Master the Start

Dr. Ron Mason, an anesthesiologist, joins our show today. He has plenty of medical and business experience. Even though he still practices medicine, Ron has founded a number of businesses and is an experienced real estate investor. Listen in as he shares lessons learned from his residency, working in a high security prison hospital, and from the rest of his career.   Show Notes: Visit us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter 35:08 – Quick Fire Questions THIS WEEK: Define success then figure out what you want to get out of life as a business person. Write these things down and put them on a wall. Get ready to work hard and stay focused.

Kelvin Trent Tucker, a retired professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the NBA, is on the show. Trent led the University of Minnesota to a Big Ten Conference championship in 1982 and had an active role in making the Chicago Bulls a NBA champion in 1993. He talks the importance of discipline, unselfish leadership, and ingredients to success.   Show Notes: Remember, “a leader becomes a great leader when he or she can create and maintain a team better than him or herself." 31:51 – Quick Fire Questions THIS WEEK: Create and write out a plan for your next five years. If you have no plan, you have no direction.

We speak with Mark Norquist, a digital marketing expert passionate about helping companies connect with others in more meaningful ways. His corporate experience includes being a Vice President at Effect Partners and Scout Media. Mark founded GreenHead Strategies and Greenhead Productions as well as Modern Carnivore. Show Notes: Mark Norquist’s current Project: Modern Carnivore Send Mark an email: monorquist@modcarn.com 20:05 – Quick fire questions THIS WEEK: Think of one person who will help you live your best life. This could be an influencer you’ve always admired from afar, a business mogul in an industry you’re interested in, a successful neighbor, etc. Create a plan of action of how you will reach this individual to develop a personal relationship.

We speak with Mark Daoust, a serial entrepreneur who shares his expert knowledge on digital business. Two of his most recent and well-known ventures are Quiet Light Brokerage, a website brokerage firm, and Catholic Singles, a fast growing dating site. Before Quiet Light Brokerage, Mark founded an online publication and grew its subscriber base to 220,000 members. Mark has been a presenter at top conferences and seminars as well as a guest author for numerous publications.   Show Notes: Mark Daoust’s podcast: Quiet Light Podcast Send Mark an email: mark@quietlightbrokerage.com 33:55 – Quick fire questions THIS WEEK: Go online to learn how to bullet journal. Make bullet journaling a habit. For 10-15 minutes each day, set down all electronics and get away from outside noise. Take some time to think.

We are excited to have Howard Root, founder of Vascular Solutions and author of Cardiac Arrest on our show. Howard’s story is incredible. He founded Vascular Solutions in 1997, took it public in 2000, and then sold it for $1 billion to Teleflex in 2017. Howard Root is most known for his recent five-year battle with the Department of Justice. After a lying whistleblower went to the DOJ with a false story about Vascular Solution, Howard ended up spending $25 million on 121 lawyers to stay out of prison.    More Notes: Read Howard Root’s book, Cardiac Arrest Some advice: No matter your innocence, ask to speak to your lawyer before dealing with prosecutors. 40:35 – Quick fire questions. THIS WEEK: Work on the way you speak. Find videos online to provide guidance; complete some speaking exercises.

Show Notes: At your request, we will be changing the format of the podcast to be longer with more guest-specific questions. Bobby answers the four questions that we will continue to ask all guests. Read this time management book: The One Thing by Gary Keller. Check in next Monday for another great guest. 

This is bonus content from Episode 10… thirty minutes of Paul Isenberg (Founder & CEO of Bringing Hope Home) talking about business lessons learned from running a successful nonprofit. He also opens up about life after the death of his wife and how that ultimately inspired him to help other families facing cancer. More About Paul Isenberg Paul Isenberg is a sales and organization leader with over 30 years of experience in Fortune 100 as well as small/middle market companies. He is also the Founder and CEO of Bringing Hope Home, a nonprofit that helps families going through the cancer battle through financial assistance and other resources. The organization will cross its 5,000th family sometime later this year.

Paul Isenberg is a sales and organization leader with over 30 years of experience in Fortune 100 as well as small/middle market companies. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Bringing Hope Home, a nonprofit that helps families going through the cancer battle through financial assistance and other resources. The organization will cross its 5,000th family sometime later this year. Listen to Paul as he shares what he’s learned from running this successful nonprofit. 2:04 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 3:59 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 8:55 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 10:15 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 11:05 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Exercise! This doesn’t have to be the weight room but could be a relaxing 20-minute walk or run everyday. And remember, you don’t have to work every minute of the day to become successful. Sometimes, you need to step away, take a break, and focus on your health.

This week’s guest, Mark Moe, is the Vice President of Global Business Development at GSV Capital (a.k.a. GSV Labs), an accelerator program most known for their 72,000 square foot campus at the epicenter of Silicon Valley. For the past twenty plus years, Mark has developed his understanding of business as an attorney, investment banker, and an advisor for countless startups. He was a managing director at Cherry Tree Investment Bank and a partner at Think Equity Partners. Basically, Mark has developed into an expert on startups. Tune in at he talks becoming successful with a focus on startups. Show Notes: 2:29 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 3:47 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 8:50 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 10:25 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 11:03 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Every night, map out your tomorrow. Write down what you need to accomplish and prioritize. Then, on the next day, make sure you follow through.  

Our guest today, John Rasmussen, is an Executive Vice President at Wells Fargo’s Personal Lending Group. He is the Head of Personal Lending, meaning he is in charge of America's second largest private provider of student loans as well as Wells Fargo's personal lines and loans. This means he serves the financial needs of more than three million customers with a combined asset value of more than $23 billion. Listen to John as he shares his expertise in business with a focus on management and the development of strong self-awareness. Show Notes: 2:22 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 7:02 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 10:40 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 15:44 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 17:04 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: John is a huge proponent of self-awareness. Take the StrengthsFinder (CliftonStrengths) test this week and think about how and why you act the way you do.

Melinda Emerson (@smallbizlady) is an incredible woman no doubt! Her small business advice reaches more than 3 million individuals each week online. Forbes named her the number one woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She is a former columnist for the New York Times and Entrepreneur. She is frequently quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, CNBC, and Fox. 2:27 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 5:04 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 8:55 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 10:12 – “What would be your single biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 11:34 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Pick up that book that you know you should be reading and actually read it. You will become better because of it. Melinda’s Books:  Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months and Fix Your Business

Tim Koeppl has done it all! He was a Logistics Office for the U.S. Marine Corps, an attorney for Dorsey & Whitney LLP, the president of multiple companies (including a subsidiary of Schwan’s), is currently the Chairman of Vaxholm Holdings, and the CEO of Suspension Systems Technologies. Show Notes: 2:06 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career?” 4:40 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 8:36 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 9:58 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 10:38 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Take ten minutes every night before you go to bed to plan your next day. Write a brief schedule of the day as well as your goals for tomorrow. Also, write a list of ten things you are grateful for from the day that just passed. Reading List: Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, and Capitalism without Capital by Johnathon Haskel.

Jimmy Fritz is the CEO of The Wedding Shoppe as well as the co-founder of wedding apparel accessory brands such as Kennedy Blue and Penny + Pine. Being interested in leveraging technology as a way to maximize sales, Jimmy takes pride in remaining at the forefront of innovative digital marketing strategies and product development processes. Show Notes: 2:18 – “To this point, what has been the greatest moment of your professional career? 5:02 – “Explain the moment you were closest to giving up.” 7:27 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 10:19 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died tomorrow?” 11:40 – “What’s one life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” This week: Take action on advice! Find a life hack from your favorite business book, guru, or mentor and execute it over the next seven days.

  Show Notes: It’s possible to increase your IQ. Work at it like anything else. Read: Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence. Remember this week’s objective: NETWORK! Don’t forget to reach out to and schedule a meeting with a successful individual in the field you are interested in to learn from his or her experience. In our last episode with David Hoy—who is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach and has a PhD in Education with a specialization in Training and Performance Improvement in business organizations—he spoke briefly about different types of intelligences. This discussion about intelligences went on quite a bit longer than what we included in Episode 4. Because the conversation was so interesting, we made this unedited, mini episode with the additional content. Enjoy!

We talk with David Hoy, a psychologist who has quickly grown his influence through David Hoy & Associates. Being a psychologist with experience managing his budding firm (now with over 85 employees), David has a unique understanding of business. As he has helped executives and managers from all around the country, he is excited to help you master the start of your career in business. Show Notes: 2:12 – “Greatest moment of your professional career?” 3:57 – “What was the moment you were the closest to giving up?” 6:00 – “If you could go back into your early twenties, what would you do differently?” 7:17 – “What would be your singly biggest regret if you died today?” 9:32 – “One life hack for listeners to focus on this week?” Read: Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence. This week: NETWORK! Reach out to and schedule a meeting this week with a successful individual in the field you are interested in to learn from his or her experience. If interested in David's full discussion on intelligences, listen to Episode 4.5.