Michigan Business Beat | Kim Bode, 8THIRTY FOUR, Launching Uncomfortable Conversations, MBN Welcome!

Originally uploaded May 21, reloaded May 26. Chris Holman welcomes back Kim Bode, Dog rescuer, community advocate, and proud Michigan business owner, 8THIRTY FOUR Integrated Communications, Grand Rapids, MI. Welcome back, Kim. You've been a regular guest on Michigan Business Beat, but can you reacquaint yourself with the Michigan business audience, your background, your business story, and some of your business passions? So, you are set to host a miniseries, 'Uncomfortable Conversations'. What will the show be about? Finally, why is this a topic that businesses need to know and understand? » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Watch MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/ Episode 1: Welcome to the Conversation Short Description: Chris welcomes Kim to the Michigan Business Network and introduces the new series with Kim. By the end of the episode, you know exactly what this series is, why it exists, and why the next six months of conversation are worth your time. Takeaways: ● Who Kim Bode is, what 8THIRTYFOUR is, and why she pivoted into schooling after nearly two decades in communications ● What she’s hearing from Michigan business owners right now, and why it keeps coming up ● A clear preview of what the series will cover and how each episode builds on the last. Format ● Six 6.5-minute segments of content to total 40 minutes for the full episode ● We will record the first two 6.5-minute segments on 5/14 ● The other four 6.5-minute segments Kim records on her own time (Maddie will put time on her calendar for this) Segment 1 (Records 5/14) ● Chris welcomes Kim Bode to the Michigan Business Network and conducts a full background review ● Kim establishes her credentials and expertise: ○ CEO of 8THIRTYFOUR ○ Founder of Skills Survival School ○ Nearly 20 years of building businesses and hiring people ● Kim explains what the series — Uncomfortable Conversations: The Hard Cost of Soft Skills — will cover across 7 episodes, June through December 2026 ● Kim makes the case for why this topic matters to Michigan business owners: ○ Replacing an employee costs 50–200% of their annual salary ○ Companies investing in skills development retain 58% more employees ○ The math isn't complicated — the conversation just hasn't happened yet