How'd it Happen?

Jack Rooney is the Senior Vice President for Marketing Strategy and Client Engagement for Fiserv. Prior to joining Fiserv in 2018, Jack spent more than a decade with The Ogilvy Group, culminating with his being named CEO of Ogilvy Chicago. Jack’s incredible journey included an early stint as the VP of Marketing for Miller Brewing… Continue reading ➞ Jack Rooney, Marketing VP, Convincing Brands to...

Dr. Scott Jorgensen is a Board-Certified internal medicine specialist with Madison Medical Affiliates in Mequon. Despite being raised by a family who owned a considerable construction business (in which he labored for 9 years prior to college), he knew early in his teens that he wanted to be a doctor. After earning his degree in… Continue reading ➞ Dr. Scott Jorgensen, Prescribing a Path to the Jo...

Noah Rickun is the President of ETE Reman who was with Mike before on episode 44. Mike’s become used to asking the questions but this time things are a bit different as Noah plays the role of the very first How’d it Happen ‘guest host’, turning the table on Mike to dig a little more… Continue reading ➞ Noah Rickun, President, Turning the Table on Mike to Uncover Success Secrets – Episode 101 The p...

In this special 100th episode, I reached out to the first 100 guests to share their experience on the How’d It Happen Podcast. I got a great response and just want to share some of those responses with you. I was humbled and inspired. I’m grateful to these successful people, for helping us get to… Continue reading ➞ Episode 100, Humbled and Inspired by These Words of My Podcast Guests The post Epi...

Scott Welsh is the CEO at Inland Companies, one of the largest full-service commercial real estate companies in Wisconsin. Scott shares an insider’s view on commercial real estate during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has impacted his real estate business and clients – including the ripple effect of people not being in downtown office… Continue reading ➞ Scott Welsh, CEO, Adapting to Ripple Effe...

Matt Rinka is a partner and architect at Rinka, an innovative architectural practice that connects inspiring designs with practical and functional solutions. The firm has over 65 awards, many from the highest levels of professional recognition including American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and the Milwaukee Business Journal. If you’ve… Continue rea...

Calvin McNeely is the co-founder and president of Runningboards Marketing, a franchise-able marketing company that drives client messaging straight to target audiences through mobile, customizable and trackable ads on Digital Advertising Vehicles (DAV®). Calvin started his first business at age 18 in his upstairs bedroom of his parents’ house. Over the years, Calvin has owned… Continue reading ➞ C...

Dr. Madan Kandula is an Entrepreneur, Physician, CEO and the Founder of Advent, an independent ear, nose and throat medical practice. Mike talks with Dr. Kandula about how COVID-19 has impacted him personally, as well as his business. They also get deep into the how’s and why’s of the way people are thinking about the… Continue reading ➞ Dr. Madan Kandula, CEO and Advent Founder, Living Beyond Fea...

Dave Molenda is the author of Growing on Purpose, the Formula to Strengthen Your Team AND Improve Your Customer Experience. In addition to being a #1 Amazon Best-Selling Author, Dave is the founder of Positive Polarity, a start-up business he grew into a $10 million company and through which Dave passes the principles of his… Continue reading ➞ Dave Molenda, Amazon Best Selling Author, Growing on...

Brian Adam is the President and CEO of Olympus Group, and a YPO member. In this episode Brian talks about how he and his company have been impacted by COVID-19 and the virtual shutdowns its caused in the trade show, sports and entertainment industries which had been three of Olympus’ major revenue producers. Mike and… Continue reading ➞ Brian Adam, President, Pivoting Mascot Production to Make COV...

Michael Wagner is the President of Pool Scouts, a franchise business that he co-founded in 2015 in collaboration with Buzz Franchise Brands. A graduate of UNC Greensboro, Michael worked in a variety of industries including Life Insurance, Corporate compliance and risk training, Corporate sales and Banking before starting Pool Scouts. Along the way, Michael had… Continue reading ➞ Michael Wagner, P...

Dan Steininger is on the show today and Dan was one of Mike’s first 20 podcast guests. He’s back today for a special reason but before we get into that, here’s a little bio on Dan. Dan is or has been a lawyer, a columnist and author of his bestselling book called “Move Mountains Every… Continue reading ➞ Dan Steininger, Milwaukee Innovator and COVID-19 Survivor, Why It’s an Old Person’s Disease –...

Allison Schlanger and Alison Qualter Berna are the Co-Founders, along with their husbands, Craig and Bobby, of Apple Seeds all-in-one play spaces for families with children newborn to five years old, and Songs For Seeds, a state of the art rockin’ music program for newborns to 6 year old’s that they’ve franchised and grown to… Continue reading ➞ Alison Qualter Berna and Allison Schlanger, Co-Found...

