Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth strategies and subscribe to our newsletter to download Gary’s 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

“Praise publicly, coach privately” - Shelly Sun Shelly Sun is the CEO and Founder of BrightStar Group Holdings, Inc., the parent company of BrightStar Care® and BrightStar Senior Living & Memory Care. BrightStar Care® is a premium healthcare staffing company providing the full continuum of care, from homecare to supplemental staffing for corporate clients such as nursing homes and physicians. BrightStar Care is Ranked as the #1 Franchise in Investment Level by Forbes Shelly went "undercover" with BrightStar caregivers on CBS' "Undercover Boss" (featured April 17, 2011) They are also in the top 10 on the American Express Top 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies each year 2011-2015, and Shelly was named the 2009 IFA Entrepreneur of the Year. Shelly grew the BrightStar brand to over $300 million in system-wide sales in under 10 years since launching franchise early 2006 with OVER 300 locations throughout the U.S. Shelly also published her first book, Grow Smart, Risk Less, (http://growsmartriskless.com/) where she discusses her journey as an emerging franchisor through amazing growth, lessons learned and game-changing ideas. Shownotes: 3:30 How Shelly became an entrepreneur 10:30 How did you make the vision of what you wanted so clear? 13:44 Biggest differentiators 15:51 The value of incorporating processes 17:20 Where did you learn these entrepreneurial skills? 26:30 Important social skills to develop 29:55 How do you avoid getting a big ego after so much success? 38:55 When is the right time to start a new venture? 43:13 The importance of conflict 45:00 Shelly's 5 core values 45:52 Using core values to hire and fire 46:57 MENTION the book Traction 47:36 Most challenging core value to hold people accountable for 50:33 Where do you see Shelly Sun and Brightstar ten years from now? 54:43 MENTION Shelly's book grow smart risk less 58:00 When to hand off the reigns of your business? 1:00:09 What Shelly does outside of business 1:07:28 Quinton's Quick Takes

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth strategies and subscribe to our newsletter to download Gary’s 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

“The definition of leadership is credibility plus vision” - Dennis Barsema Dennis Barsema was previously the President and CEO of Redback Networks, where he led the company through rapid growth and one of the most successful IPOs in Wall Street history. Dennis has more than 30 years of executive experience in telecommunications, software, and optical networking. Dennis is the current Chairman of the Northern Illinois University Foundation and he has been a director on numerous non-profit boards, including Oportunidad Microfinanzas of Mexico, Se Mas (a microfinance institution) of Mexico, NEST (St. Louis), Collaboration Group, and Carpenters Place of Rockford, Illinois. He is also an advisor to the non-profit, microfinance organization, Opportunity International in Oak Brook, Illinois, Panzanzee, and the School of Business at Northern Illinois University, and is a past advisor to the School of Business at Santa Clara University in San Jose, California. 7:22 Overcoming a stutter 9:20 How Dennis got into the tech space 12:00 Most important mentors + role models. 14:32 Lessons learned from Dennis's upbringing 15:00 Definition of leadership is credibility plus vision 19:11 Dennis's first entrepreneurial experience 36:00 Keeping bridges unburned. 40:00 How to keep fear from making your decisions. 48:00 5th most successful IPO in the history of US companies 56:00 Biggest unfair advantages 1:02:00 Next opportunity after Redback - Blue Lane 1:09:00 The folly of pride 1:10:00 Live where your purpose is 1:17:43 How do you get people to like you? 1:18:50 How do you build your reputation? 1:23:00 What makes a great salesperson? 1:26:00 What do you want your legacy to be? 1:27:30 Quinton's True Takeaways

Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO:

Visit the DDCEO BLOG: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/

Follow DDCEO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Like DDCEO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Follow DDCEO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh03Px5ez_xe_oE_iJMMNIg

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth strategies and subscribe to our newsletter to download Gary’s 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

