Today's Business Leaders With Gabe Arnold

Ben Matteucci started a successful marketing agency and is now making it on his own terms. He recently spoke to Gabe about how he navigated his way into entrepreneurship, the reward of planning a successful event, the three E’s of creating quality video content and more, for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding a Better Way Ben was working his way up in a successful job, but he decided he wanted to be in control of his destiny, so he quit his job and started selling door-to-door. Through this adventure, Ben learned a lot about sales and himself, and this simple act of quitting his job put him on a path towards success. “I was tired of spending my time to make money, so I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, and there wasn’t really an opportunity for growth. I didn’t want to go to school - I didn’t have any passion for it. I wanted to go and make money the way I wanted to do it, which was selling,” Ben explains. Creating Opportunity While recovering from an accident, Ben was unable to knock on door

Jeet Banerjee is back to share more actionable advice and in-depth information about his entrepreneurial journey for this latest installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Jeet was featured in an earlier episode and shared a broad overview of his career to date. This go around, Jeet focuses more on the process of launching a company. Riding High on Success By age 21, Jeet had launched several successful businesses which were generating revenue, and he even sold one of these businesses. When his next idea came around, Jeet decided that instead of playing things cautiously, fleshing out his client profile and bootstrapping his budget, he would go all in and invest $50,000 to get his venture started. “I was very lucky, and I was riding that cloud of being successful and achieving this stuff. I had just sold a company prior to starting this one, so I had a good amount of cash, and I just felt cocky and arrogant, and I thought anything I touched I could make happen,” Jeet explains. Finding Value in Failure This pa

Upon reflecting on when he knew he was an entrepreneur, Akbar Sheikh joked that he was brainwashed by his father into becoming an entrepreneur. The way of the entrepreneur is the only way he knew, so he was destined to take that path. During a recent chat with Gabe, Akbar reflects on his entry into entrepreneurship and shares some very insightful comments along with plenty of actionable advice for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way One of the reasons Akbar became an entrepreneur is because after applying everywhere, he could never get a job. He owned a car dealership for a while and eventually found his way helping other entrepreneurs scale their businesses. He now understands that in order to succeed at business you need to feel passionate about that business. “You have to enjoy the business you are in. I think a lot of people give up on it because they are in the wrong business,” says Akbar. Control Your Circle of Influence With so much noise, it can be hard to know who to let in an

While in college, Scott Theaman was introduced to network marketing and this experience opened his eyes to entrepreneurship. For the next two years, as Scott sold energy drinks, he learned a lot about sales and met many great people. After school, Scott moved on to other forms of sales before eventually landing to Internet marketing. Scott shares his story, along with loads of actionable advice with Gabe for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Manifesting Success Scott always wanted to be successful, and he has continually worked hard and learned from his experiences to make his own success. After walking away from a lucrative network marketing model, in which Scott had 1,100 distributors, he moved on to selling solar panels and ended up selling water filtration systems. During this time, Scott was able to fine-tune his sales skills. However, he noticed several friends who were using online marketing to boost their sales. The Pull of Internet Marketing At this time, Scott was unfamiliar with Internet

For many years Amy Smith juggled two drastically different jobs: her ‘real’ job as a nurse and a side gig designing websites. For ten years she was caught between both, and while she liked her nursing job, she was passionate about design. At the beginning of the year, she decided it was finally time to take her design job fulltime, and she hasn’t looked back since. The Struggle is Real Amy enjoyed photography, but her mother insisted she take the more traditional path of going to school and earning a degree, so she did. Amy earned a degree and worked as a nurse. All along, on the side, she continued to work on photography and got into design. For many years, Amy struggled with the decision to leave her job and focus exclusively on her side gig, partly due to guilt that she was going against her mother’s wishes. Amy also worried about the prudence of basically throwing away her nursing training and certification in order to pursue a field in which she had no formal education. Amy has not regretted the decision

