BOSS-it
Mark Edwards
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Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best BOSS-it episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to BOSS-it for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite BOSS-it episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
04/27/22 • 40 min
Hear about the one thing about AI that our industry needs to urgently address, future areas he believes are worth investing resources into, and about the big machine learning study he did while working as a senior scientist at Xerox. Listen to this BOSS-it episode now hosted by top M&A deal maker Mark Edwards.
Contact Luca here: www.sparkd.ai
In this last episode of Season 2 BOSS-it podcast, Mark Edwards has a warm and engaging conversation with Sean Si, CEO & Founder of SEO Hacker.
Early Beginnings
Sean Si introduces himself as a born-again Christian from the Philippines. He runs a 50 people digital marketing agency, one of the most-trusted and leading SEO companies in the Philippines.
He founded SEO Hacker at just 21 years old with only about (1300 pesos) $65 capital and it's now grown, through grit, prayer, mentorship, book reading and podcast listening (including BOSS-it), to a $1 million company.
From Failure to Success
Sean's route to setting up a business was anything but traditional. Having, in his words, "failed" at college, Sean was nonetheless able to land a job with HP.
He stayed at HP only 5 short months because his 'side hustle' - SEO Hacker - was already earning him 8-10 times what his day job paid and, as Sean puts it, he "had to resign and jump on this opportunity before the train left."
Evolution of Growing a Business
‘Mom and pop’ startups often remain as ‘mom and pop startups’ for years, because change is difficult; it takes you out of your comfort zone and it also requires money.
Many changes are required along the way, to ensure your company makes it through the first 5 years and beyond.
SEO Hacker had no backers and has grown organically, meaning that, as founder, Sean has had to wear many hats along the way - even assuming all janitorial duties in his first office because he couldn’t afford to hire people to do it.
Humility - You have to have a lot of humility as a CEO. In his book, "How the Mighty Fall”, Jim Collins (link below) explains how hubris & ego are the main reasons companies fail. You have to make sacrifices in order to succeed and be humble enough to do whatever it takes.
Sean believes everything has “Divine Appointment” - You have a purpose, desire and reason for living. You have a burning “Why” in your heart. To find out what it is, you have to have faith.
A jovial, friendly character, Sean's closing observation gives great insight into his positive attitude to life's ups and downs and where they may lead - "Almost getting kicked out of college, quitting my job - How lucky can a guy be..?!"
Great to meet you, Sean Si!
Links:
https://sean.si/
https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/the-leadership-stack-podcast/id1470219705 https://www.linkedin.com/in/seansi/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/seansi/?originalSubdomain=ph
https://www.instagram.com/sean.si/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/seansi.speaks
https://seo-hacker.com/
08/16/21 • 70 min
Mark Edwards has an animated, all-encompassing chat with award-winning, published author, strategist and brand expert Minter Dial
Background
Minter is a welcome and lively guest on BOSS-it. He introduces himself as 56 years old, living in London, an American citizen with a French passport, married to a Spanish lady
He's changed profession & moved country 15 times, worked at L’Oréal cosmetics company for 16 years and also at an investment bank. He started a travel agency for musicians, taught tennis, worked in a zoo and an aquarium.
Minter has also written a novel, a biography and 3 business books and produced a World War II documentary.
On Ageing and Staying Curious
Change things up - When you put on your trousers or underwear, change legs - 97% of what we do every day is the same every day. We are creatures of habit - Can we “unwire” ourselves?
Locked away in the ivory tower that is HQ, leaders become isolated from reality, because nobody has the courage to tell the boss what’s going on.
Leaders need to do more learning to experience things first hand - Not just read about stuff in the Financial Times.
Keep on “checking out the new stuff” and that’s how you’ll stay young at heart and be able to contribute longer-term to the business. Older people have experience and there’s value in that.
What personal achievement are you most proud of?
The journey I was on for 25 years to discover who my grandfather and grandmother were. My grandfather was killed in a Japanese Prisoner of War camp - To understand what they went through and to give thanks for the freedoms they fought for. Minter interviewed 130 WW2 veterans for the film, and it made him realise how truly privileged we are to be living the lives we do. Minter bellieves we can learn from the values they espoused, that they had a higher sense of honour and levels of courage and love that ran very deep.