"If it's construction and you like it. Go for it. Don't be funneled into something because you think you should." - Ronda Shrewsbury Weybright Ronda is the President and Owner of RealAmerica Development LLC. (http://realamericallc.com) She has worked in the real estate industry since 1988 and founded RealAmerica in 1995 for the purpose of developing and constructing apartment housing through the use of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Building on that experience, Ronda expanded into other real estate development including market rate apartments, self-storage, business office, and mixed-use developments as high-quality opportunities presented themselves. She is a principal in all of the company-owned partnerships and oversees the senior management team and the strategic direction of each of the company’s divisions, including Development, Design, Construction, and Property Management. She is a graduate of Indiana University School of Business with a BS in Finance/Real Estate and serves on the Boards of the Indiana Affordable Housing Council (IAHC), OneZone (formerly Fishers Chamber of Commerce), and Fairbanks Hospital. She is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO/WPO), holds an active Indiana Principal Brokers License and participates in numerous philanthropic activities in the community. 2:35 Story of Ronda's start as an entrepreneur 4:27 Ronda and Gary's first jobs impact on their future endeavors 6:51 How Ronda realized her passion was affordable housing 9:50 How she built her career in affordable housing 11:38 How Ronda escaped poverty 14:55 Who was Ronda's model for success 18:54 Ronda's rise in the low income housing business 21:41 The challenges of getting to 100% ownership - thriving as a young woman with no money in the heavily male dominated construction industry 26:30 Developing the confidence needed to thrive as a young woman in a male dominated industry 29:20 Values that have assisted Ronda in developing a quality reputation 30:30 How Ronda measures success and growth 34:30 How to master delegating and prioritizing 39:58 How Ronda differentiates her business 41:23 Surviving and thriving in the recession 45:23 How to attract the best people - find passion for what you do and promote from within 48:05 Ronda's core values and building culture 56:00 Advice for startup entrepreneurs today 57:28 Advice for young women entrepreneurs 58:15 Quinton's True Takeaways

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth strategies and subscribe to our newsletter to download Gary’s 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

“The only way you are going to learn is through enduring pain” - Biju Kulathakal Biju Kulathakal (@BijuGK) is a serial entrepreneur and active angel investor. He was an early investor and partner at GetAMovie which was later sold to McDonalds and is now RedBox. Redbox is one of the largest movie rental companies in the United States and the fastest growing in terms of revenue. Previously, he was a founder of Enterprise Logic Systems, which is a software development firm that specialized in the financial services and trading industry. Biju is a founder and the past Chairman and CEO of Trading Block Holdings, an online brokerage firm specializing in option traders. He is the founder of Vidya Foundation, which gives scholarships to underprivileged kids in developing countries. He has previously served on the board of the Chicago Charger School foundation, Beck Foundation, Civitas Schools, Leap Learning Systems and the Heartland Institute. Biju received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Biju’s current focus is Co-founder and CEO of Halo Investing (https://haloinvesting.com/). Please let us know your thoughts on social @DitchDiggerCEO and on our website https://www.ditchdiggerceo.com/ Shownotes: 2:00 How Biju started Redbox 5:00 Partnering with McDonald's - Did you ever go to Blockbuster or Hollywood video with these ideas? 11:00 Key lessons from Redbox 15:30 Mentors who have helped you gain your business acumen 18:00 Networking strategies 22:30 The key to motivating your employees 24:30 Core values 31:00 How Halo Investing started and where it’s going in the next ten years 40:00 Only way you can learn is through pain 43:30 How has the free market system helped you? 52:00 Biju’s advice to the younger version of himself 55:00 Why do businesses fail? 1:03:00 Quinton’s True Takeaways

Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO:

Visit the DDCEO BLOG: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/

Follow DDCEO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Like DDCEO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Follow DDCEO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh03Px5ez_xe_oE_iJMMNIg

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth strategies and subscribe to our newsletter to download Gary’s 13 Keys to Creating a Multi-Million Dollar Business.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

Our guest this week is John DeBlasio, a wildly successful serial entrepreneur with a heavy emphasis on philanthropy. John is a Senior Executive, Global Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist with over 25+ years working to progress US policy goals, develop international business in the private sector, and solve problems through philanthropic means around the world. Culturally savvy and having lived abroad for extended periods in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, John has achieved language fluency in German and familiarity with Arabic and Spanish. John shares some amazingly valuable insights with us in this episode. Topics range from avoiding the low expectations of soft bigotry, using negativity from others to increase your motivation, finding the best minds to be your mentors, how to grow from 1 to 1900 employees and so much more! Shownotes: 2:00 You are the average of the 5 people you see most 3:00 How John's childhood influenced his future entrepreneur pursuits 11:30 The negative statements that drove John as a younger man 15:00 How to avoid the soft bigotry of low expectations 17:00 Finding the best minds to be your mentors 18:00 Advice is not always the best way to impart wisdom. It's more about shared experiences. 23:00 West Point Graduate Soldier To Starting A $150M Business 40:00 How to grow your company from 1 employee to 1900 44:00 How to discover and identify your ideal customers 47:00 How to fund your business using working capital from vendors and clients 51:00 How to create a reputation of trust 55:00 The process of selling his business and what he is working on next 1:00:00 The time management rule of thirds - A 3rd on your: business, philanthropic pursuits, personal life 1:03:00 One of the most valuable things you can do is start a business and employee people 1:08:00 Quinton's Quick Takes

Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO:

Visit the DDCEO BLOG: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/

Follow DDCEO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Like DDCEO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Follow DDCEO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh03Px5ez_xe_oE_iJMMNIg

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth Tips and to download Gary’s 13 Keys To Sustained Business Growth.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

Our guest this week is Jimmy John (James John Liautaud) who is the founder, chairman, and majority owner of Jimmy John’s sandwich chain. He has been recognized by Nation's Restaurant News for overseeing one of the fastest-growing chains in the country and is a philanthropist and mentor for entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry. With no formal business education, Liautaud developed many of the processes in the first shop that Jimmy John's is still known for today. Jimmy shares some amazingly valuable insights with us in this episode. Topics ranging from differentiation, overcoming obstacles, discovering your strengths and so much more! Shownotes: 2:00 Jimmy's upbringing 5:00 Some of Jimmy's greatest challenges 7:00 Started out earning $1.10/hour and $100/week. 10:00 Maintaining emotional stability through very tough times 12:00 How to turn high energy into a billion dollar business 15:30 Jimmy John's key differentiators. 20:00 The many benefits of profit sharing 23:00 Invaluable mentors 26:00 "Just because I'm good at making sandwiches doesn't mean I'll be good at anything else." 32:00 Biggest blessings 34:00 People do what you do not what you say. As a leader whatever you do is times ten. If it's positive or negative it's times ten. 37:00 A loving supporting spouse is the biggest advantage in life. 40:00 Future goals 43:00 Protecting the free enterprise system 44:00 Quinton's True Takeaways

Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO:

Visit the DDCEO BLOG: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/

Follow DDCEO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Like DDCEO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Follow DDCEO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh03Px5ez_xe_oE_iJMMNIg

Check out https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/ for this week's TOP 8 Business Growth Tips and to download Gary’s 13 Keys To Sustained Business Growth.

Follow us on Instagram @DitchDiggerCEO (https://www.instagram.com/ditchdiggerceo/) for more helpful Business Growth tips.

Our goal is to inspire everyone to start their own business and help you grow it to millions or even billions in value so if you feel any benefit from this episode please let us know by leaving an iTunes review, sharing this episode on social media and emailing a link to anyone you think would also find benefit here. Thank you.

The "Ditch Digger CEO" is a podcast for trailblazers. It’s about climbing to the top of the ladder no matter where you start. It's for those with big, bold ideas who want to learn from the experiences of some of the most successful people in the world. This is a show about men and women who grow their businesses from nothing to million- or even billion-dollar enterprises. Often beginning their journey in ‘dead-end’ jobs, as single parents, or working multiple part-time gigs with only their grit and work ethic to work with. Our guests are shining examples of success against the odds that want to share all the secrets of how they achieved their incredible success. With Gary Rabine (of Rabine Group) and Quinton James (of True Mentors) as your hosts, this is an inspirational business podcast that gives relatable, actionable, real-life advice from trailblazers that have been there. Gary and Quinton bring their tough questions, fresh perspectives, and business-savvy to the podcast’s spirited dialogue on how to get ahead in whatever industry you are in. Our goal is that these tips and mindsets will encourage you to turn your dreams into ambition, making your situation a little more enjoyable, profitable, and perhaps even wildly successful. Our guest lineup includes some extremely exciting and inspirational personalities, including the founder of Jimmy John’s, the co-founder of RedBox, sports stars & legends, and so many more. Launch yourself forward with Ditch Digger CEO Shownotes: #1 5:00 Motivation from when people tell you you can't do something 9:00 Gary’s Family 15:30 Why Gary Started DDCEO 28:30 How did the Rabine Group get started 36:00 Gary's thoughts on the best way to start a business in 2018 42:30 "Do's and Don'ts" when working with family 45:00 The importance of mentors 55:00 How to stay positive in the face of certain doom 60:00 Growing to $200 million in revenue from 2004-2013 1:10:00 How Rabine Group was able to thrive during the 2008 recession 1:13:30 The importance of NOT being the smartest guy in the room 1:16:00 How to use differentiation to drive your growth 1:21:00 The importance of philanthropy 1:30:00 Why should you listen to DDCEO? 1:31:00 Quinton's True Takeways

Connect with Gary Rabine and DDCEO:

Visit the DDCEO BLOG: https://www.DitchDiggerCEO.com/

Follow DDCEO on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Like DDCEO on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Follow DDCEO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DitchDiggerCEO

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh03Px5ez_xe_oE_iJMMNIg