Scot Hunsaker purchased a small engineering firm operating as a sole proprietorship from his father. That firm, Counsilman-Hunsaker, has designed aquatic facilities, including Olympic venues, all over the world. During his tenure as CEO and owner (and as a non-engineer running an engineering company) , he grew Counsilman-Hunsaker’s revenue by a factor of 10, quadrupled the number of employees, opened 4 new offices in the US and went from being licensed to operate in 10 states to operating in all 50 plus 3 Canadian provinces. He sold Counsilman Hunsaker to the employees for cash in 2012. He has spoken on the topic of ownership transition and ownership thinking across the US and internationally. He is also the author of 30 published articles. He also serves on several boards of directors. In 2013, he formed Ardent Consulting whose mission is to help CEOs and Business owners prepare for their ultimate transition with a particular focus of teaching employees how to think like owners. Scott is the author of Heroic Ownership. Visit http://www.ardentgroup.com/heroic-ownership/ for more information.

Andrew Knies’ passion for marketing strategies, developing digital content, and strong sales skills has allowed him to thrive in the Real Estate industry. Andrew is the Marketing Director of Prime Real Estate where he develops and implements a bold brand strategy. By organizing his team, they have successfully told their brand story through cohesive marketing that includes, hosting large conferences, social media campaigns, developing a brand magazine, speaking engagements, and PR. Additionally, he is a licensed real estate agent and teaches newly licensed agents how to market their new businesses and take advantage of today’s tools.

Alexander talks about how to go about selecting the right employees to build a company that will rise above the competition. He also talks about the Financial Analysis Master’s program that he teaches that is a great alternative to the traditional MBA. Alexander Lowry is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in financial services and strategy consulting, assisting private and public sector companies across North America and Europe. Alexander joined Gordon from J.P. Morgan Chase. In four and a half years at the bank, he served in senior roles ranging from deputy to the chief operating officer of the U.S. Private Bank to his recent role helping lead the firm’s private foundation. Supporting the deputy director, Alexander led a wide range of management and administrative functions to help direct the firm’s global philanthropic investments, giving and investing $240 million annually across 40 countries. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Chase, Alexander spent a dozen years with PA Consulting Group, Europe’s leading management consultancy. As a management consultant, Alexander specialized in leading major change and business transformation programs in blue chip organizations. After working in the London headquarters for seven years, Alexander was moved to New York and became co-head of the Americas Project Management Centre of Excellence. While at PA Consulting, Alexander served on the firm’s pension board. He guided the Investment Committee to manage the $750 million portfolio, including evaluating, selecting and monitoring investment managers. Alexander directed a review of governance arrangements which resulted in the decision to become the first U.K.-defined benefit plan to appoint a fiduciary manager. He then oversaw the selection, appointment and implementation of BlackRock. In addition to his executive career, Alexander has been continually engaged with Haverford. In addition to co-founding the College’s finance affinity group, he served for nine years on the Annual Fund Executive Committee, including as chair. His writings and thoughts have appeared in Forbes, NBC News, U.S. News and World Report, Glassdoor, and other publications. Find more about Andrew at: www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderlowry https://twitter.com/AlexanderSLowry http://www.gordon.edu/alexanderlowry http://www.gordon.edu/graduate/finance http://twitter.com/GordonMSFA http://www.linkedin.com/showcase/gordon-college-master-of-science-in-financial-analysis/

A proven and prolific entrepreneur, Mike has significant experience in starting and building professional and technical services firms. Patina Solutions is his sixth professional services start-up since 1995. Mike is best known as the founder and former CEO of Jefferson Wells, which grew to $132 million in sales with 23 offices and 1,600 employees in five years. Jefferson Wells was acquired by Manpower for $174 million in 2001. Inc. magazine ranked Jefferson Wells as number five of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in America in 2001. Since Jefferson Wells, Mike has founded firms including the Novo Group and Adams Harris. He is currently a Board member for Novo Group, Tax Air and Bentley World Packaging. Mike is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from entrepreneurial endeavors to transitioning from CFO to CEO. Earlier in his career, Mike was CFO for Alternative Resources Corporation and Wind Point Partners. A CPA, he has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin – Parkside. http://www.patinasolutions.com/

Matt tells us about how he has grown the Fyzical franchise, and how he targets underserved markets, increases the value of service, and keeps clients and business owners happy. Matt DiMauro does nothing slowly. He talks fast, moves quickly and is a get-things-done rising star at one of the fastest-growing businesses in the region, Sarasota-based Fyzical. More speed: On the question of does he lunch out or at his desk DiMauro replied: “Eating out during the week can be rather time consuming, so I typically eat lunch quickly at my desk unless I have a business luncheon scheduled.” Fyzical, which is building a nationwide network of franchised physical therapy centers under one brand, grew revenue 70.2% last year, from $4.7 million in 2015 to $8 million. The company has grown from one location in 2013 to 260 today, and it ranked No. 156 on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies nationwide. An Akron, Ohio native, DiMauro proved himself early on with Fyzical, when he took over what was then a faltering two-location Fyzical physical therapy business in Fort Myers in 2014. Revenues had been falling there for three straight years. But under DiMauro the business shifted and went from $680,000 in revenue to more than $4 million in three years. DiMauro says he keenly focused on getting more productivity out of physical therapists, and also instituted more efficiencies on scheduling and other non-medical parts of the business. He says one key move was to put proven theories into actual practice — not just talk about it. A challenge early on: DiMauro supervised people both considerably older, and in a field, health care, he knew little about. The changes in the way they did business, says DiMauro, wasn’t an easy sell, at first. But the success and growth won people over. “I went to school to fix businesses,” he says, “while they went to school to help heal people.” https://www.fyzical.com/

Brian is Australian born and was raised with an enduring passion for surfing and the surf culture. In his youth, he enjoyed the epic waves on both coasts of his home country. He was educated at the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia, where he received his first of many business credentials. After ten years as a public accountant, Brian felt a burning desire to do something that would fit his passion for surfing while looking for a business idea that would allow him to support himself. He turned in his resignation notice, got on a plane to the States, and became a regular at the classic surfing destinations up and down the southern California coastline. He called Malibu, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, and Swami’s Beach his “office.” One day, while pulling on his sheepskin boots after a cold surf session, he realized there were nothing like them available in California. He and a surfing buddy shipped six pairs from Australia to show them around, in search of interested takers. It was at this moment that the UGG brand was born. Brian called on every surf shop up and down the California coast, enthusiastically showing prospective retailers the UGG prototype. Most of the shop owners would deliver the same disappointing reaction: “Brian, we sell flip flops, not boots.” Not willing to give up his idea, he then embarked on a laser-focused effort to gain endorsements and support from the surf community of which he was becoming a respected member. Finally, with two young Pro-surfers on “the UGG team”, a new cult was born and “UGG” became the cool word on California campuses and beaches alike. Had he not diligently stuck to his vision, the idea of UGG Boots would never have come to fruition. Undaunted by the surf shop owners’ initial rejections, Brian forged forward with his dream and we all now enjoy our much loved and favorite casual footwear—our UGG boots. After 17 years, Brian sold his company and the brand to Decker’s Outdoor Corporation. With their resources, the “casual comfort” segment of the footwear industry came to life and the UGG Brand now garners more than a billion dollars of sales per year, year after year. Having developed the art of storytelling throughout the years, the stage became the perfect place for Brian to present to business owners the ups—and downs—of being an entrepreneur. He found that he not only enjoyed giving these talks, but his audiences were responding in wide embrace to his stories like he never could have imagined. The size and scope of the audiences grew and now he is one of the most sought-after speakers in the world today. He brings a magical mix of real world street smarts, kindness, compassion and respect for the entrepreneurial drive—all of which fits business of any size. And, yes, he still continues to surf when he’s not on tour. To book Brian Smith, please contact Kelly at (717) 781-0838 or [email protected] Brian can be reached at [email protected]

