Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

"If I am going to work - I might as well work hard" said young Jim Silbernagel.  In his early job of making cold calls to set appointment he realized he was only going to be paid if he succeeded. Thus he jumped in and did the work. Today Jim Silbernagel is an independent agent registered with Woodbury Financial Services, Inc. He entered the insurance industry in 1982 followed by the financial services industry in 1986. Jim holds securities licenses; Series 6, 7, 63 and 66. He is insurance licensed for life, health and property/casualty since 1985. Jim has earned both his CFP® and LUTCF designations. Jim is the creator and host of Real Wealth®, an online radio program for insurance and financial professionals to educate their clients and keep in touch with them between meetings. Jim also leads Power Session LIVE, a monthly best practice and sales ideas session with top industry leaders. Jim is a 20-year life and qualifying member of MDRT, qualifiying for his first Top of the Table in 2001. He is also a 25-y

Jessica Pettitt has just released her new book "Good Enough Now". Her eclectic background leads her to saying she is "The Wizard of Mutts", but she her work is clear and focused and the 'must read' book of 2017. Audiences are inspired to stand up and take action as Jessica leads them down the path to understanding they are good enough to make the changes they seek. Challenging long held assumptions about the type of people who drive change and are successful, Jessica eradicates excuses and provides strategies to communicate openly and actively seek success. Let's roll up our sleeves, make space for real talk, develop reality based plans, for actual change. Humor is a great equalizer and is often the quickest way to diffuse conflict and move toward real connection. With a background in stand up comedy, Jessica Pettitt, frames even difficult subjects in an engaging and welcoming way. As a professional speaker, her expertise earned her the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers

Damian Mason is an entrepreneur who wanted to find his own way in the world. In 1994 he quit a successful sales career to become a professional Bill Clinton Impersonator and never looked back. He created a successful career and life, but eventually the Bush Administration took over, and the need for Bill Clinton look-a-likes shrank. Damian reinvented his career and now a successful professional speaker. He inspires audiences in the agriculture and small business arenas and provides powerful content while still entertaining.  Damian’s life on stage began in 1994 when he won a Halloween contest dressed as Bill Clinton. Within months, he resigned from his sales position with Cooper Industries (now part of Eaton Corporation) and launched his company, Executive Entertainment. Politics change, and so does business. Damian is now in high demand for his savvy, provocative presentations in two leading areas: Reinvention and Agriculture. His high-energy, entertaining insights on reinvention and agricultural issues i

In preparing for the national speakers Association conference, Thom Singer is thinking a lot about how people can maximize a conference.   This is the ninth consecutive year that he will be attending this event. This year he has many friends were speaking on the main stage and several who are receiving their "certified professional speaker" (CSP) designated.  (Thom became a CSP in 2014 and only about 800 professional speakers in the world have their CSP.   Listen to this episode as Thom shares ways people can maximize attending any industry conference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thom Singer had the honor of being the master of ceremonies and a speaker at the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy 2017 in Philadelphia, PA. ASTRA is the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, and annually the largest gathering of toy store owners and manufacturers. Wow, what a great event. Almost every community has a local toy store, and many of the entrepreneurs who run these businesses are continuing to thrive in a changing business environment. In this episode Thom interviews toy store owners, and the manufacturers of the products they sell for an informative podcast on what lessons all entrepreneurs can learn from the toy industry. Founded in 1992, the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) is an international not-for-profit trade organization that serves more than 1,800 independent retailers, manufacturers and sales representations of the specialty toy industry. ASTRA is a dedicated community of professionals committed to providing children with healthy, quality play materials that hav

Carlos Hidalgo was guest number 122 on "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" in Novermber 2015, At that time he was the founder and CEO of ANNUITAS and was leading the 10 year old company through amazing growth. Then a year later he decided he had to make some hard choices, and decided to walk away from the company to choose a different life for himself and his family. Can a CEO of a successful company really walk away? Carlos did just that. He told his board in October, and 4 months later told the world. What surprised him the most was how many other CEOs, Founders, and C-Level Executives reached out to him and said "Tell me more about how you did that". This episode is a must hear for every entrepreneur who feels they have their ladder against the wrong wall. It is common for people to merge their identity with their career, and get buried in the "busy". If that sounds like you (or someone you know), check out this interview. After leaving the company Carlos founded VisumCx. Hes has 20+ years of experience in l

Concord Leadership Group founder Marc A. Pitman helps leaders, especially in nonprofits, lead their teams with more effectiveness and less stress. He’s the author of “Ask Without Fear!®,” the executive director of TheNonprofitAcademy.com, and an Advisory Panel member of Rogare, a prestigious international fundraising think tank. Marc’s expertise and enthusiasm engages audiences around the world and has caught the attention of media organizations as diverse as The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Al Jazeera, SUCCESS Magazine, and Fox News. Marc tweets regularly at @marcapitman. He is the husband to his best friend and the father of three amazing kids. And if you drive by him on the road, he’ll be singing 80’s tunes loud enough to embarrass his family! Over the past 16 years, Marc’s organizational and leadership coaching and trainings have helped tens of thousands of nonprofits advance their missions, meet revenue goals, and improve the lives of their staff and supporters including clients like the Maine Public Br

Steve Olsher is known as the world’s foremost reinvention expert. Famous for helping individuals and corporations become exceptionally clear on their WHAT – that is, the ONE thing they were created to do – his practical, no-holds-barred approach to life and business propels his clients and presentation attendees towards achieving massive profitability while cultivating lives of purpose, conviction, and contribution. He is the New York Times bestselling author of What Is Your WHAT? Discover The ONE Amazing Thing You Were Born To Do, international keynote speaker, Chairman & Co-Founder of Liquor.com, and in-demand media guest who has appeared on CNN, Fox Business and other national outlets. WHAT IS THE NEW MEDIA SUMMIT? The NEW MEDIA SUMMIT is a brand new conference for coaches, authors, speakers, holistic practitioners and entrepreneurs to receive detailed training on leveraging, and monetizing, the power of new media... and, to have GUARANTEED, private, 1:1 meetings with today's leading 'Icons of Influence

Dr. Richard B. Gasaway entered the fire service in 1979 and has served as firefighter, paramedic, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and fire chief in 6 fire and EMS agencies in West Virginia, Ohio and Minnesota. After completing his 30-year fire service career, Chief Gasaway founded Situational Awareness Matters! a consulting and teaching organization dedicated to improving how individuals, teams and organizations make decisions in stressful environments. Chief Gasaway earned a doctor of philosophy degree while researching how individuals and teams use situational awareness to improve high- risk decision making. His research is rooted in cognitive neuroscience and human factor analysis. Dr. Gasaway is a resident faculty member in the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and has been a long-standing instructor for the Executive Development Program at the Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and is a Credenti

Phil M Jones is the world’s most prestigious sales trainer – having spoken to more than two million people in 56 countries across five continents. In this episode of CTED he shares his journey in life and entrepreneurship. He has come to know that building a business takes hard work, and too many people just want the "Frosting and sprinkles part of a cupcake". Phil’s entertaining yet thought-provoking style empowers non-sales people to become linguistic influencers through the use of his famous “Magic Words” philosophy. By using specific word choices and understanding exactly what to say to work around difficult situations, Phil leaves your audience feeling enthused and sharp-tongued, ready to make an impact in both their personal and professional lives. By delivering his compelling message through his unique style, Phil drives thought-pattern and behavioural changes that lead to implementable action, masked by his unforgettable “laugh out loud” and lovable style of delivery. In 2013, Phil’s dedication t

"The Universe won't give you a ham sandwich" - Part of the great advice on this episode (episode 264). Joe Payton is a real estate developer, serial entrepreneur and angel investor. Payton began his career selling advertising and publishing and moved into investor relations getting a graduate degree in 1994 from the University of Denver and working in-house in the mid 1990’s for Corporate Express, a startup that grew from $50M when he joined - to $1B in sales through acquisition and multiple public offerings. Joe was on the core Investor Relations team for the IPO and four secondary offerings. Joe left corporate to invest in real estate full time in 1996. As a real estate investor Joe began buying and selling single family homes and parlayed his capital into larger developments and then small startups of his own and as angel investor. Joe was a member of the Rockies Venture club in Denver Colorado and the Central Texas Angel Network in Austin. Nothing he invested in went “big”, but he’s seen several hundre

Entrepreneurs need to try new things. Times change and the expectations from our customers morph over time. Finding ways to remain relevant and to provide unique ways to deliver our products or services are important in a world of change. Thom Singer recently participated as a Table Leader in a special first time conference called XDP. This event was hosted by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in partnership with 360Live. Dozens of people donated hundreds of hours to create a two-day conference that would redesign many elements of live meetings. Meetings are an important part of the world of associations. But the same event year over year can become stale, Yet, there are not a lot of options on ways to arrange an experience when bringing together large crowds at a hotel or conference center. But without exploration and trying new things, nothing will ever change. ASAE undertook a new and exciting event with the Xperience Design Project (XDP). They took many things we expect at a live co

Imagine living your whole life as a writer, storyteller, performer and solopreneur. Bob Stromberg has done just that. He started following his dream a young man, and never looked back. From his home in St. Paul, MN Bob Stromberg travels continually performing his very unique blend of original story, standup and shtick. His work has left lasting impressions on Fortune 500 companies, raised multimillions for nonprofits, garnered literary and theater awards and broken box office records in the US and Europe. The London Times said “ He’s a genuinely funny man”. The Chicago Sun Times called him, “… a mesmerizing physical comedian.” Most impressively, Bob has joined a very small group of elite artists who have stayed prolific and profitably busy for over forty years. How’s he done it? By “Mastering the Craft of Creativity”. In his online class, Bob shares three profound, transforming disciplines that lead to creating a rich, personal reservoir of original ideas. In this episode of CTED Bob shares his advice, idea

"I was living in a frat house at 21-years-old" says CTED host Thom Singer. But the guest on this episode of the show is already winning in the game of startups and entrepreneurship. QuHarrison Terry is a serial entrepreneur and self-starter. He is the co-founder and president of VNM USA, a full service ad agency that he has run since 2013, the co-founder and CEO of 23VIVI, an online digital marketplace, and known for his marketing work at EatStreet. He was listed in Madison’s 40 under 40 and as a frequent writer on LinkedIn was named one of LinkedIn Top Voices in Technology. He has accomplished all of this by the age of 21. He is currently the marketing director of Redox. With the adoption of electronic records, healthcare has been digitized. However, the data is too difficult to access. Health systems have trouble sharing with each other, and vendors have trouble accessing it for their software applications. Redox was started to eradicate the technical barriers to data access and usher forth the future of

Sometimes life gets in the way of your entrepreneurial journey. Stuff happens and you find yourself wondering if it is all worth it. The grind of keeping your dreams moving forward can weigh heavy. When this happens you might want to quit. Go back to a regular job. But don't. Bad days are just part of the journey. When you need entrepreneurial inspiration - take action to get back in the game. 1. Observe. Great entrepreneurs are always watching and learning. They see what other companies (inside and outside their industry) are doing and look for fresh ideas to get their business a kick in the pants. 2. Read a book. In a world of constant information overload, we benefit from going old school sometimes. Pick up a good book and read. Better yet, re-read a book that inspired you years ago and look for those nuggets that got you going in the first place. 3. Get away from your routine. Sometimes a vacation, even just for a few hours, is all you need to re-charge. Go do something that is not your normal activit

Fireman Dryerman was founded by Brett Ketchum, a full-time professional firefighter. In 2014, on his days off from the fire station, Brett began repairing washers and dryers in Austin, Texas. With more than ten years of firefighting experience coupled with two years of appliance repair, Brett was witness to a handful of dryer fires and plenty of lint-filled dryers. He saw a need to include dryer vent cleaning and dryer vacuuming on his list of services. As his days off filled with bookings for this service, Brett decided to hire on some of his favorite fellow firefighters and thus Fireman Dryerman was born. Check out this episode of "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" as Brett shares how he started his side business, and has grown it through word-of-mouth, networking, referrals and social media. Many people want to start a business, but let excuses hold them back. Brett is a busy fireman, husband and father, and he still finds the time to grow his company. He sees many opportunities in his future, and his enthus

Thom Singer works as a professional speaker and often coaches business professionals, engineers, technology experts, academics, and others on how to deliver better presentations. The biggest problem with speaking is that many people assume it is easy to do, or that it is not nearly as important as the content. Being smart or having great research does not mean that your presentation will land strong with the audience. There is more to speaking than having the right information. In this episode Thom talks about some of the mindset shifts that are needed for non-speakers to transition from dumping statistics and data to crafting talks that move an audience to action. The speaker needs to be clear as to "why" they are being asked to present. It is not just to share data, as a speech alone is not the best delivery tool for data. If you just want to share the research, a white paper can do a better job of that transfer of information. A speech touches people on several levels, and human to human connections are

David M. R. Covey has been CEO & Co-Founder of SMCOV since October 2010. He is a serial entrepreneur, author, and father of seven who left the corporate world to start his own business. Covey, who is the son of Dr Steven Covey (Author of "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People") was previously the Co-Chief Operating Officer of the FranklinCovey Company. Other positions he held at FranklinCovey include: General Manager & Senior Vice President, US Sales & Delivery, President of FranklinCovey International, President of FranklinCovey Japan and Managing Director of FranklinCovey Australia. David was also employed at Procter & Gamble and American Express before joining his father's company and eventually starting his own ventures. Covey earned his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his MBA from Harvard University. In this episode he shares key advice from his life and experience about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. You will want to get a copy of his new book "Trap Tales: The 7

Attending a conference is a big investment of time and money. If you have never been to an event before you have no idea what to expect, and you may be worried if your going to find real value. Thom Singer is a professional speaker who is known as "The Conference Catalyst". One of his roles at many events is as the speaker or facilitator at the "First Timer Orientation" program. Smart event planners have special sessions for those attending for their first time, as repeat attendance is often based on the experience of the newbie. Too often if left to chance the newcomers feel left out. Associations do not mean to have cliques, but any place that people convene, groups will form. Setting the tone and expectations for first timers can change their whole event experience. Attendees must have a game plan before, during and after the event. It is often the little things that are overlooked that limit the successful ROI. In this episode Thom Singer talks about things to do if you are going to an industry conferen

Sharon Spano has a PhD in Human and Organizational Systems. She is an author, corporate business strategist, work force expert, professional speaker and former radio host of WorkSmart Live. Sharon empowers business leaders and entrepreneurs to maximize performance, improve employee engagement, and increase bottom-line results. She is also a Certified Professional Integral Coach dedicated to helping others adopt new paradigms about time and money so that they can step into radical abundance in every area of their lives. Her research focuses on wisdom, adult development, and leadership. Her work and her new book The Pursuit of Time and Money: Step Into Radical Abundance and Discover the Secret to a Meaningful Prosperous Life (launches Spring 2017) are grounded in research in adult human development.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices