Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

In this episode Thom Singer talks to Carlos Martin from macami.ai. They talk about the future of AI and RPA as well as why Austin, Texas is a great place for business.  This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. About Carlos Martin: Carlos Martin is the CEO of macami.ai, a company focused in bringing efficiency to the enterprise by leveraging Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and AI. Formerly Director of Strategic Alliances for Brazil for the company Blue Prism, which pioneered the RPA market, and where he worked for 5+ years. Carlos has a degree in Computer Science and a Master’s in Technology Commercialization from UT Austin. He has more than 20 years in IT with a solid experience in technology, systems, pro

In this episode of the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast, we discuss working with your spouse or significant other. In this entrepreneur focused world, many people start businesses with people together. But what happens when that person is the love of your life? Terry Brock and Gina Carr sit down with Thom Singer to talk about how they manage business and life. About Gina Carr Gina Carr works with business leaders to leverage Web3 technologies for more impact, influence, and income. Web3 tech includes blockchains, the Metaverse (virtual reality), cryptocurrencies, NFTs, artificial intelligence, and other powerful tools.  Gina is on a mission to help business leaders use these tools to grow their businesses in a way that significantly benefits all stakeholders. Known as “The Tribe Builder,” Gina helps passionate people build powerful tribes of raving fans. A serial entrepreneur, Gina has created several businesses including Video Rock Starz, an award-winning real estate company, and a chain of community ma

This episode was produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too. Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. Today's guest is Carolyn Jenkins, the co-founder and CEO of We Are Here. In this interview she shares her ideas around resilience and how individuals and bosses can better understand the need for resilience in the workplace (and life). She has a long history working in tech companies, and has held many roles from HR, COO, Chief Product Officer, and CEO.   Carolyn also shares her points of view on the city of Austin: past, present, and future....and why the city continues to grow and thrive.   About Carolyn Trevino Jenkins Carolyn Jenkins is an award-winning technology executive and entrepreneur who has an extensive and diverse background. Teams she’s led

In this episode of "Making Waves at C-Level", Thom talks to James Howard, the founder of the Black Inventors Hall of Fame. They talk about his new documentary, "Black Inventors Got Game", race, and success.   About James Howard James Howard is a, lecturer, design historian, industrial designer/inventor of some 300 products with 18 patents. He is currently the owner/operator of Entrepreneurial U, a specialty private career school of Design Thinking. One of his courses, “Bridge” Exploring New Career Pathways, takes students through the problem solving processes: problem/necessity, solution, and execution and leads them to new career pathways and job opportunities. While teaching for more twenty years at The County College of Morris in New Jersey, Professor Howard was an owner/operator of the award-winning firm Howard Design., an industrial design practices whose clients included Coca-Cola, Colgate Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Nabisco, Pfizer and the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The New Jersey based com

This episode is co-produced with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. About Kurt Wilkin Kurt Wilkin is a trusted advisor for high-growth, middle-market companies as founder and managing partner of Bee Cave Capital and Co-Founder of HireBetter. With a passion for growth and a hard-earned, proven set of tools in his toolbox, Wilkin works with other entrepreneurs and CEOs to help them escape the start-up mindset and achieve next-level success.   His debut book, Who’s Your Mike?, reveals how entrepreneurs can transform their companies by minimizing hiring mistakes, investing in high potentials and making the difficult decisions to drop dead weight from their team. Wilkin draws on his extensive experience launching and growing businesses to

This episode was produced in partnership with the Austin Technology Council. ATC is a 30 year old association focused on promoting and facilitating growth of technology companies in Central Texas. Over the past three decades the business ecosystem in Austin has changed, and ATC is actively changing, too.  Learn more at https://AustinTechnology Council.org. Today's guest is Brain Beck, the co-founder and managing partner at Sabio Tech Partners. In this interview he shares his experience from the past five years in working with private equity firms, and companies, in reviewing and improving their tech to ensure better growth and valuations. About Brian Beck Brian Beck is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Sabio Tech Partners, an Austin-based technology advisory firm focused on helping middle market private equity firms achieve greater investment valuation with reduced risk. In today’s world, every company uses technology to both run the business and to produce its products and services. Brian’s core beli

For episode 726 of "Making Waves at C-Level", host Thom Singer sits down with a strategy professor from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Ron Adner has written two unbelievably great books and loves everything about strategy. His newest book, "Winning the Right Game: How to disrupt, defend, and deliver in a changing world" is a MUST READ for everyone in leadership. In this conversation they talk about changes from classic disruption and ecosystem disruption. How leaders can navigate these changes. They also touch on how this new world impacts companies and industries.  About Ron Adner Ron Adner is The Nathaniel D’1906 and Martha E. Leverone Memorial Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Prior to joining Tuck, he was the Akzo-Nobel Fellow of Strategic Management at INSEAD, where he served on the faculty for ten years. Dr. Adner’s award winning research introduces a new perspective on value cre

How can apps make you more productive? Don't know the answer? Then you need to know Beth Z. She is "Your Nerdy Best Friend" and she had dedicated her life to knowing all the apps you can have on your phone that will help you get more done (and maybe have some fun, too). About Beth Z Speaker, Author, Nerd... (Not necessarily in that order) To find the right technology that makes your life easier, you could... Sign up for free trials of 19 project management tools Download the top 27 Zoom alternatives Scroll through 49 more ways to make an engaging Instagram post Or, you could just ask Your Nerdy Best Friend Beth Z cuts through the noise to bring you tech tips, tools and tricks for productive productivity, sexy social media, tolerable to-do lists and truly collaborative collaborations. Beth takes the fear out of technology and helps you get right to the point with effective apps and tools that you can integrate into your everyday work and life. About Nerd365: A Year of APP-ortunities to Upgrade Your Li

What is the biggest weakness of leadership, and what can leaders do for their organizations? Dr. Rick Goodman shares how his clients work on culture and transformational leadership.   Dr. Rick Goodman has been a team physician for a professional sports team who worked on both brains and body. He is a serial entrepreneur who works with organizational teams who want to lead and grow their business. In this episode Thom and Rick chat about business success and how to develop leaders.   About Dr. Rick Goodman Since 1988, Dr. Rick Goodman has been keynote speaking, facilitating and working with small companies with only a few people all the way up to big behemoths that dominate their industries. Rick’s presentations are based on real-life experiences with one focus – for audiences and attendees to achieve transformational results in their lives! In 2008, Dr Rick Goodman wrote a widely acclaimed book – “Living a Championship Life: A Game Plan for Success,” based on my experiences while serving as a medical st

Why do we need to be intentional with energy? And does the significance of your energy matter as a leader? Dustin James says energy matters more than most people think. In this interview Thom Singer talks to professional speaker, entrepreneur, and corporate energizer Dustin James about how energy impacts your whole organization. About Dustin James Dustin E. James is America’s Top Corporate Energizer.  He is on a mission to elevate the workplace by helping corporations increase sales performance by building resilient, connected and creative leaders.    This motivational speaking powerhouse takes energy and engagement to an entirely different level. Dustin has presented to over 500,000 individuals in-person and virtually throughout the United States.     Dustin’s interactive learning experiences motivate and inspire through massive crowd engagement, creativity, and professional story telling. Creativity is one of his calling cards, with over 200+ plus stories to tailor for each of his events. Dustin has been

Episode 722 is a combination of 12 short interviews with toy store owners and toy manufacturers. Thom Singer was the EmCee for the ASTRA Toy Marketplace and Academy and had the chance to spend 4 days with the coolest people in the toy industry. He has worked with this association several times, and has learned that "toy people are fun people" and they are creative and innovative business leaders.   Your city might just have one or more independent toy stores. If so, you should check out these businesses. There is a lot to learn from toy stores around creativity, being playful in your career, customer service , innovation, and hard work.  In this interview he asks people about the toy industry, how retailers morphed and grew during the pandemic, and what lessons other industries can learn from the toy business.   This is fast past series of two to five minute chats that are full of business advice.  https://thomsinger.com/podcast/Toy-store-lessons  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch

Sometimes you have to take the "road less traveled" to find success in business. The guest on Episode 721 of "Making Waves at C-Level has done just that. In this interview Ed Rigsbee shares his eclectic career journey and the lessons he has learned along the way. As an individual or a company, innovation is key to finding your highest levels of success. About Ed Rigsbee Ed Rigsbee is unique in the fact that he holds both the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential and that of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). He has been referred to as, the dynamite that blew up the log jam. If your organization is ready to take a definitive step toward growing your organization, Ed is ready to help you through the maze or land mines, road blocks, and subversives. He is available to help your non-profit “move the needle” toward accelerated membership growth. THE ROI OF MEMBERSHIP - Ed Rigsbee's book Looking for the missing link to explosive membership growth? It’s member ROI at your core. Learn to calcul

Have you ever thought about how your strategic planning and succession planning impacts your corporate culture? Well according to Liz Weber, it plays a big part. And culture matters in business now more than ever. This episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" is a conversation about succession plans, strategy, and culture. Thom and Liz go deep into her expertise and find ways you company should be looking at your org chart and thinking about how you cover the roles of EVERY employee. About Liz Weber In the words of one client, “Liz Weber will help you see opportunities you never knew existed.”   A sought-after consultant, speaker, and trainer, Liz is known for her candor and ability to make the complexities of leadership E.A.S.Y. She creates clarity for her audiences during her results-oriented presentations. Participants walk away knowing how to implement the ideas she shares.   Liz has been named a Top 100 Leadership Influencer for 2022 by LeadersHum, a Top 100 HR Influencer by Engagedly, and a Top HR Influe

Thom Singer sits down with one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Austin, Texas. His friend, Brett Hurt, is the author of The Entrepreneur's Essentials and the founder of six successful companies.  In this conversation they chat about Brett's entrepreneurship, the new book, what makes a B Corporation, and how Brett can do a 22 minute plank. This interview is full of useful information for anyone at any level of their business career.   About Brett Hurt Brett Hurt is the CEO and co-founder of data.world, an Austin-based Certified B Corporation and public benefit corporation. data.world makes it easy for everyone—not just the "data people"—to get clear, accurate, fast answers to any business question. data.world's cloud-native data catalog maps its customers siloed, distributed data to familiar and consistent business concepts, creating a unified body of knowledge anyone can find, understand, and use. data.world is also home to the world’s largest collaborative open data community, including public COVI

