Smashing the Plateau

Wagner Denuzzo is the author of Leading to Succeed, a book on essential skills for the new workplace. He is currently a consultant and coach at his own firm. Previously, he served as the VP and Global Head of Leadership Development at IBM, as well as the VP and Head of Capabilities for the Future of Work at Prudential Financial.

He is a seasoned leader in organizational development, human capital strategy, and leadership transformation, with over two decades of experience across global enterprises, consulting firms, and startups.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to effectively transition from corporate roles to entrepreneurship and the importance of collaboration in achieving success.

Wagner and I discuss:

• Wagner's journey from humble beginnings in Brazil to a successful corporate career [02:16]
• The pivotal moment that led Wagner to become an entrepreneur [04:41]
• The role of community in organizational success [07:13]
• How to leverage personal experiences for professional growth [10:04]
• The significance of listening in consulting engagements [13:14]
• The importance of shared leadership and collective purpose [20:12]
• Strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome as an entrepreneur [22:48]
• Insights on building effective teams through the lens of quantum physics [25:10]

Learn more about Wagner at https://a.co/d/azLLRXK.

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Nathan Tanner is an executive coach who helps CEOs, founders, and high-impact leaders scale themselves and their companies. He's coached leaders from companies including Electronic Arts, EA, LinkedIn, Lyft, and Google. Prior to becoming a full-time coach, he held several HR executive roles, including leading the HR team at DoorDash.

Nathan has served as an advisor at Y Combinator and has written for Forbes, Inc., and Fast Company. He's an IRONMAN triathlete, holds an MBA from BYU, and lives with his wife and their four children in southern Utah.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to navigate career transitions and build meaningful relationships that enhance your leadership journey.

Nathan and I discuss:

• The unexpected path of Nathan's career journey [01:48]
• Insights on pursuing a career in finance and HR [03:27]
• The importance of finding your passion [05:24]
• How to identify the right business model for your skills [08:00]
• The distinction between the external and internal aspects of leadership [10:14]
• Why trust is essential in coaching relationships [12:46]
• Techniques for building connections with decision-makers [15:07]
• The role of community in personal and professional growth [18:48]

Learn more about Nathan at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVJWJR3H?ref_=pe_93986420_775043100 and https://nathantanner.substack.com/

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Dorie Clark has been named three times as one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She is a keynote speaker and teaches executive education at Columbia Business School. 

She is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she writes frequently for the Harvard Business Review. Learn more at dorieclark.com.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to navigate the challenges of moving from a corporate environment to building your own business.

Dorie and I discuss:

• The top tactical challenge for transitioning professionals [02:20]
• The emotional hurdles of leaving a corporate job [04:15]
• Strategies for effective business development [06:27]
• The importance of community during your transition [07:25]
• How to market yourself as an expert [10:32]
• The role of content creation in establishing credibility [18:36]
• The significance of social proof in building your reputation [19:16]
• Dorie’s recommended resources for aspiring entrepreneurs [27:16]

Learn more about Dorie at https://www.dorieclark.com/subscribe.

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Lyndsay Dowd is a speaker, founder, author, coach, podcast host, and disruptor. She is an accomplished leader and decorated seller who has successfully managed large, diverse, high-performing sales teams over the last 25 years, 23 of which were spent climbing the ranks at IBM. Lyndsay was also a featured guest lecturer at Harvard University.

In creating her company, Heartbeat for Hire, she has devoted her career to transforming leadership by building irresistible cultures and implementing modern leadership practices to achieve the best results from teams. She has been featured in Fortune Magazine, HR.com, Authority Magazine, ABC, NBC, FOX, and more than 90 podcasts. Lyndsay is a two-time author of both “Top Down Culture” and a contributing author to the anthology “Voices of Women.” She also hosts the globally ranked podcast, Heartbeat for Hire, which is in the top 5%, and is a frequent guest speaker on live and recorded shows.

Today, she is the Chief Revenue Officer for Intry, where they are merging the best of technology with the best of humanity to help job seekers and those in transition land the jobs of their dreams.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to transition from a corporate career to entrepreneurship and build a successful business model with your expertise.

