Sun, 9 July 2023
In 1998, Mickie Kennedy started eReleases as a discount press wire service, providing the same media reach as the industry heavies at a fraction of the cost. Twenty-five years later, Mickie’s company is still going strong and saving companies tens of millions of dollars, having helped hundreds of thousands of small businesses reach journalists, investors, trade associations, and customers.
Moreover, Mickey has become a news release maestro, able and willing to share the secrets of distributing news releases that get results. In this era of Tik Tok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and now Threads, do news releases still have a meaningful role in helping companies deliver their messages? Unsurprisingly, Mickie tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart that now more than ever, a well-crafted news release will ricochet through social media and deliver an exponentially larger impact. Get the scoop on this week’s episode. Photo: Mickie Kennedy, eReleases RECENT EPISODES:
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Sun, 2 July 2023
For many small business owners, finding a buyer for their company is an elusive goal. Mac Lackey has done it six times.
His latest venture, ExitDNA, guides entrepreneurs on how to best position their companies to be acquired, should they ever wish to sell. Monday Morning Radio host Maxwell Rotbart engaged Mac in a wide-ranging discussion about what entrepreneurs need to know at each stage of their operations — from inception to disposition.
Among the advice Lackey shares is how to choose a location for your company, the role that passion plays in starting a venture, hiring strong employees, the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make, and what pitfalls to avoid when selling your company. Mac even touches on what entrepreneurs looking to acquire other businesses need to know. How can you achieve the success that Mac has? The answers abound on this week’s podcast. Upper Photo: Mac Lackey, ExitDNA
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Sat, 10 June 2023
Dave Albin helps business executives and employees face and overcome their fears. But that’s nothing special. Dave’s methods, however, make him unique among corporate coaches.
Dave is the #1 firewalk instructor in America, having cajoled more than one-half million people to tiptoe, barefoot, over a bed of coals exceeding 1,000 degrees in temperature. A disciple of Tony Robbins, Dave ran firewalks for the mega-motivator for almost two decades before striking out on his own to form Firewalk Adventures. As Dave tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, firewalking is a 1,000-year-old rite of passage. F.E.A.R., in Dave’s way of thinking, either stands for Forget Everything and Run or Face Everything and Rise. In Dave’s experience, those who muster the courage to firewalk return to their careers and personal lives with much more self-confidence. In addition to firewalking, Dave and his crew at Firewalk Adventures also offer confidence-building glass walks, board breaks, arrow breaks, and fire eating. Which you choose depends on your needs and tastes. Dave says the most challenging part of marching over hot coals or broken glass is the first step. Want to overcome your limiting fears? Your first step is clicking begins by downloading this week’s red hot episode. Photo: Dave Albin, Firewalk Adventures RECENT EPISODES: |
Sat, 20 May 2023
Nick Loper is a fountain of money-making ideas and the required methods to implement them.
As the founder of Side Hustle Nation and its Chief Side Hustler, Nick has shown tens of thousands of his followers how to bring in $1,000, $2,000, or even $5,000 a month in extra income. On his podcast, on his website, in books, and speeches, Nick breaks down the vast opportunities to supplement your income in your spare time — as well as how to turn a side hustle into a full-time gig providing greater income and far more satisfaction than most people experience holding down a full-time job. Whether or not any of Nick’s ideas are a perfect fit for you, host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart says they will inspire you to think of other side hustles that will work for you. BOOKS BY NICK LOPER:
[DEBUTING THIS WEEK: The Zero to Unicorn podcast, a behind the scenes look at how entrepreneur Mike Kaeding and his parents nurtured their innovative real estate business from nothing to its current trajectory on target to reach the unicorn status of a $1 billion valuation. To hear Mike’s February 2023 appearance on Monday Morning Radio, click here.] Photo: Nick Loper, Side Hustle Nation RECENT EPISODES: |
Sun, 30 April 2023
Dave Combs is a disarmingly charming southerner, a former telecommunications executive, and a man of faith. He’s also a hardcore entrepreneur and one of the most successful musicians and music distributors you’ve probably never heard of.
Since Dave and his friend, studio pianist Gary Prim, recorded their first instrumental tune in 1986 — Rachel’s Song — the duo has produced 15 successful instrumental albums which have attracted millions of worldwide fans. Dave displays more than 50,000 fan letters at his home in Winston Salem, North Carolina. The story behind Dave’s serendipitous success is fairytale-esq. Not a single mainstream music publisher or distributor would touch Rachel’s Song. So Dave turned to a non-conventional route, selling his CDs through gift shops - eventually building a network of more than 1,000 stores. The song proved to be magnetic. Shoppers would hear it playing overhead in a store and just need to buy it. One local shop alone sold thousands of Dave Combs albums. Host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart points out that fueling Dave’s serendipity were some savvy business insights — the kind that can help make anyone’s bottom line sing. Download and savor your own copy of Rachel’s Song for free from CombsMusic.com. PIck up a copy of Dave Combs’ inspirational autobiography: Touched by the Music: How the Story and Music of “Rachel’s Song” Can Change Your Life. The producer for this week’s episode is Blane Nicholas, who has worked the audio mastery behind the scenes for Monday Morning Radio for more than a decade.
Blane is no stranger to working with dynamic music artists. A veteran of iHeartMedia and Apple Music, Blane has produced programs featuring Bruce Springsteen, Alanis Morissette, Kanye West, Jon Bon Jovi, Keith Richards, Sean Lennon, Metallica, Joan Jett, LL Cool J, and dozens of other music icons. Photo: Dave Combs, Combs Music |
Sun, 23 April 2023
Since 2006, serial entrepreneur Clay Stafford has produced an ever-more-popular Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference that brings together authors, agents, exhibitors, and fans of crime and thriller literature. Pulling off a large meeting, workshop, or other live event entails countless steps. In Clay’s instance, planning for the next gathering begins a year in advance.
This week, Clay pays a return visit to Monday Morning Radio to share his post-COVID-19 event blueprints with host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, covering everything from the selection of a venue and keynote speakers to his formula for ensuring that attendees leave feeling that their time and money were well invested. “Given his many talents and occupations, any conversation with Clay would not be complete if we didn’t stray from the central topic,” Dean says. “So this week, he and I will also discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on authors and publishers; the state of the publishing market; the 12 habits of successful writers; and the one subject Nobel laureate William Faulkner — author of “The Sound and the Fury” — didn’t want to talk about. The 18th Annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference will be held August 17-20, 2023. For registration information, click here. Photo: Clay Stafford, Killer Nashville [Listen again to Clay Stafford’s first Monday Morning Radio interview here.] |
Sun, 26 February 2023
The secret to Michael Kaeding’s success as the CEO of Norhart Inc., a company that designs, builds, and rents apartments, is that he had no idea how to run his family business when his father unexpectedly passed away. “I had no preconceived notion of the way things were supposed to be done,” Mike recalls. “We just started to naively solve problems, and that was the magic.”
Norhart, headquartered in tiny Forest Lake, Minnesota, is booming. Because Mike has refined a process to save 50% or more over other residential developers, he tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart that he plans to expand his business nationwide and take a stab at solving America’s housing shortage and affordability crisis. Photo: Michael Kaeding, CEO, Norhart Inc. |
Sun, 1 January 2023
If you have scoleciphobia — fear of worms, you may want to skip this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio.
Host Dean Rotbart’s guest, Cathy Nesbitt, is a passionate worm advocate and Canadian worm royalty. Since 2002, Cathy, owner of Cathy’s Crawly Composters, has bred and sold red wigglers and European nightcrawlers by the pound to enthusiastic customers who use the live squigglers for composting — converting household garbage into nutrient-rich fertilizer. Many would-be entrepreneurs are unwilling to get their hands dirty in the pursuit of profit. The story of Cathy’s success is sure to make the clean freaks out there squirm. Photo: Cathy Nesbitt, Cathy’s Crawly Composters |
Sun, 25 December 2022
When recruiting new hires, Andrea Hoffer leaves little to chance. After ten years of running her own business with a hit-and-all-too-frequent-miss record recruiting and retaining staff, Andrea concluded there must be a better way.
She not only developed a structured process for attracting and keeping employees but found her method to be so successful that she built and now is CEO of AHA! Recruiting Experts, an agency that helps clients identify, hire, and retain great employees. Andrea has managed hundreds of employees and has experience in the higher education system, revenue-producing operation management, franchise business ownership, and business consulting. She is the author of Hire Higher: How To Attract, Interview & Grow Your Dream Team. The book provides proven strategies and a proactive approach to hiring. If Andrea has a single piece of advice for business owners and leaders, she tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, it’s this: ABR - Always Be Recruiting. Photo: Andrea Hoffer, AHA! Recruiting Experts |
Sat, 17 December 2022
Ted Clark, author of Buy & Build CEO: Leveraging Private Equity to Build a Winning Global Business, is an expert on how successful business owners and entrepreneurs can become uber-wealthy. He has spent more than four decades as a business executive and investor, and is currently a partner in Nashville-based Iron Path Capital.
After starting out as a shipping clerk, has climbed the heights of the wealth ladder. He now advises other people on how to leverage their way into society’s upper crust. The best part, as Ted explains this week to host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, is that his wealth-building strategies rely on using other people’s money to acquire and build winning global businesses. Photo: Ted Clark, Iron Path Capital |
Sat, 10 December 2022
A computer engineer by training, Joseph Fung has founded five technology companies, helped to back 20 startups, and now is the CEO of Uvaro, a rapidly growing career success company that provides lifelong training for those in a variety of professional roles, including sales, account management, customer service, and leadership.
Host Dean Rotbart describes Joseph as a walking encyclopedia of business wisdom. This week the two discuss a variety of timely topics, including generating a quality company culture, preparing employees for long-term success, investing in early-stage companies, and harnessing the rewards of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Photo: Joseph Fung, Uvaro |
Sun, 18 September 2022
Sean Castrina says there are eight unbreakable rules that entrepreneurs who want to be a success must follow. Given that Sean has launched more than 20 companies over the past two decades — most of them successes — he knows more than a little about the dos and don’ts of competing effectively in the cutthroat business marketplace.
