Beyond 8 Figures

Craig Swanson is a “professional partner” who specializes in helping business owners scale through the powerful tool of community collaboration. In this episode, Craig explains the value of co-creating with your audience, why simpler is better when it comes to scaling, and the importance of embracing experimentation! 

About Craig Swanson:

Craig Swanson is an entrepreneur, business coach, and co-founder of CreativeLive, an online learning platform for creatives. Today, he runs a small investment and incubator company with a fund that invests in and partners with a select few online creators per year to build niche platforms. He provides creators, educators, and influencers with the missing piece of their business that will propel them to the next level and help build $1 million dollar businesses one step at a time. 

Episode highlights:

Craig’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“I see so many people squander the future that they want to have because they’re afraid to take a step into failure, but often failure is actually the first step to start building something.” (55:59)

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As Martyna Lewinksa explains in this episode, everything is a learning opportunity! And to be the best entrepreneur you can be, don’t ever stop learning. This episode is a lesson in the value of having an open mind, being honest and transparent, and asking for feedback! 

About Martyna Lewinska:

Martyna Lewinska is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Fiat Republic. She has over eight years of experience in technical and leadership roles across multiple industries, and most recently, she served as the Head of Platform Engineering at OpenPayd (payments), Ex-Habito (mortgages), GE Digital, and ABB.

Episode highlights:

Martyna’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“We’re constantly evolving so I need to keep learning all the time. I learn from every situation, every problem that I face, every conversation that I have. For me, everything is a learning opportunity.” (16:59)  

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The purpose of Materna Medical is to make pelvic health products more accessible and to demonstrate that “when we invest in women, we all win.” The art of storytelling is one of the tools that Tracy MacNeal and her team use to achieve these goals. Listen to the episode to hear why Tracy prioritizes storytelling, self-care, and community as she works towards leaving the United States medical industry better than she found it.

About Tracy MacNeal:

Tracy MacNeal is a healthcare pioneer with an engineering background and leadership expertise at successful start-ups, mid-size companies, and Fortune 100 corporations. She is currently the President and CEO of Materna Medical, whose primary goal is to bring pelvic health solutions to every woman and healthcare specialist in the United States.

Episode highlights:

Tracy’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“It’s easy to fall in love with your product and think that it’s your product that matters. And it’s never your product. Your product is not the thing that people are buying. Your product is doing something for somebody that they value.” (10:22) 

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If you’ve built a successful business, you’ll already know that it requires a lot of time, planning, and effort. But do you know what it takes to conduct a successful business exit? Laurie Barkman joins us this week to explain why you should start thinking about your exit many years before you actually want to leave your business and to provide an overview of the steps you need to take to make the transition as smooth and beneficial as possible. 

About Laurie Barkman:
Laurie Barkman (the “business transition sherpa”) is the founder and CEO of SmallDotBig LLC (where she is helping owners maximize the value of their company and guiding them through the complex process of letting it go), Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business, and host of the Succession Stories podcast. 

In her book, “The Business Transition Handbook,” Laurie provides a clear and practical guide for business owners considering leaving their ventures. With real-life stories, tools, and exercises, this invaluable resource prepares owners to successfully navigate the emotional and practical aspects of the transition process. Her actionable insights empower readers to exit on their terms, avoiding succession regrets and ensuring a smooth and valuable transition of their businesses.

Browse our curated collection of Business Books for more enriching reads.

Episode highlights:

Laurie’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

Resources Mentioned:

• The Business Transition Handbook

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Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links in this episode are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rest assured, we only promote products/services we believe will benefit your entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode, Eleanor Beaton explains the benefits of decentralizing your business and how to do it successfully, why entrepreneurs need to focus on improving their leadership abilities, and the importance of understanding that you are not your business! 

About Eleanor Beaton:

Eleanor Beaton is the founder and CEO of SafiMedia, an education and coaching company for women entrepreneurs. Eleanor has been recognized nationally and globally for her work as a women’s leadership expert, business coach, and writer. Foundational to the work that Eleanor does is her belief that small, women-owned businesses have the power to bridge the gap between economic growth and sustainability.

