In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Devin Gage, founder and CEO of Engage Personal Training. He explains how he knew he didn’t want a desk job but didn’t realize he could make fitness into a career.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Cesar Quintero, certified Entrepreneurial Operating System® (EOS) Implementer and Founder of The Profit Recipe, where he helps entrepreneurs and their leadership teams build a business by design with EOS based on the book “Traction.” He explains how he was drawn to entrepreneurship at a young age.

"I launched something a little more dear to my heart and purpose is I launched an online entrepreneurial platform in Spanish for Latin America. So helping, Latin's because I think it's underserved and most, most of Latin America, they would do so well, so better off as an entrepreneur than as a professional."

The main topics of today's episode will be how opening up his company’s books to all of the employees changed Cesar’s mindset on running his business. Cesar will share how his former company survived the COVID-19 pandemic after diversifying its options. We will also discuss why a company needs to have foundational basics in place before implementing an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Malik Muhammad, founder and CEO of Akoben LLC & Transforming Lives Inc., which serve youth, school districts and leaders across the United States and abroad. Join us as he delves into how his personal journey has shaped his entrepreneurial trajectory.

“My entrepreneurial journey really is rooted in freedom and wanting to be able to have more command of my own destiny,” he said. “I grew up in pretty unstable conditions, the intersection of poverty and racism and dysfunction in my own family. So, wanting a lot of folks who grew up in unstable conditions, wanting to find stability.”

The main topics of today's episode will be how Malik learned his business acumen for his own businesses while still working in corporate America. We will also discuss how an entrepreneur’s background may affect their risk tolerance if they can’t fall back on family money. Additionally, we will explore how prioritizing your health helps you become a better business leader.

Check out Transforming Lives Inc.: https://tliservices.org/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Haggai Klorman-Eraqi. Haggai leads the Aggaeus Group, focusing on developing and supporting innovative brands. This includes Kardz.Biz, the "Black AMEX" of smart business cards, and Better Weight for Life, a telemedicine company. He explains how being an entrepreneur has similarities with being an artist.

Connect with Haggai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/klormaneraqi/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Sarah Noel Block, founder of Tiny Marketing, where she helps small businesses with everything from core content, podcasts, and videos to partnerships and social media presence. She explained how freelancing for years while working prepared her to make the leap into entrepreneurship. 

“Start building your personal brand early, so it's easy for people to say ‘yes,’” she said. “If you have been on LinkedIn or you have a podcast that is showcasing your expertise all the time, it's so much easier for people to say ‘yes’; you've built that trust ahead of time."

The main topics of today's episode will be how she planned for six months before leaving her corporate job by setting up contracts to match her salary and beta testing on LinkedIn. Sarah with share how she balances her business and personal life by blocking time for work on her calendar and sticking to it. She will also share how she restructured her business to be able to do client work herself. 

Connect with Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnoelblock/

Check out Tiny Marketing: https://www.sarahnoelblock.com/

Recorded on 3/20/24

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Aviv Grafi, founder and innovator of Votiro, a cybersecurity company specializing in neutralizing files of all kinds through Secure File Gateway solutions. Based in Tel Aviv, Grafi describes how the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which started last October has affected businesses there.

“In the first few weeks we were all in shock,” he said  “Immediately a bunch of the employees here in Israel were called for duty. In fact, even now I have employees, including my engineering manager, my VP engineering, there on duty. I think that in terms of velocity, in terms of productivity, I think that a lot of things were impacted here in Israel.”

The main topics of today's episode will be how required military service in Israel builds perseverance and boosts entrepreneurs’ risk profile. Aviv will tell us how his product differs, depending on whether it is sold in a North American market or Far East and Asia Pacific market. He will also share how he is working toward the company he founded to run on its own so he can focus more on activities he enjoys. 

Connect with Aviv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aviv-grafi-63426b1/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Chris Hutchinson, CEO of Trebuchet Group, an organizational consulting firm focused on helping leaders achieve great accomplishments through creating great teams.

“I started this organization to enable the best within people; not in a fuzzy, rosy, unicorns and butterflies way,” he said. “When we can trust each other and work together really effectively, leaders can show up in a way that helps people get clarity and be able to do the right things, we can do anything.”

The main topics of today's episode will be:

Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rippleleader/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Karan Shah, Owner/Director of Ivy Experience, a company that prepares students for their collegiate futures through test prep, tutoring and essay consulting.

Karan sheds light on the impact of online learning on the tutoring industry, particularly in areas with limited access to such resources.

“In Philadelphia, New York, LA Chicago, there's a lot of college prep options, but if you go to some more rural areas, there just aren't, right? There aren't many options. There might be one tutor available and they can only handle so many kids, right? So it's really open, the internet has opened up different markets to us that weren't previously open to us before.”

The main topics of today's episode will the benefits and challenges of online learning, particularly in the context of tutoring, and how the internet has transformed the tutoring industry. Karan will also share how having other resources in the beginning allowed Karan’s company to grow slowly without outside financing. Karan will also explain having different, yet complementary, skills from your business partner is beneficial for your company’s success.

Connect with Karan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karan-shah-467075b6/

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Sejal Lakhani-Bhatt, CEO of TechWerxe, a managed service provider for businesses. She discusses common misconceptions about IT services and offers valuable insights into how businesses can stay ahead in an increasingly digital landscape.

“So here's the other thing. Small, medium businesses, one in four, right? One in four gets breached. It's that simple, one in four gets breached. It's not that it hasn't happened to you.It has already happened, and you may not know about it. It will happen, and one of two things will happen if it happens. It'll get blocked because you've got the right solutions in place, or it'll get in. But it will happen. And people don't realize that.”

The main topics of today's episode will be navigating the myths surrounding IT services for safeguarding your business against potential breaches. Sejal will also tell us why it is up to the business owner to make sure a disaster recovery plan is working before disaster strikes. We will also discuss why it is critical to understand that IT is a necessity, not a luxury.

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we talk to Ben Smith, founder and president of TriTech Services Group, a company he formed in 2021 to acquire and grow small businesses. He explains why he left the corporate world after around 25 years to become his own boss.

“I no longer wanted to allow somebody else to dictate my story or what I was going to do,” he said. “I really wanted to take more control of my life, what I was doing and the quality of life that I was having.”

The main topics of today's episode will be the similarities between being a solo entrepreneur and having employees. We also chat about why you shouldn't hire just to hire somebody, hire the right person. Ben will also share the importance of giving back and mentoring young entrepreneurs.