Brett Trainor Unplugged

By Brett TrainorBusiness Entrepreneurship Education Self-Improvement

Brett Trainor Unplugged episodes

August 03, 2021114. How to Create High-Performing Teams From One of the Top Prep Coaches with Coach Gene Heidkamp
What does it take to build a high-performing team? Is it about getting the best talents? Or building the best program?

We have a unique episode this time as I interview Gene Heidkamp, the basketball coach at Benet Academy. The Redwings netted the 3rd most wins in Northern Illinois from 2010-2020 making them one of the most successful high school basketball programs of the decade.

I believe B2B startups can learn several lessons from Coach Heidkamp’s approach. From how he built the program, getting the team to buy in, dealing with adversity, to setting the expectations for the season, this interview definitely gives us an insider look into the mind of a great leader.

Be sure to catch this episode as it’s a must listen!

We’ll talk about:
What made the Benet Program successful [04:50]
The importance of sacrifice in the success of the program [06:09]
Coach Heidkamp’s philosophy [07:53]
Why defense is the backbone that leads to wins [13:06]
The key is to be detail oriented [15:41]
Dealing with adversity [18:57]
How the Coach got the team to buy in [20 :13]
The approach towards those who don’t buy in [24:22]
Everybody needs to bring in value and be valued [27:21]
Focusing on presence instead of setting expectations on wins [30:54]
What can we expect from the team this year [33:06]
Why the Coach stays away from preseason predictions [34:30]
The one thing Coach Heidkamp highly recommends [35:59]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)

About Our Guest:

Gene Heidkamp is the long-time teacher and head basketball coach at Benet Academy. During his tenure, he led the Redwings to win 300 games. Having had only three Division I scholarship players in the last decade, Coach Heidkamp is one of the top high school coaches in Illinois and has led the team to achieve tremendous success.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
39 min
July 27, 2021113. The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Live Your Best Life with Michael Easter of Men’s Health & Outside Magazine
Has staying in your comfort zone made you stagnant?

We’re living in a very developed world that has granted us comforts our ancestors likely couldn’t even imagine. But this has somehow impacted our health and our ability to grow.

Today’s episode is going to be very different from my usual, but I guarantee the message will resonate with a lot of B2B founders. Michael Easter, author of The Comfort Crisis, comes in to talk about what’s really causing the physical and mental health issues we’re seeing become more prevalent, despite modern science.

Michael gives us the blueprint for leveraging the power of discomfort so that we can tap into our evolutionary instincts and our need to be challenged. Doing this will allow us to dramatically improve our health and happiness.

For the startup founders there who’ve been neglecting their health and have been feeling stuck, don’t miss this episode.

We’ll talk about:
Michael’s inspiration for writing the book [02:08]
When is too much comfort bad? [06:59]
How to push ourselves out of our comfort zone [09:15]
Sheltering our kids is us failing them [15:09]
Experiencing difficult helps us be more grateful [17:01]
Finding the happy medium [21:29]
Why fad diets don’t really work [27:17]
We are most likely overeating, without knowing about it [32:08]
How to optimize our fitness [35:22]
The benefit of rucking [38:30]
Do you need to go to the gym? [40:13]
One thing that Michael highly recommends [43:31]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter (https://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Crisis-Embrace-Discomfort-Reclaim/dp/0593138767)
Michael Easter Website (https://eastermichael.com/)

About Our Guest:

Michael Easter is a leading voice on how humans can integrate modern science and evolutionary wisdom for improved health, meaning, and performance in life and at work. He travels the globe to embed himself with brilliant but often overlooked scientists, thinkers, and people living at the extremes and shares the best of his findings and experiences in books, articles, and other media.

Michael’s investigations have taken him into ancient monasteries in Bhutan, US Special Forces training grounds, high-tech genetic labs in Iceland, Fortune-500 boardrooms, the world’s most remote wilderness areas, and more.

He is the author of The Comfort Crisis. You can also find his writing in Men’s Health, Outside, Men’s Journal, Cosmopolitan, Vice, Esquire, Scientific American, Women’s Health, and more. He also shares his thoughts on a Medium feed.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
48 min
July 20, 2021112. How Eppione Scaled Their Tech Startup By Empowering Employees with David Kindlon
The global workforce is fast becoming remote and borderless.

The current technologies in the human resources space pose so many challenges for companies like Eppione, but along with it comes the enormous potential for scale and profitability as well.

In this episode, David Kindlon, shares with us how their company is catching up with the demands from HR tech platforms and how they are disrupting the insurance industry through their SaaS.

We’ll talk about:
How David started in the HR tech space [01:49]
Finding the RIGHT co-founders in business [08:25]
From mere idea to actual product with early adopters [10:03]
SaaS is where the future of money is for Eppione [11:45]
The insurance industry is still using old tech stacks [15:08]
Global remote work changes the landscape for HR technology [16:53]
The pivot directed by user feedback [19:19]
What David would have done in the early stages of the business [21:38]
Be ready with a plan before getting funding [23:18]
When should the business have processes in place? [24:11]
Funding is finding the RIGHT money [27:57]
Don’t be afraid of competition [30:05]
The one thing David recommends [34:39]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Check out David’s intelligent HR solutions - (https://eppione.com/)

About Our Guest:

David Kindlon is the CEO of Eppione, an intelligent HR solutions company from Ireland with several locations in the world. Their cloud-based solutions enable companies to have flexibility and understand their unique workforce.

David is passionate about supporting businesses to empower, nurture, and inspire their workforce through technology

Connect with David through his LinkedIn.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
39 min
July 13, 2021111. Founder-led Selling: Science-backed Solutions for Break Through Growth with David Priemer
The world of selling has changed so much. It’s no longer just putting up a website and a couple of clicks later - Bam! You just made a sale.

David Premier comes back to the show as we get knee deep into founder-led selling. Why are we seeing founders struggle and face a lot of inefficiencies? David goes over the little, but actually big misses that stop startups for getting over that hurdle.

From the image you need to present the prospective buyer to how you make that discovery call, learn what’s going to make your customers buy. So tune in now.

We’ll talk about:
A quick background on David [02:17]
Why you need to look at how you speak to a customer [04:30]
Being consistent with your mission and vision will get you farther [08:54]
How to move from features & benefits to problem solving [11:58]
Think about how you can sound different [16:52]
People buy the product that aligns with their mental image [18:08]
Think about that unknown, unspoken [24:33]
Get them to tell you what they don’t want you to know [25:13]

Tips for making that discovery call [23:00]
What a customer tells you isn’t what the objection is about [29:02]
You don’t have to overcome all objections [27:44]
Your message and marketing are for helping shape the customer’s journey [33:03]
The one thing that David highly recommends [36:45]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Cerebral Selling Website (https://cerebralselling.com/)

About Our Guest:

David Priemer is the Founder and Chief Sales Scientist of Cerebral Selling, a modern sales training built through the lens of science and empathy.

David is the author of the highly recommended book, Sell The Way You Buy, which came out last April 2020.

Get more of his free content on their YouTube. Or connect with David on Instagram or Twitter.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
44 min
July 06, 2021110. Advice From a Former Stripper Turned Fitness Coach Who Gained 35K Followers on LinkedIn & How It Can Help Your Startup Scale with Gav Gillibrand
In a busy world of entrepreneurship, staying fit and healthy has always been quite a struggle.

In this episode, Gav Gillibrand, takes us back memory lane to his journey from being a male stripper back in the ’90s to being a Fitness Instructor and now to being a Fitness and Nutrition Coach. Learn how he was able to scale a one-on-one, service-based profession to a highly scalable and highly profitable Fitness and Nutrition Coaching business.

Learn how working less but making more can be made possible by knowing

We’ll talk about:
How Gav transitioned from the world of stripping to the world of fitness [01:37]
Scaling the personal trainer profession [09:30]
LinkedIn as the best B2B platform to connect with ideal clients [13:04]
Power of video for fitness and nutrition coaches [17:38]
People want to buy from a person not a company [21:51]
It’s okay to say things some people disagree with [24:20]
The benefits of staying healthy for busy entrepreneurs [33:31]
Gav’s goal to educate people on the myths of weight loss [35:53]
Two schools of thoughts in nutrition [40:30]
Your WHY is what will get you to the finish line [46:41]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Visit Gav Gillibrand’s website and subscribe to his newsletter (https://gavgillibrand.com/)
You can grab a copy of Gav Gillibrand’s book here (https://gavgillibrand.com/the-ghg-method-order-now/)

About Our Guest:

Gav Gillibrand is a fitness and nutrition expert with over a decade of experience and success in helping people lose weight. From being a fitness instructor to a fitness and nutrition coach, Gav specializes in helping busy executives become great role models and leaders both in their family life and business.

He is also known for his book, The GHG Method, which employs practical and actionable weight-loss methods designed for busy entrepreneurs and executives.

Back in the ’90s, he made a TV appearance on “Blind Date” and made a career as a professional revue artist (male stripper) in the UK.

Connect with Gav through his LinkedIn.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
53 min
June 29, 2021109. How to “Outrank” a Billion-Dollar Company & Why SEO is the Key to Startup Growth with Damon Burton
Getting known, getting leads, and getting sales are all part of online marketing. But the popularity of paid ads shifted businesses to think of marketing as merely budget considerations.

However, SEO pioneer Damon Burton believes that SEO is making a full circle as more entrepreneurs get burned out by paid ads.

Damon has been in the SEO space for almost 15 years and has seen its evolution over the years. He has worked with a wide variety of businesses from mom and pop stores to multi-billion dollar companies and startups.

Listen to him as he shares why SEO remains a strong choice for long-term online marketing efforts and how SEO should be done right over a period of time to experience its full benefits.

We’ll talk about:
Damon as an early adopter of SEO [02:13]
The evolution of SEO and paid ads [04:26]
Why SEO is more stable and scalable than paid ads [05:38]
Long term and short term objectives of SEO [09:17]
Understand your audiences when doing paid ads [14:13]
The difference between transactional item and emotional purchase [16:10]
Why simplistic websites outperform the most visually amazing websites [17:43]
Do the content you feel comfortable making [21:35]
Audio content transcripts are pleasing to search engines [25:15]
The role of schema in helping search engines understand your website [27:53]
SEO has the biggest return on profit and better client retention [32:03]
What to look for when outsourcing SEO work for your business [35:13]
How social proof helps build your social media credibility [39:19]
Figure out what format works for you [46:22]
The one (actually two) thing that Damon recommends [52:23]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Connect with Damon on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/damonburton/)
Check out Damon’s SEO Company (https://www.seonational.com/)
Get a copy of Damon’s book for free (https://trusting.clickfunnels.com/optin1589481029888)
Read Damon’s published articles in Forbes

About Our Guest:

Damon Burton has been in the Search Engine Optimization space for almost 15 years and is one of the early adopters of SEO. His company, SEO National, has optimized websites for INC5000 companies, NBA teams, and businesses featured on Shark Tank.

Burton has published the SEO book, "Outrank: Your Guide to Making More Online By Showing Up Higher on Search Engines and Outranking Your Competition." He also has tons of published articles in Forbes,

He is a husband and father of three and has been featured on Entrepreneur, BuzzFeed, USA Weekly, and has spoken at conferences.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
1 hr 6 min
June 22, 2021108. How to Use Hype to Break Through the Noise and Get Your Startup Noticed with Michael F Schein
For years, entrepreneurs focus on the benefits and features of their products and services. However, many are equally baffled why they are hardly hitting their sales targets.

