Moira Ni Ghallachoir - Destiny-Driven Business Through Speaking

International Women's Day: A Personal Essay on My Journey to Femininity

Today, we're breaking the mold on our usual format, and taking a minute to reflect on what being a woman means, on International Women's Day. While this day is often a bit of a Hallmark holiday, I wanted to dig in to something a bit more real, vulnerable and personal.

Being a woman, and being with women, is a privilege and a joy. It can also be painful, frustrating and hard.

I wrote this essay a few years ago during a retreat, and it is a personal reflection on my own journey through womanhood and how that has evolved and manifested itself throughout my life.

I hope you find it poignant, entertaining, and heartfelt, and helps you reflect yourself on your own relationship to women, or to being a woman.

Happy International Women's Day!

Chris Troka - Elevating Business Through AI and Collaborative Innovation

Chris Troka is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Focused-Biz, an innovative marketing company that leverages AI to help businesses create better customer experiences, increase conversion rates, and reduce time spent on administrative tasks using automation.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Chris identified a gap between technology and marketing and developed an AI-based solution to fill it, the collaborative approach he uses to develop his business tool, and the opportunities and considerations for using AI in your business. 

Chris tells us about the incredible success of his first business as a wedding DJ and falling in love with marketing, the drive behind launching a marketing agency, using AI and automation for business enhancement, and his quest to improve customer experience and administrative efficiency.

Chris describes the gap he saw between marketing and technology, Focused-Biz’s Comprehensive 14-in-1 business tool, the collaborative approach he’s taken to developing and improving the tool, and how businesses can use the tool to enhance their processes. 

Chris gets candid about the challenges of becoming a business owner, why he says you need to “choose your hard” as an entrepreneur, how the shift in work culture and worker motivation impacts business strategy and the two channels that have been most successful in generating leads. 

Lastly, Chris shares why most businesses can benefit from using AI, the big opportunities he sees in AI, ethical considerations to be aware of in your marketing and communications, why he believes in collaboration over competition in business, and the work he’s doing to create industry-specific AI solutions.

Skip to Topic:
3:20 - Starting an AI-based marketing agency
4:59 - Taking action and avoiding analysis paralysis
6:01 - How Focused-Biz’s 14-in-one AI business tool works
7:06 - Two ways businesses can leverage Focused-Biz’s AI tool
8:40 - Using open-source development and improving upon what’s already out there
10:58 - Creating a solution to fill the gap between technology and marketing
13:08 - The challenges of becoming a business owner
15:26 - Why you need to understand worker motivation as a business owner
19:12 - Why most businesses can benefit from AI
21:35 - The emergence of new skill sets and uses for AI technology
23:49 - Ethical considerations in marketing and communication
26:02 - Opportunities in AI and marketing to enhance your business
28:55 - Two lead generation strategies that Focused-Biz uses to attract customers
30:37 - Using a collaborative approach to development and business
32:46 - The truth about competition in business
34:50 - Creating industry-specific AI technology solutions
37:11 - The value of niching by industry

Find Chris at:
Website: https://focused-biz.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/focusedbiz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focused-biz

Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/

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Ali Nichols - Partnering to Expand Property Ownership

Ali Nichols is the co-founder of Getaway, an innovative real estate financing platform that empowers real estate entrepreneurs with creative financing solutions to build portfolios without taking on restrictive capital. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Ali merged her passions into founding a business, the insights she gained along the way that led her to shift business models, why she prefers working with a business partner, and what her plans are for the future to scale Getaway.

Ali tells us how she combined two of her passions into entrepreneurship, the inspiration she gained from working at Uber, and the early stages of launching her business and raising capital.

Ali describes how she used research and testing to develop her value proposition, the importance of honing in on the core problem you solve, and how Getaway helps its customers build real estate portfolios. 

Ali shares the two channels that have yielded the most growth, how Getaway uses customer research and feedback to improve its product, pivoting from offering fractional investments to assisting customers in outright property ownership, and how she realized Getaway needed to shift business models.

Ali discusses the importance of building and nurturing partnerships for distribution, the difference between investment buyers and residential home buyers, and the challenges in the current real estate market.

Finally, Ali talks about the symbiotic relationship she shares with her co-founder, the benefits of being in business with a partner, the importance of defining roles and responsibilities in a partnership, the unglamorous reality of entrepreneurship that isn’t talked about enough, and Getaway’s future plans for expansion.

Don't miss Ali Nichols' reflections on her journey with Getaway and the hard-won wisdom she shares.

Skip to Topic:
3:31 - Going from business idea to startup
4:41 - Validating your business idea through research and testing
6:43 - Identifying the core problem you solve for customers
9:01 - How Getaway helps customers build real estate portfolios
10:37 - Shifting business models based on customer feedback
12:04 - The two channels that have contributed to Getaway’s growth
14:05 - Knowing when it’s time to shift your business model
16:29 - Identifying your ideal customer
17:16 - How to use partnerships to grow your business
22:20 - Understanding the risks of real estate investing
24:40 - Forging a successful co-founder working relationship
28:21 - The unglamorous truth about being an entrepreneur
 31:58 - Scaling the business to include foreign investors

Find Ali at:
Website: https://www.getaway.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicnichols/

Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/

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Wil Reynolds - Playing to Win in Business

Wil Reynolds is passionate about helping people and businesses grow. He’s the founder and CEO of Seer Interactive, one of the most reputable digital marketing agencies in the US, where he helps Fortune 500 companies develop SEO and digital marketing strategies.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Wil launched his business after discovering his philanthropic side, how he’s grown Seer into a multimillion-dollar business, and the insights he has gained along the way.

Wil discusses the client-centered approach that has helped him stand out and grow his business, why he looks at business like a sport, the point when he recognized he was becoming more of a liability than an asset as a CEO, and why he’s passionate about fostering growth and development for his team.

Wil shares the important characteristics he looks for in clients, how he differentiates his company in the market, his approach to managing the financial uncertainty of being an entrepreneur, and why you should calculate the cost of business growth.

Drawing from his own experiences, Wil offers his insights about growing at your own pace, comparing your journey to that of others, balancing your business and personal life, and making conscious decisions to prioritize your personal well-being.

Skip to Topic:
11:38 - Using a client-centered focus to grow your business (without relying on salespeople) 
14:16 - Recognizing when you’re becoming a liability to your business & what to do about it
16:43 - Creating a business that fosters growth and development for your team
18:44 - Hiring talent that is strong in areas you are not
21:55 - How to mitigate the uncertainty of entrepreneurship
26:18 - Using a data-driven, honest approach to stand out in the market
28:33 - Working with clients who are outcome and customer-focused
31:09 - Finding your market fit to differentiate yourself
33:26 - The fallacy of comparing your business to your competitors
37:17 - Why you should calculate the cost of business growth

Find Wil at:

Website: https://www.seerinteractive.com/
Wil’s Blog: https://wilreynolds.medium.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wilreynolds
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seerinteractive/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeerInteractive
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilreynolds/

Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/

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Jame Healy - Thriving Together in Business Partnership

It’s our 100th episode at the Real People, Real Business Show, and we’re celebrating this milestone with a very special guest. Join my conversation with my longtime business partner, colleague, and dear friend, Jame Healy. Jame is a leading economist and entrepreneur who has spent the last 28 years helping executive leaders from Fortune 1000 firms credibly articulate, align, assure, and accelerate the realization of value from modern capabilities and emerging technology such as cloud services, artificial intelligence, robotics process automation, quantum computing, and others.

In this 100th episode, you will hear how Jame went from economics to entrepreneurship, his unconventional approach to running a consulting business, creating a value-centered culture in his businesses, and how prioritizing relationships has helped him grow his business…with a little bit of humor sprinkled in.

Jame shares his transition into technology consulting doing integration work, his experience leading a company through the dot-com crash, and the work that brought us together and forged a lifelong business partnership and friendship.

Jame describes launching his own consulting firm, breaking away from the traditional consulting model, the importance of optimizing net value for the customer, and why every team member represents value to the customer.

Jame delves into cultivating a strong organizational culture, the crucial lesson he learned about the importance of cultural fit when integrating team members, his philosophy for attracting and retaining highly skilled talent, and the importance of generously acknowledging your team’s contributions.

Jame talks about the critical role of partnerships for business growth, finding fulfillment without rapid scaling, building a business based on work that’s interesting and meaningful to you, how you can leverage your expertise as an alternative to traditional scaling, and expanding your reach by building relationships.

Finally, Jame leaves us with his insight on what’s real in business, the illusion of quick fixes and solutions for business success, and why it’s key to build strong relationships and connections in business.

Skip to Topic:
4:25 - Living through the dot.com crash
6:44 - Acquiring an eCommerce company
11:09 - Partnering with Microsoft to become the world’s largest BizTalk practice
15:24 - The importance of cultural fit in an acquisition
25:43 - Launching a consulting business using a net value model
29:56 - Using value contribution and acknowledgment to build an expert team
33:21 - The hard lesson learned when you hire people not aligned with your culture
39:17 - Focusing on net value to the customer
44:13 - How to decide if you should scale your business
49:32 - Why building personal connections and relationships are critical for business success

Find Jame at:

Website: https://www.alescent.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamehealy/

Visit Stephanie at: https://stephaniehayes.biz/

Follow me on Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter