15 Minutes Share Your Voice

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews David Friedman, CEO of High Performing Culture, on the new rules about corporate culture in the post-pandemic world.

David is an author, speaker, CEO, and the developer of the CultureWise® operating system. His company helps organizations to create, drive, and maintain high-performing cultures, with a proven system that's straightforward, practical, and easy to use. The principles that David teaches are based on the process he developed while serving as the President of RSI, an employee benefits consulting firm headquartered in Mt. Laurel, NJ.

Under his leadership and direction, RSI grew from 2 employees to a staff of more than 100 professionals and annual revenues in excess of $16 million. The firm won numerous awards including being named one of the Best Places to Work in the Philadelphia region 3 times and one of the Best Places to Work in NJ 4 times. In 2006, RSI earned the NJ Governor's Award for Performance Excellence – Gold Level, the highest award for total quality available in the state. In 2008, RSI became a division of Arthur J. Gallagher & Associates (AJG), one of the largest insurance brokers in the world. David served as the Area President for Gallagher until his retirement in July of 2010.

In 2011, David published his first book, Fundamentally Different, based on the insights he learned and taught during his leadership career. His second book, Culture by Design, was published in 2018 and has already been called "the most useful book ever written on organizational culture." In 2021, David published the 2nd edition of Culture by Design, which includes insights and strategies for managing culture in the new remote/hybrid work environment. Today, in addition to leading CultureWise, he's a frequent guest speaker and seminar leader on leadership, organizational culture, and building high-performance teams. In the last 7 years alone, he's led more than 500 workshops for more than 5,000 CEOs. In 2021, David was recognized by Vistage International as their Speaker of the Year. He also serves as a consultant to scores of companies around the country. David is a 1983 graduate of the College of William & Mary with a degree in philosophy.

Recorded 08/15/2022.

Mike Panella is an experienced attorney and the Owner of Panella Law Firm. The team at Panella Law Firm prides themselves on getting great results for clients, specializing in criminal defense, family law, injunctions, traffic, and personal injury matters. Before opening Panella Law Firm, Mike served as an Assistant Public Defender for Florida's 18th Judicial Circuit Public Defender's Office and worked hundreds of cases in both Brevard and Seminole Counties.

No matter what industry you're in, you need balance in your life. But how can you create rituals to foster balance and avoid burnout?

Mike Panella says you need rituals to center yourself before jumping into work. Taking time each day to reflect inward can help you focus your perspective, create powerful days, and service your clients in the best way possible. So before you open your email, hop into a meeting, or check your phone, take time to do something that will fulfill you.

In this episode of 15 Minutes, Michael Renfro sits down with Mike Panella, Owner of Panella Law Firm, to talk about the importance of achieving balance in your life. He describes the rituals that help him create a powerful day, what he learned from mentors, and his favorite podcasts and tools.

On this week's episode, Ami Kassar interviews John Arensmeyer, Founder & CEO of Small Business Majority, on the toughest issues facing the small business community today, and how his organization is helping.

John has used his long experience as a small business owner to build Small Business Majority into a nationally recognized organization focused on empowering America's entrepreneurs to build a thriving and inclusive economy. Small Business Majority is the leading advocate for critical public policy issues facing America's small businesses—particularly access to capital, healthcare, taxes, retirement/asset building and numerous workforce issues. In the past few years John has spearheaded the growth of Small Business Majority's Venturize.org portal, providing critical practical resources to our nation's 30 million small businesses and independent self-employed entrepreneurs.

Prior to launching Small Business Majority 16 years ago, John was the founder and CEO of ACI Interactive, an award-winning international interactive communications company. Information Week named ACI's signature product one of the nation's top 100 e-business innovations, and the company was cited by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the top 100 fastest growing private companies in the Bay Area. Earlier, John was the chief operating officer of a pioneering multimedia business, an attorney in New York, an aide to the mayor of Philadelphia and a staff member on Capitol Hill.

John is a frequent speaker on small business policy issues and a regular guest on TV and radio, including MSNBC's Your Business, PBS NewsHour, Fox News, Bloomberg TV, NPR's Marketplace and the CBS Evening News. In 2009 he was an active participant at the White House summit on healthcare reform. He testifies regularly before congressional committees, and has briefed White House officials and congressional leadership on small business policy issues. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Access to Markets initiative, and he recently served as Board Chair of California's Insure the Uninsured Project. He has led a study group at Harvard's Kennedy School of Politics, and has served on the Association for Enterprise Opportunity's Economic Impact Council and Micro Capital Task Force. John is conversational in Spanish.

Recorded 08/11/2022.

On this week's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Finnian Kelly, creator of Intentionality.com, on how the pandemic has changed entrepreneurs' mindsets.

