Employer Blueprint Podcast

Re-Defining Your Brand with CEO of Your Brand by Design, Amber Griffiths

Thank you for joining us on the new Employer Blueprint podcast, formally known as Business Playmakers, and hosted by Kyle Gorman. This episode of Employer Blueprint is special and not just because it is the first. As most of you who have listened to the Business Playmakers podcast know, Kyle has recently taken his companies through a re-branding and name change. Kyle thought it would be fitting for the first episode after the name change of the podcast to feature a branding expert. 

This weeks guest is Branding Strategist, Speaker, Branding Rock Star, and CEO of Your Brand by Design, Amber Griffiths. According to Amber’s LinkedIn page, Your Brand by Design was launched in 2007 in order to help entrepreneurs convey their message through their own unique voice. Your Brand by Design seeks to attract clients to businesses by allowing it to be authentic to the business owner, and strives to help business owners create a RockStar Brand. 

Amber graduated from Southern Utah University with a bachelors degree in Marketing, Public Relations, and Interpersonal Communications. After spending seven years as the VP of Marketing for Prudential Utah Real Estate, Amber founded Your Brand by Design in 2007. 

”The reason your business is different is because you are your business.” ~ Amber Griffiths.

you can find more information and connect with Your Brand by Design and Amber Griffiths at http://www.yourbrandbydesign.com. 

Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoyed the Employer Blueprint podcast. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode!

Kyle Gorman with a special announcement interviewed by Dedrick Jackson, EP 83

Business Playmakers podcast is excited to make a special announcement! In this episode, Business Playmakers host Kyle Gorman will be interviewed by Dedrick Jackson, where Kyle will talk about his multiple companies, and the future of Business Playmakers podcast. You don’t want to miss this, and don’t be alarmed, it is good news and a much needed change. Enjoy and please subscribe so you don’t miss any new episodes going forward. 

Leading In Your Community with Kirk Kirkpatrick, EP 82

~Message from Kyle Gorman 

As leaders in our business I think it’s also important that we become leaders in our community. It’s important to find ways to give back and be a part of our community. Whether you are in a small market or large market, there are ways to get involved by way of organizations that need help and support, and it is important to be an advocate in the community for those organizations. On today’s episode I had a great time sitting down with a gentleman named Kirk Kirkpatrick. Kirk is an amazing leader, and has really been a staple and a huge advocate for the Owensboro community as a whole. There is not an event that you can go to in Owensboro that he isn’t involved with, and the things that Kurt has done to shape this community are really incredible. Kirk has an amazing personality, and a wonderful career story. The way he has gotten engaged in his community has created a positive impact, and it is a motivation for others to understand what can be done when we are intentional about making a difference. What I’m encouraging you to do, is listen to Kirks information today, and think about ways that you can get involved and give back to your community  as well. 

Business Playmakers podcast is excited to feature Kirk Kirkpatrick as this weeks guest. Kirk is a true leader in the Owensboro community and is the current President of the Video Division at Wax Works/ Video Works. Previous accomplishments and positions held include the Executive Director of Friday after Five, the Interim Leader of Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, and the President and CEO of the River Park Center. Kirk Kirkpatrick was born in Owensboro KY, and after graduating from Owensboro High School, he attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington VA. After college, Kirk worked for Owensboro on the Air before joining Wax Works/ Video Works in 1984. After being named Vice President, Kirk was responsible for $100 million in sales in one year for the company. In 2001, Kirk became CEO of the RiverPark Center where he was involved in the raising of over $1.5 million dollars for the RiverPark Center. Kirk later returned to Wax Works/ Video Works where he now represents all major Hollywood studios’ including Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox, and has several times appeared on QVC where he promoted and sold DVDs. 

We hope you enjoy this weeks episode and be sure to subscribe the podcast as we have some really exciting news in the coming weeks that you won’t want to miss. Also please be sure to give us a review, and let us know how we are doing. We love your feedback and welcome suggestions and input. 

