AmiSights: Financing the Future For Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Deb Gabor, Founder and CEO of Sol Marketing, on branding in this current world - best cases and worst cases of company responses to the pandemic. 

“Leading Expert" doesn't come close to describing Deb Gabor's passion for brands. More accurate? Brand Guru. Brand Impresario. Brand Evangelist. She's written the book on branding (twice!) with bestsellers Branding is Sex and Irrational Loyalty. She's the founder and CEO of Sol Marketing, a strategy-led marketing firm obsessed with solving major business and branding problems for clients in every industry. Companies throughout the world use Deb’s Brand Values Pyramid, Ideal Customer Archetype, and “Brand Swagger Questions” to align their teams and articulate their brands to audiences.

Deb and her team at Sol Marketing have introduced her revolutionary brand strategy for organizations ranging from international household names like Allrecipes, The Associated Press, Dell, Microsoft, NBC Universal, NPR, NTT Data, and Siemens, to exciting emerging brands like hint water and Indagare. Deb also lends her brand authority with frequent contributions and commentary to major news outlets such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, FORTUNE, Inc., MediaPost, New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Business and marketing organizations regularly call on Deb as a keynote speaker and workshop leader, relying on her as an inspiration for executives to embrace the power of branding to create Marketing That Sells.

Recorded 08/30/2021. 

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Colleen McKenna, Founder and CEO of Intero Advisory, on how LinkedIn marketing and hiring have changed and how business owners should be taking advantage of it.

Colleen launched Intero Advisory for individuals and companies focused on increasing their sales and talent initiatives. Since 2011 Intero Advisory, a LinkedIn consulting, coaching and training firm has been engaged by more than 600 companies who have increased their presence, revenue, and hiring opportunities applying Colleen’s insight, strategy, and techniques and to tens of thousands of business professionals.

Her membership site, blog, and podcast reach a global audience and more than 600 companies have benefited from her expertise.

The Intero team, over an 18 month period sourced more than 80,000 LinkedIn profiles for clients across the country for lead generation and recruiting. On behalf of one client, Intero secured more than 2.3 million in new revenue.

With a personal approach to business, Colleen and Intero shake up the status quo by maximizing an individual’s network, personal brand, and expertise.

Colleen has worked with and for startups to market leaders like Xerox, Consolidated Graphics, and Carefirst. She earned her M.A. in publication design from the University of Baltimore and a B.S. in mass communication from Towson University.

Recorded 08/27/2021.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Mikki Williams, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, TED Speaker, Storyteller, Executive Speech Coach, and Vistage Master Chair, about how presenting online is different from presenting in person and how she teaches these skills.

Mikki Williams is a CSP, certified speaking professional, a member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame, and a TEDx speaker. A global celebrity speaker and transformational storyteller, she was chosen as one of the best speakers in the country by Meetings and Convention Magazine along with Tony Robbins, Bill Gates, and Lou Holtz. 

Mikki is an award-winning Vistage speaker, the world’s leading executive organization, and a Master Chair of two of their peer advisory boards. If that’s not enough, this busy entrepreneur runs Speaker Schools, The Mikki Mouth Club, Keynote Kamp, Outrageous Orators, and she was recognized in Forbes as a top executive speech coach. She has spoken in every US state, every Canadian province, and every continent except Antarctica…where she can’t wear her stiletto’s.

Recorded 08/25/2021. 

On this episode, Ami Kassar interviews Claudia Williams, Chief Frientorship® Officer, Executive Coach & Leadership Mentor, Speaker & Workplace Trainer, and Author about her philosophy of Frientorship, how it works, and how it evolved during the pandemic.

Claudia improves the lives of leaders and their teams so they can thrive together to deliver superior business results and lead fulfilling lives. In her role as a Vistage Chair, she increases the effectiveness and enhances the lives of CEOs, key executives, and those they influence and impact, including their teams, customers, and clients. Claudia brings together a select, non-competitive group of CEOs and executives to harness the power of unbiased peers and purposeful education for professional and personal growth. As a result, they make better decisions, grow 2.2 times faster than their peers, and live rewarding lives.

