From Founder To CEO

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Todd Guckenberger, Executive Director & Co-founder - Back2Back Ministries

“Be the difference for one,” is the driving motto behind Todd’s organization Back2Back Ministries. He is leading an international team of amazing people who dedicate their lives to support orphans around the world. As inspiring as that mission is, Todd is just like you. He also has had some ups and downs as a Co-founder and CEO of a startup that grew into a international organization. And, his journey is filled with opportunities to learn as a leader. In this fun interview he shares:

• How he uses the “front porch” approach to learn to be a better CEO
• How he has overcome his group communication limitations
• How he uses a talent assessment tool to shape his organization’s culture and create better opportunities for effective communication across international cultures

Todd’s enthusiasm is infectious…he just makes you want to be a better person, better leader, and have more positive impact on the world. Let me know what you learned by contact me here.

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Jessica Mah, Co-founder & CEO - inDinero

Refreshing. That's what came to mind while I was interviewing Jessica for this episode. Jessica has experienced significant success with her fast-growth company, inDinero. She is just one of those down-to-earth CEOs who isn't afraid to honestly describe the struggles we all face as we begin to scale our startups. She talks about:

• Why she reads so many leadership books
• How she used the power of "peer groups" to help improve her leadership abilities
• Why she hired an executive coach
• What led to her replacing her original startup team
• What a challenging investor call reminded her about confidence
• Why she wishes she was more honest with herself about the things that did not really excite her about the business.
• ...and so much more

Jessica packs in a lot of valuable insights in this short episode. Please let me know what you think.

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Kip Tindell, Co-founder & Former CEO - The Container Store

Since I was a kid I really enjoyed being organized. Maybe I was a bit unusual. I organized my closet once a quarter. My desk had everything in its place. Even the books on my shelves were categorized my topic.  So, when I interviewed Kip Tindell, Co-founder and now former CEO of The Container Store, he said something that really resonated with me. He said, "Life is better if you are organized." I couldn't agree more.

Kip's enthusiasm for life is infectious. And, his leadership principles are inspirational. You may be hard pressed to find many people who put the words "love" and "business" in the same sentence. But, Kip does just that in this interview and shares so much more about his personal journey from Co-founder of a small retail store to CEO of a business with 6,000 employees and more than 80 stores across the United States.

We recorded this interview in August of 2016 a few months after he stepped down as CEO, a role in served in for many years.  We talked about a very challenging time during the fast-growth stages of his company and what he did to overcome them. And, we also talked about his decision to step down as CEO.

If want to year what successful entrepreneurial leadership through hard work and humility sounds like, give a listen to this interview with Kip Tindell. My bet is you'll feel uplifted just like I felt while I interviewed him. Let me know what you think: [email protected].

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Farhad Farahbakhshian, CEO & Co-founder - Naked Labs   The healthtech market will continue to grow. I am willing to bet on that. And, Founding CEOs like Farhad Farahbakhshian are leading the way. Farhad took his electrical engineering background and his love of healthy living (he is a former spin class instructor) and, along with his co-founder, created the world's first 3D Fitness Tracker for consumers.

It is really cool technology that you can check out in this video.

In this revealing interview, he shares his personal journey from Founder to CEO along with some hiring wisdom that you will want to pay attention to.

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"     Today's Podcast:   Radha Basu, CEO & Founder - iMerit Technology Services   Do you think you know about technology? Do you think you know about shifting from Founder to CEO? You may think twice about that after listening to THE woman who founded Hewlett Packard's operations in India and set up the first software center of any multinational in Bangalore, India. Radha Basu will make you laugh, move your soul with her inspiring mission, and stir your imagination about just what can be done as a Founding CEO. It was such an honor to interview Radha. She is the type of leader we can all learn from. Listen. Take lots of notes. And, let me know what you think: [email protected].

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Karen Rzepecki, CEO & Founder - The Mason Jar Company

Lots of entrepreneurial activity is boiling over in the Erie, Pennsylvania area. One of the many success stories is Karen Rzepecki and her Mason Jars Company. Karen is a self-described "late blooming" entrepreneur who took her engineering background and put it to good use helping thousands of people find new ways to reuse the mighty Mason Jar.

I love when Founding CEOs like Karen take something old and breathe new life into it in new and creative ways that brings value to so many. She shares some of her personal struggles shifting into the CEO role in this fun interview.

What do you think is the number one leadership skill she wished she learned earlier? You'll have to listen to find out. :)

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Nithin Kamath, Founder & CEO - Zerodha

I have always been fascinated by the growing entrepreneurial spirit in India. In fact, I love reading the website Your Story because it showcases so many wonderful stories of Founding CEOs like Nithin Kamath. I first learned about Nithin on Your Story and found myself fascinated by how several failures led to the co-founding of Zerodha. In this candid interview, Nithin describes the struggles and victories on the road to scaling India's first discount brokerage firm. 

What has been the hardest part of building Zerodha? Listen. It may not be what you would expect.

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"     Today's Podcast:   Todd Wichmann, Founder & CEO - HealthPro Brands Inc.  

Todd Wichmann truly knows the difference between corporate leadership and startup leadership. He became a Founding CEO after leading the Tide detergent brand for global giant, Procter & Gamble. He took his knowledge gained at P&G and used it to build a company focused on organic cleaning products. 

He shares his ups and downs as a Startup CEO AND he shares the story of how he and his team developed one of the hottest new products to combat the Zika Virus - an organic mosquito repellent called FIT® Organic—Mosquito Repellent. It's a game changer for many, including the country of Brazil where the virus has affected so many. 

Oh yes, listen carefully to his story about his biggest struggle shifting from Founder to CEO, I think you will learn a lot. I know I did. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Ryan Angilly, Co-founder & CEO - Ramen

Besides leading a growing platform that is getting super high survey responses rates for his SaaS customers, Ryan's interview is packed with unconventional wisdom from how he started the company at a hackathon, decisions about launching non-core products, and shifting from a founder that focused on a product to a CEO that is driving the company's marketing initiatives. 

He is super open about all these issues and he is just a real nice guy. Let me know what you think about the interview.

FREE DOWNLOAD: "63 Productivity Hacks From 50 Top Founding CEOs"   Today's Podcast:   Leah Sparks, CEO & Co-founder - Wildflower Health

It's pretty challenging to break into the healthcare market. There is lots of regulation and long sales cycle times. Leah has not only cracked open this difficult market, she and her team is creating innovative health tech that is having a big ROI for healthcare clients and producing healthy outcomes for a growing number of people.

And, as Leah explains in this candid interview, it's hard to take care of your own health when you are the Founding CEO of a growing company. 

Give a listen and let me know what you think.