“Be the difference for one,” is the driving motto behind Todd’s organization Back2Back Ministries. He is leading an international team of amazing people who dedicate their lives to support orphans around the world. As inspiring as that mission is, Todd is just like you. He also has had some ups and downs as a Co-founder and CEO of a startup that grew into a international organization. And, his journey is filled with opportunities to learn as a leader. In this fun interview he shares:

• How he uses the “front porch” approach to learn to be a better CEO
• How he has overcome his group communication limitations
• How he uses a talent assessment tool to shape his organization’s culture and create better opportunities for effective communication across international cultures

Todd’s enthusiasm is infectious…he just makes you want to be a better person, better leader, and have more positive impact on the world. Let me know what you learned by contact me here.

Refreshing. That's what came to mind while I was interviewing Jessica for this episode. Jessica has experienced significant success with her fast-growth company, inDinero. She is just one of those down-to-earth CEOs who isn't afraid to honestly describe the struggles we all face as we begin to scale our startups. She talks about:

• Why she reads so many leadership books
• How she used the power of "peer groups" to help improve her leadership abilities
• Why she hired an executive coach
• What led to her replacing her original startup team
• What a challenging investor call reminded her about confidence
• Why she wishes she was more honest with herself about the things that did not really excite her about the business.
• ...and so much more

Jessica packs in a lot of valuable insights in this short episode. Please let me know what you think.

Since I was a kid I really enjoyed being organized. Maybe I was a bit unusual. I organized my closet once a quarter. My desk had everything in its place. Even the books on my shelves were categorized my topic.  So, when I interviewed Kip Tindell, Co-founder and now former CEO of The Container Store, he said something that really resonated with me. He said, "Life is better if you are organized." I couldn't agree more.

Kip's enthusiasm for life is infectious. And, his leadership principles are inspirational. You may be hard pressed to find many people who put the words "love" and "business" in the same sentence. But, Kip does just that in this interview and shares so much more about his personal journey from Co-founder of a small retail store to CEO of a business with 6,000 employees and more than 80 stores across the United States.

We recorded this interview in August of 2016 a few months after he stepped down as CEO, a role in served in for many years.  We talked about a very challenging time during the fast-growth stages of his company and what he did to overcome them. And, we also talked about his decision to step down as CEO.

If want to year what successful entrepreneurial leadership through hard work and humility sounds like, give a listen to this interview with Kip Tindell. My bet is you'll feel uplifted just like I felt while I interviewed him. Let me know what you think: todd@fromfoundertoceo.com.