Tough Things First

The pandemic taught many companies that work-from-home was a viable option for many employees. Some companies went all the way. In this Tough Things First podcast, Gerry Sweeney, CEO of Hornbill, a cloud-based provider of workflow management solutions, discusses with Ray Zinn, the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley, how his company cancelled their corporate HQ office lease after a […]

When should businesses borrow? That question is prime in their era of very cheap money. Ray Zinn, Silicon Valley’s longest serving CEO, knows and tells you now. Guy Smith: Hello again, and welcome to another episode of the Tough Things First Podcast. I’m your guest host for today, Guy Smith. And as always, we’re picking the brain, the wisdom, the […]

Ray Zinn, the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley has seen business disasters come and go, and dodged many of them. In this episode of the Tough Things First podcast, Ray discusses how to plan for unplannable disasters, and even the common ones. Guy Smith: Hello again, and welcome to another episode of the Tough Things First Podcast. I’m your […]

Sales drives revenue. But selling has changed when the internet and technology made mass marketing available to everyone. In this Tough Things First podcast episode, Ray Zinn is in conversation with Aleks Gollu, CEO of 11Sight, to discuss sales effectiveness in the 21st century. Ray Zinn: Hello, everyone. Welcome to another fantastic Tough Things First podcast, it’s great to be here with you […]

Board Members come and go, but navigating a working relationship with board members good and bad is a constant. In this Tough Things First Podcast, Ray Zinn, who has experienced everything when it comes to boards, provides some profitable insights. Rob Artigo: Rob Artigo here, your guest host for another edition of the Tough Things First podcast with Ray Zinn. […]

Consultants can be helpful experts, but sometimes they show up to fill a need for which there’s purpose. In this Tough Things First Podcast, Ray Zinn discusses when consultants make sense and how to decide when the time is right. Rob Artigo: Rob Artigo here once again, your guest host for this edition of the Tough Things First podcast. I’m […]

The stakeholders in business aren’t just in boardrooms or corner offices, they are in every room in your business and well beyond the walls. Who are these people, should any one stakeholder come first? Ray Zinn answer that complicated question in this latest edition of the Tough Things First podcast. Rob Artigo: I’m Rob Artigo. I’m your guest host for […]

Hungry and inspired. It’s a good way to start an ambitious task, but whether you’re launching a start-up or trying to impress the boss, stretching yourself beyond your physical and mental means could have diminishing returns. In his episode of the Tough Thing First podcast, Ray Zinn explores the signs of burnout. Rob Artigo: Welcome to this edition of the […]

There are good aspects to Silicon Valley culture. Ray Zinn, the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley knows what they are and tells how to bring them into your community. Guy Smith: Hello again, and welcome to another and a very exciting episode of the Tough Things First Podcast. I’m your guest host today, Guy Smith. As always, we’re sucking […]

Ray Zinn, the longest serving CEO in Silicon Valley, discusses the history of silicon as only he can, having watched it from Shockley to Facebook. In Part XII, Ray, Goldman Sachs analyst Peter Marchetti, and Silicon Valley vet Guy Smith, close this series by exploring the current state of Silicon Valley and where semiconductor and all high tech may be […]