I welcome Tom Cox to the podcast today. Tom is a former Army Combat Medic and satellite controller who turned entrepreneur in civilian life. Tom has been involved in a lot of startup projects, but his most recent has the potential to change the world.

Tom is CEO of Candl. A hand held device that acts as a personal wifi hotspot and sim-less radio. The units are about the size of a beer can and also include a flashlight, battery power, a hand crank, and solar panels. Tom’s device is meant to help people in disastrous situations keep in touch with people who can help them or family.

After seeing the turmoil over in Syria, Tom got the idea for Candl. He took inspiration from the Tom’s shoes model of for every purchase one is sent to someone in a war zone or natural disaster area. This technology can help those who have had internet access denied or unavailable.

On today’s episode Tom tells us about his experience in the Army and NSA.  He also tells us about his hopes for Candl.

The points of today’s conversation:

Tom’s time in the army.

Why he chose to control satellites.

Why Tom made the move to NSA..

How to find the right product idea.

How to build the best team.

How Tom branded his company.

Tom’s mindset about sales.

The “check or restraining order” strategy.

The influences for Candl.

Entrepreneurs vs. “Wantrepreneurs”

To get in touch with Tom visit the Candl website. Email Tom at [email protected].

Resources:

Candl

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Welcome to my 50th episode! My guest is one of my greatest influences, entrepreneur, and my father Ben Louviere. Ben is a jack of all trades who built a huge network through his numerous job experiences. After going out into the world with the plan of coming back to his father’s company; he was pushed into taking over the company after his father’s death. Ben was 23 years old.

Ben became the president of Creole Engineering in New Orleans. He came into the business with nothing more than a “can do” attitude. Ben tells us how he took a 15 year old company with $2000 in the bank account and built it to a multi-million dollar company.

Ben walks us through his crash course in his father’s business and the trends he got behind before anybody else. These trends kept him and the company far ahead of the competition. His keen business mind kept Creole Engineering going strong with him at the helm for 25 years. He also tells us how Hurricane Katrina affected his business and how he went forward.

Here are the points from today’s episode:

Ben’s business background

How job hunting worked in 1960s New Orleans

How the Vietnam War changed New Orleans

What happened the night Ben’s father died

Dealing with the aftermath of the death

Ben’s first day at Creole Engineering

Things Ben’s father did wrong in the business

Ben’s learning curve and challenges in the beginning

The trends Ben was able to get into over the course of 25 years

Ben’s Hurricane Katrina experience

Why Ben continued working even after retirement

If you have an interest in reaching out to Ben, email him at [email protected].

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

 

My guest today is Kyle Porter. Kyle is the CEO of SalesLoft. His first try at the startup ended badly, but Kyle came back with a new plan and made the company a success story, So many entrepreneurs are discouraged by a startup failure. Kyle shares how he got through it and how others can do it.

During today’s episode we talk about the relaunch of SalesLoft and the changes Kyle made to make it work. He also talks about the importance of a supportive family and how he supported his family in return. Kyle’s story is encouraging and inspiring, so if you’re sitting back at zero or just haven’t jumped yet because you’re scared of failure this episode is ideal for you.

The points from Kyle’s interview:

The difference between a salesperson and an entrepreneur

What failure was like for Kyle

Why you should be transparent with investors when the company is failing

Kyle’s connection with David Cummings

How Kyle made the connection

How to build a company with “core” or personal values

How to build your personal platform within an industry

What Kyle means when he says “Hustler”

Why “sales” actually means “service”

The value Kyle places on family

To reach Kyle you can email him at [email protected].  He can also be found on Twitter @kyleporter.

Resources Mentioned Today:

SalesLoft

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

My guest today is Paul Brandon. Paul is a web designer who has built a successful interactive branding company. The company is called Vehicle Media and it keeps our guest super busy. Vehicle Media is an Atlanta based company that specializes in both traditional and digital media.

Paul began his career as a web designer who built websites for sale. It’s an interesting “underground” world that Paul tells us about during the interview. We learn about the digital world and some of the dangers he tries to avoid.

We also talk about Paul’s band Quaildogs. He is the lead guitarist and has played with the band for 4 years, During that time they have played some high profile shows, including Bonnaroo.

Paul shares his passion for music with me and how he was able to make Vehicle Media the success it is today.

Today’s Topics:

What does Vehicle Media do

How Paul found himself in Atlanta

What is “the dark web”

How selling websites can be “gray”

How Vehicle Media started

How the business has grown

Paul’s advice for newcomers to digital media

Why Facebook is good for business

Why Paul doesn’t have much of a social media presence

How to deal or plan around hackers

The story of Quaildogs

Paul’s jam session with Counting Crows member Adam Duritz

To get in touch with Paul, you can email him at [email protected].

Resources Mentioned Today:

Vehicle Media

Quaildogs

Bonnaroo

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

My guest today is Lani Rosales, the Chief Operating Officer for The American Genius, an entrepreneur news site. She founded the site with her husband, Ben. Lani works with the site’s sales team and writing team.

On today’s episode Lani tells me how she and her husband started theamericangenius.com and how they made the pivot from a blog to a news format. We also discuss the work/life balance and what Lani thinks about their growth.

The topics we discussed today were:

Working in the content producing industry

How theamericangenius.com began

What it’s like for Lani to work with her husband

Why you can’t make everybody happy

What it means to be transparent

What it means to be truthful

Being truthful vs. being transparent

How to make processes

How to collect content for the general public

Lani’s experience with sales

Big Ass Social Happy Hour

Why you need a “common enemy”

Lani’s advice for newcomers

The rise of “passive reading”

Lani’s opinion of Medium

Resources Mentioned Today:

Theamericangenius.com

The Big Ass Social Happy Hour (BASHH)

@laniar

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast. 

Please consider supporting the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/clouvi

My guest today is William Arruda, the founder of Reach Personal Branding. William started his career out as a marketing and branding manager. After reading the article, The Brand Called You, William began to consider making a branding company. William has a passion to help people find what their skill set is and what makes them good at it.

On today’s episode William tells me how that article changed his way of thinking about business. The concept of personal branding is part of the “new mindset” of business. This mindset is slowly taking over the corporate and private sectors alike, but it took a while for William’s message to catch on. We discuss what it was like to have that hurdle and how he networked his way into a successful business.

Some of the topics we covered today are:

The “old mindset” vs. the “new mindset.”

How The Brand Called You inspired William.

How William was able to get noticed in a non-interested business culture.

Why “the old way” is going away.

What is a personal brand?

Why you need a personal brand.

The importance of a consistent image online and in person.

Why listening is your most effective tool.

William’s published book and the lessons he learned from it.

Why you should be aware of your personal weaknesses.

Resources Mentioned Today:

Reach Personal Branding

Ditch, Dare, Do

Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand

The Brand Called You

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

 

Support the Show Here: https://www.patreon.com/clouvi

My guest today is Miranda Barry, the senior director of Fable Learning at Isabella Products. Miranda began her career after attending Stanford. She began her working life in sales. From sales, she stepped into an acting career. This acting career lead to a job in independent film. Her film experience lead to a children’s television career. Taking what she learned from children’s television, she helps develop educational products for schools and libraries.

On today’s episode, Miranda tells me how she was able to pivot to all these forms of media. Her impressive resume makes for an informative discussion about the entertainment industry and the American education system.

The topics we discussed today were:

Miranda’s experience while working at American Playhouse

Why Sesame Street was so successful

The recurring interest in Ghostwriter

How the independent film industry has changed

Miranda’s background in door to door sales

The importance of doing something worthwhile

How relationships help and shape your career

Miranda’s advice for newcomers to the media industry

Why people need to take their careers into their own hands

The future of one-on-one technology in education

To learn more about Miranda Barry, go to isabellaproducts.com, and email her at [email protected].

