StrategyCast

When it comes to the evolving audiovisual industry and witnessing new technological capabilities, Diana Mueller CEO of Image Audiovisuals has a front-row seat. With more than 40 employees in Colorado and Arizona, Diana and her husband and business partner David, have taken part in decades’-worth of live events, ranging from corporate, nonprofit, and medical events to political, entertainment, and sports functions. The company has produced presentations for CEOs and leaders of Fortune 500 companies from all over the country, and helped to craft and manage the AV needs of conferences that featured such noted luminaries as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bob and Elizabeth Dole, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Charlton Heston, and even Michael Jackson.

Listen And Learn: 

• How a “serving others mentality” is what guides her business, her team, and her leadership style.
• The similarities between being a CEO and being a parent.
• How she focuses on taking care of her internal and external customers.
• The four questions she asks every employee.
• Her simple philosophy for getting through sleepless nights and hard times.
• The marketing initiatives she’s deployed to keep her customers in the know.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IMAGE AUDIOVISUALS, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND DIANA MUELLER ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

After successfully elevating the Oskar Blues Brewery brand nationally for over a decade, Chad Melis has become a brand of marketing professional uniquely his own. With PR savvy and an uncanny knack for brand strategy, Chad has an ironclad grasp on how to provide clients with a roadmap to meet their individual goals. He thrives on instigating innovative thinking and amplified anthems that resonate with your tribe. As a brand strategist, he works to authentically “dial up” the story and engage audiences that matter.

Listen And Learn: 

• About his untraditional approach to interviewing.
• People-powered “do-goodery.”
• How he bridges and builds off the brand’s many extensions.
• About Can’d Aid and how it has raised more than $3.4 million.
• How the Oskar Blues’ taprooms provide insight into the market, the customers, and the perception of the brand.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OSKAR BLUES BREWERY, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND CHAD MELIS ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

Jojo Collins started making Jojo's Sriracha back in 2010. She was 26, which made her, as she says, “old enough to know I wasn’t taking care of my body but still young enough to try and do something about it.” She took refined sugar out of her diet for a month and started reading food labels and learning about what she put in (and on) her body. Jojo’s Sriracha is a tiny company, often just a crew of two or three, but she’s had the good fortune to create something truly noteworthy with a big reach. The company has been featured in “Sriracha,” the documentary, and on The Cooking Channel. She recently moved her production from shared kitchens in Brooklyn to a 323-square-foot commercial kitchen in Denver, where she works closely with farms in both Colorado and New Mexico to create a unique green chili sriracha that is indicative of the region. 

Listen And Learn:

• The difference between quality and jargon.
• Why authenticity and vulnerability are key to connecting with her customers and brand ambassadors.
• Her simple philosophy of, “fail quick and pivot.”
• The importance of developing collaborative relationships.
• How smaller brands like her own have an opportunity to bring about some “much-need change in the food system.”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JOJO'S SRIRACHA, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND JOJO COLLINS ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

Britton Purser created Vintage Overland out of necessity, out of “the need to grab that romance, passion, and sense of adventure and take it into the middle of nowhere.” Britton, alongside his two brothers, Cody and Cullen, spend day and night in the studio where they meticulously design, shape and assemble each of their custom caravans by hand. It is Vintage Overland’s desire to preserve the quality and heritage of American craftsmanship.

Listen And Learn:

• How to market to your customers’ lifestyles.
• Why he takes a “coffee shop” approach to marketing.
• The value of PR and third-party endorsement.
• The importance of zeroing in on who your customers are.
• Why it’s important to thank your employees every day.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VINTAGE OVERLAND CARAVANS, CLICK HERE.

Rob Andzik is president of AMERGINT Technologies, a company that delivers next-generation technologies to the space industry. The company’s mission is simple: be technically focused and customer-supportive. Rob and his team at AMERGINT solve hard problems through innovation and by building intellectual capital that their customers leverage. Before coming to AMERGINT, Rob worked at Lockheed Martin and RT Logic. He is co-chair of the OMG Space Domain Task Force and co-author of the Ground Equipment Monitoring Service (GEMS) specification.

