The Dirt

The name of the game is flexibility. Today’s guest is an agent of change who has an exit under his belt, a transition from founder out of the CEO seat and recently increased the company from a 4-day, back to a 5-day work week. Join Jim and Alejandro as they go deep discussing Alejandro’s journey building Komet Sales - a vertically integrated floral platform - with a focus on what it means to build...

From humble beginnings in a Beijing apartment to building a business teaching 50,000 students Chinese and Spanish worldwide, Tom Shugg is well versed in immersive learning.  Whether it’s changing diapers or expanding into a foreign market, Jim and Tom go deep on what it takes to build a company across country lines.  3 Key Takeaways Trust the Market: As a business owner or leader, you li...

In this episode of the Dirt, Graeme Barlow, a seasoned tech founder and entrepreneur, shares his unique journey from starting an online gaming currency business as a rebellious kid to spearheading a multi-million dollar software development agency in Ottawa, Canada.  With a candid recount of his entrepreneurial ventures, Barlow dives into the lessons learned from expanding and then narrowing...

In this episode of the Dirt, Jenny von Podewils, co-founder of Leapsome, shares the origin and mission of their people enablement platform, designed to help companies retain, develop, align, and engage their workforce.  Starting from a personal realization of the gaps in organizational health and culture, Jenny and her co-founder embarked on a journey to create a solution that addresses these...

In this episode of the Dirt, Steven Muro shares his extensive journey from software to becoming a leading figure in the B2B marketing sphere, particularly within the grocery sector. With over 26 years at the helm of his own agency, Steven has mastered leveraging data analytics to elevate brands like the Hass Avocado Board and California Strawberries.  He emphasizes the importance of translati...

Adam Roach is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of I Love Coaching Co. Whether it’s shutting his laptop at 6pm, to creating a daily $1,000 accountability motivator, Adam has a unique perspective based on his coaching business and entrepreneurial experience working with a variety of people and types of companies. Whether it was immediately exiting partnerships when Adam realized he was working with the...

Today’s guest has a few things going for him that sets him apart from the typical CEO: ✅ CEO of a publicly traded company  ✅ Has a streak of 7 years without a day off [Jim note: not sure I’d recommend this for most!] ✅ Runs a website with 100+ million visitors Join Jim and David Meniane, CEO of Carparts.com as they hit on a variety of topics from strategic consolidation to free cashflow. 3...

Roy Cohen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Fetcherr, an Algo based company using an AI-based Generative Pricing Engine (GPE) to disrupt pricing and profitability in the airline industry.  Join Jim and Roy as they go into the details of what it takes to build a company for profitability. Roy is in the business of making money; not raising capital.  3 Key Takeaways EBITDA > ARR - Build a bu...

Thad Price is the CEO of Talroo, a company that’s transforming the hiring and recruiting landscape for essential workers. On a mission to disrupt the talent acquisition industry, Thad provides leadership, strategy, and guidance to all departments in his company, ensuring it’s moving in the right direction with the right talent. Join Jim and Thad as they unpack the problems and opportunities that s...

In this solocast, Jim Barnish explores three actions an international company needs to take when entering the US market.  Some of what Jim gets into:  Testing for Product Market Fit: An international company can have an amazing product, but if it doesn't resonate with the US market, then it’s going to almost certainly fail. Understanding the cultural nuances and preferences of the Americ...

Bianca Rangecroft is the CEO of Whering, a digital wardrobe and personal styling app.  Join Jim and Bianca as they explore how to go viral with your customers and to monetize virality.  3 Key Takeaways Tap Into Your Brand and Community to Achieve Virality: Virality is elusive. Many charlatans claim to have the secret formula for creating viral content, but the truth is that there is no g...

Learn about how the strategic move towards a SaaS model is a golden ticket to maximizing the overall value of your business. In this solocast, Jim Barnish delves into four reasons why transforming your IP into a SaaS model is such a game changer.  Some of what Jim gets into:  Scalability is About Growing Smarter: In a SaaS model, it's not just about getting bigger; it's about getting sma...

