Team Business

Team Business

By Mike FuscoBusinessEntrepreneurshipCareers
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Team Business episodes

  • TB6 - Paolo Pirjanian Joins Team Business to Talk about the Latest and Greatest in Robotics – Meet Moxie!

    In today’s episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Paolo Pirjanian, the Founder and CEO at Embodied, Inc. Paolo talks about his passion and love for technology and how he developed a robot called Moxie that helps children promote their social, emotional and cognitive skills.

    Episode Highlights:

    • Mike introduces Paolo Pirjanian. (9:12)
    • Paolo mentions that he studied in Denmark, got his master’s degree, then got a Ph.D. in computer vision and robotics. (10:06)
    • Paolo shares that he moved to the US 20 years ago, to achieve his dream job, which was working for NASA JPL. (10:16)
    • Paolo mentions that in 2012, they got acquired by iRobot, which is a company that created a robotic vacuum cleaner. (11:48)
    • Paolo thinks that he’s always been driven by his curiosity for the unknown. (12:30)
    • Paolo shares that they have a culture document in their company which has become the foundation for everyone in the company. (18:04)
    • Paolo mentions that the trust between the team members is significant. (19:49)
    • Paolo shares that Moxie is an animated companion robot that can interact with you, using eye contact when you sit in front of it. (20:34)
    • Paolo shares that Moxie’s core purpose is to help children promote their social, emotional, and cognitive skills. (21:40)
    • Paolo mentions that Moxie’s other feature is their companion app for the parents that runs on a smartphone, which enables the parents to keep track of how their child is doing, on various metrics that they’re measuring. (27:47)
    • Paolo mentions that they’re still currently doing the beta testing with families. (29:29)
    • Paolo shares that they have been developing Moxie for the last five years, and having the ability to share what they have built is exciting. (39:06)

      • Key Quotes:

      • “I think that core talent required by anyone wanting to build a company is team building. It starts and ends with a team, the success of a company, I believe. So, over the years I have developed a lot of my skills around understanding how to build a motivated team and expand the team to grow, to thrive together, to pursue missions that seem impossible.” - Paolo Pirjanian
      • “What brings success in life is having those soft skills. So, we are trying to help children with promoting those social, emotional cognitive skills that are essential for having a successful personal life, as well as successful career life.” - Paolo Pirjanian
      • “I love technology. That's the muscle I've trained myself on over the years. But also, it combines with the fact that we can have an impact on many children. And beyond that other parts, our society can benefit from the technology we have developed as well.” - Paolo Pirjanian

        • Resources Mentioned:

        • Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
        • Mike Fusco LinkedIn 
        • Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
        • Paolo Pirjanian LinkedIn
        • Embodied, Inc.
        • Moxie
          • 41 min
        • TB5 - Team Business Welcomes Grant Botma

          In this episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Grant Botma, the Founder of Culture Course and Stewardship. Grant talks about his knowledge and expertise in the financial services industry and how to establish genuine relationships with people. He also shares their online course that helps in hiring the right people, and he also shares his book, entitled The Problem Isn’t Their Paycheck: How to Attract Top Talent and Build a Thriving Company Culture.

          Episode Highlights:

          • Mike introduces Grant Botma. (3:32)
          • Grant shares that he’s been in the financial services industry for about 20 years, and they have stewardship, which includes home loans, insurance, and investments with wisdom and love. (7:33)
          • Grant mentions that he built Stewardship because of arrogance and hate. He also explains the reason behind it. (8:16)
          • Grant shares that to build a better team, humility is one of the keys. In other words, he had to recognize and figure out that he couldn't do all the things. (10:30)
          • Grant shares that he would certainly relate the competition and goal to what they do at Stewardship, they have to compete, to genuinely put other people's needs ahead of our own. (11:29)
          • Grant mentions that the unique part about Stewardship is what they call, a unified purpose. (12:05)
          • Grant shares that he never thought their company has done better than what they did and they have completely broken records, on every single line of business, and every single one of his producers is nationally ranked as a top performer. (14:09)
          • Grant shares that there are a lot of elements that he teaches in the Culture Course, and what he did together with his team is significant. One of the things that are more motivating to employees than money, is freedom and autonomy. (15:40)
          • Grant mentions that a lot of people wanted him to teach culture. Because the way he teaches was different and unique than what's taught in management school. (18:07)
          • Grant discusses his book entitled The Problem Isn’t Their Paycheck: How to Attract Top Talent and Build a Thriving Company Culture. (19:35)
          • Grant shares that one of the bigger things that he would advise people when building a team is to make sure that they're going to be a culture fit first. (23:42)
          • Grant mentions that the core of every business is serving other people. If you're not serving other people, you don't have the business. Therefore, if you're selfish, you're going against the core of what makes a business fundamental. (26:44)

            • Key Quotes:

            • “I wanted to create a place where people get their finances handled in the best way possible, whether they knew it or not. And in my arrogance, I thought that I had the right answers to everything, and I could fix it and I could figure it out.” - Grant Botma

              • Resources Mentioned:

              • Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
              • Mike Fusco LinkedIn 
              • Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
              • Grant Botma LinkedIn
              • Culture Course
              • Stewardship
                • 38 min
              • TB4 - Team Business Welcomes Chris Lynch

                In today’s episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Christopher Lynch, Co-Founder of Everyday California. Chris talks about how they built their business from a small kayaking tour company to the ocean adventure and lifestyle brand it is today. He also shares how their business has adapted to the pandemic and working remotely. 

                Episode Highlights:

                • Mike introduces Chris Lynch. (5:22)
                • Chris mentions that his first job was at a pizza parlor. (6:59)
                • Chris shares how him and his business partner obtained the permit to start their kayak tour company. (7:50)
                • Chris mentions that his mother was one of the first-ever Navy female salvage divers. (9:42)
                • Chris shares that they officially took ownership of the OEX Dive and the permit, on November 1, 2010. (10:44)
                • Chris explains that during their first year, they built a little store in La Jolla, near the beach. (11:06)
                • Chris shares that they came up with the name Everyday California in 2012. (11:49)
                • Chris explains that the bear in their logo was originally from OEX Dive and the bear was in a kayak. Since surfing is popular in California, they moved him out of a kayak and holed into holding a surfboard. (12:16)
                • Chris mentions that they launched their ecommerce store in 2014 and everything has grown from there. (12:41)
                • Chris shares that they were planning to launch a sunscreen this spring, but the pandemic happened. Therefore, they decided to launch it in March 2021. They have created a fully custom formula, using blue algae and kelp. (13:38)
                • Chris mentions that his team works with three to four separate agencies that are running their Facebook ads, SEO, and Google AdWords. (16:16)
                • Chris explains that the business has grown steadily and organically. (17:29)
                • Chris shares that they had a record-breaking month in August and September, and they are on pace to break records in October, as well. (21:34)
                • Chris mentions that from a communication standpoint, Slack has been very useful for them to keep the team together. (24:05)

                  • Key Quotes:

                  • “I do not hover, I'm not micromanaging anybody. Because there is so much going on, that I think it's important to give everybody their space and trust that they're going to take care of their end of the business.” - Christopher Lynch
                  • “We've always grown pretty slowly and very organically. We do spend a lot of money on advertising, Facebook, Instagram, Google, and all those good things. But we do it in a way that is not a loss leader, we're always looking for the profitability side.” - Christopher Lynch
                  • “Every guy I talked to has learned so much, changed so much, and adapted. And you're gonna have to adapt to survive. You know, it has always been that way no matter what it is, there's always something new, there's always a new technology, there's always a new marketing platform, and there's always something that's going to happen.” - Christopher Lynch

                    • Resources Mentioned:

                    • Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
                    • Mike Fusco LinkedIn 
                    • Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
                    • Christopher Lynch LinkedIn
                    • Everyday California
                      • 31 min
                    • TB3 - Team Business Welcomes Chase Birky from Darkhorse CPAs

                      In today’s episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Chase Birky, CPA, President and Co-Founder of Dark Horse CPA. Chase talks about the significance of technology in the CPA and accounting industry. He also shares the business model they created that allows them to have the best of both worlds.


