What if a forced pivot is the best thing that could ever happen to you? That was the experience my guest, Mark Zucker, had. When the digital revolution threatened to eliminate his photography business after 15 years, something unexpected happened. Here's what you’ll learn from this week's conversation: The important decision that lengthened the runway of his wedding album business and has kept it profitable for the last 10 years. The power of applying a startup mentality to every business  How working-from-home provides the perfect opportunity to explore entrepreneurship risk-free  The financial, professional and mental health benefits of dabbling in a side hustle and potential opportunities you can go after. How he created off-the-chart growth in his outsourcing business by helping other entrepreneurs pivot and keep their business viable in the pandemic.   Guest Bio  Mark is the co-founder of MCVO Talent Outsource, and founder and CEO of Zookbinders. He is an involved leader who thrives on helping professional photographers run a more profitable business. Known for providing the wedding industry's finest quality photo albums, Zookbinders continues to innovate to keep pace with the changing needs of photographers.   In 2017, Zucker co-founded an outsourcing company that helps US companies reduce costs by providing office talent from the Philippines. MCVO Talent Outsource has a unique business model that can help companies save 20K-30K per employee! Zucker is a mentor to young entrepreneurs and a frequent speaker on topics such as: innovation, finding your niche and helping small businesses improve profits. For more information on Mark’s outsourcing service visit https://www.mcvotalent.com/ and to learn more about the wedding album business visit https://www.zookbinders.com/.

Have you ever had a business idea you didn't act on? We all have!   But this week's guest took action, and I’m excited to share her story with you.   Over the course of 23 years, Colette Bell and her husband took a handyman business that started in their basement and built it into an attractive franchise system other entrepreneurs wanted to invest in.    When their success caught the attention of Ace Hardware Corporation, an unstoppable partnership and a bigger opportunity was born.    In this week's episode, Colette shares the whole story, from the early wins, to the discoveries and pivots that took them from basement to boardroom.    You’ll learn;    How your choice of franchisee impacts the results of the entire organization and how you can set everyone up for success.  How to keep your carefully-cultivated culture and intellectual capital intact as you expand  What makes a larger company the perfect vehicle for impact, opportunity and market domination.  The key shift that helped the business survive both the recession and the pandemic  I love the passion Colette has for her role as a franchisor, and her perspectives on this will be valuable to anyone interested in the franchise world. You’ll enjoy this rare and delightful insight into the life of a franchisor, and get inspired to start seeing more entrepreneurship opportunities around you!   Guest Bio    Colette Bell is the VP of Franchise Development at Ace Handyman Services, and her husband Andy is the CEO. The first Ace Handyman Services office was in the basement of Andy and Colette’s Denver home, where they conducted business from a sheet of plywood placed atop an unused pool table. In the two decades since they started, The Ace Handyman Services Franchise Organization has expanded from coast to coast in 200 territories while continuing to embrace the same values and concepts. For more information, visit https://www.acehandymanservices.com/. 

If you've thought about moving from corporate into business ownership, this week's podcast episode is for you. After 15 years as a leader at Johnson & Johnson and DJO Global, Ken Theiler decided to scratch his entrepreneurial itch, making an unexpected but strategic choice. And I’d say it paid off in a huge way! Because of Ken’s laser focus on customer satisfaction, his loyal customer base followed him even after he separated from the franchisor; an incredible feat for someone with no background in that industry. Choosing the right business vehicle for you is such an important decision. For me, franchising is the perfect foundation to explore entrepreneurship with confidence, because you’re not alone. In today’s episode, Ken shares what made him gravitate to an entirely new industry, and the immutable laws of ownership that can allow you to thrive in any business. Ken also shared insightful golden nuggets on; Why franchising allows you to explore new pathways in your ambition and fully tap into the strengths that were suppressed in corporate.  How his company is retaining a customer base that feeds the engine and building support mechanisms after stepping away from the franchisor. How to evaluate a business opportunity and run a company that preserves the integrity of your family.    Whether you’re a corporate refugee preparing for your next move, or a business owner who wants to improve your results, I think you’ll really enjoy the wisdom Ken shares in this episode!   Guest Bio  Ken is the owner of Hometown Heating and Air. He is a highly accomplished global commercial leader with a stellar track record in marketing, strategic planning, and finance. With over 15 years of marketing experience, the majority with Johnson & Johnson, Ken has developed a deep understanding of market needs and customer behavior with outstanding success in launching successful products.    Hometown Heating & Air provides a comprehensive list of services for customers to meet their HVAC needs. They have a solid understanding of what it takes to install, maintain, service, and repair HVAC systems, and they are committed to providing high-quality in-home comfort for their customers.    For more information, visit https://yourhometownheating.com/ or contact Ken directly [email protected]. 

