Growth Think Tank

Leadership can be difficult and even unnatural at times. The ups and downs come fast at you. One crucial factor in handling all of this is being a humble leader. It takes a dose of patience for sure to be a humble leader. Today's guest is Shaun Sexton, Founder at Skynet Innovations. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1742 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Skynet Innovations is an information technology con...

Deliberate growth may seem obvious to all leaders, but many are not willing to put in the work it takes for it to happen. Today's guest is Carol Daniel, President at QTEC Aerospace. Inc Magazine ranked her company #4880 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. QTEC provides an in-depth understanding of engineering, project management, engineering analysis, and operations/logistics – across life cycles and domai...

Growth will always require discovering new strategies and shifts in your mindset. Many leaders are not willing to make time to find new ideas. Today's guest is Todd Conklin, CEO & Head Coach at Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties. Inc Magazine ranked his company #3522 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Coldwell Banker Distinctive Properties and Coldwell Banker Commercial Prime Properties is a family of...

Innovation takes a different style of leadership. When you want to empower employees to innovate, you want to create a place of psychological safety. This means that failure is part of the path. This is an absolute requirement when innovation is the goal. Today's guest is Keith Murphy, CEO & Founder at Astrawatt Solar. Astrawatt Solar specializes in the design, engineering, and installation of pre...

Many leaders are afraid to share everything with their people. I talk to so many CEOs who embrace sharing almost everything with their people that I believe it is essential. The value of transparency can't be overlooked if you want your employees to feel like owners. Today's guest is Liz Steblay, Founder & President at PrōKo Agency. Inc Magazine ranked his company #4610 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list....

Leading through innovation is required if you want to be a market leader. The skills to drive new ideas to market that make a difference for your clients will give you an advantage over your peers. Today's guest is Kathleen Brunner, President & CEO at Acumen Analytics. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1597 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Acumen is an innovation leader, helping Life Sciences win the rac...

Every business wants to make money. However, when you believe mission is more than important than money, you will create a company that makes a difference. The by-product is also likely to a business that drives incredible profits. Today's guest is Kevin Stoller, Co-Founder & President at Kay-Twelve. Inc Magazine ranked his company #2174 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Kay-Twelve helps educational lead...

Every business will face a change in strategy at some point. The skills of leading through challenging times will align your resources and give everyone hope for better times. Today's guest is Noah Dentzel, CEO & Co-founder at Nomad Goods. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1523 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Nomad is a consumer electronics and lifestyle products company based in Santa Barbara, Californ...

Navigating a business pivot requires strong leadership so that people stay aligned. Businesses often have to change strategies. The challenge that you must address when navigating a business pivot is how do you make sure the people believe it is possible. Today's guest is Guy Ironi, CEO at NutriFresh Services. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1324 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. NutriFresh Services is...

Every leader wants to create an amazing team. For many, they believe it is something that they need to do to make it work. The reality is you have to also look at what is getting in the of having a great team environment. Today's guest is Paul Goldman, CEO & Founder at Muserk. Inc Magazine ranked his company #779 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Muserk is a leader in modern global rights management for...

Every CEO understands the battles of managing priorities. Discover the power of focus and how it is applied to company growth. Today's guest is Jon Elwell, CEO at Kno2. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1544 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Kno2 is empowering healthcare technology vendors to finally realize the potential of true interoperability by unleashing connectivity everywhere, bringing patients an...

Company values are the culture's operating system. Having a values-centric organization means you are operationalizing your values. Today's guest is Susan Acker-Walsh, CEO & Co-founder at CREO. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1593 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. CREO's management consulting and advisory services empower life science, healthcare, and technology companies to solve growth challenges. Sus...

CEOs want to create inclusive cultures and provide a strong sense of belonging. One part of that kind of culture is conscientious participation. Discover how this plays a role in company growth. Today's guest is John Spencer, CEO & Co-founder at BrainGu. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1468 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. BrainGu develops custom DevSecOps software that enables mission success and boas...

Every company that aims to innovate must have a culture of game-changers. It is not one person that drives innovation -- it takes a team to scale innovation. Today's guest is Paul Wiltshire, CEO & Founder at Songtradr. Inc Magazine ranked his company #31 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. The Songtradr group is a one-stop music solution company that provides strategic and creative music expertise to globa...

One critical part of company growth is hiring the right people. The market for talent is a challenge for many CEOs. Hiring the right people is not part of the solution - it is the solution. Today's guest is Spencer Hadelman at CEO at Advantage Marketing. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1484 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Advanta Marketing is a Chicago-based marketing and media agency that has demonst...

Learn critical elements of the neuroscience of leadership to be a better leader. Leadership is not just execution and getting things done. When you understand the neuroscience of leadership, you will lead with more power. Today's guest is Dr. Alok Trivedi. Inc Magazine ranked his company #672 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Dr. Alok Trivedi is a consulting company that helps entrepreneurs and leaders b...

Beyond responsibility, you have a state where people feel like owners. This does not require financial ownership like profit sharing or options. I have seen powerful benefits when you give people ownership. Today's guest is Brent Gibson, President at Construction Simplified. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1392 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Construction Simplified provides construction and consultin...

CEOs must do many things. However, great CEOs know how to build strong relationships. Even with all the strategies to navigate and execution to oversee, relationships with others are essential to company growth. Today's guest is David Nour, who is an executive coach. David and I talk about why CEOs must build strong relationships. We look at what gets in the way of these relationships. Discover ho...

If things are not right at home, it impacts your life at work. As a leader, you want to make sure you can lead effectively at home so you can focus on work when at work. Today's guest is Yummii Nguyen, who is a coach to parents. We talk about understanding your kids and conscious parenting. Yummii also connects the dots with how business performance and parenting go together. Discover new strategi...

Fast-growth companies get lots of things right. One little unknown aspect is how the leaders create a feeling of ownership throughout the company. I have researched this topic for years and love to discuss the concept of employees having the feeling of ownership with other founders. Today's guest is Sandy Posa, Founding Partner at Force of Nature. Inc Magazine ranked his company #405 on the 2021 I...

Great companies focus on creating massive value for their clients. One part of that is having employers that are client advisors. Today's guest is Abhijit "AV" Verekar, President & CEO at Avèro Advisors. Inc Magazine ranked his company #721 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Avèro Advisors is an "end to end" information technology advisory firm that positions our clients for success through the effective...

Do you have big audacious goals? Discover how to create the unimaginable with our special guest. Keri Ford is the founder and CEO at Elevate with Keri. This elite transformational coaching movement is dedicated to serving and elevating women's emotional intelligence and whole-body wellness. Keri and I discuss how to create the unimaginable. We are both coaches who work with very successful people....

Investing in leadership development is a must in today's marketplace. Employees want to improve their skills and get experience that makes them more valuable. When investing in leadership development, you want to make sure you do it the right way. Today's guest is Chester Buczynski, Founding CEO at Big Lakes Lawncare. Inc Magazine ranked his company #1174 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Big Lakes Lawn...

Many challenges have arisen with the hybrid-work model caused by recent shifts in employee demands for flexibility. The hybrid-work model is not going away. This is a concept that is here to stay. Today's guest is Vishal Sunak, Co-Founder & CEO at LinkSquares. Inc Magazine ranked his company #253 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. LinkSquares is the first AI-powered end-to-end contract lifecycle managemen...

Everyone knows the power of branding your company. Let me share with you an emerging concept of employer branding. Discover how you can use this to attract talented people to your company. Today's guest is Mada Seghete, Co-founder & Managing Director at Branch Metrics. Inc Magazine ranked his company #365 on the 2021 Inc 5000 list. Branch Metrics is transforming how brands and users interact acros...