Coffee, Anyone? (Recruit Rockstars 467)
As a rule, I don’t have many guests back on the Podcast. (I like to keep it fresh.) But in this case, I made a rare exception. Because
He’s Driven to be Mission-Driven (Recruit Rockstars 466)
You don’t meet many people like Tony Huang. After graduating from Harvard, he pursued education as a fourth grade teacher outside of Boston. He then transitioned to a
How This Founder/CEO Hired His First 30 (Recruit Rockstars 465)
Akshay Krishnaiah is CEO & Founder of Line, the fast-growing fintech company. After a successful career at Paypal & eBay, he stepped out on his own. And he
How to Hire for DNA Fit (Recruit Rockstars 464)
How does a startup with a dozen people change a monolithic industry? It’s simple (but not easy)… Hire for DNA Fit And Brian King does it consistently. He’s
How They Assess Candidates for Culture Fit (Recruit Rockstars 463)
The only thing better than talking culture & leadership with a progressive talent leader? Talking with two of them. Aparavi helps organizations that desperately need a solution to
Transitioning from VC to PE Backed (Recruit Rockstars 462)
There’s a SaaS platform for everything… And everyone. Including SimpleLegal, the fast-growing SaaS platform for in-house counsels. It’s part of Onit, the leading provider of enterprise legal management &
Lure Them to the Office with Free Food (Recruit Rockstars 461)
Jeff Grass knows how to get your hesitant employees back to the office. This serial entrepreneur is Co-Founder & CEO of Hungry Marketplace. Based in Arlington VA, Hungry
And You Thought Your Team Was Complex? (Recruit Rockstars 460)
Whether your team is hybrid or distributed or global, you’ve got nothing on Chad Mattix. He’s CEO & Founder of Kinettix, the leading IT field service support company.
How CNBC’s Careers Expert Nabbed the Job She Wanted (Recruit Rockstars 459)
(Hint: She didn’t click “Apply” on some job board) Morgan Smith is Work Reporter with CNBC and its industry-leading careers website “Make It” Previously, you’ve read her pieces
How She Brings Lofters Aloft (Recruit Rockstars 458)
Growth-stage companies don’t get much hotter than Salesloft, the leading platform for sales reps to execute their day to day selling tasks. Put simply, they enable sales teams
They Put the Tech in Foodtech (Recruit Rockstars 457)
Few early-stage companies combine as many distinct components as Tovala. Based in Chicago, the company pairs a smart oven with a meal subscription service. It truly makes foolproof
5 Questions to Unleash Your Company’s Hidden Power (Recruit Rockstars 456)
Few things wag my tail like meeting with a CEO who puts talent at the top of their agenda. Here’s one. Matt Hulett is CEO of publicly-held PetMeds,
2 to 80 employees in just 2 years (Recruit Rockstars 455)
In business, few missions are more vital than protecting & improving the health of Americans. Sadly, 89M of us are pre-diabetic. Dan Zavorotny & his team are out
How He Went from Startup ➡️ IPO ➡️ $4.5B Revenues (Recruit Rockstars 454)
So few entrepreneurs “go the distance” from startup to IPO. Most are “promoted to Chairman” at some point by their board of directors, because they fail to scale
How Talent Experts Clean Up Talent Problems (Recruit Rockstars 453)
The bigger a company becomes, the bigger its organizational challenges become. Liz Steblay saw it over & over at the large companies she joined. Now, she’s Founder &
How he invented the ‘Functional Healthwear’ category (Recruit Rockstars 452)
Healthcare fashion used to be horrid. But Chat Razdan is rapidly changing that. He’s Founder & CEO of Care+Wear. Based in New York, they combine fashion & function
He’s Behind the eCommerce Brands You Love (Recruit Rockstars 451)
Whew! I finally finished paying off all my Amazon holiday gifts. Guess I’m hooked on eCommerce. Turns out I’m not alone. And I have proof… I just interviewed
Our Spiciest Episode Ever (Recruit Rockstars 450)
Sir Wellington? An amazing mustard, mushroom and shallot blend Smashing Salmon? The mystical miso, soy and Shiitake blend Vampire Killer? Garlic parmesan blend, of course. Yum. Chip Overstreet
Compare Hiring Notes with a CEO (Recruit Rockstars 449)
Isaiah Bollinger is Co-Founder & CEO of Trellis, the fast-growing full service eCommerce digital agency. Based in Boston, Trellis creates eCommerce businesses on Magento, BigCommerce, and Shopify. And
How He Reached Near-Perfect Employee Retention (Recruit Rockstars 448)
How’d you like to build a company with a 90% offer acceptance rate? With near-perfect employee retention? And with 50% of employees comprised of under-represented minorities? Sean Byrnes
Miserable Apple Employee ➡️ Successful Amazon Entrepreneur (Recruit Rockstars 447)
Seth Kniep has a remarkable entrepreneurship origin story. He found himself working at Apple, leading a 20-person team of tech support advisors. But he was miserable, working as
The Real Skinny on Writing Your Résumé (Recruit Rockstars 446)
There are a gazillion ways to write your résumé (or LinkedIn profile). Because everyone has advice: “Do it this way.” “No, do it that way.” But what if
How a Husband & Wife Built an 8-Figure Business in 3 Years (Recruit Rockstars 445)
“I now pronounce you successful entrepreneurs.” Nothing brings out the romantic in me like a New Year. The fresh possibilities, the clean start. And a super-cool online business.
How Smart VC’s Give Their Companies an Edge (Recruit Rockstars 444)
The smartest Venture Capital firms invest heavily in talent for their portfolio companies. After they cut the check, the hard work just begins. Here’s an example. Jason Felger
2 IPO’s ➡️ 8x Midas Venture Capitalist (Recruit Rockstars 443)
If you’re like most business leaders, you spend plenty of time designing your company’s business model. Mike Maples warns that you need to spend as much time designing
What He Learned by Interviewing 2,000 CEO’s (Recruit Rockstars 442)
Like you, I’m just too busy to listen to cruddy podcasts. So, very few survive on my Podcasts app for more than an episode or two. Mixergy is
How He Built an Inc5000 MarTech Company (Recruit Rockstars 441)
Charleston, South Carolina might seem like an unlikely place to find one of the nation’s fastest-growing tech companies. But it’s home to Digital Ignite. Mike Samet leads this
How He Earned Inc5000 by Dominating His Niche (Recruit Rockstars 440)
They say that “the riches are in the niches.” Well, Jason Hennessey proved them right. He’s built a highly-successful SEO firm within the legal vertical (a niche of
How He Built a 2-Time Inc500-ranked Company (Recruit Rockstars 439)
Based in Golden, Colorado, Scott Lewis is CEO of Spartan Investment Group. Spartan syndicates investor capital to develop & operate real estate assets. Under Scott’s leadership, the business
Top-Rated Software VC Reveals The People Part of Startups (Recruit Rockstars 438)
Few VC investors have seen more than David Hornik. He’s Founding Partner at Lobby Capital, which he co-founded after 20 years as General Partner of the legendary VC
How He Became ‘The Student of Startups’ (Recruit Rockstars 437)
Before Disrupt & TechCrunch, there was Technori, the original startup showcase. Its Co-Founder is Scott Kitun. Based in Chicago, Technori helps promising upstart companies secure visibility & funding.
Burnt-out Attorney ➡️ Private Equity CEO (Recruit Rockstars 436)
Digital publishers in every field are trying to figure out how to best monetize their website. Kurt Donnell, CEO of Freestar, shows them the way. Combining industry-leading tech,
How to Build One of the Nation’s Fastest-Growing Companies (Recruit Rockstars 435)
He’s not just some tech CEO. Jason Schubert is CEO of inBrain.ai, ranked as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US according to the Inc5000. inBrain.ai is
How This LA Dodger Became an Inc5000 CEO (Recruit Rockstars 434)
Brian Nickerson’s story captivated me. He began his career playing on the Los Angeles Dodgers. 6 knee surgeries and 1 Harvard Business School degree later, he found himself
3 Must-Do’s to Put a Rockstar in Every Seat (Recruit Rockstars 433)
This episode rocks, because it combines 3 of the hottest themes in the venture world: Fintech + Outdoor power sports + Talent Adam Redlich is VP Talent Acquisition
How he built an Inc5000 company (Recruit Rockstars 432)
Josh Watts is Co-Founder of one of the nation’s fastest growing companies. Recently ranked as an Inc5000 company, MedTrust Medical Transport is a private EMS company providing emergent
How she makes Fintech fabulous (Recruit Rockstars 431)
Supply Chain is the topic of the day. Covid has turned it upside down & inside out. Fortunately, a wave of novel companies have come to the rescue
From Nuclear Sub Engineer to Inc5000 CEO (Recruit Rockstars 430)
Andrew Amann wasn’t always CEO & Founder of one of the nation’s fasting-growing companies. He started as a Nuclear Sub Engineer. And taught himself business. …And hiring. …And
Meet the Guru of SaaS & Leadership (Recruit Rockstars 429)
If you lead a SaaS company, you likely know Dan Martell, as the Founder & CEO of SaaS Academy. But even if you’re in a different industry, Dan
CEO with 4 Startups & 3 Exits. How he hires (Recruit Rockstars 428)
Joseph Ansanelli makes leadership look deceptively easy. Perhaps it’s because he’s done it more times than most. Or because he brings the humility to know that it’s a
The Inc5000 CEO Behind The Swag (Recruit Rockstars 427)
These days, if you’re not sending swag to your candidates & new hires, you’re missing out. I’ve been doing it for years… Books. Wine glasses. Electronics. Shirts. Anything
How He Predicts if Your Candidate Will Bomb (Recruit Rockstars 426)
If you’re like most leaders who hire, you’ve experimented with using online assessments to see if your candidates have the right stuff. You’ve probably also wondered how accurate
How She Leads 200 People… Remotely (Recruit Rockstars 425)
Tracy Tobin is Chief People Officer of Denver-based Adswerve, the leading Google Marketing Analytics & Cloud Partner. Following a 13-year career leading HR at The Integer Group, she
How She Built a Culture of Authenticity (Recruit Rockstars 424)
Ten years ago, Jilliene Helman was working in Union Bank’s wealth management group. She couldn’t help but notice that the bank’s wealthiest clients earned their fortunes in real
VC Brad Feld Gets Philosophical (Recruit Rockstars 423)
Brad Feld is one of the nation’s most prolific Venture Capital investors & business authors. He’s been investing in early-stage companies since 1995, with dozens of successes to
How This CEO Built a Unicorn Team (Recruit Rockstars 422)
Nothing lights me up more than a meaty conversation with a successful entrepreneur. I just bagged the elephant (You can thank me later.) Godard Abel is one of
How P.E. Investors Really Hire (Recruit Rockstars 421)
Private Equity is so mysterious to so many people. But it doesn’t have to be. With billions of capital sitting on the sidelines, P.E. funds are making investments
How He Went From VC to CEO (Recruit Rockstars 420)
Few people make the transition from being a Venture Capitalist to running an operating company. Even fewer do it successfully. I just met one of them. His name
How She Makes Board Meetings Un-Boring (Recruit Rockstars 419)
If you’ve never served on a Board of Directors, you may envision it as a country club day filled with palm fronds & chardonnay. The reality is that
How a Real VC Really Hires (Recruit Rockstars 418)
Venture Capital is booming. Everywhere. …Yes, even in Iowa. With $80M assets under management, Des Moines-based Next Level Ventures originally invested in early-stage Midwestern agriculture & B2B data
She’s Building The Team That’s Building Your Team’s Mental Health (Recruit Rockstars 417)
There’s nothing like a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic to instill stress, uncertainty, and fear into people’s lives. And that includes your employees. Jan Bruce is out to change that.
Have You Met Jerry? (Recruit Rockstars 416)
Car insurance isn’t exciting. Unless you’re the Silicon Valley company turning this enormous industry on its head. That’s Jerry. Thanks to machine learning, Jerry finds its customers the
When You’re Promoted to CEO (Recruit Rockstars 415)
After a successful career with Wayfair building its B2B division, Joel Stevenson had a random chance meeting with the team at another Boston-based company, Yesware. (He points out
3-Exit CEO Predicts if Cultures Will Mesh (Recruit Rockstars 414)
M&A is on fire. Which means not just combining companies, but merging cultures. And there’s where so many deals fall apart or fail to live up to expectations.
