Inside the Lion's Den: A Business and Leadership Podcast

The book I recommend the most, Built To Sell, is written by my guest today, John Warrillow. He has started and successfully exited four companies and has been in the unique position to have had thousands of conversations with business owners who have gone through the process of selling their businesses. He shares his expertise and insight with us today as we discuss reasons people sell, how to pos...

Buyers don't buy your past. They buy their future. My guest today, Pete Martin, understands that more than most as he has successfully started, scaled and sold four companies and currently has two profitable, active businesses. In this episode, he shares his unique experience, as CEO and founder of Votem Corp. and Advisor for Ask My Board, in growing and exiting businesses. We talk about how you c...

Do you know the Get, Keep, Grow methods? My guest today, Bryan Clayton, shares his experience in those methods through his growth and sale of a successful company and as the co-founder and CEO of GreenPal. He examines his strategies and experience with growing his previous and current businesses through the start-up, grow-up, and scale-up phases. Next, Bryan talks about the lessons he learned in g...

The end of the calendar year is a great time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. In this show, I'm reflecting on the lessons learned from my previous three guests with an eye toward business in 2022 and beyond. While those three episodes with Angie Lee, Giselle Ugarte, and Hillel Fuld were packed with information, I outline what I thought were their common threads on today's sho...

Clear and concise communication is the key to successful business interactions. You can have a brilliant mind and develop ingenious products, but it won't matter if you can't explain what you do to a potential investor. Hillel Fuld is an incredibly well-connected man due to his skill as a communicator. He talks to me today about how he landed in his current career and offers some excellent advice...

Technology is always changing and as a result, so are marketing strategies. My guest today, Giselle Ugarte, has been both behind the camera and in front of it. She developed a unique understanding of the role that YouTube Influencers play in sales and advertising while the platform itself was in it's infancy and the term "Influencer" wasn't even in our lexicon. She shares some of the ups and downs...

How do you get comfortable with taking risks? Develop a healthy relationship with uncertainty and regret. My guest today is the outgoing entrepreneur, community builder and podcaster: Angie Lee. She talks about where her fearlessness comes from when it comes to investing time and money into business ventures and ideas. We also chat about the importance of self-awareness for entrepreneurs and authe...

Do you have One Big Tip you like to share with people? Jeff Mendelson, get's to do this with his guests every week on his podcast, The One Big Tip, and today he's going to share some of his own tips with me. Jeff talks about how being bored at work led to him learning valuable skills, starting sides businesses, and how he got into his current career. We discuss different ways to compile and store...

It doesn't matter where you come from, you can design your life. My guest, Zachary Babcock, is doing just that for himself and helping his entrepreneur clients and listeners do it too. Zach talks to me today about turning his life around after prison and how he educated himself in sales and marketing. We also discuss personal authenticity in business and the lasting legacies of his mother. Finally...

These days, social and mainstream media are chock full of stories about amazing stock market and investment gains. Don't buy into the hype. People love to share their stories when it comes to success and making money, but you don't see many of them talking about their business failures. Today I'll give you an update on the current volatile market we're experiencing and the factors that are making...

Over the last few episodes, I have had guests on the show that have shared stories about how they built and sold their businesses. While each tale was unique, there were some common themes that I'm going to share with you today. What you don't know when you're building and running your business could end up costing you money on it's sale. Similarly, knowing what to look for when you're buying a bu...

The best products, especially when it comes to your health, are those that solve your problem and honestly work. My guest today, Adi Arezzini knows this first hand. Adi is the co-founder of Teami, a company whose flagship product was designed to solve internal gut health issues. In this episode, Adi and I discuss how Teami got started and the different marketing tactics she has used to grow her e-...

Today I've invited an old friend Inside the Lion's Den for an interview. Eytan Weiner has been at the helm of Quantum Networks as Co-Founder and COO from its creation in 2008 to its recent sale in 2020. On this episode, we'll be discussing the start and growth of his business, as well as the mechanics of its sale last year. We'll also touch on questions of management, including finding the right p...

When it comes to starting and growing businesses, Seth Farbman has been "flying by the seat of his pants" for years. He has built his career designing, building, and selling companies in the completely unsexy (but incredibly necessary) world of corporate services. Today, Seth and I discuss how he got into this industry, the sale of three of his companies, and his role in his current business. Seth...

Start with the end in mind. While Stephen Covey coined this phrase, my guest Michelle Seiler-Tucker has made it a focal point for her businesses and those for which she consults. Whether you're new to business ownership or have owned one for a while, you need to think about an exit strategy. This is where Michelle comes in. Today Michelle shares an overview of the GPS exit strategy that she has de...

This is the first episode in what I'm calling my "Investment Series". I'll be discussing Multifamily Real Estate Investments using a deal I was involved in (now closed) as a case study. I'll be explaining the structure of that deal and how it impacted the numbers and their optics. Today I hope to provide some education to listeners with no or limited real estate investment experience and for those...

Connections are key. This is especially true when it comes to networking, developing a following, or creating a brand. In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Travis Chappell, founder of Guestio and the Build Your Network podcast. While reaching out to people is inherently fraught with rejection, it is how businesses receive new clients and how podcasts book guests. Travis has spent...

Hosting this podcast, I have the pleasure of speaking with guests from all walks of corporate and entrepreneurial life. They share with me, the secrets of their success, the things they wish they'd known, and the mistakes they've made along the way.  While no one can ever be prepared for every situation in business or in life, hopefully the lessons my guests impart and their combined experience ca...

Aspiring entrepreneurs and established business moguls alike are going to want to tune in today, as my guest on the show is Kelly Roach, Founder and CEO of The Unstoppable Entrepreneur. Kelly shares her thoughts on why so many new businesses and entrepreneurs flounder, the challenges of taking a business to the "next level", and the obstacles that she faced while establishing her own company. We d...

There is an audience for every story. My guest in today's show is Jen Gottlieb, co-founder of Supper Connector Media, a PR company that does PR differently. Jen believes that leveraging publicity, media and connections is one of the best ways to grow your business. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs find that audience and share their story authentically and unforgettably, connecting them wit...

We've all heard of the rags to riches story, but have you ever heard of riches to rags?  Cody Lowry came from a blueblood family in Detroit, but by the time he was 8 years old, his family money was gone. He is here today to share inspirational stories of how the events in his life led him to become the motivational force he is today. He also explains why "schmoozing" is one of the most important e...

Today's episode is unbelievably insightful and filled with amazing lessons, regardless of where you are in your business or what your business does. Today on the show we have Gareb Shamus, founder of Ace Universe and the modern day Comic Con, to share with us the lessons he learned on his truly amazing business journey. Thanks for listening! Head over to the show notes for links and resources ment...

Do you ever think about your business from an investor's point of view? Today on the show, Miles Lasater, a founder turned investor, shares his insights when it comes to thinking about things from a founder's perspective as well as from an investor's perspective regardless of where you are in your business. Thanks for listening! Head over to the show notes for links and resources mentioned during...

Are you struggling to come up with ideas for your podcast? My guest for today's episode is Travis Brown, the founder of Pod Decks - the #1 tool for podcasters, YouTubers, and content creators to help you spark deeper conversations, get more engagement, and take your podcast to the next level! Travis is here today to talk about the importance of customer experience, community and conversations are...

Today on the show, Kayleigh Christina shares how to go into the entrepreneurial world; focus on the problem and consumer; and build a business around the solution. Kayleigh is the co-founder of CLEARSTEM Skincare, a non-toxic skincare line that targets acne, anti-aging, and scar reversing utilizing premium ingredients. She is also the co-host of the Balancing Your Hustle podcast, where she intervi...