CEO Podcasts: CEO Chat Podcast + I AM CEO Podcast Powered by Blue16 Media & CBNation.co

Gwendolyn Jones shares her insights from the conference, discussing how it reaffirmed her belief in the power of pursuing dreams and visions given by God.    Gwendolyn talks about her health struggles in her 50s, including weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression—all linked to stress.   As she lost weight and regained her health, she realized the importance of addressing belly fa...

Dominique of Baked Beans Bakeries explains that her aunt started her cupcake business to raise money for her son, who has developmental challenges with his limbs. Over time, the company became a passion project for her aunt. She later expanded to a food truck, which she plans to set up this summer.   Dominique explains that she initially considered making her baking business a non-profit, but real...

Gresham Harkless discusses the idea of disrupting business norms—challenging traditional methods and doing things differently, even when others may not always understand or approve.    Gresham points out that there’s no single approach to business and entrepreneurship, as each person’s perspective and method is valid, and everyone has their way of "upsetting the apple cart."   Gresham shares his j...

Gresham discusses how sometimes in life and business, you have to break things apart to make something new and better. This idea of “breaking eggs to make an omelet” symbolizes how, to progress, you might need to disrupt or change things completely.   He mentions that he is in the process of rethinking and rebuilding his digital marketing business, CBNation, and Blue Star.   After running the digi...

Gresham Harkless discusses the importance of celebrating small wins and understanding the incremental steps towards achieving success.    He shares insights from his digital marketing work, where he tracks important metrics such as impressions, engagement clicks, form fills, meetings, proposals, and closed business to monitor progress.   Gresham emphasizes the value of recognizing these smaller st...

Tremaine Wills is an MBA, financial services agency owner, certified financial education instructor, and financial planner. Her mission is to help individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations manage their finances better and escape financial stress.  She also aims to help one million people become accredited investors and grow their net worth to $1 million.   Tremaine has been featured in reputab...

Vernon Oakes hosts the leading weekly national radio program for the U.S. cooperative community and is a general partner in Everything Co-op Communications, LLC, a media company focused on cooperative business models.    Vernon shares his journey, starting with his upbringing in Bluefield, West Virginia, and his experience attending Bluefield State College.    He delved into real estate, property...

Dee McCoy is an event planner who worked with Akia on the design, décor, and aesthetic elements of the conference to make the environment engaging and visually pleasing, especially since it was a gloomy day outside.    Dee’s reasons for attending the event were threefold: to pour back into her business, to reconnect with her own work after focusing on clients' needs, and to introduce her daughter,...

Crystale Spearman is the founder of Eye Imagery, a photography business primarily focused on headshots for entrepreneurs and business owners.   Crystale organizes a monthly event called “Smize and Socialize” for female entrepreneurs, business owners, and bloggers, where they can network and get free headshots.   Crystale discusses Eye Imagery, focusing on her work with headshots, primarily for ent...

Gresham Harkless shares the harsh truth about sales in entrepreneurship – not every conversation will lead to a sale. It's crucial to accept that not every potential client will become a customer, no matter how much effort is put into the process.   Gresham discusses how candidates sometimes get cold feet due to the perceived risks, even when they see the opportunity and believe in the business.  ...

Gresham Harkless discusses how challenging it can be to stay motivated, even when doing something like working out. He compares this to the challenges faced in business, such as losing clients, broken systems, and missed deals.    He emphasizes the importance of not comparing oneself to others, which can lead to frustration and distraction.   Gresham shares a lesson from a coach who identified thr...

In this special episode, Gresham Harkless mentions how impatience can be both a superpower and a downfall for entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs often want success quickly, but sometimes they give up or pivot too soon before seeing the long-term results.   Gresham notes that consistency is significant in business success, particularly in franchising. He refers to people with backgrounds in the military...

Dan Craddock is a serial entrepreneur, running Sure Shot Screen Printing, launching a brewery called The Barking Barley, and having a creative agency, Metro Nova Creative.   Dan has been in the design and branding world for over 20 years. He’s passionate about making branding accessible to small business owners to help them succeed, believing that their success directly impacts community growth.  ...