As a sought-after speaker, retreat facilitator, and executive coach, Finnian has been dubbed "the Business Mystic" because of his unique ability to put consciousness into business and inspire leaders to find new levels of meaning and purpose through their creative endeavors. This approach flowed through his term as President of the Colorado Chapter of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) - the largest and most influential community of entrepreneurs in the world. Finnian helps people 'love their path' so they can feel content with a life lived in the now.

As an entrepreneur, Finnian built and exited two multi-million dollar companies in the financial industry. He's the Creator and Chief Visionary Officer of Intentionality.com, where he offers coaching and courses to guide people through the four paths of the Intentionality Framework. Finnian is also a retreat facilitator providing entrepreneurs with unique, mind-shifting experiences so they can awaken and connect deeply with their business and their true self.

Finnian has appeared on Sky Business, on ABC as a political commentator, and on Ten's morning shows as a financial expert. As a guest writer, Finnian has published articles on Money Management, Smart Company, Business Insider, and more. He was also featured as an Undercover Angel in the popular National Geographic documentary series. This was a project where he was dropped into an underprivileged community to discover their core issues, build trust and come up with a project that would support their needs. He funded the entire program himself and worked with community leaders to form a family education center in Fakulteta, Bulgaria.

As a lifelong learner, Finnian has degrees in maths, physics, finance, leadership, teaching, and a master's degree of science in positive psychology. He spent 7 years in the Australian Defence Force and graduated from one of the most prestigious leadership organizations in the World, The Royal Military College of Duntroon. Above all, Finnian is a conscious being - committed to embodying Intentionality and inspiring others to do the same. Finnian travels the world spreading Intentionality on speaking tours, exploring new places and cultures, and chasing powder as a ridiculously passionate skier!

Recorded 08/10/2022.

Mike Panella is an experienced attorney and the Owner of Panella Law Firm. The team at Panella Law Firm prides themselves on getting great results for clients, specializing in criminal defense, family law, injunctions, traffic, and personal injury matters. Before opening Panella Law Firm, Mike served as an Assistant Public Defender for Florida's 18th Judicial Circuit Public Defender's Office and worked hundreds of cases in both Brevard and Seminole Counties.

No matter what industry you're in, you need balance in your life. But how can you create rituals to foster balance and avoid burnout?

Mike Panella says you need rituals to center yourself before jumping into work. Taking time each day to reflect inward can help you focus your perspective, create powerful days, and service your clients in the best way possible. So before you open your email, hop into a meeting, or check your phone, take time to do something that will fulfill you.

In this episode of 15 Minutes, Michael Renfro sits down with Mike Panella, Owner of Panella Law Firm, to talk about pivotal moments throughout his career and his advice to avoid burnout. Mike discusses why he became an attorney, why it's essential to maintain perspective while caring about your clients, and how a bad situation or life event can positively affect you in the long run.

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Mason (The Chutzpah Guy) Harris, Founder of The Chutzpah Institute, on what is chutzpah and whether or not it can be taught in an organization.

Born with a "plastic spoon in his mouth" to immigrants who found both safety and opportunity in the U.S., Mason is an observer of people and a lifelong student of self-improvement and business. His education, both formal – Queens College (BA) and University at Buffalo (MBA), and informal, the streets of New York, exposed him to many different people. Mason was fascinated by their personalities and stories. There were introverts and extroverts, and feeling comfortable with both traits, Mason eventually learned that he is an ambivert. Mason also learned that actions, perseverance, and risk-taking led to more successful lives. These behaviors, among others, are the foundation of Mason's work on understanding and sharing "chutzpah." Interviews, research, and a worldwide pandemic led to finally writing his book, The Chutzpah Advantage, and teaching others the skillset for "going bigger, being bolder, and doing better."

Recorded 08/08/2022.

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Marcia O'Connor, CEO and Founder of the O'Connor Group, on how the employment market has changed post covid and what employees have to do to stay ahead.

Marcia started The O'Connor Group with $10K of her own savings. It was time to build the company she's been talking about doing for the prior 10 years! One day her then 6-year-old son looked up at her and said "Mom, can I see you more". You can imagine how she felt, and said 'Yes, yes you will". Marcia had gone on vacation that July and brought the book The Alchemist and came back and quit her job. That month, The O'Connor Group was born.

The O'Connor Group was founded on September 1, 2007. Originally started as a retained search recruiting firm geared to positions in the $80K to $150K range. Marcia's expertise was in the Talent Strategy world and consulting. Within six months she added an HR Consulting division. It wasn't easy to start the company in 2007, right before an unknown recession. Failure was NOT an option for Marcia; she was the breadwinner. Marcia was fortunate to have one of her former employers refer her to her first client and she hasn't looked back since. Marcia grew the company organically and didn't hire her first full-time employee until after three years, and she is still with the company today!

