Onward Nation

Anese Cavanaugh is devoted to helping people show up and bring their best selves to the table in order to create significant positive impact in their lives. This is why she's so eager to teach people how to overcome negative energy in the workplace. She is the creator of the IEP Method® (Intentional Energetic Presence®), an advisor and thinking partner to leaders and organizations around the world, and author of CONTAGIOUS CULTURE: Show Up, Set the Tone, and Intentionally Create an Organization That Thrives.

Top innovators and executives in companies like IDEO, Zingerman's, GM Financial, Vistaprint, 15Five, Fitbit, Nike, Kaiser Permanente, and others have engaged with Anese to strengthen team health, unlock leadership potential, optimize company culture, and maximize impact.

• What exciting things Anese and her business have been up to since her previous appearance in Onward Nation episode #756
• Why Anese chose to tighten her focus, be intentional, and be strategic with her work and the writing of her new book, Contagious You, in 2019
• What key pillars of information Anese addressed in her new book, and why she chose to focus on those areas
• Why the best way to get out of your own way when seeking business success is to focus on servicing your customers and your team
• How to overcome negative energy caused by other people during meetings while also raising your energy level in a room
• Why it is important to be very clear in our intention, practice self-care, and be present in the moment
• How to conduct a brief energy and presence check at the beginning of each meeting to improve the quality of your meetings
• What actively disengaged employees cost the United States each year nationwide financially and in lost productivity
• What valuable lists Anese has included in Contagious You to help you be more intentional and raise energy as a team
• How to overcome negative energy in your workplace and provide a stress-free environment

• Websites:
  • www.anesecavanaugh.com
  • www.iep.io
• Contagious You by Anese Cavanaugh: https://amzn.to/2JXhVVN
• Twitter: @AneseCavanaugh
• Instagram: @anesecavanaugh
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anesecavanaugh/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/IEPMethod
• Learn how to overcome negative energy by attending the IEP Method Immersion

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Learn how to overcome negative energy by also addressing your anxiety issues

From his book, Love is Just Damn Good Business, Steve Farber will share to us the importance of showing love not just for your business but also to your customers or clients. This podcast episode is sure to be filled with "love" so make sure to tune-in and enjoy!

Steve Farber is the founder of The Extreme Leadership Institute, an organization devoted to changing the world through the cultivation and development of extreme leaders in business, nonprofits, education, and beyond. Listed on Inc.'s ranking of the Top 50 Leadership and Management Experts in the world, and #1 on Huffington Post's 12 Business Speakers to See, Farber is a bestselling author, popular keynote speaker, and a seasoned leadership coach and consultant who has worked with a vast array of public and private organizations in virtually every arena.

• Why Steve named his new book "Love Is Just Damn Good Business: Do What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do"
• Why it's important to consider how you show the love you have for your customers or clients in a clear, repeatable way
• Why there is a common and persistent belief that love has no place in business, and why Steve set out to prove otherwise
• Steve shares key takeaways and lessons from his book that can directly contribute to a business's growth and success
• Steve shares an example of a real company that had high turnover and went through bankruptcy and how they managed to turn things around by creating a great culture
• What first actionable steps Steve recommends you take to be able to identify and more consistently show your love for your business and customers
• Why Steve's strategy is applicable to every kind and size of business in an industry-agnostic way

• Website: www.stevefarber.com
• Love Is Just Damn Good Business by Steve Farber: https://amzn.to/2Wu2mu1
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevefarber/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/stevefarber/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevefarber
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevefarber/
• Watch this episode about Love is Just Damn Good Business here

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Combine what you've learned about Love is Just Damn Good Business with some ultimate customer experience and come out on top!

Greg Alcorn is the founder and CEO of Global Contact Services (GCS) with locations in North Carolina and New York. GCS provides outsourcing, management and consulting in the area of customer service. GCS currently has over 800 employees. He is a regular speaker on the subjects of developing your soft skills.