Chloe Markham is an award-winning wellness coach, yoga teacher, and joyful living coach. She is the founder of The Yoga Revolution and Joy Unplugged, programs designed to promote mindfulness, movement, and mindset to help people experience happiness every day.    Chloe launched a Substack six months ago, where she writes about wellness, joy, and mindfulness, and she encourages others to join her t...

Ashley Mason founded Dash of Social, a digital marketing consultancy specializing in social media management, SEO, paid ads, and public relations. She focuses on service-based businesses. Outside of work, she enjoys running and reading.   Ashley explains how Trello has been a game-changer in her business. Initially a pen-and-paper person, she switched to digital tools for project management and lo...

Kisha A. Brown is a passionate civil rights attorney and the founder/CEO of Justis Connection, an online platform designed to connect lawyers of color with communities needing legal resources.    She has extensive experience across the federal, state, local, nonprofit, and private sectors and focuses on civil rights, police reform, and empowerment.   Kisha realizes that people often ask for legal...

Gresham Harkless shares that he wasn't always a runner and didn't enjoy it initially, but he started running after the tragic loss of a friend's daughter to cancer. This motivated him to participate in his first long-distance run for the Lynn Marie Foundation.   Gresham emphasizes the importance of "running your own race," focusing on personal growth rather than comparing yourself to others. He fo...

Gresham Harkless reflects on the challenges and transitions he's facing in his entrepreneurial journey, particularly as a franchise broker. He mentions the potential loss of a client, which could impact his team and business.   Gresham discusses the unpredictable nature of business and life, likening it to a plate of spaghetti, where things often change unexpectedly.   He acknowledges the difficul...

Gresham Harkless shares that he takes Wednesdays as a rest day, which he feels is crucial for recharging. He compares his need for rest to Jesus taking time off from his miracles, emphasizing the importance of rest in any journey.   Gresham reflects on his sales experience, explaining that rejection and indirect communication are part of the process.   Gresham reminds the importance of having a su...

Volodymyr (Vlad) Panchenko is a seasoned entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in the gaming industry and artificial intelligence.    He's the founder and CEO of Portal.ai, an AI-driven platform designed to act as a COO and CMO for businesses, transforming how companies approach marketing and operations.   Vlad founded DMarket, a platform for trading in-game items, which was acquired by My...

Darrick Horton is the founder and CEO of TensorWave, a leading AI compute and cloud solutions company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has a strong background in technology and has led successful startups focusing on data centers, cloud infrastructure, and semiconductor tech.   Darrick shares his early career at Lockheed Martin, where he worked on nuclear fusion technologies, but found the corporate...

John Lee Dumas, the founder and host of EO Fire (Entrepreneurs On Fire), an award-winning podcast with over 1,400 episodes and seven figures in annual revenue.   John explains how EO Fire has grown over the years, with 2,000 episodes and over 75 million listens to date.   He discusses the importance of providing value to the world, knowing that success will follow.   John emphasizes time blocking...

Patti Stewart is a proud mom, owner, and chief instructor at Defense in Heels, a program dedicated to keeping women and children safe.   Patti is a former model, and an internationally certified self-defense instructor, passionate about educating others, especially women and kids, on self-defense. Her mission is to change crime statistics by empowering individuals to protect themselves.   Patti sh...

Gresham Harkless shares his journey as a franchise broker, focusing on time management, entrepreneurship, and starting a business.    He emphasizes that many people delay taking action because they feel they need to have everything perfect and all their time available.    Gresham highlights the importance of focusing on the key activities that produce the most significant results rather than tryin...

In this special episode, Gresham Harkless shares how he was reminded that when people pray or manifest things, the answers may not come in the way they expect.    Gresham emphasizes the importance of being open to God's answers, even if they don’t align with one's expectations or desired methods.   He discusses his entrepreneurial journey, particularly in the franchise world, and how he’s learning...