Eric Kapitulik was born and raised in Thompson, CT and attended the United States Naval Academy. While there, he was a 4-year Varsity Letter winner. He graduated in 1995 served as a Marine Infantry Officer and Special Operations Officer. Eric left active duty after eight years of service and graduated from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He is also an ultra-endurance athlete and an avid high-altitude mountaineer. Eric is now the Founder and CEO of The Program, a leadership development and team building company that works with corporate teams and leading collegiate and professional athletic organizations around the United States.
“everyone is going to tell you that right now is a bad time to start your business, don’t believe them. Number one in a recession or in a tough market it’s a great time to start a business because in a recession or in a tough market you will very quickly find out what your core business is because you won’t be able to sell anything else other than what you are the best in the world at because there is just not money out there being put towards it. Second on that same point though… And that it’s not the right time to start a business that is like is there a right time to get married, is there a right time to start a family? If you are waiting for the right time chances are you will wait forever. Instead if you think you want to do it then go and do it, just go and do it and then be prepared to work really hard in making that decision the right decision. Number one. Number two he told me don’t ever talk yourself into believing that you are worth less than what you are. Most people do… Things aren’t cheap or expensive it’s a question of value. Okay it cost a lot of money but I’m giving you that value that is signified by that price. Believe in it because what you are saying is you are believing in yourself. You are providing that value. Too many people talk their own personal value down. Don’t, don’t do it ”…[Listen for More]
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Norm Laviolette is the co-founder and CEO of Improv Asylum, IA Innovation and Asylum Gaming and Esports (AGE). He has performed, directed or produced more than 10,000 improvisational comedy shows on three continents. He brings the experience of building companies from the ground up into multi-million dollar businesses. His new book, The Art of Making Sh!t Up: How to Work Together to Become an Unstoppable Powerhouse (Wiley, May 7, 2019), describes how the techniques of improv can transform teams into more powerful, creative and healthy organizations.
“stop giving a shit about what other people think about you. That’s my best advice. It’s irrelevant what they think about you. It’s nothing, it’s air, it’s ether. You need to stop that and you need to say this is what I believe and this is what I’m trying to do. You may succeed, you may fail. Either way though what others think about you is irrelevant to either of those outcomes ”…[Listen for More]
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Barbara Khozam is an award-winning international motivational speaker and trainer specializing in customer service and the patient experience. In 2019, Barbara was awarded the CSP® (Certified Speaking Professional™) from the National Speaker’s Association. Barbara is one of only two women in the world to have achieved this destination as well as the Toastmaster Accredited Speaker designation.
“it’s really those baby steps. Every freaking day just take those little baby steps. Is it okay I’m going to make a list of my top 10 clients, okay that’s what am going to do today. Okay so tomorrow I’m going to email three of my top 10 clients. Okay good. And then the next day I’m going to send a follow-up email. So just little baby steps every freaking day and you can’t help but be successful”…[Listen for More]
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Neal Pecchenino is the founder of Boxi, an innovative out-of-home company that puts advertisements on delivery box trucks that are already on the road. Boxi helps businesses of all sizes reach their audience by leveraging its network of truck drivers who drive high-exposure routes in a variety of key markets.
“do the research, be relentless, answer the hard questions, just keep going. Don’t start a start-up start a company. Put your head down and make something happen… It’s not easy out there and typically people aren’t going to care about what you’re doing unless you can make them care meaning you can really get through and cut through the BS not sell something but tell a story. That’s really critical as well can’t just assume you’re going to show up and sell something and anyone is going to care. You have got to be able to tell a good story, telling a story is critical in entrepreneurship”…[Listen for More]
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Contessa Louise Cooper is an author, advocate, entrepreneur and healer. She is also the president of the New Jersey chapter of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce and the founder of Modern & Alternative Health magazine. She provides safe spaces for individuals can be their authentic selves so they can begin a holistic and spiritual healing process.
“trust yourself, you are an expert in your own right at this moment. And don’t let anyone, especially yourself tell you otherwise”…[Listen for More]
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An entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author, Laurie Guest is a “go-to-resource” for customer service excellence. For more than two decades, she has shared her practical point of view on customer service and staff development with audiences and companies across the country, blending real-life examples and proven action steps for improvement. Her latest book is The 10¢ Decision: How Small Change Pays of Big, presenting her most sought-after and impactful strategies to find and retain the best staff and highest-quality customers while delivering exceptional guest experiences.
