Enterprise Podcast Network

Suzy Ekman, from the San Francisco Bay Area, the Founder and CEO of Makers Market, a purveyor of American made goods for a new generation joins Enterprise Radio.

With an eCommerce site, Makers Market has four brick and mortar stores, and monthly outdoor craft markets around the Bay, involving thousands of artists, designers and creators.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Suzy Ekman discuss the following:

* We talked to you in 2016, but for those new to your company, can you give us a brief overview of your background and Makers Market?* You’ve grown from 1 to 4 stores since we last talked, in the most prestigious shopping districts in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Can you tell us a bit about them… how did you decide on these locations?* Why do you think your stores have resonated so well with customers?  What is unique about Makers Market?* You’ve gotten a lot of press lately – which normally we don’t see for a small business. Dwell Magazine named Makers Market one of the top 4 American retailers, for the last few years you’ve been on USA Today’s 4-person expert panel (along with big names like Etsy and Kickstarter) to select the Top 10 Makers in America.  Makers Market was selected as Best Retailer by San Francisco Magazine. You were selected to be a National Curator for the American Craft Council.  And you were also selected as one of 100 Most Influential Women in the Silicon Valley by Silicon Valley Magazine. How did you receive so much coverage?  Do you have an outside PR firm?* So what are your plans for the next few years?  Do you see Makers Market being the size it is now or will you expand?* What is your Tip for other Entrepreneurs?

Suzy Ekman has dedicated her career to American-made products.

Raised in the Deep South, she spent precious time in her father’s workshop learning, making, and listening to stories.   Trips through the countryside discovering potters, blacksmiths, and textile weavers, instilled a deep appreciation for makers who create beautiful product with their hands.

This early-life exposure, combined with decades of Executive management in US Manufacturing companies led to the launch of Makers Market.

Makers Market was founded on the idea of modernizing and keeping American-made goods alive for a new generation: goods that are authentic, well-designed, and sustainably produced.  Makers Market celebrates the resurgence of the country’s maker movement, with its nostalgic, general store vibe and online at http://makersmarket.us.

Website: makersmarket.us

Social Media Links:  Facebook: facebook.com/makersmarketusInstagram: @makersmarket

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Kerry Wekelo, the COO at Actualize Consulting, a financial services firm again joins Enterprise Radio to discuss the importance of gratitude in the workplace.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Kerry Wekelo discuss the following:

* Why is gratitude in the workplace important?* What are the ways you incorporate gratitude into your culture?* Can you give too much gratitude?* What impacts of adding gratitude to your culture has enhanced your firm?* How do you get started adding gratitude in the workplace?

Kerry Wekelo is the Chief Operating Officer at Actualize Consulting, a financial services firm. Her book and program Culture Infusion: 9 Principles for Creating and Maintaining a Thriving Organizational Culture is the impetus behind Actualize Consulting being named a Top Work Place by The Washington Post.

In her leadership, Kerry blends her experiences as a consultant, executive coach, award-winning author, mindfulness expert, and entrepreneur. Kerry has been featured on ABC, NBC, NPR, The New York Times, Thrive Global, SHRM, Inc., and National Mortgage Magazine.

Website: ActualizeConsulting.com

Social Media Links: Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/actualize-consultingFacebook: facebook.com/actualizeconsulting/ Twitter: @actualizellcInstagram: instagram.com/actualizeconsulting

People also listened to this: Building Unbreakable Trust in Teams with Dr. Tim Baker

Dr. Tim Baker who was voted one of the 50 Most Talented Global Training & Development Leaders by the World HRD Congress and an expert in teams and leadership and author of his latest Winning Teams again joins Enterprise Radio.

This episode of Enterprise Radio is in association with the Author Channel.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Dr. Tim Baker discuss the following:

* You make the point in your book that building trust in teams is challenging. Why is that the case? * Trust takes time to earn and can be lost easily. What mistakes do leaders make that erodes trust?* You talk about a Team values Charter in your book. How does this work and why is it so effective in building trust?* What are some other ways team leaders can build trust in their teams?* What it one tip that the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team use to build trust?

Dr. Tim Baker is a specialist in organisational performance. He has a successful track record in transforming organisational capability through change programs and leadership capability development for 18 years. Organisational effectiveness is Tim’s forte. He is a disruptive thinker, willing to challenge conventional HR practices and come up with practical, innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Tim has conducted major consulting assignments from Saudi Arabia to Singapore. His clients range from police departments to symphony orchestra, and every industry in between.

Tim’s point-of-difference is to turn rigorous theoretic perspectives into practical workable solutions.

In 2013, Tim was voted one of the 50 Most Talented Global Training & Development Leaders by the World HRD Congress.He is author of nine books, including his latest: “Winning Teams: Apply the All Black’s Formula to Your Team.”

In a nutshell, Tim has conducted over 2,430 seminars, workshops, keynote addresses and coaching programs to over 45,000 people in 11 countries across 21 industry groups.

Website: www.winnersatwork.com.au

Social Media Links: Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/winnersatwork Facebook: www.facebook.com/winnersatworkptyltd Twitter: @winnersatwork Instagram: instagram.com/winnersatwork

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Augustin Leung, Vice President of the ADAS Division joins Enterprise Radio to discuss the CUB RV Blindspot detection system.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Augustin Leung discuss the following:

* Tell me a little bit about your product and how you got started in the industry. * How versatile is this product? How does it go beyond covering blind spots for RV’s? * Walk me through the installation process. * What types of trailers and RVs are best for the blindspot technology? * Where can we get the product and how affordable is it? 

Augustin has provided a competent and reliable go-to point for technical consultation. He has the ability to deeply understand the technical aspects of products. This is, of course, critical to the products being designed correctly and meeting the marketing requirements. Augustin has led some of our most demanding projects successfully and has shown to be a valuable team member. He has been an effective product manager and would be a first pick if I were to put together a product team.

* MECP Certified Installer* California State Polytechnic University Pomona (Liberal Arts & Sciences) * He is also an automotive / motorcycle enthusiast. 

Website: rvblindspot.com

Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/cubgroupInstagram: @cubgroup

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Rob Morris, the Co-Founder of CashofferOnHouse.com, which helps aid their clients in the sale of their property in a way that best suits the clients’ needs joins Enterprise Radio to share how to get a cash offer on your house fast and easy.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Rob Morris discuss the following:

* What is it that CashOfferOnHouse.com does exactly that differentiates you from a real estate agent?* Expand on that a little bit. Any interesting stories you’d like to share? Any horror stories?* So other than buying a property that may be too “ugly” for a traditional sale, are there any advantages to using you guys over another home-buying company or iBuyer?* What are the fees typically associated with selling a home to you guys versus someone utilizing a real estate agent?* You’ve mentioned a couple times the difference between your company and a traditional real estate sale, but what makes you different from the large Ibuyer firms popping up across the country?

Summary: CashOfferOnHouse.com may not be for everyone looking to sell a property but everyone owes it to themselves to find out exactly how much we will pay for their home.  It costs nothing and only takes a few minutes to fill out our simple form online. We make it that easy to get a cash offer on your house no matter the condition, location or situation you may be in.

Real Estate has been a passion of mine since my early 20’s when I looked at buying real estate in my college town rather paying for room and board. It’s enjoyable for me to take something that is broken and fix it! People call me the King of Process as I have a knack for seeing how things are done now and finding simple ways to make the process more efficient and effective. I live by my 3 T’s: Teachable, Tenacious and Team player and try to surround myself with others who do the same.

I’m from and currently reside in Boston, MA. I have a loving wife of 3 years named Emily and 2 sweet little girls named Grace and Gianna. Like Dan, I love coffee and ice cream (so much so that I dream to open a coffee/ice cream shop as a hobby one day).

Website: https://CashOfferonHouse.com

Social Media Links:Facebook: facebook.com/CashOfferOnHouseTwitter: @cashoffershouse

People also listened to this: The blockchain, crypto and NFT world with Craig Russo

Craig Russo, the Director of Innovation at Polyient Labs, an early-stage business incubator helping entrepreneurs fast-track blockchain innovations again joins Enterprise Radio. 

