Authentically Successful

We are back! For the official return of Authentically Successful, Carol sits down with the CEO of ProcureAbility, Conrad Snover. His company leads the industry in supply-chain solutions.  

"I see so often in business... (businesses) don’t create a strategic plan, they don’t have operating principles, and they don’t use it as a road map and manage to it. That’s where people get in trouble,” Conrad says.  

Conrad shares a valuable framework that he and his team use to make hiring decisions based on revenue growth projections. He discusses how to avoid unnecessary hires and financial strain. 

They also delve into what “just-in-time" manufacturing is, and how Covid flipped the process upside-down. From building resilient supply chains to focusing on employee engagement, Conrad provides insight to help companies thrive in today's ever-changing landscape.  

But it's not just about business– we dive into the personal too. Find out how Conrad's passion for being a sponsored athlete helps him release energy and clear his mind, leading to better decision-making. So, grab your favorite beverage and join us as we enter the world of talent strategies and supply chain innovation.  

BIO 

Conrad Snover is a supply chain expert who heads the leading procurement company, ProcureAbility. He recognizes that in the past, conversations about supply chain were often met with disinterest, but the pandemic has changed that perception. His expertise and experience in navigating these complexities make him a valuable asset in today's supply chain industry.  

Learn more about Conrad Snover and ProcureAbility.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, host Carol Schultz interviews Sudhir Bhojwani, co-founder and CEO of a procurement technology company named ORO Labs. 

Sudhir opens up about his journey as a software engineer and his first startup which opened the door to three more. He reflects on projects that failed and also shares successes, such as his company Vayulogic. 

The conversation shifts to the difference between working at a large “finance” focused company to being at a smaller “mission” focused company. They also discuss what Sudhir says is an emerging category of "reverse platform" or "procurement orchestration layer" in the space, which aims to improve user experience and provide companies with agility and control. He explains that there are several competitors in this space, each with slightly different approaches. 

Diversity is another crucial aspect discussed in this episode. Sudhir stresses the significance of investing in diversity and actively seeking out diverse ideas. He states that diversity extends beyond gender, incorporating religion and other aspects. The company is actively seeking to add executive members and individuals with diverse ideas to its team, with a goal of showcasing increased diversity within the company within six months.

BIO

Sudhir Bhojwani is a procurement tech expert with extensive experience in the industry. For many years, he worked at SAP, which acquired his former employerAriba, gaining valuable insights into the challenges people face in procurement. Sudhir recognized that despite the advantages of procurement technology, many still struggle with knowing what to do and when to do it. This inspired him to find a solution. Sudhir believes that procurement should not be complicated, especially since we all make purchases in our daily lives. However, the moment we enter the workplace, it becomes a complex process. This realization motivated Sudhir to embark on a mission to solve this problem. His vision is to empower both individual users and companies to make better decisions in procurement. Sudhir firmly believes that these two objectives can be achieved simultaneously. He aims to challenge the status quo and offer a unique approach that sets his solution apart from others in the market.

Learn more about Sudhir Bhojwani and ORO Labs.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, Carol Schultz is joined by Tobias Dahlberg, the founder and CEO of The Simple Company. As the title displays, his business works with organizations of many sizes to simplify, refocus, and hone their operations. He calls these companies “maxed-out operators” and aims to transform them into “wealthy business owners.”

With over 15 years of experience in strategy, consulting, innovation, and branding, Tobias now focuses on mentoring business owners, who he finds pleasure in helping. We learn about his journey to this point. 

During the episode, Tobias emphasizes the importance of building a business that can work even when the entrepreneur is not fully involved. He clarifies that this does not mean completely stepping away from the business, but rather separating oneself from the day-to-day operations. 

Throughout the episode, Tobias discusses the importance of simplifying and developing transparent systems in three core areas: attracting leads, sales conversion, and delivering consistent value at a profit. He also shares his experiences in shifting his business model and finding success by standardizing and productizing his offerings. 

Tune in to hear about the idea of consulting for equity or an upside instead of a flat fee and his "money equation" to analyze the cause and effect of a client’s business. 

BIO

Tobias Dahlberg is a former strategy consultant with brand and business strategy expertise. After years of working with large companies, he realized the importance of simplicity in achieving success. This realization led him to transition towards helping entrepreneurs who run businesses ranging from $1-10 million in revenue. Tobias focuses on assisting these owners, who often find themselves overwhelmed, in building businesses that can thrive without their constant involvement.

Learn more about Tobias Dahlberg and The Simple Company.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, host Carol Schultz interviews Paul Baron, the founder of The Wall Printer. Paul's printer technology transforms images into wall art.

In this episode, you’ll learn about Paul’s winding journey through business, including his experience in retail and manufacturing, and what later lead him to retire. He also delves into the process of starting The Wall Printer post-retirement. 

The company is aimed at muralists, interior designers, painters, etc., and takes on a leading role in the current commercial printing industry. His years of entrepreneurship have given him the know-how to enter this space. 

