The Dispatch podcast

37:12

I'm super happy to welcome Max Polec back to the show for a second time. In this episode, Max and I talk about revenue, what it means for a business, and how to leverage it to work for you business. We discuss how setting revenue goals can help orient and focus your business development efforts, and even how not to achieve your revenue goals. But most importantly, we talk about how to achieve your revenue goals. You can find Max at Abstract Collective . --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Project Management is a Super Power with Rick Morris 35:17

5 years ago35:17

35:17

Today's episode features Rick Morris of R2 Consulting. We dive deep into Project Management, what it is, and how even a rudimentary understanding the basic principles can help you and your business build better products that solve big problems for your customers. You can find Rick at R2 Consulting . The Work Life Balance Podcast --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Crisis Response with Ryan Robinett 48:10

5 years ago48:10

48:10

When COVID-19 began to grind life and business as we know it to a halt, my friend Max Polec of Abstract Collective, a former guest on The Dispatch, and I wanted to do something that would provide some context and wisdom for people and their businesses as we navigated the crisis together. Our idea was pretty simple; reach out to our networks and find folks that had weathered and even grown during previous crises such as the Dot-Com Bubble and, more recently, the Great Recession. We were overwhelmed by the response and generosity of our network and out of that experience was born Crisis Response, a recurring webinar featuring business leaders whose experiences in previous times of crisis are instructive, insightful, and often times reassuring when dealing with the current crisis of COVID-19. With the generous permission of panelists and Max, I’ll be sharing the audio from these webinars in The Dispatch feed as we get them recorded and processed. Today is the second of those, our interview with Ryan Robinett, founder and principle at Multiply a sales and business development training firm in Birmingham, Alabama. Before he started Multiply, Ryan led the Birmingham and Chattanooga offices for CTS, a small IT Professional Services firm from 2006 until its acquisition in 2017. Ryan was successful in growing CTS during the Great Recession, but also tells his own story of the financial and social turmoil of the Dot Com Bubble scuttling his first job opportunity. Needless to say, persevering through crisis is something that Ryan is intimately familiar with and he had some excellent insights into how companies can continue to grow and how to reframe their business development efforts as we navigate the new normal we find ourselves emerging into. Ryan’s insights were amazing and gave us and our attendees so much to think about as well as many tips to apply to our work to weather the tough days we find ourselves in. So, without further ado, please enjoy Crisis Response featuring Ryan Robinett. --- Multiply Abstract Collective Newberry Consulting --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Talking Specialty Coffee with Wade Preston of Prevail Coffee Roasters 57:58

5 years ago57:58

57:58

Wade Preston is the co-founder of Prevail Coffee Roasters based in Montgomery, Alabama. Of the many paths in the food and beverage industry, very few are as unique and, frankly, misunderstood as the world of specialty coffee. In today’s episode, we dive deep into the economics and strategies of working in the specialty coffee world, what makes this part of the industry so special, and why Montgomery, AL is kind of a badass place to own and operate your business. Wade is a super nice guy, a talented business man and artisan, and runs one of my favorite coffee companies in the Southeast. I hope you guys enjoy my conversation with Wade Preston. — Prevail Coffee Roasters Montgomery, Alabama --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

1
Crisis Response with Greg Coticchia 50:07

5 years ago50:07

50:07

When COVID-19 began to grind life and business as we know it to a halt, my friend Max Polec of Abstract Collective, a former guest on The Dispatch, and I wanted to do something that would provide some context and wisdom for people and their businesses as we navigated the crisis together. Our idea was pretty simple; reach out to our networks and find folks that had weathered and even grown during previous crises such as the Dot-Com Bubble and, more recently, the Great Recession. We were overwhelmed by the response and generosity of our network and out of that experience was born Crisis Response, a recurring webinar featuring business leaders whose experiences in previous times of crisis are instructive, insightful, and often times reassuring when dealing with the current crisis of COVID-19. With the generous permission of panelists and Max, I’ll be sharing the audio from these webinars in The Dispatch feed as we get them recorded and processed. Today is the first of those, our interview with Greg Coticchia. Greg is the executive director of Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business Master of Science in Product Management. Before he served in this role, however, Greg was a serial entrepreneur, consultant, educator to founders and startups, and author. Greg’s insights were amazing and gave us and our attendees so much to think about as well as many tips to apply to our work to weather the tough days we find ourselves in. ---- CMU's Tepper School of Business Masters in Product Management Abstract Collective Newberry Consulting --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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How to Small Business with Carrie Rollwagen 1:05:38

5 years ago1:05:38

1:05:38

Today’s guest is Carrie Rollwagen, former small business owner, author, and all around small business guru. I’ve known Carrie for years through the coffee shop world and now as we’re both folks working in the technology industry. Carrie is, as I describe it, a small business rockstar and I think her writing and podcasting are sources of great inspiration for small business owners. I hope you’ll check her content out and that you enjoy the interview! Carrie Rollwagen The Localist book The Localist podcast Everybody Hates Self-Publishing Kobo Reader Church Street Coffee and Books Infomedia Piper & Leaf --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Creativity and Solving Complex Problems with Lloyd Cooper 1:02:13

