C-Suite Secrets

What happens when businesses become so focused on automation, data, and customer acquisition that they forget the importance of human connection? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons talks with Renee Miller, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Miller Group Marketing, about building brands and businesses that people remember. Renee shares how she built her agency by doing things dif...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Ghazenfer Mansoor, software engineer, founder of Technology Rivers, and author of Beyond the Download, for a candid conversation on how AI and proprietary technology are reshaping the way businesses grow and how much they're worth. Ghazenfer shares the origin of Technology Rivers, founded in 2015 on a simple motto: build the r...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons talks with fractional CFO Natalia Zacharin about her unorthodox road to entrepreneurship and the financial truths every business owner needs to hear. Natalia shares how she launched her bookkeeping business in 2019 with no experience and one LinkedIn client, and how starting over later in life gave her the grit to push through imposter syndrome a...

What happens when your business gets busy enough that you stop marketing, stop documenting processes, and stop thinking about what happens next? Eventually, the pipeline slows down, the business becomes dependent on you, and you find yourself starting over. In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with entrepreneur and media technology strategist Shelley Stansfield, who shares...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Ethan Giffin, CEO and founder of B2B eCommerce Agency, for a candid conversation about what two decades of entrepreneurship actually teaches you. Ethan shares his journey from haggling over yard-sale nickels at eight years old to running an agency where projects now average half a million dollars, and unpacks the pivotal decision t...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Tom Shapiro, CEO of Stratabeat, an organic growth agency serving B2B technology and software companies. Tom shares the through line that has driven every business he has grown, including taking one agency from twelve million to seventy-five million in annual revenue in five years: relentless focus on the customer instead of yoursel...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with entrepreneur, branding strategist, and Circle S Studio founder Susan Quinn to explore what separates high-performing companies from businesses that simply stay busy. Susan shares lessons from more than four decades in business, including why entrepreneurs need to stop trying to do everything themselves, how the right people and men...

In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Tom Mirabella, founder of Wingman, a full service marketing agency he has grown over seventeen years from a solo operation into a team of twenty five serving hundreds of small businesses. Tom shares the mindset shifts that carried him out of corporate America and into building a company now expanding through franchising. The c...

Building a Business That Creates Freedom Instead of Another Job with Scott Jones What separates a business that creates lasting wealth from one that simply creates another demanding job? In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with franchise expert Scott Jones, who has spent more than 30 years helping entrepreneurs evaluate, build, and scale businesses. Having worked as a fra...

Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.   What if the biggest problem with your marketing isn't your ads...it's the fact that you're measuring the wrong things? In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Andy Janaitis, founder of PPC Pitbulls, to discuss why successful marketing starts with strategy, measurement, and understanding the data behind every decision. Drawing from his ba...

Show Notes:       Most business owners still think podcasting is about getting more downloads, more followers, or more exposure. Tom Schwab believes that's the wrong strategy. In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with the founder of Interview Valet to explore how podcast guesting has evolved from a branding tactic into one of the most powerful ways to build trust with both...

Show Notes:     In this episode of C Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons dives into a truth most business owners never hear. More revenue does not automatically mean a better business. Heather has been in boardroom meetings where record quarters marked the start of a company falling apart, not because the numbers were fake, but because the revenue was not good revenue. Heather breaks down why two...

Show Notes:   What separates companies that scale successfully from those that struggle? In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with John Scott, CPA and Virtual CFO at Anders, to discuss the financial principles, leadership lessons, and growth strategies that have helped transform a 50 person accounting firm into a nationwide organization with more than 500 team members. Dra...

Show Notes:   What if the biggest obstacle to your company's growth isn't strategy, talent, or market conditions, but the stories you've been carrying since childhood? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with executive coach and creator of Inner Architecture Work, David Heaps, for a powerful conversation about self-awareness, leadership, and the hidden patterns that...

Show Notes:   In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Lindsey Breeden, founder of The Gundo Group , to discuss his unique path from designing Barbie packaging at Mattel to becoming a sought-after fractional COO helping companies scale efficiently. Lindsey shares how his creative background became an unexpected advantage in business operations, why many founders hire...

Show Notes:   What separates successful entrepreneurs from those who stay stuck? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Chris Hilgers, entrepreneur and founder of Peak Franchising, to discuss the realities of entrepreneurship, franchising, personal growth, and building a life with purpose. Chris shares lessons from his journey from the corporate world to business owners...

Show Notes:   What if the thing that's quietly killing your business growth is you? In this episode, Heather sits down with Chris Burke and they dive into exactly what separates businesses that scale from ones that stall, and the moves that most founders wait too long to make. Serial entrepreneur Chris Burke built two companies across 25 years.  A global consultancy that did a quarter billion in s...

Show Notes:     What actually drives results in marketing today is not more activity. It is better strategy. In this episode of C Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons sits down with Shannon Kinney, founder of Dream Local Digital, to break down what truly moves the needle for business growth after working with tens of thousands of businesses. Shannon shares the realities behind scaling a marketing compan...

Show Notes:     What if your marketing problem isn’t your tactics but your strategy? In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with T.K. Douglass, founder of Fidelis Creative Agency, to unpack the real reasons businesses struggle to generate consistent growth from their marketing. With nearly two decades of experience, T.K. shares why many companies unknowingly create “Fra...

Show Notes:   In this episode, Heather Parsons sits down with Ramsey Sweis, founder of Aqaba Digital, to unpack what it really takes to build and scale a modern digital agency. From starting in his living room to operating globally, Ramsey shares hard earned lessons on systems, data driven decision making, and why most businesses fail to align marketing with profitability. To connect with our gues...

Show Notes: In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Nacho Guzmán, founder of Latin Brand, a multinational advertising agency specializing in multicultural and Hispanic markets. With nearly two decades in business, Nacho shares the unfiltered realities of entrepreneurship—from near-death business experiences to navigating industry disruption, building international t...

Show Notes:   In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with digital marketing veteran Marilyn Jenkins, who has been building and scaling businesses since the early days of the internet. Marilyn shares what most business owners get wrong about marketing and why the real problem is rarely lead generation, it is what happens after the lead comes in. From missed phone calls t...

Show Notes: Communication is one of the most underestimated leadership skills in business today. In this episode of C Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with leadership expert Kim Bohr, incoming CEO of SparkEffect, to discuss the critical role communication plays in building trust, scaling organizations, and leading through change. Kim shares insights from national research on leadershi...

Show Notes:   In this episode of C Suite Secrets, host Heather Parsons sits down with Jason Fishman, a leading expert in investor marketing and capital raising strategy. Jason shares how founders can shift their mindset from simply raising money to building a scalable marketing engine that attracts investors consistently. Jason explains why most fundraising efforts fail due to a lack of structured...

Think Like a CFO: What Profit Is Actually Telling You  Most business owners think profit will tell them if things are working. CFOs know better. In this episode of C-Suite Secrets, Heather Parsons breaks down what it actually means to think like a CFO—even if you don’t have a finance background. Because here’s the truth: Profit isn’t something you manage in real time. It’s the result of decisions...