How do you leave the NFL after a career-ending injury and successfully pivot into a valuable, in-demand role in a completely different industry?    That’s what I wanted to find out from my guest, former Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings tight end, Brent Novoselsky.    Many pro athletes have the rug pulled out from under them when their careers end. By having a plan, Brent put himself on a completely different trajectory.    His NFL achievements include 100 games, 100 special teams’ tackles, and an induction into the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Today, he serves as Treasurer for the Retired NFL Players Association Chicago Chapter, and Vice President of Wealth Management at GCG Financial.  Brent opened up about his journey, going in-depth about;   How to pivot the structure and work ethic of sports into a different career.  Why the NFL is a simulated war environment where all careers end unwittingly, and how to set yourself up for success beyond it.  The reason athletes struggle after sport, and why franchising is the perfect career opportunity for people trained on structure and routine How to unlock the human capital that will elevate you by connecting with intent.    Pro athletes are uniquely equipped for business ownership if they use what they learned from sports as a springboard. What's the lesson for non-athletes? You can take success in one area of your life into something completely new and rewarding.    If you’re looking for insights from the sports field (including what it was like training with the Chicago Bulls), and lessons on hard work and strategic foresight, you won’t want to miss this episode!   Guest Bio    Brent is a Vice President of GCG Financial, having been a member of the firm since 1995. He has been serving clients, their families and their businesses since 1989 with a particular expertise and focus on the accumulation and preservation of assets along with risk management. Brent meets his clients' financial needs through the use of the extensive resources and experts at GCG, as well as through outside, trusted advisor offices.   Brent received his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with honors with a concentration in entrepreneurial management. He received his Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation in 1999.   Brent played 7 seasons in the NFL. He was with the Chicago Bears in 1988 and the Minnesota Vikings from 1989-1994. In a career that included over 100 special teams’ tackles, Brent retired after a serious neck injury. He is a member of the Chicago Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He is also the Treasurer of B’nai B’rith Sports Lodge and the Chair for their scholarship program.    To connect with Brent, find him on LinkedIn and send an email to [email protected]. 

How does a corporate refugee start a new business with confidence while tapping into their creative energy?    That’s what I wanted to find out from my guest, Basil Bearer.    Basil is an accomplished creative leader and talented designer with a track record of graphic and design work for mega-brands like Target.    Today, Basil runs a thriving family-run business. And it all started with franchising.   He’s living proof that a business that taps into your unique gifts and strengths, and impacts the community is one of the greatest gifts of breaking free from corporate.    Basil opened up about some of the big lessons and pivotal moments in his journey, sharing;    How to navigate the self-inflicted lows of starting and running a business with family The key mindset shift that helped Basil fight the urge to work IN the business The strategy that kept his company on its feet in 2020 so that a “low” meant breaking even, not going out of business.    In this insightful episode, you’ll learn how Basil was able to marry his left and right brain and build an in-demand creative business. For anyone with creative talent and the drive to be a free agent, this is the episode for you!   Guest Bio  Basil is the owner at Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More of Mequon. He’s an accomplished creative leader and talented designer, passionate about inspiring actions with bold innovative concepts. Now, the owner of Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More, a custom print apparel boutique. This unique retail concept offers a full service of garment print solutions for business apparel, events, nonprofits and even "one of a kind" family gifts. Basil has a track-record for delivering powerful solutions in multiple creative disciplines, for some of the most recognizable brands in the industry, delivering measurable results. For more information, visit https://www.bigfrog.com/mequon/. 

What if the stories you tell yourself about the past are sabotaging your success right now?   That’s the key question I took from our latest podcast conversation.   We all have these stories we believe are true, even though they aren’t.    Stories we created around the events of our lives. But it’s what we do with those stories that determines our level of success.   Our guest is Sue Schultz, corporate recruiter turned career and life coach, and our conversation is all around the stories we tell ourselves and how to break free.   Sue opened up about her own life and coaching experience, sharing...   The one thing you can do every morning to ensure your tank is full and you’re ready for the day ahead. How to build “non-negotiable” activities into your day to refill your emotional piggy bank How the stories you created around past events are sabotaging your success right now   As Sue said, we can’t change the past, but there’s a lot of good that came from the past that we can use to drive ourselves forward.   Get your free digital copy of Free Agent: From Corporate Refugee to Being the Boss. Click here to download.   Guest Bio    Sue Schultz is a Career & Life Coach and the founder of Inspired Integration. She helps women align their career and life so they can finally feel the success that is filled with passion and purpose. Her holistic experience helps her clients overcome the fear, and self-doubt interfering with their life choices. Over the years Sue has built her career on helping others understand who they are, where they’re at, what is standing in their way and “what they really want to be.” As a Career Development Coach, she helps people create opportunities to take control of their careers.   For more information, visit https://inspiredintegration.org/ and connect with Sue on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-schultz-inspired/ and follow @inspiredintegration on Instagram. 

