On Your Mark, Get Set, Grow!

Guest: Mark Moses, CEO and Founder of CEO Coaching International. Quick Background: Whether you’re trying to grow a business or lower your handicap, even the most driven and talented people eventually hit a wall. That’s where folks who are too proud or too blind to their own limitations often sputter and stall. But working with a coach can help you break through those walls, shore up your weaknesses, and identify the actionable, measurable steps that will lead to sustained personal and professional growth. On today’s show, Mark Moses shares what he’s learned about Making BIG Happen from both sides of a coaching relationship, as well as his most memorable moments from our 2022 Make BIG Happen Summit in Miami Beach.

Guest: Daniel Shemtob, a chef, restauranteur, and entrepreneur who has started multiple successful companies, including Snibbs work shoes. Overview: There's an old saying about entrepreneurs: They've never met an idea they didn't like. But an openness to what's exciting and new can also get between you and BIG. On today's show, serial entrepreneur Daniel Shemtob discusses the thought process that led him to pare down from five businesses to one so that he could focus on his most promising opportunity, grow as a leader, and Make BIG Happen.

Guest: Kelly Wade, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Kelly has amassed nearly 30 years of sales, marketing, and management experience focused on growing and leading people, cultivating unique cultures, and developing strategic long-term growth plans for a variety of industries.  Quick Background: Leading a business to BIG can sometimes feel like an all-consuming mission. But the best CEOs never forget that there is life outside of the c-suite. And they draw on lessons from their personal passions, relationships, and experiences to grow as leaders. On today's show, Kelly Wade walks us through her journey to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and the connection between having an adventurous spirit and succeeding in business and life.

Guest: Marty Parker, the founder and CEO of Waterstone Human Capital. Waterstone is a high-performance culture and human capital search leadership advisory firm for entrepreneurial-minded, high-growth organizations across North America. Marty is also an active member of YPO and the author of two books on corporate culture. He's also a client of CEO Coaching International.  Waterstone Human Capital is a Strategic Partner of CEO Coaching International. Overview: A strong culture doesn't just create a happy workplace -- it can be a significant competitive advantage, especially in the battle for top talent and repeat customers.  On today's show, Marty Parker provides a deep dive on the specific, intentional ways that CEOs can transform culture and create a high-performing organization that attracts and retains the best people. 

About ten years ago, Josh McCarter was running a struggling SaaS business in New York. His company was generating about $700,000 in annual revenue, but burning through $350,000 a month. He didn’t have enough cash on hand to cover next month’s payroll. His customer base had flatlined. And just when it seemed like relief was on the way, a terrorist attack disrupted a critical investment. Not even his YPO forum mates thought Josh was going to make it. In this conversation, recorded live at the 2019 CEO Coaching Summit, Josh talked about how he kept cool during all this adversity and focused on a plan that pivoted his company to BIG. Josh also describes how turning around his original company and zeroing in on one key strategy prepared him to run a billion-dollar business.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, we're thrilled to be hosting the 2022 Make BIG Happen Summit from October 20-22 at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida. On today’s show Heidi Smith, Chief Marketing Officer of CEO Coaching International, previews our signature event, which will be BIGGER than ever with over 500+ CEOs gathering in one place for multiple days of stimulating networking and learning. Previously, the Summit was only open to CEO Coaching International clients; however, this year the firm is welcoming applications for any qualifying CEO interested in attending. Heidi and our podcast host Steve Sanduski, also share some tips for getting the most out of a conference and reminisce about their favorite speakers at past Make BIG Happen Summits. 

Guest: Patrick Eldon, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Patrick is an experienced chief executive and entrepreneur, serving as CEO of orderTalk Inc. from its launch as a SaaS company to its acquisition by Uber in 2018. Under Patrick’s leadership, the company grew from a fledgling startup to a leading provider of digital ordering solutions for the restaurant industry, processing more than $1 billion in annual transactions. Quick Background: A well-run SaaS business can generate steady recurring revenue at high gross margins with low customer churn and minimal R&D costs. But even in our increasingly digital world, scaling SaaS poses some unique challenges that require both top-notch tech and a personal touch. On today's show, Patrick Eldon discusses five keys to scaling a SaaS business, including the strategies and key metrics CEOs should follow all the way to BIG growth.

Guest: Aakash Shah, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Prior to joining us, Aakash was the CEO of his family's chemical company, which he grew from $3 million to $100 million in sales. Aakash is also an active YPO member.  Quick Background: Any business that wants to get BIG needs cash. And while taking on private equity investment can help the CEO accelerate a growth trajectory, streamline ownership positions, and prepare for an exit, don't underestimate the amount of work that goes into finding the right investment partner. Your whole company might not be for sale, but your company should always be salable. The investments you make now in your leadership team, infrastructure, and long-term strategic planning will only improve your value when you sit down with interested parties. On today's show, Aakash Shah reflects on how his efforts to stabilize and grow his family's business paid off with two private equity rounds and a BIG a nine-figure exit.

Quick Background: Anybody can be a critic, especially when times are tough and a business is struggling to find its footing in an uncertain economy. But, to paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, not everyone has what it takes to stand in the arena and lead a company to BIG. On today's show Angela Korompilas explains how she led her hotel operating supplies and equipment provider to 10X growth and $1 billion in revenue.

Guest: Frank de Jong, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Frank spent 33 years leading customer-centric growth and profit planning strategies for hundreds of business units and companies all over the world. He spent 20 years as an expatriate in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, learning regional business practices, unique market opportunities, and local culture with Emerson Automation Solutions.  Quick Background: Learning to unplug from your company and separate life from business is an essential CEO skill. But how does a leader continue to lead through a loss so catastrophic that it completely upends your responsibilities, your priorities, and your very sense of self? On today's show, Frank de Jong discusses what he learned about resilience, fatherhood, friendship, and leadership while coping with the loss of his wife.

Guest: Steve Patterson, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Steve spent more than 35 years as a successful executive and entrepreneur in a variety of areas, including professional sports, college athletics, finance and construction, media, branding, and crisis communications. Quick Background: An effective brand fills customers with positive vibes and projects crystal clarity about what a company does and what it stands for. Whether a company is starting up, scaling rapidly, or recovering from a stumble, that brand also has to maintain a careful balance between consistency and adaptability so that customers want to stick with the business on its journey to BIG. On today’s show, Steve Patterson details the specific brand initiatives he executed for four professional sports teams and a university, and how CEOs can apply the lessons from his experiences to make any brand better.

Guest: Meghan Watkins, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Meghan has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and supply chain management in the wine and spirits industry.  Quick Background: There are no shortcuts to getting BIG faster. CEOs who scale ahead of schedule follow the same tried-and-true best practices that support any effective annual plan. But the best CEOs also know which buttons to push to keep motivation high and how to leverage talent and systems to achieve just a little bit more every single day. On today's show, Meghan Watkins reflects on the 5 factors that helped her quickly scale her businesses from startup to $100M+ in revenue.

Guest: John Fadool, a coach at CEO Coaching International. In his 35-year career as a senior executive, John worked with three best-in-class companies: Darden Restaurants, Novartis Consumer Health, and Procter & Gamble. He has a proven track record of growing revenue and profit in businesses ranging from $10M to $2B in revenue. Quick Background: Great leadership balances confidence in your company's current reality with a hopeful vision for the future that inspires the best from your team. On today's show, John Fadool shares his five keys to providing the kind of inspiring leadership that drives massive growth, attracts top talent, and keeps Making BIG Happen.

Guest: Randy Dewey, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Prior to becoming a coach, Randy assisted Blackstone in numerous turnarounds, worked in a private family office and in other public markets, raised several hundred million in debt and equity financing, and participated in 15 M&A transactions. Quick Background: Our proven Making BIG Happen System combines BIG vision with an actionable plan. You can't have one without the other and expect to grow. And the foundation of effective planning is a battle-ready balance sheet that will ground your goals and keep your company from growing broke.  On today's show, Randy Dewey discusses how to identify the KPIs, the obstacles, the opportunities, and the team members you need to build your best balance sheet.

Guest: Shep Moyle, a coach at CEO Coaching International. Before coaching, Shep was the owner, chairman, and CEO of Shindigz party supplies and the International Chairman of YPO. Quick Background: The true measure of a CEO's strategy isn't if his or her plan leads to BIG growth in a year or two. It's if the CEO's combination of vision, processes, people, and discipline can snowball into sustained growth year after year after year. On today's show, Shep Moyle explains how he led his company to average 20% growth for 20 consecutive years.

Guest: Sean Magennis, the President of CEO Coaching International. Sean was the Global President and COO of YPO for more than seven years. He is a seasoned international business executive specializing in scaling professional services firms and has over 30 years of extensive growth, acquisition, turnaround, and international experience. Overview: As CEO, it's a given that you have tremendous influence over your employees.  But many CEOs never reflect on how they're using that influence. True leadership isn't throwing your weight around and creating a culture ruled by fear of failure. Leadership is how the CEO expresses his or her purpose, values, and vision to the entire organization. The more inspiring that leadership model is, the more motivated your team will be to Make BIG Happen.  On today's show, Sean Magennis shares his five pillars for effective leadership, whose complementary themes will help you integrate the hard skills of running a company with the art of leading effectively.

Guest: Jennifer Gressman, the CEO of Site Impact, a company that specializes in multichannel direct marketing services. Their clients range from Fortune 500 corporations to locally owned and operated small businesses. Overview: No CEO is ever just handed the top job at a BIG business. Founders put all of their time, effort, and resources on the line. Successful hired guns spend years earning their reputations as fixers. And ambitious leaders who pursue a path to promotion have to set clear targets that build win-by-win towards that dream job.  On today's show, Jennifer Gressman talks about how she purposefully navigated her transition from Vice President of Operations to become Site Impact's first female CEO.

Guest: Hillel L. Presser, Esq., Managing Partner of The Presser Law Firm, P.A. Overview: CEOs who lead a company to BIG aren't just growing a business. Your success is also creating a better life for yourself and your family. Without proper asset protection planning, a single slip up or frivolous lawsuit could jeopardize everything you've earned, everything you've built, and everything you're hoping to preserve as part of your legacy. On today's show, attorney Hillel Presser explains what a comprehensive asset protection plan is and why all CEOs need one. 

Guest: Bill Betts, President of Betts Company, which has been owned and operated by Bill's family since 1868. Overview: Think COVID was rough? When your company is strong enough to survive for 150 years, a pandemic (or two) is just one blip on a timeline that includes Reconstruction, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and everything since. That kind of longevity is only possible when a company knows how to use its values as both an anchor to its heritage and a catalyst for keeping pace with BIG changes.  On today's show, Bill Betts talks about the values that have guided his family business for six generations. He also shares some practical advice on maintaining ownership and succession planning that have helped the family business stay in the family's hands. 

Guest: Andy Harris, Managing Director of STS Capital Partners. STS guides companies through the journey to achieving an extraordinary exit by selling to a strategic buyer. STS Capital Partners is a Strategic Partner of CEO Coaching International. Learn more.  Overview: When it's time to sell your company, what are your options? What can you do to ensure you get the best possible exit? Step one: put the best possible team together. A deal this BIG and this important requires a CFO who's been down this road before, an investment banker who knows how to get the best possible valuation for your company, and a CEO who is crystal clear on what his/her goals are for the exit.  On today's show, Andy Harris explains how owners can prepare their company for a sale, present it in the best possible light, and sell it to a strategic buyer who might pay a significant premium over a financial buyer.