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Craig Russo discuss the following:

* Let’s start by talking more about your background. It’s pretty fascinating.  How did you go from working in the biotech industry to pivoting into blockchain? * What is it about blockchain, crypto and NFTs that you find so fascinating? * Let’s talk about Polyient Games. We’ve interviewed several people from Polyient Labs and understand it helps incubate blockchain startups. What is Polyient Games doing?* How do blockchain games differ from traditional games? Are there things blockchain-based games offer users and fans that traditional games cannot? * It’s interesting you refer to this “a gaming ecosystem.” Can you describe this ecosystem?* Are there other companies Polyient Games is currently working with? What do they bring to the ecosystem?* You mentioned “digital collectables” can you explain those to our listeners?* As someone with a background in both bio-medicine and technology, what sort of role will technology play in a post- COVID- 19/corona virus world?* What should businesses be doing now to prepare for this new environment?  

Craig Russo is co-founder of SludgeFeed, a leading news outlet covering crypto- and blockchain-adjacent industries. He has written more than 3,000 articles covering everything from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to Dapps to crypto-investing to esports and beyond.

Prior to co-founding SludgeFeed, Russo also worked with PureTech Ventures, where he was instrumental in helping build biotech startups such as Karuna Therapeutics and Follica.

Russo earned top biotechnology innovator honors from Xconomy in 2017 and worked in several leading neuroscience labs at Harvard University.

Website: www.polyient.io 

Social Media Links:Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/polyientTwitter: @Polyient

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Sujit Kundu, the Founder and CEO of S.K.A.M. Artist, the leading full-service agency, boasting a roster of over 100 deejays and music personalities joins Enterprise Radio.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Sujit Kundu discuss the following:

* How did you get started in the music industry and was it alway a passion of yours?* When did you officially launch SKAM Artist? Where did you get the name from?* How has the industry changed since you started?* What was the biggest factor in the growth of your company?* Your clients are booked all over the world from NYC to Japan, and everything in between. What are your short term and long term goals for SKAM?* What would be your best advice you would give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? And is there any advice you would give to your younger self?

Sujit Kundu is the Founder and CEO of S.K.A.M. Artist, the leading full-service agency, boasting a roster of over 100 deejays and music personalities who specialize in genres across Pop, Hip-hop, EDM, Crossover, and more, both on the DJ landscape and with their own concerts and performances. His company also has a sister company, SKAM Division,  an arm that focuses on radio programming, where they coordinate putting the hottest new music tracks on radio airwaves.

Growing up in Fullerton, CA, Kundu frequented various raves and house parties that were thrown by what would become today’s biggest music industry professionals, immersing himself in the music scene early on. Believing that there could be more potential with these raves and events, he started to dabble in promoting and party planning, slowly throwing his own events by the early age of  16-years-old. Kundu began promoting small parties, however, by graduation, his events started to draw in crowds of up to 4,000 people, with the DJS involved growing fast reputations. His very first party failed, so he went to work for free with an investor until he paid him off and try again. Following high school, Sujit enrolled at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) where he majored in Economics and Accounting. By the time he graduated from UCSB, Kundu had expanded his party curation empire, which later launched into radio promotions and mix shows. 

Despite not having an initial game plan, after seeing the early success with his events, it encouraged him into throwing larger-scale endeavors, networking with the music industry’s top managers and artists. His events started the revolution of booking electronic dance music with the transition to feature some of hip-hop and R&B’s biggest acts with the likes of Warren G, Cypress Hill, KRS-One, and Mobb Deep. 

Sujit teamed with the then music director of LA’s Power 106 to form a production and DJ management company.  As a production company, they landed a top ten radio hit with Shade Sheist’s “Where I Wanna Be.” Meanwhile, Kundu secured a radio promotion position at MCA Records providing his first experience working for a major record label. After his tenure with MCA Records,  Kundu was offered the position of Universal Motown heading up their national crossover promotions division as their Senior Vice President, at the esteemed full-service agency that managed the likes of Pitbull, Afrojack and Frankie J at their peak while holding office at Universal M...