Listen And Learn:

• What it takes to create a “sticky” team culture.
• How a leader must conduct “the whole orchestra.”
• Innovative ways to build trust with customers.
• How leadership roles shift as a company grows.
• Why it’s important to empower and defend your culture and your team.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AMERGINT TECHNOLOGIES , CLICK HERE.

TO FIND ROB ANDZIK ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

Jeff Cohen is chief marketing officer at SellerLabs, a cloud-based tool for e-Commerce businesses to source, sell, and provide customer service. Jeff’s goal is to empower small businesses with the tools they need to succeed, provide excellent support and service, and always push to make things better.

Listen And Learn: 

• The four quadrants of achieving success on Amazon: search, page conversion, advertising, and reviews.
• How to create “discoverability” and relevancy for your brand on Amazon.
• The three most important elements of your product’s searchability on Amazon.
• How to get customers to your product detail page and entice them to make a purchase.
• How Amazon reviews help with product refinement

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SELLERLABS, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND JEFF COHEN ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

Ed Graczyk is an experienced chief marketing officer for start-up companies as well as a 16-year Microsoft veteran where he launched more than a dozen products worldwide. He has built and led high-performance marketing teams and programs for award-winning consumer, enterprise, and business-to-business-to-consumer products and services. He has deep vertical market experience across Internet and online services, telecom and cable, TV and media, IPTV and Internet video, digital entertainment, and financial services, along with a huge passion for the travel space.

Listen And Learn:

• The importance of creating a messaging and positioning framework that speaks to all of your constituents.
• Developing a timing cascade of messages leading up to an announcement.
• The sales-enablement, channel partners, and employee communications tools he deploys to communicate effectively.
• How his team were able to pivot and manage the inevitable roadblocks, setbacks, unknowns, and announcement delays along the way.
• How humor can cut through the clutter and create – and increase – memorability.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BROCADE, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND ED GRACZYK ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

 Scott Kincaid started at Usability Sciences 20+ years ago with a lofty goal to make the world a little more intuitive, one bit at a time. As to be expected in small companies, he has worn many hats including researcher, operations manager, sales engineer, salesforce.com admin, and executive. In his time of user research consulting, Scott has worked for a wide range of companies including Salesforce, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, and Dell.

Listen And Learn:

• The importance of knowing your target market’s tech knowledge.
• Why your customers need to know “what’s on the other side of the wall.”
• How to listen differently and without prejudice.
• The importance of gathering data in the moment, as opposed to focusing on questions about what a customer might do in the future.
• Why it’s important to target your indirect competition.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT USABILITY SCIENCES, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND SCOTT KINCAID ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.

Nate Sachs is the founder and owner of Blueprints For Tomorrow. He has four decades of experience in succession, contingency, and key employee retention, and is also an author, credentialed national speaker, and adviser to over three thousand entrepreneurs. Nate frequently lecturers across the country to business owners on various topics, has published over 200 articles, and is a sought-after expert resource for publications about strategic business planning and exit strategies. Out of 150 speakers in their first year speaking for Vistage International, Nate received the Speaker of the Year award and to date, delivers 75-100 presentations a year. 

Listen And Learn:

• Why less than 5% of all business owners can walk away from their businesses and maintain the same lifestyle they are currently enjoying.
• How he helps business owners simplify and mitigate three of their biggest challenges.
• Why it’s difficult for business owners to look at the end of the runway and talk about their mortality.
• The most common challenges entrepreneurs face when it comes to succession planning, attracting and retaining talent, and planning for retirement.
• How he helps business owners prepare for the unexpected.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BLUEPRINTS FOR TOMORROW, CLICK HERE.

TO FIND NATE SACHS ON LINKEDIN, CLICK HERE.