The Startup Life

In our episode, we talk to Alyssa F. Westring (Award-Winning Business Professor & Author) about what it means to lead as a parent, why parents are not so great at screen time rules, and why valuing your family at work leads to career benefits. We also discuss her book "Parents Who Lead".

Purchase "Parents Who Lead" here

Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

**More On Alyssa**

Alyssa Westring is an associate professor of management at the Driehaus College of Business, DePaul University. Alyssa is co-author of Parents Who Lead: The Leadership Approach You Need to Parent with Purpose, Fuel Your Career, and Create a Richer Life from Harvard Business Review Press. As the Director of Research for Total Leadership, Westring brings her expertise to evaluate the impact of Total Leadership on clients and program participants. Findings from this research are used both for continuous program improvement and for disseminating the authors' discoveries and their implications for both scholars and practitioners.

Westring has co-authored many articles and chapters with Friedman and made significant contributions to the research in his books Leading the Life You Want and Baby Bust. She is also a scholar of diversity and inclusion, with a focus on women's careers in STEM fields. Her work on women in medicine has been funded by the National Institutes of Health. She is a founding member of the Research Partnership for Women in Science Careers, and her scholarly writing can be found in numerous academic journals. She regularly speaks to Fortune 500 companies about creating organizational cultures that facilitate work-life integration, diversity, and inclusion. She also writes for the popular press. In her TEDx talk, The Secret Life of a Work-Life Insider, she describes how her research questions and personal journey into motherhood have shaped one another.

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Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

KOYA is the new and best way to let your friends and family know you're thinking of them! Choose a friend, record a message, hide it at a location they are likely to visit and give them a clue. When they arrive, your message will instantly appear! You can even send them a gift! Best of all, the app is entirely free.

OK Startup Nation, I want to talk to you about our sponsor, Tresta. Tresta is an app for iPhone and Android that lets you do business calling and texting from anywhere.

I know so many entrepreneurs that are still using their personal phone number for business calls. It can get complicated, drawing the line between your personal and professional life.

This is the best business phone app out there, whether you just need a business phone number or if your team is ready for a complete business phone system. Tresta is totally flexible and can grow with your business. And it's all unlimited – calling, texting, and all of their powerful call management features like auto attendants, call recording, user groups, and more – for just $15 per user per month.

With Tresta, there's no contract, and you don't need any special hardware – just the smartphone you're already using. Tresta is easy to configure, so you can set everything up yourself - all online – avoiding all the hassle and high overhead costs of setting up a traditional business phone system. Which is important because as entrepreneurs we are always trying to cut cost.

They're offering a 30-day free trial, so you can see if Tresta's virtual phone system is right for you. Communicate smarter and more efficiently with Tresta. Start now at tresta.com/startuplife. That's t-r-e-s-t-a-dot-com-slash-startup-life – all one word. The link is there in the show notes if you are listening on the podcast. Tresta, Business Communication. Simplified.

StartupNation, as a podcaster, radio host, and business owner, I know a thing or two about the need for your message to come through clearly to your target audience. The last thing you want when trying to close a big deal over the phone or giving a sales presentation in your conference room is to have the person you are talking to be distracted by either the fact that you sound like you are in a warehouse or outside noise like a fire truck. Trust me, StartupNation; I know this from experience as our home studio is near our international airport. And that is why Auralex has your back.

Auralex Acoustics creates professionally tested products that you can trust in a commercial space or at home. Better office acoustics improves intelligibility (video conferencing or generic conversation), reduces stress, and helps build a productive work atmosphere. From a home studio for my content creators to your office space downtown, your gear performs better in an acoustically treated room. Trust me; you are in good hands with Auralex as they are the #1 brand in acoustics, providing trusted solutions for over 40 years. Also, you can Download the Auralex acoustic treatment mobile app in the Apple or Google Play Store to give you specifically designed and instantaneous recommendations for various room types. Go to Auralex.com and use the promo code "STARTUP" in all caps for 10% off your entire order. The link is there in the show notes if you are listening to the replay of this episode. So if you are ready to stop sounding like you are having a sales meeting in a sports arena, go with Auralex, Professional Audio Made Simple!

