Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business

Jon and Randall talk with Thomas C. Marsh and Thomas Daniels, Co-Authors of Black and White Like You and Me, about how to bring people closer together.

Thomas C. Marsh Nickname | Cookie

Born in 1951 in Laurel, Mississippi, I moved to Detroit, Michigan with my family as an infant and I've been here ever since. We spent summers in Mississippi to visit family. I had a public school upbringing but was firmly grounded in church. I have a graduate degree in social work from the University of Detroit. I'm married to Annette and we have seven children. My wife and I enjoy our yearly trips to Jamaica or some other Caribbean locale.

My nickname of "Cookie." When I was little, I loved cookies and would charm my great aunt into making them for me. So I became known as her "cookie nephew." The name stuck all these years. If you're in the city of Detroit and you mention Cookie Marsh, most people will know who I am.

My ancestors can be traced to slavery and African roots. I realize the fear, anger, and hardship these relatives went through only for one reason: the color of their skin which they had had no control over. My Mother and Father settled into Mississippi because that is where their parents and grandparents were born. Obviously, they had no control of how they looked or where they lived during their younger years.

My dear, deceased Father, in search of a better life for himself and his family, heard of work at the car companies in Detroit, Michigan in the early 1950s. Can you imagine the courage it took for him to uproot leaving everything familiar behind? Can you perceive the fear he must have faced in order to find a better opportunity for him and subsequently for me? I adore him for that decision.

Coming to Detroit afforded him a job, a better way to make a living. But where would he live? The choices for blacks were limited to say the very least. My Father settled us in at the Jeffries Project which I tell you about in the book. He left the comfortable and familiar surroundings of relatives and environment and cast himself into a place of chaos and confusion. The Temptations song "Ball of Confusion" would have been perfect for him only it was created many years later.

Thomas F. Daniels Nickname | Whitey

Born in 1948 in Detroit , Michigan, I've lived in in the metro Detroit area my whole life (except for a short two year stint in Rapid City, South Dakota in 1980). I was a good Catholic boy and attended Catholic school then went on to the University of Detroit. I'm married to Joan and we have six children.

My nickname is "Whitey" … now before you make a snap judgment about that name, it has nothing to do with race. Originally it had to do with the Bowery Boys. My brother Bob was nicknamed "Sach," also a Bowery boy. As the name continued to follow me, it evolved into the color of my skin. I am two shades darker than an albino!

If we somehow had control over who our parents were – who we were born to – what choices would we have made? Would we want to be born in the same socio-economic condition? Would we want the same Mother, Father, and relatives? Would we want to live in the same state or even the same country? Would we have wanted to be Black or White?

For those of us who believe, this birth was in God's plan. Heck, my Mother always said that my propensity to have a protruding stomach was due to the Heath side of her family. No sit-ups could ever conquer that condition. I personally always thought it was due to the amount of beer I used to drink!

But anyway, the point is why do we put so much emphasis on what people look like? They had no choice in the matter. It always troubled me that kids would be teased even to the point of bullying because of what they looked like. As former Dean of Students at Brother Rice High School, I would emphatically explain to the perpetrators the error of their thinking and acting.

I worked for over thirty years in an affluent high school where the students had everything they needed and wanted. One student drove a Maserati to school. Another was often late because his valet service was slow in bringing his car up to the house in the morning. As with Cookie, I grew up getting most of what I needed and very little of what I wanted. My point is this: so f-ing what!!??!! Those were the cards that we were dealt. Life is learning how to make the best of the blessings we were given and to use the opportunities that presented themselves.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Thomas C. Marsh and Thomas Daniels:

Website: http://www.blackandwhitelikeyouandme.com

Jon shares how having a theme that helps you align yourself with your goals will help you grow your business.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Jon talks with John Vuong, Founder of Local SEO Search, about everything SEO. The fourth child of Vietnamese immigrants to Canada, John is very familiar with hard work. He was born and raised in Hamilton, and worked from a young age to help his family while also having some pocket money to have fun.

John has had almost too many jobs to count, starting when he was ten helping out on paper routes. Through all of his work, though, he has focused on a single thing – building relationships.

Whether it was collecting money and making sales on his paper route, shelving books at his local library, or manning the fryer at a stadium, he loved meeting new people and getting to know them. He connected by listening to others' stories and sharing his own.

At University in London, Ontario, he studied finance. He quickly learned that living on your own in residence doesn't mean you can procrastinate and coast – he got 20% below his usual grades on his first exams. He quickly learned to buckle down and work hard to get the results he wanted.

One of the defining events of his life was when he was accepted into an exchange student program in his 3rd year of university. He travelled to Lancaster, England for a year and learned a whole new culture and approach. He loved meeting new people, whether students or locals.

After graduation, he wanted to continue travelling and was accepted into a program to teach in Japan. However, his brother spoke to him about settling down and handling his finances responsibly, so he chose to get a job in Toronto.

His adventure in sales began at Red Pages, a startup that wanted to follow Yellow Pages and create a printed directory, only of websites instead of phone numbers. This was 2003, when Google was in its infancy and everyone was still trying to understand what the internet would be. Yellow Pages was a major player and everyone invested in print ads.

John did an excellent job building relationships with local businesses and selling ads for Red Pages, but the product wasn't used the way Yellow Pages was and the startup did not succeed.

John's next job taught him that building relationships was so important he wasn't happy if he couldn't do it every day. He was with an affiliate online marketing company that got customers for big businesses that were paying per acquisition. He found the job very transactional and didn't stay long. His passion for building relationships was not possible there.

The next five years saw John doing outside sales for Yellow Pages and enjoying the connections he made with business owners and coworkers. However, near the end of his time there the company was faltering. Businesses weren't getting the returns they used to on their ads. Print was declining, and Google was taking over. John wanted to serve his customers more fully, so he started to explore online marketing.

The founding of Local SEO Search was an adventure. He got his first customer when he didn't yet have a laptop – he was showing prospects Google search results on his phone. However, his first six-month contract got the ball rolling and it's been doing well ever since.

His primary passion in his business is to help small business owners succeed. He loves to see his clients grow and see the tangible results of his work every day. Giving small businesses a leg up so they can compete with more established companies is something John enjoys a great deal.

Over time, he's refined what verticals he's interested in serving and made the processes at Local SEO Search more efficient. He focuses on working hard, being honest, transparent, and good to staff and clients. That's when the good stuff really happens.

John believes in education and continuous learning. That's why he started his own podcast, Local SEO Today, in 2018. He wanted to provide a tool for business owners and entrepreneurs to help them succeed. Originally, the podcast focused on the expertise of himself and Roger Murphy, Local SEO Search's Vice President of Sales. But in 2019 he began interviewing other business owners and entrepreneurs and has found a wealth of knowledge to share with his audience.

In his personal life, John has a wife and a four year old son who are the center of his world. He loves to watch his son grow, learn, and interact with the world. He works hard during work hours but at a certain time of day the phone goes off and he focuses on his family. They do a lot together: travelling, skiing, swimming and going to live events.

Life is short, so embrace it and take on the adventure. You can run a business the way you want and do it well so that you can spend time with family and friends, which is what really matters.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Colin McIntosh:

Website: https://www.localseotoday.ca/ Local SEO Today podcast: https://www.localseotoday.ca/podcast/

Jon talks with Colin McIntosh, Founder and CEO of Sheets and Giggles, about how you can build your business from scratch - starting from a business model and plugging in your product.

Colin McIntosh is the founder and CEO of Sheets and Giggles. Sheets and Giggles is a eCommerce company in the $12B bedding space. They make their sheets from Eucalyptus, which uses 96% less water than cotton, and makes a more durable product. The Eucalyptus is sustainably harvested on farms, Colin is not depleting natural Eucalyptus with his sheets.

Colin came to us to promote his company's emphasis on environmental stewardship and corporate social responsibility. He donated 20k to Corona Virus relief funds last week, and plans to donate much more. Colin also has a great founder story, he started the company by raising 285k with a crowdfunding campaign, and has since attracted 2M+ in venture backing.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Colin McIntosh:

Website: https://sheetsgiggles.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colindmcintosh/

Jon, Randall and Jamie discuss why everyone needs a Virtual Administrative Consultant to grow your business and save your time.

After 18 years in the corporate world focusing on everything from project management and recruiting to sales and customer service, Jamie Garavaglia decided to use her skills to help business owners reclaim their time so they can focus on the big picture rather than time consuming daily operations. Her business, Jamie Garavaglia, Virtual Administrative Consultant is her newest venture, culminating her experience and channeling it into helping business owners.

Jamie works with businesses to help develop, document, and organize systems, processes and people to help organizations scale.

It's a role she learned well at her most recent position as Regional Director of Sales and Operations (which she continues to hold) at a highly successful and growing fitness brand. She wears many hats, continue to master many skills and help manage more than 100 employees. Her job is to free up space so the owner can concentrate on growing the brand. She helps to developing SOPs, systems and processes needed to scale the organization which has grown from one to eight brick-and-mortar studios in less than five years. No task is too large or too small for to dig into and as a result Jamie is well versed in a multitude of business areas, including recruiting, marketing, operational and employee development, client relations and customer service.