Trading Up on Talent (Recruit Rockstars 413)
Based in Chicago, Akuna Capital is an innovative derivatives-based trading firm. With a team of over 400, the firm continues to scale rapidly. Akuna’s core competency is providing
Building the Team That’s Turning Mortgages Upside-Down (Recruit Rockstars 412)
During his years leading the residential lending division of a major bank, Patrick Boyaggi closed over $11B in residential mortgages. Yet, he knew there had to be a
Scaling a Business Against the Grain (Recruit Rockstars 411)
If you’re like most people, you think that printing things on paper has gone the way of the Dodo Bird. You’re be wrong. Combined, we still print over
How & Why to Say Goodbye to Rockstar Employees (Recruit Rockstars 410)
I just interviewed one of the top Growth Capital investors around. Todd Cozzens is Managing Partner of Transformation Capital, with 30+ years of experience in the digital health
How to Build a Team That Grabs the Gold Medal (Recruit Rockstars 409)
Being on an Olympic team is a life-changing event. From what I’ve heard (You don’t wanna see me on those Rings) But there’s one thing even better. More
How a Talent-Savvy VC-Backed Company -Actually- Hires (Recruit Rockstars 408)
Just had a chance to interview Jon Stross. He’s President & Co-Founder of Greenhouse Software, the smart recruiting SaaS platform used by over 4,000 companies including Cisco, Airbnb,
Hiring Secrets of a Top Growth Equity Investor (Recruit Rockstars 407)
Scaling a company from $5M revenues to $50M to $250M isn’t just about a great product. In fact, that’s the easy part. Scaling a great team, which enables
Raise the Venture Capital. Lose the Weight (Recruit Rockstars 406)
Obesity is America’s #1 underlying health issue. Because it causes or increases the likelihood of over 100 other health conditions. Now, Isabelle Kenyon is out to change the
How a VC-Backed CEO Sleeps 9 Hours (Recruit Rockstars 405)
Food. Activity. Sleep. If you’re not doing all 3 properly, you’re far less likely to scale your business successfully. In fact, we’re getting less sleep than ever. And,
From real estate to real Venture Capital (Recruit Rockstars 404)
8 years ago, Casey Berman worked in real estate when he had an “A-Ha” moment. He began searching for tech companies to help automate the real estate workflow.
How PE-Backed CEO Rolled Up 9 Companies (Recruit Rockstars 403)
Shawn Boom, CEO of Vanco, is crystal clear about the companies’s “Why” – Serve those who enrich communities Based near Minneapolis, Vanco delivers online payment processing solutions &
This VC says “The team is the #1 factor” (Recruit Rockstars 402)
Based in Silicon Valley, Rashmi Gopinath is General Partner at B Capital Group, the global VC firm that specializes in equity investing in growth-stage companies that have achieved
How To Beat Silicon Valley In The War For Talent (Recruit Rockstars 401)
How can you beat Silicon Valley in the war for talent? (…or if you’re in Silicon Valley, how can you compete for talent with Apple, Tesla, Google, and
Great Leaders Know When Its Time to Step Aside (Recruit Rockstars 400)
You only turn 400 once. So for this special 400th episode of Recruit Rockstars Podcast, I knew you were counting on me to land a very special guest.
How She Scaled the Leading Women’s Telehealth Platform (Recruit Rockstars 399)
Treating 300,000 patients per month, NURX has rapidly become the leading Telehealth platform with a female focus. CEO Varsha Rao has led NURX to deliver remote treatment of
How Upfront VC Mark Suster Hires (Recruit Rockstars 398)
You may not know Mark Suster, Managing Partner at LA-based Upfront venture capital firm. But you know the companies in which he’s invested (…early!) They include Bevy, thredUP,
Harvard & Oxford Scientist Turns Capitalist (Recruit Rockstars 397)
I rarely meet a tech entrepreneur whose background is firmly grounded in science. Jacob Sattelmair is a public health scientist turned technologist. He’s CEO & Co-Founder of Wellframe,
Software Company Growing Like a Weed (Recruit Rockstars 396)
Spring is here…. …Which means lawn care. (Blech!) Ken Davis set out to change that. He’s CEO of TaskEasy, based in Salt Lake City. TaskEasy simplifies life by
Private Equity + Paper Towels = Profits (Recruit Rockstars 395)
I’ve long been fascinated by unique business models. And here’s one. NYC-based Public Goods is a one stop shop for healthy, sustainable, everyday essentials you can trust. They
How Fintech Hires the Best (Recruit Rockstars 394)
New consumer investment platforms are all the rage. As are women leaders in Fintech. This episode puts it all together. Maria Selvaggio is VP People at M1 Finance,
Smart Team Makes Software That Make Cities Smarter (Recruit Rockstars 393)
As businesses reopen, you should be thinking about your employees’ commutes. For their benefit, and yours. Not to mention your city’s. TransitScreen makes software that makes cities smarter
How To Recruit Generation Z (Recruit Rockstars 392)
The up & comers in Generation Z (Gen Z) are now aged 5 to 25. And you’ll soon be hiring them. But they’re unlike any people who came
Marines ➡️ McKinsey ➡️ VC-Backed Startup (Recruit Rockstars 391)
Frank Furman was destined to lead. First, as an Infantry Officer in the US Marine Corps. Then as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company And now, he’s
Already a Startup Virtuoso. At age 25 (Recruit Rockstars 390)
Nothing inspires me more than a brilliant young company founder with a huge vision. Such as Sam Walder. He’s CEO & Co-Founder of Chicago-based Trala. And he intends
This VC Doesn’t Just Invest… She Connects (Recruit Rockstars 389)
In this overheated market, it’s become relatively easy to land a Venture Capital investor. But finding one who adds real value post-investment remains tricky. I found one. Constance
How DocSend’s Founder Learned to Hire…and Fire (Recruit Rockstars 388)
After spending time at Facebook and Dropbox, Russ Heddleston saw the need for a secure document sharing platform. So he created the SaaS platform DocSend, where he’s now
The master class on how MasterClass hires (Recruit Rockstars 387)
If you’re like me, you’re always out to pick up a new skill. So, you’ve likely heard of MasterClass, one of the fastest-growing VC-backed companies around. With over
In a New York State of VC (Recruit Rockstars 386)
In case you missed it, Venture Capital is booming everywhere… not just in Silicon Valley. New York is one of those places. And Primary Venture Partners is one
How He Leads 50 Employees in 28 States (Recruit Rockstars 385)
Think your company has embraced being remote or virtual? Meet John Jahnke, CEO of Tackle.io Based in Buffalo NY, John leads a team of 50 employees located in
What Poker Teaches Us About Hiring (Recruit Rockstars 384)
How do you make your hiring decisions? If you’re like most people, you probably make a pro & con list, spend a ton of time obsessing about hires
Entrepreneur Builds an Actual Ironman (Recruit Rockstars 383)
Love the movie Ironman? Or your childhood tv show The Six Million Dollar Man? Well, I recently met an entrepreneur who’s building a futuristic technology by recruiting a
Recruit Rockstars 382: How to Lead Without Authority
You don’t become a leader just because of your job title or your location on the org chart. (And even if you do have the Chief title, you
Recruit Rockstars 381: Started 12 companies ➡️ Acquired 35 more
Start a company. Raise funding. Purchase an add-on company. Go public or sell it. These are no small feat. But fruitless, unless you also build a Rockstar team.
Recruit Rockstars 380: Grow Your Company Faster by Experimenting More
Small experiments often lead to ginormous breakthroughs for your business. Including revenue increases. So, why do most of us get stuck in a rut? I wanted to find
Recruit Rockstars 379: Ready to Ride the Gazelle?
CEO’s often ask my favorite book. Right near the top of the list is “Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t” by Verne
Recruit Rockstars 378: From Car Wash to VC-Backed CEO
Great tech startup ideas can come from anywhere. This one came from the waiting room of a high-end car wash. Following a successful career in sales with med
Recruit Rockstars 377: How a Chicago Attorney Founded a VC-Backed Rocketship
You don’t find many attorneys running VC-backed tech startups. But here’s one. Jacob Babcock is Founder & CEO of NuCurrent, which recently raised another $11M. With over 100
Recruit Rockstars 376: Unicorn Founder Shares His 2021 Talent Strategy
Even if you don’t live in his hometown of Chicago, you should know Chris Gladwin. Because he’s a 6-time Founder… including at least one Unicorn. Chris is CEO
Recruit Rockstars 375: How to Change Your Luck in 2021
Your luck is about to change. And after 2020, we could all use some of that. But it doesn’t just happen… You need to make it happen. Even
Recruit Rockstars 374: The Nicest VC-Backed Tech CEO?
Humble. Soft-spoken. Not your typical tech CEO. That’s Mike Gamson, CEO of Relativity and one of Chicago’s most seasoned tech executives & investors. Relativity’s software helps users organize
Recruit Rockstars Podcast Episode 373: How He’s Scaling the Team 6x in One Year
Talk about a rocketship… Fishtown Analytics, named for Philly’s hip namesake neighborhood, started this year with 16 employees. Next year, it’ll have over 100. I wanted to find
Recruit Rockstars 372: He Raised $35M VC so that You Can Hire Remotely
Here’s the perfectly-named & ideally-timed company of 2020: Remote. Its CEO & Co-Founder, Job van der Voort, is based in Portugal. And he just raised $35M in Venture
Recruit Rockstars 371: His Software Might be the Most Important You’ll Ever Own
Hopefully you haven’t had to deal with it. I’m talking about employee ethics breaches. Not fun. But unfortunately, one day you will. So I tracked down J Rollins,
Recruit Rockstars 370: The Joy of Leading a Distributed Team
During 2020, the majority of companies began working remotely or virtually. But Evan Walden, CEO of Getro, was one step ahead. Because he’s been doing it since before
Recruit Rockstars 369: Startups Needn’t be a Grind
Startup Grind is the legendary community of 600 Chapters in 125 countries that educates, inspires, and connects entrepreneurs. Since 2012, it has hosted 10,000 events for over 250,000
Recruit Rockstars 368: This VC-Backed CEO Saves You From Ransomware
When Joshua Motta’s dentist was attacked by ransomware, demanding $200K to open the files, he found it was cheaper to just shut his practice & retire. Sad. So
Recruit Rockstars 366: 2-Time VC-Backed CEO Does It Again
Few things are as painful as the home buying process. And in particular, the closing day. Max Simkoff started States Title in 2016 after personally experiencing the friction
Recruit Rockstars 365: How to be the Ninja Sales Leader of Your Industry
Few industries are more competitive & commoditized than real estate. If you can succeed in Sales there, you’ve got something. Larry Kendall’s got something. He is one of
Recruit Rockstars 364: How His VC-Backed Team Made Drug Development Faster
When creating new drugs, it’s often difficult to find enough patients for clinical trials. And that limits the number of trials you can run. Which slows down drug
Recruit Rockstars 363: The Future is Faster Than You Think
Your company can’t operate at peak performance until you do. But how? Steven Kotler is one of the world’s leading experts on human performance. He’s a New York
Recruit Rockstars 362: How a VC-Backed CEO ‘Moved’ a $40B Industry
Industries don’t come much larger than self-storage. It’s $40 billion a year. And disruptors don’t come much more determined than Rahul Gandhi, CEO & Co-Founder of MakeSpace. Based
Recruit Rockstars 361: Are you doing Agile right?
Sad but true. Bain & Company rejected my application to join the firm… twice. But I’m still a fan. They hire one Rockstar after another. And I just
Recruit Rockstars 360: Covid Hurts. How this VC-backed CEO Helps.
It’s been a rough year. As the pandemic grows, so have all sorts of unhealthy behaviors… including alcohol abuse. Fortunately, there’s Mike Russell. Mike is Co-Founder & CEO
Recruit Rockstars 359: From Blowing Glass to Square Co-Founder & Billionaire
Jim McKelvey had trouble selling a $2,000 art piece from his glassblowing studio. So (what else?) he co-founded the now-legendary payments firm Square with Jack Dorsey. Jim remains
Recruit Rockstars 358: How to Size People Up for Your Company
Sizing people up is hard. It takes getting under their skin to see what makes them tick. And deciding whether they’d be a good match with your company’s
Recruit Rockstars 357: A Top Private Equity Firm’s Secret Weapon
When a leading Private Equity firm has 50 portfolio companies & 100 consolidating acquisitions, continuing to attract the best talent is crucial. Period. So, Boston-based Great Hill Partners
Recruit Rockstars 356: How to Tackle Your Bottomless To-Do List
Do you have a To-Do List a mile long of all the things you need to accomplish for your business? Some days, I look at mine & feel
Recruit Rockstars 355: Yes, You’re a Genius (…But What Type?)