This episode is the return of the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast after a month long hiatus. Host Thom Singer has been making some changes to his career and business life - and so stay tuned to see a lot of new things happening here on this podcast. In this interview he talks to Zora Chase from Chasing Nectar Digital Solutions. They discuss why all companies should have a digital expert in their corner and bring up the important strategies for digital. This is also the first time Thom Singer has ever interviewed anyone from his Kindergarten class. Yes, the two first met in the early 1970s in Ms O'Brien's kindergarten room at Hugo Reid Elementary in Arcadia, California. The two grew up in the same schools though High School, and were both the homeroom "Anchors" of their school's closed circuit TV newscast during their senior year.   About Zora Chase Very few digital companies can confidently compare the benefits of digital versus traditional media. Chasing Nectar founder, Zora Chase, is able to leverage 

Zora Chung joins the conversation on "Making Waves at C-Level" to talk about growing a business, Angel Funding, and business success. ReJoule is a start up that does fast testing for eclectic vehicle batteries.   About Zora Chung Zora Chung is the cofounder and CFO at ReJoule, a battery diagnostics and optimization company focused on maximizing the value of every battery. ReJoule has graded over 1MWh of used electric vehicle (EV) batteries as part of their project to repurpose used EV into a stationary application. This project is funded by the California Energy Commission where Zora has blogged to document their learnings, progress, and obstacles. ReJoule’s work has been featured by Wired, Frost & Sullivan, and across a few podcasts and conferences. Before founding ReJoule in 2017, Zora has spent over 12 years in corporate finance at Clorox and Walmart eCommerce. She's created long-range strategic and financial plans, negotiated contracts, and evaluated new and existing business models and optimized them

Given changes in the economy and lack of resources, many companies are looking to do more with less. Carolyn Strauss knows you can get more done with less and she shares this with passion and enthusiasm. She has found ways throughout her career to thrive in competitive industries with limited resources. She is clear that there is a time and place to let go of the past offerings, to let go of people, and to look for the best times to make these changes.   About Carolyn Strauss Carolyn Strauss is a former CEO and has spent her life studying how to help companies optimize their most important resource, their people. As one of the top female professional MC's, her job is to keep conferences energized and running smoothly. As a professional speaker having earned her CSP, Carolyn works with organizations to keep people and teams running smoothly, and over the years, she has worked in most industries. She is the author of 5 books, the co-host of the podcast "Another Day Above Ground" and is a member of the Screen

Wellness is more important than ever for your employees. Why is it important to focus on health in the workplace? Elaine Pasqua tells us all about it and how you and your people can stay healthy. About Elaine Pasqua Once upon a time, a 6’5″ 250 pound man looked at petite Elaine standing at 5’3″ and said: “You are the biggest little thing I’ve ever seen!” This funny and energetic live wire has been traversing the country for more than 27 years, advocating for positive choices, optimal health, healthy relationships, and productive lives. Elaine’s pursuit for making a difference in the lives of others began when she spoke out after losing her mom and stepdad to AIDS related complications. Her career as a professional speaker stemmed from passion, not from the desire to make money. That passion is reflected in her work today. Enhancing the quality of life for others resonates through Elaine’s keen knowledge, compassion, ability to connect, and sharp humor. Elaine’s enthusiasm for making a difference has remar

In this episode the conversation is all about change and innovation at work and how companies can create a culture that leads to more innovation. The guest is Adam Braus, whom Thom met at SXSW 2022.   Also, this is the only episode in the history of 714 shows where a cat walked across a keyboard in the middle of the interview....so listen for the cat playing piano. About Adam Braus Adam Braus is a people- and mission-driven leader in technology and higher education. Braus builds and works with and on teams that envision, design, build, launch, and grow innovative new institutions that build people up. He has been working in higher education building innovative new colleges and college programs that are accessible to all for almost a decade. His recent books include: Motivate: How to Defeat Distraction, Ignite Interest, and Secure Success - https://bit.ly/motivate-book Leading Change at Work — https://bit.ly/leading-change-at-work The Future of Good: A Guide for Good People Going Forward (coming June 1 20

In the middle of "The Great Resignation" you want to create a workplace culture that rocks. You want to keep your top talent from becoming your competitors top talent! This episode is a chat with retention expert Lisa Ryan. Find ways to catch your employees doing this well and say "Thank You Very Much". Are you holding "Stay Interviews" instead of Exit Interviews? This is a great piece of advice for all bosses. Don't wait until people are leaving to find out how they are doing. Be open to hearing the feedback loop of the good and the not as good.   About Lisa Ryan Lisa Ryan is the speaker who will make your life easier and more importantly, will make you look good! Her expertise includes: Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld The host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Networ