Bizzy Signal

Today I have a guest that has spent his career in helping companies build a strong legal and compliance foundation to make sure that as companies grow and acquire other companies, the span of control does not get too big that the principals lose control. Mike McPhail is a Securities Industry Dispute Lawyer and a partner at Spencer Fane in Denver Colorado.  While Mike does litigation, his real passion is to proactively help companies with their strategic plans at the onset so they never have to see a litigation attorney.

Content has been a way of capturing emotions and increasing knowledge since the start of time.  Only in recent years has digital content become more functional and in some cases disingenuous with the advent of clickbait and vanity metrics.Our guest today is dyed in the wool of humanistic and emotionally grabbing content as she was an early journalist and a published author of children’s books.  In more recent years, she has turned her efforts to helping companies in creative unique and emotionally provocative content while making sure it optimizes with the respective chat bots and search tools.Gretchen Kelley wrote “Superheros don’t eat veggieburgers”, works with a national company that helps encourage primary schools to advocate conventional reading, and works with an SEO optimization company on the side.  

As a second episode in the storytellers series, I leaned into a conversation that I had about a year ago with someone who runs a “Fractional Recruiting” company.  The company itself was designed with one thing in mind – Not placing a candidate until the company, their needs, and their ultimate objective was understood. In a recruiting world where everything is about the commission paid on positions placed, Lonnalee Anderson set up Ridgewood Fractional Recruiting, a company that is focused on connecting values and building futures. On their website and in discussions with Lonnalee, the company boasts an importance in creating “lasting, value-aligned connections”.  

This week we are leading off our storytelling series of the Bizzy Signal podcast.  In each of our episodes, we will be hearing stories from business leaders that have had important pillars in their lives that have led to their purpose, and in many cases it has been what has propelled them to their respective level of success. Today we have an esteemed gentleman who I met earlier this year that has held the highest level of positions in large companies, including being a successful CEO at a profitable energy company. Rick McCullough has recently been led to executive coaching, but his purpose and future journey is admirable and inspiring.  Instead of giving more information, let me welcome Rick to our show. 

 With the advent of advertising content and splash pages replacing full websites, for small and medium sized business owners it begs the question: how much do I need to continue to invest in my website?Today we welcome Jim Kurtz to the show, a gentleman that has been helping companies answer that question for over 20 years.  James is the owner of Kurtz Agency and a great thought leader on websites and digital presence. 

Our guest today, Steve Van Diest of Acumen has created a recipe for success for those that are running businesses.  His company's value statement is so compelling, you really can't help but dive into this half hour of energy infused, mind blowing collaboration of goodness.Join us to hear stories of turning down PE offers resulting in 30% better offers, night sweats over making payroll, and Steve's thoughts on why he left a thriving business of his own to help others. 

We never really realize how much we don't know until we find out that we don't know.  For some, this happens when a loved one becomes incapacitated or passes away.  At the most difficult of times, it becomes even more complicated to uncover where assets, wills, and other important information stands.Today we have Devon Wittstruck on the show who created Whitestone Estate Solutions, specifically to professionally help others when the inevitable happens.  Devon started Whitestone just two years ago as a result of a personal tragedy he had in his own life.  Since the time he created Whitestone, he has helped many people get through the difficult tasks necessary.  

Today we have the pleasure of talking to my favorite Uncle, Tye C. Terrell Jr. about how communication in business has changed, the importance of meeting with your clients, and knowing the product that you are selling intimately.Though he has no formal sales training, his natural ability to connect with others on a personal level has created a career of success and deep connection.

One of the most confusing topics that riddles us all is how health insurance plans work.  For years I worked for large companies that had entire departments that took care of all of our health insurance needs – and did a great job of protecting us and our families. However, for those of us that are self employed and/or 1099, we are on our own to find health insurance.  And for me, I found out the hard way that there is a whole lot about this topic we don’t know which can lead to high costs and under-coverage.Today I have a colleague that has been saving self-employed individuals money and time for many years?  Meagan Fearing is the owner of Insurance Marketing Enterprises which she has been part since 2009 and is now the owner.  Meagan is deeply involved in legislative councils, consulting groups and advocate for the insurance industry.  

Sean Introduction:  Open enrollment – two words that each of us know are coming at the end of the year, but none of us are that ready.  In a recent conversation with my wife, I explained how confused I am with benefit plans and which ones I should chose, most of the time flipping a quarter to make the decision. Now, think about the company administrators who must make these larger decisions for entire organizations.  Our guest today has been around the employee benefits business for over 30 years and has an ability to make the complex simpler.  David Marom is the President at Marom Consulting and a contact that every employee benefits administrator should get to know. 