Resources Mentioned Today:

Isabella Products

Fable Learning

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes, visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

My guest today is Debby Stone of Novateur Partners. Debby is an executive coach. She specializes in helping people who are at a point in their careers where they need guidance to the next level. Her biggest selling point is helping people find what they are without the title. Debby believes titles are confining and she wants people to build off what they do well without the definitions.

On today’s episode Debby tells us how she does this for her clients. We talk about how she found herself in this career and why she loves it. Debby has also written a book called The Art of Self Promotion.

Some of the topics we discuss today are below:

Why titles are not useful

How relationships are key

Asking the right questions

The 2 ingredients of Debby’s success

Why reaching out to platforms are important

Why Debby enjoys what she does

Debby’s book

What is executive presence

How high performers can use Debby’s services

What Fierce Love is

Why social media needs to be embraced

Identifying your primary motives and core values

Resources Mentioned Today

Novateur Partners

The Art of Self Promotion

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

My guest today is Paul Ollinger the author of You Should Totally Get an MBA and stand up comedian. Paul attended Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and graduated with his MBA. During his time in school he learned he was “the funny guy.” He enjoyed honing his act on stage and found himself working for the then new Yahoo in the early years of the internet.

After some time at Yahoo, Paul decided he wanted to pursue standup comedy full time. So he left the company and began hosting at the Improv during 2005 to 2007. He lived out his dream and got to see some of the greats take the stage like Bob Saget and Roseanne Barr.

Once Paul was settled down he heard about this new company, Facebook. He joined the team and watched one of the internet’s biggest juggernauts take over the social media industry. On today’s episode Paul tells me about this unconventional ride and how comedy has always helped him offer a unique perspective.

Some of the topics Paul tells us about are:

Paul’s love affair with comedy and how he found it

The benefits of business school

Comedy for friends vs. Comedy for strangers

How not to be “that guy”

Working for Yahoo and Launch.com

The move to stand up comedy

How to develop an act

Paul’s motivations for stand up

How Paul got his big break

The importance of commitment to the craft of comedy

Working for Facebook

What Paul is up to today and his book

To learn more about Paul visit his website link below or any other of his social media platforms below in the resources section.

Resources from today’s episode:

Paul’s website

Paul’s Facebook

Paul’s LinkedIn

Paul’s Twitter

Paul’s Instagram

You Should Totally Get an MBA: A Comedian’s Guide to Top U.S. Business Schools

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.

My guest today is Aaron Hillegass, the founder and CEO of Big Nerd Ranch. Big Nerd Ranch is a training camp for technology developers. Aaron and his company work with all types of developers from independent freelancers to big corporations needing to keep up with current trends.

Aaron really found his need to be useful to customers at NeXt, the company Steve Jobs started after leaving Apple. Aaron learned the right way to run a tech company and applied it to his own desire to fill a need in the industry. The answer he came up with was Big Nerd Ranch, the company has become a major success and Aaron himself has been named one of Forbes’ Top Stock Brokers.

Today Aaron tells us about his time at NeXt and what really drove him to build Big Nerd Ranch.

Some of the topics we discuss today are:

Working at NeXt with Steve Jobs

Lessons learned by his time in the tech industry

Aaron’s definition of strategy

How to avoid Imposter Syndrome

Big Nerd Ranch’s future

Aaron’s involvement with Mortgage Back Securities

Aaron’s  views on education

Why empathy is important in business

The changing environment of Silicon Valley and the industry in general

Aaron’s gratitude to his father

Resources Mentioned Today:

Big Nerd Ranch

Aaron’s Twitter

If you enjoyed listening to this podcast, don’t forget to leave review in iTunes, I’d appreciate that. To listen to other Sell Personal episodes visit www.sellpersonal.com/podcast.