On this episode of Gen X Amplified, Adrion is joined by software go-to-market leader and the former CMO of Slack, Bill Macaitis. During this awesome interview, they both discuss all things tech, marketing, brand strategy, and team building.

Bill Macaitis is considered one of the most prolific marketers within the SAAS industry. He has served as the leading go-to-market executive for 3 of the fastest ever growing SaaS companies: Slack, Zendesk, and Salesforce.

At Slack, Bill served as both the Chief Revenue Officer and the Chief Marketing Officer, coming in as marketing employee #1, and building out the entire marketing, sales, customer success and customer support teams.

During his tenure, Bill was instrumental in helping Slack become the fastest growing B2B company ever hitting $100M in annual recurring revenue in just over 2 years.

Over his career, Bill has achieved a total of 5 exits . Now he enjoys helping other companies achieve hyper-growth with a unique customer centric approach. Bill is also passionate about working with CEO’s to design, recruit, interview and build out world class marketing organizations.

Bill also is a strong advocate in mission driven companies who are changing the world for the better with innovative technology and business models.

• Why Bill decided to pivot in career as a B2C and B2B marketing executive at Salesforce, Zendesk, and Slack
• What lessons Bill learned working some of the most iconic software brands
• How Bill and his team propelled Slack to become the fastest growing business software application ever
• Hear the importance of having a strong set of brand values and collaborative team dynamics
• Why focusing solely on lead generation is a short-term advantage and why focusing on your brand strategy better prepares you for long-term growth
• Why cultivating the common fiber that unites each generation in your workforce is the key to better team output
• And so much more!

• Bill Macaitis on Linkedin
• Bill Macaitis on Twitter
• Slack
• 15Five

• “Fight song” by Rachel Platten

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, we are chatting with reinvention strategist and life coach, Marshawn Evans Daniels. about her latest groundbreaking book: Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose.

During this very value-packed conversation, Marshawn and I discuss why she wrote this book as an inspirational guide for women ready to reinvent their lives and discover a higher purpose when life doesn’t go as planned.

Marshawn Evans Daniels is a reinvention strategist and life coach mentoring women around the world to live bolder in life and business. As a serial entrepreneur, TV personality, creator of the Godfidence® movement and founder of SHE Profits®, she helps women turn ideas into income and inspiration into action.

A former sports attorney, Miss America finalist, and competitor on The Apprentice, she left a high-powered law firm and turned her passion for people into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Appearing regularly on CNN, Fox Business, and ESPN, her clients range from Rolls Royce, HPE, Nike, Home Depot, and Ernst & Young to everyday dreamers seeking to find their voice and maximize their potential.

Named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by the Atlanta Business League, she is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a Harry S. Truman scholar, and a former US Ambassador to the International Summit of Achievement in Dublin, Ireland. Marshawn is passionate about purpose, futurist thinking, manifestation, entrepreneurship, and traveling the globe with her husband Jack.

• Believe Bigger: Discover the Path to Your Life Purpose (Marshawn’s latest book)
• Marshawn’s Personal Website
• The Godfidence School
• Marshawn’s Facebook Page

• Put Your Money on Me – Ronald Isley
• For the Love of Money by The Ojays
• Roar by Katy Perry

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, we are going to discuss why personal branding is very important in today's social media world. And to help us unpack the key tips and tactics to use, we are chatting with a content marketing and social media expert, Erik Deckers.

Erik Deckers is a professional writer, professional speaker, social media expert, and content marketing strategist. He is the President of Pro Blog Service, a content marketing agency.

Erik is also the author of a few bestselling books, including The Owned Media Doctrine, No BS Social Media, and last but not least, one of my favorites - Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself.

During this episode, Erik discusses his professional journey, and how it led you to his current career as an author, speaker, and business owner.

Erik and I also unpack the latest edition of Branding Yourself, and why he and his co-author Kyle Lacy decided to update the book at this time.

• When did Erik first decide to go into the marketing field.
• Why he advises people to first start a blog before tackling what social media platforms to engage in
• Why you must "fish where the fish are" to increase your chances of success for social networking
• Hear Erik explain which social media platform is his favorite.>
• The reason why you must focus on giving and providing value to others than receiving
• And so plenty more!

• Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself
• Erik's Company "Pro Blog Service"
• Erik's personal website
• Erik on Twitter

• "The Typewriter Song" by Leroy Anderson
• "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin

As a leader, do you want to inspire, motivate, educate, build brands, launch movements, and change lives? Then you MUST be able to package your ideas into a compelling and concise story.

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, we are actually going to talk all about the power of story.  And we could not have asked for a better featured guest, than master communicator and storyteller - Carmine Gallo.  

Carmine Gallo is a communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. A former anchor and correspondent for CNN and CBS - Carmine's mission is to help business leaders craft compelling messages, tell inspiring stories, and share their ideas. He has worked with executives at Intel, Google, Disney, The Four Seasons, Cisco, LinkedIn, and many other global brands.

As a prolific author, Carmine has written several groundbreaking books that primarily focus on communication, including: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, The Apple Experience, and Talk Like TED.

Now his latest book, The Storyteller’s Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't, is a must read for any leader in today's marketplace. This very practical guide on the power of narrative, demonstrates how leaders of such powerful brands as Apple, Virgin, and Southwest Airlines have attracted valuable talent and achieved success by telling their stories well.

During the value-packed episode of Gen X Amplified, Carmine and I discuss why storytelling is the secret ingredient to business and leadership success. We also unpack many insights from the book, including specific examples of visionaries like Steve Jobs, Sheryl Sandberg, and others who create compelling stories as essential elements in their journey.

• Why storytelling is the most underrated and under appreciated skill among leaders and entrepreneurs today.
• Did you know that the most successful speeches, presentations, and stories incorporate a familiar 3-act structure?
• Why Carmine write books not because of money, but because he believes in the “power of ideas” to change the world
• Having a “passion” for your topic is a must-have for great communication
• Hear why the most recent and successful movements such as the “ice bucket challenge”and Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” were launched with powerful stories
• Understand why Steve Jobs was probably the world’s greatest storyteller
• Companies that create a storytelling culture can increase profits and decrease employee turnover. Hear why.
• And so plenty more!

• Carmine's Website
• The Storyteller's Secret website
• The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs
• Talk Like TED 
• Carmine on Twitter
• Carmine on Facebook

• "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi

• Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant
• Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull
• Evernote
• Runkeeper

Peg Fitzpatrick is a speaker, author, blogger, and social media

Social media is not only Peg's passion, it's her job.

During our conversation on this episode of Gen X Amplified, Peg

This is definitely an episode that you do not want to miss.

Do you ever dream about running your own business? Do you ever dream about more time with your family? Do you want to change the world?

Then you MUST listen to this value-packed and fun episode of Gen X Amplified with someone who has been named a “thought leader for the next generation by none other than Oprah Winfrey. I am joined by the wonderful and phenomenal Marie Forleo.

Marie Forleo is a quintessential entrepreneur, author, online tv host, and marketing expert. She is the creator and host of her award-winning web TV show, Marie TV - where she has interviewed some of the most phenomenal people such as Arianna Huffington and Tony Robbins to name a few.

Through her content and her overall brand - her goal and mission is to help you build a life you truly love, and use your gifts to change the world.

Marie is also the founder of the very popular B-School, which is an 8-week interactive video based training program that teaches smart effective online marketing strategies to business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs who want to fuel higher profits and their higher purpose.

Having a passion for a mission-driven life, Marie has also mentored young business owners at Richard Branson’s Centre of Entrepreneurship. And through her own “Change Your Life, Change The World" initiative - every product purchased helps support a person in need.

MarieForleo.com was also named by Forbes.com as one of the Top 100 Websites for Entrepreneurs, and her business has been listed as one of the Inc’s 500 fastest growing companies.

During this fun-filled and value-driven chat with Marie, we discuss her fascinating story/journey from working at the New York Exchange, teaching hip-hop dance classes, to becoming one of the most revered entrepreneurs and personal brands in the marketplace.

We also unpack the many awesome details of B-School, and Marie shares plenty of golden nuggets on we are all actually getting younger because of this digital age. And it’s now easier than ever before to take advantage of these new media tools to build a business and life we love.

• Why did Marie decide to become a life coach at 23 years old?
• What was that transformational moment that Marie decided to become a life coach
• What were some of the entrepreneurial principles that Marie learned first hand from her parents
• Why cultivating key relationships is a priority for Marie throughout her journey
• Why Marie embraced video as her primary platform to amplify her brand and build an audience
• Hear why B-School is a very unique and powerful online training program
• Listen to why one her most famous catchphrases is “everything is figureoutable”
• Why Marie feels that everyone, especially Gen Xers should take advantage of these digital tools to build their brand in today’s marketplace
• And so plenty more!

• Marie Forleo's Website
• B-School
• Marie TV
• Marie on Facebook
• Marie on Twitter
• Marie on Instagram
• FREE Download - "10 Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs in this New Media Marketplace."

• "This is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

For this new solo episode of Gen X Amplified, I focus on how success, achieving your goals, and overall greatness can only happen, after you have truly put the work in . Particularly, what I call having some P.E.P. - preparation, execution, and patience.

