When I first started consulting I was primarily focusing on helping companies scale, and improve sales and business development. In the last several years as we have focused more on succession and transition in business, I have noticed that many companies and families are growth directed and want to continue that growth. They want to scale a business in a predictable way. My guest on this show and friend Kevin McCann owns a company that helps businesses clarify who their market is, how to target that market in a meaningful way, and how to build a process to actually convert customers. We have some great conversation here about how many businesses get in their own way when looking at growth and what you can do about it.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to unpack your definition and roadmap to success in your company
• The commonalities between all companies that have the smoothest 

successions and exits

• One of the biggest mistakes organizations make in their communication 

with prospects

• The four-step framework Keven uses when helping organizations 

get ready to go to marker

• How to get the attention of your ideal client
• Why advertising tools aren’t they answer to your marketing problems
• The number one missing element in most advertising campaigns
• How to break through the noise and vet out resources that can truly 

help you with lead gen

• A resource that can turn around qualified leads in two weeks or less
• The three buckets to look at when systemizing your advertising

Resources:

www.Lead-launcher.com

www.revenuegrowthmastery.com

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinamccann/

Ken Natori is president of the Natori Company. I met Ken several years ago at a conference where we were both speaking. I immediately liked his vibe and started following him on social media. Ken’s mother founded the business in 1977. He was raised as an only child by a trailblazing mother and father. He talks about the story of pursuing his own path before joining the family business to now working today at his mother’s side. We talk about the core values of Ken and his family and how he navigates the family business with that and mind, and how the company integrated him into the business. This is a great conversation on a family that really respects one another’s differences of opinions, strengths, and desires.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How one family ran a business by respecting their individual desires
• Why children should explore other careers before joining the family business
• What being a part of a family business means for your relationship
• Why identifying and communicating core values is crucial when being part of a family business
• Tips for smoothly integrating a new family member into the business
• How to handle differences of opinions between leaders in the family businesses
• A practice that many companies use that actually encourages unhealthy artificial harmony

Resources:

Website: www.natori.com

Company Instagram: www.instagram.com/natoricompany

Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/ken.natori

Dave Hoeffel is a client who became a friend of mine and is an amazing, conscious individual. After some time working together, Dave sold his company at the end of 2020. What is most impactful about this conversation is Dave’s level of vulnerability in sharing his challenges around deciding to sell his business, what his blocks were, and the fear he had around the impact the sale would have on his employees, customers, his family, and even his own identity. This is a great episode to get you thinking about what is missing in the experience you really want to have for your life. 

What you will learn:

• The prison high achievers often create for themselves around work and productivity
• Some signs to pay attention to showing you when it’s time to seek outside help
• The problems that arise when ego and significance is tied to your company 
• The major challenges founders wrestle with when transitioning out of their business
• The challenges of “proving” yourself to others and a new frame to work from
• How to separate family and business life in a way that allows you to be fully present for both. 
• Why having clear core values is crucial in a family business
• Changing your mindset from an “either/or” frame to knowing you can have happy employees, a successful business AND be present with your family
• The most important question to ask the Next Gen
• Strategies to disconnect from the business and actually enjoy a vacation
• How to create space in your life for the things that actually put you in flow
• Dave’s biggest three pieces of advice for family business owners

Resources:

• Website- www.Davehoeffel.com
• Email-[email protected]

I look at loving relationships as one of the most important things we get to do as human beings, but it’s not something most of us were taught. We end up modelling the relationships we come from and there is so much room to grow in this area. If you truly want more rich, deep and intimate relationships, this is a must listen. When I decided to do this episode,  I knew exactly who I  wanted to reach out to on this topic. I’ve been following Annie for years and knew she would have incredible insights on this topic. She and her husband Eben Pagan are both entrepreneurs and she has a life-changing perspective on cultivating passion and fire in relationships while parenting and building successful businesses. Your relationship CAN be a catalyst to help you become the highest version of yourself.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How we view our parents as children and how that affects our relationships
• How to create clean lines between your relationships and your business
• The most important emotions to track in regards to your relationship
• How to shift into parenthood without compromising your relationship
• How to recognize and call out power struggles in relationships
• How prioritizing your relationship affects the rest of your life
• How to inspire your partner into more personal growth
• Dealing with a fixed mindset in relationships
• The harm in “toleration” behaviours in our relationship we don’t like
• How to turn conflict in relationship into the next beautiful iteration of your relationship
• The analogy Annie uses that perfectly articulates a strong and healthy relationship
• Looking at sex as the food of your relationship
• How sex is sometimes misused to regulate emotions and nervous systems
• How to create safety around your sexuality

Bio: Annie Lalla is a love coach specializing in deep intimacy, sex & conflict resolution, Annie has created practical tools that dissolve toxic patterns, defuse conflict, transcend blame & cultivate deep relationships that last a lifetime. She calls on her studies of philosophy, evolutionary biology, family systems and NLP in her transformational coaching practice, where she helps couples build extraordinary connections that maximize freedom & minimize shame.