Steve Benson's leadership journey is a masterclass in resilience, grit, and innovative growth strategies. As the Founder and CEO of Badger Maps, an app for B2B field sales, he has mastered focusing on the ideal customer profile and harnessing the power of offshore talent.  Join Jim and Steve as they discuss Steve’s bootstrapping journey all the way to up to 5.4 million ARR.  3 Key Takeaw...

André Sluczka grew up in Germany where he loved to climb up a mountain and fly down on a paraglider. Nowadays, he heads up a consulting company, Datagrate, that helps their clients build, manage, and scale the world's best application integration platforms solving the most complex integration challenges. Join Jim and André as they talk about how to establish a meaningful strategic partnership on d...

This is a recast of a previously aired episode about Katie Merrill's entrepreneurship journey while also building a family. Hear Katie’s story as she walks host Jim Barnish through the challenges she has faced and continues to learn from. As a go-getter with a strong operations background, Katie was hyper focused on the day-to-day grind, but learned over time that she had to get out of her own way...

Many businesses are oblivious to how out of whack their Go-To-Market strategy is.  In this solocast, Jim Barnish explores three critical opportunities for businesses that are out of alignment with their GTM strategy.  Some of what Jim gets into:  Trust Your Product Leads: Both CEOs and product leads understand customer pain points and the market. Yet sometimes a CEO makes decisions...

Jody Haneke is a walking personification of the phrase, “build cool sh!t for your customers.” As the head of a bespoke software development company, Haneke and his team bring product ideas to life for his clients that truly want to harness technology for growth.  Join Jim and Jody as they discuss building awesome digital experiences for customers that keep them coming back.  3 Key Takeaw...

A company-wide commitment to customer success is essential for your business. But remember: it starts with you.  In this solocast, Jim Barnish gets into actionable strategies for growth-stage companies building their first customer success team.  Some of what Jim gets into:  When A Company Scales, Sometimes Customers Get Left Behind: Problematically, many growth-stage companies prio...

Dan Bradbury, a mastermind expert, brings together owners of seven and eight figure B2B companies in masterminds so they can share best practices for high business growth and catapult their individual businesses forward. Join Jim and Dan as they explore the benefits of joining a mastermind group and how it can accelerate business growth. 3 Key Takeaways Invest in Yourself by Learning from Others:...

If you want to unlock unprecedented growth in your business—which will lead to exceptional value creation—consider taking the leap and expanding into new markets, verticals, and offerings.  In this solocast, Jim Barnish dives deep into strategies to ensure that your products or services cater to the needs and preferences of your new customers.  Some of what Jim gets into:  Before Ju...

David Chadwick, Founder and CEO at RealResponse, is passionate about making a difference in athletics, but not in the normal sense of what you might think of as winning in sports. Instead, David has created a tool where athletes and staff can give anonymous feedback in a way that everyone in collegiate institutions and athletic organizations has a chance to be heard.  Join Jim and David as th...

Sarah Jenkins runs several software and real estate companies, including Genesis Digital. Homeschooled as a kid and an entrepreneur since she was 15, Sarah epitomizes the I-can-figure-out-pretty-much-anything approach.  Join Jim and Sarah on this roller coaster of a conversation as they connect the dots between business success and personal challenges, such as Sarah escaping a cult, bouncing...

Francesco Wiedemann is Co-Founder of Kyte, a door-to-door, app-based car rental delivery company that ambitiously intends to become the largest fleet operator on the planet with 10 million trips per month by 2030.  Join Jim and Francesco as they how Francesco went from winning entrepreneurial pitch contests at Harvard and MIT to co-creating a rental car startup that has raised $300 million to...

Tomasz Pawliszyn is the brains behind AirHelp, the world’s leading legal tech company that helps air travelers get compensation or refunds for flight disruptions.  Join Jim and Tomasz as they go deep on air passenger rights during this episode. 3 Key Takeaways Build Healthy; Not Heavy: During Covid-19, when Tomasz’s staff headcount went from 700 to 200, he used that as an opportunity for rest...

Robert Cornish’s mission is to use aesthetics and communication to improve and move people through the end-to-end sales journey. As the CEO of Richter, he helps Fortune 500 companies—from Disney to Dell—with their end-to-end B2B sales journey.  Join Jim and Robert as they dive into enterprise sales and what deal teams can do to stop making mistakes in pre-sales, sales enablement, and customer...