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In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Mark Drager.  He is a branding expert and helps entrepreneurs and companies refine their brand strategy and ensure their brand is consistent across everything they do. Your brand is how the world views you.  We had a great conversation about how to make sure your brand is not an afterthought.  It is exceptionally important and once established, not easy to change.  Mark emphasized how important it is to give branding some critical thought on day one of starting your business. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Mark Sheperd here: https://www.phanta.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Billie Shepard.  She founded Billie Shepard Associates, where she leverages her acting experience and training methods in the business sector.  Her one-on-one coaching and group workshops help transform corporate speakers into influential leaders. We had a fascinating conversation on how many leadership speaking skills can be learned.  Unless you are a communications major, it is something most of us have no training in.  She has also written a wonderful book, “The Billie Shepard Presentation Method”. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Billie Shepard here: http://www.billieshepard.com/intro/ Check out Billie’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Billie-Shepard-Presentation-Method-Relationships-ebook/dp/B084WZZMNM/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

Hello and welcome to The Unconventional Path:  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas podcast.  Today we have a very different podcast topic for you. If you have been listening to this podcast you know that Mike and I like to try new things, well this one is way out there. It is about how the experience of losing my 95-year-old mother completely changed my view of death and dying.  I went from fearing it and trying to ignore it to embracing the journey and experience. This is an episode where I talk about things I have never talked about before.  I debated with myself for many hours regarding if I should express my thoughts in public.  With Mike’s encouragement, we hit the record button and had a wonderful conversation. I hope it will help you think through and process these types of events.  And for me, the most important thing was not running away from it, but accepting it and embracing the experience.  One of the key things that helped in the process was over the previous 5 years, my mom made it very clear what she wanted when the end was near.  This removed that facet of “what should we do” as the events unfolded.  I encourage you to have those conversations. Thanks for listening, I would love to hear your thoughts about this episode.   Drop us a line at bela.and.mike@gmail.com. Our next episode will be back on topic. Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Andy Binns.  Andy is a corporate innovation guru, co-founder of Change Logic, and the co-author of “Corporate Explorer:  How Corporations Beat Startup at the Innovation Game”.  We had a fascinating conversation about innovation and entrepreneurship, both in large corporations and start-ups. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Change Logic here: https://changelogic.com/team/andy-binns/ Check out Andy’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Explorer-Corporations-Entrepreneurs-Innovation/dp/1119838320 If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

This is another pre-podcast discussion episode.  As mentioned before, these episodes were inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started and we included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. After receiving some positive comments from listeners, we decided to make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion”. In this episode, Mike and I talk about his trip back to the USA during the Christmas holiday in the midst of a large COVID - Omicron surge in the US.  We also talk about COVID regulations and political donations and how Germany and the US each deal with these issues very differently.  Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

This is our second, pre podcast discussion episode.  As mentioned before, these episodes were inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started. We included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. After receiving some positive comments from listeners, we decided to make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion” Also, we are not sure how often we will release these episodes, as sometimes our conversations are not podcast-worthy. Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Matt Kopko, the VP of Public Policy at Daily Pay.  We have a great conversation about on-demand pay and how it can positively impact the ability of employees to receive their pay daily and not have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for a paycheck. It’s an industry I did not know existed.  Also, for the first time ever, you can hear Mike rant a bit about how the less fortunate often get the short end of the stick in life.  And it is something that can easily be remedied if we have the will. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Daily Pay here: https://www.dailypay.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

Today’s episode was inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started. We included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. We received some nice comments from listeners who said they enjoyed the episode. In addition, John sent us a very nice email, he suggested we make our pre-podcast conversation part of the podcast.  Thank you John for the thoughtful email and suggestion. Mike and I discussed John’s suggestion and we decided we will make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion” Also, we are not sure how often we will release these episodes, as sometimes our conversations are not podcast-worthy. Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined excited to be joined by James Quinn.  He is a managing director at JLL, a Fortune 500 company that assists organizations in developing and implementing their real estate strategies in the ever-changing world.  He also recently wrote a book titled “Tech Trends 24/7”.  We have a great conversation about technology and how COVID has impacted the pace of technology development and implementation. Give the episode a listen! You can find more info about James here: https://www.us.jll.com/en/people/james-quinn You can find his book, Tech Trends 24/7 here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781736648100&i=stripbooks&linkCode=qs If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined excited to be joined by Misha Rubin. He is a mix of a psychologist, career coach, and job coach.  It's one of those topics I never thought much about during my career.  Maybe I should have.  He started his career working at one of the major accounting firms for 20 years and one day came to the realization he was not happy and decided to blaze out on his own.  He gives some excellent tips on finding your path to job satisfaction and happiness. Give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Misha here: https://misharubin.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by serial entrepreneur Andy Mowat, founder of Gated.  At Gated, they are changing the way email gets delivered and read.  We are all burdened by receiving way too many emails.  With Gated you can apply some economic theory to sending and receiving emails with some very interesting results.  Give the episode a listen! You can find Gated here: https://www.gated.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, Bela and Mike trying a new format for the podcast.  It’s been a while since we posted a new episode, that’s because, with over 120 interviews under our belt, we were not sure anything new was popping up.  When we record a podcast, we usually spend 15 to 30 minutes talking about what’s going on in each other’s lives.  This is with the recorder off, so you never hear it.  Well, this time we decided to record our conversation. We talk about fishing, the German elections and how the process is different from the one in the USA, a COVID update, life in general, and a few thoughts on some new podcast ideas. Please let us know what you think! We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Chris Bursey. He is the founder of Direct Communications Solutions. Direct Communication Solutions is a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) products and services. The Internet of Things is a term that generally means the coordination of sensors that sit on devices or vehicles or structures (that tell you things like temperature, location, amount of vibrations, etc.), the ability for those sensors to share data using wireless transmission methods (often cellular technology), with both other devices and with bigger software programs, so that simple devices become smarter - they can help managers, suppliers, and customers understand what’s going on with their equipment or products, and make better decisions. You can find Direct Communication Solutions here: https://www.dcsbusiness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Kizzy Parks.  She is the founder and president of K Parks Consulting, a firm that provides corporate training, executive coaching, analytics, diversity and inclusion guidance, leadership development, and team building services mainly to US federal government clients but also they partner with large companies and other non-profits.  She has a wealth of experience contracting with government agencies.  She shares with us what she had learned and how any business can successfully bid on government contracts. You can find K Parks Consulting here: https://www.kpcinc.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Sean Folkson. He founded Nightfood, a company that produces sleep-friendly and nutritional evening snacks.  After a few rough starts, Nighfood is running full speed with a line of sleep-friendly ice cream.  The ice cream is formulated by leading sleep and nutrition experts to satisfy our nighttime cravings in a better, healthier, and sleep-focused way. You can find Nightfood here: https://nightfood.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In today's podcast, we are excited to be joined by Tarin Calmeyer.  Tarin is the founder of Remote Team Wellness...a startup that provides live digital wellness coaching, retreats, and workshops for corporate clients. We discussed the large pivot Tarin had to make with the onset of the COVID epidemic, the valuable lessons she learned, and how it has shaped her company. You can find Remote Team Wellness here: https://remoteteamwellness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

In today's podcast, we are excited to be joined by David Jay, founder, and CEO of Warm Welcome, a company that uses video to customize an initial customer experience to go beyond generic emails.  David is a serial entrepreneur, also having founded Agree.com.  We had a great conversation about the importance of building solid customer relationships and the video tools David has developed at Warm Welcome help address these challenges. You can find Warm Welcome here: https://www.warmwelcome.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

Today we are excited to be joined by author Nathan Perez.  Nathan co-wrote The 20-Minute Networking Meeting. He is an executive career and job-search coach at Career Innovation, LLC. Nathan is a formally trained actor with a BFA in Theatre. Nathan’s 20-year career in the arts and entertainment world prepared him well for connecting with people. He also worked in the corporate world in places like Goldman Sachs in NYC. You can find Nathan’s books  here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+20-minute+networking+meeting&crid=AHXU4WE3RQ0T&sprefix=the+20-minute%2Caps%2C158&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_13 You can find Nathan’s website here: https://innovationsoftheworld.com/nathan-a-perez-career-innovations-llc/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

Today we are excited to be joined by joined Dan Burcaw.  He is a serial tech entrepreneur founding several software technology companies  He is currently the Co-Founder & CEO of Nami ML.  Nami ML develops machine learning software to enhance mobile application subscriptions for a wide spectrum of businesses.  We discussed the challenges in starting technology businesses that are at the forefront of technology. You can check out Nami ML here: https://www.namiml.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support

Today we are excited to be joined by joined Anthony Minessale.  Anthony is a pioneer of internet-based communications, having started 3 companies in the internet space.  He is currently the CEO and co-founder of SignalWire. SignalWire is a three-year-old company that provides internet-based telecommunication (voice and video) to companies.  Anthony has a great story about being a technology person who has founded several companies. You can check out Signal Wire here: https://signalwire.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/bela-musits/support