From Founder To CEO

Christopher Wink - Co-Founder, Publisher, & CEO - Technically Media

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt like you were not really worthy of the CEO title yet, even though you have the responsibilities? Christopher Wink explains why it took him 8 years to take the title of CEO of the company he co-founded. It's an incredibly honest interview full of insight. Plus, he shares one of his biggest leadership mistakes on the road to CEO and the effects it had on his growing team.

Carisa Miklusak, Co-founder & CEO - tilr

Over the past two and a half years, many of you have told me that hiring is one of, if not THE biggest challenge you face as you scale your companies. Because of that I have tried to invite guests who not only share their unique lessons learned on the journey from Founder to CEO, but also provide valuable insight into the new and innovative ways of hiring.

Carisa fits both of these requirements...big time. She and her team at Tilr have designed a truly game changing service that makes the challenging process of hiring, that much easier. In this interview you'll learn about what her team is doing in the space and Carisa gets personal sharing a recent discovery she learned about herself as a CEO and the impact it has had on her growing company.

Tom Sylvester, Co-Founder & Partner - The Lights on Lab

Tom Sylvester and his colleagues at The Lights on Lab have created a unique organization dedicated to Founding CEOs like you. In this interview he shares what he has learned about himself as a Founder & CEO. And, he shares  four big barriers Founders encounter on the road to becoming CEO: Ego, Vulnerability, Admitting Mistakes,  Having All The Answers.

Rebecca Okamoto, Founder & CEO, Evoke Strategy Group

Many of you tell me you struggle with taking the complexities, twists, and turns of your startup story and your own personal  story lines and putting these two things together into a coherent story for all of us to better understand you and your brand.

So, when Rebecca agreed to come on the show and share her successful framework on how YOU can tell your founder's story to build brand loyalty and create trust, I was really excited.

She clearly breaks it down in an easy format so you can craft and refine your story ASAP.

Musa Sulejmani, Founder & CEO - Volume Technologies

22 years old and FULL of wisdom. Musa conquered end stage renal disease (ESRD), was fortunate to receive a kidney transplant, and survived to take his new found fearless mindset to tackle a big challenge in the restaurant industry.

Musa is one of those people who just inspires you to tackle any challenge you may have in your startup or growth-focused company. What I really thought was useful for many of you to hear is how he uses his own story of conquering fear to help his team members conquer their fears. Your team is the gateway to success. Musa's insights will help YOU get your team moving.

The Virtues of Vinciple Leadership:

The Curious Connection Between Integrity, Vulnerability, Trust, and Results

I was recently asked to speak to a large group of leaders in Cincinnati. The topic was intended to be about Integrity and Trust. The result was the contents of this episode.

You'll learn how these 4 topics combined can change the course of your business, by changing your mindset away from heroic/invincible leadership to effective/Vinciple leadership.

And, toward the end, I share the 7Rs. They are your action steps toward Vinciple Leadership and how they can help you grow your business.

Alloysius Attah, Co-Founder & CEO, Farmerline

Meet the CEO who is using MobileTech and FinTech to empower over 200,000 farmers. The wisdom, knowledge, insight, experience and courage from Alloysius is quite incredible. He took the farming hardships of his Auntie to heart and built a team and company that is changing the lives of thousands of farmers in Africa.

While his business is quite incredible, his stories and thoughts on transitioning from Founder to CEO are equally compelling. Pay close attention to when he speaks about "denial" and its relationship to becoming CEO.

I'll be curious what you think about this interview. Please email me and let me know.

Alison Gerlach, Host, Founder & CEO - The Unapologetic Capitalist

Alison Gerlach is a seasoned, strategic management consultant, serial entrepreneur, investor, business executive, and lecturer with expertise in, and a passion for, building businesses. 

And, she is truly insightful about what it takes to build a powerful and production relationship with investors.

In this fun and information interview, Alison weaves her own experiences as a Founder & CEO with that of her experiences as an investor to help you build better relationships with your investors.

Krister Ungerboeck, Founder & CEO, Courageous Growth

You can't ignore it. Your style as a Founder & CEO can help or hinder the growth of your company. Krister knows this first hand.

At age 42, Krister retired as CEO of a 3,000% growth company and founded Courageous Growth as a platform to mentor CEOs and give back to the community. It was during his tenure as CEO that he was confronted with feedback that was new and disconcerting to him. And it led him on an entirely new journey of self-discovery and helping others that you will definitely want to listen to in this very candid episode.

Brian Hill, Founder & CEO, Edovo

Over 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States. Helping to reduce recidivism and provide hope to these men and women is the mission of this unassuming, soft spoken, yet VERY inspiring Founding CEO named Brian Hill.

If you think your startup is hard work, listen to Brian describe his mission, vision, and his journey From Founder to CEO and all that you may believe may be placed in a better perspective. Plus, you will learn a lot from him about how he develops his team and keeps them engaged.

This is a MUST listen interview that you won't soon forget.