Today’s Business Leaders

When Nathaniel Fraser was a teenager, he had a bit of an epiphany. He had dropped out of high school and was working at a steam cleaning company, and he was selling weed on the side. It didn’t take long for him to realize that making money through marijuana was a lot more engaging and fulfilling than his job. Fortunately, Nathan didn’t immediately turn into a drug kingpin – instead, he decided to start a business. However, being a teenager without a lot of formal education meant that he went to the school of hard knocks instead of an accredited university. Nathan’s first venture... more»

Janis Pettit makes her second visit to Today’s Business Leaders to talk about how CEOs can both help and sabotage their businesses. During her 30 years of being an entrepreneur, Janis has run four successful companies. She has employed a whole lot of trial and error, but she has always come out on top and learned so much actionable advice along the way. You Can’t Get Away from Yourself Janis shares a common adage about how business problems are always well disguised personal problems. A lot of the problems entrepreneurs face are really just personal issues. “I think all entrepreneurs... more»

Donnie Boivin spent 20 years in sales, and an offhand comment made him realize it was time for a change. It turns out he was not at all prepared for that change, but he figured out what worked and continued to learn and is now running a successful coaching business and is at the helm of a top podcast. Donnie visits Today’s Business Leaders to share his story, lots of actionable advice and his plans to launch a new podcast. Being His Own Boss Donnie worked in sales, and he was good at it, but he realized he worked his entire career enabling someone else to retire. This pushed Donnie to... more»

Gabe’s long-time mentor Brian Kurtz visits Today’s Business Leaders to share his take on competition and collaboration, why it is important to deserve the money you earn and more actionable advice. Brian started out as a list manager working in the direct mailing industry. Today, Brian continues to put the lessons he learned earlier in his career to good use. The Value of 100-0 Brian realized that while he was good at what he did, and he was finding success, there were probably other list managers out there who knew different things and were also good at their jobs. He knew that if he... more»

After eight years of finding success as an entrepreneur, things took a turn for Mary Cravets in 2018. For the first time, her income went down. The amount wasn’t staggering, but Mary found it shocking to be so far along and still hit this hurdle. Mary shares her experience, as well as the lessons learned and lots more actionable advice during her return visit to Today’s Business Leaders. The Value of Momentum Mary was convinced she had to invest in a specific strategy to grow her business. She never had time to implement this plan, so she hired someone to help, and the end result was a... more»

Tim Petrey is a serial entrepreneur who not only built his own successful business but also helps fellow entrepreneurs do the same. As a CPA, Tim understands the importance of managing the details, and he also knows that there is value in doing what you know how to do and understanding when to outsource certain tasks. During this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Tim shares this knowledge, along with more actionable advice. Finding Balance Tim was fortunate to find a mentor in his first boss, Harold. Through this mentorship, Tim learned the importance of hard work and finding balance in... more»

David Wolf makes a return visit to Today’s Business Leaders to share the direction he is taking his business since he last appeared on the show, how to effectively build a podcast audience, why he decided to give back and more. Playing with Emotions David has long helmed a successful podcast, and he helps others do the same with his business, Podcast & Radio. When building an audience, David explains everything basically comes down to love and hate. Playing on cheap emotions, like fear and hate will trigger people and garner attention. However, this is not an effective long-term plan.... more»

Marisa Cali is back to share more actionable advice based on her own experience as an entrepreneur for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Find out how her New Year’s resolution turned into a social media marketing windfall and what micro-influencers can do for your business. Evolution of the Fancy Mini Newsletter Marisa is a social media strategist and owner of All the Social. This past New Year’s Day, she found herself contemplating how to create true evergreen content. She puts out lots of content, but she wanted to share something different than just a blog post. Marisa... more»

After years of working as a freelance designer and brander, James Gaffney decided it was time to start his own business. While this was a major decision, it was minor compared to the change James later decided to introduce into his life. James recently took the time to talk with Gabe about his entrepreneurial experiences, the value of resetting his life, branding versus a brand, and more. Becoming an Entrepreneur James admits that while working as a freelancer was liberating and freeing in many regards, it ultimately held him back. He started thinking about what he wanted to achieve in his... more»

Jaime Jay returns to Today’s Business Leaders to talk about how things have changed in the past year, what he would do differently if he had it all to do over again, how Gabe’s influence has impacted his business and what the future holds. Maintaining Focus These days Jaime is fully focusing on his business, Bottleneck Virtual Assistants. Last time he visited the show, Jaime was in transition. He was in the process of letting go of one business in order to go full in on his new company, Bottleneck Virtual Assistants. While Jaime felt this was the right decision, it was still frightening... more»

Daniel Daines-Hutt essentially became an entrepreneur because he didn’t want to move. This turned out to be a wise and profitable decision as Daniel explains in this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. From designing t-shirts to mastering content creation strategies, Daniel has had an educational and unexpected journey. Finding His Way Daniel is from England but ended up spending a working holiday in New Zealand. He wanted to stay in New Zealand, but due to visa issues, he was going to have to leave. When he discovered that he could stay on if he became an entrepreneur, Daniel... more»

Ben Matteucci is back to share more actionable advice that can help you navigate both business and personal relationships. From his days working door-to-door sales, up through running his own business, Ben learned the value of reading body language. Ben and Gabe share what they’ve both learned along the way to help make sense of people’s actions and behaviors and how this knowledge can help grow your business. Learning on the Go Ben was first introduced to the concept of body language while working in sales. He was required to read about interpreting body language in order to better... more»

Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs in the relatively small community of the U.S. Virgin Islands taught Pia Larson how to sell products and services from a young age. “I knew that I could control my destiny and make as much money as I wanted from as far back as I could remember,” explains Pia. That still holds true today, as Pia is now Chief Imagination Officer of Fingerprint Marketing. Find out how Pia’s childhood ambitions led to a corporate career that eventually brought her back to her entrepreneurial roots in this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding Her Way Pia... more»

Pam Savino is the founder and owner of Live Authentically, a life-coaching business. She always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur, but she wasn’t sure what direction to go until she learned how to harness the power of her thoughts and follow her purpose. Learning How to Navigate Situations Pam has always been spiritual, and always felt a pull to help others. Her journey has been a natural progression, but she didn’t always realize that at the time. Today, Pam is using her gift and honing her skills to help others learn how to deal with whatever unique circumstances they face to... more»

Landon Porter, the self-proclaimed sales gorilla, is back to share more actionable advice on Today’s Business Leaders. Learn more about why Landon walked away from a very profitable sales career to do things his way and how he is helping other entrepreneurs take charge and learn how to make decisions based on value. Working with the Right People Landon literally woke up one day and realized it was time for a change. The first thing he wanted to change was the group of people he chose to be around. “If I don’t like the people that I’m spending my time with, obviously that’s going to... more»

As a teenager, Scott Lucas knew he wanted to do his own thing. He saw his single-mother struggle, so he decided to help himself. He knew he could do things on his own, be a leader and be self-sufficient. This understanding and mindset has led him to continue to do his own thing as an adult and Scott now runs his own business: Scott Lucas Strategies. The Value of Honesty Scott thinks honesty is a fundamental aspect of business and sales. “I wish people would be more honest as an entrepreneur. Tell them straight up. It’s really easy to sell the sexiness and the hype. When you sell that... more»

Dave Woodward has always felt like he was an entrepreneur. However, he wasn’t always on that course, and at one point he was slated to attend medical school. Dave felt that he didn’t fit the mold of what his parents wanted for him. Luckily for Dave, his family and entrepreneurs everywhere, Dave bailed on medical school the week before he was supposed to start, followed his instinct and did things his way. Being His Own Boss Dave didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he knew he wanted to have a family and he wanted to be able to spend as much time with them as possible. “I started off... more»

Brad Milford didn’t always know what he was looking for, but he gained total clarity when he eventually found it. As the founder of Build Brilliance, LLC, Brad uses his experience to meet clients on their level and help them achieve their goals. Brad took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Gabe about his journey, how he found what he was looking for and how he helps other entrepreneurs find their version of success. Early Years Brad fostered entrepreneurial tendencies as a child. He collected bottles, delivered newspapers and held various other jobs before launching his own... more»

While in grade school, Wally Carmichael realized he was an entrepreneur. Even while he was in the military, he still found ways to put his entrepreneurial tendencies to work. After Wally realized he was, in fact, living his dream, he decided to work on a book which led him on a journey of abundance. Wally recently spoke Gabe on Today’s Business Leaders. Finding a Better Way Wally grew up near Phoenix, and while he had wonderful parents, life was always a bit of a struggle. His uncle suggested that he join the military, and it took some time for Wally to come around to this idea, but it... more»

Terry Ogburn started his company to help small businesses take over and grow into being the backbone of the country. Terry has had a vast career and has gained tons of actionable advice along the way. During his first appearance on Today’s Business Leaders, Terry covered how he got to the point of opening his consulting business. In this episode, he delves into how he helps small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Value of Systems Terry uses metrics and a variety of other indicators to help his clients grow their businesses, and for good reason. Terry believes small business owners are... more»

Brian Basilico started to hone his entrepreneurial tendencies when he was young, and many career changes and technology evolutions later, he is still going strong. His business, B2B Interactive Marketing, is celebrating 17 years as a company. Brian recently took the time to chat with Gabe about his journey, why it is important to know your space, the foundation of his system, and more actionable advice. Doing Things His Way Working for others never really worked out, so Brian started his own marketing company in 2001. Through this business, Brian helps companies set up their online strategy... more»

Kyle Lipton has enjoyed an awesome journey, but there’s still more to come for this up-and-coming entrepreneur. He started by handing out discount tickets to get into clubs, and now he’s coaching business leaders and helping people overcome their fears in order to find success. Learning on the Go Kyle dropped out of college for a great job opportunity and transitioned from one job to another. Along the way, he learned about business and entrepreneurship. A podcast interview series that never launched led to a job as an assistant, and from there Kyle stumbled into coaching. Finding What... more»

As a child, Aaron Muller began a business catching shrimp. While this business venture wasn’t the most profitable and possibly had a negative impact on public health, this was his introduction to entrepreneurship. Since then, Aaron has learned a lot and has tried his hand at running a variety of businesses. These days Aaron owns several businesses, including a business brokerage and a successful consulting academy. Aaron took the time to talk about his experiences with business, his tips for spotting a good deal when buying a company and more. Learning on the Fly Aaron has always worked,... more»

Janis Pettit is unemployable. For 13 years, Janis worked as a professional actress in New York City before she decided to hang it up and venture into the world of entrepreneurism. Since then she has run a corporate training business, a restaurant, hosted a cable talk show and more. Janis recently shared her experiences for this latest installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Taking Advantage of the Domino Effect While running her restaurant in New York City, Janis inadvertently learned some valuable lessons in strategy. High-profile customers regularly frequented the restaurant, and one... more»

Mary Cravets is a very impatient person, and this trait has pushed her to continually move forward and find something better. This trait has even pushed her to start her own business. Mary started out as a realtor and tried her hand at direct sales before launching her own VA business, which she eventually left to become a business advisor. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Mary shares her journey and experiences and explains the one thing that can quickly kill a business. Trusting Her Instinct While running her VA business, Mary found herself continually at odds with her... more»

For many years, David Jardine was able to identify what he did not want to do. Eventually, he found what he was interested in and passionate about. David shares his journey and his experiences, as well as his thoughts on theology with Gabe for this most recent episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way Out of high school, David ended up landing a job manufacturing parts for potbelly stoves. The work was extremely monotonous, and after a few short hours, David realized this wasn’t what he wanted. He stuck it out for several weeks before he just couldn’t do it anymore,... more»

Erin Pheil never had a groundbreaking moment hustling candy as a child or a desire to be her own boss that lead her to become an entrepreneur, but here she is. Upon entering the workforce, Erin had no luck landing a job, so she took her degree in digital media, and in 2002 she started her own agency. As Erin explains, “I realized nobody is hiring me. I can do so much better than all of them. I’m just gonna do this myself. It wasn’t this long drive that I always knew. I just decided I was going to do this.” From the Golden Age to the Black Period The agency took off, and business was... more»

Jessica Olbin loves chaos and figuring out how to put the pieces together to create something great. This personality trait, along with her vast knowledge, experience and confidence put her on an entrepreneurial path towards success. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Jessica shares her story and loads of actionable advice. Finding Her Purpose Jessica’s journey did not start out with entrepreneurial aspirations. “I was in corporate America for a good 15 years. I was a general manager, managing employees, business, multimillion-dollar businesses, and I hated my life. It was... more»

From music to bagels to helming a successful podcast, David Wolf has run a variety of vastly different businesses. Along the way, he has learned a lot, and he recently shared his entrepreneurial story with his old friend and fellow podcaster, Gabe, in this latest installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Trial by Fire David ran a music company before deciding to completely change course and work at a bakery run by his family. By the time David started working at the family bagel business, the company was in a dire state and had declared bankruptcy. David helped the business navigate through... more»

Jesse Miller realized as a teenager that he was wired differently from everyone else and he wanted to do things his way and be a business owner. During a recent interview, Jesse explains how he turned his traumatic early childhood experiences into motivation to move forward and drive him to where he is today. Born to be an Entrepreneur Early in his career, Jesse held several jobs, and at each, he worked directly with the business owners. Through this experience, Jesse learned firsthand the ins and outs of running a business. “I looked at that theme, and it was always that I was working... more»

Les Cowie has had a long and varied career, and along the way, he has learned many valuable lessons in entrepreneurship. He spoke to Gabe about these lessons and his experiences for this most recent episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Starting Out In his late twenties, Les had a great job, and things were going really well. A family tragedy changed this momentum, and Les moved his wife and children out of Johannesburg. As per his wife’s suggestion, Les took the skill and knowledge he had from his previous job and got into multimedia training. Les learned a lot during this first go at... more»

Eric Schudiske took everything he learned during the 12 years he worked as a reporter and launched his own public relations firm. He shares his story, along with plenty of actionable and valuable advice with Gabe for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Crossing the Finish Line Looking back, Eric is able to make connections between his job as a reporter and being an entrepreneur. In both instances, he had to deliver, but now he delivers for himself, instead of a boss. When working as an employee or an entrepreneur, there are deadlines that one way or another, must be met. Whether... more»

After being let go from a job, Marisa Cali was essentially forced into entrepreneurship, and several years later she wouldn’t have it any other way. For this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Marisa talks to Gabe about mistakes she made early on, how she responds when she receives ‘no’ as an answer, the value of referrals and more. Prioritizing Creative Time Initially, Marisa was so caught up in working for her clients that she neglected her own marketing. She has now learned the importance of working on her own business and allowing herself the time she needs to be creative.... more»

After working a corporate job, Ian Healey realized he actually didn’t want everything he had been working towards. He was sitting in a cubicle and miserable, so it was time for a change. In this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe chats with Ian about the draw of positive energy, the benefits of shifting perspective, why you need to just show up and more. California Dreaming Ian realized he is too creative to sit in a box and do whatever he was told to do, so he picked up and moved to California with friends. After arriving, Ian realized the energy in California breeds... more»

 Ben Matteucci started a successful marketing agency and is now making it on his own terms. He recently spoke to Gabe about how he navigated his way into entrepreneurship, the reward of planning a successful event, the three E’s of creating quality video content and more, for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding a Better Way Ben was working his way up in a successful job, but he decided he wanted to be in control of his destiny, so he quit his job and started selling door-to-door. Through this adventure, Ben learned a lot about sales and himself, and this simple act of... more»

Danny Veiga wasn’t always sure what he wanted to do for a living, but he knew he wanted to work for himself. He went from being a self-declared job junkie, working 22 jobs between the ages of 16 – 22, to now running his own agency and helping others through a series of courses and coaching. Learning from Experiences Danny tried his hand at a variety of work-from-home jobs and began to pick up freelance web design jobs. He didn’t always enjoy the work, but he gained lots of valuable experience, and the exposure these jobs gave him has served him well with his own business. Finding... more»

Jeet Banerjee is back to share more actionable advice and in-depth information about his entrepreneurial journey for this latest installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Jeet was featured in an earlier episode and shared a broad overview of his career to date. This go around, Jeet focuses more on the process of launching a company. Riding High on Success By age 21, Jeet had launched several successful businesses which were generating revenue, and he even sold one of these businesses. When his next idea came around, Jeet decided that instead of playing things cautiously, fleshing out his... more»

Upon reflecting on when he knew he was an entrepreneur, Akbar Sheikh joked that he was brainwashed by his father into becoming an entrepreneur. The way of the entrepreneur is the only way he knew, so he was destined to take that path. During a recent chat with Gabe, Akbar reflects on his entry into entrepreneurship and shares some very insightful comments along with plenty of actionable advice for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way One of the reasons Akbar became an entrepreneur is because after applying everywhere, he could never get a job. He owned a car dealership... more»

While in college, Scott Theaman was introduced to network marketing and this experience opened his eyes to entrepreneurship. For the next two years, as Scott sold energy drinks, he learned a lot about sales and met many great people. After school, Scott moved on to other forms of sales before eventually landing to Internet marketing. Scott shares his story, along with loads of actionable advice with Gabe for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Manifesting Success Scott always wanted to be successful, and he has continually worked hard and learned from his experiences to make his own... more»

For many years Amy Smith juggled two drastically different jobs: her ‘real’ job as a nurse and a side gig designing websites. For ten years she was caught between both, and while she liked her nursing job, she was passionate about design. At the beginning of the year, she decided it was finally time to take her design job fulltime, and she hasn’t looked back since. The Struggle is Real Amy enjoyed photography, but her mother insisted she take the more traditional path of going to school and earning a degree, so she did. Amy earned a degree and worked as a nurse. All along, on the side,... more»

After working several corporate jobs, Jaime Jay decided it was time for a change and that the entrepreneurial lifestyle was the way to go. Since then, Jaime has launched several successful businesses and is even on the verge of closing one down in order to pursue more profitable opportunities. For this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Jaime speaks with Gabe about the gut-wrenching decision to close down a business, the acronym he uses to concentrate and how to unravel the mystery around knowing when to hire staff. Finding His Way Jaime started out selling golf balls and lemonade as... more»

Jeremy Slate has run a gamut of diverse jobs on his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. He started out teaching high school, sold life insurance, worked as a personal trainer and even sold products on Amazon before landing a role with a marketing firm. At that point, everything just came together, and Jeremy has been able to find his niche and entrepreneurial success. Learning About Entrepreneurship In 2013, Jeremy’s wife introduced him to a network marketing opportunity. That didn’t work out, but he was exposed to the concept of entrepreneurship. This set Jeremy on a path that... more»

Stacey Howe-Lott is back on the show to speak with Gabe about how to empower people to empower others. Catch up on Stacey’s earlier episode to learn how her business helping students came about, and pick up some real-world advice. Stick with this episode to learn how to structure your talks or speeches to empower your listeners. Finding Cupcakes Stacey became involved with Seth Godin’s altMBA program and this lead to the creation of a teach-and-learn program, with Stacey spearheading helping people learn to make the most of these talks. When the notion of planning an in-person event... more»

Curran Alvarez found himself in the unemployment office at 22-years-old and thought, “What am I doing here?” After some soul-searching and a chance encounter with a coworker who would later become his wife, Curran found his way and began his entrepreneurial journey. “That’s when my entire life shifted, and I was introduced to this crazy thing called network marketing,” Curran explains. Curran shares his story, along with lots of useful and actionable advice with Gabe for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way Curran struggled to find his way and make ends meet,... more»

 Most entrepreneurs either know right away that they want to be their own boss, or they work a job and quickly realize they don’t want to work for someone else. Liz Pifko falls into this second group. After working at a large law firm for six years, Liz wasn’t feeling challenged. She quickly determined she needed to get out and do her own thing. Liz recently shared her experiences around becoming an entrepreneur along with useful legal tips around forming a business with Gabe for an episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Calculated Move Instead of jumping right in once she decided... more»

 He didn’t realize it right away, but Jeff Hunter has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He grew up surrounded by his parent’s computer store and learned early on that being his own boss afforded a variety of perks he simply would not find working a corporate gig. Jeff is the latest entrepreneurial phenom to share his journey and experiences with Gabe for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Learning to Outsource Jeff always had an interest in computers and IT, and this led him to work as a project manager in a major corporation. He had his breakthrough idea when he began... more»

Every time Amber Pember has reached an important fork in the road, she has relied on her instinct and gone with her gut. Over the course of her career, she has learned the value of learning and the importance of staying true to her vision. Amber’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t always been easy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Gabe recently had the chance to sit down with Amber and interview her for Today’s Business Leaders. Find out how Amber got her start, how she refined her 90-minute pitch and why she is packing it all up to travel the country. Early Introduction to... more»

In many regards, Preston Howard’s entrepreneurial journey is just getting underway. In the brief time he has been hustling, he has made tremendous progress, and he is on track to accomplish even more. Gabe interviewed Preston for Today’s Business Leaders to find out how he has managed to gain his maturity and what’s next for this Memphis native. Continue to Dabble Until Something Works Preston comes from an entrepreneurial family, and this instilled a sense of self-reliance. “If I wasn’t relying on myself, I couldn’t perform to the best of my abilities,” explains Preston. This... more»

 Alexander Brooks is making a living streamlining workflows for his clients, which is a natural fit given that he’s been building efficiencies into his life for years. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe gets the rundown from Alexander about how he got his start as an entrepreneur, where he is now and the direction he wants to take his automation business. Debut into Entrepreneurship Alexander was inspired by the success of his uncle. Around age 10, he started looking for work around the neighborhood. Like just almost every other entrepreneur before him, he... more»

 Blake Bourque has had a varied career that has run the gamut in terms of entrepreneurial failures and successes. He has learned many lessons, some of which were learned the hard way, but he has preserved and used his experiences to build better and stronger businesses. Blake shared his journey, along with his plan for the future in this interview with Gabe. Starting Out One of Blake’s early entrepreneurial endeavors was running a tree business. In order to help promote his business, he started a TV show by creatively lining up sponsors and airtime. The show helped grow his... more»