Aepiphanni Off the Cuff: Recent Episodes
Hazel Haygood & Rick Meekins
Aepiphanni Business Consulting’s latest “Off the Cuff” Podcast will be an excellent resource for answers and perspectives on the most interesting questions business owners are asking answered by seasoned entrepreneurs.
With the mission of educating, equipping, and inspiring business leaders, through our episodes we will be meeting business owners and entrepreneurs where they are and talk about challenges and opportunities.
Jeff Swartz’s 20 years of experience in digital advertising have made him an expert in evaluating and selecting technology for his business. But when clients continually asked for a service for which Jeff’s agency couldn’t find a provider, Jeff set out to create the software himself. In this episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Jeff and Rick explore the risk-reward analysis that led Jeff to take the leap into entrepreneurship and self-fund his startup. Discover how he transformed his company over the years, integrating cutting-edge tech into their daily operations, and how he tackles the challenge of selecting the right software solutions.
Don't miss this episode filled with wisdom and inspiration! Tune in and stay ahead in the tech game.
• How Jeff’s marketing agency piloted a program for self-serve, highly targeted, location-based advertising
• The tools and software utilized by Jeff ’s team to grow the business, including adopting new AI
• How Jeff’s agency makes decisions about what projects to prioritize
• Why Jeff gives the authority to team members to select new software
• Common pitfalls in evaluating new software
Have you been considering starting a business podcast?
On this week’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Rick sits down with marketing and media expert Lee Judge to discuss all the ins and outs of running a successful podcast that will elevate your brand and strengthen your business.
Before starting his company, Content Monsta, Lee describes living parallel lives – doing corporate marketing and sales by day and working deep in creativity doing video production by night.
Today, he has combined both, bringing creativity and data analytics into one powerhouse business that helps executives and businesses produce podcasts, video, and content marketing.
Discover everything Lee Judge and Content Monsta have to offer. Learn how to leverage podcasts and other forms of media to successfully market your business in today’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff.
• About Content Monsta’s Unique Approach Combining Media and Marketing
• Why So Many Companies Are Getting into Podcasts
• 5 Mistakes Executives Make When Doing a Podcast
• The Ideal Podcast Length, Quality, Format, and Promotion
• How Executives Should Present Themselves on Video and Audio Podcasts
What does it take to succeed as a tech startup?
Kelly Flynn and Tim Chalk share their decades of knowledge in the tech space with this week’s listeners of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff.
Kelly and Tim, founders of Seirios Technologies, coach tech founders and help them build both the roadmap and the business they need to support their dreams. Their job is to work themselves out of a job as they help turn your vision into reality.
Listen in to this week’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff to gain the perspective you need as an ambitious tech founder with a unique, clever idea.
• The 3 Levels of Startup Support Provided by Seirios Technologies
• Myths vs. Reality for Tech Startups
• Working with Development Teams
• Are NDAs Necessary for Tech Startups?
• Scaling, Roadmaps, and Advice for Founders
Kiki and Corey are shaking up the online dating industry with their newly launched audio-based dating app, SWITCH. The two best friends dove into the world of tech startups to create a virtual speed dating app that lets people connect first, and judge later. In their research and design, they prioritized creating the kind of user experience that will put an end to swipe culture and lead to real connection.
Their fresh approach and unique solutions to the real issues created by today’s dating apps has already helped them secure investment funds and launch their app in beta. Listen in to today’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff to hear their story, learn how they have overcome obstacles, and be inspired by their infectious energy and dedication to building a business that will make a difference.
In this episode:
- What is the SWITCH Dating App and How Does it Work?
- Solving the Main Problems with Today’s Dating Apps
- What it Takes to Build a Business and How Corey and Kiki’s Startup Journey Has Evolved
- Getting Funding as Black Female Startup Founders
How to Become a Beta Tester and/or Invest in the Switch App
Brandon Rhodes and Navarr Grevious have both entered the hyper-competitive realm of tech startups, even though neither one has any background in tech.
Brandon’s app, Yumfox, is taking on the middleman and saving restaurants and consumers both time and money in the world of restaurant food delivery.
Navarr and his co-founders of Quikliq—a digital marketplace for beer, wine, and spirits—are helping small liquor shops deliver your favorite drink to your doorstep.
Both have taken very different paths on their road to startup success. Listen to this week’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff to discover their unique approaches to tech development, fundraising, investor shares, and what they would do differently if they were to start the journey all over again.
In this episode:
- How to build a tech department as a non-tech founder
- Learning the ropes of the tech startup world
- The value of connections and relationships in business
- Protecting your ideas with NDAs and people you trust
- Working with co-founders and consultants
- Is it important to find a co-founder with a technical skillset?
- How to design an equity plan and distribute shares
- What has fundraising been like for Brandon and Navarr?
- What Brandon and Navarr would have done differently if they had known what they know now
- The importance of doing market research early on
- The moments they wanted to give up or thought they had failed
- The importance of vision, and the grit and work necessary to bring your vision to life.
Michael Wolsten is an executive trainer, coach, speaker, and bestselling author. He helps businesses improve their work culture to keep and develop the talent they have and powerfully attract new talent.
Michael has put in the work to learn the real-world answers and understand what makes a great leader.
