Entrepreneurs United

Jeff Wall (President/CEO, Handyman Connection), spent the first 23 years of his career as an executive leader within First Service Brands working with thousands of entrepreneurs running franchise businesses.  In 2010, Jeff purchased Handyman Connection (HandymanConnection.com), a national home improvement franchise company.   

In addition to having a tremendous amount of experience with entrepreneurs, Jeff was also John and Rich's first boss.  As we all know, the impact your first boss has is long-lasting.  In this episode, we revisit many of those deep learnings that help mold our business skills.

Ruth Lund (President, LEGACY Center), has been impacting lives and developing leaders by working closely with Executive teams on values-based cultural alignment within their organizations.  Ruth is also a certified practitioner with the Barrett Values Centre, Giving Voice to Values (GVV), and ATD’s Internal Coaching Program.  

In this episode, we talk about the differences between Entrepreneurs that intentionally invest in the cultures of their companies and those that don't, and the amazing things that a leader can accomplish with their teams when they display a strong level of humility and integrity.

Jim Ryerson (Founder and CAO at Sales Octane, Inc.):  If you want to accelerate your sales team's performance (don't we all?) you should listen to this episode right away.  Jim is the best selling author of 4 books and well sought after sales trainer/keynote speaker.    

In this episode, Jim shares his personal entrepreneurial journey with us along with a deep discussion on how companies can accelerate their sales performance.  We discuss how mobile technology is being used to train sales reps along with many other tips and tricks that entrepreneurs should focus on if they want their sales teams to perform at high levels.

Jeff Levitan (Exec. Chairman, World Financial Group): John and Rich worked alongside Jeff Levitan over 20 years ago when they were a few years removed from college.  The mentorship and impression that Jeff left on John and Rich molded many of their business and life philosophies.   

Jeff is an Executive Chairman with the World Financial Group (a Transamerica Company) where he oversees 700 locations, and 13,000 registered agents across North America.  In addition to his business and being an author of 3 books, Jeff found a deeper purpose in life and started a charitable organization (AllForOne.org) that has provided resources to underprivileged children in over 19 countries to date.  

In this episode, we talk to Jeff about entrepreneurial leadership traits (Character, Fortitude, Vision, and Priorities) and what it takes to build a massive organization and live a life of fulfillment!

Dean Lindal (Co-Founder, International Deal Gateway - https://www.linkedin.com/company/dealgateway/) is the co-founder of the International Deal Gateway, a global peer network connecting entrepreneurs and investors.  In addition to being an Ironman finisher, a husband, a father to 5 kids, and an advisor to the Thomas Edison Foundation, Dean was the founding manager of the Entrepreneurs Organization, better known across the globe as the "EO".  There he opened 90 chapters around the globe and had the unique opportunity to learn first hand the attributes of very successful entrepreneurs from different cultures.  

In this episode, we talk about his most impactful entrepreneurial learnings, how we must have a process around innovation, and much more.

Ryan Gottfredson (Author, "Success Mindsets") is a Ph.D. Professor at the College of Business and Economics at California State - Fullerton, a speaker, trainer, consultant, and researcher on the cutting edge of Leadership Development.  During this episode, we talk with Ryan about the concepts behind his Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Book "Success Mindsets", the key to unlocking success in your life, work, and leadership.  Ryan also shares with us his own personal mindset shifts that lead him to the adventurous life of being an entrepreneur himself.

Steve Hearon (President, BrandPoint Services) has 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and shares with us some of his key learnings and systems he has put in place to maximize the performance of himself and his business.

Murphy Vandervelde (CEO, Helix eSports), along with his kids, has created Helix Esports, and together they have built 3 esports centers in NJ, NY, and most recently at Patriot Place/Gillette Stadium in Boston. The esports industry is coming to your community and it is coming hot.  As a parent, I have been frustrated as I watch my own kids game for hours on end, but as the saying goes, if you cannot beat them, join them! That is exactly what our guest Murphy Vandervelde did.     

Where this industry is going and how it is leading the gamification of higher education is fascinating. This conversation will certainly give you a lot to think about as a parent or entrepreneur!

Callum Laing (CEO, MBH Corporation)  is also a 3-time author, speaker, and small business advocate. Callum Laing is also the CEO of MBH Corporation, a publicly listed company consisting of several small businesses that have come together to form a larger agglomeration of companies.    We sit down and talk about the reset button that has been pressed for entrepreneurs globally and why they must develop progressive partnerships.

Mike Stone (CEO, CertaPro Painters) has a fascinating story of going from a sales representative to the CEO of the largest painting company in North America with over 350 franchisees.  His story of growth as an Intrapreneur within the CertaPro organization is fascinating and the keys to his success are extremely valuable to all Entrepreneurs or people looking to grow to the top of their organization.  We hope you enjoy the conversation.