The advent of the internet is probably the only historical event that challenges its’ horrible technochild – CyberCrime.  Cybercrime worldwide is estimated to hit $10.5 trillion in 2025.  More scary, Cybercrime is estimated to be increased between 22 and 25% per year based on the BRIs Internet Crime Complaint Center.  Just like having car insurance or life insurance, the cost of a cyber attack is so great companies cannot afford to not have this insurance in some way.  However, to obtain this insurance at a reasonable price, your company needs to have an audit completed and a certified document completed.Terry Bradley has been working in Cyber Security his whole career and has owned Mile High Cyber for the last 5 years.

The initial concept of River of Nickels was coined by our good buddy Jim Yount.  While you may step over a nickel because you felt it wasn’t worth your time, what if picking up a nickel led to many nickels which then led to dimes, quarters and ultimately dollars?  Then, you would be much more interested in that first nickel.Today, I have the honor of chatting with someone who has spent their career picking up those nickels and turning them into dollars.  As he would describe it, these are the costs within a business that seem very nebulous but end up being major cost savings if looked at more critically.My guest, Matt Nagy is a Business Optimization Specialist at Schooley Mitchell where he looks at everyday company costs such as software fees, disposal costs, telecom to save companies millions of dollars.  Over the course of the last 25 years, Schooley Mitchell has saved 30 thousand clients over $1 billion.

We all have a recent story of the rising cost of insurance and how we have seen the changes that affect each of our daily lives.  I was recently in a conversation with a friend that was explaining a flood in one of their factories and although they had a substantial amount of building insurance but for some reason it didn’t include flood insurance.  Furthermore, this business used a ton of water to run their business, but flood insurance was never brought up by the agent.We are fortunate today to have a gentleman that focuses on risk events and consults with companies on how to make sure they are “correctly covered”.  Scott Carlson has been in the risk mitigation business for over 20 years as a Commercial Risk and Insurance Advisor, most recently with CRS Insurance Brokerage.  

Anyone can report monthly numbers, but only true professionals can help decipher those monthly numbers.   Today we have a great guy that has spent his career not only reporting, but clearly deciphering the information.Jeff Villano is an Accounting Services Manager with Mogg and Associates and has been instrumental in explaining monthly reports to clients of all levels of sophistication for years.For all sizes of businesses, Jeff and Mogg and Associates can help companies not only report, but create a true "Story" that tells of the companies' success.

In a recent conversation, I found myself mesmerized by a question that came up – how often are you fully intentional and genuinely engaged in interactions.  And to make the question even more profound, how much time do you spend preparing yourself so that in the moment you are able to be fully intentional and engaged.The person on the other end of that question that day at Gaetano’s Italian Restaurant was Marc Wallace, a Vistage Master Chair and a true embodiment of that very topic.  

So many companies I talk to focus on revenue – what is your gross revenue, what is your net revenue, what is your EBIDTA? However, talking about profit margins should many times lead the way.  Today, we have someone with us that helps companies make sure that they are focused more on the bottom line than the top line.  Dafne Tsakiris is the founder and CEO of Launch Point, a company that’s solely focused on removing operational bottlenecks so companies can see their profit margins increase.Calling Dafne to talk about your operational processes costs nothing; not calling Dafne could be costing you a ton!

The most recent numbers show that during our lifetimes, over 50% of us will go through the stressful and unfortunate pain of divorce.  During this time, the emotional burden is so difficult that many of the important financial decisions are put on the back burner or not given the care that will be necessary for future success.Our host today, Vince Reece, knows the difficulty of this process and how easy it is for divorcees to get taken advantage of during divorce.  Vince is a Certified Divorce Lending Professional, and he is here today to give us some sage advice on the topic. 

Solopreneur and Entrepreneurs - Start Your Day with this one!!  A serial entrepreneur and great friend, Jim Yount, is back for a second round.  This time Jim talks about dancing like snoopy, never giving up and the importance of "micro-movements" forward.Jim helps us all maintain an upbeat attitude and helps us with some ways of turning pessimism into optimism.

As documented in a recent study, businesses that have a clear and evident stated brand story and brand values have a 30% increase in customer satisfaction (as rated by NPS - Net Promoter Score). Today we have a great partner and good friend of mine, Mel Walz from eCollective whose purpose in life is to create more effective brand strategies through a strong brand platform, messaging and overall interactions with customers. 

We start a multiple week series talking to entrepenuers who have disrupted their industry through their contemporary thinking and challenging the status quo.This week, we rename the podcast to the Real Dill Podcast, talking to a long-time successful entrepreneur, Jarrett Gordon who established the Sporty Pickle in Centennial, Colorado in July of 2024.If you have ever attended an event at Top Golf and like the brand, you HAVE to join Jarrett and his team at the Sporty Pickle for a drink, a dink, and their specialty the Spicy Pickles!!

For most of us, we have had 3 – 6 homes in our lives.  Every time we buy and sell a home, it is an emotional transaction.  After all, we’ve lived and made memories in these homes for years.In every transaction, we have probably remembered whether it was a pleasant or unpleasant interaction, and it probably centered around how our real estate agent advocated for us during the deal.Today we have a realtor that wants the best for her clients, even when that means NOT selling a home.  Olivia Kunevicius has been advocating for her clients for 16 years, most recently with milehimodern.  

The wealth management space has increased dramatically with the most recent numbers being over 15,000 advisory companies in the United States which has doubled in the last 20 years. However, the term “wealth manager or financial advisor” has become very opaque and very broad.  Many of the wealth managers are investing money in a set portfolio which could be handled through a robo-advisor or direct investment.Our guest today prides himself in being a “value-add” wealth manager, holding himself out for giving increased service, knowledge and investment advice.  Aaron Leatherwood has been in the financial services industry his whole career, most recently establishing Centerpiece Wealth Advisors with his partner.

Chris Beauchamp with the Client School takes us on an insightful and enlightening journey around a concept he has termed the "Client Story of Care".  From talking about how buyers connect to a more emotional objective to the concept of deep listening as a curious child, Chris' method is definitely unique but will keep you nodding your head as you get pulled deeper into the concept.  

As we get closer to the end of the year and inevitably the start of a new government administration, it is the right time to think about how you are focusing on tax strategies to strive to maintain more of your wealthOur guest today, Ryan Finch, has been a passionate investor since a very young age, making his first real estate investment when he was 19.  Ryan has spent his career in the financial industry in various roles including commercial real estate lender, private banker, wealth management and has owned his own company, Tangible Wealth Solutions since 2016Ryan’s passion lies in helping others in their efforts to strengthen their financial and ultimately help to maintain their wealthIMPORTANT DISCLOSURES AT THE END OF THE PODCAST

Every business has a product or service to sell and many of these products and services help business owners and individuals to solve or avert a challenge the company will face.  However, the process of sales has evolved to being focused on getting to know the individual or business before selling the product or service.Our guest today, Stuart Pattison has been in a sales leadership position for most of his career.  Stuart’s passion lies in helping other sales individuals in developing business through developing relationships.  Stuart has built a career on one premise: the person on the other side is a person first and a potential client second.  

All businesses have the same challenges; hiring, motivating and most importantly, retaining great employees.  And while most business owners and executives are excellent at their role, many times they are not experts at determining if an employee is going to be a great cultural fit.Ultimately, there are individuals out there that have dedicated their entire career to finding talent and determining if that talent will fit and excel within a company’s culture.Today, we have one of those individuals.  Jennie Champagne has perfected the craft of getting to know people and companies to determine whether you will have a great fit. 

The skill of attentive and active listening is now and has always been the key to effective networking.Today we have a gentleman that has built his successful career on active and attentive listening.  Kelly Condon and I met over 20 years ago at a soccer field where our daughters played soccer together.  Kelly has always been in roles where he has the ability to impact other’s careers and help them through networking.   Kelly has recently started with Fortis Bank and has been a top producer at some of the largest banks, including Cobiz and excellent careers at Vectra Bank and US Bank.

According to Deloitte Consulting, advertising costs have increased by 50% over the last 5 years due to the increased number of channels and noise in those channels.Today we talk to Adam Kemper, New Business Development Manager at New Fig Advertising.  Adam talks about going down the streets where your clients are, measuring REAL metrics instead of vanity metrics, and having fun with your advertising.

Dan Fallon, a Principal at One Digital gives us some sage advice on employee benefits.  Dan talks about the importance of the Benefits Administrator, where to see red flags in your current benefits plans and misconceptions about benefits plans.Dan has dedicated his career to helping companies find the things in their plans where they are spending excessively or not getting the most benefits for the dollar.