“make sure your thinking the long game even if you don’t know you’re going to make it not. So for example knowing how you are going to capture your lead generation. So, if somebody kicks your tyre for whatever it is that you are selling and they show interest in any way… have you captured their name? Have you captured their email? Their phone number? Do you have a mechanism, a system in place to try and stay in touch with them? There is an old wise saying in sales, contact every 90 days until they buy or die. And I don’t know that’s necessarily true I think we can become menaces with that but the mentality behind it is don’t lose track of the people who are interested in you”…[Listen for More]
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Chris Prefontaine is the best-selling author of 2017’s Real Estate On Your Terms and this year’s The New Rules of Real Estate Investing. A real estate investor with over 27 years experience in the field, Chris is the founder of Smart Real Estate Coach and host of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast. He lives in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife, Kim, and their family. Chris operates the family business with his son, Nick, his daughter, Kayla, his son-in-law, Zach, and an amazing team.
“find that person in your niche or your industry, put the blinders on for 36 months because it works in any business”…[Listen for More]
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Josh Cantwell is the top residential real estate investor in his community and has been a full-time investor since 2003. He has bought and sold over 740 properties in 25 states. Josh is laser-focused on entrepreneurship and raising capital and has raised over $30 million dollars to date.
“most businesses fail because of a lack of capital and a lack of funding… If your business fails it’s going to be for a lack of funding. And so my number one piece of advice would be it doesn’t matter what kind of business you have a small piece of your skill set as a CEO needs to be getting access to funding. Primarily equity investors or potential debt lines of credit but having plenty of funding…Make sure that you are properly funded by having investors invest in your business all end to your business. And make sure you have plenty of capital laying around”…[Listen for More]
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Jerry Brazie is a poor kid from Portland, Oregon with eight brothers and sisters. He has owned and operated more than a dozen companies over the last 20 years with combined sales of more than $450 million. Jerry has had more than 10,000 employees and has owned and operated many types of business including: Transportation, gas stations, car washes, convenience stores, reclaimed wood, a management company, and a driver services company. He has also been active as an industrial and commercial real estate investor and own more than 100,000 square feet in the Portland area, a residential land developer and homebuilder, and has bought, sold, remodeled and flipped more houses than he can count.
“don’t be scared of change and that’s change to get the business started, that’s change once you start the business, that’s change once you been successful or that’s change when you are not being successful. Don’t be scared of change. Because change can freeze you so that you make no decisions and that ultimately, I think is the ruination of more companies are less. So, ones that are failing to act even though they may know they need to act but they are scared of the change. Or you want to become an entrepreneur but you are scared of the change in your life… I embrace that and I would encourage others to embrace it the same way. Understanding that you are capable of so much more. So in personal life constantly don’t be afraid of change and then in business once you get there always be looking at it and changing it as required” …[Listen for More]
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As a coach Eric Reid is currently working with individuals and teams to uncover their potential and help them learn to live a life of success. But what is a life of success? A life of success is more about the process of living life successfully then arriving at a 'success point' in the furture. How does he do that? Through one-on-one and group coaching, seminars, workshops, and speaking I help dream builders identify where they are stuck, remove the obstacles, design a strategic plan to active their goals, motivate them into action to allow them to grow beyond the current situation. Success Life is about personal and professional development designed to help clients shift from… * Functional to SIGNIFICANT! * Ordinary to OUTSTANDING! * Average to EXCELLENT! Everything I do - coaching, mentoring, speaking - is tailored to ensure that those I work with become… * INSPIRED to live with passion and purpose * ENERGIZED to focus on what is truly important * EMPOWERED to create lasting results When you work with me I will make sure that you have * An AWARENESS of who you are, your true purpose and gifts; * The FUEL to forge ahead and take your life and business to the next level * The TOOLS needed to strategically and successfully navigate through your life and business * SUCCESS on your terms
“now that you are worthy, really worthy to pursue that dream, that ambition, that desire that in you, that you are worthy of it, that it was given to you at some level because it’s yours to have so go after it. And don’t let somebody else tell you that you can’t”…[Listen for More]
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John Knotts is a business coach and consultant with over 30 years of experience in military, non-profit, and commercial leadership and consulting. He has an extensive background in strategy, change, process, leadership, management, human capital, training and education, innovation, design, and communication.
“look before you leap. Too many people start out in business without a good plan and they don’t even know that they need one. And I said it 9/10 business fail because they didn’t have a plan or the plan was poor, they didn’t use it. So my most important piece of advice is get a really good business plan that you use every day to drive your business”…[Listen for More]
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Brad Sugars started the ActionCOACH brand in 1994 in Brisbane, Australia. Today the company is ranked as the leading business coaching franchise by Entrepreneur magazine. ActionCOACH operates in over 70 countries and has more than 1,000 coaches around the world, coaching 15,000 business every week. The franchise has received numerous awards including Fastest Growing Franchise, Franchisee Satisfaction, Best Overall Company and has been named the number one business coaching franchise in the world every year since 2004. Using the coaching strategies that have helped thousands of companies around the world, Brad Sugars and his executive team helped lead ActionCOACH and its coaches to some of its most profitable and best years ever… in the face of challenging economic conditions. Brad Sugars and his team continue to build “business re-education” to new, more innovative and exciting levels.
“very simple, keep learning… Your business can only grow to your level of incompetence. The day you run out of ideas is the date your business stops growing. So if you keep learning your business keeps growing. I guess I will give one other piece of advice. My dad gave it to me when I was 20 think. I turned to him and I said you know what dad I just can’t get good people and my dad looked me dead in the eye and said ‘Brad you get the people you deserve.’ If you are an average manager running an average business, I don’t see how you are going to get amazing people who want to work for you. He said the highest calibre employee going to get is average. So, when I became a better leader, when I became a better manager, when I started building a better company great people wanted to work for me. Great people want to work in great companies that are doing great things led by other great people… If you keep growing the business will keep growing and you will start attracting better and better customers, better and better employees, better and better suppliers. Just remember that the more you grow the more the business grows.”…[Listen for More]
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Ron Carucci is co-founder and managing partner at Navalent, working with CEOs and executives pursuing transformational change for their organizations, leaders, and industries. He has a thirty year track record helping executives tackle challenges of strategy, organization and leadership. From start-ups to Fortune 10’s, non-profits to heads-of-state, turn-arounds to new markets and strategies, overhauling leadership and culture to re-designing for growth. He has helped organizations articulate strategies that lead to accelerated growth, and design organizations that can execute those strategies. He has worked in more than 25 countries on 4 continents. He is the author of 8 books, including the recent Amazon #1 Rising to Power. He is a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, where Navalent’s work on leadership was named one of 2016’s management ideas that mattered most. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes, and a two-time TEDx speaker. His work’s been featured in Fortune, CEO Magazine, Inc., BusinessInsider, MSNBC, Business Week, Smart Business, and thoughtleaders. The Whole Me He lives in the Seattle area with his wife and two children. On weekends, you’ll find him on his bike, on the lake, on his skis, at the movies, or cheering for the Seahawks. His greatest joy is seeing leader’s thrive by having the impact on the lives of those they lead. Helping leaders find their voice, and use it to serve their organization’s greater good is what gets him up every morning. In his office, Ron has a collection of antique door knobs, door knockers and skeleton keys. Every day, they remind him that life is about finding and pursuing the open doors in front of you, and making sure those doors open for others. In the morning, one of his favorite routines is picking the coffee mug in the conference room from among his collection. Each mug hails from a difference experience and person in his life, and helps him begin his day remembering to be grateful for all those in his life who’ve been part of his story.
“know who you are and know why you are doing it, really really know. Don’t just assume you have a great idea and the world needs it. Really know who you are and why you believe your idea matters to other people”…[Listen for More]
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Josh Levine is an educator, designer, and author, but above all, he's on a mission to help organizations design a culture advantage. Josh leads both Culture LabX, an international non-profit and Great Mondays, a culture design agency. His new book, also called Great Mondays, teaches organizations how to design a company culture employees love. Josh’s writing has been seen in Forbes, Huffington Post, Fast Company, and the Design Management Journal.
“you have to be passionate about what you do you won’t succeed. You have got to love it, you have got to be able to be convinced that this is what you were born to do. If there’s other options and you can see yourself taking them that might be the way to go and I can appreciate that. If you are going to be a successful entrepreneur you have to commit 110% because there are going to be harrowing days, weeks, months, years where you doubt yourself. And if you have a deep belief in your passion, and what you are working on and a love for actually running your own business that is the one and only way that you are going to be able to make it because it’s a hard hard job. It is really difficult it’s not for the faint of heart… But as you know the highest highs is always about landing that next gig or launching that new product. It’s an incredible feeling that success. ”…[Listen for More]
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Deana Karim is the owner/founder of Good Dee's. The journey to this mix has been long, she embraced going low-carb and sugar free and looked up alternative sweeteners. Through months of trial and error, Deana made a cookie that after numerous taste tests with non-LCHF people, got a giant thumbs up.