Long before he became legendary business speaker & bestselling author, Pat Lencioni was my executive coach. It was late 90’s in Silicon Valley. I was building my first
Recruit Rockstars 354: How the Pandemic Set this Healthcare Company on Fire
Amongst other things, 2020 has been the year of Telemedicine. And Heal is proof … With a twist. The LA-based company provides house call doctors for grownups &
Recruit Rockstars 353: Why Intelligence is Highly Overrated in Hiring
Raw intelligence is one of the most highly-overrated qualities in hiring. I’m not going to tell you that high IQ doesn’t help in business. But without EQ, or
Recruit Rockstars 352: How to Turn Around a Sinking Ship
Want to empower your team to make better decisions & take greater ownership? Tired of micromanaging & babysitting them? Former US Navy Captain David Marquet is the author
Recruit Rockstars 351: How a Data-Driven CEO Scaled His Team
Companies have more data than they know what to do with. Kendall Clark, Founder & CEO of Stardog, helps them do something with it. Based in DC, his
Recruit Rockstars 350: Telemedicine is Alive & Well (…And His New IPO Proves It)
It took me a long time to finally book this guest. And it was worth the wait. Dr Roy Schoenberg is Co-Founder and CEO of Amwell, the transformative
Recruit Rockstars 349: Growing the VC-Backed Team That’s Growing Crops Faster
In case you missed it, breakthrough discoveries about plant & environmental interactions have led to cutting-edge tools that tackle some of today’s biggest agriculture challenges. Which means opportunity
Recruit Rockstars 348: How He Scaled from $0 to $100M SaaS Without VC or PE Funding
You may not know the name Russell Brunson. But you know his brainchild, the company ClickFunnels. Anyone who says you can’t build a $100M SaaS business in Boise
Recruit Rockstars 347: She’s Not Bluffing
You can’t master your business until you first master your mindset. My first mentor taught me that. And I was reminded of it again during my interview with
Recruit Rockstars 346: What Happened When Facebook Bought Instagram For a Billion
You’ve probably seen Sarah Frier, since she’s been an award-winning tech reporter with Bloomberg News for 9 years. But have you read her thrilling new book “No Filter”
Recruit Rockstars 345: 2 Founders + 2 Continents = 1 Booming eCommerce Biz
This episode is guaranteed to help you sleep more soundly. Because ettitude (with offices in LA & Melbourne) is selling so much of its bamboo-based bedding, it’s landed
Recruit Rockstars 344: Why Hiring Sales Reps Can Make You Weep
If ever there was a role that’s a nightmare to hire, it’s the Rockstar salesperson. Most companies try. But fail. And for good reason. Salespeople are good talkers.
Recruit Rockstars 343: What You Can Steal From Amazon's Culture
At Amazon, “Day One” is code for inventing like a startup, with little regard for legacy. Day Two is, in Jeff Bezos’s own words, “stasis, followed by irrelevance,
Recruit Rockstars 342: Why VC's Drilled Into the Dental Market
Last year, the SaaS company Curemint was just 1 person in Los Angeles. Now, it’s 15 people in Durham North Carolina. Brandon McCarty is its CEO & Co-Founder.
Recruit Rockstars 341: How the Pandemic Forever Changed Career Paths
Clearly, there’s a movement afoot. The more companies announce they’re going virtual/remote, the more it doesn’t matter where you live. So, companies can now hire the best talent
Recruit Rockstars 340: CEO Turns His Industry Upside-Down
There’s a whole new way to increase your customers’ loyalty, and it’s called product protection. You know what this is. When you check out at Apple, they offer
Recruit Rockstars 339: He Leads the First Data-Driven Winery
Geoff McFarlane is turning the $72B wine industry upside-down. He’s CEO of Winc Wines, which he co-founded 8 years ago. Now, annual revenues exceed $40M Geoff spent years
Recruit Rockstars 338: Scaling a VC-Backed Company in the Windy City
Founded in 2013, Raise changed the way the gift card marketplace worked, with a goal to help others give themselves a raise. Based in Chicago, Raise has partnerships
Recruit Rockstars 337: Meet the first Anti-VC
You’ve likely met some Venture Capitalists. But you haven’t met the Anti-VC. He’s Sammy Abdullah, who heads Dallas-based Blossom Street Ventures. He considers himself the ‘Anti-VC’ because he
Recruit Rockstars 336: Investor in 120 Startups Spills His People Secrets
Hiten Shah has built a reputation as one of the nicest guys in tech. But don’t be mistaken. He’s competitive, successful, and insightful. You may not know Hiten,
Recruit Rockstars 335: From VC-Backed to Acquired in 5 Years
In just 5 years, Mike Schneider co-founded, funded, and sold First to the mega-real estate player ReMax. In this 20 minute conversation, he reveals how. Plus, how he
Recruit Rockstars 334: Veteran CEO Rides Private Equity Rocketship
Ralph Dangelmaier has seen this movie before. He’s CEO of fast-growing BlueSnap, the Inc5000 ranked company based in Waltham MA. And he’s done it before. So he’s successfully
Recruit Rockstars 333: How She Lands Rockstars for a Top VC Fund
It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to find & land top talent for a Venture Capital fund than Amanda Mulay. She leads Talent Management for Lerer Hippeau,
Recruit Rockstars 332: New VC Investor Shares His Secrets
Just last week, Zach Coelius successfully announced his first Venture Capital fund, Coelius Capital with $45 million in new assets. Based in San Francisco, Zach has been an
Recruit Rockstars 331: 3-Time CEO Rides Another Rocket Ship
If you’re not outsourcing your company’s IT, you soon may be. Ryan Denehy, CEO & Founder of Electric AI, is on a mission to make that possible. He’s
Recruit Rockstars 330: Raining Cats & Dogs in Private Equity
Half of us have a cat and/or dog (including my Winnie, the adorable Morkiepoo.) And even if you’re not a pet parent, you know that we spend a
Recruit Rockstars 329: 2,600-Mile Hike Prepared Her to Become C.O.O.
Emma Stubbs is a Rockstar. After graduating from Harvard in Neurobiology, she decided to take a hike. Literally. Covering 2,600 miles from Mexico to Canada. Then, she joined
Recruit Rockstars 328: How SpaceX & Lyft Took Off With The Right Talent
You may not be familiar with the venture capital firm M13. But you sure know their success stories… M13’s portfolio includes Pinterest, SpaceX, Lyft, and FanDuel. In fact,
Recruit Rockstars 327: How a Top VC Hires the Right Executive at the Right Time
When it comes to talent at Venture Capital firms, they don’t come more seasoned than Tylee Holden. She leads the people part of the business at BOND. Spun
Recruit Rockstars 326: The CEO Who Does Just One Thing
Dennis Mortensen is Founder & CEO of x.ai, the company that does just one thing. They help you schedule meetings (without the phone tag & without the email
Recruit Rockstars 325: How She Scaled From 9 Employees to 90
Brad’s Deals is a huge tech success story in Chicago. The site helps millions of shoppers save money by curating the best deals from 4,000 retailers & expert
Recruit Rockstars 324: She's a Hustler in Venture Capital
Elizabeth Yin is General Partner of Hustle Fund. It’s a pre-seed VC fund that invests at the earliest stage – typically in a founding team with a beta
Recruit Rockstars 323: How a Hacker, Hustler, and Hipster Joined Forces to Build a Red-Hot Startup
Steven Galanis is CEO & Co-Founder of Chicago-based Cameo. (It’s red-hot.) He’s convinced that a winning startup founding team consists of a Hacker, a Hustler, and a Hipster.
Strong Suit 322: 22 Million Hidden Candidates You're Missing
In the war for talent, you need to turn over every stone. And here’s one you’re likely missing? Veterans. There are 22 million veterans in the US, and
Recruit Rockstars 321: Unlocking Human Potential & Health
There’s perhaps never been a better time for a fast-growing startup focused on unlocking human health & performance. It’s called Whoop. And I just had a chance to
Recruit Rockstars 320: How Top PE-backed Manufacturing Companies Manufacture Great Cultures
You might not think that St. Louis is a hotbed for Private Equity. You’d be wrong. I tracked down Stacy Schlenk. She heads up talent acquisition & onboarding
Recruit Rockstars 319: The Private Scoop on how Private Equity hires
When it comes to P.E., there’s likely no better than Thoma Bravo. The firm has a 40-year history, $35 billion in investor commitments, and invests in software &
Recruit Rockstars 318: How a Top Family Office Recruits a Rockstar Every Time
Josh Salyer is VP People Operations of Wasson Enterprise, one of the nation’s highest-profile family offices. Wasson is the brainchild of Kim & Greg Wasson (in 35 years,
Recruit Rockstars 317: How She Nailed a 4.8 Glassdoor Rating
I rarely see Glassdoor ratings this high. And it’s vital, because Glassdoor is now the very first place that your prospective candidates look. Katy Shields is VP People
Recruit Rockstars 316: Top VC Shares the #1 Most Important Thing
I just met a VC. During our conversation, he said “The lifeblood of any great company is great people. Being able to recruit & retain them is the
Recruit Rockstars 315: How to Hire in Silicon Valley (Ground Zero of The War for Talent)
How does a legendary Silicon Valley VC fund land the best talent? I wanted to find out. So I just met with Atli Thorkelsson. He’s Director of Executive
Recruit Rockstars 314: Leading VC Reveals How Your Employees Want to Work
Roy Bahat has seen the future. The future of work. Because he’s head of Bloomberg Beta, the $200M Venture Capital fund based in SF and NYC. Backed by
Recruit Rockstars 313: How To Compete With Google & Facebook & Apple For The Best Talent
You may not realize it. But you’re competing for the best talent with the best companies in the world. Yet, it IS possible. Because you can offer things
Recruit Rockstars 312: How the Leading VC in Pacific NW Grabs the Best Talent
I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. Just interviewed Shannon Anderson. She is Director of Talent with the legendary VC firm Madrona Venture Group. Based
Recruit Rockstars 311: 3-Time Founder Turns VC
David Waxman didn’t start a company. He started three. And not just any companies. After graduating with a masters degree from MIT’s Media Lab in 1995, David Co-Founded
Recruit Rockstars 310: How Growth-Stage Consumer Businesses Find & Land Talent
Kelsey Lawrie is VP Talent Operations at ’87 ’87 was born out of Chicago-based Sterling Partners, the multi-billion Private Equity fund founded in 1987. It invests in &
Recruit Rockstars 309: Selling Without Selling Out (Sell Your Business Without Selling Your Soul)
Sunny Vanderbeck knows a thing or two about selling companies. Sunny is Managing Partner of Satori Capital, a very different kind of Private Equity firm, based in Dallas.
Recruit Rockstars 308: Venture Capital Gems of the Mid-Continent
You probably know about Silicon Valley startups. And Manhattan’s tech chops. But have you seen the new companies that are cooking up in the Midwest? Or, as Ira
Recruit Rockstars 307: After 125 Combat Missions in Baghdad, He Makes Hiring Look Easy
Few talent experts are as impressive than Andy Caine of Frazier Healthcare Partners, the $4.2 billion growth & venture capital investor in over 170 companies. Andy works closely
Recruit Rockstars 306: How Smart PE’s Get Their Hands on the Top Talent
The smartest Private Equity investors have added whip-smart heads of Talent to their in-house teams. Because investing is one thing… But attracting Rockstar teams to do something with
Recruit Rockstars 305: The Yummiest VC Portfolio Company I've Seen
…And you think that your business is complex? Meet Luke Saunders, CEO & Founder of Farmer’s Fridge. His ambitious venture combines custom hardware, software, food prep, distribution, and
Recruit Rockstars 304: Private Equity & Talent…How It Really Works
I just had to good fortune to interview Emily Azevedo. She’s Vice President of Talent of the prominent growth capital firm Mainsail Partners. Based in San Francisco, Mainsail
Recruit Rockstars 303: How to Manage Hypergrowth (You should be so lucky.)
Here’s the CEO of one of the fastest-growing food companies I’ve ever seen! Mike Pytlinski is CEO of Nutridried, makers of Moon Cheese. I love this snack! (And
Recruit Rockstars 302: If The Recruiting Search Isn't Retained or Contingency, What is it?
Time is everything in recruiting. (You can’t fill the seat fast enough.) Yet, most recruiters don’t charge on a time-based basis. They’re either contingency or retained. Why is
Recruit Rockstars 301: It Doesn't Have To Be Crazy At Work
I’m confident enough to admit that I’m a fanboy of Jason Fried. He’s CEO & Co-Founder of Chicago-based Basecamp. They make the original & leading project management tool.
Recruit Rockstars 300: Marcus Buckingham Reveals the Lies About Work
For the milestone 300th episode of Recruit Rockstars Podcast, I wanted to bring you a milestone guest. I mean … Milestone With months of persistence, I finally persuaded
Recruit Rockstars 299: How A Leading PE-Backed CEO Scaled His Team
Imagine running a company. With employees who handle dangerous chemicals. And being required to keep track of 15 million (!) different files to describe how to handle each
Recruit Rockstars 298: How This Early-Stage VC Spots Talent
Based in Menlo Park, Unusual Ventures invests in Seed & Series A startups. Their focus in enterprise & consumer tech. Unusual has an ‘unusual’ secret weapon. His name
Recruit Rockstars 297: How This CEO Successfully Took Maternity Leave
Did you know that $300 of supplies are wasted & thrown away during a typical surgery? Not to mention the occasional instrument that’s accidentally left inside the body
Recruit Rockstars 296: Are You Open? Honest? Direct?
Think you’re open, honest, and direct with your team? If you’re like most leaders, you could do better. Far better. So I sought out an expert on the
Recruit Rockstars 295: He Teaches Recruiters How To Recruit
David Patterson is known as ‘The SAP Recruiter.’ That’s The with a capital T. That’s what he does. That’s all he does. And he’s exceptional at it. As
Recruit Rockstars 294: Recruiting Sucks (But it doesn't have to)
Steve Lowisz is an authority on talent, personal development, and business leadership. And the author of the fascinating new book, Recruiting Sucks (But It Doesn’t Have To) Best
Recruit Rockstars 293: Legendary CEO Reveals How to Build a Legendary Culture
I’ve been looking forward to this interview for ages. It’s with a business icon & one of my personal heroes. Horst Schultze may not be a household name.
Recruit Rockstars 292: Blitzscaling Your Team
I just had the privilege of interviewing Chris Yeh. Along with Reid Hoffman, he’s the co-author of Blitzscaling, the book that explains how to build world-changing companies like
Recruit Rockstars 291: How To Have Your Industry's Best Job Descriptions
I have bad news. If you’re trying to hire top-performers, your company’s written job descriptions probably aren’t getting the job done. They may be keeping away the best
Recruit Rockstars 290: How a VC-Backed CEO Cooked Up a Winning Culture
Did you know that most kitchens are unprofitable? Nick Anastasiades is out to change that. He’s Co-Founder & CEO of 2ndKitchen. Based in Chicago, the company links any
Recruit Rockstars 289: How a Hypergrowth CEO Interviews & Assesses Candidates
Every wonder how you see ads online that are so targeted to your desires, it’s like they read your mind? Well, Target Data makes it possible. This 40-person
Recruit Rockstars 288: Keep The Passion As You Scale
Jett McCandless is Founder/CEO of Project 44, the most comprehensive global supply chain visibility platform. If you buy anything, you’re touched by P44. Because it’s used by
Recruit Rockstars 287: How To Build a Distributed Culture
How do PE-backed firms successfully execute a rollup strategy? Here’s one that’s doing it. Marquee Dental Partners, based in Nashville, has done 14 acquisitions so far. And somehow,
Recruit Rockstars 286: Building One Culture (In Many Time Zones)
Think it’s challenging to build a remarkable company culture? Try doing it across 12 offices. And 300 people. That’s what David Rodnitzky has done. Headquartered in Silicon Valley
Recruit Rockstars 285: Maximize Employee Performance With Minimal Hassle
Jessica Carrol has some very progressive ideas on performance management. Based in LA, she’s VP People at Signal Sciences which protects websites & apps by blocking malicious traffic.
Recruit Rockstars 284: How to Scale a CBD Company
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that CBD is the hottest thing in health & wellness. One of the pioneering companies is Sera Labs, based
Recruit Rockstars 283: Building The Team That's Building API Heaven
If your team develops software, you know that building API’s are the key to pretty much everything. But they get cluttered & messy. So Adam Leventhal decided to
Strong Suit 282: Lighting Up The Cannabis Job Market
Four years ago, Karson Humiston had a vision. And now she’s Founder & CEO of Denver-based Vangst. It’s the recruiting platform created exclusively for the cannabis industry.
Strong Suit 281: Combining Fulltime & Parttime Employees
Can an old dog learn new tricks? Erick Eidus is betting they can. He’s CEO of PupPod, which he founded 4 years ago. Based in Kirkland Washington, they’ve
Strong Suit 280: How To Master Your Next Career Move
Your next professional transition could make or break your career. Are you prepared? My guest is Michael Watkins, author of Master Your Next Move. He also wrote the
Strong Suit 279: Talent Lessons From A Legendary Silicon Valley CEO
Scaling a hypergrowth Silicon Valley is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Or in Evan Kaplan’s case, 3 times in a lifetime. And I was curious to learn how he does
Strong Suit 278: Changed Your Business Model? Change Your Talent Strategy.
Change is constant these days. But when you change your business model, how does your recruiting strategy need to change? Russell Jones found out. He’s CEO & Co-Founder
Strong Suit 277: How to Build A Remote Team (Without The Heartburn)
Thinking about building a remote or virtual team? Thejo Kote can help. He’s Founder & CEO of Airbase. Based in San Francisco, Airbase is on a mission to
Strong Suit 276: Recruiting Isn’t Rocket Science. (Except In This Case.)
You think you have your hands full with hiring? Sales Reps? Financial Analyst? Try hiring actual rocket scientists & data experts. That’s what David Godwin and his leadership
Strong Suit 275: Secrets From a Retained Executive Recruiter
25 years in executive search will teach you a thing or two about hiring. And in today’s podcast episode, Bernie Layton teaches us about how to do it
Strong Suit 274: How a SF Tech Legend Learned How To Hire
If you work in tech in San Francisco…and even if you don’t…you know Auren Hoffman. He’s been starting – and growing – and selling companies since his junior
Strong Suit 273: How To Win The Hearts & Minds Of Your Employees
Do you remember the Blue Shirts? This army of well-trained, huge-smiling, sales staff at Best Buy built the company to what it is today. Yes, they’ve been Amazon-ed
Strong Suit 272: How To Land The Candidates You Really, Really Want
If you don’t know the name Abakar Saidov, you soon will. Because he may have cracked the code on how to build a relationship with the candidates you
Recruit Rockstars 271: How To Hire The Best Software Developers
There’s potentially no harder hiring task these days than landing Rockstar software developers. So, I wanted to find an expert at it. Someone who has a dramatically different
Strong Suit 269: To Keep Your Best Employees, Prepare Them To Leave
Let’s get real. For your business to succeed, you need a team of happy & productive employees. Which means you need to keep your best people. Otherwise, you’ll
Strong Suit 268: How He Built It From 1 Employee to 4,500 (And Fixed My Ankle)
In 1991, Mark Kaufman started as a physical therapist. 28 years later, he’s built Athletico into the dominant force in physical therapy. Based in Chicago, Athletico now has
Strong Suit 266: How To Master The 'WOW!' Job Interview
Rachel Ohlsson is a Rockstar who recruits Rockstars. Easier said than done. As Manager of Talent for Chicago-based Oak Street Health, the fast-growing group of primary care centers
Strong Suit 265: VC Brad Feld Builds a Healthy Relationship & a Healthy Business
Happy Valentine’s Day! Can you build a durable company & a successful relationship at the same time? Some days, it seems like an unlikely balancing act. One of
Strong Suit 264: Why You Need To Take A Big Number Two
One of the most unique roles you may think about adding to your company is the COO Chief Operating Officer. Often known as the “right hand” or “number
Strong Suit 263 Rantings Of A Recruiting Madman
James Ellis has become one of the gurus of recruiting properly. Between the two of us, we’ve seen 40 years of recruiting mistakes. And pulled out most of
Strong Suit 262: How To Engage Your People Before Its Too Late
Jason Lauritsen is one of my all-time favorite experts on employee engagement. He’s incredibly insightful. Which we need, because employees are more disengaged than ever. I’ve featured him
Strong Suit 261: How To Use Google To Hire Your Next Rockstar
In case you missed it, Google For Jobs launched in 2018 and is quickly shaking up the way your candidates look for jobs. In fact, 73% of all
Strong Suit 260: How To Rid Your Company Of Lousy Managers
You have one key job. And that’s to ensure that you’re creating a wonderful place to work. Because that’s the only thing that’s going to attract top-performers. Unfortunately,
Strong Suit 259: The Guru of Finding Candidates Reveals What Works Today
Shally Steckerl is often credited with being one of the founders of the Talent Sourcing specialization within Recruitment and HR. A globally recognized recruiting thought leader, over the
Strong Suit 258: You Need Serious Help. (And She Can Find It For You.)
Admins, Executive Assistants, Chiefs of Staff, EA’s … call them what you want. The assistant is the bedrock of any company. And they can make your life far
Strong Suit 257: 30 Employees to 300 in 2 Years? How He Manages Hypergrowth.
Jason VandeBoom is CEO of ActiveCampaign, a privately-held leader in email marketing automation. (I’m a raving fan because I use it to stay in touch with my customers.)
Strong Suit 256: Mind The Gap (How to decide if you should hire the candidate or keep looking)
In a 3.7% unemployment market, you’re lucky to find an amazing candidate. But once you find them, do you extend the offer? Or do you keep looking? Jason
Strong Suit 255: Don't Bother Hiring Until You Fix Your Lousy Employee Experience
Autumn Manning is co-founder and CEO of YouEarnedIt, a leading HR SaaS company that improves bottom-line performance metrics by enhancing the employee experience. Based in Austin, she has
Strong Suit 254: When It Comes To Recruiting, Are You LinkedIn or LinkedOut?
Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that LinkedIn is where you’re most likely to find your next job. But it’s also where you’re likely to find
Strong Suit 253: A New Twist on Executive Recruiting
Did you know that 80% of job opportunities at $100,000+ filled every month aren’t advertised? Despite the internet, it’s still a highly inefficient & hidden market. Joe Meyer,
Strong Suit 252: In Palo Alto And Beijing, The World Is Her Oyster
Following a successful career at Google Japan, Renee Wong left to start Castbox 3 years ago. It’s an award-winning global podcast platform that enables anyone to easily find,
Strong Suit 251: 40% of New Leaders Fail (& How To Cut It To 5%)
Every day, people move into new roles but things don’t work quite right. In fact, 40% of them bomb. That’s why George Bradt started PrimeGenesis in 2002. Following
Strong Suit 250: Teens Take Over The Podcast. It's Madness!
When I created Strong Suit Podcast to help people learn how to hire smarter, I didn’t know if I’d make it to episode 25. And here we are
Strong Suit 249: Half of new hires don't work out. Here's why.
Let’s be frank. There are so many places where people botch up the recruiting process. They’re non-compelling. Misleading. And sloppy. And then they wonder why Half of their
Strong Suit 248: Recruiting Developers in Silicon Valley These Days? Good Luck With That.
Brianna Rooney has been a technical recruiter for most of her career. 10 years ago, she founded Techees, which recruits software engineers, data scientists, and similar folks in
Strong Suit 247: If The Job Fits, Take It.
Jamie Schneiderman is CEO of Toronto-based Career Spark. After earning his MBA at Harvard, Jamie found himself obsessed with how to find a better match between employers &
Strong Suit 246: The Truth About Building a Winning Salesforce
It takes a lot to convince a successful entrepreneur to trade in their “Founder/CEO” title for employee status. You know that must be one pretty special organization. Following
Strong Suit 245: His Near-Death Experience Breathes New Life Into Your Hiring
Alex Salkever is a confessed former tech addict who had a near-death experience texting while driving. That event got him fascinated by the topic of how tech affects
Strong Suit 244: This Team is Cracking the Code on Targeting Customers
Precision targeting… Imagine if you had a map that showed you where your target customers actually made their decisions to buy. Christopher “Toph” Day is Co-Founder & CEO
Strong Suit 243: Turns Out You Can Attract A Rockstar Team Without Venture Funding
It’s not every day you met an entrepreneur who bootstrapped a company to $13 million revenues and 130 employees. I just met one. Tyson Quick started Instapage. And
Strong Suit 242: For This Entrepreneur, The 5th Time Is The Charm
As Denver suffered in its third year of drought, Chris Klein saw an opportunity. So he co-founded Rachio, where today he’s CEO, leading 60 employees. Rachio is the
Strong Suit 241: How She Built The Team That Makes Sweet Healthy
Malvika Jethmalani has never backed down from a challenge. So when she joined a turnaround CPG company 2 years ago, she was ready. As VP of Human Resources
Strong Suit 240: Who Says Startups Can't Save Lives?
His grandmother in Barbados was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Which inspired Gil Addo to start a company. So, in 2013, RubiconMD was born. It’s goal is to
Strong Suit 239: How The Heck Do You Hire For Hypergrowth?
