Lucinda Duncalfe, serial tech founder, CEO, and non-profit board member, is an expert when it comes to founding companies, navigating the executive search process, and coaching other executives. With more than 20 years of experience in the tech world, she brings insight into the progress made thus far—and the progress still to go to improve diversity in company leadership.

In this episode of the WorkSmart podcast, we dive deep into the topic of executive search firms and why you need them in your life. “You don’t have a chance to win the game if you don’t even know there is a game happening,” Duncalfe says. By the end of the episode, you’ll find the crucial tips you need to know for leveling up in your career.

To connect with Lucinda Duncalfe click here: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindaduncalfe/

To connect with Morgan click here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/ 

To purchase your ticket to CEO Spring Break click here:  https://www.ceospringbreak.com/register 

We have an announcement!

We're launching CEO Spring Break - a first-of-its-kind retreat this April in Nashville, Tennessee.

Listen to this quick episode to hear about the event, who it's for, and how you can get involved. 

Make sure to join the waitlist https://www.ceospringbreak.com/ to find out as soon as registration opens and tickets go on sale!

In this week’s episode of the WorkSmart podcast, Morgan covers everything you need to know about getting media coverage for your business in the new year. Pitching your company is key to building your brand—but the secret is pitching well. 

To start, you need to make your goals for gaining media coverage clear and intentional. Why do you want the press?  From there, you can start crafting pitches for the publications, creators, podcasts and more that you have in mind—but that’s just the beginning. 

She also talks about building brand awareness amongst your target consumer and how to gain visibility amongst investors, the art of writing an interesting pitch, how to properly follow up, and more. 

Click here to subscribe to the WorKSmart Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-worksmart-podcast-with-morgan-debaun/id1547363866 

Click here to follow the WorkSmart Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworksmartpodcast/ 

Click here to subscribe to the newsletter and be first to know when a new episode drops: www.morgandebaun.com/podcast 

In this episode, Morgan sits down with Grammy-winning artist, songwriter, and angel investor, NE-YO. Morgan and NE-YO have a beyond the music conversation about the realities of the music industry, what his day-to-day team looks like, his investment strategy, and he shares his advice as a veteran in the industry for artists and creatives who want to build lasting careers. 

Click here to follow NE-YO: https://www.instagram.com/neyo/?hl=en 

Click here to follow the WorkSmart Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/theworksmartpodcast/ 

Click here to subscribe to the newsletter and be first to know when a new episode drops: https://morgandebaun.com/podcast/ 

In this episode, Morgan sits down with her friend and 2019 WorkSmart alum Ernest B. James to discuss the creator economy and monetizing content. EJ opens up about the lessons he learned in the program and how he’s grown and transformed his business over the past two years. As the Founder and Chief Management Officer of Noire Management, a full-service multicultural digital influencer, talent, marketing, and communications agency, EJ has grown his agency well beyond the talent management business that it started as in 2018.

Beyond simply managing influencers and talent, Noire is now a growing consultancy and retainer-based agency. Noire champions diversity and inclusive narratives and experiences through talent representation, campaigns, and event executions. It also connects creatives of color with brands looking to bridge the communication gap in order to create authentically engaging content that resonates with today's highly informed consumer groups. 

This conversation is full of wisdom and advice for content creators, talent agencies—and anyone considering building and monetizing their personal brand. I hope you enjoy the episode!

To connect with EJ and Noire Management click here: https://www.instagram.com/noiremgmt/?hl=en 

To access this episode’s freebie and check out previous episodes, click here: https://morgandebaun.com/podcast/

To connect with Morgan click here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/ 

There’s still some time to enroll for the final WorkSmart cohort of this year. Click here to get your application in: worksmartapplication.com

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by WorkSmart alum and professional ghostwriter, Nakia J.S. Thomas. In 2014, Nakia founded a small writing company that organically transformed and grew into what’s now a six-figure full-service creative agency. Today, as the founder and CEO of Few Editorial & Creative Suite, she and her team partner with high-profile entrepreneurs, executives, influencers, and small-to-large businesses and organizations across the country, providing brand development and design, copywriting and editing, podcast studio services, and one-on-one book ghostwriting.

Nakia shares her personal story of scaling her business from freelancing to full-service, building a team of high-performers, developing and prospecting new business opportunities, and stepping into the role of CEO. Are you currently a solopreneur or freelancer who is interested in starting an agency or expanding your service offerings? This is the episode for you!