After working several corporate jobs, Jaime Jay decided it was time for a change and that the entrepreneurial lifestyle was the way to go. Since then, Jaime has launched several successful businesses and is even on the verge of closing one down in order to pursue more profitable opportunities. For this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Jaime speaks with Gabe about the gut-wrenching decision to close down a business, the acronym he uses to concentrate and how to unravel the mystery around knowing when to hire staff. Finding His Way Jaime started out selling golf balls and lemonade as a kid. As a young adult, he got off the entrepreneurial track, only to get back on after working 12 years in various corporate jobs. Ultimately, Jaime likes being his own boss and making his own decisions, so there was an appeal to becoming an entrepreneur. Becoming a Great Leader Most entrepreneurs do everything themselves in the beginning. Identifying when to hire staff and even how to go about finding the right staff i

Jeremy Slate has run a gamut of diverse jobs on his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. He started out teaching high school, sold life insurance, worked as a personal trainer and even sold products on Amazon before landing a role with a marketing firm. At that point, everything just came together, and Jeremy has been able to find his niche and entrepreneurial success. Learning About Entrepreneurship In 2013, Jeremy’s wife introduced him to a network marketing opportunity. That didn’t work out, but he was exposed to the concept of entrepreneurship. This set Jeremy on a path that eventually led to partnering with a friend at a marketing firm. While working as the CMO at a marketing firm, Jeremy hit his stride. It didn’t take long before Jeremy jumped into podcasting. These days, through his business, Command Your Brand, Jeremy helps fellow entrepreneurs tell their story through podcasting. He has merged a storytelling process with an email sequence and opt-ins to help clients expand the reach of their brands

Stacey Howe-Lott is back on the show to speak with Gabe about how to empower people to empower others. Catch up on Stacey’s earlier episode to learn how her business helping students came about, and pick up some real-world advice. Stick with this episode to learn how to structure your talks or speeches to empower your listeners. Finding Cupcakes Stacey became involved with Seth Godin’s altMBA program and this lead to the creation of a teach-and-learn program, with Stacey spearheading helping people learn to make the most of these talks. When the notion of planning an in-person event came up, Stacey was there and scheduled to be the first person to speak. Her talk centered around cupcakes but it soon became a much larger message. Lead with Action Whether you are speaking at an industry event or giving a sales pitch, understanding how to lead people into action is a valuable skill that just may lead to world domination. It is important to filter things down and keep things simple, so your listeners are left w

Curran Alvarez found himself in the unemployment office at 22-years-old and thought, “What am I doing here?” After some soul-searching and a chance encounter with a coworker who would later become his wife, Curran found his way and began his entrepreneurial journey. “That’s when my entire life shifted, and I was introduced to this crazy thing called network marketing,” Curran explains. Curran shares his story, along with lots of useful and actionable advice with Gabe for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way Curran struggled to find his way and make ends meet, and he eventually ended up taking the leap and becoming an entrepreneur. The decision was ultimately very easy for him because he believed in the product he was selling. How to do Network Marketing Right Based on his own very successful experiences, Curran is able to narrow down the basic steps to launching a successful network marketing business. 1. Don't be distracted by the marketing that's out there. There is no insta

Most entrepreneurs either know right away that they want to be their own boss, or they work a job and quickly realize they don’t want to work for someone else. Liz Pifko falls into this second group. After working at a large law firm for six years, Liz wasn’t feeling challenged. She quickly determined she needed to get out and do her own thing. Liz recently shared her experiences around becoming an entrepreneur along with useful legal tips around forming a business with Gabe for an episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Calculated Move Instead of jumping right in once she decided to start her own business, Liz took a more calculated approach. She spent the next two years learning everything she could. Law school taught her how to be an attorney, but she didn’t learn about marketing or business, and these are skills she knew she would need on her own. After eight years with a firm, Liz packed it in and said goodbye. Learning to Accept the Mindset Shift Running your own business can be stressful and challenging