The Independence Day week gave us an opportunity to do something a little different.  My twin 10 year olds, Huey and Hazel, take the microphone to interview me on how to grow companies revenue and decrease costs to grow smart. We talk about the importance of a strategic roadmap and why many company's margins stall as they grow. 

Meg Gilland, Sr. Business Advisor at G&A partners steps away from her client advocacy role to help us understand how small to mid-sized businesses can benefit from the use of PEOs.  Meg offers us an invaluable resource in napeo.org, an organization focused on helping small to mid sized businesses find the right PEO for their needs.

This episode focuses on the difficult task of securing a home loan for 1099 and Self-Employed individuals.   Although many 1099 and Self-Employed individuals have enough income and/or assets to act as collateral for a loan, Fannie and Freddie have created stringent guidelines on lending practices.Our guest today is Sarah Hubbard.  Sarah has been helping individuals in the process of getting traditional and non-traditional home financing for the last 12 years.  More impressively, when talking to people about who to contact for a home loan, Sarah’s name kept coming up.  She is highly respected by her peers and her clients, and we are honored to have her with us here today.

In this episode, we speak with a seasoned Fractional CFO veteran about the real costs that many companies do not see that become the real reasons for decreased profit margins.  Our guest today, Drew Lyon is the founder and managing partner of Focused Energy.  Over the past 12 years, Drew has helped numerous companies in assessing the real issues that hurt companies as they go through growth and maturity phases.Drew gives great wisdom on the importance of hiring and maintaining the Top 20% of employees, motivating the middle 50% and moving the bottom 30% out of the business. Drew states that the most important pre-planning for companies in growth mode is actually the post-planning of what you want your company to be after growth phases or M&A activity.

The cost of employee engagement has increased dramatically in the last 5 years.  While AI has been identified as a major revolution within business efficiency, there is also an important element to AI which can help understand your human capital.  Dan Bruder, the CEO of Fusion Dynamic's Group and the thought leader behind a new AI software enabled platform, Blendification, says employees aren't as engaged as they should be because "Their leaders haven't given them a reason".  Dan walks us through the concept of turning AI upside down to increase natural communication and feedback with human capital and how important it is to make sure all employees are part of the strategic culture of an organization.

In our next episode, we dive into the current dilemma for many business owners and executives of how to handle vacant, and many times expensive, unused space.  With the change in employee working schedules and the explosion of work from home and hybrid schedules, many of us are left trying to decide what the next best step is within the commercial leasing space.In this episode, we talk to a seasoned veteran, Justin Rayburn of Fountainhead Commercial.  Justin gives us an excellent synopsis of the current commercial leasing landscape, creative ways to modify leasing terms, and thoughts on how to think about future costs related to commercial space.

This week on our fourth episode, we get into more of the true money matters within business; the process of preparing your business for a sale.  Brett Story at Britehorn Partners joins us to discuss owner's mindsets when going into a transaction, their perception of the value of the business and the importance of working with the right partners to sell the business.Brett Story is a Managing Partner at Britehorn Partners, where they have built a successful business helping companies through the transition of a sale, merger or new investment.  Brett reminds our listeners that just like other transactions of a personal nature, hiring the right M&A firm is a critical decision.

In our second episode,  we begin a mini-series on the importance of employers investing in their employees for development and ultimate retention.  The cost of employee dissatisfaction has been calculated at approximately $282 Million for median S&P 500 companies.  In this episode we talk to Wills Moore, CEO of Agilitas Human Resources.  Wills has spent more than 25 years in the Human Resources field for Fortune 100 companies including Coca-Cola and Korn Ferry.  Agilitas has been able to help companies substantially improve their profit margins through is contemporary approach to employee human resource management.

In our third episode, we finish our mini-series on human resource management by talking to Heidi Hanna who is the Chief Energy Officer of Synergy Brain Fitnesss.  Heidi helps us to understand stress in the workplace and how to turn negative stress into positive stress.  Heidi's life-long research of the impacts of stress on the brain and human body is shared as we talk about how we can turn negative stress to positive stress and become more effective leaders.Heidi's Linkedin Learning Managing Stress for Positive Change can be viewed here:For Linkedin Learning and Premium subscribers: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/heidi-hanna?u=104

In our first episode,  we talk to Jim Yount, president of Destra Capital.  Jim starts our new podcast with a great understanding of how to live your personal and professional life as if every day is the first day.  Likening every business day to the first day of a diet, a new job, or a new relationship, Jim helps us understand how important it is to be intentional and energized within our daily lives.  Jim also enlightens us on how to create a repeatable sales process.