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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: December, 2016
Dec 22, 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:

  • The high demand and low supply that requires you to always be recruiting engineering talent
  • Using social media to engage with engineering talent
  • Getting involved in professional organizations like The American Council of Engineering Companies
  • Partnering with engineering departments in colleges
  • Getting clear on your culture and brand and shouting it from the rooftops
  • Getting your employees involved in your recruiting efforts
  • Why you need to move FAST
  • Why you need to be very clear with candidates

Ways to contact Kelly:

Ways to contact April:

 

Dec 20, 2016

Super Julie Braun is a clever cocktail of right brain (creativity and big picture), left brain (knowledge and process), and a splash of a sassy attitude.

In her corporate career, Super Julie’s held Creative Director, Executive Vice President, and Chief Marketing Officer positions with super-sized brands like Victoria’s Secret, MTV, Bath and Body Works, Estée Lauder, Nike, and Carter’s Childrenswear. At Carters, in just 18 months, Super Julie’s team contributed to the company doubling their business from $500 million to over $1 billion, which also led to a public stock offering.

When she started her own company, Super Julie did what Super Julie does best. She immediately recruited interns to help her grow her business. Super Julie’s interns were working directly with clients on high-level projects, serving as integral, contributing members of her team. Realizing that other businesses and organizations could greatly benefit from her experience, mentorship abilities, and proven systems, SuperInterns.com was born in December of 2008.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Julie’s background and how she built her intern business
  • How Julie turned her dyslexia from her biggest liability to her biggest gift
  • Focusing on what makes you the most money and delegating everything else away
  • Why you should use interns to leverage your resources
  • Paid vs. unpaid internships: what you need to know
  • The rules and regulations that come with unpaid internships
  • How to create a culture for virtual internships (or employees)
  • The benefits of working from home
  • The impact Julie’s live broadcast has had on her business
  • Julie’s business’ manifesto (that was written by interns!)
  • A piece of Julie’s process for vetting the super interns that work for her
  • Why you need someone that will call you out
  • Why you need to listen to those around you
  • Why you can’t do it alone

Ways to contact Julie:

Dec 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 toxic relationships impact your life and business
  • The impact of removing toxic relationships from your business
  • How removing toxic employees impacts the rest of your team
  • How to recognize a toxic relationship
  • The difference between a toxic client and a challenging client
  • How to end a toxic relationship
  • How to attempt to fix a toxic relationship before ending it

Ways to contact Kelly:

Ways to contact April:

Dec 13, 2016

Don Yaeger is a nationally acclaimed inspirational speaker, longtime Associate Editor of Sports Illustrated and author of 25 books, nine of which have become New York Times Best-sellers. He began his career at the San Antonio (TX) Light and also worked at the Dallas Morning News and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville before going to work for Sports Illustrated.

As an author, Don has written books with, among others, Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton, UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden, baseball legends John Smoltz and Tug McGraw and football stars Warrick Dunn and Michael Oher (featured in the movie The Blind Side). He teamed with Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade to pen the 2013 best-seller “George Washington’s Secret Six,” a look at the citizen spy ring that helped win the Revolutionary War and then again in 2015 writing “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History.”

Don left Sports Illustrated in 2008 to pursue a public speaking career that has allowed him to share stories learned from the greatest winners of our generation with audiences as diverse as Fortune 10 companies to cancer survivor groups, where he shares his personal story. More than a quarter-million people have heard his discussions on What Makes the Great Ones Great.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Don’s background
  • Learning from mentors from afar
  • Don’s new book “Great Teams”
  • Why it’s so important to understand your “why” — and what Don’s “why” was while writing his new book
  • What great teams look like — and what they all do to keep achieving greatness
  • The four pillars of great teams: purpose, effective management, activating efficiency, and mutual direction
  • How Don defines organizational culture
  • What “A Players” are
  • How to prepare for top employees leaving by having a strong bench
  • Why Don is a very open leader with his team
  • Why Don makes sure he learns something every day

Ways to contact Don:

Dec 8, 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:

  • Some powerful quotes about the power of saying no
  • Why you need to set firm boundaries
  • Why it can be a challenge to say no
  • Getting clear on what really matters
  • Understanding that you can’t be everything to everyone
  • Why — if you always say yes — your time is devalued
  • Why you should say no fast
  • Why you need to ask questions before saying yes
  • Why — if it’s not “hell yes” — you have to say no
  • Why you should delegate to people who are well equipped
  • Being prepared to let go
  • Why you need to put a dollar amount on your time

Ways to contact Kelly:

Ways to contact April:

Dec 6, 2016

Geoff Tamble is Project Manager and Principal at The Blueline Group, an award-winning first choice for developers, builders, architects, property owners, and municipalities who need civil engineering and land use planning services throughout Washington State.

Blueline was founded in 2003 by Brian Darrow, PE; Todd Oberg, PE, LEED AP; and Geoff Tamble, PE; with the belief that superior engineering and planning services could be achieved with a more enjoyable process for all by focusing on employees first. The ability to contribute to the community whenever possible was also important and a portion of profits have been dedicated to supporting charities and events from day one. Three years later, Ken Lauzen, PE, joined the ranks of Principal bringing the senior management team to four.

Today, more than 90% of their clients are repeats or referrals…a testament to client satisfaction.

Geoff has been part of a joint leadership strategy that helped Blueline Group earn several awards:

  • Top 50/100 fastest growing companies in WA in 2007, ‘08, ‘13, ‘14, and ‘15 by Puget Sound Business Journal (50-Bellevue Eastside and 100-Statewide).
  • Best Company to work for in 2007 (2nd) and 2008 (5th) as rated by WA CEO Magazine.
  • Top 50 Best Company to work for in WA in 2008 as rated by Puget Sound Business Journal.
  • Top 25 Best Engineering Company to work for in 2008 in the Nation as rated by CE News Magazine.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Geoff’s background and what led him to start Blueline
  • Why you should write your business plan like you’re writing a prenup
  • What Geoff learned from being coached by legendary college football coach Don James
  • What Geoff and the Blueline team learned that helped them focus their website
  • Why you employees need to fit in your culture
  • Blueline’s “work hard, play hard” culture
  • Why you need to invest in your employees — and how Blueline does this
  • Why Blueline is extremely flexible with their employees
  • What “A Players” look like to Geoff
  • The political skills Blueline employees need to navigate the tricky waters of the engineering industry
  • What Blueline’s relaxed interviewed process looks like
  • How Blueline keeps their employees
  • Why Seattle is going to be great job security for Blueline

Ways to contact Geoff:

Dec 1, 2016

Ben Brown is a Best Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, and the CEO of 360 Sales Consulting. He has over 20 years background in Sales and Sales Management. His passion is helping business people with their sales. Many companies focus on marketing but leave the most important part of the business out. That is sales! 360 Sales Consulting has a 10 step sales process that can help anyone understand the simple law of properly selling a customer something that they can help and benefit from.

360 Sales Consulting specializes in sales training and coaching for small business and entrepreneurs who need help with their sale process. We have a proven method of the sales process and also can analysis current method to see where improvements need to be added.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Ben’s background
  • Bringing in the right person to lead up your sales department
  • Finding the right mentor to push you to the next level
  • Why you have to be ready for your relationship with your business partner to blow up
  • Emulating the behavior that you want your team to put forth
  • What you need to know about recruiting and hiring sales people
  • Why Ben isn’t afraid to hire people who have never worked in sales before and use them as salespeople
  • Why employee training must be ongoing
  • Why salespeople need to be fit — physically and mentally
  • The best time to sell to people
  • Why you need to communicate with everyone on your team
  • Why you should never assume anything
  • Ben’s book: “Master the Art of Closing the Sale: The Game-Changing 10-Step Sales Process for Getting More Clients and Referrals”

Ways to contact Ben:

 

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