Greg's a North Carolina resident, graduating from Catawba College and earning his MBA from UNC-Charlotte. In 2010 he was named Catawba's Alumnus of the year, 2015 Church and College award and the Adrian Shuford Award in 2016.

For five years, he served on the NC State Board of Education. From that experience, Greg started ApSeed Early Childhood Education in 2015. ApSeed provides eReaders to economically disadvantaged children ages 0-4 years old, 6,000, so far. Recently, he received the MLK, Jr. Humanitarian Award for this work. He remains involved in numerous non-profits.

Greg's book is a result of many relationships across all walks of life. He has worked in a blazing hot brickyard, played on a Cinderella Final Four basketball team for one week, and for decades, he has helped Fortune 500 companies with customer communications. The book of 7 Dumb Things We All Say is a quasi-memoir filled with soft skills of do's and don'ts.

• How Greg's background and career journey led him to become the founder and CEO of Global Contact Services (GCS)
• How Greg recognized the importance of developing your soft skills and then passing the training to your associates
• Why Greg recognized the problem of replying to someone saying "thank you" with "no problem"
• How to identify when you are using negative or passive language, and how to convert it into positive, active statements
• How to avoid common language traps, mistakes, and habits that you may not even be conscious of
• How Greg defines "conversational bullying," and why it is the antithesis of meaningful dialogue
• How Greg and his team built and scaled GCS to over a thousand employees, and what key lessons he learned in growing GCS
• What critical skills Greg feels a business owner should develop to effectively lead their team
• Why Greg believes strongly in the benefits of having many mentors, and what key lessons Greg has learned from his own mentors
• How to start developing your soft skills along with everyone else in your organization

• Website: www.gcsagents.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/galcorn/
• 7 Dumb Things We All Say by Greg Alcorn: https://amzn.to/2BfYPFM
• Say THIS, Not That…Most of the Time™ training program: www.gcsagents.com/call-center-training-online
• Read more FAQs about developing your soft skills

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Listen to a related podcast about developing your soft skills from our special guest, Kurt Mortensen

Stephen is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation — a top-rated daily podcast for learning how today's top business owners think, act and achieve. Onward Nation is listened to in 120 countries around the world.

Stephen is the author of three books, including the #1 bestseller, "Profitable Podcasting," and his digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine.

John Oechsle joined Swiftpage (www.act.com) in July 2012 and currently serves as Chief Executive Officer. He will be our special guest for today to teach us about the pillars of business growth and more.

John came to Swiftpage with an over 30 year track record of building highly profitable and sustainable revenue growth for emerging companies and established global leaders.

Prior to joining Swiftpage, John served as the Executive Vice President of Strategy and Product for DigitalGlobe. During his tenure, he was instrumental in shaping the future of the company and driving revenue growth through the launch of a number of very successful product lines. Prior to DigitalGlobe, John was the Senior Vice President of Technology and Content as well as Chief Information Officer for IHS Inc. Before that he was the Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Information Management Worldwide for Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson company, where he was responsible for all technology and e-business. Earlier in his career, John served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Land America Financial Group, Inc., and Director of Global Information Management for Kellogg Company. John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in computer science from Rutgers University and is a graduate of the Tuck Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.

John is an advocate for technology and education in Colorado and has been an active contributor and served as 2007 Chairman of the Colorado Technology Association (CTA). John supports Open World Learning, an organization that uses the power of technology and peer teaching to develop leadership and ignite a love of learning among children. John also supports Kidstek, an organization dedicated to making technology accessible to youth. John has been recognized several times for his involvement in the industry. In 2006 and in 2009, John was awarded the Technology Executive of the Year, and the Titan of Technology awards by the CTA. John was also awarded the Bob Newman Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community by the CTA in 2011 and the Nancy J. Sauer Philanthropy award in 2016. In 2015, John was appointed to the Business Experiential Learning Commission (BEL) by the Governor of Colorado and continues to serve on that commission today.

