Category: Entrepreneurism

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Entrepreneurism Innovation Podcast

What is The Leader Way? From Domination to Empowerment in the Workplace

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Welcome to Next Future Today, hosted by Dan Keldsen.

Today’s episode is What is The Leader Way? From Domination to Empowerment in the Workplace” with Leadership Expert Jamie Mason Cohen – NextFutureToday Ep 14

Find more episodes at https://NextFutureToday.com, on YouTube, or in your favorite podcast app.

In this episode of NextFutureToday, I’m interviewing Jamie Mason Cohen, a well known leadership development and resilience expert with an array of stories that, no matter how improbable they are (hint: he doesn’t take NO for an answer… and I mean that literally), are just do.damn.good. and chock full of tips for work and life.

During our conversation, he shared some incredible quotes that really resonated with me, that I’ll call out here:

1. “Leadership should be a shared responsibility and privilege.” This quote truly underscores the importance of collaboration and empowering others within leadership roles. It reminds us that leadership is not about being the dominant force (like a hard charging Jack Welch, or Steve Jobs for example), but rather about elevating and supporting those around us.

2. “Experimentation is the key to effective leadership.” The value of trying new approaches and thinking outside the box is an uncommon take that’s well worth putting into action. It highlights the need for leaders to embrace innovation and learn from their mistakes, creating an environment that fosters growth and adaptability.

3. “Leaders should be ‘learn it alls,’ not ‘know it alls’.” Having a way with words, and memorable phrases, is the sign of a great communicator, and this saying encapsulates the mindset that leaders should strive for – continuous learning and humility. It reminds us that true leaders are open to new ideas, receptive to feedback, and willing to admit when they make mistakes. There’s much more, but for the rest… you’ll need to watch/listen. Go go go! And create YOUR Next Future Today. #leadership#leadershipskills#communicationskills#saturdaynightlive

Find out more about Jamie’s work at:

https://jamiemasoncohen.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiemasoncohen/

Categories
Branding Entrepreneurism Marketing Podcast

The Power of Branding for Buyouts

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Welcome to Next Future Today, hosted by Dan Keldsen.

In Episode 13 of NextFutureToday, I had the privilege to interview @TedSchlueter from The Grist Agency  where we discussed the power of Branding for Buyouts, the title of his book, courses he’s taught at Babson College about Branding for Buyouts, and his core business practice of over 15 years.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

1️⃣ Branding can significantly increase the value of a business when it is being sold. By repositioning the brand and understanding what potential buyers want, we can unlock untapped value waiting to be discovered.

2️⃣ Marketing and branding often take a backseat in the M&A process, but they deserve a dedicated spot at the table. Working alongside investment bankers can ensure a combined approach that tells the story of a company’s life’s work and sacrifices, attracting the right buyers.

3️⃣ Creating a category and trademarking it can be a game-changer. Just like Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, creating a unique space for your business increases its visibility and potential for success.

Want more? Listen up and be prepared to think about branding in a different way than most brands are designed and promoted!

Find out more about Ted’s work at:

https://www.brandingforbuyout.com/

https://www.thegrist.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tedschlueter/

Categories
Entrepreneurism Innovation Podcast Software

Secrets to Successful Software Pricing with Luke Hohmann

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Welcome to Next Future Today, hosted by Dan Keldsen.

Find more episodes at https://NextFutureToday.com, on YouTube, or in your favorite podcast app.

This interview between Dan Keldsen and Luke Hohmann discusses the importance of pricing and profit streams in software businesses, based on Luke’s latest book “Software Profit Streams” a spiritual successor to the long legacy of “canvas” style books first started by Business Model Generation.

“Software Profit Streams” is remarkably easy to understand, beautiful on the eyes, but quickly allows you to go VERY deep into software pricing.

Key Points

  • 🕰️ Time-based cadence is one of the triggers to change pricing.
  • 🏢 Internal triggers like adding new features can also necessitate pricing changes.
  • 🌍 External triggers such as regulatory changes, competitive forces, or hardware changes can impact pricing decisions.
  • 💰 Customer benefit analysis is the foundation for effective pricing strategies.
  • 🎯 Ilities (Reliability, Maintainability, Curability, Scalability) can be recast into current or future economic terms to inform pricing and licensing decisions.
  • 🤝 Intangible benefits of working with a company, such as being more flexible and willing to listen, should be considered in customer benefit analysis.
  • 📈 Pricing decisions should be revisited at least once a year, but more frequently in fast-growing products.
  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Collaborative decision-making is essential for pricing strategies.
  • 🧠 Simulations can be useful in building mental models, but relying too much on them can be risky due to unknown external triggers.

Keywords

  • Customer benefit analysis: Assessing the economic value or structure of a software’s benefits.
  • Ilities: Reliability, Maintainability, Curability, Scalability; attributes that can be recast into economic terms to inform pricing decisions.
  • Infrequent transaction: An event that occurs rarely, such as selling a house or revisiting pricing decisions.
  • Intangible benefits: Non-quantifiable benefits of a product or service, such as being a nice company to work with.
  • External triggers: Factors outside of a company that can impact pricing decisions, such as regulatory changes or competitive forces.

More about Luke’s book at:

https://amzn.to/3KgdLqC (this is an affiliate link)

Categories
Entrepreneurism Podcast

Employee Supremacy, the COVID Rollercoaster

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Welcome to Next Future Today, hosted by Dan Keldsen.

Find more episodes at https://NextFutureToday.com, on YouTube, or in your favorite podcast app.

This is Episode 9, and on the surface, the topic is about a visitor management system company called “The Receptionist” – and how the company has evolved from pre-COVID, thru COVID to the other side.

In this interview, I chatted with Andy Alsop, CEO of The Receptionist, on the rollercoaster of providing a solution used to greet and track people checking in at the front desk, at a time when nobody was in-person at all.

Throughout the evolution of the company, Andy’s also been pursuing what he calls “Employee Supremacy” a nice twist on exactly which “shareholder” is the most important, and what that explicitly means.

For decades, companies have operated under a model of Shareholder Supremacy, where leadership decisions are driven solely by what’s best for shareholders.

Andy argues that when a company’s leadership decides what’s best for employees before anything else, all of the company’s stakeholders will benefit.

Find out more about Andy and The Receptionist at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyalsop/

The Receptionist

Fun fact: Both Andy and I are classic muscle car enthusiasts – he’s a Camaro fan, and I’m a Mustang fan. But we won’t let those differences get between us! 😉

Categories
Entrepreneurism Podcast Presenting Remote Work

Start.Suck.Get Better. with Desiree Rose and Dan Keldsen

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Welcome to Next Future Today, hosted by Dan Keldsen. Find more episodes at https://NextFutureToday.com, on YouTube, or in your favorite podcast app.

This is Season 1, Episode 8, and the topic is “Start.Suck.Get Better.”

In this interview, I chatted with Desiree Rose from  @All-In-One Social Media about her newest book ( Start.Suck.Get Better. ), social media for individual/personal brands, small businesses, and well… anyone.

She started her career in social media and video specifically roughly 6 years ago, and has built quite a reputation as a content creator, and in her work with and as a military spouse, and female entrepreneurs as a whole.

If you’ve been listening to previous Next Future Today episodes, the core idea of Start.Suck.Get Better. fits fantastically with the key concept of Next Future Today… it’s not just gaining knowledge, but taking ACTION, quickly, that’s the key to empowering yourself as well as your team.

The sooner you start chipping away at making change happen, the sooner you’ll see the results!

Find out more about her work at:
https://www.allinonesocialmedia.com/
https://mrsdesireerose.com/

Fun fact: Desiree was the very first person to upload an unboxing video of our products at PlexiCam.com. That video was an early sign that the word was getting out that there was a real problem out in the world, cringingly bad eye contact on Zoom calls, interviews, recorded videos, you name it – and we were being seen as the solution.

Alright, let’s dive on into it with Desiree!