Great products are not enough.

With 24-7 access to the internet, customers expect and demand immediate engagement. Customer service is key to business success.

In this Tugboat Institute® podcast, Brad Cleveland, one of the world’s foremost experts on customer management and a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, contends that quality customer care is the most powerful differentiator in business. Whether you are a mom-and-pop shop or a global enterprise, technology has leveled the playing field so that any size business can deliver five-star service to their customers when they need it the most.

Be an Evergreen® leader. Listen, learn and engage.

Hire for skills, not for degrees.

In this Tugboat Institute® talk, Steven C. Preston, President and CEO of Goodwill Industries International, shares how the nonprofit is providing leading edge workforce skills and career path mapping to individuals who lack the traditional educational degrees and certifications.

According to Steven, now is the time for business leaders to close the opportunity gap and consider talented employee candidates outside of their standard hiring practices. Fulfilling work can transform a life, a family and your company’s bottom line.

Be inspired to make a difference.

 “You are the only thing that can make your work unique,” says celebrated portrait photographer, John Keatley. John should know. He sees this truism every day in his work.

In this Tugboat Institute® podcast, John tackles a tough topic—the importance of being authentic in order to do your best work. According to John, you need to know yourself and incorporate it into what you do. During this talk John shares how he made this breakthrough in his personal and professional life—the mistakes and the lessons learned that are relevant to anyone in any profession.

What if you told an entire 3rd grade class that a college degree was expected? What if you also told those same 3rd graders that they did not have to pay for that college education—meaning if they worked hard, graduated high school and got accepted to college, they would receive a college education for free. What would they do? And who could make that promise?

In this Tugboat Institute® podcast, Tom Rosztoczy, President and CEO of Stotz Equipment, shares how he and his wife established The College Promise program—transforming generations of students and their families. Listen and be inspired by the life-changing results.

This Tugboat Institute® podcast spotlights Stella Ma—entrepreneur, educator and CEO. With a vision to inspire children to learn about the world, Stella and her business partner, Amy Norman, launched Little Passports in 2009. Her passion to make travel accessible, geography fun and spark the imagination of children has created a thriving education subscription business and household brand name that continues to innovate. In her Tugboat Institute talk, Ma reveals the five strategies that allowed her company to remain private and profitable. Listen, learn and be inspired.

Pushing your sales territory outward is key for sustained business growth. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. Each market entry presents its own set of unique complexities. The decisions you make to navigate those challenges will determine your ROI in that territory.

In this podcast from Tugboat Institute®, Gary Kunkle, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Founder of Outlier LLC, discusses the common tactics that trip up companies considering expansion into new markets—sharing hard-earned insight based on his ongoing academic research and 38 years of hands-on experience in the international marketplace.

Be an Evergreen® leader. Consider entry into new markets—local or global—to spark business growth.

Be a better leader.

Retired Commander Rorke Denver ran every phase of training for the U.S. Navy SEALs and led special-forces missions in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and other international hot spots. He also wrote two New York Times bestselling books based on his extensive military experience.

In this Tugboat Institute podcast, Rorke shares two significant leadership lessons that have served him well in his military and civilian life—constantly improve your position and always reach for an extra inch.

How can my business be an effective family enterprise if my children do not want to be a part of it? Who will be the next generation of owners?

In this podcast from Tugboat Institute®, Jennifer Pendergast—eminent thought leader and Executive Director of the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University—deconstructs the challenges faced by family owned businesses and shares practical strategies for successful leadership transitions and governance.

Be an Evergreen® leader. Learn how to create a leading company that lasts beyond your lifetime.

Central States Manufacturing started in 1988 as a small plant in Rogers, Arkansas. Today the company produces metal roofing and siding for thousands of customers from 10 locations across the country. It is also 100% employee owned.

John Williams, VP of Sales & Marketing, shared with the Tugboat Institute® in 2016 the keys to the company's tremendous success—a strict adherence to open-book management (aka the Great Game of Business), rigorous accountability, and a commitment to putting their people first. Although John has retired from CSM, his words and insights are still relevant for business leaders and Evergreen® CEOs dedicated to building leading and lasting companies. 

Get Big Fast vs. Evergreen—Which is the best fit for your business?

This episode features Tugboat Institute® CEO Dave Whorton. When Dave was recruited by the legendary John Doerr to work for Kleiner Perkins in 1997 he learned the original venture capital (VC) “playbook”—a strategy focused on reaching profitability and sustained growth. At the same time, Doerr and other partners were selectively exercising a new playbook sparked by the historic public offering of Netscape. Venture capital was entering a new era—Get Big Fast.   In this talk from Tugboat Institute®, Dave shares his insider perspective on this “moment of divergence” and how this seismic shift in VC investment shaped the way companies are built, scaled, financed and exited. Dave also presents the alternative Evergreen® business model embraced by leaders committed to private ownership, purpose and growing profitable companies that last 100 years.   There is more than one way to business success. Take a moment to listen and determine which path fits your journey.