Business Insanity Talk Radio

SEGMENT 1: One of the hottest topics in small business right now is how to manage a remote workforce. While people have been working remotely for years, it has never been a situation where everyone is working remotely until COVID-19. Here to help small businesses understand all the rules and regulations your business still needs to comply with is Jaime Lizotte at ComplyRight.SEGMENT 2: With the worldwide pandemic, it seems that being outside is the only safe place to be now. Here to talk about how we can shift to outdoor cities is John Judge, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Appalachian Mountain Club.SEGMENT 3: One of the biggest questions on most small business owners’ minds is how to reopen successfully during COVID-19. Here to help is Liz Sara is Chair of the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC).Sponsored by HR Direct and Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: In the past, businesses rarely took sides on social issues. Nowadays, in this highly divided world, more small businesses are taking a strong stance on at least one particular issue. In fact, my guest Mike Goldman says you MUST take a side, and he’s here to explain why.SEGMENT 2: How are small businesses handling the ups and downs of the COVID 19 pandemic? A good place to begin to understand this is the Small Business Coronavirus Impact Poll by MetLife and the US Chamber of Commerce. Here to tell us the results is Jessica Moser who is Senior Vice President, Small Business Solutions at MetLife.SEGMENT 3: In small business, you want to be able to identify problems and find solutions quickly, but you need to be careful; jumping to conclusions (and solutions) can actually damage your organization and waste resources. Here to help us identify the right problem to solve is Dan Markovitz who makes organizations more profitable by improving operations and execution.Sponsored by HR Direct and Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: Almost 10 years ago, the Lean Startup movement was born. After the Great Recessions, entrepreneurs found a better way to launch a business without tons of money. Here to explain the concepts of Lean and how it can help today’s businesses through the pandemic is the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship, Steve Blank.SEGMENT 2: Millions of people everyday attempt to get into music, and be the next big superstar. So how do you actually become financially successful in the music industry and how has COVID 19 affected that process? Here to share his experience is up-and-coming musician Roland Faunte.SEGMENT 3: With more people working from home, business and personal lives are getting merged more than ever. This is also pushing the boundaries of what level of privacy can be expected by employees and consumers. Here to help again is Raju Vegesna, the Chief Evangelist at Zoho.Sponsored by HR Direct and Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: Great leadership is what’s needed during this pandemic. But what exactly does this look like? Here to help is Keith Ferrazzi, the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a management consulting and team coaching company that works with many of the world’s biggest corporations.SEGMENT 2: It has been a difficult transition to having staff members go from the office to working from their homes. Leaders were used to their team being all in one place and everyone knew the rules when you were at the office. But what happens now when your team is working from home? Here to help is Jaime Lizotte, HR & Tax Compliance Solutions Manager at ComplyRightSEGMENT 3: For many of us, both business and personal travel stopped in March of this year as many of us are staying home in an effort to stay safe. What does the future of travel look like? Here to help is Lindsay Myers, a Los Angeles-based budget travel and lifestyle expert.Sponsored by HR Direct and Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: There is no doubt that this pandemic will stress every small business in many ways. How can you figure out if your company will be one that survives and thrives? Here to share the stress test for your business is long-time entrepreneur Jay Goltz. SEGMENT 2: To say that these are turbulent times is an understatement. In addition to the Covid-19 pandemic, protests erupted from the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. I have not said much about this on social media, but many people and brands have. Here to help us sort out how to handle this is John Lawson is the “go-to” authority when it comes to online selling success in the Digital Age.SEGMENT 3: Staying in and social distancing have put a strain on many relationships. Many forecasts predict that when this is all over, divorces will be up and new births will be way down. Here to share her expertise and insight on love and law gained from her decades-long career as a divorce lawyer and wife is Leslie Montanile of the law firm Haus

SEGMENT 1: Now that basically all of our meetings are virtual, small business owners need to learn how to look their best on video calls and in videos that they make. This is not as easy or natural as it seems. Here to help is Kellsie Moore who is an actress and on-camera expert for purpose-driven entrepreneurs. SEGMENT 2: During this time of unprecedented change, communication with our customers is critical. Most businesses benefit from communicating with their customers more not less. Your customer will have questions about your service and any issues they face are now more critical than ever. Here to help with how to make these communications benefit your business is Matt Metzger, Vice President of CX Solutions for Mitel. SEGMENT 3: This is certainly a stressful time for everyone as we are spending a lot of time indoors and seeing few people. One of the ways that many are coping with these new restrictions is through meditation. Here to help us find our Zen is Richard L. Haight who is the founder of the To

SEGMENT 1: The SBA just released their first guidance on how to fill out the Payment Protection Plan (PPP) loan forgiveness application, and unfortunately… it’s complicated. It is eleven pages and small business owners are worried and overwhelmed. Here to help is Ami Kassar, the founder and chief executive officer of Multifunding LLC.SEGMENT 2: A gut reaction for many small businesses during difficult times is to cut back all their marketing to save money. But this means you stop actively communicating with customers and prospects, and that could be a big mistake. Here to help us figure out the right balance is Elma Beganovich, mega influencer and founder of the digital agency A&E.SEGMENT 3: This is an economic downturn like we have never seen in the US. That means it can also be the quickest recovery we have ever seen. Grant Freeman, Vice President of Client Success at Thryv, is here to share how your small business should prepare for an economic surge.Sponsored by Mitel and Thryv

SEGMENT 1: We are finally moving toward the reopening of small businesses in this country. But as you invite customers and employees back, what happens if they get COVID 19 in your office or retail location? Here to help with that question is attorney Eric Swan.SEGMENT 2: The political process in the United States is a total mess. Here with a better solution for how we vote is Katherine M. Gehl, business leader and the coauthor of “THE POLITICS INDUSTRY” with HBS Professor Michael Porter.SEGMENT 3: Every business has a brand promise - something that the customer is expecting when they use your product or service. How can a small business recover when the promise is broken? Here to help is Troy Nix, author of “Eternal Impact: Inspire Greatness in Yourself and Others”.Sponsored by Mitel and Thryv

SEGMENT 1, starting at 0:00: The savvy entrepreneurs are the ones making plans now, so they can be ready when opportunity knocks. They’re looking forward to purchasing failing companies, hiring top talent, and investing in marketing when others are caught unprepared by a recession. Here to help small businesses prepare for a recession and turn it into a profitable opportunity is Jonathan Slain.SEGMENT 2, starting at 20:00: One of the things you need to do right now is keep your community together. But how do you do it when your revenue is sharply reduced or your business is temporarily closed? Here to help is Ramon Ray.SEGMENT 3, starting at 37:10: One of the hardest hit areas of the pandemic shutdown is restaurants. While some of them are doing takeout, for most this is a fraction of their revenue. What does reopening this part of the economy look like? Here to help is Dirk Izzo, Senior Vice President of NCR Hospitality.Sponsored by Mitel and Thryv

SEGMENT 1, starting at 0:00: In one of the biggest shifts in consumer behaviors we have ever seen, companies are rushing to bring traditional offline businesses online. Here to help is Shanna Tellerman, founder and CEO of Modsy, who has done exactly this many years ago. Additionally, she speaks on a range of topics including game development and women in technology for organizations.SEGMENT 2, starting at 19:15: Work days at small businesses today seem like one long virtual meeting. Employees are constantly on a tool like Zoom or Skype communicating with customers and each other. How do you ensure these virtual meetings are actually effective? Here to help is Howard Tiersky, co-author of Impactful “Online Meetings: How to Run Polished Virtual Working Sessions That Are Engaging and Effective.”SEGMENT 3, starting at 39:00: One of the most important things you need to do right now is to figure out how to effectively communicate with your customers, especially if you can’t see them in person or you can’t offer yo

NFL Hall of Famer Terrell Davis shares his journey from professional football to entrepreneurship.

SEGMENT 1: This is a time of uncertainty for small business leaders that only comes around once every 100 years. Who better to talk to during this time then Sean Covey, an expert on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.SEGMENT 2: Too many small business owners want to stick their heads in the sand and wait until normal comes back, but this is a bad strategy because none of us know if and when it will be “normal” again. Here to help you figure out what you need to do right now is Dave Silke, Chief Marketing Officer of Mitel.SEGMENT 3: With everything virtual these days, a lot of small businesses are having a tough time since they are not used to having all of their interactions online. How do we hire, fire, and manage people when we don’t see them? Here to help is Martin Lanik, the author of the international bestseller “The Leader Habit”.Sponsored by Mitel and Thryv

SEGMENT 1: What is going on with the economy in America, and especially with small businesses, is nothing short of a disaster. How can you best navigate your business during these tough times? Here to help is Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, a cognitive neuroscientist and the CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts.SEGMENT 2: So many of us shy away from negotiation because we see it as negative conflict, but this is not the case! In business, you HAVE TO be able to negotiate in order to secure work with customers, employees and vendors. What are the best techniques to negotiate so you can achieve a win-win? Here to help is Alexandra Carter, author of “ASK FOR MORE: Ten Questions to Negotiate Anything”.SEGMENT 3: There seems to be some hesitancy and confusion among small business owners around this question: Do they just wait until the coronavirus goes away or do they need to make wholesale changes to their business model since their market will never be the same? Here to guide small business owners on that decision process is R

SEGMENT 1: Eight years ago, Facebook understood the power of Instagram when it purchased it for an outrageous amount of money at the time - $1B for the app and its 12 employees. Today it’s worth over $100B. Taking us inside this deal and what has happened since is my guest Sarah Frier, reporter for Bloomberg News and the author of the new book “NO FILTER: The Inside Story of Instagram”.SEGMENT 2: Small business owners need help right now. Who better to bring in than Mike Michalowicz, author of “Profit First” and the new book “Fix This Next”? He’s here to share the formula for how to figure out what to fix next in your business.SEGMENT 3: Many people avoid conflict, especially in times of stress like we are all going through right now in the corona-economy. But is there actually a benefit to having conflict in a small business? My next guests are the authors of “The Beauty of Conflict”, CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke. Sponsored by Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: Something we need more of these days is fun, especially as most of us are working remotely during the coronavirus crisis. What role does fun still play in your business and how can you use it to support your culture? Here to help is “The Godfather of Fun”, Nick Gianoulis, founder of the fun dept.SEGMENT 2: Online reviews are critical to the success of small business. But what happens if your company is now closed because of COVID-19 or you have had to adjust your hours or the services you offer? How will this affect your online reputation? Here to help is Yelp’s Chicago-based Senior Field Marketing Manager and Small Business Expert, Emily Washovick.SEGMENT 3: What went well with the federal funding programs for small businesses and what did not? Here to reflect on the state of small business and possible alternate funding options is Vijay Sundaram, Chief Strategy Officer at Zoho.Sponsored by Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: Most small business owners were never formally taught how to manage their team. They typically learn as they go after they hire their first employee. Few owners start out wanting to become managers, but they soon realize the success of their company is tied to their employees. Here to help them be successful is Peter Economy, the best-selling business author of “Managing For Dummies”.SEGMENT 2: The world is in turmoil with the spread of the coronavirus. It’s hard to remember we have been here before with the Swine flu and the Great Recession of 2008. What can small business owners do to prepare for an event like this? Here to help is Samantha Ettus who is best-selling author of five books, a renowned speaker and a radio show host.SEGMENT 3: Clean streets are good for business. Research shows that effective street cleaning increases city revenue and improves safety, and when trash is picked up and does not litter the streets, businesses see an average gain of 7% in revenue (San Francisco Office of E

Here to talk through the federal financial programs and some small business financial assistance alternatives is Vijay Sundaram who is the Chief Strategy Officer at Zoho where he is also responsible for the partner and channel program, in addition to global growth and marketing. He is a prior entrepreneur and company founder, in cloud supply chain software, mobile advertising technology, and renewable energy.

SEGMENT 1: With the stock market in correction mode, we all need to think about that money we have put away for retirement - is it time to panic, work harder or just wait it out? Here to help is Pamela Yellen who is a two-time New York Times best-selling author and the founder of Bank On Yourself.SEGMENT 2: If there is one area that is a mess right now during the Pandemic of 2020, it’s the travel industry. How can these industries beat this latest disruption? Here to help is Terry Jones, the founder of Travelocity.com and founding chairman of Kayak.com.SEGMENT 3: One of the top ten questions I always get asked is: “where can I find cash for my business?” One place to look is grant contests sponsored by corporations that support small businesses. Here to talk about their latest contest is Kelli Martin, a Small Business Champion at FedEx.Sponsored by Nextiva

SEGMENT 1: It seems like the only thing that is on people’s minds is the coronavirus and the sinking of the stock market. People today are feeling increasingly ungrounded and need something to counter the anxiety that uncertainty triggers. Here to help is Margie Warrell who draws on her background in Fortune 500 business, coaching and psychology to embolden people to lead themselves and others to better outcomes.SEGMENT 2: The coronavirus is rocking the business world. The stock market is in free fall, the airlines and travel destinations are losing billions, and trade shows and public events are cancelled. Like any other emergency, you need to develop a contingency plan for the corona economy. Here is how to prepare to protect your company from the effects of coronavirus.SEGMENT 3: Now is the time to get creative with marketing strategies. One little known technique that can bring in big returns are contests. How do you organize and run one? Carolyn Wilman (aka @TheContestQueen) works with companies to creat

The founder of Travelocity, Terry Jones, tells us how to beat this latest disruption.