Onward Nation

Don Barden is a speaker, author, professor, and advisor. He is also someone who practices what he preaches. Don is the owner and managing partner of 3Ci – an Atlanta-based business and technology consulting firm employing over 300 people, diversified into leadership training, financial sales consulting, and technology staffing. His books are published in over 39 countries, including The Perfect Plan – revolutionary outcome of his 10-year global research study to discover what the world's top performing business leaders and sales professionals do differently. And Don was awarded the distinction of being named one of The Top 30 Most Transformational Leaders 2017 in North America, by John Maxwell.

• The conversation that sparked Don's curiosity for behavioral economics
• How there is a universal quality about people who perform at the highest levels in leadership
• Understanding why and how elite performers make the decisions that they do
• The value that comes from treating people the way that they want to be treated
• Why being great at something means that you have to be humble and serve others
• How emotions are such a dominant fact in decision-making today
• How men and women compare on the emotional scale
• Why you need to surround yourself with other people who will hold you accountable
• Why you shouldn't hire someone just because you like them
• The importance of having an attitude of gratitude

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: leadershipmindsetseries.com

Mary Shores is the founder and CEO of Midstate Collection Solutions — which has collected more than $40 million to date for its clients. As a speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO, she teaches business owners how to fearlessly create their own realities and reach their full potential by using her groundbreaking "Words That Work System." Mary is also author of the book, "Conscious Communications: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Harnessing the Power of Your Words to Change Your Mind, Your Choices, and Your Life."

• How Mary's "words that work" system was born
• Why you need to tell people what you can do rather than what you can't do
• The value that comes from creating connections with your customers
• How your own belief systems can hold you back from living the life of your dreams
• Why you need to shift your energy and focus on a state of empowerment vs. disempowerment
• How Mary created the time to write her book, "Conscious Communications"
• The importance of setting up systems and processes in your business and documenting everything
• Why you need to have a consistent training program set up in your business
• How having a one-page action plan for smaller projects will minimize overwhelm
• What you can gain by asking yourself the question, "Where do you want to be two years from now?"

• Website: maryshores.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/shoresmary
• Facebook Group: Fearless Ambition
• Book: "Conscious Communications"

John Oechsle is the President and CEO of Swiftpage — providing digital marketing and CRM solutions that help businesses grow, including Act!…their flagship and industry-leading software. He has an over 30-year track record of building highly profitable and sustainable revenue growth for emerging companies and established global leaders, including DigitalGlobe, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Land America Financial Group, and Kellogg Company.

• Why you need to marry business and technology to be successful
• The #1 barrier that people need to overcome in order to scale
• The value that comes from getting everyone to move in the same direction
• The importance of creating a culture where everyone has a purpose
• Why you need to lay out a 90-day strategy plan
• A common mistake that many small businesses make
• How to be a fearless leader
• Why it's important to have alignment and focus when going through a transformation
• Why you need to have courage, tenacity, and passion to thrive as a business owner
• A valuable lesson that John learned about having a vision

• Twitter: @hjoech
• Email: [email protected]

Mike Compton is the co-founder and executive producer of Three Chairs Productions, a video production and marketing company that specializes in broadcast, online, and digital content serving a variety of regional and national clients. They help with the production of a client's content, as well as manage, measure, and optimize video to drive greater results. Mike is passionate about producing strong creative videos that are engaging, stimulating, and empowering.

• Why you need to build a culture — not just a brand
• Creating lists to help you stay focused on your most vital priorities
• Why you should start with small goals and build up from there
• The importance of nurturing the relationships that mean the most to you
• Staying focused on your goals at all times and keeping moving forward
• An important lesson that Mike learned about growing your business by doing the right thing
• Why building a strong network is critical for success today
• The value that comes from surrounding yourself with people who are going to push you in the right direction
• Why you need to stay in front of your customers and prospects on a consistent basis
• The significance of staying the course during challenging times and not being afraid to pivot

• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThreeChairsProductions
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/three-chairs-productions

Our special encore guest today is Mitch Russo. In 1985, Mitch co-founded Timeslips Corp, which grew to become the largest time tracking software company in the world. Timeslips was later sold to Sage and Mitch went on to run all of Sage U.S. as Chief Operating Officer, a division with over 300 people. Later, Mitch joined Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins and together created Business Breakthroughs International, a company serving thousands of businesses a year with coaching, consulting, and training services. Today, Mitch helps companies with courses and training programs to get their students to complete their programs and be more successful. Now...you may remember Mitch and the wisdom he shared during Episodes 340 and 368. If you haven't listened to, studied, and applied all he shared during our first interview...I highly encourage you to add Episode 340 and 368 to your list of vital priorities.

• What Mitch enjoys most about his podcast, Your First Thousand Clients
• How having a podcast can provide an important business development component
• Why being a guest on a podcast can provide you with great opportunity for exposure
• The multiple benefits of looking at success with a three dimensional perspective
• The power that comes from asking yourself, "Who do you want to be?"
• Why it's vital to be able to give of yourself at the highest level when it comes to mentoring
• Why building your audience is truly about the art of communication
• A personal and powerful story that changed Mitch's life forever
• Why you should tie your business to something that you're passionate about
• Creating accountability partnerships with the Results Breakthrough Network

• Website: mitchrusso.com
• Website: ResultsBreakthrough.com

Jay Owen is the Founder and CEO of Design Extensions, a digital agency he started at the age of 17 — while still in high school — and continues to run today. His goal is to help businesses grow online, become more efficient through online marketing, and to create a better image and brand for themselves and their companies. Jay is also the host of the "Building a Business That Lasts" podcast, where he interviews other business owners who have over 10-years of experience and want to share their stories to help others.

• Why supportive relationships are so critical to long term success
• How building constraints into your calendar can help you create freedom
• Why you need to be producing cornerstone content
• Taking what you learn from the books that you read and applying it in your life
• Why it's so important as a business owner to take the time to disconnect
• Why you need to build your business to sell
• How relationship development extends into every area of your business
• Why you need to find a way to develop recurring revenue
• The value that comes from having tactical business education
• Why you need to ask yourself "How can I do that better next time?"

• Twitter: @owendesign
• Website: www.designextensions.com
• Book: "Building a Business That Lasts"

Greg Gray is the Founder and CEO of Gray Solutions where he is a leadership and business consultant. He has a background in lean methods, project management, strategic planning, business development, operations management, and human capital. Greg and his team specialize in providing mentoring, training, and coaching to people and organizations in the industries of agriculture, manufacturing, franchising, biotechnology, textiles, services, insurance, and network marketing. He is also the host of the new podcast, "Business Owner Freedom."

• Why we're going to see a lot more consolidation in certain industries
• Why small business owners are craving tools and resources that larger corporations have had for a long time
• The story behind why Greg titled his podcast "Business Owner Freedom" and how he curates content around that topic
• Why a lot of business owners are "accidental" business owners
• Common obstacles that many business owners face when trying to get to the next level
• How to create a more sellable business and why you need to consider your business as an asset
• Why it's critical to master your own blind spots
• The value that comes from working with an executive coach
• Why you should never try to mimic what someone else is doing, but rather be the best version of YOU
• The importance of having a marketing system in place for your business

• Website: www.businessownerfreedom.com
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-gray-2661013

Jordan Harbinger has always had an affinity for social influence, interpersonal dynamics, and social engineering...helping private companies test the security of their communications systems. He then spent several years abroad in Europe and the developing world, including South America, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, and speaks several languages. He has also traveled through war-zones and been kidnapped...twice. He'll tell you...the only reason he's still alive is because of his ability to talk his way into...and out of...just about any type of situation.

• How Jordan got started in decoding human behavior
• The power of getting people to know, like and trust you and how that can be your competitive advantage
• How doing good things for other people will help get you what you want
• Why body language and non-verbal communication skills matter
• How Jordan's podcast, The Jordan Harbinger Show, got its start
• The benefits of being insatiably curious
• How to improve your social dynamic skill set
• Why it's important to focus on outreach networking and re-engaging with old connections
• The one area of your business where you can't make up for lost time
• How to increase the rate of reply to an email

• Podcast: The Jordan Harbinger Show
• Training Program: advancedhumandynamics.com/levelone

Tom Kulzer is the founder and CEO at AWeber, a leading small business email marketing software, where he is actively involved in the company's strategic direction, growth, and evolution. Over the company's 20-year history, Tom has nurtured it from a small start-up to a robust organization serving over 100,000 customers, all without public or venture funding. He laid the foundation for AWeber while working at a computer hardware firm in the mid-90s where he realized sales prospects were falling through the cracks due to the lack of proper follow up. By automating the delivery of personalized follow-up emails to prospects, company-wide sales skyrocketed, and sales associates had additional time to spend pursuing new prospects.

• Reinventing yourself and your team as it grows
• Why you should focus on creating remarkable experiences
• Looking at how meaningful we can make relationships and connections in our lives
• Why you need to be adaptable as a business owner in order to thrive
• The value of understanding that you don't know what you don't know
• Seeking out a professional network that you can confide in
• The importance of getting uncomfortable and stretching your boundaries
• How to overcome fear and uncertainty
• Why you need to have a set of goals that aren't so big that they feel insurmountable
• How we can be our own biggest bottleneck

• Twitter: @tkulzer
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: aweber.com/connect
• Blog: blog.aweber.com

Tracey Wozney is the founder and director of Taking Shape, a non-profit organization whose mission is to grow young leaders who impact others Here, Near and Far. She is the publisher of the STAR Leadership youth leadership curriculum program that is used by over 35 affiliate dance studios, youth clubs, and organizations throughout the nation. Tracey has recently launched a mission camp organization serving children in Port au Prince, Haiti where young leaders serve on a global front. Tracey is also a business owner of dance schools in rural Missouri for over 25 years and is an Enterprise member with Misty Lown's More Than Just Great Dancing studio owner coaching program...and you may remember Misty as our guest here on Onward Nation for Episode 80 and 544.

• How Tracey's farm background influenced her work ethic
• The passion and purpose behind Tracy's non-profit, Taking Shape
• The importance of implementing the tools that you're given
• How time management and prioritization have contributed to Tracey's success
• Why you need to focus on working on the business, not in the business
• The value of mastering the skill of organization
• What true leadership means to Tracey
• Finding out what your 'why' is in life

• Website: www.takingshape.care
• Email: [email protected]