                      Episode Highlights:

                      • Mike introduces Chase Birky. (3:58)
                      • Chase mentions their vlog called This Week This Morning that they release every Friday morning. (8:54)
                      • Chase shares one of the things that they did before the pandemic was they realized the opportunity of an online presence, being searchable on Google, and a great website that’s useful for potential clients. (9:41)
                      • Chase mentions that the vast majority of small firms use their website as a business card. (10:08)
                      • Chase shares that it’s significant for them to have an online presence and reviews that clients use to vet a business before reaching out. (11:08)
                      • Chase shares that technology is beneficial for them because they know that the accounting industry is going to automate furthermore compliance-related work. (12:13)
                      • Chase mentions one of the things that's been sorely lacking is the focus on a forward-looking advisory for their clients. (13:14)
                      • Chase thinks that there are very strong parallels between team sports and business. (16:57)
                      • Chase shares that what motivates him is the business model that they created, which allows CPAs to come in and build a book of business in six months, and leverage the resources they have, from technology to staffing standpoint. (17:28)
                      • Chase shares that Microsoft Teams and Zoom is their way to keep in touch and have conversations. It has been a huge tool for them and has become the backbone of their communication. (22:56)
                      • Chase mentions that from their standpoint, there is a moral imperative for them to give their best in a situation where all of the information isn't available. (26:37)


                        • Key Quotes:

                        • “Our real philosophy on all this is that you can't do anything to slow technology down, we all know that and you can't bury your head in the sand. So you got to embrace it and for us, it became about, okay, let's find ways to make technology improve our work-life, by doing and automating the things that we don't like doing.” - Chase Birky
                        • “Team sports are not the only way, but it's one of the best ways to learn how to be a good team member at a company, how to be a good employee, and how to be a good leader.” - Chase Birky
                        • “I think everything is a perception, and that's based on whatever data and whatever experience a given person has. So I tend to change my focus more from what people don't know about us, to let's just lead by example and show them.” - Chase Birky


                          • Resources Mentioned:

                          • Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
                          • Mike Fusco LinkedIn 
                          • Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
                          • Chase Birky LinkedIn
                          • Dark Horse CPA
                          • This Week This Morning
                            • 38 min
                          • TB2 - Team Business Welcomes Brian Morales

                            In today’s episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Brian Morales, Founder and CEO of Pro-Cal Lighting Inc. Brian shares his knowledge and expertise in the lighting industry and how he built Pro-Cal Lighting.

                            Episode Highlights:

                            • Mike introduces Brian Morales. (4:37)
                            • Brian thinks that hiring people with skills and qualified attributes are a huge part of helping your business grow. (11:14)
                            • Brian mentions that he started Pro-Cal Lighting over 5 years ago, and he’s been in the lighting industry for 15 years. (12:44)
                            • Brian mentions that your weaknesses can become your strengths. (17:17)
                            • Brian shares that they started with energy efficiency because there was a huge push on their national infrastructure and local infrastructure to be more energy efficient. (17:52)
                            • Brian mentions that one of his biggest ventures is trying to get into the LA Olympics. (20:57)
                            • Brian shares that their culture is summed up in an acronym called SHINE, and it stands for Safety, Honesty, Ingenuity, Nobility, and Excellence. (22:57)
                            • Brain shares that as a business owner, there’s great marketing that can happen around participating in the community. (26:37)
                            • Brian hopes that after the election, the small businesses get noticed and help them survive during the pandemic. (29:44)
                            • Brian shares that they brought in software that will help their means of communication during the pandemic, and they started having directors meetings every Friday. (32:05)
                            • Brian mentions that being able to participate, and help other agencies to survive and grow, allowed them to enjoy their work better. (41:57)
                            • Brian mentions that they’re currently working on creating an agency for content creators. (42:37)
                            • Brian shares that he’s creating opportunities beyond what Pro-Cal Lighting can do, and there are other aspects of the lighting industry that he’s trying to develop further. (43:08)

                              • Key Quotes:

                              • “As much as I want to have everybody in great synergy and sync together, it is hard work to keep everybody in line, and to make sure that we have the same vision that I’m promoting, encouraging, and getting everyone to do their best. That takes up 99% of my time as a CEO.” - Brian Morales
                              • “We all have the right timing when it comes to what we plan to do. So a big thing I tell everybody is if you tried it out and it failed, don't give up. There's going to be a time when it's perfect.” - Brian Morales
                              • “Honesty, that's such a common thing. But it's one of those things that if we're not constantly reminding ourselves that, that's a part of our culture, not just a value, but a part of our culture, that we always need to be honest, even when we mess up.”
                              • “We understood early on that if we were going to do anything and be successful at it, we had to make sure that it wasn't just a money success. It was beyond that it involved our community and created a positive movement for our nonprofits around us.” - Brian Morales

                                • Resources Mentioned:

                                • Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
                                • Mike Fusco LinkedIn 
                                • Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
                                • Brian Morales
                                • Pro-Cal Lighting Inc
                                  • 52 min
                                • TB1 - Team Business Welcomes Dylan Mathias

                                  Team Business podcast has officially launched! Team Business uncovers the everyday entrepreneurs why, how, and the road to now. Join us to learn how game-changing founders act on their vision and build a team for success!

                                  In the first episode of the Team Business podcast, co-hosts Mike Fusco and Ray Ramirez interview Dylan Mathias, owner, and CFO of First Response Solar. Dylan shares his background story, how he got into the solar industry, and what drives him to be successful. 

                                  Key Quotes:

                                  “I think sports is a great teaching tool, especially for youngsters, it basically teaches camaraderie, teamwork, discipline, focus, and consistency. And those are all traits that anyone needs in order to succeed in business.” - Ray Ramirez (3:47)

                                  “I've always had financial goals…a lot of things are very goal-oriented in a financial mindset.” - Dylan Mathias (9:56)

                                  "You can train everything else, but you can't really train who someone is and how they're going to be at a company.” - Dylan Mathias (12:01)

                                  “The greatest scare is also the greatest opportunity our company has this year.” - Dylan Mathias (13:17)

                                  “I have a good balance between a work-life balance.” - Dylan Mathias (13:54)

                                  “A lot of business owners are focused too much on the size of their business, rather than the bottom line...it's all about the margins, right? The profit margins. You can't get to the same profitability or scale the business to the same profitability by just adding people, or just taking on more jobs.” (14:38)

                                  “The biggest project that we've done this year was a 102 panel installation.” - Dylan Mathias (20:15)

                                  “I am career-oriented, motivated, and have a long term outlook on life.” - Dylan Mathias (24:05)

                                  “Back when I played sports, I wasn't the biggest guy out there. I wasn't the strongest guy out there. I wasn't the most athletic guy out there. But I think the one thing I did have going for me was, I was probably the hardest worker out there.” - Dylan Mathias  (26:23)

                                  Resources Mentioned:

                                  Fusco & Orsini Insurance Services
                                  Mike Fusco LinkedIn
                                  Ray Ramirez LinkedIn
                                  Dylan Mathias LinkedIn
                                  First Response Solar



                                  31 min

                                About Team Business

                                From the publisher's feed

                                Team Business uncovers the everyday entrepreneurs' why, how, and the road to now! Join us to learn how game-changing founders act on their vision and build a team for success.