Lyndsay and I discuss:

• Lyndsay’s journey from IBM to entrepreneurship [02:01]
• The inspiration behind Heartbeat for Hire [04:14]
• How to build a culture that drives results [05:46]
• Strategies for effective leadership in today’s world [08:35]
• The importance of investing in yourself during transitions [09:15]
• How she became a speaker [10:20]
• The role of community in personal and professional growth [16:15]
• Insights from her forthcoming book [21:11]

Learn more about Lyndsay at:

https://www.instagram.com/lyndsaydowdH4H

https://www.facebook.com/LyndsayDowdH4H

https://www.tiktok.com/@lyndsaydowdh4h

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9asGvE8Ks4XjR2UNwNmKDw

https://heartbeatforhire.com/

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She has an innate curiosity, which she has leveraged to build business relationships and teaches others how to do the same. Her passion lies in working with people who want to grow their businesses through relationship marketing and networking—and she accomplishes this using both online and offline strategies. LinkedIn training is a significant part of Janice’s business. She believes that all business professionals need to have a magnetic LinkedIn profile and that LinkedIn is THE platform for attracting new clients, strategic partners, and referrals.

Staying connected and nurturing relationships come next, and Janice shows clients how to implement a "tangible touch" follow-up system to achieve that.

Janice truly values the friendships and business relationships she cultivates, and when she meets someone new, she is always thinking, "How may I support you?"

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to leverage your relationships and effectively use LinkedIn to expand your professional network.

Janice and I discuss:

• Janice's journey from teaching to entrepreneurship [01:18]
• The challenges she faced transitioning to self-employment [02:47]
• The importance of networking and follow-up [06:54]
• How Janice utilized the Chamber of Commerce for business growth [09:20]
• The role of LinkedIn in building relationships [10:36]
• Strategies for effective communication on LinkedIn [13:44]
• The significance of consistency in social media engagement [20:32]
• How to protect and nurture your community connections [21:57]

Learn more about Janice at www.janiceporter.com and connect with her on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/janice-porter.

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Jane Wesman is the creative force behind the public relations agency that bears her name. An expert in book marketing and publicity, she is the author of Dive Right In - The Sharks Won't Bite: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide to Success, which has been called "a clear and concise blueprint for the tasks of operating a business" by The New York Times. Wesman is a hands-on strategist who is deeply involved in every project that her company undertakes.

Her articles on marketing and entrepreneurship have appeared in such media outlets as CEO World, American Bookseller, Inc., and entrepreneur.com. Wesman served as President of the New York City chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners for four years and is currently on the board of the Women's Media Group. Her videos about book publicity and marketing can be viewed on YouTube at Book Marketing Pro.

Jane and I discuss:

• The top challenges faced by corporate refugees transitioning into entrepreneurship [02:33]
• How to clearly define your service offerings [04:13]
• The importance of finding and understanding your niche [04:54]
• Strategies for building a targeted marketing plan [08:38]
• The role of cash flow in sustaining your business [10:04]
• Creative ways to structure your service offerings [12:20]
• The impact of AI on consulting practices [15:30]
• The value of community support for entrepreneurs [20:01]

Learn more about Jane at https://www.wesmanpr.com.

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Jason Resnick helps Course Creators, Digital Product Creators, and Coaches double their revenue from their email lists in 90 days without using email as a blunt tool to broadcast to everyone. This approach addresses the unclear path they have for converting subscribers into customers, allowing them, as business owners, to build a business designed around the life they want to live.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to leverage email marketing to create sustainable business growth.

Jason and I discuss:

• Jason's journey from web developer to email marketing expert [01:50]
• The importance of aligning your business with your lifestyle goals [03:40]
• How to build genuine connections with your audience through email [06:45]
• Common pitfalls in email marketing that entrepreneurs face [09:10]
• Techniques for optimizing email campaigns for better results [12:45]
• The role of community in building your business [17:10]
• Jason’s philosophy on saying no to projects [18:19]
• Tips for nurturing your email list effectively [20:38]

Learn more about Jason at https://nurturekit.co/13pt-checklist?utm_campaign=stress-free-signup&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=smashing_the_plateau&utm_content=feb

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Simon Robinson is one of the pioneers of customer experience, having co-authored the world’s first article on customer experience strategy in 1995. In the 1990s, he served as the business development manager responsible for smartphones at British Telecom (BT Cellnet/O2) and was a co-founder of Genie Internet, one of the UK’s first startup unicorns developed inside BT Group. 

He is the Worldwide CEO of Holonomics, an international keynote speaker, and a bestselling author, including Designing Customer Experiences with Soul: How to Build Products, Services, and Brands that People Genuinely Love (2024).

In today’s episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to redefine customer experience by integrating the concept of 'soul' into customer interactions.

Simon and I discuss:

• The definition of customer experience and its key components [00:02:09]
• Common misconceptions organizations have about customer experience [00:03:23]
• The importance of understanding customer experience history [00:05:00]
• How to align departments for improved customer experience [00:06:56]
• The evolution of customer experience from human-computer interaction [00:08:02]
• The impact of AI and digital interactions on customer experience [00:10:52]
• The shift towards a more humanized approach to business [00:11:56]
• The role of community in building effective customer experiences [00:24:04]

Learn more about Simon at:

Medium: https://medium.com/@srerobinson

Amazon: https://a.co/d/0jeQgFO

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/srerobinson1/

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Renee Frojo has spent over 20 years helping businesses tell impactful stories. As the founder of A Good Reputation, Renee combines her journalism background with her passion for entrepreneurship to help purpose-driven startups, founders, fractional leaders, and freelancers uncover and share the stories that resonate most. 

Renee's relatable stories have earned her nearly 10,000 followers on LinkedIn. Through her signature approaches—Your Story is Your Strategy, which demonstrates how to build trust through personal storytelling, and Build it Publicly, a framework for overcoming the fear of vulnerability—Renee equips her clients to connect with the right audience, inspire action, and amplify their success.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to harness the power of storytelling to build trust and connect authentically with your audience.

Renee and I discuss:

• Renee's lifelong passion for entrepreneurship [01:50]
• Her journey from journalism to entrepreneurship [03:06]
• The evolving landscape of personal branding [06:12]
• Challenges faced by professionals in the digital age [07:43]
• The importance of storytelling in marketing [10:12]
• Building authentic connections through personal storytelling [12:59]
• The role of community in business success [19:28]

Learn more about Renee at https://www.instagram.com/reneelynnfrojo/ and https://x.com/frojofeed.

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Michael F. Schein ghostwrites books that make business leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs famous in their fields. He is the founder of the marketing and consulting company MicroFame Media, and some of his clients have included Lockton, eBay, Magento, the University of Pennsylvania, the United Methodist Publishing House, LinkedIn, and Citrix, to name a few. 

His writing has appeared in Fortune, Forbes, Inc., Kitces, Business Insider, Psychology Today, and the Huffington Post, and he is a speaker for international audiences, spanning from the northeastern United States to the southeastern coast of China. His book, "The Hype Handbook: 12 Indispensable Success Secrets From the World’s Greatest Propagandists, Self-Promoters, Cult Leaders, Mischief Makers, and Boundary Breakers," published by McGraw Hill, is available wherever books are sold.

In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how to harness the power of strategic marketing and ghostwriting to become a recognized thought leader.

Michael and I discuss:

• Michael's journey from copywriting to marketing consultancy [02:18]
• The concept of becoming a "micro celebrity" [06:10]
• The importance of having a book to establish expertise [07:00]
• Overcoming the fallacy of scale in business [08:12]
• The impact of community on professional success [16:34]
• How to balance intuition and external advice [18:00]
• Michael's insights on thinking like a scientist to find your niche [21:35]

Learn more about Michael at https://microfamemedia.com and https://michaelfschein.com.

Contact Michael directly at:

- Email: [email protected]

- Phone: (917) 273-9885

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