Work Cultured: Recent Episodes
Jason P. Carroll
Where good companies keep good company.
We talk to visionary leaders who create great work cultures. They share their secrets, struggles, and hopes for a better workplace.
Scott Francis, founder and CEO of BP3 Global, shares his journey from high school in Florida to starting his own company in Austin. He emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships and trust with his team. Scott discusses a mistake he made during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he underestimated the stress and fear that came with taking on private equity money. This led to a loss of trust with a key team member, highlighting the need for open communication and understanding. He also emphasizes the importance of taking breaks from work to reflect on neglected relationships and expectations. In this conversation, Scott Francis discusses the importance of culture in building a successful company. He emphasizes the need for leaders to make generous assumptions about people, empower their employees, and learn from mistakes. Scott shares that the superpower of a good culture is intrinsic motivation and the freedom to do meaningful work. He also highlights the importance of focusing on a few key areas of impact and giving back to the community. Scott plugs Magellan International School and the Austin Technology Council as organizations he is passionate about.
I hope you enjoy! Be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes!Jason
Jeff Kesler, President of Vertex Community Bank DFW, shares his journey in the banking industry and the importance of entrepreneurship and culture in banking. He emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes and continuously developing oneself as a leader. Kesler discusses the significance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in leadership and the role of a personal board of directors. He highlights the impact of banking on communities and the opportunities available in the industry.
I hope you enjoy! Be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes!Jason
Adam McGraw, co-founder and CEO of Crew, shares his journey of finding his passion and purpose in life and how it led him to create a support ecosystem for leaders. He emphasizes the importance of defining success for oneself and not relying on external indicators like titles and awards. McGraw discusses the challenges of monetizing one's passion, pivoting from a stable career, and avoiding burnout. He highlights the need for a judge-free zone where leaders can be their authentic selves and find meaning and fulfillment in both their personal and professional lives. In this conversation, Adam McGraw and Jason P. Carroll discuss the importance of trying new things and making intentional mistakes in order to learn and grow. They emphasize that it's okay to pivot and prioritize stability and well-being if a chosen path becomes unsustainable. They also highlight the value of patience in achieving long-term success and fulfillment. Adam shares insights about his startup, Crew, and the importance of building a diverse and supportive leadership community. The conversation concludes with a fun rapid-fire round of questions.I hope you enjoy! Be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes!Jason
Jeff Kesler, CEO of Vertex Community Bank, shares his journey in the banking industry and the importance of entrepreneurship and culture in banking. He emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes and continuously developing oneself as a leader. Kesler discusses the significance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in leadership and the role of a personal board of directors. He highlights the impact of banking on communities and the opportunities available in the industry.
I hope you enjoy! Be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes!Jason
In this episode of the Work Cultured podcast, Jason P. Carroll interviews Jeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Styling Lounge. Jeff shares his journey from a career in computer programming to the military and eventually becoming a multi-unit operator and investor. He also discusses a mistake he made in leadership and the importance of emotional intelligence. Jeff emphasizes the value of relationships in business and the challenges of building a strong leadership team. He recommends the book 'The Comfort Crisis' by Michael Easter and highlights the unique experience offered by Boardroom Styling Lounge.00:00 Introduction and Overview03:39 Building Relationships and Following Great People10:09 The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership31:32 Book Recommendation: 'The Comfort Crisis' by Michael Easter35:12 Boardroom Styling Lounge: A Unique and Relaxing Experience for Men
I hope you enjoy this fantastic episode. Be sure to like and subscribe so you don't miss any episodes!Jason
I talk to Evan Erdberg, co-founder of Proximity Learning, a virtual education company. Erdberg discusses his background in education and how he started the company to address inequities in the education system. He talks about the challenges of starting a virtual education company and the company's growth over the years. Erdberg also shares some of the mistakes he made while growing the company and some of its biggest wins, including providing access to education for under-resourced schools.
Evan Erdberg has over 16 years of online K-12 and Higher Education sales and Human Capital Management experience. He is the President and founder of Proximity Learning Inc., an industry leading K-12 virtual teacher staffing company that acts as the HR backup plan for over 100 school districts nationwide placing thousands of teachers in vacant classrooms. Prior to joining PLI, Evan held a Director level position at Teachscape, managing one of the largest implementations in the country of principal certification and teacher evaluation systems that incorporated student data.
Jeffery has built a company with a “serve others first” mentality at its core. Putting the right people in the right seats is key. We talk about the audition method as a primary tool for finding the right fit since a majority of his employees are developers. Then we talk about transitioning those folks into the company’s culture, vision, and values.
Through DevOps & Azure, he likes helping .Net teams be their best. High quality, short cycle time. The development team should be a place of joy, not a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Resources: blog @ jeffreypalermo.com - podcast @ www.AzureDevOps.show - company @ www.clear-measure.com
Travis’s mantra is “two is better than one.” We talk about how that overarching theme came about and how it impacts the culture of 49 Financial in a profound way. Oh, and he almost died and had brain surgery…that also played a small role in his story!
The financial industry has been in need of a major revolution for quite some time now. Somewhere along the way the deep care for another person and their finances was replaced by greed and inflated egos. Today, new advisors are thrown into a career with one of the lowest retention rates in the United States due primarily to being isolated and abandoned as they begin their practices.
Finances are one of the most important pieces of people's lives. They have the ability to bring overwhelming joy and peace while also enormous amounts of stress and discomfort. For something this important, it is our belief that walking through life with people and their finances is one of the most needed and rewarding ways to live out one's professional calling.
In this Work Cultured podcast episode, I interview Howard Baker, President and CEO of Greater Texas Credit Union and Aggieland Credit Union. Baker discusses his background in the financial industry, managing risk, work culture, and leadership mistakes. He emphasizes the importance of valuing people as more than just assets in the workplace and creating a positive work culture. The conversation also touches on the competitive and fragmented nature of the financial services industry and the benefits of credit unions.
A 29-year credit union veteran, Baker brings with him 15 years of experience from Security Service FCU in San Antonio where he held various leadership positions including 11 years as EVP & Chief of Staff. Prior to that, he worked for the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) in various high-level examiner and analyst positions for over 14 years.
Baker graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Finance & Economics. He served as chairman of several boards, including the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, LeadSA, New Braunfels Christian Academy, and Seton Home. He is a member of the McCoy School of Business Advisory Board at Texas State University, and former treasurer of the Greater New Braunfels Economic Development Foundation.
Penny Rychetsky, Board Chairman for Greater TEXAS Federal Credit Union said, “Howard brings a wealth of leadership, knowledge and a strong commitment to GTFCU and to the credit union philosophy. The credit union is fortunate to find a candidate with Howard’s experience and talent to lead us into the next chapter.”
Eric’s startup, Onramp, is a unique way for eCommerce companies to get to the next level with focused funding. They take great care of their employees, even to the point of giving stock options right off the bat. All that and plenty more covered in this episode.
Startup executive with a proven record of success exceeding business goals in multinational and start-up technology companies and a leader in early-stage software startups that have since generated more than $400M in shareholder returns through successful exits.
Proven ability to conceive and build revenue-generating businesses from the ground-up across the consumer, SMB, and enterprise markets. Expertise in each aspect of the product life cycle from strategic direction, product concept and development, marketing, business development, and operational implementation. Demonstrated success in building creative solutions and developing teams to penetrate new markets that transform P&L results.
Leader in creating innovative business models and products that support enterprise and SMB markets with private-label, OEM capabilities, and direct-to-consumer markets with compelling service and value propositions.
In 2014, Ty found himself paralyzed in a hospital bed and wasn’t sure if he’d ever walk again. The experience of not knowing how to make the best decision was overwhelming, so as he healed, he made it his mission to change the way consumers interact with healthcare. Listen in for his inspiring story.
He started as a Sales Manager in SocialClimb Working with industry groups including AAOE, AOC, AAOS, and OrthoForum to understand practice needs and deliver the marketing features and solutions they want.
Ty says: I enjoy the process of building innovative products, validating them with customers and delivering real value that moves a business into a strong position in its market.
I am a positive person with an abundance mentality who enjoys working with customers and partners. I enjoy learning and being challenged in the process of building businesses and helping others.
My wife and daughters are the center of my world and I love spending time with them. I aspire to become a better golfer and love to mountain bike.
Upswing is on a mission to change higher ed in profound ways. Even though the mission alone gets employees on board, Melvin puts culture at the forefront of his thought. Whether it’s a dedicated culture committee, all-hands offsites, or equipping employees for promotion…even if it’s outside of the company, he’s got a winning formula.
“Advocate for Nontraditional Students”
Melvin Hines, the co-founder of Upswing, sat on the steps of the classrooms his parents were in taking college classes at night as non-traditional students. Many years later he sat down with The Chronicle of Higher Education's Goldie Blumenstyk to talk about founding Upswing and why we're on a mission to create Real Results for Real Students.
These guys have revolutionized restauranting with state-of-the-art technology and a people-first foundation. They put their money where their mouth is and truly take care of their employees in a unique way. They each share tons of insights in one of the most unique episodes yet.
Previous to being the CEO and Co-founder of t’so Chinese, he was a member of the board of the “Greatest Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce” referring to a leading partner for driving local economic growth for businesses with ties to Asia and Asian Americans.
He also hosted the 2nd Annual Keep Feeding Austin Golf Tournament. With his friend, Jae Kim of Chi'Lantro, they have donated over $400,000 worth of food since the Covid pandemic started in 2020. Through their charitable initiatives, #tsogiving, and #chilantrocares they are planing to continue to feed and support the community.
Dr. Rangadass leads a company whose clients are literally changing the world. He and his employees all feel the positive impact of making such a difference day in and day out. 80%+ of L7 Informatics employees are either scientists or engineers which makes for a different feel than a typical company, but it doesn’t seem to present any additional challenges.
Audio Quality Note – Vasu’s audio was echoing the entire time. You may not be able to listen through with that issue occurring, and we completely understand. But we didn’t want to not post the episode.
Prior to L7 Informatics, Dr. Rangadass was the Chief Strategy Officer at NantHealth following its acquisition of Net.Orange, the company he founded to provide an enterprise-wide platform - Clinical Operating System (cOS) to simplify and optimize care delivery processes in health systems. As CEO of Net.Orange, Vasu is patented and developed an innovative healthcare framework (cOS™ - Clinical Operating System™) that results in superior performance for Healthcare Organizations and revolutionized the way healthcare IT systems are architected. The platform allowed for rapid development of healthcare applications at dramatically lower costs compared to the industry norms.
Bob ran Bridgepoint for 20+ years before selling the company and retiring. It was great getting a perspective of how the focus on culture and values has changed over the years and depending on the generation of employees. He shares the importance of having a succession plan and looking to younger generations and newer ideas over time.
Bob Smith has 30+ years of experience providing strategic business consulting services to stakeholders of high-growth organizations, including 22 years with Big Four accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He has also served as CFO of several early-stage technology companies.
Throughout his career, he has worked with a wide range of companies, from early-stage start-ups to multinational organizations, and has also been responsible for overseeing a number of IPOs.
Will’s been leading a remote workforce since the 90’s – way before it was cool! The work from home transition and leading a company of mostly engineers has not presented the challenges seen by many other companies. We talk more on that as well as values and other culture-related topics.
Will has been in his current role as CEO of Civitas Learning for 2 years, after a year as CTO. Before coming to Civitas, Will spent almost 20 years as a leader managing large technical, and engineering teams and most recently as CTO at Gerson Lerhman Group in New York City.
Lots of great conversation with Ryan Leahy, who built a successful company then was forced to start over from scratch and do it again. He credits a servant leadership mindset for much of his success. We talk about that, about empowering employees, and so much more.
Ryan was born and raised in Dallas, TX, and has served as a Mortgage Loan Originator for the past two decades. He began his mortgage career shortly after moving to Austin, Texas in 1995, where he currently resides. Having experienced the booms and busts of the housing industry over the last 20+ years, he’s developed tremendous experience on how to navigate the mortgage market and ensure his clients always receive the best care and attention, regardless of the environment.
We talk to Brandon Metcalf about the importance of self-awareness in leadership and surrounding ourselves with people who fill in the gaps. People work “with” Brandon, not “for” him. We also chat about the challenges of remote work, and in his case, overseas remote with a 10-hour time zone difference.
Brandon is used to being on a podcast as he hosts his own called Cash and Burn. He’s a repeat SaaS Founder as the CEO & Founder of Place, CEO & Founder of Blueprint Advisory, and was the President & Founder of Talent Rover.
Welcome to the first episode of season 2! We’re kicking things off strong with Meg Poag. She’s a leadership consultant who has seen the best and worst of company culture and how it affects the bottom line. When she’s working with leaders, she has to make them see that the pain of not changing is worse than the pain of change. This episode is full of gold nuggets.
Meg Poag is the CEO and Chief Consultant of Mission Squared. She is a visionary, proven leader in both local and national arenas, passionate about empowering other leaders to drive change, get better results, and solve organizations' most complex problems. She accomplished great success in the private and government sectors. Before founding Mission Squared in 2017, she served as the CEO of a nonprofit organization, growing the organization from a small, young startup nonprofit to a $3,500,000 annual operating budget with national acclaim and cross-sector impact.
Chris is innovating the SEO business with a unique, easy, and affordable approach. He’s built a wildly successful company, but it hasn’t been without some roadblocks. Listen in as we talk about successes and challenges along his journey from the Army to CEO of Direction.com.
We talk to Liz Ross about unlearning and relearning, building vision and values in the midst of mergers and acquisitions, the challenges of a fully remote org, and much more. Listen in for lots of nuggets including this quote from Alvin Toffler, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
Liz Ross is the President and CEO of Shift Paradigm and brings more than 26 years of experience leading some of the world’s most progressive and fastest-growing agencies. She is passionate about challenging the norm and inspiring marketers to be early adopters of innovative ideas and technology. As a dynamic leader accustomed to navigating today’s complex marketing world, Liz has pioneered brand-consumer relationships for clients such as General Motors, Delta, HP, General Electric, United Health Group, Michelin, Citibank, IBM, Clorox, Cox Communications, Hillshire Brands, Visa and Pepsi-Cola, to name a few.
So many topics covered! CEO's don't belong on a pedestal, how much words matter and how we need to rethink how we say certain things, learning how your employees think, and lots more.
JeVon McCormick was born the son of a Black pimp father, and a white single mother on welfare. Poverty, abuse, eviction, and discrimination were a daily part of his life. Today, he’s the CEO of Scribe Media, a multi-million dollar publishing company that was recently ranked the #1 Top Company Culture in America by Entrepreneur Magazine. JeVon’s experiences shaped a mindset for modern leadership that now guides his service as the CEO of a massively successful company that’s redefining the world of publishing.
Tim Hamilton is a massive wealth of knowledge. He started Praxent when he was 16 years old in high school. It's now a 22-year old company that has seen rapid growth just in recent years. Tim has poured tons of his effort into learning how to build good culture and take great care of people.
Tim founded Praxent 22 years ago on the belief that technology has the power to unlock human potential. Over that time he has worked to build a service-minded team of designers and technologists who have delivered over 300 digital innovation projects for clients such as Sysco Foods, NRG, Keller Williams and many more.
Jedd Soto, a former collegiate baseball coach with multiple players in the big leagues, turns fitness entrepreneur after a life-changing event. We weren't expecting to tear up on our 4th overall episode, but it's pretty inspiring to hear how Jedd shifted gears into focusing on what really matters.
We also talk about core values, finding the right fit, and more.
Jedd Soto is a former Division 1 athlete and 17-year head collegiate baseball coach. During his athletic career, Soto both played and coached in the College Baseball World Series. Following a successful career in athletics, Soto built the Academy of Visionary Leadership at Dell where he worked as a Global Commercial Channel specialist. He now resides in Austin, Texas with his family and part of a development team that owns three REGYMEN Fitness gyms in the area. In his role as business owner and area developer for REGYMEN Fitness, Soto manages construction at new sites, hires and trains directors and the REGYMEN leadership team. His goal is to help others pursue their passions and be the best versions of themselves through fitness.
Elijah May has been serial entrepreneuring before he knew the term entrepreneur. We talk about loads of topics, but listen to how culture shaped the beginnings of his career and how it was a life and death issue.
To quote his LinkedIn, "For me, the hard work worth doing is convincing companies to put people first. I am 100% certain that the key to building your business and making the world a better place at same time is a relentless obsession with the value you create for humans you touch."
Paige Velasquez Budde is an expert in branding and PR. I talk to her about her journey to CEO of Zilker media, her core values, and tips on how to build a personal brand that will ultimately bolster your business.
Paige is CEO & Partner at Zilker Media, an Austin-based agency building people-driven brands. She has been featured as a speaker on digital marketing strategy and led workshops at national venues such as Harvard Medical School, Austin’s own Alamo Drafthouse, and for organizations such as Women Presidents’ Organization and Camp Gladiator.
We talk to Tom Kieley about a slew of culture-related topics. Making mistakes, collaboration, going back into the office, and more.
Tom is the CEO of SourceDay and leverages a 16-year career in SaaS technology and operations, working for enterprise software providers including Asure Software, Actian and Dell. He's put together an incredible leadership team that has helped propel them into accelerated growth over the last few years.