Episode highlights:

Eleanor’s best advice for entrepreneurs: 

“Who we are [as entrepreneurs] is very much embedded with the business itself, and when that is fused so tightly, there’s no room for others to truly bring these gifts independently.” (12:30) 

Mentioned in this Episode:

• Hiro Boga

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When Mike Smith puts his mind to solving a problem, nothing can get in his way! To turn Rabble Mill into the youth-focused, life-changing organization that it is today, Mike had to do some seemingly impossible things. In this episode, he shares the story of his journey of “proudly serving the misfits.” 

About Mike Smith:

Mike is on a mission to end generational poverty one young person at a time through motivational speaking, consulting, his career education platform (Find Your Grind, and his non-profit organization, Rabble Mill. He works with young people from all walks of life, encouraging them to pursue their passions and live out their dreams. 

Episode highlights:

Mike’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“Find a problem you are really excited to solve for the rest of your life. Once you solve that problem, find another variation or go duplicate that solution.” (22:40) 

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A lack of diversity within a company has negative implications for the business and for society as a whole. Through imagiLabs, Dora Palfi is fighting for gender diversity in tech by sparking girls’ interest in coding from a young age. In this episode, she shares the great strides they have already taken in this regard, how she stays motivated and happy, and her approach to improving her entrepreneurial abilities.

About Dora Palfi:

Dora is an impact entrepreneur through and through and believes that technology is our most powerful tool to shape the future. She has years of experience teaching programming to children and teenagers, as well as advocating for women in technology, and she is a yoga teacher. Dora received recognition in 2020 as a Cartier Women's Initiative Fellow, was named on Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2021, and was awarded Women in Tech Advocate of the Year for 2021.

Episode highlights:

Dora’s best advice for entrepreneurs: 

“The lack of diversity that we currently have in the tech industry is leading to products that don’t serve all of us as well as they could.” (29:40) 

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The working world is a different place compared to 50, 10, or even five years ago, and a business’s success hinges on its ability to adapt to this new environment. For Ray Kimble, adaptation has meant enhancing employee empowerment within his company, Kuma LLC, and during this episode, he explains why this approach has been so beneficial! 

About Ray Kimble:

Ray is passionate about leading teams and rethinking how services and organizations can thrive in the 21st century. He is committed to revolutionizing the privacy and security consulting industry by creating a company culture where diversity, innovation, and efficiency drive customized cyber solutions. Additionally, Ray is passionate about reducing the access gap for individuals of all backgrounds seeking careers in STEM fields.

Episode highlights:

Ray’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“You can now bring in all sorts of people to your business; different ways of thinking, different socioeconomic backgrounds, different cultures. You have the ability to tap into that and bring that knowledge to help create better products and services.” (10:21) 

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You can’t get away from big mistakes in business, but what you can do is turn those mistakes into big success! In this week’s episode, Reg Zeller (the founder of the holding company CaneKast) talks about the importance of learning to roll with the punches and look at your mistakes (and the mistakes of your team members) as opportunities for learning. 

About Reg Zeller:

After climbing the corporate ladder for many years (and experiencing a lot of stress and unhappiness as a result), Reg Zeller took the leap and became an entrepreneur. Five years after buying his first foundry, he has done six acquisitions and is on track to do another 15 to 20 over the next five years and to settle out at $100 million in sales!

Episode Highlights:

Reg’s best advice for entrepreneurs:

“You have to learn to be okay with getting punched in the face and then turning around the next day and smiling and coming back the next day.” (34:16) 

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Kevin Lee credits much of his success in the for-profit and non-profit marketing world to the people in his life, so one of his key pieces of entrepreneurial advice is to surround yourself with winners! During this episode, we also get into the importance of making your plans flexible and why “unsexy” areas are sometimes more fun to pursue than “shiny objects!”

About Kevin Lee:

Kevin describes himself as an “inventor and marketing-mad scientist.” He is the founder of GivingForward.org (a cause marketing nonprofit), Co-Founder of Didit (a marketing/tech firm), and CEO of the eMarketing Association (a digital marketing education platform). His innovative work in the for-profit and non-profit spaces has earned him worldwide recognition, and he is frequently quoted by high-end publications. 

Episode highlights:

Kevin’s best advice for entrepreneurs: 

“Entrepreneurship is the ability to choose where to point your mental energies and where to deploy them.” (05:41) 

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