In her work as a consultant, Claudia works to inspire leaders and motivate employees to love what they do and love the places where they work. Through Frientorship®, a combination of key principles of friendship, mentorship, and leadership, we can create a self-sustaining method to develop ourselves and our teams so that we are leaving in place an individual or a team who is ready to stand up and lead when we are done leading. Relationships matter and this methodology puts people at the forefront of a winning business and employee engagement strategy – one that delivers financial results along with business continuity.

Immediately prior to starting The Human Zone, Claudia served as Associate General Counsel, Global HR & Litigation, for The Hershey Company. She founded The Human Zone after spending more than a decade as an attorney coaching leaders of organizations of all sizes through challenging situations. Claudia believes in giving back to the community and building professional and personal legacies to last for generations to come.

Recorded 08/26/2021. 

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Steve Dobbins, Founder and CEO of The Dobbins Group, on how marketing has changed and evolved throughout the pandemic.

Steve is a seasoned marketing and communications pro, with a passion for compelling content, brand building, audience engagement, purpose-driven business, and growing dream teams. For more than 20 years, Steve has worked side-by-side with CEOs, helping them grow their brands and blow through their goals. His areas of expertise include content strategy, digital media, social media, event marketing, visual branding, experience design, media relations, product development, and global marketing.

Clients have included IBM, SWIMS, Casco Contractors and Design Studio, AchieveNEXT, YPO, Alliance Resource Group, the CREATiON Companies, Prime Power, the Tarsadia Foundation, and many more.

Steve is a passionate leader, lifetime learner, and eternal optimist who believes in the power of business to transform lives and create a better world for us all.

His leadership journey has taken him around the world, wearing many hats, from small business owner and entrepreneur to chief marketing officer and SVP of strategic new initiatives. In April 2016, Steve co-founded a new socially-driven fitness brand, evolve, where every purchase includes a giveback to a nonprofit fighting for social justice. In August 2016, he launched The Dobbins Group, a consultancy focused on providing strategic marketing and communications support to diverse clients around the world.

Always up for a new challenge, Steve competed in his first Half IRONMAN in December 2018 and ran his first full marathon in San Francisco in July 2019.

Recorded 08/06/2021.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Anita Campbell, Founder and CEO of SmallBizTrends.com, on challenges small businesses have had in her community during the pandemic and how they're coming out of it.

Anita is the Founder and CEO of Small Business Trends LLC. She bootstrapped the company from a nascent idea. Previously she was a General Counsel and CEO of a technology subsidiary of Bell & Howell. She founded this site in 2003 and was named one of the 30 Small Business IT Influencers to Follow in 2020 by BizTech Magazine.

Small Business Trends is an award-winning hub of more than two million entrepreneurs, business owners, influencers, and experts. The site features over 20,000 pages of content, reviews tech products, cover small business news, and interview movers and shakers. They spotlight other small businesses and startups. The core focus is practical content with targeted tips, trends and answers to your toughest questions.

Recorded 07/08/2021.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Megan Bruneau, M.A., therapist, executive coach, writer, speaker, and podcast host about emotional issues and mental health among entrepreneurs coming out of the pandemic. 

Megan has a master of arts in counseling psychology and a bachelor of arts in psychology and social work. With 12+ years experience providing crisis support, therapy, and coaching, she’s a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC #6420) in the province of British Columbia and sees clients globally as a coach. By sharing her personal experiences alongside her professional expertise, Megan seeks to change the way people relate to their inner and outer worlds. 

Quoted by Deepak Chopra as the “Millennials’ therapist,” Megan’s no-BS, relatable voice has garnered over 30MM views and landed appearances on The T.D. Jakes Show, Good Morning America and New York 1 Morning News. Transparent about her own mental health, eating disorder history, frequent heartaches and uncertain entrepreneurial life in New York City, Megan’s vulnerable and humorous writing-style has inspired dozens of viral articles – making her a Huffington Post – homepage regular, MindBodyGreen, and Forbes favorite.

After years of struggling with depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, she came to realize she was the one getting in her own way. She healed her relationship with herself and now teaches entrepreneurs and high achievers how to do the same – so they can do the sh*t that scares them and create the life they deserve. Find her book, How To Be Alone (And Together): 72 Lessons on Being at Peace With Yourself on Amazon, and follow her on Instagram @meganjbruneau.

Recorded 07/13/2021.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar sits down with Megha Kulshreshtha to learn all about her nonprofit, Food Connect!

Megha is the Founder and Executive Director of Food Connect, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between surplus food and hunger through collaboration and technology. Food Connect has helped distribute over 3 million on-demand meals through their last mile transport and logistics support in the hunger relief space. Megha has over 10 years of experience in data, technology, and process solutions. She started her career in Finance as a Data Analyst and then as a Portfolio Analyst for US Equities at Aberdeen Asset Management. For the last 7 years, Megha has dedicated her technical background towards streamlining inefficiencies in the hunger relief space. The Food Connect app has helped over 800+ food vendors across the country donate their surplus food in real time. Over 750+ shelters have received free food donations through the app. Currently, Food Connect helps deliver on average 30,000+ meals a week.

Megha continues to lead Food Connect's product testing and development to help track and understand real time shelter needs. Food Connect's work has been recognized nationally in the hunger relief space for its innovation in collaboration, integrations, and food equity initiatives.

Recorded 07/13/2021.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews David Anderson, CEO of Off Madison Ave, Founder of LighthousePE, Global Board Chair of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO), Author, Speaker, and Executive Coach, on what he learned leading EO through the pandemic and his positive outlook on this rare opportunity. 

David is an experienced entrepreneur whose leadership path has taken him from president of his college fraternity to the White House. Along the way, David has seen leadership at the highest levels and the lowest. He has experienced success, but also failure. Having learned from many successes and the hard knocks of business and life, his focus is now on building businesses and sharing his expertise to allow others to learn, grow and prosper.

For over 20 years, David lived the entrepreneurial dream by starting and operating his own businesses. What started as two people working out of a garage with VC funding (that is Visa Card funding!) has resulted in a winding, and sometimes bumpy road that includes the 20+ year-old marketing agency Off Madison Ave with multiple mergers and acquisitions, a publishing company startup (which was a big failure), several real estate ventures and most recently, starting and building a SaaS-based software company, LighthousePE.

David also serves in leadership for the member-driven global Entrepreneurs Organization, EO, and has published his first book, Leader is Not a Title. Additionally, David coaches and mentors entrepreneurs all while putting two sons through college and being somewhat of a good husband to my wife of 25 years.

Recorded 06/21/21.

On today's episode, Ami Kassar interviews Beth Hoff Blackmer, Owner and President of Aspen Rent-All, Inc. on lessons learned as president of the ARA through the pandemic.

Her father decided to sell the business in 1999 after his manager became ill. With urging from some family friends, Beth decided to step into the business in August of 1999 with absolutely no background in the rental industry. Taking a big step into the great unknown, she purchased the business from her father in January of 2000. Thankfully in the fall of 1999, she attended a regional ARA event as well as the Alert software user conference and met many wonderful people who helped her tremendously over those first few years. 

Since 2007, she has been very involved with different aspects of the ARA where she has gained insights, found valued colleagues, and discovered a treasured circle of friends. When she started, she had little or no experience with any of the equipment; now she is proud to say that she can operate all the equipment in the fleet. She has tripled the revenue of the business since purchasing it.

Beth is married to Kent Blackmer and resides in a rural and mountainous setting. They have two Labrador retriever dogs and two horses. She enjoys skiing, riding horses, cycling, diving, and traveling with Kent.

Recorded 06/11/2021.