Go For Launch Rocket Fuel For Entrepreneurs

At some point, everyone who is a customer has experienced the tremendous frustration of being passed around between a company’s sales, marketing and customer service departments—and you get that terrible feeling that the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. When companies have to ask you for the same information repeatedly, or when everyone does not have full visibility into your history of purchases and support requests, it not only frustrates and drives customers away, but it leads to poor productivity and lost business. These days, companies really don’t have an excuse for dropping the ball. There are many tools available for tracking customers throughout the buying journey, from marketing to sales and support. However, they can be complicated and expensive. My guest on the Go For Launch podcast is Nauren Batjargal. Nauren is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officers of Erxes, an open source growth marketing platform that is challenging conventional martech tools with their affordable, op

If you're like most high-performing leaders, you're tired of being pulled in multiple directions with no time left for yourself. My latest guest on the Go For Launch podcast, Laura Noelle of Stretch Into Success, helps high performers live in powered, fulfilling lives— all while achieving their highest potential. As a certified Proctor Gallagher coach and former United States Air Force with 27 years of experience, Laura helps leaders focus on what really matters, so they can stop feeling out of control, become more effective and and spend more time discovering what they love.

Les McKeown of Predictable Success provides tough business startup advice to entrepreneurs. As a serial entrepreneur himself, Les has earned the right. In addition to being involved in the launch of more than 40 companies before he was 35, he was at the same time a founding elder in a fast-growing church, while serving on the board of a number of charities and non-for-profit organizations. He joined me on the latest Go For Launch podcast. Les first began to recognize recurring growth patterns early in his career as a serial entrepreneur. He uses the experience he gained during that time to co-found one of the first business incubators in the world, which he and his then business partner developed into a multi-national consulting company that advised on the creation and growth of hundreds of organizations worldwide. Less is a trusted advisor to fast-growth small to medium enterprises and thriving not-for-profit organizations as well as Fortune 500 companies and a number of the world’s largest government agenci

Dan McGaw is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker and the CEO of McGaw.io, an analytics and marketing technology consultancy and SaaS platform, UTM.io. Dan is a thought leader in the MarTech world and leading instructor on the topic. Having spoken at the leading marketing conferences and online events, including Traction Conf and Forget The Funnel, he helps businesses extract and interpret the right data to grow their revenue exponentially. Dan previously served as the Head of Marketing at Kissmetrics, and in the past he worked as a CMO consultant for a number of high-growth companies, implementing tools, offering support and analyzing data. In 2015, Dan was selected to be a US government Ambassador of Entrepreneurship by the United States Department of State, where he had the privilege to advise the government, universities and private corporations on how to build entrepreneur ecosystems. He even flew out to Mexico to be an entrepreneur ambassador for Tijuana and Mexicali. Text the word Martech to 415-915-

David Wood, founder of Focus.ceo, has some unique bullet points on his bio: He built the world’s largest coaching business with 150,000 followers He was ranked #1 on google for “life coaching” out of 23 million results He’s the author of “Get Paid for Who You Are”with foreword by Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup fame He has taught laser focus to leaders at Facebook, Square, Warner Bros, Salesforce—as well as Colorado prison inmates He has appeared on CNN Headline News, Forbes and has done over 180+ podcast interviews! He's my latest guest on the Go For Launch podcast, where he shared his advice on how to stay focused, avoid "Shiny Object Syndrome," and accomplish bigger goals in your life. In addition to the above accomplishments, David was nominated to the exclusive Transformational Leadership Council alongside such thought leaders as Don Miguel Ruiz, John Gray, and Marianne Williamson.

Brian Kight doesn’t know your goals, but he knows how you can get there faster—through discipline. Discipline is the shortcut, and he’s sharing this shortcut every day with his 32,000+ Daily Discipline subscribers. Daily Discipline is a free daily email with a central mission to help people build the discipline they need to accomplish what they want, as fast and reliably as possible. Brian has worked with some of the most notable businesses and sports teams in implementing his simple systems for training leaders, building culture, and creating winning behavior. Whether he is delivering world-class keynotes or advising an organization’s leaders, Brian is making a difference for those ready to do the work. Brian’s competitive mindset grew from the influence of playing football to becoming an entrepreneur. He sits on the board of the Charlotte, NC, chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) where he advises other entrepreneurs and small business owners on how to compete and win.

