The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
Matthew Stewart
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Top 10 The Edge Of Excellence Podcast Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Edge Of Excellence Podcast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Edge Of Excellence Podcast 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 The Edge Of Excellence Podcast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
112: Benn McAlister I How to Take Over the Family Business
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
06/13/23 • 55 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Benn McCallister, president of Worldwide Golf Shops.
Benn recounts his personal journey, emphasizing that he has been involved with golf all his life and that this eventually sparked his deep passion for the sport. He will share how he was initially unsure about joining the family business because he wanted to stand out and make a name for himself. However, during college, the significant impact of the Internet piqued his interest and led him to explore web design. As a result, he created a website for his family's business, which quickly became very popular and valuable to the company. This pivotal experience eventually led him to join the family business.
After building the website, the decision for Benn to become president wasn't immediate. You’ll learn more about his career progression, including the initial skepticism about his involvement in the family business, which only fueled his determination, strong work ethic and success-oriented mindset. When he took on the role of president in 2017, one of his first acts was to join the YPO (Young Presidents' Organization). He shares how being a member of YPO has provided him with invaluable support and advice from experienced peers.
Shortly after joining YPO, Benn and his family decided to sell their business in 2019. He’ll talk about this challenging and tiring process that led to a period of tension and minimal communication among family members and partners. You’ll discover the new idea that Benn proposed, which marked a significant transition for him. After leaving the family business, Benn aimed for a better work-life balance and more time with his family. Unfortunately, the timing coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced Benn to temporarily separate from his family to launch his business. You’ll learn more about this challenging sacrifice.
Join Matt and Benn for an insightful conversation on Benn's path to excellence in the golf industry.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Benn’s definition of excellence.
- The detrimental effect of Instagram on the self-esteem of teens.
- How to take your passion and turn it into business.
- The launch of the e-commerce website and direct-to-consumer sales channels.
- How to take over a family business.
- The difference between a chip on the shoulder and an ax to grind.
- How to stay positive during tough times.
- The impact his wife has had on his business.
- And so much more...
Resources:
110: Dean Treister | Reinvention and Resilience
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
05/30/23 • 45 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Dean Treister, Managing Director at Sampling International and former professional rugby player.
Dean recounts his journey to becoming a professional athlete and shares the pivotal moments that ignited his self-belief. Along the way, he experienced a transformative shift in his mindset prioritizing the team's success over personal growth. Dean will talk about the importance of teamwork and how he applies it to every aspect of his life. He will open up about the brutal nature of his departure from the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks team.
Dean has always possessed an unwavering belief in his ability to accomplish anything he sets his mind to. He will share his transition to a new career in the business world. You will discover the two invaluable qualities he has carried from his sports career to his ventures in business and life. Dean reflects on his ability to detach from the past and move forward without dwelling on it, and offers advice for anyone going through a period of reinvention. He also stresses the importance of challenging himself and avoiding complacency, as well as the presence of mentors throughout his career.
Dean discusses how he navigated through challenges like the COVID -19 pandemic and adapted to changes in the industry. He explains that he is currently analyzing the future of the industry on a daily basis, especially as it relates to changing consumer behavior and the use of technology.
Join Matt and Dean for an insightful conversation on entrepreneurial optimism and the significance of closing a chapter and moving forward.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Dean’s definition of excellence.
- Resilience and perseverance in business.
- Learning how to be a successful entrepreneur.
- The different career options Dean explored.
- How to turn your passion into a business.
- Building a team from the ground up.
- And so much more...
Resources:
104: Phong Vo | Finding Your Tribe
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
04/18/23 • 46 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Phong Vo, CEO of Phong Vo Media and host of The Phong Vo Show podcast.
During the episode, Phong reveals how he transitioned from his job to a full-time entrepreneur. You'll learn why you should look for internships. He'll talk about finding his personal tribe through College Works and highlight the benefits that came with that.
After graduating, Phong had to make a difficult decision between a six-figure corporate job and working at a startup accelerator. You'll learn why he chose the startup route and the success he had with it. After being inspired by Edwin Edebiri's story, Phong decided to join the Happy Neighborhood Project. Edwin is the Chief Happiness Officer and a TEDx speaker.
At the time of recording, Phong had been working on Phong Vo Media on the side for a year, but he has not yet decided to focus on it full-time. He talks about Phong Vo Media and his day-to-day business as CEO. You’ll learn more about Phong Vo Media's services. He'll also talk about his next business ventures and how valuable reading The ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ was for him.
Join Matt and Phong for a fascinating conversation about transitioning from a normal life to a life of prosperity and purpose, how to find your tribe, and how to build a business that will last forever.
Enjoy!
What You'll Learn in This Show:
- Phong's definition of excellence.
- The Lessons Phong picked up at College Works and the impact it's had on his career.
- The value of hard work and perseverance.
- What exactly is a startup accelerator?
- His vision for Phong Vo Media.
- Three things you need to grow your business fast.
- And so much more...
103: Nick Niehaus | Achieve Excellence by Focusing on Perfect Competence
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
04/11/23 • 61 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, our guest us Nick Niehaus, co-founder, and head trainer of the Business Video School. Nick is passionate about helping professionals learn how to use video in their businesses.
The show opens with Nick explaining his definition of excellence. He also talks about who he was before he came to College Works and how that experience helped him overcome his social anxiety. College Works was pivotal for Nick because he comes from an engineering background and has always wanted to be an inventor. He'll talk about his decision to become an entrepreneur and change his engineering major.
Soon, Nick quit his job and set out to build his own business. You'll learn more about his first company, Connect Video, and his second, Business Video School, which teaches real estate agents how to leverage video to better communicate and grow their business. Learn more about the services their teams offer online. He'll talk about his business' early success as they mark their third anniversary.
Nick started Business Video School during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the challenges he encountered and how he remained committed, as well as his ambitions to advance his public speaking career. As he shares his opinions on AI, specifically ChatGPT, he’ll offer advice on achieving excellence. You’ll discover how he runs his business, similar to College Works.
Join us for a fascinating discussion about finding long-term, fruitful partnerships, networking, and building influence.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Nick’s definition of excellence.
- Why he prefers being underestimated.
- The value of hands-on experience.
- Nick’s entrepreneurial journey and his career goals.
- The biggest takeaways from College Works and its impact on his career.
- And so much more...
Resources:
101: Johnny Rhee | Obsessive Pursuit of Excellence
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
03/28/23 • 53 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Johnny Rhee, founder and chief strategist of Next Door Home Upgrades. Johnny Rhee has over a decade of progressive business experience, including buying a struggling company in his early twenties and growing it into a top-performing business, as well as mentoring numerous executives and entrepreneurs. He believes in aligned values, teamwork and a culture of performance and accountability.
In today's show, Johnny breaks down his definition of excellence, which is largely influenced by his hero John Wooden, who defines success as "peace of mind that can only be achieved through self-satisfaction, knowing that you have striven to achieve the best that you're capable of."
Growing up in a third-world country and then being given the opportunity to come to UCLA, Johnny developed an attitude of gratitude. He talks about how this was a cornerstone of his success. You'll learn more about his career at College Works, from District Manager of the Year to EVP, the systems he created during his time there, and the key lessons he learned. Johnny also talks about his journey to entrepreneurship. This includes working at College Works on a part-time basis and working as a consultant before turning to his solar business full-time.
Access to clean water has always been a matter close to Johnny's heart. You'll learn about his project in Colombia installing solar desalination systems in remote areas. He'll discuss how micromanaging his time has helped him succeed in college and how he's able to live a life of excellence.
On a more personal level, he'll talk about his hobbies, healthy lifestyle, spirituality and faith.
Join Matt and Johnny for a fascinating discussion on maximizing your potential to make a positive difference, the concept of quitting quietly, time management and leaving a legacy.
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Johnny’s definition of excellence.
- The price of failure vs. the price of success.
- How College Works impacted his career and life.
- The importance of being a great employee.
- Why you need to treat your school work like a 9–5 job
- The importance of having a tribe.
- And so much more...
Resources:
100: Shawn Baldwin | How To Get into Real Estate Development Business
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
03/21/23 • 36 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt chats with Shawn Baldwin, President of Baldwin & Sons, who has an extensive background in residential real estate development and has held various positions of increasing responsibility with the Baldwin Companies. He is a graduate of the College of Southern California. Baldwin & Sons has been in business since 1956. Shawn will talk about his definition of excellence and the importance of leaving a legacy for future generations. He will also talk about how to become a real estate investor, land and real estate development, and the many roles in real estate. You will learn how to excel as an entry-level real estate developer. You will understand the difference between vertical and horizontal land development.
He has a land development business, a real estate development business, a construction company, an investment company, and a property management company; he will talk about how he ran all these companies, including his path to becoming president. He will talk about his seven-month trip abroad to find himself and the transformation that experience brought. You will understand how Shawn's father laid the foundation for them to be excellent. You will discover what Shawn considers one of the most momentous decisions he has made in his life.
Join Matt and Shawn for a fascinating conversation about real estate, the legacy of a generation, and mentors.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Shawn's definition of excellence.
- The importance of impacting future generations of family and friends
- Everything that makes up the life of a real estate investor
- About Baldwin & Sons and his goals and ambitions for his business
- Why his beginnings as an assistant superintendent were a great learning experience for him
- His unique perspective on house flipping
- And so much more...
Resources:
Meet The Team | Baldwin & Sons (baldwinsons.com)
99: Lulu Lantzy | How to Build Grit in the Next Generation
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
03/14/23 • 48 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Lulu Lantzy, Chief Activation Officer at Auraria Higher Education Center and board member of the Asian Chamber of Commerce Colorado Board of Directors. Lulu, named one of the 40 Under 40 by the Denver Business Journal and one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Business by the Women's Chamber, has dedicated her career to mentoring and supporting students.
Immigrating to America at the age of nine sparked her interest in entrepreneurship. She will talk about how she turned her feelings of jealousy and bitterness when she had to work in high school into motivation. You'll learn about her college experience, why it sucked to have so much free time for the first time, and how working multiple jobs improved her academic performance.
After working as executive vice president at College Works for several years, Lulu joined Emily Griffith Technical College as director of innovation and partnerships. She will talk about her true calling, what led her to Emily Griffith, and rural college recruitment versus high-ranking colleges. You will learn the difference between her current position and her previous position at Emily Griffith, as well as the impact she hopes to make at Auraria. You will also learn about the skills she learned at College Works that are essential in succeeding in corporate America. She will give young people one piece of advice that can completely change their lives.
On a more personal level, she will talk about her solo travels as they share their fascinating experience of traveling to Saudi Arabia together.
Join Matt and Lulu for a fascinating conversation about using past jealousy to drive achievement, being more productive and letting go of jealousy, and transitioning from entrepreneurship to corporate.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Lulu's definition of excellence
- How to turn jealousy into motivation
- The importance of trying a variety of activities during high school and college
- Lulu's biggest take away from College Works
- What aspects of being an EVP Lulu has enjoyed the most
- How to get a good internship
- The importance of giving back to the community.
- And so much more...
Resources:
98: Greg Genske | Confidence Is The Companion of Success
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
03/07/23 • 51 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks with Greg Genske, CEO of VaynerBaseball. Greg oversees all of VaynerSports' baseball player representation activities. Before his current role, he was Executive Director and President of Baseball at The Legacy Agency. Since 2015, Greg Genske has also served as a law professor at the University of California-Berkeley, his alma mater, lecturing on sports law, representation of professional athletes and negotiations. In 2009, Genske was named to Sports Business Daily's prestigious "40 Under 40" list.
Baseball was Greg's life growing up, but his ambitions to become a professional athlete didn't materialize. Luckily, he had a backup plan—going to law school. He'll talk about how important it's for aspiring professional athletes to have a backup plan. You'll learn why he was so determined to succeed as a lawyer.
Before entering the sports industry, he began his legal career at the San Francisco Public Defender's Office and then worked as a litigator at leading national law firms. He'll talk about his experiences as a trial lawyer, including representing Steinberg, the real-life inspiration for the 1996 Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. He'll also talk about his journey to becoming a sports agent and how he took over the entire agency.
You'll learn about leveraged buyouts, how to run a business without giving away equity, and why he wanted to keep control of the company. Greg will disclose if taking his agency public was a good decision. After a bitter ending with the previous agency, Greg started his own agency from scratch. He talks about how he later teamed up with Gary Vaynerchuk to create VaynerBaseball and what the focus of this new agency is. You'll learn why he encourages people to become lawyers if they want to become agents. On a more personal level, he'll talk about parenthood, his passion for surfing and his morning affirmations.
Join Matt and Greg for a fascinating conversation about how to become an agent, his unique ability, and why passion is the key to success.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Greg's definition of excellence.
- What inspired Greg to become a trial lawyer.
- How to develop the ability to make and keep relationships.
- The importance of always being prepared for the next opportunity.
- Why Greg is so passionate about training amateur athletes.
- How to balance work and personal life.
- And so much more...
Resources:
97: Spencer Pepe | Strategies for Entrepreneurs to Avoid Personal Debt
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
02/28/23 • 39 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt talks to Spencer Pepe, co-CEO at College Works Painting. Spencer graduated with a business degree from the University of California.
With more than 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship, Spencer talks about his career path, specifically his college experience and why he focused more on friendships and networking. His father's bankruptcy was a defining moment in his life. You'll learn how he refocused his life and how College Works proved to be a great opportunity for him. He'll discuss going out of business and the valuable lessons he learned. After being in the mortgage banking business for 10 years, Spencer has developed a special interest in marketing. He'll explain to you why he chose this niche and why it's the most important role as he talks about his marketing-driven model. You'll also understand why every entrepreneur needs to be an intrapreneur. As you probably know, it's important to live within your means. Spencer will share why he advises entrepreneurs not to take on debt. Listen as he recommends financial literacy books that address these topics.
Matt and Spencer will talk about their 30-year partnership that began with College Works and the various businesses they have started since. Join Matt and Spencer for an exciting conversation about leveraging the lessons and struggles of his past, the evolution of his entrepreneurship, and the power of marketing.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- Spencer's definition of excellence.
- Leveraging pain and grief to get ahead in life.
- Why you should avoid personal debt in your life.
- How and why they relaunched College Works and the role of each partner.
- The importance of having a marketing-driven model for your business.
- Learning and growing as an entrepreneur.
- And so much more...
Resources:
131: Jeff Gunhus CEO, Home Genius Exteriors | Choosing Excellence - Building Vision and Culture
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast
05/14/24 • 58 min
On today's episode of The Edge of Excellence, Matt is joined by Jeff Gunhus, a seasoned entrepreneur, to discuss the concept of excellence and business leadership. Jeff defines excellence as a deliberate choice to pursue the best version of oneself across all life's endeavors, stressing the importance of being both content and driven. Throughout their conversation, Jeff shares insights from his journey of building a successful business empire, emphasizing the pivotal role of making strategic choices, even when they entail personal sacrifices, such as missing out on leisure activities to focus on career growth.
The discussion then pivots to Jeff's entrepreneurial experiences, where he elaborates on transitioning his business model in response to unforeseen challenges, such as regulatory changes and market dynamics. This shift notably involved downsizing from $6 million to $1.6 million in revenue, which set the stage for a remarkable recovery and growth trajectory, demonstrating resilience and adaptability. Jeff highlights the critical role of team building and maintaining a brand that genuinely resonates with both employees and customers, fostering a culture of high performance and mutual respect.
Towards the end of the episode, Jeff and Matt explore the importance of aligning personal values with professional endeavors, which ensures sustained passion and commitment. Jeff shares personal anecdotes, including his family's involvement in community service, illustrating how personal values deeply influence professional actions and company culture. The episode concludes with Jeff reflecting on the sacrifices made during his career, reinforcing that short-term trade-offs can lead to long-term rewards, encapsulating the podcast's theme of striving towards excellence through thoughtful decision-making and persistent effort.
Join Matt and Jeff for this fascinating episode.
Enjoy!
What You Will Learn In This Show:
- How excellence is not about being the best in the field but striving to be the best version of oneself.
- How to transition from small-scale successes to major brand building, and the importance of vision in scaling businesses effectively.
- How effective partnerships are crucial and how mutual understanding and shared goals strengthen business relationships.
- Jeff's experiences of balancing career ambitions with personal life, providing a blueprint for managing professional growth without compromising personal relationships.
- The long-term impacts of early career choices and the importance of international exposure and adapting to various cultural environments.
- The resilience businesses require to adapt to external changes, like regulatory shifts, and how these can be opportunities for significant growth.
- How a company's values and culture contribute to its success, and how to integrate personal values into your business practices for holistic success.
- Insights into taking full ownership of one’s actions and decisions in business, promoting a leadership style that fosters accountability and growth.
- The significance of finding joy in one’s professional journey, regardless of the challenges faced, which can lead to a more fulfilling career and life.
- And so much more...
Resources:
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Edge Of Excellence Podcast have?
The Edge Of Excellence Podcast currently has 140 episodes available.
What topics does The Edge Of Excellence Podcast cover?
The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Podcasts, Business and Careers.
What is the most popular episode on The Edge Of Excellence Podcast?
The episode title '112: Benn McAlister I How to Take Over the Family Business' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Edge Of Excellence Podcast?
The average episode length on The Edge Of Excellence Podcast is 46 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Edge Of Excellence Podcast released?
Episodes of The Edge Of Excellence Podcast are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of The Edge Of Excellence Podcast?
The first episode of The Edge Of Excellence Podcast was released on Feb 18, 2021.
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