Jett McCandless is CEO & Co-Founder of project44, one of Chicago’s fastest-growing companies. Launched in 2014, project44’s technology provides companies with increased visibility into their supply chain. In
Strong Suit 238: The Harsh Realities of Recruiting Rockstar Talent in Today's Silicon Valley
Sahil Sahni is doing the impossible. After leaving McKinsey & Company and Techstars, he’s co-founded a fast-growing AI company. And against the odds, he’s recruiting top-talent in Silicon
Strong Suit 237: How This Chicago Entrepreneur is Drinking Up Success
Following a successful career in investment banking, and an MBA at Chicago Booth GSB, Ryan Crane developed a thirst for entrepreneurship. Now, he’s CEO of Tempo Tea, the
Strong Suit 236: If You Are Your Projects, Then She Is Your Hero
Legendary business author Tom Peters once said that “you are your projects.” Natalie Steck is on a mission to help you manage those projects far more easily. She
Strong Suit 235: Hiring a Team to Hunt Down Human Behavior
Michael Winnick & his team at dscout have a passion for understanding what makes people tick. So, they created a research tool that captures thoughts, reactions, and behaviors in
Strong Suit 234: What the Biggest Crowdfunding Campaign in History Can Teach You About Recruiting
Imagine if printing a wallet (or a lamp, or a birthday card, or a sushi wrap) was just as easy as printing a résumé. That’s the vision of
Strong Suit 233: How a Smart CEO Built the Team That's Locking Up a Growth Category
Nolan Mondrow is CEO of LockState. 12 years in the making, his persistence is paying off. Based in Denver, LockState is at the heart of the Internet of
Strong Suit 232: VC Turns CEO Turns Industry Upside Down
Matt McCambridge is a VC turned CEO. He founded Eden Health 3 years ago to elevate the health & wellbeing of employees everywhere Based in NYC, it’s a
Strong Suit 231: Here's the Startup Nursery That's Blossoming in Ohio
If you don’t think Ohio’s a place for startups… Or if you don’t know what a startup nursery is… Then this episode is for you. Flavio Lobato &
Strong Suit 230: How 1 Man At 1 Company For 35 Years Helped Build A Sandwich Empire
How does a company that started as a simple New Jersey mom & pop storefront in 1956 build a national cult following, willing to travel miles for a
Strong Suit 229: Who Said Startups Don't Save Lives?
After working in the medical transportation field for 10 years, Mark Switaj saw a glaring need & decided to do something about it. So he started RoundTrip. Based
Strong Suit 228: How Her Team Delivers Custom-Made Shoes In A Month
Sandra Gault is CEO & Founder at True Gault, the high-tech fashion company. Using super-cool technologies, True Gault delivers custom-made women’s designer dress shoes in 4 weeks. Based
Strong Suit 227: How This CEO Tamed The Hiring Circus
Stephen George is CEO of Surkus, based in West Hollywood. And he took an unusual path. Starting as an investor in Surkus, he then joined full-time as Chief
Strong Suit 226: Raise VC, Click Start, Meet With Your Concierge Physician
Guy Friedman was fed up with waiting to see his physician. So, he set out to reimagine the process. He started the company SteadyMD, based in St. Louis,
Strong Suit 225: His Team Serves Wine By The Glass – Automatically!
If you’re tired of your opened wine bottles going bad – and you’re tired of hiring B-Players – this interview is for you. David Koretz is the Founder
Strong Suit 224: What Do Wines & Drones Have In Common?
We have Brendan Carroll to thank, for safeguarding our nation’s crops of grapes that become wine. He’s President & CEO of Skycision, which offers a solution to the
Strong Suit 223: The Real Reasons That Employees Quit (& It’s Not Money)
If you’re not worried about your top-performing employees leaving you, I’ve got bad news: 42 million employees will leave their jobs in 2018. While we’re at a record-low
Strong Suit 222: Public Company CEO Reveals How To Create A Hyper-Growth Team
If you’re not using Smartsheet, you likely soon will. They have 75,000 customers. It’s probably the simplest way to let your team collaborate online. Based in Seattle (where
Strong Suit 221: Here's The First Step To Have Rockstar Meetings At Your Company
If you’re tired of the hassle with scheduling meetings, this episode is for you. My guest is Maran Nelson. She’s Co-Founder & CEO of Clara Labs, based in
Strong Suit 220: How This VC-Backed Entrepreneur Cooked Up A Rockstar Team
It’s one thing to come up with a super-cool new product idea. It’s entirely another to raise millions in venture capital funding, handpick a bunch of top-performers, build
Strong Suit 219: How Do You Really Build An 'A' Team?
Unless this is your first time listening to the show, you know that today’s topic is my obsession. Building an “A” team isn’t a thing. It’s the Only
Strong Suit 218: What Does It Take To Scale A Startup?
After spending 10 years working in paid search, Jordan Meyer decided it was time to strike out on his own. He had no idea that Granular would become
Strong Suit 217: The Real Roadblocks That Keep You From Scaling
If your business has 10 to 100 employees, and you’re on a growth trajectory, some days it feels like you’re jumping one hurdle after another. But the most
Strong Suit 216: Rockstars want to work for Rockstars, so build your personal brand
If you hope to have even a prayer of recruiting Rockstars, you’d better be one yourself. Because they won’t consider for working for someone they can’t learn from,
Strong Suit 215: Leading VC Reveals What The Best CEO’s Do
It may seem like a silly question: What does a CEO do? More specifically, what do the Best CEO’s do? How do they spend their days? It’s so
Strong Suit 214: Startups Pivot, But People Pivot Too
You know that early-stage companies pivot, in search of that elusive product/market fit. Looking for a business model that works. But do you know that – equally important
Strong Suit 213: Your Business Is Scaling. Will Your Talent Strategy Keep Up?
I’ve seen this movie before. The business ramps from 2 Founders to 10 employees, then to 100, then 1000. The American dream. But the talent strategy hasn’t evolved.
Strong Suit 212: Do the Best Managers ‘Hug & Kick’ Their Staff?
Legendary CEO Jack Welch of General Electric said Yes. He simply meant that – to get the most out of your team – sometimes you need to praise
Strong Suit 211: If You're Serious About Recruiting More Rockstar Women, She Knows How
The MeToo movement is barely 12 months old, yet companies finally(!) seem to serious about recruiting more Rockstar women. It’s time to improve the gender balance at your
Strong Suit 210: Do Nice Guys Really Finish First? This One Did.
After you bust your hump to recruit Rockstars to your company, how do you get the most out of them? Start by building a relationship with them. I
Strong Suit 209: How a Rockstar Went From Entrepreneur to Intrepreneur
Not many people are successful at starting & building companies, and also building new initiatives within a larger company (…or in this case, one of the largest). But
Strong Suit 208: Some Guests Need No Intro. This Is One Of Them
I’ll be honest. I was shaking in my boots for this podcast interview. How often do we get to interview our business idol? Tom Peters’ first book “In
Strong Suit 207: Unforgettable Recruiting Lessons from Down Under
The war for talent has gone global. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to recruit Rockstars, now you’re competing for talent with companies across the world, not
Strong Suit 206: Finally, There's Couples Therapy for Startup Co-Founders
How can Co-Founders start & grow a business without killing each other? You may know that 66% of early-stage companies fail due to people problems. And the #1
Strong Suit 205: This 5-Time Founder Interviews & Onboards in Hypergrowth Mode
You should be so lucky to have David Cancel’s problems. He’s founded 5 companies. His current one, Boston-based Drift, continues to double year after year. Drift gives you
Strong Suit 204: Drink From The Holy Grail of Recruiting
If I had one quarter, and I had to place it on the betting table when it comes to recruiting… I’d place it on Referrals every single time.
Strong Suit 203: Make Your CEO An Influencer And Attract More Rockstar Employees
I’ve read every word written by Josh Steimle. He’s an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who has figured out how (and why) to make your company’s CEO an “Influencer”
Strong Suit 202: Why It Should be a Crime to Not Have a Talent Strategy
What is a talent strategy & when do you need to create one? If you’re like most business leaders, your firm has a product strategy, a sales strategy,
Strong Suit 201: The Team That Eats Together Beats (The Competition) Together
What can firefighters teach us about teamwork & its impact on the bottom line? A ton, according to today’s guest Erica Keswin. Erica & I went to school
Strong Suit 200: A Legend Reveals If You Should Do It Or Delegate It
David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done” changed my life. I read it when it debuted in 2001 & multiple times since. Now published in 28 languages, “GTD” is
Strong Suit 199: Is There Nothing That Moms Can’t Do?
I’m always on the hunt for untapped sources of great talent. With record-low unemployment, you’ve gotta dig deep. And I found one. Allison O’Kelly created Mom Corps out
Strong Suit 198: What Can Estonia Teach Us About Leading Rockstars?
Once you’ve worked your tail off to recruit a team of Rockstars, how do you manage them around projects? Yes, even Rockstars need to be led & held
Strong Suit 197: What Good Is Recruiting Rockstars If You Can't Keep 'Em?
After you work so hard to win the war for talent & hire Rockstars, how do you keep them engaged & happy? Let’s be honest. Your employees are
Strong Suit 196: How You Can Recruit An Investor Who Brings More Than Just $$$
In this over-heated market, finding an investor isn’t hard. But finding an investor who adds Real value to your business is another matter. The difference between dumb money
Strong Suit 195: How To Get More Women At The Table
If you’re like most business leaders – woman or man – you’re trying to figure out how to recruit more women. At all levels. In all roles. From
Strong Suit 194: You Just Can't Recruit Creatives The Same Way
If your company recruits creative types, you need to know how to pursue them the right way. You know, designers – artists – writers – software developers. Because
Strong Suit 193: The Single Best Way to Improve Your Job Descriptions
Can I be honest with you? If your company is like most, your job descriptions stink. Boring. Lifeless. Uninspiring. And about as likely to attract Rockstar candidates, as
Strong Suit 192: How to Handle the Day You're Dreading
Let’s be honest. In today’s hyper-transparent & controversial world, something is gonna blow up at your company. The question isn’t if… it’s when. Then, the next question is
Strong Suit 191: Finally…Here's How to Navigate Immigration for Your Next Rockstar Employee
Let’s be honest… The US government sure doesn’t make it easy to recruit & land a rockstar employee from outside the US. Yet, it’s a remarkable source of
Strong Suit 190: How Neuroleadership Can Boost Your Personal Effectiveness & Bottom Line
If you haven’t heard of the field of Neuroleadership, you soon will. This is the brain-based approach to business, performance, and organization change. Dr. David Rock coined the
Strong Suit 189: The Recruit Robots are Coming. Why You Should Care.
Want to peek around the corner, and find out how artificial intelligence will be applied to recruiting? It’s coming sooner than you think. Phil Alexander is CEO &
Strong Suit 188: VC Brad Feld Builds a Healthy Relationship & a Healthy Business
Happy Valentine’s Day! Can you build a durable company & a successful relationship at the same time? Some days, it seems like an unlikely balancing act. One of
Strong Suit 187: How Transparent Should You Be With Your Staff?
Is it even possible to be TOO transparent with your team? What does vulnerability mean to you? What does an open-compensation business look like? Do you show your
Strong Suit 186: Don't Hire Headhunters (Until You Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit)
So many hiring managers give up so easily… Before you invest a fortune on headhunters or job postings, there are a ton of low-cost ways to find Rockstar
Strong Suit 185: Help Your Staff Achieve Work/Life Integration. Help Your Bottom Line.
Work/Life Balance? Bah. Not so much. I’ve long had an instinct that Work/Life Integration is the true key to a fruitful personal & career life. But I wanted
Strong Suit 184: Is Each One of Your Employees a Snowflake?
Each of your customers is unique, with different needs. You likely personalize your products, services, and approach accordingly. So too with your employees. Yet, most companies treat their
Strong Suit 183: Yes, Even Rockstars Derail (Here's How to Prevent It)
How do your Rockstar employees derail? As their manager, can you prevent it or get them back on track? What are the early warning signs? Carter Cast knows.
Strong Suit 182: Brand New Bersin/Deloitte Research Reveals the Recruiting Practices that Drive High Performance
It’s not often that I get to unveil hot-new research on our Podcast. Bersin by Deloitte is THE go-to firm when it comes to talent acquisition. They just
Strong Suit 181: Why the Rockstar You Just Hired Will Bomb (& Why its Your Fault)
I. Was. Nervous. When you finally meet one of your business idols, you find yourself tongue-tied. And it shows in this episode. His book changed my life 25
Strong Suit 180: Here's the People Part of Private Equity
When a PE firm invests in a new portfolio company, one of the primary areas of focus is the people part of the business. Often, the company hasn’t
Strong Suit 179: Why Middle-Managers are Likely Your Company's Missing Link
Let’s get real. If you’re going to be a great leader, you can’t do it on your own. You need to develop a team of great leaders, who
Strong Suit 178: Your Company's Growing. Will Your Culture Grow With It?
How do you ensure that your firm’s culture thrives & doesn’t get diluted as it grows? You know what I mean… 10 people, then 100, then 1,000. The
Strong Suit 177: Does the Birth of Your Business Mean the Death of Your Waistline?
Business is tough. And particularly tough on our bodies. The hours. The stress. The 6-packs…of soda. Is it even possible to build a healthy business, while building a
Strong Suit 176: If Your 2018 Recruiting is Sick, I Found the Doctor
The war for talent is on! 2018 will bring 3.5% unemployment for the first time in 50 years. Are you ready? If you’re posting your job descriptions on
Strong Suit 175: For the New Year, Resolve to Improve Your Board's Diversity
If your Board of Directors s comprised of old white men, don’t be surprised when you employee base mirrors it. David Chun is CEO of Equilar, which he
Strong Suit 174: Recruit Rockstars by Showing Them a Concierge Level Interview Experience
I’ve got some bad news. We’re in a war for talent. With 4.1% unemployment, candidates have the leverage. And Rockstar candidates have a ton of choices. Which means
Strong Suit 172: Why an Educated Candidate is Your Best Candidate
In today’s war for talent, candidates are becoming far more sophisticated and need to be persuaded to give you the “Yes!” San Diego-based Anna Runyan has a fascinating
Strong Suit 171: Ping-Pong Tables & Beer Bashes are B.S. Here's the 4 Keys to Culture
Jay Goltz is the legendary Chicago Entrepreneur. He even has a city block named after him… street sign & all. He’s the successful – and often blunt –
Strong Suit 170: Tired of Rockstar Rejections? Here’s How to Get “Yes!” Everytime
Let’s get real. It’s a buyer’s market. And you’re not the buyer. The candidate is. With 4.3% unemployment (actually, 2% amongst college-educated knowledge workers), the war for talent
Strong Suit 169: Here it is… The Holy Grail of Recruiting.
There’s a holy grail of recruiting? No way. Yep, no joke. This is both faster and less expensive. And the candidates stay longer, and perform better. What is
Strong Suit 168: Your Employees Are Spilling Your Secrets. WTF Will You Do?
Let’s face it. You’re not the perfect leader. You know it. I know it. And your team knows it. And they’re telling other people. Yikes. Anonymous employee review
Strong Suit 167: 200K babysitters + 300K parents + $40M venture capital = 1 Rockstar CEO
I’ve known Lynn Perkins for 20 years & she’s the real thing. 7 years ago, out of personal need (yet another babysitter canceled for her baby twins), she
Strong Suit 166: Which Recruiting Technology is Actually Worth Your $?
There are tens of thousands of recruiting and HR technology platforms & applications. Whew! But, are any of them actually worth the investment? Will they help you recruit
Strong Suit 165: White Male Seeks Gender Equality
I have a confession to make. And it may come as a shock. I’ll just come right out and say it. I’m a white male. That’s right. White.
Strong Suit 164: Dodge the Bullet of B-Player Candidates
Wanna ruin your day? Hire a B-Player. You invest all the time and effort and capital landing the candidate you thought was a Rockstar. And instead? … he
Strong Suit 163: How Many Candidates Should You Interview Before Deciding?
2? 5? 13? I’ve long thought about what is the optimal number of candidates to interview for a position. Before choosing, how do I know I’ve seen enough?
Strong Suit 162: You've Built a Product. Now How Do You Build a Team?
If you’ve ever started a company, one of the most confusing questions is when to start building a new function … Marketing, Sales, Business Development, and the like.
Strong Suit 161: The Most Important Question that Leaders Ask
Leaders matter. But leadership matters ever more. Even if it means sub-optimizing the individual, in order to maximize the output of the whole team. When it comes to
Strong Suit 160: Many Leaders Screw Up Recruiting. Here's How to Not Be One of Them
It’s always refreshing to find someone passionate, who will actually express a strong point of view. But when that person really knows their stuff, it’s even better. Matt
Strong Suit 159: Adding an Independent Board Member? Don’t Mess it Up
Whether your a CEO, Founder, or Investor, adding the perfect independent board member is one of those rare opportunities to create immense value for your company. Yet, most
Strong Suit 158: Lions and Tigers and Millennials. Oh My!
I’m on Millennial overload. 12.9 million Google results for “Millennial employees” … its inescapable. YES, this vital group is the future of our workforce. Yet there’s likely still
Strong Suit 157: In the War for Talent, Even the Executives Have Agents
It’s brutal out there. Trying to hire Rockstars? The unemployment rate hasn’t been this low in decades. So, it’s a seller’s market … and talented professionals are the
Strong Suit Podcast 156: Ready to Recruit a Rockstar VP of Talent?
You’ve hired a killer VP of Marketing. Your VP of Sales is ahead of plan. So, now it’s time to bring in your first VP of Talent …
Strong Suit 155: What do Rockstars Really Want from their Employer?
Why can’t companies seem to give the best talent what they’re seeking? And why do so many great candidates fail to impress employers? Most importantly, why is there
Strong Suit 154: If Your Recruiting Takes Forever, This Episode is For You
There’s nothing I love better than a good juicy entrepreneur story. Creating a new business, born out of personal need & frustration. And if it helps us recruit
Strong Suit 153: Neuroscience + Games + Recruiting = Far More Predictive
I’m in search of ways to make recruiting more accurate. And I’ve tracked down one of the most intriguing thought-leaders, Dr. Frida Polli. (She’s certainly one of the
Strong Suit 152: You've Got a Sales Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Product Strategy. But No Talent Strategy?
I just don’t get it. Every week, I meet with growth company executives. And I ask to see their Talent Strategy. All I get is blank stares. How
Strong Suit 151: The Most Crucial 30 Minutes of Your Workweek
If you’re like most managers, you have a 1:1 meeting with each of your staff members each week. You probably have one with your boss, too — or
Strong Suit 150: What's the One Secret Behind All of Amazon's Secrets?
Unless you live under a rock, you know that Amazon has gone from selling its 1st book in 1995 to $150B in annual revenues. It’s simply breathtaking. It’s
Strong Suit 149: She Used Data to Nail the 7 Essential Hiring Predictors
Regular listeners know that I’m on a mission to find ways to better predict how a candidate will actually do on the job. Today’s guest has built a
Strong Suit 148: A 20-Minute Gift for Our Loyal Listeners
I’ve got something really special for you today. Regular listeners know that Strong Suit Podcast focuses on the “people part” of your business. Hiring, Firing, the whole enchilada.
Strong Suit 147: Diversity is the Smart Thing To Do. But How to Do It?
By now, you know that seeking diversity – of all types – in your organization isn’t just the right thing. It’s also the smart thing. Your organization should
Strong Suit 146: Will Digital Transformation Drive Your Employees Batty?
If you’re like most executives, you spend a good portion of your time figuring out which of your company’s manual processes can be automated & digitized. It’s the
Strong Suit 145: I Just Found the Ultimate Job Audition
How do you assess candidates in most predictive way before you hire them full time? My guest today has an innovative solution. Jeffrey Moss is the Founder &
Strong Suit 144: The Team That Got You Here Won't Get You There
Matt Moore is Chief Talent Officer at Alpine Investors, the SF-based private equity firm with $900M under management. He joined following a storied career at Silicon Valley’s executive
Strong Suit 143: Why You're Losing the War for Talent
Let’s be honest… It’s become a candidate’s market. Record low unemployment. Good luck finding a Rockstar, let alone getting them to say Yes. But it can be done.
Strong Suit 142: Thinking About Texting Your Candidates? Here's the Good, Bad, and Ugly.
If you’re like me, you’ve wondered if it’s okay to text candidates? Or is that too much? It’s a great intimate fast way to communicate, but does it
Strong Suit 141: The Disturbing Reason that 71% of Your Employees Aren't Engaged
If you’re a raving fan of the Podcast — and let’s be honest, who’s not? — you know that we spend alot of time learning how to recruit
Strong Suit 140: Getting the Best Results out of the Rockstars You Hire
Loyal listeners know that we talk a lot about how to recruit Rockstars. But how do you then get the most out of them? My guest today, Stephen
Strong Suit 139: Is It Really Possible to Change the Behaviors of your Colleagues?
If so, Christina Harbridge is the expert to show us how. She’s CEO of Allegory, the behavior change company. She partners with executives to show them how to
Strong Suit 138: How He Keeps Groupon on Candidates' Radar
James Ellis heads employment branding at Groupon, the massive global company. His mission is to keep Groupon in front of potential candidates, across all digital channels. Not an
Strong Suit 137: You Can Skip 99% of HR Tech. Here's the 1% You Need
Can you believe there are tens of thousands of HR Technology products? Software, SaaS, apps, all kinds of stuff – designed to help you in recruiting, retention, onboarding,
Strong Suit 136: Entrepreneurs Must Pass These 3 Gauntlets of Talent
Vitaly Golomb is the Global Startup Evangelist of HP Tech Ventures, venture arm of the legendary silicon valley company. He’s also authored a wonderful book Accelerated Startup that’ll
Strong Suit 135: The 3 Things You Must Do to Lead Today's Workforce
Jacob Morgan has studied, dissected, and written Amazon’s #1 book on leading the workforce of the future “The Employee Experience Advantage” His clients include SAP, Cisco, Microsoft, and
Strong Suit 134: Remove the Drama from your Company
Drama is that annoying overhead of your staff bickering, not getting along, gossiping. Even Rockstars do it once in a while. Cy Wakeman is a drama researcher. She’s
Strong Suit 133: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Tired of talent searches that take entirely too long? How can you possibly recruit a Rockstar if you haven’t first defined what you’re seeking? If you’re like most
Strong Suit 132: Is Recruiting Technology the Beauty or the Beast?
Can you believe that there are now 21,000 recruiting & HR technologies … from tiny apps to SAP & Peoplesoft. How to make sense of it all? What
Strong Suit 131: What Do Your Employees Say About You When You're Not Around?
What’s it really like to work at your company? Kristy Nittskoff is one of the nation’s foremost experts on creating a compelling Employer Value Proposition. This is the
Strong Suit 130: How this CEO Guards his Culture
Once you’ve worked super-hard to hire a team of rockstars, how do ensure they stay? And keep out the B & C Players? Adam Ochstein founded StratEx Partners
Strong Suit 129: GE Knows How to Recruit Like a Marketer
Imagine having a line outside your door of talented Rockstars who want to come work for your company. You can make it possible, but you’ll have to treat
Strong Suit 128: Keys to Recruiting Women to your Growth Company
How’d you like to recruit more women to your firm? If this isn’t one of your talent imperatives, you’re missing the boat. Fortunately, this episode will help. Romy
Strong Suit 127: Tank Your Startup’s Chances of Hitting It Big
The importance of getting the ‘people part’ right can’t be overstated. Fail to put the right people in the right seats on the bus, and your company won’t
Strong Suit 126: Why & How to Treat Candidates Even Better Than You Treat Customers
When unemployment is near a record-low 4.5% … and when candidates report their interview experiences in real-time on Glassdoor … you can’t afford not to treat them like
Strong Suit 125: He Recruits 3x Faster with 675K Twitter Followers
I finally bagged the elephant… and I had to go to Australia to do it. I just interviewed Axel Koster, based in Melbourne. He’s built an audience of
Strong Suit 124: The Secret to Uncovering a Trove of Rockstar Candidates
Before you can recruit great people, you first have to find them. This means building a consistent pipeline of candidates, an artform known as Sourcing. There’s nobody better-qualified
Strong Suit 123: If This Podcast Doesn't Move You, Nothing Will
In this episode, I share 20 minutes with Jonny Imerman, Founder of Imerman Angels. After beating cancer at age 26, he was inspired to create the ground-breaking &
Strong Suit 122: Using Your Company's Unique DNA as a Competitive Weapon
You know that your company is unlike any other. And now – for the first time – we know exactly why. My guest today is Maddie Grant, founding
Strong Suit 121: How Groupon finds rockstar candidates to win the war for talent
Groupon is one of the biggest names in technology. Yet, finding great talent isn’t easy for any company. Stacey Kraft is Groupon’s Global Head of Talent Acquisition &
Strong Suit 120: Which People Processes should you put in place First?
You’ve recruited a bunch of rockstars to your company. Now what? Put the right people processes in place early. Because the longer you wait, the harder it becomes.
Strong Suit 119: The 8 Immutable Truths of Recruiting
Strong Suit Podcast is the playbook for recruiting Rockstars. My goal is to teach people how to hire twice as fast… With half the mistakes… Before paying a headhunter. In this
Strong Suit 118: Her trick will double your hiring accuracy
What must you do after the interview to ensure that you hire a rockstar every time? My guest today is Mary Beth Wynn, SVP of People at Jellyvision,
Strong Suit 117: The Surefire Ways to Screw Up Your Culture
Want to know how to build a rockstar culture at your company? And the pitfalls to avoid? PowerReviews, one of Chicago’s fastest-growing companies, is known for its healthy
Strong Suit 116: What a Leading VC Looks for in Talent
Ever wonder what venture capitalists actually look for in the CEO’s they fund? Sach Chitnis, Managing Partner of Jump Capital, tells us in this episode. Chicago-based Jump Capital
Strong Suit 115: Skip Reference Checks at your own Peril
Your candidate did great in the interview. But how do you know if the story was fact or fiction? Reference checks. They’re not fun, but they’re vital. So
Strong Suit 114: The Remarkable Story of a Remarkable Entrepreneur
At roughly half my age, Neal Sales-Griffin makes me feel woefully inadequate 🙁 He’s a two-time CEO (both of leading coding schools), a Professor at Northwestern University, a
Strong Suit 113: How She Created a Remarkable Culture for a Remarkable Startup
Katy Lynch is a Chicago legend. She’s Co-Founder of Codeverse, the just-launched world’s first fully interactive coding school for kids. Her mission is to teach 1 Billion kids
Strong Suit 112: How to Beat Google for the Best Software Developers
Recruiting rockstars software developers may seem like an impossible task. There’s infinite demand. But you can do it, if you follow Allison’s advice. Allison DiDominick heads talent acquisition
Strong Suit 111: Candidates visit your Careers site everyday. Are you converting them?
Derek Nelson is founder and head of Clique Studios, one of the fastest-growing website creation firms in Chicago. With 400 new websites under his belt, Derek has mastered
Strong Suit 110: Leverage Your Top Performers to Attract Even More
If job postings aren’t working like they used to, and headhunters are too expensive, you can use your existing employees to attract more rockstars. Erin Wilson is Co-Founder
Strong Suit 109: How She Recruited 100 Rockstars to a Rockin' Startup
Reverb.com is the super-cool eCommerce platform for buying & selling musical instruments, with a swelling community of musicians & content. Gina Contella, Director of Talent, has built most
Strong Suit 108: How to not screw up when hiring rockstar Millennials
No doubt… Millennials are a very different breed. Aged 18 to 34, they have some unique characteristics & preferences My guest today is Aaron Levy is CEO of
Strong Suit 107: How he Built a Company that Salesforce.com Acquired
What’s it like to start a business from scratch & build it to acquisition by Salesforce.com? Until recently, John Roa was CEO & Founder of AKTA, a leading
Strong Suit 106: Why Does Your Business Even Exist?
The French call it Raison D’être. Every company – raw startup or Fortune 100 – must figure out its ‘reason for being’ This isn’t just mission, vision, values.
Strong Suit 105: How to Find Balance in a Rocketship Startup
Balance is everything when building a company. My guest today is Divey Gulati, Co-Founder of one of Chicago’s fastest-growing companies, ShipBob. ShipBob provides a direct-to-consumer fulfillment service for
Strong Suit 104: How to Win the War for Talent when you can’t Pay like Facebook
Make no mistake. The war for talent is on. You’re competing for talent with Uber, Facebook, and Google. And their pockets are deeper than yours. So how to
Strong Suit 103: Shatter the Glass Ceiling at your Company
My guest today is a legend. Christie Hefner is Chairman of Hatch Beauty, a brand & product innovation company. Previously, she served as Executive Chairman of Canyon Ranch
Strong Suit 102: How Google Recruits Rockstars for its Biggest Bets
Did you know that Google has a series of programs called “Moonshots” ? These are some of its biggest bets … self-driving cars, personalized medicine, and stuff I can’t
Strong Suit 101: The Ultimate Guide to getting Media Coverage for your Startup
My guest today is Josh Inglis, who runs Propllr Public Relations in Chicago. He’s one of the P.R. pioneers for Startups. In this 20-minute interview, Josh reveals: – Why
Strong Suit #100: VC Brad Feld Reveals his Secrets of Love, Relationships, Entrepreneurship
He’s back! Brad Feld was my first guest, and he returns today for an intimate Valentine’s Day episode #100. Brad is Managing Director of Foundry Group, a leading
Strong Suit 099: What a top Silicon Valley consumer VC Really Thinks
I had the amazing opportunity to interview Tom Blaisdell. Tom is one of Silicon Valley’s top Venture Capitalists focused on consumer/small business-facing startups. It’s hard to believe that I
Strong Suit 098: How to Choose the Right Headhunter
Did you know there are over 300,000 recruiters in the US? When it’s time to get outside help hiring a candidate, how can you possibly select the right
Strong Suit 097: The 3 Characteristics of Rockstar Talent
Jim O’Malley recruited much of the amazing leadership team to Fifth Third Bank. Now he’s Partner at TalentRise, a fast-growing talent firm based in Chicago. He’s got over 20
Strong Suit 096: How this 12-year-old CEO balances Work & Homework
In nearly 100 podcast episodes, Parker Krex is my youngest guest ever. Parker is CEO of BrickLoot, the Lego subscription service for brick-lovers. Believe it or not, a
Strong Suit 095: Recruiting the elusive rockstar Software Developer
Dave Mayer is CEO of Technical Integrity, one of the fastest-growing recruiting firms in Denver/Boulder. When he’s not snowboarding, Dave is finding the best Software Developers. That’s all
Strong Suit 094: Go behind-the-scenes with this top headhunter
Few people are more qualified to teach growth companies the secrets of recruiting than Betsy Tilkemeier. Following successful careers at the 3 top headhunting firms … Korn/Ferry, Russell Reynolds,
Strong Suit 093: Right From The Start
How do you build a healthy, vibrant culture from the very start? My guest today, Steven Collens, has done it. He’s CEO of Matter, a Chicago-based community of
Join Brad Feld for a very special Valentine's Day podcast
Legendary VC Brad Feld of Foundry Group was one of the first guests on my podcast. Now, he’s returning for an intimate & personal Episode #100 In celebration of
Strong Suit 092: How this Rockstar PE Became a Rockstar CEO
Not many PE’s hang up their investment hat & switch sides to start a business from scratch. But Cameron Smith did it. And here’s how. With a decade
Strong Suit 091: How a Leading PE Investor Assesses Talent … Before & After the Deal
There’s perhaps no greater mystery than the world of Private Equity investors, and how they decide to write the check or walk away. Much of it comes down
Strong Suit 090: Leading Venture Capitalist Gives a Peek Into the Boardroom
How’d you like to go inside the Boardroom of a venture capital-funded company? To see how the Board of Directors really works? Today’s guest is Jason Heltzer, Partner at
Strong Suit 089: How to increase hiring accuracy 50% by using the 4 most-predictive factors
My guest Adam Robinson is Chief Hireologist & CEO of Hireology, one of Chicago’s fastest-growing companies. They’ve raised millions in venture capital to crack the recruiting code. Adam
Episode 088: How a Unique Culture Created a Unique Recruiting Process
What must you do after the interview to ensure that you hire a rockstar every time? My guest today is Mary Beth Wynn, SVP of People at Jellyvision.
Strong Suit 087: How Matt Moog Combined 2 Good Cultures into a Great 1
Building a winning culture is hard… But combining two cultures into one is nearly impossible. My guest today, Matt Moog, has done it. As CEO of PowerReviews, Matt
Strong Suit 086: Competing with the Big Boys for Talent when you're a Small Fry
The war for talent is ON. So, how do you compete with the likes of Google, Facebook, and Uber to attract Rockstars to your fledgling company? Especially when
Strong Suit 085 Why & How to Create a Disruptive H.R. Function
Nicole Dessain is Founder & Chief Strategist of Talent Imperative. She’s also President of Disrupt HR Chicago. In this 20-minute interview, Nicole reveals why you should create a
Strong Suit 084 Hiring Your Very First Rockstars, Including Your Co-Founder
You’ve got a great new idea. A prospective customer. Perhaps even some software written. And now it’s time to start adding people to your team. When you’re first
Strong Suit 083 Giving Feedback to Your Team Without the Heartache
If you’re like most leaders, giving feedback to your staff isn’t your idea of a good time. Who likes running the risk of hurt feelings? So, in this
Strong Suit 082 Early-Stage VC Reveals How to Hire Early-Stage Rockstars
Today’s guest is Jeff Maters, Managing Director of Network Ventures, the fast-growing Chicago-based VC fund. Jeff has been investing in early-stage companies since joining Pritzker Group Venture Capital
Strong Suit 081 The Must-Avoid Mistakes When You Hire Salespeople
Why is recruiting rockstar salespeople so difficult? Many are such good talkers, so it’s hard to separate the A-Players from the wannabes. Today’s guest shows you how. Carolyn
Strong Suit 080 Top Venture Capitalist Reveals the Mistakes to Avoid
Imagine going behind the scenes at a leading VC firm & being a fly on the wall at the Partner Meeting. My guest today is Guy Turner, Managing
Strong Suit 079 How to Turn your Company into a Learning Organization
With the pace of business accelerating, its more important than ever for your team to test, innovate, iterate, and share their findings with each other. Brittani Shaw is
Strong Suit 078 They Got You Here. Will They Get You There?
As your growth company scales, you’ve got to take an honest look at your talent pool & decide whether your current folks are the right ones to get
Strong Suit 077 Leading When You've Got a Tiger by the Tail
It’s a high-class problem…your business is booming. So, how do you lead your team to keep up with the growth? My guest today is Chris Campbell, CEO of
Strong Suit 076 Behind the Scenes with a Venture Capitalist & How He Thinks About Talent
It took months, but I finally bagged the elephant! My guest is Robert Hatta, Partner at Drive Capital, one of today’s hottest VC firms. They just closed a
Strong Suit 075 How to Recruit When Everyone's Becoming an Hourly Worker
The times are changing. We’re officially in the Gig Economy. Keith Ryu is Founder of OnboardIQ, the hiring automation solution for temporary hourly workers. His clients include Grubhub,
Strong Suit 074 How to Not Screw Up Your Candidate Experience
In this super-tight labor market, you can’t take the candidate experience for granted. It doesn’t take much to mess it up & turn them off. And on Glassdoor
Strong Suit 073 What a VC Learned about Recruiting & Retaining World-Class Talent
Maria Palma is a Rockstar VC. At RRE Ventures, she’s Director of Platform & works with their portfolio companies to accelerate growth. Maria recently took it upon herself to
Strong Suit 072 She's a Venture Capitalist-meet-Headhunter
Katie Hughes is uniquely-qualified to talk about building your company’s organization because she is Talent Partner at DFJ, the global V.C. firm with $4 billion under management. Katie
Strong Suit 071 Here's the Inside Scoop on Executive Search
Based in San Francisco, Adam Thacher has nailed over 200 retained executive searches. After graduating from Kellogg School, he created Thacher Executive Search & conducts searches in PE,
Recruit Rockstars 070 For 20 Years She’s Searched For Rockstars. Now She Reveals How
Rebecca Foreman Janjic has been conducting retained executive searches for 20 years and now she gives us the inside scoop on how its done. She’s a Partner at
Strong Suit 069 You'll Never Hire a Bad Salesperson Again
If you hire – or you’re going to hire – sales reps, you can’t afford to miss this interview. Dr. Christopher Croner is author of the best-selling book
Strong Suit 068 Legendary VC & PE Headhunter Finally Tells All
20 years ago, Ted Martin founded Martin Partners in Chicago. Since then, he’s become one of the nation’s leading executive recruiters. Ted specializes in searches for CEO candidates
Strong Suit 067 Why is Startup Recruiting so Painful?
Dayton Ogden is Head of Talent for Summit Partners, the legendary $16B VC & PE investment fund. He’s responsible for scouring the world in search of rockstars, who
Recruit Rockstars 066 The Passion of the Clem
I named this episode after my guest, Clem Johnson. And we discuss the highs, lows, risks, and rewards of Passion in your company. (More isn’t always better.) Clem
Strong Suit 065 You Just Hired the Wrong Head of Public Relations
How to know for sure? Karen Bloom started Bloom Gross 25 years ago, one of the nation’s largest recruiting firms for P.R. folks. Whether you’re hiring your first
Strong Suit 064 How to Build a Sales Machine That Works Every Time
My guest today is Joe Flanagan is CEO of Acquirent, the Inc 5000 company, that helps companies build their sales pipeline. His team of works with companies large
Strong Suit 063 How to Get Candidates to be 100% Honest With You
How’d you like to cut thru all the interview BS? John Younger is CEO of HireMojo, the first recruitment automation platform designed for the non-recruiter. He’s started 5
Recruit Rockstars 062 How to Recruit Industry-Disruptors to Your Company
If your industry is changing rapidly, you can’t afford to miss this episode. Tuck Rickards is Managing Director of Russell Reynolds, one of the world’s top executive search
Strong Suit 061 How to Build Your Top-Team the Smart Way
Pat Friel is a leading headhunter who has interviewed over 10,000 candidates. He’s Managing Partner with the retained search firm Lochlin Partners. Prior, he led the Washington DC
Strong Suit 060 How to Hire & Lead Millennials and Save a Fortune Doing It
Jason Weingarten is the CEO & Co-Founder of Yello, the leading talent acquisition software suite. He’s raised millions in venture capital funding & hired over 100 people. In
Strong Suit 059 Recruiting Legend Reveals the 1 Perfect Interview Question
Lou Adler is one of the biggest influences in my Talent work. I had to wait months to land him as a guest, but here he is! Lou
Strong Suit 058 The Single Most Important Hire You'll Ever Make
Kristi Ryan runs her own recruiting firm, Ryan Recruiting Resources. She’s been recruiting for more than 15 years, working with top firms like World Kitchen, Echo Global, and
Strong Suit 057 Learn the Secrets to Predicting Whether a Candidate will Succeed at your Company
How’d you like to learn the secrets on how to assess & predict whether a candidate will succeed at your company? Sara Coffou founded Coffou Partners, a leading
Strong Suit 056 Do Not Hire a Finance Exec Before Listening to this Episode
Amy Frink created Victory Search Group more than dozen years ago and has recruited more CFO’s than anyone I’ve ever met. In this 20-minute interview, Amy reveals: the
Strong Suit 055 What Does the Gig Economy Mean for your Company?
