The Strategic Business Influencer presented by Zilker Media

What if the ultimate measure of a successful business is whether it can thrive without its founder? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Laurie Barkman, entrepreneur, advisor, author, and former CEO who has spent her career helping business owners build companies that create both enterprise value and personal freedom. After leading a $100 milli...

What if the biggest challenges in leadership aren’t problems to solve, but tensions to manage? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Dr. Tracy Christopherson and Michelle Troseth, co-authors of The Polarity Intelligence: The Missing Logic in Leadership, healthcare culture transformation experts, longtime business partners, and founders helping e...

In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Lina Supnet-Zapata, CEO of Mir Senior Care Consultants and incoming president of the Aging Life Care Association. With more than 30 years in healthcare, Lina has dedicated her career to patient advocacy, ethical care management, and helping families navigate some of life’s most complex and emotional decision...

What does it really take to scale a service business without sacrificing culture, quality or your sanity? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Bart Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of 512Financial, to unpack the real story behind building a fast-growing services firm in today’s market. Bart started his career in traditional accounting at PwC before st...

What if scaling your business didn’t require sacrificing your sanity, your health, or your life outside of work? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Lauren Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Golden Key Partnership, widely known as The Biz Doctor. With a background that spans pediatric neurology to business consulting, Lauren brings a rare diagnosti...

In today’s market, companies aren’t just facing growth decisions. They’re navigating ownership changes, economic uncertainty, distressed assets, and transitions many leaders have never experienced before. In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Erin Stark-Medina, Tom Minick, and Keith Hyatt, the three partners behind Ponte Advisors, a firm built t...

What happens when a neurologist decides to redesign how people access brain and memory care? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Dr. Joel Salinas, behavioral neurologist, author, researcher, and Founder & Chief Medical Officer at Isaac Health. Dr. Salinas is doing groundbreaking work making brain and cognitive care more accessible by bring...

What does it take to become an extraordinary leader in business and in life? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Sten Morgan, CEO of Legacy Investment Planning and bestselling author of The 7 Mindsets of Success. Named a Top 40 Under 40 advisor and widely recognized for redefining the financial services industry, Sten brings a rare level of cl...

What does leadership look like in an industry built on trust? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Tanya M. Miller, President & Co-Founder of PrimeBank, to talk about what it means to lead with both heart and discipline in today’s financial world. Tanya shares her journey from rising through the ranks in community banking to leading one of...

What happens when a 22-year-old marketing graduate steps into one of the most male-dominated industries and transforms it with heart, grit, and a fresh perspective? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Angelica Connor, CEO of Stansell Construction, one of the few certified women-owned general contractors in Florida and one of the fastest-growin...

What does it look like to build a business where purpose and performance go hand in hand? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Travis McAshan, Founder and CEO of GLIDE, an award-winning digital creative agency and Certified B Corporation based in Austin, Texas. For nearly two decades, Travis has led a purpose-driven team that creates beautiful,...

What does it take to build a business that stands out in industries often seen as commodities, like pest control and home services? For Gordon Doran, the answer is simple: lead with care, purpose, and integrity. In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Gordon, serial entrepreneur and Founder & CEO of Natran Green Pest Control, Houston and Austi...

What happens when a Fortune 500 software manager buys a tanning salon, and ends up transforming an entire industry? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Nash Abbas, Founder & CEO of Tan-Link. What started as a single tanning salon quickly turned into a chain across five Texas cities, and ultimately into Tan-Link, the software platform now p...

What does it take to build a technology company that thrives for nearly 20 years in one of the fastest-moving industries? For Art Powell, the answer comes down to one word: trust. In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Art Powell, Founder & CEO of Trinsic Technologies. Since 2005, Art has transformed Trinsic into a trusted IT solutions partne...

How do today’s leaders navigate relentless change while keeping themselves, and their teams, energized, accountable and thriving? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Laurie Oswald, CEO of InteraWorks, a leader in performance development who has spent over two decades helping executives and organizations unlock human potential. Laurie’s backgro...

What do Bitcoin exchanges and dog food have in common? Innovation, if you ask Jaron Lukas. In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Jaron Lukas, founder & CEO of Yumwoof Natural Pet Food and author of The Canine Coco Omega Effect. Before disrupting the pet food industry with clean-label, seed-oil-free, and synthetic-free formulations, Jaron fou...

In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with David Chavez, founder and CEO of Assured Strategy, serial entrepreneur, and Scaling Up coach. A military veteran, former CPA, and seasoned operator, David has helped over 280 businesses navigate growth, exits, and transformation. His journey spans taking five companies public during his time at Arthur Anders...

What happens when the world hits pause—and you decide to press play? In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige Velasquez Budde sits down with Brandon Bloch, award-winning director and co-founder of Hometeam, a remote-first production company named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. Brandon has led campaigns for global brands like Apple, HBO, Samsung, and T-Mobile, b...

In this episode of The Strategic Business Influencer, Paige sits down with Emily LaRusch, Founder and CEO of Back Office Betties. What started with one simple frustration, too many voicemails, has grown into a fast-scaling company that provides fractional administrative staffing for small law firms. Emily shares how she built trust in a commoditized industry, grew her business on a lean budget, an...