Joe Delatte is the President of Home Clean Heroes, a vibrant, new residential cleaning franchise under the Buzz Franchise Brands umbrella. Joe spent most of his career building and sharpening skills in business management, leadership, strategic marketing, sales, product development, process improvement and creative thinking. Along the way, he’s held key marketing positions with large… Continue rea...

Brad Deflin is the Founder and CEO of Total Digital Security, a cyber security firm that provides private clients and families with enterprise grade solutions for their personal technology and information. Brad began his career as an airline pilot for People Express before co-founding an airline ground support company that provided fueling, catering, cleaning and… Continue reading ➞ Brad Deflin, C...

Steve Sims is the author of the best-selling book, Bluefishing, The Art of Making Things Happen, the host of The Art of Making Things Happen Podcast, one of Mike’s favorites and the creator of the Steve D Sims Speakeasy. He’s the man who created Bluefish, the internationally famous company that makes once in a lifetime… Continue reading ➞ Steve Sims, VIP Business Mogul, Being a Hustler is Not a Ba...

Joe Gehrke is the President of Kesslers Diamond Center Inc., a prestigious diamond retailers with 7 locations throughout Wisconsin and Michigan. Joe began his career in banking with Comerica after graduating from Western Michigan University. Later, he was recruited to Milwaukee by Associated Bank, where he spent more than 16 years and became a Group… Continue reading ➞ Joe Gehrke, President, Getti...

You can do this! In this special .5 episode, I publish an episode from Dan Sullivan’s Inside Strategic Coach Podcast, where he shares how he created the “Scary Times Success Manual.” You’ll get to understand the 10 points on how you can focus your company to deliver value and improve thinking and response during these… Continue reading ➞ Dan Sullivan’s Strategic Coach Podcast – Success in Scary Ti...

Scott Lurie is the Founder & President of F Street Group , an investment company that includes a number of industry vertical investments, including real estate, hospitality, lending, and emerging markets. After graduating from George Washington University, Scott returned home to Milwaukee in 2004 and began investing in real estate. Since then, he’s created many… Continue reading ➞ Scott Lurie,...

In this special .5 episode, I share my thoughts about the unique and challenging times we are currently facing due to the coronavirus pandemic.  This is not just a business problem, it’s a global, human-being problem, the likes of which none of us has ever seen or dealt with before.  In other words, there isn’t… Continue reading ➞ How to Have Success in Scary Times by Dan Sullivan – Episode 89.5 T...

Bob Kendall is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cole Publishing, the idea for which came in 1979 from Bob’s friend, Pete Lawonn’s, desire to sell the used tank from his septic truck. They didn’t know how to get the word out to potential buyers. After some investigation, Bob discovered he could buy a list of… Continue reading ➞ Bob Kendall, CEO, Pumping Profits for Advertisers and Entrepreneurs – Episod...

Nicole Holland is a highly sought-after Media Strategist & Coach, specializing in Podcasts & Podcast Guesting. She held a coveted “New & Noteworthy” distinction from Apple Podcasts for over 2 years, was named in The Huffington Post as one of “5-Must-Follow Women Entrepreneurs”, and has been featured on popular podcasts and publications including Entrepreneur Magazine,… Continue reading...

Dr. Madan Kandula is an Entrepreneur, Physician, CEO, and the Founder of Advent, an independent ear, nose and throat (ENT) medical practice. Dr. Kandula has pioneered the use of In-Office balloon sinuplasty and minimally invasive sinus surgery. In addition, he’s been selected multiple times as one of America’s Top Physicians, been recognized as a Healthcare… Continue reading ➞ Dr. Madan Kandula, C...

Elliot Roth is a serial Entrepreneur and the Founder of Spira, Inc., a Los Angeles, CA based plant based, algae derived food ingredient manufacturer that hopes to modify the way that the world eats, reduce the environmental impact of traditional food production and eliminate hunger. Elliot’s goal is to replace the harmful animal and petroleum… Continue reading ➞ Elliot Roth, Replacing Petroleum Ba...

Chip Duncan is the Founder of The Duncan Entertainment Group, a company that creates documentaries for release to broadcast networks, streaming services and educational platforms around the world. Chip’s film credits include Tolkien & Lewis – Myth, Imagination and the Quest for Meaning, The Reagan Presidency series, The Life and Death of Glaciers, and “Through… Continue reading ➞ Chip Duncan,...