Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do

The ecosystem of Austin has proven over the last thirty years to produce the hottest boom town in business. Today's episode covers the "Secret Sauce of Austin" and what are the six "superpowers" of the region. According to Jason Scharf, this is a roadmap for other areas of the country (and the world) who want to grow their economies. It's not about copying Austin (or the Silicon Valley), it is about developing your own superpowers. About Jason Scharf Jason Scharf is an experienced strategy executive and active early-stage investor in the life science and digital health sectors. For the past 15 years, he has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation. Today he is the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships for Kean Health, a direct to consumer at home genomic and microbiome solutions company. He leads product management, business development, and strategic planning. Prior to his role at Kean, he worked across the healthcare sector at biopharma, genomics, and medtech c

Michael Davis helps executives become more confident every time they speak to a group in-person or on camera. In this interview we chat about how improving your presentation skills will make a difference in your career. About Michael Davis Michael Davis’s work is focused on helping you attract more clients, create more efficient teams, and increase your influence through more effective speaking, business storytelling and online presentations. He helps experienced speakers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals confidently deliver memorable and meaningful talks of any length, even on short notice. His passion for effective presenting was born on a desk when he was in first grade. He was being punished for breaking a class rule. The embarrassment of being ridiculed by his classmates kept him from standing in front of any group for the next 25 years, unless he was forced to. This didn’t change until the day his boss told him, “Either get better at giving presentations or we’ve got to let y

How can you get your team to embrace high performance? Mike Mooney will tell you how. With a background in professional motorsports, he knows that the little improvements deliver big results. About Mike Mooney Some might say that Mike Mooney's 25-year career in professional motorsports was just going in circles! Actually, it perfectly positioned him to be an accelerator for leaders seeking to unlock people-centered speed to drive opportunities in their lives and careers. Mike's dynamic storytelling and use-now lessons come from his first-hand experiences with racing champions where he watched them build and innovate their high-performance vehicles to stay on track and win. Mike left his senior executive role with one of NASCAR’s most respected teams with a passion and the tools to work with another type of high-performance vehicle – people! You see, Mike believes we were all designed to be high-performance vehicles in this life, yet like race cars speeding at 200 miles per hour, we all need time for pit st

We all know that stress is a problem in business. Today's episode looks at ways to overcome stress with mathematician turned stress expert, Dr. Katie Nall. We talk about how to engage in reducing stress, and she leads the listeners through and example of "Tapping". About Dr. Katie Nall Katie Nall, Ph.D., is a Florida mathematician, a TEDx speaker, a professional member of National Speakers Association, and an Accredited Master Trainer and Practitioner in Emotional Freedom Technique, also known as EFT or Tapping. Dr. Nall shows others how to dissolve WAFFLES – worries, anxiety, fear, frustration, lethargy, exhaustion, and STRESS™! During her dissertation research, her focus was on ways for students to excel in Mathematics (especially adults returning or starting college).  She wanted to help college students overcome fear, phobia, and stress related to math class and math tests. In 2010, she found Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or tapping) and began offering the process to students. Students reported they

In this episode, Thom Singer sits down with Hall Martin to discuss finding funding for your business, and how to be an angel investor. About Hall Martin Hall T. Martin is the Founder and CEO of the TEN Capital Network and Host of the Investor Connect podcast program.He launched TEN as the Texas Entrepreneur Networks in 2009. Today, TEN Capital Network has over 15,000 investors, and has helped startups raise over $900M.Mr. Martin serves as the Vice-Chair of the Baylor Angel Network. He previously led the Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN) as its first Executive Director.Mr. Martin is also the Host, founder, and director of the Investor Connect podcast which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to the education of startup investors. Mr. Martin is a Founder and initial Managing Director of SKU (Incubation Station), a consumer product goods accelerator based in Austin, Texas, and the former Managing Director of AccelerateNFC, an accelerator based in Dallas, Texas, focusing on Near Field Communication.Mr. Martin