Resources:

Annie’s Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/lallabird/

Website- https://annielalla.com/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/annielallacoaching

Book- The Power of Full Engagement https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0SWS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Ted Kulawiak is the author of “21 Lessons Learned in Sales Management”, and he was MY first sales trainer almost 30 years ago. He’s now taking the wisdom of his 30+ year experience in higher education and various sales management roles to the world. If you own any business, sales play a critical role. In my own 25+ years experience in sales, I’ve seen some of the best and some of the worst in sales management. Ted and I talk about the things most people don't talk about when it comes to sales management but make all the difference in the world. This episode has a lot of nuances in regards to what good leaders do. It’s also a great listen for anyone leading a business. 

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• The most important piece of advice I learned from Ted 30 years ago that I still use today
• How to know when you need a Sales Manager
• Where most businesses fail when it comes to leading their sales people
• When and how to lead sales people and when to  manage them
• Why behaviour change is vital in improving sales
• Why not all data is created equal
• How to build a strong sales team based on what you are selling
• How self-worth affects sales
• What happens when you try “not to be pushy” and how this strategy does not work
• Why sales scripts are usually  bogus

Resources:

Book- “21 Lessons Learned in Sales Management”

https://www.amazon.com/21-Lessons-Learned-Sales-Management-ebook/dp/B089NGS68C

Book- “The Four Disciplines of Execution” https://www.amazon.com/Disciplines-Execution-Achieving-Wildly-Important/dp/1451627068/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EKAHX84GVRJ0&dchild=1&keywords=the+four+disciplines+of+execution+book&qid=1614809033&s=books&sprefix=the+four+disc%2Cdigital-text%2C191&sr=1-1

Ted’s LinkedIN- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ted-kulawiak-695a25180/

Ted’s Twitter- https://twitter.com/TedKulawiak

Ted’s website- tedkaye55.wixsite.com/21lessonslearned

I got to know David Lehmann through a friend of mine and really wanted to share his story. He’s had a successful marriage, raised three kids, done really well in business and today is an Angel Investor. He enjoys working with younger CEOs and founders. His story paints a picture of how to make decisions on important transitions in life including moving to a foreign country and dealing with a potentially fatal illness and provides a much richer lense to look through.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to make decisions as a couple with different religious backgrounds
• Parenting kids that know how to make impactful decisions
• How diving into foreign culture can change our perspective on life
• A lesson from a Dignitary
• Creating situations where you can learn from multiple perspectives
• Maintaining authenticity and vulnerability in business
• Preparing yourself mentally for major health challenges and lessons from them
• Using the pandemic to become more self-aware and having more compassion

Resources:

David had a 27 year long career on Wall Street where he worked at four firms. In an unconventional move, he took a 3 year break to move to Paris with his wife and children. Today, he is an angel investor committing capital in the pre-seed stage. He also sits on the boards of three companies in an advisory role.

Book- Mixed Blessings https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BF8R5X2/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Book- Think and Grow Rich

https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill-ebook/dp/B0817HHZH4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1ZCONRN32M4R7&dchild=1&keywords=think+and+grow+rich&qid=1614216290&s=books&sprefix=think+and+g%2Cdigital-text%2C182&sr=1-1

Quotes:

“There’s a lot to be learned from just listening and watching.”

“My interfaith marriage, moving to a foreign country with young kids, and being diagnosed with cancer showed me that it’s all in how you react. All these experiences, I wouldn’t give any of them away. There are lows, highs, bumps and kicks in the ass and sometimes you need help. Pick up the phone and call someone. That’s a positive, not a negative.”