In this episode, Michael F. Schein brings to the discussion table how the Power of Hype is making people act on something with much gusto. Being good enough at what you do is not enough to make people buy from you these days. Entrepreneurs must find that formula to set themselves apart from the norm and make a solid following from like-minded, loyal followers.

Find out the strategies on how to use hype for business success and increase your sphere of influence.

We’ll talk about:
How Michael got started in this business [02:20]
What led Michael to write his book The Hype Handbook [03:01]
Founders tell stories to sell [06:26]
Tools and principles on how to hype things up [09:25]
Crafting a story when selling features and benefits doesn't work anymore. [13:00]
The importance of authenticity in marketing yourself [20:22]
The 2 kinds of businesses every B2B founder should know [25:12]
How to apply the concept of the Bible and the Church in building your authority [33:38]
Know what Michael is into now that is not for everyone [39:26]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Michael F. Schein’s Website (https://michaelfschein.com/)
Get a copy of Michael’s Book “The Hype Handbook” 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers. (https://michaelfschein.com/the-hype-handbook/)
Subscribe to Michael F. Schein’s Hype Book Club (https://hypereads.com/)
Curious how Michael can turn consultants into celebrities? Check https://microfamemedia.com/

About Our Guest:

Michael F. Schein is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, and hype artist. He helps entrepreneurs and consultants build authority in their niche.

He is the author of The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers.

He is a prolific author with articles published in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Huffington Post, and Psychology Today. He speaks to international audiences spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China.

Michael is the founder and president of MicroFame Media, a marketing agency that has launched campaigns and created content for companies including eBay, Magento, The Medici Group, University of Pennsylvania, Gordon College, University of California Irvine, United Methodist Publishing House, Ricoh, LinkedIn, and Citrix.

Connect with Michael on Twitter and Facebook.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
45 min
June 15, 2021107. Transitioning from Founder-led to a Scaleup: Lessons Learned and What’s Next with CampfireSocial’s Erica Bishaf
Are trade shows now a distant memory?

In today’s time and with the climate brought about by COVID-19, trade shows look like a thing of the past.

But one entrepreneur saw the opportunity to fill the gap in the space and modernize what used to be so common. CampfireSocial’s Founder and CEO Erica Bishaf shares her journey so far as a startup in its early stages. As the first omnichannel platform designed solely for industry verticals and organizations, they are at the forefront of what could be revolutionary.

The path from startup to scaleup often starts with solving a problem. So this episode is sure to help you see what challenges a young startup faces as it builds and grows.

We’ll talk about:
Erica’s background and why she started CampfireSocial [01:20]
What are trade associations and what are they for? [05:31]
How Erica is modernizing the trade show [06:42]
Applying the same idea in the pet space to trade associations [08:51]
Her first priorities during the early days of her startup [13:05]
Your team has to be on board with your passion [20:03]
The impetus for her to start fundraising [22:30]
The biggest challenges for her company [26:02]
What would she have done differently [28:33]
What’s next for CampfireSocial [30:28]
Why feedback matters to them [33:33]
The one thing Erica recommends [35:06]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
CampfireSocial Website (https://www.campfiresocial.io/)

About Our Guest:

A 20+ year veteran in market intelligence, strategy, and trade shows, Erica Bishaf is the Founder and CEO of CampfireSocial. A tech entrepreneur, Erica saw the need for a platform designed for industry verticals and organizations to cultivate communities and drive revenue growth.

Email Erica at [email protected]

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
39 min
June 08, 2021106. Turning Chaos Into Clarity: The Power of Content, Processes, and Connecting with the Right Customer with Priscilla McKinney
Growing a startup at this time is different from what it used to be.

It will take more than the sales call and networking and promoting features and benefits.

In another episode focused on digital transformation, digital marketing, and branding, Little Bird Marketing’s own Momma Bird, Priscilla McKinney gives her own take on what every founder should be doing now to scale their startup.

It’s time to get with the times, so tune in to grab these awesome digital marketing takeaways.

We’ll talk about:
Priscilla’s amazing work on marketing [02:35]
How companies can cut through the noise [04:59]
Getting the branding and message aligned [10:50]
It’s no longer sales enablement because the buyer has control [15:59]
Ask yourself how you can help your customer [18:35]
Your team doesn’t want the company reliant on the founder [23:04]
How startups can connect with their audience [26:05]
Why you shouldn’t sell: Two things that happen before a buying decision [29:52]
Why you should continue to take care of current clients [33:44]
Having a great product or service just won’t cut it anymore [41:25]
The one thing Priscilla recommends [43:01]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Grab the free resources from Little Bird Marketing (https://littlebirdmarketing.com/)
Ponderings from the Perch Podcast (https://podcast.littlebirdmarketing.com/)

About Our Guest:

As the CEO and Momma Bird at Little Bird Marketing, Priscilla McKinney helps their clients with inbound marketing and social media lead generation. As a creative team, Little Bird is dedicated to providing top-notch content marketing solutions and strategic insights to our amazing clients. This award-winning digital agency serves revenue-minded leaders. Their proprietary content marketing system called S.O.A.R helps those looking to scale who need confidence for the short-term and long-term goals.

Priscilla is also the host of Ponderings from the Perch podcast.

Get in touch with Priscilla through her LinkedIn or Twitter.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
49 min
June 01, 2021105. How to Use Customer Insights to Accelerate Your B2B Startup’s Growth with Mary Claire Mandeville
Do you know why your customers choose you? Sure, your sales rep may have told you why, but do you really know for sure?

Today’s episode will take you on a deep dive into customer insights. Vennli’s CEO Mary Claire Mandeville gives us lots of reasons why B2B companies need to start leveraging customer feedback more, what you should be doing about market research, customer insights, and even customer experience no matter what stage your startup is, and how this can help startups as they start to scale.

Start with the customer and you can’t go wrong. So tune in now.

We’ll talk about:
Mary’s journey from sales to CEO [01:27]
The core competencies of Vennli [04:08]
Why B2B companies aren’t leveraging services more [05:56]
Building a company starts with the voice of the customer [09:48]
Why you should want to hear not so good news [11:58]
Leadership need to always stay in touch with customers [16:28]
Two important factors key to scaling to $10 million [18:24]
How to sell to multiple buyers in an organization [22:38]
A good cadence for getting feedback [25:40]
The future will include customer experience analysis [28:54]
It’s time to embrace making the customer the hero [31:48]
The one thing Mary recommends [35:00]
Resource Links:
Brett Trainor Website (https://bretttrainor.com/)
Download Startup to Scaleup: A 4-Part Framework to Grow Your B2B Business to $10 Million (https://bretttrainor.com/resources/)
Vennli Website (https://www.vennli.com/)
Podcast Ep 22. How to Grow and Scale a Startup, Even If You Don’t Enjoy Running One with Shark Tank Winner, Martin Hill (https://bretttrainor.com/2019/10/29/how-to-grow-and-scale-a-startup-even-if-you-dont-enjoy-running-one-with-shark-tank-winner-martin-hill/)

About Our Guest:

Mary Claire is the CEO at Vennli. She is driven to help individuals and organizations reach their full potential. In between receiving her BBA and MBA from the University of Notre Dame, this Oklahoma native spent a couple years in between working in Guatemala and Nicaragua for a social enterprise organization. Prior to joining Vennli, Mary Claire was VP of Business Development at a company in the solar industry. At Vennli, she focuses on developing the Chicago and Notre Dame markets.

If you liked this episode, please don’t forget to tune in, subscribe, and share this podcast.

Connect with B2B Founder:

Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCySoKsETeKxu-Fnf2VfE7Gg/
38 min