Why, you ask, in the world would you spell Brien B- R- I- E- N? Well, I'll tell you why- because the E stands for a lot of different things that happen to represent the Ask Brien Podcast. The E stands for EMPATHY, putting yourself in other people's shoes. EXCELLENCE, because this show exudes excellence. Another E, is the ENGINEER, because you can't run this show without the engineer. And last but not least, EXPERTS, because you need to be an expert to be on the Ask Brien show. Every business ...
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"I've never heard anything like it" - Pope Francis II "Some teachers, I feel, are like Ditto. You know? Like you've seen them before. But James is not that. He's like a shiny Gyrados. 'Cuz you're not only like oh my god it's a Gyrados, you're also like - oh my god it's a SHINY - you know? He's that kind of teacher." - Brien Smith, director's cut
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Lessons from the Trenches: A Journey from the Construction Site to Consulting Excellence
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In this episode of the Ask Brien podcast, hosts Peter and Traci welcome guest Jesse Hernandez Jr. of DepthBuilder.com. Jesse discusses his transition into consulting, focusing on improving communication and productivity in organizations. He opens up about his initial struggles with pricing his services and how a mentor's advice helped him gain conf…
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The Profit Playbook: Strategies for Entrepreneurs to Enhance Financial Literacy
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In this episode of the Ask Brien Podcast, hosts Peter and Traci delve into the essentials of business success, focusing on financial management and strategic planning with Michele Williams the Founder and CEO of Scarlet Thread Consulting. Michele shares her journey from financial software development to entrepreneurship. She discusses the creation …
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Changing the Way the World Innovates: Tony Ulwick of Strategyn
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This week we were joined by Tony Ulwick, CEO of Strategyn. Tony shares the importance of doing research to understand what potential customers are really looking for and what their current unmet needs are. Instead of spending time testing out several different solutions or products, go directly to the source to see what their needs are, then design…
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The Customer Experience Blueprint: How Customer Insight Drives Innovation with Aransas Savas and Dave Norton of Stone Mantel
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Customer experience can make a huge difference in the success of a company, but it often gets overlooked. This week, we are joined by Aransas Savas and Dave Norton of Stone Mantel, a business that helps create better experiences for customers and helps clients create more value. Our guests discuss how they onboard new customers and uncover what the…
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Marketing 101 with Cyndee Harrison of Synaptic Approach
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This week we are joined by marketing expert, Cyndee Harrison. Cyndee has worked with many entrepreneurs and businesses on sharing their stories and creating success in the marketing world. She explains why internal and external messaging is critical, and why your team needs to all be on board with the same mission. Cyndee talks about how podcasting…
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Start Smart: Legal Must-Knows for New Business Owners with Peter Bronstein
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Should you form a corporation or LLC immediately when starting a business? This week, our very own Peter Bronstein is discussing how to set up a business correctly, and the impacts that could happen if you don’t. He describes what companies need to know when it comes to written and verbal contracts, and how to best protect yourself. Peter dives int…
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Mastering the Art of Branding with Personal Brand and PR Advisor, Michelle Griffin
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Does it feel like you're spinning your wheels to get your business noticed? This week, we have Michelle Griffin on the show who is an expert on branding. As a Personal Brand and PR Advisor, Michelle discusses how to get your name out into the world as a small business and the best way to create a good message for potential clients. She talks about …
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Business Financing Made Simple: Expert Tips from Glenn Russo of Avatar Financial Consultants
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There are so many financing options available, sometimes it can feel confusing to know which option would be best for your business. This week, we have Glenn Russo from Avatar Financial Consultants on the show to discuss the various funding options, as well as what to watch out for. He goes in depth on the different financial options and explains w…
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Perfect your Marketing Game with John Davenport of Salt Mine Development
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Are you a new business owner or entrepreneur who is looking for the best tips to get your business started right? This week, John Davenport joins the Ask Brien Show to talk about business development, marketing, and social media strategies. He shares some incredible tips on the best ways to utilize social media and how to ensure you are using ads c…
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Workplace Diversity Redefined with Judith Weigle
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Diversity is so much more than just gender or race, according to Judith Weigle. Today, we have workshop leader and diversity expert Judith Weigle on the show to discuss how she has redefined diversity and why human connection is crucial to employee retention and a successful business. Judith explains how remote work has impacted diversity and the c…
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Understanding Inventory and Brick and Mortar Stores with Alex Grossman
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As a serial entrepreneur, it seems that Alex has done it all. His latest venture into the retail space has proven to be more challenging, but he’s learned a lot. In this episode, Alex shares more about his specialized venture into the motorsports industry and his advice on running a brick and mortar store. Alex shares how COVID has changed the land…
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From Hollywood to Marketing: Jenna Capozzi's Journey to Empower Women Over 40
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Empowering women over 40 is Jenna Capozzi’s speciality, especially when it comes to helping them market their businesses! This week, Jenna joins the show to talk about how she transitioned away from Hollywood into marketing and mentorship. She shares the best ways to cold call businesses in order to get your services in front of them, and how to be…
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Search Engine Optimization with David Lowbridge, Owner of Two Feet Marketing
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Have you been trying to get your website to rank on Google, but you can’t get it past the second or third page? This week, we are joined by David Lowbridge of Two Feet Marketing to discuss SEO (Search Engine Optimization). David shares best practices to get your website seen, including information about how many words to use, what type of images to…
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Why Storytelling is Essential to Your Business with Park Howell, Founder of The Business of Storytelling
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Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of your business, because it allows your customers to know what to expect when they choose to work with you. This week we are joined by the Founder of The Business of Storytelling, Park Howell. Park shares why storytelling is so critical to your business, and provides the key elements that every sto…
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Understanding Values, Niching Down, and Business Growth with Ben Utley from Physician Family Financial Advisors
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Unlock the secrets to business growth by understanding your ideal customer. This week, we are joined by Ben Utley , a seasoned Certified Financial Planner™ professional from Physician Family Financial Advisors. Ben shares his journey into financial planning and the advantages of niching down his business. He highlights the importance of vision, val…
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Utilizing Economic Development Programs to Expand Your Business: Drew Mercy from AV EDGE
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Antelope Valley is growing at a rapid pace, and AV EDGE is ready to help businesses get started with expansion into the area. This week, we have Drew Mercy from Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise on the show to discuss how they can help all sizes of businesses take advantage of economic development programs. Drew discusses w…
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Creating Your Leadership Philosophy with Audrey Kwan
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After her mother unexpectedly passed away, Audrey knew she needed to take her business into her own hands so that she could enjoy her life to the fullest. This week on the podcast, Audrey Kwan, founder of AJK Consulting, joins us to talk about how she started her own agency, with the mission to help businesses build workplaces that give back their …
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How NFIB Supports Small Businesses with John Kabateck
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NFIB is a wonderful home for small businesses. This week, John Kabateck is joining the show to talk about NFIB and all the work they are doing to keep small businesses safe and get their voices heard. John talks about the amazing benefits that members of NFIB receive as well as the top three goals they are currently working on. John discusses Propo…
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Hedge Funds to Health Coach: Jenn Trepeck from Salad With a Side of Fries
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Building a side hustle while working a full time job can be difficult, but this week's guest was able to turn that side hustle into her now full time job after years of work. Jenn Trepeck joins us this week to talk about her transition from working in hedge funds into creating her business, Better Life Now LLC, and her podcast, Salad With a Side of…
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Pros and Cons of Self Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing with Chuck Schwerin
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Inspired by his three years teaching at a junior boarding school in the Adirondacks, Chuck Schwerin wrote a fiction book about a 15 year old ninth grader and a 63 year old headmaster who are haunted by events that they’ve caused and for which they struggle to address. Chuck joins Peter and Traci to talk about his writing process and why he chose to…
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Planning your Retirement Strategy with Courtenay Shipley from Retirement Planology
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Are you looking into retirement plans for your employees and are not sure where to start? There are many different types of retirement plans available, so we brought on Courtenay Shipley from Retirement Planology to help understand the different types of plans and when businesses should start implementing them for their employees. Courtenay breaks …
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Utilizing Lead Magnets and Funnels with Jason Kramer, Founder of Cultivize.
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How do you get potential new customers to inquire about your business? Jason Kramer, the Founder of Cultivize joins the show to discuss several tactics that can be used to drive potential customers to inquire about your products or services. He breaks down what funnels and lead magnets are and the best way to use each to your advantage. Jason discu…
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Innovating the Small Business Digital Landscape with Jen McFarland, CEO of Marit Digital
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Today on the Ask Brien Podcast, our resident experts Peter and Traci interview Jen McFarland, founder of Merit Digital, a digital operations agency. They discuss various topics related to small businesses like digital support, business skills, technology, and artificial intelligence. Jen shares her insights on website development and support, SEO r…
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Making A Million Dreams Come True with Charlie Rocket of Dream Machine Foundation
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Charlie Rocket realized the need to chase his dreams after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. So, after making some big life changes, Charlie started the Dream Machine Foundation. During this episode, Charlie shares more about his journey and how he is using his foundation to change the lives of others. Charlie shares how they make an impact on th…
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Finding Confidence in Your Entrepreneur Journey with Confidence Coach Regina Bonds
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“Reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” This week on the Ask Brien Radio Show Podcast, Confidence Coach Regina Bonds joins Peter to discuss her coaching business. She explains how she went from working as a banker to thriving as a confidence coach. In the conversation, Regina reveals what challenges she faced as…
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Succeeding Off the Ice: Neil Smith goes from Winning in the NHL to Building a Successful Podcast
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After building a successful career in the NHL, Neil Smith decided to make a shift into a new career. In doing so, he found a way to utilize his experience and passion for the NHL in a new way. On this episode, sports manager turned senior wealth strategist, Neil Smith joins us to talk about his transition from sportscaster into the financial sector…
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Tangible Tips to Create a Successful Business with Ben Bucher from Bucher Family Allstate Insurance
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Ben Bucher decided to take a chance on himself when he transitioned from being a manager at McDonald’s to opening his own Allstate Insurance business. Ben joins us on this episode to talk about how he decided to open his own business and the challenges that came along with being a new entrepreneur. He shares how he grew his insurance business so qu…
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Introducing a New Product in a Saturated Market with Marcin Malyszko of Mission Craft Cocktails
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Creating a brand new product in the beverage industry has its challenges, but this week's guest, Marcin Malyszko of Mission Craft Cocktails explains how they’ve been able to promote their business. Marcin talks about how they differentiate their product from other top name beverages out there, including how they utilize their marketing strategy. He…
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Creating a Better For You, Better For The World Product with Kevin Hartley of Cambio Roasters
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Using his knowledge of the beverage industry, Kevin Hartley created a product that not only is better for the environment, but it also tastes great, and gives money back to coffee farming families. Today, we are joined by Kevin from Cambio Roasters to learn all about his product and how to enter into the environmentally sustainable side of business…
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An Entrepreneur's Dream with Barry Meisel, President and CEO of MeiGray Group
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Finding an authentic Super Bowl 3 jersey, working with an incredible business partner, and turning a hobby into a thriving business can truly be classified as entrepreneur Barry Meisel's dream. This week, Barry Meisel joins the show to talk about his business MeiGray Group, which sells authentic game-worn jerseys and sports memorabilia to collector…
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Marketing to Your Ideal Client with Wayne Lutomski of Hydro Shot Energy Drink
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Do you have a business idea, but don’t know how to get it on the market, where to share the product, or how to identify your target consumers? This week, Wayne Lutomski of Hydro Shot Energy Drink joined the show to talk about his incredible success in the food and beverage industry space, and tips for bringing a new product to market. Wayne starts …
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Turning an E Commerce Business into a Seven Figure Business with CEO of NATPAT, Michael Jankie
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Do you have a bunch of ideas in your mind that might make a great product to sell, but you aren’t sure how to get started? This week, we have CEO of NATPAT Michael Jankie on the show to talk about how he and three partners started their e Commerce business. Michael talks to us about how they transformed their idea of stickers with citronella on the…
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Take Your Business to the Next Level with Founder and CEO of Masterful Coaching, Robert Hargrove
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Are you ready to take your business to the next level, but you are feeling stuck? This week, we have Founder and CEO of Masterful Coaching, Robert Hargrove, on the show. Robert’s company helps CEOs and Founders take their businesses to the next level by helping them find their originality, grow successful teams, and create a personal brand. He talk…
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Optimizing Your Business Using Leedly, with CEO Clayton Turner
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Do you find your small business missing out on customer opportunities because you don’t have the bandwidth to get back to everyone? This week, on the Ask Brien Podcast, Clayton Turner from Leedly joined us to talk about his lead generation tool and how it can impact all businesses. Clayton discusses the features of Leedly, how the tool can help sma…
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Successfully Utilize Facebook Ad Campaigns to Launch Your Business Forward with Jodi Sodini
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Have you been thinking about using Facebook Ads to launch your business forward but you aren’t sure where to start? This week we have digital marketing expert Jodi Sodini on to talk about Facebook advertising and marketing. Jodi discusses how to start campaigns and make them successful, the difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads, as well as…
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Funding Your Small Business with Matt Olsen, Vice President of Nano Banc
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Are you looking to start a small business, but you don’t have the funding readily available in your bank? If so, you don’t want to miss this episode where we spoke with Matt Olsen, the Vice President of Nano Banc. Matt provides so many valuable resources regarding the various types of funding available to small business owners, what you need to hav…
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Peter Bronstein on New Laws For 2024 Business Owners Should Know
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Do you keep track of the new laws passed each year? There are some critical laws that are being passed that every business owner needs to know about. During this episode, Peter and Traci discuss new laws, specific to California, for 2024 that are passing that are crucial to business owners. Then they discuss a new law called the Corporate Transpare…
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Striving for Excellence with Entrepreneur, Catalina Gaete-Bentz, CEO of Catan Pisco
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Today, Catalina Gaete-Bentz, CEO of Catan Pisco, a spirit distilled 100% from grapes, shares the challenges she faced as a female entrepreneur. Catalina was told that she could not attend business school, but did not let that stop her from pursuing her dream. She utilized her resources to start her business and continues to push for excellence brin…
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Understanding Small Business Loans with Mark Ritter, CEO of Member Business Financial Services
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When is the right time to get a small business loan in your entrepreneurship journey? Founder and CEO of Member Business Financial Services & Nu Direction Lending, Mark Ritter, joins Traci to discuss small business loans and what type of bank to look for when applying for a small business loan. Mark explains how underfunding can jeopardize a busine…
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Creating a Parallel Economy with David Ragsdale of RePlatform
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David Ragsdale of RePlatform joins host Peter Bronstein to discuss parallel economies. David discusses what a parallel economy is and how RePlatform is building a community of people to change how the economy operates. David breaks down what a parallel economy is and explains why it is different from an underground economy. David also explains how …
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From General Electric to Making a Difference in the Trucking World, Frank Sonzala, ConTrade Holdings LLC.
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From General Electric to the music industry, to plastics, and now fixing issues with the long haul truck parking, it seems that Frank Sonzala has done it all. He has had his hands in many start up businesses helping bring their companies to success. Frank has a passion for turning a business into a hobby so that it is truly an enjoyment and somethi…
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Educating and Empowering Kids of Today, Entrepreneur David Williams of 5th Degree Academy
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From working at Circuit City to running 7 figure businesses, David Williams is quite the inspiration. His newest business, 5th Degree Academy is helping children learn the skills they need to surround themselves with positive people and be successful in all areas of life including faith, family, freedom, finances, and fitness. David shares his many…
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From Flight Attendant to 50 Million in Revenue with Danielle Mulvey from Profit First Nation
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Danielle Mulvey from Profit First Nation went from working as a flight attendant to running multiple businesses doing over $50 million in revenue. Today we will learn just how she scaled her businesses. Danielle discusses the importance of managing your finances and how to set up a cash management system when scaling your business. Danielle talks a…
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Nonprofit Advice with For Purpose Law Group CEO, May Harris and Errin Mendibles of Bella Vita Tucson
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Today Traci is joined by two guests, May Harris, CEO of For Purpose Law Group and Errin Mendibles, Founder of Bella Vita Tucson. Throughout this episode you will hear Errin discuss how she created her nonprofit and the questions that she has for May regarding the best ways to operate Bella Vita Tucson. May brings to light the things that those open…
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Twin Flames Studios – Become a Thought Leader Worth Listening To With Tina Dietz
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In this episode we are interviewing Tina Dietz from Twin Flame Studios. Her business is a full-service, award-winning audiobook and podcast production company that creates nonfiction audiobooks and podcasts, as well as high-quality content marketing assets for established experts and successful service companies. Tina shares how audiobooks and podc…
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How to Set Up and Protect Your Business with Peter Bronstein
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In this episode we are interviewing our very own Peter Bronstein to talk about contracts, lawsuits and how to protect yourself and business from lawsuits. Peter walks us through a variety of different contracts and how to choose the correct one for your needs. He discusses the most important things that a business needs to be aware of when starting…
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The Power of Human Design and Breathwork with Viviana Escobar, Author of Bending Our Reality
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In this episode we are joined by multi passionate entrepreneur, Viviana Escobar. Viviana shares the three different businesses she is currently working with and describes her various roles. She walks us through human design and explains how it can help you to determine your employees strengths and weaknesses. Viviana takes us through a breathwork p…
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Mastering the Art of Content, Ranking, and Keywords with David Lowbridge, Founder and Manager of TwoFeetMarketing
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On this episode we were joined by David Lowbridge, a content and SEO expert. David runs his own company that helps businesses succeed with their SEO, blog writing, and ranking. He explains many of the terms that go along with websites and ranking, and then explains how conversion happens. David discusses what is needed in a blog to help it rank on …
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From Food Truck to Store Shelves – Chef Julius West’s Journey with Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce
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On this episode we were joined by Chef Julius West, the owner of Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce. Chef Julius discussed how he went from owning a food truck to expanding and selling their products in stores and online. His business transformed during COVID, when he had to pivot due to the risk of being a food truck became too high. He talks about ho…
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Understanding SEO with Isaac Rau from Proactive SEO Solutions
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Today we are talking to Isaac Rau from Proactive SEO Solutions. Isaac walks us through what SEO is and why it is vital to the success of your business. Although SEO can seem like an easy few steps like finding the right keyword, there is actually a lot more to it. Understanding how your website ranks, getting backlinks, improving the content you ha…
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