CEO Insights - w/ Nas Vou

What gives a customer a reason to choose you when someone else offers the same service for less?

Seth Greene joins Nas Vou on CEO Insights to explore how service businesses can get clearer about who they want to reach, create a different customer experience and build relationships that lead to better business conversations.

Seth is the founder of Market Domination and co-host of Sharkpreneur with Shark Tank’s Kevin Harrington. He shares the thinking behind a dentist’s unusually specific offer, the role a guest list can play in a business podcast, and why producing more content with AI still requires a clear message and a human reviewer.

We discuss:

• Finding an ideal customer through research rather than trying to serve everybody.
• Building a customer experience that is harder to compare on price.
• Choosing podcast guests who serve the same audience without competing with you.
• Following up after an interview to develop potential referral relationships.
• Keeping your personality and judgement in work produced with AI.
• Documenting repeated tasks so growth does not depend on the founder doing everything.

The half-price discussion is Seth’s conditional example of how a competitor might position an offer. The client results he describes are his account of individual cases.

Chapters:

00:00 Trailer: a different reason to choose you
01:10 Welcome and direct response marketing
03:58 Seth’s background and marketing credentials
05:07 Choosing your ideal customer
05:52 The dentist who could help anybody with teeth
07:14 Niching without firing your existing clients
07:47 Why similar messages lead to price comparisons
10:19 Building a different customer experience
11:20 When competitors say they charge half
13:51 Designing a business around the customers you want
16:11 Test new marketing before replacing what works
17:33 What a business podcast should achieve
19:22 Inviting guests who could become referral partners
20:00 The follow-up after the interview
21:15 A financial adviser and a business attorney
22:16 Guest appearances and AI-powered podcasts
24:12 AI voices and the question of trust
27:30 Keeping personality in AI-generated content
30:04 Getting the founder’s process out of their head
31:32 Why marketing alone can create a bigger operational mess
33:51 Rapid fire: referrals, metrics and customer acquisition
34:45 Turning attention into pipeline
35:11 The book and where to find Seth

Guest resources:
Market Domination
Sharkpreneur
The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Business with a Podcast

Connect with Nas Vou:
Website
LinkedIn
Instagram
CEO Insights

Subscribe to CEO Insights for practical conversations about business, marketing and the people behind them.

#CEOInsights #SethGreene #DirectResponseMarketing #BusinessGrowth

Are you chasing new leads while overlooking people who have already bought from you?

Jeff Kruszyna joins Nas Vou on CEO Insights to discuss a practical starting point for growth: reconnect with past customers, ask what could be better and use that feedback to improve your next offer. They explore testing on a small scale, combining direct mail with digital channels, and giving people a clear reason to respond.

Jeff draws on his experience in direct response marketing, political fundraising and nonprofit work. The second half broadens into brand values and American politics: the “Patriot economy”, how political identity influences consumer choices, and the difference between genuine convictions and following a trend.

Recorded on 16 October 2025. References to current events and political developments reflect the conversation at that time.

In this conversation:

• Why past customers can be a useful place to start your next campaign.
• How customer feedback can improve both your message and your product or service.
• Why testing one thing at a time matters before scaling.
• How real deadlines and relevant bonuses give an offer a reason to act.
• How values, public positioning and audience expectations can affect a brand.

Chapters:
00:00 Trailer and episode introduction
01:02 Jeff’s background in direct response marketing
03:33 What direct response marketing means
04:24 Connecting direct mail and digital channels
07:09 Where direct mail fits for businesses
09:32 Start small and test before scaling
11:49 Start with customers who already know you
14:13 Use feedback to improve your offer
14:47 What previous buying behaviour tells you
16:14 Real deadlines and bonus offers
18:47 The junk-mail objection
20:57 Understand why your customer would buy
23:20 Brand values and American politics
29:32 Core convictions versus following trends
34:20 Values, products and a wider purpose
36:42 Will business and politics stay intertwined?
39:13 Trump, repetition and memorable messaging
40:55 Where to connect with Jeff

Connect with Jeff
Jeff’s website: http://www.jmkvictory.com/

Connect with Nas Vou
Website: https://doitdigital.agency
CEO Insights: https://doitdigital.agency/podcast-ceo-insights/
Nas Vou on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasvou
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nas_vou/

Subscribe to CEO Insights for more conversations about business, leadership and the people behind them.

Trailer music:
The Illusionist by Scott Buckley
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/the-illusionist/
Edited and mixed for this trailer.
Opening music: Vastness by Andrew Ev, via Mixkit.

When AI can build the website, what are clients still paying you for?

Matt Raad has spent 30 years buying, growing and selling businesses with his wife Liz. The eBusiness Institute co-founder joins Nas Vou on CEO Insights to explore where the value sits when AI makes more of the work faster and cheaper.

Matt explains the difference between building a website and getting a client’s phone ringing, why he is interested in digital agencies with recurring revenue, and how he thinks about websites as assets you can improve and sell.

We also discuss how to build a business someone wants to buy, when to focus rather than diversify, and why the next step should start with what you actually want from your life. The conversation closes with the harder question of who to hire as AI changes the work your team does.

We discuss:

• Why clients still pay for advice, implementation and outcomes.
• What AI changes about website content, traffic and audiences.
• Why Matt sees opportunity in digital agencies with recurring revenue.
• Profit, traffic and conversions: Matt’s 30–30–30 framework.
• When to double down on your agency, diversify or buy another business.
• What curiosity and practical AI skills mean for hiring and growing a team.

Chapters:

01:27 Introduction to Digital Assets and Coaching

03:53 Understanding Digital Assets as Real Assets

07:16 The Value of Content and Eyeballs in the Digital Space

08:51 AI's Impact on Service-Based Businesses

09:35 Optimism in the Face of AI Disruption

18:06 The Future of Digital Agencies and Acquisitions

21:00 The Importance of Service Businesses in the Digital Age

22:05 Strategies for Agency Growth and Diversification

29:12 Navigating the Agency Acquisition Landscape

32:59 Tactical Steps for Agency Owners

42:29 Building a Community and Leveraging AI

Connect with Nas Vou:

Website

LinkedIn — Nas Vou

Podcast — CEO Insights

Instagram

Guest links:

eBusiness Institute

Matt Raad on LinkedIn

Matt & Liz Raad

Digital Investors Podcast

Digital Investors on YouTube — @DigitalInvestorShow

Subscribe to CEO Insights for more honest conversations about business, leadership and the people behind them.

Trailer music:

'Intervention' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

https://www.scottbuckley.com.au/library/intervention/

Is trying to appeal to everyone stopping your business from standing out?

Kurt Luidhardt joins Nas Vou on CEO Insights to explore what business owners can learn from political campaigns about building trust, communicating their values and earning customer loyalty.

Drawing on nearly 20 years in political marketing and fundraising, Kurt explains why customers connect with what a business stands for—and how to communicate that authentically without creating unnecessary controversy.

We discuss:

- How to identify the values behind your business.

- What brands like Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby do differently.

- Practical ways small businesses can support causes and build community.

- How to handle the fear of alienating potential customers.

- Why faith, identity and the pursuit of success influence business decisions.

“It’s better to be something to somebody than everything to nobody.” — Kurt Luidhardt

Chapters:

00:00 Meet Kurt Luidhardt

00:45 From political fundraising to brand marketing

04:13 Why values influence buying decisions

07:02 Finding what your business stands for

09:28 Different ways to communicate your values

16:21 Practical steps for smaller businesses

20:04 Building loyalty through shared convictions

20:38 Overcoming the fear of backlash

25:10 Standing for something without being confrontational

28:07 Business challenges, identity and success

35:37 Faith and getting your priorities in order

38:28 Where to connect with Kurt  

Connect with Kurt:

LinkedIn

Website

Connect with Nas Vou

LinkedIn

Website

Subscribe to CEO Insights for more honest conversations about business, leadership and the people behind them.

In this episode, Anna shares her transformative journey from being the "smartest person in the room" to cultivating a leadership style rooted in delegation, transparency, and deep client understanding.

We break down actionable frameworks for cross-departmental alignment, like orchestrating collaboration between sales, marketing, and product teams, and the power of account-based marketing tailored to personal preferences. Anna also explores how AI can serve as your productivity copilot, analysing sales calls to reveal friction points and improve communication strategies, while emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in a world increasingly driven by automation.

Whether you're scaling a startup or refining enterprise GTM strategies, Anna's experience provides a blueprint for delivering meaningful growth while nurturing the human side of leadership.

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:31) Anna's Background & Career Journey

(03:49) Leadership Mindset Shifts

(08:15) Building High-Performing Teams

(11:00) CRO Strategy: Running the Revenue Engine

(14:14) Speaking Your Customer's Language

(19:50) Enterprise Sales & Account-Based Marketing

(23:08) Cross-Functional GTM Alignment

(27:34) The Five Whys: Finding Real Client Needs

(29:41) AI in Sales: Turning Calls into Intelligence

(34:12) AI, Productivity & Critical Thinking

(35:51) Closing

Follow Anna:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-gurina/

Follow Nas:

Nas Vou: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasvou/

Follow the CEO Insights:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-insights-nas-vou

Most B2B founders are pouring money into lead gen and wondering why it stops working the moment they stop paying.

Martin Zarian, Founder of Factor 39 and one of Cyprus's top LinkedIn voices on brand, breaks down why that's happening and what to do instead.

In this episode we cover:

00:00 Who is Martin Zarian

03:00 Brand vs branding vs personal branding (most people confuse all three)

07:00 Why brand is the perception you don't get to choose, only manage

12:00 The fish tavern story that explains every weak brand in one phone call

15:00 Why internal branding has to come before external branding

21:00 Buying attention vs generating attention (the 95/5 rule explained)

28:00 How to know when a business is ready to invest in brand

33:00 The biggest opportunity most founders are sleeping on

36:00 Why vanilla messaging is hiding, not branding

39:00 Consistency vs cadence (they're not the same thing)

42:00 The single most overlooked element of branding

46:00 How AI is changing brand work, and what stays the same

If you're a founder doing solid revenue but feel stuck in the buy-attention treadmill, this one is worth your time.

Connect with Martin on LinkedIn: [link]

Factor 39: [link]

Follow the show:

LinkedIn: CEO Insights [Link]

What would you do if your company gave you a choice: keep your job or keep your values?

Andrew Crapuchettes faced exactly that decision as CEO of a profitable $50M SaaS business. Despite growing 25% annually with 40% margins, his board was uncomfortable with him being an unapologetic conservative Christian.

That decision led to Red Balloon (redballoon.work), a freedom-focused job marketplace that's helped millions of job seekers and thousands of businesses connect based on merit, not politics.

In this episode, Andrew breaks down:

• His exact "no gossip" policy created psychological safety for innovation
• Why culture eats strategy for breakfast (and how to protect it ruthlessly)
• The hiring framework that's worked across multiple 7-figure exits
• How to fire fast when someone damages your culture, even if they're hitting their numbers
• Why he work with someone bad at their job if they're a great culture fit
• Using AI as a tool without replacing the human element in hiring
• Building meaningful work that creates dignity and impact

Whether you're a first-time founder building your team or an experienced CEO struggling with retention, Andrew's framework for culture-first companies will give you a clear roadmap.

00:00 Intro

1:10 Andrew's Journey

5:39 The Journey to Red Balloon

11:35 Values & Leadership in Business

17:19 Core Values & Their Importance

23:00 Building a Strong Workplace Culture

29:50 The Role of AI in Business

24:43 Conclusion & Resources

Find Andrew on:

LinkedIn

Find Red Balloon

In this conversation, Kevin Thompson shares his inspiring journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a successful entrepreneur. He discusses the importance of strategic business partnerships, how to build meaningful relationships, and the impact of his podcasting journey on his connections with other entrepreneurs.

Kevin emphasizes the value of giving and creating win-win situations in partnerships, and how personal growth has shaped his approach to business and relationships.

Find Kevin on:

Facebook @Kevin The Connector

Linkedin

Maximum Response Marketing

Million Dollar Relationships Podcast

Takeaways:

• Kevin's journey began with a high school business course.
• He faced significant challenges after his father's passing.
• Working as a commercial fisherman taught him resilience.
• His first business venture was in carpet cleaning.
• Strategic partnerships transformed his business success.
• He emphasizes the importance of serving others in partnerships.
• Building relationships is key to business growth.
• Podcasting has opened new doors for connections.
• Creating a positive experience is crucial for partnerships.
• Personal growth has been essential in his entrepreneurial journey.

• From Fisherman to Entrepreneur: Kevin's Inspiring Journey
• The Art of Strategic Partnerships in Business

• "It's not about us. It's about them."
• "I love hosting this podcast."
• "It's pretty awesome being me, man."

Chapters

00:00Intro: Kevin Thompson

01:34 Kevin's Journey: From Fisherman to Entrepreneur

06:48 Understanding Strategic Partnerships

08:14 Facilitating Connections: The Role of a Connector

11:19 Building Your Own Strategic Partnerships

13:36 The Mindset of Giving in Partnerships

14:57 Creating Memorable Experiences for Partners

20:25 The Million Dollar Relationship Podcast

32:18 The Journey of Strategic Partnerships

Keywords: entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, business journey, podcasting, networking, relationships, business growth, impact, collaboration, personal growth.

Learn more about Craig Ballantyne and his latest book release:

📘 Read The Dark Side of Discipline⁠⁠https://darksideofdiscipline.com⁠

📸 Follow Craig on Instagram⁠⁠@thecraigballantyne⁠

🌐 Discover more at Early to Rise⁠⁠www.earlytorise.com⁠

Join Nas Vou host of CEO Insights In this conversation, Craig Ballantyne shares his journey from the fitness industry to becoming a productivity expert, emphasizing the importance of redefining discipline and focusing on what truly matters. He discusses the common pitfalls of young entrepreneurs, the significance of identifying level 10 problems, and the systems needed for success. Craig also delves into his personal experience with anxiety, advocating for a mindset shift towards generosity and helping others as a means to overcome personal struggles.

Takeaways:

• Discipline is about identifying what truly matters in life.
• Saying no to distractions is a key aspect of discipline.
• Many people confuse busyness with productivity.
• Level 10 problems require level 10 effort to solve.
• Self-reflection is crucial for identifying real issues.
• Generosity can help alleviate anxiety and stress.
• Building systems can automate good habits and eliminate bad ones.
• Community and accountability are essential for achieving goals.
• Success is personal and should be defined individually.
• Focus on your race, not on what others are doing.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Discipline and Productivity

04:22 The Misconceptions of Discipline

10:35 Identifying Level 10 Problems

18:06 Building Trust and Integrity

24:53 Overcoming Anxiety and Embracing Generosity

Join Nas Vou from Do It Digital as he sits down with Alexis Gresoviac, a seasoned gaming industry leader, on the CEO Insights Podcast.

With over 25 years of experience, Alexis shares his incredible journey—from aspiring to be a vet to launching Gameloft Japan, leading Blizzard Entertainment Korea, and now consulting for C-suite teams as the founder of ACE Consulting. He delves into the importance of flexibility, creativity, and the shifting corporate culture young entrepreneurs face today.

In this conversation, Alexis highlights the value of defining oneself beyond labels, the power of relationships in navigating corporate structures, and the joy of creation in business. He also explores the impact of mentorship, personal growth, and career transitions—concluding with a unique book recommendation that encapsulates valuable life lessons.

✅ Alexis has over 25 years of experience in the gaming industry.
✅ He transitioned from wanting to be a vet to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
✅ Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in business.
✅ Young professionals today are more entrepreneurial and less willing to conform.
✅ Defining oneself beyond labels is important for personal growth.
✅ Building relationships is key to navigating corporate environments.
✅ The creation process brings happiness and fulfillment.
✅ Mentorship provides valuable external perspectives.
✅ Understanding corporate politics is essential for career advancement.
✅ Books offer profound insights into life and business.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Alexis Gerasovyak

02:25 Career Journey and Transition to Consulting

05:23 The Importance of Flexibility in Career Paths

07:58 Defining Yourself Beyond Labels

10:43 Building a Business from the Ground Up

13:23 Challenges in Transitioning Between Companies

15:56 Navigating Internal Politics in Large Organizations

24:41 Navigating Corporate Dynamics

28:58 The Importance of Mentorship

32:24 Shifting Mindsets of Younger Generations

35:02 The Joy of Creation

43:22 Recommended Reads and Insights

About Alexis Gresoviac

Alexis Gresoviac is a gaming industry veteran, COO on demand, and consultant with extensive experience launching and leading global gaming ventures. From pioneering new markets to advising executives, Alexis helps businesses and game studios scale, build strategic partnerships, and secure funding.

Learn more about Alexis and his work at ACE Consulting Group.

🎧 Tune in to this insightful episode and connect with Alexis for more industry expertise!