Minter's film, “The Last Ring Home” outlines some of the challenges of having a father who didn’t return home and coming to terms with it. Through this journey, Minter and his father were able to understand themselves better and allow themselves to cry.
Final Thoughts...
Life is short - We need to cherish it; cherish the people we love and accept our emotions and imperfections.
Thanks so much, Minter for a really interesting and enlightening conversation.
Links & Contact:
The Last Ring Home
Film: http://www.thelastringhome.com/
Book: http://www.thelastringhome.com/book
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
Minter Dial:
https://www.minterdial.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/minterdial/?originalSubdomain=uk
https://www.facebook.com/minterdial/
Mark Edwards:
https://www.bossequity.com/resources/podcasts
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markledwards/
https://www.bossequity.com/
Mark Edwards has a lively and engaging conversation with seasoned US entrepreneur and former NYPD detective, Greg Demitrou.
Background
Greg is CEO of Lorraine Gregory Communications and Greg’s Corner Office. A retired NYC Detective, he rebranded himself in the marketing space, where he's been for almost 30 years.
Greg says being a detective was an ‘interesting ride’ that gave him many skills, including ‘good ears’, so when he's talking to marketing clients those skills help him listen and understand what they really want.
They started the business in a little shop back in 1992 with no fax machine, no computers - just 3 ladies stuffing envelopes. Fast forward 30 years and they’re a fully-integrated marketing company with 30 employees. The agency is front of house and they have a print & mail factory at the back of the house. They’ve recently added two television & film studios.
Greg says his company takes customers on the complete marketing journey: all the necessary skillsets are in-house so they very rarely need to send work out
Detective Greg Demetriou.
He joined the Police force just before his 18th birthday in a clerical trainee position but they sent him over to the detective squad in East Harlem by mistake - These were the days when detectives had tattoos, wore Fedoras and smoked cigars. They taught him how to be a detective and he loved it.
One sunny August day, a suspect was being pursued by officers so Greg joined the chase. As the youngest and fastest, Greg was first through the door and he was shot. The suspect also shot & killed the uniformed officer Greg was with.
This was a life-changing event in Greg’s life. It ended his Police career and set him on a different path.
After that, he worked with his brother for a while but when his brother passed away suddenly, the business was closed down. So, again, Greg was out of a job.
Top Marketing Tips for Software Companies
It’s all about the audience - Who is the audience? - What does the audience need? Software companies create solutions to address a need - How deeply did they interrogate that need?
It's important software companies communicate their “Why” - Why do people need their software? - Can it save them money? - Can it get them more business? - Can it make their lives easier? It’s not about the features of the software; it’s all about the benefits. "If I buy your software, what is it going to do for me?” This needs to be communicated.
Greg finishes almost with an aside that neatly epitomises the essence of what marketing is all about: “What is a brand? A brand is a promise of an experience.”
Thanks for your detailed insights and amazing story, Greg. We appreciate your time.
Links & Contact:
Greg Demetriou:
https://gregscorneroffice.com/index.php/ask-ceo/greg-demetriou-2/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregdemetriou/
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ask-a-ceo/id1519848446?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=bcast&utm_campaign=ask-a-ceo
https://twitter.com/gregscorneroff
https://www.lorrainegregory.com/greg-demetriou
Tel: +1 631-694-1500
Mark Edwards:
https://www.bossequity.com/resources/podcasts
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markledwards/
https://www.bossequity.com/
01/09/21 • 54 min
This week, Mark Edwards talks to former Royal Marines Commando, Ben Williams.
From taking drugs to being pinned down under Taliban fire, Ben took some hard knocks in his teenage years, which prompted him to decide that a life of crime wasn't for him - So, he joined the Marines to find out if he was part of the 0.1% who would make it through training.
After a tour in Afghanistan at the height of the conflict, Ben returned to the UK and trained new recruits for 3 years, before being given a medical discharge.
Having enjoyed the coaching aspect of military life, Ben set about utilising his experiences as a Marine to help those in the corporate world.
Ben has also written a book - Commando Mindset - in which he writes about the "ARA model" of coping in adversity, explaining that it's based on principles he learned with the Marines, as follows:
A - Accept: Think with clarity
R - Remove: Remove unwanted emotion
A - Adapt: What's changed? What do we do now? How can we now take the fight to the enemy?
The ARA model is designed to help people think with clarity in a crisis situation, so they don't freeze but instead, make calm, coherent decisions and take positive action.