We’re in the final week of enrollment for the September cohort of the WorkSmart Program. Are you ready to scale your company and build out your network with like-minded entrepreneurs? Click here to apply: https://worksmart.mykajabi.com/application

Have questions about WorkSmart? DM Morgan here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/

In this series, Morgan sits down with small business owners and WorkSmart alumni to explore how they have scaled their businesses, grown their teams, and adjusted their business models to achieve new levels of success. 

Andrea Pitter, Designer and Founder of Pantora Inc. joins us this week to share more about her entrepreneurial journey. Andrea is a force and inspiration in an industry that often lacks inclusivity and representation for the independent Black design entrepreneur. She launched Pantora Bridal in 2009 and opened a flagship store in Brooklyn a few years later. As she expands her brand to include additional brick and mortar stores, her commitment to representing the unrepresented in mainstream bridal is continuing to take center stage.

Andrea is the most recent winner of Making the Cut, was on the cover of the Spring 2021 issue of the Knot, and has launched a ready-to-wear collection that is available in the Amazon Fashion Store.

As an alum of the WorkSmart Program, Andrea is able to share the biggest lessons she’s learned along the way. Listen for an honest conversation between two founders/entrepreneurs, the challenges they face in business, and advice they would give to aspiring entrepreneurs. 

To apply to the WorkSmart Program click here: https://worksmart.mykajabi.com/application

To shop Pantora click here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/996F67D5-C720-4D03-99CF-3B59AB07482C

To connect with Andrea Pitter click here: https://www.instagram.com/andrea_pittercampbell/?hl=en

Have questions about WorkSmart? DM Morgan here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/

We're kicking off a multi-part Entrepreneur Series, highlighting WorkSmarters and their business journeys from hiring a team to scaling their revenue.

Over the coming weeks, you'll get to listen in on conversations between Morgan service- and product-based entrepreneurs. They'll talk about their business models, their team structure, and why they joined the WorkSmart Program. You'll also hear Morgan coach them in real-time through their current business challenges.

These episodes are jam-packed with gems and implementable action steps for any current and aspiring entrepreneurs. Get a BTS into the WorkSmart program and its 5 milestones and take notes - because this series will help elevate you and your business to the next level.

In this episode, Morgan chats with Tivi Jones, founder and CEO of the creative studio Hey Awesome Girl. Tivi is a marketing communications executive with experience leading multi-functional marketing teams for media companies, nonprofits, government agencies, and more. Tivi was a member of the September 2020 WorkSmart Cohort. Since WorkSmart, Tivi has been able to grow her team from 3 employees to 10 and her client billing from about $15,000 to $50,000 per month and she is still working to implement the gems learned in WorkSmart.

To apply to the WorkSmart September Cohort click here: https://worksmart.mykajabi.com/application

To connect with Tivi and Hey Awesome Girl click here: https://www.instagram.com/tivijones/

Questions before applying to the program? DM Morgan on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/

Have you ever wondered what it's like to build a media company in the modern age? Or perhaps what the future of content creation will look like? In today's episode of WorkSmart, Morgan chats with Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of theSkimm. 

They share how they grew The Skimm to one of the most influential media platforms for this generation of women, and how they thought about branding, scale, and mission at every stage of growing their business.

Click here for detailed Show Notes and to download this episode's Freebie: https://morgandebaun.com/?p=4923

Click here to listen to the 9 to 5ish Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/qcfOmZ_X?sid=WorkSmart

Click here to learn more about theSkimm: https://www.theskimm.com/

Click here to connect with Carly and Danielle: https://www.instagram.com/carlyanddanielle/

Get a Behind-the-Scenes look into Morgan's WorkSmart Advising Program. Find out why she launched a coaching program, how she built the program, and how you can, too. After years of receiving requests for one-on-one coaching by other entrepreneurs and small business owners, Morgan decided to create WorkSmart to provide coaching to multiple business owners in a cohort setting. Since then, she has advised over 40 business owners on how to successfully scale and grow their businesses. Tune into this episode to get a look behind the curtains and find out why online coaching programs are the future within the creator economy.

To learn more about WorkSmart and apply for the next cohort, click here: worksmartapplication.com

To connect with Morgan, click here: https://www.instagram.com/morgandebaun/

To join the WorkSmart Facebook Community, click here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WorksmartProgram