Public speaking is a massive hurdle for so many today. Overcoming the nervousness, the filler words, and the dread of being in front of other people is something a lot of people feel they can’t do. Kerri Garbis, the founder and CEO of Ovation and a long-time speaking coach, joins host Casey Cheshire to provide effective and practical ways to overcome stage fright, remove filler words, and deliver better and more impactful presentations. 

Takeaways

• Picturing people naked does not actually help with stage fright or nervousness, it’s just something perpetuated by an episode of The Brady Bunch.

Links: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrigarbis/

Quote of the Show

• Practice with accountability

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

You know great branding when you see it, but it’s not always easy to explain why it works, let alone create your own. Branding master Emily Brackett is the owner of Visible Logic, a premier branding consultancy, and she is here to end your branding woes. Emily discusses the three main steps to creating a successful brand, where many people get lost along the way to creating a brand, and the larger scope of what a brand entails. Learn how to approach creating a brand and what your brand should reflect to make the most lasting impact. 

Takeaways:

• An outside branding company will not be able to come in and tell your company what its brand is. The leader of the company must take ownership of what the company’s brand is but can seek outside help to shift the brand’s perception.

Links: 

• LinkedIn: https: //www.linkedin.com/in/emilybrackett/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

Waiting for the perfect idea to come to you isn’t the only way to be an entrepreneur, acquiring a small business is a great way to become a business owner! Josh Medow did just that when he acquired his company after going through a thorough buying process which he explains in this episode. Learn how to find the right business to buy, how to approach the transition of ownership, and the positives and negatives of buying a business as opposed to starting one.

Takeaways:

• If you are an entrepreneur, you don’t have to wait around for the “perfect” idea to come to you, buying a business is a great way to get started.

1. Pre Existing Market Fit

• You have to do your due diligence and really learn about the business you are buying and the person you are buying from. Ideally buy from someone who is looking to retire as they are less likely to come back and compete in a space that they already know. 

Links: 

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/josh-medow

Shout Outs:

• Middlesex Savings Bank

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

There are millions of companies in the United States but less than 1% of them ever grow past 10 million in revenue per year. This week’s guest Herb Cogliano, an International Business Growth Advisor and Certified Scaling Up Coach, shares his expertise on how business owners can prepare to scale up, hire the right people, and better prepare for their future!

Myth Smash: 

• “A lot of people think it's hard to start a company, but I think what's even harder is to scale up your existing company”

Takeaways:

• Only ½  of 1% of our companies (28 million in the United States) ever scale to 10 million or more in revenue in a single year. Only 4% of companies ever make it over 1 million or more in top line revenue.

Links: 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hcogliano/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

You start a business, put the fancy name tag on your desk, and now you’re ready to make the big decisions right? This week’s guest Kathy Doyle, CEO of FireFlower Alternative Energy, SMASHES the misconception that being in charge may not mean that you are actually in charge. External factors can influence operations, employees, and sales. Tune in and learn the importance of maintaining flexibility and how to expect the unexpected.

Takeaways:

• Myth SMASH: “One of the common misconceptions is that you're in charge when in fact it feels a lot of the time, like everybody else is in charge.”

Links: 

• Email: [email protected]

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

The United States makes up such a smaller percentage of the world’s population. So why are we limiting our company sales to just a national market? This week’s guest, Wendy Pease, is an expert in global marketing. She walks through the proper steps and resources available to small or medium-sized business owners and how to make connections with customers from all over the globe!

Takeaways:

• MYTH SMASH: “My company is too small to go global”.

Links: 

• Facebook: [guests facebook]

Shout Outs:

• The Global Marketing Show Podcast - https://www.theglobalmarketingshow.com

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

Selling your business may not result in a large amount of money delivered to you on a golden platter. This week’s special guest and fellow member, Glenn Grant, crushes the myth that an earnout should be the sole reason to sell your company. He shares personal experiences in the matter, current/past business ventures, and how he believes there has been a recent increase in the entrepreneurial spirit!