He didn’t realize it right away, but Jeff Hunter has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He grew up surrounded by his parent’s computer store and learned early on that being his own boss afforded a variety of perks he simply would not find working a corporate gig. Jeff is the latest entrepreneurial phenom to share his journey and experiences with Gabe for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Learning to Outsource Jeff always had an interest in computers and IT, and this led him to work as a project manager in a major corporation. He had his breakthrough idea when he began outsourcing specific tasks to virtual assistants. By unloading the menial, but still completely necessary functions related to his job, Jeff was able to refocus his efforts and make tremendous strides with his work. Launching His Business Jeff saw an opportunity in connecting entrepreneurs with talented and skilled virtual assistants. At the same time, his corporate bosses were not too thrilled with the amount of time he was spe

Every time Amber Pember has reached an important fork in the road, she has relied on her instinct and gone with her gut. Over the course of her career, she has learned the value of learning and the importance of staying true to her vision. Amber’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t always been easy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Gabe recently had the chance to sit down with Amber and interview her for Today’s Business Leaders. Find out how Amber got her start, how she refined her 90-minute pitch and why she is packing it all up to travel the country. Early Introduction to Business Despite her reservations, Amber started out working corporate jobs. Things didn’t exactly go well, and even though she gave the work her all, Amber was let go. This was the first of many turning points, and Amber made the call to do things her way from there on out. Working for Herself Amber had the drive and an idea for a business, so she got to work making it happen and practicing her pitch. She refined her presentation skil

In many regards, Preston Howard’s entrepreneurial journey is just getting underway. In the brief time he has been hustling, he has made tremendous progress, and he is on track to accomplish even more. Gabe interviewed Preston for Today’s Business Leaders to find out how he has managed to gain his maturity and what’s next for this Memphis native. Continue to Dabble Until Something Works Preston comes from an entrepreneurial family, and this instilled a sense of self-reliance. “If I wasn’t relying on myself, I couldn’t perform to the best of my abilities,” explains Preston. This foundation in entrepreneurship did not ensure smooth sailing. Preston went to college for a semester, moved around the country, got into trouble and struggled to find his way. After a turning point, Preston moved back to Memphis and eventually got into digital marketing. Learning How to Stack Value In the midst of things, Preston’s experiences did not always feel positive. However, he was able to learn and identify when things were no

Alexander Brooks is making a living streamlining workflows for his clients, which is a natural fit given that he’s been building efficiencies into his life for years. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe gets the rundown from Alexander about how he got his start as an entrepreneur, where he is now and the direction he wants to take his automation business. Debut into Entrepreneurship Alexander was inspired by the success of his uncle. Around age 10, he started looking for work around the neighborhood. Like just almost every other entrepreneur before him, he learned how to build his own business by mowing lawns, raking leaves and shoveling snow. From there he built his career testing out several different business models and using a lot of trial and error. Changing Environment During college, Alexander developed an interest in technology and the Internet. As a native of Michigan, he knew his career opportunities were limited after graduation if he stayed in the Great Lakes State, so Alexander pa

Blake Bourque has had a varied career that has run the gamut in terms of entrepreneurial failures and successes. He has learned many lessons, some of which were learned the hard way, but he has preserved and used his experiences to build better and stronger businesses. Blake shared his journey, along with his plan for the future in this interview with Gabe. Starting Out One of Blake’s early entrepreneurial endeavors was running a tree business. In order to help promote his business, he started a TV show by creatively lining up sponsors and airtime. The show helped grow his business, but other decisions came into play, and Blake went from making $1 million to filing for bankruptcy in a span of two years. Learning Lessons Filing for bankruptcy taught Blake that he needed to learn about finance. After his mother called him out for complaining, Blake decided to find work in the banking industry. Blake explains, “As an entrepreneur, I’m learning every day, or I’m dying.” He was building a career when a setback in

Ausi Kimmons has had some exciting highs and disappointing lows over the course of her entrepreneurial career. From the value of rest and failure to the importance of focusing on her business in order to promote growth, Ausi shares her knowledge and lots of compelling and actionable advice while she chats with Gabe. Following Her Vision Ausi realized her entrepreneurial aspirations as a child and decided she wanted to start a business and help people. Life got in the way, and she ended up detouring from her plan, but given time Ausi came back to her initial vision. She and her husband opened a digital marketing company, and they soon learned how helping their clients may not always help their business. Focusing on Results When her digital marketing business first launched, things came together rather quickly. They brought on several clients, and they were working so hard to produce results for their clients that they failed to market their own company. When one of their major clients was sold, and the new

Joe Giglietti has a knack for real estate and marketing. He recently sat down with Gabe to talk about how he used these skills and overcame a poverty mindset to launch his business on a path towards success. Finding His Way Joe intended to become a lawyer but plans changed, and he switched to working in investments and eventually found his way in the real estate industry. In this first year, Joe and his partner delivered half a million in sales, but a short while later the housing market crashed. As an act of survival, Joe moved onto marketing. For many years he ran a non-profit and flipped houses. During this time he fine-tuned his marketing skills. Nomadic Entrepreneur Joe found himself constantly moving onto new and exciting business ventures and learning along the way. “There’s a natural tendency in entrepreneurs to want to conquer,” Joe explains. “Creativity and that desire to conquer and succeed, it seems like there is always another mountain.” After encouragement from his wife, Joe decided to stop ju

Landon Porter understands sales, and he recently spoke to Gabe about the path that led him to his current gig, teaching others how to hone their sales skills. In this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, find out Landon’s philosophy on sales and what he deems the most important skill when it comes to closing a sale. Early Start In 7th grade, Landon began selling candy to classmates for a profit. From there, his sales journey took some detours. He apprenticed with several chefs and made the jarring transition from chef to sales and landed in the real estate industry. With the bubble burst looming, Landon switched career paths again and began selling B2B asset protection. Things were good in theory, but in practice, Landon was miserable, and he knew it was time for another change. Head Gorilla Through several turns of events, Landon found himself teaching a course on how to get clients then launched his business, The Sales Gorilla. He laid out his thoughts about sales and marketing. Landon explains, “You

Finding the right life coach is a challenge. You need to find someone who actually knows what they’re doing and you need to connect with this person. When you find the right person it can make an incredibly positive difference in your life. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, brothers Ilan and Guy Ferdman talk about the value of root work and following your intuition, why affirmations are bogus most of the time and more actionable advice to live your best life. Trusting Your Intuition Ilan knew from a young age he possessed a unique ability to communicate with people. This skill translated well into sales. At age 21, Ilan landed an office job and was a rising star, but he realized the corporate thing wasn’t for him. In no uncertain terms he not only turned down a promotion, but he quit. Guy had a similar experience and he left what most people would have felt was a promising job, because he felt it was confining. Helping Others Ilan and Guy got into coaching before they realized it was a thing they

Stacey Howe-Lott never planned to become an entrepreneur, but that’s exactly what she ended up doing. After launching an online tutoring business, Stacey has helped countless kids learn how to take on the SATs and ACTs while also learning how to run her business. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe and Stacey talk about taking the path less traveled, utilizing your strengths and time efficiency. Identify a Need Stacey holds a Master’s degree in education but ended up taking a different career path. Over time, she began tutoring and eventually this led to helping students prepare for the SATs. While sorting through the available practice materials, Stacey realized the quality was incredibly poor, so she made her own preparatory materials. “If anyone else had done a remotely okay job, I wouldn’t have become an entrepreneur. But there was nothing else, and it was so pathetic what was out there,” Stacey explains. Use Your Strengths Initially, the SAT math was difficult, and marketing continues to