This ability to think rationally in a crisis, clearly has immense benefits in the corporate world - particularly in the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is causing global economic chaos. Ben's business was one of the many casualties and he has since pivoted to create Loopin, an app that monitors and takes care of employees' mental health.
The Loopin support team includes a psychologist, whilst the app includes well-being interventions, hints & tips. It's really helpful for HR to see if a team is under stress - but, for employyees' peace of mind, they can't access the team data. It remains confidential within the team on the app. Loopin can highlight to HR if teams are exhausted and even indicate how that is likely to play out in the future, so they can take action to mitigate.
A highly entertaining listen, with many real-world anecdotes, both from Ben's military career and corporate experience.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-williams-vgs/
https://medium.com/@ben_82245
Book: Commando Mindset
https://www.letsloopin.com/
Podcasts:
The Infinite Monkey Cage Brian Cox & Robin Inc
Secret Leaders Dan Murray-Serta
Squiggly Careers Helen & Sarah
07/26/18 • 36 min
This episode will tell you: The best way to manage your team to get ideal results.
PLUS.... what makes a great leader in a software company. AND one extremely useful productivity tip you can use instantly to work faster. Mark Edwards and Michael Humblet reveal all.
Go to www.BossEquity.com to find how you can take your software company to the next level. Do it now and I’ll even offer you a free consultation.
01/10/22 • 45 min
For the last episode of Season 2, Mark was delighted to host Steve Hoffman, CEO of Founders Space and author of three startup-related books (links below).
The conversation between the two CEOs is far-ranging, lively and entertaining - Steve's energy and enthusiasm for what he does are infectious.
From early ambitions to be an architect, filmmaker or games designer, Steve admits he never expected to end up being a venture capitalist, entrepreneur and writer.
Founders Space - the Platform for Startups
Steve's platform - Founders Space - is a startup accelerator, focusing primarily on software startups.
The goal is to help promising tech startups raise funding and connect with strategic partners, marketing people, lawyers etc. – whatever they need to grow their business.
Steve's Four Rules for Startups
- Go out into the market and look for unmet needs - Don't just think of an idea and fall in love with it. Then, later on, find that nobody cares about it.
- Find your "A-Team" - Don't try to go it alone or be a solopreneur. Nobody builds a billion-dollar company by themselves
- When presenting to potential investors, keep it visual - Slides should have no more than 6 words but better still, create a video. Investors don't want to read. Just like everybody else, they want to be entertained.
- Never tell an investor you're going to sell via partners - This is the "Kiss of Death". If you're relying on partners to sell your product, your investor is gone.
On a Mission to Help Startups
Founders Space is an early-stage investor whose mission is to help startups progress into the venture funnel, where they can seek additional funding from investors on the Founders Edge platform.
Startups also have access to a huge network of business mentors, across marketing, legal etc. They can work with experienced mentors over a period of weeks, rather than paying to have these skills in-house full-time.
Founders Edge is currently working with around 100 companies in the US and overseas - with 5 locations in China.
Links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/foundersspace/
https://www.foundersedge.com/
First Book: Make Elephants Fly
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Elephants-Fly-Process-Innovation/dp/0349418837
Second Book: Surviving a Startup
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Surviving-Startup-Practical-Strategies-Overcoming-ebook/dp/B08BYZXWDY
Latest Book: The 5 Forces that change everything
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781953295040?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=CjwKCAiAlfqOBhAeEiwAYi43FzQiFbvRWrOic7oAxLz5exuJPBD3HXUMJ4ziMSFFLpyjx3msA3skJBoCTHUQAvD_BwE
01/10/22 • 39 min
Mark Edwards talks to Salt Lake City-based Joseph Wilkins of FunnySalesVideos.com, about how his company uses humorous videos to connect with audiences and drive massive sales.
Background..
In 2000, Joseph Wilkins founded ProCreative Studios, which produced infomercials for television & marketing videos for clients, including Google, Linkedin, McDonalds, Goldman Sachs, Chevrolet & Home Depot.
As viewing habits shifted away from television, Joseph launched FunnySalesVideos.com where, after several evolutions, he now creates attention-grabbing "viral style" sales videos that get millions of views, converting cold traffic into sales.
With 20 years' experience, hundreds of millions of views and over $250 MILLION in career sales, Joseph enjoys sharing 8 steps anyone can follow to drive sales on his podcast "How To Make A Video Go Viral."
Switch to Humorous Video Proved a Huge Success
Making the switch to video was hugely successful - Joseph explains that the biggest video success they’d ever had online, using straightforward sales pitch videos was 100,000 views. Yet, when they launched their new brand - funnysalesvideos.com - their very first video campaign hit 7 million views. Fast forward to today and their campaigns are now hitting 100 million viewers and millions of dollars in directly tracked sales.
So, the business has come full circle, surpassing its former huge levels of success, but this time using social media and harnessing the power of humour.
When is a Sales Video Not Appropriate...?
Joseph says he's never yet seen a situation where video is inappropriate - Even videos created for funeral service companies.
The questions to ask are: Did it do justice to the story and to the audience? It’s got to be funny without being offensive to the audience.
Comedy makes the risky safe - Because you’re using humour you can discuss things that you’d not normally talk about.
And Finally...Reinvention is Key
You always have to be evolving - You can never stay still. This is true across all industries and in particular in the software sector. You need to learn to look at the trends and see where things are going. Ten years ago, people were fast-forwarding through commercials on tv. If Joseph hadn't reinvented the company the ongoing changes would have killed it.
Links:
Joseph Wilkins:
Harmon Bros University: https://harmonbrothersuniversity.com/start-home
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wilkinsjoseph/
https://funnysalesvideos.com/
joseph@funnysalesvideos.com
Free ebook: How to make a funny sales video without hiring us
https://funnysalesvideos.com/ebook/
How to make a video go viral
Mark Edwards:
https://www.bossequity.com/resources/podcasts https://www.linkedin.com/in/markledwards/
https://www.bossequity.com/
01/10/22 • 34 min
BOSS-it host, Mark Edwards has a wide-ranging chat with CTO and author, Mark Herschberg, who, it turns out, has been a guest on 180 podcasts. No pressure there then for our host to ask some decent questions :-)
Brief Bio for Mark Herschberg
Back in the 90s, during the .com era, Mark was a software developer. At the same time, he recognised the skills required to be successful were leadership, communication and networking. These were skills that were not taught in college, so he ended up teaching them at MIT - for the past 20 years.
Mark has followed these two careers in parallel and is still a CTO.
Best Lessons Learned
Mark says the best lessons he has learned came from a book called "Peopleware", by Tom de Marco & Timothy Lister – The essence of the book is that most software projects fail not because of technological (software) issues but for sociological reasons – In other words, because your team didn’t talk to each other and plan and communicate well, they messed up the project.
He outlines the most important things to do to avoid this scenario:
1) Set the overarching goal – What are we trying to achieve? – Not just what it is but how it's positioned.
2) Have a clear process - How are we going to work together? Have a clear idea for what happens when there’s an issue? – How do you raise that to your teammate? Where do we use Slack, versus an email or a meeting? Don’t leave this to chance.
3) Agree the definition of “Done”? – You need a common definition so that everybody knows when a job is actually complete.
Links:
The Career Toolkit – Mark A Herschberg
https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/
Download the career development kit:
https://www.thecareertoolkitbook.com/author
Peopleware by Tom de Marco & Timothy Lister
https://menloinnovations.com/
The BOSS-it Podcast:
https://www.bossequity.com/resources/podcasts
Episode Thirty-One: The Mysterious Tibetan Word that could be really Valuable to your Business
BOSS-it
11/16/18 • 38 min
Miksang. That’s the Tibetan word that could transform your business for the better. Listen to this episode to find out what it means and how it can benefit you. Also, we’re always looking for new podcast topic ideas.
If you have any problems you’re currently facing in your business then feel free to email me at [email protected]. We will then discuss it on our nearest convenient episode of Boss-IT Podcast.
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FAQ
How many episodes does BOSS-it have?
BOSS-it currently has 101 episodes available.
What topics does BOSS-it cover?
The podcast is about Podcasts, Technology, Entrepreneurs, Business and M&A.
What is the most popular episode on BOSS-it?
The episode title 'Season 3 - Episode 20 - Pete Sena - Great Leaders Want The Best Ideas be Heard' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on BOSS-it?
The average episode length on BOSS-it is 42 minutes.
How often are episodes of BOSS-it released?
Episodes of BOSS-it are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of BOSS-it?
The first episode of BOSS-it was released on Mar 16, 2018.
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