Sean is by no means lazy, but as he tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, his millionaire-producing formula has always been to create high-margin businesses in less-crowded fields and then let others do all the hard work. Be sure to download a copy of Sean’s book, 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Start-Up Success, for free. Photos: Sean Castrina, 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Start-Up Success |
Sun, 22 May 2022
Brian Scudamore was a high school dropout. Waiting at a McDonald’s drive-through, he spotted a ratty old pickup with “Junk Hauling” spray-painted on the side. “I could do that,” Brian told himself. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and inspired to do things bigger and better, Brian bought a beat-up old truck and launched what today is the $600 million global industry giant, 1-800-Got-Junk, which dominates the junk removal business. Brian is the founder and CEO of Vancouver-based 02E Brands — Ordinary 2 Exceptional — which offers innovative home services franchises, including 1-800-Got Junk, Wow 1 Day Painting, and Shack Shine.
This week, Brian shares practical insights from his latest bestselling book, BYOB: Business Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss. The book debuted at #2 on The Wall Street Journal’s bestsellers list. BYOB is a follow-up to Brian’s popular 2018 book, WTF! [Willing to Fail]: How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success. Both BYOB and WTF were written with Roy H. Williams, founder of Roy H. Williams Marketing and co-founder of Wizard Academy. Brian is a fervent believer in the power of thinking BIG. Listen in as he explains why everyone has it within their means to achieve their dreams. “If Brian can succeed, so can you,” says host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart. “And that’s not rubbish.” Photo: Brian Scudamore, O2E Brands |
Thu, 3 March 2022
Last week, due to a technical glitch at the service that hosts Monday Morning Radio, some listeners heard half of one podcast while others listened to a completely different episode.
So this week, we are offering a double-header. In center stage is David Hailey, founder of Countifi. This cutting-edge concern uses a combination of computer vision and artificial intelligence to help companies in the airline industry, healthcare, construction, and higher education gain better control of their supply chain management. Whether or not you need better supply chain management, David’s experience identifying a problem and building a business to address it is a tale to inspire every owner and entrepreneur.
Host Dean Rotbart’s other guest, Anton Suddia, is an expert on augmented reality who has fled his home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, with his wife and two young children. In a chilling conversation from his hiding place in Western Ukraine, Anton shared with Dean his very personal and compelling story of how his life has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.To stream or download Dean’s conversation with Anton, click here. Top Photo: David Hailey, Countifi |
Sun, 6 February 2022
Douglas Holmes is a veteran investment banker who sees massive potential in telemedicine.
His latest venture is DermatologistOnCall features a network of board-certified dermatologists who provide telemedicine services in all 50 states, and can even offer an in-home melanoma test. The secret of DermatologistOnCall’s success, Douglas tells award-winning author and journalist Dean Rotbart, is the advanced technology that is the foundation of the service. Douglas shares insights that could revolutionize how you reach and serve your customers, whether or not you work in healthcare. Photo: Douglas Holmes, DermatologistOnCall |
Sun, 30 January 2022
A California entrepreneur, Melissa Joseph, has combined her love poetry and her life-long habit of writing personal Thank You notes to launch a new business, Lotus Cards: Notecards with Heart.
The cards offer mix-and-match whimsical original poetic sentiments — each composed by Melissa — with a variety of unique, stylistic cover art. With Valentine's Day only two weeks off, Melissa’s cards make for highly original greetings. Host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart says that Melissa, a former English teacher, is special for a couple of reasons: One - she’s a senior citizen unafraid to venture into a new business, and Two - she’s donating all proceeds from the sale of her cards to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Roses are red, Photo: Melissa Joseph and Lotus — Lotus Cards: Notecards with Heart |
Sun, 2 January 2022
If Clay Stafford were to put all of his titles on a single business card, it would be one mammoth ID. Clay is, among other things, an award-winning author — having sold nearly four million copies of his books, a poet, a screenwriter and playwright, film and television producer, director, showrunner, actor, educator, reviewer, and public speaker.
Oh yes, he is also the founder of The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference - now in its 16th year - that has become the premier forum for all genres incorporating mystery, thriller, or suspense content. This week, Clay shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart how and why he does so many creative things and what we can learn from his successful approach to artistry. Photo: Clay Stafford, Killer Nashville [Grab your copy of Killer Nashville Noir: Cold-Blooded, featuring stories by Clay Stafford, Anne Perry, Jeffery Deaver, Mary Burton, and others.] |
Sun, 21 November 2021
Last week’s partial lunar eclipse attracted millions of people to gaze at our nearest celestial neighbor. One of them, Daniel Sax, has designs on more than just staring at the moon. He intends to mine the crusty orb for water and oxygen, essentials that future planetary travelers will need to sustain them on lunar bases and fuel their voyages to Mars and beyond.
Daniel is the co-founder of Toronto-based Canadian Space Mining Corporation, launched in August 2020. He aims to propel Canada to the forefront of the anticipated demand for space-based supply chains and utilities, and he’s drawing a lot of interest from prospective investors and government officials. Host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart says what makes Daniel’s story so compelling — and relevant to all entrepreneurs — is that he not only dreams big, he is crafting a pioneering business to turn his dreams into a reality. Photo: Daniel Sax, Canadian Space Mining Corporation |
Sun, 22 August 2021
With all due respect to Facebook and other so-called business change agents, the methods they use to innovate are really outmoded.
That’s the premise of Radhika Dutt, a teacher of entrepreneurship and innovation at Northeastern University. Dutt is a critic of the prevalent method used by most companies of rapidly launching a new product into the marketplace and then tweaking it time and again until they get it right. In her forthcoming book, Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter, she maintains that shotgunning products out of R&D and then repeatedly tweaking them is akin to driving a fast car without having a roadmap or a destination. As Radhika tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, it’s the destination — i.e., which customers the product serves and why it will radically change their world — that needs to precede the development of innovative products. [Listeners to Monday Morning Radio can now purchase a copy of Dean Rotbart’s new book, September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story. Visit Gutenberg’s Store.] Photo: Radhika Dutt, Radical Product Thinking |
Sun, 1 August 2021
Sean Dowdell and his wife Thora are the founders of Club Tattoo, which currently has six locations, including a booming studio at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Over the years, the artists at Club Tattoo have inked or pierced hundreds of celebrities, including musicians Blake Shelton and Miley Cryrus, actors Ewan McGregor and Chrissy Metz, and athletes Héctor Sanchez, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Frank Trigg. [Listeners to Monday Morning Radio can now pre-order a copy of Dean Rotbart’s new book, “September Twelfth: An American Comeback Story.” Visit Gutenberg’s Store.] Sean, who dubs himself the “Tattooed Millionaire,” is a business disruptor, and in his and Thora’s new book, Brand Renegades: Our Fearless Path from Startup to Global Brand, the couple showcase the successes and failures that have rocketed them to the top of their industry. Host, author, and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart confesses that he doesn’t have even one tattoo or piercing. Nonetheless, he says that Sean and Brand Renegades have left an indelible impression on him. Photo: Sean Dowdell, Club Tattoo |
Sun, 6 June 2021
Ita Olsen, founder of Convey Clearly, is one of the world’s leading speech coaches, training CEOs, politicians, actors, and even podcasters, how to communicate most effectively.
Over Ita’s 25-plus year career, she’s proven that the manner in which you deliver your message, regardless of the audience, can actually be more important than what you say. This week, on a Best of Monday Morning Radio encore, Ita not only shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart her tips on how anyone can speak more clearly, but also the many benefits that accrue when you do. Photo: Ita Olsen, Convey Clearly |
Sun, 2 May 2021
This week host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart features a Best of Monday Morning Radio doubleheader dating back to April 2012, when in separate interviews, he spoke with two small business all-stars, Tom Ziglar and Brad Kriser.
Tom, the son of the incomparable Zig Ziglar, discusses his book, Born to Win: Find Your Success Code, co-written with his father just months before the legendary motivational speaker passed at age 86. Brad was the founder and CEO of Kriser’s, an all-natural pet food and supplies chain that was on the cusp of breakout success. Both Tom and Brad share a passion for entrepreneurship and a belief that anyone can join them at the top. Photos: Brad Kriser (l) and Tom Ziglar |
Sun, 18 April 2021
Some people call it the “Quarantine 15,” others the “Covid 19.” Regardless of how they refer to it, they’re talking about the weight gain that 61% of Americans say they put on since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Well before coronavirus, inventor Paul Francis figured out a way that anyone, anywhere can easily get fit, even on the International Space Station. Paul’s OYO Personal Gym uses resistance — not weights — to build muscle and shed those pesky pounds. Not every talented inventor can also build a successful business. When host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart caught up with Paul in January 2017, the fitness CEO shared the routines he uses to stay physically and fiscally fit. Photo: Paul Francis, OYO Fitness
Coming in August 2021 from TJFR Press: September Twelfth: Ground Zero on 9/11 with The Wall Street Journal by Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart. On September 11, 2001, The Wall Street Journal's main newsroom, located just across West Street from the World Trade Center - was obliterated by falling debris and flaming smoke. This is the true story of how the traumatized men and women of the Journal and Dow Jones - journalists, graphic designers, technicians, administrative assistants, compositors, and delivery truck drivers - overcame their personal anguish and confusion to publish a Pulitzer Prize-winning edition on September 12th. To reserve your autographed copy, email Dean @ MondayMorningRadio . com with your name, mailing address, and daytime phone number. |
Sun, 14 March 2021
If you happened to read the March 12, 2021, edition of The Wall Street Journal, you no doubt spotted the profile of Black Rifle Coffee Company, which reported that sales of its weapons-themed roasts and blends almost doubled in 2020 to $163 million.
That came as no surprise to host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, who first profiled Black Rifle Coffee and its former Green Beret founder, Evan Hafer in 2017. Evan’s vision, then and now, is to appeal to fellow military veterans and 2nd Amendment advocates with brands such as his popular AK-47 Espresso Blend. Most people take their coffee with sugar or cream. But Evan is undeniable proof that a growing segment of the population like their java with a strong dose of politics stirred in. “I don’t need to be everything to all people,” Evan told the Journal, “We’re going for roughly half.” Photo: Evan Hafter, Black Rifle Coffee Company |
Sun, 7 March 2021
In his classic hit, American Pie, released in 1971, songwriter Don McLean intones: “I went down to the sacred store where I’d heard the music years before but the man there said the music wouldn’t play.”
Every time host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart hears that verse, he’s reminded of rock ‘n roll concert promoter Barry Fey, who over the course of his three-decade career organized mega-shows featuring Jimi Hendrix, The Who, U2, Rolling Stones, Three Dog Night, and many other music legends. Fey died eight years ago, age 74, but the story of his unconventional path to success lives on. This week, Dean plays highlights of his two interviews with Fey and demonstrates why the rocker was an entrepreneurial and marketing genius. [Pick up a copy of Barry Fay’s 2011 book, Backstage Past, featuring forewards by Pete Townshend and Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne.]
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Sat, 20 February 2021
Azi Hendi and her husband, Dr. Ali Hendi, now in their fourth year of operations, are the founders of Luminora, a stylish clothing line designed to protect women from the sun’s harmful rays. When they were featured on Monday Morning Radio in August 2018, they were still feeling their way as entrepreneurs, aware of the great potential but also struggling with the realities of being small business owners.
Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart forecast they would be a success, and by all outward appearances, he was correct. Luminora’s offerings now include resort wear, fashionable activewear, and even matching facemasks. It’s been bone-chilling cold over the past couple of weeks in most of the country. So Dean thought a reminder that bathing-suit weather and summer are only 119 days away would be in order. Listen in as Azi and Ali shine some light on both their accomplishments and their frustrations as first-time entrepreneurs. Photo: Azi Hendi, Luminora |
Sat, 30 January 2021
Fifteen years ago, three college friends holed up in a yurt in Santa Barbara, California, and set about engineering a new sales and marketing software platform designed specifically to help small businesses succeed.
Today, Ontraport and its 120-plus employees power thousands of global businesses, and serve as a role model for how any size business can attract and retain high-quality, fulfilled employees. Ontraport founder and CEO, Landon Ray, first shared his blueprint for building a profitable corporate culture with host and award-winning reporter Dean Rotbart in November 2014. If anything, Landon’s guidance is even more relevant now. Photo: Landon Ray, Ontraport |
Sun, 17 January 2021
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which will celebrate its 55th anniversary this year, has more than 200 retail outlets and is sold in more than 14,000 grocery stores across the United States.
The Boston Beer Company, whose best-known brew is Samuel Adams, was founded in 1984 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company produces which produces beers, hard ciders, hard iced tea, spiked sparkling water, and high alcohol kombucha. Peet’s and Boston Brewing share a lot in common. Both companies began with a single visionary crafter. Both grew large by attracting a niche following of deeply loyal customers. And both saw fit, eventually, to ask Dave Burwick, a former executive at PepsiCo and Weight Watchers, to take charge of their businesses. When host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart interviewed Dave back in May 2016, he was president and CEO of Peet’s, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary. Today, Dave runs the Boston Beer Company, also serving as president and CEO. In both cases, Dave’s specialty, as he described it, is “scaling the smallness” — a method that allows businesses to remain true to their founding principles, while constantly keeping pace with the changing times. Dave's is a recipe for growth and success that every entrepreneur should know. Photo: Dave Burwick, Boston Beer Company |
Sun, 3 January 2021
The lucky children in Mrs. Hassenger’s 4th grade class at Brown Elementary in St. Joseph, Michigan, have no idea what a superstar entrepreneur their teacher is.
Sarah Hassenger launched her home-based business, Four Black Paws, in 2010, working after school and on weekends to hand-sew the doggie bow ties and related accessories. Since host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart first spoke with Sarah in April 2016, her line has expanded dramatically to include an organic collection; dog treats, toys and shampoo; and even t-shirts, hats, headbands, and scrunchies for her loyal two-legged followers. Sarah Hassenger continues to demonstrate that solopreneurs can succeed even in a dog-eat-dog world. While Dean is on book leave, we hope you’ll enjoy this Best of Monday Morning Radio re-airing. Photo: Sarah Hassenger, Four Black Paws |
Sun, 6 September 2020
Black Enterprise magazine is marking its 50th Anniversary in 2020, dedicated to educating, inspiring, and uplifting readers.
Alfred’s book, Loving in the Grown Zone, co-authored with his wife and business partner, Zara Green, is a no-nonsense guide to making healthy decisions in the quest for loving, romantic relationships of honor, esteem, and respect. The book will be of particular interest and help to anyone who has messed up when it comes to their romantic relationships. Loving in the Grown Zone makes a wonderful graduation gift for high school or college students, allowing them to avoid the mistakes that so many couples make. You can purchase copies of the book here. Photo: Alfred Edmond, Jr., GrownZone.com
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Sun, 30 August 2020
As CEO of Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies, Mike Weinberger helped build the chain to 500-plus franchises, and then oversaw the 2015 sale of the brand to a global leader in the quick-service restaurant industry.
Photo: Mike Weinberger, Unity Rd. |
Sun, 9 August 2020
TikTok is the seventh most popular social-media app worldwide, with 100 million users in the U.S. alone. TikTok celebrities, such as Chef Vivian Aronson – with 20 million-plus likes on TikTok – have used the short-video platform to become highly successful internet entrepreneurs.
But Chinese-owned TikTok is facing political headwinds, with India already banning the service and the United States threatening to do likewise. The future of TikTok is unclear. It might be acquired. It might be shut down. Or it might find another resolution to the crisis it is facing. In June, host and award-winning reporter Dean Rotbart hosted an invitation-only briefing — “Understanding TikTok and How It Can Turbocharge Your Sales” — featuring Vivian and other TikTok cognoscenti. On this week’s podcast, Dean shares a replay of that invitation-only panel and provides an up-to-the-minute postscript with Evan Morgenstein, a social media rainmaker and CEO, of multiple companies, including The Digital Renegades, The Food Renegades and CelebExperts. Whether or not you “TikTok,” this week’s podcast will prove invaluable when it comes to understanding what it takes to be a successful social media influencer and how companies can turn to TikTok and similar platforms to, indeed, turbocharge their sales. Don't miss our June 15th podcast, The Emerging Cold War Between the United States and China Explained, with guests Lingling Wei and Bob Davis, reporters for The Wall Street Journal. Photos: VIvian Aronson and Evan Morgenstein
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Sun, 2 August 2020
INTRODUCTION A: On this week’s podcast, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart interviews the co-founders of surefoot, a boutique agency offering an experienced, nimble team of strategists, designers, developers, and data analysts obsessed with growing companies like yours. INTRODUCTION B: On this week’s podcast, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart and his guests, the co-founders of surefoot, a boutique agency that has run more than 4,200 strategic A/B tests resulting in dramatic improvements turning online visitors into paying customers.
Whichever introduction you prefer, you’ll hear Wizard Academy alumnus Brian Schmitt and his partner, Laura Stude, explain their uncanny ability to boost online sales of clothing, gadgets and dozens of other product categories and services. Brian, Laura, and their team at surefoot are conversion optimization gurus. They use A/B testing and other sophisticated analytical tools to determine how improvements to their clients’ websites – colors, content, graphics, placement, and functionality – can boost sales. In their experience, they report, clients get back nearly ten times as much as they spend with surefire. That’s a staggering ROI. Photos: Brian Schmitt and Laura Stude, surefoot.me |
Sun, 12 July 2020
When the COVID-19 shutdowns hit, entrepreneur Edwin Dearborn, an author and veteran advisor to small businesses, faced a double whammy: His Las Vegas-based consulting group helped clients grow their brands and sales by relying heavily on live, face-to-face conferences, exhibitions, and speaking engagements, the kind that Vegas is famous for hosting.
But since the social distancing quarantines began in March, the in-person conference and workshop industry has imploded, and with it, the opportunities for in-person branding. Rather than call it quits, Edwin and his partner launched a new consultancy — Green Dragon Communications — that uses Zoom, YouTube, LinkedIn, and other digital platforms not only to promote his clients but also to attract new clients to Green Dragon. In these unprecedented times, Edwin tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, entrepreneurs must be willing to discover and exploit the opportunities created by the new business environment or fade into oblivion. Photo: Edwin Dearborn, Green Dragon Communications |
Sat, 16 May 2020
It if wasn’t so serious, it would almost be laughable, the contortions that people employ to open public doors without using their hands in the current coronavirus culture. The most common methods involve elbows, knees, and feet.
For those who aren’t contortionists, Dave Jabbas, a small business owner for the past four decades, and proud Wizard Academy alumnus, suggests a better solution. Touch-free doors that make each workplace and public facility safer and less threatening. Dave, founder of WholesaleLocks.com, is one of the nation’s foremost experts on touch-free doors, and he joins host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart this week for a hands-on, hmmm, make that a “hands-off” tutorial on how any workplace, retail store, or restaurant can better serve their employees and customers with a simple wave of the hand. Dave is perfect proof that you don’t need to live in Silicon Valley or have an Ivy League MBA to be a business innovator and visionary. Preview our new Monday Morning Radio community, Small Business Paramedics, featuring expert advice on how to buttress your business and reach your goals. Coming Summer 2020. Photo: Dave Jabas, WholesaleLocks.com |
Fri, 10 April 2020
Too often entrepreneurs and business owners burn out, giving up on the dreams that propelled them in the first place.
It happened to Dr. Dravon James, a pharmacist, and successful movie and stage actress. Having grown up in poverty on the South Side of Chicago, she eventually overcame multiple personal and professional hardships and formulated an approach that all of us can use to rekindle the fire within. Today, Dr. James is a successful author, consultant, and motivational speaker. Regardless of the obstacles we face, Dr. James tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, we can rediscover our passion for what we do and pursue the life of our dreams. Pick up a copy of Dr. James’s new book, Freedom Is Your Birthright, here. Photo: Dr. Dravon James, Everyday Peace |
Sun, 29 March 2020
In October 2019, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, invited Michael Craig on Monday Morning Radio to detail his quixotic quest to build a three-headed company, Creature Coffee, selling specialty blends at pop-up expresso bars, online, and at his bricks-and-mortar coffeehouse in Austin, Texas.
Everything was going according to plan for Craig until a few week’s ago when Austin’s South by Southwest mega-event was cancelled due to coronavirus, and rapidly thereafter the city’s mayor ordered all dining areas closed. Like tens of thousands of American small business owners, overnight, Craig found his business endangered, and his many baristas without work. Not just a statistic, this week Craig shares his very personal struggle to survive the fallout from coronavirus and live to fight another day. Photo: Michael Craig, www.CreatureCoffee.co
Direct download: Creature_Coffee_Update.mp3
Category:Successful Entrepreneurs -- posted at: 1:54pm MDT |
Sat, 22 February 2020
Ever attend a large conference, with 10,000-plus registrants, and have one of the presenters blow your mind – and knock your socks off?
Host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart did just that in January, and Dean came back raving about speaker Ramon Ray, an effervescent small business evangelist, entrepreneur, public speaker, and author of The Celebrity CEO – a book that spells out in detail how any owner or entrepreneur can effectively build a strong, profitable, personal brand and influential network. “There is nothing quite like seeing Ramon in person. He’s funny, he’s quick on his feet, he jumps off the stage, he jumps back on the stage, he engages members of the audience, and he delivers a bulls-eye message tailored to small business owners and professionals,” Dean says. But for those who don’t have the opportunity to see Ramon live, his appearance on this week’s podcast is the closest thing. It’s what you’ll be talking about for hours, days, and weeks to come. For more information on Ramon, visit his website, SmartHustle.com. Photo: Ramon Ray, Smart Hustle |
Sun, 2 February 2020
What if employers spoke less and listened more? In the case of Kevin Hancock, Chairman and CEO of his family’s sixth-generation Maine lumber business, there was little choice after he was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological speaking disorder that made verbal communications difficult. So he let his employees do most of the talking.
Eight years on, Kevin says that the employee-centric model that he instituted at Hancock Lumber, founded in 1848, has generated more profitability since his diagnosis than in the previous 160 years combined. Kevin’s voice is still halting but his message to host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart is crystal clear: Shared leadership generates more employee satisfaction and greater profits. Be sure to pick up a copy of Kevin’s new book, The Seventh Power: One CEO’s Journey into the Business of Shared Leadership. The book is a bold call for a new form of management where power is dispersed, leadership is shared, and every voice is heard. Photo: Kevin Hancock, Hancock Lumber |
Sun, 1 December 2019
In the spirit of the 7th Annual GivingTuesday, this week’s podcast examines the growing number of small business owners who are creating 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundations to buttress their philanthropic efforts. In the spotlight is Ryan McFarland, a sterling example of CEOs who are giving back in gratitude for their own success. Ryan is the founder of Strider Sports International and its nonprofit sibling, the Strider Education Foundation, or SEF.
Ryan worked closely with Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart, who is a National Ambassador for the All Kids Bike® movement, to set an audacious goal: teach every child in America how to bike before they reach the first grade. Through SEF, the All Kids Bike® movement has already donated free bikes, helmets, and training programs to 136 schools in 26 states. And the campaign is just getting pedaling. Ryan is Dean’s guest on this week’s Monday Morning Radio, sharing the ups-and-downs of simultaneously running a for-profit and not-for-profit organization. To learn more about All Kids Bike® and support its efforts on GivingTuesday, visit www.allkidsbike.org. To donate now, click here. Discover the science behind the All Kids Bike® movement by viewing the inaugural All Kids Bike® Health and Education Symposium – five panels featuring global experts on the physical, psychological, and academic benefits of early childhood biking. Photo: Ryan McFarland (l) All Kids Bike® and Dean Rotbart, Host |
Sun, 17 November 2019
Rob Kessler is on a mission – a mission to eradicate men’s ties. Aware that 100% of business-casual shirts are designed for ties – yet 90% of the time men don’t wear neckties – he’s invented an entirely new category of shirts – goTIELESS.
Rob comes from good entrepreneurial stock. His pop, Richard Kessler, the Diamond Engagement Ring ‘King’ of Wisconsin, taught him a thing or two about sales and marketing. And it shows. This week Rob tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart how he and his partners aim to collar the men’s fashion market. HOLIDAY GIVING GUIDE:
Photo: Rob Kessler, goTIELESS |
Sun, 3 November 2019
It’s hard enough for American entrepreneurs to launch a new business and gain traction with American consumers. Doing it from Istanbul, Turkey, primarily in Turkish, as Rasim Cin is doing, complicates the task exponentially.
Rasim is the visionary behind Woppy, a new subscription game-box company that aims to teach kindergarten-age kids STEM skills, without using digital technology. Woppy was recently a participant in the WSJ Tech Live global conference held in Laguna Beach, where Rasim and his team generated a great deal of positive buzz from the world’s high-tech whizzes. Joining host Dean Rotbart for a discussion of the obstacles Woppy faces, and what other businesses can learn about working internationally, is Mel Ayan, an early-stage investor in Woppy. Photo: Rasim Cin, Woppy |
Sun, 27 October 2019
Bert and Tracy Gervis are two successful California entrepreneurs and philanthropic superheroes who own and operate one of the nation’s fastest growing pet food companies. Their proprietary Gentle Giants Dog and Puppy Foods is helping canines to live twice, even three times longer than average, with many dogs behaving like puppies well into their twenties.
No wonder their wholesome dog food is flying off the shelves of Walmart Supercenters and hundreds of major supermarket outlets nationwide, not to mention on Chewy.com and Petsmart.com. Bert and Tracy not only don’t take a salary, since 1994, they’ve personally cared for more than 15,000 rescue dogs in their home. If that’s not impressive enough, this week, on a special “What’s My Small Business Secret” edition of Monday Morning Radio, both Bert and Tracy reveal to host Dean Rotbart their separate background stories that make their accomplishments all the more extraordinary.
Photo: Bert John Gervis, Jr. - Gentle Giants Dog & Puppy Foods
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Sun, 20 October 2019
On paper, at least, Creature Coffee looks like a bad idea. Founded two years back by Michael Craig, a barista, it is aiming to carve a niche for itself in the crowded and competitive coffee marketplace. To make the task all the more difficult, Creature Coffee is spreading itself between three sales channels: walk-in retailing, online sales, and pop-up coffee bars.
But Michael – like the best entrepreneurs – believes in himself, believes in his concept, and does not believe all the naysayers. When he launched Creature Coffee, Michael began with a budget of $1,000 – all that he could scrape together at the time. Today, the success of Creature Coffee is evident, from the non-stop flow of fans into his retail outlet – located in a gentrifying neighborhood of Austin, to the corporate clients he’s attracting, including IBM, American Express, Mercedes Benz, Hitachi, Deloitte, and Dell. Earlier this month, Monday Morning Radio host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart paid a visit to Creature Coffee and shares both good conversation, and a satisfying cup of Columbian expresso, with Michael Craig. You can purchase up to 200 varieties of coffee from Creature Coffee online at www.CreatureCoffee.co. As always, the plug for this week’s guest comes gratis. Monday Morning Radio never charges its guests to be on the podcasts or accepts payments in kind. Photo: Michael Craig, Creature Coffee |
Sun, 8 September 2019
Aaron LaPedis owns a fine art gallery in one of the swankiest retail areas of Colorado. But paintings, sculptures, and limited edition prints are not all that fascinate Aaron, who is best known nationally as The Garage Sale Millionaire. For more than three decades, Aaron has hunted hidden treasure at garage and estate sales, as well as online auctions.
Whether you’re a treasure-hunting hobbyist or simply looking to offload some business, household, or collectible items you no longer want, Aaron can guide you how to buy and sell most profitably. Back on Monday Morning Radio after a six year hiatus, Aaron shares with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart the unvarnished truth about becoming your own garage sale aficionado. This week’s episode comes to you from the campus of The Wizard Academy, located in Austin’s renowned Texas hill country. [Be sure to pick up a copy of Aaron’s garage sales “Bible,” The Garage Sale Millionaire.] Photo: Aaron LaPedis |
Sun, 25 August 2019
In the eyes of more than 200,000 women entrepreneurs in Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia, Genecia Alluora is already a business rock star. The former Miss Singapore – who founded and leads Soul Rich Woman – the #1 network of female entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia, now wants to spread her message of empowerment and financial independence to the women of North America.
Genecia specializes in teaching woman the secrets of successful online marketing and digital branding. This week, she connects by phone from the Republic of Singapore with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, and explains why her step-by-step system of success speaks a universal language. Oh yes, men, too, stand to learn a lot from Genecia’s playbook. Photo: Genecia Alluora, Soul Rich Woman
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Sun, 14 July 2019
What your company or product “sounds” like is an essential component of its success. When companies including Microsoft, Cisco, GoDaddy, and Shopify need to hire talent to be the voice of their commercials and other scripts, they look to Voices.com – the world’s largest online marketplace for voice over products and talents.
Since David Ciccarelli and his wife Stephanie wrote their business plan for Voices.com on a napkin back in 2005, they have expanded into 160 countries, bringing talent and clients together, and raising more than $20 million in venture capital. This week David shares his entrepreneurial wisdom with host Dean Rotbart. No scripts. No second takes. Just the unvarnished voice of hard-fought experience. Photo: David Ciccarelli, Voices.com |
Sun, 7 July 2019
Can a Zen-like philosophy of money translate into greater success and happiness for American business owners and entrepreneurs?
Ken Honda, a bestselling author in Japan who is known there as the “Zen Millionaire” believes it can, which is why he just published his first English-language book: Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money. Honda, no relation to the automotive family, tells host Dean Rotbart in an interview from Tokyo that how we think and feel about money is as important to wealth accumulation as where we invest it. Even those who have very little money can profit by making sure that the resources they do have are “happy,” Honda contends. Photo: Ken Honda, Happy Money |
Sun, 9 June 2019
Richard Kessler was the diamond engagement ring “King” in the state of Wisconsin for 35 years. His ubiquitous radio commercials, created in conjunction with Roy H. Williams Marketing, were legendary in the state, and not only were his Kessler’s Diamonds’ stores extraordinarily successful, Richard also became a well-known local personality and philanthropist.
One of the first and most popular guests ever on Monday Morning Radio, Richard recently retired from the jewelry business and is now on to other pursuits. But the techniques he used to build Kessler’s Diamonds – including instituting an employee stock ownership plan – remain invaluable gems. For flawless entrepreneurial advice, clarity, and value, host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart assures listeners that his latest conversation with Richard is pure gold. By the way, if you’d like to hear Dean’s full interview with Richard back in July 2012, all you need to do is click here. Photo: Richard Kessler, Founder, Kessler's Diamonds |
Sun, 2 June 2019
In his new book, The Gift of Struggle – out today from Bard Press, Bobby Herrera tells the true-life story of how the hardships he faced as one of 13 children in a Mexican migrant family, provided him the drive and backbone to make possible the impossible.
More importantly, Bobby shares specific life-changing lessons about leadership that turns conventional wisdom on its head. It is the formula that Bobby used to launch Populus Group in 2002 and build it into a $500-million-a-year HR services company – one of the fasting growing such concerns in the United States. What makes Populus Group a role model for many businesses – large and small – is not its size, but its culture. As Bobby details in The Gift of Struggle, after a rocky start as CEO, he learned to foster a sense of purpose, mutual trust, and community among his employees. Bobby is an evangelist for compassionate leadership. A key characteristic of compassionate leaders, he tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, is recognizing that everyone struggles – from the migrant workers of rural America to the silver-spoon babies of the Ivy League – and that at the end of the day, we all – more or less – strive for the same thing: to believe our lives matters.