Prior to that, Jamie co-launched ERTutors.com, an online platform that matched highly skilled education professionals with students seeking specialized assistance. As Managing Partner, she was the project manager for the website development, ran the day-to-day operations and handled sales and marketing.

Jamie thrives on personal connection and creating this with her clients is essential to a long-lasting relationship.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Jamie Garavaglia:

Website: www.virtualadminconsultant.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamieg_virtualadminconsultant/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamie-Gavaglia-Virtual-Administrative-Consultant-102494711546751 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jamie-garavaglia-virtual-administrative-consultant

Jon talks with Paul Birkett, Founder and CEO of Automation Finance, about what you should think about as an entrepreneur and step up you business.

Paul is the founder of Automation Finance, where they buy distressed debt at a discount, work with the borrower to get them back on track and pay investors up to 8% return.

Within 6 years, they have saved more than 2,000 families from foreclosure and as CEO, Paul oversees Automation Finance's management of $200 Million of distressed mortgages.

Previously, Paul spent 18 years at PepsiCo where he served as Vice President and General Manager for the $3Bn Non Carbonated Beverage portfolio and the New York Market Unit.

They just recently raised their Seed A round as well of $50m.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Paul Birkett:

Website: https://www.automationfinance.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/automat_finance LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-birkett-82243610 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutomationFinance/posts

Jon does a fireside chat with Maria Mileder, the Global Head of Innovation at PayPal.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Have you ever met a client who almost drove you insane?

Did you wonder how you could have turned the table around?

In today's episode, Jon and Scott talks about nightmare clients and what we can learn from them.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Did you know that not many people put attention on the water they consume on a daily basis? Well this guy did.

Jon and Riggs discuss the power of water.

Riggs is the founder and CEO of the innovative water technology company, OriginClear, which is delivering water solutions for industrial customers worldwide. OriginClear has developed and licensed an invention that treats industrial and agricultural waste water with very little energy, and no chemicals. And now, industrial users can treat their water right where they use it, using prepackaged "point of use" water treatment systems that have an amazing life cycle of up to 100 years or more.

Riggs Eckelberry doesn't look like a bomb-thrower. And yet, he's driving the disruption of a trillion-dollar industry that has fallen behind the times and is affecting the health of millions. That industry is Big Water. Simply, those billion-dollar centralized water systems aren't coping with demand, and water quality is getting worse. The answer? Instant InfrastructureTM. Businesses are doing their own water treatment, using modular, prefabricated systems that are trucked right on site. They get better water quality, lower rates through recycling, and even improved environmental grades! Ten years after launching public company OriginClear, Riggs and his team are offering those truck-in-place modular systems in the USA, while licensees are building products internationally using OriginClear's low-energy, chemical-free innovation.

Riggs Eckelberry is uniquely qualified to ride the huge wave of do-it-yourself water treatment that is transforming an industry, having learned management in the nonprofit space, captained oceangoing ships, and achieved several tech successes during the dot-com boom.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Riggs Eckelberry:

Website: https://www.originclear.com/

Jon, Jeff and Jared discuss sales, leadership and how to protect yourself during COVID.

Jared Rothberger is co-owner of JAN-PRO Detroit, a franchise of JAN-PRO. JAN-PRO realizes the test every cleaning company must pass is whether the value of its service is worth the cost. That is why JAN-PROs goal is to provide the highest quality, most up-to-date, professional commercial cleaning service at the best possible price. JAN-PRO will tailor each cleaning program to meet your individual needs, assuring you a better value for your money. At JAN-PRO you pay only for the cleaning services that you want. JAN-PRO® owner/operators are dedicated to providing consistent, reliable service on an ongoing basis.

Jon talks with Jared Rothberger about how Jan-Pro Detroit is helping businesses and homeowners disinfect their spaces. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Jan-Pro has completely pivoted their janitorial services focus on Enviroshield disinfecting, which typically takes about an hour and is a minimally-envasive process. Jan-Pro offers both decontamination services for after someone has tested positive for COVID-19 and preventative services to protect surfaces for up to six months.

Connect with Jon Dwoskin:

Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: [email protected] Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!

Connect with Jared Rothberger:

Website: https://jan-pro.com/detroit/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JANPROSouthfieldMI/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/janprodetroit Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/janprodetroit/