Laura and Christopher talk about creating your niche by evangelizing the problem and then marketing the solution! The interview is full of so much valuable insight and information. Listen now! Christopher Lochhead co-Authored the celebrated “Niche Down: How To Become Legendary” By Being Different and Harper Collins’ “instant classic” “Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets”. Christopher is a former three-time public company CMO, category designer and entrepreneur. Background: • He’s been an advisor, board director and/or investor to over 50 Silicon Valley startups. • Served as Chief Marketing Officer of Mercury Interactive, a $1B software company that was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2006 for $4.5B. • In 2001, he co-founded marketing strategy consulting firm LOCHHEAD. • In 1998, he was the founding CMO of Internet consulting firm Scient. • Before that he was head of marketing at Vantive, a pioneer in customer relationship management software and a principal at consulting firm Always an Adventure. • In 1989, with no other options he and his friend Jack founded Roger Pierce & Associates a computer consulting firm they named after a guy they made up to make it seem like an adult was in charge. In 30 years he has: worked with many great people, had wonderful mentors and coaches, started companies, designed new categories, raised capital, built brands, made a lot of friends, a few enemies, shipped new products, failed out of school at 18, became a public company CMO by 28, discovered he was dyslexic, gone public, bought and sold companies, crushed competitors, broken his nose surfing, cracked his arm skiing, co-authored a best selling book for Jack Welch’s publisher, gotten de-listed from NASDAQ, given hundreds of speeches, created a hit podcast, done business in over 20 countries, traveled millions of air miles, drank a little whiskey and a couple of beers, learned to take and throw a punch, and how to laugh about the whole absurd thing.

Neil speaks about the importance of understanding your market in order to develop your position and message to create successful tactics and plans to grow your brand. Neil Anderson is Partner and CMO at Chief Outsiders, a national management consulting firm offering fractional CMO services to mid-sized growth companies. He is currently serving as a fractional CMO of Cask LLC, a business and technology consulting company based in San Diego, CA. Since 2013 he has been an independent marketing consultant and since 2016 a CMO with Chief Outsiders, a management consulting company that provides fractional marketing services to mid-sized growth companies. Neil serves on the board of Matrium Technologies PTY Limited. He was VP Global Services at Spirent Communications, Chief Operating Officer at The Tolly Group and CEO of Tolly Research. He has a BM degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the Hartt College of Music, University of Hartford.

On the show, Kris gives talks about his experience with startups and building a better business model, as well his insight on product marketing, rebranding, and building brand authority. Kris Gosser guides the revenue machine as Chief Marketing Officer at Datica, a growth-stage startup focusing on enabling the cloud for regulated industries. He started as a product leader in enterprise workflow automation before moving to the marketing side of the business. He likes to sit at the intersection of design, technology, and business to help craft empathetic products for markets in need. You can find him in Seattle enjoying what the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

John talks about his unique business model for franchising in-home care for the elderly, and how to create consistency while maintaining a high level of care. John Bennett is a former high school stats and geometry teacher, athletic director and varsity football coach. That experience has led to John becoming a maverick in support development and operations, providing team member’s the tools needed to provide quality care. John’s mathematics background also allows him to implement financial analyses that optimize policies and practices at all Sunny Days In-Home Care locations. Not only is Bennett the Executive Director for Sunny Days, he is also founder David Ellenwood’s son-in-law. By combining a personal and professional business relationship, Ellenwood and Bennett do not only encourage supporting a family atmosphere at every Sunny Days locations, they live it. https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbennett88/ http://sunnydaysinhomecare.com/

David talks about his work in the manufacturing sector, what it takes to meet customer’s needs and improve product design and process, keep your employees up to date on procedure, and how to achieve sustainable growth. David is originally from London, David has outstanding knowledge and know-how of doing business in China, where he has resided since 2003. David has a proven track record of success in general management and has held senior positions in sales, marketing, business development and operations. David is dynamic and forward thinking, striving always for continuous improvement in all aspects of business and business relationships. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, traveling and playing sports. As CEO of Star, he plans to elevate the business by bringing additional customer focus along with implementing industry 4.0 and continuing to develop what is already a great team, ultimately leading to greater customer satisfaction, consistent world-class performance and enable Star to achieve sustainable growth. At Star Rapid David specializes in producing high-quality plastic injection molded parts and mold tools, with machining and finishing services to make tools from a variety of materials and can produce 50 to 100k+ finished parts in all major resins. The Star Rapid team is highly focused on advanced material verification, inspection and testing to ensure your clients parts meet and exceed their highest expectations. Star Rapid has these best in class programs in place: – Star Rapid a unique service called OMOM, which stands for One Man One Mold Service.  This service provides quick-turnaround plastic injection tooling in half the time of conventional tools. By streamlining the entire tooling project, from conception to completion, using a single master machinist who takes ownership of the project from start to finish. – Design for Manufacturing, it is important to design for manufacturing when developing a new product to avoid costs and delays down the line.

Zvi talks about how he quickly, and sustainable grew his company, as well as developed a very user-friendly software that automatically aggregates and pulls in all of your relationships into one place, from email, social media, phone, calendar, et cetera. Helping you identify and group relevant contacts to your business and career. Zvi Band started Contactually in 2011. It is one of the fastest growing companies on the INC 5000 list, listed at 513; you’ve raised $17.8 million in investors’ funds. Zvi is active in the Washington, DC Tech Community and created “Proudly Made in DC” to continue the support, of the greater DC community. Contactually is a software and service company that has grown rapidly with it’s amazing growing and dynamic team. Zvi, says his team loves strong coffee, the latest technology, strange internet memes, and accomplishing great things through better, stronger relationships. Contactually is a leader in business software, Zvi and his team early on recognized software is something, people are forced to use, not enjoy using. This is challenge. Zvi knew that needed to change. So, his team doesn’t design its software products to fit into an existing mold, they design it to help people with their work. Zvi, created a collaborative office space environment to ensure his team would thrive in, and do great work. The end result is the Contactually is rapidly growing learning organization that’s constantly seeking to be better for their customers, their product, their team, and our investors. Contactually is rated very well, and is an amazing software to simplify and automate personal communications with an extensive and loyal network of Real Estate Agent using the software. With one click, users, connect their email accounts and Contactually with its automatic sync of contacts and communication history, makes it really easily to stay in touch with contacts and build a robust referal network. For more on Contactually visit: try.contactually.com For more on Zvi Band visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zviband/

Hiten speaks about his positive spin on failure and how it can always be turned into a lesson on developing better long-term strategies. Hiten also talks about the importance defining what you do well, and what you better than anyone else, and how it is critical to continually redefine that, as clients and the market change. Hiten Shah believes that human beings have unlimited potential and he is the living proof. Having started his career as a plastics engineer, Hiten knew very little about overseeing a global supply chain. But with an experience as key manager, process engineer, engineering manager then director of engineering, vice president of sales, and director of joint venture sales, he was ready for the challenge. Hiten built MES, Inc. on a culture of trust and honesty, where employees have the freedom to express themselves and where everyone in the company strives to treat all people—coworkers, customers, and suppliers—fairly and transparently. MES today incorporates both his ambitious work ethic and his personal values. Hiten credits a lot of his success to his wife of 27 years, Heena. MES develops custom engineered solutions by leveraging global manufacturing resources and implementing comprehensive supply chain solutions. It follows five distinct steps from finding and auditing suppliers to developing their quality systems, consolidating shipments at various ports, performing domestic value-added operations and warehousing near customers and shipping Just-In-Time. For more about MES, Inc. visit: http://www.mesinc.net/ For more on Hiten Shah, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitenshahmes/

Rebecca talks about how she built her brand, and managed the growth of her marketing company with time management, automation, and set processes, as well as how she helps her clients manage their growth objectives and allowing the right marketing to develop as the company grows. Reb Risty is an expert in corporate brand management and online marketing with a focus in SEO, inbound marketing and lead generation. She has been called on multiple times in her career to work with growing companies and serve as the driving strategic and operational force behind the marketing and communications department to support the company’s growth objectives, while creating and enhancing brand awareness and equity. www.reblmarketing.com

Tony talks about creating value for your product or service that draws in investors and delivers a successful return and profitable growth for the company. Since 2013, Tony had led ANEXIO to grow more than 1,400 percent as it builds new, mission critical infrastructure for the world’s most innovative organizations. This growth is in large part due to Tony’s expertise in mergers and acquisitions, as he’s led the company to successfully acquire several companies in the past few years. ANEXIO is included on the Inc 500 list of America’s fastest-growing privately held companies, and is transforming the IT industry by building high-performance technology infrastructure to serve the complex computing needs of the world’s most innovative companies. The company provides this mission-critical infrastructure across eight Tier III SOC-2 certified data centers, an IT solutions center, and a nationwide IP Network. ANEXIO continues to accelerate as the company builds new infrastructure for emerging technologies. For more on ANEXIO, visit https://www.anexio.com/ For more on Tony Pompliano, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonypompliano/

Dennis Joyce is an investor across multiple asset classes including commercial real estate, equities, and various alternative investments. He is an active member of Seattle’s Alliance of Angels and Puget Sound Venture Club and sits on the screening committee of both groups. His angel investments include Ripl, Blokable, Visual Vocal, Bluhaptics, and CityBldr. For more on Dennis Joyce visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-joyce-1501a85 For more on Puget Sound Venture Club visit: https://www.pugetsoundvc.com/ For more on Seattle’s Alliance of Angels visit: https://www.allianceofangels.com

Marty talks about how to know you are ready for investors, how to make sure you have a product that solves a pain that people are willing to pay for, and how to successfully navigate challenges and create growth. Marty Schultz (martyschultz.net) is a mentor-speaker, angel fund investor, award-winning innovator and creator of some of the top category-leading software companies over his expansive career. In 2014, Marty started Blindfold Games, an app development company that builds accessible games for the visually impaired community. The idea for Blindfold Games was conceived serendipitously during an after-school App Design Club he started at his daughter’s middle school. To date, the company has released over 80 games that promote learning through gamification. The games are enjoyed by over 10,000 visually impaired people from 7 to 70 years old, and recently surpassed the 500,000th download. In 2014, Marty started Blindfold Games, an app development company that builds accessible games for the visually impaired community. The idea for Blindfold Games was conceived serendipitously during an after-school App Design Club he started at his daughter’s middle school. To date, the company has released over 80 games that promote learning through gamification. The games are enjoyed by over 10,000 visually impaired people from 7 to 70 years old, and recently surpassed the 500,000th download. In 2005, he founded McGruff SafeGuard, a parental control system in partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff the Crime Dog, a talking dog loved by generations of children, designed to increase crime awareness and personal safety. The service alerted parents to online dangers for their children, such as Internet predators, sexual abuse or drug use and provided helpful advice about online parenting issues. Throughout his career, Marty has received many awards and recognition for his work, including being named “Developer of the Year” (2015) and “Best iOS Game of the Year” (2016) at AppleVis’s Golden Apple Awards, as well as one of the “Technology Fast 500™ in the US” by Deloitte & Touche and Software magazine’s “Top 500 Software Companies in the US” (2000). A firm believer in sharing his knowledge with others, Marty mentors entrepreneurs and presents at startup and venture capital conferences on how to bootstrap and grow software startups. His presentations include topics such as “Lessons Learned from Bootstrapping Companies” and “How My Hobby – Blindfold Games – Has Brightened the Lives of Thousands.” He holds a Certificate from the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program and earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.   Marty Schultz is a mentor-speaker, angel fund investor, award-winning innovator and creator of some of the top category-leading software companies over his expansive career. In 2014, Marty started Blindfold Games, an app development company that builds accessible games for the visually impaired community. The idea for Blindfold Games was conceived serendipitously during an after-school App Design Club he started at his daughter’s middle school. To date, the company has released over 80 games that promote learning through gamification. The games are enjoyed by over 10,000 visually impaired people from 7 to 70 years old, and recently surpassed the 500,000th download. In 2005, he founded McGruff SafeGuard, a parental control system in partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council and McGruff the Crime Dog, a talking dog loved by generations of children, designed to increase crime awareness and personal safety. The service alerted parents to online dangers for their children, such as Internet predators, sexual abuse or drug use and provided helpful advice about online parenting issues. In 2000, Mr. Schultz co-founded eSped (www.esped.com), an educational SaaS focusing on school districts providing services for special-needs students. He was also the founder and President of Omtool (www.omtool.com, 1991-1999), a company that provided enterprise messaging systems to Fortune 500 companies. Omtool completed an IPO in 1997 and was one of the top 500 software companies for several years. Prior to Omtool, Mr. Schultz founded and ran a company that enabled hundreds of computer resellers to prosper by selling the new generation of microcomputers. Throughout his career, Marty has received many awards and recognition for his work, including being named “Developer of the Year” (2015) and “Best iOS Game of the Year” (2016) at AppleVis’s Golden Apple Awards, as well as one of the “Technology Fast 500™ in the US” by Deloitte & Touche and Software magazine’s “Top 500 Software Companies in the US” (2000). A firm believer in sharing his knowledge with others, Marty mentors entrepreneurs and presents at startup and venture capital conferences on how to bootstrap and grow software startups. His presentations include topics such as “Lessons Learned from Bootstrapping Companies” and “How My Hobby – Blindfold Games – Has Brightened the Lives of Thousands.” He holds a Certificate from the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program and earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. https://www.martyschultz.net/

On the show, Anthony discusses important factors to consider as both an entrepreneur building a business, and as an investor. Anthony talks about surrounding yourself with the right people to build your business on secure footing to produce a successful exit, and what questions to ask when considering investing in a startup to maximize your investment. AG Asset Advisory is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Los Angeles. Anthony works with a select group of successful tech and business entrepreneurs who are approaching a liquidity event to help them make smart decisions with their money. Anthony is a contributor on MariaShriver.com, a member of the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle, and a member of the Silicon Beach Surfers. Anthony’s 18 years of diverse roles in financial services has taught him that many entrepreneurs are faced with a dilemma. As business owners, they were responsible for looking out for employees and family, but oftentimes no one was looking after them. Anthony founded his advisory firm to fill that void and now serves a select number of clients who’ve entrusted their personal, retirement, and legacy assets for management. Together with his strategic partners and staff, he helps affluent clients address their five biggest concerns: preserving their wealth, mitigating taxes, taking care of their heirs, ensuring that their assets aren’t unjustly taken, and charitable giving. He uses a consultative process to gain a detailed understanding of his clients’ deepest values and goals. He then employs customized recommendations designed to address each client’s unique needs and goals beyond simply consulting on investments. In the AG model, a client becomes the CEO of the client’s financial life, and AG becomes the client’s personal CFO. Originally from the Midwest, Anthony began his career at KPMG, a Big Four accounting firm in Chicago, where he audited private and publicly traded companies. He then moved to the front line of the investment world while working on the trading floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and in London in the early days of electronic trading. He relocated to San Francisco in time to experience the height of the dot-com boom firsthand. Anthony is a widely recognized leader in the financial advisor community. He is an author and public speaker and has made media appearances. He’s also an avid surfer, a member of the Porsche Club of America, and is involved with several charities. He splits his time between Los Angeles and New York. For more about AG Asset Advisory visit http://www.agassetadvisory.com/
For more about Anthony visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyglomski/
To get Anthony’s book visit https://www.liquidityandyou.com/