Andy Crestodina. His track record includes everything, from earning a degree in Mandarin to working as a teacher in China. In 2001, Andy and his friend co-founded Orbit Media, a company that has grown from zero to about $4.5M in revenue. Totally organically. Now, Andy is the CMO at Orbit Media and he’s a marketing metrics expert. Our latest guest on the Lead to Grow podcast, Andy Continue →
What This Founder Learned When His First Business Fell on Its Face
Babak Azad had planned this for over a year. He had quit his eight-year career at Beachbody, where he helped excel their revenue from $100MM to $1B. But after three months of working together ... he and his business partners split up. Babak’s wife had just given birth to their second child. With a growing household, no job, no business, Babak had to do something. This is his story and Continue →
Can Anyone Generate $100M From Cold Emailing? Alex Can (And Did)
Here’s an interesting thought: Cold emailing. It works. Really well, actually … at least according to Alex Berman. In fact, he’s helped his clients generate over $100M in new business from cold emails. Alex is the Chairman of Experiment 27, a digital marketing agency that specializes in cold emailing. x27, as they like to call themselves, is easily creating new business for themselves and Continue →
Workplace Culture: How This Company Is Moving Boxes and Moving Hearts
Click the "play triangle" below to listen to this episode. Customer service is only as good as your employee service. Many believe that, but Chuck Bailey is one who consistently lives it. He’s the Owner and Founder of Cornerstone Moving & Storage, where they focus on each employee, by getting to know them personally. From day one, Chuck dives into the lives of new team members and Continue →
Looking to Brand or Rebrand Your Company? Start With Values
Most of us know the tremendous impact branding can have on an organization. When most of us hear “branding,” we think colors, websites, logos, and names. But Bill Gullan says that’s not where branding starts. Bill’s the president of Finch Brands, where they help clients brand and rebrand every day. Bill says that branding starts well before you name a company or polish a website. It Continue →
Why Ego Is The One Thing That Will Crush Your Business
“You’re not going to be humble enough,” were Gary Vaynerchuk’s words to Adam. Can you imagine hearing that? Adam Vazquez spent two years at VaynerMedia as an account supervisor. The full-service digital agency, founded by celebrated author and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, brought with it all the big name brands you could think of. Working on accounts like The North Face and L’Oreal made him Continue →
Don’t Just Teach Methods, Teach Decision Making
Many leaders neglect true coaching and empowering. Often, leaders say they are giving employees their own freedom to learn in their own way. But without proper coaching, teaching, and understanding, employees often take up valuable time before making a healthy contribution to their employer. Andrew Breen used to have a hands-off approach when it came to management. When he first co-founded Continue →
Growth Doesn’t Have to Frustrate Your Employees: This CEO Still Keeps Up With Their Birthdays (& Ensures They Get Their Favorite Cookies)
When your company is experiencing tremendous growth, you often wonder how you’ll sustain your current workforce and keep your employees engaged. Brian Stern has managed to not only sustain his employees, but actively engage them, give them ownership, and help their personal development. In less than ten years, their company has grown from nothing to four subsidiaries in multiple cities across Continue →
How Coordinating Events Taught One Man The Importance of Listening
Click the "play triangle" below to listen to this episode. There is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth. Listening is an incredibly important skill to develop and it will get you farther in your personal life and career than speaking too quickly ever will. John Esparza is the President & CEO of the Texas Trucking Association, but before that he worked for Governor Bush’s Continue →
Prioritizing “We” Before “I”
Leaders lead. It’s a simple truth, but one that can be hard to pin down pragmatically. When your business is growing, what’s the best way to execute your objectives as a leader in a way that ensures all your employees’ benefit? Fortunately, we recently got to sit down with James Frank—the CEO of Sharp Iron and Transland, as well as a representative in the Texas House of Representatives—on Continue →