2009 was a very difficult time for Marcia. 5 out of 6 clients called to let her know that they were running out of funds and would no longer need the assistance of one of Marcia's consultants. She had one client left! It was hard for her to get work and it typically took around 3 months for a client to pay. Marcia dipped into her own 401K savings plan to help pay payroll at that time. A good friend referred another client that helped Marcia move her company to the next level. Marcia helps build HR and talent teams with the right talent in place. 75% of her clients come from referrals and most of those referrals come from current clients! Currently, The O'Connor Group works with over 150 clients a month and now has 80 employees. Marcia expects to have 100 employees by year-end. "It's been an honor to run a company that is fun, exciting, and growing. If you take care of your people, they take good care of you!"

Recorded on 08/05/2022.

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Drew Geisler, president of Mainline Metals, about how he is managing supply chain issues and the challenges of managing a commodities business through and after the pandemic.

Andrew started his career in the steel industry at the age of 19, when he was hired by Mainline Metals as a co-op student. Under Bob Dubin's tutelage, Andrew learned the art of cold-calling and how to find and sell surplus and excess steel. Once graduated from Drexel University with a degree in materials engineering, Andrew was hired by Mainline Metals.

Andrew's rigor and ambition have been integral to his personal success and to Mainline Metals' growth as a company. Andrew cultivated his entrepreneurial skills from a young age, having started multiple businesses while in high school and college. Then, after making Mainline Metals his home for the last 30 years, Andrew became the President of Mainline Metals at 40 years old.

In addition to his role at Mainline Metals, Andrew is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization of Philadelphia. Within the organization, Andrew is a member of the executive board of the steel and metals network, in which he continues to grow professionally, personally and with his family. For Andrew, personal growth is an important aspect of leadership. Having a community that cultivates growth and continuous learning helps him keep his head focused and enforces his mission of bringing his best self to the office every day.

Recorded 07/25/2022.

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Mo Fathelbab, Founder and president of Forum Resources Network, and co-founder of Harvard Business School Alumni Forums, to discuss what makes forums great - and what to avoid.

Mo is the author of two best-selling books, Forum: The Secret Advantage of Successful Leaders and The Friendship Advantage - 7 Keys to Building Relationships that Transform Culture and Drive Productivity.

Prior to that Mo served as executive director of Entrepreneurs' Organization (1991-1997) where he created the peer to peer Forum program content and initiated 100s of CEO Forums. Mo has worked with over 20,000 CEOs and Entrepreneurs over the course of nearly 3 decades in 33 countries.

Forum Resources Network's clients include Google, Young Presidents' Organization, HBS Alumni, Pathstone Federal Street, and the Atlantic Council Millennium Fellows. Mo has delivered Keynote addresses to large audiences including TEDx, Conscious Capitalism, Scale Up, SOS, and Global Leaders Organization.

Personally, Mo is dedicated to health and fitness. He loves skiing, sailing, yoga, and stand-up paddle boarding. He has completed 3 marathons, an Ironman and in 2018 placed first in USA Yoga's Midwest regional championships for men over 50. Mo serves on the board of Young Presidents' Organization Gold Washington & Baltimore and on the advisory board of Beyond CEO Coaching. Mo lives in Alexandria VA with his much better half Sally and their son Eli.

Recorded 07/18/2022.

Today on AmiSights, the podcast, we have the CEO & Owner of B-Unlimited, Ben Clark! In 1994, B-Unlimited began as a screen printing company in the hills of the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Ben purchased the business in 2006 with big dreams of elevated artwork, thoughtful print, and impeccable service.

In this episode, Ben shares what it was like growing up with learning differences. He discusses his struggles and frustrations through college when trying to find his path. Ben explains that his learning differences were a good thing because that pushed him into entrepreneurship. When faced with failure, Ben tells us that he relies heavily on faith and family. He walks us through how he kept going through those challenging times to find his niche.

In his late thirties, Ben got into the apparel business and fell in love with the creative environment. He loves bringing people together and enjoyed building his organization and culture. Now, with over 250 employees, Ben dives into his current challenges, like trying to keep that culture the same after 10 years. Ben didn't start with a mission statement, but explains an ethos - on the wall said "Be Yourself, Be Unique, Be Unlimited".

B-Unlimited sells licensed custom apparel for universities, and got started in the fraternal and sorority arena. Although their main focus is custom collegiate apparel, they specialize in many other products in all different markets. "Yeah, we make great t-shirts. But our true end-goal is to celebrate and love all people."

Recorded 07/12/2022.