Club E Podcast: Recent Episodes
Rick Brimacomb
Club E is joined by Pete Steege once again to discuss marketing for a small business.
In this episode, Pete shows the listeners what marketing is on a small scale. What is your company's story? How do you convince investors and customers to choose your company? How do you put your personal touch on your business? Pete Steege and Rick Brimacomb have the answer to these questions.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:16 Pete's Experience
4:55 What is a True Story?
7:17 Why is a True Story important?
9:29 How does a Company Develop its True Story?
12:07 Building a Story Brand - https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329
13:30 How to take a True Story into Marketing?
15:43 What are the Implications of a True Story beyond Marketing?
18:03 Examples of using a True Stories.
24:11 A Lesson Pete has Learned through doing Business.
26:37 Key Takeaway
Pete Steege (“Steggy”)
B2B Clarity
Pete.steege@b2bclaritymarketing.com
B2bclaritymarketing.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesteege/
Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue.
Rick Brimacomb
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickbrimacomb/
clube.com
For Business Consulting: https://brimacomb.com/
Mr. Brimacomb began advising and investing in early-stage and emerging companies as a venture capitalist in 1991. Prior to that time, he covered and worked with early-stage companies as a research analyst and investment banker. For over two decades, Mr. Brimacomb has helped numerous companies develop into “investment grade” opportunities, attract funding and create shareholder value.
This event will provide you with practical knowledge of how to become a partner for companies looking to finance an ESOP transaction.
Learn how financing an initial ESOP can benefit the lenders by being in a good position to maintain an annuity of lending opportunities in the future. This will include a walk-through of governance (valuation, legal, trustees, etc.)
About Sue:
As the founding executive director of the Minnesota Center for Employee Ownership, a nonprofit 501c3 organization created in 2020 to serve as a free and unbiased hub for education and resources on all forms of employee ownership, Sue has successfully introduced the growing nonprofit organization to more than 500 business owners and their advisors throughout Minnesota.
Prior to joining MNCEO, Sue served as the executive director of the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of The ESOP Association for 30 years.
About Hillary:
Hillary Hughes joined Prairie Capital Advisors in 2011 and is a shareholder in the firm. She provides strategic insights to assist business owners and boards of directors to address long-term ownership transaction goals. Hillary has been highly involved in the structuring and valuation related to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) on behalf of ESOP Trustees as well as business owners. Hillary provides financial advisory services to clients ranging from small family-owned businesses to large multi-national conglomerates. She specializes in the valuation of businesses and business interests for purposes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), ESOPs, gift and estate planning and strategic planning. Hillary is also instrumental in developing Prairie’s trust-side ESOP practice.
About Jeff:
Jeff Cairns, a partner at Stinson LLP, advises employers and administrators on ERISA and employee benefit matters, including qualified and nonqualified pension and profit sharing plans, ESOPs, welfare and fringe benefit plans. Jeff, who is a certified public accountant, also provides tax and compensation planning advice for owners of closely held businesses and for executives of public and private companies. Jeff is a frequent lecturer for Minnesota Continuing Legal Education and other legal education programs and a regular contributor to the firm's Benefits Notes blog.
About Brock:
Brock is Managing Director and part of the National Commercial Banking team, and has been with CIBC for roughly 5 years. Brock has a portfolio of existing clients and is responsible for the day-to-day portfolio and relationship management of those clients, in addition to business development responsibilities for the MN, ND and SD markets including heading up the ESOP banking efforts for CIBC in those markets. Previously Brock was with US Bank for 13 years, and also was the VP of a 100% employee-owned regional industrial supply distribution company directly prior to his time at CIBC.
Contact Information:
scrockett@mnceo.org - Sue Crockett
hhughes@prairiecap.com - Hillary Hughes
Jeff.cairns@stinson.com - Jeff Cairns
Brock.peterson@cibc.com - Brock Peterson
Club E was joined by Patrick Klinger, Founder & CEO of Agile Marketing Partners to discuss The Business of Sports.
Spectator sports must adapt to stay relevant and engaging to individuals and businesses who have more entertainment options than ever before. We’ll discuss lack of interest in traditional sports by Generation Z, cord-cutting and sports betting among other topics.
Learning Objectives:
How the business of sports is adapting
How companies can effectively use sports marketing
About Patrick:
Patrick Klinger is an award-winning, nationally respected and accomplished marketing expert acclaimed for delivering ingenuity and results. His creative approach and relationship-building skills have garnered him a reputation as an innovator with integrity. Prior to establishing Agile Marketing Partners, Patrick spent 14 seasons as vice-president of marketing for the Minnesota Twins where he helped lead the ballclub to all-time attendance records and earned a reputation for developing trend-setting programs.
Patrick's Contact Information:
Email: patrick@agilemarketingco.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-klinger/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSrxHIK_3JIwxZ1KjP2Zw5w
Website: www.agilemarketingco.com
Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Impact Group.
We all have brutal truths in our business that we cannot control. Does Covid come to mind? Learn how Adm. James Stockdale dealt with adversity he could not control.
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Adm. James Stockdale
Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.
• Jeff Redmon
• Breakthrough Impact Group
• jredmon@minnbig.com
• https://minnbig.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig
• https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/
• https://twitter.com/MinnBig
The disruption of the 1920s transformed every aspect of American life – transportation, finance, communities, social structures, expectation of government, science, medicine, religion, and consumer culture. Today, 100 years later, we see the same forces at play. What can we learn from the 1920s that will help us succeed in the 2020s?
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the similarities (and differences) between the disruption of the 1920s and what we’re facing today as we begin the 2020s.
2. Spot opportunities in today’s era of disruption based on the successes and failures of 1920s innovators and startups.
3. Hone your leadership skills by learning from the most successful examples of that era.
About Jason:
In a career that spans more than 25 years, Jason Voiovich has launched hundreds of new products – everything from medical devices, to virtual healthcare systems, to non-dairy consumer cheese, to next-generation alternatives to the dreaded “cone of shame” for pets, to sex aides for cows (really!). He’s a graduate of both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and he has completed post-graduate studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His formal training has been invaluable, but he credits his true success to growing up in a family of artists, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. They taught him how to carefully observe the world, see patterns before others notice them, and use those insights to create new innovations. History is Jason’s favorite way to observe the world. He believes the people from the past have plenty to teach us about the challenges and opportunities we face today.
Contact Information:
Email: jason@marketerinchief.com
Website: https://marketerinchief.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvoiovich/
Twitter (Jason): https://twitter.com/jasontvoiovich
Twitter (Book): https://twitter.com/MarketerInChief
YouTube (Book): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcYrBt2dEAxGVFAjZHhBIww
Innovation Blog: https://jasontvoiovich.com/
Club E was joined by Heather Polivka, Founder of Heather P. Solutions, to discuss attracting and retaining great people in today's environment.
As The Great Reshuffle continues, companies ask themselves how to attract the people they need and keep the great people they already have. The rules have changed, so let’s spend some time understanding the new rules to succeed in today’s talent and business landscape.
Learning Objectives:
• Understand the critical role that people leadership plays in business outcomes.
• Learn how people leadership needs to evolve in today's work environment
• Discover the critical importance of Walking the Talk in
• Understand how to design an employee experience that resonates with your talent… no pinball machines required.
About Heather:
Heather Polivka is a trusted business advisor accelerating the growth and success of progressive SMBs and their leaders through practical leadership, employee performance, and thriving workplace cultures.
Heather’s methodology has been masterfully crafted with over a decade’s worth of experience transforming the people, processes, and profits of Fortune 10 organizations and businesses. She unites marketing and HR expertise to craft authentic employer brands, cultivating healthy workplace cultures, improve employee engagement, and develop strong people leadership.
Heather's contact information and links:
Email: heatherp@heatherpsolutions.com
Website: https://www.heatherpsolutions.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherpolivka/
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/heatherpsolutions
Heather's Program: https://www.awesomepeopleleaders.com/
Leaders find themselves in a unique moment of overwhelming work loads and fatigued work partners. This session will unpack the underlying why of this moment and provide a framework for moving through it.
Learning Objectives:
1) Researched framework for how teams are dealing with workloads
2) Insight into effectively moving beyond them
About Scott Propp:
"I help executives and teams bridge the gap between ideation and execution to create measurable results. I’ve been doing that inside boardrooms and across continents for more than 30 years.
Breadth: I have conducted business in more than 20 countries with over twelve different business models. I have leadership experience in functions ranging from R&D, Development Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Production Operations, Corporate Technology and Strategic Marketing.
Depth: In my role as a Fortune 100 executive, I have held full P&L and budget responsibility to the $100m + level in multi $B firms, directed operational turnarounds, built factories internationally, hired hundreds of people, led international cross-functional programs and delivered results that led to product and market breakouts. I have negotiated complex supply chain relationships, helped small firms “tuck into” large firms and spun pieces of large firms into small businesses.
Unique Expertise: Even the best ideas and well-crafted strategies get stalled in “the murky middle” between ideas and implementation. Without a plan to bridge that gap, it’s not a question of if, but how many resources – including time, energy and money – will be wasted. With my unique combination of technological expertise, leadership experience and operational acumen to navigate turbulent conditions, I’m known for my ability to help select the project, recruit the team, and lay out a strategic layered plan for execution.
The bottom line: I’m able to help you successfully put together the right project for the right time and get it on the right path.
I have hard-won skills and an uncanny sixth sense to help you build teams that collaborate and work together to produce remarkable results – both internal and external, from all disciplines and departments, with different backgrounds, vocabularies and temperaments."
Rick Brimacomb began advising and investing in early-stage and emerging companies as a venture capitalist in 1991. Before that time, he covered and worked with early-stage companies as a research analyst and investment banker. For over two decades, Rick Brimacomb has helped numerous companies develop into “investment grade” opportunities, attract funding and create shareholder value.
Contact Rick Brimacomb for a consultation here: https://www.clube.com/contact/
Scott's Contact Information:
Email: scott@scottpropp.com
Website: www.scottpropp.com
Twitter: @scottpropp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpropp/
Club E was joined by Tara Jebens-Singh & Steven Lutes of Northeast Youth & Family Services fir a discussion of how supporting mental health at all levels of business supporters employees, managers, owners, businesses and the greater community.
Learning Objectives:
Learn to identify common mental health issues including depression and anxiety.
Learn ways to treat these issues.
Discover local mental health resources that can assist businesses and employees.
About Tara Jebens-Singh:
Tara became President & CEO of NYFS in April 2020 and has been steering the nonprofit mental health and community services agency through the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring high-quality support to clients and maintaining relationships with the agency’s 15 partner municipalities and three school districts. Jebens-Singh previously worked at the White Bear Lake Area School District where she oversaw Adult Enrichment, Adults with Disabilities and the Senior Program. She is a founding member of the Many Faces of the White Bear Lake Area coalition and has served as the president of the Consortium of Lake Area Senior Services (CLASS), Metro Meals on Wheels Board of Directors, 2nd Half at Lyngblomsten Local Advisory Committee, Newtrax Transportation Advisory Committee, NAMI Ramsey County Board of Directors, St. Paul/Ramsey County Complete Count Committee and master facilitator for the Vital Aging Network’s Aging With Gusto program.
Tara has worked in public policy, education, equity, senior services and wellness programs for over 25 years and holds a Masters in Planning from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
About Steven Lutes, MSW, LICSW, MPP:
Steven is a clinical social worker with over five years of experience serving children, adolescents and adults. He has worked in day treatment, outpatient, school and in-home settings to provide therapy to both children and their parents and caregivers. Steven’s practice has focused on children experiencing trauma, anxiety, ADHD and mood disorders. His work with children and families from diverse cultural, socio-economic and linguistic backgrounds has taught him to create a welcoming environment for all those he works with.
Club E was joined by Christina Brandt, Founder of ReImagine Possibilities to discuss her career and how having a great support network helps businesses thrive!
What perspectives do you have about “support”? The last 5 years have been an interesting chapter of defining it, understanding who may need it, when it is relevant, how my experiences may provide it and accepting it.
Learning Objectives:
Support as it shows up in your life, work
A supportive partnership outcomes
*Balance of giving/receiving support
About Christina:
An awarded, proven, and respected executive and leader, driven by integrity, a passion for stories and culture, positioning for success, fulfilling potentials and courage through change. Continuing a lifetime of entrepreneurship and seeking to make a difference through non-traditional advising that honors the principles of narrative/life coaching.
*President of start-up ReImagine Possibilities, Inc. – Creating, Coaching, Connecting to Inspire A Better Life, A Better Way. Contracted Advisor to the Small Business Development Center - supportive to 100’s of clients.
*Managing Member of DBRANDT Enterprises, LLC-Simple Solutions for Better Living, inaugural product launch=dbCHOPPER, kitchen gadget for grounding meat. Selling E-Commerce and Resellers.
*Author of The Cloud Book of Wonder – “What do you see when you gaze at a cloud? My granddaughters and I would like to know.”
*Was 3rd Generation of Family Businesses, serving the Hospitality Industry. Experienced in product concept to guest experience. Rose through ranks to succeed as 1st Female President, by working hands-on in all roles and/or departments.
Christina's contact information:
Email: christina@reimaginepossibilities.com
Website: https://www.reimaginepossibilities.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/18772226/admin/
As Ransomware attacks surge in frequency, they are capturing headlines such as the Colonial pipeline incident and more recently the Kaseya attack. In this session, we will review the trends and impacts of these attacks, the mechanics of how they work, and what organizations can do to prevent or recover from a ransomware attack.
Learning Objectives:
• Learn about the surging trend of ransomware attacks.
• Become knowledgeable about how ransomware works.
• Come away with a list of safeguards to help you avoid falling victim.
About Paul:
As a partner in Wipfli LLP’s risk advisory services practice, Paul Johnson works with clients to assess, improve, and test their information security and risk management programs. With over 25 years in the information technology and information security fields, Paul combines his various experiences with Wipfli’s methodologies and processes to provide clients with sound advice and services to improve their security program.
Club E was joined by Chip Laingen, Executive Director of Defense Alliance to discuss funding avenues for small businesses through the Federal Government.
The U.S. Federal Government is arguably the largest single “investor” in small business technology firms – providing non-dilutive capital through R&D funding for early to late stage innovations. There is virtually no market that isn’t represented, and the path provides enormous opportunity for funding, partnerships and commercialization paths, as as well as connections to non-government opportunities via the free business intelligence generated by Federal contracting.
Learning Objectives:
• Learn how to get started and connect to resources in the Federal market
• Understand both the challenges and the opportunities the Federal market represents
• Learn what technology innovations the Federal government is most interested in right now
About Chip:
Chip Laingen is Executive Director of Defense Alliance, an SBA-funded technology cluster, with members in 35 states; and Corporate Vice President, LSI, a national business development firm. The Defense Alliance has won the “Progress Minnesota” and SBA’s Veterans Small Business Champion awards. He is on several economic development, business and Veteran advisory boards in the Twin Cities region.
Chip was an Executive Fellow for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Integrative Leadership, and is currently on the graduate faculty at the Technological Leadership Institute. He has a masters degree in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute, and was a U.S. Navy Moreau Scholar in the National Security Ph.D. Studies program of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University in Boston.
Commander Laingen is a 21-year Veteran of the U.S. Navy, holding several positions as an aviator, and as Speechwriter to the Secretary of the Navy. He finished his career in 2004 as a squadron commanding officer. He is the author of “Laingen on Leadership,” available on Amazon.
Chip's Contact Information:
Email- claingen@defensealliance.com
Website- https://www.defensealliance.com
Twitter- @defense_cluster
Club E was joined by Laurie Young to cover the basics of Intellectual Property Law, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights. We discuss when it is worth the value to have government rights secured and when it may not be necessary.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand the difference between the different types of intellectual property
2. Understand the value to having protection
About Laurie:
Laurie Young is an intellectual property attorney with Schwegman, Lundberg and Woessner. Before joining SLW, she was Senior Intellectual Property Counsel Katun Corporation. While at Katun she managed all intellectual property matters, both domestic and foreign. This included managing patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters and any business matters which may relate to intellectual property. Laurie was also Data Privacy Officer for Katun Corporation. When Laurie is not handing intellectual property matters, she loves to bake cookies (even placing at the Minnesota State Fair three times for her cookie entries).
Contact Information:
Email – lyoung@slwip.com
Website – https://www.slwip.com/
Social media - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauriesyoung/
Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon to discuss your core customer.
A methodology to identify the demographic and psychographic characteristics of your Core Customer who will buy for optimal price.
Understanding your core customer is critical to attract and serve that customer who wants what you are selling at a premium price.
About Jeff:
Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.
Jeff's contact information:
jredmon@minnbig.com
https://minnbig.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG
https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig
https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/
https://twitter.com/MinnBig
Explore the world of social impact entrepreneurship with FINNOVATION Lab CEO, Connie Rutledge. How will your start-up or your next investment make a positive impact beyond shareholder value? Why should it?
About Connie:
Connie Rutledge, CEO of FINNOVATION lab, has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and business management. Her experience includes all aspects of business including concept design, market analysis, fundraising, product development, operations, and strategic partnerships. Connie is passionate about supporting innovators with practical advice and strategic analysis so they can recognize their vision in a socially progressive and financially sustainable way.
Check out FINNOVATION lab's ImpactSKU program and its upcoming showcase during Twin Cities Startup Week. It Will be on their general event calendar at www.finn-lab.com
Connie Rutledge | FINNOVATION Lab
connie@finn-lab.com
www.finn-lab.com
Twitter: @finnovationlab
https://www.facebook.com/FINNOVATIONLab
https://www.instagram.com/finnovationlab/
Club E was joined by Linda Ruhland to discuss strategies to stay ahead of the disruption curve in your business.
Imagine that you and your business colleagues are rafting down a furious river of endless white water. How do you stay afloat and navigate around the treacherous rocks? That’s what business can feel like at times, especially now. Fortunately, there are ways to navigate through rough waters—and even ways to use the rocks to your advantage!
Learning Objective:
Find out how it’s possible to build and grow a sustainable profitable business in times of uncertainty using the resources you already have within your organization.
About Linda:
Linda Ruhland has worked with business owners and their leadership teams for more than 30 years to define, market, and grow client businesses successfully and resourcefully. She is passionate about small business success because she believes they are the source of community character and strength. In that spirit, she founded Success Authorities, a business advisory firm that partners with clients to synchronize their people, systems and strategies toward higher performance, profits, and sustainability.
Linda's Virtual Program: https://virtual.successauthorities.com/
Linda's Contact Information:
Email: Ruhland@successauthorities.com
Website: https://successauthorities.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindaruhland/
Club E took a field trip to Chef Marshall O'Brien's studio kitchen for a discussion on how to restructure your world after the pandemic. Chef Marshall talks about how old absolutes are no longer absolute, and discusses new threats in the post pandemic work environment.
Learning Objectives:
1 – Breaking down silos
2 - Rebuild fractured work environment
3 - Understand 4 steps to permanent change
About Chef Marshall:
Chef Marshall O’Brien’s goal is to help adults, kids and families live better lives with good nutrition, by improving skills and confidence in the kitchen. He is a dynamic speaker who has presented at national conferences and regularly appears on Twin Cities television, where he is a trusted voice for Smart Nutrition. He is founder and CEO of The Chef Marshall O’Brien Group, a company staffed with chefs, dietitians, researchers, writers and videographers, He and this team understand current best nutrition practices and translate them into foods and recipes that will produce positive nutritional results and taste great. They call this “Putting Delicious in Nutritious.” The group has created numerous materials detailing how Smart Nutrition can improve health and alleviate negative symptoms in one’s body. They work with a broad spectrum of clients, including city agencies such as fire, police and public works, school districts, hospitals, a consortium of 5000 childcare providers, and numerous businesses and civic organizations.
Contact information- Marshall O’Brien
Chef Marshall O’Brien Group
chefmarshall@chefmarshallobrien.com
https://www.chefmarshallobrien.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chefmarshallobrien/
https://www.instagram.com/chefmarshallobrien/
https://www.facebook.com/ChefMarshallOBrien
Club E was joined by Brad Lantz, Founder of Mind Sync Pro to discuss the mental game.
Imagine if there were a way that you could get your mind to run better, faster and calmer like our computers do when we get them defragged. What if you were able to turn down emotions, imaginations and memories in the moment rather than regret that last time you lost it. That is what Brad Lantz is all about. He is a certified Mind Health coach.
Learning Objective:
Find out how limiting beliefs may be sabotaging you from accomplishing your goals.
Find out rules of the mind where the yellow flag is thrown, and we don’t even know why.
Learn how to make better, more confident decisions.
About Brad:
Brad started his career in corporate marketing where he achieved success as a marketing executive with advertising agencies and as a Director of Marketing of a Fortune 500 company. He led Inner Circle, (CEO/Owner peer groups) where he facilitated meetings and coached over 130 CEOs to grow their businesses on average by 20%. He witnessed first hand how Leaders knew what to do but could not make it happen. Now as a Certified Mind Health Coach, he can make a difference to reduce stress, create greater focus and clearer decision making.
Brad's Contact Information:
Brad@MindSyncpro.com
https://www.mindsyncpro.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradlantz/
https://www.instagram.com/mindsyncpro/
Club E was joined by Michelle LaFrance, the founder of Smarty Pants Web Marketing to discuss tools and strategies to better understand your professional and personal relationships.
If you’re spending too much time staring at your keyboard and wondering what to say and how to say it, you’re not alone. The good news is that there are tools to help you deliver the right message to the right person. Forbes call this technology The Future of Sales. Find out how o use Personality Science + Artificial Intelligence to optimize your effectiveness on LinkedIn and Zoom.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn how to Identify the buying behavior of your prospects.
2. Find out What makes them say YES or NO to you and your offer.
3. Hear about tools that allow you to instantly connect and know how to follow up with your prospects.
About Michelle:
As a licensed BANKCODE trainer, Michelle LaFrance teaches companies how to Close More Sales in Less Time. As the owner of a digital agency, she has helped her clients get more leads online. She always felt it was incomplete to help her clients get leads and not be able to help them close the sale. That all changed when she becamea a BANKCODE trainer. Today she helps companies Get More Leads and Close More Sales.
Special offer:
Before you come to the meeting, get your FREE gift of a personality assessment (valued at $99.00)
This is your base line of communication.
Come to the session to find out how to adapt How You Sell with Why They Buy.
https://www.crackmycode.com/heysmarty
Michelle's Contact information:
Email: michelle@heysmartypants.com
Website: https://www.heysmartypants.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelafrance/
Club E was joined by Pete Steege, Founder of B2B Clarity to discuss getting more B2B leads.
Sales leads are so important for B2B business growth, but so hard to get. Pete shares tip and tricks for B2B businesses to build and sustain a lead generation capability.
Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue.
Check out Pete's CEO Pocket Guide to Marking without a Marketing Leader: https://www.b2bclaritymarketing.com/ceos-pocket-guide-to-marketing
Pete.steege@b2bclaritymarketing.com
Website: https://www.b2bclaritymarketing.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesteege/
Club E was joined by Jeff Redmon, Founder and CEO of Breakthrough Impact Group.
We all have brutal truths in our business that we cannot control. Does Covid come to mind? Learn how Adm. James Stockdale dealt with adversity he could not control.
“You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” Adm. James Stockdale
Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieve their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience, and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff is a trusted advisor to business owners and he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies, and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.
• Jeff Redmon
• Breakthrough Impact Group
• jredmon@minnbig.com
• https://minnbig.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/MinnBiG
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnbig/
• https://www.instagram.com/minnbig/
• https://twitter.com/MinnBig
Club E will be joined by Anne Berg, Founder of Vyway® Market & Brand Strategy to discuss best practices on Brand Performance.
Effective brand strategy elevates marketplace awareness and eliminates marketplace confusion.
In turn, this work increases revenue growth and also positions an organization for sustainable profitability.
If your offering is sound but your prospects aren’t buying, it’s likely because they don’t know, understand or trust your brand.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn why branding matters and the key elements of brand strategy.
-
Understand the value of ownable brand names that are trademark worthy.
-
Connect the elusive dots between branding and marketing / sales.
About Anne:
Anne Berg celebrates the 25th anniversary as the principal of Vyway® Market & Brand Strategy. Anne offers clients decades of professional experience, including 10 years in the big agency realm. Recognized for her keen sense of business and brand strategy, Anne helps clients accelerate the market performance of their brand and the profitability of their business. Anne Berg is a business strategist, brand demystifier, and impassioned logophile, known for her ability to bring order to chaos.
Ecommerce skyrocketed in 2020 and it’s off to another record-breaking year. But a lot of people struggle to get momentum because they aren’t looking at the right metrics or they’re too focused on the nitty-gritty but haven’t solved the bigger picture (marketing basics like offer, audience, product-market fit). We can dig into the metrics, the processes, and the roadblocks that get in the way of growth.
Learning Objective:
The basics still matter (stay away from shiny objects).
How to track the right things the right way (so you know how to accelerate).
What pitfalls to watch out for.
About William:
William Harris is the Founder and CEO of Elumynt, an ecommerce growth agency and has been critical to driving growth for multiple startups in ecommerce and SaaS. He has helped to facilitate both sides of acquisitions, and consults for the CMOs of multi-billion dollar Fortune 1,000 companies, all while writing about advertising and ecommerce on Entrepreneur, Shopify, GoDaddy, GritDaily, and many other top publications.
William Harris's Contact information
william@elumynt.com
https://elumynt.com/
https://twitter.com/wmharris101
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wmharris/
https://www.instagram.com/wmharris101/
Clubhouse - @williamharris
Club E will be joined by guest moderator Sharon Bloodworth to interview Rick Brimacomb about his journey as an investor, mentor and entrepreneur.
Connect this month to listen to Club-E founder Rick Brimacomb have the interview tables turned on him. As a life-long entrepreneur and connector, Rick will be questioned on the habits of successful entrepreneurs, what lessons seasoned entrepreneurs never want to repeat, and how you can succeed. Short cut your path to success as master mentor Rick shares his 32 years of company analysis and entrepreneurship experience and get your chance to learn about the man behind Club E.
Club E will be joined by Sven Wehrwein and Jim Zuehlke to discuss perspectives from a professional board member. Part 2
About Sven:
Broad and deep financial background: CPA, MBA, Investment Banker, CFO, and Audit Committee Financial Expert. Experienced public company board member across nine public companies.Commitment to board service also encompasses five private companies and ten non-profits. In each case, tapped to be audit or finance committee chair.
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
Club E will be joined by Sven Wehrwein and Jim Zuehlke to discuss perspectives from a professional board member.
About Sven:
Broad and deep financial background: CPA, MBA, Investment Banker, CFO, and Audit Committee Financial Expert. Experienced public company board member across nine public companies.
Commitment to board service also encompasses five private companies and ten non-profits. In each case, tapped to be audit or finance committee chair.
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
Club E will be joined by by Sue Crockett, Tony Wand, Kurt Uhlir, Kevin Weise, and Tim Foley to discuss ESOPs as an exit strategy.
Selling a company to an ESOP provides a retirement plan for employees which creates wealth equity while at the same time providing a succession planning tool for the selling owners. What else does an ESOP do? There may be favorable tax considerations for you as a seller and also as an ESOP. Employee owners tend to think differently when it comes to process improvement, cost containment and customer engagement activities which impact the bottom line. An ESOP’s culture is typically just different, better.
Learning Objective:
Understand the power of an ESOP to grow a company and the local economy
Learn how an acquisition by an ESOP creates more employee owners while at the same time providing an exit strategy for a small business owner concerned about their employees well being.
About Sue:
Sue is the Executive Director of the MN Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO) a non-profit organization created to educate business owners, advisors, community leaders, and members of local and state government entities on the benefits of employee ownership via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), Worker Owned Cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). It is the mission of the MNCEO to turn the state of Minnesota into a place where every working person can also be an employee owner.
About Tim:
Tim brings over 25 years’ experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, and Engineering of engineered electrical products. He has worked within several large manufacturing companies including General Electric, Rockwell Automation, and Danaher Corporation. Customer satisfaction in all our business lines and the growth that results are his primary focus. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University and a MBA from Indiana University.
About Kevin:
Kevin joined the First International Bank & Trust (FIBT) Enterprise Retirement Solutions Team in January 2020.
Kevin has over 40 years of retirement plan / institutional trust experience, prior to FIBT, Kevin was at Bremer Bank, where he was the Institutional Trust Group Lead for 14 years.
About Kurt:
Kurt Uhlir, founder, principal owner and President of Standby Power System Consultants, Inc. from 1997 until its acquisition by HM Cragg Co. in May 2017. Kurt now serves as Business Development Manager and Senior Technical Advisor for the Company. Kurt received a BS in Electrical Engineering and Technology from Southern Illinois University in 1981. For the past 40 years, he has specialized in stationary battery, dc power system and energy storage design, installation, maintenance and testing for electric utility, communications, industrial, UPS, mission critical sites and renewable energy applications.
About Tony:
Tony was a CPA (inactive) by trade. Big 8 public accounting in the 1980’s with KPMG. CFO, COO and now CEO in distribution, consulting, manufacturing and civil engineering companies over a 36-year career. Focus on process improvement, information reporting and strategic growth.
Club E will be joined by Neil Littman, Founder and CEO of Bioverge to discuss investing within the startup and private markets.
Investing in the venture capital asset class is now more accessible than ever. For the first time, retail investors can now invest in high-growth and high impact startups working to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems.
Learning Objectives:
• Learn about the benefits of diversifying your portfolio with alternative assets
• Learn about the latest innovations in the life science and biotech space
• Learn about how you can construct your portfolio with VC-style investments
About Neil:
Neil Littman is the Founder, CEO and General Partner of Bioverge, a highly curated impact investment platform exclusively dedicated to healthcare. Previously, Neil was Vice President of Business Development at Notable Labs through the completion of the company’s $40M Series B. Prior to that, Neil was a healthcare investment banker and worked on transactions totalling over $1 billion. Neil has a Master’s in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins and an BA in Molecular Biology.
Club E will be joined by John Cosgrove, Founder of VoiceHive to discuss his unique career journey following his passions.
From landing in MN in 1999, he has followed a thread of curiosity when it comes to business ideas and practice. Helped by successful mentors and friends, this thread connects ideas to business fruition.
Learning Objective:
Stand back far enough from your day to day to see where you want to go and if your actions on a daily basis align with that vision.
About John:
In 1999, he moved to Minneapolis where he worked closely with Kieran Folliard at Cara Irish Pubs. His work life evolved from day-to-day operations to the events side of the business and included hosting trivia-themed events. From there he developed into a professional emcee and started his first business in 2006 focusing on meetings and events. As a professional emcee, he was constantly learning new and innovative ways to increase the quality of audience engagement. With that process, the idea for VoiceHive software was crystalized. VoiceHive has been operating since December 2012.
Club E will be joined by John Arms, Founder of JP Arms Marketing to discuss how you can leverage data from your marketing funnel for data driven decision making.
The big software systems are too much for small biz and startups. They’re built for you three years from now. Keep it simple for your first few million in sales.
Learning Objectives:
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Effective sales pipeline at the bootstrap stage
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Preventing random acts of marketing
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How to invest time more than money for effect
About John:
John is a marketing free agent. He is often referred to as “That funnel guy.” He has packaged up 30 years of marketing lessons learned and sells himself in small fractions as a “30 day CMO.” John provides marketing leadership and an OS designed specifically for small businesses who need marketing leadership in bite sized pieces.
Club E will be joined by John Arms, Co-Founder of Voyageur University to discuss how you can go the independent career route while still being able to sleep at night.
We like our eras in America. The agrarian era. Industrial era. Tech era. Cloud era. Next up, the gig era. We are in the final stages of where gig work takes off for professionals. Phase 1 was the covid shotdown, where America learned that remote work works just fine. Phase 2 was the covid layoffs, where professionals got a taste of freedom from the corporate grind and aren’t giving it up. Phase 3 is now, where businesses are learning that hiring fractional talent gets the workers they need at a lower cost, and without bearing the cost of their healthcare and 401k contributions. Proof of concept: LinkedIN just got into the gig game, going head to head on Fivvr and Upwork.
Learning Objectives:
1. Why is the gig economy growing and why should you care.
2. How to get in on it as a professional.
About John:
John Arms is co-founder of Voyageur University, an online community dedicatated to helping stuck professionals go independent. John is the guy who helps the spark come back into your eyes when it comes to your career. He is an entrepreneur at heart, with three businesses in his portfolio at the moment. In addition to his business pursuits, John is a dad to three wonderful sons, husband to an amazing wife (He truly outkicked his coverage there) and has a serious addiction to fishing and a darn fine cigar.
Club E will be joined by Matt Bochnicek, CEO & Founder of Ascendex Consulting to discuss how small and medium sized businesses can leverage technology to compete against the largest companies in the world.
In the past, the latest technologies have only been available to the largest companies. Today, that is no longer the case. When small businesses combine their expertise and knowledge of their customers with the latest and greatest technology, there is nothing stopping them from being the David in a Goliath world.
Learning Objectives:
1) Technology can be an enabler and competitive differentiator when done correctly.
2) The latest and greatest digital technology is now available to and consumable by all.
3) Businesses should be both strategic and practical when deciding where to invest in new technologies.
About Matt:
Matt has over two decades of strategic growth, innovation, and enterprise technology leadership experience. Matt works with clients in the areas of business and technology strategy, technology centered innovation, process improvement, and change management. Prior to founding Ascendex, Matt was a consulting partner in one of the largest accounting and consulting firms in the U.S. where he built and led the firm's Twin Cities consulting practice, one of the largest in the Twin Cities. Matt has worked with hundreds of organizations in a variety of industries over his career, ranging from small businesses to some of the largest corporations in the world. Matt is a former Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree and is an adjunct faculty member at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. Matt received an MBA from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, and a BA from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
Club E will be joined by Björn Stansvik to discuss finding the right opportunities at the right time.
We will be covering; seizing an opportunity window with appropriate or not appropriate timing, honing in on how we are riding the pandemic and post-pandemic waves as it relates to people, process and technology as well as trends.
Learning objective: Provide a framework or food for thought for pandemic and post-pandemic adaptations.
About Björn:
As founder and CEO of global software design and development firm MentorMate, Björn Stansvik has steered the company’s vision from inception to 700 full-time employees, accelerating digital ideas with end-to-end technology services since 2001. Björn has worked in high-tech and strategic business development in Europe, Latin America, and the United States at leading companies including Procter & Gamble, Ericsson, and Arthur D. Little prior to founding MentorMate in 2001.
Björn remains a guiding force for MentorMate, constantly challenging the team to explore the boundaries of new technologies like AI and cloud computing and to pioneer digital innovation in healthcare as well as entering new geographic markets. Under his leadership, the company has grown its design and technical capabilities across multiple industries.
MentorMate was named a Top ICT Employer in Bulgaria, and the Star Tribune included MentorMate on its Top 150 Workplaces list. The newest of its seven offices opened in AstraZeneca’s BioVentureHub in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2016.
Björn holds a Master’s of Science in Business Administration from the Gothenburg School of Economics and has completed a Master’s thesis in Industrial Economics at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.
As a recognized technology innovator, Björn has won numerous distinctions and is a regular speaker to business groups on entrepreneurship, technology, and management.
https://streamlabs.com/clubentrepreneur
Club E will be joined by Graham Riley, Founder of Social Strategies, LLC to discuss how you should be utilizing social media for B2B sales.
In this session, we will take a look at why many businesses fail to maximize the potential of social media in their customer acquisition process.
For anyone responsible for growing revenues in their organization, you don’t need a “secret system”, but you do need common sense in your system.
Pulling from the lessons learned in 2020, we’ll review a process that’s as applicable for entrepreneurs as it is for national sales teams
Learning Objective:
We will cover what do we need to STOP doing, what do we need to START doing and what should we KEEP doing to maximize revenue opportunities in 2021.
About Graham:
Graham is a pioneer in the blending of Personal Branding, LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Content Marketing, and Lead Generation Campaigns as a managed service; empowering business owners and sales teams to have more meaningful conversations with potential clients and key influencers.
Club E will be joined by Pete Steege, Founder and President of B2B Clarity to discuss the golden question - How much should you spend on marketing?
We willl cover tips and tricks for setting the right marketing spending level for your business. Pete will share a 3-step process to help you size your marketing to fit for your business, your budget and your goals.
Get marketing spending benchmarks for businesses like yours.
Learn a process to determine a rightsized marketing budget for your business.
About Pete:
Pete Steege is the Founder and President of B2B Clarity, helping B2B businesses without a marketing leader succeed. Pete has over 30 years of marketing experience with a wide range of B2B technology and manufacturing businesses. Pete is a proven B2B marketing strategist and industry-recognized content leader that can help you untangle your marketing effort and get it working to grow revenue.
Club E will be joined by Mark Klingsheim, Managing Partner of SIMA Partners LLC to discuss best practices for hiring.
As an entrepreneur, business owner, some of the most important decisions you make are your choices regarding people. How can you make better decisions in hiring, and how to help people succeed faster.
About Mark:
Mark Klingsheim has worked with top leaders for over two decades as an executive recruiter, having conducted hundreds of searches to help organizations find their next great leader. Mark is a Managing Partner of SIMA Partners, an executive search firm that conducts searches for corporate and non-profit clients. Mark has been a student of leadership for most of his life; he has always been fascinated with what makes great leaders successful.
Motivated To Lead Podcast
Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke, Founder of Cardinal Board Services and Mark Urdahl, CEO of Red Wing Shoes to discuss perspectives from being a CEO of a private company that reports to the board and also is a Director of a Private company board.
About Mark:
Mark Urdahl is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc. In this role he is responsible for shaping a vision that honors the company’s values while creating opportunities for meaningful growth. Mark does this by bringing together a talented team of individuals working across Red Wing’s diverse portfolio of brands, product lines, and geographies.
Mark is passionate about Red Wing’s rich heritage, as well as its commitment to manufacture footwear in the United States. He also believes in providing meaningful employment opportunities for Red Wing employees in the United States and its subsidiaries throughout the world, while supporting the community of Red Wing, Minnesota, and all communities where Red Wing employees live and work.
Before joining Red Wing Shoe Company in 2005, Mark spent 20 years at Minneapolis-based General Mills, a $20 billion global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods. During his tenure at General Mills, he held various roles in the Financial Operations, Marketing and Corporate Development areas of the company.
Mark’s education includes a bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Olaf College, and an Executive MBA degree from Stanford University. He is married to his wife Cathy, and has two adult daughters. Mark supports the local Red Wing community by serving as a Red Wing YMCA trustee and board member for Every Hand Joined, an education-focused Red Wing organization. He lives in Excelsior, Minnesota, and his hobbies include running, biking and traveling.
Red Wing Shoes is a privately-held company based in Red Wing, Minnesota. The company manufactures products world-wide and sells through its wholesale and proprietary retail channels. The Company markets Red Wing, WORX, Vasque and Irish Setter brand footwear, as well as Red Wing brand workwear and accessories world-wide. The company also owns S.B. Foot Tanning Company and the St. James Hotel in Red Wing
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
Club E will be joined by Renee Frey, Founder of TalentQ to discuss best practices around hiring key talent.
When employees thrive...businesses thrive.
There is a direct correlation between morale, productivity, and revenue and with today's reliance on technology and home offices, leaders are having to shift how they attract and interact with their employees.
Join the conversation and learn how to:
• Virtually engage with your employees in new, creative ways
• Effectively hire and onboard in a virtual environment
• Reassess your employment branding so you are competitive in the market
This Mastermind session will empower you to
• Virtually engage with your employees in new, creative ways
• Effectively hire and onboard in a virtual environment
• Reassess your employment branding so you are competitive in the market
About Renee:
As a recruiting expert, speaker, author, and podcast host, Renee Frey founded TalentQ, Inc., a nationwide recruiting firm to clear the noise in recruiting and improve the process for everyone involved. Renee has over 17 years of recruiting experience in a Search Firm and Fortune 30 Company and is the author of, "I Hate Mondays: A Guide to Landing a Job That Makes You Jump Out of Bed." Renee is sought out by industry leaders to speak and educate on topics related to the recruiting industry and the complexities of today’s employment market. TalentQ is proud to be certified by the Women’s Business Development Center as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) and is revolutionizing the recruiting industry with their proven process backed by data analytics.
Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke and Molly Simmons for Part 3 of the Director Series. We will be discussion what considerations you should have prior to joining a corporate board.
Many people want to join a Board of Directors and when the opportunity arises- what should you take into consideration before committing to joining one? Tune in to learn!
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
About Molly:
Molly Simmons is a leader with over 20 years of professional experience including strategic advisory, private equity investments, family office, and board roles.
She is a partner with McFarland Partners where she is focused on private family capital investments and strategic resources for family and founder-owned businesses.
Her past career work includes private equity fund partner roles at Tonka Bay Equity and Gemini Investors, focused on growth capital and leveraged buyouts, as well as investment management at a large single family office, Pohlad Companies. She has served on the boards of over 20 public and private companies across diverse industries (including Buffalo Wild Wings, Endres Processing, and HighJump Software), along with industry associations such as Association for Corporate Growth and Small Business Investors Alliance. Early in her career she was a strategic management consultant at Bain & Company. Molly serves on the board of Microgrants and on the board of The Blake School.
She earned a B.S. in education and social policy from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Club E will be joined by Kurt Schmidt, President at Foundry and Host of Schmidt List to discuss strategies to keep your employees and clients engaged in a virtual environment.
During this time while we work through a pandemic it’s become more and more important to engage with our staff, clients, and new prospects regularly. Let’s talk about what works and what doesn’t work.
Learning Objectives:
Take aways for how to attract new business and new employees
How to keep current employees engaged
How to keep top of mind and provide good customer service with clients
About Kurt:
As Foundry’s President, Kurt leads the company’s strategic direction while also casting a wide net to meet with businesses in order to understand their challenges and evangelize how Foundry can help them through design and software development. Kurt joined The Nerdery in 2010 and helped them grow from 50-500 Nerds in less than six years. During that time, Kurt’s team delivered over $300M worth of custom software development to Fortune 500 companies. In 2016 Kurt joined Foundry as President where he took his 20+ years of agency experience and build a new kind of software design company. Since then, Foundry has more than quadrupled in size and now sits comfortably on the 2020 INC 5000 Fastest Growing Companies list. He also moonlights as a podcaster and YouTuber as host of The Schmidt List, with weekly interviews featuring movers and makers in technology and design.
Club E will be joined by Chris Guertin to discuss starting a business in a recession.
Maria and Chris Guertin started Sport Resource Group in February 2016 which was widely regarded as one of the toughest economic climates since the Great Depression. In this talk, Chris will share successes and mistakes made while starting a business from scratch in tough economic times.
Chris is hopeful that new and current business owners can learn from his experience of mistakes and successes as they start or run their businesses in 2021.
About Chris:
Chris and Maria Guertin started Sport Resource Group in Feb 2006 just one year before the Great recession of 2007. In many ways, the early years of the business were marked with economic and buying uncertainty just as 2020 was. Chris gave up a successful career in sports and sales and Maria gave up her medical device recruiting career to start Sport Resource Group.
Club E will be joined by Marnie Ochs-Raleigh , the CEO of Evolve Systems to discuss Rebuilding business in 2021 with Strategic Marketing.
Marnie and her team were able to successfully pivot from an in-office environment to completely remote with less than two hours of down time. While being remote, they have enhanced their culture and their team is stronger 10 months later. Learn more about their process and how they achieved peak performance as a team.
As a digital marketing agency, they have been instrumental in helping their client’s bottom line through the crisis of COVID. Learn how pivoting marketing strategies will help business owners rebuild enterprise value in 2021 and have a higher performing team that deliver better results.
About Marnie:
Marnie is the CEO and Founder of Evolve Systems and Evolve Payment. Evolve Systems serves midmarket, B2B companies by providing business-specific, strategic leadership through digital, creative, and technology services designed to evolve businesses and provide a return on time. Evolve Payment specializes in Merchant Card Processing, specifically B2B payments performing Level 2/3 interchange management.
Marnie is a 6th generation entrepreneur, known as a “connector” and “rainmaker” by her clients and friends. Marnie is the Past Pres. of NAWBO-MN and actively mentors several rising leaders. Her passion for helping other business owners achieve their goals is evident in the passion she brings to their culture and results the team delivers daily.
While growing the companies, Marnie has raised 4 fabulous adult children, celebrated over 30 years of marriage with her Husband and business partner Donald, has 3 grand furs and 8 backyard chickens.
Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke and Anne Sample to discuss How to Get on a Board of Directors.
Many senior leaders aspire to serve on a public or privately held corporate board. It is a great way to leverage your expertise in a new way, grow professionally and make meaningful contributions to respected organizations. But, moving from hands-on leadership to an oversight role means leveraging your skills and experience differently. In this session, Cardinal Board Services Founder Jim Zuehlke and Navigate Forward expert Anne Sample will give first hand perspectives of Board of Directors experience.
Learning Objectives:
-Similarities and differences in looking for a high-level job
-Board search preparation
-New NASDAQ requirements
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
About Anne:
Anne Sample is the CEO and owner of Navigate Forward, a boutique consulting firm which provides highly customized support to senior executives who are currently in transition, planning change in the future or seeking board service, Anne is an experienced business and HR leader with a track record of leading transformation and developing talent. In her early career Anne worked in a variety of HR and strategy roles for Whirlpool, Pepsi, Walker Digital and Citibank. More recently, she has served as the Chief HR Officer for PepsiAmericas, Thrivent Financial and Caribou Coffee and Bagels. She currently serves on Board of Directors of MyMeds, a MN based startup that provides individuals with the digital tools and real time data that they need to stay engaged in their health.
Club E will be joined by eCommerce experts Darin Lynch, Founder of Irish Titan and William Tjernlund, Amazon Sales & Consultant and CMO of Goat Consulting to discuss a variety of eCommerce topics from trends that will continue through 2021, channel strategies and important metrics for eCommerce companies to focus on growth.
About Darin:
Darin Lynch is the Founder and CEO of Irish Titan, a digital agency focused on ecommerce & digital, design & creative, content & strategy. Darin offers over 25 years of digital, marketing, sales, technology and leadership experience ranging from Fortune 100 financial firms to national retailers to start-up and early stage companies.
Darin has trademarked “Business First. Online Second.”, as it’s one of the key principles that shaping Irish Titan’s “Why” for their over 40 Titans, hundreds of clients, and range of services provided by Irish Titan since 2004.
Darin is a regular speaker and has been honored as a 40 Under 40 winner, one of the Real Power 50, and is a member of the Federal Reserve Board Small Business Council. Darin has also bought Clint Eastwood a beer and is a former presidential candidate. Honestly. But both of those stories are better shared in person.
About William:
William Tjernlund is the co-founder and a managing partner at Goat Consulting. William is a notable figure in the e-commerce industry, speaking at conferences around the world, including the United States, Europe and Asia. William started his career at his family's 80+ year old manufacturing company with the goal of expanding the e-commerce and Amazon presence. The efforts by William quickly made Amazon the number one sales channel for his family's business which now grosses tens of millions of dollars annually. William uses his background in economics, experience selling on Amazon, and insights gained from speaking with businesses around the world to help brands and manufacturers have a clear strategy for success.
Club E will be joined by Philip Mattison the President of Core Products International Inc. to discuss How to leave a legacy! Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
We will be discussing how growing the Value (Sales, Profits & Multiples) of your business and how using an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) and acquisitions can benefit yourself and your employees as you transitions ownership in the next 4-6 years.
Learning Objectives:
The choice to be coachable.
“Traction” The transition from the early entrepreneurship days to becoming a professionally managed business.
From Starting a business, to making a living, and finally: leaving a legacy and rewarding the people that stayed in the game for the long haul.
About Philip:
Phil Mattison is the founder and owner of Core Products International, a leading manufacturer of orthopedic soft goods. Phil has grown his company from a one man start up to 120 employees, with over $18 million in sales, and 3-manufacturing facilities in Osceola and Chetek, WI, and Toronto, Canada. In addition to manufacturing products for Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, Massage, and Durable Medical Equipment markets, Core Products also provides OEM and industrial sewn goods contract manufacturing.
Phil and his key staff at Core have had to deal with business planning, building a positive business culture, product development, new product launches, sales successes, and business failures. He and his team have overcome emergencies as well, including a factory fire, and a building cave in.
The Core team understands that building a strong, disciplined leadership team and managers group is key to the company’s value building and succession planning. Most recently, Core Products became an ESOP with over 90 employee owners!
Club E will be joined by Michael Anderson to discuss Ecommerce in a post-COVID world.
2020 was a year for the record-books! COVID-19 has changed the way consumers buy and caused ecommerce to grow more in 8 months than in the previous 10 years! Consumer expectations have never been higher in relation to how they want to interact with Brands and Retailers. In this session we will discuss ecommerce trends pre and post-COVID and what Brands & Retailers need to be planning for to drive growth and meet consumer expectations.
About Michael:
Michael’s vision and leadership drive Etail Solutions forward every day. As a software industry entrepreneur, Michael recognized that a lack of time and money were the biggest obstacles preventing ecommerce entrepreneurs from scaling. He realized the need for a solution that allowed merchants to leverage automation to shift their day-to-day focus from managing operations to driving growth. As a result, Etail Solutions was born. Now, more than a decade later, Michael and Etail continue to lead the evolution of digital commerce, helping 3PLs, fulfillment providers and brands to create and manage their D2C capabilities, to “sell everywhere, fulfill from anywhere”, and to meet demanding, ever changing consumer expectations and sales channel requirements.
Club E will be joined by Troy Rosenbrook of Highland Bank and Kathi Schaff of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce to discuss information regarding PPP loans and resources available to Minnesota businesses.
Register to submit questions ahead of the event.
We will be discussing:
1. PPP
-New/second draw details
-Existing PPP Loans - Changes in forgiveness
2. Existing SBA Loan Modifications
-Payments on SBA loans
-Deferrals on payments
3. New SBA Loans (7A and Express)
4. Resources beyond PPP currently available to Minnesota businesses
Club E will be joined by Jim Zuehlke in a four-part series The Directors Series-Board Topics of Today. In our first segment Rick and Jim will discuss how you can start to position yourself for a board seat.
The pathway to getting a seat on a Board of Directors are often shrouded in mystery. What does a pathway to joining a Board of Directors look like and what does an effective board look like?
Tune in to learn more about:
-An outline of the board landscape
-What is governance
-Diversity of perspectives
About Jim:
Jim is the founder of Cardinal Board Services (CBS) and works closely with companies that want to upgrade their Board of Directors. Jim has been in the Executive Search for 25+ years starting Cardinal Mark and CBS.
Club E will be joined by Mike Siegler, to discuss how to analyze your existing business to extend value with change.
Many businesses find themselves on a treadmill, unsure of how to break the current business cycles; plateaued revenues, tired staff, stagnant sales channel, aging products and services; increased competition; disengaged board. Learn how one company was able to create a new beginning while mired in this stagnant business cycle, engaging and selling to a strategic buyer and how the current group lives on today.
Learning Objectives:
Assessing current business realities; Analyzing effectiveness of Sales, competitiveness of products & services, engaging a board of directors, building a strategic team of advisors, and staying focused though uncertain times.
About Mike:
Mike Siegler is an energizing, engaging senior leader with a 20+ year track record of leading teams to develop and launch technical products and services within small and large organizations. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Services & Customer Experience at Communications Systems Inc. where he is responsible for leading and growing the services and support arm of CSI, focusing on differentiated As-A-Service offerings in the IT Managed services, Network infrastructure and SASE technology spaces.
Mike has a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in the Management of Technology (MoT). He has a unique combination of customer facing sales and marketing skills, deep technical expertise, strong leadership traits, and dedication to organizational development, with hands-on experience at firms such as Seagate Technology, Medtronic, General Electric, United Technologies, Digi International, Ecessa Corporation (as CEO) and now at Communications Systems Inc. Mike also teaches Project Management and Critical Thinking skills in the Minnesota State educational system, currently at Minneapolis Technical and Community College (MCTC).
Club E will be joined by Heather Manley to discuss her path as a serial entrepreneur and how she's been able to run multiple companies simultaneously while making time to give back through volunteering.
Heather purchased On-Demand Group (ODG), a technology consulting company and family business, in 2008 with her brother, Sean Manley. They have since led the organization through significant growth and expanded ODG’s business clientele to reach global markets by offering offshore solutions in Southeast Asia. Under their leadership, this global business has generated over $150M in revenue since 2008. She attributes their growth to their outstanding team and sticking to their mission of partnering with clients who align with their morals and ethics and appreciate transparency, honestly and partnership. WBENC certified since 2008, ODG provides technology resources for individual and project consulting, contract to hire and direct hire needs as well as offshore services.
In 2013, Heather founded Crooked Water Spirits, an award-winning national spirits line that produces unique craft spirits, including bourbons, gins, vodkas, brandy and ready-to-pour Old Fashioned, Boulevardier & Negroni. As a certified Whiskey Sommelier, all recipes are made in-house by Heather. These “Spirits of the North” can be found in 7 states and over 500+ liquor stores, restaurants and airlines, gathering over 60 awards nationally. Focused on innovation, quality and the experience, CWS looks to scale with integrity and high value, while remaining 100% owned and self-funded by Heather. CWS continues to grow over 20% per year with strategic partnerships and has been WBENC certified since 2014.
Heather owns Heather’s Dirty Goodness, a boutique spice company with products, sold in Kowalski stores and online, focused on low salt and high flavor. WBENC certified since 2013.
Heather volunteers her time and energies to advance the economic development interests & opportunities in Minnesota. Currently President of the Burnsville Rotary and on the Board of Directors for the Animal Human Society. Heather also served as the Board President for the National Association of Women Business Owners MN, from 2011-2014, where she helped establish the MN Women Business Owners Hall of Fame.
Club E will be joined by Chris Heim to discuss his transition into AbeTech.
AbeTech has a 28-year success story as solutions integrator focused on barcode & RFID technologies. Chris Heim joined AbeTech in Jan 2019 to succeed the founder/owner, Steve Schmidt. Staying grounded on its family-focused values & long-term objectives amid a rapidly changing market, AbeTech is shaping its growth strategy with an infinite mindset.
Learning Objectives:
• Culture Comes First – Delivering excellence to clients starts with delivering excellence to employees. AbeTech has an amazing culture & is finding ways to thrive amid COVID, acquisitions & a new leader.
• Unintentional Strategic Drift – Being responsive to client requests & embracing fast-paced innovation can create false-positive success in areas that are not core & not scalable. Identifying this “drift” and staying true to your core is an ongoing challenge.
• Disciplines of Traction EOS – Adopting Traction aligns the Strategic Plan with the Operating Plan. It also helps align employees triangulate their passions, company vision & quarterly objectives.
About Chris:
Chris Heim is a growth-focused technology executive with a passion for serving clients, elevating others, and simplifying business complexities. Heim is guided by the principles of servant leadership and thrives when leading transformation, building high-performance teams, and innovating new solutions. Prior to AbeTech, Heim was the CEO of Rimage Corporation, a global manufacturer of robotic systems.
Club E will be joined by Minneapolis titan, Larry Abdo to discuss the impact 2020 has had on the hospitality and real estate markets.
Larry is a serial entrepreneur with more curiosity than discipline. Larry and his wife Caryl have founded 30 start-ups or acquisitions during their 48-year marriage. A couple whose track record for success and innovation are the stuff of Minnesota legend and were Entrepreneurs of the Year in 2019 for the University of Minnesota Center for Entrepreneurship.
The Abdo's portfolio includes; My Burger, Gopher State Ice and storage, Big Fat Bacon, Go-Boat Motel, Nicollet Island Inn, AMH development, Paulxo Management and AMH properties (shopping centers and single tenant buildings).Larry has been a staple in fostering the Midwest entrepreneurial ecosystem and supports young entrepreneurs with wife Caryl at the University of Notre Dame and U of M through Irish Angles and Abdo Dinner Series.
Club E will be joined by Darin Lynch to discuss what the heck just happened with cyber week. With limited in person holiday shopping, eCommerce will have a major market share grab unrivaled to any prior year.
Tune in to hear from eCommerce veteran Darin Lynch on what he experienced this holiday season and best practices to build on the momentum from the blockbuster season.
About Darin:
Darin Lynch is the Founder and CEO of Irish Titan, a digital agency focused on ecommerce & digital, design & creative, content & strategy. Darin offers over 25 years of digital, marketing, sales, technology and leadership experience ranging from Fortune 100 financial firms to national retailers to start-up and early stage companies.
Darin has trademarked “Business First. Online Second.”, as it’s one of the key principles that shaping Irish Titan’s “Why” for their over 40 Titans, hundreds of clients, and range of services provided by Irish Titan since 2004.
Darin is a regular speaker and has been honored as a 40 Under 40 winner, one of the Real Power 50, and is a member of the Federal Reserve Board Small Business Council. Darin has also bought Clint Eastwood a beer and is a former presidential candidate. Honestly. But both of those stories are better shared in person.
Club E will be joined by Jeff Redmon to discuss BiG and its collaboration with Club E to help business leaders accelerate business growth with peace of mind and confidence with the new “Breakthrough Impact Group”.
BiG is a collaborative group of business owners coming together to learn from each other, while gaining access to world class tools and best practices. Solving the demanding issues and challenges of being a business owner and the never-ending struggle between business and family.
About Jeff:
Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieving their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff as a trusted advisor to business owners, he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.
Club E will be joined by Raza Hasan the President and CEO of TimeSolv to discuss his journey as an entrepreneur. TimeSolv is a time tracking solution for the legal industry and recently sold a majority stake to a US based private equity firm.
Tune in to learn from a successful SaaS CEO on how to take a business from startup to an exit, how to grow a SaaS business, benefits of operating virtually and how to manage remote teams.
About Raza:
Raza Hasan is currently the President and CEO of TimeSolv Corporation, a SaaS time billing solution growing 30%+ annually. Raza is an entrepreneur with a broad range of expertise in software products, strategy, marketing, sales, and organizational structure; enabling him to lead TimeSolv from a failing business to a successful exit. Raza is also involved in a non-profit innovative, Prosperity Web. Prosperity Web's purpose is; partnership to change the world by creating awareness why some countries are thriving while others are poor.
Club E will be joined by Melissa Johnston, SVP at Highland Bank for a Q&A driven conversation with a commercial banker.
We will be discussing:
· Considerations for choosing a bank for your business
· How/what to prepare when asking for a business loan
· How Covid-19 is impacting loan decisions
· Common business issues
· The future of business banking
· How the election results may impact business from a banking and lending perspective
About Melissa:
Melissa is an experienced commercial banker, speaker, board member and coach. She maintains self-originated loan portfolio at Highland Bank partnering with entrepreneurs, private equity firms and directors of nonprofits realize their dreams of owning a business and/or running an organization by structuring sensible financing solutions at affordable interest rates. Her team also provides cash management and deposit accounts with mobile banking, remote deposit capture, ACH, wire transfers and more! Outside of work, she finds time to be an active community leader and volunteer.
Club E will be joined by Amalia Moreno-Damgaard to discuss her career and the growth of her personal branding from a self-proclaimed triple minority.
You can do anything you put your mind to, and it doesn’t take hard work but rather making well informed decisions and strategic thinking all the time. The quality of your strategy dictates the outcome and the success of your business.
Learning Objectives:
1. Discover, rediscover, or build your brand with a few simple proven strategies.
2. Escalate and grow your brand with minor tweaks and quick reinvention.
3. Sustain your brand for the long term with effective and easy steps.
About Amalia:
Amalia is an award-winning author and chef entrepreneur with a prior career in international banking. Her business is a nationally certified woman-owned business enterprise by WBENC. A native of Guatemala and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu with a master’s in international business, Amalia’s mission is to help corporations develop a broader understanding and appreciation of Latin cultural nuances as a bilingual spokesperson, inspirational speaker, and consultant, using healthy traditional gourmet cuisine as a platform. Amalia’s work has been recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners and most recently by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, and Women Venture. Amalia also is co-founder, president emeritus and chief advisor at Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota, and is in process of publishing her second book. She is a familiar face in the media appearing regularly on Twin Cities Live. More info at AmaliaLLC.com.
Amalia's Guatemalan Kitchen- Available now
Club E will be joined by Jeff Redmon to discuss how companies can utilize cash within your company.
Jeff will show business owners how to find cash within their companies before seeking outside capital to meet their needs and goals. Cash is the fuel necessary to reduce debt, increase reserves, consistently fund payroll and expand. Jeff challenges business owners to be accountability for cash, the lifeblood of any organization. He shows simple ways to find cash and establish cash metrics much like we have for sales or production.
Learning Objectives:
• Recognize that Cash is operations it is not about finance
• A simple process to find cash within your operations
• How to develop cash metrics for your operations
About Jeff:
Jeff Redmon contributes to his clients living lives they love. He helps his clients safely achieving their business goals by leveraging his knowledge, experience and networks to each client’s advantage. Jeff as a trusted advisor to business owners, he challenges them to bring clarity to their vision, strategies and execution. Jeff is a senior certified Gravitas Impact Premium Coach. Jeff serves as one of their core advisors mentoring coaches worldwide; a valued contributor to their programs and content for the Gravitas global ecosystem.
Club E will be joined for a discussion by Author, Podcast Producer and Exit Strategy Consultant Julie Keyes.
You can order her book now on Amazon!
Event Summary:
We will be discussing her new book and podcast content and purposes.
1. To be an initial resource for business owners to become educated on how to prepare for an eventual transition. What is involved, when and who.
2. To be a Lead Generation tool for advisers to help warm up prospects and clients so they understand the need to take action vs sitting on their thumbs.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn how will the book and podcast help business owners
2. Learn how will the book and podcast help advisers
3. Learn how important it is now more than ever for owners to take action with the help of advisers along the way
About Julie:
Julie speaks and instructs at a national level on the topics of Exit and Transition Planning. As a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) with more than 28 years’ experience in business planning, development and management, she has plenty of stories to share that her audiences can relate to, whether they are business owners or the advisers who represent them. They learn from and are engaged by the content she delivers and at a very actionable level. She also produces a Podcast show called "Poised for Exit" that follows the book she wrote of the same name, that helps business owners plan for a successful business transition.
Business Strategy: Her years of experience in business ownership and management have provided her with the kind of hands-on knowledge that is earned over time and gives her a unique edge when working with her business owner clients or speaking to groups. She specializes in Growth Strategy and Exit Planning for business owners with revenues of $5-30M.
Exit Planning: Having her as your Exit Planner, means you have a CEPA and faculty member for the Exit Planning Institute working at your side. She's committed to every client's successful, lucrative exit. No one works forever and planning your transition takes more time that you think. Don't try to DIY. She also teaches and speaks to professional advisers from across disciplines on the subject of Exit and Transition Planning so they can be better educated in the Exit Planning Process. Her approach to the process of exit and transition planning is always collaborative. She believes that every owner needs a trusted team of advisers from across disciplines to obtain the best possible exit or transition outcome.
For Speaking schedule and Information, Business Owner Exit Planning or Business Strategy Advice, email or call:
Julie@keyestrategies.com or 763-350-5563
Club E will be joined by Faz K. Bashi, MD to discuss his career as an entrepreneur and and angel investor.
Tune in for insights and trends within the minds of angel investors. With the lack of institutional investors in the Midwest startup space, angel investors fill an addressable gap in the start up funding ecosystem.
About Faz:
Faz K. Bashi, MD, has a research background in Immunology and Virology from UCSF. He is an active member of Life Science Angel's (LSA) in Silicon Valley. He is a member of Berkeley Angel Network. He is also Lead Venture Investor with Portfolia's FemTech Fund I, and soon to be announced FemTech Fund II, focused on female health and wellness. He is very active in the Animal Health space, and is co-Founder, Board member, Investor & Advisor to Anubis Bio; an all-natural food-tech platform with first product scaling in revenue in USA and Korea, called DoggyStat ( https://doggystat.com/ ).
He served a 3-year term as Board Member of the Angel Capital Association (ACA) where he continues to be Chair of the ACA's Life Sciences Syndication group. He is active with UCSF’s Entrepreneurship Startup 101 and Lean Launchpad, external advisory board member for UCSF's CTSI and Johns Hopkins' CBID (https://cbid.bme.jhu.edu/), Mentor for women entrepreneur leaders at both CSweetener.org and Springboard Enterprises (www.sb.co) Life Sciences Council.
He volunteers his time with Peninsula Bridge program to help the underserved kids of East Palo Alto get inspired about their futures via education. He is committed to helping find treatments for Tinnitus, Autism, Lupus, and Vascular diseases. He completed several triathlons with Team-In-Training to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Club E will be joined by Anna Struss to discuss how you can improve your health.
A recent Mayo Clinic study shows that business owners and executives are at a greater risk for sleep deprivation, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. 2020 has undoubtedly shown the importance of health, tune in to learn more about how changing a few small habits that can make a compounding impact.
Questions to ask yourself:
Who are you being?
What is possible, still!?
Who are you in service to? The story line we hold on to.
What past life events are you committed to that are shaping your now, your future?
How are you showing up to life day to day?
About Anna:
Anna Struss is the founder of Tangled Anchor, a health coaching and event management company.
As a certified health coach, Anna empowers her clients, both personal and professional, to create lasting habit change and move towards the intentions they are out to achieve.
In the essence of events; Anna creates her own experiential events as wells as works with companies to bring their desired event vision powerfully to life.
Tangled Anchor - Clarity in the Chaos!
Club E will be joined by Emilee Struss to discuss making the transition from part-time passion to full-time lifestyle.
Do you have a side hustle? A passion project? Whatever it is, it is not to be taken lightly. This talk is about making the transition from your part-time passion to a full-time lifestyle.
Takeaways:
- Gaining the confidence in what you’re already good at.
-
Gaining the community to support you to make the transition.
-
Learning how to take small steps that add up over time.
About Emilee:
Emilee Mae Struss is a writer, yoga teacher, and free thinker. She grew up in the Brainerd Lakes Area and attended school at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she graduated with a degree in Creative Writing. Emilee has traveled to several other countries working with nonprofits as a volunteer writer. In 2016, she decided to quit pursuit of all things outside of her passion—writing. She now is a full-time writer, and encourages others to pursue their passions, fully.
Club E will be joined by Napoleon Howell of Deloitte Consulting to discuss how the future of the financial services industry.
With Industry 4.0 underway, businesses will need to reimagine how they operate from a people, process and technology perspective in order to stay competitive. This conversation examines the challenges and opportunities that exist in Industry 4.0, while discussing its overall impact on the financial services industry.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain a baseline understanding of what Industry 4.0 means and its impact on the wider business community
- Learn about the challenges and opportunities that exist in Industry 4.0
- Learn about the key enabling capabilities that exist in Industry 4.0
- Learn about how the Financial Services industry is being impacted
About Napoleon:
Napoleon is a Senior Consultant in Deloitte’s Strategy and Operations practice with a focus on Corporate Strategy. Napoleon's primary experience has been working on corporate and business unit strategic planning and prioritization initiatives, innovation strategy, competitive positioning, go-to-market strategy, data and analytics strategy, and operating model strategies for large Life, Annuity and P&C Insurance clients. Napoleon also has experience working on functional and business unit strategy for large Asset Management and Commercial Banking clients.
Napoleon is an emerging DEI leader within Deloitte and his wider community. Napoleon graduated with his MBA from the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management.
Our Speaker's: Thomas Paulson and Patrick Mulvehill
Speaker's Contact Information:
Thomas Paulson
Email:Thomas@InflectionCapital.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-paulson-09ab52b/
Patrick Mulvehill
Email: patrick@bazteccapital.com
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-mulvehill-b066904/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker(s): John C. Levy, Special Counsel at Nilan Johnson Lewis PA | Founder and President of MN Food Truck Association | Stephanie March Senior Editor, Food & Dining at Mpls. St. Paul Magazine
John's Contact Information
Website: https://nilanjohnson.com/ , https://www.mnfoodtruckassociation.org/
Email: jlevy@nilanjohnson.com
Stephanie's Contact Information
Email: StephM@mspmag.com
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Julie Keyes
Eddie's Contact Information:
Email: julie@keyestrategies.com
Website: www.keyestrategies.com www.poisedforexit.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliekeyes
Twitter: @juliekeyes
Link to purchase Poised for Exit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1952233135
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Daniel Moshe, Founder of Tech Guru
Website: https://www.techguruit.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/immoshe
Email: Daniel@techguruit.com
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Todd Eberhardt
Todd's Contact Information:
Email: Todd@DynastyLC.com
Website: www.DynastyLC.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-eberhardt/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: David Mann Founder of Simple Message
Website: https://asimplemessage.com/
Info and registration for our upcoming event on Thursday April 23rd at 8:30am with Neuromarketing Expert Terry Wu, Ph.D. on the topic of Understanding Your Customers' Emotional Decisions During a Crisis: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understand-your-customers-emotional-decisions-during-a-crisis-tickets-103255419740
Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), Michael Vekich, shares insight on the behind-the-scenes operation of U.S. Bank Stadium. Join Club E on Monday, September 28 at noon to learn more about how the MSFA is preparing the stadium for a safe return to hosting events. This Q&A discussion will highlight the effects of the pandemic on guest and employee safety, business interruption, technology, and the future of live events at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Tune in to gain valuable insight on how the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and U.S. Bank Stadium are navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and to engage in thoughtful discussions about updated technologies, protocols and strategies for the safety of guests and employees with the return of live events
.
About Michael:
Michael Vekich has served as the Chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, the governing board that represents the State of Minnesota’s ownership and oversight of U.S. Bank Stadium, since July 2017. Chair Vekich is an experienced senior executive known for innovative and effective leadership of complex organizations with a proven track record of providing business and financial counsel. Also known as Minnesota’s “go to guy.” He has consistently demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, finance, compliance, governance, succession planning and resource alignment.
In addition to his leadership and guidance of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, Chair Vekich also serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; CEO, Vekich Chartered; Chair of BNCCorp and BNC National Bank and providing leadership through other private and not-for-profit boards. He previously served as President/Chair the Bank Holding Company Association, and twice as the Acting Director of the Minnesota Lottery and Chair of the Minnesota Board of Accountancy. Vekich earned his degree from the University of Minnesota.
U.S. Bank Stadium Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Today's Topic: Employee Ownership Trusts: An ESOP Alternative
Our Speaker: Rick Plympton, Christopher Michael, Sue Crockett
Club E will be joined by Sue Crockett, Rick Plympton and Christopher Michael to discuss Employee Ownership Trusts. You can also watch live on our YouTube Channel.
Selling to an employee ownership trust (EOT) should be considered as an alternative to an ESOP where the cost of an ESOP is a major consideration.
You will come away from this event with the "Why" to use an EOT instead of an ESOP, the "How" to transition to an EOT, and the "Where" to look for further guidance.
About our panelists-
Rick Plympton:
Rick Plympton is the CEO of Optimax, a precision optics manufacturer in Ontario, NY. He has provided leadership and vision over the past 25 years needed to grow Optimax from a small start-up to America’s largest precision optics manufacturer.
Christopher Michael:
Chris is responsible for developing the perpetual purpose trust as a new legal mechanism for employee ownership in the United States and has published articles introducing the concept in leading peer-reviewed law journals, including Tax Notes and Probate & Property.
Sue Crockett:
Sue is the Executive Director of the MN Center for Employee Ownership (MNCEO) a non-profit organization created to educate business owners, advisors, community leaders, and members of local and state government entities.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Club E will be joined by Chad Johnson, Dean Willer and Ben Hangge for a discussion on the state of the state for exit strategies and the trends they see coming for 2021.
Tune in to hear updates on exit strategies from a diverse panel of experts and what business owners looking to exit in the next 24 months should be now in preparation.
About our speakers:
Chad Johnson: Chad Johnson is a Managing Partner in Cherry Tree & Associates’ investment banking practice, where he has worked since 2007. At Cherry Tree, Chad advises business owners and executives in buy- and sell-side M&A negotiations, specializing in software businesses, software-as-a-service companies, and education technology.
Dean Willer: Dean Willer is a shareholder and chair of Winthrop & Weinstine’s Corporate group, where he represents closely held businesses and middle market private equity funds and portfolio who are acquiring, selling, recapitalizing or reorganizing their businesses.
Ben Hangge: Ben Hangge is a Vice President / Commercial Banker at Highland Bank, where he provides financing for lower middle-market businesses. Ben specializes in ownership change transactions. He works with individual buyers, strategic buyers, private equity firms and buyout situations.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Helping Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners See Their Financial Future
Our Speaker: Roger Scherping | roger@projectionSmart.com
Club E will be joined by Roger Scherping to discuss how entrepreneurs and small business owners who do not have a finance or accounting background can make forward-looking, finance-based decisions.
Startups and small businesses fail every year, and one reason why is that they don’t understand how their business decisions impact their cash flow. ProjectionSmart was created to help small business owners who don’t have a background in finance or accounting make better business decisions by giving them a simple way to understand the financial impact of their decisions.
What you'll gain from joining us:
• Learn why it is important for small business owners to see their financial future.
• Learn about a resource that was created for the non-financial entrepreneur or small business owner to easily do financial projections.
About Roger:
Roger Scherping has spent 20 years managing small companies. Most of them were struggling or in trouble, and he was always able to get the companies back on their feet and on a path to profitable growth. Along the way, he read Traction and learned that the name for what he does is Integrator. Today he works as a fractional Integrator at companies that use the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: RCDView—Simpler Can Be Better
Our Speaker: Scott Rydberg | scott@rivercitydata.com
Club E will be joined by Scott Rydberg to learn about how you can digitize and manage your physical documents.
As a Kofax Capture Certified Document Conversion Center, River City Data is the Midwest’s premier document management company. From document imaging and content management to compliance and security, River City Data has the expertise and experience to make your document management process simple, efficient, and cost-effective.
They work with your team to ensure the smoothest data conversion available with the privacy and security you require.
Learning objectives:
-
More is not always better.
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Cost is king.
-
What do you really need.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Pivoting Against All Odds
Our Speaker: Sandy Hansen-Wolff | sandy@agventurefeeds.com
Club E will be joined by Sandy Hansen-Wolff to discuss the art of pivoting in a sink-or-swim situation.
Many entrepreneurs are faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. Sandy offers input, platforms for managing emotions and pivoting when quitting seems like the best option. She has survived business pivots at the time of her first husband’s death, during severe industry downturns as well as during the recent pivots due to Covid.
Learning Objectives:
• Thinking & acting creatively under pressure
• Making bold decision with limited resources & information
• Intuitive decision making as key factor in choosing next steps
About Sandy:
Sandy owns New Heritage Feed Co., SandyHansenWolff.com, her speaking, coaching and consulting business, and AgVenture Feed & Seed Inc.. Sandy was thrust into entrepreneurship when her young husband died and she assumed ownership of her late husband’s company. Sandy’s story of tragedy and crisis leadership became a platform for speaking and consulting. She is a featured keynote and workshop leader at many conferences and special events. Sandy is also a certified executive and leadership coach and consults with leaders, and businesses to build large vision into action plans and successful outcomes.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: How to get in early on the independent career movement.
Our Speaker: John Arms | john.arms@voyageuru.com
Club E will be joined by John Arms to discuss the future of independent careers. You can also watch live on our YouTube Channel.
Independent careers are one of the few bright spots in the US economy. Why? For businesses it’s simple economics. You cost businesses 3 times less as an independent professional than you do as a full timer. For professionals, the independent career creates multiple revenue streams and more freedom, which is far less risky in today’s economy than a full time job.
You'll come away from our event with a better understanding of;
- What is the difference between a FT job and independent career?
- How do I explore creating my own independent career?
- How do I transition to an independent career?
About John:
John Arms, Co-Founder of Voyageur U.
I enjoy finding open territory in the marketplace and exploring how to get in there to create new, different or better solutions. With Voyageur U I am focused on the market migration from the traditional full time job career to the non-traditional independent career. It's a fascinating space with a ton of oxygen in it, tail winds and experimentation. I also have a small sales and marketing practice, recently sold an ad agency that I built and ran for 14 years and have a book on deck for 2021. (Time willing!)
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Navigating PPP loan forgiveness
Our Speaker: Kim Storey | customer.service@highland.bank
Club E will be joined by Kim Storey of Highland Bank to discuss how to navigate the PPP loan forgiveness portal. Join for tips on how to submit a PPP forgiveness application and important content to include in your application.
About Kim:
Kim Storey is senior vice president and Director of SBA Lending at Highland Bank, a Minnesota top 10 SBA preferred lender. She joined Highland Bank in 2002 and has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry. Storey serves on the Board of Directors for SPEDCO, currently Treasurer, and is a member of the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Harnessing the Power of Digital Payment Solutions
Our Speaker:Bryan Burk | bryan.burk@e-hps.com and Kathie Olson | katherine.olson@e-hps.com
Club E will be joined by Bryan Burk and Kathie Olson to discuss the power of digital payment solutions.
Digital payment options are a necessity for every type of business. While trends for digital payment transitions were already trending strongly upward at the start of 2020, the impact of the pandemic has caused 3 years of trend forecasts to be reached in just a matter of weeks. Unfortunately, many businesses are either adding on solutions without vetting their true net cost and risk, or simply choosing to continue using the same familiar outdated practices and losing customers to businesses that make it easier to pay. Learn what options are best for your business, and how to vet out the right solution.
Learning Objectives:
1) Understand the scope of digital payment options
2) Understand the costs associated with digital transactions and how they can be minimized or offset
3) Learn how to identify a solution that best serves your business
About our speakers:
Bryan Burk:
As a Relationship Manager at Heartland, I specialize in business solutions and helping businesses identify areas that can be streamlined and updated. These enhancements will generate more money to the bottom line and offer a path to future growth. I can honestly say that every day I look forward to the new things I'll learn and the people I'll interact with. Everyday is different and challenging but also rewarding. I am an entrepreneur, respectfully serving entrepreneurs.
Katherine Olson:
I am on a mission to recognize, activate and grow individuals and organizations to create exceptional outcomes for humanity. As the Division Manager for our Payments and Payroll teams here in Minnesota, I get to help people be their best, give their best, and live their best, in service to business owners all across the country.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg -
Club E Will be joined by Sue Crockett, Tom Crouse, Bruce Christensen, Benjamin Tsai and Dan Markowitz
Over the next 10 years, more than 2.4 million U.S. businesses owned by retiring baby boomers will change hands or dissolve and unfortunately studies show that more than half of all small business owners do not have a succession plan.
Employee ownership is a business model in which employees collectively own a percentageof the business for which they work. Two of the main forms are Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) and Worker Cooperatives. In both, employees are given a financial stake in the business. As the business prospers, employees prosper. Today’s session will provide the story of two businesses that converted to an employee ownership model and some of the basic technical aspects that went into the transition.
Our Speakers: Sue Crockett, Tom Crouse, Bruce Christensen, Benjamin Tsai and Dan Markowitz
Sue Crockett | scrockett@mnceo.org
Sue is the Executive Director of MNCEO aimed to educate business owners and their employees on the benefits of employee ownership via Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), worker cooperatives, and Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs). It is our mission to turn the state of Minnesota into a place where every working person can also be an employee owner.
Tom Crouse | tcrouse@happyearthcleaning.com
Tom Crouse has been a Writer and Editor in the Twin Cities of MN for nearly a decade under the pen name T. Martin Crouse. He’s worked for publications like “City Pages” and founded the indie publishing company Sic Semper Serpent in 2012. As a Salesman, he uses his copywriting talents for the greater good. After a leading role in converting Happy Earth Cleaning into a Co-op, Tom is dedicated to helping more businesses transform into an employee-ownership model
Bruce Christensen| bchristensen@christensengroup.com
Bruce joined Christensen Group in 1979. He acquired the company in 1985 from Gene Christensen, the company’s founder. At Christensen Group, Bruce’s primary role is village elder and business succession. The company’s 2006 sale to the ESOP launched the financial phase of corporate succession. Bruce leads the company’s second phase - leadership succession.
Benjamin Tsai | Btsai@nexuscp.org
Benjamin Tsai is Program Manager of The Worker Ownership Initiative (WOI) at Nexus Community Partners. This program assists with the conversion of privately-owned businesses into employee-owned co-ops. Our goal is to help business owners utilize employee ownership as a succession strategy, with the aim of keeping businesses and jobs rooted in local communities. Benjamin comes to Nexus with 17 years of experience in the cooperative sector. He co-founded The Hub Bike Co-op in 2002 and served as CEO and Development Coordinator. He has since moved on to work as a consultant for other co-ops and nonprofits.
Dan Markowitz | dmarkowitz@boulaygroup.com
Dan Markowitz, CPA, is the leader of Boulay’s ESOP practice. He specializes in audit and other financial reporting engagements for public, private and ESOP-owned clients in a variety of industries including retail, engineering, professional services, real estate, and manufacturing and distribution. Dan analyzes business operations to provide recommendations for enhancing overall business performance, and he provides financial and consulting services to ESOP companies, including ESOP feasibility studies, ESOP sustainability projects, repurchase obligation studies, and managing annual ESOP administration. Dan also leads the due diligence team in evaluating the financial and operational reporting system of acquisition target companies, and he assists clients with merger and acquisition activities, including deal structuring, tax impact of transaction, and quality of earnings reports.
Today's Topic: Agile Business Development
Our Speaker: Mark Wyatt | mark@webwyatt.com
Club E will be joined by Mark Wyatt for a discussion on Agile Business Development and how it can be utilized by technology firms to ignite their sales and marketing teams.
The Agile Business Development process is designed to help technology firms grow their business. This involves a hands on approach with each opportunity, from cradle to grave. Which includes the lead generation process, funnel analysis, the message, the offering, appointments, and closing the deal.
Learn how technology companies are benefiting from implementing this process with their sales and marketing teams. We will learn how to properly analyze a sales funnel. How to implement a micro campaign and what is involved in a sales/marketing sprint and retrospective. Also we will look at how to improve a marketing message and offering.
About Mark Wyatt:
For over 20 years Mark has been selling, designing and implementing custom solutions and applications for organizations of all sizes and in multiple industries. His strong understanding of current technologies and products, as well as the ability to quickly grasp new technologies has enabled him to exceed expectations on each project. With extensive management experience, he is able to resolve issues and motivate people to produce their best.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Technovation[MN] Sparking Technology and Entrepreneur Skills in Girls
Our Speaker: Lisa Schlosser | Lisa.schlosser@technovationmn.org
Club E will be joined by Lisa Schosser to discuss how Technovation[MN] is educating the next generation women in technology skills and entrepreneurship.
With a pandemic and social unrest creating challenging times for our communities, it is more important than ever that we equip our youth with the skills needed to impact their communities in positive ways. Technovation[MN] inspires and empowers girls to leverage technology to make an impact on their communities. Learn how you can become part of building a future diverse workforce.
Learning Objectives:
Technovation[MN] program overview
Learn how you can contribute to building a diverse future workforce in technology and entrepreneurship
About Lisa:
Lisa Schlosser is the Executive Director of Technovation[MN], a not for profit organization that inspires and empowers girls to build technology to make a positive impact on their communities.
Lisa has over 30 years of experience in information technology, holding several programming and leadership positions throughout her career, including her last role as Chief Technology Officer for FindLaw, a Thomson Reuters business.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: John Morris, Partner at B2B CFO
John's Contact Information
Email: johnmorris@b2bcfo.com
Website: https://www.b2bcfo.com/, https://www.b2bcfo.com/john-morris/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmorriscfo/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg -https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Scott Clasen, Director of Marketing at TimeSolv
Website: https://www.timesolv.com/
Our Speaker: Jim Zuehlke, President of Cardinal Board Services
Eddie's Contact Information:
Email: jimz@cardinalboardservices.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-zuehlke/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Benefits of Partnering with an independent finance company vs Traditional Funding Sources
Our Speaker's: Spencer Thomas & Erin Rasmus
Learn about your alternative finance options and how to best position yourself for the maximum approvals.
Generally, businesses in all phases of their life cycle look to their traditional bank relationships for all their financing needs, however, it is beneficial to leverage alternative sources, like KLC.
Spencer: Spencer Thomas serves as President of KLC Financial. He has 21 years of experience in the equipment leasing and financing industry holding positions from business development to executive management.
Erin: Originally from the Solar and Energy Efficiency Financing world transitioned nearly 3 years ago to Business Development in Equipment Finance for KLC Financial. She focuses on building vendor programs as well as leveraging the connections made through networking groups.
Contact Information:
Spencer Thomas- spencer@klcfinancial.com
Erin Rasmus- Erin@klcfinancial.com
KLC Financial- https://KLCFinancial.com/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Messaging During Crisis
Our Speaker's: David Mann
Contact Information:
David Mann: david@asimplemessage.com
David and Rick are both parts of Breakthrough Hub, a new group of local business specialists who are offering free assistance to businesses impacted by Covid-19. David’s expertise is how to use language, story, and messaging to be heard above the noise. In the current crisis, companies have to master those skills or risk vanishing. David and Rick will discuss Breakthrough Hub, messaging, and how to get business moving again.
Learning Objective:
-
How Breakthrough Hub could potentially help you or business close to you
-
How messaging and storytelling are more important now than ever.
-
Ways virtual business can work for you or against you
About David:
David Mann is a story specialist who teaches professionals how to make an impact by clarifying their message. He has combined his decades of experience as a theater artist with the needs of leaders, sales teams, and lawyers to help them grow their businesses and win cases for their clients. David has presented and facilitated learning seminars at Fortune 500 companies and major nonprofit organizations nationwide. In his capacity as a persuasive story specialist for lawyers, David is on the faculty of Loyola School of Law and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: How do you forecast in times like these?
Our Speaker: Matt Crane | mcrane@boulaygroup.com
Club E will be joined by Matt Crane of Boulay to discuss how a business owner can make forecasts during times of economic uncertainties. If you are interested in understanding how companies navigate through challenging business environments and make timely and thoughtful decisions about their businesses this event is for you.
The topic will include:
- How companies manage cash flows and make decisions in tumultuous times
- Understanding cash needs and bank reporting
- Forecasting and budgeting techniques including zero-based budgets
- How PPP loans impacted the way companies operate
About Matt:
Matt is a partner and CPA at Boulay where he serves as an advisor to clients in a variety of industries including engineering and architecture, manufacturing and distribution, software, sports and entertainment, and renewable energy. He works with entrepreneurs and executive leadership teams of closely held businesses, SEC reporting companies, and ESOP-owned companies on complex business issues including debt financing and stock offerings, mergers and acquisition due diligence, tax avoidance opportunities, and business strategy. Matt has a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College and an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Click 'N Mortar
Our Speaker's: Craig Rhode
Contact Information:
Craig Rhode: craigrhode@romainberg.com
Club E will be joined by Craig Rhode of Romain Berg to discuss the future of omni-channel shopping experiences.
COVID accelerated the already rapid cannibalization of the physical retail space. According to a recent Forbes article- it accelerated eCommerce growth 4-6 years.
Increased uptake of online shopping from consumers who moved online while brick-and-mortar stores were closed is also a big part of what’s driving the increase. Many consumers have turned to online shopping for the first time, with 12.2% growth for new online shoppers 65 and older.
The growth has been at such a rapid pace that a recent JLL report stated the US will need to add 1 billion square feet of warehouse space by 2025 to keep up with demand.
Tune in to learn more about why you need to embrace both in-person and an online presence to succeed.
About Craig:
Since my days in High School, I have always been in love with the power of the Internet. I am one of the first kids in high school to have a modem and the ability to connect to the local BBS systems, which would turn into what we know as the Internet. I was offered independent studies during my junior and senior years to work on websites and even install an email server.
My primary philosophy when it comes to Digital Marketing is that everything is connected. Successful digital marketing campaigns involve multiple elements that work together. For example, investing in search engine optimization for your business is an essential step towards increasing your sales, but not all the traffic generated from search engine optimization won’t convert on the first visit. Adding extra elements like advance retargeting, email list building and social media engagement allow you to secure that investment in search engine optimization.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Franchising: What Makes A Successful Model
Our Speaker's: John Francis
Contact Information:
John Francis: John@johnnyfranchise.com
Club E will be joined by John Francis aka Johnny Franchise to discuss franchises.
Franchising: like anything, has its advantages and disadvantages, John Francis will share ideas about this and how to make the MOST of the franchise model. This is for those who want to franchise their business, or those considering buying a franchise.
Learning objectives:
Gain an understanding of when franchising works or fails?
Why does it work or not?
What to do and where to get help?
About John:
John Francis is a franchising industry expert and consultant with 30+ years of experience offering level headed expertise. Having been a franchisor and franchisee multiple times in multiple brands, he shares expertise through coaching, speaking, and board consulting work - working to improve results. Married 20 years, 2 teenage daughters. Graduate of the University of St Thomas.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker's: Roshini Rajkumar
Speaker's Contact Information:
Roshini Rajkumar
Email: roshini@roshinigroup.com
Website: https://roshinigroup.com/
REAL Talk with Roshini: https://wccoradio.radio.com/media/podcast/real-talk-with-roshini
Real Leaders with Roshini: https://wccoradio.radio.com/media/podcast/real-leaders-with-roshini
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roshinirajkumar/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Scott's Contact Information:
Email: scott@scottpropp.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpropp/
Website: http://scottpropp.com/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Business Agility: Pivoting in a Pandemic
Our Speaker's: Lisa David
Contact Information:
Lisa David: ldavid@ecapitaladvisors.com
Club E will be joined by Lisa David to discuss how you can reignite your business with a strategic pivot.
We currently operate in a world with an extraordinary level of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). In response, organizations must be more adaptive, creative and resilient, i.e. they need to develop and maintain a high degree of Business Agility.
Businesses need to be able to adjust quickly to changing markets, but how do business leaders know that they are making the right changes that are productive, cost-efficient and a provide a competitive advantage with so much uncertainty? This is why scenario planning and forecasting has never been more critical to businesses.
Lisa will describe best practices, tools, and techniques that leverage existing financial platforms and blending in external data sources to give organizations an “unfair advantage” over their competition.
Attendees will come away with actionable advice for leadership teams looking to maximize the ROI from existing data analytics platforms by leveraging external data sources with internal data platforms that guide the decision-making process.
Lisa will provide real-world examples of organizations that have leveraged these practices and who are now driving greater revenues than in the pre-pandemic economy.
About Lisa:
As a partner for eCapital Advisors, Lisa David brings her extensive experience as a sales leader and technology expert to her role in business development. Her favorite part of the job is the “before and after” of how analytics meaningfully improved a customer’s financial outcomes. Lisa has a B.A. in Accounting with CPA certification. She passionately supports women in business and belongs to key woman’s groups in Minneapolis and nationally, including the Women Presidents’ Organization.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Are You Board Ready? How to Land Your First Corporate Board Role.
Our Speaker's: Anne Sample, Patti O'Leary, and Shay Wyley
Contact Information:
Anne Sample: Anne@navigateforward.com
Patti O'Leary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patti-o-leary-81a2007/
Shay Wyley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaywyley/
Navigate Forward:
Many senior leaders aspire to serve on a public or privately held corporate board. It is a great way to leverage your expertise in a new way, grow professionally, and make meaningful contributions to respected organizations. But, moving from hands-on leadership to an oversight role means leveraging your skills and experience differently. In this session, Navigate Forward experts Anne Sample and Patti O’Leary will share what it takes for senior leaders to pivot to be “board ready.” Shay Wyley, a current Board director who serves on three corporate boards, will provide a firsthand perspective.
Learning Objectives:
Improve Individual Board Readiness and Preparation
Clarify what Boards are looking for from new Board Members (both overall trends and impact of recent events)
Clarify time commitment and workload associated with Board roles
Anne Sample is the CEO and owner of Navigate Forward, a boutique consulting firm which provides highly customized support to senior executives who are currently in transition, planning a change in the future or seeking board service, Anne is an experienced business and HR leader with a track record of leading transformation and developing talent. In her early career, Anne worked in a variety of HR and strategy roles for Whirlpool, Pepsi, Walker Digital and Citibank.
.
Patti O’Leary is a Navigate Forward consultant experienced in executive search and in dynamic corporate environments. She leverages her knowledge to help clients prepare for new career possibilities and board roles, clarify options, and develop essential tools and skills to effectively compete and achieve their ambitions in today’s executive employment marketplace. Previous to joining Navigate Forward, Patti spent 22 years as a Principal at O’Leary & Grant, a Minneapolis based executive search firm. She has advised C-suite executives in global, national, and entrepreneurial companies in their pursuit of recruiting talented leaders. Before co-founding O’Leary & Grant, Patti held corporate leadership roles with a Fortune 50 retailer and a leading financial services corporation.
Shay Wyley is an experienced Board Director and Advisor for several privately held companies and non-profits across a variety of industries. Currently, Shay serves on the boards of Park Industries, a leader in the stone working equipment industry, Kent Corporation, a large and diversified Agri-business and The Airtex Group, a leading designer and manufacturer in the textile industry. In his executive career, he has also engaged with joint venture boards in The Philippines and South Africa. Shay’s executive career included 27 years at General Mills Inc., from which he retired as Managing Director of the Haagen-Dazs International Restaurant business. For much of his career at General Mills, Shay was Managing Director of various international businesses and has completed expatriate assignments in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainber
Our Speaker's: Angie Johnson & Charlie Raeker
Contact Information:
Angie: Office (651) 379-7930 | Cell (507) 327-9098 | angie.johnson@northriskpartners.com
Charlie: Office (651) 379-7842 | Cell (612) 508-9695 | charlie.raeker@northriskpartners.com
Learning Objectives:
Realizing that insurance isn’t just a plain, old policy anymore, but rather a plethora of resources and tools that can be used to help one's business run more effectively and efficiently.
Identifying different ways an insured can help lower their premium.
About Angie:
Angie is a Risk Advisor who began her insurance career while interning at a township mutual in Story City, IA. After college, she continued her career in various commercial underwriting roles with Federated Insurance and Risk Administration Services. Additionally, Angie’s main passion and the majority of her career have been in the insurance agency where she has held roles from service to sales to operations management.
About Charlie:
Charlie is a Risk Advisor whose career in insurance started with North Risk Partners in 2018. After graduating from St. John’s University (MN), he excelled in working for a local hardware distributor in sales and account management. Charlie was approached by North Risk Partners due to his passion for assisting clients to the highest level and his great personality.
Charlie is a “hybrid producer” who handles both Property & Casualty insurance and Small Group Employee Benefits programs. This specialty allows him to dive deeper into the operations of the business to learn more about preventative risk management approaches versus the reactive insurance approaches of the past.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Today's Topic: Activating Strengths for Impact in a Changing World
Our Speaker's: Michele Krolczyk and Tricia Davidson
Contact Information:
Michele Krolczyk: Phone: 612-751-2965 | Email: michele@vivid360.net
Tricia Davidson: Phone: 612-877-0451 | Email: 4tricia.davidson@gmail.com
CliftonStrengths has long been used as a tool for positivity to elevate the strengths of people and heighten understanding around how to better communicate and collaborate as teams. More than ever, in these times of transition and stress, awareness of strengths, and how to activate them is an opportunity for us all to thrive.
Learning Objectives:
1) A brief understanding and overview of CliftonStrengths.
2) How learning and living Strengths is particularly relevant during this time of uncertainty.
3) Ideas around how to use strengths for positive impact as we transition into a new normal.
About the speakers:
Once upon a time, Michele and Tricia went to the same church, middle school, and high school. In 2019, they reconnected for coffee and chatted about shared values and beliefs and quickly realized their skills were quite complimentary. Michele's work coaching small to mid-sized businesses on vision, strategy, process, and accountability, coupled with Tricia's focus on strategic alignment, communications, and engagement make a powerful combo. And so, began a collaboration designed to help individuals and businesses grow.
Michele Krolczyk-
25+ yrs experience including: B2B ownership @ Mint Roofing, 6 yrs cooperative start-up/launch @ Harvest Moon, 8 yrs strategic communications @ USBank, EOS Implementer, StrengthsFinder Communicator Certification
Tricia Davidson-
25+ yrs experience including:
5 yrs consulting - business & brand strategy, Founding Partner @ Duffy & Partners Strategic, Branding and Design, 11 yrs agency leadership, business and talent development @ Fallon, EVP Consumer Engagement healthcare startup
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Joe Bloodworth
Eddie's Contact Information:
Email:
Website:
LinkedIn:
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Eric Mitchellette
Eric's Contact Information
Email: emitchellette@sbciusa.com
Website: | sbciusa.com/ | mitchellette.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericmitchellette/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/\
Our Speaker: Tucker Lee
Tucker's Contact Information:
Email: tuckerlee@romainberg.com
Website: https://www.romainberg.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuckerlee/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Eddie Rymer
Eddie's Contact Information:
Email: eddie.rymer@avisonyoung.com
Website: avisonyoung.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddierymer/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Darin Lynch, Founder of Irish Titan
Darin's Contact Information:
Email: darin.lynch@irishtitan.com
Website: irishtitan.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinlynch/
Irish Titan Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/irish-titan/
https://twitter.com/irish_titan
https://www.facebook.com/irishtitanonline/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/
Our Speaker: Anne Berg, Principal at Vyway® Market & Brand Strategy
Anne's Contact Information:
Email: anne@vyway.com
Website: https://www.vyway.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/VywayAnne...
Vyway Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/Vyway%C2%AE-Market-Brand-Strategy/
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
Boulay Group, CPA's - https://www.boulaygroup.com/
Irish Titan - https://irishtitan.com/
Highland Bank - https://highland.bank/
Minnesota Sales Institute - https://mnsales.com/
Romain Berg - https://www.romainberg.com/
The Network Connect - https://thenetworkconnect.com/