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Absolute Advantage Podcast

The Absolute Advantage is about learning from some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, leaders, and achievers at the top of their game. When chasing your dreams, a lot of times there isn’t a need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, shorten your path to success by learning from the stories, strategies and concepts shared by our guests. Then shorten it even further by learning about amazing resources (books, webinars, tools, software, events, coaching, etc.) that should be on your radar. You are not alone in the challenges you face! It's my mission to help you walk away with at least one idea you can apply each episode and to offer content that inspires, encourages and helps you grow and progress QUICKLY both professionally and personally.
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Now displaying: September, 2016
Sep 29, 2016

Heather Ann Havenwood, CEO of Havenwood Worldwide, LLC and Chief Sexy Boss, is a serial entrepreneur and is regarded as a top authority on internet marketing, business strategies, and marketing. Since marketing her first online business in 1999, bringing together clients and personal coaches, she has played an active role in the online marketing world since before most even had a home computer.

In 2006 she started, developed and grew an online information marketing publishing company from ground zero to over $1 million in sales in less than 12 months. Starting without a list, a product, a name, or an offer, Heather Ann molded her client into a successful guru now known as an expert in his field.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Heather Ann’s story
  • What Heather Ann learned going through bankruptcy
  • Why you need to give yourself permission to fail
  • “Does this feed my confusion or strengthen my clarity?”
  • Why Heather Ann doesn’t refer to people who work with her as employees
  • Hiring for attributes, not for experience
  • Techniques Heather Ann uses when bringing on vendors, partners, and team members
  • What to do when key people leave your business (and why you need to prepare for that)
  • Holding people accountable
  • Tactics for growing your business through personal growth
  • Living from your calendar

Ways to contact Heather Ann:

Sep 27, 2016

Paul Kirch is the President and CEO of sales management consulting firm Actus Sales Intelligence and founder of BOSS Academy and host of BOSS Academy radio. He has a passion for entrepreneurship, sales and sales coaching and a proven track record of success.

The BOSS Academy is the ultimate resource for anyone who is trying to grow their business or if you’re looking to get started on your entrepreneurial journey. They’re truly raising the bar for excellence through Business Ownership Success Strategies (BOSS) by bringing you some of the best tools, tips and techniques from industry leading experts.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Paul’s journey
  • How Paul has scaled his business without bringing in employees
  • What Paul does so that he focuses on the tasks that move the needle
  • The importance of empathy in leadership
  • What motivates your team?
  • What Paul learned from an incredible mentor on his second sales job
  • The impact Paul’s divorce had on his business and how he came back from that low point
  • What “A Players” look like to Paul
  • How to find the right employees and/or partners
  • Why new entrepreneurs need to get clear on what they want
  • How to overcome the overwhelm
  • How to stay motivated

Ways to contact Paul:

Sep 22, 2016

Dan Lok is the CEO of Emperor Business Group, a multi-millionaire, serial entrepreneur, and an international best-selling author. Dan is considered the world’s leading expert in internet marketing and is referred to by many as the “Millionaire Mentor.” Dan Lok’s success extends far beyond the digital marketing space and into the business world where he has built a thriving network of multi-million dollar enterprises that are inspiring people around the world to build their dreams as entrepreneurs and business visionaries as well.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Dan’s journey
  • Why failure is so important
  • The lessons Dan learned from his two biggest mentors
  • What makes people quit and how to prevent disappointment
  • How to get the freedom you want through entrepreneurship
  • What Dan has learned in his career (including what he learned after losing $2 million)
  • The number one key to new business success
  • The most common struggles in scaling businesses and Dan’s strategies for overcoming these
  • Why you can’t let your ego get in the way
  • How to get the most out of conferences
  • What Dan looks for when he hires employees
  • The three kinds of employees
  • Why “time is money” is a terrible myth
  • Dan’s big productivity tips

Ways to contact Dan:

Sep 20, 2016

Kathy Northrup is the Owner of a top-ranked State Farm Agency located in Everett, WA. Her firm has been acknowledged repeatedly over the years ranked number one in production in our 6 state area and in the top 100 of 17,000 agents company wide. They have received lots of rewards over the past 35 years, but what matters most to Kathy is helping one client, one family at a time, achieve financial success and avoid financial loss. She has a passion for serving others and her success is directly attributed to that.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Kathy’s career journey and how she ended up in insurance
  • Why the most important element of your business is your people and how to get those people
  • The leadership lessons Kathy learned from her dad
  • A recent experience where Kathy had to make the decision to abandon a goal she had worked hard to achieve
  • The biggest challenge Kathy has found in scaling her business
  • Why a great attitude is the #1 most important factor of “A Players”
  • The challenge of scaling in insurance
  • How to find great employees
  • Kathy’s onboarding process
  • What Kathy give her employees to keep them from leaving
  • What to do when a key employee leaves
  • Why you need to constantly be improving yourself in order to be an effective leader
  • Three strategies for maximizing productivity

Ways to contact Kathy:

Sep 15, 2016

Kelly Hatfield is co-founder of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group, Enginuity Virtual Recruiter and Impact Real Estate Real Estate Group based in Everett, Washington. She has been in the recruiting and HR field for over 20-years and loves serving others. Kelly and her business partner have built three successful companies with the purpose of helping others succeed and delivering remarkable results. Kelly and her team strategically align themselves as “The Partner of Choice” with clients and strive to be the first place clients call when they are looking for extraordinary service, quality, and reliability. The resulting outcome has been an outstanding referral network that has built and continues to build their companies.

As Co-Founder and Owner of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group and Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, April (together with her amazing partner) has created and developed three successful businesses aimed at matching exceptional talent with the top organizations. With 17 years in the human resources and staffing realm, April has experience, knowledge and a love for people and aims to offer solutions to all who are served. Being a natural problem solver, she prides herself on developing and leading a team of recruiting professionals whose mission is focused on connecting people to opportunity. Through creative and exhaustive methods, the Enginuity Group successfully matches the right talent with the right businesses each and every day.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • How we define “A Players”
  • Why “A Players” want to work with “A Players”
  • Challenge, opportunity, and growth: why the bigger picture matters to “A Players”
  • Why you need to invest in “A Players”
  • Why you need to keep “A Players” in the loop
  • How much does compensation matter?
  • What else besides compensation should you bring to the table?
  • What you should be doing to keep everyone engaged and in tune with each other

Ways to contact Kelly:

Ways to contact April:

Sep 13, 2016

Ross Warne P.Eng is Anvil’s Manager of Resources where he has the responsibility of leading Anvil’s Project and engineering effort. He establishes annual goals, works metrics by working with all disciplines to ensure Anvil continuously provides consistent, quality products and services to all clients.

Ross joined Anvil in 1997 as a Mechanical Engineer where he provided detailed discipline engineering for several of Anvil’s main clients. From there he moved into a discipline lead role and managed the mechanical work for several of Anvil’s largest projects. Following that he transitioned into a project management role from 2009 – 2010 and then managed their Anchorage office from 2010 – 2011. When he returned from Anchorage, Ross took over the Management of the Mechanical department from 2012-2013 before taking on his current role.

Ross has over 30 years of Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management and Mechanical design experience. He has mainly worked in two industries, Pulp and Paper in both domestic and overseas projects and Oil and Gas. He started out in the trades earning his Journeyman Certification as a machinist and worked in heavy oil research and development in the late 70s.

Ross holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Calgary, a Journeyman Machinist Red Seal certification from the Province of Alberta, and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the province of British Columbia. He immigrated to the United States with his family and they are now American citizens.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Ross’ journey and the challenges of his career
  • Why listening is the most important part of leadership
  • The lessons Ross as learned from Jim Wakefield, one of his most influential mentors
  • What Ross has learned from making mistakes and why mistakes don’t stick as much when you make them learning experiences
  • Why engagement is what separates the “A Players” from lesser employees
  • How Ross finds and recruits his talent
  • What Anvil’s onboarding process is like and how that is supported by their strong culture
  • How to provide meaningful careers to employees from different generations
  • What leaders need to do to keep learning
  • Ross’ personal development strategies
  • Three strategies for productivity

Ways to contact Ross:

Sep 8, 2016

Ari Weinzweig is CEO and co-founding partner of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, which includes Zingerman’s Delicatessen, Bakehouse, Creamery, Catering, Mail Order, ZingTrain, Coffee Company, Roadhouse, Candy Manufactory and the newest business—Cornman Farms. Zingerman’s produces and sells all sorts of full flavored, traditional foods in its home of Ann Arbor, Michigan to the tune of $60,000,000 a year in annual sales. Ari was recognized as one of the “Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America” by the 2006 James Beard Foundation and has awarded a Bon Appetit Lifetime Achievement Award among many recognitions. Ari is the author of a number of articles and books, including “Zingerman’s Guide to Better Bacon” (Zingerman’s Press), “Zingerman’s Guide to Giving Great Service,” “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating” (Houghton Mifflin), “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 1: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business,” and “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 2: A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Being a Better Leader.” “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 3; A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Managing Ourselves,” was released in December of 2013. “Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, Part 4; A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to the Power of Beliefs in Business” is scheduled for release in 2016.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Ari’s background
  • What “A Players” look like to Ari and why they’re different from other employees
  • Ari’s customer service philosophy
  • Ari’s employee onboarding process for developing the right employee mindset from the very beginning
  • Why Ari treats his employees as his customers
  • How Ari is able to retain employees and help them develop
  • Visioning and getting clear on the future you want to create
  • Ari’s four Zingerman’s business books (these don’t have to be read in any specific order!)
  • How Zingtrain came to be

Ways to contact Ari:

Sep 6, 2016

Kerry Ward is the Founder and CEO of Corporate Explorer Training. Business education that is effective, memorable and FUN! He is an entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience building companies in the technology and training fields. His extensive leadership training has served Kerry well in his roles as CEO, trainer, writer, media producer and father. His videos have been seen and downloaded by millions of people. He has carefully studied technology, information publishing, and internet marketing to stay on the cutting edge of modern business. An infectious love of Adventure pervades any of the high-energy courses facilitated by Kerry and his team.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Kerry’s entrepreneurial journey
  • The four different areas of development Kerry’s training focuses on
  • How energy and attitude influence everything
  • Enthusiasm, experience, energy, education, and entrepreneurial experience: how the “Five E’s” make a great leader
  • What Kerry learned from failing to make a challenging run in the Grand Canyon
  • How Kerry learned that you don’t have to have be fully formed before going to market
  • What qualities the “A Players” in Kerry’s business all share
  • How to keep virtual employees motivated
  • What to look for when interviewing potential hires
  • How to create a strong culture
  • Giving people an opportunity to shine

Ways to contact Kerry:

Sep 1, 2016

Kelly Hatfield is co-founder of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group, Enginuity Virtual Recruiter and Impact Real Estate Real Estate Group based in Everett, Washington. She has been in the recruiting and HR field for over 20-years and loves serving others. Kelly and her business partner have built three successful companies with the purpose of helping others succeed and delivering remarkable results. Kelly and her team strategically align themselves as “The Partner of Choice” with clients and strive to be the first place clients call when they are looking for extraordinary service, quality, and reliability. The resulting outcome has been an outstanding referral network that has built and continues to build their companies.

As Co-Founder and Owner of Enginuity Advantage, Advantage Staffing Group and Enginuity Virtual Recruiter, April (together with her amazing partner) has created and developed three successful businesses aimed at matching exceptional talent with the top organizations. With 17 years in the human resources and staffing realm, April has experience, knowledge and a love for people and aims to offer solutions to all who are served. Being a natural problem solver, she prides herself on developing and leading a team of recruiting professionals whose mission is focused on connecting people to opportunity. Through creative and exhaustive methods, the Enginuity Group successfully matches the right talent with the right businesses each and every day.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Why making the wrong hire is one of the costliest mistakes you can make in your business
  • Identifying key attributes to look for employees
  • Getting laser-focused on a consistent hiring process
  • Why it’s important to get current employees involved in the hiring process
  • Why you need to have multiple interviews per potential hire and how to structure them differently
  • Why you need to interview with a partner
  • Should you allow your potential employees to submit a counter offer?
  • Putting systems in place to track employees after they’ve been hired
  • Why you need to be transparent with employees all throughout their employment — especially if it isn’t going right
  • When to pull the trigger and fire an employee

Ways to contact Kelly:

Ways to contact April:

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