Birthing Of Giants With Lewis Schiff

Can You Rewire Your Brain? Since 2005, Lewis Schiff has been researching behaviors of America’s most successful people–self-made millionaires who built businesses around what they do best. In Schiff’s eyes, this is the new American Dream: do you and do well doing it! Expect the best return on your time, on your investment, on your talents. In The First Habit, Schiff, who has interviewed over 1,100 self-made millionaires, including many of the most famous entrepreneurs in the world, describes the attitudes you must master in order to realize this dream. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In our latest podcast we interview Birthing of Giants Fellow and Pinnacle Solutions founder, Michael Durant. When Michael started his company in 2008, after 22 years of service as a military pilot, he used his deep knowledge of aviation to steadily grow his business as an engineering and maintenance company for military aircraft. Twelve years later, he’s using cutting edge innovation to create a financial model transformation for Pinnacle that could propel them to their next level of success. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In our latest episode of the Birthing of Giants podcast, I’m checking back in with Digital Trends co-founder, Dan Gaul. One year into his goal of building out an affiliate platform for his popular tech news and review site, Dan has returned to give us an update. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

When Greg Theroux launched an innovative new program to his commercial cleaning company, Heritage Building Maintenance, his goal was to position his Des Moines, Iowa based business to scale in both revenue and its regional footprint. When the growth came, however, it was from a surprising direction - one that would force Greg to quickly adjust his business plan and his leadership. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In our latest podcast we interview Alex Rodriguez, founder and CEO of Azulle and a graduate of the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program. When Alex brought his company into the mini PC market, he had no idea that he was headed straight for a classic David vs. Goliath story that would pit Azulle against some of the top PC companies in the nation. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In Birthing of Giants’ latest podcast, I interview KITEWIRE founder, Jere Simpson. Jere has been a participating member of the Birthing of Giants community almost since the beginning, where his classic story of an entrepreneur armed with a vision and the drive to make it happen is a constant inspiration. Jere grew a $4 million dollar business with a limited reach into a $55 million dollar GIANT that consistently delivers to thousands. Here’s how he did it.   For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

When 1-800-Flowers.com founder, Jim McCann, bought a single flower shop in Manhattan, he knew that he wanted to be more than just a florist. Forty years later his small NYC shop is now a $1 Billion dollar giant. With his recent decision to move from CEO to Executive Chairman, Jim is taking on an even bigger challenge. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In 2004 Dr. Charles (Chip) Mok founded Allure Medical in the metropolitan Detroit area, and quickly established a very successful practice. When he decided to expand into a national company with multiple practices in major cities, Chip made the decision to implement a unique management structure - one that would eventually lead his employees to fire their boss! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

This week I’m shining a spotlight on one of our very own Board of Experts members, Bill Roark. Sixteen years ago, Bill co-founded Torch Technologies, a technical services provider for the U.S. Defense Department. His mission was to create a company where every employee shared in its growth and success. The result is a $350 million, 100% employee owned company. Here’s how he did it. For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In our latest podcast Chairman of the Board Lewis Schiff interviews John McDonald, Birthing of Giants Fellowship graduate and founder of Semihandmade, an Inc 5000 winning company filling a unconventional niche in the custom furniture space. John’s journey to success and the future he’s building for Semihandmade is equally unconventional! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In our latest episode of the Birthing of Giants podcast, I’m checking back in with IT management company Knight Point Systems’ CEO, Bob Eisiminger. I last had him on the show about 6 months after he attended a Birthing of Giants Fellowship week. A year and a half into his mission to resolve wasteful recruiting practices, Bob has returned to give us an update. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In this episode of the Birthing of Giants podcast I interview Digital Trends co-founder and CTO, Dan Gaul, a passionate entrepreneur with a story to tell that’ll take you from the mean streets of Tacoma to a $30 million company in the City of Roses and back again. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

Darragh Fitzpatrick has his head in the clouds… plus both arms, both legs, and whatever’s left. But he’s no daydreamer! As a partner and executive vice president at The Tabush Group, Darragh and his company have innovated a cutting edge approach to IT services that relies on cloud technology to provide a better, more responsive product for their clients. Darragh and his partner, founder Morris Tabush, believe that cloud-based IT is a step forward for their industry. But maneuvering their company to be ready for the success front that their new product - Boxtop - is bringing has presented some real challenges for Darragh to overcome. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In this episode I'm interviewing Toni Jacaruso, a brilliant businesswoman with a sharp eye for a business idea, and a quick draw for making tough decisions. After spending seven days with us at a Birthing of Giants Fellowship week, Toni pulled the trigger on her plan to create a bigger, better management team. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

In an industry that changes as fast as internet technology, time is a blessing and a curse. No one knows that better than Scott Seltzer, founder and CEO of ConnectMe, LLC. As a hosted voice over IP (VoIP) and unified communications service provider, business has boomed in the last decade as reliable internet and better routers have become more affordable – and more commonplace – among ConnectMe’s target audience. But as the market continues to grow, Scott finds himself lying awake at night worrying about staying ahead. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

Extricating yourself from the business you built will always be a difficult and complicated process. But for Phil Catron, founder and CEO of NaturaLawn of America, stepping down is a family affair, and an opportunity to let the next generation shine. Phil’s business, which provides environmentally-friendly natural lawn care solutions, was founded in 1986 after the entrepreneur was fired from the company where he first pitched his idea. Harnessing his background in chemistry and agriculture, Phil created a lucrative lawn care empire which now totals 90 franchises across the U.S. which generate more than $63 million in revenue. And after 30+ years of tireless hard work and innovation, Phil is ready to pass over the reins to his children. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

Letting go of control is a challenge for every entrepreneur. But as Karen Auster proves, it’s a vital step toward keeping your sanity intact and helping your business to bloom. As founder and CEO of the Auster Agency, an experiential marketing firm, Karen found she was stretching herself too thin, and growing exhausted. In 2017, as her company celebrated its 20th anniversary, she spent a week with us at Duke University as part of the Birthing of Giants fellowship program. She was looking to recharge her batteries, reignite her excitement, and develop her one-year plan. For more, listen to the podcast! For more information on the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program, click here to visit the program's website.

Hitting the $100 million a year milestone is the moment when most business owners pop the cork on a bottle of champagne. For Matt Manero, it was the catalyst to torch his company and do better. As president of Commercial Fleet Financing, which offers financing for industrial equipment in the trucking industry, Matt is proud to help his clients succeed. But after realizing in 2015 that his company culture didn’t support his employees, he decided to gamble everything to rebuild and help them thrive. The move cost him several top performers, but Matt’s only regret is neglecting his culture for so long. I recently caught up with the Birthing of Giants alum to find out what led him to this pivotal moment and what inspired his latest book, You Need More Money (Penguin, 2018). For more, listen to the podcast!

Every entrepreneur knows there’s money to be made in solving problems, especially if you find a niche that hasn’t been cornered yet. That’s exactly what Michael Risich did when he founded BOLT ON Technology, a software company that offers cloud-based workflow tools for the automotive repair aftermarket. Far from fixing cars, Michael’s company helps shop owners improve their communications to optimize productivity — all by bringing cutting-edge technology to an industry that was previously lacking it. Despite many of its customers being small mom-and-pop shops, BOLT ON Technology has experienced enormous growth in the past five years, achieving 4% market penetration and serving customers in every US state, Canada, and South America. But during his time at the Birthing of Giants Fellowship program in April 2017, Michael realized that to sustain this growth, the company would need to pivot its strategy to improve outbound sales. I caught up with Michael recently to find out how he’s implementing this new sales s

Show Notes: Interview with Van Sullivan Traversing new territory is always frightening, but Van Sullivan didn’t get his company Trideum to where it is today by following in the same footsteps as everyone else. Strategy, planning, and innovation are the hallmarks of this company. A successful engineering services contractor for the federal government, Trideum provides high-end engineering for testing weapons systems and training military personnel. In helping to build and sustain the U.S. military, Van’s company epitomizes the place where the supreme importance of defending our nation meets the innovation and entrepreneurship of the private sector. Trideum's innovative approach has brought the company remarkably fast growth in an industry not known for it. Trideum has doubled in size over the last two years, and made the Inc. 5000 list in 2017 for the fifth time in seven years. Van attributes this success to his “secret sauce”— his willingness to grow the company strategically, even if that strategy takes time