“research. I think it’s just great to go in and start something – I am that person. But also knowing what to research. So researching like I said… I think doing everything that won’t cause problems for you later on is super important and such a major component and foundation of a company that’s the least fun part but it’s vital. It’s not fun at all, it’s actually a headache and it gives me anxiety but it is so vital ”…[Listen for More]
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Based in the San Diego area, Reena B. Patel (LEP, BCBA) is a renowned parenting expert, guidance counselor, licensed educational psychologist, and board-certified behavior analyst. For more than 20 years, Patel has had the privilege of working with families and children, supporting all aspects of education and positive wellness. She works extensively with developing children as well as children with exceptional needs, supporting their academic, behavioral and social development. She was recently nominated for San Diego Magazine’s “Woman of the Year.”
“Hang in there, every day is a different day. Make sure you practice self-care, take time for yourself, it’s a 24-hour job being an entrepreneur and you need to make sure that you take time for yourself. So make sure you practice self-care”…[Listen for More]
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Sally Marshall worked for many years in the House of Commons as a Business Manager. She now uses those transferable skills to work with businesses on their strategy and planning as well as publishing a business magazine with a complementary app called Steer Your Business
“talk to each other because you don’t need to be competitive but you can learn from each other. And When you look at businesses of all different shapes and sizes, they all have the same issues at different times in different ways but they basically all have the same challenges. So just by talking to someone you probably find that they’ve been there done that or know somebody who has who can help you. So don’t sit in the silo and worry about it just going find somebody that you can trust and talk to them, talk to each other”…[Listen for More]
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Dr. Steven Hymovitch, also known as “Dr. H”, is a certified executive coach and the co-founder of The Scottsdale Leadership and Coaching Center. Additionally, Dr. H is also and endodontist and the founder and CEO of Valley Endodontics and Oral Surgery. He has 10 successful endodontic and oral surgery practices throughout Arizona since 1996. Valley Endodontics and Oral Surgery is the largest Endodontic/Oral Surgery practice in the Southwestern United States
“just because you do it by yourself that doesn’t mean you are all alone. Entrepreneurs usually we are lonely at the top but that does not mean you are all alone in… Take advantage of people. There is resources out there. We all feel like we don’t want to take the plunge but there is other people out there to support you and help you ”…[Listen for More]
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Cait Scudder is a business coach and success catalyst for driven, bold-hearted women who want it all - global impact, bursting income, and the legacy that comes from building a movement bigger than themselves. As CEO of a multi-six figure online business coaching empire, Scudder serves as the fearless front-woman of the boss babe revolution. A true trailblazer, she leads other inspired femme-preneurs in the fight to courageously make their dreams a reality, all while truly enjoying life and traveling the world with her husband. Scudder’s story began in 2012 while earning her Education MA from Smith College. She was awarded a Project Coach fellowship training at-risk inner-city youth to be leaders in their communities. With a newfound passion and gift for teaching, Scudder entered the world of academia only to discover that the 9-to-5 grind left her burned out, frustrated, and unfulfilled. In 2015, Scudder left her treaching career behind and sojourned to Bali to plan her next move. There she took an internal deep-dive to rediscover her own passions and, just two years later, after creating a plan and executing it, Scudder established a multi-faceted business coaching enterprise run entirely from her laptop - one which she scaled to six figures in her first 12 months. Having learned how to trust in her deepest passions, identify her unique zone of genius, and leverage that genius to serve the world, Scudder now teaches other women to do the same and earn the money they deserve while bringing their unique gifts to the world in a big way. Featured in Forbes, Fast Company, and many more - Scudder and her team now lead a tribe of more than 25,000 ambitious women across six continents in their quest to “nail their niche,” leverage their “zone of genius,” to finally build the profitable business and radiant life of their dreams. Her wildly popular Born to Rise podcast is pure mental fuel for go-getters thirsty for the inspiration and actionable tools to help master their mindset, explode their business, and achieve everything that becomes possible “when you decide that now is your time to rise.”
“start when you are afraid, start when you are scared, start when you don’t know the answers but just start and don’t feel like you need to do this thing alone… There are so many incredible people out there further along on this path who would be so happy to support you. So reach out and ask for help, believe in yourself and just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other ”…[Listen for More]
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Autumn Shelton is a partner and CFO of Autumn Brands, a 50 percent woman-owned cannabis business located in Santa Barbara County, California. Autumn oversees the company’s financials and is in charge of legal compliance on the local and state levels, this includes, but is not limited to, ordinances, regulations, packaging, permits, and licensing.
“I think in order to succeed as an entrepreneur you really have to be prepared financially and mentally for the challenges ahead. Don’t just jump into the business and hope for the best. Definitely talk to others in your industry that you are going into. Find out what their challenges and successes were. Be frugal in the beginning don’t try to go make some fancy office or systems, really live within the means or the finances that you have available to you. And if possible, have a secondary income source so that you are not just depending on this because you get one good sale you think that you are going to be on your way but it doesn’t always work out that way. So really just been in mind frame that when you start a business a slow and steady journey and not necessarily just straight up”…[Listen for More]
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Ora Nadrich is founder and president of the Institute for Transformational Thinking and author of Live True: A Mindfulness Guide to Authenticity. A certified life coach and mindfulness teacher, she specializes in transformational thinking, self-discovery, and mentoring new coaches as they develop their careers.
“really stay committed to what it is you feel passionate about. What is your vision? Why do you feel that your product, your vision, your business idea or your business can really affect change or make a difference in the world? And stick to it and also make room for improvement and know that it is a constantly changing organism. Do you know that whatever it is you have created or you are in the midst of creating there is always room for change, there is always room for improvement, there is always room for open-mindedness approach to your business. So I would say stay open, stay open minded”…[Listen for More]
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Jenna Suru established her company Belle Époque Films in January 2015. She directed and produced her debut feature film "L'Âge d'Or" with an international cast, 35 exceptional locations and an outstanding soundtrack, featuring songs from Chuck Berry and Jimmy Reed. She organizes shoots for multiple foreign productions filming across Europe.
“have a plan and manage your risks. Of course you can try and fail three times as an entrepreneur before actually doing it right. And there are many entrepreneurs who will explain also how important it is to fail and how you must be ready to fail. But really it’s going to be so much less painful and it’s going to also avoid you losing time if you just come in prepared. You may think all the time you put into this preparing phase is going to add maybe delay at the start of your business but is going to be difficult but really you’re going to be so thankful that you did it later because it’s actually going to make you save time and be more competitive. So I would say preparing, learning about all the dimensions that will make you become a good entrepreneur, learn from other people and then manage your risks”…[Listen for More]
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Ximena Hartsock is co-founder and President of Phone2Action, a digital advocacy platform that connects citizens to lawmakers. Prior to founding Phone2Action, Ximena was a member of the executive cabinet of former Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Washington DC Public Schools Deputy Chief for Teaching and Learning. A native of Chile, she holds a Doctorate in Policy Studies and Administration from The George Washington University.
“believe in your gut and develop guts. Because we know more than we think we do and especially if you had a career before, you have a few years under your belt of experience. Every time we make a decision our instincts get sharper. And so, we need to try to make as many decisions as possible, as fast as possible and hopefully be as right as possible. And when we are not right, we need to try to assess why. A good entrepreneur, a successful entrepreneur for the ones that I know including our own experience here tend to make decisions fast and have good instincts”…[Listen for More]
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Born and raised on a farm in northern Indiana, Bert Miller raised himself up through the brands of E. & J. Gallo and Revlon, to then start Protis Global and recently acquired Management Recruiters International Inc. An athlete all his life, from baseball to football, and now mind-numbing, soul-building marathons, Bert takes the competition, the drive, the sweat and the brutal determination of a sportsman and plows it all into his work. From farm to founder, he knows better than anyone else that the underdog can take on the mighty. It’s one of the reasons he owns three companies; the absolute, all-consuming belief that anyone can choose a path less traveled and fulfill their dreams. His ethos is why we all hustle every day, to build companies and put talented individuals in their dream roles. If you ask Bert anything, his answer will always be bourbon.
“take the road less travelled, out work the others (you have got to outwork folks), be present with people, and you have got to show up. And when you show up and you have those other attributes, you give yourself a chance to win… If you just make all of the ordinary plays… Make the ordinary plays and not try to be extraordinary you will always give yourself a chance to win”…[Listen for More]
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Recently named one of Vegas, Inc.’s 40 under 40, this Las Vegas native brings her vast knowledge of communications as founder and CEO of Vegas Girls Night Out, a boutique concierge service offering exclusive, inside access for women to the Las Vegas party scene. Please help me in welcoming Bri Steck!
“work hard, treat people how you want to be treated. Just because you are the boss doesn’t mean you are the drill sergeant. Create a great team, listen to your customers, listen to the market; they can dictate what is needed. Try something different and outside the box whether it’s something that you’re offering or it’s a marketing technique don’t be too afraid to try something new because maybe you are on the cutting-edge of something and you are going to start a new trend yourself. So don’t be afraid to try something new”…[Listen for More]
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