About Kim Faircloth: Kim Faircloth is a conflict resolution expert with over 30 years of experience in mediation, leadership development, and executive coaching. She owns Integrated Conflict Solutions, LLC, helping organizations manage disputes and improve employee engagement. As a senior principal trainer at the Mediation Training Institute, she applies her doctoral expertise in conflict and mediation to educate and equip professionals.

About Dawn Bedlivy: Dawn Bedlivy is a conflict resolution specialist with over three decades of experience in leadership development and alternative dispute resolution. She has led teams, designed conflict management systems, and trained professionals at top institutions. As an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, she mentors future leaders in conflict resolution.

In this episode, Dan, Kim, and Dawn discuss:

• The role of conflict in workplace transformation
• Practical tools for conflict resolution
• The impact of leadership on organizational conflict
• Effective communication strategies in conflict management

Key Takeaways:

• Organizations should recognize conflict as the spark for innovation and change, understanding that when managed well, it can lead to breakthroughs in problem-solving, team dynamics, and workplace growth.
• The "Sorted" and "Here" models provide structured approaches for handling disputes by helping leaders and HR professionals categorize concerns, set expectations, and guide conversations toward actionable resolutions.
• Leaders who take a moment to pause, reflect, and gather information before reacting to conflict can prevent escalation, foster open communication, and create an environment where constructive discussions lead to better decision-making.
• Nonconformists and disruptors should not be dismissed or silenced but rather valued for their ability to challenge the status quo, introduce fresh perspectives, and contribute to innovative solutions otherwise overlooked. 

"If you believe there’s no conflict in your organization, which people will say, then I’m here to tell you, you have smoke in your backyard." — Kim Faircloth

"[Conflict] just comes naturally to learn how to do it well—that's a misconception. It doesn't come naturally. There's a lot of learning you have to do in order to have the outcome that you want." — Dawn Bedlivy

Connect with Kim Faircloth & Dawn Bedlivy: 

Website: https://conflictsparkschange.com/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/conflict-sparks-change/

Kim’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-faircloth-phd-acc-sphr-shrm-scp-8b57962a/

Dawn’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-bedlivy/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Jon Sneider: Jon Sneider is the founder and president of Wild Gravity, a multi-award-winning creative production agency disrupting the advertising industry. A veteran marketing executive, Sneider has led global campaigns for brands like L.L.Bean, Windows, and Redfin, where he experienced firsthand the inefficiencies of traditional agencies. Determined to create a faster, more cost-effective approach, he built Wild Gravity to streamline creative services, production, post-production, and CGI under one roof. His upcoming book, Hacking Advertising, provides a blueprint for brands to bypass the outdated agency model and produce world-class ads without the unnecessary costs and delays. Today, Sneider and his team work with industry giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Hasbro, and the NBA, proving that great advertising doesn’t have to be slow, expensive, or complicated.

In this episode, Dan and Jon Sneider discuss:

• Broken traditional ad agency model and why it no longer serves modern businesses
• Five key metrics that determine whether an ad campaign is successful
• Evolution of advertising production and how smaller, more agile companies are changing the industry
• Challenges of writing, publishing, and marketing a business book in today’s landscape

Key Takeaways:

• Large advertising agencies are inefficient because they don’t actually produce the ads themselves, instead outsourcing to multiple vendors, which increases costs, slows down production, and creates unnecessary complexity.
• Many award-winning ad campaigns fail to drive sales because they focus too much on breakthrough creativity rather than brand and message recall, leading to ads that people remember but don’t connect to the product.
• Companies that consolidate creative, production, post-production, and visual effects under one roof can produce high-quality ads in a fraction of the time and at a much lower cost compared to traditional agencies.
• Writing a book is the easy part, but the real challenge comes afterward with marketing, building an audience, and handling promotion, since even major publishers no longer take on those responsibilities for authors. 

"You've spent all this money overfocusing on breakthrough, and agencies do this all the time because that's the work that wins awards. And so, awards are great for the agency, but they do nothing for the client." — Jon Sneider

Connect with Jon Sneider: 

Website: https://www.wildgravity.net/

Book: Hacking Advertising: https://hackingadvertising.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sneider/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Hilary Swan: Hilary Swan, founder of Rebel Scout Consulting, has spent 16 years working for global sales organizations and has carried the bag, launched new products, led sales teams, and simply knows what good looks like and how to get you there.