Start your Target journey here!

In our 150th episode, we talk to Marc Randolph(Co-Founder & First CEO OF Netflix) as he shares with us the early days of the technology company, why Blockbuster laughed him out of the room, and the essential step founders must take to start a company. We also discuss his book " That Will Never Work: The Birth Of Netflix and The Amazing Life Of An Idea."

Purchase "That Will Never Work" here

Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Medium.

**More On Marc**

Marc Randolph is a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur, advisor, and investor. As co-founder and founding CEO of Netflix, he laid much of the groundwork for a service that's grown to 150 million subscribers and fundamentally altered how the world experiences media. He also served on the Netflix board of directors until retiring from the company in 2003.

Marc's career as an entrepreneur spans four decades. He's founded or co-founded six other successful startups, mentored hundreds of early-stage entrepreneurs, and as an investor, has helped seed dozens of successful tech ventures (and just as many unsuccessful ones). Most recently, he co-founded analytics software company Looker Data Sciences, where he now serves as director.

Outside of the tech and startup world, Marc sits on the boards of Chubbies Shorts, Augment Technologies, the environmental advocacy group 1% For The Planet, and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), which he's been involved with for most of his life.

A resident of Santa Cruz, California, Marc travels and speaks all over the world, and still probably manages to go surfing more than you do.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

KOYA is the new and best way to let your friends and family know you're thinking of them! Choose a friend, record a message, hide it at a location they are likely to visit and give them a clue. When they arrive, your message will instantly appear! You can even send them a gift! Best of all, the app is entirely free.

Many of us love to power our morning with a good cup of coffee. However, we sometimes feel guilty because we know we will have to pay for that cup or let's be honest and that second cup on the treadmill later, especially when we add creamer. And that's where Leaner Cremer comes in, the gluten-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, but also the guilt-free option for your coffee. It uses a combination of coconut oil and natural supplements to jumpstart your entrepreneurial journey for the day. Not a coffee drinker, no problem. Use it as a sugar substitute in your tea, oatmeal, or whatever else you like to sweeten. Go to the website and use the Promo "Startup15" at checkout. If you are listening to the podcast, the link is there in the show notes. Leaner Creamer, begin a healthy new chapter.

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In this episode, we talk to John Paul Mendocha (Turnaround Expert & Author) about how critical positioning is in the startup phase, what Vegas taught him about entrepreneurship, and his latest book, "Most Businesses Fail In The First 5 Minutes".

Follow him on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Purchase his book from his website or Amazon.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Check out Trubrain with the coupon code: startuplife

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Rishad Tobaccowala (Chief Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe & Author) as we discuss the four different types of bad bosses, why companies should invest in the arts for their employees and why only focusing on the data doesn't tell the complete story.

Purchase Rishad's book's website or on Amazon.

Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram

**More On Rishad**

Rishad's key skill is getting people to see, think, and feel differently about how to grow themselves, their teams, and their company. He does this through distilling 40 years of global learning and wisdom and communicating in a way that is provocative, pragmatic, and inspirational.

Rishad works closely with the leadership of companies to increase productivity by unleashing the potential of the talent. He does so within hours with no need for long-winded engagements and costs.

Rishad's is the author of "Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data," published by Harper Collins. Additional writings can be found on the Re-Inventing blog.

He was named by BusinessWeek as one of the top business leaders for his pioneering innovation, and TIME magazine dubbed him one of five "Marketing Innovators.

Rishad is a Senior Adviser to the Publicis Groupe, the world's third-largest communication firm with 80,000 employees serving most recently as its Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategist.

Rishad has a BS in Mathematics from the University of Bombay and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Tom Golisano(Founder & Chairman Of Paychex) as we discuss the early days of his company, how he is a bit of a prankster, and also why knowing the numbers in your business are extremely important. We also discuss his new book "Built Not Born: A Self-Made Billionaires No-Nonsense Guide For Entrepreneurs."

