#MeetCoolPeople

Most people think follow up is about timing and frequency. Send more emails. Make more calls. Stay visible. But that's not the real problem. The real problem is most people follow up without ever stopping to think about who they're talking to. This solo episode is drawn from the chapter about compassion in my book, The Follow Up Code. And it might be the piece that changes how you look at every pr...

Most founders reach a point where something feels off. The message isn't landing. The deals aren't closing. The brand feels like it belongs to someone else. So they do what seems logical. They call a designer and ask for a rebrand. Elise Bay says that's almost always the wrong move. Elise is a brand strategist who works with established founders who have outgrown where they started. She helps them...

Most people who want to write a book start with the wrong question. They ask, "How do I write this?" when the real question is, "Have I done the work that makes writing it possible?" I sat down with Bonnie Daneker, a book coach and publisher who has guided more than 120 authors through the process of getting their stories out of their heads and into print. She has been doing this for over 20 years...

I have known Drewbie Wilson for about four or five years now. We met through a group, and honestly the first thing that stood out about him was how easy he was to talk to. At an event once, I was going through a rough stretch and he just took a few minutes to sit with me and have a real conversation. That stuck. He wrote a book called Crushing the Day Before It Crushes You . He went from tech supp...

Why Being Honest Is Now Your Best Marketing Move People are exhausted. Fake reviews, inflated results, made-up income claims. It's everywhere. And honestly, I'm tired of it too. This episode is about something I've been thinking about a lot lately, especially with the launch of The Follow-Up Code. Honesty isn't just a virtue. Right now, it's the clearest way to stand out. This one digs into what h...

Are You Building Loyalty or Just Collecting Contacts? I talk to a lot of business owners who've given up on email. Open rates dropped. Nobody replied. They figured the tool was broken. The tool is fine. The relationship is the problem. This episode is a solo from me, pulled from the chapter about loyalty in my upcoming book, The Follow-Up Code. It comes down to one idea: people buy when they're re...

Why Integrity Isn't Just About Keeping Your Word There are two sides to integrity in business. Most people only think about one. The obvious side is doing what you say. Deliver what you promised. Show up. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Most of us get that part. The other side is where things get tricky. And it's the side that quietly kills your confidence when you ignore it. In th...

Why Most Follow-Up Fails Before It Even Starts When was the last time you followed up with someone and actually felt good about it? If that question made you pause, this episode is for you. Most follow-up fails, and it fails fast. Not because people forget to do it. It fails because of what people say when they do it. I've been working on something for several months now. My book, The Follow-Up Co...

Why "I'll Just Do It Myself" Is Costing You More Than You Think Most business owners don't have a task problem. They have a letting-go problem. I got to sit down with Cathy Baillargeon, founder and CEO of Virtual Cathy, and this one hit close to home. She runs a US-based virtual assistance agency built around support that actually moves the needle. Not just task work. The real right-hand-person re...

Why Your Business Feels So Heavy (And the 5 Principles That Fix It) Your business should feel lighter as it grows. For most founders, it feels heavier. More people. More meetings. More opinions. Less gets done. Nils Vinje has seen this repeat across companies of every size. The problem is almost never strategy. It is complexity. And the fix is simpler than you think. Nils is a business growth guid...

How a Carpet Cleaner Turned Disney Systems Into a Business Clients Can't Stop Talking About Your competitors have similar prices. Similar services. Similar websites. So why does the customer pick them over you? Most business owners assume it's about being cheaper or spending more on ads. It's not. It's about being memorable. And most businesses are doing absolutely nothing to create that. Vance Mo...

You planned the event. You set the date. You posted about it everywhere. And then almost nobody showed up. Or worse, they showed up, enjoyed the snacks, and disappeared without ever becoming a client. Most business coaches and entrepreneurs treat events like a box to check. Shaquille Telford treats them like a system. And the difference is everything. Episode Overview This episode is for coaches a...

Why Your Negative Self-Talk Is Killing Your Business (And How to Fix It) You're probably sabotaging your success without realizing it. Every time you think "I'm so far behind" or "I should have started earlier," you're reinforcing the exact patterns keeping you stuck. Your habitual thoughts are not passive observations. They're actively shaping your reality, your energy, and the opportunities you...

The Copywriter Who Refuses to Sound Like a Robot You just paid someone to write your social media content. It's polished. It's professional. It sounds like every other business page on the internet. Problem is, it sounds nothing like you. Your audience can tell. They scroll past because there's no soul behind the words. You're posting consistently, checking that box, but nobody's converting. You'v...

From Events to Assets: How to Turn Your Voice Into a Business You book the gig. You show up. You deliver your talk. People clap. Maybe a few grab your business card. And then... crickets. No leads. No follow-up. No clients. Just another speaking gig that looked good on LinkedIn but didn't do much for your business. Most speakers treat stages like one-off performances instead of business assets. Th...

Why the Most Valuable Business Lessons Come from Getting Uncomfortable You're stuck in the same routine, the same business problems, hoping something will change while refusing to make yourself uncomfortable. Jonathan Shkolnik has lived and worked across three continents. Tel Aviv to Moscow to Paraguay. Each move forced him to adapt and figure out what actually drives growth when you can't rely on...

Ever feel stuck trying to juggle everything at once and getting nowhere fast? That was the whole focus of today’s solo episode, and honestly, something I’ve battled myself. I kicked things off by exploring why “just in time” learning can save you from drowning in information overload. Most of us try to collect anything and everything, but our brains aren't built for that. Instead, I walked through...

How One Entrepreneur Turned Failed Ventures Into a 7-Figure Advisory Firm You've got a lawyer, an accountant, and a CFO. But they're all speaking different languages, and you're stuck playing translator while trying to run your business. Most founders between $3 million and $10 million hit this wall. Your advisors multiply, but nobody's connecting the dots. Your attorney says one thing, your CFO s...

This episode got real about something most people avoid. I sat down with Dr. Matt Markel, a guy who’s gone from entry-level engineer to running multi-billion dollar businesses in tech and defense. We met at the Writer’s Block Symposium and, honestly, I was hooked by his practical take on wealth and success. Matt’s book, “Anti-Preneur,” is small but packs a punch. He’s big on creating assets and sh...

This episode of the #MeetCoolPeople Podcast was one I couldn’t wait to share. Roger Jorns from Reanimation Design joined me for an honest conversation about websites, business growth, and why every contractor, coach, and consultant needs clarity online. We looked back at our web design roots, trading stories about the days of hand-coding, Netscape Navigator, and Dreamweaver. It’s wild how websites...

Hey, it’s Ely with another solo episode of the #MeetCoolPeople Podcast. Today, I wanted to share a quote that always sticks with me: “If you know the way broadly, you will see it in everything.” That’s from Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. It’s really about how focus changes what you notice in your daily life. This topic hits close to home as I reflect on the year. We often hear about the “l...

This episode of #MeetCoolPeople is something I've been looking forward to for a while! I sat down with David Newman, a certified speaking professional, top-ranked podcast host, and author of several books that I've had on my shelf for years. His latest, "Market Eminence," just dropped, and it's a major departure from his previous “Do It” series. David opened up about his decision to unscale his bu...

Today’s episode gave me a chance to sit down with Emmy award-winning broadcaster Kerry Barrett. If you’ve ever felt awkward talking on camera, this one’s for you. Kerry Barrett has more than two decades on air, and now guides professionals through looking and sounding confident on camera. We talked candidly about what holds most people back. It’s rarely the tech. It’s that uneasy feeling of speaki...

Today’s #MeetCoolPeople episode features Michael Buzinski. I first met Michael over BBQ in Dallas, and I’m glad we connected and kept in touch. Michael is a US Air Force veteran, bestselling author, host of a top marketing podcast, and the founder of Buzzworthy Strategies. His company helps B2B service firms escape random acts of marketing and build a system that actually drives qualified leads. H...

Today’s #MeetCoolPeople episode features a great conversation with Lauren Kwedar Cockerell, founder and president of Kwedar & Co. We actually met at an event and hit it off before I learned she was on the panel for podcasters. She’s got a long history in PR, helping B2B companies and purpose-driven leaders tell their stories in clear, honest ways. Lauren breaks down how PR has changed in the l...