In Process Podcast

John Sheppard's 30-year career has prepared him well for the calamities of 2020. So, when the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa wanted a seasoned executive to talk about managing through a crisis, Sheppard got the call.

In the 1990s, Sheppard was about a week into his new job as president of Coca-Cola’s European Division when the company was forced to recall over 15 million bottles of Coke after it was suspected of making over 100 school children sick. The largest product recall in history began to unfold, and he was at the center of it.

Every company experiences crises. And whether it’s a worldwide pandemic or a temporary manufacturing glitch, the fundamentals of crisis management are the same.

John weathered that early crisis and went on to have a successful career at Cola-Cola spanning nearly two decades. Today, he is the CEO and president of OttLite Technologies, a company that makes LED lights calibrated reduce eyestrain and improve wellness. They’re also preparing to launch a product that uses light to sanitize surfaces.
 
OttLight has faced multiple crises on several fronts starting in 2018 when it fell victim to a fraud scheme involving its China-based manufacturer. Then its biggest customer cut its inventory by 70%. Then it got hit by Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports. And then came coronavirus.
 
One might call this a perfect storm of crises. But John’s early experiences prepared him well. Join host Evelyn Ashley for "Managing Through Crisis: 2020"

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon lead a new podcast series on leading during COVID-19: planning and action. Their first guest was Jane Gentry, CEO of Fusion, an experiential and trade show staffing company.

During the course of the podcast, C-level executives and business owners will learn about:

• How to lead your organization during this unprecedented health pandemic – COVID-19
• How Fusion brainstormed pivoting ideas to reinvent their business during COVID-19 to survive
• Why staying connected to clients and furloughed employees is a good thing

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Did you enjoy this podcast episode? Please give a review, this will help our show be found by other people.

Do you have any questions about this episode or any other episode that you have listened to? Please email Trusted Counsel at [email protected]. We will respond to you promptly.

About Fusion

Fusion is an experiential and trade show staffing company located in Alpharetta, GA. For more information visit their website at https://www.experiencefusion.live/ or call them at 678-762-1113.

Learn more about leading during COVID-19 by streaming the conversation in its entirety in the player below or download it to your mobile device via iTunes. Don’t miss a single episode, subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. We are a corporate and intellectual property law firm dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Our focus is to guide and empower you with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. The right counsel makes all the difference. For more information, visit www.trusted-counsel.com or follow Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn or Twitter @TCInProcess.

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon speak with Alan McKeon, President and CEO of Alexander Babbage. Fifteen years ago McKeon bought a market research company focused on shopping centers. Shortly thereafter, he recognized an opportunity for growth and embarked on the company’s first strategic business transformation. In the following years, he has successfully led Alexander Babbage through two more business transformations and has consistently grown his cash flow funded company.

During the course of the podcast, C-level executives will learn about:

• What external factors led Alexander Babbage, a location-based analytics firm to go through three business transformations
• Tips to quickly get employees onboard with business transformation
• Key performance indicators that Alexander Babbage used to measure success for their business transformations
• How to lead a successful business transformation

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Did you enjoy this podcast episode? Please give a review, this will help our show be found by other people.

Do you have any questions about this episode or any other episode that you have listened to? Please email Trusted Counsel at [email protected] and mention podcast show. We will respond to you promptly.

About Alexander Babbage

Alexander Babbage is a location-based analytics firm specializing in physical destinations that uses advanced geo-fencing technology and mobile signals to understand their actual visitors. For example, shoppers at a shopping center or visitors to a museum. This approach supports asset leasing and marketing decisions by providing insights into where customers are coming from, their demographics, frequency, dwell time, retail preferences and behaviors. Studying over 100 million consumers the company measures market penetration for destination clients and their competitors all without installing any equipment or invading consumer privacy.

Learn more about leading a business transformation by streaming the conversation in its entirety in the player below or download it to your mobile device via iTunes. Don’t miss a single episode, subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. We are a corporate and intellectual property law firm dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Our focus is to guide and empower you with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. The right counsel makes all the difference. For more information, visit www.trusted-counsel.com or follow Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn or Twitter @TCInProcess.

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we interview Dan Drechel, Senior Vice President of BIP Capital, a venture capital firm based in Atlanta about his experience as the lead investor overseeing Saas, fintech, and devtools investments and in business transformations as an actual operator.

Dan was part of a successful transformation during the dotcom boom era. In 1998, he interviewed for the Chief Operating Officer position at Security First Network Bank, a relatively new bank founded in 1994. Security First Network Bank was actually the first internet bank worldwide. During the interview, he learned the bank was in the process of a transformation and the COO would take the lead.

Why did Security First Network Bank leadership make this decision after a mere four years in business? According to Dan, the bank was doing well at attracting deposits but lousy as a lender. With little revenues and stiff competition including large banking institutions such as Citibank and SunTrust, the bank concluded it had to transform from a financial institution to a technology company. In 1998, with the lead by wholly owned subsidiary Security First Technologies, Security First Network Bank was sold to the Royal Bank of Canada. In 1999 Security First Technologies was rebranded to S1.

Listen to Dan’s podcast interview to better understand what businesses need to think about to grow to the next level, the best way to deliver the “transformation” message to your team, important metrics to measure and more.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• Leading indicators that a business might have to undergo a business transformation
• Key areas business transformations often focus on
• Why a business transformation may not go well
• Preparing for a capital-enabled business transformation

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Did you enjoy this podcast episode? Please give a review, this will help our show be found by other people.

Do you have any questions about this episode or any other episode that you have listened to? Please email Trusted Counsel at [email protected] and mention podcast show. We will respond to you promptly.

About BIP Capital
BIP Capital is recognized as one of the most active and successful venture investors in the Southeast, serving entrepreneurs, investors and operators to grow the emerging company ecosystem. It applies experience and process to make investment decisions and operational recommendations, allowing its portfolio companies to achieve and stay on a glide path of growth. Areas of focus include Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare IT, Digital Media, Dev Tools, Infrastructure, FinTech and MarTech. For more information, visit www.bip-capital.com or follow BIP Capital on LinkedIn or Twitter @BIPCapital.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. We are a corporate and intellectual property law firm dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Our focus is to guide and empower you with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. The right counsel makes all the difference. For more information, visit www.trusted-counsel.com or follow Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn or Twitter @TCInProcess.

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business.

In our final installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley of Trusted Counsel and Partner, John Monahon, speak with Michael Levy, Partner-in-charge of Aprio’s Transaction Advisory Services practice and Yelena Epova, Partner-in-Charge of Aprio’s International Services Practice about financial and tax considerations. Aprio is Georgia’s largest full-service CPA-led advisory firm.

For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• The current state of the M&A market
• The CPA’s role in due diligence
• Importance of an audit and other financial reports
• Missed opportunities
• Pros and cons of earn-outs

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show! Subscribe to our show In Process Podcast on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Ask your questions or share your feedback at [email protected]. Connect with Trusted Counsel on Twitter @InProcess and connect with Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel (Ashley), LLC provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia this corporate and intellectual property law firm is dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Trusted Counsel’s attorneys make a difference. Their focus is to guide and empower clients with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. Trusted Counsel’s Managing Partner Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon co-host “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” a podcast where national guests are interviewed on emerging business trends, ideas and techniques. Visit trusted-counsel.com for more information.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please share with someone who might benefit from listening and kindly give us a review.

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business.

In this fifth installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley of Trusted Counsel and Partner, John Monahon, speak with Alvina Lo, Chief Wealth Strategist of Wilmington Trust. She oversees the wealth planning, strategic advice, and thought leadership services for Wilmington Trust’s fast-growing wealth advisory division. Wilmington Trust is a premier provider of wealth and institutional services for M&T Bank, one of the most financially sound and successful companies in the U.S. financial services industry.

Many entrepreneurs and business leaders tend to put off thinking about selling their business, and what will happen to their assets without them, until it’s too late. The results of not planning ahead of time are often felt by families as well as business partners. From freezing assets to maintaining life insurance policies on key partners, there are many ways to protect a business that needs to be part of the conversation. Listen to this very informative conversation about estate planning and your business.

For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• Wilmington Trust
• Estate planning strategies with respect to recent tax reform
• Business transition planning
• Modern trust law

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show! Subscribe to our show In Process Podcast on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Ask your questions or share your feedback at [email protected]. Connect with Trusted Counsel on Twitter @InProcess and connect with Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel (Ashley), LLC provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia this corporate and intellectual property law firm is dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Trusted Counsel’s attorneys make a difference. Their focus is to guide and empower clients with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. Trusted Counsel’s Managing Partner Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon co-host “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” a podcast where national guests are interviewed on emerging business trends, ideas and techniques. Visit trusted-counsel.com for more information.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please share with someone who might benefit from listening and kindly give us a review.

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business.

In this fourth installment of our six-part podcast series, Partner, John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speaks with firm colleagues Partner, Allen Bradley and Attorney Valerie Barton regarding the legal side of selling a business. Trusted Counsel has led numerous businesses through the exit process and this interview provides very practical advice on what business owners need to do now to prepare legally to get their legal house in order, before an exit.

For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• The importance of paying attention to contracts
• Tax issues to understand when preparing to sell a business
• The importance of having a team of advisors
• The letter of intent
• The difference between a stock versus an asset sale

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show! Subscribe to our show In Process Podcast on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Ask your questions or share your feedback at [email protected]. Connect with Trusted Counsel on Twitter @InProcess and connect with Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel (Ashley), LLC provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia this corporate and intellectual property law firm is dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Trusted Counsel’s attorneys make a difference. Their focus is to guide and empower clients with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. Trusted Counsel’s Managing Partner Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon co-host “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” a podcast where national guests are interviewed on emerging business trends, ideas and techniques. Visit trusted-counsel.com for more information.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please share this episode with someone who might benefit from listening and kindly give us a review.

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business.

In this third installment of our six-part podcast series, Partner, John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speaks with Massachusetts Executive, Peter Paglia. Paglia led two businesses through the exit process in the 2000s. He is the former President and CEO of Azimuth Systems that was acquired by Anritsu, a Japanese public company in 2016. He is also the former COO and Chief Revenue Officer of OnBoard Security, Inc., a top cyber security solutions provider for automotive and IoT organizations. He led the sale of OnBoard Security, Inc. to Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI) in 2019.

For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell? For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• Paglia’s early career and background
• How Paglia rose the ranks to become an executive
• Key factors that led him to decide to sell two business
• Preparing the businesses for sale
• Lessons learned

Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show In Process Podcast on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone.

Ask your questions or share your feedback at [email protected]. Connect with Trusted Counsel on Twitter @InProcess and connect with Trusted Counsel on LinkedIn.

About Trusted Counsel

Trusted Counsel (Ashley), LLC provides seasoned, practical and confidential legal services for businesses. Based in Atlanta, Georgia this corporate and intellectual property law firm is dedicated to serving the unique needs of companies, investors and legal departments. Trusted Counsel’s attorneys make a difference. Their focus is to guide and empower clients with exceptional legal counsel, knowledge and tools that lead to practical, informed business decisions. Trusted Counsel’s Managing Partner Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon co-host “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” a podcast where national guests are interviewed on emerging business trends, ideas and techniques. Visit trusted-counsel.com for more information.

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. According to a 2019 business trends study, 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy and many business owners are unprepared to sell.

In this second installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speak with Trey James, co-founder and (former) CEO of Atlanta-based Xcentric, a managed network services company, that sold to Right Networks in 2017. Trey is also a technology thought leader to the accounting profession who is recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the industry by Accounting Today. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the founding of Xcentric, the business model, and the industry externalities that eventually led him down the path to sell. Trey says, “what I learned in the end is that selling a business is just as energizing as growing a business because there’s a whole lot that happens after selling that can so much more interesting that what you’re doing in that business.”  

Today, the expanded Right Networks continues to offer Xcentric’s complete cloud solution and is accelerating the growth of their customer base while providing exceptional customer service. Overall, the acquisition was positively received by Xcentric employees and the customers.

For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm to prepare “Prepping the Princess for the Party: Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com.

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• The humble beginnings of Xcentric
• What eventually lead James to decide to sell the business
• Choosing the right investment banker
• Lessons learned from selling a business

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we begin our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. According to a 2019 business trends study, 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy and many business owners are unprepared to sell.

In the first installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Valerie Barton of Trusted Counsel speak with Vijay Rawat, the Managing Director GrowthPoint Technology Partners for his insight. GrowthPoint Technology Partners is a Silicon Valley based technology investment bank that provides financial and M&A advisory services to technology companies.

Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm to prepare “Prepping the Princess for the Party: Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information visit our virtual event at www.preppingtheprincess.com

During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, business owners and C-level executives will learn about:

• How companies can ensure deal success
• Factors that could impact M&A activity in the year ahead
• The difference between a financial buyer and a strategic buyer
• Factors that make a business sellable
• Three categories of buyers along with challenges and opportunities for each