Jack Tompkins is the owner of Pineapple Consulting Firm based out of Charlotte, NC. He helps clients analyze and visualize their financial and marketing data in interactive charts, graphs, and dashboards so they don’t have to deal with the tedious processes of gathering and manipulating data. He shared his insights in this episode of the Go For Launch podcast. Jack’s goal is to help companies grow profitably and efficiently by helping them not just know their numbers through and through, but also visualize them to quickly get the full picture.

Most of us have worked for bosses who were assholes. But those of us who are lucky also have gotten to serve with leaders who were badasses. Michelle Reines knows what it takes to become the type of leader who inspires and empowers those around them. She shares her insights on this episode of the Go For Launch podcast. Michelle is a speaker, author, coach, entrepreneur, founder of MDR Coaching & Consulting and creator of the unconventional Badass Leader brand. Early in her leadership journey, Michelle admits she was a terrible boss (aka an ass), oblivious to the impact she was having on people. Like many people, she didn’t understand how to lead. She very quickly learned to appreciate the profound impact an unconscious leader has on people, teams, and organizational health and performance. The significance and value of a team became abundantly clear, as did the critical importance and necessity for her to immediately begin evolving as a leader. This painfully humbling experience set the course correction

Steve Young is an app marketing expert and founder of App Masters, which has helped companies 10x their downloads and revenue. Steve has worked with companies such as GoPro, Nextdoor, SpotHero and more. He also hosts the No. 1 app business podcast App Masters as well as a popular YouTube channel about app marketing.

Theresa Truong is the CEO of Loop Link. Loop Link helps creative consultants and strategists shift to sustainable growth. The company has helped over 120 business owners leverage the power of systems in their business, helping them reclaim their original vision and find fulfillment.

Dr. James Richardson knows how to grow consumer packaged goods companies. He is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions, a strategic planning consultancy for early-stage consumer packaged goods brands. As a professionally trained cultural anthropologist turned business strategist, James has helped nearly 100 consumer packaged goods with their strategic planning, including brands owned by Coca-Cola Venturing and Emerging Brands, The Hershey Company, General Mills and Frito-Lay, as well as other emerging brands such as Once Upon a Farm, Dr. Squatch Soap, Proven skincare, Rebel creamery and June Shine kombucha. James is the author of Ramping Your Brand: How to Ride the Killer CPG Growth Curve, a #1 Best-seller in Business Consulting on Amazon. He also hosts the Startup Confidential podcast.

Change happens every day. It can be positive or negative. It can be small scale or global, as we’ve all experienced over the past year during the COVID-19 pandemic. But approaching a personal or professional change as an opportunity requires a positive mindset. That’s exactly what my guest today did—using opportunity to create a positive change that is transcendent. Brett Harrell is a creative marketing, communications and strategic partnerships veteran with more than 20 years of agency, sports and startup experience. Brett has worked with many brands that you may know – such as Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Hershey, Nabisco and Jack Daniel’s. He began his career in motorsports with NASCAR and then helped rebuild Richard Childress Racing’s marketing department following the death of industry icon Dale Earnhardt. He left racing to join a professional services startup, then held senior positions with marketing agencies in Charlotte and Philadelphia before founding Block Creative Agency in April 2020. And as the pandemi

Master the Art of Storytelling to Build Your Business Storytelling is the original form of “going viral.” But it’s not just personal stories that get passed down through the ages. The best business leaders have learned to master the science and art of crafting stories to propel their vision and move people to take action. I was fortunate to speak with an expert in storytelling recently, Kurian Tharakan. Kurian is the founder of the sales and marketing strategy firm StrategyPeak Sales & Marketing Advisors and a 27-year veteran of the sales and marketing industry. He has consulted for companies in numerous sectors. Kurian is also the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “The 7 Essential Stories Charismatic Leaders Tell,” which details how anyone can move people and mountains with the power of story.

Despite popular belief to the contrary, entrepreneurship in the United States is dying. It has been since before the Great Recession of 2008, and the negative trend in American entrepreneurship has been accelerated by the Covid pandemic. New firms are being started at a slower rate, are employing fewer workers, and are being formed disproportionately in just a few major cities in the U.S. At the same time, large chains are opening more locations. Companies such as Amazon with their "deliver everything and anything" are rapidly displacing Main Street businesses. Elizabeth MacBride and Seth Levine know a lot about these trends and more. They are the authors of the new book,The New Builders - Face to Face with the True Future of Business. They joined me on the Go For Launch Podcast. In the book, they tell the stories of the next generation of entrepreneurs -- and argue for the future of American entrepreneurship. Elizabeth MacBride is an award-winning business journalist and the founder of Times of Entrepreneurs

