Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast we welcome Mandy Maleta, founder of Assistant Solutions, to chat about the role of technology in entrepreneurship. Mandy shares her insights on using technology tools to create a white glove customer experience, the importance of scalable technology, and how to identify and fill gaps in your business. We'll discuss examples of popular software like HubSpot and ClickUp, and how to manage touchpoints with clients and leads using a CRM.

ABOUT MANDY

Mandy Maleta is a visionary entrepreneur who recognized the growing need for efficient, reliable, and flexible business support services in the digital age. With a passion for empowering businesses and professionals to reach their full potential, she embarked on a journey to redefine the landscape of online business managers.

With a keen eye for talent and a commitment to excellence, Mandy assembled a team of highly skilled individuals who possess a diverse range of expertise. Under her leadership, Assistant Solutions has flourished into a premier service provider, delivering top-notch administrative, creative, and technical solutions to clients worldwide.

Mandy's innovative approach to remote work and her dedication to fostering a collaborative environment have earned her recognition within the industry. Her relentless pursuit of excellence and her ability to adapt to ever-changing market demands have set Assistant Solutions apart from the competition.

Beyond her professional achievements, Mandy Maleta is also an advocate for work-life balance and personal development. She firmly believes that success is not solely measured by business accomplishments, but by the ability to find harmony between professional aspirations and personal well-being.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Assistant Solutions' website
• Mandy's LinkedIn

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, our host Brian Lofrumento is joined by negotiation expert Mark Mirra, founder of the company Aligned. Mark shares his decade of experience in negotiation training and consulting, and his mission to change the way the world negotiates. We cover a variety of topics, including the importance of negotiation in business, the different types of negotiations, and ways to practice and improve negotiation skills. Mark emphasizes the importance of establishing interest and needs first before starting negotiation, and offers suggestions for creative solutions beyond price adjustments. We also discuss the importance of communication and the role of vulnerability in personal and business growth. Join us for an insightful conversation on the art of negotiation and problem-solving!

ABOUT MARK:

Mark is the brains behind Aligned. With a decade's worth of experience in negotiation across all major sectors, he knows what it takes to get the best deals for his clients. His no- nonsense approach has seen him exceed growth targets and develop negotiation solutions for clients all over the world. When he's not shaking things up at the negotiating table, you'll find him enjoying a Formula 1 race or heading for a workout.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Aligned's website
• Aligned's LinkedIn
• Mark's LinkedIn

In today's episode we'll talk about the most valuable lesson I've ever learned as an entrepreneur, and how it happened on a night where I was at my most doubtful and critical.

Brian Carmody has led and grown, as owner and president, a small regional manufacturer to nationwide sales that include huge enterprises like the US Veterans Administration, United Health Group, Google, and Amazon. He has led the multimillion dollar company to the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Companies three times tripling revenue and lowering the break-even point by a whopping 80%. He’s also authored five books about business growth, and his 300 articles have been featured on Investopedia.com, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. He serves on the advisory boards of several companies.

Now Brian coaches businesses as The Profit Finder. He shows owners, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs a step-by-step process to increase profit, revenue, and valuation by making multiple small changes that compound into big results, without gambling on paid advertising.

Visit Brian's business website at TheProfitFinders.com, his personal website at BrianCarmody.me, and access all the goodies he talks about in today's episode at app.theprofitfinders.com/w2e

Together, Juan Hernandez and Christian Paula co-founded Button Up Media, a Miami, FL-based full-service marketing company specializing in restaurant-focused marketing. Button Up Media assists restaurants in building a strong community around their business by offering the most creative and effective organic social media content. The company also provides paid media strategy and management, website building, newsletter marketing, Google My Business optimization, and print design services.

Juan Hernandez is an alumnus of Florida International University, where he obtained a B.S in Digital Media Marketing. During his college years, he honed his foundational skills and expanded his network through various connections. He joined a student-run full-service advertising agency that motivated him to establish his own agency during his final year in college. Juan is passionate about studying history, cars, and films, which led him to develop an interest in photography and video production.

Christian Paula is an alumnus of FSU who discovered his passion for advertising and specialized in photography through his friend Juan Hernandez. Juan had purchased a DSLR camera in high school, and Christian was one of his first subjects for photography. This experience sparked Christian's interest in photography, leading him to purchase a DSLR camera of his own. He later grew his skills as a portrait photographer and engaged in friendly competition with Juan to take the best pictures, which further piqued his interest in advertising and marketing photography and videography while studying at FSU.

