Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

Founder of Garrett Speaker International, Betty Garrett, CMP, has been active in the meetings industry over four decades. She came to Texas from Louisiana with the burning desire to work for an airline and her dream came true when Braniff International hired her. Betty was able to transfer her skills from the airline to meeting planning at Young President’s Organization, the business travel department at Mary Kay Cosmetics and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). She developed relationships with the many professional speakers she hired for her programs, so it was a natural progression to start GSI. Working as a speaker bureau owner, Betty realized there was a gap between ordinary speakers and those wanting to take their speaking career to a higher level. She has implemented a new division within GSI to coaching speakers on how to “get bureau ready” and grow their business. These are tips, tools and techniques that will get the traction needed for bureaus and higher paying fees. Betty is also an autho

Cait Pearson is a photographer, blogger, the founder of the She’s Hungry Podcast. She’s a Pennsylvania native, now living in Portland, OR looking to pave the way by breaking the mold on what is REALLY possible when you believe in yourself.    She began her podcasting journey when a friend told her her passion and empathy for the world and the people in it was too much to talk about with strangers in bars.  Her words were short lived on a blog when she discovered podcasting. Through her three years in Portland, meeting hundreds of people and hearing countless stories about their trials, tribulations, incredible successes and epic failures. A pattern became very clear.   Anyone who wanted something more for their lives took great leaps of uncomfortable faith and worked from an unshakable mindset to achieve them. They learned how to fail up, and fail fast, just as part of the journey. Much like how her story began in moving cross country to chase her impossible dream.   Now Cait photographs people to show them w

Jac Julien is a reformed “organized mess”. After her own “productivity revolution” she noticed how many entrepreneurs and business owners were simply running on the hamster wheel, chasing shiny objects, putting off today what they can do tomorrow (and those other clichés).  Jac has made it her mission to be the “AntiHustle Coach” and help entrepreneurs get of their own way so they can have the dream of time freedom they wanted when starting their business.   Jac uses her experiences as a clinical psychologist and productivity expert to save entrepreneurs from the “hustle and grind” of doing more without better results. She coaches her clients to get more done in less time, have time for family, friends and hobbies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recognized as a pioneer for integrating personal branding with image management, Diana Jennings has been praised for helping clients enhance their credibility and increase their visibility. Her unique strategic combination of methodologies through her collaborations with world renowned thought-leaders has enabled her to work with career-minded individuals and entrepreneurs from around the globe. Known as the People Branding Expert, Diana has a keen eye for uncovering the visual cues and a strong sixth sense for signals that affect a person’s brand message. Her programs and coaching have resulted in career and business advancing opportunities, and improved relationships for numerous clients. Since 2002, she has presented to groups, large and small, teaching others how to position themselves to attract opportunities. Her consulting clients have relied on her expertise to help sales teams and client interfacing personnel project a cohesive visual brand message. Her individual clients include entrepreneurs, man

Matt Sweetwood is a successful entrepreneur, an award-winning marketer, a social media influencer and a personal branding expert. Matt was the U.S. CEO of beBee, Inc., a professional social network that helps build successful personal brands. He served as President of Unique Photo®, NJ’s premiere Camera Store for 28 years. Nationally known in the photography industry as an innovator, he has helped acquire over fifty US and International Trademarks for both language and design, and he founded and ran the Ozzie Award winning publication Photo Insider®. Matt has been credited with the reinvention of the modern camera store, as well as the country’s largest in-store education program, the Unique University®. Unique Photo was named 2008 and “2013 Dealer of the Year” by Digital Imaging Reporter magazine. Matt was named the Photo Industry’s, “2016 Person of the Year” by the PMDA. However, by far, his greatest achievement is having raised five successful children to adulthood as a single dad. Matt was awarded full c

Susan Sheppard is the founder of Getting What You Want ,Inc., a life and love coaching organization focused on teaching women to own their feminine power and men to cherish women.  She is on a mission to get people loved the way they want to be loved. She has a very successful track record of helping people heal their wounded heart, reframe their perception of the opposite sex and meet their perfect partner so they can find true intimacy, love and long term commitment.   She is an award winning, best selling Amazon author of the books “How to Get What You Want From Your Man Anytime” and “Dating After 40­ No More Excuses”  Susan’s 40 years as a Registered Nurse in Emergency Services honed her crisis intervention skills as a coach.   She is a self-proclaimed,  self-awareness addict since 1978. Her eclectic background includes working directly for Michael Gerber, the renowned Business “E Myth” Guru for 3 years, being certified in NLP by Tony Robbins himself in 1990,   In her varied life journey she has been a he

Try New Things. Talking the same actions will produce the same results, and Thom Singer has become obsessed with helping people reach their potential.  One of the most popular pieces of advice he shares in his "Paradox of Potential" workshops and keynote speeches is about the importance of trying new things in your life and career.  Having surveyed over 500 people about their personal potential (and results) and having hosted over 350 interviews with business leaders on the Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do podcast, Thom has come to know that the most successful people are the ones who are willing to take some risks. Courage is paramount to winning in business. You have to get out of your comfort zone and push your own limits. "Try New Things" is an important reminder to not get caught in the routines and ruts that plague so many careers. Being one who tries new things is bigger than just you. It impacts your team, your company, whole industries, and society. Every break through had to begin with a person will