While not at Swiftpage, John juggles his time being a husband, father, and grandfather and spends the time he has left playing golf, skiing and boating.

• What transformative projects John and his team at Swiftpage have been working on since his prior appearance on Onward Nation in episode #780
• Why Swiftpage's business strategy of "owning the conversion and retention space for the small- and mid-sized business market" is key to their growth
• Why Swiftpage believes the four digital pillars of business growth are presence, traffic, conversion/retention, and optimization tools, and how John defines each pillar
• How Swiftpage determines whether it would be more effective to build a "component" themselves or acquire it through M&A, and how John defines a component
• How niching down, keeping a clear focus on the fifteen-seat company and smaller, and serving their customers has helped Swiftpage evolve and grow successfully
• Why John looks for three distinct qualities and characteristics in the A-players in his team: talent, an insatiable appetite to win, and putting mission before self
• Why a good leader's role is to mentor and nurture talent, tell a clear story, bring credibility, and build a talented and effective team
• What qualities a leader needs to be an effective mentor to other business leaders outside their company
• Why having the courage to pursue your goals, the passion to push yourself, and the tenacity to keep going are the keys to success
• How you could use the pillars of business growth for your own benefit and experience the results

• Twitter: @hjoech
• Email: [email protected]
• Apart from the pillars of business growth, check out these different stages

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Add these other business strategies with the pillars of business growth and win against your competitors

In 2003, Nick was in a snowboarding accident that left him in a coma for over three weeks. The doctors told his parents that he probably wouldn't walk, talk, or eat on his own again. Less than three months later, he was running out of Franciscan Children's hospital. Now a Certified Infinite Possibilities Trainer, Nick speaks to groups that benefit from his message of overcoming adversity and taking on challenges.

Nick grew up in the real estate industry and got started on his own at an early age. Most notably, he was knocking on pre-foreclosure doors at 16 and 17, doing up to 50 doors a day. This experience helped shape Nick's real estate career.

Now, Nick specializes in working with lease purchasers to get them into a home and on the path to homeownership. Regardless of a buyer's credit situation, he looks at their complete financial picture and comes up with a plan to get them into a home.

• Nick's incredible skiing accident and recovery story – from a coma to running out of the hospital
• The hope and courage that got Nick through his horrible circumstances and how he started taking on challenges after that
• How Nick draws positive influence from the people around him
• Daily habits Nick believes have contributed to his success
• Useful skills for building and scaling businesses
• Nick's sources of wisdom and mentorship as well as his advice in taking on challenges
• The advice Nick has for tuning out the noise and taking the first steps toward success

• Email: [email protected]
• YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubL3Z-SeEfs
• Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoach.com
• Read about taking on challenges when you're in the real estate business

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Check out this podcast about taking on challenges from Predictive ROI

After a devastating divorce and bankruptcy, this single mother of two rebuilt her life through real estate. In the process of finding clarity in life, Dixie Decker accidentally stumbled upon a unique method for buying and profiting in real estate without using any of her own money or credit: student housing.

In just three years, she mastered the process, building her net worth to over $5,000,000 and $100,000 per month in positive cash flow! Today her cash flow machine runs practically on AUTOPILOT, so she can focus on her family, growing investments, building associations with other women, and helping others succeed.

• The importance of finding clarity in life for Dixie and how she's spreading the message
• The effects of the people, music, and environment you surround yourself with
• Giving yourself the credit for your successes; nothing just happens to you from nowhere
• Finding the right people to capture your authentic voice
• Dixie's advice to finding clarity in life and increasing productivity
• Niching down and why it's such a significant thing to do for your business
• Turning your flaws and failures into "badges of honor" through courage

• Website: www.dixiedecker.com
• Phone: (417) 651-5100
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUSGt5rDIgsXUsvu5onLmQ
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queenofstudenthousing/
• Learn about Dixie's journey of finding clarity in life by checking out her recommended books

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Check out this podcast from one of our guests, Tim Rhode, about finding clarity in life and more

If you want to learn how to make yourself stand out, then you will learn a lot from our guest in today's episode, Jesse Cole. He is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas. His teams have welcomed more than one million fans to their ballparks and have been featured on MSNBC, CNN, and ESPN.

The Bananas have been awarded the Organization of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year, and won the CPL Championship in their first year. Fans First Entertainment has been featured on the INC 5000 lists as one of the fastest-growing companies in America. The Savannah Bananas currently have sold out every game for two straight seasons and have a waiting list in the thousands for tickets.

Jesse is an in-demand speaker and released his first book "Find Your Yellow Tux – How to Be Successful by Standing Out" in January of 2018. The book launched #1 in three categories on Amazon and has been sold in 18 countries. Staying true to his mantra, "Whatever's normal, do the exact opposite," Cole launched the book with a World Book Tour at Epcot.

Cole's greatest mentors are Bill Veeck, P.T. Barnum, and Walt Disney. All three share a wall in his office on custom-made posters that display the words Innovation, Showmanship, and Vision. Cole believes to be successful, you need to learn how to make yourself stand out and be different.

He releases daily videos, blogs, and articles on LinkedIn. He is passionate about creating attention, loving your customers more than your product, and loving your employees more than your customers. Cole is the host of the Business Done Differently Podcast and has been featured on more than 100 podcasts including the Ziglar Show, StoryBrand with Donald Miller and NPR's Only a Game.

• Why it takes a while to realize what your best at – and why it's worth it to know how to make yourself stand out
• The origin story of Jesse's legendary Yellow Tux
• Where Jesse gets his courage
• The incredible formation story of the Savannah Bananas
• How the Savannah Bananas brand has benefited fans and players and why culture is so critical
• Empowering employees to become leaders and make decisions, especially in tough circumstances
• How Jesse draws inspiration from people like Walt Disney and P.T. Barnum
• The future of the Savannah Bananas and how they continue to put fans first

• Website: https://findyouryellowtux.com/
• Savannah Bananas Website: https://thesavannahbananas.com/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCasNOOUN7FbQXBUsfZD4Y_Q
• Learn how to make yourself stand out and be different from the rest

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Learn more about how to make yourself stand out from our guest, Mark Levy

Do you want to start building a winning company culture? Then you're in the right place because this is what our guest, JT McCormick, will talk about in today's episode. JT is the President and CEO of Scribe Media, a publishing company that's created an entirely new way for you to write a book. The company has worked with nearly 1,000 authors and was recently ranked in their category as the #2 best company to work for in Austin and #4 in their category for all of Texas. JT is also the author of "I Got There: How I Overcame Racism, Poverty, and Abuse to Achieve the American Dream."

• How JT grew his startup from 6 employees to 50 without any outside money
• Why JT's approach to building a winning company culture has been lauded and celebrated by outside sources and how to build this kind of culture
• The values and principles of JT's company and how the employees live those out
• The three rules JT lives by as a CEO and how it helped him in building a winning company culture
• Why 90% of salespeople suck – and how they can be better
• JT's personal and professional definitions of success
• What JT looks for in employees that will make them a great fit in his "tribe"

• Website: https://scribemedia.com/
• Read about this book and be inspired in building a winning company culture

• Sell With Authority by Drew McLellan and Stephen Woessner: https://amzn.to/39y7x13
• Predictive ROI Free Resource Library: https://predictiveroi.com/resources/
• Stephen Woessner's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwoessner/
• Download this PDF from Predictive ROI on building a winning company culture

Stephen is the founder and CEO of Predictive ROI, a digital marketing agency, and the host of Onward Nation — a top-rated daily podcast for learning how today's top business owners think, act and achieve. Onward Nation is listened to in 120 countries around the world.

Stephen is the author of three books, including the #1 bestseller, "Profitable Podcasting," and his digital marketing insights have been featured in Forbes.com, Entrepreneur.com, The Washington Post, and Inc. Magazine.