Today's Business Leaders With Gabe Arnold

Curran Alvarez found himself in the unemployment office at 22-years-old and thought, “What am I doing here?” After some soul-searching and a chance encounter with a coworker who would later become his wife, Curran found his way and began his entrepreneurial journey. “That’s when my entire life shifted, and I was introduced to this crazy thing called network marketing,” Curran explains. Curran shares his story, along with lots of useful and actionable advice with Gabe for this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Finding His Way Curran struggled to find his way and make ends meet, and he eventually ended up taking the leap and becoming an entrepreneur. The decision was ultimately very easy for him because he believed in the product he was selling. How to do Network Marketing Right Based on his own very successful experiences, Curran is able to narrow down the basic steps to launching a successful network marketing business. 1. Don't be distracted by the marketing that's out there. There is no insta

Most entrepreneurs either know right away that they want to be their own boss, or they work a job and quickly realize they don’t want to work for someone else. Liz Pifko falls into this second group. After working at a large law firm for six years, Liz wasn’t feeling challenged. She quickly determined she needed to get out and do her own thing. Liz recently shared her experiences around becoming an entrepreneur along with useful legal tips around forming a business with Gabe for an episode of Today’s Business Leaders. Calculated Move Instead of jumping right in once she decided to start her own business, Liz took a more calculated approach. She spent the next two years learning everything she could. Law school taught her how to be an attorney, but she didn’t learn about marketing or business, and these are skills she knew she would need on her own. After eight years with a firm, Liz packed it in and said goodbye. Learning to Accept the Mindset Shift Running your own business can be stressful and challenging

He didn’t realize it right away, but Jeff Hunter has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He grew up surrounded by his parent’s computer store and learned early on that being his own boss afforded a variety of perks he simply would not find working a corporate gig. Jeff is the latest entrepreneurial phenom to share his journey and experiences with Gabe for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Learning to Outsource Jeff always had an interest in computers and IT, and this led him to work as a project manager in a major corporation. He had his breakthrough idea when he began outsourcing specific tasks to virtual assistants. By unloading the menial, but still completely necessary functions related to his job, Jeff was able to refocus his efforts and make tremendous strides with his work. Launching His Business Jeff saw an opportunity in connecting entrepreneurs with talented and skilled virtual assistants. At the same time, his corporate bosses were not too thrilled with the amount of time he was spe

Every time Amber Pember has reached an important fork in the road, she has relied on her instinct and gone with her gut. Over the course of her career, she has learned the value of learning and the importance of staying true to her vision. Amber’s entrepreneurial journey hasn’t always been easy, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Gabe recently had the chance to sit down with Amber and interview her for Today’s Business Leaders. Find out how Amber got her start, how she refined her 90-minute pitch and why she is packing it all up to travel the country. Early Introduction to Business Despite her reservations, Amber started out working corporate jobs. Things didn’t exactly go well, and even though she gave the work her all, Amber was let go. This was the first of many turning points, and Amber made the call to do things her way from there on out. Working for Herself Amber had the drive and an idea for a business, so she got to work making it happen and practicing her pitch. She refined her presentation skil

In many regards, Preston Howard’s entrepreneurial journey is just getting underway. In the brief time he has been hustling, he has made tremendous progress, and he is on track to accomplish even more. Gabe interviewed Preston for Today’s Business Leaders to find out how he has managed to gain his maturity and what’s next for this Memphis native. Continue to Dabble Until Something Works Preston comes from an entrepreneurial family, and this instilled a sense of self-reliance. “If I wasn’t relying on myself, I couldn’t perform to the best of my abilities,” explains Preston. This foundation in entrepreneurship did not ensure smooth sailing. Preston went to college for a semester, moved around the country, got into trouble and struggled to find his way. After a turning point, Preston moved back to Memphis and eventually got into digital marketing. Learning How to Stack Value In the midst of things, Preston’s experiences did not always feel positive. However, he was able to learn and identify when things were no

Alexander Brooks is making a living streamlining workflows for his clients, which is a natural fit given that he’s been building efficiencies into his life for years. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe gets the rundown from Alexander about how he got his start as an entrepreneur, where he is now and the direction he wants to take his automation business. Debut into Entrepreneurship Alexander was inspired by the success of his uncle. Around age 10, he started looking for work around the neighborhood. Like just almost every other entrepreneur before him, he learned how to build his own business by mowing lawns, raking leaves and shoveling snow. From there he built his career testing out several different business models and using a lot of trial and error. Changing Environment During college, Alexander developed an interest in technology and the Internet. As a native of Michigan, he knew his career opportunities were limited after graduation if he stayed in the Great Lakes State, so Alexander pa

Blake Bourque has had a varied career that has run the gamut in terms of entrepreneurial failures and successes. He has learned many lessons, some of which were learned the hard way, but he has preserved and used his experiences to build better and stronger businesses. Blake shared his journey, along with his plan for the future in this interview with Gabe. Starting Out One of Blake’s early entrepreneurial endeavors was running a tree business. In order to help promote his business, he started a TV show by creatively lining up sponsors and airtime. The show helped grow his business, but other decisions came into play, and Blake went from making $1 million to filing for bankruptcy in a span of two years. Learning Lessons Filing for bankruptcy taught Blake that he needed to learn about finance. After his mother called him out for complaining, Blake decided to find work in the banking industry. Blake explains, “As an entrepreneur, I’m learning every day, or I’m dying.” He was building a career when a setback in

Ausi Kimmons has had some exciting highs and disappointing lows over the course of her entrepreneurial career. From the value of rest and failure to the importance of focusing on her business in order to promote growth, Ausi shares her knowledge and lots of compelling and actionable advice while she chats with Gabe. Following Her Vision Ausi realized her entrepreneurial aspirations as a child and decided she wanted to start a business and help people. Life got in the way, and she ended up detouring from her plan, but given time Ausi came back to her initial vision. She and her husband opened a digital marketing company, and they soon learned how helping their clients may not always help their business. Focusing on Results When her digital marketing business first launched, things came together rather quickly. They brought on several clients, and they were working so hard to produce results for their clients that they failed to market their own company. When one of their major clients was sold, and the new

Joe Giglietti has a knack for real estate and marketing. He recently sat down with Gabe to talk about how he used these skills and overcame a poverty mindset to launch his business on a path towards success. Finding His Way Joe intended to become a lawyer but plans changed, and he switched to working in investments and eventually found his way in the real estate industry. In this first year, Joe and his partner delivered half a million in sales, but a short while later the housing market crashed. As an act of survival, Joe moved onto marketing. For many years he ran a non-profit and flipped houses. During this time he fine-tuned his marketing skills. Nomadic Entrepreneur Joe found himself constantly moving onto new and exciting business ventures and learning along the way. “There’s a natural tendency in entrepreneurs to want to conquer,” Joe explains. “Creativity and that desire to conquer and succeed, it seems like there is always another mountain.” After encouragement from his wife, Joe decided to stop ju

Landon Porter understands sales, and he recently spoke to Gabe about the path that led him to his current gig, teaching others how to hone their sales skills. In this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, find out Landon’s philosophy on sales and what he deems the most important skill when it comes to closing a sale. Early Start In 7th grade, Landon began selling candy to classmates for a profit. From there, his sales journey took some detours. He apprenticed with several chefs and made the jarring transition from chef to sales and landed in the real estate industry. With the bubble burst looming, Landon switched career paths again and began selling B2B asset protection. Things were good in theory, but in practice, Landon was miserable, and he knew it was time for another change. Head Gorilla Through several turns of events, Landon found himself teaching a course on how to get clients then launched his business, The Sales Gorilla. He laid out his thoughts about sales and marketing. Landon explains, “You

