If you want your business to succeed, adaptation is key. Bethany Meadows, president of Vertical Solutions Media, talks to us about how to adapt and stay relevant in today’s market landscape. Five year plans are out, and 90 day sprints are in. Bethany shares how she generates leads through low-cost affiliate relationships. As a home business owner and parent, she has insight into finding work-life balance as well. Finally, we reflect on some hard-won lessons in our business journeys. Adjusting to change, asking for help, and sticking to a business strategy can sometimes be easier said than done. Looking for ways to build your community and learn from fellow business owners? Check out VSM’s Time to Thrive membership program for training and resources. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

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This Senate bill may have some unintended consequences for small businesses, according to consultant Andrea Hill. Join us as we take a magnifying glass to S.2992. This bill proposes to level the playing field between large and small businesses. Worryingly for small business owners, it actually contains some serious pitfalls. Chief among them: access to data security, and competition with large online retailers. The broad wording of this bill could allow large companies to continue dominating the marketplace. Want your voice to be heard? Reach out to your local senators and let them know your concerns. Meanwhile, you can find more of Andrea’s thought-provoking work on Forbes. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

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Just like a fine wine and cheese pairing, a great business needs a great strategy to go with it. Angela Rakis, founder of Favorite Daughter, LLC, joins us to discuss creating memorable customer experiences in the food and hospitality industries. We talk about the retail distribution process and how a new food product graduates from the home kitchen to grocery store shelves. Tune in to learn about the process of place making; creating a unique space that fits both a brand and a local community. Most importantly, we share some favorite restaurants and hidden gems, like Eileen’s Cheesecake in NYC, Sidebar granola bars from Maine, and Shea Radiance: a shea butter beauty brand that promotes the economic empowerment of women in Nigeria. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Today’s workforce culture is all about freedom— freedom to work from home, to set boundaries, and to make your voice heard in the workplace. For employers, it can be challenging to hire and retain employees in a labor market that changes just as rapidly as new technology. In this episode, we sit down with Curt Tueffert of DXP Enterprises to talk about how workers’ expectations have shifted in the past few decades, and what employers need to do to hold onto their talent. What makes a workplace culture? How can business owners connect with their employees and make them feel appreciated? How can we expect worldwide working culture to change in the coming years? 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Running a small business is no easy feat, but few industries pose as many challenges as the cannabis industry. Eric Robichaud, CEO of Green Goddess Supply, joins us to talk about his journey from software engineer, to digital marketer, to leader of a cannabis industry enterprise. Learn how Green Goddess Supply began as an Amazon-based experiment and grew into an independent manufacturer and wholesaler. Robichaud also shares some of the ups and downs of his experience working in cannabis, from the revenue to be found in the “green rush”, to the challenges of advertising on social media and finding a credit card processor. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Your expertise has more value than you may realize. Have you ever considered sharing your hard-won knowledge with up-and-coming peers in the form of a group coaching program? Chris Williams, the founder of Group Coach Nation, has unlocked a whole new market in leading high-ticket Masterminds that can fetch up to $10K per seat. He now teaches business owners to do the same from concept to filling the seats. Learn more about the structure of these masterminds, how Chris generates leads, and how monetizing your expertise can boost your revenue and change your business. Be sure to check out Chris’s YouTube Channel for a sampling of what Group Coach Nation has to offer. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Jeremy Streten has worked with over 5000 clients throughout his career and documented when they had success and when they faced pitfalls legally. He talks about those from start up to exit strategy with 13 distinct business lifecycles. This is all laid out in his book The Business Legal Lifecycle.  

Jeremy shares how some businesses, not wanting to spend legal fees, lose large sums of money well beyond what they would have paid for legal counsel. That inactivity is comparable to the antiquated notion that legal services are a liability rather than an asset. By investing in legal services and advice, the proactiveness protects your business and saves future fees in potential litigation or disputes with things like client or employee agreements.  

Listeners have an opportunity to take a 10-minute assessment that identifies where you are in your business lifecycle and your legal risks. This report can be taken to your attorney, and if you don’t have one, you can use the attorney referral tool on his website.

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Joseph Wilkins is the founder of FunnySalesVideos.com. As habits shifted from television to online, Joseph discovered that sales videos that create attention-grabbing viral style content entertain viewers into making immediate purchases. He has had two decades of experience with video production, hundreds of millions of TV & online views, and hundreds of millions of dollars in tracked sales. 

Joseph has developed 8 simple steps any business can follow to boost online sales. Listen to this podcast to learn the 8 steps that you can do to create your own entertaining video or download the 8 Simple to Follow Steps Guide at FunnySalesVideos.com. You will also learn the answer to Can Sales Videos Go Viral?

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

When it comes to workplace compliance issues, like sexual harassment or discrimination, we need to hear the human side. Listen to our discussion with Tim Mousseau about building a positive company culture. What makes a “toxic” workplace? What are red flags to watch out for? How can workplace leaders contribute to making employees feel comfortable and heard? We’ll also dive into topics like giving and receiving feedback, the drawbacks of an “open door” policy, and conducting exit interviews. Be sure to visit timmousseau.com for more information about Tim’s workshops for creating safe workplace cultures. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn 

Got an amazing new idea that you can’t wait to put out into the world? You might want to slow down and think about how to protect your IP. Do you know the difference between patents, trademarks, and copyrights? Or how to keep from losing your trademark? We cover all these questions and more with Devin Miller, of Miller IP Law. He’ll be giving us three simple tools to protect a business’s IP and tips to avoid common IP mistakes. Take advantage of his free strategy session at strategymeeting.com. 

About Your Host

Denise Cagan has been working with small businesses for 25 years. She has served on the boards of professional organizations and nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from James Madison University and is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, which is a program for small businesses that links learning to action for growth-oriented entrepreneurs. 

Recognized as a facilitator, problem solver, and builder, Denise enjoys working with small business owners who want to create a solid foundation. Her past experience includes 10 years in manufacturing with various awards plus inclusion into Marquis Who’s Who.   

Denise is the CEO of  3 companies: DCA Virtual Business Support, DCA Association Management, and Denise Cagan Business Consulting. In her downtime, she enjoys spending time with her granddaughter, cooking, and cuddling with her dogs. 

View and listen to Podcasts with Denise Cagan.   

Connect on LinkedIn