Rotbart, who doesn’t just read the books of guests who appear on his program, he devours them, says he scribbled notes throughout The Gift of Struggle, including on many pages that provided him actionable steps. Bobby, soon to be a bestselling author, is only the latest in a long line of popular authors published by Bard Press, headed by the incomparable Ray Bard, and deputy publisher Todd Sattersten. Among Bard’s best-known titles: The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan; Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling; Nuts! – the story of the legendary Herb Kelleher and Southwest Airlines; The Wizard of Ads Trilogy by none other than Roy H. Williams, and Fired Up Selling, Ray Bard’s own collection of wonderful quotes designed to inspire, energize, and succeed. It is so common in life to conclude that our struggles are what hold us back. Without them, we tell ourselves, we could accomplish so much more. But Bobby explains that such thinking is erroneous. Adversity, properly harnessed, can become the rocket fuel of personal and professional growth. Purchase your own first-edition of The Gift of Struggle by clicking here. Photo: Bobby Herrera, Populus Group
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Sun, 19 May 2019
Terry H. Monroe has been the owner of more than 40 businesses, and helped to facilitate the sale of more than 500 other companies. So when he offers no-nonsense advice on how owners can be certain to get the full value for their businesses or professional practices, he knows what he’s talking about.
Terry who condensed all the wisdom he’s gained over more than 30 years establishing, operating, and selling businesses into a new book, Selling with Certainty, tells host Dean Rotbart that the very best time to learn the lessons he teaches is before owners ever even considers selling. That way they can bypass the costly errors that prove so aggravating to others. Photo: Terry H. Monroe, Selling with Certainty |
Sun, 12 May 2019
Brett Vance is a veteran combat and military test pilot who has flown F-16s and commanded the 514th Flight Test Squadron.
But he admits that no battle has tested his mettle like working to produce and distribute Jet Jockeys, his educational and inspirational docu-reality video series that showcases aviators and aviation feats, and targets the large potential audience of aviation enthusiasts. He and his wife, Sherri, the program's creator and executive producer, join host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart this week to share their flight plan for entrepreneurial success. Photo: Brett Vance, Jet Jockeys |
Sun, 28 April 2019
When business owners and leaders align their personal interests with the best interests of their companies and employees, the resulting “Fusion” becomes a powerful force for success.
Too often, says Dudley R. Slater, former CEO of Integra Telecom - with more than 2,500 employees - leaders put their egos and self-interest ahead of what’s best for their organizations. Dudley, author of Fusion Leadership, tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart how leaders and team members who work together for a shared purpose can unleash powerful synergies - not only in business, but also in society as a whole. Photo: Dudley R. Slater |
Sun, 14 April 2019
Entrepreneurial magic often results when education meets opportunity. In the case of Maxwell Cohen, the education was in environmental and water resource economics, and the opportunity was to save millions of gallons of water annually by finding a way for hospitals, nursing homes, and even parents of newborns to avoid having to wash so many bed sheets.
His company, Peel Away Labs, developed the first multilayered, disposable, waterproof, fitted sheet designed for the home, industrial, and healthcare markets. Basically, when a bed sheet is soiled, users simply peel off the top layer — like an onion — and expose a fresh sheet. Maxwell’s Peel Aways are a big success, selling at Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Amazon, and other popular retailers. This week, Maxwell shares his journey - including a total misfire on Shark Tank in 2015 - from drawing board to final product with host and prize-winning journalist Dean Rotbart. Now an unabashed success, Maxwell recently celebrated his 28th birthday. Photo: Maxwell Cohen, Peel Away Labs
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Sun, 24 March 2019
You might say (or even sing) that Beth Kendall and her husband Bill are as lucky as lucky can be. The couple, after all, have co-owned All Out Chimney Sweep in Charlotte, North Carolina for the past 35-plus years.
With all due respect to Mary Poppins and her friend Bert, successfully running and maintaining a 21st Century chimney sweep business in the face of advancing technologies and changing consumer tastes is no song and dance. This week Beth, who earlier this year was elected as the first female president of the North Carolina Chimney Sweep Association, takes host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart up where the smoke is all billered and curled, and shares some smokin’ lessons that any business owner can readily profit from. Photo: Beth Kendall, All Out Chimney Sweep |
Sun, 24 February 2019
With roughly 90 million dogs in America and tens of millions of dog-lovers, it probably was inevitable that Happy Tails Canine Adventure Tours would emerge – offering eco-tours designed especially for dog lovers and their companions.
David Blank, who along with his wife Claudia co-founded the company in 2018, is a veteran of the travel tour industry as well as a professional dog trainer. He’s decoded the labyrinth of logistics necessary to safely and happily take a couple dozen dogs and their humans on travel adventures – including bus transportation, motels, restaurants, and even medical care. You may not be a pet lover, but you’ll feel like a lucky dog after listening to David’s interview with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart and discovering David’s formula for tapping into the robust pet market. Photo: David Blank, Happy Tails Canine Adventure Tours |
Sat, 16 February 2019
Despite all of the television viewing options open to today’s consumers – broadcast, cable, satellite, and streaming – surprising little of the available programming is local, much less hyperlocal, in nature.
Simon Bray, a veteran Fort Wayne entrepreneur, is on a mission to change that. Simon is the founder and CEO of Streaming Television, which is rolling out laser-focused local programming channels in more than 190 markets nationally. STV programs are available on major streaming platforms – including Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV, as well as directly from dedicated websites. Whether you’re a dry cleaner, plumber, accountant, dentist, or pizza shop owner, Simon tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart that STV aims to provide you the opportunity to reach your customers where more than 150 million Americans watch their other streaming programs and movies. Photo: Simon Bray, Streaming Television, Inc. |
Sun, 27 January 2019
The days when men shaved with safety razors – where the user inserts a single double-edge blade into a shaving implement – are long gone, made obsolete by cartridge blades and electronic razors. Or are they? Since 2012, Douglas Smythe, founder of Phoenix Shaving, has seen demand for his safety razors, blades, and other related grooming products for men boom. Douglas attributes the success of his business to three main factors: 1.) safety razors provide a more comfortable shave, despite all the hype around 3-blade and 5-blade cartridges. 2.) The replaceable blades cost only a fraction of cartridges. 3.) Men fondly remember their fathers or grandfather’s using a safety razor.
As Douglas tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, he is using 21st Century marketing – including a YouTube breakfast-hour show called I’d Lather Be Shaving – and an annual confab of hobbyists and other shaving enthusiasts, to drive sales and an expanding line of related products.
Believe it or Not: Rotbart brand razors, blades, and accessories were the best-selling shaving products in Germany in the early part of the 20th Century. In fact, in about 1927, Gillette bought out Rotbart and for many years thereafter used Rotbart’s designs and patents. Photo: Douglas Smythe, Phoenix Shaving |
Sun, 16 December 2018
After almost 30 years in business, Roland “Buddy” and Dixie Huthmaker, owners of Huthmaker Violins – one of the finest violin and string instrument stores in the country – faced a choice that many owners do after pouring their hearts and souls into a business: sell it, close it, or pass it on to a willing heir.
Fortunately for the Huthmakers, their daughter Anna (photo), a gifted musician and entrepreneur, stepped up, and in January 2019 will officially become the new owner of their beloved shop. All three Huthmakers attribute some of their success to the classes they’ve taken at Wizard Academy, including host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart’s “Buzz Snatching” course on reputation building. This week on Monday Morning Radio, Anna shares the planning that went into the ownership transition and what she plans to do differently now that her parents report to her. [You may also wish to here our interview from September 2014 with Buddy, Dixie, and Anna. Click here.]
Photo: Anna Huthmaker, Huthmaker Violins |
Sun, 2 December 2018
If Jeremy Dale hadn’t spent the last eight years as a vice president of Microsoft Corp., people might dismiss his new book, The Punk Rock of Business: Applying a Punk Rock Attitude in the Modern Business Era, as a flight of fancy. But Punk Rock and successful businesses have much more in common than you might imagine, starting with authenticity and a refusal to conform.
Coincidentally, Jeremy’s interview from London with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart comes on the very day that Jeremy is officially launching his latest venture – Otro, a global digital club for soccer fans that is designed from the ground up to be a Punk Rock business. Do you have what it takes be a fast-paced, hard-edged business punk rocker? Find out this weeks, only Monday Morning Radio. Photo: Jeremy Dale, Punk Rock of Business |
Sun, 25 November 2018
Imagine if 95 percent of your marketing messages were opened, and not merely opened, but read within three minutes of you hitting the ‘send’ button. What would you call that kind of turbocharged email?
Jim Koch calls it text message marketing – and he built a budding global empire on the fact that while email and social network marketing are now saturated and largely ignored – few people ever ignore their text messages. Jim launched Mobit, his text-marketing platform almost five years ago, and having recently sold it, continues to head its North American and UK operations. This week he shares with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, poolside in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona, the rules of successful text message marketing – as well as its limitations. [Monday Morning Radio listeners who wish to learn more, without obligation, can text the word “Mobile” to 72000. They will then get access to a 30-minute strategic presentation on how mobile marketing for businesses works. In addition, they will have an opportunity to book a 30-minute free one-on-one consultation with a Mobit marketing specialist.] Photo: Jim Koch, Mobit |
Sun, 18 November 2018
Can two entrepreneurs with limited previous online retail experience take a meaningful chunk of business away from Amazon?
The concept of XYZBuys is a good one: to serve as an “online mall” with Amazon, Best Buy, and dozens of other leading retailers as so-called tenants. While consumers may be drawn to the mall by one anchor store, in theory they’ll buy from other retailers – big and small, while they are already there. Will it work? The odds are against it. But after interviewing Dan Thomas, VP Marketing, host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart says that XYZBuys’ audacious business model does offer innovative ideas that any online retailer or service provider may want to adopt for themselves. Photo: Dan Thomas, XZYBuys |
Sun, 7 October 2018
Shay Myers is general manager of his third-generation, family-owned business – Froerer Farms – winning national acclaim for the innovation he’s brought to his company. Just about any entrepreneur can profit from hearing Shay’s story of breathing fresh life into a long-established business.