Every step of the way Hilary has had a burning to feed her entrepreneurial spirit and coveted passion to develop people to win but didn’t quit dial how to share her wealth of knowledge and expertise, until now.  As founder and principal consultant, Hilary has had the honor of supporting over 35 companies in the past 3 years and contributed to millions of growth for these businesses.

In this episode, Dan and Hilary Swan discuss:

• The role of fractional sales leadership in modern businesses
• The importance of consultative selling in building long-term relationships
• Common difficulties founders face when trying to effectively sell their products
• Utilizing professional networks strategically for business growth

Key Takeaways:

• Fractional sales leadership provides small businesses and startups with access to high-level sales expertise without the cost of a full-time executive, offering hands-on guidance in strategy, sales process development, and team management to drive measurable revenue growth.
• Many salespeople and entrepreneurs mistake social selling—friendly conversations and networking—for actual selling, but unless they can effectively communicate value, address pain points, and guide prospects toward a purchasing decision, their efforts will not lead to closed deals.
• Founders who struggle with sales often focus too much on perfecting their product rather than learning how to price, position, and pitch it effectively, leading to missed opportunities and slow business growth despite having something valuable to offer.
• Hiring the wrong salesperson can set a business back significantly, which is why evaluating a candidate’s ability to engage, listen, and build trust within the first 30 seconds of an interview is critical, as it reflects how they will perform in actual sales conversations. 

"Think about everybody you're interacting with—they have a full-time job to do, and even though they may be a buyer or decision-maker, it doesn’t mean that they even necessarily know how to buy." — Hilary Swan

Connect with Hilary Swan: 

Website: https://www.rebelscout.co/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilarynswan/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Patrick Dubois: With over 30 years of experience in sales, leadership, and business strategy, Patrick Dubois helps both individuals and companies identify their unique strengths, boosting self-awareness, productivity, and confidence. As the founder of Sales Growth Today, he specializes in optimizing sales strategies with a 3-step plan that is quantifiable, actionable, and achievable. By focusing on what sets clients apart, he empowers them to achieve success more quickly and drive sustainable business growth. A dynamic speaker, Patrick improves brand positioning and integrates sales fundamentals to deliver impactful results. Outside of his professional work, he is passionate about family and enjoys food and wine.

In this episode, Dan and Patrick Dubois discuss:

• The role of self-awareness and unique strengths in sales and leadership
• Strategies for building trust and emotional connections in sales
• Effective sales management and motivation techniques for diverse teams
• Entrepreneurship insights from transitioning hobbies, like winemaking, into businesses

Key Takeaways:

• Sales success hinges on deeply understanding your unique strengths, using humor and authenticity to build trust, and creating emotional connections that resonate with clients on a personal level.
• Effective rapport-building involves genuinely listening to prospects, tailoring your communication style to match their preferences, and asking thoughtful questions to uncover what they truly want.
• Sales managers must recognize that motivation varies for each team member, using tailored approaches like offering time off, personal recognition, or flexible rewards instead of relying solely on monetary incentives.
• Turning a passion into a business, like launching a boutique winery, requires embracing risk, mastering foundational sales skills like cold-calling, and staying committed to the authenticity of your product or service. 

"You don’t have to be like everybody else—just be you, and people will buy the real you." — Patrick Dubois

Connect with Patrick Dubois: 

Website: https://www.salesgrowthtoday.com/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-dubois-75929412

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Brooke Kruger: Brooke Kruger, founder of KC Partners, has 20+ years of experience in executive recruiting, public relations, and communications. She spent over six years at top San Francisco PR firms before pivoting into communications search in 2005. Brooke founded KC Partners in 2009, which places top communications candidates with early-stage companies, corporations, VC firms, and PR agencies.

Brooke leverages her excellent relationship-building skills, communications industry expertise, insider's perspective, and vast network to quickly find the right candidates for her clients' hiring needs. She is widely known for building world-class communications teams.

In this episode, Dan and Brooke Kruger discuss:

• The journey of transitioning from one career path to entrepreneurship
• The evolving role of communication leaders in modern organizations
• Building and leveraging professional networks for business success
• Strategies for aligning personal fulfillment with professional achievements

Key Takeaways:

• Storytelling is the cornerstone of effective communication leadership, requiring a deep understanding of audiences and the ability to craft narratives that resonate with them and align with organizational goals.
• Building relationships in the recruiting process requires a non-transactional approach, fostering meaningful, long-term connections with clients and candidates, even when there are no immediate hiring opportunities.
• Success in recruiting stems from having a team with direct industry experience, enabling recruiters to understand the roles they fill at a granular level and provide tailored solutions.
• For individuals entering the PR field, starting at an agency offers invaluable experience by exposing them to multiple clients and allowing them to learn fundamental skills in a dynamic environment.

"We try not to be transactional. We want to go deep with everyone—and whether we may not have a job, if you're a candidate right now looking for a job—we may not have something for you right now, but we want to build a long-term relationship." — Brooke Kruger

Connect with Brooke Kruger: 

Website: https://kc-partners.com/

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookechilenkruger/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

About Chris Murphy: Chris Murphy has been in sales leadership roles for SaaS companies for 25+ years, including several VC-backed start-ups and more recently, PE-owned portfolio companies. He has built and scaled sales teams across a variety of business applications as well as technical platform software vendors. Now as part of the Sales Xceleration network of Advisors, he helps small to mid-sized companies by building out a sales infrastructure which allows them to scale their sales operation and grow their revenue. In addition, he often takes over as their “fractional” VP of Sales to manage, guide and grow the sales team.

In this episode, Dan and Chris Murphy discuss:

• Managing and scaling sales teams effectively
• The role and impact of part-time leadership in sales growth
• The importance of foundational systems for scaling operations
• The role of qualification, negotiation, and consistency in driving success

Key Takeaways:

• Companies often lack essential sales infrastructure, such as scalable processes and systems, which prevents growth; implementing these basics can transform revenue trajectory, as seen with a tech company that grew from $1.2M to $4M in two years.
• Rushing to provide demos without first qualifying prospects is a critical mistake that erodes leverage, as buyers disengage once they've seen the product and price without committing to the process.
• Fractional sales leadership, even with just one day per week of involvement, is proven to deliver measurable results, with an average client sales increase of over 30% within a year, according to the Sales Acceleration Network.
• The most effective salespeople maintain consistent effort, focus on long-term success, and avoid getting overly emotional about short-term wins or losses, ensuring sustained high performance across sales cycles. 

"If you can do something positive for a company, and especially if it's something significant like helping them double their revenue in a short time, it impacts the entire company." — Chris Murphy

Connect with Chris Murphy: 

Website: https://salesxceleration.bullseyelocations.com/salesxceleration/advisors/Chris-Murphy/35576031

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrismurphyma/

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Welcome to Biz Wiz, a podcast where host Dan Hollis connects listeners with some of the most inspiring leaders and influencers in business today. Drawing on his own experiences in sales, radio, and media, Dan brings in entrepreneurs, sales experts, and industry visionaries to share their unique paths to success. Each episode is packed with stories, practical wisdom, and strategies to inspire greatness and provide listeners with actionable insights.

"Let's make magic happen here together on Biz Wiz. We'll unlock the secrets to success, inspire greatness, and create a community where every listener leaves with a spark of motivation and a toolkit full of actionable strategies." — Dan Hollis

Connect with Dan Hollis: 

Website: www.themagicofselling.net

Email: [email protected]

Business Number: 973-862-8331

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Andrew Thorp King is the author of FAILURE RULES!: The 5 Rules of Failure for Entrepreneurs, Creatives and Authentics.

He is an executive fintech banker, spy novelist, speaker, punk rocker, podcaster, ex-bodybuilder, cigar lover, and serial entrepreneur. He founded two independent record labels—Thorp Records and Sailor’s Grave Records—and has invested in many spaces, including online lending, fitness, lead generation, and independent music.

Andrew Thorp King is also a serial failure. He has crashed and burned through bankruptcy, divorce, mortgage default, public assistance, and multiple business failures. But, like a jack-in-the-box after a punch, he pops back up every time, rebuilding his life—informed by failure—with a big smile on his face.