Purchase Tom's book on his website or on Amazon.

Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

**More On Tom**

Thomas Golisano—entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader—is the founder and chairman of the Board of Paychex, Inc., headquartered in Rochester, New York, with more than 15,500 employees and 100 office locations nationwide.

Before starting Paychex, the prevailing wisdom was that it was a waste of time selling payroll services to companies with fewer than 50 employees. Golisano, however, saw an opportunity; he did the math and proved that smaller companies needed payroll processing services just as much as larger companies, while still offering an excellent return on investment. He grew Paychex one partner and franchisee at a time, over many years, and today the company has a market value of $28 billion. Still active in business and philanthropy, he currently mentors the entrepreneurs who run the businesses in which he has invested, and he also oversees his family's charitable foundation. To date, he has donated over $300 million to a wide range of charitable causes, including educational institutions, children's hospitals, and especially organizations helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk Jay B. Myers (Award-Winning Author & Serial Entrepreneur) as we discuss overcoming adversity in business, why he decided to sell his business, and his newest venture JBM Enterprises. We even talk a little baseball.

Check out his website to book him for speaking engagements.

Check out all of Jay's books on Amazon.

Follow him on LinkedIn

**More On Jay Myers**

Jay B. Myers is the founder of Interactive Solutions Inc. (ISI), a Memphis-based firm that specializes in video conferencing, distance learning, telemedicine, and audio-visual sales and support. Jay started ISI in 1996 and has built it into a $25-million company with 51 employees and offices in Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, as well as Birmingham, AL, Oxford, MS, and Little Rock, AR. ISI has received numerous corporate awards and recognitions in the past several years. The company was named seven times in the past 11 years to INC. Magazine's list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. ISI also was recently featured in the Small Business section of the Wall Street Journal. Also, ISI was named the Memphis Business Journal Small Business of the Year in 2001, and 2003 was the first recipient of the Kemmons Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn) Emerging Business Award. Before starting ISI, Jay earned numerous sales awards while working for international corporations such as Eastman Kodak and Hewlett Packard. In 2007, Jay published his first book, Keep Swinging: An Entrepreneur's Story of Overcoming Adversity and Achieving Small Business Success, and subsequently received the 2010 Ethan Award for success as an entrepreneurial author. A natural storyteller, Jay is a sought-after speaker at CEO conferences and entrepreneurial development programs where he shares inspiring stories and practical tips based on growing ISI from $11- to $25-million during the Great Recession. Jay's message, as detailed in his second book, Hitting the Curveballs: How Crisis Can Strengthen and Grow Your Business, reveals creative, practical strategies to achieve business success in difficult times.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Lenora Ebule (Founder of Bailan Spice), as to why food is more than just something you eat, how her husband pushed her to create her company, and why the African economy is something we should be paying attention to.

Follow her on LinkedIn

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Toni Pergolin(President & CEO of Bancroft and author of Too Important To Fail: Leadership Lessons for Non-Profits), her new book, how she turned around Bancroft twice, and the three leadership styles all non-profit leaders should adopt for success.

Purchase Toni's book here.

Follow her on LinkedIn

**More About Toni**

Highly regarded strategic leader with acute financial acumen who has successfully grown companies organically and through mergers and acquisitions. Currently serving as President and CEO of Bancroft, one of the largest human services providers in New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia region, she has more than doubled the size of the organization in ten years. Her ability to lead nonprofit organizations with a focus on delivering excellence with a healthy margin has resulted in a decade of profitable returns enabling reinvestment in the organization's mission. In 2019, she was honored with the Women of Excellence - Business Excellence Award by SJ Magazine for her vision and business acumen. She has also received the Campbell Soup Extraordinary Leadership Award and was awarded the first Corporate/Business Award by Maria's Women United. She has been recognized for her leadership in many publications including SmartCEO Magazine, Philadelphia Business Journal, SNJ Business People, SJ Biz Main Line Today and received recognition for advancing women's equality. Her first book, Too Important to Fail: Leadership Lessons for Nonprofits comes out in January 2020.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Dana James-Mwangi(Founder of Cheers Creative) as she shares with us her journey of entrepreneurship, a teacher that made an impact on her early, and the one brand she can not live without.