In Shay’s case, the business is produce - onions, asparagus, sweet potatoes and yams. Do you think you could find a way to make onions sexy – more than a simple commodity? Shay did. Hear how this week on Monday Morning Radio as Wizard Academy alumnus Lem Lewis stands in for host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart down on the farm. To learn more about Lem Lewis, be sure to visit his website TheRanchBroker.com or hear all of his RANCHAST episodes at www.Ranchcast.com. Photo: Shay Myers, Owyhee Produce
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Sun, 9 September 2018
In a very, very crowded market for pizza restaurants, Drew French discovered the recipe to stand out from the crowd – offering made-to-order pies, baked in brick ovens, using a wide variety of fresh ingredients, hand-tossed doughs, and served in just four minutes. Drew’s Athens, GA-based Your Pie, launched a decade ago, now has 58 locations in 19 states, with nearly 60 additional locations in development.
Drew is widely credited with pioneering the now-popular and highly competitive “fast casual” pizza concept. The distinction is all the more impressive, says host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, given that Drew only recently turned 35 years old. “A well-known adage says, if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it,” Dean observes. “Perhaps, in a similar vein, Drew French and Your Pie embody the entrepreneurial concept: If you want to succeed, look to innovate in a market that is already crowded. At least, when you launch, you’ll know there are plenty of ready prospects to win over.” Photo: Drew French, Your Pie |
Sun, 12 August 2018
It’s not been easy, but Azi Hendi and her husband, Dr. Ali Hendi – a lawyer and a cancer surgeon – have combined their talents to launch 15-month-old Luminora, a stylish clothing line designed to protect women from the sun’s harmful rays. The Hendi’s know that three million Americans are diagnosed annually with a form of skin cancer, and most fashionable clothes do little, if anything, to protect wearers from the sun.
In a frank conversation with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, this week the Hendi’s share both their accomplishments and their frustrations as first-time entrepreneurs, and Dean offers them some actionable advice on positioning themselves for greater success. If you own a small business and would like to be a guest on Monday Morning Radio – and get some free reputation advice from Dean – we invite you to contact him at dean.rotbart@gmail.com. You can also phone him at 303-296-1200. Photo: Dr. Ali Hendi and Azi Hendi, Luminora |
Sun, 5 August 2018
When Ross Kimbarovsky started his company, crowdspring.com, a decade ago, he had a vision for a new kind of logo creation service – one in which logo buyers would be offered a wide range of original, creative, logo concepts at a readily affordable price.
Today, more than 200,000 designers from nearly 200 countries compete to design the winning logos for crowdspring’s 50,000-plus clients. Ross knows all the do’s and don’ts of choosing an effective logo for your business or product, and this week he shares his best insights with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart. Photo: Ross Kimbarovsky, crowdspring.com |
Sun, 29 July 2018
What would you guess is the percentage of small business owners who hope that one day their children will follow in their footsteps? For all the headaches that ownership brings, a surprising 84% of the more than 1,000 small business owners who responded to a recent survey said they’d wish the blessings and the curses of entrepreneurship upon their kids.
Kathryn Petralia, president of Atlanta-based Kabbage – the global financial services and technology company that conducted the survey, tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart that in the eyes of survey respondents, nothing defines the American Dream better than being your own boss and owning your own business. Hear all the fascinating results from the Kabbage small business survey this week on Monday Morning Radio. Photo: Kathryn Petralia, Kabbage |
Sun, 8 July 2018
Business conferences are big business. The World Economic Forum in Davos, the Milken Institute Global Conference, and the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference are among the largest and best-known of the lot.
By comparison, the annual Fireside Conference – held at a remote retreat a 3 ½ hour drive from Toronto – is a puppy; but a best-in-show gathering at that, attracting a small group of top innovators, thought leaders, and investors in the entrepreneurial universe. Fireside’s co-founder, Daniel Levine, tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart just why every year Fireside gets more than ten times the number of applicants than it accepts – and the secret to having what it takes to land a coveted invite to the off-the-grid, off-the-record meeting of some of the brightest minds in business. Photo: Daniel Levine, Fireside Conference |
Sun, 27 May 2018
Ty Crandall is CEO of Credit Suite, the largest business credit coaching operation in the United States. He and his colleagues know the ins and outs of finding the funds to fuel your business and its growth, without having to provide lenders a personal credit check or personal guarantee.
Ty tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart that he is shocked by how little most business owners know about business credit and how best to obtain it. Even simple strategies, such as selecting the right name and email address for your business, can often make the difference between being approved and being denied credit. If you need business credit, or need more business credit, you won’t want to miss what Ty has to say. Photo: Ty Crandall, Credit Suite |
Sun, 6 May 2018
Chris Ronzio knows the anatomy of a successful small business better than most owners and CEOs. Chris recently launched a new software venture – a tool called Trainual – that dissects every small business and professional office, breaking them into core components: every process, every job responsibility, every policy, every document – all in one place.
Trainual is a digital company handbook on steroids. As Chris explains to Monday Morning Radio host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, Trainual takes the painful process of onboarding and training employees that has been in use for decades and gives it a thorough 21st Century makeover. Photo: Chris Ronzio, Trainual |
Sun, 22 April 2018
Back in 1995, when the internet was still only a toddler, Jeff Hall started a search engine optimization company from his bedroom in Ontario, Canada. In time, Jeff developed programs and systems to help his clients show up high in the organic results of Google and other search engines.
Today, Jeff 's Overflow Cafe boasts more than 45,000 small business and professional clients in 170 countries, most of whom pay no more than $29 a month to draw relevant traffic to their websites, and sell lots more products and services. You could do what Jeff and his team do on your own, although as Jeff tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, it would take most owners 100-plus hours monthly. In less than one hour on this week’s episode, Jeff breaks down effective SEO strategy in terms that anyone can comprehend. Photo: Jeff Hall, Overflow Cafe |
Sun, 1 April 2018
Steve Clayton was a 7th grade teacher with a love for DJing; a vocation he used to earn some extra cash.
Self-taught, and relying primarily on grit and determination, Steve took his tiny DJing side business, Soundskilz, and built it into an industry-leading major event production and talent booking company, landing festival headliners including Wu Tang Clan and Ice Cube. One event alone, the annual Chalice Festival held outside of Los Angles, Steve grew from 8,000 attendees to almost 40,000 in just four years.
No long spinning records, Steve, a self-made man, is now teaching and coaching other would-be entrepreneurs of all types how to develop their own entrepreneurial hits, and this week, he shares some of his favorite business tunes with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart.
Photo: Steve Clayton, Soundskilz |
Sat, 17 February 2018
This week’s guest on Monday Morning Radio is Adam Witty, CEO of Advantage Media and ForbesBooks. Adam is “The Authority” on authority marketing, having helped more than 1,300 now-published authors conceive, write, publish, and market their books. In 2016, he joined with Forbes, the influential financial news media company, to launch its own business book imprint.
Advantage Media is a vanity press, but not your run-of-the-mill self-publishing concern. Adam and his team think, act, and get results that are more akin to Simon & Schuster and Random House than conventional vanity publishers. If you’ve ever thought of writing a book to serve as a calling card for you professionally, Adam is just the man you want to hear from. But even if you know there is no authorship in your future – and some people shouldn’t write books for reasons you’ll hear, you’ll learn a lot from Adam about how influence and authority are “manufactured” in the competitive marketplace in which we all operate. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, who interviews Adam, says, “You may think that Adam Witty is in the publishing business. But he’s not. His unassailable core product is not ink on paper, or even digital ink, but raw, impactful influence.” Photo: Adam Witty, Advantage Media |
Sun, 21 January 2018
Not since John Chapman introduced apple trees to large swaths of the U.S. and Canada – earning the nickname Johnny Appleseed – has one man on his own done so much to introduce a thriving agriculture industry to North America. Indeed, Jim Henry may well go down in history as Jim Oliveseed, because he single-handedly can claim credit for seeding the commercial olive industry in the United States – and Texas, in particular.
Jim is the owner and founder of Texas Olive Ranch, which was the first U.S. commercial producer of high quality olive oils and today struggles to keep up with demand for its growing line of products. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart shares the unique tale of the Texas Olive Ranch with all due credit to Wizard Academy graduate, Lem Lewis, aka The Ranch Broker, who conducted the interview. This is an abridged version of Lem’s interview with Jim Henry. To hear the full interview, visit http://www.ranchcast.com/. Photo: Jim Henry, Texas Olive Ranch |
Sun, 24 September 2017
Since its humble beginnings in 1981 as a small storefront in Astoria, Queens, New Yorker Bagels has grown into the universe’s largest baker of fresh, crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside Sesame, Poppy, Cinnamon Raisin, and Pumpernickel bagels, among other popular varieties.
Stephanos Evangelinos, president and COO, and his crew already produce one out of every two bagels consumed daily in the greater New York area. Now, as Stephanos and his masterful digital strategist Rob Kenney tell our bagel-loving host Dean Rotbart, New Yorker Bagels is expanding its distribution nationwide, offering fresh next-day delivery direct to consumers everywhere. The story of how New Yorker Bagels overcame the incredible odds and obstacles, and how it now plans to spread its bagels nationwide, is one worth chewing on, right now, along with your favorite hot morning beverage and, of course, a healthy schmear of cream cheese. Posted: September 25, 2017
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Sun, 24 September 2017
Mark Nation has developed and managed businesses in five diverse industries for companies including SAP, Oracle, and UNUM. Doing so, led him to conclude that the vast majority of people have the innate talent to live amazing personal and professional lives, but don’t know how to identify and release their unique abilities. Mark, a former Ironman triathlete and founder of Nation Leadership, has made it his mission as an executive coach, speaker, and author to help people transform their lives from ordinary to superlative.
On this episode featuring host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, Mark will be previewing some of the best insights gleaned from his forthcoming book, Made for Amazing – due out in late October. The book is an inspiring self-help parable designed to motivate each of us to see our own, deeper meaning in life, and reach our fullest potential. Mark believes each of us has a voice – an internal song – that we need to nurture and share with the world. This week … a podcast version of Name That Tune – Your Personal Song, featuring Mark Nation and Made for Amazing. Photo: Mark Nation, Made for Amazing |
Sun, 2 July 2017
This week, on a special holiday-weekend edition of Monday Morning Radio, host Dean Rotbart interviews Richard G. “Rick” Ross, founder and owner of GALERIE Candy & Gifts. GALERIE is known the world over for creating highly original, trendy novelties and gifts around candies, including collector’s items, interactive toys, plush characters, and the like. Rick’s company also produces and distributes branded treats for Hershey, Disney, Warner Brothers, Marvel – and tons of popular movies, including Star Wars, Despicable Me, Minions, and Trolls.
The interview is a reunion of sorts for Dean and Rick, who first met back in 1981 – when Rick was a 19-year-old jelly bean entrepreneur and Dean, then 24, was a cub reporter working for The Wall Street Journal in its Cleveland bureau. That year, Dean actually profiled Rick on the front page of the Journal, a distinction that few small business owners will ever be lucky or successful enough to merit. Rick, now 56, is in the Candy Hall of Fame. This week, Rick not only catches up with Dean, he shares his storybook journey from teen tycoon to candy industry senior statesman, and talks about the pluses and minuses of achieving success and recognition at such an early age. Fittingly, Rick’s mother, Helen, makes a cameo on the podcast, as it was Rick’s mother who really launched him on his path to success. Photo: Richard G. "Rick" Ross, GALERIE |
Sun, 21 May 2017
This week's episode of Monday Morning Radio is ripped from this month's business headlines. It will be of special interest to listeners who own or operate online businesses. Our guest is Tom Kemp, CEO and co-founder of Centrify, one of the fastest growing security vendors in the industry, serving more than 5,000 customers, including a majority of the Fortune 50.
Initially, our plan was to speak Tom about data breaches - such as those that hit Yahoo and Target. These much-publicized cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, more costly, and more widespread among all online businesses - big and small. Then the WannaCry ransomware attack hit, impacting hundreds of thousands of the world’s computers in more than 150 countries. The malware forced some businesses to close while their IT people scrambled to find solutions. So we expanded the scope of our interview with Tom Kemp to include data breaches and ransomware. - They are, after all, cyber attack first cousins. Centrify recently commissioned an independent study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, to gauge the impact of data breaches on companies and their customers. The study is unique in that it incorporates the view of three diverse groups: IT experts; senior level marketing and corporate communication professionals; and consumers. What Centrify discovered are insights that every CEO and business owner should be aware of: Cyber attacks are never confined to your IT staff. They impact every aspect of your company, including sales, marketing, finances - and for publicly held companies - shareholder value.
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Sat, 13 May 2017
Lem Lewis, aka The Ranch Broker, steps to the mellifluous Monday Morning Radio microphone this week as guest host. Lem, who in addition to his duties as a trusted advisor to ranch buyers and sellers, is a certified whiskey sommelier, having earned his credentials from The Whisk(e)y Marketing School – part of Wizard Academy.
For Lem's popular podcast, RANCHCAST with LEM LEWIS, he recently interviewed Dan Garrison proprietor of the award-winning Garrison Brothers Distillery. When Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart heard Lem’s RANCHCAST interview with Dan, Dean told Lem, “I have to share Dan’s story with my Monday Morning Radio listeners.” Lem graciously consented. Dan’s is a great business and whiskey story. Headquartered on a ranch in tiny Hye, Texas, Garrison Brothers defied all the naysayers who warned Dan and his loyal crew that quality bourbon was strictly the province of distillers in Kentucky and Tennessee. First distributed in 2011, Garrison Brothers bourbons have become so popular that like the best Texas barbecue, they regularly are sold out. In fact, Dan’s bourbons have such a cult-like fan base that his wait list for volunteers to help him inspect, seal and box his spirits has grown to 9,000 names and counting. Dan’s secret: those volunteers who agree to spend two days helping out are rewarded with a shot of “courage” every half hour during the workday. As you’ll hear, Dan Garrison is overflowing with big-as-Texas swagger and valuable entrepreneurial insights that you’ll want to drink in slowly. But be forewarned: Dan’s language, like his prize-winning unfiltered and uncut Cowboy Bourbon, is occasionally 137 proof. If four-letter words offend you, you may wish to skip this week’s episode. Photo: Dan Garrison, Garrison Brothers Distillery |
Sun, 30 April 2017
How do you take your coffee: cream, sugar, politics? Like so many other retailers today, the coffee industry - led by giant Starbucks - has made buying a cup of java not just about taste, but also about where you stand on the hot-button issues of our day.
In late 2014, Evan Hafer, a former Green Beret who did tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, saw an opportunity to appeal to fellow military veterans and 2nd Amendment advocates by launching a coffee brand aimed at them: Black Rifle Coffee Company. Sure enough, the firearms specialist hit a bullseye. Salt Lake City-based Black Rifle Coffee has seen explosive sales growth and he has pledged to hire 10,000 veterans over the next six years to staff his rapidly expanding mail-order and franchise business. This week pistol-toting Hafer joins host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart to talk about coffee beans, veterans, guns, and earning profits in an increasingly politicized marketplace. Photo: Evan Hafer, Black Rifle Coffee Company |
Sun, 16 April 2017
Universities and colleges profit from their alumni networks, so why not businesses? That’s one of the innovative concepts that serial entrepreneur Lee Caraher explores in her newly released book, “The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees.”
Ex-employees, if you treat them right when they still work for you, can become great resources for posting positive reviews, providing referrals, recommending potential employees, and even arranging for outside investments and partnerships. Indeed, Lee tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart – whose own publishing and consulting business counts more than 500 ex-employees in its “alumni” network – that some of a company’s most valuable workers may well be those who no longer work there. Photo: Lee Caraher, Double Forte |
Wed, 29 March 2017
Maria Uspenski’s company, The Tea Spot, is in the sweet spot of the $170 billion American beverage industry, which is undergoing a sea change, as consumers shift from sugary drinks and those that rely on artificial sweeteners, to all-natural refreshers.
Maria’s signature whole leaf blends and single-estate teas not only offer satisfying alternatives to sodas and coffee, they are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other healthful ingredients. An MIT educated mechanical engineer, Maria discovered the marvels of tea after surviving a harrowing battle with cancer. Tea transformed Maria’s life and health. In addition to serving as CEO of The Tea Spot, Maria is the author of the recently published Cancer Hates Tea – a paperback that is part easy-to-understand health primer, part tea bible, and part lushly illustrated recipe book. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, an avowed coffee drinker, recently visited with Maria at The Tea Spot’s world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and drank in her business and health wisdom, as well as some freshly brewed organic Sugar Tamer exotic herbal infusion. Photo: Maria Uspenski, Cancer Hates Tea |
Sun, 26 March 2017
Todd Lemense built a highly successful business with 80-plus employees and seemingly could do no wrong. At least that’s what he thought. Turns out Todd let his success-fueled pride get the better of him and, confident in his judgment above all else, led his business to crash and burn.
From the ashes, Todd rebuilt his life and developed a passion for helping others escape his ill-fated ego trip. His bestselling e-book, Lose Your Ego – Gain the World, has helped tens of thousands of CEOs, owners, and entrepreneurs better manage their success and keep their proper perspective. Todd shares his life story, his hard-earned insights, and his infectious inspiration on this week’s podcast with host and reputation Dean Rotbart. Photo: Todd Lemense, Lose Your Ego
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Sun, 26 February 2017
When surgeon Ryan Jones isn’t operating on patients, Dr. Jones is a busy entrepreneur aiming to redefine how students of all ages learn boring, but necessary course material. Dr. Jones is co-founder of CoursePics, an impressive Phoenix-based start-up that combines elements often used in effective marketing – strong visuals, storytelling, surprise, and originality – to teach otherwise leaden topics such as biology, pharmacy, and social and behavioral science. Join host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart as he tests the CoursePics method of learning, challenging Dr. Jones – and listeners – to quickly visualize and create a story based on ten randomly selected objects, and then commit those objects to long-term memory. Photo: Dr. Ryan Jones, CoursePics |
Sun, 12 February 2017
Ever wonder what happens after the cameras stop rolling on the CBS hit show, Undercover Boss? For Gina Rivera, who along with her company, Phenix Salon Suites were featured on Undercover Boss two years ago, her appearance launched enormous revenue growth and new opportunities.
This week, Gina regales host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart with the story of her exploding franchise business; her expansion into multiple beauty products lines; and her budding film career. Photo: Gina Rivera, Phenix Salon Suites
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Sun, 5 February 2017
Brian O’Shea is in the business of stopping corporate spies and vandals from doing harm to businesses and professional practices. For every company, regardless of its size, Brian says there’s a criminal just salivating at the prospect of exploiting your security gaps. Brian founded Striker Pierce Private Investigations in 2009, and has since conducted more than 3,000 investigations. Striker Pierce not only catches the bad guys, it also trains owners and executives how to prevent criminals from doing damage in the first place. This week, Brian tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart what every business executive, owner, and entrepreneur must know about crime prevention. Photo: Brian O'Shea, Striker Pierce Investigations |
Mon, 30 January 2017
Nancy Rosborough is a modern-day gold miner; only the nuggets she mines are wonderfully fragrant white truffles that despite their $500-a-pound price tag, are in great demand by gourmet chefs around the world. Nancy’s company, Mycorrhiza Biotech, spent more than a decade figuring out how to successfully grow genuine Bianchetto truffles on loblolly pine trees – the only company in all of North America that’s cracked the code. This week, our truffle sniffing host Dean Rotbart, not only shares Nancy’s story of perseverance and success, he reveals how other entrepreneurs can stake their own gilded truffle harvesting claims. Photo: Nancy Rosborough, Mycorrhiza Biotech |
Sun, 15 January 2017
Can a single, solitary word change the nature and success of your business? Evan Carmichael says it can. His special word, unique to him, has transformed his young entrepreneurial life into that of a widely acknowledged social networking guru, not to mention a Toronto salsa-dancing legend. In his new book, Your One Word, Evan spells out what he says is the “powerful secret to creating a business and life that matters.” This week, Evan reveals his “one word” and shows our hoofing host, Dean Rotbart, how he and his listeners can find and utilize their own special life-changing term. Photo: Evan Carmichael, Your One Word
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Sun, 27 November 2016
If Russ DiGilio pitched his business concept to you, chances are you run from it as fast as your legs could carry you: A new donut chain (just what the world is lacking); named Duck Donuts (who doesn’t associate tasty fresh donuts with ducks?); that defies health food advocates (not even a gluten-free variety); and requires customers to come into the donut shop to buy the product (online retailing, what’s that?). So much for conventional business wisdom. DiGilio’s Duck Donuts are a mega-success, rapidly spreading across 13 states and more than 100 stores. This week on Monday Morning Radio, DiGilio demonstrates to our donut-loving host Dean Rotbart, why there is always hope for the entrepreneurial iconoclasts of the world. Photo: Russ DiGilio
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Sun, 20 November 2016
As small business success stories go, it’s hard to do much better than David Erickson and his FreeConferenceCall.com service. Launched 15 years ago, David has amassed an amazing record of success that includes serving millions of global users daily; adding more than 100,000 new customers a month; counting 800,000 other businesses as customers; processing more than 1.5 billion total calls; and doing it all without taking on one cent of debt. David had one secret weapon since day one, the word “free,” which he swears is the best marketing word in the universe.
On this edition, David shares many of his best entrepreneurial insights with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart. Like FreeConferenceCall.com, this podcast is coming to you for FREE. Photo: David Erickson
Direct download: Free_Conference_Call.mp3
Category:Successful Entrepreneurs -- posted at: 5:57pm MDT |
Sun, 30 October 2016
Let’s face it, beards are in vogue. Bushy beards, long beards, well-coiffed beards, wild beards – sprouting on men in all walks of life – music, sports, film, business, even politics. It’s no coincidence that sales at Lovely Beards, a San Francisco-based online seller targeting facial hair aficionados are waxing in response. Rip Bains, the cofounder of Lovely Beards, shares his company’s transformation from an Irish blog for hirsute men into a “Content & Commerce” retailer that is quickly emerging as one of America’s premiere male grooming companies. Listen in this week on Monday Morning Radio and hear what Rip tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart about the journey from content maker to product maker. Photo: Rip Bains, Lovely Beards
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Fri, 23 September 2016
Ken Lain is a master at cultivating profits from a small business in a small market. Along with his wife, Lisa, Ken owns Watters Garden Center in Prescott, Arizona – a city of about 42,000 residents located in the mountainous area of central Arizona. Ken, a graduate of host Dean Rotbart’s “Reputation Tool Chest” course at Wizard Academy, relies on a rich bouquet of marketing tools – including over-the-air radio programs, YouTube videos, on-site courses, and rock ‘em, sock ‘em customer service to beat back the predatory tactics and pricing of nearby Big Box competitors. Ken definitely has a green thumb – both for gardening and profit-making. Ken shares his proven financial seeding and growth tips this week on Monday Morning Radio. Photo: Ken Lain, Watters Garden Center Want to learn how to turbocharge your personal or business reputation? Schedule a 30-minute FREE phone consultation with reputation coach and Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart: 1-303-296-1200. Limited slots now booking for October and November 2016. |
Sat, 17 September 2016
Dave Chandler is the consummate do-it-yourself entrepreneur. The creator of Running Belt Max, a popular Lycra waist belt that appeals to athletes and non-athletes alike, Dave has no employees. The Atlanta native serves as Running Belt Max’s designer, marketer, distributor, PR guy, and webmaster. Moreover, he’s orchestrating all of this from Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he relocated four years ago. Although Running Belt Max is less than a year old, it is already selling better than 97% of all sports waist belts on Amazon.com. It's first production run sold out in only ten weeks. This week, via Skype, Dave shares secrets from his one-man-band entrepreneurial playbook with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, exclusively right now on Monday Morning Radio. Photo: Dave Chandler, Running Belt Max For a limited time, listeners to Monday Morning Radio can distribute a FREE new release on EIN Presswire at no cost and zero obligation. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart recommends EIN Presswire as an effective, low-cost alternative to the major wire services, including PR Newswire,Business Wire, and PR Web. “Since it’s free, I encourage listeners seeking greater public awareness to give EIN Presswire a try and see how it compares with your existing news release distribution service,” Dean says. “For my clients and me, I have found that EIN Presswire gets the job done for a fraction of the cost of the major PR press wires.” To open your account with EIN Newswire and place your first news release for free (no credit card required), visit www.EINPresswire.com/success |
Sun, 21 August 2016
If you love sports, or have customers, friends, and family who do, this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio may offer you a low-risk way to earn some extra income – and really enjoy it. My guests – John Zehr and Robb Lewis, say they’ve developed an opportunity to leverage your existing customer base and social networks to grab a slice of the $45 billion apps industry. Robb Lewis is an executive with Utah-based United Games, which has created a live, interactive sports app that promises to let sports fans – in the stadium, on their televisions, or using their smart phones – experience and interact with live sporting events like no game app ever before. John Zehr, an early adopter, is one of thousands of affiliate hopefuls who plan to use word-of-mouth buzz to attract players to the free app – and profit when those players buy tokens, or watch commercials embedded into the game. The opportunity intrigued host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart enough that he not only invited John and Robb on the program, he agreed to pay the rather minimal upfront fee and small monthly retainer to try his hand at becoming a games app mogul. [Email Dean at dean@mondaymorningradio.com and he can provide you an official invitation to become an affiliate as well.] To paraphrase President Reagan, Dean says, “I plan to trust United Games, but verify. I encourage my listeners to do likewise.” Photo: Robb Lewis (l) and John Zehr
For a limited time, listeners to Monday Morning Radio can distribute a FREE new release on EIN Presswire at no cost and zero obligation. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart recommends EIN Presswire as an effective, low-cost alternative to the major wire services, including PR Newswire, Business Wire, and PR Web. “Since it’s free, I encourage listeners seeking greater public awareness to give EIN Presswire a try and see how it compares with your existing news release distribution service,” Dean says. “For my clients and me, I have found that EIN Presswire gets the job done for a fraction of the cost of the major PR press wires.” To open your account with EIN Newswire and place your first news release for free (no credit card required), visit www.EINPresswire.com/free and enter Promo Code: Dean. |
Sun, 14 August 2016
Reputation coach and Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart recently bought an unusual gift for himself: lunch with Mark Jackson, a three-time Super Bowl wide receiver for the Denver Broncos. Dean was able to arrange the tête–à–tête through ProHero.com, a new web service and app that offers entrepreneurs and fans hundreds of one-on-one celebrity experiences, including workouts, golf games, concert-going, and private dining. Steven Ogunro, a one-time investment banker and co-founder of ProHero.com, joins Dean this week on Monday Morning Radio to talk about how small business owners and entrepreneurs can harness ProHero.com to impress customers and prospects, to glean practical lessons from successful athletes and public figures, and to meet some personal heroes. Photo: Mark Jackson, ProHero.com Celebrity Your reputation is your most valuable asset. Learn how to amplify it using Dean Rotbart’s proven 5 Pillars of Reputation method. Join Dean for his next FREE one-hour live webinar, on Thursday August 18th, at 4 pm EDT. Register at MondayMorningRadio.com. You’ve only got one reputation, make sure to protect and nurture it. |
Sun, 1 May 2016
You may think you have little in common with a pig farmer and butcher in upstate New York, and you’d be right, unless you value great customer service, superior products, passion, perseverance, and profits. Heather Sandford has carefully packaged each of those qualities into her store, The Piggery, which helps explain why there are often lines of customers snaking out the door of her farm-to-table butcher shop. Heather joins host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart this week on Monday Morning Radio, where he huffs, and puffs, and blows away the notion that so-called dirty businesses can’t be great businesses and role models. Read about Heather's recipe for success, and Dean's observations on what other entrepreneurs can learn from The Piggery's success here. [Join Monday Morning Radio's Inner Circle
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Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 51 seconds |
Sun, 24 April 2016
Sarah Hassenger is a successful entrepreneur, making and selling quality handcrafted bowties that are so popular they’ve been included in the swag gift bags distributed at the Primetime Emmys and MTV Movie Awards. Celebs who proudly own Sarah’s products include Ryan Gosling (and George), Amanda Seyfried (and Finn), Rachel Ray (and Isaboo), and Alison Sweeney (and Jorge and Winky). Oh…. Yes…. did we forget to mention that Sarah’s company, Four Black Paws, makes bowties and a full range of stylish designer collars and accessories for dogs, not humans? Join host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart this week on Monday Morning Radio as he showcases Sarah and the lessons she offers other entrepreneurs. When it comes to identifying a market ripe for original, playful, and useful products, Sarah is definitely barking up the right tree. Photo: Sarah Hassenger and her dog, Leila - Four Black Paws Posted: April 25, 2016 Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 12 seconds Want to learn how to turbocharge your personal or business reputation? Schedule a 30-minute FREE phone consultation with reputation coach and Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart: 1-303-296-1200. Limited slots now booking for May and June 2016.
Direct download: Sarah_Hassenger_MMR.mp3
Category:Successful Entrepreneurs -- posted at: 11:42am MDT |
Sun, 3 April 2016
It’s been almost exactly 140 years since Alexander Graham Bell first phoned his assistant, beckoning, “Mr. Watston – come here – I want to see you.” While the telephone is decidedly old-school, it is still one of the most prominent and important conduits for business. Charlie Fusco specializes in turning each and every call from, or to, a business prospect into a brand-building exercise. Charlie, founder and CEO of Synergixx, chats this week with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart about the best – and worst – ways for a business to communicate by phone. Listen in on their call right now - and profit. Photo: Charlie Fusco, Synergixx Posted: April 4, 2016 Monday Morning Run Time: 41 minutes 53 seconds Want to learn how to turbocharge your personal or business reputation? Schedule a 30-minute FREE phone consultation with reputation coach and Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart: 1-303-296-1200. Limited slots now booking for April and May 2016. |
Sun, 6 March 2016
Celebrity endorsements are not just for giant consumer-products brands anymore. Many small businesses are discovering the sales magnetism of celebrities who talk up their products – whether in advertisements or social media posts. Evan Morgenstein, president and CEO of CelebExperts, specializes in matching celebrities with businesses – including startups and not-ready-for-prime-time companies. His results have been nothing short of amazing. This week on Monday Morning Radio, Morgenstein shares with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart the ins-and-outs celebrity endorsements. Photo: Evan Morgenstein, Celeb Experts Posted: March 7, 2016 Monday Morning Run Time: 51 minutes 52 seconds Want to learn how to turbocharge your personal or business reputation? Schedule a 30-minute FREE phone consultation with reputation coach and Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart: 1-303-296-1200. Limited slots now booking for March and April 2016.
Direct download: Evan_Morgenstein_MMR.mp3
Category:Successful Entrepreneurs -- posted at: 6:55pm MDT |
Sun, 27 December 2015
For a residential and commercial architect, Mark Grisafe has an unusual business motto: Advise, Advocate & Collaborate. It’s an unconventional approach that over the past decade has helped him grow his Long Beach, California, firm – M. Grisafe Architect – into a thriving business. While many professionals shun taking advice from their clients – think lawyers and accountants, for example – Mark actually cultivates his clients’ involvement at every step of the way. In turn, they consistently reward him with repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. This week on Monday Morning Radio with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, Mark shares his unique blueprint for building a professional practice in close cooperation with his clients. Photo: Mark Grisafe, M. Grisafe Architects Dean Rotbart will next present his popular Reputation Tool Chest Workshop at Wizard Academy on February 16th and 17th. Let Dean teach you to how to build an unparalleled online reputation for you or your business. Registration is limited, so don't delay.
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