This episode is about sales, asking for the business, and the fastest way to grow your business. Desmond Dixon is a sales guy through and through. He love selling and helps companies find ways to get more success with their sales teams. About Desmond Dixon Desmond Dixon started his career as a chemical engineer and quickly realized he did not experience being fulfilled in this line of work. Instead, he decided to follow his dream of being in sales, even though he had zero experience and failed at his first door to door sales job. Desmond didn’t give up on his sales career and ultimately uncovered over 5 million dollars in opportunity before the age of 25. Desmond now trains and leads sales teams for small businesses who want to go from x and get to X amount in sales. Desmond is now traveling the world right now and started his podcast, Campfire Capitalism, to connect the dots between sales growth, stages of business and new tech that can support other entrepreneurs like himself. He enjoys rifting on topic

In this episode of "Making Waves at C-Level", Thom Singer sits down with Larry Long Jr. Larry is a seasoned sales executive who turned speaker for companies. He brings to his presentations a combination of experience and high energy.   About Larry Long Jr. Larry Long Jr is the Founder and CEO (that’s Chief Energy Officer) of LLJR Enterprises, which focuses on sales motivation, inspiration, transformation, training & coaching. He is the host of the weekly ‘Midweek Midday Motivational Minute’ Linkedin, Facebook, YouTube & Instagram Live series, Co-Author of Color Outside The Lines: Stories of Extraordinary Leadership, and Author of JOLT! Get Zapped Into Intentionality: Rediscover and Believe in Your Inner Greatness coming out in Spring 2022. Larry is also Co-Founder and Lead Instructor of The Sales Allies, an online sales training course and supportive community designed to uplift sales professionals.  Ask yourself…do you break out sweating when thinking about Sales? Does that 500lb phone ever scare you into

In this episode Thom Singer talks to Business Strategist and Author Marcia Daszko about how to think differently. She is a "Pivot Provocateur" who tries to shake up how people think. She helps people achieve more than they ever dreamed.  About Marcia Daszko Marcia Daszko is a global business strategist and leadership transformation consultant in the Deming philosophy of management for 30 years. She guides executive teams and Boards of Directors to transform their thinking, achieve their competitive edge, and achieve results never before imagined. Bestselling author of Pivot Disrupt Transform: How Leaders Beat the Odds and Succeed, Marcia is a keynote speaker across all sectors. She writes a weekly Q&A column for the Silicon Valley Business Journal and has taught MBA classes at six universities from Fordham to UC-Berkeley and SJSU. Https://thomsinger.com/marcia-daszko Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this interview, Thom Singer sits down with a very interesting guest who is an expert in Adaptive Leadership and AI Ethics. Marisa Zalabak has an eclectic background hand a deep curiosity for learning. They discuss emotional intelligence, organizational justice, character, sustainability, and a whirlwind of other topics.  About Marisa Zalabak Marisa Zalabak, founder of Open Channel Culture, coaching and consulting for Adaptive Leadership and Organizational Culture, focusing on human potential, essential skills and sustainable practices for the emerging future. Marisa currently serves as a co-chair of a committee expanding global AI Ethics education with IEEE.org, the world’s largest professional organization advancing technology for humanity. She is a contributing author of IEEE’s recommended standards for the ethical design of artificial intelligence as well as co-author of proposed approaches for transdisciplinary collaboration in the development and mobilization of AI. Marisa is a member of MIT’s U.L

Why should C-Level executives care about their own personal LinkedIn or other social media? Come on, they have busy jobs, they don't want to be self-promotional, and who wants to hear their pontifications?   Richard Bliss, the president of BlissPoint Consulting says "Your ability to master a 21st century communication tool calls into question your ability to lead a 21st century organization". In this interview you will learn more about how to use LinkedIn than you ever have anywhere else.  About Richard Bliss As a LinkedIn Top Voices and experienced executive communications manager and Social Media Coach, Richard Bills works with executives and sales teams, helping them become more comfortable with social media and more fluent in social conversations. He helps them build their platform and confidence to reach their audience effectively. Executives must have mastery of 21st-century communication tools to be successful at leading 21st-century organizations. These tools offer incredible opportunities to con

In this episode we talk about communications for executives. Many of us put of "Berlin Walls" around parts of our hearts and souls, and they hold us back in being the best we can be. Often when people have issues in communications they have blocks. Christine Morlet, CSP joins the conversation on "Making Waves at C-Level". She lives in the South of France, but works with executives all around the world as a speech coach and energy healer.   About Christine Morlet Christine Morlet is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), Business Advisor, Coach and Consultant focused on improved sustained Profitable Deals. She has extensive experience across a broad spectrum of businesses – from small start-ups to large multinational corporations; from high tech manufactured products through basic commodities, to people based services businesses. Christine Morlet can help your sales force understand what’s the real difference between Haggling and Negotiating and get much better results within a 30-45 Keynote Speech. Sh

Jeremy Torisk's “Become Your Own C.E.O.” mindset took him from a homeless kid, digging ditches to a C-Suite Title, Operating a National Telco Construction Company with over $60 Million Dollars in yearly revenue. After 30-years in the Telco Industry, the company sold in 2021, which allowed Jeremy to shift from building his own legacy to helping others to do the same! By sharing the stories behind the struggles, along with the process, strategies & tactics that proved effective over time, he's added SCIENCE the mix, to help companies across America with Employee Retention, Platinum Communication, and Exponential Growth.    He has a weekly Podcast called "The Go PROcast, where he invites Business Doers on, to discuss the secrets to their success too. And in his "SPARE TIME" he speaks to audiences small and large about how to get their workforce Engaged and to spread the "Become your Own CEO Mentality".  Please enjoy this interview with Jeremy Torisk, the author of LARBOR TO LEADERSHIP. https://thomsinger.com

Thom Singer started this podcast, originally called "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do" in 2014. His life looked very different at the time. He had no idea how this show would impact his business and his soul. In this episode, celebrating 700 episodes, Thom looks at the evolution of his life (and this podcast) over seven years and 700 episodes.   If you have not talked to someone in the past 5 years, you really do not know them. People change and grow. Fresh experiences and new people have an impact on people's soul. Thom sees himself as changed (for the better) over the past seven years, and he is happier and more fulfilled in his life.  Check out this retrospective, and feel free to reach out to him and share your thoughts. Thom (at) ThomSinger.com. https://thomsinger.com.podcast/episode-700  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we again visit the idea of the Great Resignation. Karl Ahlrichs joins me for a chat about what C-Level executives need to know. Check out this post by Karl Ahlrichs Why Your Employees Quit and How to Prevent It By Karl Ahlrichs My employer has hundreds of clients, and I am fortunate to work with some of them as a consultant. Therefore, I have the viewpoint of an inside outsider.  When I was talking with Thom Singer on his Podcast recently, I reflected that I have noticed something powerful - most employees don’t quit because of money, or because the task is too difficult, but because they no longer feel that their boss hears them or cares about them. Here are a few simple reasons why your employees quit and actions that you can take to reduce the chances of having to re-staff. Listening It starts with the boss. Based on my unscientific survey of simply asking people why they quit, more than half led with their main motivation for leaving a job was their relationship with their boss. It’s

This episode is a fun chat with the cofounders of City Bonfires. These are two suburban dads who started a company during the pandemic (now their fulltime jobs) making candles and selling all you need for Smores. Yes, candles in a can and marshmellows.... and a business is born. Thom Singer saw their ad on Instagram and knew they had to be guests on the "Making Waves at C-Level" podcast. This episode is a throwback to when the show was called "Cool Things Entrepreneurs Do"....as this is true coolness in action.  About City Bonfires As you can imagine, Covid-19 has impacted many industries across the globe. Maryland natives, Chris McCasland, a sports and concert industry broker and restaurateur, and Michael Opalski, a senior restaurant industry salesman, both endured a loss of income during the pandemic. As the story goes, both were at home for long periods of time with their families (Chris' son Brooks is 4 and Mike's son Alex is 12 and daughter Anna is 9). While at home, Chris started teaching himself e-

