SRE LIVE with Sergey Ross: Recent Episodes
Sergey Ross
SRE LIVE is an interview series of creators who stand out. From video producers to YouTubers and journalists. You’ll understand what makes their style unique, how they think, how they produce. You'll get to observe their mindset...and that is much more than a conventional “how to” advice.
Episode NotesNazar Risafi takes us backstage and behind the scenes of “How Crime Works” by Insider. This is a show revealing the inner workings of organised crime. It uncovers the business of crime, the structure supporting it, and the policies needed to stop the cycle.Nazar reveals how the show is built, secrets to having high profile guests answer interview questions effectively, how he edits videos, his team behind the scenes and lots more.
About Nazar Nazar Risafi is a video producer working with Insider's development team in the UK. Nazar has an extensive history in technical and editorial television and digital production in Arabic and English. He worked within planning, pre & post-production phases and understands the appropriate workflows, engagement targets, and ability to lead a production team through projects.Nazar has a demonstrated record of working in politics, current affairs, and media production. He is skilled in writing, strategy, leadership, identity development, voiceover, and social media. Nazar is experienced in management and has a clear sense of editorial judgment.
SHOW NOTES:00:14 | Episode intro and a quick bio of the guest Nazar Risafi00:54 | How he ended up at Business Insider to produce ‘How Crime Works Show.”01:52 | The number of episodes he has produced so far and the time it takes to produce one03:07 | Structuring the chapters of the show04:38 | The secret to having his clients answer the interview questions effectively07:40 | Does Nazar prepare the interview questions, and how does he structure them?09:49 | Topic, then guest or vice versa?11:25 | The criteria for picking his guests13:05 | The most unexpected way he has contacted his guests15:57 | How he gets the video footage and his way of editing19:03 | His team behind the journalism bits21:01 | His decision to have a more organic episode rather than having many voice-overs25:58 | Nazar’s fact-checking in the responses of the guests28:38 | If Nazar was to start again after “How Crime Works,” where would he start?31:13 | Episode wrap up31:25 | Guest’s takeaway and end of the show
Connect With Nazar:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazarrisafi/Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/alrisafi/
Portland Helmich, a real pro-storyteller, is sharing her career story in traditional media. We get into how she worked on immensely complex narrative style podcasts and documentaries, what it means to be authentic, self-awareness and more.
Key talking points:
- Portland’s thinking behind her career moves: how did she pick her projects
- Difference in writing for documentaries VS books VS articles
- Experience of hosting and writing an award-winning, fully narrated podcast “Stranglers”
- What it was like to host and fully produce a TV show “What's the Alternative?”
About Portland Helmich
Portland Helmich is a professional storyteller. Whether working as a TV host or actor, podcast host or voiceover talent, or behind the scenes as a television, film, or podcast producer and writer, she’s dedicated to telling stories that inform, enlighten, inspire, and entertain. TV Hosting Clips She covers a myriad of beats, but has a special interest in spreading awareness about natural and alternative forms of healing the body, mind, and spirit – how they not only address illness but also enhance overall well-being. Producing Samples Portland was also the host and one of the co-producers of Earwolf’s acclaimed podcast, Stranglers, which explored the highly complex Boston Strangler murder case that consumed the Boston Police Department and terrified the city of Boston from 1962-1964. In 2016, The Atlantic listed Stranglers seventh on its list of the top 50 podcasts of the year; GQ Magazine listed it first.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
A TV Pro with 9000 hours and 16 years of on-camera work, Darren Simons is as enthusiastic about presenting today as day one. He shares his secrets to ultimate authenticity as a TV presenter. We get tactical as well: working with teleprompters, doing live TV, finding the right energy balance and lots more.
Highlights worth highlighting:
- How Darren is coaching Youtubers to take their presentation to the next level
- Practical tidbits to be more authentic on screen
- Developing your own presentation style: what you need to know
- Disciple of live video
About David
Darren is a professional TV Presenter and Broadcast Media Trainer, working with many organisations. Darren successfully launched Aspire TV Presenter Training over 14 years ago, offering high quality media presentation training courses around the UK and worldwide and is also based at 3 Mills Studios in London, running TV Presenter Masterclasses every month - Aspire have also provided training for BBC and ITV.
After accumulating around 9000 hours of live TV, Darren is still extremely passionate about presenting on screen and has done so for over 16 years.
LINKS
Aspire TV Presenter Training https://www.aspirepresenting.com/
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Nigel Paine is an ex-Head of Training and Development at BBC. He joins me to talk about secrets of exceptional TV presenting, interviewing quirks, journalism in his career, and teleprompter techniques.
Highlights:
- How Nigel got into journalism
- Training BBC staff via newer courses and better tech in 2005, 2006
- You need natural ability to be truly great in your medium
- Reading from a teleprompter like a soulless robot: how to do better
- Interviewing people is nothing like a real world conversation
- Good presenter vs great presenter: what’s the difference (not just your personality)
- Nigel’s books, what they are about, key punchlines
About Nigel
Nigel Paine is a change-focused leader with a worldwide reputation and a unique grasp of media, learning and development in the public, private and academic sectors. He has extensive experience in leadership and consultancy with public service broadcasters, SMEs, global industry players, government and education institutions. Nigel focuses on the use of learning technologies, organisational development, leadership and creativity with a spotlight on maximising human potential, innovation and performance in the workplace. Nigel is a strategic thinker, able to motivate, lead and drive organisations forward to deliver business and training objectives. Nigel has been involved in corporate learning for over twenty years. In the past, he has produced learning software, CD Roms and multimedia materials, and more recently, offered development and support to companies large and small in over 30 countries around the world. He was appointed in April 2002 to head up the BBC’s Learning and Development operation. Under his leadership, the team developed a brand-new on-boarding experience, a comprehensive leadership development programme for over 6,000 staff, an award-winning intranet, and state of the art informal learning and knowledge sharing networks. He left the BBC in September 2006 to start his own company that is focused on building great workplaces by promoting creativity, innovation, values based-leadership and learning and the link between them. He speaks regularly at conferences around the world, and teaches on a doctoral programme at the University of Pennsylvania and for Chicago Booth Business School. His first book for Kogan Page is called, The Learning Challenge: Dealing with Technology, Innovation and Change in Learning and Development. It was published in September 2014. His new book, for the same publisher, on Building Leadership Development Programmes That Work was published in November 2016. He is currently working on a new book re-examining learning organisations and learning culture. He recently co-authored an eBook introduction to Neuroscience for Learning. He has a Professorship from Napier University in Edinburgh, and is a Fellow of the CIPD, LPI, the RSA and a Masie Learning Fellow in the USA. He presents a monthly TV programme (Learning Now TV), shares a weekly podcast (with Martin Couzins) called From Scratch, and regularly writes articles for magazines and journals about development, technology and leadership. Nigel has written articles and white papers published on subjects as diverse as ‘Creativity in the Workplace’, ‘Building Corporate Heroes’ and ‘The Future of E-Learning’.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Old-school journalist and founder of Future Net Zero Sumit Bose talks about what he learned from the big guns in the 90s, journalism vs hosting, fame, and why media world is shit.
Highlights:
- “Longer you are in media, the more you realize it’s shit”
- Wanting to be famous is the wrong motivation to get on TV
- Journalism is a trade you learn by doing, not by getting a qualification (aka degree)
- Your job is to get the most out of a person you’re interviewing, not to be a star
- You don’t need a course to be a better presenter
About Sumit
Sumit Bose is editor and co-founder of Energy Live News and is founder of cross-industry platform, future Net Zero. He spent twelve years at the BBC as journalist and presenter including hosting RTS award-winning BBC One prime-time current affairs programme Inside Out and as part of the reporting team. His credits include BBC News 24, Radio 5 Live, World Service Radio, BBC World TV and Channel 5. He has narrated and presented several documentaries for both TV and radio. Sumit began his career in journalism with local newspapers in Kent and Essex, having gained an NCTJ in Journalism from Cambridge University. Upon qualifying he worked for local papers in north London and Middlesex before beginning a varied freelance print career with a variety of national newspapers and magazines. From Republican terrorism to political scandals, crime, and science he excelled in original journalism across all disciplines with a track record for breaking exclusives. Among the publications he has written for are: The Independent, Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, New Scientist, GP and NME. He joined the BBC in 1993 and soon became a well-known TV and radio presenter. His career has been spent mainly in news and current affairs. From local news reporting and presenting he joined News 24 when it launched. Sumit was the head of the BBC’s first journalist DV Camera unit in BBC Science. He spent two years breaking scientific stories including an exclusive 30 minute documentary. He became one of the faces of BBC Breakfast news as a reporter between 1999 and 2001. Again Sumit broke several exclusive stories including an investigation into a hospital testing fiasco and an analysis of the Human Genome Project. He became launch presenter of a ground-breaking news service on BBC Three during which time he covered the 9/11 disaster.In 2002 Sumit was chosen to be the face of the new BBC One current affairs strand Inside Out. In 2004 he joined BBC Holiday as a regular travel reporter. His easy charm and persona have made him a popular choice for hosting corporate events, especially for energy, financial, and medical professional audiences.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Paul Coia has been presenting on BBC for over 37 years. We talk about what makes a real difference in how you present on video, essentials of a great interview and more.
Highlights:
- How Paul coached a telecom exec to deliver a killer speech to employees
- A few ways to not appear like a a robot deliver a message on camera
- Paul’s path from getting his first job on the radio to hosting his own show on TV
- Why Paul wanted to present on TV in the first place
- What you need to do killer interviews
- Going from good to phenomenal: finding something different in yourself
About Paul
After being named Scottish Radio Personality Of The Year, and following his own TV chat show, Paul moved to London and was the first voice on Channel 4. He worked as a presenter for BBC 1 network on The Holiday Show, Pebble Mill At One and The Garden Party. On BBC 2 he hosted the long running Catchword quiz programme and Tricks Of The Trade. For ITV he presented Heaven Knows and The Birthday Show, and he was the voice that opened, not only Channel Four, but also Disney’s ABC1 TV channel. Paul presented Sky TV’s film review show, Preview, as well as their long running quiz, Spellbound. In radio, Paul has worked as a presenter for Radio 2, LBC, Radio Clyde and Radio Scotland. He currently presents weekly shows for BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Berkshire.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Yaag Ganesh, director of marketing @ Avoma talks about building personal content online, power of side gigs in guiding your career, and what made his career pop.
Highlights:
- How Yaag got to chat with Guy Kawasaki on Clubhouse
- Writing a compelling story online - what really matters; how to get people to care
- What triggered Yaag to write his first marketing book
- You won’t find a perfect job, it’s about experimenting with your side-hustles
- What makes Yaag’s podcast almost like a free university
About Yaag
Yaagneshwaran Ganesh (often called as "Yaag") is among the top 100 global martech influencers, a TEDX speaker who has spoken in 10 countries across conferences, business forums and academic institutions. He is a best selling author and has 6 books to his name. He is an active member of the startup ecosystem and is part of the Google for Entrepreneurs initiative "Startup Weekend", thus being a sounding board for startups in APAC and Europe. Yaag also writes columns for HuffingtonPost, Martech Series, Martech Advisor, dtNEXT, Techstory, ManagementNext and has been a regular blogger and a thought leader on marketing practices across major publications. Yaag has a certificate in Strategy Management from IIM Kozhikode, an MBA in marketing from Jansons School of Business, Coimbatore and a Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship from Bharathiyar University.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Brands need to find out what resonates with their audience, and not be afraid of putting out somewhat polarizing messages.
I’m interviewing Allie LeFevere, co-founder of the Obedient Agency, on how humor can delight your customers and build your brand.
Main talking points:
- how to push the boundaries of your brand and keep a consistent narrative
- benefits of having a smaller audience you know really well
- why revenue is not the only criteria to pick new clients as a freelancer
Mentions:
Obedient Agency links:
- Website
Listen to Allie’s new podcast “Brandsplaining”.
Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.
Having great ideas is a skill, and having controversial ideas is necessary to stand out in any industry. Founder of Offended Marketing, Dan Kelsall shares why we should look at TikTok and Instagram for inspiration instead of old school professionals in suits.
Main talking points:
- importance of focusing on one social media channel
- why Linkedin is the best platform to go viral organically
- how you can find ideas that really hook people
Mentions: Connect with Dan on Linkedin or Twitter.
Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.
Episode Notes In this episode I'm chatting with Val Geisler, an email marketing black-belt and a founder of Fix My Churn. She shares her experience of building a freelance career around email.
Key talking points:
- why storytelling is a great strategic move in email campaigns
- importance of specializing and saying no as a freelancer
- how to build a team where everyone works less and enjoys it
Mentions:
Connect with Val through Linkedin and Twitter. Check out Fix My Churn’s website
Before you take off...Say HI to me on Linkedin.
B2B companies can learn a TON from B2C and create vibrant brands audiences relate to. Bill Macaitis shares a few excellent marketing examples from his bag of tricks that helped him build brands like Zendesk, Slack and Salesforce. Key takeaways:
- why qualitative measurement of campaigns will lead to a better long term brand strategy
- how a strong content marketing strategy aligns content with the product
how to find and create simple moments of delight in B2B software Mentions: Manager Tools podcast Connect with Bill on Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
Journalists make excellent content marketers because they already have the crucial skill of creating a large amount of quality content under pressure. But, John Collins, director of content at Intercom believes that quality, engagement and strategic thinking beat quantity any day. Tune in to learn:
- how to optimize your content format for different consumer preferences
- why 1 piece of thoughtful, engaging content is better than churning out 5 pieces a day
- what kind of podcasts you can successfully launch right now
Mentions: Inside Intercom podcast Connect with John on Linkedin or Twitter
Trust is the most important factor in a startup, both when looking for a co-founder and when pitching to VC's.
Jason Smith, serial entrepreneur and the CEO of a company called Klue shares the human side of a startup experience, from the importance of trust and entrepreneur's personality to his hiring philosophy.
Cool talking points you don't want to miss out on:
- shared qualities of entrepreneurs and Navy S.E.A.L’s
- how 100 coffees with the right people can save you from investing years into the wrong idea
- pros and cons (yes, it's not all rosy) of having experience in a startup world
- why a weird CV is often a better indicator of character than a college you attended
Mentions:
Klue’s website Reach out to Jason via e-mail or Linkedin
This is a heavy video tech interview, so if you are not into it, skip this one.
When shooting a video, a good story comes first, the right crew comes second, the equipment only comes after. Ben Consoli, founder of BC Media Productions, says that not every message is best conveyed through a video, but he also knows everything about what it takes to make production a success.
Here are some of the highlights from the interview:
- how you can help your team members by considering their craft alongside your own
- how to make the person on camera shine, regardless of whether they are trained actors or not
- how filmmaking trends make their way from consumers to Hollywood
Mentions:
BC Media Productions website Go Creative Show podcast Find Ben on Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
Making videos has become so easy it is now a must for companies to produce content in this format.
Tyler Lessard, VP Marketing at Vidyard tells us:
- how he reached 23,000 views on a video he paid 300 dollars for
- how companies can create a customizable, on-demand video experience that will make customers binge on their content
- why video production will become a sought-after in-house skill
- how changing expectations enable everyone to experiment and improve in video production
Mentions:
George B Thomas on Linkedin Marcus Sheridan on Linkedin Film School for Marketers website Vidyard website Fast Forward webinar
Connect with Tyler on Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
Great content is a combination of a relevant topic and the appropriate format. Linkedin is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of your industry and to find trending topics everyone is talking about. There is no one way to produce content, but current trends suggest a podcast or miniseries is often a better choice than a webinar.
Josef Newton, founder of Brand Is Demand podcast, shares his thoughts on:
- how to own a topic within your industry
- the difference between product demand and content demand
- why customers are neither a magic source of insight nor the only audience you should consider
- how the Linkedin algorithm helps you stay relevant
*Mentions:*
Brand is Demand Podcast on Spotify Harry Dry’s Marketing Examples The Goat Agency on YouTube Jake Tran on Youtube and Linkedin Chris Walker on Linkedin Surfer SEO agency website
Connect with Josef on Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
89% of all ads are immediately forgotten. Creative ads are born when the client is crystal clear on their goal, and trusts talented marketers to do their job. Marketing disruptor and loudmouth Paul Mellor was on Media Camp to share his experience and unfiltered opinions. This episode is not for the faint of heart.
You’ll hear about:
- why “creative process” is bullshit - and what Paul prefers instead
- where to find the best ideas that will speak to customers
- how many people should ideally be on your team
Mentions:
Connect with Paul on Linkedin or via his ad agency site
Got feedback? Say Hi to me on Linkedin
Positioning a brand means building a story around it. Good stories are the ones the audience feels part of. The ways to do this constantly evolve on all platforms, but the fundamentals are the same. My guest this week is Mark Evans, fractional CMO, consultant, and advisor.
You’ll hear about:
- how to create a good story around your brand
- how to make your content customer-centric
- why podcasting is an excellent way to differentiate your brand (vs blogging)
- how to benefit from Linkedin
Mentions:
Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller The Inside Advantage by Robert Bloom Marketing Spark by Mark
Get in touch with Mark through his website or Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
All the best marketing is hyper personalized. That also means most of it doesn’t scale. But that is the only way to build real fans and your company brand if you are playing a long game. This time I’m interviewing the CMO of Toronto based real estate startup Alison Simpson.
You’ll hear about the uscalable tactics Alison runs at Key Living; how she increased the sales of luxury products being SVP of Marketing at Holt Renfrew by 20% without increasing the budget; and also how Key Living will convert every aspiring home owner into an actual owner of their home in downtown Toronto.
Get in touch with Alison over email (alison@keyliving.com) or LinkedIn
Say HI to me on Linkedin
In today’s interview I’m talking to James Mulvany, the founder of podcast platform podcast.co. We cover a lot of specific aspects of running a podcast.
Here’s are the key ones:
- How to generate business from your podcast
- How to interview people better than others to get a unique point of view
- How to have encourage conversations with your podcast audience
A course James has mentioned if you are thinking about starting a podcast
Connect with James on: Website Linkedin
Got comments, thoughts about the show? Message me on Linkedin
In today’s episode of Media Camp I’m interviewing Zineb Layachi, CMO in residence at Adinton Technologies and a co-founder of Pitchslap (a weekly pitching show).
We are not talking about new fancy marketing tactics here, rather the importance of doing the fundamentals right.
You’ll hear about:
- why doing customer discovery benefits marketing as much as your product
- how to change founders mindset about what good marketing is
- how to create educational content to attract people who want to buy
- where can you find content ideas
Connect with Zineb on Linkedin
If you are into startups, check out the weekly pitching show called Pitchslap
Say HI to me on Linkedin
In this episode of Media Camp we are meeting an amazing B2B copywriter from the UK Tamsin Henderson. She also created a series of extremely successful copywriting courses on Udemy (link below).
Here’s what you’ll hear about in our chat:
- How Tamsin wrote a press release that made over a million dollars for her client
- How to write in a conversational way and fit it into your brand guidelines
- What questions to ask yourself while writing case studies so they don’t sound like they’ve been written by a marketer
Connect with Tamsin on her website AND be sure to check out her udemy courses if you are into writing great copy Udemy courses
Say HI to me on Linkedin
In this interview I had a pleasure to speak to a fantastic marketer and a Linkedin enthusiast Katie Mitchell.
We speak a lot about brand, Linkedin and creating content that you want to read or watch.
You’ll hear about:
- How much impact brand has on your demand (both for company and your personal brand)
- Why over reliance on data can prevent you from shipping marketing work that cuts through the noise
- How to create engaging linkedin posts
- How Linkedin makes you a much much better marketer (regardless where you work)
Connect with Katie on Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin
In this interview, I had a pleasure to talk to Mark Kilens, VP of Content and Community at Drift. Previously he was leading Hubspot Academy content model as a VP.
Mark is one of the most energetic guests I had on the show. He shares excellent advice on:
- building content hubs (like Hubspot Academy and Drift Insider) for your B2B SaaS business
- his favourite content frameworks (that you can steal)
- webinars vs podcasts: what's broken and what works well
- and more content strategy bits like setting your goals based on target revenue
You’ll enjoy this episode a lot.
Connect with Mark on Linkedin or Twitter
Say HI to me on Linkedin
One of my favourite episodes so far. If you are into podcasts, you will learn a lot.
I’m chatting to James Carbary who started the whole company (Sweet Fish Media) to just produce podcasts for brands.
He has also runs top B2B podcast out there called “B2B Growth” with 3.5 million downloads and over 1,600 episodes.
Here’s what we cover in this extensive interview:
- how you produce a podcast at scale
- how you position your show and grow your audience
- what interview structure you should use to stand out and deliver max value to your audience
- how to get huge engagement on your linkedin posts
Connect with James on:
Linkedin Website B2B Growth Podcast
Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
I’ve got a chance to interview Hubspot VP of Marketing Kieran Flanagan about content creation for his personal brand. Kieran has been at Hubspot for over 7 years now and runs his own podcast show called “Growth TLDR”.
Here’s what we cover in this episode:
- How Kieran started his podcast to network
- Managers vs practitioners: when you should switch from doing the legwork to telling others what to do
- Kieran’s career as a content creator so far
Connect with Kieran on:
Linkedin Twitter Podcast
Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
Books mentioned in this episode
Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events
In this interview I’m talking to Alexandra Cote, a content marketing freelancer from Romania. She runs her own brand, has copywriting courses on Udemy and posts on linkedin and YouTube. We are primarily focused on writing long form content.
Specifically you’ll hear about"
- What processes Alexandra uses to write her content
- How she does SEO optimization and what matters
- How she’s finding clients as a freelancer
Connect with Alexandra on:
Linkedin Twitter Website Youtube
Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
I love talking to people like Dan who help other b2b businesses run personalized campaigns.
Dan is a CMO of a company called Sendoso. They deliver direct mail, personalized gifts, eGifts at scale to build relationships with companies you want to sell to.
We are chatting about:
- successful campaigns he ran and why they worked
- how you pick your target accounts to send them gifts
- where you get home addresses of people since they work from home
Connect with Dan
Linkedin Check out Sendoso website
Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
I’m interviewing a long time content creator in beauty and lifestyle and my college Anum Rubec.
She’s been putting out content on Youtube, Instagram for more than a decade now. Working with beauty brands, shooting YouTube videos and instagram videos.
We are talking:
- how she thinks about brand
- what’s social platforms work for her
- what’s process she uses to create content
Connect with Anum
Website Instagram Linkedin
Say HI to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
This is easily one of my best content interviews to date. I had a pleasure to chat with Tukan Das, the CEO of Leadsift (B2B SaaS) about the magic of inbound content marketing.
We are talking specifics and data in this episode so you can actually apply a lot of ideas and you will get results.
Here are a few talking points worth mentioning:
- how Tukan went on to generate almost all his business, 77%, from content marketing
- what can you do with YouTube pre-roll ads
- how Leadsift produces micro-content and on what platforms they apply it
- how Tukan is doing short video interviews with influencers in B2B
Say hi to me on Linkedin I’d love to connect Linkedin
Connect with Tukan on Linkedin Twitter
Check out Leadsift
Cool marketing folks Tukan follows:
Chris Walker
Nathan Latka
Dave Gerhard
Guillaume Cabane
Gong
In the episode #60 I had a pleasure to meet a real brand builder, former marketing CMO and a marketing consultant Katie Martell.
We talk a lot about marketing, influence and PR, but the underlying theme of the conversation is building your brand.
Here are 3 main aspects we cover in detail:
- Why you should be building your brand regardless of your role
- Why Katie stayed in consulting after being a CMO
- What she’s looking for in ideal client to work with
More about Katie: – One of the top 10 marketing writers on LinkedIn – #3 Most influential B2B marketer on Twitter – A “marketing expert to follow” by CIO Magazine – One of 20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management – Top 100 influencer in content marketing
Katie has been invited to speak at a variety of marketing industry events including TEDx, FutureM with MITX, MarketingProfs B2B Forum, BMA, DX Summit, B2B Summit, Young Women in Digital, and universities including Emerson, Northeastern, BU, and Babson College.
Sign up for Katie’s newsletter Check out Katie’s work on her site
Books mentioned on the show
Writing the Mind Alive: The Proprioceptive Method for Finding Your Authentic Voice
Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content
This time I'm stoked to be announcing a new name and format for the show. It will be called Media Camp. All the details in the audio.
What do you think? Connect with me on Linkedin
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In today’s interview I’m talking to a brilliant marketer Elle Woulfe who is now a VP of Marketing at InVision.
Elle spent decades in the industry and was at Eloqua in the very early days when nobody knew what the heck marketing automation software even was.
We are chatting on a bunch of topics:
- How to lead a marketing team and keep each member accountable and driven
- What content formats work well today and will in the future
- How to approach creating content that matches your buyer
- MQL’s vs “more pipeline” and less leads
- And some of the cool career related questions
Connect with Elle on Linkedin Check out Elle’s very own podcast called Further Podcast
If you’d like to share what you think about this episode, message with me on Linkedin
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
So excited to talk to Doug Kessler about one of my favourite topics - creating engaging content for your audience.
Doug is co-founder and creative director of Velocity Partners, the London- and New York-based B2B multi-award winning marketing agency. Doug wrote a lot of very strong content pieces like “the B2B Content Strategy Checklist, Insane Honesty in Content Marketing and Crap: Why the Biggest Threat to Content Marketing is Content Marketing”.
In this interview we cover different angles of content such as:
- what b2b can learn from b2c
- Doug’s 5 step storytelling framework and how you can apply it
- what can you do better as a marketer right now
Learn more about Doug Example of his work The search for meaning in B2B marketing
If you’d like to share what you think about this episode, connect with me on Linkedin
Resources mentioned on the show:
“Marketing Myopia” article by Theodore Levitt
The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen
Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Today’s interview is different from my usual ones. I’m interviewing Nikhil who is an aspiring actor and runs his entertainment YouTube channel with over 200,000 subscribers.
We are chatting about what it takes to create video content that is entertaining and the audience wants to consume, what process Nikhil uses right now, challenges of acting as a career and Nikhil’s future youtube projects.
If you’d like to share what you think about this episode with me, drop me a message on Linkedin
More About Nikhil Pandey
Nikhil runs a Youtube channel creating personal development and entertainment content for 2 years. He is behind impersonations of well known folks like Gary Vee, Connor McGregor, David Goggins, Tai Lopez, Jordan Peterson and others.
See Nikhil’s work on Youtube
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Daniel is the only guest on my show who has run a spontaneous 100km trail race along the Great Wall of China without training. That took him 27 hours non-stop.
He is the President of a real estate startup Key Living, Top 30 Under 30 (BCBusiness), TEDx speaker and has built two VC backed companies.
We are talking about his daily routines, life experiences he had and what vision he is building towards right now with his latest startup.
Connect with Daniel on Linkedin
Find out more about Key Living
List of books and podcasts mentioned in this interview
Podcast: Rich Roll Podcast Book: Can't Hurt Me : Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - by David Goggins
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This is one of the most in-depth productivity focused interviews I have done on this show (!!). I’m chatting with Charlie Gilkey, the founder of Productive Flourishing, and the author of the book Start Finishing: How To Go From Idea to Done.
Charlie goes deep into details of what it actually takes to get your work done. I’m asking him questions about productivity, finding where you are the strongest at, how to have a better focus, hypothetical Tim Ferris style questions and books he considers a must read.
Connect with Charlie on Twitter
Check out Productive Flourishing Productive Flourishing helps professional creatives, leaders, and changemakers take meaningful action on work that matters. He is internationally known as a thought leader on productivity, planning, strategy, and leadership for creative people.
Get free planners here
List of books mentioned in this interview
Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done by Charlie Gilkey
Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts--Becoming the Person You Want to Be by Marshall Goldsmith
Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman
How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom by Jonathan Fields
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This is the most fun interview I have done in a long time! I’ve visited an office of Sampler to chat with their CEO Marie about entrepreneurship, sacrifices, ups and downs of running a business, routines, meditation and what makes Sampler cool.
If you can take one thing away from this interview it’s a message that we are more powerful than we think we are. Marie’s story is full of examples and stories that prove it.
One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks here
Connect with Marie on linkedin
Check out Sampler No matter what your sampling needs are, we’ve got a solution for you.
Attend a RetailTO event here (Marie hosts it).
List of books mentioned in this interview
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this interview I sat down with the CEO of People.ai Oleg Rogynskyy to do the run through of hypothetical questions I usually ask my guests. You’ll get a sense of how Oleg thinks, what makes him tick, how he makes decisions that got him where he is now.
We cover things like what Oleg has learned from his journey of being the CEO so far, what kind of mentors he hangs out with it, how he prefers to work, his favourite books and more.
One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks here
About Oleg Prior to People.ai Oleg helped start and scale three AI/machine learning companies, two of which, including Oleg's own Semantria, were subsequently acquired. He has a strong interest in data science, machine learning, and NLP.
Connect with Oleg on linkedin
About People.ai
People.ai accelerates enterprise growth through the power of AI. With the industry’s only Revenue Intelligence System, People.ai frees all customer-facing teams, including sales, marketing, and customer success, from manual data entry by automatically capturing all contacts and customer activity data, dynamically updating the CRM and providing actionable intelligence across all management tools, allowing them to realize their full selling capacity. Headquartered in San Francisco, People.ai has been recognized as a Gartner Cool Vendor and backed by Y Combinator and Silicon Valley’s top investors, including ICONIQ Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
List of books mentioned in this interview
Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart (Author), Randy Street (Author)
What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture Hardcover by Ben Horowitz (Author)
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy by Ben Horowitz (Author)
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World by John Doerr (Author)
Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt (Author)
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This is a marketing heavy chat, but the one I think you’ll learn a ton from. I’m interviewing an obsessed marketer Chris Walker who is also the CEO of Refine Labs. Chris pushes companies to rethink how to they approach their-go-to-market strategy and explains in detail why traditional B2B playbook is wrong.
I ask him how did he learn so much marketing so fast (he’s 30 years old), his principles and structure of learning, time management, routines and the mindset.
One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks here
Connect with Chris on Linkedin
List of books mentioned in this interview
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin (Author)
Digital Darwinism: Survival of the Fittest in the Age of Business Disruption Paperback – by Tom Goodwin
About Refine Labs
Our Revenue Engine Optimization formula helps B2B companies grow revenue, increase pipeline velocity, and lower customer acquisition costs.
Consider us as an extension of your internal team for business growth and marketing innovation. Our core formula has been shaped, iterated, and battle-tested over the last 7 years in B2B companies ranging in revenue from $2MM to $50MM. Our results are consistent and span across industries including medical devices, industrial, scientific, and health/wellness.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this interview I have connected with Staffan Rydin who has moved from Sweden to Canada and now helps very well known CEO’s and high-performers achieve the next level of awareness and perspective in their life. I’m diving into his career decisions, coaching approach, life principles, time management, favourite books and more.
One thing before you take off: Sign Up for my weekly email list for the latest productivity, time management tools and hacks here
Connect with Staffan on: linkedin website
List of books mentioned in this interview
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle (Author)
The Power of Intention Paperback – by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
The Illusion of Money: Why Chasing Money Is Stopping You from Receiving It - by Kyle Cease (Author)
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High - by Kerry Patterson (Author), Joseph Grenny (Author), Ron McMillan (Author), Al Switzler (Author)
Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life Paperback - by Jon Kabat-Zinn
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Paperback – by Stephen R. Covey
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
My guest today went to work for his current company (brain.fm) for free to prove himself before being appointed the CEO. He has extreme routines and one time even relocated to Asia to keep his schedule the way he wants.
We are chatting about Dan’s obsession with biohacking, the science behind brain.fm music, habits, routines, distractions, lots of hypothetical questions and more.
One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin
Connect with Dan Clark online linkedin Instagram Email
About Brain.fm brain.fm creates music designed for the brain to enhance focus, relaxation, meditation, naps and sleep. This makes their music unique, purpose-built to steer you into a desired mental state.
List of books mentioned in this interview
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones Hardcover – by James Clear
Losing My Virginity Kindle Edition by Richard Branson
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable Hardcover – by Tim S. Grover
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I had a lot of fun interviewing the CEO of Versapay Craig O’Neil. We are deconstructing how Craig thinks, his routines, career lessons, habits, leadership tools he has learned over the decades in business. And of course this conversation would not be complete without me asking about his favourite books.
Hope you enjoy this one!
One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Craig Craig O’Neill is a serial software entrepreneur and the CEO of a fintech company based in Toronto Versapay. Craig was a co-founder and CEO of a company called Xeye back in 2000.
VersaPay is a Fintech company that changes the way thousands upon thousands of companies do business together by reinventing the accounts receivable process
Connect with Craig on LinkedIn AND Learn more about what Versapay does
List of books mentioned in this interview
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Team Assessment Pamphlet – Apr 24 2012 by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three by Patrick M. Lencioni
Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This is my 48th interview with someone who lives and breathes the psychology of business Brent Lowe. He coaches the very best people in tech in Canada.
We are covering the whole spectrum of entrepreneurial psychology here: thoughts and beliefs that are slowing founders down, the art of focus, how to maximize your time, phases entrepreneurs go through, benefits of non-hierarchical company structure, nuances of goal setting and more.
One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Brent Brent Lowe directly focuses on psychology of business in his work. He founded three successful companies by the age of 24, was on a senior leadership team of three early-stage and fast growing companies (Redknee, Achievers, Bullfrog Power). He is a business coach, advisor and author of the book “Reinventing Scale-Ups: Radical Ideas for Growing Companies”. Currently Brent is helping clients grow their businesses. Among them are the very best people in tech in Canada.
Connect with Brent on his website, Twitter or LinkedIn
List of books mentioned in this interview
Reinventing Scale-Ups: Radical Ideas for Growing Companies
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition
Who: The A Method for Hiring
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In my 47th interview I had an opportunity to meet with the CEO of Loopio Zak Hemraj and talk about his mindset as a leader of one of the fastest growing B2B SaaS companies in Canada, how did he get started, his principles and drive, the importance of focus and limiting distractions, favourite business books and hypothetical questions to really expose Zak’s thinking. Enjoy the episode!
One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Zak He is the Co-founder and CEO of Loopio, a Toronto-based software company that accelerates the RFP response process for companies in a variety of industries. He started his career at Achievers, where he worked in a few roles across Software Development and Sales, as the company grew from 20 to 300 employees over 8 years. After being inspired by the problems and opportunities he was exposed to at Achievers, Zak decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge. He co-founded Loopio in 2014 along with his closest friends, Matt York, and Jafar Owainati. Loopio has grown to over 90 people, raised $9M in Series A funding from OpenView Venture Partners, and serves more than 500 customers globally.
Connect with Zak on LinkedIn or Twitter
List of books mentioned in this interview
Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Today I had an opportunity to interview the President of Sharp Canada Carmine Cinerari. He was the first Canadian-born executive to lead Canadian subsidiary of a Japanese company Sharp Electronics. Became the youngest president ever in 2008 and has been president for over 11 years.
We are speaking about Japanese philosophy in business, work ethic, leadership principles, Carmine’s mindset during very tough financial times at Sharp, morning evening routines and a lot more.
One thing before you take off: Have an idea who I should interview next? Or what kind of questions you want my guests to answer? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Sharp Canada At Sharp Electronics of Canada Ltd, a direct subsidiary of Osaka-based Sharp Corporation - a company known worldwide for its unique one-of-a-kind electronic products and solutions, our challenge is to create a balance between work time and personal time, with products that can benefit people's lives at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Sharp consumer electronics can enhance your enjoyment, add to your comfort and open new perspectives.
List of books mentioned in this interview
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don’t
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Today I’m interviewing Bob Langert, the first McDonald’s VP who led sustainability efforts before retiring in 2015. We are speaking about leadership, influence, corporate responsibility, Bob’s favourite books and career lessons he learned after spending over 30 years at McDonald’s.
Before you go: have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Bob Langert He is a TED speaker and recently did a talk called “The business case for working with your toughest critics”. As VP of sustainability at McDonald's, Bob shaped the restaurant chain's commitment to the environment, supply chain sustainability and balanced menu choices. In January 2019, he published The Battle to Do Good; Inside McDonald's Sustainability Journey. He shares how he addressed some of the most significant societal issues of our times -- obesity, waste and packaging, deforestation in the Amazon, animal well-being and much more.
Connect with Bob Linkedin Twitter GreenBiz Publication
Books mentioned on the show
The Battle To Do Good: Inside McDonald’s Sustainability Journey
The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965
Washington: A Life
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This was meant to be a Youtube live interview, but I had a connection failure and lost the recording. So, this episode is a recap of our chat with Evan! Evan is very well known for his personal development and mindset videos on YouTube.
More about Evan.
At 19, he built then sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a venture capitalist raising $500k to $15M. He now runs a YouTube channel for entrepreneurs with over 2 million subscribers, wrote 4 books, and speaks globally.
Before you go: if you’d like to never miss my next interview or want to get more personal development & business content, go on my podcast page and sign up for my weekly Email list
Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Look, regardless of what you are woking towards, you have to make sacrifices. And if you are the CEO, tradeoffs you make are particularly extreme. It’s a real hand to hand combat. Every. Single. Day. I’m interviewing the CEO of Soapbox (tech startup here in Toronto) Brennan McEachrun about what he had to give up by running a company and how he worked around it.
We talk about how he uses Linkedin for business, his favourite business books, advice to young entrepreneurs and more.
Before you go: if you’d like to never miss my next interview or want to get more personal development & business content, go on my podcast page and sign up for my weekly Email list
Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
Connect with Brennan on Twitter or Linkedin
About Soapbox We’re a team of radical humans building the first people platform designed for managers. We believe that managers are the single most important reason why an employee shows up and tries, every single day. That’s why we’re building a tool that will help them coach, communicate and collaborate better with their team.
List of books mentioned in this interview
High Output Management
Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm
Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business
Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs
influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
This is an anniversary episode! If you are looking to get the next level in your personal development and discipline, this an episode you’ve been waiting for!
It’s been a year since I started this show! And so much fun. I’m really grateful for the opportunities I had to interview amazing leaders in business, marketing, sports.
So this time I wanted to share what patterns I’ve seen that makes them perform at such a high level and lead teams of smart people.
These are my personal observations from over 40 interviews I’ve done in late 2018 and 2019.
Have an idea who I should interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
My today’s guest, Steve Zahm, went from being a history major and struggling to find his way to work at Silicon Valley to co-founding two high-growth, VC-funded SaaS companies in California. He taught management classes at UC Santa Barbara for 3 years and now is a President & COO of Procore, a cloud based construction software company based in California.
Steve’s first company took 4 years to succeed. At the second one he was working for 8 years until there was any sign of growth.
We are talking about how he got started in tech and met Don Valentine from Sequoia Capital, determination and perseverance as an entrepreneur, values and routines, Steve’s favourite books and his advice to young entrepreneurs.
Before you go: if don't want to miss my next interview or want to get more personal development & business content, go on my podcast page and sign up for my weekly email list
Have an idea who I should interview next? Email me directly
About Procore Procore helps firms drastically increase project efficiency and accountability by streamlining and mobilizing project communications and documentation. This real time data and accessibility minimizes costly risks and delays—ultimately boosting profits.
List of books mentioned in this interview
What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this interview I sat down with Roy Pereira who runs a company Zoom.ai to talk about his lifelong obsession with learning and solving big problems for customers.
We are discussing what drives Roy as a CEO, lessons learned from starting other businesses, his work ethic, routines, importance of self-awareness and role models.
Before you go: if you find this interview helpful, it would mean a lot to me if you leave your review on Apple Podcasts and share my podcast with your friends.
Have an idea how to improve the show or who you’d like me to interview next? Drop me a message on Linkedin or Email me directly
About Roy
Roy is the founder and CEO of Zoom.ai (chat-based productivity tool that helps employees to offload and automate everyday tasks). He has immigrated from Portugal to Toronto, Canada. Has worked in the Valley for large businesses like Cisco and founded multiple companies himself.
Follow Roy on LinkedIn
About Zoom.ai Zoom.ai is AI-powered assistant that could help recruiters and sales teams do more by minimizing distractions, decreasing app fatigue and supporting more meaningful work. Zoom.ai Meeting Assistant automates your entire meeting scheduling experience and everyday admin tasks.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this episode of Sergey Ross Show I met with Marlon Rodrigues (the Head of Marketing at Flexday) to talk about self-awareness, self-mastery, his desire & drive to be very competitive and overcoming failures along the way.
Before you go: if you find this interview helpful (or have feedback), it would mean a lot to me if you leave your review on Apple Podcasts and share my podcast with your friends.
About Marlon He has been leading marketing teams for more than 8 years in Toronto tech startups. He is obsessed with being top 5 or top 3 in anything he does. Marlon designed a lifestyle for himself that allows him to do what he loves the most. And he’s got a reputation of delivering results when it matters and solving unstructured problems.
Follow Marlon on LinkedIn and Twitter
About Flexday Flexday turns restaurant downtime into productive workspaces.
For $9 per month, members get access to our network of city-wide locations. And Unlimited coffee or tea, video call-quality wifi & power within reach.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this episode, I’m interviewing a co-founder of a promising startup Voiceflow - Andrew Lawrence.
We talk about how voice applications have a potential to be as revolutionary as multitouch technology and what Amazon is doing with Alexa.
I also ask Andrew about the previous companies he founded before Voiceflow, how he thinks about risk, failures and role-models.
Before you go: if you find this interview helpful (or have feedback), it would mean a lot to me if you leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share my podcast with your friends.
More about Voiceflow Voiceflow allows individuals & businesses to easily design, build, and launch voice apps without coding. It powers over 5% of the world's Alexa skills.
Follow Andrew on LinkedIn
List of books mentioned on this episode
Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
How do you become a person of influence? I had an opportunity to learn and interview how the CEO of 600 people tech company thinks and approaches her career and life.
Susan shares what’s it like to be a CEO, the importance of curiosity and drive, her role models and mentors, values and routines (and more).
Before you go: if you find this interview helpful (or have feedback), it would mean a lot to me if you leave your review on Apple Podcasts and share my podcast with your friends.
Episode Details
More about Susan Bowen. She was named one of the The 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2017. Was the chair of techUK, formerly known as Women in Tech. Led and transformed businesses for over 16 years.
Follow Susan on LinkedIn
About Aptum Technologies (formerly Cogeco Peer 1) A 600 people B2B company that provides products and services, such as colocation, network connectivity, managed hosting, cloud services and IT managed services. Cogeco Peer 1 is headquartered in Toronto, ON, Canada.
List of books mentioned on this episode
No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From a Man Who Walked on the Moon
Jenson Button: Life to the Limit: My Autobiography
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this episode I’m talking to Nick Van Weerdenburg, the CEO of a digital consultancy Rangle.io. We are talking about how Nick has built one of the fastest growing companies in Toronto, Canada. (Rangle now works mostly with Fortune 500 clients)
We also dive into Nick’s mindset: the way he deals with challenges and failures, morning and evening routines.
Before you go: if you find this interview helpful (or have feedback), it would mean a lot if you'd leave your review on Apple Podcasts and share this podcast with your friends.
Episode Details
Connect with Nick Van Weerdenburg on LinkedIn
See what his company Rangle is working on.
List of books mentioned on this episode
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk Amazon
Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing Amazon
SPIN Selling Amazon
Principles: Life and Work Amazon
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups Amazon
Simply Managing: What Managers Do # and Can Do Better Amazon
The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I’m reviewing a brilliant book by Seth Godin “Linchpin”. It has changed the way I think about marketing and success and I hope you too will appreciate an extremely powerful ideas Seth communicates.
Here, I give a quick overview of 5 major lessons that define what it takes to be a linchpin.
If you find it helpful (or have feedback), email me to share your thoughts. I value your opinion.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
What a lot of entrepreneurs and business people who know Salesforce brand don’t realize is that Marc Benioff is one the best marketers ever.
He was able to build one of the world’s best known brands Salesforce by doing things very differently from other CEO’s.
So on this episode I’m sharing some of the coolest marketing moments from the book “Behind the Cloud” that you can learn from and apply in your business or personal brand.
Here are some of the things I talk about:
- Don’t be afraid to take a stance against something
- CRUSH your customer’s biggest hesitations
- Nail Market Positioning
- And more….
I hope you enjoy this one and I’ll have more book reviews for you in the future.
And before you go, drop me a message on LinkedIn and share what your impressions and opinion.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
If you want to build an impactful company and achieve a lot in business, listen to these 20 lessons from Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart.
In this episode I’m reviewing one of the best business books ever written: Sam Walton Made in America.
Why is it so good?
Sam shares what business lessons he learned over decades of tireless work. From running his very first retail store in 1945 to going public with a massive network of Walmart stores and becoming a billionaire.
Here are some of them:
- Commit to your business
- Listen to everyone in your company
- Capture Your Ideas
- Learn by Doing
- Control your expenses better than your competition
I hope you enjoy this one and I’ll have more book reviews for you in the future.
And before you go, drop me a message on LinkedIn LinkedIn and share what your impressions and opinion.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this solo episode I’m sharing top lessons I’ve learned from Peter Thiel’s book "Zero to One". Highly recommend it to everyone who is interested in business and technology.
I encourage you to read the whole book to truly understand how Peter looks at competition, technology and building world class companies.
You can get the book here.
I hope you enjoy this episode.
And before you go, drop me a message on LinkedIn LinkedIn and share what your impressions.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Everyone talks about success, growth mindset, hustle, drive, but how do you fit it all in your context? From your own values perspective?
That’s why I’m trilled to have Adam Lacombe (Director of Demand Generation at Crowdriff) on the show talking about essential ingredients of success and fulfillment for personal growth.
Here are the main ares we drill into:
- Why it’s important to not be liked by everyone and care for everyone’s opinion
- Why scarcity mentality is a major obstacle in achieving success
- Why consistency is huge for your success in any area of life
- How to approach your work-life to avoid burning out
I hope you enjoy this interview and apply what learn in your work.
And before you go, drop me a message on LinkedIn and share your impressions and opinion.
You can connect with Adam on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter
Also, be sure to check out his amazing blog posts on Medium
Mindfulness book Adam has mentioned on this episode: Turning the Mind Into an Ally
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Look, data privacy and AI is something that we’ll be talking about a lot more very soon. Facebook data misuse stories are just a start.
So today I’m talking to Hessie Jones who has been focused on AI and privacy for years during her long career in tech.
Here’s what we are diving into:
- How big tech companies are misusing our data and what AI will add into the mix
- Facebook and data breaches
- Launching Yahoo Community in Canada and how it changed Hessie as a marketer
- Addiction of social media
Hessie is a digital strategist with more than 20 years experience in banking, technology, and advertising. She worked at companies like Yahoo!, Citi, Cerebri, ONE Advertising, Aegis Media and many others.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Connect with Hessie on LinkedIn & Twitter
Books mentioned in this interview:
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this episode I had a pleasure to sit down with Gary Fearnall to talk about career choices, adaptable mindset and emerging technologies in finance.
Here’s what we are diving into:
- Gary’s career choices and how he approached it
- What does it mean to be happy professionally
- LinkedIn as a platform and how it has evolved
- What does a sales lead must understand in 2019
Gary has been in general management, sales and business development leadership roles for Linkedin, Rogers, The Globe and Mail, CTV and Cineplex Entertainment.
Recommended books on the episode:
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation Amazon
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change Amazon
Connect with Gary on Linkedin
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
OK, this episode is for dedicated learners in business and well, life. I’m thrilled to have Alan Smithson (CEO of a company MetaVRse) as a guest on the show.
We go deep into the hardships of running your own business, education system and psychology behind being a continuous learner.
So here are a few topics we discuss:
- How Alan got through the darkest times of his life after losing everything at one point
- AR/VR and the future of educational system
- How can you avoid anxiety, manage stress and live a happier life
- What people get wrong in networking (and how to make it work)
- Pace of innovation in tech right now
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Connect with Alan & check out his own podcast:
Custom VR/AR Solutions VR Community Alan’s Podcast LinkedIn
Hot new tool with a potential to automate your LinkedIn activity Phantom Buster
Books Alan mentioned on this show:
Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!
The Success Principles(TM) - 10th Anniversary Edition: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
Principles: Life and Work
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I was looking forward to this interview for 3 months. If you are a constant learner and practitioner, you will find tremendous wisdom in this interview (regardless of the industry).
I’m talking to Kunal Gupta, the CEO of a global tech media company called Polar.
Here’s what we discuss:
- Self-Awareness and the difference between pleasure and happiness
- Personality tests and Myers Briggs
- Minimalist lifestyle and why material things don’t matter
- Meditation practice, is it really worth it?
- The art of focus: doing less and achieving more
Kunal Gupta is the CEO of Polar; a global tech business that works with major media companies and publishers (like Adweek, Bloomberg, usatoday, telegraph). He is also joined a Marketing Magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.
He’s got an extraordinary blog that I highly recommend to review here.
You can connect with Kunal on LinkedIn or his web page.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Want to be more successful in your career? I had a pleasure to have Mitch Solway on the show to break down how to approach your ideal job and career journey.
Mitch has been a VP of Marketing in a number of tech companies like Lavalife, FreshBooks, Vidyard, ClearFit and FundThrough.
We cover a wide range of topics, but the underlying theme is marketing and business.
Here’s what you’ll know more about:
- Finding a company you want to work for
- How to be successful in your job
- What’s it like to market a dating service back in 1993
- Setting the right focus & goals in marketing strategy
- What is the role of a fractional CMO
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Mitch on LinkedIn and his Website
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Finally we are diving deep into personal growth & development! I’m talking to Shaun Burns (senior customer success manager at LinkedIn) about personal growth, mastering your time management, building your network, Linkedin products, role models, mentors and more!
And (of course) personal growth books recommendations.
Hope you’ll enjoy this interview as much as I did.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Shaun on LinkedIn
Books mentioned on the show:
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment Amazon
21 Lessons for the 21st Century Amazon
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow Amazon
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Ross Growth hits episode #30, yay! My guest today, Ray Kanani, is deeply involved in Product Management and user experience. But on this episode I wanted to get Ray's perspective on career growth.
We also chat about things like: Ray’s career, what matters in hiring, failures and why they don’t matter; favourite business books.
Ray co-founded several businesses and is a transformational leader with over 12 years of experience building, nurturing and leading high-performance teams.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Ray’s most impactful quotes from Twitter and Medium.
"I find it interesting that people dream of standing out but spend their time trying to fit in."
"I’m more interested in working with people who have taken the time to deliberately practice their craft; pushing themselves outside their comfort zone to grow in a direction that is meaningful to them. I’ll take months of deliberate practice over years of mundane shallow work every time.”
Follow Ray online:
Twitter LinkedIn Website
Business books Ray shared on the show:
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters Amazon
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way Your Lead Forever Amazon
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
You want your business to grow exponentially? I'm sharing 5 key principles from the book "Hypergrowth" written by David Cancel (CEO of Drift) that will help you achieve that.
It's one of the best books written on structuring your company and teams to grow fast.
You can get the book here btw.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
In this episode I'm sharing a 4DX framework from the book called "Deep Work" by Cal Newport and how you can apply it in your work every day.
I tried this approach personally and have seen how tremendously effective it is so wanted to share with all of you.
Here's what you'll know more about:
- What holds you back in achieving your goals and making fast progress daily
- What specific tactics you can apply daily to get more work done
- How do you measure results in a simple way so you know you are on track
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Get Cal Newport's book here to know more:
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I’m having an insightful and in-depth discussion with Matt Di Paola (Managing Director at a digital agency “Huge”) on jobs and career growth, what makes people succeed, failures, role models, “yes and…” mentality and a lot more!
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Matt on LinkedIn and Instagram: LinkedIn Instagram
Grab a book Matt recommends: The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I sat down with Adrien Schmidt, Co-Founder, and CEO at Aristotle, by Bouquet.ai, to talk about AI assistants for big data, product launches, hiring and the most impactful business books.
Adrien is an entrepreneur, engineer, and global speaker. On a mission to voice-activate the world's databases, he Co-Founded Aristotle, by Bouquet.ai, with his business partner Marios Anapliotis. He has spoken at events such as Web Summit, P&G's Data and Analytics Summit and Conversational Interaction and is listed in Inc. Magazine as an "AI Entrepreneur to Watch".
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Adrien online:
Learn more about Aristotle Check out Aristotle's Twitter
Follow Adrien’s Twitter Connect with Adrien on LinkedIn
Books Adrien recommends:
Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs Amazon
Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Let’s be honest, there is a lot of sleazy marketing out there. Way too much. So on this episode I’m interviewing Louis Grenier, a marketer, entrepreneur, the host of EveryoneHatesMarketers podcast to dig into the concept of marketing transparency.
We talk about authentic marketing, Louis’s experience as a marketing consultant, mental health and a lot more.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Louis on LinkedIn: Email Website
Books Louis recommends:
influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Amazon
Incognito: The Secret Lives Of The Brain Amazon
The Choice Factory: 25 behavioural biases that influence what we buy Amazon
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Amazon
21 Lessons for the 21st Century Amazon
The 1-Page Marketing Plan: Get New Customers, Make More Money, And Stand Out From the Crowd Amazon
The Boron Letters Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
Look, nobody likes to hear something is impossible. We all want to believe that we can create anything we want.
So on this episode I’m talking with the CEO of Hostaway (vacation rental software) Marcus Räder exactly about that: _why you should build a global company, difference between Finnish and North American entrepreneurs, hiring, perseverance, mindset. _
Here’s what we cover in more detail:
- What sisu philosophy means for Finnish people
- Sharing economy and where it is going
- How to focus when you run a startup
- Material things… Do you really need them to feel happy?
- And a lot more…
Marcus Räder is a passionate traveler with 10 years of experience in online marketing and a ton of startups. Originally from Finland, Marcus is on a mission to help Airbnb hosts improve their businesses.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Marcus online: LinkedIn Company Website
Get these books Marcus recommends:
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy Amazon
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Amazon
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
We are negotiating every single day. If you are not ready to leave a ton of value on the table when you try to persuade someone, buy or sell things, get a job or run a business - this episode is for you.
I'm discussing one of the best negotiation books ever written "Never Split the Difference".
I cover the key aspects of how to negotiate (from the book):
- Bending the reality of your counterpart
- Why saying no is key
- Getting the other side bet against themselves
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
It’s no doubt… Most of our learnings come at the end of a comfort zone.
So this time I had a pleasure to sit down with Steve Watt to talk about what holds B2B marketers back, culture of testing everything, his career and much more.
Steve is a co-founder of Toronto ABM Summit, ABM strategist at Quarry (marketing firm exclusive to B2B tech) and VP of marketing at Avanti software (which creates a better employee experience, from hire to retire).
Here’s what we cover in this episode:
- Turkey Bazaar Marketing vs SaaS Business Marketing is it really different?
- Culture of “test driving everything” and how it relates to Account Based Marketing
- Numbers Game vs Personalization in Marketing
- What was the best investment Steve has made in his career
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page.
Follow Steve on LinkedIn:
LinkedIn Twitter
And get Steve’s book suggestions:
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works Amazon
Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant Amazon
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Amazon
The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win Amazon
Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company-and Revolutionized an Industry Amazon
Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets Amazon
Beloved Brands: The playbook for how to build a brand your consumers will love Amazon
Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Amazon
Steve’s favourite meet-ups in Toronto
Toronto Account Based Marketing Pioneers https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Account-Based-Marketing-Pioneers/
GrowthToronto https://www.meetup.com/Growth-Hacking-Toronto/
And check out FlipMyFunnel Podcast if you are into Account Based Marketing
Find out more at https://sergey-ross-podcast.pinecast.co
I’m thrilled to share this episode with y’all. If you are in business, marketing or sales, you’ll find nuggets of wisdom in this interview.
I had an opportunity to meet Sharn Kandola (COO of CTO Boost; Director of Startup Grind) to talk about her mission, career, obsession with data, balancing tech with life and a lot more.
Here are just a few topics we touch on:
- Importance of stubbornness and resilience in the business world
- How Sharn started her own company called FeeDuck
- Failures and successes in entrepreneurship and how to overcome them
- Startup Grind community and what makes it different
Sharn has over 20 years of experience in start-ups, she writes for Fortune, has made appearances on BNN, CHCH, CityTV, CBC, and is frequently quoted in Inc.com; Betakit; Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, and The Financial Post.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my LinkedIn page @sergeyrosslive.
Follow Sharn online:
LinkedIn Twitter
OK look. LinkedIn is one of the fastest growing and powerful social platform for B2B businesses. It's been like that for the last few years and has no indication to slow down.
This is the presentation I did at MaRS Discovery District to B2B companies explaining how LinkedIn works and what results you can get from it.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to follow my LinkedIn Page
This time, I had an opportunity to sit down with Brandi Smith to talk all things marketing, ABM failures, startups vs enterprise companies and books.
Brandi is a highly experienced marketing professional. With over 15 years spent in marketing. She’s been a Director and VP of marketing from startups all the way to giants like Microsoft.
And built integrated marketing and communications strategies that created brand awareness, thought leadership and generated revenue.
Here’s what you’ll learn more on:
- Brandi’s marketing career journey
- Difference between a Good marketer and an Outstanding marketer
- Biggest mistakes companies make trying to roll-out ABM
- Brandi’s morning routines and favourite books
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my LinkedIn page @sergeyrosslive.
Follow Brandi on LinkedIn
And don't forget these awesome books Brandi recommends:
A Practitioner's Guide to Account-Based Marketing: Accelerating Growth in Strategic Accounts Amazon
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Amazon
OK this is for anyone in marketing and sales who wants to sell more. I'm sharing the most important lessons on writing a better copy from people who know best - copywriters. And, it is as practical as it gets. You can start applying it right away.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to follow my LinkedIn Page
OK this is one of the coolest episode I did. I’ve met up with Asad Zaman to do a deep dive into success, mindset and running a business.
Asad is a Managing Director at Sales Talent Agency and now helps to recruit the very best executives.
Here is what we are chatting about:
- Asad’s story as an immigrant in Canada and a path to success
- How to master sales and become a thought leader
- How to get into a winner’s mindset
PS. This is the longest episode we’ve done to date. And it’s worth your time!
PPS. Before you go, mind leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends?
Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my LinkedIn page @sergeyrosslive.
Follow Asad on LinkedIn:
Get Asad’s book suggestions:
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers Amazon
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility" Amazon
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It Amazon
Shantaram: A Novel Amazon
It's no surprise. The role of a CEO is one of the hardest jobs that exists out in the workplace. In this episode I dive deeper into the most challenging moments as a CEO, how does it relate to other aspects of our lives and how to overcome them. (based on Ben Horowitz book "Hard Things About Hard Things")
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to follow my LinkedIn Page
OK this episode is all about business and personal growth. Exciting.
I’ve caught up with René-Sylvain Bédard (CEO of Indominus) to talk about early days of internet, how was it like to build his first IT company and learnings from that. We also dive into talent vs skill vs attitude, personal growth and of course Rene’s favourite books.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share the podcast with your friends! And check out my Instagram @sergeyross.live for more cool business and personal growth content.
Follow Rene Online:
LinkedIn Website
Also check out books Rene mentions in this episode:
Innovator’s dilemma Amazon
MBA in a Book: Mastering Business with Attitude Amazon
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead Amazon
Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder Amazon
Alright, today is the day! (especially if you are in customer success)
In this episode I’ve met with Ben Winn to talk about customer success and building real relationships.
Here is what we are diving into:
- Up-sells and cross-sells in customer success
- Account behaviour formula to have more success with your customers
- Data versus customer interaction: what matters more
- Customer Success in Focus community and events
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcast and share it with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my LinkedIn page @sergeyrosslive.
Follow Ben here:
Website
[Or Email Ben directly] - ben@csinfocus.com
Also check out the resources we’ve mentioned in this episode:
eBook: The Beginner’s Guide to Customer Success
Customer Success eBook
CS in Focus 2019 Event Series: Customer Success & Marketing
Eventbrite
More people are asking me about the gear I use to record this podcast. I love gear (aren't we all?) and have invested into the best one (from what I found so far). So I’m sharing exactly what I use and why. I also talk about the way how I record my episodes and what software do I use to edit it.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram and follow my LinkedIn Page
I’m having a great chat with Nathan Monk about startups, founders and marketing.
Nathan is a Director of Growth Programming at MaRS Discovery District and works with hundreds of startups in Toronto.
We touch on a lot of cool areas in this episode like:
- What a great full-stack marketer looks like in 2019
- Data versus qualitative feedback - what’s more important
- How not to overthink your product development
Also Nathan gives the LARGEST stack of books recommendations to you all. They are brilliant.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram and follow my LinkedIn Page
Follow Nathan and his work:
Twitter LinkedIn Medium
Grab Nathan’s book suggestions:
Good To Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't
Amazon
The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company
Amazon
Ego Is the Enemy
Amazon
The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup
Amazon
Grit
Amazon
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
Amazon
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We do in Life and Business
Amazon
Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence
Amazon
Mindset was and will always be at the heart of this show. I’ve been fortunate to meet-up with Abdul Habboub (Director of Account Development at Densify) and share his wisdom with you.
We are talking about the most common sales myths, what mindset you need to be successful in sales, how to hire superstars, why resume is bullshit and Abdul’s book recommendations.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Abdul and his work:
LinkedIn Twitter
GET these amazing books Abdul recommends (I’ve already did!)
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life
Amazon
The Ultimate Sales Machine
Amazon
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Amazon
I’m delighted to have Marija Vukic as a guest on this show. She is one of the top talent executives in Toronto and a CEO of Plug and Play Talent. We talk hiring, personality tests, company culture and more. Deep insights all-round.
Here are some of the things you will know about:
- Scaling company culture and its pitfalls
- What it felt like to become a CEO
- What Marija is looking for in someone when hiring
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Marija and her company:
Website LinkedIn
**Grab Marija’s book suggestion:
Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead Amazon
I’m pumped to share this episode with you all. Here, I’m chatting with a startup executive April Dunford about startup positioning, product market fit and creating a market category.
Here are some of the things you will know about:
- How April got into marketing
- Product/service positioning and why it’s so hard for businesses to get right
- April’s book recommendations
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
Follow April and her work:
Website LinkedIn Twitter
Grab a set of awesome books April recommends:
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind Amazon
Crossing the Chasm Amazon
The Four Steps to the Epiphany Amazon
OK, today we are (finally, yay!) talking about building great products and software quality testing with Mats Ljunggren. He is sharing a lot of cool insights from his career and experience building his own company Boozang. Here are some of the things you will know about:
- How Mats is building his SaaS software automation company Boozang
- Why positioning and customer feedback is so important in today’s software landscape
- How to ship software faster
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Mats and his company Boozang (be the first to know about level 4 automation testing, seriously)
Website LinkedIn
**Grab a book Mats recommends below (Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful)
Amazon
Sleep can make or your break your progress in anything. I'm talking about why statements like "work more, sleep less" simply don't work.
I also revisit and expand my thoughts on routines because they are so tied up with our sleep.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Me On Your Favourite Platform
Instagram Facebook Website
If you guys are into maximizing your time during the day to get a lot done, you will enjoy this episode.
I’m sharing what I’ve learned about effective time management and how I’ve applied it in my workflow. Also, I talk about the importance of the evening routine.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Me On Your Favourite Platform
Instagram Facebook Website
Alright, if you guys are into building a startup business and differentiating your marketing from others than this episode is for you.
I’ve met up with Kate Brett Goldman, the CEO of Cybermaniacs, cyber awareness company and we talk about Kate’s career journey in sales and marketing, how she started her own company, very cool marketing Cybermaniacs executes and why it works.
Before you go, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and share the podcast with your friends! Be sure to check out more insights on my Instagram @sergeyross.live and follow my Facebook page @sergeyrosslive.
**Follow Kate
Website LinkedIn Twitter
I’ve met with a marketing director of a biometric security startup BioConnect, Gaelan Love.
He comes from the world of Microsoft and shares his thoughts on:
- BioConnect and how it is going to improve biometric security
- B2B marketing strategy for BioConnect and why its a good starting point
- Lead forms and gated content
Show Notes
There are three levels to identity and the first one is what you know…[04:31]
There is a balance between authentic marketing and automation software…[11:40]
Gaelan’s recent book recommendation is New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World--and How to Make It Work for You…[20:08]
New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World
Amazon
**Follow Galean
I’ve interviewed Sydney Wong, a the Founder and CEO of VenturX, a startup benchmarking platform that aims to create more winners in startup industry based on different metrics like runway, conversion, engagement.
We are talking about Sydney’s company vision, startups, time prioritization and her favourite business books.
Show Notes
You don’t know where you rank in comparison to other startups when you present to VC’s…[03:15]
All of your startup numbers tell a story, the data doesn’t lie…[06:23]
One customer who is willing to give you a dollar for anything, that is your business…[07:24]
Sydney talks about how she prioritizes her time and schedule…[14:31]
20% of your clients will produce 80% of your income…[17:10]
**Follow Sydney and VenturX
LinkedIn Website Facebook Medium Instagram Twitter
I’ve met with Mina Movasseli, a founder of “Mind the BluePrint Workshop” to talk about how business leaders can understand their behaviour patterns and psychology in a better way.
**Show Notes
Something I personally look for in marketers is someone who can think analytically…[06:00]
The issues with a lot of companies is grouping UX designer and UX researcher…[08:02]
It’s always good to work in a corporation to get process skills…[14:46]
When I work out I try to say a lot of positive things…[19:47]
You have to be really careful who you take advice from…[24:32]
Its very important to be aware of your subconscious mind and to bring it to awareness…[28:42]
Mina gives her book recommendations…[32:54]
**Follow Mina
Website LinkedIn
My guest for this episode is Nela Dunato who runs her own branding and design studio. She is an artist, designer and a writer. Nela is an author of the book “The Human Centered Brand”, A Practical Guide to Being Yourself in Business.
Show Notes
It was the inner urge to go down this creative path…[04:10]
Nela talks about how she was a generalist before focusing on a narrow area of design work…[09:32]
Nela shares her experience of writing a book “The Human Centered Brand”… [14:55]
Excellent idea on how to start showing up more on video… [24:55]
See how you can weave all your creative talents into your business… [27:00]
You are not pushing yourself if everyone around is happy… [34:15]
Best book for small service businesses Nela has read… [44:55]
You have to be very strict with who you work with… [45:53]
No matter how other people think they know you, they don’t really know you as well as you know yourself… [47:58]
**Follow Nela Dunato
Website
I’m speaking with Andrei Tiu - Entrepreneur, Director & CMO of the London-based Digital Marketing Agency Marketiu and Digital Marketing Strategist at Cognism - one of UK's fastest growing Tech Start-ups.
You will know more about:
- Instagram marketing for small service businesses
- Why Spotify Advertising is a new cool marketing platform
- Andrei’s thoughts on self-development and achieving success
**Follow Andrei Tiu
Website LinkedIn Medium
In this episode I’ve talked to Jenny Hale, a marketing strategist who helps female entrepreneurs grow their businesses online.
You will know more about:
- Marketing tactics Jenny is using to help other entrepreneurs
- LinkedIn as a platform to run marketing campaigns
- Influencer marketing
**Follow Jenny Hale
Website LinkedIn Twitter
My guest for this episode is Ronan Leonard, a who founder of online mastermind platform Eccountability that connects small business owners through virtual Masterminds to grow their business.
**Show Notes
I’ve became obsessed with masterminds…[02:56]
To stand out you have to have a niche…[13:04]
Pick your market, but also make sure you enjoy it too, otherwise you will be miserable…[14:52]
To acquire a better mindset you need to let go of your Ego…[16:09]
What most people end up with is zombie business where it’s sort of alive, but it’s not…[18:13]
Masterminds are really about the return on intellect…[24:25]
**Follow Ronan Leonard
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronan-leonard/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010172989327 Website: https://www.eccountability.io/
My guest today is AJ Roberts - 15 year British forces veteran, entrepreneur, high performance coach, loving father and husband. He had an amazing life journey that shaped him into a person he is today.
**Show Notes
AJ talks about how he and his family were forced to move out of Australia back to the UK…[03:49]
Selling my kids’ toys was a really hard pill to swallow…[04:25]
Experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq made me into a coach I am today…[06:00]
AJ wasn’t able to become a football player, this was his dream. He walks me through his thoughts in that moment: “my whole life just sunk”…[09:57]
I was making inquiries how to sign up to military before I would be charged with crime…[11:36]
…you go to places like Iraq and Afghanistan where you see horrendous violence…[15:55]
What might be negative at the moment, the positive will come out of it…[24:34]
No matter what you do, if you practice being the hardest worker, playing to your strength and keep at it you will see massive results…[29:20]
**Follow AJ Roberts Online
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajrobertscoaching/ Instagram:@ajrobertscoaching Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010172989327
In this episode I share the most effective way to win someone's business, how to respond to a proposal and defeat competition.
You will learn how to:
- Create a portfolio project that attracts attention
- What structure to follow when creating such document
- How this can help if you are looking for contract work
Follow Sergey Ross Online
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sergeyross.live Website: www.sergeyross.live Facebook Group: bit.ly/2VOPG05
In this episode I share my take on what's important when you are building a brand on LinkedIn both for businesses and personally.
You will know more about how to:
- Optimize your profile
- Create a content strategy
- Connect with the right audience
**Follow Sergey Ross Online
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sergeyross.live Website: www.sergeyross.live Facebook Group: bit.ly/2VOPG05
Jeremy Roadruck is a former enlisted member of the US Army Reserve, a full time instructor of marital arts and the author of two books on how to develop successful kids.
On this episode he shares his life story and gives perspective on coaching and Tony Robbins programs he attended.
**Follow Jeremy Online
Website: https://bit.ly/2APDMKu LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/thejeremyroadruck/ Twitter: twitter.com/kungfuguyjeremy
My guest today is a Co-Founder of endurance sports business “Inner Voice”, the head coach of AFL Team Canada and the author of the book “Where Others Won’t” - Cody Royle.
Cody shares his story of coming to Canada from Australia, lessons he learned as a sports coach and how the expertise from the world of sports must be applied in the business world.
**SHOW NOTES
Cody went from a really successful job, very high salary, in Australia to working minimum wage…[4:09]
Everyone was running around me, playing normal and I was outthinking myself…[6:45]
Paralysis by analysis can actually aid you…[8:06]
Do what you love, do what you good at and do it better than other people…[11:40]
Cody explains the idea behind alternative MBA program by Seth Godin…[15:03]
When you are able to say it’s a better idea than what we are doing (rather than it’s my idea) that’s when you see real success…[19:15]
Foundational idea behind the book is people are a competitive advantage…[20:05]
In business we don’t practice adverse situations only fire alarm training…[23:20]
We need to celebrate failure and practice failure…[23:35]
You see the real innovation in companies before they go public…[26:48]
The notion of A-Players and B-Players doesn’t really exist…[29:21]
There is almost an argument to go against data…[33:59]
Cody talks about how accountability to the whole team helps to maintain discipline…[40:25]
The general public thinks that pro sports teams care about winning…[44:00]
Instead of goal oriented we have to be journey oriented…[46:32]
You have absolutely no control over the outcome in competition…[49:59]
Goal setting is great, but you have to be obsessed over process…[50:52]
**Follow Cody Royle Online
Website: www.codyroyle.com Medium: medium.com/@codyroyle LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/codyroyle/ Twitter: twitter.com/codyroyle
My guest on this episode is Sam Amoako, a Technical Director and Head Coach at a youth soccer academy Sporting FC where he does whatever it takes to get kids to perform a the highest level possible and develop mental toughness.
**Follow Sam Amoako
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-gyeke-amoako-91a1412b/ Twitter: twitter.com/sgyeke
Michael Korbin is a founder of a leadership company "The Kobrin Group". He is also a facilitator, coach, keynote speaker and photographer. He works with leaders to build more inspiring, creative and human workplaces.
**SHOW NOTES
Often stress is just a misalignment of values...{12:05}
What are the relationship between the purpose and passion?...{17:01}
What gives you energy?...{21:00}
Spend time focusing on strength...{27:25}
**Follow Michael Korbin
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mkobrin/ Business website: www.thekobringroup.com/ Photography website: www.kobrinphotography.com/ Twitter: twitter.com/TheKobrinGroup
Nancy Spotton is a people leader, the CEO or MPWR, a former Ontario Soccer Summit speaker who after 20+ years of working with some of Canada’s best companies is currently honored to be a developer of top Millennial talent in the Sport & Event Post Graduate program at George Brown College.
Nancy is on a powerful journey to helping 1M Millennials by providing them with access to coaches, mentors, and tools to help them succeed.
MPWR is reinventing talent and HR with big data, machine learning using the world's #1 performance technology created for and used by Navy SEALs and Olympians for 4 decades.
**SHOW NOTES
I’m going to actually change my mindset and share my story with others …{3:17}
I have never been in this mental state before…{5:13}
Stop talking about how. You’ve got to stop and look inside… {10:23}
A better way to ask “why” question is…{11:52}
How can someone be at their best consistently?…{12:26}
Vision is infinite goals are finite…{13:15}
I have a vision and 5 objectives…{15:50}
People make a decision about your personal brand in 30 seconds or less...{20:13}
How can I build better leaders?... {22:33}
Why the majority of people have a reactive/closed mindset?...{27:33}
I'm about mental fitness and here is my belief... {32:17}
Here is a key lesson I've learned.... {35:00}
**Follow Nancy Spotton
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-j-spotton/ Twitter: twitter.com/spotti34?lang=en Website: mpwrperformance.ca