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.
Posted: February 27, 2023
Monday Morning Run Time: 46:02
Episode: 11.28

Four sneaky obstacles prevent most business owners and entrepreneurs from becoming peerless communicators, whether in writing, on video, or in front of a live audience.

There is a proven formula to vault over those hurdles, and this week’s guest, Michelle D. Gladieux, reveals how to become the best communicator you can be.

Michelle, president of Gladieux Consulting, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has taught at the college level for 18 years, starting when she was only 23.

Gladieux Consulting, which serves hundreds of companies and thousands of training participants, focuses on leadership and communication topics, strategic planning facilitation, and building creative tools that yield personal and professional development.  

Michelle’s new book, Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome Four HIdden Challenges, provides a step-by-step guide to triumphing over fear to deliver your message more effectively and make a difference in the world.

But host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart tells Michelle that she underestimated the import of her book. As Dean observes, Communicate with Courage is really a guidebook on how to live with courage. “And who couldn’t use an extra dose of self-confidence?” Dean asks.

Photo: Michelle D. Gladieux, Gladieux Consulting
Posted: February 20, 2023
Monday Morning Run Time: 51:04
Episode: 11.27

Although officially, the business spotlighted on this week’s podcast is less than a week old, host Dean Rotbart says that given its lineage and the marketing genius supporting it, RomanticSpotsinAustin.com is a sure bet to be an entrepreneurial role model and a global success story.

Two years in development, the online guidebook to amorous Austin, Texas, is the brainchild of Pennie Williams, brought from the drawing board to last week’s rollout with an assist by her son Jake and her husband, none other than Roy H. Williams.

Pennie has been nurturing love and romance for decades. She is responsible for launching Chapel Dulcinea — the world’s first free wedding chapel — in 2005. Situated cliffside on the edge of an ancient walking trail overlooking the Texas Hill Country, the chapel hosts 1,100 ceremonies annually.

RomanticSpotsinAustin offers searchable, unbiased descriptions of a cornucopia of places and activities — from famous landmarks to little-known hideaways, sweeping natural landscapes to rooftop lounges, crazy art and adventures to violins and candlelight. Listings on RomanticSpotsinAustin.com are free and selected for inclusion solely by the editorial team behind the digital guidebook.

“Visitors to RomanticSpotsinAustin.com need only be guided by their mood of the moment, whether that means hiking the cliffs at sunset, sharing cocktails at a dark corner table, or touring any of Austin’s outstanding museums,” says Jake Williams, who serves as chief executive of the new venture. “The only essential ingredient, of course, is that you have the one you love by your side.”

Listen closely, as this week Roy not only explains the strategy behind RomanticSpotsinAustin, but he also shares some of the proven marketing techniques that have made him the most successful and admired ad writer in history.

Photo: Jake Williams, CEO, Romantic Spots LLC
Posted: February 13, 2023
Monday Morning Run Time: 43:05
Episode: 11.26

Among the giants of self-improvement authors and speakers are Dale Carnegie, Earl Nightingale, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Blaine Oelkers.

Blaine who?

Blaine Oelkers, http://selfluence.com, is not yet as well known as these other inspiring speakers and authors — but he is a modern keeper of their inspirational flame.

In fact, Blaine is America’s only Chief Results Officer — an expert on how to get yourself to do those things you know you should do but aren’t.

In this week’s episode, Blaine will reveal his method of getting an hour’s worth of work done in only 30 minutes. He’ll show us how to create a durable new habit in only 21 seconds. And he’ll explain his WYTAYBA™ secret to unlocking the full power of your mind.

As host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart says, “While Blaine may channel Carnegie, Nightingale, and the others, he is an original — offering unique solutions for our 21st century professional and personal challenges.”

Photo: Blaine Oelkers, Selfluence.com
Posted: February 6, 2023
Monday Morning Run Time: 51:47