Business Leadership Series

In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Kavit Haria.From a young age, Kavit Haria learned to play “the world’s most dificult percussion instrument”, the Tabla. Having immersed himself in learning about artist promotion, Kavit began to raise his profile and performed across the UK at venues large and small, with many artists (including Jimmy Page at the Royal Albert Hall) and recorded albums at the famed Abbey Road studios.Recognizing the demand for sharing what he learned gave rise to Kavit’s first company, Insider Music Business. Within five years, from 2005 to 2010, Kavit created thirty-five different educational products online, from ebooks to video courses and audio training to membership programs, which he promoted to the growing database of 120,000 musicians and hit 7 figures in revenue.Kavit then turned to share his marketing automation strategies at business conferences in the UK and ran private workshops for small business owners in New York,Sydney and London.Since 2013, Kavit has been running Automated Business System, a flagship service to help experts and brands strategies, build, launch and market their businesses online. He has helped launch and grow 120+ businesses for clients, generating $100,000 or more in their first year online sales.Now, Kavit puts the knowledge and inspiration from his 10-years of building businesses into his book, Don’t Sleep On It! Turn Your Passion & Expertise Into A Profitable Business.Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Sleep-Expertise-Profitable-Business/dp/1683509854

Carter Malloy, Founder & CEO of AcreTrader,  has led the company to exponential growth this past year. AcreTrader has successfully raised over $60 million in Series B funding and grown from 20 employees to 120 employees across the company’s two business divisions, which include AcreTrader  and Acres,  a comprehensive land analysis and mapping tool. AcreTrader has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg,  and Barron’s and named as one of “13  Financial Fintechs to Watch” by Business  Insider.WebsiteTwitter  - @acretraderincFacebook Instagram  - AcretraderLinkedInYouTube

Derek talks with elite athlete Adrienne Smith, Founder & CEO of Gridiron Queendom, who is on a mission to create more opportunities in football and professional sports for women and girls. Today, Adrienne is one of the best-performing wide receivers in women’s football history, having won two gold medals and four national championships in women’s tackle football. The New England Patriots have said of Adrienne, “She cannot be stopped,” and the Times Union has called her “The face of women in football.”Adrienne and her team, The Boston Renegades, were flown on The Patriots’ private plane to Canton, OH where they won their third straight and sixth overall national championship. Adrienne and her team have been winners of national championships in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2021. In addition to her role with the Renegades, Adrienne has been a member of the U.S. women’s national flag football team, winning three silver medals in international competitions. Adrienne is also the creator of Blitz Champz, a fun and competitive card game that teaches and tests football knowledge, strategy, and critical math skills for which she has partnered with NFL FLAG to lead Blitz Champz activations in their northeast tournaments this fall; NFL teams including The Houston Texans and The Las Vegas Raiders have also featured Blitz Champz at events including youth football clinics.

Derek's guest this week is Jack Daly. Jack talks with Derek about his first sales job at age 7, living a life "by design", and key insights from his book "Hyper Sales Growth".Jack Daly is a leading sales speaker and trainer with over 30 years of sales and executive experience. Jack’s track record is a testament to his real-world knowledge and extensive expertise in sales and sales management. He started his professional journey at CPA firm Arthur Andersen and rose to the CEO level of several corporations, building six companies into national firms along the way, two of which he subsequently sold to the Wall Street firms of Solomon Brothers and First Boston.In addition to his comprehensive professional background, Jack holds a BS in Accounting, as well as an MBA, and was a Captain in the U.S. Army. Jack Daly is an Amazon Best Selling Author and has written and contributed to many books, including Hyper Sales Growth and The Sales Playbook for Hyper Sales Growth. Jack is a 15-time Ironman competitor and has completed over 93 marathons in 49 states and on six continents. He achieves these goals and lives life to the fullest by following his own Life by Design techniques.Learn more at https://jackdalysales.com/

Derek interviews Shark Tank Winner and CEO of Prep Expert, Shaan Patel.Shaan grew up in Las Vegas in his parents' budget motel, attended inner-city public schools inthe worst school district in the nation with a 40% dropout rate, and was clueless aboutstandardized tests. After spending hundreds of hours studying for the SAT, he was able to raisehis score from average to perfect — a feat achieved by only 0.02% of all high school students.His life completely changed because of his perfect SAT score! He was admitted into prestigiousuniversities, received $250k dollars in scholarships, and even got to meet the President.He created Prep Expert to help high school students achieve their own dreams. Prep Expert isnow a leading national test preparation provider. The company offers 6-week SAT & ACTpreparation classes in multiple cities around the country and online. Thousands of Prep Expertstudents have improved their SAT and ACT scores, gotten into the Ivy League, won millions inscholarships, and some have even gotten perfect SAT/ACT scores themselves.Shaan completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology (BA) at the University of SouthernCalifornia, Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Yale University, and Medical Degree(MD) at the University of Southern California. He is also a board-certified dermatologistphysician. In addition to his academic endeavors, he continues to act as the Founder &President of Prep Expert. He appeared on ABC's Shark Tank and closed a deal with MarkCuban for an investment in the company.Learn more at https://prepexpert.com/ 

Derek talks with Brett Goode, former AR Razorback and Superbowl XLV champion with the Green Bay Packers. Brett shares his unique story from being in the right place at the right time, walking on to the Razorbacks without a scholarship, his over decade long career in the NFL, the experience of winning a Super Bowl, transitioning after sports, and the lessons he's learned along the way.

In this episode Derek interviews Daniel Puder. Daniel Puder is a social entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of My Life My Power World Inc., GPS for, Transformational Technologies, LLC and My Life My Brand Media Agency.Puder is a Professional MMA Fighter and wrestled for WWE after he won $1,000,000 Tough Enough on Smackdown. He launched his non-profit in 2010 called My Life My Power and after the success of creating curriculums, training and speaking around the world, he launched his MLMP Institute and Branding company.Puder has been a keynote speaker and trained individuals from the largest schools districts in America, FBI, DEA, local law enforcement, parenting groups and C-level executives. He prides himself on the results that MLMP Institute has produced and strives to create culture shifts personal lives and corporate companies.Because of Daniel’s dedication to youth, he has received numerous awards such as Humanitarian of the Year Award for the Golden Badge Foundation, Honorary Service Award from the California Parent Teacher Association, sworn into the United States Marine Corp League in 2015, sworn in as a Kentucky Colonel in 2016, and Humanitarian of the Year Award for Heroes For Freedom in 2017.Learn more at https://danielpuder.com/

In this episode, Derek talks with Scott Rochelle, President & CEO of the National Basketball Retired Player's Association, about life after basketball for NBA and WNBA players. Discussion includes the importance of community to avoid isolation, life after basketball, and how players are finding new careers, including as investors and entrepreneurs. Learn more at https://www.legendsofbasketball.com/

Derek Champagne talks with Alden Mills about his inspiring personal journey to overcoming obstacles, his impressive professional career, and building and leading unstoppable Teams.Alden began taking control of his life at age twelve, when his doctor told him to learn chess because his asthma would keep him from playing sports. His first goal was to conquer the asthma, and he went on to achieve extraordinary things in sports, academics, military service, business, and philanthropy.Alden became a nationally ranked rower, a gold medalist in the Olympic Festival, and captain of the freshman and varsity teams at the U.S. Naval Academy. As a Navy SEAL he led his platoon through multiple missions.After discharge from the military, he founded Perfect Fitness and led it to growth of over 12,000% annual sales of $90 million, and Inc. magazine recognition as the fastest-growing consumer products in America in just three years. He developed over 40 patents, including the Perfect Pushup, Perfect Pullup, Perfect Sit-up and Perfect Ab Carver.Alden’s books include Be Unstoppable: The 8 Essential Actions to Succeed at Anything and Unstoppable Teams: The Four Essential Actions of High-Performance Leadership. He has been featured on ABC’s Nightline, CBS This Morning,The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, and more. He serves on boards of a number of non-profits.For tools and resources to help you become unstoppable, visit Alden-Mills.com.

Derek talks with Ishveen Jolly, CEO + Founder at OpenSponsorship. Ishveen shares her entrepreneurial journey, key leadership principles, and how she built the category leader.The startup was born out of her experience as a successful sports agent in India and the UK. OpenSponsorship now has over 5,500 athletes, teams and events being managed to brands globally looking for sports marketing opportunities. Ishveen was included in the Forbes 30under30 sports list in 2015 and OpenSponsorship was named a finalist in the 2015 Sports Technology Awards, category of best technology facilitating commercial returns. She graduated from Oxford University.OpenSponsorship is a two-sided marketplace for sports sponsorship that makes sponsorship accessible, efficient and data-driven. Brands can save time and energy sifting through opportunities by using the easy but comprehensive search, then connect with the relevant partnerships which are listed directly by the teams, athletes, federation, events or their agencies.Learn more at http://opensponsorship.com/

Kent Hance is a lawyer, a former U.S. Congressman, a university chancellor, and most notably, a native Texan. With the launch of his new podcast, Kent Hance: The Best Storyteller in Texas, Hance shares stories from his legendary life on themes relating to leadership, politics and great friendships with some real characters.Hance received his B.B.A. from Texas Tech University in 1965 and his law degree from the University of Texas in 1968. He served in the Texas state senate from 1975 - 1979. In 1978, after defeating George W. Bush, Hance was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Texas’ 19th Congressional District, where he served until 1985.Following six years as a U.S. Congressman, Hance served on the Texas Railroad Commission from 1987-1991 (Chairman 1989-1990), the Governor’s Energy Council, Governor’s Oil Spill Advisory Committee, Texas High Speed Rail Commission, Interstate Oil Compact Commission, and the Texas Mining Council.In 2006, Hance was selected to serve as Chancellor to Texas Tech University. After his retirement as Chancellor in 2014, he was named Chancellor Emeritus and continues to teach a popular seminar class on leadership at Texas Tech.Subscribe and listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-storyteller-in-texas-podcast/id1558310539

Sanyin Siang is Derek's amazing featured guest this week! Sanyin shares highlights from her journey, and how to accept positive affirmations and constructive criticism as data points in your life, importance of being generous, and how to be vulnerable.Sanyin helps leaders launch and create value by focusing on mindset, behavioral change, and team and culture building. Sanyin is a CEO Coach, Advisor, Author,the Executive Director of Duke University’s Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) and a Professor with its Pratt School of Engineering.The COLE center is a leadership laboratory that engages all of Duke’s Daytime MBA students and convenes high-level think tank gatherings to explore today’s complex leadership opportunities and challenges.Sanyin coaches C-suite executives and is in the original cohort of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches. She is an advisor for GV (former Google Ventures), Duke Corporate Education, and the Sports Innovation Lab. Her thought leadership has appeared in Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN. She has more than 1 million LinkedIn followers. She is a LinkedIn 2017 & 2018 Top 10 Influencer and a 2018 Thinkers50 On the Radar.Sanyin’s board service has included those of The Emily K Center, The Museum of Life & Science, Duke Children’s Hospital & Health Center. She is a Sr. Advisor with Dan Ariely’s Center for Advanced Hindsight and a faculty with StoryLab at Duke. She has spoken to audiences from the White House to Global Sports Management and Owners Summits.Prior to Duke, Sanyin worked at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest federation of scientific and engineering societies, and publisher of Science. Her initiatives explored the ethical, social, and legal implications of technological advances before they became reality.Her book The Launch Book: Motivational Stories for Launching Your Idea, Business, or Next Career, uses behavioral science principles to help readers build the mindset for addressing major change.Sanyin received a BSE in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Duke University.Order "The Launch Book": https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074JC5L9V/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Derek Champagne talks with pro athlete entrepreneur Rennie Curran about how to (Rennie's phrase) "operate at the level of your vision". As a former NFL player, Rennie shares his experience in transitioning to an entrepreneur and the valuable leadership lessons he's learned along the way.Rennie is the CEO of Game Changer Coaching whose mission is to help business professionals and elite athletes reach their fullest potential through personal development workshops and one-on-one coaching in order to improve leadership and career performance. Key areas of expertise include leadership effectiveness, building effective teams, strategic planning, mental toughness, conflict resolution, overcoming adversity, diversity and inclusion, and personal branding.Rennie is the author of Free Agent: Intangible Assets For Overcoming Adversity and Times of Transition and What Does It Take To Be A Star?, which he co-authored with his daughter.Learn more at https://renniecurran.com/

In this episode Derek interviews Seth Buechley.Seth is a serial entrepreneur with a unique background. He grew up in a commune in the woods of southern Oregon, married his high school sweetheart, skipped college, and still managed to build and sell severalcompanies resulting in multi-million-dollar exits.He enjoys connecting high-potential leaders with the ideas and resources to grow their business or organization while achieving lasting leadership impact.Seth is also the author of the popular new book Ambition: Leading with Gratitude.Learn more at www.sethbuechley.com

From our interview vault:  Derek Champagne's discussion with Eric Partaker.  Eric has been "CEO of the Year", Top 30 Entrepreneur, and High Performance Expert. He helps ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders, and coaches reach the top of their game.Eric shares his personal story of success in business and then having a near heart attack while flying back to London. This is a must listen to episode for learning how to be successful in life AND business!Eric has been named one of the "Top 30 Entrepreneurs in the UK", 35 and under, by Startups Magazine, and among "Britain's 27 Most Disruptive Entrepreneurs" by The Telegraph. His work has featured on over 7 major TV stations, as well as in the Wall Street Journal and The Economist. He has appeared as a guest judge with Lord Alan Sugar on the The Apprentice and cooked together with Tana Ramsay on UKTV's Market Kitchen.Eric has worked with and led high-performing teams at McKinsey & Company, Skype, and Chilango. He is one of 300 people worldwide certified as a High Performance Coach, by the High Performance Institute. Over the last 20 years he has studied and modeled the traits and habits of the world's most successful people, in order to help his teams and clients break through their barriers and reach their highest potential, in both their work and life.As co-founder and CEO of Chilango, Eric oversees overall company strategy, operations, and marketing as well as product, brand, and culture development. Chilango has been voted "London's Best Burritos" by Zagat, Harden's, Time Out, and The Evening Standard. It has been described by Elite Business Magazine as "arguably the most exciting fast food company of the decade" and profiled as one of the "Best Chain Restaurants Around the World" by Conde Naste Traveler. Chilango is also the most successfully crowdfunded restaurant chain in the world.Prior to Chilango Eric helped build Skype's multi-billion dollar success story, served as the Managing Director of a Norwegian non-profit focused on stimulating entrepreneurship, and started his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.Learn more at: www.ericpartaker.com

Interview vault from Derek Champagne's discussion with international business woman Arlene Battishill. Arlene is the co-founder of the International brand GoGo Gear, a Shark Tank veteran, consultant, and best-selling author of the book Retail Therapy: A Prescription For What Ails Your Online Sales. Shark Tank Star, Daymond John, has called Arlene book, Retail Shock Therapy as "a MUST READ for businesses selling online."Arlene talks with Derek about building her brand, testing her product, shifting with the marketplace, her experience on Shark Tank, and tips for building effective communication that resonates with your target audience.

We pulled one of our favorite interviews from the BLS interview archives where Derek Champagne interviews Michael Levin. This was a powerful interview and Michael overdelivered as our guest! As one of the most established writers in the nation, New York Times best-selling author Michael Levin has written or co-written more than 100 books, of which eleven are national best sellers.He appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank on January 20th, 2012. In the past, Michael has published with Simon & Schuster, Random House, St. Martin’s Press, Putnam/Berkley, and many other houses. His works have been optioned for film and TV by Steven Soderbergh/Paramount, HBO, Disney, ABC, and others. One of his own novels became Model Behavior, an ABC Sunday night Disney movie of the week. He has also made contributions to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, Politico, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Jerusalem Post, Writers Digest, CBS News. Michael has had the experience to teach writing classes at the University of California – Los Angeles and New York University. As an Amherst College and Columbia Law School graduate, Michael served for many years as a member of the prestigious Authors Guild Council and as Treasurer of the Authors Guild Foundation.Michael currently resides with his wife and four children in Boston, Massachusetts. Learn more about Michael at www.businessghost.com

In this episode Derek Champagne is on the other side of the interview as a guest on Motivational Mondays, an amazing London-based podcast, hosted by Abigale Otchere.Derek talks about coming from humble beginnings, his years as a Hollywood musician, his rock bottom and overcoming obstacles, celebrating 15 years as an agency owner, how he ultimately measures success, and becoming a legacy entrepreneur.Learn more at www.businessleadershipseries.com

In this episode Derek Champagne, Founder & CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Sean Wittenberg. Sean has been featured on ABC hit tv show Shark Tank and is the President & Founder of Safe Catch Inc.Sean is on a mission to make a positive impact on our world and he is well on his way! He talks with Derek about motivation behind developing his technology and company, how he maintains his passion and focus, and what's next for his industry.Safe Catch is an award nominee at Expo West for its 100% mercury tested canned tuna. Purity for pregnant women, kids and top athletes. Safe Catch pack and cook methods result in more purity, nutrients and Omega 3s for peak performance and recovery. SafeCatch.com.People, globally, want to live happy, healthy lives and unilaterally recognize that a healthy diet is key. Safe Catch provides the purity and nutrients to give all consumers, around the world, the ability to eat seafood with confidence.The last 10 years has been spent developing the world’s first technology capable of testing every fish for impurities. Never before has a company been able to guarantee seafood purity for consumers.Learn more at www.safecatch.com

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Youtube sensation and 2x Shark Tank guest Aaron Marino! Aaron Marino, successful entrepreneur and Founder of Pete & Pedro, gives us valuable insight on growing a brand, learning from failures, and building a content machine with millions of engaged followers.Learn more at www.aaronmarino.com

Derek Champagne interviews Mike Caprari. In addition to being the stars of a highly watched episode of MSNBC's popular tv show The Profit, Mike Caprari is a passionate musician and entrepreneur. Mike is the SVP of Marketing and Co Founder of SJC Custom Drums. His product is played and endorsed by some of the world's top musicians and bands.Mike talks with us about his journey of building his business, his experience on The Profit, learning from mistakes, developing authentic customer relationships, engaging with customers on social media, and building the right team. Learn more at www.sjcdrums.com

In this week’s interview, Derek Champagne talks with Shark Tank veteran Steven Sashen. Steven talks with Derek about building an international business, stepping in the Shark Tank, and even his days of stand up comedy.Steven is the developer and CEO of Xero Shoes • Your Original Barefootware – www.XeroShoes.com. Steven and his wife, Lena Phoenix, started the “Barefoot… PLUS!” sandal business in late 2009; he had returned to sprinting 2 years earlier, at age 45, and experienced almost continuous injuries. An experiment with running barefoot cured the injuries and improved his times. Knowing about the Tarahumara indians in Mexico, who run hundreds of miles in sandals made of tire scraps lashed to their feet, Steven created a high-tech upgrade of that product and launched it online.With nothing but Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Xero Shoes has become the best-selling running sandal in the world.Steven’s commitment is to making footwear that lets customers connect with the ground and “Feel The World,” fits perfectly, express wearer’s personalities, outlasts any other footwear, and uses fewer resources than any other footwear. He’s also committed to discovering and teaching the best techniques for teaching natural movement — for walking, hiking, and running.Prior to jumping into the sandal business, Steven was an internationally-known Internet marketing expert, Search Engine and Social Media marketing consultant, and software designer. He also co-hosted the Emmy award winning, internationally syndicated TV show, Disk Doctors.Steven is also a Masters All-American sprinter, one of the fastest 50+ year olds in the United States.Learn more at www.xeroshoes.com

In this episode Derek Champagne talks with Melissa Gersin. Melissa was  featured on the hit tv show Shark Tank and shares her transformation from maternity RN to inventor and business owner.Based on 5 years of experience as a maternity RN, Melissa invented and designed the Tranquilo Mat – the only portable, versatile soothing mat for babies. Listen in as she shares her long journey in launching the product, challenges along the way, and ultimately triumph!

In this episode, Derek interviews Shark Tank veteran Ben Zvaifler. Ben is the co founder and CEO of PupBox. PupBox landed a deal with Shark Tank personality and entrepreneur Robert Herjavec. Ben talks with Derek about his entrepreneurial journey, and how they landed a deal on Shark Tank.Learn more at www.Pupbox.com

In this episode Derek interviews Lisa Binderow. Lisa has a GREAT start up story and shares her healthy outlook on building a business, choosing balance, and her experience on ABC's hit tv show Shark Tank.Learn more at www.nicepipesapparel.com

Derek interviews entrepreneur and consultant, Herb Cogliano. Herb leads his own advisory practice leveraging the Scaling Up Performance Platform, described in Verne Harnish's award-winning book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits-Scaling Up. As a Business Coach, experienced CEO Scaling Up Practitioner, and Professor of the Scaling Up Masters Business Course, he has learned firsthand what it takes to overcome many business challenges. Herb is pursuing his passion of working with leaders of growth companies to achieve more freedom by helping them create industry leading strategies, a culture of accountability, flawless execution along with a healthy cash flow within their organizations. Herb was formerly CEO of Sullivan and Cogliano Designers, a 53-year privately held family owned, Technology Staffing and Workforce Solutions firm and in 1993, he also founded the Sullivan and Cogliano education business. Sullivan and Cogliano joined a select group of companies that have appeared on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company list multiple times. The Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth over a four-year period. This achievement puts us in a unique position, especially if you consider that over 27 million businesses are registered in the USA. His firm was a Multiyear recipient of Boston and South Florida Business Journal Best Places to Work Award. This honor recognizes Sullivan and Cogliano achievements for changing the business landscape, in creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture. Learn more at https://www.aspiregrowthadvisors.com/

Robin Farmanfarmaian is a futurist, health technologist and author of the new book “The Patient as CEO” (available now.) She is a highly-sought public speaker and business leader who is passionate about her message that “Technology is Hope.” As a teen, Robin was misdiagnosed with an autoimmune disease that led to forty-three hospitalizations and six major surgeries – many of them ultimately unnecessary. She has literally had to fight for her life on a regular basis and has made it her mission to improve health, wellness and medicine through technology.As an entrepreneur, Robin has worked on more than 10 early-stage start-up companies all dealing with cutting-edge technology, most in medicine and biotech. In “The Patient as CEO” she reveals the growing number of breakthroughs in biomedical technology, including wearable sensors, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, robotics and more, all set to fundamentally change healthcare and wellness. Learn more at www.robinff.com

We spoke to Beau Oyler, Shark Tank Veteran and Entrepreneur recently. Beau talks with Derek about his experience on Shark Tank, building a successful company, and some valuable lessons he has learned along the way.Having founded Enlisted Design and Urbio, he has created rich product and brand experiences for fortune 500’s and small startups. He pioneered the design cooperative movement and has a unique ability to truly collaborate with his partners. His designs have received every major design award including Red Dot, Spark, IDEA, GOOD Design, TheDieline, Wired Editor’s Choice and Best of Show at Dwell on Design.2016 Highlights:San Francisco Business Times “40 Under 40”Diablo Magazine “40 Under 40” San Francisco Business Times“Fastest Growing Private Companies in the SF Bay Area”Led the Honey Can Do acquisition of Urbio2015 Highlights:Enlisted named Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur MagazineWhen not at Enlisted, you’ll find him cycling, surfing, hiking and exploring with his wife and two adventurous kids.Learn more at www.enlisteddesign.com

In this episode, Derek Champagne interviews Devin Thorpe. As a new-media journalist and founder of the Your Mark on the World Center, Devin has established himself as a champion of social good. Devin was formerly the CFO of one of the top 3 Fortune 500 companies in 2009 before shifting his attention to social entrepreneurship.As a Forbes contributor, with more than 250 bylines and over one million unique visitors, he has become a recognized name in the social impact arena. His YouTube show, featuring celebrities, CEOs, billionaires and entrepreneurs who are out to change the world, has been viewed over 200,000 times, giving him a recognizable face as well.Devin is also a noted author with 4 popular books that have raving reviews and over 1,000,000 downloads to date.Devin calls himself a champion of social good. As an author, speaker and Forbes contributor he focuses on helping those doing good in the world.www.devinthorpe.com

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, chats with tv executive and consultant, Jen Grisanti, about being the active hero in your own story.International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc. Grisanti is also a Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, a former studio executive, a blogger for The Huffington Post and author of Story Line: Finding Gold In Your Life Story, TV Writing Tool Kit: How To Write a Script That Sells, and her upcoming book, Change Your Story, Change Your Life.Twenty-Three years ago, Grisanti started her career as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years. She quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends.In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy, Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Drawing on her years of experience as a studio executive where she gave daily notes to executive producers/showrunners, Grisanti personally guides writers to shape their material, hone their pitches and focus their careers. Since launching her consulting firm, Grisanti worked with over 800 writers specializing in television, features and novels. Due to her guidance, seventy-five of her clients have staffed as writers on television shows, forty have sold pilots, and five of those pilots have gone to series. Learn more at www.jengrisanti.com

Former pro football player and entrepreneur Derrick Furlow Jr shares his "Get Out of Arkansas" plan and when he learned his higher calling.Growing up, Derrick saw himself as another kid who wanted a better life and knew sports, in particular, football would serve as a vehicle to a better life. After growing up with much adversity, he began working towards shifting his perspective from a temporary experience of playing on the field to a permanent purpose of serving those who currently and formerly played sports. Today, Derrick travels across the United States sharing his story with the hope of empowering others to never to yield when facing adversity.Derrick is now the author of "What's Next: How To Transition Like A Champion" and coaches athletes, CEOs, executives, and leaders to grow in transition and adversity.Learn more at https://derrickfurlow.com/

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Shark Tank Veteran John Wise. John has an MBA from Harvard and is the Co Founder and COO of LovePop, a company that scored a deal with Mr. Wonderful on the TV show Shark Tank and is disrupting the greeting card industry.John talks with Derek about launching their Kickstarter campaign, having transparency and trust with your partners and team, how his network helped them to launch, and his experience before, during, and after Shark Tank.

Derek Champagne interviews former NFL play and entrepreneur, Marques Ogden. Marques, the best-selling author of "Sleepless Nights: The NFL: a Business and Family", talks with Derek about his childhood years, playing in the NFL, his entrepreneurial journey, and leadership lessons along the way.Growing up in a single-parent home with a father that inspired and demonstrated perseverance and fairness, Marques Ogden learned how to define his values and set goals. Marques attended Howard University from 1998-2002, where he played Division I football. He followed his dream and his brother Jonathan's footsteps and was drafted into the NFL in 2003. At the age of 27, he founded a construction company called Kayden Premier Enterprises, a business that grew rapidly in its first few years, but he lost the business after a bad business endeavor. At his lowest point, the NFL and lessons he learned from his father and coaches, helped him restructure his life.Learn more at https://www.marquesogden.com

Derek's guest this week is Whitney Johnson: Innovation and disruption theorist, keynote speaker, best-selling author, executive and performance coach.Whitney shares her unique journey and key concepts about how to motivate your employees from her book "Build an A Team: Play to Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve".Whitney Johnson was named one of the world's fifty most influential management thinkers by Thinkers50 in 2017.She is the author of the bestselling Build an A Team (Harvard Business Press, 2018), a Financial Times and CEO Read, Book of the Month, and the critically-acclaimed Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work (2015). Publisher's Weekly described it as "savvy...often counter-intuitive...superb" while the Boston Globe called it the "'What Color is Your Parachute?' career guide for the entrepreneurial age."Through writing, speaking, consulting and coaching, Whitney works with leaders to retain their top talent, to build an A team, and to help them earn the gold star–be a boss people love.She formerly was the co-founder of the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard's Clayton Christensen, where they invested in and led the $8 million seed round for Korea’s Coupang, currently valued at $5+ billion. She was involved in fund formation, capital raising, and the development of the fund’s strategy. During her tenure, the CAGR of the Fund was 11.98% v. 1.22% for the S&P 500.She is also formerly an award-winning Wall Street analyst. She was an Institutional Investor-ranked equity research analyst for eight consecutive years, and was rated by Starmine as a superior stock-picker. As an equity analyst, stocks under coverage included America Movil (NYSE: AMX), Televisa (NYSE: TV) and Telmex (NYSE: TMX), which accounted for roughly 40% of Mexico's market capitalization.Whitney is a frequent contributor for the Harvard Business Review, she has over 1.5 million followers on Linkedin, was named one of LinkedIn's Top Voices in the Influencer category for 2018, and her LinkedIn course The Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship has 1 million+ views.She is a member of the original cohort of Marshall Goldsmith's #100 coaches.Learn more at https://whitneyjohnson.com/

Listen to this powerful interview with Dr. David Fajgenbaum who has an incredible new memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action". David’s story is truly unique; it’s a tale of learning to live, while dying: a universally relatable story about getting up and fighting back after life knocks you down.A former Georgetown quarterback nicknamed "The Beast," David Fajgenbaum was also a force in medical school, where he was known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled over a condition they had yet to even diagnose; floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for the equivalent of a game day overtime: a second chance.Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived, but only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease—an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world- class researchers to tackle them; instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he proposed to align them himself.More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, his hard work has paid off: a treatment that he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when forces of determination, love, family, faith and serendipity collide.David Fajgenbaum, MD, MBA, MSc is one of the youngest individuals to be appointed to the faculty at Penn Medicine. Co- founder and executive director of the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) and an NIH-funded physician- scientist, he has dedicated his life to discovering new treatments and cures for deadly disorders like Castleman disease, which he was diagnosed with during medical school. He is in the top 1 percent youngest grant awardees of an R01, one of the most competitive and sought-after grants in all of biomedical research. Dr. Fajgenbaum has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 healthcare list, as a top healthcare leader by Becker's Hospital Review, and one of the youngest people ever elected as a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the nation's oldest medical society. He was one of three recipients – including Vice President Joe Biden – of a 2016 Atlas Award from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Winner of the RARE Champion of Hope: Science award, Dr. Fajgenbaum has been profiled in a cover story by The New York Times as well as by Reader's Digest, Science, and the Today Show. Dr. Fajgenbaum earned a BS from Georgetown University magna cum laude with honors and distinction, MSc from the University of Oxford, MD from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and MBA from The Wharton School. He is a former Division I college quarterback, state-champion weight lifter, and co-founder of anational grief support network.Order "Chasing My Cure" at bookstores nationwide or at http://www.chasingmycure.com/

Kyle Maynard is a motivational speaker, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and ESPY award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics.Oprah Winfrey called Kyle “one of the most inspiring young men you will ever hear about.” Arnold Schwarzenegger described him as “the real deal,” “a champion human,” and “one of the most inspiring people” he’s ever met. Even the great Wayne Gretzky has spoken of Kyle’s “greatness.”Despite being born with a rare condition known as congenital amputation, that has left him with arms that end at the elbows and legs that end near his knees, he learned early on with the support of his family, to live life independently and without prosthetics.Kyle thrives on physical challenges and following a few rough middle school football seasons; he went on to become a champion wrestler, CrossFit Certified Instructor and gym owner, competitive MMA/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter, world record-setting weightlifter, and skilled mountaineer. In 2012, Kyle became the first quadruple amputee to climb – actually bear crawl – the 19,340 feet to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. His 10-day ascent was widely covered by the press, followed on social media, and raised money and awareness for wounded veterans as well as Tanzanian schoolchildren. Upon his return, Kyle won his second ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) award for Best Male Athlete with a Disability.Four years later, he reached the summit of Argentina’s breathtakingly beautiful and sometimes deadly Mount Aconcagua – the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres, standing at 22,838 feet. Following that epic summit, Nike featured Kyle in the powerful commercial “Unlimited Will,” which debuted globally during the 2016 Olympics, was viewed by millions around the world – and was part of the series that AdWeek named the most memorable of all commercials during the 2016 Olympics.Kyle has not let his success be defined by anything or anyone but himself. He has lived his life striving to do more, learn more, push harder, go further—and to inspire others to do the same by sharing his story and living by example. Though he tailors his speeches to his audience, his messages are centered on building a life driven by purpose and meaning, the importance of the undying pursuit of dreams, and the belief that no obstacle is too great and nothing in their lives can keep them from accomplishing their goals.Learn more at https://www.kyle-maynard.com/

In this episode Derek talks with the world's #1 Bowler Jason Belmonte. Jason talks with Derek about his unique story of bowling since the age of two, how he stays motivated to continue being the best in the world, and more on his entrepreneurial journey. Jason is known for being one of the first bowlers to gain media attention for using the two handed approach style to deliver his shot. He has won 22 PBA titles, making him one of only 15 players in history with at least 20 PBA Tour wins. His PBA Tour victories include a record 11 major championships, four of these in the USBC Masters, which is also a record. He is also a four-time PBA Player of the Year.Learn more at https://www.jasonbelmonte.com/

Jack Ryan aka BlackJack was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a Basketball Entertainer/Motivational Speaker. He is a member of the world-famous Harlem Wizards for 24 years and has performed all over the world.Jack grew up in Brooklyn New York and was always known for being good at basketball. In high school he was the star player and everyone around him thought he was going somewhere. His coach started getting him scouted and he got an offer from Ohio University but it was to go to a community college first get his grades in order and then play for them. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out because Jack ended up getting in trouble and getting kicked off the team and out of school. He then went home and tried to go to a few different colleges, but nothing ever panned out for him. Then one day in his late 20’s Jack was playing a pick up game with some friends and Peter Vecsey a basketball columnist for the New York Post saw him play and got a try out for him with the Nets. They wanted him to go to the C.B.A. but he got hurt before he could. After he was done rehabbing and getting better it seemed his time to play in the NBA had come to an end. He now has played for the Harlem Wizards for 24 years and finally gotten his life on track. He also is a motivational speaker and entertainer.Jackie’s life story is being told in the new movie “BlackJack: The Jackie Ryan Story”, starring Greg Finley, Ashley Greene, David Arquette, Michael Rapaport, and Robert Davi.Instagram: blackjackryan21

Derek talks with 93' Chicago Bulls NBA Champion Trent Tucker. Trent talks with Derek about leadership skills necessary to build a championship team, how to manage egos, having Phil Jackson as a coach, the Trent Tucker Rule, and what it was like playing with his friends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Derek also talks with Trent about his 9 years playing with the NY Knicks. 

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Brian Buffini, author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Emigrant Edge: How To Make It Big In America.Brian Buffini emigrated from Ireland at the age of nineteen, with only ninety-two dollars in hispocket. Today, as the founder of Buffini & Company, the largest business training company in North America, he is one of the nation’s top business experts. In his engaging  book, THE EMIGRANT EDGE: How To Make It Big In America (Howard Books, August 2017), he shares the secret of his success: a mix of seven qualities that make up what he calls the Emigrant Edge.“Successful immigrants think and work differently than the average American,” Buffini writes. “When they leave everything behind, they keep their dream of success uppermost in their mind.” Through his own experiences as well as those of others, Buffini describes how the sacrifices made to come to America, the lack of a safety net, and the advantages of a fresh start, set the stage for success.The good news for everyone, Buffini says, is that the seven traits immigrants share are wholly transferable, no matter where a person is born, or what his or her circumstances are.“Imitating these traits will equip anyone to thrive and succeed,” he contends.Learn more: https://www.brianbuffini.com/the-emigrant-edge.aspx

Derek Champagne interviews Nick Friedman. Nick has been featured on Oprah (2x), the hit tv show Shark Tank, Millionaire Matchmaker, and is the Co-Founder of College Hunks Hauling Junk.World-class speaker, bestselling author, founder of a national franchise, and TV personality, Nick’s story is as incredible as they come. But what sets him apart is just how much fun he has along the way.Nick talks with Derek about building a successful brand, working ON not IN your business, and intentionality in building your team and culture.Over a decade ago, Nick co-founded College Hunks Hauling Junk, now a multi-million dollar national franchise. This success set off a chain of dominos, as Nick became not only an entrepreneur – but a dominant speaker, author, and TV personality as well.Nick has been on Millionaire Matchmaker, The Pitch, House Hunters, Jobs That Don’t Suck, and Below Deck. Each “performed incredibly well compared to other episodes of those shows that had aired at the time”, according to Alan Moore, a Casting Agent from APA Agency.Fall 2010In 2011, Nick co-authored the best-selling book, Effortless Entrepreneur, which chronicles College Hunks Hauling Junk’s growth from van to franchise, and the ten business commandments that you can apply to do the same.The book has been endorsed by moguls like Fred Deluca, the founder of Subway, Wayne Huizenga, founder of Waste Management, and Ted Leonsis, vice chairman emeritus of AOL and owner of the Washington Capitols.Learn more at:www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.comwww.nickfriedman.com

 In this episode Derek talks with Dave Alpern, President of Joe Gibbs Racing and author of Taking the Lead. The president of Joe Gibbs Racing―the winningest team in NASCAR history―shares the secrets of succeeding in business and in life.In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity.Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern. Dave started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Nearly three decades later, he’s now the president of JGR, a multimillion-dollar elite, record-setting racing team with more than 500 employees. In Taking the Lead, Dave shares the wisdom he’s learned along the way: key principles that will equip you with what you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose―whatever team you’re on.

Derek Champagne talks with Beth Comstock, former Chief Marketing Officer and then Vice Chair of Innovation at GE. For almost 3 decades Beth led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses and enhance brand value.As President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal , Beth oversaw TV ad revenue and digital media efforts, including the early development of hulu.com Prior to this, she held a succession of roles at NBC, CBS and CNN/Turner Broadcasting.Beth is currently a director at Nike, trustee of The National Geographic Society, and former board president of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum.Beth’s book “Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change” is an inspiring, fresh, candid, and deeply personal book about how to grapple with the challenges to change we face every day. It is a different kind of narrative, a big picture book that combines Comstock’s personal story in leading change with vital lessons on overcoming the inevitable roadblocks.Learn more at https://www.bethcomstock.info/

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Brian Scudamore. Brian talks with Derek about setting goals, hiring the right team, building a culture, and how he built his successful franchising empire. Brian is a franchising genius and has built an empire of solid brands with a great team and authentic culture. O2E Brands is the banner company for home-service brands 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, You Move Me, and Shack Shine.Brian started his business in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 18, and later went on to franchise 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a way to expand operations. Today, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has 1000 trucks on the road throughout some 180 locations in Canada, the United States, and Australia.Brian has received wide recognition in the media and business community. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? has celebrated appearances on the highly-acclaimed Undercover Boss Canada, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, CNN, ABC Nightline, the Today Show, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, and the View. His story has been told in Fortune Magazine, Business Week, New York Times, Huffington Post, and Wall Street Journal, to name a few. 1-800-GOT-JUNK? is currently the starring junk removal attraction on the hit A&E reality show, Hoarders. In addition to interviews and guest appearances, Brian contributes written articles on building a business and entrepreneurism to many national magazines, including a monthly column in PROFIT Magazine.In 2004, Brian was inducted into the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and served as a board member for the Young Entrepreneurs’ Organization (YEO). In 2007, Brian was honored to have been named the International Franchise Association’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Other accolades include Fortune Small Business’ Best Bosses Award, Globe & Mail’s Top 40 under 40, and a three-time winner of a prestigious “Best Company To Work For” award.As a public speaker, Brian has brought his entrepreneurial success story to many conference stages, including the Fortune Small Business Magazine’s national conference. A strong believer in personal and professional development, Brian graduated from MIT's four-year Birthing of Giants program, and has subsequently completed several years of MIT’s BOG’s alumni program, Gathering of Titans. He is also a participant in a nine-year executive education program at Harvard University through YPO Presidents’ University.Learn more at www.o2ebrands.com

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews noted businessman George Maloof. George is the former owner of the NBA Sacramento Kings, Palms Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, and the NHL Vegas Golden Knights.George discusses his  NHL hockey team, how he deals with setbacks, what success looks like, and how important customer service is to his brand. 

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Tim Sanders. Tim Sanders spent most of his early career on the cutting edge of innovation and change. He was an early stage member of Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com, which had the largest opening day IPO in history. After Yahoo acquired the company, Tim was tapped to lead their ValueLab, and by 2001, he rose to Chief Solutions Officer. In 2005, he founded Deeper Media, which provides consulting services for leading brands. Today, he is one of the top-rated speakers on the lecture circuit.Tim is the author of four books, including the New York Times bestseller Love Is the Killer App: How To Win Business & Influence Friends. It’s been translated into over a dozen languages and has been featured in Fast Company, USA Today, the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor and on CNN.He’s a master storyteller who offers listeners actionable takeaways that produce results right away. That’s why he’s one of the top speakers on the lecture circuit.Learn more at www.timsanders.com/bls

This is a must listen to episode!Derek interviews 2018 Songwriter Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Dorff. Steve talks with Derek about his personal journey, legendary career, dealing with personal tragedy, what success looks like, and stories of writing and working with the top musical artists of all time.Steve also shares highlights from his new book "I wrote That One Too...A Life In Songwriting From Whitney To Willie". Order Steve's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Wrote-That-One-Too-Songwriting/dp/1495077292 3 time Grammy and 6 time Emmy nominated Steve Dorff has written songs sung by the likes of Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Anne Murray, George Strait, Garth Brooks and countless others, while also establishing himself as a gifted film and television composer. He’s tallied over 40 BMI awards with hits like Rogers’ “Through the Years,” Murray’s “I Just Fall in Love Again” (Billboard’s top country hit of 1979), Strait’s “I Cross My Heart,” Lee Greenwood’s “Don’t Underestimate My Love for You,” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose”—the title track from Clint Eastwood’s 1978 film. His songs have charted in 5 successive decades, with #1 records across 4 decades.Dorff has also composed TV music for Spenser: For Hire, Murphy Brown, The Singing Bee, Just the 10 of Us, Growing Pains, Murder She Wrote, Columbo and Reba; his other film contributions include songs and scores for Bronco Billy, Rocky IV, Pure Country, Tin Cup and Honky Tonk Man.Key songs in the Dorff catalog include: * Through The Years * I Just Fall In Love Again * Heartland * Every Which Way But Loose * Hypnotize The Moon * I Cross My Heart, and countless others recorded by over 250 Artists from all genres of music.His many TV and cable movie credits include the Emmy nominated CBS mini-series "Elvis", the Hallmark Hall of Fame "Rose Hill", the animated Christmas classic "Annabelle's Wish", "Babe Ruth", "The Quick and The Dead", "Moonshine Highway" and "The Defiant Ones". Dorff’s many movie songs and scores have been featured in "Bronco Billy", "Blast From The Past", "Rocky IV", "Pure Country", "Tin Cup", "Michael", "Dudley Do-Right", "Dancer, Texas", "The Last Boy Scout", "Curly Sue" and "Honky Tonk Man".Perhaps Dorff’s most ambitious move to date has been a giant leap into his first love, musical theater. He currently has two projects making their way to the stage: "Josephine" (The Josephine Baker Story) and "Pure Country" (The Musical).

Derek talks with baseball legend Art Shamsky. Art was a prominent player with the iconic 69′ Mets World Series Championship Team.Art captures an important part of our nation’s history: a country torn apart by war, the year of Woodstock, the year of first person on the moon, and the “lovable losers” who went from underdog to champions!Be sure to order Art’s new MUST READ book: “After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the ’69 Mets”Learn more at: http://artshamsky.com/

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Shark Tank Veteran John Wise. John has an MBA from Harvad and is the Co Founder and COO of LovePop, a company that scored a deal with Mr. Wonderful on the TV show Shark Tank and is disrupting the greeting card industry. 

When you have a vision, you want to make sure your team is on the same page. How? It all starts with leadership. Leadership has to be on the same page first with the vision that is in place, then others will see their leadership and focus, and be in line with the vision. It's important though, to make sure the vision is very clear to everyone. John Collins gives some more tips on how to get the whole team on board with the companies vision.

Jack Ryan aka BlackJack was born in Brooklyn, NY and is a Basketball Entertainer/Motivational Speaker. Jackie talks about what it means to work with kids, and how he got opportunities to do half-time shows. Jackie the story of how the documentary of his life came to be.

Kavit Haria in 2005 sold music career education online, and his company now uses sales marketing funnels to generating over a million dollars in sales, and Kavit has written a book called "Don't Sleep On It." On this episode, we will hear more from Kavit on his background, and how he got his start up in entrepreneurship.

Jake Fox talks about the transition from the professional sports world. Every player has some form of depression when they get out. They play their whole life, work toward this major goal of being in the majors, and it's everything you put your time and energy into, and then you're out. What do you do? You have to have a fall back plan, and that's what Jake helps these kids with.

Derek Champagne talks with David Lane, entrepreneur and CEO of Lunatix. David shares his entrepreneurial journey. He shares valuable advice about recognizing warning signs, knowing when to pivot, recognizing key opportunities within what you are already doing, and removing blinders. 

Equal parts teacher, connecter, and founder, Darrah Brustein stands for entrepreneurial empowerment. In the fall of 2018, Darrah launched "Life by Design, Not by Default" sharing stories with visionaries like Deepak Chopra, Adam Grant and Jen Sincero in a 45 speaker online summit reaching over 7,000 people. 

Giuseppe Grammatico is a franchise veteran, coach & consultant who simplifies the process of franchising and excels at guiding his candidates to the business model that best suits their desired lifestyle. On this episode, Giuseppe talks about some of the success stories that he has throughout his career helping people get into the franchise industry and escape the rat race. 

Overview: In this episode, we interview Bill Troy, CEO of Civilis Marketing and a natural-born contrarian. Bill shares with us his expertise and knowledge of 25 years in the market research space, with an emphasis in the online marketing world. Throughout the episode, Bill teaches you how to stand out in the marketing space and how to avoid falling into the trap of CLICKSAND, which is also the title of his new book! 

Derek's guest this week is Jack Daly. Jack talks with Derek about his first sales job at age 7, living a life "by design", and key insights from his book "Hyper Sales Growth". 

We spoke to Beau Oyler, Shark Tank Veteran and Entrepreneur recently. Beau talks with Derek about his experience on Shark Tank, building a successful company, and some valuable lessons he has learned along the way.Having founded Enlisted Design and Urbio, he has created rich product and brand experiences for fortune 500’s and small startups. He pioneered the design cooperative movement and has a unique ability to truly collaborate with his partners. His designs have received every major design award including Red Dot, Spark, IDEA, GOOD Design, TheDieline, Wired Editor’s Choice and Best of Show at Dwell on Design.

Derek talks with Ishveen Anand, CEO + Founder at OpenSponsorship. Ishveen shares her entrepreneurial journey, key leadership principles, and how she built the category leader. Ishveen shares one of her proudest memories and accomplishments in her entrepreneurial journey. 

Derek interviews writer, speaker, adventurer, & educator Erik Seversen. Erik is the author of the new book Ordinary to Extraordinary Erik talks about why he recently took on coaching for his business, and the benefits of that coaching.

 Dr. David Fajgenbaum who has an incredible new memoir, "Chasing My Cure: A Doctor's Race to Turn Hope into Action". On this episode, he shares some power final thoughts from this amazing interview.

In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, talks with Bix & Joe Bickson.Bix Bickson is one of the most important mentors in many executives lives; transforming them and their teams into dynamic, innovative and high- performing organizations. Bix and Joe Bickson have worked with leaders and their teams at Starbucks, Guinness, Lululemon, Escada, Goodyear, Microso , Linde, and many more. Bix and Joe teach legendary leaders to consistently produce material outcomes. They have reimagined management for today’s and more important, tomorrow’s world.

Ed Eppley, the author of "Let’s Be Clear: 6 Disciplines of Focused Management Pros", is a leading global expert in professional management, sales strategy, and performance management. He is a principal consultant for the Table Group, a Patrick Lencioni Company, and operates The Eppley Group

Dr. Michael Hudson joins us as a guest for the second time to share updates in his personal and professional journey. Michael Hudson is a strategic advisor, consultant, & speaker who helps leaders and influencers be heard and understood when the stakes are high. He is the host of the Get Your Message Heard podcast, and a frequent guest on business, communication, and personal development podcasts. 

What happens when things don't go exactly as planned as an entrepreneur? Are there benefits to exploring your entrepreneurial dreams even if the business does not continue? Elena Petzold joins Derek again in a follow up to their last discussion after her business had recently been featured on Shark Tank. Derek talks with Elena about life AFTER Shark Tank, about life after entrepreneurship, and lessons learned along the way. 

Don Hutcheson is a lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach. He hosts the daily podcast: “Discover Your Talent—Do What You Love,” which he created to help you find your true talents and use them to build a career of success, satisfaction and freedom. Derek talks with Don about how we don't get bored anymore, and don't take time for yourself to journal or focus on your personal health. Don talks about being "conscious", and to just give yourself time to think and reflect.

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Eric Presley. Eric, the CTO of CareerBuilder.com, is one of ComputerWorld's Premiere 100 IT Leaders, is a world class leader who understands & leads innovation and practices authentic servant leadership. He talks with Derek about leading a team, why successful companies don't need everyone to be a hero all the time, and what he enjoys most in business and in life. 

Derek Stone, author of "Why Should I Forgive?" is our guest this episode. For years Derek Stone had dreams of becoming a musician. This road didn’t lead him to success, however, it led him to Nashville, TN. Struggling to live as a starving artist with a family to feed, it was then he thought “there’s got to be a better way.” He went through an early life crisis, changing careers with the help of mentors and watching YouTube. He took his God-given talent of Creativity and transferred it from being something you hear to something that you can see. As it turned out, the construction industry was his road to success, the “better way” he had longed for. In three short years, he grew a small one-man show into a company with $1.2 million in gross revenue.

Carter Malloy, Founder & CEO of AcreTrader,  has led the company to exponential growth this past year. AcreTrader has successfully raised over $60 million in Series B funding and grown from 20 employees to 120 employees across the company’s two business divisions, which include AcreTrader  and Acres,  a comprehensive land analysis and mapping tool. AcreTrader has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg,  and Barron’s and named as one of “13  Financial Fintechs to Watch” by Business  Insider.Website Twitter  - @acretraderincFacebook Instagram  - AcretraderLinkedInYouTube

Daniel Puder, MMA fighter, who found his calling to help kids in schools who were being bullied. In this episode of BLS Minute, Daniel tells the origin story of how he started his Private school.

Cash Keahey is the author of Eight LeaderTypes in the White House: Discover and Leverage Your Oval Office Leadership Style. Cash gives us a little background on himself, as well as talks about the importance of self-awareness. His site, Leadertype.com, invites leaders to learn more about yourself, to become a better leader and manager. 

Derek talks with baseball legend Art Shamsky. Art was a prominent player with the iconic 69' Mets World Series Championship Team. Art captures an important part of our nation's history: a country torn apart by war, the year of Woodstock, the year of first person on the moon, and the "lovable losers" who went from underdog to champions! Be sure to order Art's new MUST READ book: "After the Miracle: The Lasting Brotherhood of the '69 Mets"Learn more at: http://artshamsky.com/Order your copy here: http://www.artshamsky.com/memorabilia/book/

Bryan Falchuck was one of four children in his family, who grew up in a home where his parents separated, and did not know how to deal with the emotional anxiety that he was facing. He turned to food to fill the void that he felt with his parents being separated, which led to obesity. Bryan explains what he means by "People don't change, lives do."

Brian Buffini is an Irish-American immigrant, born in Dublin, Ireland. He founded Buffini & Company, one of the largest business coaching and training companies in North America. Brian shares some things that he attributes to his success. Brian was introduced to seminars by a friend of his, which opened his eyes to folks like Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Les brown, Tom Hopkins. This was the start of his person growth.

In this episode Derek is on the other side of the interview as a guest on Motivational Mondays, an amazing London-based podcast, hosted by Abigale Otchere. Derek talks about coming from humble beginnings, his years as a Hollywood musician, his rock bottom and overcoming obstacles, celebrating 10 years as an agency owner, how he ultimately measures success, and becoming a legacy entrepreneur. Learn more at www.businessleadershipseries.com

Derek interviews Matt Hyder, Founder and CEO of Recoup. Matt shares that he barely graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA. After barely graduating he found his path in entrepreneurship, running four starts ups that failed miserably. He fell in love with the process and kept pushing until he created Recoup. Recoup bridges the gap between professional training rooms and at home muscle recovery through innovative hot and cold therapy tools. Matt grew Recoup from an $8 prototype in his parent's basement into a brand trusted by professional athletes. 

As the media sponsor for GetDownToBusinessLunch.com, we had the opportunity to chat with Kyle Maynard as a guest on our podcast. Kyle is known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Aconcagua without the aid of prosthetics.! He shared that so many calories can be burned by overthinking (positively or negatively) that he would not allow thoughts to enter as he focused 3 feet at a time until he reached his summit. He repeated "I'm not dead. Keep going" for 10 days. He climbed an even bigger mountain a few years later. We will share this interview in a coming weeks. See Kyle speak live on January 16th in West Palm Beach at: GetDownToBusinessLunch.com

In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution interviews Brandon Lewin. Brandon is a seasoned marketing who "makes marketing really, really, really easy for everyone". Brandon recently grew an e-commerce website to $1.5 million in 8 months, managed a $80k a year online advertising budget, and increased the social media engagement of a company by 1024%. Learn more at www.brandonmlewin.com/

Derek talks with Brett Goode, former AR Razorback and Superbowl XLV champion with the Green Bay Packers. Brett shares his unique story from being in the right place at the right time, walking on to the Razorbacks without a scholarship, his over decade long career in the NFL, the experience of winning a Super Bowl, transitioning after sports, and the lessons he's learned along the way. 

Derek talks with Dan Kuschell about his unique personal and entrepreneurial journey. Dan is a husband, dad, serial entrepreneur, and the Founder/CEO of Breakthrough3x. In this episode, Dan shares the 6 critical keys in business.

In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, talks with Christopher Lochhead. Christopher is the co-author of Harper Collins’ “instant classic” Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets and he’s the co-host of the Legends and Losers podcast. On this episode, Christopher talks about the odds of winning in a increasingly competitive and crowded world.

Derek chats with entrepreneur, author, and consultant Marissa Levin about highlights from her entrepreneurial journey and how to build an amazing culture. Marissa talks about some guiding principals that helped her in those small moments to take action. 

Derek talks with elite athlete Adrienne Smith, Founder & CEO of Gridiron Queendom, who is on a mission to create more opportunities in football and professional sports for women and girls. Today, Adrienne is one of the best-performing wide receivers in women’s football history, having won two gold medals and four national championships in women’s tackle football. The New England Patriots have said of Adrienne, “She cannot be stopped,” and the Times Union has called her “The face of women in football.”

Cyber scams are becoming more and more complex, and more common. These scammers, and spammers are getting more clever in their venture of ransomware. Adam Brewer specializes in cyber security and can help you become more ware, so that you do not get fooled and taken advantage of. Adam gives some practical tips on things you can do to become aware, and prevent ransomware scams.

Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Suzanne Paulinski, Founder of The Rock/Star Advocate. Derek and Suzanne compare each of their experiences in the music industry and how social media has impacted change for artist promotions. On this episode, we learned more about Suzanne as the entrepreneur.

In this episode Derek is on the other side of the interview as a guest on Motivational Mondays, an amazing London-based podcast, hosted by Abigale Otchere. Derek talks about coming from humble beginnings, his years as a Hollywood musician, his rock bottom and overcoming obstacles, celebrating 10 years as an agency owner, how he ultimately measures success, and becoming a legacy entrepreneur. 

Every has setbacks, failures, and challenges, but how do you work through those? Eric Presley shares some of his personal experience, on how he handles failure, and challenges.

Shuly Oletzky is a passionate entrepreneur and philanthropist. Shuly is the President of Frigibar Industries, Inc., America’s foremost manufacturer of quality marine refrigeration products, including fiberglass cockpit freezers and refrigerators, deck and dock boxes, ice chests and refrigeration kits for boats and yachts, and the Founder of SuccessionProof. 

In this episode Derek is on the other side of the interview as a guest on Motivational Mondays, an amazing London-based podcast, hosted by Abigale Otchere. Derek talks about coming from humble beginnings, his years as a Hollywood musician, his rock bottom and overcoming obstacles, celebrating 10 years as an agency owner, how he ultimately measures success, and becoming a legacy entrepreneur. 

Success for Vincent Pugliese is freedom, and time. It's not the same for everyone, but for him it's the ability, and freedom to go where he wants, when he wants, and not be tied down. He shares that he is now "unemployable" because he has the discipline to maintain this freedom that he cherishes in his life so much. There's a balance in this drive, and motivation to work and freedom.

Yigal Adato started early with entrepreneurship, and leadership at an early age. His family were all business owners, and for Yigal he got his start at age 13 when he joined a youth leadership movement, and at 17 when he became a counselor, then at age 20 he became on of the main leadership directors. Yigal caught the leadership and entrepreneur bug early on, and has stuck with him ever since.

When you have a vision, you want to make sure your team is on the same page. How? It all starts with leadership. Leadership has to be on the same page first with the vision that is in place, then others will see their leadership and focus, and be in line with the vision. It's important though, to make sure the vision is very clear to everyone. John Collins gives some more tips on how to get the whole team on board with the companies vision.

Former US Paratrooper, to business owner. Jamie Jay left the military with 1994 with $386.14 to his name. A friend of his got him a job with a company selling office equipment, and fax machines. Through these jobs, he learned a lot about sales and marketing, and after 12 years of the corporate world, he realized he did not like it. He leaves corporate, and starts his own real estate advertisement agency in 2006, then the 2008 crash happened. This huge set back, put him back into the corporate world, but Jamie did not stop his pursuit for something of his own.

When you have a vision, you want to make sure your team is on the same page. How? It all starts with leadership. Leadership has to be on the same page first with the vision that is in place, then others will see their leadership and focus, and be in line with the vision. It's important though, to make sure the vision is very clear to everyone. John Collins gives some more tips on how to get the whole team on board with the companies vision.

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Shark Tank veteran Evan Delahanty. Evan is the Founder and Lead for Peaceful Fruits LLC, a social good startup that produces premium dried fruit snacks from sustainably-sourced acai. Evan shares his entrepreneurial journey, his approach to community engagement, and his experience on the hit ABC television show Shark Tank. 

In this BLS Minute Eric Presley, CTO of CareerBuilder.com, talks with Derek about balancing work and life, and scaling with systems and processes instead of heroes. Full-length episodes of the Business Leadership Series are released every Sunday. Listen to other episodes at www.BlSnow.net

Don Hutcheson is a lifelong entrepreneur, inventor, author and coach. He hosts the daily podcast: “Discover Your Talent—Do What You Love,” which he created to help you find your true talents and use them to build a career of success, satisfaction and freedom. Derek talks with Don about how we don't get bored anymore, and don't take time for yourself to journal or focus on your personal health. Don talks about being "conscious", and to just give yourself time to think and reflect.

Derek talks with elite athlete Adrienne Smith, Founder & CEO of Gridiron Queendom, who is on a mission to create more opportunities in football and professional sports for women and girls.