Overview
On this episode of Business Insanity Talk Radio, we first discuss how to be successful in your career without sucking up to the boss and as a boss, how you can differentiate a suck-up from a true performer. Then, we’ll introduce you to an entrepreneur who created the all-in-one gadget we all dream of. Plus, a lot of entrepreneurs start a business because they see a problem in the marketplace; my next guest did just this in the crowded space of wine spirits. Also, we’ll show you how small business owners can sell and fulfill their products through Amazon and attract a lot of new profitable customers. Finally, we’ll talk to an entrepreneur who successfully leveraged the power of technology to attract the right audience at the right cost.
Listen
Segment 1: Tim Cole is the author of The Compass Solution: A Guide to Winning Your Career. He has enjoyed a number of senior level positions in the pharmaceutical industry – managing billions of dollars in portfolio and thousands of employees over the course of his career.
1:30 – How to find success in the workplace without sucking up.
2:30 – As a leader, how do you see through the “kiss-ups”?
5:30 – Someone who is always in agreement with you is probably a toady.
7:00 – Observe how they interact with a group.
8:00 – How do you handle a toady as a co-worker?
9:30 – How to gain awareness as a leader.
Segment 2: Josh Downes founded Keyport in 2005. Keyport’s flagship product, the Keyport Slide, reinvents the conventional keychain by consolidating the user’s most important personal items (keys, USB flash drive, mini-light, pen, bottle opener, knife, etc.) into a single, streamlined device. In early 2017, Keyport released the next-generation Keyport Slide 3.0 and the new Pivot.
15:00 – The idea behind Keyport, the perfect keychain.
16:00 – What makes it the perfect keychain?
18:15 – How did Keyport use crowdfunding to raise money?
19:30 – How does Keyport use a more traditional retail strategy now?
22:00 – How did you determine the price of Keyport?
24:00 – What is different about the Keyport Slide 3.0 and the new Pivot?
Segment 3: Tripp Middleton attended the University of Georgia and majored in marketing. After graduating, he worked in finance for 10 years before launching Boxxle in 2015. Middleton fell in love with wine after a trip to Spain. Being a lover of wine, he found it frustrating to pour spoiled wine down the drain after not finishing a bottle or using one of the many so called “wine preservation” devices on the market.
31:00 – The idea behind Boxxle, wine-on-tap, anytime, anywhere without the bum rap of boxed wine.
34:15 – How did you bring Boxxle to market?
35:15 – Where is Boxxle sold?
Segment 4: Matthew “Griff” Griffin is a 2001 West Point graduate that deployed four times to Iraq and Afghanistan with 2d Ranger Battalion. He planned and participated in over 100 special operations direct action missions. After departing the military in 2006, Griff worked in the defense sector that eventually led him back to Afghanistan to assist with medical infrastructure development. After witnessing the positive effects of economic growth in conflict areas, Griff co-founded Combat Flip Flops with a fellow Ranger and began the mission to manufacture peace through trade.
40:30 – What are Combat Flip Flops?
41:45 – How did you begin selling Combat Flip Flops?
42:30 – How did you decide to use fulfillment by Amazon?
43:00 – What are the advantages of using fulfillment by Amazon?
43:30 – How do you get started with fulfillment by Amazon?
45:15 – What does it cost? And how do you get your product seen?
Segment 5: Alfred Chehebar realized there were huge areas of improvement that needed to be addressed in the luggage market, so at the age of 23, he launched Genius Pack, a luggage brand focused on delivering extreme organization and convenience. Since then, Genius Pack’s luggage products have been awarded by major travel voices such as Travel & Leisure, Fodors, and the New York Times.
49:30 – In a crowded market (travel goods), how do you try to separate yourself from the competition?
50:15 – What is different about Genius Pack luggage?
52:00 – How do you leverage the power of technology to attract the right audience at the right cost?