Intro: I am thrilled to introduce Gary Mahler to you in this episode. I came across Gary on social media, by some intuitive pull. He’s lived in Paris, Japan, Hawaii, owned and sold a business and created his ideal life and now coaches others to do the same. He lives each day in such a centered and purpose driven way. He has some amazing things for you to consider. I would highly suggest having a notepad and taking some notes on this one.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Lessons from Parisians on living a slow, full life
• How our relationship with our identity impacts the rest of our life
• Disassembling parts of your life no longer serving your purpose
• Learning to recognize the judgements of yourself that are running the show
• The end result of ego-driven goals
• Why the WAY you go about getting something matters
• How to leave the “grind” behind and still reach your goals
• How to use whatever the Universe gives you and and with with rather than against it
• How to look at surrender with fortitude and dignity
• What a coach should REALLY help you do
• Understanding center and balance from a martial arts perspective

Resources:

Book- “The Surrender Experiment” by Michael Singer https://untetheredsoul.com/surrender-experiment

Book- “Letting Go” by David Hawkins https://www.amazon.com/Letting-David-Hawkins-M-D-Ph-D/dp/1401945015

Website- https://www.garymahler.com/

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/garyl.mahler

Steven Lawson is the founder of Monk Manual. After spending a decade pushing himself to achieve, crush goals, and increase his capacity to “do” more, he slowed down, looked around and realized something was wrong. The ways of modern productivity are making people sick. Determined to find a way of life that accounts for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—Steven began a soulful journey that has led him to develop the Monk Manual. Inspired by the wisdom of monks, and rooted in psychology, the Monk Manual 90 Day Planner is the first of several practical tools designed for peaceful being and purposeful doing. Steven lives in Buffalo, New York with his wife Lauren and their three children.

What you’ll learn:

• What most people are really searching for when they say they want to be more productive
• The benefits of taking time throughout your day to find stillness
• The difference between “feeling busy” and “being productive”
• What we can learn about productivity from monks and transcendental ideas
• How to be intentional in structuring your day
• How to make decisions that support your own well-being
• Finding your awareness gap
• How your belief about the way the world works affects your daily life
• The importance of spirituality and a “higher power” as your foundation to everything else in your life
• The first steps in creating cultural change

Links:

www.Monkmanual.com

Instagram: @monkmanual

My guest on this show is Ryan Tansom of Arkona. I had the honor of being a guest on Ryan’s podcast last year and had blast talking about the importance of vision in transition. For years Ryan worked as part of a family business started by his dad and played a major role in turning the company around and eventually selling it. He founded Arkona based on what he learned through the process. He now helps business owners improve valuation and get clear on what they want in order to build a strategic and operational plan to drive the exit outcome they are looking for.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Navigating turning your vision into a direct path
• What to do when you feel trapped in the business
• How to know If your successor is ready to run the business
• Why resilience isn't always enough
• The importance or vision as a starting point to succession
• What “vision” really means as a business owner
• What you need to be clear on in order to have a successful exit
• When is the right time to start planning your exit
• How to use the pandemic as a lesson to create leverage
• Why context is important when seeking advice on transition

Resources/links:

• Arkona- https://arkona.io/
• Intentional Growth Podcast- https://arkona.io/podcasts
• LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-tansom-4a440710/
• Book- The Happiness Advantage
• Book- The Infinite Game

Audiograms:

6:22 – 7:04 Family business dynamics. Did you love the business?

8:27 – 9:22 What happens when you feel trapped?

15:05 – 15:39   What does vision mean as a business owner? Vanity metrics.

18:20 – 18:55 Your business is your vehicle. Separating your identity.

If you are someone who has dreamed of a life that allows you to travel around the world whenever you want, this show is for you. My guest on this show is Avin Kline. Avin is a former client of mine, who is an amazing example of someone who built a life by design. He and his wife have created a life that allows them to travel around the world, work from wherever they are, and create the income necessary to support this lifestyle. In this show he shares the strategies, values, and vision that made this possible. 

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Strategies to manage full time travel and a full time career.
• Specific paradigms that need to be addressed to build a dream lifestyle 
• What you need to have in place to make a travel lifestyle work
• How structure breeds freedom
• The mindset necessary to create this structure
• A practice to improve jet lag
• How your health and wellness impacts other areas in your life
• The role core values play in relationships
• The parenting view that has helped Avin and his wife create this lifestyle
• Some of the paradigms in our society that hold parents back from creating life experiences for their family

Resources/links:

Health and wellness resource: Dr. Mark Hyman  

Book: The Four Hour Work Week

Avin Kline LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinkline/