In this episode we interview Mary Holzkopf, Founder and Owner of Blessed Little Kitchen located in Huntley, IL. Mary started out baking in her home under the Baker’s Act and quickly grew into a full sweets bakery of her own with 11 employees. Mary is very faith based and shares her story growing her business and how they have dealt with the impact of COVID. She truly embraces the “Growth through Giving” model. We hope you enjoy it!
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR1ioSKFWsM
In this episode we interview Neil Schwan – Owner of Schooley Mitchell Chicago. Schooley Mitchell is a large franchise network of independent and objective cost reduction experts, handling repetitive billings, traditional expenses relative to services like telecom, waste handling, small package shipping, etc. allowing you to focus on your core business knowing your systems are fully optimized and any wasted money is recovered. Neil and I are also co-founders of an Efficiency Mastermind Group.
This week we talk with Paul Van Metre, co-founder of ProShop ERP. The company didn’t originally start as an ERP systems company but rather was founded in 1997 as a CNC shop. As their CNC business grew, Paul realized early on that their spreadsheet record keeping was not going to scale laterally with the business. For this reason, they developed their own system and through 8 years of organic growth eventually became Proshop ERP. The history of Proshop ERP is truly a story of “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” Proshop was heavily involved in Aerospace in 2001 and the 9/11 attacks nearly bankrupted their company. They learned from this and adapted because during the 2008 financial crash, they didn’t furlough nor let go any of their workforce. Fast forward to the Covid19 Pandemic, they are thriving. Proshop ERP has doubled their workforce in 2020. Listen this week and learn how Proshop ERP overcame these obstacles.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulvanmetre/
https://www.proshoperp.com/contact-us/
https://www.e-myth.com/pub/htdocs/about_meg
This week we bring in Joe McDermott of Carma. Joe is the COO/CFO and the co-founder of Carma with his brother Frank. Carma was formed to provide professional services for telecom and data centers, creating a platform to inventory data collection systems to reduce ridiculous defect rates and improve the efficiencies. Joe has experience with startups and was also the co-founder of Arcanum Alloys, a steel venture. Joe has seen and experienced what it takes to be a good leader. He knows how to build a good company and instill a positive culture so the employees are excited and engaged in their work. Joe also spent time in the Air Force, went on to graduate from Princeton and later attend the prestigious Harvard Business School. Carma ‘s path is a bumpy one, but doing well now. Enjoy this week’s episode!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjosephmcdermott/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fhmcdermott/
This week we talk with Bailey Kramer of Property Dogs (also a student at University of Central Florida). Bailey is a Managing Partner with Frank LaMark Jr. whom he met on an online networking platform facing a common problem of lead gen. After many zoom calls and emails, Bailey and Frank decided to start Property Dogs which debuted about a year ago and now currently has 4 employees working full time. Property Dogs focuses on Residential and Commercial real estate. They have isolated their approach to the market and instead of being a “Jack of all trades, master of none”, they have taken the opposite approach. They become a master in one area before moving onto the next. Listen this week to learn more about Property Dogs as well as about the power that networking and social media can bring to those that want to start a business but don’t know where to begin.
Today we are featuring Kaleen Marshall, CEO of Viaggio Group, an author, and creator of the nonprofit BellViaggio. Kaleen is a professional coach and consultant focusing on leading children and adults with special needs to live a beautiful journey through life. Additionally, she works with caregivers, guardians and advocates on this same journey. Kaleen is an author of the book “Who Will Love Me” which focuses on her experiences when she became the unexpected caregiver to her sister with Downs Syndrome, after the untimely death of her mom. Listen this week as we explore what makes a community and how we are all stronger when we work together and listen to each other.
Today we bring in Roy Kessel of The Sports Philanthropy Network. Roy’s mission is to produce positive social change in kids and young adults through the good of sports. 2020 was a pivotal year for Roy because he had to navigate around the difficulties of the covid19 pandemic due to strict lockdowns and lack of sport activity. Additionally, Sports Philanthropy World was an in-person conference started by Roy in 2019 and had to transition to a video format for 2020’s conference. Now scheduled for June 2021, the conference consists of over 120 organizations consisting of 80+ countries. Listen this week to learn more about Roy and his creation of The Sports Philanthropy Network.
https://sportsphilanthropynetwork.org
In this episode, we welcome Louie Sharp of The Gifted Leader and Sharp Auto Body in Greater Chicago area. Louie has built successful businesses including an auto body shop and consulting practice, but more importantly, he has defined what it is and what it takes to be a great leader. Louie’s life experiences and military background helped mold his leadership skills. His businesses thrive today because he repeatedly goes the extra step to be a great person, not just a great leader and therefore, his team that he has built will go the extra mile for him. You will enjoy this week’s interview! Links are available at the end of the interview to contact Louie if you want to reach out to Louie or book him for an event.
If you prefer podcast (audio) over video, click here: https://anchor.fm/opsqc-inc/episodes/OPSQC-Podcast_006-Louie-Sharp—Founder-of-Sharp-Auto-Body-and-The-Gifted-Leader-etj6lg
https://www.linkedin.com/in/louiesharp/
https://www.sharpautobody.com/
Additional Links discussed:
https://thegiftedleader.com/speaking/
https://www.audible.com/pd/OM20-Louie-Sharp-Lead-Like-A-Rock-Star-Podcast/B08WC9JGSZ
https://www.amazon.com/Eleven-Rings-Success-Phil-Jackson/dp/0143125346
https://www.kaleenmarshall.com/
PI Design Animation Explainer Video – Dream Teams Summit 2021
Click the link above to view video
In this episode, we welcome Marcy Fortnow of Engaging Play. Engaging Play creates customized, interactive events to address your organization’s needs and bring your team together. Marcy also teaches communication, uses interactive and competitive games, and designs and leads original community builders. Engaging Play is an investment in your people to enhance your company’s culture, develop productive, loyal employees, and produce amazing results. Covid19 has been especially impactful on Marcy growing the business because efforts had to switch from face-to-face activities to virtual team building. Listen today on ways of rethinking how we connect with our staff and colleagues to improve moral.
Join us as we interview Jason Jacobsohn of Propellant Ventures. Jason is in capital investment focusing on early stage healthcare, future work, supply chain, fintech, and edtech startups. Propellant Ventures is a seed and pre-seed stage VC firm. Jason relied heavily in face to face meetings, personal meetups, & networking with goal oriented business / individuals but had to quickly change due to the Covid19 pandemic. Propellant now focuses on virtual networking and envisions this is will be the future. Listen today to this great interview!