Whenever we want to achieve a new goal, learn a new skill, or become successful in general - we tend to want to rush the end result. We want to be great, much sooner than later. We want success and we want it now!

Well that is a very unrealistic and ineffective approach. True success and true greatness doesn't happen overnight. It requires us to put the work in.

For example - think about a box of cake mix. On the front of the box, you see the nice picture of the finished product - the fluffy and moist cake. But in order to get to that finished cake, you have to turn the box over for the baking instructions and follow the recipe. You must take all of the essential ingredients, mix them together, turn up some heat, put it in the oven, and then wait for the cake to bake. This same principle applies when it comes to achieving greatness in life.

Do you know what makes a brand truly stand out and create advocates in today's economy? Well it goes beyond just products and services. It's all about how you define "experiences."

On this episode of Gen X Amplified, we are joined by one of the most renowned digital leaders in today's marketplace - futurist, author and speaker Brian Solis. He's here to discuss his personal journey, and his latest book X: The Experience When Business Meets Design.

Brian Solis is recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders, speakers, and published authors in new technology and digital marketing. He is also a digital analyst, anthropologist, and futurist.

Brian is a best selling author of some of the most groundbreaking books that include What’s the Future of Business (WTF), Engage!, and The End of Business as Usual.

Brian is here on Gen X Amplified to discuss his latest book titled:  X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, which explores the importance of experiences, and how to design them for customers, employees and human beings everywhere.

This is definitely a great conversation with an awesome Gen X thought leader - so listen, learn, and be empowered!

Are you looking for a more productive way to accomplish your goals this year? Well, this episode is definitely for you. That's because we are joined...again by our very first "repeat" guest. The one-and-only John Lee Dumas from the very popular EOFire podcast.

John revisits Gen X Amplified this time to deep dive into the virtues of successful goal setting, and also his latest passion project, The Freedom Journal!

John Lee Dumas is the Founder and Host of  EOFire, an award winning podcast that reveals the journey of today's most inspiring entrepreneurs - 7 days a week. He has actually interviewed more than 1,100 entrepreneurs since the launch of his podcast, and has over 1 million unique listens a month!

During John's previous appearance on Gen X Amplified, we spoke in detail about the overall story and journey of EOFire. But for his "repeat" visit, John is here to really FOCUS on his latest and greatest project - The Freedom Journal.

The Freedom Journal is John's new and (beautifully crafted) book, that he created specifically to help others set and accomplish their number one goal...in 100 days. During this conversation, John explained his motivation for creating The Freedom Journal and also provide many overall value bombs to help you dominate 2016!

If you think you’re good at delivering great customer service, then you will be surprised that your customers may not agree. Well, our featured guest on Gen X Amplified will explain why that is the case. We are joined by Jay Baer, who is a world renowned marketing and customer service speaker.

He is also the author of the forthcoming book Hug Your Haters, and he's here to explain why many brands are unfortunately embracing an outdated approach to customer service that does not meet the minimum threshold in today’s digital media landscape.

Jay Baer a marketing and online customer service expert and keynote speaker who has advised more than 700 brands since 1994, including Caterpillar, Nike, Allstate, The United Nations and 32 of the Fortune 500. He is also considered the world’s “most retweeted person” among digital marketers.

He is a renowned business strategist, keynote speaker and the New York Times best-selling author of five books including his newest publication - Hug Your Haters - the first truly modern book on customer service and customer experience.

Jay is also the founder of Convince & Convert, a strategy consulting firm that helps prominent companies gain and keep more customers through the smart intersection of technology, social media, and customer service. Also through his media division of his consulting firm, Jay oversees publishing a content marketing blog, a daily email newsletter and is the co-host of the top-rated Social Pros podcast.

Jay is here to deep dive into Hug Your Haters and why companies should not, and I repeat….NOT ignoring complaints from their customers, especially in this current digital and social marketplace. He also outlines his guiding framework on how to deliver outstanding customer service which will result in remarkable customer experiences.

• Why getting involved in the internet during its infancy was one of Jay’s best decisions he’s ever made
• Understand why customer service is really the “new marketing”
• What are the new platforms of customer service in this digital world
• Why companies should answer every complaint, in every channel, every time
• Why Chick-Fil-A is a great example of company providing exceptional customer service
• What is the Jay Baer rule of “reply only twice”
• How the principles of Hug Your Haters can apply to personal brands and not just companies
• And plenty more!

• Jay Baer's website
• Hug Your Haters website
• Hug Your Haters on Amazon
• Convince and Convert
• "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
• "Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Blinkist
• Pana