Brandon Proctor is a friend and global eCommerce executive who’s the CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of MadeiraMadeira, one of the largest and leading eCommerce retailers in Brazil (“the Wayfair of Brazil”). Before having a life-changing epiphany and embarking on a year-long sabbatical to regroup and reconnect with himself and his family, he was living the life of a hard-charging, succeed-at-any-expense executive. And it showed with his professional performance. Professionally, he had achieved a list of accomplishments by age 40 many people could only dream of achieving. He helped grow Build.com into the largest online retailer in home improvement in America as their CMO. He was part of a successful turnaround and company sale as the CEO of AutoAnything, a business owned by AutoZone that is the largest retailer of aftermarket automotive parts & accessories in the USA. And much more. Brandon had risen to some of the highest highs at leading companies through a combination of his sheer will, a deep passion for learning, and an unrelenting work ethic. That unrelenting work ethic was also the double-edged sword and catalyst for pursuing a sabbatical that changed his life and outlook on success, achievement, family, and more. His story is impressive and we discuss how he made the pivot, gained an extraordinary opportunity to find deeper perspectives, and how that also helps him be the best version of himself in work and life today.

Scott Bedford is a highly successful hedge fund investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and helicopter snow ski guide. He has achieved extraordinary levels of professional success as a Wall Street investor and now as a helicopter ski company owner and operator where he is pursuing one of his greatest passions—snow skiing. On this episode of The Summit Podcast, we explore what success means to a person who’s achieved extraordinary levels of success, both professionally and personally. In doing so, we uncover a special moment in Scott’s life in Patagonia that led to a wholesale reevaluation of his professional pursuits to refocus on his passion for snow skiing. Scott defines success as a package—one that includes a well-rounded balance consisting of health, happiness, family, spirituality, and professional achievement. Success is not as simple or as one-dimensional as “making a million dollars.” But having a strong work ethic, passion for what you do, a willingness to do what others won’t, and mentors are foundational to living an extraordinary life. Join us for this exciting episode with Scott, Andrew, and Jeremy.

Steve Scheer is the President of Brondell, which is a health and wellness company that specializes in manufacturing the infamous bidet. In this episode, Andrew and Jeremy pick Steve’s mind about his career journey, how he manages people and company culture, and how Steve focuses on delivering a product that makes a difference. Steve graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Finance in the year 1995. Immediately after graduation, Steve decided to go into business with his brother, and opened a restaurant. After two years of owning and operating a restaurant seven days a week, Steve realized that doing business with a family member was not the easiest. He sold out of the restaurant for two times the amount he had paid for it and decided to use his Finance degree to start Lead Traders, Inc. A few years later, Steve stumbled upon an opportunity with a company called Craigslist where he became only the third employee at the time. At Craigslist, Steve was able to help the company grow tremendously as they began to offer their service within many new cities, add more employees, and generate more site traffic. Steve used his skills in a couple of Operations jobs at Errigal and EcoTimber before he ended up joining Brondell, where he has been for the past fourteen years. Join us for this exciting conversation with Andrew, Jeremy, and Steve.

Liz Lee is an outstanding business woman and is an ultra-high performer in the field of software sales. Liz graduated from the University of Southern California (USC) where she achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Upon graduation, Liz used her accounting degree to launch a career in Tax Consulting with Deloitte, one of the “Big 4” accounting firms. Throughout her time working with Deloitte, Liz was able to experience working abroad in Amsterdam as well as spending time working in their Los Angeles office. After her experiences with Deloitte, Liz made the transition from Corporate America to the Start-Up World when she accepted a position with a start-up company that helps healthcare practices like dentists and medical professionals better serve their patients and business called PatientPop. Starting at PatientPop as an entry-level Sales Representative, Liz paved her path to success by shattering her sales quotas, sometimes by up to almost 250%. This led to Liz achieving the title of Senior Sales Director in just three years! Liz came to the realization that sales and the World of Start-Ups was her true passion. After her time with PatientPop, Liz joined Verkada, which is a rapidly growing startup that provides security systems to large companies. Liz helped Verkada  grow tremendously during her time with start-up as a Mid-Market Account Executive. Now, as of December 1st of 2020, Liz is entering a new role as the Senior Sales Director for a start-up called optimize.health. Join us for this exciting conversation with Andrew, Jeremy, and Liz.

Alistair Kwenin is a successful management consultant with a leading global consulting firm where he specializes in international business.  In this episode, Andrew and Jeremy dive into Alastair’s background and motivations for moving from his home country of Ghana, West Africa to America to create an excellent life for himself. Alastair shares his love for soccer which took him to Truman State University.  After realizing his dreams of playing professional soccer were unlikely, he shifted his focus to business and wealth creation. He discusses the process of organizing his thoughts, creating a plan, and executing the plan.  Alistair is the consummate hustler who is smart and resourceful which enables him to balance working full-time as a global management consultant and also investing in real estate, the stock market, and managing other side hustles to create his financial freedom. Join us for this exciting conversation with Andrew, Jeremy, and Alistair.

Jon Schram is the Founder and CEO of Purple Guys, a rapidly-growing 7-figure IT support firm based in Kansas City, Missouri.  The Purple Guys has become the Midwest’s premier provider of IT support services which Jon started with his wife and partner.  Together, they have successfully grown and operated multiple 7-figure businesses. They’re committed to helping their hundreds of customers succeed by solving their IT problems in a dynamic and ever-changing technology industry. Jon shares his motivations to become an entrepreneur and to take control of his destiny. He describes what it’s like to partner with his spouse and how partnering with extended family can create massive conflict.  As is the case with entrepreneurship, Jon also shares the highs and lows of what it’s like to own a business for listeners to get a sense of if the path is for them. There are key lessons and nuggets of wisdom you will find valuable if you are a small business owner, or an aspiring business owner.

Romeen is an accomplished young executive who’s achieved substantial success in a short period of time. Today, he is the President of Metasys Technologies, a leading talent firm that works with leading global brands to help them attract, engage, and retain top talent. In addition to his executive responsibilities, he’s an active early-stage investor having invested in nearly a dozen companies with a goal to invest in many more. Previously, he was a top-ranked management consultant at McKinsey & Company, a leading global management consulting firm. Romeen received a B.A. from Duke University where he graduated magna cum laude and his J.D. from the Harvard Law School where he was a member of the Executive Board of the Harvard Law Review as a Senior Editor. Having spent time as a management consultant and operator at early-stage startups, Romeen has developed a keen sense of what it takes for companies to become successful.  Romeen credits his drive and motivation to pursuing goals and experiences that make him happy, fulfilled and energized. Romeen believes that surrounding yourself with the right people, working hard, and producing value are recipes for long-term growth and progress. This episode is packed with nuggets of wisdom and guidance that will help anyone become more successful in life or work. Get a peek through the window into the mind of a top-tier performer to understand what it takes to perform at the highest levels and achieve great feats.

Jenica Blechschmidt is an accomplished business woman and the Founder/CEO of Lovebug. Lovebug helps parents and newborns get better sleep, and more of it. Before starting her entrepreneurial journey, she had an impressive career as an investment banker and leader at a high technology company, Box.  As an investment banker, she was involved in over $100 billion in transaction volume and advised companies on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), initial public offerings (IPOs), and raising capital from venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) investors. Having seen what her future would have looked like by observing people older than her, she decided to listen to her intuition and trust her instinct.  She knew a pivot was needed to allow her to pursue new career goals that would re-energize her.  The next move was to Box, a leading digital file storage and collaboration company where she worked with the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and led the development of a new product. Ultimately, her diverse set of experiences brought her to starting Lovebug after observing the pain and struggles she observed with new parents who were desperately needing more sleep. Her story is fascinating and will help you see things from another perspective, how to navigate challenges, and become a better listener for when it’s the right time in life to make moves that will make you happier and more successful.

Maha Abouelenein is a passionate, successful, and energetic executive. She has experienced significant successes and has transformed how companies communicate with the world throughout her career as an entrepreneur and global communications executive. Today, she is one of Gary Vaynerchuk’s top executives where she has a leading role as the Chief Value Officer and EVP of Business Development at VaynerX. She is responsible for working with some of the largest corporations on their global communications strategy and execution. From an early age, Maha recalls the influence of her father (a university dean) and the principles he instilled in her -- notably, being a life-long learner, adding value in any situation, and working hard. Maha’s story is energizing, intriguing, and an excellent example of what is possible with dedication, applying the principles of being a life-long learner, and what it means to find ways to add value to people and companies.

Kris Rudeegraap is a young, successful serial entrepreneur who left a $200,000/year job to start a company and pursue his dreams of starting a company that would afford him financial freedom and the ability to do work that made him happy. He is the Founder and CEO of Sendoso (https://sendoso.com/), a leading technology company that makes it ultra-easy for companies to send gifts and tokens of appreciation to their customers and sales prospects. Kris has raised over $50 million in investor capital to grow Sendoso as the idea has been proven in the market and rapidly gains momentum.  Kris began his entrepreneurial journey in college and sold his first company, AllStudentRentals.com, shortly after graduation to a leading payments processing company where he became a sales director. Kris shares what inspires him, how he defines success, and the nitty-gritty details of how he made the decision and took action to pursue his dreams. Kris can be reached on LinkedIn and by email. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudeegraap/ Email: Listen to the end of the podcast.