Employee advocacy and social selling are two related concepts that can help promote your company organically. They are what I would call “win-wins” for both management and employees. The company wins because messages shared by individuals can be perceived as more authentic than ads and other forms of marketing. The employees win because it helps them enhance their own personal/professional branding. I dove into both of these topics on the latest episode of the Go For Launch podcast, when I interviewed Jonathan Baldock of SocialHP. With 10 years experience at LinkedIn, serving customers like Accenture, JP Morgan Chase, Johnson and Johnson, PepsiCo, Hershey's and IBM, Jonathan is highly skilled in social sharing best practices. Utilizing earned media as a results-focused evergreen channel, he is an expert in social media recruitment, sales and marketing strategies. Lots of companies either don’t understand the power of employee advocacy and social selling—or they drop the ball and don’t do either (or both) effe

Creating a successful online community is not easy. It can take a lot of dedication and hard work. But what really sets the right course for sustainable online communities is starting with a solid intent and a strategy that is designed to support and achieve that intent. My friend Melissa Mosher is the person I turn to when it comes to building communities. She is the founder and CEO of Support Savvy, a company that specializes in small business and community operations. Melissa helps small businesses with their operational infrastructure set-up and support – everything from email set-up, invoicing, ATS platforms and more. However, she is best known for her skills around community building and community moderation. She has been managing, marketing and moderating online community forums, newsgroups and chat rooms for over 25 years. You'll get some valuable community-building tips in my conversation with Melissa on the Go For Launch podcast.

Are our brains ‘hard-wired’ to encourage us to be our own boss? If so, why do so many people succumb to the perceived predictability of “normal jobs?” Tra Williams, is a nationally recognized expert in entrepreneurship and business strategy. He has some fascinating theories about why so few people start their own businesses. The significant decline of entrepreneurship in America inspired Tra’s upcoming book, Boss Brain, and sparked his mission to rescue one million entrepreneurs from “traditional” employment. In the new book, Tra reveals a scientifically-proven system that unlocks readers’ true potential and unleashes their entrepreneurial instincts so they can leave traditional employment forever and embrace what he calls the real American Dream. I had a great conversation with Tra on the podcast. We talked about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, and what the future holds for anyone thinking about starting their own business.

If you are interested in how to build thought leadership through podcasting, you will benefit from Jeremy Ryan Slate’s expertise. Jeremy is the founder of the Create Your Own Life Podcast, which studies the highest performers in the world. He studied literature at Oxford University, specializes in using podcasting and new media to create celebrity and was ranked he was ranked #1 in the business category and ranked #78 in the Top 100. He was named the #1 Podcast to Listen To by Inc. Magazine in 2019, as well as being named a Top Influencer by Forbes. After his success in podcasting, Jeremy and his wife, Brielle Slate, founded Command Your Brand to help entrepreneurs get their message out by appearing as guests on podcasts. Whether as a guest or the host of your own show, you can benefit from the power of podcasting. But like everything, it takes commitment and sweat equity to see results. If you’re willing to put in the work, you can stand out as an expert in your field and network with other thought leaders.

If you’re curious how to use Clubhouse for networking, check out the latest episode of the Go For Launch podcast. I literally met my guest, Marc Hayford, in a Clubhouse chat recently. I was checking out the hottest app and stumbled upon a room he was moderating. We hit it off, and I asked him to come on the show to talk about how to best use Clubhouse. It turns out Marc is an Air Force veteran and an Amazon 3-time best selling self help author. His books "Get Up," "365 Days Of Encouraging You To Attack Life," and most recently "Light Up The Darkness" have all hit #1 in Amazon's Self Help category as well as neurolinguistic programming and sports psychology. He is also a former radio personality for the Philadelphia-based talk show "The Get Up Power Hour" and a podcaster for his new "Get Up" podcast—which can be heard on all major podcast platforms. Perhaps the wildest personal story comes at the end of the episode—when Marc recounts how he became a professional wrestling referee for the WWE. I loved talking t

If you need to eliminate chaos in your business—and you're willing to admit things are out of control—you'll probably need a great coach to make it happen. Susan Fennema is the Chaos Eradicating Officer (CEO) of Beyond the Chaos, a consultancy that helps small business owners simplify their operations and manage their projects so they can grow their businesses and get their lives back. With more than 30 years of operations/project management experience in professional service industries, Susan is on a mission to improve American society exponentially. In this conversation on the Go For Launch podcast, Susan and I talk about the red flags of chaos that can impact your business. We spend a lot of time discussing the paradox of how creating more structure frees people up to be more creative, disciplined and effective. We also bust the myths of multi-tasking—the bane of many business owners and leaders.