Scale31:42 — Holistic Security Clicks34:06 — Evolving the Story37:00 — Client Experience Shift40:53 — Co-Creative Security42:23 — Why This Matters Now46:44 — Behind the Brand Quiz53:16 — Defining Real Success55:27 — How to ConnectResources MentionedPurePoint International Scale Beyond ReferralsStoryBrand The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co

What if the fastest way to grow your business isn't by making more noise but by having fewer, better conversations with the right people? That's the question at the heart of our conversation with Tom Schwab, CEO and founder of Interview Valet. Tom's path is anything but linear — from wanting to be an architect as a kid, to the U.S. Naval Academy, to running nuclear power plants, to selling artificial knees and hips at Stryker Corporation, to building and selling a durable medical equipment company that became HubSpot's first e-commerce case study. From all of that, he created Interview Valet, a service that books business leaders on targeted podcast interviews to build what Tom calls "authentic human authority." We talk about why marketing should be magnetic, not a megaphone; how AI is creating a "trust recession" that makes human connection more valuable than ever; and why bigger is not better — better is better. Tom shares his "heck yes or no" client filter, his philosophy of leading with the problem (not the founder story), and what it means to be legendary, not perfect. This one is full of warmth, wisdom, and practical takeaways for any service-based business leader who wants to grow without losing their heart.Highlights"Bigger is not better. Bigger is bigger. Better is better." — Tom shares how client Steve Acho reframed his thinking on growth, and why he scaled his team down from 28 to ~14 FTEs to improve quality of life and service.Three types of companies: Those that suck, those that don't suck, and those that are legendary. There is no fourth category called "perfect." The goal is to be legendary, not perfect.Marketing should be magnetic, not a megaphone. Tom argues for clarity over noise — attracting the right people and repelling the wrong ones through authentic, long-form conversations.The "trust recession." Orsi names the phenomenon where AI-generated content at scale erodes the very trust needed to form connections, making human-to-human marketing more important than ever.Podcasting transforms sales calls. When prospects have already heard you on multiple podcast interviews, the first call becomes a qualification call, not a cold pitch — they already know, like, and trust you.The "heck yes or no" filter. Tom walks through his three-question client intake process: Do we know the audience? Have we gotten great results for similar clients? Is this a message we're proud to amplify? All three must be a "heck yes."Lead with the problem, not your story. Tom's Preparation H analogy makes the point memorable: nobody cares about your story or your product — they care about their problem. Start there."What's ordinary to you is amazing to others." Tom's reminder that we underestimate what we know and overestimate what others know."Who's buying the next round?" Tom's refreshing reframe of the half-full-or-half-empty question, shifting from passive observation to active opportunity.Growth for growth's sake is cancer. Tom's blunt metaphor for why unbridled growth without purpose is not something to brag about.The chainsaw analogy for AI. A tool can amplify your brilliance or magnify your stupidity — it's not the technology, it's the user.Tom's perfect day: Walking the Camino de Santiago with his wife, dancing with locals in Pamplona on September 4, 2024.His spirit animal: Dug the dog from the movie Up — easily distracted, but hyper-focused when locked onto something.Chapters1:36 — Legendary Not Perfect2:43 — Tom Joins the Show3:57 — Childhood Architect Dream6:21 — Engineer to Entrepreneur Path8:34 — Founding Interview Valet11:32 — Magnetic Human Marketing16:09 — Trust Recession and AI20:52 — Podcasting Changes Sales Calls23:33 — Heart for Service Mission25:22 — Bigger vs Better Growth28:20 — Heck Yes or No Filter29:02 — Heck Yes Client Filter30:04 — Hidden Opportunity Clients31:10 — Growth Versus Joy33:48 — What Are You Optimizing For35:33 — Brand Story Lens36:49 — Lead With The Problem39:33 — Stop Pick Me Marketing44:30 — Legendary Client Experience46:24 — Behind The Brand Qs52:02 — Success And Next StepsResources MentionedInterview ValetScale Beyond ReferralsStoryBrand The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead. The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co