Ernesto Verdugo helps baby boomers and Gen Xers think and earn like successful YouTubers.   Ernesto is best defined as a Change Catalyst because his interventions create results in record times. His speaking style quickly engages audiences and individuals to change and think differently. His presentations are thought provoking, entertaining, insightful and straight to the point. Participants on his events are always left with a strong urge to take action. He is a master in the art of anticipation. An avid trend hunter ready to identify new opportunities in the horizon for individuals and organizations. Ernesto has been speaking and training since 1994 and has worked with tens of thousands of individuals from over 120 countries in 57 different countries. Simply, Google his name and you’ll find among the over 460,000 results, he is listed as the 247th most traveled human being in the universe. He works with a wide range of global organizations and provides them with a competitive edge based on his unique unde

Episode 696 is a chat with Jay Baer, a marketing consultant and Hall of Fame Speaker. Jay knows customers and he is a Licensed Tequila Sommelier. About Jay Baer Jay Baer is the world’s most inspirational customer experience, customer service, and marketing keynote speaker. New York Times best-selling author of six books. A 7th-generation entrepreneur. The founder of five, multi-million dollar companies. Certified tequila sommelier. Lover of all things plaid. Jay Baer, CSP, CPAE has spent 29 years in digital marketing and customer experience, consulting for more than 700 companies during that period, including 36 of the FORTUNE 500. He’s the founder of Convince & Convert, a consultancy that provides content marketing, social media, and customer experience advice and counsel to some of the world’s most important brands. His newest book, Talk Triggers, is the complete guide to creating customers using strategic, operational differentiators that compel word of mouth. In the best companies, the customers do th

This is the last episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" for 2021. What a two years it has been. Thom Singer shares how he got focused to set clear goals for the new year... and the three areas of focus he will have moving forward: Mind, Body, and Money. In the last two years he had lost some of his mojo due to the closing of the in-person meeting business where he had worked for over a decade. His income went to zero for a while, and he had to get scrappy to survive. Now he has many areas of business that he is engaged in to earn money (instead of just being a speaker), but it also means for the first time in his life he needs more structure and systems in place to ensure things do not fall through the cracks.   He shares the process he went through in this short episode that is available on on the podcast apps and on YouTube at https://youtube.com/c/thomsinger. (Please subscribe to his YouTube Channel). Thanks for being a listener in 2021. Thom wants your feedback and guest ideas for the new year.   http:/

This episode of "Making Waves at C-Level" is one of two solo episodes with Thom Singer sharing his thought. In this "rant" he talks about what he learned the last two years in the pandemic.   For many the business experiences during Covid have been very different. Some were hit hard, others simply worked from home and had little other disruptions. Thom is honest and open about the bumps in the road he faced, and now that things are better, he shares what he did to get from there to here. Thanks for being part of this podcast. Thom wants all people who listen to this episode to reach out to him via social media or by email at Thom@ThomSinger.com https://thomsinger.com/podcast/what-I-learned Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Competitive pricing strategy is key to not leaving money on the table. How to price your product or service is often a cost plus idea - with a focus on desired profit margins. But there are more indepth ways to do this right. The guest on this episode is Mark Stiving from Impact Pricing. He is the Chief Pricing Educator, and he helps companies win more business at higher prices (who doesn't want that?). In this conversation Mark shares his brilliance around value based pricing, how to price for products, services, and subscription based offerings. Mark helps his clients have a value based mindset and to re-think how the set their pricing strategies.  You can learn more about Mark at Impact Pricing (www.ImpactPricing.com). About Impact Pricing The mission at Impact Pricing is to educate companies about value based pricing, which simply means charge what a customer is willing to pay. Once a company starts down that path, it’s quickly apparent that they require a much deeper understanding of value. By starti