CarTalk with Kartik #318: When Leadership Plans Fall Apart

Why do the best leadership stories often begin when the original plan falls apart? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed.

As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

Readers connect less with a resume wearing a book jacket than with meaningful choices. One client packed twenty years into twenty boxes and chose what belonged in her next chapter. That is leadership: protecting those who count on you while moving forward.

Painful? Yes. Great book material? Also yes. Because epic stories are born when leadership plans fall apart.

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 6 of the bestselling book 'Unmarried' by my client Rina Raichada, CEO at Dentistry on 10. Check it out on Amazon.

Less than 2% of books achieve bestseller status according to Forbes. As a 2X bestselling author featured on the Amazon bestseller list for 84+ weeks as well as on BBC TV & Times Square, and named a Top Consultant of the Year by Product Marketing Alliance, I’m on a mission to transform CEOs into bestselling authors.

If you know a CEO who wants to write a bestselling book (the gold standard of thought leadership!) with my done-for-you service (pay ZERO upfront and only pay per week that your book achieves Amazon bestseller status) while I handle the heavy lifting (ghostwriting, cover design, launch, promotion, publicity in NY Times Square & ABCnews / CBSnews / NBCnews affiliates and more) visit https://cariboustrategic.com/s

CarTalk with Kartik #317: Save It for Book Two

Could too many ideas weaken your book? That’s the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by Product Marketing Alliance, here’s my take.

CEOs rarely lack ideas. The danger is cramming every story and framework into one book until it resembles an all-you-can-eat buffet.

My filter: Does it create real reader value? Does it support a business goal? If yes, keep it. If not, save it for LinkedIn or Book Two.

Focused books are easier to read, remember, recommend, and position as bestsellers. Share what readers need, not everything you know. The rest, save it for book two.

Dive deeper into this topic on page 124 of my bestselling book Product Marketing Wisdom. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

Less than 2% of books achieve bestseller status according to Forbes. As a 2X bestselling author featured on the Amazon bestseller list for 83+ weeks as well as on BBC TV and in Times Square, and named a Top Consultant of the Year by Product Marketing Alliance, I’m on a mission to transform CEOs into bestselling authors.

If you know a CEO who wants to write a bestselling book (the gold standard of thought leadership!) with my done-for-you service (pay ZERO upfront and only pay per week that your book achieves Amazon bestseller status) while I handle the heavy lifting (ghostwriting, cover design, launch, promotion, publicity in NY Times Square & ABC news / CBS news / NBC news affiliates and more) message me!

CarTalk with Kartik #316: The Meaning Behind Milestones

What does your biggest metric mean beyond the number? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

CEOs love big numbers. Add a percentage and suddenly everyone wants a pie chart. But numbers impress readers. Stories make them care.

For example, 22 million pounds of rescued food sounds impressive. The donors, volunteers, and daily handoffs make it unforgettable.

When I help CEOs shape their books, that human meaning is what we uncover. We find the meaning behind milestones.

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 16 of the bestselling book 'Millions of Meals Hidden in Plain Sight' by my client Robert Lee, CEO at Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #315: Purposeful Vulnerability

What if the chapter you’re most afraid to share is the one your readers most need? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed.

As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

When I help CEOs shape bestselling books, I remind them that polished victories are not enough. Perfect gets tiring, like LinkedIn before coffee.

Readers remember the quiet kitchen, untouched bananas, and leadership under pressure. Purposeful vulnerability turns lived experience into believable wisdom, and believable wisdom builds trust. So practice purposeful vulnerability.

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 7 of the bestselling book 'Unmarried' by my client Rina Raichada, CEO at Dentistry on 10. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #314: Pricing Your CEO Book

Should CEOs price their books for profit, prestige, or reach? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

Many CEOs price a book as a final checkbox. Pick $14.99, cross your fingers, and wait for Amazon confetti. But price shapes reach, positioning, and perceived value.

The goal is not maximum royalties. It is maximum business impact through credibility, conversations, speaking opportunities, and clients.

Price for the outcome, then adjust. That’s how you price your CEO book.

Dive deeper into this topic on page 126 of my bestselling book 'Product Marketing Wisdom'. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #313: Escape Unlimited CEO Overtime

How do you know if you're building a business or a burden? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

If every decision, explanation, and customer question still depends on you, you may have built yourself a job with a CEO title and unlimited overtime.

A book turns the expertise in your head into a system others can understand, repeat, and carry forward. That is how your ideas scale without your calendar staging a rebellion. So escape unlimited CEO overtime.

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 17 of the bestselling book 'Millions of Meals Hidden in Plain Sight' by my client Robert Lee, CEO at Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #312: Find Meaning in Moments

How do you turn a deeply personal experience into a lesson readers will never forget? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed.

As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

Great books do more than recount what happened. They reveal why it matters.

Imagine a mother who renames two homes - hers and that of her ex - so her children feel they belong in both. For CEOs, that is the strategy: turn your experience into a useful insight your readers can apply.

Otherwise, it is just a diary wearing a turtleneck. So remember, find meaning in moments.

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 8 of the bestselling book 'Unmarried' by my client Rina Raichada, CEO at Dentistry on 10. Check it out on Amazon.

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #311: Make Your Message Move

Can a CEO book turn messy expertise into company-wide momentum? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I recently discussed. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

Most CEOs have brilliant ideas trapped in their head.

The problem?

Their sales team explains it one way, marketing explains it another way, product explains it with 47 slides, and the customer is sitting there thinking, “So... do I buy this or take a nap?”

That is where a great CEO book helps.

Writing a book forces you to clarify your ideal customer, their buying journey, your positioning, your value, and the framework behind your business.

Done well, the book is not just a credibility piece.

It becomes a company alignment tool.

It turns scattered expertise into a clear message your market, team, and buyers can actually understand.

Dive deeper into this topic on page 128 of my book Product Marketing Wisdom, which just completed 77 weeks as an Amazon bestseller. Check it out at:

https://ProductMarketingWisdom.com/s

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #310: Can Your Idea Travel?

Can your big idea survive outside your zip code? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I discussed recently. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by PMA, here's my take.

A CEO book should not just prove that your idea worked once.

It should show why it can work again.

In the case of my client Robert Lee, his organization Rescuing Leftover Cuisine could not simply copy and paste New York into every city. Walking routes in Manhattan become car routes somewhere else. A campus model may become a restaurant district model. Same mission, different mechanics.

That is the real power of a CEO book.

It turns your experience into a model people can understand, trust, and adapt. Otherwise, your book becomes a 200-page humblebrag with better parking.

So always ask yourself - Can your idea travel?

Dive deeper into this topic in Chapter 18 of the bestselling book "Millions of Meals Hidden in Plain Sight" by my client Robert Lee, CEO at Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. Check it out on Amazon. And see you next time on CarTalk with Kartik!

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!

CarTalk with Kartik #309: The Book Inside Your Pain

What does being alone, not lonely, really mean? That's the question one of my CEO clients and I discussed recently. As a 2X bestselling author featured on BBC TV & Times Square and named a Top Consultant of the Year by Product Marketing Alliance, here's my take.

Being alone is not the same as being empty. Sometimes it means finally hearing your own voice without a committee meeting in your head. And for CEOs, that matters.

Because the best books are not just about what you built. They are about what you survived, what you stopped tolerating, and what you finally understood.

That is where authority comes from. Not polish. Not jargon. Real lived clarity.

So write the book inside your pain.

Dive deeper into this topic on page 132 of the bestselling book "Unmarried" by my client Rina Raichada, CEO at Dentistry on 10. Check it out on Amazon. And see you next time on CarTalk with Kartik!

Listen to CarTalk with Kartik on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Castbox, iHeart, or your favorite podcast app!