Takeaways:

• When selling your business, you don’t have to do an “earnout” as part of the agreement. You should aim to be happy with the initial amount offered to you on the day of the sale. Everything else should be considered bonus earnings or the “gravy”.

Links

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hglenngrant

Shout Outs:

• Dave Will - https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrwill/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

Is your company making a positive impact? Ryan Villanueva, Co-Founder of Best Delegate Model United Nations and Growth Consultant at Crews Consulting Group, shares with us how to align the economic and social impacts of your company in order to have shared value. He outlines the importance of establishing a vision for your business, by answering the 6 W’s, so that the rest of the entrepreneurial process comes at ease.

Takeaways:

• Entrepreneurship doesn’t just include startups that are venture-backed, tech, SaaS, etc. It is much broader than that and includes anyone who wants to make a positive change. 

Shout Outs:

• Michael Porter - Harvard Professor

• https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6532

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinfelixchan/

• https://hub.eonetwork.org

Links:

• Website: www.learnmodelun.com 

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leadership-in-action/id1585042233

Starting a business may appear to be anarchy and chaos. However, there is a process and plan behind entrepreneurship that drives success. President of EO Boston and Co-founder of Bcombinator, Luis Cortes, discusses the steps to becoming a successful entrepreneur through passion, persistence, and the proper problem-solution fit. 

Takeaways:

~ Entrepreneurship may look like anarchy, with endless moving parts and possibilities. However, there is a process behind success. 

~ In order to start a successful business, you need to have a vision of what customer needs you want to satisfy, and how you’re going to do so.

~ Working with a team allows you to expand your knowledge by being around people who have different skills than you.

~ It is important to identify the proper problem-solution fit. This means figuring out if your product correctly solves the solution for the type of customers you are looking for. Focus on the problem, solution, and benefit of your product.

~ Start with a small niche. This allows you to be a big fish in a small pond. Once your business begins to grow, you can jump into bigger ponds.

~ Decide if you're making a decision to move closer to something else or get away from something you don't want. Instead of protecting yourself out of fear, use your vision/mission to drive your decisions.

Links:

~ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luisicortes/ 

~ Twitter: https://twitter.com/licortes?lang=en 

~ Company Website: https://www.redhat.com/en

~ EO Boston: https://www.eonetwork.org/boston 

Ways to Tune In:

~ iTunes - 

~ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2t4Ksk4TwmZ6MSfAHXGkJI

~ Stitcher -

~ Google Play - 

~ Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4263fd02-8c9b-495e-bd31-2e5aef21ff6b

~ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4FsspsuiiA

Many entrepreneurs believe that good ideas are the bulk of the work when starting a business. Dave Will, CEO & Co-Founder at Propfuel, reveals that execution and dedication are what make good ideas successful. He discusses how the best ideas are evolved into even better ideas by finding the right product-market fit for your business.

Check out Will’s inspiring story of changing his lifelong career path to start his own company and all of the hard work and challenges he overcame to become a successful entrepreneur!

Takeaways:

~Ideas are not the bulk of the work. Everybody has good ideas, but the hard part is the execution and commitment to the idea.

~The greatest ideas are those that we set free to evolve by allowing input and making adjustments. Most original business plans develop over time into better plans.

~It is important to find the right product-market fit for your company. This means having a constant mindset of what is working, what needs to be changed, and how to be open to making changes to your product and/or market.

~“Luck is manufactured with persistence” - David did not get where he was today by chance; he built his business through time and effort.

~Negotiation is key when making business deals, especially when selling a business. Know your company’s worth, decline the first offer, and do not settle for less.

~It is not easy to veer from a set career path, but sometimes it is necessary. Figure out what you want out of your professional life and embrace it with passion.

Links:

~LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrwill

~Podcast: ‎EO 360°: A podcast by the Entrepreneurs' Organization on Apple Podcasts

~Email: [email protected]

Ways to Tune In:

~iTunes -

~Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/2t4Ksk4TwmZ6MSfAHXGkJI

~Stitcher -

~Google Play -

~Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/4263fd02-8c9b-495e-bd31-2e5aef21ff6b

~YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_2oe3Y-omw