James Purpura, the CEO and Co-Founder of the first personal evolution company, Powerful U joins Enterprise Radio.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest James Purpura discuss the following:

* You are the creator of Powerful-U — the world’s first personal evolution company. Your audience is spreading like wild fire. Why do you think that now is the time for this subject matter to be hotter than ever and that more people are catching on to the need for personal development in their lives?* I read your story and the fact that you went from being incarcerated and solitary confinement at that, to becoming an exceptionally successful entrepreneur is beyond inspiring. When was the moment while locked up that you decided to change your life for the better and evolve?* During your Powerful-U Experiences, the 3 day conferences that have popped-up in Utah and LA as of late, you mention victim mentality. Tell us more about this.* Clearly you’ve mastered the art of creating wealth, through your various technology ventures and now Powerful-U. What hacks can you share with our audience, so that can implement them into their lives?* You are also an award-winning director for a film that is sweeping the film festival circuit called “Perception: Seeing is not Believing” with perception being one of Powerful-U’s grounding roots. Tell us why you decided to take your movement to the big screen and who all is involved? Lastly, how do our listeners learn more about your and become part of the Powerful-U’s universe?

Only two years removed from solitary confinement in jail, James Purpura began his journey into the tech world. In 2007, he took a chance on a small construction software startup called PlanSwift. He quickly ascended to Vice President of Sales and then, a year later, took over as President and became an equity partner is the company.

Under James’ leadership, PlanSwift grew from $8,000 a month in volume to over $1,000,000 a month in volume and over 50,000 customers in 24 countries, becoming one of the most well-known and largest technology companies in the construction industry.

In 2013, James lead the M & A process to sell PlanSwift to a firm outside of Chicago called Textura. Shortly after joining Textura, James helped the company go public. Over the next few years, James ran four different business units at Textura and played an instrumental role in facilitating a $650 million exit of Textura to Oracle.

James spent six months working as a Vice President at Oracle before negotiating the purchase of his original business, PlanSwift, back from Oracle. Again at the helm of PlanSwift, James quickly led the company to generate sufficient revenue to repay the purchasing costs, positioning PlanSwift as an attractive acquisition target. With PlanSwift firmly established, James negotiated a lucrative sale to a large competitor, allowing him to exit and pursue his dream of creating the world’s first personal evolution company.

Just 15 years earlier, James had hit rock bottom—beaten down by life, with shattered self-esteem. His addictions had resulted in jail time. He was financially, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt.

Daniel D’Ambrosio, the owner of SC Home Offer, which helps clients sell their homes in a fast and easy way joins Enterprise Radio to share how to sell your house fast in Greenville, South Carolina.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Daniel D’Ambrosio discuss the following:

* What is it that SC Home Offer does exactly that differentiates you from a real estate agent?* What areas of South Carolina does your company primarily buy-in?* So other than buying a property that may be too “ugly” for a traditional sale, are there any advantages to using you guys over another home-buying company in Greenville?* What are the fees typically associated with selling a home to you guys versus someone utilizing a real estate agent?* You’ve mentioned a couple of times the difference between your company and a traditional real estate sale, but what makes you different from the large Ibuyer firms popping up across Greenville?

Since 2004, I have had the privilege of working with and serving some of the best clients, teammates, and employers in the country in real estate.  I have purchased and sold of hundreds of homes, renovated dozens upon dozens and definitively found my passion in serving others in real estate.

I love working with sellers and providing unique solutions that perfectly fit their situation. I love turning a worn-down home into the crown jewel of the neighborhood. I love providing beautiful, quality housing to families that will enjoy it for a lifetime.

Website: SCHomeOffer.com

Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/SCHomeOfferTwitter: @schomeoffer

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Jeremy Alder, the Founder of College Consensus, which provides the most accurate and comprehensive ranking of a school’s reputation and quality available anywhere joins Enterprise Radio.

Listen to host Eric Dye & guest Jeremy Alder discuss the following:

* Walk us through your journey starting College Consensus. * What was the most challenging thing starting your company and building your brand?* What makes College Consensus different from other college rankings?* What do you think is one area of improvement we should prioritize for the U.S. education system?* Who is your biggest inspiration and why?* What does the future hold for College Consensus?* What is one piece of advice you would give our listeners who want to start their own business?

Jeremy Alder is the Founder and Senior Editor of College Consensus. Alder has developed and managed several websites focused on higher education and career development. A Texas native, Jeremy graduated from The University of Texas at Austin before heading east to Duke University for graduate school. He currently resides in North Carolina with his four kids.

Website: collegeconsensus.com

Social Media Links: Facebook: facebook.com/collegeconsensusTwitter: @CollegeConsens

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