The Hot Mic @ Arch DevOps

Today's guest started off his entrepreneurial journey at 9 years old... and found out really quick that he needed to figure out some out of the box ways to gain business. These days, he knows that the businesses that thrive are the ones that think creatively and not rigidly. Nir Bashan, Founder and CEO of The Creator Mindset looked at the normal perspective of starting a business, and noticed that so much of the content focused on the Why. But the How? Not so much. Talking with Nir we covered the importance of active listening and constantly soliciting feedback so we know what problems we're actually trying to solve. And that's just one of the 90+ tips he offers in his book. Find more about Nir by reading his book, 'The Creator Mindset' and his site at nirbashan.com. And as always enjoy the listen.

It wasn't that long ago that the idea of a "drone" wasn't even a thing. The closest thing we had was mini helicopters that, for 3 easy payments of $9.95, your kids could fly around the house for 15 minutes at a time. And now? Drones are everywhere. It's a stable enough technology that today's guest, Bronwyn Morgan, started a new business venture. Founder of Xeo Air, we talk about the capabilities that you can do with drone technology, and how they can drastically help with challenges in the telecom, energy, oil, gas, wind, geospatial and government sectors. Plus, they're still fun to fly around! Join us on today's episode and learn more about the tech behind the toys. Check out Xeo Air at xeoair.com for more info. And as always, enjoy the listen. 

Culture. Some companies have a great one, and some don't. Some have employees who are die-hard fans that are fully on board, and some have employees that just show up to earn a paycheck. What makes the difference? It's a little metric we call: engagement. Today's guest is Tenice Wehmeyer, Chief Engagement Officer at Wehmeyer & Associates. In this episode we talk about what engagement is, and why it's important to make sure employees are engaged both inside and outside of work. When employees feel heard, feel safe and feel empowered, great things happen. But sometimes they don't, and that's where Tenice shines. Determining where the pain points are, and where leadership may be falling short, she and her team have a track record of creating company culture that helps people feel awesome about coming to work, and being fully present at home with their families. After this episode, if you'd like to contact Tenice, find her at wehmeyerassociates.com. And as always, enjoy the listen.

Hoo boy, if I were five years younger, and also a woman, I could have learned a lot about building business from today's guest. Erin Joy is the Founder of Black Dress Circle, and in today's episode we got into a lot of exciting topics. How to build trust in others while measuring said trust, how to fight Impostor Syndrome, and how peer learning is a powerful way to bolster not just your confidence and abilities, but that of those you're investing your time and knowledge into. Erin really knows her stuff, and if you're a female entrepreneur or are planning to become one, this episode is worth a listen. Find out more about Erin by going to blackdresscircle.com. And as always, enjoy the listen.

With a lifelong background in art, today's guest decided to take a different turn in her career, and start something that it appears very few people have thought of. Even though, in her words, 'I've never been a teacher, never taught watercolor art, and never taught seniors,' Mary Beth Flynn began doing just that. Her adventure with her company Artfully Aging started ten years ago, and has pivoted and changed a lot over the years. She's combined her passion for art, with her skill to serve seniors, to create a unique experience for all of her clients. If you'd like to find out more about Mary Beth or even get in touch with her, check out artfullyaging.com, email her at [email protected]. And as always, enjoy the listen.

Ok, today's the day. We're gonna bust a myth. Particularly, the myth that says, 'Starting a business means you're going to make six figures right away.' If that were actually true, who wouldn't start their own thing? The problem, as Kristen Edens and I discuss today, is that there's often an unrealistic image portrayed by social media about what entrepreneurship is like. Both Kris and I shared a bit about our background, how we got started as business owners, and what it felt like for us. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, as they say, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart. If you feel the call to start your own thing, there are some great tips in this episode for you. After listening, if you realize that content marketing or copywriting is something you need help with, reach out to Kris on LinkedIn, or via her website at kristenedens.com. And as always, enjoy the listen.

Every once in awhile I meet someone who's started a business and it happened accidentally. Today's guest is Luca Ingianni, and he and I first met about a year ago after being introduced by another former podcast guest. Small world! In the time Luca and I have known each other, he's gone from being a solopreneur to working with 3 other professionals to create an elite DevOps training company. Off the air he told me, 'It's mostly about luck, and letting luck happen to you.' The world may tell you that you have to build a business a certain way or follow certain rules, but really, the only rule you may need is to trust your gut, and surround yourself with people who support and strengthen you. Find more about Luca at devopsteam.de, and at ingianni.eu. And as always, enjoy the listen.

Is it cheating to hire a ghostwriter for your social media content? Absolutely not! And I'm not saying that because today's guest is biased either. Amy Blaschka is an experience content creator focused on helping you build your presence and brand on social media. With so many people doing the 'post and ghost' approach, the best way is to publish meaningful content, that's true to your personal brand and get knowledge about you, your business or your offerings, in front of the right people. From getting your message consistent with your profile, clarifying what you're trying to say, and mastering the art of content marketing, there's a lot that we all can learn about how to wield social media in a powerful way. If you're struggling how to figure out how this whole social media thing works, you can find Amy at her website amyblaschka.com to see how she can help you. And as always, enjoy the listen.

It takes a special kind of chutzpah to start a business, and Tom Harris has definitely been bitten by the entrepreneurship bug. Starting off his career as a developer, he realized that he didn't want to work for a boss, and wanted to start his own thing. With a group of trusted co-founders, they set out to change a small part of the software development space: creating charts easily for project management software. While it may not seem sexy, project management is an important part of any software project, and being able to communicate results to higher-ups is even more so. As it turns out, the culture that Tom has helped build at Old Street Solutions is one that's poised to help their company be a powerful talent magnet. Fostering trust, enabling people to succeed, and let everyone tap into their Inner Maker's Mindset are the most important pillars to their company's growth. He said, 'Money is a side effect of success', and success to them is happy employees and happy customers. If you're ready to get your project management leveled up to where everybody can understand what's going on, Google Old Street Solutions or Custom Charts for Jira. And as always, enjoy the listen.

Today's guest didn't always consider herself an entrepreneur, but after realizing that her approach to business does uniquely solve problems no one else could, she adopted the term. Or at least, kinda. Robin Bennett is an experience content writer, sales and marketing expert, and calls herself a Proud Generalist. The Founder of Verse and Vibe, she helps companies take their content writing to the next level, and encourages straight shooting language. No fluff, no false rapport building and no beating around the bush. These days, direct communication with a clear next step is key when we're drowning in content. How are you distinguishing your message from everybody else, including your competitors? Robin can help you find out. Reach out to Robin anytime at [email protected]. And as always, enjoy the listen.