The Action Catalyst

Bruce Black has over 40 years of C-level business experience building several high-performance companies as a founder, leader, entrepreneur, and CEO. For the last ten years, Black has used much of that prior business knowledge to help private middle-market business owners improve their company’s performance, lower their risk profile, and achieve maximum value in a sale. Black’s firm, IBG Business, was a national finalist in 2016 for middle market strategic sale of the year and awarded the M&A Transaction of the Year in 2015 by ACG of Arizona. From 2005-2008, Black spent three years organizing, leading, and managing a 444-unit ground-up condominium project in the Phoenix valley for Chicago-based Terrapin Properties. From 1980-2002, he co-founded McCord Travel Management at 29 and over those 22 years, he and his team grew McCord from $0 to over $600 million with 800 employees, becoming one of the largest corporate travel management firms in the US. Driven by a passion for service, McCord’s success came one client at a time and through targeted strategic market acquisitions. Under Black’s leadership as CEO and President, McCord’s business strategy was to serve the most demanding and least easily pleased clients.  Those clients eventually included some of Chicago’s, Los Angeles’, New York’s and San Francisco’s top law firms, consulting organizations, entertainment companies, movie studios, advertising agencies, national accounting groups, and architectural firms. During his time at McCord, Black was selected as an Inaugural Member of University of Illinois at Chicago Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame. McCord was successfully sold in 2002 to Atlanta-based BCD, a $3.6 billion competitor. At the time of the sale, 22 years after the start, their first client, Hewitt Associates, was still there! If that same two-decade period wasn’t challenging enough, at the same time Black helped form Graphicorp, a recognition and inspirational awards company that eventually went on to become the public company Successories. He also led the formation of Synergi, an international corporate travel firm. As Chairman for its first ten years, Bruce led the alliance from an initial 4 countries to 54 countries that spanned the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific. Black’s first job, after graduating from Iowa State University with double majors in political science and sociology, was in outside sales for a small specialty food manufacturing company. Black now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife and their black lab where he spends time consulting with select clients, is an active mentor to startup companies, and is also an avid hiker, motorcycle rider, and mountain biker. Show Highlights: Put the work in and the outcomes that you envision can become real. -Bruce BlackFirst step, get rid of the self-imposed barriers that are caused by improper thinking. -Dan Moore“Make change your friend; it’ll always be there for you.” -Clint Eastwood, The Bridges of Madison CountyYour personal attitude is really the only thing you can control. -Bruce BlackPutting plans in place where “no” is not an acceptable answer is part of our business model. -Bruce BlackWith every acquisition we made, we tore up our culture because it’s only as good as our newest member. -Bruce BlackCulture eats strategy for breakfast. -Peter DruckerYou can never communicate enough. -Bruce BlackNo problem can withstand the assault of sustained thought. -VoltaireYou are what you think you are. -Bruce Black Bruce’s closing thoughts: I have a happy mindset about making mistakes because every time I make mistakes I learn more. My self-talk is a bit of the glass is half full, but also go big or go home. If it’s worth doing, do it well. Do what you want but be prepared. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting.

Dan Moore was recently featured on the Direct Selling Association CEOs in Focus podcast with Joe Mariano. Listen to the featured episode below. Show Highlights: The thing that differentiates Southwestern is our commitment to building character in young people. —Dan MooreIt's not the door-to-door sales, it's what it teaches a person that's key. Most people have preconceived notions of, "I'm not good at business," or "I can't talk to people." When they practice, they learn that's not true. —Dan MooreLive the best lives you can with the gifts you've been given and the opportunities put in front of you. Don't worry so much about what other people think of you. —Dan MooreI think it's important for me to still be in the field and with our recruiters, meeting new people. —Dan MooreYoung people all want to be somebody. What they don't know is how to get there. —Dan MooreYoung people also really value honesty and transparency. Being straight up with people is really important and making sure our hearts are right around our mission. —Dan MooreWe keep the door-to-door model because it helps us with our mission of building people. —Dan MooreIf we push just for the dollars, we don't get the mission. In the long haul, it requires a deeper purpose. —Dan Moore Dan's final thoughts: It's about taking that risk based on internal support that they can do well. I tell kids that having your own business through Southwestern Advantage won't guarantee you won't have any debt, but working part-time jobs will. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!