Building a Solid Team with Candice Bakx-Friesen, EP 81

~Intro Message from Kyle Gorman.

 

How do we know the right people to bring into our business. As we continue to grow sometimes it can become a real challenge to determine what the next step would look like from a personal perspective. We know we need to add some people in our business, we know we need to hire someone, but we have to figure out who that might be. One of the big mistakes that we find a lot of business owners making is when they tried to hire someone just like themselves. Usually these are people with similar skill sets to the owner. As business owners, we often think we need to do all of the things that someone else wouldn’t want to do. In reality, what we need to focus on is doing the things that we are really good at. We need to focus on the things that we have a skill set in, and then hire the people who don’t have that skill set. One of the common roadblocks that we have, is understanding what our time is really worth as business owners. You’ve probably heard it talked about on the Business Playmakers podcast before about business owners who say that they are really good at sales but don’t have time for sales, so they need to hire a good sales person. What that business owner may need is actually a really good administrative support person, so the business owner will have time to go out and sell. We talk about these topics with today’s guest in relation to growing a business and building a solid team. Today’s guest, Candice Bakx-Friesen has four businesses and four kids and successfully manages all of them with a great work life balance, and does so by building great teams around her. 

 

Welcome to the Business Playmakers podcast, this week we are excited to present Candice Bakx-Friesen. Candice is a Realtor, Real Estate Investor, Trainer, Speaker, and Coach. According to Candice’s LinkedIn profile, she is passionate about helping people reach their financial dreams. She is also a highly sought after coach within the real-estate and finance industries, and this is credited to Candice’s ability to cut to the chase and get to the root of the problem with her client’s needs. 

After high school, Candice has aspirations of following in her aunts footsteps to becoming an accountant. Those plans changed after meeting a gentleman who is now her husband, and because of his experience with rental properties that he owned, Candice discovered a passion for real estate as well. This led to her becoming a realtor, which she has been successful at for more than 12 years. Candice has been so successful in fact that she now coaches other real-estate agents with team building and dismantling, as well as creating better work life balance. You can reach Candice by sending her a message on any social media network, and you can also find out more about Candice Bakx-Friesen by visiting https://www.candicebakxfriesen.com.

Thanks for tuning in, enjoy the episode and please make sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss any future episodes of the Business Playmakers podcast. 

EP 80, Gregory Gray

Introduction message from the host of Business Playmakers podcast, Kyle Gorman.

~I am often asked whether we should be using personality assessments, such as Myers Briggs, in the hiring process and in hiring decisions. My belief is that it should not be a primary tool to be used in the hiring decision, but it is a great way to understand how to coach, manage, and communicate to someone you bring into your organization. There is an incredible value in understanding the personality of someone and how they are going to fit into the organization, however I am not a fan of putting a lot of weight into a personality assessment for the hiring decision. Today’s guest will talk about why it is beneficial to do these personality assessments, the DISC assessment specifically. Gregory talks about how you can use the DISC assessment to evaluate your own traits that you hadn’t analyzed or defined before. You can also use these assessments to analyze the personalities of the people on your team. This is an incredible value because as you learn to analyze the personalities of the people on your team, it will help open up channels of communication. It will also help you better understand ways to convey a message to someone, and how to receive a message from someone based on their personality. As a leader in your organization, it is incredibly important to learn how to adapt to these communication styles so that you can communicate your vision effectively. This is something you will never be able to effectively do that without understanding the personalities of your team. In this episode we will talk about people versus processes and how to effectively evaluate your team, and the communication gaps we sometimes face. ~

Business Playmakers podcast is excited to present the Owner and CEO of Gray Solutions LLC, Executive Life Coach, and Business Owner Freedom Podcast Host, Gregory Gray. Gregory spent the beginnings of his career in the corporate world, specifically in the manufacturing space. Like many entrepreneurs, Gregory saw a need for some things to be done differently which led to him stepping out of the corporate world in 2010 to be a Consultant for Leadership and Organizational Development. Since then, Gregory’s consulting firm has taken off and Gregory has a thriving business as an Executive Life Coach in which according to his LinkedIn profile, he seeks to educate and inspire while helping to build a life of joy and purpose. Gregory is also a Business Advisor for BusinessOwnerFreedom.com where he helps business owners to get control of their business so as to give them more freedom in the areas of time, money, and purpose. 

As Kyle talks about in his opening dialogue, he and Gregory have in depth conversations around personality assessments, and how to effectively use them in business. Enjoy the episode and please remember to subscribe and review the podcast!

EP 79, Robby Marlow

Business Playmakers podcast is exited to bring you the Co Founder and President at Delta Life Franchising, and Radio Host at Texas Franchise Radio, Robby Marlow. Robby had his first experience as an entrepreneur as a 12 year old who convinced his dad to buy him as CD burner. Robby would download songs from Napster, and burn CD’s of multiple songs so he could take them to school and sell them. Robby’s father was an engineer, so he went to school to be an engineer, and at 24 he found himself working in an office cubicle, and had become overweight and un-healthy. He connected with a friend who had a successful fitness class, which Robby participated in to get in shape. As he started getting in shape and feeling better about himself, Robby developed a passion for fitness. This passion is what inspired Robby to start coaching others to get in shape as well. As time went on and Robby realized he could develop a business around coaching others to get in shape, he and his business partner opened a facility of their own. 

According to Robby’s LinkedIn profile, Delta Life Fitness is a group training workout for women. Delta Life’s training is designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. The website www.deltalifefitness.com promotes 30 minute workouts, and free childcare. With more than 25 locations across the country, Delta Life not only empowers women through fitness, it also encourages entrepreneurship in franchising by allowing someone who is passionate about fitness to own their own location. 

You can find more information about Delta Life Fitness and Robby Marlow by way of the website above, as well as through Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn by searching Robby Marlow. Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe so that you never miss a weekly episode of Business Playmakers podcast. 

EP 78, Outsourcing Your Workforce with Naresh Vissa

The Business Playmakers podcast is proud to present the Founder and CEO of Krish Media and Marketing,  Naresh Vissa. In the area of experience, Naresh has accomplished so much. From working in advertising and operations for two big sports franchises, the Houston Astros and the Houston Rockets, to being a Finance Analyst at JP Morgan Chase, and a Director of Radio Podcasts and Media Strategy with Stansberry and Associates. All of these key positions are what led Naresh to start Krish Media and Marketing in 2013. According to Naresh’s LinkedIn profile, Krish Media and Marketing is a full service online and digital business solutions provider. Krish focuses on design, SEO, reputation management, affiliate marketing, and copywriting to name a few of their services. Also according to Naresh’s LinkedIn profile, his company works with some of the biggest names in the financial industry, he launched an online radio network generating six-figures in monthly revenue, and managed the production and marketing for the first online physical precious metals retail platform exchange. He has also been featured on USA Today, Yahoo!, Bloomberg, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Business Week, MSN Money, Business Insider, and if that isn’t enough, Naresh is a two time #1 best selling author. 

Naresh is a very practical thinker, and one of the first things you will notice from the beginning of this episode is that he is not saying the same things as most other entrepreneur speakers. Naresh encourages people with a dream of being an entrepreneur to start that dream with some cash-flow and said that when he started his business it was not with nothing, he continued to work his job and prepare before making that leap into being self employed. He was all alone in his business ventures until after a few months of having great client relationships, clients started asking if he could do more, and Naresh answered that he could. This is what led Naresh to find other partners to work with to accomplish the tasks that his clients needed. Enjoy this weeks episode of Business Playmakers in what is sure to be one of the best episodes related to marketing and business. Thanks for tuning in, and please be sure to subscribe and leave us a review and rating to let us know how we are doing. For more information about Naresh Vissa and Krish Media and Marketing, please visit www.krishmediamarketing.com. 

EP 77, Tomas Keenan, Co Founder and CEO of Top Class Installations

Business Playmakers podcast is excited to present Tomas Keenan, Co Founder and CEO of Top Class Installations. At a young age, Tomas fell in love with the installation, and fabrication of custom car audio. Tomas decided he knew more about the car audio business than the people he worked for, so he chose to start his own business, Exquisite Mobile Electronics Inc., which he ran for 5 years. As technology advanced, Tomas found that many vehicles were coming from the factory with better quality car audio systems, so it became difficult to sustain a profitable business. Tomas had to make the hardest decision he had ever had to make in his life, to close the business he had started. After about 3 years, Tomas and his previous business partner decided to start another business, Top Class Installation. Tomas and his partner were doing well, however found that they didn’t have a specific focus, and decided to only do installations of GPS tracking and dash cameras in commercial vehicles. Even though this is not the type of business that they set out to do, Tomas and his partner saw this as an opportunity to run a sustainable business while still pursuing their passion.

As Kyle mentions in this podcast, it is often hard to determine the difference between an opportunity and a distraction. During the conversation, Tomas mentions that when first starting out as an entrepreneur, you do what ever you have to in order to keep the business running. Even though something helped pay the bills when your business needed revenue, it may not be something you enjoyed or what you even wanted to do after your business was established. That is an example of a distraction. In the case of Tomas and his partner deciding to niche into a certain type of business, it was an opportunity and they are glad they made the decision. The conversation between Kyle and Tomas is one of the best on the Business Playmakers podcast, and you are sure to enjoy it. Thanks for listening and please be sure to subscribe and review the podcast!

 

Top Class Installations is an industry leader and have been featured in multiple publications. You can find more information about Top Class Installations and Tomas Keenan at the link below.

 

https://topclassinstallations.com

EP 76, Cameron Herold

Business Playmakers podcast is proud to present the Founder of the COO Alliance, and the Second In Command Podcast, Cameron Herold. Cameron is known everywhere as the CEO Whisperer, and has been highly renowned for his ability to lead leaders. Cameron’s story starts much earlier as his own father raised him to be an entrepreneur. By 21, Cameron had started a business and had more than 12 full time employees working for him, and had coached 120 entrepreneurs by the time he was 20 years old. Cameron helped build 2 companies that were worth more than $100 million dollars by the time he was 35 years old, and by 42 he helped a company known as 1-800- GOT-JUNK grow from $2 Million to $106 Million in revenue. Cameron is a best selling author of the book Double Double as well as 4 other books that can be found on Amazon. Beyond being a Business Coach to CEOs and a Public Speaker, Cameron also has a passion for parenting in the way his parents raised him. You can find a popular TED Talk with Cameron where he speaks about raising kids to be entrepreneurs. You will definitely love this episode, where Cameron and Kyle have in depth conversations about leadership, management, and workforce development. Cameron is very passionate and many of his answers to questions are genuine in that he allows the Business Playmakers audience to get a glimpse into his personal life. You’ll be especially surprised when Cameron answers the question that Kyle always asks, “What does success mean to you.” Enjoy this week on Business Playmakers and please remember to subscribe, and leave us a review. 

https://www.cameronherold.com

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/second-in-command-the-chief-behind-the-chief/id1368800817?mt=2

 

EP 75, Kyle Gorman Presenting the 4 Walls of Management Part 3 of 3

Welcome to part three of a special presentation of Business Playmakers podcast where we present The Four Walls of Management by Kyle Gorman. 

First thing, we want to remind you to subscribe and leave a review for the podcast. If you haven’t listened to the the last three weeks, be sure to listen to part 1 and 2 before checking out part 3 in this three part series. 

In part one Kyle talks about building a Foundation for your walls to stand on. Part two focused on Defining clear expectations and allowing the Autonomy to fail. In part three Kyle talks about when it is ok to be social with your team in Sociability, and how to recognize others for their achievements in the way they want to be recognized. Enjoy this special presentation and be sure to tune in again next week as we will be back to our regular interview style format. The guest next week is going to be amazing!