Finding the right life coach is a challenge. You need to find someone who actually knows what they’re doing and you need to connect with this person. When you find the right person it can make an incredibly positive difference in your life. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, brothers Ilan and Guy Ferdman talk about the value of root work and following your intuition, why affirmations are bogus most of the time and more actionable advice to live your best life. Trusting Your Intuition Ilan knew from a young age he possessed a unique ability to communicate with people. This skill translated well into sales. At age 21, Ilan landed an office job and was a rising star, but he realized the corporate thing wasn’t for him. In no uncertain terms he not only turned down a promotion, but he quit. Guy had a similar experience and he left what most people would have felt was a promising job, because he felt it was confining. Helping Others Ilan and Guy got into coaching before they realized it was a thing they

Stacey Howe-Lott never planned to become an entrepreneur, but that’s exactly what she ended up doing. After launching an online tutoring business, Stacey has helped countless kids learn how to take on the SATs and ACTs while also learning how to run her business. In this episode of Today’s Business Leaders, Gabe and Stacey talk about taking the path less traveled, utilizing your strengths and time efficiency. Identify a Need Stacey holds a Master’s degree in education but ended up taking a different career path. Over time, she began tutoring and eventually this led to helping students prepare for the SATs. While sorting through the available practice materials, Stacey realized the quality was incredibly poor, so she made her own preparatory materials. “If anyone else had done a remotely okay job, I wouldn’t have become an entrepreneur. But there was nothing else, and it was so pathetic what was out there,” Stacey explains. Use Your Strengths Initially, the SAT math was difficult, and marketing continues to

Sales and marketing outreach can be time-consuming and challenging, but they are necessary to close a sale. Jessie Beaudoin understands these challenges firsthand, and that is what prompted him to create Call Action. Find out more about how Call Action can help your business as Jessie explains the services available to Gabe and his listeners in this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Identifying a Need The general concept of all forms of marketing, whether online or offline, is to get inquiries. These inquiries can come in the form of phone calls, text messages or email. Continually reaching out and remembering to follow up with prospective leads is completely necessary. This constant communication requires significant organization and juggling it all can be difficult. First-Hand Experience Jessie started working for a mortgage lender, then branched out to building websites while still working in the mortgage and real estate industries. He understood the difficulty of following up with leads and closi

When Johnathan Grzybowski started Penji, his subscription graphic design business, he used the lessons learned from running his graphic design agency to set his new company up for success. Johnathan chats with Gabe about failure, focusing on your strengths and setting goals in this episode of Today’s Business Leaders. The Value of Failure Before he even had the idea to launch his subscription service, Johnathan was overseeing a graphic design firm. The business did well, and he was making money, but Johnathan felt he and his team were not cut out for agency life. The agency team always delivered high-quality design, but the business lagged in other areas. Johnathan found the experience draining. Evaluating the team’s strengths and failures spurred the creation of Penji, an unlimited graphic design service. Build on Your Strengths Since design was his team’s skill, Johnathan decided to build his new business around that and get rid of the other aspects of the agency. Penji allowed Johnathan and his collabora

From putting together a business plan to purchase a bicycle to helping a company go public to running a successful consulting firm, Terry Ogburn has a wealth of business experience. In this installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Terry shares actionable advice and insightful guidance he has collected along the way. The Customer is the Boss One constant through all of Terry’s business ventures has been an emphasis on customer service. While running an air conditioning repair company, Terry rearranged how scheduling was done to better fit his customer’s schedules. He also created a policy for his techs to clean up after they finished working on a unit simply to ensure the client was impressed and satisfied. These changes were simple to implement, but this superior service meant customers stayed with his company. This added customer service helped him build a large and loyal following of customers. The success of the company made it easy for Terry to later sell the company, because the dedicated customer base

Claudia Vidal knew she had a greater purpose, but fear was holding her back. After finding inspiration and support from friends and loved ones she decided to share her message with the world. In today’s installment of Today’s Business Leaders, Claudia shares her insightful wisdom on finding balance and happiness in life. Finding Inspiration For nine years Claudia worked in the nonprofit field. The work was challenging and she liked helping people, but felt she was unable to do enough in the capacity of her job. At the same time she found her coworkers would seek her out for advice, and her loved ones realized she had a knack for resolving issues and inspiring others. Eventually, Claudia decided it was time to follow her dream and go about assisting people in a new way that would fulfill her sense of wanting to help. Start Sooner In the span of one month Claudia wrote and self published her now best-selling book, Start Sooner. Her book is about consciousness and how to become the best version of yourself again

Nick Loper started out painting houses and now runs several successful businesses as an entrepreneur. He took some time to talk to Gabe about why he can’t work a normal job, knowing when to pull the plug on bad ideas and more. Check out this episode to pick up some actionable advice from Nick, and afterward, catch up on the entire Today’s Business Leaders lineup to hear more inspiring stories and quality tips.Learning How to Be an Entrepreneur Nick’s first serious job came in college. He worked for a company that set up students to run their own house painting businesses. Nick found the experience both stressful and rewarding, but afterward, he realized he enjoyed being his own boss and there was no going back. He wasn’t suited to work a normal job. That didn’t stop him from trying, but shortly into his tenure working at a major corporation, he decided to try his hand at doing his own thing. Nick turned his various side hustles into businesses and he currently runs a company that reviews virtual assistants w

Tim Forrest has turned skills in sales and marketing into a successful consulting firm that is celebrating 20 years in business. Along the way, Tim has learned many lessons and achieved some satisfying goals. Tim took time to talk with Gabe about his varied career for this installment of Today’s Business Leaders. Breaking Into the Business Tim has always had entrepreneurial tendencies. As a child, he would sell items, and he did very well selling door to door. After earning his degree, Tim started out loading trucks, and he has continued to move up ever since. Helping Clients Build Their Businesses    Over the years, Tim has assembled a varied client list. He has worked with everyone from large corporations to brand new startups. During this time, Tim realized the basic principles are the same. When working with small clients, Tim mimics the success of larger companies by scaling down their strategies to fit his client. These strategies are effective and can help entrepreneurs build their businesses. Learning

Building a startup is a lot of work. Just ask Jay Crouch. As an experienced entrepreneur, Jay has tried his hand at a variety of business endeavors, including founding his own enterprises. Jay is now in the business of helping entrepreneurs scale their companies and make informed decisions. Jay took the time to talk to Gabe about his journey, how to treat employees and how to structure a company. Starting Out While in college, Jay studied physics, but after realizing the field had limited opportunities, he went into computer science. With a degree in hand, Jay graduated just as the dot-com bubble burst. He was hired by a variety of companies and ultimately began working in the technical aspect of startups. Jay went on to found several companies and is now working as an advisor. Being an entrepreneur was something Jay did out of necessity - it was never his plan. Jay actually didn’t realize he was an entrepreneur until he started his fourth company. The Value of Good People When starting a business, the produc

Gary and James of Team IBB make their second appearance on Today’s Business Leaders for more fun, good conversation and actionable advice. Listen to their first appearance on the show and check out the rest of the episodes to pick up more tips and inspiring entrepreneurial stories. Becoming Entrepreneurs James never intended to become an entrepreneur, but he got his start while working to promote his band and selling tickets to shows. He learned that to be successful, it is necessary to be passionate about what he is selling. Later, his education set him on the course to become an entrepreneur, and when he met Gary through a mutual friend, things began to fall into place. Benefits of Teamwork Every individual has different strengths and weaknesses, and a well-structured team gives members the chance to do the things they are good at. As Team IBB has grown and Gary and James have expanded the company, they make certain to allow each team member to become experts in what they do. Having a dedicated profession