Paul champions partnerships and believes in the strength of collaboration and making expectations clear. He currently has a 10% partner who brings expertise in printing. The partner has been instrumental in the company’s success, he says.

Tune in to gain insight into taking charge of your business, including marketing and branding, and how to find great partners. 

BIO

Paul Baron is an expert in the field of commercial printing, with a specific focus on wall printing. As the founder and CEO of a leading company in the industry, he has revolutionized how digital images of art can be reproduced. Paul's passion for this technology stems from his instinct for business. Through his visionary leadership, Paul laid the foundation for a new era of creativity and expression in interior design, as individuals can now seamlessly integrate personalized images onto their walls.

Learn more about Paul Baron and The Wall Printer.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, we dive into the world of healthcare and the importance of vaccinations with our guest, Dr. Jonathan Baktari. Jonathan leads three organizations: e7 Health, a platform aimed at streamlining adult vaccinations, eNational Testing, offering nationwide access to laboratory tests, and lastly, U.S. Drug Test Centers, a network of testing centers in America. 

Carol and Jonathan discuss consolidation within the healthcare industry and how the shift affects patients. This leads to a conversation about the significance of vaccinations for adults. Carol inquires specifically about his opinion on the covid vaccine.

Jonathan shares his unique career journey, emphasizing the importance of being open to new opportunities and not always relying on a sudden epiphany when making career changes. He dives into how he stays on top of all three organizations currently.

Tune in to this episode to gain valuable insights into communication and culture within these three companies. Jonathan boasts his continuous learning program and emphasizes the importance of individual success and developing others for similar achievements.

BIO

Dr. Jonathan Baktari is a visionary entrepreneur and medical professional who recognized the barriers to accessing preventative health and wellness services in the United States. Motivated by the staggering number of vaccine-preventable deaths, which stands at 50,000 annually according to CDC statistics, Jonathan sought to create a solution. He founded a company specializing in adult vaccinations alongside his colleagues, envisioning it as a comprehensive vaccine center. While other establishments may dabble in similar services, Jonathan's visionary companies stand alone in revolutionizing adult vaccinations, testing, and more.

Learn more about Jonathan Baktari and e7Health.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

“I think there's a lot of disruption coming, and that disruption has started with the advent of Chat GPT and all these generative AI tools. And I think if you ask me if there's anything that's going to keep me up at night is, how do we pivot as a company to understand and appreciate these tools that are coming. And what does that mean to our workforce?...”- Rajeev Kapur

On this episode of Authentically Successful, host Carol Schultz sits down with Rajeev, CEO of 1105 Media, a portfolio of four companies that provide B2B marketing events and media services. Rajeev shares his experience of joining the company after a big shift and the challenge of changing the culture within a business primarily built through acquisition. He also details what each business under his umbrella does.

Rajeev’s experience ranges from being in phone sales to working for Michael Dell and eventually becoming the CEO of 1105. You’ll hear about his winding career journey and how he got to where he is now. 

The episode concludes with Rajeev's thoughts on the disruption coming with the advent of Chat GPT and generative AI tools, and how his company is preparing for the future. And also a discussion of the importance of “enlightened leadership” as the workforce shifts towards Gen Z and millennials. 

Tune in to this episode to hear advice on managing a large group of businesses and brands all at once. 

BIO

Rajeev Kapur joined a private equity firm in 2014 and found that each company was operating as its own silo without sharing best practices. He had to come in and change the culture of the business to focus on growth, shifting from primarily acquisition-based to retooling the entire business. Kapur is now in the process of achieving exponential growth at 1105 Media.

Learn more about Rajeev Kapur and 1105 Media.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, host Carol Schultz sits down with guest Ted Rubin, a highly successful CEO in the automotive tech industry. They discuss topics such as the importance of evolving conversations, messaging solutions, and how to succeed in the automotive industry. 

Ted’s company, ActivEngage, aims to help automotive companies sell and service more cars through an improved customer journey. It ultimately serves manufacturers, dealers, and aggregator sites, so it's crucial for employees to help both parties and not focus solely on the end customer. 

You’ll hear how ActivEngage became profitable in its first year. This technology is significant in facilitating effective and secure enterprise solutions for its customers, including at large organizations like General Motors, AutoNation, and Auto Trader, Ted says. 

His career progression through the automotive industry brought him a diversity of skills from working in operations, sales, technology, analytics, and M&A. 

Tune in to learn about the challenges and benefits of working in the tech and automotive industries, as well as how to prioritize employee engagement and create meaningful connections with both clients and customers. 

BIO

Ted Rubin saw a need for improving customer communication in the dealership industry, which was hindered by time and consistency issues. He recognized that dealerships are massive entities, making it hard for customers to reach out to them. To solve this, he wanted to improve the interaction between customers and dealerships to make it more effective. Throughout his career, Ted has been a pioneer in redefining many aspects of the marketing industry.

Learn more about Ted Rubin and ActivEngage.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

On this episode of Authentically Successful, host Carol Schultz invites the co-founder and CEO of Carbon Title, Trevor Dryer, to share his journey in Fintech and later co-founding his organization in the climate tech space. 

Carbon Title offers transparency into the carbon emissions of all buildings, empowering stakeholders to understand, manage, and take action to reduce emissions across their portfolios. Trevor tells us the origin story of the company and how the platform can benefit not only the Earth but also individual buyers and large investors. 

The platform is similar to Zillow or Walk Score, allowing users to see the carbon output of properties and whether the owners are making efforts to reduce emissions. The two delve into which common building materials are least and most harmful to the environment.

Trevor reveals his experience using 1099 contractors for his agency and how he wishes he had focused on the commercial side of his product earlier. They discuss the challenges of educating the market about the impact of CO2 emissions in buildings, sustainable building design, and managing a distributed remote team. 

Listen for helpful tips on giving feedback, finding talent, the climate change space, and how you can help the environment as a homeowner. 

BIO 

Trevor Dryer's goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by addressing the problems with building construction and design. He discovered that 38% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, including the materials used in construction and the electricity and natural gas required to operate them. As a solution, Trevor founded a company that aims to make carbon intensity transparent so that building owners and renters can make informed decisions about where to live and work. Additionally, he focuses on addressing the scarcity of low-carbon building materials, which need to be more widely used. Trevor hopes that by tackling these issues, he can significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

Learn more about Trevor Dryer and Carbon Title.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

"I feel like men think— and a lot of people think— oh, nonprofits are just nice and they're all volunteer ran and it's this nice, fluffy thing over here. But we are really meeting a need." - Tracy Smith

On this episode of Authentically Successful, we hear from Tracy Smith, the CEO of Make-A-Wish Alabama, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. 

Carol and Tracy discuss the origin story of Make-A-Wish and how the organization has evolved over time. Tracy points out how greatly one wish can affect the child’s future medically, leading to fewer ER visits and hospital stays according to data.  

You’ll hear what a typical day looks like for a “wish granter”, a key role in the nonprofit. They also discuss the success of her internship program, which is paving the way for paid internships in Alabama to break down socioeconomic and diversity barriers. 

On the leadership front, Tracy tells us about her long career in the nonprofit industry and her experiences with bad bosses in previous jobs, which taught her how not to behave when she became a leader. She also delves into the challenges of nonprofit work, including burnout and work-life balance.

BIO

Tracy Smith is a passionate advocate for the power of wishes in the lives of children and their families. With a background in healthcare and access to research showing the positive effects of wishes on children's treatment outcomes, Tracy is dedicated to ensuring that every eligible child has the opportunity to make a wish. Tracy is a seasoned leader with more than 20 years of nonprofit experience. She's led grassroots nonprofits, local nonprofits, and national affiliations.

Learn more about Tracy Smith and Make-A-Wish Alabama.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

“By bringing customers to the back along with their pets, they were able to see everything that was going on. And so we did that for transparency reasons. What we discovered then is when the pet owners we call customers were able to see the caregivers, what they were doing, they were really appreciative. It added value in their eyes to the work that we were doing." — David Bessler 

It’s a 2-for-1 episode! This week Carol speaks to two leaders at Veterinary Emergency Group–aka VEG– David Glattstein and David Bessler. VEG is revolutionizing the veterinary emergency industry through a "Vegolution", a holistic experience for pet owners in emergencies. Their organization currently has 41 ERs for pets across 14 states and treats over 300,000 emergencies annually.

Both founders recount how luck and timing played a role in their successful partnership, and how they prioritize differentiation at every point for all their teams and employees. You'll also learn about VEG's unique "nerd program" to produce highly-skilled emergency doctors and nurses. 

The episode also discusses the misconception of dreading or avoiding the veterinary ER and how the company is changing that perception. They explore the historical precedent for separating patients from their loved ones in hospitals and how their “open” concept changes that.

Looking at the current state of emergency medicine, the founders delve into a post-Covid issue: the quickly growing pet population and the shortage of veterinarians. 

BIOS

David Bessler, founder, and CEO of VEG, is a veterinary professional who is passionate about transforming the outdated veterinary clinic model in the United States. He believes that the cramped and cluttered spaces of most clinics create an unwelcoming environment for pets and their owners. David is determined to inspire change by educating future veterinarians about the importance of clean and modern clinics. He recognizes that legacy practices are difficult to change, however, he is committed to making veterinary care better for both animals and their owners.

David Glattstein, co-founder and President of VEG, is a visionary who worked with Bessler to revolutionize emergency veterinary services. David's expertise helped scale VEG to a nationwide level. He is passionate about the added dimension brought by customers interacting with each other, what David calls the 'holistic thing.' David believes that everyone will benefit from open and holistic participation in the process.

Learn more about David Bessler and David Glattstein and VEG.

You can find more information on all our episodes at Vertical Elevation, and you can find Carol on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.