Amin Bahari has a game-plan is for Elite Sweets. The healthy alternative to the conventional, high fat and sugar donut. They want to give people donuts, regardless of predisposed health or body conditions. This is their mission! They want to help redefine the (SAD) Standard American Diet by offering healthier Sweets.    In order to tell you how they got here, they need to take you back to their college apartment in Austin, Texas. It was another late night, and naturally these young men were hungry. They had two options: fast food or donuts. And because they were (broke) college students, donuts were the obvious choice. Clearly the healthiest solution (not), but who doesn't like donuts, right?   Several nights later, they wondered what it would take to turn their favorite indulgence into a go-to healthy snack. Protein bars weren't cutting it and left a lot to be desired when it came to taste. However, they didn't just want to make a protein-packed sweet; they wanted one that everyone could enjoy regardless of

Irené Turtle is a Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Speaker based in Los Angeles, California with clients nationally and internationally. She speaks on and holds workshops on a wide range of leadership topics. Coaching and Consulting Experience​   Irené provides Leadership Coaching and Consulting for Entrepreneurs and Executives. She focuses on working with technology and high-growth companies. Specifically, she helps her clients develop confidence and build on their communication, conflict resolution, delegation and team development skills. She works with teams on developing their mission, purpose and values, and helping them succeed as a cohesive unit byidentifying and maximizing their unique talents.   Irené is passionate about helping individuals and teams make significant transformations in their professional lives, which carries over into their personal lives. She has seen firsthand how focusing on and strengthening emotional intelligence creates star performers and has a powerful and positive impa

Bradley Gold is an active entrepreneur, a practicing attorney, Data Protection Officer of Abraxas Technology, and a faculty member at McCombs. Bradley works with small businesses in Austin alongside large organizations such as Thomson Reuters and General Electric, and international businesses based in Africa, Europe, and South America. Bradley is a previous winner of the IL Small Family Business of the Year Award, a 2018 Austin Young Chamber of Commerce Changemaker finalist, and author of nationally-taught CPA courses and a Top 10 legal article at Texas Bar Today.  Bradley is also a new father!   As an entrepreneur, Bradley is the Data Protection Officer and General Counsel for Abraxas Technology, an award-winning Austin startup bringing digital analytics to analog outdoor advertising. Bradley is Co-Founder of MiraLend, a student run P2P borrowing marketplace that has been through the DivInc and Austin Tech Incubator SEAL Programs. Bradley is also co-Founder of I’m Here Today, a classroom technology startup p

Roberta Ross is a highly successful business coach and entrepreneur, who empowers entrepreneurs, practitioners and real estate agents to create a business and life they love. It is her unique ability to help others make more money, experience more joy, and succeed with ease, that sets her apart. Roberta has founded/co-founded three companies, given over 1,000 speeches, Been the #1 Salesperson, breaking all company records in her first hear, invested in over 300 investment properties, and authored 7 books and/or publications and courses. She is also host of Success Series, a subscription-based audio series program since 2010, and Host of Free Yourself to Success Podcast, and Six Figure Real Estate Coach Podcast.   Check out episode 404 as she shares her story and advice on "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Sashen is a serial entrepreneur who has never had a job, former professional stand up comic and award-winning screenwriter, and a competitive sprinter -- one of the fastest men over 55 in the country. He and his wife, Lena Phoenix, co-founded the footwear company Xero Shoes, and appeared on Shark Tank, where they turned down a $400,000 offer from Kevin O'Leary.     Check out episode 403 of “Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do” to hear the story of his entrepreneurial life that has been well lived.   https://xeroshoes.com/xero-shoes-story/   Live Life Feet First! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2016, Melissa Dobbins formed an HR technology company to remove bias from the hiring process by shifting the focus from resumes to qualifications.   Removing bias from talent evaluation is more than just opening the door to a wider candidate pool in today’s fierce competition for talent; it drives diversity, efficiency, and compliance as a natural bi-product. Too many companies are attempting to tackle these issues separately, but as long as there is bias in the selection process, these diversity and compliance challenges will persist. Even worse, many companies are turning to technology as the ‘easy way out’ but just end up automating existing biases.   Ms. Dobbins’ company, career.place, tackles bias and the resulting diversity, compliance, and efficiency challenges by removing the bias-laden resumes from talent evaluation and replacing them with a systematic solution that combines the best parts of technology and the human touch to objectively measure a candidate’s qualification to identify those best q