Barry Asin is President of Staffing Industry Analysts, the leading consulting & publishing firm that tracks the talent industry. In this 20-minute interview, Barry reveals the major trends
Strong Suit 054 The On-Demand Recruiting Firm That's Neither Contingency Nor Retained
Stacie Blair is a pioneer in the recruiting field. 20 years ago, she created The Pacific Firm based in San Francisco. They recruit for companies of all types
Strong Suit 053 Silicon Valley Headhunter turned Career Coach reveals her secrets
She knows the secrets! Because Cynthia Karr was one of Silicon Valley’s top headhunters before coming a leading career coach. She recruited a ton of top Finance executives
Strong Suit 052 Build Your Employer Brand on a Shoestring Budget & Recruit On-Campus for the Very First Time
Trisha Degg is Director of Talent Programs for Illinois Technology Association (ITA), the organization that helps great tech companies scale. Trisha helps ITA’s 500 member companies navigate the
Strong Suit 051 The Secrets from a Legend in Executive Search
I’m beyond thrilled to spend a few minutes with Jim Jonassen, Founder of JJA Venture Search. Jim has executed over 700 Chief & VP search assignments, having built
Strong Suit 050 What It Truly Takes to Recruit Rockstar Software Developers
Recruiting rockstar IT & Software Developers to your company can seem impossible these days… But it’s not. While we’re essentially at zero unemployment for this profession, you can
Strong Suit 049 To Engage a Rockstar, Should you use phone, email, linkedin, text?
Kristy Nittskoff is the guru of candidate communications. She runs the firm Talent Savvy. How do you engage Rockstars? They’re currently employed & happy. But you want them
Strong Suit 048 From Successful VC to Successful CEO to Successful Culture Builder
Gautam Gupta is Co-Founder & CEO of NatureBox, which he’s built from scratch to 100 employees. It’s now one of fastest-growing food brands in the US. Gautam lost
Strong Suit 047 How to Beat Facebook, Google, and Uber in the War for Rockstar Talent
The war for talent is underway. With 1% unemployment amongst college-educated white-collar workers, how can you possibly compete? Don’t let Facebook, Google, and Uber hire all the Rockstars.
Strong Suit 046 Here's How to Save Time Recruiting Rockstars
Yves Lermusi is CEO & co-founder of Checkster, a social rating tool for your employees. It’s supercool & streamlines the interview, referencing, and 360 feedback process. He started
Strong Suit 045 Are you a Superboss? Its Time to Find Out.
I’m privileged today to a best-selling author who studies what sets apart great business leaders. It’s vital info to know, so that you can become an amazing boss, and also
Strong Suit 044 What He Learned by Advising 700 Startups
George Deeb, Partner with Red Rocket Ventures, consults to hundreds of startup companies nationally. He’s learned so much & seen the patterns, that he’s even written a book:
Strong Suit 043 What Employee Happiness is Really All About
How do you build a team of happy people? And why should you even care? Because they deliver much stronger ROI. Sunny Grosso is Culture Chief at Delivering
Strong Suit 042 Bestselling Author Pat Lencioni Reveals How to Spot a Team Player
Whew! … It took me months to book today’s guest, and I finally did it. Pat Lencioni is the author of 10 books which have sold 5 million books
Strong Suit 041 From Startup CEO to VC to Kellogg MBA Professor
There’s possibly nobody more qualified to talk about how an Entrepreneur should lead their Startup… Carter Cast rocketed through the ranks at PepsiCo, before being named as CEO
Strong Suit 040 Secrets From a Top Silicon Valley Headhunter
Jean Bagileo of David Powell has been a leading executive search consultant in Silicon Valley for decades. In this wide-ranging interview, Jean reveals: how to properly conduct a
Strong Suit 039 A Talent Legend Reveals How to Build a World-Class Culture
OMG! I’m so psyched because I’ve waited for months to feature today’s guest. She’s a Legend in recruiting, culture, and all things people. Libby Sartain is the real
Strong Suit 038 The (Crazy) State of Recruiting Today
John Sumser is a legend in the recruiting & talent field. Currently, he’s CEO of HRExaminer. For over two decades, he has studied, dissected, and analyzed the industry.
Strong Suit 037 How a Silicon Valley Rockstar Hires Rockstars
Doug Galen is a Silicon Valley Rockstar with a pattern of a success. He’s added hundreds of millions of revenue at eBay, eLoan, Shutterfly, and Shopkick. He’s built
Episode 036 How to Avoid the Biggest Pitfalls in Recruiting
Today, I interview Raj Sheth. Raj is CEO & Co-Founder of Recruiterbox.com, a profitable company that he started in 2011. Based in San Francisco, it’s one of the
Episode 035 He Interviewed 15K Executives… What He Learned
20 years ago, Geoff Smart created ghSmart, a remarkable firm to advise Venture Capital & Private Equity firms on their hiring choices. Since then, his firm has interviewed &
Episode 034 Culture – The Only Truly Durable Competitive Weapon
I was privileged to meet Mats Lederhausen, whose gold-plated resume is surpassed only by his passion for building world-class cultures. For 20 years, he has preached “purpose bigger
Strong Suit 033 This rockstar hires rockstar recruiters
Imagine your job was to recruit the best recruiters… Debra Jerome is Chief Human Resources Officer at Witt/Kieffer, one of the nation’s leading retained executive search firms (offices in
Strong Suit 032 Behind the Scenes of the Headhunting Business
After a great run at headhunting firm Korn/Ferry, Simon Mullins joined Microsoft where he successfully recruited 500 executives. He now runs ESIX, which teaches best practices to headhunters.
Strong Suit 031 She Knows Why Your Best People Will Leave
If you think that creating a healthy culture means buying a ping-pong table, you’ve got to catch this short interview. I interview Anne Nimke, who runs a fascinating company called
Strong Suit 030 How to sniff out Rockstar candidates
Wyzant is the leading online marketplace for tutors & students of all ages. They’re venture-funded & growing like a weed. As Director of Talent, Carrie McComb has led
Strong Suit 029 How to Recruit the Unrecruitable (CTO, CIO, VP Eng)
There’s no harder candidate to recruit than a tech & software development leader. But today’s guest does it all day every day. Jason Kranz leads the Silicon Valley
Strong Suit 028 How He Raised $30M VC & Built a Rocketship Startup
I just had a chance to interview Stuart Frankel. Stuart is Co-Founder & CEO of Narrative Science, one of Chicago’s fastest-growing Startups. He’s hired 80 employees & raised $30 million
Strong Suit 027 What VC's Really Look For in Founders
I know you’ll enjoy this candid conversation with Mark Achler, Managing Director of MATH Venture Partners, the $28M venture fund based in Chicago. Mark pulls back the curtain on: What VC’s really look for in an
Strong Suit 026 Secrets From a Top Silicon Valley Headhunter
Mark Jacobson is a Partner at True, the nation’s 12th largest executive search firm. In this role, he’s retained by companies to find only the top talent. In fact, Mark
Strong Suit 025 How to get rid of performance reviews forever
Imagine banning all annual employee performance reviews from your company…forever. In the 20-minute interview, Jennifer Shoop CEO of Fizz shows us how to do it. No more scrambling
Strong Suit 024 Here's the guy who helps Recruiters recruit rockstars
Entrepreneur & CEO Art Papas has built Bullhorn to 600 employees. Because many of his 10,000 customers are Recruiters, he’s seen hiring from so many angles. In this
Strong Suit 023 How he built a 100% Jerk-Free company
Reid Carr is Founder & CEO of Red Door Interactive, the 90-person firm based in San Diego. He’s built a robust & vibrant culture that’s been recognized nationally.
Strong Suit 022 How to hire software Rockstars the painless way
Lisa O’Keefe is Talent & Engineering Culture Advisor at Pritzker Group, Chicago’s leading VC & PE investment firm. She’s also served as VP Talent & Culture at Signal,
Strong Suit 021 Google's secret weapon for recruiting Rockstars
She’s placed 100’s of rockstars at Google. In 1996, Martha Josephson founded the digital media practice at Egon Zehnder, one of the world’s top executive search firms. After
Strong Suit 020 The keys to recruiting a Rockstar Marketing exec
Susan Rosenstein has been recruiting marketing rockstars for her clients for 30 years. Big CPG companies, startups … she does it all. From CMO to Brand Manager, Susan
Strong Suit Ep019 SF's Top Career Coach reveals the people part of business
Legendary executive coach Marty Nemko reveals how to be a great entrepreneur. Today, I had the opportunity to interview Marty. He’s worked with nearly 5,000 executives, and the
Strong Suit Ep018 Where should you look for Rockstars?
Over 25 years, Cassie Marrone has interviewed tens of thousands of candidates. She’s Head of People at LOYAL3, the groundbreaking FinTech company that lets regular people invest in
Strong Suit Ep017 Behind the Scenes with a Silicon Valley Headhunter
Rich Lear is Managing Director of Vantage Partners, a leading S.F. headhunting firm. He’s completed over 300 searches & specializes in recruiting people to help scale early-stage companies.
Strong Suit 016 What the $&#% is a Toilet Paper Entrepreneur?
I just had the pleasure of interviewing Mike Michalowicz, top business author of ‘The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur’ (BusinessWeek calls it a ‘cult classic’). Mike built 2 multi-million dollar startups, sold them,
Strong Suit Ep015 How do you recruit a Rockstar CTO?
He recruits the unrecruitable…Silicon Valley CTO’s. How do you recruit & keep a Chief Technology Officer, when they receive 5 headhunter calls a day? Mike Morell is one
Strong Suit Ep014 Eric Olson of ContextMedia
Would you like to hire Rockstars just like an award-winning Startup? Based in Chicago, ContextMedia created the largest national network of ad/content-based video screens in physicians offices. Eric
Strong Suit Ep013 John Lee Dumas of EOFire
The secrets from a Podcasting legend. It took me 4 months, but I finally landed him as a guest for our video blog… You probably know the name
Strong Suit Ep012 Brian Ascher of Venrock
I just had the privilege of meeting with Brian Ascher. Brian’s a tenured Partner at Venrock, the legendary venture capital firm. In this interview, you’ll find out: The
Strong Suit Ep011 Dan Arkind of JobScore
Dan Arkind is CEO & Co-Founder of JobScore, an awesome software platform that matches people & jobs. He’s also a former headhunter in the tech field. Through both
Strong Suit Ep010 Rand Fishkin of Moz
In this bonus episode, acclaimed entrepreneur Rand Fishkin opens up about his battle with depression. Rand founded Moz, the leading company that boosts online visibility for 35,000 businesses.
Strong Suit Ep009 Niko Bonatsos of General Catalyst
VC reveals how Startup CEO’s can hire 10x better. Accomplished VC Niko Bonatsos is Managing Director with General Catalyst Partners, the venture firm with 100 portfolio companies &
Strong Suit Ep008 Co-Leaders of LeadPages
In this episode, we interview the co-leaders of LeadPages, the smoking-hot company that’s raised $38M in venture capital. Clay Collins (CEO) & Tracy Simmons (CSO) work together to
Strong Suit Ep007 Charley Polachi of Polachi Executive Search
In this episode, legendary tech executive recruiter Charley Polachi reveals… how to identify Rockstar candidates; the most important interview questions to ask; how to avoid the most-common recruiting
Strong Suit Ep006 Noam Wasserman of HBS
Noam Wasserman literally wrote the book on what kills startups (hint: it’s not what you think!) He’s the award-winning Professor at Harvard Business School & author of the best-seller “The Founder’s Dilemmas.”
Strong Suit Ep005 Tom Gimbel of LaSalle Network
Tom Gimbel is founder/CEO of LaSalle Network in Chicago, the 9-time winner of the Inc 5000 award. Tom’s built one of the fastest-growing & most-respected recruiting firms in
Strong Suit 004 Brad Feld of Foundry Group
A very special episode… an intimate conversation with venture capitalist Brad Feld. Few people in our crowded startup world need no introduction. Brad is one of them. Most
Strong Suit Ep003 Troy Henikoff of MATH Venture Partners
In this quick interview, you’ll discover how to identify & build your Startup’s “Unfair Advantage.” Troy Henikoff successfully convinced me that most Startups don’t stand a chance without
Strong Suit Ep002 David Cohen of Techstars
David Cohen created the Techstars Accelerator. Now he reveals who makes the best entrepreneurs & how to hire Rockstars. Techstars is the leading venture accelerator, with intensive 13-week
Strong Suit Ep001 Matt Schwartz of MJS Search
Following a successful career at Heidrick & Struggles, executive recruiter Matt Schwartz started his own firm & became one of the nation’s top headhunters of Chief Marketing Officers.
Strong Suit Ep000 Getting Started
Strong Suit is the playbook for recruiting rockstars. You’ll learn how to hire twice as fast… With half the mistakes… Before paying a headhunter. Ready. Aim. Hire!