How do you go from veteran landscaping business owner, working 18 hour days outside in the elements for decades, to business coach working just 2.5 days per week?    That’s what I asked our latest guest, Todd Ruedt.   Todd is a business coach and franchise owner of ActionCoach in Brookfield and Fox Cities, and was named ActionCOACH Americas #1 Coach of the Year in 2018.   And he hasn’t been slacking since then, either. Todd continues to help free agents build multiple streams of income and delegate the right things so they can work on their business, not in it.   Todd pulled back the curtain on his own journey, sharing some incredible insights along the way, including:   How to use collaboration to build confidence and expand your business, whether you’re in the initial stages or getting to the next level   The biggest pitfall new franchise owners fall into (and how to avoid it)   How to leverage franchise systems to drastically reduce your learning curve and get results in your business faster   As a business coach, Todd is known for asking great questions, and you’ll find a hidden gem in this conversation, where he shared one simple question you can ask yourself to bring positivity to any situation.   One of the key steps for any free agent is building a support system around you, including mentors. You can’t go wrong looking to someone like Todd for coaching, mentorship and support. Enjoy the conversation and reach out to Todd if you get value from his insights! Guest Bio    Todd Ruedt is a business coach and the owner at ActionCOACH of Brookfield, ActionCOACH of Fox Cities and The Offsite Collaboration Center in Brookfield/Neenah. At the onset of his experience as a business coach, Todd Ruedt hit the ground running. He was named 2018 ActionCOACH America’s #1 Coach of the Year. As a certified ActionCOACH Business Coach for 4 years, and part of the ActionCOACH community for another 10, Todd is an expert in education, training & growing businesses. Add to that his experience as a veteran landscape designer and horticulturist with more than three decades of industry expertise. Todd is also an avid organizer of more than 21 golf events for notable charities throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.   For more information visit, https://coachingwisconsin.com/.    Learn more about Todd’s upcoming Growth Club Mid-Year Extravaganza on June 17th and 18th here. 

Corporate refugees are coming out of hibernation!    They’re thinking of the future, making new plans and setting new visions. In this exciting process, many are rethinking how they present themselves online.    What better person to talk about the free agent journey and visual branding than photographer extraordinaire Stacy Kaat!    As one of Milwaukee’s premier photographers and longtime free agent, Stacy is a genius at bringing out the authentic self in her clients. Her strength is seeing your true personality, giving creative input, and helping bring your entire visual brand together into a cohesive package.   In this episode Stacy shares..   How a new visual brand can help you show up to sales calls with more confidence, energy and authenticity How the right headshot serves as a “virtual handshake” - capturing the essence of your personality  How your visual brand can help you conquer common fears, such as “Am I good enough”    We also dive into Stacy’s story and her experience working with a variety of mentors, and how critical it is for free agents to build the right support system.   If you’re looking to supercharge your online presence, show your true personality and give people a great first impression, this episode will give you insight you won’t get anywhere else!   Guest Bio    Stacy Kaat is a photographer, personal branding expert, and business owner. She helps Executives, Authors, Speakers, Trainers, Coaches and Entrepreneurs who are the FACE of their business and want quality brand photographs to attract the right people.    She collaborates with them to create pictures that accurately represent their personal brand and business for social media profile, website, and marketing materials. Stacy also provides personal brand guidance so her clients can achieve their goals by aligning their social media profiles and posts with their vision. For more information, visit https://www.stacykaat.com/, send an email to [email protected] and call Stacy directly 414.758.0622. 

2020 was a pivotal departure from work as we knew it before the pandemic. It wasn’t just an interruption - it was a full scale disruption. We made huge strides in bringing more freedom and autonomy to the workplace, and it’s evident that how we feel about the work we do definitely impacts the bottom line. We don’t have to return to the “normal” so many people hated. 2020 taught us that the desire for more autonomy, flexibility and freedom resonates across industries, job titles and career levels. We have the opportunity to create just that. How has 2020 changed the way employees engage with their jobs, and what should employers be doing in response? What is the roadmap to being a happier employee? In this episode, I’m joined by author and speaker, Josh Allan Dykstra, business owner, Pamela Belyn, and executive recruiter, Corbin Beastrom. They share the perspectives of thought leaders, recruiters, and entrepreneurs as we discuss why returning to the pre-pandemic work paradigm would be a big mistake.     Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode    Why working from home made many people happier  Working from home gave people more flexibility, autonomy and balance. We were able to share more of our humanity in the virtual workspace. This led to a reduction in workplace disengagement, and made employees more productive. Going forward, we need to create work environments that make people feel comfortable with sharing their humanity. Forcing people into the silo of just being a worker, and nothing else, won’t cut it anymore.    The job market shifts we’re going to see as more people return to the office Recent stats show that 52% of the workforce is looking for a new job. With work-from-home coming to an end, a lot of people are looking at the culture they left at the office, and dreading to return. If people are dissatisfied at work, it will trigger movement in the market. If employers don’t focus on their people, and make the work environment better, they will lose good employees.    Why we don’t have to be victims of a new paradigm, but creators Calling something “the new normal” is passive. It takes away the power and autonomy we all have in creating The Next Normal. We all have the agency and power to create the next iteration and culture of work. The future isn’t a defined thing that just happens to us, it’s what we create it to be.   Guest Bios   Josh Allan Dykstra Josh Allan is an author, speaker, thought leader and co-founder and CEO of Helios, a community of leaders and work revolutionaries committed to creating a world where everyone can love work. His articles and ideas have been featured by Fast Company, Forbes, The Huffington Post, and Business Insider and he's worked with some of the most iconic brands in the world (Apple, Sony, Genentech, Microsoft, among others).    He holds an MBA in Executive Leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and his latest book, Igniting the Invisible Tribe: Designing An Organization That Doesn’t Suck, is available on Amazon and Audible. He lives with his family in beautiful Denver, Colorado. For more information, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshallan/.    Pamela Belyn   Pamela Belyn is the owner of Zoom Drain of Chicago. In her work as an attorney, she often represented clients in the home services industries. She was inspired by these trade clients and eventually left her law career behind to become President and Owner of Men In Sewers (MBE/WBE Certified), learning the trade and exploring ways to innovate and improve the business side of the industry. In early 2020 she opened Zoom Drain of Chicago, doubling its staff, growing apprentices to technicians, and expanding commercial and residential business month over month. You’ll often find Pamela alongside her crew in the field (look for the purple steel toed boots), at home with her family, or avidly supporting the Bears. For more information, visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-b-a095677/.  Corbin Beastrom Corbin Beastrom is an Accounting and Finance Executive Recruiter and Search Partner at SkyWater Chicago. Corbin currently works with a “full desk” on the Accounting and Finance recruiting team. The SkyWater Accounting & Finance team focuses on growth-oriented, middle-market companies based in the Midwest. Corbin lives in Chicago, IL, and primarily serves clients in that area. Within Accounting and Finance, Corbin specializes in recruiting & placing talent in full-time, permanent positions at various levels & titles: CFO, Controllers, Accounting Managers, Senior Accountants, VP Finance, Finance Directors, Finance Managers, Senior Financial Analysts, Audit Directors, and Audit Managers. His team also has the capability to work on staff-level accounting and finance roles. For more information visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/corbinbeastrom/.   

Periods of economic turbulence and social change apply pressure to every corner of our lives. In recent years, the labor landscape has shifted tremendously, creating new challenges and opportunities along the way.    This isn’t happening in a vacuum.    The pandemic and a greater collective push for diversity and inclusion have caused massive shifts in the laws that govern how we work.    The legal platform employers operate from has changed, and we have to navigate new territory. This is an amazing time to create more value through business practices that benefit and protect both the employee and the employer.    What are the key labor law changes we’ve seen come out of the social movements of recent years and COVID-19? What do employers need to be aware of and consider putting in place to protect themselves and retain their employees?    In this episode, corporate and employment litigator, Dave McClurg shares valuable legal wisdom for business owners navigating today’s employment landscape.  Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode    How social change has impacted employment policy  The conversation around equality, diversity, and inclusion at work has driven the creation of labor laws and policies that reflect these values. There are so many things that used to be acceptable that are now viewed as problematic, which has given more people a voice and contributed to a better working environment.    The importance of keeping track of the details  As employers, it’s easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day that we overlook critical legal details that will protect the business. When we hire people, it’s important to document all aspects of the disciplinary process from day 1. When we don’t document everything, we can’t protect the business and our employees.    How vaccines are going to create new challenges for employers  As people return to the office, the big question is whether to make vaccinations mandatory for employees. This question requires careful consideration so we don’t inadvertently create a liability issue.    Guest Bio    Dave McClurg is a member of the firm's Labor + Employment practice group. He has a long record of successfully defending employers accused of wrongful termination and discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, disability and gender. Dave frequently represents employers facing OSHA violations and workers compensation claims alleging safety violations or an “unreasonable refusal to rehire" following a work-related injury.Dave also has a wealth of experience involving the litigation of wage & hour, theft of trade secrets and breach of duty of loyalty claims, and the enforcement of non-compete and confidentiality agreements. In addition, Dave regularly advises clients on issues relating to reduction-in-force layoffs, terminations, severance agreements and return to work issues, helping employers avoid pitfalls that can lead to expensive claims.   For more information call (414) 559-7704  and let Dave know you heard him on The Free Agent Podcast.   Visit https://petriepettit.com for more information and email [email protected].