Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, host Brian Lofrumento interviews James Maxwell, the CEO of The Social Seeds, a full-stack marketing agency that focuses on organic sustainable growth through social media marketing. They discuss the importance of having a goal and plan in place, using reverse engineering to break down steps and prioritize tasks, and finding a good balance between budget, time, and goals for sustainable growth. The guest shares his background as an entrepreneur and how he uses his passion for technology and tools to help businesses get a following. They also emphasize the importance of being specific to the service area and being responsive to clients. Join the conversation about understanding the goals and trajectory of your business to achieve success.

ABOUT JAMES

James Maxwell is the owner and CEO of The Social Seeds marketing company, a new up and coming marketing company focused around organic sustainable growth through social media marketing to support and help businesses grow in the digital age. Using cutting edge tools from AI to all in one management software they keep you and your business up to date with a digital landscape that is always growing and changing.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Visit The Social Seeds' website
• Find James on LinkedIn

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, host Brian Lofrumento sits down with Kristen Brun, an executive leadership coach with 15 years of experience in advertising tech and marketing. Kristen's unique approach combines business and leadership frameworks with principles from improv theater to help her clients accelerate their impact. They discuss the impact of improv on personal growth, team dynamics, and business trajectories, as well as the importance of self-grace, failure, and creating a safe space for failure to happen. The episode also features practical tips for incorporating mindfulness into daily life and workflows, as well as a creativity exercise called "What's Under Your Chair". Stay tuned to receive actionable takeaways for entrepreneurs and business leaders.

ABOUT KRISTEN

Kristen Brun is an executive and leadership coach and corporate facilitator who previously spent 15 years leading teams in advertising tech and marketing at companies ranging from early-stage startup to Fortune 100. Today she helps technology leaders advance their careers, make better decisions, execute change effectively, develop innovative solutions and successfully engage their teams.

She is an ICF-credentialed coach (considered the gold standard) and has a Master’s degree in Management, Strategy and Leadership from Michigan State University. Her unique approach combines evidence-based business and leadership frameworks with principles and skills from improvisational theatre in order to help her clients accelerate their impact.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Emboldify's website
• Find Kristen on LinkedIn
• Get your hands on Kristen's FREE guide to Becoming an Adlib Leader

In today's episode we'll talk about why it seems like everyone else find success to come with such ease and how we can learn from their stories and strategies to write our own success path.

Pearl Michalson a military veteran with over 20 years of combined career experience helping people use their voice in complex situations and advising team leaders on how to support those voices. It's about more than that for her. As someone who is solutions oriented she has a B.A. in Organizational Communication and a Master's in Organizational Leadership with a strong emphasis on servant leadership. She was in the PBS documentary the last artifact, and once advised the previous Mayor of the City of Bozeman to remember why he became Mayor in the first place: to serve the people during a particularly arduous time.

Pearl's company, Thanks Imaging, is a people-centric company specializing in conflict resolution and media. They believe that being heard means being seen. They focus on supporting students, women, diverse generations, and underrepresented groups who often feel the pressure to conform in order to be acknowledged. Thanks Imaging recognizes the emotional toll of this dynamic and aims to create a supportive environment. They value the importance of understanding individuals, building meaningful connections, and finding balance. Their goal is to provide a space where authenticity and professionalism coexist, ensuring everyone is genuinely seen, heard, and valued.

Catch Pearl's full interview on The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast in Episode 620.

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, host Brian Lofrumento brings on President of Breakthrough Strategies Group, Thomas Chappell, to discuss everything from identifying growth opportunities to attracting the right audience. In this episode, listeners will learn about the importance of having valuable bait, understanding revenue concentration, practicing leadership, and becoming a futurist. The podcast will also cover fresh insights from Thomas that listeners may not be able to see with their own eyes. So whether you're an entrepreneur looking to narrow down your niche or a business leader trying to reimagine organizational possibilities, this episode has something for you.

ABOUT THOMAS

Thomas Chappell began his career as a child actor, touring with a regional act. This experience sparked his interest in business, as he learned about contracts and the importance of fine print. By age seventeen, he had become savvy in contract negotiations. After serving in the military, he traveled the world and visited various businesses. He found that businesses, whether small or large, all need a pipeline, revenue, access to workers, and an understanding of financial metrics. This applies even to government organizations. Chappell has since used his knowledge to help businesses better understand these important aspects of finance and operations.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Breakthrough Strategies Group's website
• Find Thomas on LinkedIn!
• Get your hands on Thomas's FREE guide on the "5 Common Fast Growth Traps"

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, host Brian Lofrumento is joined by Pearl Michalson, a military veteran and expert in helping individuals find their voice in complex situations. They discuss the importance of unlocking the voices of employees and clients, recognizing body language cues, and considering different perspectives. They also touch on the topics of mental health, conflict resolution, and building common ground to create a positive work environment. Listeners will learn how to address conflicts and speak up effectively, as well as how to believe in themselves and focus on the impact they are making.

ABOUT PEARL

Pearl Michalson a military veteran with over 20 years of combined career experience helping people use their voice in complex situations and advising team leaders on how to support those voices. It's about more than that for her. As someone who is solutions oriented she has a B.A. in Organizational Communication and a Master's in Organizational Leadership with a strong emphasis on servant leadership. She was in the PBS documentary the last artifact, and once advised the previous Mayor of the City of Bozeman to remember why he became Mayor in the first place: to serve the people during a particularly arduous time.

ABOUT THANKS IMAGING

Thanks Imaging is a people-centric company specializing in conflict resolution and media. They believe that being heard means being seen. They focus on supporting students, women, diverse generations, and underrepresented groups who often feel the pressure to conform in order to be acknowledged. Thanks Imaging recognizes the emotional toll of this dynamic and aims to create a supportive environment. They value the importance of understanding individuals, building meaningful connections, and finding balance. Their goal is to provide a space where authenticity and professionalism coexist, ensuring everyone is genuinely seen, heard, and valued.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Thanks Imaging's website
• Thanks Imaging on Instagram
• Thanks Imaging on LinkedIn
• Find Pearl on LinkedIn!

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, host Brian Lofrumento speaks with storytelling expert Hari Kumar about using storytelling in marketing. They share personal experiences and insights into the power of relatable storytelling, and give tips on how to build and grow storytelling skills. The episode covers various aspects of storytelling, including finding inspiration, adding detail, and using supporting characters. They also discuss the importance of intentionality and practice in developing a story library and becoming a better storyteller over time. If you're interested in using storytelling to enhance your marketing strategy or become a better communicator, this episode is a must-listen!

ABOUT HARI

Hari's bio kinda has a storyteller's journey. You can think of it as being in three parts: Act 1: Hari the engineer -- 10 years as an engineer, with a master's degree in engineering. Act 2: Hari the academic -- 10 years as a humanities scholar and storyteller, with a master's degree in communication. Then Act 3: Hari the sales storytelling coach -- 5 years in the tech industry, working at MathWorks, Slack, and Salesforce.

Which brings him to 2022 and Act 4, when he makes the jump to entrepreneurship and starts his own consulting company. There were of course many twists and turns in the story, and certainly more will come ahead. His own roots and routes include India, Yemen, and 26 consecutive winters in New England, where he now lives in the Berkshire mountains of Western Massachusetts.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Find Hari's website at StoryCoach.io
• Add Hari on Instagram @haritellastory

In today's episode we're going to talk about the ONE ingredient behind every entrepreneurial success story that we NEVER talk about.

Dr. Jared Sinclair is the Founder and CEO of Sinclair Performance Institute®, where he provides performance improvement, change management, leadership development, and capacity-building solutions for individuals and businesses. Dr. Sinclair is an accomplished scholar-practitioner with over 25 years of experience leading, managing, and directing specialized teams across various industries, and with a Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership and an M.B.A. in Financial Management, Dr. Sinclair draws on a depth of knowledge in topics of leadership, change management, finance, performance improvement, and enhancing capacity for growth.

Over the past 7 years, he has brought his coaching, training, and leadership expertise to multiple industries, including the dental industry, successfully coaching and consulting professionals, managers, and executives, helping to bring clarity to chaos, facilitating change initiatives and transitions, and improving organizational performance. Dr. Sinclair is husband to an incredibly talented dentist and father to fun and energetic boys and is resides in San Diego County, CA.

Catch Dr Jared's full interview on the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast in Episode 615.

In this episode we're joined by the analytical and brilliant Duan Uys, CEO and founder of Qubix Data Solutions, to talk about the power of data in business decisions and emerging technologies. We'll delve into how data can be used to augment business decisions and the limitations of technology like AI. Our conversation today also touches on the importance of unbiased data and considering context in data analysis. Duan also shares insights on deploying no-code software programs, integrating AI tools like ChatGPT, and creating scalable data solutions for businesses. Plus, Duan shares how Qubix Data Solutions specializes in creating centralized and future-proof data warehousing services, perfect for growing businesses and entrepreneurs.

ABOUT DUAN

Duan Uys, MS, is the CEO and Founder of Qubix Data Solutions. With a strong background in data analysis and software development, Duan embarked on his data journey during his post-graduate career, where he had the opportunity to work with satellite data. He then transitioned into the O&G industry as an analyst, automating various aspects of his job, including custom ETL pipelines, data warehouses, and building software to predict estimated EBITDA from sales. Duan went on to establish the R&D department at his previous company and gained valuable experience in embedded technologies, writing firmware, and collaborating with electronic engineers.

Following the impact of COVID, Duan joined a forward-thinking law firm with tech aspirations and played a pivotal role in developing a powerful SaaS product, architecting their entire backend. Today, he leads Qubix Data Solutions in providing high-quality, scalable data solutions to the market. Holding a Master of Science in Geophysics, Duan has a keen interest in emerging technologies, such as AI tools and quantum computing, and how they can fit into his tech stack.

Duan believes in the interconnectedness of the world, embracing the power of pattern recognition to understand the underlying connections among various topics, technologies, and ideas. This unique mindset enables him to strip away complexities and uncover the essence of what makes each technology or concept unique, ultimately giving him a more profound insight into the world.

LINKS & RESOURCES

• Qubix Data Solutions' website
• Find Qubix on LinkedIn
• Find Duan on LinkedIn