2018 is the Year of the Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner (at least according to Josh Frey and my small-business-owner-friends that he hangs with!).  Josh is a business junkie and Kool-aid drinking entrepreneur, having started his own swag business and career at the ripe old age of 22 with no experience, contacts or resources. He is a front line sales guy who has coached and helped others launch dozens of businesses in the promotional products industry (and other industries), simply by teaching the very same best sales and business practices he uses to support his own family and lifestyle.   In 2012 Josh launched the The Swag Coach™ Program (www.TheSwagCoach.com),  a step-by-step guide for "how to start and grow" your very own promotional products business, with the help and support of a 20+ yr seasoned entrepreneur and sales veteran.   His hope is to spawn 250 more entrepreneurs, just like him, in the promotional products industry. To date he has helped launch and grow 20 new businesses (10 currently sti

Celebrating 4 years and 400 episodes. It was the summer of 2014 when Thom Singer began the adventure of hosting "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do". During this time he has interviewed over 350 entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, business leaders and others with the "entrepreneurial spirit". In this episode Thom highlights the journey of the podcast and shares how the show has directly impacted his career and personal life. Thom is clear that starting the podcast was one of the best things he has done. While the topic of entrepreneurship is not what he speaks about to audiences (as a professional speaker), the lessons learned in these interviews has provided powerful information that he shares from the stage. What started as a series of conversations with smart people to help expose him, and the audience, to tools, ideas, and other techniques to do more in business, Thom has spun out a whole new series of material in his speaking career, and developed his new mantras of "Make age 50 to 75 the best years of his life" a

Dwight W. Holcomb is a Member of the Forbes Business Council and the host of the business television show, "SaaS CEO Success TV".  The show is set to air on the C-Suite TV Network which has global distribution in over 59 million households and more than 90 million views per month. Dwight is the CEO of HC Development, providing MaaS CMO™ , Marketing as a Service with Executive oversight to the Software & Technology industry.  Dwight speaks Internationally as a Technology Futurist and on the topic of Sales & Marketing Innovation.  The Author of "The Lean CMO" and a serial entrepreneur, Dwight launched several start-up companies in very diverse industries.  He is the founding CEO of LifePet Organic, iBuyBaby.com and Millennium Entertainment, earning executive producing credit and pilot work with Robert Downey, Jr., Jon Lovitz and Russell Peters.  Committed to helping other executives to excel in business, Dwight sits on the Board of several privately held companies and is a founding member of the UCLA Anderson

Dr. Fred Rouse, CFP (aka: The REAL Money Doctor) is the top Certified Financial Planner®, Money Expert and International Best-Selling Author that has received several national awards for his writing and money expertise. He has co-authored The Soul of Success with Jack Canfield and Cracking the Code to Success with Brian Tracy. Dr Rouse also teamed up with Brian Tracy to write a course for aspiring as well as seasoned entrepreneurs called: The REAL Money Doctor’s Business Rx, 6 Essentials for a Healthy Business to Make Money. Dr Rouse has been working with select individuals, home based and small businesses with 0 to 6 employees for close to 30 years. He is the nation’s top expert on Short Window Retirement Planning. It took him ten years and over $350K to research, test and develop. It’s the only program developed specifically for the unique needs of people 50 and older so they can have their Ultimate Secure Retirement in just 5 to 7 years even if they don’t have $850K in savings today.  It’s seen by man

For this episode Thom Singer talked with Barton Scott, who is a both former Chemical Engineer and Nutritionist, and even actor. Barton is the founder of Upgraded Formulas– A company focused on correcting mineral deficiencies to increase health span, focus, sleep quality, and slow the process of aging. Here’s a note from the Founder - “Our “why” at Upgraded Formulas is pretty clear… They have a goal to be more than just a company.  Their mission is to support you and your family by creating, highly effective dietary supplements that are 100% bioavailable and are absorbed better by the body than any other brand on the market today. They use the latest breakthroughs in science to create products – like their Upgraded Magnesium and Upgraded Glucose Support, along with hair testing analysis for heavy metal toxicity and mineral deficiencies – that provide support for you to live a healthier, happier, more productive life.  These supplements are directly absorbed into the body’s cells immediately – Bypassing dige

Michael Woodward is the founder and CEO of jumbleThink. He and his team has built over 400 websites and web applications for small local businesses, international non-profit organizations, and Fortune 100 corporations. He has worked on projects for California Community Colleges, Crowdstrike, and Duarte. Michael has also consulted with hundreds of other businesses through the Small Business Development Center at Butte College along with teaching courses on web design / development and marketing strategies. He hosts the jumbleThink Podcast which has hit number one in business on iTunes. His passion is to help individuals and businesses make their dreams attainable through creative thinking / idea formation and strategy.    http://www.JumbleThink.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Check out episode 395 of Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do. In this conversation with entrepreneur Mary Goulet you will hear about how she has always created her own path to business and life success.  Mary is an award-winning author, radio & TV host, podcaster and  Catholic. She started her career on Wall Street straight out of high school to be  an Institutional Bond Salesperson. She is a Holistic Health Practitioner and focuses her efforts now  selling real estate in San Diego, managing her two vacation rental properties and recording her podcasts. She is launching her Catholicism is Cool Podcast and creating an online  course for her signature book, "Go With Your Gut; How to Make Decisions You Can Trust". Her most proud title is being mom to her teenage daughters, Sterling and  Portia. http://www.marygoulet.net Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices