Branch Out - A Podcast from Connection Builders

The word “sales” often leaves a sour taste in people’s mouths. But sales is different than most people think, as today’s guest explains. Gary Braun, the Co-Founder of Pivotal Advisors, shares why it’s all about asking the right questions. Gary takes us on the journey of how he and his brother launched Pivotal Advisors and the lessons they have learned over the last 10+ years. We debunk negative connotations associated with “sales” and discuss why asking the right questions can build trust and lead to opportunities. Gary shares what it means to shortcut the discovery process, how to have a great pitch when you have little time, the positives of having repetitive systems, and why the fear of change is holding most sales professionals back. Gary also shares insights on creating accountability, the importance of reinforcement, and continual evolution.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The journey that led to Gary and his brother starting Pivotal Advisors.
• Debunking the negative connotations associated with being a person in sales.
• Why solving problems is the core of sales.
• How asking the right questions uncovers opportunities.
• How asking the right questions can help build trust.
• The right way to approach sales, and some wrong ones.
• Earning respect: what it means to shortcut the discovery process.
• How to stick to a quality sales pitch when time is limited.
• Why you shouldn’t chase every sale and how to identify hot leads.
• Narrowing your focus to help you grow.
• How repetitive systems can help you scale.
• Why the fear of changing behavior and mindset is the biggest thing holding sales professionals back.
• How to deal with accountability in sales: positive and constructive reinforcement.
• Why change is necessary for evolution and the importance of developing soft skills.

Gary Braun on LinkedIn
Pivotal Advisors
Pivotal Advisors on YouTube
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn

To be an entrepreneur requires hard work, self-discipline, and a tremendous amount of courage. When you are your own boss, there is no one else to look to. Therefore, everything your business needs to succeed requires your efforts and discipline. Today we are joined by the Managing Director of EisnerAmper, Isatou Smith. She is a natural entrepreneur who left a stable corporate role to gain greater autonomy and agency in her personal and professional life. In our conversation, we discuss how Isatou became an entrepreneur and what she's learned from her journey. Isatou shares examples of the challenging moments she has had to endure and ultimately persevere. Isatou also explains why all entrepreneurs need to know themselves very well, why instant gratification is a slippery slope, and how society can break you down if you let it. Finally, we discuss the importance of self-discipline, how to be intentional with how you spend your time, and why goal-setting is an entrepreneurial necessity.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Isatou's entrepreneurial journey: when it started, how she chose it, and what she learned.
• The part of her journey that forced her to endure and persevere.
• The importance of knowing yourself and what you want very well.
• Instant gratification and living in a world of 'right now'.
• How external influences could be detrimental to your entrepreneurial endeavor.
• The importance of leading both yourself and others as an entrepreneur.
• Why there's a high risk of burnout and poor mental health when you're your own boss.
• How to be self-disciplined when given full autonomy.
• Being intentional with how you spend your time.
• Why it's important to set goals as an entrepreneur.

Isatou Smith on LinkedIn
Isatou Email
EisnerAmper
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn

From heading a family business, running franchising models, running a private equity firm, and being a mother to two, is there anything Susan Black-Beth can't do? Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, Susan's relationship with business started at an early age and has been formative to her leadership style.

In this episode, Susan shares the value of having a robust and reliable network, how to overcome unforeseen challenges, her serendipitous relationship with COVID-19, and the importance of resiliency, authenticity, and vulnerability. With years of experience in multiple spheres of entrepreneurship, Susan explains how all these skills unexpectedly came together to help her through a life-changing family crisis. Finally, bringing this all together, we hear how a shift in perspective can help improve our outlook and allow us to lead ourselves and those who depend on us.
Key Points From This Episode:

• Susan's experience with an entrepreneurial family.
• Susan and her sisters experience buying and building carwashes.
• Why Susan felt called to move away from the safety of the family business.
• How Susan overcame her limiting and self-doubting internal dialogue.
• Susan's seven-year journey in private equity.
• The life lessons Susan has learned while overcoming challenges.
• What Susan learned about leadership from the most challenging days of COVID.
• Susan's experiences with her son's heart transplant journey.
• Susan's relationship with resiliency and leadership.
• Most importantly, the power of gratitude and how it has helped Susan succeed.

Susan Black-Beth on LinkedIn
Avante Capital Partners
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn

Today we are joined by partner, director, and advisor at Anders CPAs, David Hartley to discuss how he has found success and happiness in his career by taking risks and embracing uncertainty. You'll hear about David's professional career journey, the catalysts for change early on, and how he handled changes he encountered along the way. We also talk about why we as leaders have to accept that we do not know all the answers and instead focus on being a facilitator for problem-solving.

David also shares his view on why it is critical to be open to learning, staying up to date with technology, asking questions, and staying true to yourself. We then dig into how to handle changing circumstances, manage your mental health, and why self-care is essential. Finally, David shares a piece of advice for professionals hitting the five-to-10-year mark in their career.

Key Points From This Episode:

• David talks us through some of the pivotal points in the beginning of his career.
• How to work your way through life change.
• Why it's okay not to know all the answers.
• The importance of facilitating a group as a leader rather than dominating problem-solving.
• The importance of embracing the newest tools and latest technologies.
• How to navigate constant change.
• The importance of asking questions and being a sponge in the beginning of your career.
• Why you don't need to know everything and why it's imperative to ask questions to learn.
• The themes that came out of the new partner presentations David's company has just done.
• Why we need to manage mental health in the workplace.
• The importance of being authentic to the things you enjoy early in your career.
• David shares some advice about self-care for professionals hitting their five-to-10-year mark.

David Hartley on LinkedIn
Anders CPAs
Dare to LeadConnection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn

In today's high-paced professional world, it's easy to lose perspective on what moves the needle in your company and get mired down in a slew of everyday tasks and emails. And while creating a structure that prioritizes reflection and planning can be challenging, it is immensely beneficial in the long run. Here to help us unpack this topic and give us a fresh perspective on our approach to work is Dan Montgomery, audit partner and director of business development at Forge Financial and Management Consulting, a forward-thinking advisory firm. In our conversation, Dan expands on how Forge's novel approach is making the busy season more manageable for their team and what they are doing to prioritize planning, reflection, and productivity at their company. We then move on to what Dan has learned from the value of journaling, reflection, and planning and how those lessons have changed the way he works and lives his life. Finally, today's episode offers a high-level breakdown of creating an innovative professional services model that allows for increased profitability, greater productivity, and, most importantly, more personal life satisfaction.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Get to know today's guest, Dan Montgomery, and his fascinating childhood in Alaska.
• Why Forge Financial Management Consulting was created and who it is meant to serve.
• An overview of Dan's firm and its approach to accounting.
• The pitfalls of the busy season in accounting and how Dan's firm is addressing it.
• Why Forge Financial Management Consulting isn't taking on new tax-only clients.
• The importance of prioritizing the most impactful work within your company.
• Defining your value proposition and why it will attract more ideal clients.
• How reflection helps Dan function in a more healthy way.
• A breakdown of how Dan prioritizes daily and weekly 'Big Three' tasks.
• The most important elements of weekly reflection.
• How to create space for focused, deep work.
• What an ideal week for Dan's company looks like.

Forge Financial Management Consulting
Dan Montgomery on LinkedIn
Dan Montgomery's Email
Connection BuildersAlex Drost LinkedIn
Branch Out Podcast LinkedIn
Connection Builders LinkedIn