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Garry Ridge is the CEO and Chairman of the WD-40 Company. He joined WD-40 Company in 1987 and has worked directly with WD-40 Company in over 50 countries, and he was elected as its CEO and Chairman in 1997. Garry is passionate about empowering organizational culture that he has helped establish at the WD-40 Company. Garry is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Diego, where he teaches Talent Management and Bench Building in the Masters of Science - Executive Leadership at the university's School of Business. He also co-authored the book, Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called "Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A" with Ken Blanchard where he outlines his effective leadership techniques. In this episode… 70% of people who go to work every day are either disengaged in acting or actively disengaged. Why? According to Garry Ridge, it’s because many CEOs have become soul-sucking to their employees and have created toxic environments that inhibit their people from becoming the best

John Warrillow is the Founder of The Value Builder System™, a cloud-based assessment tool that business owners use to assess their company's scalability. John has helped more than 55,000 business owners improve their company's value by up to 71%. He's the author of Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You. Both Fortune and Inc magazines have recognized the book as one of the best business books. John also wrote The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry, and he hosts Built to Sell Radio, where they interview founders about their exit journey. In this episode… What was your ultimate goal when you built your business? Whatever your reason was, if you don’t build your business like you intend to sell it, your company will most likely not survive even a single day without you. Of course, you don’t have to sell your business if you don’t want to but wouldn’t you want to build a company that can survive any situation? This is the crux of today’s episode with John

Robert (Bob) Sutton is a Professor of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. He is the co-founder of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (the D School).  Bob is currently working with Huggy Rao on The Friction Project, where they focus on why companies make the right things too complicated and the wrong things too easy and what to do about it. He's published over 200 articles in academic and popular outlets, and seven of Bob's books have gotten accolades, including being part of the Top 100 Business Books list, New York Times Bestseller, The Wall Street Journal bestseller, and more. His books include Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths, And Total Nonsense; The Knowing-Doing Gap; Weird Ideas That Work, The No Asshole Rule, and Good, Bad Boss. He also wrote The Asshole Survival Guide: How to Deal With People Who Treat You Like Dirt and Scaling-Up Excellence. In this episode… Many companies are doing the opposite of what they need to do in

Andrea Herrera is President and Founder of Amazing Edibles Gourmet Catering and Boxperience. Through her companies, she is able to create meaningful connections and build relationships between individuals and communities. Boxperience creates customized wooden crates filled with premium food, beverages, and monogrammed gifts that are personalized specifically for its recipient. It is the go-to brand for top salespeople, CEOs, and business owners who want to share their gratitude and maintain their most important business relationships.  Andrea’s other company, Amazing Edibles Gourmet Catering, is an award-winning company that has provided catering services for weddings, intimate social events, as well as for corporate and educational events. Some of their past clients include Fortune 500 companies, Non-profit organizations, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios, the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois, and many more. In this episode… Fostering relationships in the current business climate is not just cha

Adi Klevit is the CEO of the Business Success Consulting Group, where she helps businesses scale and grow by implementing efficient business infrastructure, processes, and systems. Their company is made up of experts in creating, documenting, and implementing processes and procedures for small/medium sized companies who either want to scale or expand their business or with those who are gearing up for transition. With Adi’s background in Industrial Engineering, she has worked with various corporations in different industries and has helped them take their business to the next level. In this episode… We’ve all been there: plans laid out, schedules in place, but when you look at your checklist, you weren’t able to tick off every single box. You know you were busy and you’ve been up on your feet hustling for the good part of the day. So what could have gone wrong?  According to Adi Klevit, there’s a big chance that you are over-scheduling yourself. That, or you're failing to leverage productivity tools that can

Rich Goldstein is the Principal Patent Attorney at Goldstein Patent Law, a boutique law firm dedicated to patent prosecution. They provide effective patent protection strategies for their clients, helping them protect their ideas and products.  Rich has advised and obtained patents for thousands of companies over the past 25 years. He is the author of the best selling book, The ABA Consumer Guide to Obtaining a Patent, and he is the host of the Innovations and Breakthroughs podcast. In this episode… Patents and trademarks help you protect your ideas, secure your market share, and ward off competition. But the problem is, many people waste a lot of money trying to patent an already patented idea. How can you be sure if your product or idea is worth pursuing a patent for? Patent Attorney Rich Goldstein says that the best thing you can do is to go through a patent evaluation.  But what is a patent evaluation and who should you go to if you think you’re ready to take the next step with your product? In this episo

Jennifer Adams Bunkers is a serial entrepreneur and she is the Founder of TruKid, TruBaby, Fysik, Truebuddy, Velocity Source Group, and Funopolis Toy Company. She’s grown TruKid, a company that sells natural products for kids, to well over seven figures. When Jennifer is creating businesses, she has one goal in mind: to make life a little bit easier. As a mom of six children, it is not always easy to balance being an entrepreneur and a mom. Her goal is for each of her six kids to own their own business. Her son, Freddy Bunkers, owns and runs HyperGo, a company that produces full body wipes. In this episode.. It’s one thing to catch the entrepreneurial bug and then go on to build a great brand, but it’s a whole new level of impressive if you can get your kids to do the same. Entrepreneurs secretly have that dream, and not many have been able to see it come to fruition. But Jennifer Adams Bunkers has found a way to not only build multiple successful businesses while raising her kids, she has also helped her son

Michael E. Gerber is the world’s leading small business guru and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The E-Myth Revisited and many other worldwide bestselling E-myth books concerning small business, entrepreneurship, leadership, and management.  Inc. Magazine calls him “the World’s #1 Small Business Guru”. He is an entrepreneur and small business thought leader who has impacted the lives of millions and millions of small business owners and inspired the growth of hundreds of thousands of companies for the past 40 years and counting.  In this episode… This episode is not connected to the McDonald's brand, but it has everything to do with how you can make your small business just as remarkable. From a dream to an enterprise, Michael E. Gerber teaches small business owners how to be successful and become the McDonald’s of their industry.  How can you do it? By following the principles and learnings from Michael’s E-myth verticals. These books contain a blueprint for growing small businesses beyond

Steve Rosen is one of the CreateOn Co-Founders. He helps licensors like Magna-Tiles, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, and Willy Wonka put products and deals together. Steve has worked with all the major film studios, licensing agencies, and toy companies in creating high-profile products, utilizing best-of-breed licensed IP in his 17 years in product development and in the entertainment industry. Steve has executed numerous licensing deals and most recently, he brokered licensing agreements with four leading children's entertainment brands. He has also run software development teams across the globe, creating from cradle to casino floor best in class slot machine experiences.  In this episode… It takes another level of wild creativity, guts, and expertise to seek out brands that everyone loves and dare to reimagine them in order to create new experiences that will hopefully make people love the brand even more. That’s precisely what Steve Rosen of CreateOn is doing when they broker deals between mega players in

Lee Firestone is the CEO of OpenReel, a patented remote video capture technology that allows teams to direct and capture 4K video remotely through a user's phone, which replaces the need for a camera crew. Publishers, agencies, and Fortune 500 companies are utilizing OpenReel's technology for everything from client testimonials, interviews and internal comms to content from key opinion leaders. Lee is responsible for the company’s growth strategy and execution, and he comes to OpenReel with 15 years of digital marketing and sales experience. Prior to OpenReel, Lee founded Baystone Media, a website and social business that he grew to over 7000 clients which was later acquired by Internet Brands (Hellman & Friedman). In this episode… Video content production is the new normal for different types of business. Still, there's only one problem: not everyone has the budget, manpower, and expertise to produce top-quality videos on a regular basis. But thanks to OpenReel, businesses can now direct and capture 4K v

Chester Elton is the co-founder of The Culture Works, a global training company trusted by companies with the world’s best cultures, including Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson, and many more. He and Adrian Gostick co-authored books like All In, The Best Team Wins, The Care Principle, and Leading with Gratitude: The Eight leadership practices for extraordinary business results.  Chester has spent decades helping clients engage their employees to execute strategies, vision, and values. He provides real solutions to leaders who are looking to manage change, drive innovation, and lead a multi-generational workforce.  In this episode… Leading with gratitude is a must-have skill for leaders—period. It's what separates everyday leaders from extraordinary ones like Bill Manning, Garry Ridge, and Dave Kerpen. But Chester Elton, the "apostle of appreciation”, has found that not many leaders understand what leading with gratitude means. And even when they might have a glimmer of an idea of what it meant, they didn’t kno

Kellianne Fedio is a recovering attorney and an entrepreneur who has founded and scaled her multi-million-dollar eCommerce brand and made a successful 7-figure exit. She now offers strategic consulting and works directly with brand owners and helps other entrepreneurs identify their brand and maximize their profit opportunities in their Amazon business. Together with her curated dream team of experts, she is able to help entrepreneurs maximize the value of their business and optimize their operations to develop a solid exit strategy. Kellianne is also the co-host of the Amazing Exits Podcast. Together with her co-host, Paul Miller, they feature top experts and brands who share their own successful journeys and their insights on the best exit strategies. In this episode… The deal is done, papers signed, smiling faces, and handshakes across the table are scenes from a multi-million-dollar exit that every entrepreneur deserves to experience. Kellianne Fedio has closed one such deal and was able to successfully m

Andy Hussong is a highly respected authority in facilitating online joint ventures, and he has been creating endorsed influence for his students and agency clients since 2005. He's been in the trenches connecting and collaborating with hundreds of entrepreneurs and marketers which has resulted in millions of dollars in profits.  Andy co-founded WebinarCon with Ron Douglas, and he facilitates high-converting webinars launches and affiliate opportunities.  Andy's proven systems helps experts, authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants expand their own influence by teaming up with other like-minded experts. These collaborations then result in win-win joint venture deals. In this episode… If you want your business to succeed quickly online, you need partners—but not just any kind of partner. What you need are strategic partners, those that can drive customer and business traffic to match what your business has to offer. And according to Andy Hussong, the best types of joint venture partnerships are those where y

David Allen is world-renowned for his GTD: Getting Things Done system, books, and certification. Over 2 million people have been introduced to GTD and discovered the power to clear their minds, sharpen their focus, and accomplish more with ease and elegance.  David also wrote The New York Times Best Seller, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity in 2001 and re-released a new edition in 2015. The book is published in over 28 languages, and Time Magazine heralded it as the defining self-help business book of its time. In this episode… Are you finding it hard to gain clarity and do the things that would move the needle in your business? You’re not alone. David Allen says many CEOs and Executives are having a hard time getting things done in today’s business environment where they have to wear many hats but can only give attention to so little. Through his Getting Things Done (GTD) framework, David has been helping senior executives, CEOs, and business owners achieve stress-free productivity.  I

Liron Rose is a serial tech entrepreneur. He established AfterDownload, an Israeli startup which he later sold to the tech unicorn, IronSource. AfterDownload had gone from zero to $30 million in three years and had over 50 employees. IronSource acquired it for over $20 million.  Liron advises investors and sources technology, private equity deals, and alternative investments. His passion is to foster Israel's brightest entrepreneurs in a quest for vision and leadership. Liron was one of the first investors in SimilarWeb, which is a known Israeli unicorn.  He was the Managing Director of TechStars Israel and he now runs Rose Innovation, where he helps investors get access to Israel's startup nation ecosystem. In this episode… Something exciting is going on in Israel's startup nation—companies are moving quickly from ideas to big exits or mega growths and this creates a vibrant space for enterprising individuals. Of course, not all the companies are achieving the same levels of success but Liron Rose knows of a

