Glen Calvert: Harnessing the Power of AI to Revolutionize Client Services 🤖💼

In this captivating episode of the Maker Money Podcast, Kyle Knowles sits down with Glen Calvert, co-founder of Kaizan AI. This innovative startup leverages artificial intelligence to enhance client satisfaction and retention. Glen shares his entrepreneurial journey, from his early days in traditional publishing and online advertising to his groundbreaking work in the e-sports industry. 🚀

What Listeners Will Learn:

🎯  Passion and Persistence: Glenn's entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of passion and persistence. From starting multiple startups to venturing into AI, Glenn's story highlights the importance of staying committed to your vision and continuously learning and adapting along the way.
🎯 Embracing AI for Business Growth: Glenn's journey with Kaizan AI showcases the potential of AI in enhancing client relationships and driving business growth. By leveraging AI models for client priorities and pain points, Glenn demonstrates how technology can revolutionize traditional business practices and improve customer satisfaction.
🎯 Startup vs. Corporate Mentality: Glenn's insights on the differences between working in startups versus corporate environments shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities each setting presents. His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs emphasizes the need for resilience, adaptability, and a willingness to embrace chaos in the startup world.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business owner, or fascinated by the transformative power of AI, this episode is a must-listen.  🎧

🔥 #ArtificialIntelligence
🌟 #Entrepreneurship
💡 #Innovation
🤝 #ClientService
💻 #Startups

In this episode of Maker-Manager Money with Kyle Knowles, Kyle dives deep into the world of AI-powered content marketing with guest Cody Schneider, a trailblazer in the AI-first company landscape. The conversation is lively and engaging, with the host and guest discussing strategies and tools for successful podcasting and content marketing.

Cody Schneider, the CEO and co-founder of Swell AI plus co-founder of Drafthorse AI, shares his expertise in blending technology with marketing to create innovative solutions. From his early days selling sneakers to his strategic role in influencer marketing and SEO, Cody's entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of innovation, perseverance, and strategic thinking in today's digital age.

The discussion focuses on the two common paths in podcasting: building a business to sell advertisements or using a podcast as a go-to-market mechanism for a business. Cody emphasizes the importance of leveraging podcasts to build relationships and generate revenue through high-ticket services.

The conversation also delves into the practical applications of AI in content marketing, with Cody sharing insights on how AI can automate content creation, distribution, and optimization. The episode highlights the potential of AI tools like Swell AI in streamlining content workflows and maximizing organic traffic growth.

The episode offers valuable insights and practical tips for entrepreneurs and business owners looking to leverage AI in their content marketing strategies. The engaging and informative discussion between the host and guest creates a dynamic listening experience for listeners interested in the intersection of AI and content marketing.

Russ Warner, a seasoned sales, marketing, and operations expert, shares his inspiring entrepreneurial journey on the Maker Manager Money podcast with Kyle Knowles. From his early days selling candy door-to-door to co-founding Ghost Boards, a venture he propelled to over 10 million in sales, Russ's story is one of relentless dedication, creativity, and business acumen. His expertise spans traditional and digital platforms, offering invaluable insights into mortgage trends and business best practices. His visionary approach has scaled his company and cultivated a culture of trust, collaboration, and opportunity within his team.

What Listeners Will Learn:

🎯 No Excuses: Russ's journey from selling candy door-to-door to co-founding a successful business teaches the importance of relentless dedication and a no-excuses mindset in entrepreneurship.

🎯 Balancing Act: Russ's experience of managing a day job with a mortgage company while running Ghost Boards as a side hustle highlights the challenges and rewards of balancing multiple commitments.

🎯 Building Trust: Russ emphasizes the importance of cultivating a culture of trust, collaboration, and opportunity within a team, sharing insights on success by delivering unmatched value and innovation to customers and partners.

🎸 #entrepreneurship
🎹 #sidehustle
🥁 #businessacumen
💪 #noexcuses
🎧 #digitalmarketing

Tune in to the Maker Manager Money podcast to hear Russ Warner's inspiring story and gain valuable insights into entrepreneurship, balancing multiple commitments, and building a culture of trust within a team.

Dive into the world of strategic marketing with Sarah Noel Block on the Maker Manager Money podcast. This episode features Sarah, founder of Tiny Marketing, sharing her journey from a corporate marketer to a successful entrepreneur. Discover her unique approach to event marketing, the development of her strategic framework, and her expertise in leveraging AI and digital tools. Learn how Sarah's innovative strategies help small businesses clone their favorite customers and shorten sales cycles. This episode offers valuable insights for anyone interested in marketing, entrepreneurship, and personal business growth.

Key Learnings

• Event Marketing Excellence
  Sarah shares valuable insights on maximizing the impact of event marketing, emphasizing its role in business growth and customer engagement.
• Innovative Marketing Strategies
  Sarah elaborates on her unique approach to marketing, utilizing AI and digital tools to create efficient and targeted campaigns.
• Identifying Your Ideal Customer
  Sarah underscores the critical importance of pinpointing your ideal customer, explaining how this clarity can significantly enhance marketing effectiveness and business success.

In this enlightening episode of the Maker Manager Money podcast, Kyle Knowles sits down with David Doty, an entrepreneur who left Wall Street to revolutionize the food industry in Utah. Starting with his early days washing dishes at 16, Doty's journey through finance and law school, to his strategic pivot towards acquiring and nurturing local food businesses, is nothing short of inspirational. David's approach isn't just about business growth but fostering community and culture within the food and beverage industry. His story is a testament to passion, innovation, and entrepreneurship's power to create lasting impact.

David is CEO and Founder of Kensington Asset Management, which owns:

• Lehi Bakery
• Magleby's
• Edna's Market & Grill
• Summit Pizza Co.
• Twisted Sugar

What Listeners Will Learn:
🎯 From Dishes to Riches: Doty's transition from a dishwasher to a food industry visionary shows the power of following one's passion.
🎯 Strategic Growth: Learn about Doty's approach to sustainable business growth, including owning real estate and nurturing a community-focused culture.
🎯 Inspiring Entrepreneurship: Doty's journey encourages listeners to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, highlighting the importance of adaptability, hard work, and vision.

🍽️ #FoodIndustry
🚀 #Entrepreneurship
📈 #BusinessGrowthStrategies
🏠 #RealEstateInvestment
💼 #Leadership

Brian T. Franco is the Founder and Managing Partner of Meritage Partners, a leading M&A advisory firm based in Newport Beach, California. With nearly two decades of experience, Brian is an expert in guiding companies toward successful exits, having deployed over $2 billion in capital across diverse industries such as Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC), healthcare, tech, B2B, and B2C services.

Key Learnings

• Stay focused on your core strengths as you scale. As entrepreneurs grow their companies, they often get distracted by day-to-day operations and lose sight of the strengths that made them successful in the first place.
• Exhibit consistent leadership. Leading a scaling company while remaining steady and reliable in your overall vision and approach provides comfort and direction to employees amidst rapid changes.
• Systemize processes where possible. Rather than trying to control everything themselves, successful entrepreneurs build or utilize systems and processes to streamline operations. This empowers managers to scale efficiently.

Daniel Driggs is the founder of Crisp Catering. The birth of Crisp Catering coincided with the birth of his first child. While celebrating this joyous occasion in the hospital, Daniel, alongside his wife Abby, envisioned creating the world's best catering company. This idea sprang from Daniels's frustrations about the lackluster and often uninspired food served at wedding receptions. Daniel saw an opportunity to revolutionize this by offering freshly prepared, diverse, and delicious catering options. Since that epiphany, Crisp Catering has experienced meteoric growth, catering to over 1,200 events across more than 200 locations in Utah. Daniel and Abby have remained a formidable team throughout this journey, embodying the core values that make Crisp Catering stand out: honesty, care, hard work, kindness, a hunger for improvement, and a focus on others. Before founding Crisp Catering in 2021, he honed his skills and understanding of the industry as the Catering Manager for Thirst Drinks. Daniel earned a Bachelor’s degree in English from Utah Valley University.

Key Learnings

• Core Values as a Foundation: Crisp Catering's six core values are central to its operations and culture, driving trust and excellence. This approach shows how strong values are crucial in shaping a company's identity and success.
• The Power of Effective Marketing and Sales: Daniel's use of aggressive marketing tactics on digital platforms illustrates the significance of understanding your audience and leveraging modern techniques to scale a business quickly.
• Personal Drive and Entrepreneurial Spirit: Daniel's journey from a young entrepreneur to the owner of Crisp Catering demonstrates the importance of personal drive and initiative in achieving business success and the value of forging your own path.

Scott Robbins is the Founder of Aspen Press. Scott has been in the printing industry since 1989. He spent his first eight years in production, then moved into management and sales positions before founding Aspen Press in 2002. Aspen Press first started doing commercial printing, dove into carton packaging, and recently added flexible packaging to its list of capabilities. Aspen Press & Packaging is a G7, FSC/SFI, and GMP-certified commercial printing and packaging company occupying a 100,000-square-foot building in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are a two-time winner of Utah’s Best of State and have been ranked nationwide since 2013 among the top 400 printers in Printing Impression Magazine.

Key Learnings

• Early Hard Work Pays Off: Scott's journey from humble beginnings, doing odd jobs like lawn mowing and working at a pallet yard, to becoming the founder of a successful printing company, Aspen Press, illustrates the value of hard work and perseverance from an early age.
• Seizing Opportunities and Adaptation: Scott's career progression from being a delivery driver to a successful salesperson and eventually starting his own company highlights the importance of seizing opportunities and adapting to new roles and challenges.
• Investment in Growth and Innovation: The growth of Aspen Press from a small printing company to a large, diversified enterprise, particularly the expansion into carton and flexible packaging, demonstrates the significance of reinvesting in the business and innovating to meet market demands.

LaSean Smith is a visionary investor and business strategist. With a background in software at Amazon and Microsoft, LaSean has deep expertise in artificial intelligence, behavioral economics, and systems engineering to reshape the landscape of business strategy. With over $450 million in capital deployed and several patents to his name, LaSean is a trailblazer in utilizing AI and machine learning to drive business success. His book, Values-Based Business Design, is an Amazon bestseller, reflecting his successful approach to high-growth product development. As founder of CAGR Investments, he propels software companies to exponential growth, emphasizing financial returns, relationships, and time efficiency. LaSean's philosophy, deeply rooted in Stoicism, focuses on reaction mastery and the vital roles of position, people, and process in achieving business success. 

Key Learnings

• Know thyself. LaSean has a concise personal North Star that guides his values and decisions: "Know thyself. Make things. Stay free." This keeps him focused on what's important.
• Focus on the "why" first. LaSean believes leading with your purpose and values (the "why") builds trust and attracts the right people to work with. People want to understand what you stand for.
• Embrace lifelong learning. Entrepreneurship allows LaSean to learn new things constantly, which he sees as a key perk. He has an insatiable curiosity and values personal growth and expanding his knowledge across disciplines. His diverse background and self-education contribute to his success.

Melanie Webb is a powerhouse in health and fitness. Melanie was raised in Orem, Utah, went to BYU, spent a year as an environmental consultant in Washington, D.C., and seamlessly transitioned into the fitness industry, eventually founding WebbWell and creating the innovative WebbWell App.  She's not your typical personal trainer; Melanie takes fitness beyond the gym, leading outdoor fitness adventures that blend the physical with nature. Her unique approach, drawing from her rigorous science background at BYU and her experience as a wildlife biologist, has redefined personal training for successful business professionals, especially those sacrificing personal wellness for career success.  Melanie's story is one of bold risks and transformations, from quitting a Master’s in Nutrition to working at the famous Equinox gym in D.C., frequented by high-profile politicos. 

Key Learnings

• Passion for fitness and nature: Melanie has a deep passion for fitness, health, and connecting with nature. This passion stems from her athletic background, her science degrees in physiology and biology, and her experience working outdoors as a wildlife biologist. She seeks to share her wisdom and integrate fitness with nature.
• Entrepreneurial drive: Melanie has strong entrepreneurial instincts - from dropping out of grad school to focus on training clients, to starting her own outdoor fitness retreat business, to now building an innovative fitness app. She is continuously learning, evolving her business model, taking risks and pushing boundaries. Her clients and adventures have shaped her business journey.
• Commitment to transformation: As a trainer, Melanie is deeply committed to guiding people through meaningful transformations - whether overcoming addictions and health challenges or preparing ambitious professionals for extreme adventures. She takes a holistic approach focused on mind, body, emotion, and nature to create change. Her empathy, patience, and belief in human potential come through.