The Authority Company

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that business applications of all sizes nearly doubled during the first few months of 2020, regardless of the fact that we were experiencing the greatest public health crisis in over 100 years and the failure rate of startups is around 90%. Joe's guest this week has made it her mission in life to inspire and motivate others to fulfill their potential and achieve their goals. Her name is Mari Tautimes, and she is a world-class speaker, trainer, coach, and mentor. Find out why Mari shares her remarkable personal and professional story and why she wants to help others to dream big, craft their vision, and connect with the strategic actions that drive success.

The hospitality industry has been riding a rollercoaster of restrictions and reopenings for the past year. The financial effects of COVID-19 on the industry have been staggering; the state of Rhode Island says that the pandemic cost their hospitality and tourism industry over $2 billion dollars in 2020. Some in the industry have even said that 2021 is shaping up to be just as challenging as 2020. This week, Joe is joined by Steve Palmer, the Managing Partner and Founder of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Steve shares his thoughts on the current state of the hospitality industry, the keys to his successes, and the importance of self awareness.

It takes a lot to succeed in the world of healthcare these days, and that’s even before the pandemic came along. Not only do you have to undergo intensive training, but then you have to essentially become an entrepreneur, with very little business training. How do you separate your practice from the others? How do you handle the competition in your specialty? How do one make it? Joining Joe this week to talk all about it is Jad Shalhoub, the Executive Director of Advanced Vascular Solutions, one of the top vascular and wound care practices in Florida.

The first question a lot of entrepreneurs ask themselves after they’ve developed a product or service is, "what makes me marketable?" Michael Jordan not only changed basketball forever, but he changed the world of marketing as well. Sure, athletes have always pitched products; Babe Ruth used to hawk cigarettes and Muhammad Ali endorsed roach traps. But Jordan changed the game last year he made an estimated $130 million from Nike, four times as much as LeBron James, and Jordan walked away from the Bulls more than 20 years ago. So what makes an athlete marketable today? This week, Joe looks for the answer to that question with Mike Principe, the CEO of one of the most recognizable sports marketing companies in the world, GSE Worldwide.

How does a former corporate lawyer build one of New York City's top gluten-free bakeries and get their goods into Whole Foods? You sign up for a baking class. That's what Helene Godin did after walking away from a highly successful 22-year legal career. On this episode, Helene talks to Joe about her career transition, how she pivoted during the pandemic, and the importance of never giving up.

When you were growing up, the phrase wealth management was akin to a craniotomy. You knew that it was something that was done, but you didn’t actually know how people did it. When it comes to wealth management or a craniotomy, you’re best off working with an expert. This week Joe is joined by an expert on the former, not the latter, his name is Zachary Garber, and he's a Vice President and Client Advisor at Alex Brown, a division of Raymond James. Zach specializes in custom portfolios that overlay alternative investments, including private equity, hedge funds, and real estate solutions.

Hollywood has made excellent films about female entrepreneurs, such as Rom-Coms like Bridesmaids and Sweet Home Alabama. But it's only a matter of time before a movie is made about Joe's guest this week, Stephanie Blackwell, the founder and President of Aurora Products, a supplier of natural and organic nut and dried fruit snack packs. Stephanie shares how she built Aurora Products from scratch and all the twists and turns her Hollywood-like entrepreneurial journey has taken.

When it comes to building a successful business, Walt Disney said it best, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” In the early 2000's, Fred Mwangaguhunga was a corporate attorney with entrepreneurial aspirations. Fred's idea was to create an entertainment and celebrity news site focused on African Americans topics and celebrities. And since its founding in 2006, MediaTakeOut has grown to an audience of over 35 million monthly visitors. Fred talks about how he built his media empire, how MediaTakeOut has evolved since it's early days, and his passion for helping African American entrepreneurs succeed.

This week, Joe welcomes Tim Pagliara to the ForbesBooks podcast. Tim is the Founder, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of CapWealth in Franklin, Tennessee. Tim formed CapWealth in early 2000 after nearly 20 years of experience in the financial industry.  His firm is one of the nation’s leading independent wealth managers with $1 billion in assets under advisement.  For years Tim has watched the decade-long fight over the government's role in regulating a safe and sound mortgage market and was inspired to write the book Another Big Lie, How the Government Stole Billions From The American Dream Of Home Ownership. And Got Caught!

They say it's never too late to make a change in your life. Jeff Bezos worked in computer science before launching Amazon at age 31. Julia Child didn’t write her first cookbook until she was 50. And Ray Kroc was a milkshake-device salesman before buying McDonald's and building a fast food empire at the age of 52. Joe's guest this week is Dr. Afa Pitts who went from being a doctor overseas to founding a real estate investment company in the U.S. Afa shares her incredible true story, why she founded American Property Investments and how she hopes to change the future of real estate investing.