Ken Coleman is a #1 national best-selling author, career expert and nationally syndicated radio host of The Ken Coleman Show. Pulling from his own personal struggles, missed opportunities and career successes, Coleman helps people discover what they were born to do and provides practical steps to make their dream job a reality. The Ken Coleman Show is a caller-driven career show that helps listeners who are stuck in a job they hate or searching for something more out of their career. His second book, The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead To The Career You Love, released May 2019. Connect with Ken on Twitter and Instagram at @KenColeman and online at kencoleman.com or facebook.com/kenColemanShow. Show Highlights: There are two types of pivots I think everyone faces: the ones that are forced on you and the ones that you choose. —Ken ColemanIf you're living on purpose and working on purpose, you'll have to do some self-imposed pivots. —Ken ColemanThe Proximity Principle says that in order to do what I want to do, I have to be around people who are doing it and in places where it is happening. —Ken ColemanIf you want to get in and move up in your career, it's always going to be about the intentionality to surround yourself with the right people in the right places. —Ken ColemanYou want to find the person who is going to teach you how to be qualified for the job. They don't have to be the best but they have to have actual experience. —Ken ColemanWhere you are is so important because this is where you start. It's simply acting on that first decision to do something right where you are. —Ken ColemanIt never requires a change of zip code to get started. —Ken ColemanThere is no "next" if you don't do something in the "now." Most people stay in the starting blocks of life. —Ken Coleman Ken's final thoughts: The Proximity mindset is know your role, accept your role, maximize your role. That's the formula for progress. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!

As a past business owner, Joni understands the risks, rewards, and challenges that ownership and professional management bring. She had the opportunity at Iams as a Brand Manager to live in a professionally managed organization where she saw first-hand how strategy, strong leadership and culture can fuel a company to do great things. After Iams, Joni co-founded a technology services company and became an Aileron client herself, taking the Course for Presidents, establishing an outside Board of Directors and utilizing strategic planning. The company grew from 2 to 100 employees in five years, was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Cincinnati Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was named by the Cincinnati Business Courier as one of the 25 fastest-growing companies in the region. After selling this business, she and her husband just couldn’t stop and bought a second business in decorative packaging that they operated for seven years before successfully selling. In her role as President, Joni oversees Aileron’s strategic direction, culture, and operational activities. Her leadership and energy inspire and motivate the Aileron team and the community as we strive to raise the quality of life, one private business at a time. Joni was honored with the “Forty Under Forty” award and received her bachelor’s degree in business from Miami University (the real one, in Ohio). She obtained her MBA from Xavier University. As college sweethearts, Joni and her husband Jim have been married for 27 years; they have three great children, a golden retriever and a small mutt who thinks he’s a cross between a mastiff and a pit bull. Family time is a crucial priority for Joni and they enjoy skiing, tubing, running, fishing, sports, eating Chipotle (don’t ask Joni to cook – she can’t), family events and vacations. Show Highlights: It's a whole different ballgame when you can't say, "I don't like the way they're doing things, because they are you." —Joni FeddersIt's fascinating how many thoughts we have behind our emotions and actions. —Joni FeddersThought, Emotion, Action is a powerful, simple tool that helps people make change. —Joni FeddersYou hit walls all day long, which is more of a sign of opportunity and learning than anything else. —Joni FeddersWe tend to make judgments that are bad, and sometimes they are, but it's more about what can I do in this situation more than what I can't. It's being conscious to what that's telling you. —Joni FeddersOur brains are bad neighborhoods when we're there by ourselves. —Joni FeddersWe usually all feel stuck when there are things that are out of our control. —Joni FeddersI'm not sure mediocrity is an option in many places anymore. —Joni FeddersLook at your situation's parallel. How does what I do at home parallel this decision at work? —Joni Fedders Joni's final thoughts: I'm a believer that when you're really stuck, call in some reinforcements. Get people to ask you good questions and shift the perspective. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!