Visit their business website at https://www.buttonupmedia.com/

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, we explore how job seekers (and entrepreneurs looking to stand out in a sea of proposals!) can succeed in a highly competitive marketplace. Our guest, Peri Ginsberg, CEO and founder of Workforce Ready Now, shares her insights on how to stand out from the crowd while applying for jobs and in interviews. You'll also hear how employers can ensure the success of entry-level talent by implementing mentorship programs to build confidence and support risk-taking.

This episode is filled with tips and strategies for job seekers, including using multiple pathways to connect with individuals at the company, sending customized videos with job applications, and researching the company to demonstrate interest and attention to detail in cover letters. Additionally, we explore the importance of interview preparation, likability, and relatability. Tune in to learn how to leverage communication tools and coaching to effectively succeed in your job search.

ABOUT PERI

Workforce Ready Now is the brainchild of Peri Ginsberg. Peri brings 10+ years full-desk recruitment experience for start-up, private, PE/VC, and publicly traded organizations. Prior to her recruitment career, Peri gained noteworthy corporate experience as a Mergers and Acquisitions Systems Specialist with Andersen Consulting, Director of IT and Portfolio Manager with Office Depot, and brings previous entrepreneurial experience building and operating a chain of high-end children's salons. Peri obtained her Bachelors and Masters from Cornell University.

Throughout her career, Peri noticed that students, upon graduating from college, were overwhelmingly underprepared to navigate their way into the workforce. Peri married her extensive corporate America and hiring expertise with her passion for working with young adults, to build a modern methodology to provide workforce readiness coaching. Thus the birth of Workforce Ready Now.

Peri lives in Boca Raton, FL with her husband and is the proud mother of two children; one currently attending Northeastern University and one at Florida State University.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Workforce Ready Now
• Peri's LinkedIn

On this episode of The Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast, we're joined by the brilliant Alexander Biega (owner of Your Scale Source) to talk about the effectiveness and ROI of direct response marketing. Alexander explains how to strategically approach ads by understanding your customers' wants and needs, and shares how focusing on maximizing lifetime customer value is a key factor to a successful campaign. We also dive into the psychology of marketing, including how to use psychological triggers to make your campaigns more effective. If you are looking to get started with understanding which channels you should be marketing on (including real life Google Ads examples from Alexander!) and want to avoid wasting money, you'll hear valuable advice on how to create a logical sales funnel to sustain attention and channel desires.

ABOUT ALEXANDER

Alexander Biega started out as a nonconformist kid with an entrepreneurial spirit who dropped out of high school and got into landscaping. He eventually went on to get his GED, went to community college, and graduated in two years while running his landscaping business. While in college, he met a girl who suggested he get paid to write. He Googled and discovered copywriting, which he found to be similar to writing love poems. He excelled at it and learned everything about marketing, strategy, and design. Today, Alexander is an accomplished copywriter whose company has helped businesses generate over $100m in sales.

LINKS & RESOURCES:

• Your Scale Source
• Alexander's LinkedIn

In today's episode we'll talk about very important concepts when it comes to your marketing and messaging, and how embracing basic human behavior and psychology will help your marketing and copy to stand out in a crowded marketplace. We'll be using an excerpt from Seth Godin's book "This is Marketing" to illustrate the importance of this point.

ABOUT JON

Jon Osting is the Founder of Startup Sales Shop, a company that specializes in helping small businesses and startups in the B2B sector enhance their presence on LinkedIn in an affordable manner. His mission is to enable these businesses to scale up their operations. Through the use of buying intent data, automation tools, and AI, Jon is able to assist small business owners and founders to increase their number of booked meetings with prospects by a staggering 300% week over week. His innovative strategies and expertise in the field of LinkedIn marketing have helped numerous businesses to achieve their goals and expand their operations.

Visit Jon's business website at StartupSalesShop.com

In today's episode we're joined by the enthusiastic and personable Jon Osting to talk about his strategies and approach when it comes to targeted outreach efforts and booking meetings with the RIGHT people. Jon discusses how to effectively use buying intent data to reach potential clients, the importance of a human touch in messaging, and the benefits of combining automation with manual outreach efforts. Additionally, Jon drops some knowledge bombs on how to optimize your LinkedIn page and tagline.

ABOUT JON

Jon Osting is the Founder of Startup Sales Shop, a company that specializes in helping small businesses and startups in the B2B sector enhance their presence on LinkedIn in an affordable manner. His mission is to enable these businesses to scale up their operations. Through the use of buying intent data, automation tools, and AI, Jon is able to assist small business owners and founders to increase their number of booked meetings with prospects by a staggering 300% week over week. His innovative strategies and expertise in the field of LinkedIn marketing have helped numerous businesses to achieve their goals and expand their operations.

Visit Jon's business website at StartupSalesShop.com