Follow her on LinkedIn

Get your Free E-book at Dana James-Mwangi.com

**More On Dana**

From corporate employee to full-time entrepreneur, Dana's career has evolved from being an in-house print designer to creative agency founder, branding and website strategist, speaker, and teacher. After undergrad, Dana designed marketing pieces for SunTrust and Wells Fargo and package design for home storage items sold in major retail stores, including Walmart and Target. This experience shaped her understanding of brand design consistency and sparked the desire to offer her knowledge to passionate business owners. With love for clean design and the belief that everyone has a story to tell, Dana founded Cheers Creative, a Memphis-based agency that builds award-winning brand visuals and websites for creative professionals, industry leaders, and art platforms. Using the workbook that she developed called the Brand Journal, Dana teaches branding and design workshops in schools including Memphis College of Art and Memphis Grizzlies Preparatory Charter School. Since the opening of Cheers in 2012, Dana has developed an international client roster. Her writings, design work, and talks about branding, web design, tech, and entrepreneurship have been featured and referenced in Forbes, Essence, Canada Learning Code, Net Magazine, and more. Dana gained endorsement from the creators of X, which is one of the most potent and fastest-selling WordPress website themes on the market today. She has built X Theme website templates that help over 170,000 X Theme customers create beautiful websites. Dana's web design work is also featured on various WordPress website showcases around the web. Dana received a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design from the University of Memphis. When she's not working or contributing to the Memphis arts scene, Dana mentors underserved middle-school-age girls about entrepreneurship through the non-profit organization Envision Lead Grow and spends time with her husband and children.

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

Start your Target journey here!

In this episode, we talk to Henri Pierre-Jacques(Managing Partner of Harlem Capital Partners), as to how his parents put him on the path he is currently on, who is right for venture capital funding, and his plans to change the VC world.

Check out Harlem Capital Partners website.

**More on Henri**

Henri Pierre-Jacques is Managing Partner of Harlem Capital Partners, where he focuses on fund strategy, partnerships, value-add opportunities, and financial analysis. He was presented awards for Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc 30 Under 30, EBONY Power 100, and Root 100. He has also been featured in WSJ, Black Enterprise, and PitchBook.

Previously, Henri was a Private Equity Investment Professional at ICV Partners, where he evaluated and conducted due diligence on mid-market buy-out opportunities. Before ICV, he was an Investment Banker in the Real Estate, Gaming & Lodging Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he completed mergers & acquisitions, debt refinances, and various strategic alternatives. Henri sat on a non-profit board, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, for two years.

He received his MBA from Harvard Business School and held a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and minors in Political Science and Business Institutions from Northwestern University. Henri is a Haitian-American originally from Detroit, MI. For fun, he plays basketball and travels around the globe with family and friends.

Contact at [email protected]

Visit our website TheStartupLifePodcast.com

Follow The Startup Life Podcast Facebook Page

Want gear from The Startup Life? Check out our gear!

Check out other great podcasts from The Binge Podcast Network.

Written by: Dominic Lawson

Executive Producers: Dominic Lawson and Kenda Lawson

Music Credits:

**Show Theme**

Behind Closed Doors - Otis McDonald

**Break Theme**

Cielo - Huma-Huma

Sponsors/Partners

Contact DR and Associates today for all of your marketing needs online at www.drandassociates.com, on social media, or at 615-933-3681

After Facebook removed the ability to modify link previews last year, a lot of social media managers have resorted to using image posts (with a link in the description) instead. However, click-through rates are 82% lower when using an image post versus a native link preview, so you're missing out on a lot of clicks when you are sharing content. ShareKit brings back the ability to craft the perfect link preview. This is because you get to customize your link without getting IT involved. With ShareKit, digital marketing managers can customize link previews on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Checkout Sharekit for higher click-through rates and cleaner posts.

Start your Target journey here!