Adam Braun may be best known for his New York Times Bestselling Book, "The Promise of a Pencil," and the incredible organization he and his team created, Pencils of Promise, where hundreds of schools were built around the world.
What you may not know is that Adam has set out on another mission with the similar theme of democratizing education. With his wife as an inspiration, Adam and his Co-founder have assembled an incredible team that hopes to reduce the burden of college debt and empower a new generation of men and women with an education built for the 21st Century.
In this interview, Adam and I talk about his continuing journey from Founder to CEO:
Paul Tasner, Co-Founder & CEO - PulpWorks
What can a 66-year-old first-time Founder teach you about scaling a company? A lot, it turns out. Paul Tasner will make you think more deeply about the impact you have a Founder & CEO and the legacy you'll have many years after starting your company.
Josh Haynam, Founder & CEO, Interact Quiz Builder
Ever had trouble hiring sales professionals? Josh has. Ever had trouble firing a friend? Josh has. Ever had trouble learning how to grow your company when you are an introverted Founder & CEO? Josh has. Ever declared victory over stagnant growth? Josh has.
If after listening to Josh Haynam's stories you aren't inspired to lean into your own leadership genius and use that more authentically, then you may want to listen again. For example, Josh's candid story and heart ache around firing early employees, including his friend, is something we can all learn from. And, his thoughts on Founder self-awareness are just spot on.
Plus, you'll learn about his fast-growing technology that is creating a BIG number of Sales leads for a growing number of clients. Let me know what you think about this interview with Josh Haynam.
Nick Sarillo, Founder & CEO, Nick's Pub & Pizza
One of the things that I value about speaking to Founders from around the world is the ability to learn from the diversity of experiences that many Founders bring to the table. Nick is no exception. After reading Nick's book, "A Slice of the Pie," I was very motivated to invite Nick onto our show and gain the benefit of hearing his moving story.
As a Founder & CEO, if you are struggling with shaping the culture of your growing company, you may want to take a page out of Nick's book: turn your startup into a school that uplifts, teaches, and grows leaders. That's what Nick did and that helped him weather many storms including the one he shares about how he almost lost it all. Listen and learn.
It's the beginning of a time period that I know too well. It's a quiet thing that happens behind the scenes with a Founder & CEO and a small number of people. It's usually a secretive process. I am talking about the end of the year decisions about who may need to leave your team.
For those of you who don't have regular talent conversations, end of the year financial issues often serves as a catalyst for conversations about team members that may be let go before the end of the year. I'm not suggesting this is good, I am suggesting it is reality.
In this episode I share 10 questions you may want to ask yourself before you fire a team member.
It's Thanksgiving Week in the United States. It's one of my favorite times of the year. And because of that I thought it might be a good time to interrupt our usual interview format with "10 Ways Founders Can Express Personal Gratitude With Little Or No Money Or Times."
I thought of this because I've been keenly aware of the impact a little bit of gratitude can have on a Founder's team. And, I know how much it can transform your leadership. Great leadership starts with genuine gratitude.
I'd be curious what you think about my ideas...especially number 9 and 10.
Renee Wang, Founder & CEO, CastBox
Have you ever wanted to search INSIDE an audio product like a podcast or audiobook? Well, Renee (her real first name is Xiaoyu) and her team of 30 are tackling this huge opportunity. She personally brings an incredible resume to the founding of CastBox. A former Googler and admitted code geek, Renee's love for audio drove her to become a founder and start CastBox. I think her story about the loneliness of being a Founder & CEO may resonate with a lot of you. And, her tips to combat this all too common founder feeling will help you think more deeply about this.
Ryan Buckley, Founder & CEO - Toofr
This is Ryan's second guest appearance on the podcast. I was happy to have it back for an update since his interview in episode 182. Since we last spoke Ryan moved on from Scripted and is experimenting with the idea of a Founder & CEO becoming a "parallel entrepreneur." It's idea that he has thought about quite a bit and for which he is having a certain about success.
In this interview he will explain:
Kent Gustavson, Founder & CEO - Blooming Twig
Kent has the distinction of a first on the podcast. So far he is the only guest Founder who has played the banjo on the show. And, wow, is he good. His talent is relevant to the show's topic. Kent discusses the challenges of scaling an award-winning publishing company that is focused on quality, not necessarily templates that other firms use. In the process he has learned a lot about:
This Emmy Award winning leader's wisdom abounds in this fun and candid interview. At 19, Beck Bamberger graduated from UCLA in two years rather than the usual four. The University of Pittsburgh took on a dare or otherwise thought a teenager would do well with graduate students typically twice her age, and she graduated with an MBA as the school’s youngest graduate to date. At 21, she knew her “formal” education was done, which meant the real stuff was about to go down.
Real stuff, indeed. In 2006, she ran her first marathon and went to San Diego to start working on a TV show and first company, BAM Communications, while working at NBC 7/39. She was fired from NBC and had her show airing by the following week on the competing network, CW.
Beck shares her startup story and gets personal about the challenges of hiring a business development team and why getting clear about the long term vision of the company helped her with this.
She is a smart, savvy Founder with a lot to share.
Brian Schoenbaum, Founder & CEO - Vuka Collective
It's not a secret that Austin, Texas is prime real estate for the startup and scale-up world. But, you may not have heard of a Founder & CEO who has been a big part of nurturing that spirit of innovation with a healthy dose of personal professional development. Brian Schoenbaum is one of those unique founders who can keep his success in perspective while embracing a thoughtful reflection on his own personal development.
This former University of Georgia football player talks about what makes Vuka Collective special and how he manages to deal with the stress of scaling three mission driven companies.
Rebecca Sholiton, Co-Founder & CEO - Wise Apple
I'm a Dad. So, I was incredibly excited to learn about Wise Apple. After speaking with Co-Founder & CEO, Rebecca Sholiton, I was even more excited. Her passion and enthusiasm is contagious. And, as an Executive Coach, I was impressed by her emotional intelligence and what she has learned about herself after going through some tough times with her co-founders. She's real, authentic, and wants you to know it's not easy being a CEO, but it's worth it.
Gary Darna, Co-Founder & CEO - CompleteSet
Gary and I met about a year ago when he and his early team were really just getting started. Under his leadership, the team has accomplished a lot since that first meeting. With 40% month over month grow, over 60 countries, millions in investment, and a growing fan base, CompleteSet is on a roll. What are they up to? Helping you monetize your collectibles.
While Gary and his team are carving out a new marketplace, Gary is also learning a lot about being a leader. He details his personal growth steps about co-founders, mentor feedback, hiring, and becoming a strategic communicator in a revealing interview that I know you will take a lot from.
Don Mal, Co-Founder & CEO - Vena Solutions
So, what can you learn from a Rock Star turned Co-Founder & CEO of a fast-growing tech company with over 200 employees...turns out, a lot. Don, his co-founders, and his team took the ubiquitous Microsoft Excel software that almost all of us use and turned it into actionable information to help your company grow.
Like many of us, Don's path to success wasn't always easy. He shares an important story about what he learned about himself as a leader when he discovered the company struggling because of lack of focus. What did he learn and what can you learn from his example? Listen and found out.
Eric Taussig - Founder & CEO, Prialto
How does a Goldman Sachs leader transition to the Founder & CEO of a fast-growing, global virtual assistant company? It happens with lots of ups and downs and a commitment to service. Eric Taussig shares his touching story about tackling stress and integrating family life as he learns the skills to become the CEO of his very successful company. As an added bonus, he shares some hard earned tips about maximizing the relationship between Founder and assistant.
Matt Fischer, Co-Founder & CEO - Curiosity Advertising
This is a very heartfelt interview. Matt and I have known each other for awhile so I can tell you from personal experience that he is the real deal. If you want to understand what it takes to develop powerfully productive relationships with your co-founder (s) or key leaders on your team, then listen to this interview. I doubt you have heard a recent CEO be so vulnerable, real, and self-effacing like Matt is. I think Matt would agree, one of the biggest hurdles as a Founder & CEO, is managing our own psychology. Please let me know what you think of the interview.
Almost all of you tell me that hiring is one of, if not THE issue that vexes you. Adam Robinson knows this. It was a challenge for him too. So, he created Hireology to make it easier to build your team. Here's what he talks about in this candid interview:
Thank you! We are rapidly approaching our 200th episode...hard to believe. With so many Founder interviews, I get an opportunity to see some patterns that exist amongst all of you. I thought it was time to share with you some of these. I'll circle back at the end of the year and have a bigger and more thorough reflection, but for now, I am see this.
There are about 10 mindset shifts that really savvy Founders tell me they shift to as they scale their startup. I am not so sure you will guess #10. :) Please feel free to email me and let me know if I missed any that YOU needed to make on your journey From Founder To CEO.
Kristel Kruustük, Founder & CEO - Testlio
It was a lot of fun to speak with Kristel Kruustük. She started out her entrepreneurial journey as an app tester and then built Testlio with her insights derived from her experiences. I invited her to be a guest because she wrote an interesting blog post entitled, "3 of My Biggest Challenges Scaling a Startup."
You'll hear her talk about:
Christopher Wink - Co-Founder, Publisher, & CEO - Technically Media
Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever felt like you were not really worthy of the CEO title yet, even though you have the responsibilities? Christopher Wink explains why it took him 8 years to take the title of CEO of the company he co-founded. It's an incredibly honest interview full of insight. Plus, he shares one of his biggest leadership mistakes on the road to CEO and the effects it had on his growing team.
Carisa Miklusak, Co-founder & CEO - tilr
Over the past two and a half years, many of you have told me that hiring is one of, if not THE biggest challenge you face as you scale your companies. Because of that I have tried to invite guests who not only share their unique lessons learned on the journey from Founder to CEO, but also provide valuable insight into the new and innovative ways of hiring.
Carisa fits both of these requirements...big time. She and her team at Tilr have designed a truly game changing service that makes the challenging process of hiring, that much easier. In this interview you'll learn about what her team is doing in the space and Carisa gets personal sharing a recent discovery she learned about herself as a CEO and the impact it has had on her growing company.
Tom Sylvester, Co-Founder & Partner - The Lights on Lab
Tom Sylvester and his colleagues at The Lights on Lab have created a unique organization dedicated to Founding CEOs like you. In this interview he shares what he has learned about himself as a Founder & CEO. And, he shares four big barriers Founders encounter on the road to becoming CEO: Ego, Vulnerability, Admitting Mistakes, Having All The Answers.
Rebecca Okamoto, Founder & CEO, Evoke Strategy Group
Many of you tell me you struggle with taking the complexities, twists, and turns of your startup story and your own personal story lines and putting these two things together into a coherent story for all of us to better understand you and your brand.
So, when Rebecca agreed to come on the show and share her successful framework on how YOU can tell your founder's story to build brand loyalty and create trust, I was really excited.
She clearly breaks it down in an easy format so you can craft and refine your story ASAP.
Musa Sulejmani, Founder & CEO - Volume Technologies
22 years old and FULL of wisdom. Musa conquered end stage renal disease (ESRD), was fortunate to receive a kidney transplant, and survived to take his new found fearless mindset to tackle a big challenge in the restaurant industry.
Musa is one of those people who just inspires you to tackle any challenge you may have in your startup or growth-focused company. What I really thought was useful for many of you to hear is how he uses his own story of conquering fear to help his team members conquer their fears. Your team is the gateway to success. Musa's insights will help YOU get your team moving.
The Virtues of Vinciple Leadership:
The Curious Connection Between Integrity, Vulnerability, Trust, and Results
I was recently asked to speak to a large group of leaders in Cincinnati. The topic was intended to be about Integrity and Trust. The result was the contents of this episode.
You'll learn how these 4 topics combined can change the course of your business, by changing your mindset away from heroic/invincible leadership to effective/Vinciple leadership.
And, toward the end, I share the 7Rs. They are your action steps toward Vinciple Leadership and how they can help you grow your business.