Dave Durocher is the Executive Director of The Other Side Academy, a training school that saves lives by changing behavior. Before helping to launch The Other Side Academy, Dave was at Delancey Street for eight years where he rose to become the Managing Director of their 250-person Los Angeles facility.  Dave got into Delancey Street after a Judge gave him a chance to change his life when he was at the brink of a 29-year prison sentence. He first got arrested at age 13 and by the time he was 38, he had been to prison four times for a total of 15 years.  Today, Dave has moved on to the next chapter in his life. He's the Executive Director of The Other Side Academy in Salt Lake City. In this episode… Saving lives by changing behaviors isn’t impossible. However, it requires a lot of hardwork and dedication from the individual and from the support system who will help him get to where he wants to be. This positive shift is the expected outcome from the program of a two and a half year re-education facility. Their

Uri Adoni is the author of The Unstoppable Startup: Mastering Israel's Secret Rules of Chutzpah. He decided to write the book after spending 20 years in high-tech and over 12 years of being a partner at Jerusalem Venture Partners Media Labs. His purpose for writing the book is to share the secrets to Israel's incredible track record of success. Jerusalem Venture Partners have achieved over 12 IPOs, 30 M&A, and an exit value of over $20 billion. Uri goes behind the scenes in this book to explain the principles and practices that can make any startup anywhere in the world, an unstoppable one.  In this episode… It's an unpleasant but inevitable reality that many startups fail almost as quickly as they come on the scene and part of the reason why they fail is their inability to prove their viability early in the game. Surprisingly, when it comes to startup success, Uri Adoni says Israeli startups stand out in terms of venture capital per capita and high NASDAQ listings. Uri says Israeli startups' success is a

Juan Chavez is a serial entrepreneur and is the CEO of JMC Automotive Equipment, an automotive equipment distribution center that has been a recipient of the INC 5000 award in 2018, 2019, and 2020. They've been in the industry for the past 20 years and have extensive knowledge of anything related to the automotive repair industry. Juan also runs a VIP Concierge, an entertainment company, and a solutions provider company in Colombia with english-speaking agents that handle customer care services for different companies.  In this episode… To say there are no days when you feel terrified that your business is going to fail is to deny your reality as an entrepreneur. Juan Chavez had had his fair share of low moments in business; he has even come to a point when he almost declared bankruptcy to put an end to a once-thriving family business. A few months later, Juan’s JMC Automotive Equipment is booming again and even better, they make it to the INC 5000 list two years in a row.  If you think that’s amazing, then y

Nate Nead is the Founder of investmentbank.com and SEO.co. Nate's an experienced M&A Adviser and Investment Banker who successfully managed numerous deals in real estate software, hardware, digital marketing, and many more.  He's founded, operated, and exited several digital media and SaaS companies, growing them from startups to multi-million dollar market leaders. Nate also runs SEO.co that provides online marketing, SEO, and Link Building services. They serve Fortune 500 companies and Startups. In this episode… A remarkable exit sale of a business is the dream of every entrepreneur, but not many know how to build a sellable business. And even when a business is viable for sale, many entrepreneurs tend to overestimate their company's value. As a result, they're quick to run into problems when trying to sell their company.  Nate Nead of Investment Bank.com knows all about building and selling a business. He's facilitated multiple multi-million exit deals across different industries and cities, including

Andrea is the Founder of Artitudes Design, Inc. For over 25 years they've been creating visual communication for Fortune 500 companies, including Microsoft, Starbucks, Expedia. They also serve startups and nonprofits, providing presentation training, PowerPoint, Graphics Design, Virtual Live events, and much more. Andrea Heuston is also the host of Lead Like a Woman Show, where she features influential women leaders changing the world. They have over 40,000 people on social media, sharing their empowering message with other leaders.  In this episode… The world as we know it has changed and if your business relies on live events, you’ve likely pivoted to doing virtual events. The problem is, not everyone can achieve high interactivity during virtual events. From how they prepare their slides to how they present their activities, many entrepreneurs are having a hard time mastering the new reality of virtual events.  Andrea Heuston is an expert at virtual events and through her company, Artitudes Design, she has