Be Investable

Michael Melfi is joined by Richard Simtob, serial entrepreneur and Partner at Zoup! From his high school days of owning and managing a disc jockey entertainment company and a t-shirt company in college to Wireless Toyz and now Zoup!, Richard credits his successes to the passion he exudes with every project. When he found himself with a family of four to feed and jobless because of a bad business deal, he did what every entrepreneur does: picked up the pieces, learned from his mistakes and carried on. Richard has always stood by having a good management team with a good operating process in place to take your company to new heights. If you are someone who loves a good defining-moment story and wants to learn more about collaboration and good management skills, you're going to want to tune in. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardsimtob/

Chris Denson, award-winning innovator, marketer, recovering comedian and host of the Innovation Crush interview series, joins Michael Melfi on the Be Investable podcast. An expert at uncovering the best thinking and commonalities across a diverse array of cultures, Chris has applied his knowledge and expertise tot he likes of The White House, Google Launchpad, and Omnicom Media Group. Chris touches on the shining moments in his career, great innovation and the importance of the ability to be nimble in business. Listen today for great insight on Chris's experiences, successes, and failures in business. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdenson/

Dave Meltzer is the CEO of Sports 1 Marketing, one of the world’s leading sports & entertainment marketing agencies, which he co-founded with Hall of Fame Quarterback Warren Moon.Prior to S1M, he was CEO of the world’s first smartphone, the PC-E Phone, and later became CEO of the world’s most notable sports agency, Leigh Steinberg Sports and Entertainment. Dave is an award-winning humanitarian, an international public speaker, best-selling author, and is profiled by national publications such as Forbes, ESPN, Bloomberg, CNBC, Yahoo, SB Nation and Variety. https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmeltzer2/

WELCOME! And thank you for joining us - your time is valuable and I am grateful you have joined us. Before we dive into some content, I would like to share with you three things: Why we started the Be Investable Podcast What you can expect from the Be Investable Podcast One ask of you the listener Here’s to your abundance ! ! ! www.GetInvestable.com/podcast https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsmelfi/

Jacques Panis, President of Shinola share is us how this leader keeps his culture alive with the meteoric growth the company "Shinola" has experienced in Michigan as well as continuing the mission of creating great jobs here in the U.S. The Detroit-based company has expanded from producing watches to leather goods, personalized jewelry and their next offering is audio equipment starting with a high quality turntable that can be preordered now. But they aren’t stopping there, they have plans to expand that line and in 2018 will open a hotel promising to offer the exceptional hospitality that falls in line with their culture and mission. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacques-panis-36279482/

Ken Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of Republic, gives advice needed to be successful in equity – or for that matter any funding campaign. As a spin off of Angels List, Republic gets an assist with mission support and the psychological support of the entire team.

Ben Cogleton, CEO and Founder of Olark, had a powerful response to his employee, Madalyn Parker, when she asked for a few sick days to focus on her mental health. The small act was shared on Twitter and ended up being retweeted tens of thousands of times and became a beacon for the importance of mental health and the power of personal days. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencongleton/

As a female pioneer in Silicon Valley, Ann Winblad enjoyed some great opportunities and experiences with us about her early days with Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, as well as, gave some insight on how her firm, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, looks at investing. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annwinblad/

If we mention the book series Rich Dad, Poor Dad, most of our readers are familiar with it and it’s co-author Sharon Lechter. If we mention the book by Napoleon Hill entitled Outwitting the Devil, most may know Sharon annotated the 1937 manuscript for today’s business world. Think and Grow Rich is also another famous book that Sharon has reworked for today’s businesswomen, Think and Grow Rich for Women. Sharon’s work is well known, spanning more than 100 countries, selling more than 30 million copies, she has become a name known by entrepreneurs looking to be successful. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonlechter/

We have had the chance to build a great relationship with Stephen Key from Invent Right over the years and it is great to talk with him about how to monetize your invention in this podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenmkey/

This week’s podcast episode was a little different – Michael S. Melfi (https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsmelfi/) lists his top 50 reads, and why they are important to entrepreneurs and professionals. Faced with shelf after shelf of business books, an entrepreneur may want a recommendation before spending valuable time perusing the pages of a book. Grab one from each list and read them at the same time to get your brain firing and thinking. https://getinvestable.com/marketplace/

This week Jeff Hoffman, co-founder of Priceline.com, uBid.com, CTI and ColorJar to name a few, was our guest on the show. Jeff knows what it’s like to be a successful entrepreneur and what it takes for a company to be investable. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhoff/

Josh Luber turned an interest in collectible sneakers into a company that collects, analyzes and publishes data and insight into the unregulated sneaker resale industry. Find out why anyone would – and should - care about such a niche area. It’s nothing to run away from – it is thought to be a $6 billion global industry. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshluber/

This week Stephen Lehtonen, the Engagement Partner for Growthink, was a guest on the show. During our discussion, we talked about the secret to entrepreneurial success based on Stephen’s teams experiences working with thousands of successful companies. He knows what will get funded, how to break into a market, the things an entrepreneur needs to know to grow and be successful – and he shares them with us!

If you are an inventor, an entrepreneur or small business with a tight budget for your legal services, this show is full of great information and resources you can use – today! The United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been open for 227 years and has resources that can save you some money. https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-christal-sheppard-0b390a1/