Questions You'll Hear Today:

1. What is the origin story behind The 5 Rules of Failure? 
2. What are The 5 Rules of Failure and why are they important? 
3. How does spirituality inform your approach to business and entrepreneurialism?
4. How should creatives prepare to metabolize and leverage failure?
5. What is the influence of punk rock and heavy music to your story, the themes of FAILURE RULES!, and your psychology around failure and hard times?  
6. What is the significance of cigar culture to your story, the themes of FAILURE RULES! and your overall approach to life, business, and art? 
7. How do you balance and harmonize disparate pursuits such as fintech banking, business psychology writing, running punk/hardcore record labels, being a spy novelist, etc?
8. How does your experience as a bodybuilder inform your psychology around anticipating and overcoming failure? 
9. Who are some virtual mentors that have most influenced your life, your story, and The 5 Rules of Failure? 
10. What are your future plans for FAILURE RULES! and promoting the messages of the book?

Connect with Andrew Thorp King:

Website: www.andrewthorpking.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewthorpking 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/andrewthorpking 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLRJqrHRDoc0gh-kZuKo9rg 

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

For more information about how to launch your own podcast, email our team at [email protected]. 

Jolié is a life and business coach with over a decade of experience. She’s great. Really great. Funny too. 

Questions You'll Hear Today:

1. Can you start by telling our listeners a bit about yourself and your journey into becoming a life coach? What inspired you to pursue this career?
2. Life coaching is a term that's become quite popular recently, but it means different things to different people. How would you define life coaching, and what do you believe sets it apart from other forms of self-help or personal development?
3. What are some common misconceptions about coaching that you often encounter, and how do you address them?
4. Life coaches often work with clients to help them set and achieve their goals. Could you share some examples of the types of goals people typically seek your guidance for?
5. Building a strong client-coach relationship is crucial in coaching. How do you establish trust and rapport with your clients, and what strategies do you use to maintain a positive coaching relationship?
6. Personal growth can sometimes involve confronting and overcoming challenges. Can you share a challenging or memorable experience where you helped a client navigate a difficult situation and achieve personal growth?
7. Many people struggle with work-life balance and burnout in today's fast-paced world. What advice do you have for our listeners on how to find a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives?
8. Mindset is a significant aspect of personal development. How do you work with clients to shift their mindset and overcome limiting beliefs or negative thought patterns?
9. What are some of the most effective tools and techniques you use as a coach to help clients make positive changes in their lives?
10. Personal development can be a lifelong journey. How do you help your clients stay motivated and committed to their goals in the long term?
11. Self-care is often emphasized in personal development. What are some self-care practices or rituals that you recommend to your clients to help them maintain their well-being?
12. In your experience, what are some of the most rewarding transformations or success stories you've witnessed as a coach?
13. Are there any books, resources, or practices that have had a significant impact on your own personal growth and coaching philosophy that you'd recommend to our audience?
14. Life coaching can be an investment of both time and money. What advice do you have for listeners who may be considering working with a coach but are unsure if it's the right decision for them?
15. Can you share any upcoming projects or initiatives you're working on, or any advice or final thoughts you'd like to leave our listeners with today?

Connect with Jolié Higazi:

Sign up for Jolié’s Newsletter to Hear About Upcoming Events: https://www.joliehigazi.com/newsletter 

Soulful Sundays FREE Virtual Meetup: https://www.joliehigazi.com/soulful-sundays 

Join the waitlist for Jolié’s Small Business Owners Mastermind Group: https://www.joliehigazi.com/small-biz-owner-premium-membership 

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

For more information about how to launch your own podcast, email our team at [email protected]. 

Today You Will: 

1. Gain insights from Alix Sandler's background and experiences to inspire your own journey in media and entrepreneurship.
2. Discover how Kennedy Krieger Children's Hospital and Research Center is making a positive impact on the lives of children, and how you can contribute to their mission.
3. Explore how media and entrepreneurship can influence and shape a successful podcast that resonates with your audience and helps you achieve your goals.
4. Learn about the importance of inclusivity in the LGBTQIA+ community and how you can create a more diverse and welcoming space in your own podcast.
5. Uncover strategies for personal growth and overcoming challenges to help navigate the ups and downs of your entrepreneurial journey and build resilience along the way.

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

For more information about how to launch your own podcast, email our team at [email protected].