Hailed as one of the foremost authorities on marketing, franchising, and retail, Tom Feltenstein learned his trade from the grill up – insisting he got his doctorate degree as a senior marketing executive from McDonald’s Corporation as Ray Kroc’s disciple. After scaling the Golden Arches, he served as senior vice-president for the international, billion-dollar advertising agency, Bozell & Jacobs.

Tom is motivational, inspirational, informative, and completely commits himself to every audience. He’s “Tom the Lionhearted.” His approach is aimed at exposing outdated, conventional business thoughts and telling the TRUTH about mass media marketing approaches that often masquerade as marketing programs. Audiences find that Tom is entertaining, challenging, and always brimming with “Uncommon Wisdom.” He has been a featured speaker among superstars such as Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Larry King, Terry Bradshaw…just to name a few.

He is the CEO and Founder of Power Marketing Academy (PMA), a leading consulting firm that serves and educates businesses in the industries of franchising, retail, hospitality, and service. Tom has also received acclaim from the media for his Uncommon Marketing wisdom from Larry King, traded barbs on the David Letterman Show, and argued the waste of running ads during the Super Bowl on Fox News Pre-Game Show. He has shared his insight in interviews with Voice of America, Bloomberg TV & Radio, US News & World Report, CNN, and Tips from the Top, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Food Network, Entrepreneur Magazine, and other media. A widely published author, he has written 14 books including Change is Good…You Go First with over 125,000 copies sold to-date.

In 2016, Jersey Mike’s Subs awarded Tom with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its world convention. In 2009, Tom was awarded an honorary doctorate of law from Northwood University. Tom was the first recipient of the “Visionary Award,” a most prestigious honor presented by the Council of International Restaurant Brokers (CIRB). Tom is also proud to be an Air Force veteran.

Show Highlights:

There is no hall of fame for second place. -Tom FeltensteinStopping at third base adds nothing to the scoreboard. -Tom FeltensteinMy greatest gift is working on Tom. If I can love Tom, then I can love my fellow human being. It’s an inside job. -Tom FeltensteinSit down every day and write five handwritten notes to people, thanking them for something. -Tom FeltensteinLove yourself first. If I can work on Tom and be the best me I can be, that’s the best gift I can give to mankind. -Tom FeltensteinIf I’m not at peace with myself, then I shouldn’t be involved in anything. -Tom FeltensteinThere’s no magical lever you can just pull and all of a sudden–bingo! -Tom FeltensteinSurround yourself with people who are high-spirited and always working on themselves to be better.  -Tom FeltensteinAnytime is a good time to begin. -Tom Feltenstein

Tom’s closing thoughts: Go on long walks. Meditate. Do yoga. I really believe that one of the keywords, which is the hardest word for all of us, is forgiveness. Who are two people out there today that you need to forgive, that you need to call and say, “I’m sorry. I love you. You mean a lot to me.”?

The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts,