Elevate Hire Podcast

Nick Nanakos is the Founder and CEO of TruckBux, a full-stack online ordering platform for food truck owners and their customers. While studying Finance and Real Estate at Drexel University, Nick worked part-time & in internships at several large firms such as J.P. Morgan, Investors Capital, Balfour Beatty, and Ameriprise Financial. He founded the Drexel University Real Estate Club and made a ton of connections, amassing knowledge in the sector. However, Nick found himself immensely unhappy on this corporate path—and truthfully, unhappy was an understatement. He then began building TruckBux and this energized him beyond imagination. 

Nick noticed an absurd amount of food trucks appearing at his university, neighboring campuses, and major cities that he traveled to. While the growth fascinated him, he also recognized some major problems that were holding back the industry’s full potential due to a lack of innovation. Nick worked relentlessly towards his vision, launched TruckBux, and eventually dropped out of school at 22-years-old to be all in.

Nick comes from a background of highly-talented restaurant entrepreneurs and has worked in every angle of food—from waiting, to cooking, to managing, to bringing technology into his family’s restaurants. Ironically enough, his grandfather immigrated from Greece to the US with $8 and worked with a street food cart in Manhattan. This gave him a chance to observe other apps go-to-market and product functionality, dissecting all of them with the knowledge that he would create something far more powerful for food trucks. Once his restaurant intuition aligned with his observations of the fast-growing food truck space, his focus shifted to food tech. In all pursuits, Nick’s mentality is high-conviction, non-consensus, and irrationally optimistic. 

When Nick Nanakos decided to start his business in the food industry, he knew that there were already big players dominating the field. But from his research and intuition, he knew that there were gaps he could fill with a little innovation. Coupled with his desire to be his own boss, he developed an app that has since revolutionized the food truck business.

TruckBux, Nick's app, was started through bootstrapping and has been going strong despite all the challenges it has faced. TruckBux helps food truck entrepreneurs grow their businesses, and unlike the bigger food delivery apps, TruckBux takes a smaller percentage from orders, helping these businesses grow and reach a wider market.

In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Nick Nanakos, the Founder and CEO of TruckBux, to talk about Nick's journey in entrepreneurship and his process building an app for food truck businesses. Nick explains why he chose to enter a competitive market dominated by big industry players, how his company is being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, why he chose to bootstrap his business, and common challenges faced by food truck business owners.

Christian Kameir is a Managing Partner at blockchain venture fund Sustany Capital in Newport Beach. Mr. Kameir has been a technology entrepreneur since the dial-up days and led the merger of two of the earliest internet service providers in Europe, after which he immigrated from Germany to California to establish an international investment firm. After founding a Yelp-predecessor in 2004 and selling the operation in 2008, he joined the board of several high-tech companies. 

In addition to majoring in business, Mr. Kameir studied classical literature, is certified in NLP, and is a graduate of Muenster's School of Law. He is known for publishing one of the first law blogs in Europe and drafting laws for the open telecommunication market, specifically innovative services. Mr. Kameir is a member of the Forbes Finance Council and a seasoned public speaker on topics ranging from high-tech investing to blockchain solutions.

Advancements in technology and artificial intelligence have brought many changes to a wide spectrum of industries, including the growth of Bitcoin and blockchains. Because of this, companies looking to improve their operations and compete in their respective industries need to consider adopting new and advanced technologies. Not only that, but they should also ensure that their teams are tech-savvy to stay ahead of the competition.

These are some of the things Christian Kameir looks out for when assessing possible investment options for his venture capital firm. He also believes that the kind of language used during a pitch matters—so, companies looking for investors need to be well-prepared.

In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, host Greg Toroosian is joined by Christian Kameir, the Managing Partner at Sustany Capital. Christian shares his insights from the venture capital world on investing in companies, adopting new technologies, cold pitching, and the benefits of hiring tech-savvy employees. Keep listening for more.

Travis Steffen, bestselling author of Viral Hero, is a serial entrepreneur with 7 successful exits (and some crash-and-burn failures) to his name. Travis is the CEO of GrowFlow, a cloud-based software suite for cannabis businesses. With customers ranging from growers to retailers, GrowFlow is the market-leading cannabis software solution in several states.

Travis is a life-long athlete with a Masters in Exercise Physiology from the University of Northern Iowa. Outside of his professional life, he is an NPC physique athlete and an ultra marathoner. He enjoys poker, space, fantasy football, film, and a good rack of ribs.

As more people embrace the legalization of cannabis, the sector continues to expand with growers, processors, and retailers joining the industry. This growth means that new people have to be hired, which can be a challenge for startup companies and new employees.

For Travis Steffen, the transition from finance and fitness to the cannabis industry was exciting because the field is not as highly regulated as other industries. He had to adapt fast. Attracting quality talent for his company has had its unique challenges, forcing him to think outside the box to ensure growth and diversity in the workforce.

In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, host Greg Toroosian interviews Travis Steffen, CEO of GrowFlow, about building teams in the cannabis industry. They discuss recent changes in the industry, the strategies GrowFlow uses to attract and maintain quality talent, and Travis' advice on improving employee performance. Stay tuned.

Emmanuel Straschnov is Co-CEO and Founder of Bubble, a visual programming software that makes programming as easy as pointing and clicking. Bubble counts more than 400,000 users; people have used it to start companies without technical resources and have either been accepted into YCombinator & 500 Startups or raised multi-million dollar rounds. 

Born in Paris, Emmanuel studied computer science and mathematics at École Polytechnique and received his MBA from Harvard Business School. Before starting Bubble, he was a management consultant in China. He’s now based in New York.

Communicating with the users and followers of a company's online content is a powerful method of creating awareness about the company's mission, goals, and objectives. It also provides a good avenue for people to learn more about a company's culture and work environment, and helps convert users to candidates for future job openings. 

For a tech startup like Bubble, engaging with their users and followers has helped the Co-Founders attract and hire quality talent. This method helps candidates learn more about the company before joining, making the process of onboarding simpler and faster.

In this episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Emmanuel Straschnov, Co-CEO and Founder of Bubble, to talk about how first-time founders attract top talent, why engaging with the users of a company's products or services is powerful, and the lessons Emmanuel has learned from over eight years of building and running a tech startup.

Lori Shao is the Founder and CEO of Finli, a simplified payment platform for family-centric businesses. Lori is a financial services industry veteran of 17 years and a mother of two kids. In April 2019, she decided to quit her day job at JPMorgan and create a platform to power neighborhood businesses for the changing world.

While working in the banking industry, Lori Shao realized that most family-run small and medium-sized businesses that operated in neighborhood schools and studios were struggling. They didn't have adequate tools, software, or automation to cater to their specific needs. Why? Mostly because there tend to be barriers associated with providing technology and software solutions for micro-businesses.

Lori decided to fill that gap and help lift these businesses for one simple reason: they help build their communities.

In this episode of Elevate Hire, Lori Shao, the Founder and CEO of Finli, talks with Greg Toroosian about her work in helping family-centered businesses thrive. Lori talks about the history of Finli, building her team, common challenges family-centered businesses face, and how she has been making a difference in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.

Marcelo Lebre is a product-oriented engineer who is passionate about building products, scaling architectures, and scaling teams. He is a whole-hearted supporter of entrepreneurs and a startup advisor. Marcelo is also a believer of ordinary people coming together to build extraordinary things. 

He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Remote, a company making it easier for other companies to build teams anywhere in the world. Remote takes care of global payroll, benefits, compliance, and taxes so companies can focus on their people and work!

The shift to remote work has taken the world by storm. Remote teams and freelancers have been in existence for years now, but the current COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to change tactics. 

Although this shift to remote work is welcomed by many, it poses several challenges for companies looking to recruit new members to their workforce. There may be similarities, but how do you handle hiring virtually versus conducting in-person interviews? What are the adjustments you need to make when managing a physical team versus a remote team? Not only that, but there are consequences of hiring the wrong person, as Marcelo Lebre explains.

In this week's episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian is joined by Marcelo Lebre, CTO of Remote, to talk about recruiting and managing remote teams, the shift to remote-first technologies, and how this change will impact hiring and growing a globally distributed team. Marcelo also shares his tips for recruiting people from different diversities with varied cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs.

Stuart Posin is the CTO at XCLAIM, a seed-funded startup revolutionizing the bankruptcy claims market by unleashing digital efficiencies of scale. He previously served as CTO at Violet Grey and Forcefield Online, technical advisor to Freebird Online, and Director of Technology at Marlborough School and The Buckley School.

Stuart currently serves as a Trustee at the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS), a non-profit he co-founded in 2015, and as Chair of the Board of Regents for Providence High School. He was a Founding Trustee for Online School for Girls/One Schoolhouse and served on that Board for eight years. At Campbell Hall, Stuart served as President of the Alumni Association and a Trustee for six years.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, many employees have been left unemployed and without a source of income. There are now scores of people on the job market looking for employment; to top it all off, the competition for whatever’s available is tough. Additionally, unlike the situation a couple of months ago where we had a “seller’s market” and candidates had more power, things have now changed. There are many talented people out in the job market and the time it takes to find the right candidate is now shorter. 

Hiring the wrong candidate can be a costly undertaking. Recruiters and hiring managers still need to consider talent and how culturally fit a candidate is before offering them a position in their companies. 

In this episode of Elevate Hire, Greg Toroosian interviews Stuart Posin, the Chief Technology Officer at XCLAIM, about how to build talented and culturally fit teams in both startups and growing companies. They also talk about the differences between being an internal versus external technology advisor, the effects of COVID-19 on the recruitment process, and how employees can be their authentic selves while at work. Stay tuned.

Jeff Vertun is the First Vice President at CBRE, the world's largest commercial real estate services firm. He specializes in advising technology, media, e-commerce, 3PL, and professional service companies to position their real estate needs as a vehicle for further growth across the world. Jeff also works closely with executives to analyze their office workplace and warehouse network logistics requirements. He engages in challenging strategic conversations and brings clarity to their opportunities through data-driven technology resources before executing them. Each client is treated like a long-term relationship and he prides himself on hustle, communication, and collaboration.

Jeff Vertun's team is continually involved with entrepreneurial programs and their network of relationships within the community is particularly robust. He is passionate about the success of his clients and he goes out of his way to make introductions and intimate gatherings that will help his clients thrive. Before joining CBRE in 2017, Jeff was Vice President at Avison Young where he helped form and run the firm’s Global Technology/New Media Practice Group.

If your startup is looking for office space, the main thing you need to consider is the number of employees you’ll have in the short term. But for large organizations, finding a new office space requires a strategic plan to avoid making costly mistakes. There are a couple of factors to look into, like the company culture, location, office layout and design, and the work environment. For example, it may be an inconvenience for the sales team to be working near the legal or finance team. 

In addition, large organizations need to bring the divisional heads together during the planning process to ensure that the needs and requirements of every team are met. 

Jeff Vertun, the First Vice President of CBRE, joins Greg Toroosian in this week's episode of Elevate Hire to talk about the real estate sector and how companies should use insights and data to plan strategically. They also talk about the need to have team heads taking part in the office planning process, changes in the Los Angeles office landscape, the effects of COVID-19 on real estate, and Jeff's advice to companies looking to move to bigger spaces. Keep listening for more. 

Renato Ricci is the Founder and COO of nok, a marketplace where you can try out high-end products from home for free, backed by Greycroft, Village Global and Moonshots. nok is looking for super users - noksters - to join their community and help define product categories and service levels in exchange for early access to the service and exclusive giveaways.

Before moving to the US earlier this year, Renato started the company in Germany after having worked as a senior strategy consultant in the Middle East. He is fluent in 4 languages, has lived in 7 countries, and loves giving practicable advice on the hardest entrepreneurial topic: hiring! 

A lot of things have changed for companies because of the current COVID-19 health crisis, affecting people and businesses all over the world. Many of them have been forced to pivot and come up with new ways of doing business, and in turn, the decisions being made have affected employees directly. 

Before COVID-19 and during, Renato Ricci has always believed in having honest and transparent conversations with his team, advisors, and other colleagues. His move from Germany to the US coincided with the ongoing health crisis, forcing him to part ways with some of his team members in the process. He also faced challenges when hiring in a new country, but took it as a lesson to help him grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Renato Ricci, Founder and COO of nok, joins Greg Toroosian to talk about his experience starting up nok, growing the business, and moving to the US amid the global health pandemic. He also talks about his international team-building experience, the importance of having well-defined OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), and why being honest and transparent is necessary for an early-stage company. Stick around for more on what Renato has to say!

Sanjiv Razdan is the Founder of GLEAM Network and former Chief Operations Officer for Sweetgreen where he led the Field Operations, Food Safety & QA, and Ops Services + Innovation teams. He played a key role in shaping the strategy and direction of the brand as an integral member of its leadership team. 

Additionally, he was also the Chief of Operations for Dine Brands where he was instrumental in the turnaround of the brand. Prior to that, he had a multi-disciplinary global career with Yum Brands, spanning assignments in Dallas, London, and New Delhi. 

With close to 30 years of extensive experience in the food service industry in both company-owned and franchised environments, Sanjiv founded GLEAM Network to fulfil his personal purpose in life: to help people in their leadership journey. Simply put, GLEAM is a network of executives from the food service space who are committed to leadership development and mentorship. Sanjiv earned his post-graduate diploma in Hotel Administration from ITC Hotels School of Hotel Administration in India. He is also a graduate of the University of Mumbai where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from St. Xavier’s College.

Recruiting and building a team for any organization can be a challenge, and it only gets more complex when building a crew for a large organization; particularly if the organization is as big as some food service brands like Applebee's and Yum Brands. This requires hiring managers and recruiters to take their time and plan well before execution. 

Having been in similar situations before, Sanjiv Razdan learnt a lot. He has worked with brands from different countries and cultures and has built well-coordinated teams for brands in India, England, and USA.

In this episode, Sanjiv Razdan shares with Greg Toroosian his framework for growing and managing complex teams. He talks about his experience working for big brands, how he built multi-cultural teams, his strategies for inheriting existing teams and assessing the members, and what inspired him to start the GLEAM Network. Stay tuned.