He has tested and taught his principles of heart-driven leadership over the last 17 years, helping companies achieve world-class sales, service, and retention by fostering workplace cultures that drive results.
Listen to Michael’s story and insights into today’s job market in Episode 9 of the Off the Cuff Season 3 podcast.
In this episode:
- Defining leadership integrity and purpose
- The value of investing in mentorship
- Signs of self-sabotage and burnout as a business owner
- Stopping the burnout cycle by empowering others
- What makes a successful leader?
- The shift from Hustle Culture to Quiet Quitting
- Opportunities for leaders to ask themselves what is healthy for them when it comes to work.
- How to get open and honest feedback from your team to effect change within your organization.
- Relational leadership and honoring the present to help other people feel valued.
- The importance of assessing cultural fit in the hiring process
We’ve always viewed leadership from the perspective of leading others to complete a goal.
But have you heard of identity-based leadership? It’s a leadership style where you lead yourself first to ultimately inspire your team to win through personal values and character.
Professional speaker and identity leadership expert Ricco McAdory talks more about this topic in the newest Aepiphanni Off the Cuff episode.
Hear more about what Ricco has to say about legacy, his pastorship experiences and how all these shaped how he is now as a leader.
Website: https://www.riccomcadoryspeaks.com/
Social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccosmcadory/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP7Bw5xYUYIJKR34ZyyZmcw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064238194162
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riccosmcadory/
Kirk Gimenez, who was a Venezuelan immigrant and the first ever Latino to anchor in English for ESPN, shares with listeners the leap he took in starting Xizzle TV (a platform for raising up underrepresented voices).
It wasn’t always easy but the reward of pursuing his passion has made it all worth it. From learning the entrepreneurial spirit to getting a business off the ground with his own money, Kirk’s clarity for this project is what keeps him going. For him, it’s about embodying, embracing, and representing those minority stories, and giving them a platform to shine.
Xizzle TV is a FREE smart TV app on Roku and Amazon Fire that makes TV in English for Latinos & all minorities.
Kirk is a network anchor (formerly with ESPN & SNY), Two-time Emmy Winner, TV host and Executive Producer.
You can reach out to him here:
Instagram: @kirkgimenez
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kirkgimenez/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-gimenez/
Ashley de Tello gets down to business when it comes to becoming a published author. Hear her discuss the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing, royalties, the truth about getting paid, and the importance of investing in your own message.
Ashley lets listeners know just what it takes to get published and the hard work that goes into the process. With this process comes five key phases necessary for having a successful book launch, and the most important phase might be one that surprises you: planning.
Did you ever think there would be more to publishing a book than just writing? Learn more in this episode.
Ashley is the founder and CEO of de Tello Publishing, a company born out of her passion for the power of words. She has a wonderful team that helps authors and business leaders to bring their ideas to life. Reach out to her Here or at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deTelloPublishing
In this episode, Jim Cichanski, Flex HR’s Founder & CHRO, shares his extensive background in HR and his experience in owning his own HR consulting firm.
Along with that, he talks about the immense responsibilities that have complicated the HR realm since the start of the pandemic. Diving into the depths of “The Great Resignation,” listeners learn how COVID-19 impacted the workforce and the way it once was, and how it allowed for a new generation of remote workers to prosper, personally and professionally. The desire to remain remote poses complicated challenges, and the necessity for businesses to follow strict compliance laws in order to avoid high penalties.
Jim Cichanski founded Flex HR in 2001 to help companies leverage their most important asset: their people. He can be reached at jcichanski@flexhr.com or connect with him at
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlexHRInc
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flex-hr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlexHRinc
Rob Finkelstein talks about life after sports: what’s a student athlete to do when their career ends? Not all become professionals. Alumni Direct connects former athletes with a network of endless possibilities.
Rob Finkelstein discusses the importance of resources and networking for athletes when their sports careers come to an end.
This episode welcomes Rob Finkelstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Alumni Direct. Rob discusses how his business is a new way for former and current athletes to connect with each other off the field; building mentorships and paying it forward to the community. Finkelstein wants listeners to know that athletes can have the resources and networks to be successful beyond their respective sport.
Take a listen and learn about the athlete’s mindset and how Alumni Direct can be utilized to provide opportunity and inspiration.
What does it take to embrace the entrepreneurial mindset and spirit? What tools are needed to build a business from the ground up? And just how important are roles when working within a partnership? Dr. Keri Ohlrich, esteemed author of “The Way of the HR Warrior,” is the CEO and co-founder of Abbracci Group – a consultant firm with a “mission to improve the environment of organizations which in turn improves the lives of employees.” She offers her intuitive perspective when it comes to all things HR, business development, and helping humans and companies thrive. For Dr. Ohlrich, “it’s a way of life” and necessity to make her partnership and her business succeed while impacting those she works with.
In this episode, Dr. Ohlrich covers a lot of ground, especially when it comes to what it takes to achieve in the HR sphere. She highlights the importance of having a solid foundation led by good leaders while delving into her own background. Though she wasn’t always ready for the entrepreneurial lifestyle, it was the risks and the unknown that allowed her to accomplish so much, along with a balanced and communicative partnership. Hear her advice for keeping an organization afloat and learn the mindset she uses in her day-to-day of “what would Google do?” when it comes to goal making, defining roles, and strategizing like a big corporation for a small business.
Our Guest, Angela Gennari, shares how she built Titan Global Enterprises, an Atlanta-based event security firm, despite opposition from within and without. She shares insights on the difficulties female entrepreneurs face, and her commitment to inspiring women to press forward and not sell themselves short. She is a true “Go Big or Go Home” kind of person.
Angela has been in business for over 20 years. She’s a serial entrepreneur and a finalist for Small Business Person of the Year, and the CEO of Titan Global Enterprises.
If you want to learn from a woman who beat the odds to become a business Titan, this episode is for you.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Aepiphanni Off The Cuff, Angela Gennari and our hosts discuss:
- How difficult entrepreneurship is and how to survive as an entrepreneur.
- Gender bias and diversity in business.
- How to deal with hard times and setbacks.
- How more women can take charge of their lives and demand more within the business world.
- How to maintain loyalty among your staff and other people that work for you.
If you want to hear more from Angela Gennari, you can listen to her podcast at https://prettypowerfulpodcast.com.
You must be young to be good at social media; this was one of the myths our guest. Jennifer Radke, crushed in this episode of Off The Cuff. Jennifer Radke is the CEO of the National Institute of Social Media (NISM). She is a strategic business leader and international speaker with 15+ years in sales and organizational leadership. In addition, she is a NISM-certified Social Media Strategist (SMS) and educator.
In this episode, Jennifer takes us on a journey to explain explicitly how brands and businesses can leverage social media and get better goal-oriented results for their business. She dives deep into strategies, tips, and tactics that, if employed accurately, can change the trajectory of many businesses on social media. Get ready to have a greater understanding of how social media works and how you can leverage it more effectively for your business.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Off The Cuff, Jennifer Radke and our hosts discuss:
- What the NISM is all about, and how it can help professionals and students in the marketing world to show more expertise and position themselves better.
- How social media strategy can help you get better results online.
- The most prominent social media myths that have stopped a lot of businesses from experiencing the success they deserve.
- The question, “What social media trends do you watch out for, and how do you leverage them for your business?”
- The impact of Virtual Reality (VR) on social media.
Also, if you want to learn more about the National Institute of Social Media (NISM), you can visit www.nismonline.org for more information.
You must be young to be good at social media; this was one of the myths our guest. Jennifer Radke, crushed in this episode of Off The Cuff. Jennifer Radke is the CEO of the National Institute of Social Media (NISM). She is a strategic business leader and international speaker with 15+ years in sales and organizational leadership. In addition, she is a NISM-certified Social Media Strategist (SMS) and educator.
In this episode, Jennifer takes us on a journey to explain explicitly how brands and businesses can leverage social media and get better goal-oriented results for their business. She dives deep into strategies, tips, and tactics that, if employed accurately, can change the trajectory of many businesses on social media. Get ready to have a greater understanding of how social media works and how you can leverage it more effectively for your business.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Off The Cuff, Jennifer Radke and our hosts discuss:
- What the NISM is all about, and how it can help professionals and students in the marketing world to show more expertise and position themselves better.
- How social media strategy can help you get better results online.
- The most prominent social media myths that have stopped a lot of businesses from experiencing the success they deserve.
- The question, “What social media trends do you watch out for, and how do you leverage them for your business?”
- The impact of Virtual Reality (VR) on social media.
Also, if you want to learn more about the National Institute of Social Media (NISM), you can visit www.nismonline.org for more information.
Jim Intriglia, the founder of Jim Intriglia Enterprises, LLC, is a Business Information Technology Consultant working on technologically advanced products and services, with a special focus on VR (Virtual Reality). With over thirty years of experience in the industry, he helps organizations, business professionals, and entrepreneurs achieve their full potential by successfully integrating technology with business.
In this episode, Jim explains how VR and Metaverse (and their equivalents) evolved from their early stages to reach the level where they can now be applied to business strategy and marketing. With interesting examples, he points out how its applications are slowly seeping into everything we see in the world around us. The applications of VR now pan into teaching, trade associations, marketing, and demo campaigns as well as simulations for training.
Listen to him explain, how the world as we know is changing with the incorporation of VR into it.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Jim Intriglia and our hosts discuss:
- What is Virtual reality (VR) and its key features?
- What are the business applications of Metaverse?
- How can businesses integrate VR into their operations?
- When will VR become accessible and affordable enough for businesses to use it?
- What level of planning does VR adoption in business require?
Here is something special from Jim for our podcast listeners:
Free Offer: Complimentary 6-month subscription to premium articles available via JimIntriglia.com, or a complimentary 45-minute business or career advising consultation with Jim via Web meeting.
Jackson Calame, owner of First Class Business, teaches visionary entrepreneurs, with service-oriented organizations, how to unlock sustainable revenue growth and expand their legacy by becoming a Power Brand in their market. A startling 66% of businesses fail within the first 10 years. Jackson teaches businesses not only how to avoid failure, but how to win by becoming true visionary leaders in their market.
Having worked in, launched, and scaled several successful startups in the B2B industry and SaaS space, servicing thousands of SMBs, Jackson has seen firsthand that even the best operators struggle and often fail. The problem begins with poorly managed growth, due to establishing a weak foundation, which inevitably leads to collapse. Jackson and his teams prepare business owners and executives to bridge their growth gaps. Collectively, we often fill the roles of COO, CMO, or CEO during this transformative process.
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Jackson Calame and our hosts discuss:
- How to unlock sustainable revenue growth in your business
- The importance of setting healthy boundaries as an entrepreneur
- How to become a Power Brand in your market
- How to win by becoming a true leader in your market
- The importance of meditation and prayer as an entrepreneur
- How to break away from limiting beliefs about money and other valuable resources
- The definition of a true visionary when it comes to entrepreneurship
Stay tuned to listen to another exciting episode of this season’s Aepiphanni OTC.
How do you know when it’s time to begin the process of writing the book you’ve been wanting to write for quite some time? Today, we’re joined by Meg Calvin, an Amazon Bestselling Author, Wife, Mom, Master Air-guitar Player, Speaker, and Coach who helps spiritually-attuned go-getters write, market, and sell their books. Before starting up her coaching career in 2017, Meg attended seminary where she studied theology and pastoral care, and also built non-profit children’s programs. Although she works with a variety of clients from all over the theological spectrum, her clients have one important thing in common—the desire to create and to serve others with their work.
In today’s exciting Aepiphanni Off the Cuff episode, Meg discusses the following touchpoints:
- Limiting beliefs around marketing that portray it as being selfish or egotistical
- The definition of a spiritually-attuned go-getter
- How to know when it’s time to start writing your book
- How to know if you should hire a ghost writer and why that might not be the best idea
- Why the most healing and positive books will never be written
- Her process for coaching clients through writing a book and building a brand
- The importance of protecting your energy so you can better serve clients
You can share your ideas, grow your business and increase your influence massively using the power of a podcast. In today’s episode we have Jay Sutton. He is an audio/video producer that creates engaging content for thought leaders and entrepreneurs who desire to spread their message. He is also the founder of Destroying Doubt media, a company he built to help create quality content that educates, inspires and educates.
Jay will take a deep dive into the world of podcasting and show us exactly how it is done. If you are looking to start a podcast or maybe you are not yet convinced as to why you should, get ready!
By the end of the episode, you will:
- Know why starting your own podcast is important.
- Understand what it takes to start and run a successful podcast.
- Learn how you can make money from podcasting without having thousands of subscribers.
- Understand the value of patience, planning and execution in podcasting.
- Get to hear Jay’s story which will inspire you to take action and not waste everything you learn.
You can get 10% off his podcast launch package. All you have to do is email destroyingdoubtmedia@gmail.com and indicate that you heard about his services on Aepiphanni Off The Cuff.
Tara and Sean are Peak Performance coaches in the business of closing the gap between your performance and your potential. They have X-ray vision into how your thoughts, memories, and beliefs are encoded, and how to reformat them to serve you on autopilot so you can create the life and business you want for yourself.
In today’s episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Tara and Sean discuss the value of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in marketing your business. They present a side of the multi-faceted NLP tool that you may have never considered. To learn more, listen to the full episode here!
In this episode, we discuss:
- The importance of values alignment within an organization
- How mirroring and reframing are valuable tools in sales and marketing
- The value of NLP in marketing
- How our unconscious minds influence our perception and behaviors
- The importance of clarity in your brand messaging
- How your environment can dictate your decision-making process
- The importance of reframing your client’s mindset to change their decision-making process and perception of a situation
- The definition of “internal representation” and how it can be used as a powerful sales tool
- Deep congruence, or as some refer to it, “flow state”
Have you ever wondered how a video is produced from beginning to end? What are the steps in place to successfully produce a video? How do you run a successful production company? Today in our studio, we spoke with Angelina McEwen. She is the Creative Producer and Owner of Express Your Visions, LLC, a video production and photography company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. McEwen, a Ukrainian native, discusses her humble beginnings as a freelance videographer just starting out in her career, and her journey to running a highly successful production company. To view her portfolio, click here.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The value of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) in video production
- The BANK Value System and how it applies to producing quality video scripts
- How our thoughts and habits influence the way we perceive and respond to videos
- How NLP influences us to be better communicators and listeners
- What elements comprise a successful video or advertisement
- The art and science behind video and how it helps companies sell more.
What do you do when you only need insurance for a three-day car rental or when using a car sharing app? Former Babson College student, Matthew Vega-Sanz, is the CEO of and co-founder (along with his brother) of Lula, an insurance infrastructure technology boasting a fully integrated suite of insurance tools. Lula specializes in providing insurance infrastructure to car rental companies, trucking and logistics companies, car sharing platforms, rentals for military personnel, and “everything in between.” He does this by honing in on a subspecialty of insurance that is so often overlooked—car insurance that covers shorter periods of time—a concept Vega-Sanz calls episodic insurance.
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to forge a market fit for your product where there is none
- How to be a “student of the start-up game”
- The importance of being a venture-backable business
- How to overcome the mental battle when seeking funding for your start-up
- The hard truth about raising capital without traction
- Why we need to normalize struggle over success
How much thought do you put into growing and developing your sales team? Because your sales team is crucial to the growth and success of your company, you should invest in the best when it comes to sales management. But often, that’s an area which is overlooked by many business owners who think they can “do it all” and don’t need to outsource when it comes to sales.
Todd Callen is an outsource sales advisor/leader who has been in sales management for over 25 years. Currently, he uses his expertise to help small to mid-sized companies in the Atlanta area scale their growth by managing their sales teams. Business owners call on Todd when they hit a wall in their sales department. You can take his Sales Agility Assessment to see where you stand in your sales department.
In this episode of Season 2 of Aepiphanni: Off the Cuff, Todd Callen and our hosts, Rick and Hazel, chat about:
- When business owners hit a wall and need to call in an outsource sales advisor
- CRMs—what they are and what they can do for your sales department
- The importance of delegating sales management
- What sufficient compensation for your sales team members looks like
- How good compensation drives your sales team to perform at their maximum potential
- How to effectively run a sales team in a remote setting
- How to be an effective salesperson in a remote setting
A vision is the guiding force for any company.
But what happens when you encounter roadblocks to your vision?
Isaiah Nunez is the Creative Director and Founder of DomceptVisuals. He is also a videographer and a director, who has just begun to break into short films. He also hosts his own podcast called Kinda Not Scripted, which is a platform for other creators who are trying to break into their niche. Nunez says consistency, balance, and perspective are the three concepts that serve as the foundation on which his company is built. He takes a vision and builds on the emotional connection through the lens directly to the viewer.
In episode 8 of season 2 of OTC, Isaiah Nunez and our hosts discuss:
- How to work your way around roadblocks to your company’s vision
- The importance of establishing an emotional connection with your audience
- The importance of community, or relying on others, when first establishing your brand or business
- How podcasts give new business owners exposure when trying to establish themselves in their niche, but haven’t been “lucky” enough to be discovered
- How to bounce back after you’ve encountered obstacles in your business
- Having the courage to know when you need to take a step back as a business owner
- How to establish boundaries with negative people, without burning bridges
- The importance of hiring and delegating work to others so you don’t burn out
Joe Yazbeck is an internationally acclaimed speaker and leadership coach for top industry executives, public servants and entrepreneurs. He is the bestselling author of the book titled No Fear Speaking, and the book has been published in 8 languages. He has also given over 4000 presentations in his 35 years of speaking.
Learn more about personal branding and being a better communicator in Off The Cuff Season 2 Episode 6
By the end of this episode, you will:
- Understand the difference between authentic and synthetic branding.
- Learn how to build your personal brand the right way.
- Learn how to master speaking even as an introvert.
- Know the 5 C’s of a commanding speaker.
- Learn how to get people to buy into your brand and win their trust.
- See why personal branding matters to your business.
Ingrid Ahumada and Luis Almanza work in the data analytics space where they help businesses analyze and make sense of data. This helps them make better-informed decisions that lead to radical business growth. They have been doing this for three years.
Discover more about Data analytics and how it helps businesses in Off The Cuff Season 2 Episode 5.
In this episode:
- You will understand more about data analysis
- You will discover the benefits of data analysis in your business
- You will learn how you can start using data analysis for your company or small business
- Luis and Ingrid discuss why they built their own company and the problems they solve
- They explain what Artificial Intelligence is and why it is not the first step in digitizing your business
- You will discover why using data analytics tools trumps traditional methods
You may recognize the importance of mental health in your personal life. But as a business owner, did you know that you need to be watching out for the mental well-being of your employees as well as yourself?
In this episode of Aepiphanni Off the Cuff, Mental Health Counselor, Kyri Harris, shares her knowledge and expertise in the mental health field, not just as a counselor, but as a business owner. Ms. Harris has 19 years of experience as an educator, and 7 years as a mental health provider. By day, she is a school counselor; by evening, she runs her own practice, providing mental health services to patients via telehealth. You can reach out to Kyri Harris at www.designed2excel.com.
In this episode, Ms. Kyri Harris discusses:
- The importance of work/life balance
- Prioritizing family and personal life as an entrepreneur
- Delegating the workload when running your own business
- Recognizing the signs of mental health issues in your employees
- The red flags for identifying an impending mental health crisis
- How to recognize the physical manifestations of stress
- The importance of taking time off work to avoid burnout
- The importance of encouraging your employees to take vacation days for their mental health
Terrell Varnes is the co-owner and music director of WBP Radio in Atlanta, GA. His radio station plays the best of inspirational hip hop and R&B music. In this episode Terrell discusses his love of music, brand marketing and maintenance, and his passion for impacting and influencing other artists in the industry.
Learn more about his passion for music and career in Off the Cuff season 2, episode 3!
In this episode:
- Terrell discusses how being in the hospital because of Covid was a time of spiritual awakening for him. Most people would see it as a bad thing, but he said God used it in his life to grow him in new ways.
- He emphasizes that by understanding your purpose, you can create opportunities for yourself.
- A conversation around how he promoted his brand and maintained that brand presence.
- What it’s like being a DJ.
- The importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket as an entrepreneur. How to hustle and have three or four jobs going at once to always have a steady stream of income.
- Your clients’ success is a reflection of your success.
- Maintaining humility in the industry.
Nicole Greer is the owner of Vibrant Coaching and Consulting and has more than 20 years of coaching experience. In this episode, Nicole discusses the importance of vibrancy in leadership, the influence of daily habits in leadership, and the impact of accountability between leaders and employees.
Learn more about her exciting path to entrepreneurship and her coaching methodology in Off the Cuff season 2, episode 2!
In this episode:
- Learn what “vibrancy” means in a leadership role.
- Learn why accountability is the job of leadership.
- Vibrant people have the energy to figure things out. They don’t wait around for others to tell them how to get started.
- Nicole discusses how leaders need to do self-assessments on a routine basis, to keep their egos in check.
- Leaders need to determine their personal vision and mission statement.
- The tilt model assessment and why it’s important for every leader to take it.
- Learn about Nicole’s coaching methodology S.H.I.N.E. and how leaders can apply it in their business
- Being conscious about your daily habits and the effect they have on your leadership role.
Ryan Bailey runs an organizational effectiveness company at a Christian counseling practice. He has been coaching/counseling clients/CEOs for over 29 years. In this podcast episode, he shares his journey into and through entrepreneurship, discussing topics like business burnout, passion and purpose, and the importance of balancing work and family life.
Learn more about his journey and experiences as an entrepreneur in Off the Cuff season 2, episode 1! In this episode:
- How both passion and purpose are valuable attributes when it comes to running a business.
- Realizing passion is a result of understanding your purpose.
- Your faith manifests itself in the way you treat your employees and your clients.
- Balance of work and family life is crucial to preventing “burnout” as an entrepreneur.
- There are different business cycles; times where business is booming and slow seasons.
- Wisdom is using the down times in your business to focus on areas that don’t usually get a lot of attention.
- Knowing how to apply the same core principles in every facet of your life, not just your business.
Giveaway alert! Click here to download Ryan Bailey’s eBook Reignite Your Faith.
eBook Overview: Do you feel distant from Christ? Have you lost the fire for Him you once had? Reignite Your Faith is an eBook designed to help you reconnect to God in ways that are tailored to you, leading to greater consistency and greater enjoyment in Him as your first love. This eBook will also show you how to keep from returning to a lukewarm walk so you aren’t left chasing the next spiritual "high". Christ is worth our worship! Are you ready to reignite your faith?
Rob Turley is one of the founders of White Rabbit, an artificial intelligence company that focuses on sales enablement. As someone who runs a tech company, he’s faced and lived through a lot of risks that have pushed his business to the 2-year mark. Since starting White Rabbit, he learned the importance of building products that people want and why it’s not always about your vision.
Learn more about his key entrepreneurship learnings in Off the Cuff episode 16!
In this episode:
- What White Rabbit is and how vibrancy and harmonization play into it
- Sales enablement and following market demand
- How Rob found himself working from graphic design to AI
- Taking and pushing through risks
- Supporting yourself and allowing the people around you support you
- Testing yourself to the absolute limit
- Listening to the market and pivoting to Plan B
- Why the saying, “If we build it, they will come.” is not true according to Rob
From working for corporate America to establishing a management firm, Barry Flink has seen it all. He’s a man who places great importance in learning and helping people thrive, and it’s some of the values he’d held dear to him throughout his life as an entrepreneur.
Learn how Barry Flink was able to create a business that thrived because they built it in an unorthodox manner. Listen to the whole Off the Cuff episode today!
In this episode:
- Barry’s entrepreneurial foundation
- Entrepreneurship to help others
- The importance of making mistakes
- Why money shouldn’t be the core of entrepreneurship
- Why Barry thinks sales is wasteful
- Why the way you treat people matters
- The top 3 most important lessons Barry learned
- Steps to recover from failure
- How Barry's firm helps other businesses
Sales can be a tricky thing and there’s a lot to consider. From networking and getting leads to implementing systems that will get you closer to your prospects to taking data in consideration as you transform your company into a more profitable one.
Learn more in this 14th episode of Off the Cuff!
In this episode:
- The zigzag road towards successful networking
- Why getting personal goes hand-in-hand with networking well
- What is a CRM system and how does it get you closer to a client?
- Looking for and implementing CRM systems
- Adapting your sales system according to your team
- How important is software integration?
- Why having experience still also means you need to improve
- The ROI of data transformation
- Why it’s important to digitalize at least one part of your company
Being the former President of the South Florida Alumni Club, Rob Finkelstein knows a lot about building communities and networking. He helped to grow membership and create a passionate affinity for the Blue Hen community and on top of that, he’s an established business professional with over 30 years of management experience.
Rob learned the importance of developing innovative and creative solutions. He founded the Alumni Direct to connect university alumni to meaningful and rewarding experiences—with the ultimate goal to develop strategic partnerships to help benefit all those involved.
Listen more to his story in Off the Cuff’s 13th episode!
In this episode:
· How Rob started developing innovative and creative solutions
· What is Alumni Direct and how helps forge relationships and create communities
· Building communities and opening opportunities for alumni
· Alumni Direct’s relationship with the alumni organizations in universities
· Seeing opportunities in the market and pushing past the challenges
· The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people
Links: https://www.myalumnidirect.com/ https://www.facebook.com/AlumniDirect/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/alumnidirect/?viewAsMember=true https://twitter.com/alumnidirectllc?lang=en About Alumni Direct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIdOiWagegA&feature=youtu.be
Maeghan Duckett is not your average realtor. She’s passionate about growth and life transformation, debt freedom and wealth growth, and educating others about real estate. She’s also the author of Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear—a book that embodies how she was able to reach real estate business success at such a young age.
Listen to the 12th episode of Off the Cuff to learn more about how Meaghan’s drive to push against her mindset barriers and how this action led to her rapid growth as a real estate business owner.
The MWM Team website: https://www.themwmteam.com/
Buy Meaghan’s book: Inhale Courage, Exhale Fear
Book a free consultation with Meaghan
In this episode:
· How Meaghan Duckett found her passion in real estate and turned it into a business
· Highlights in Meaghan’s real estate career
· Expanding from a solo realtor into a team
· Facing mental barriers to achieve career and business growth
· Setting boundaries as you grow at a rapid speed
· How Meaghan’s relationship with God guided her throughout her achievements
· What it means to inhale courage and exhale fear
· Why celebrating the little wins matter more than instant success
· Why staying in your lane is okay
New year, new opportunities to embrace change... something that perfectly fits the 11th episode of Aepiphanni’s Off the Cuff! You’ll get an inside look into the whole Aepiphanni rebranding process and what pushed the company to go through this change after having the same branding for 15 years.
You'll also learn more about how the whole rebrand represented the company’s development as a whole, and why you should embrace the fact that growth is actually a journey and not a linear process.
Join the giveaway: Tell us all about your rebranding story and you’ll be one of the lucky winners of the new Aepiphanni hoodie! DM us on @aepiphanni on Instagram or email us at ingridandrick@off-the-cuff.show.
Deadline to submit your entries is on March 20, 2021 and we’ll reveal the winner by the end of March!
Check out the new branding and website: https://aepiphanni.com/
In this episode:
· On Aepiphanni’s rebranding and how it represents the company’s mission
· The whole branding process and accepting changes
· On expanding to other countries and being open to opportunities
· How Aepiphanni’s internal growth shined through the rebrand
· How trusting specific processes to the experts can contribute to your company’s growth
· Advice to companies who are going through their own transformation
In this special Off the Cuff episode, Rick and Ingrid sat down with three other Aepiphanni team members—Stephanie Torres (Digital Marketer), Hazel Haygood (Project Manager) and Mariana Skafi (Community Manager)—to talk about how the year 2020 played out for them as professionals and for the team as a whole.
Episode 10 dived deeper into the Aepiphanni team’s dynamics, the kind of leadership Rick practices and how COVID-19 had been pivotal to each of the member’s lives.
In this episode:
· How COVID-19 became the best time to grow as an entrepreneur
· Having an inclusive and fun team environment
· Interacting with different cultures, accents and nationalities
· How having a remote team can help you create an agile workplace
· How to handle multiple projects and how having a shared team vision can move everything forward
· Working together and delivering results as a global team
· How COVID-19 pushed leaders to grow and develop
· The importance of delegating work
Danica Vince Cruz and Charles Collins are the founding team behind Danica VC Media, a creative marketing strategy agency with locations in Frederick MD, Chattanooga TN, and West Palm Beach FL. The driving force behind their effective marketing approach is their ability to blend out-of-the-box strategies and cultural fluency to create marketing campaigns that engage audiences on a deeper level.
And now, they’re here to share their own insights with you.
Value-packed with marketing advice and motivational pushes, Off the Cuff’s 9th episode is for every business owner—whether you’re already an Instagram maven or a budding newbie exploring options —who wants to leverage the power of authentic social media marketing and consistent content creation for your own business.
Listen now!
For the past 15 years, Eddie Brumbaugh has been running her interior design and furniture business through her brand, Jackson Charles.
Through those years, she went from offline to online, ran different kinds of events that brings people together in a new way, and started a lifestyle brand that stemmed from her belief that mistakes are what help you progress.
Her path has not been as picture perfect and luxurious as what you may expect from someone with a lifestyle brand but, in Eddie’s words, she’s been “owning it!”
Listen to Eddie’s full journey to owning a life unstyled in Off the Cuff’s 8th podcast episode!
In this episode, you will discover:
· How Eddie transitioned her interior design firm from offline to online
· Carving her own niche and process in the interior design world
· Career pivots and finding more about what actually drives her
· Owning her passion and the road to realizing what really matters
· The opportunities COVID presented
· Merging and pursuing different interests
· A refreshing look at break-ups and relationships
· Creating a different setting for events and how it ties to her interior design business
· Managing different brands and businesses
· What it means to be “Unstyled” for Eddie
· Being okay with not being the best and just wanting to be better
When it comes to digital marketing, Nakimbe B’aobab is a woman who truly knows what she’s doing. Not just for her own marketing, but also for the businesses big and small that she serves , as well with her digital marketing and mobile application company, Mappdom International.
Her passion for the field shines through her work and personal life—so much so that this gained her the opportunity to become a TED Talk speaker at the TEDxUTSC event. Other than being an accomplished digital marketer and CEO, Nakimbe is also a motivational speaker, self-improvement coach, sales trainer and author.
However, behind the marketing campaigns she had built and the support she offers businesses, lies her true inspiration and motivation—building an entrepreneurial legacy for her children and the chance to create a life well-lived and well-loved.
Listen to her whole story today by checking out Episode 7 of Aepiphanni’s Off the Cuff!
Watch Nakimbe’s whole TED Talk here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDg4sX4j5VI Nakimbe’s website: http://www.nakimbebaobab.com/
In this episode:
· Why Nakimbe chose digital marketing
· Creating a job for yourself and attaining total freedom
· Facing financial challenges as an entrepreneur
· Creating an effective marketing formula for both big and small businesses
· The formula behind Nakimbe’s TED Talk and tapping into people’s psychological needs
· Motherhood, entrepreneurship and leaving a legacy for her children and grandchildren
· Being a black entrepreneur in North America
· How digital marketing can help small businesses
· How growing organically on social media will benefit a business more
· Nakimbe’s mission statement and leading by example
· Reprogramming herself and creating the person she is now
Quotes:
“Running a business and being an entrepreneur is like a whole other being of existence.”
“I’m really about the people looking to leave a legacy for their kids.”
“One of my goals in life is to be one of my children’s hero or one of their idols.”
“Technology is going to keep expanding and it’s going to be more and more rapid. So if I don’t get comfortable with it now, I’m going to fall further and further behind.”
Curious to know how a serial entrepreneur thinks?
Meet Hazel Haygood—Aepiphanni’s own Project Manager. However, unbeknownst to a lot of people, Hazel is not just someone who leads the team to the finish line. In actuality, she’s had a total of four businesses before she even reached the age of 24!
Hear more about her experiences as an Entrepreneurship major in college, how she started young, and how growing up in a family of business owners impacted her own entrepreneurial journey.
In this episode:
- Growing up among a family of entrepreneurs and how this led to Hazel handling four businesses
- The main reason why Hazel chose a degree in entrepreneurship
- Registering a business at age 18 and pivoting afterwards
- Starting multiple business while still in college
- Becoming an independent project manager and business consultant
- Networking and pitching in events and how this pushes you out of your comfort zone
- The main skills Hazel gained from being a serial entrepreneur
- The importance of being multi-skilled to boost your value
- What it means to have an entrepreneurial mindset for Hazel
Quotes: “If you’re not feeling that 100% YES then make it a solid NO because that means your intuition is telling you that it’s not the right path.”
“We need to start listening to our intuition and make it our compass.”
"It’s very important for us to constantly improve ourselves, constantly identify, acquire and refine our skills that would amplify our value.”
“The beauty of having an entrepreneurial mindset is that it means constantly evolving and constantly improving yourself.”
“One (business) challenge that I had to overcome is when I had to say no to someone.”
As an entrepreneur, you’re most likely making a hundred and one decisions on a daily basis. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or to have that fear of making the wrong one. Another thing to factor in is the reality that choosing the next move is not as objective as one would like to think. What you want and what your instinct is telling you will also play a major role in the whole process.
How will you maintain a balance between data and emotions? Rick and Ingrid explore the answer to this question and the responsibilities of entrepreneurial decision-making in Off the Cuff’s 5th episode.
In this episode:
- Making decisions and keeping yourself accountable as a leader
- The rewards of tough decisions
- Why you need to take care of yourself first as an entrepreneur
- The steps to take when making a decision
- Why you should factor in what you want when taking the next step
- Balancing gut instinct with data and statistics
- On risk aversion and getting the ball rolling
How does culture influence business? If you want to know the answer to this, then our guest for this week may be the woman to listen to. In this episode of Off the Cuff, we learn more about Ana Karina Lázaro, a bag business owner based in Colombia.
Her journey started when she was fresh out of college and dreaming to go to China for so long. She ended up staying in the country for 8 years and her time there taught her a lot about culture—not just about a country’s culture but also the locals’ business culture. This inspired her to establish her own venture, finding purpose in helping indigenous communities in her hometown with her handwoven bag business.
Learn more about her journey and see how a country’s culture plays into how they do business, the ups and downs of working for different multinational and foreign countries from all over the world, and how experiences can shape an individual as an entrepreneur.
Coronavirus shook the way people live their lives. From businesses shutting down to social distancing, these changes prompt organizations in various industries to be flexible and to adapt fast.
In Episode 3, Rick and Ingrid talk to Off the Cuff’s guest, Gregg Harden—the creator of the Harden Transformation Model. He recently launched his book, COVID Strategic Adoption Framework, where he talked about what schools must consider before reopening their programs for the new year, as well as recommendations to implement.
He expounds more on this framework in the newest podcast episode. Along with this, he also shares his thoughts on the most crucial factors businesses should consider and how doing so will help them stay in business, the positive and negative long-term impact of COVID, and why adaptability and having a people-first business mindset can help organizations thrive.
With opportunities waiting to be explored and the chance to be your own boss, the entrepreneurial journey can be a fun venture that is worth exploring.
But what does it really take for one to take the leap, to start on this path, and to maintain a sustainable business?
Following that entrepreneurial call is a road riddled with challenges but it’s a fulfilling journey nonetheless—something that Ingrid and Rick will expound more on this in Aepiphanni’s 2nd Off the Cuff podcast episode.
Listen to know more about the actions they took to get started in the industry, their good and bad experiences of running a company, and what helped them and their respective business ventures thrive over the last few years.
Aepiphanni Business Consulting’s latest “Of the Cuff” Podcast will be an excellent resource for answers and perspectives on the most interesting questions business owners are asking answered by seasoned entrepreneurs.
With the mission of educating, equipping, and inspiring business leaders, through our episodes we will be meeting business owners and entrepreneurs where they are and talk about challenges and opportunities.
On this first episode, Rick Meekins, Aepiphanni’s Director and Ingrid Ahumada, Aepiphanni’s Business Consultant, open this savvy conversation about the world of business and entrepreneurship.