5 years ago1:02:13

1:02:13

Lloyd Cooper is the owner and principle at PUSH Product Design in Birmingham, Alabama. Lloyd joined me in the studio to talk about creative problem solving, specialists vs generalists, and, as his company's motto states, “bending constraints.” Ever wonder how the most creative people generate their ideas? How they can possibly produce at such a high level? And have you ever suspected that there’s a better way to build your skills and expertise than simply reading another business book? If so, then today’s podcast is going to give you some super valuable insights and, hopefully, help you on your way toward becoming a better problem solver and more creative human. Lloyd’s TEDx Talk Tim Ferriss Show Ember Coffee Mug Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson Forbes Article Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson Basecamp How I Built This with Guy Raz Range by David Epstein Let my People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Co-Working in the Magic City with Kim Lee 45:45

5 years ago45:45

45:45

Today we talk with Kim Lee, founder and CEO of Forge Coworking in Birmingham, Alabama. Kim's is has an incredibly humble and inspiring startup story that charts all of the ups and downs of life in a startup. Not only that, given the unique nature of coworking, Kim has been able to play a part in the birth and growth of many Birmingham startups herself. Kim's approach to business and her amazing perspective on all of the ups and downs should make anyone on the fence about giving their startup idea life feel more confident than ever. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kim Lee and, if you're ever in Birmingham, stop in to Forge and get some work done while you're at it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Marketing for the Masses with Max Polec 1:02:15

6 years ago1:02:15

1:02:15

Welcome back to The Dispatch! Today I’m talking with Max Polec. Max is the interim COO at Fledging, a Birmingham-based startup building really cool hardware that helps make life easier for creatives that rely on technology to get their jobs done. Max also runs Abstract Collective, a design, marketing, and strategy firm that helps your brand stand out. Our conversation today centers around marketing, what it is, and how you can do it better for yourself and your company even if you have no formal marketing training. This was a really great conversation packed full of useful marketing insight and I hope the information inside helps you and your business stand out even better. — Deep Work by Cal Newport The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker Max Polec: maxwpolec@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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A Sea of Startups: Lessons from Running an Accelerator with Lydia Dick 45:54

6 years ago45:54

45:54

Welcome back to The Dispatch! Today's guest is Lydia Dick. Lydia is the Director of the Commercialization Accelerator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Lydia spends her days working with university students to help clarify, refine, and, ultimately, commercially their business ideas. Starting a business is hard and no one I know has had more experience with that process than Lydia. She's worked with and coached hundreds of students on how to take their ideas from start to launch and I'm super proud to have her on the show today. --- Here are links to a few of the people, products, and things mentioned in today's episode. UAB Student Commercialization Accelerator David Foster Wallace Mix Max Calendly --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Startup Method: Talking Lean and Agile with Dave Masom 52:39

6 years ago52:39

52:39

Welcome back to The Dispatch everyone! It’s been a long time and I want to personally apologize for the absence. I’m super fortunate that my business has been booming, but that means I’ve been a little too busy to create content lately. Excuses, excuses. Well, I’m back and I’m excited to bring you guys a series of interviews I’ve conducted and slowly, but surely, edited over the past few months. You’ll hear from directors of accelerator programs, entrepreneurs, project management experts, and more! So, I have a question for you today. Have you ever thought you had a great business idea, but, when push came to shove, had no idea how to work it out and bring the idea to life? Well, if that sounds like you, then you’re in luck because today’s guest is here with a boat load of information to help you navigate the tricky waters of starting company and launching new products and services. Today, I’m talking with a good friend of mine and an incredibly talented and kind human being, Dave Masom. Dave is the Director of Product Development at Pack Health, a startup here in Birmingham that helps people with chronic conditions lead happier and healthier lives. Dave has extensive experience studying and implementing Lean Startup and Agile methodologies to bring new software products to market, so I asked him to come on and give us the lowdown on what these methodologies are and how we can take advantage of them to help bring our own products, services, or even entirely new companies to market. This is a chewy episode, so buckle up, grab a pen and some paper for notes, and enjoy! --- The Lean Start Up by Eric Reis www.producthunt.com Daves Article on Medium: Three Product Development Lessons from a Human-centered Startup Sprint by Jake Knapp --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Talking IoT with MNMX 39:38

6 years ago39:38

39:38

Today I'm talking with Austin Senseman and Nathan McMinn about their new company, MNMX. MNMX helps companies utilize the Internet of Things (aka IoT) to collect and interpret business data to make better business decisions and to understand their business processes better. I think this is a particularly fascinating subject and I hope you will, too! You can find Austin and Nathan at www.mnmx.io. Enjoy the show! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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Wesley and Emma Teague 54:24

6 years ago54:24

54:24

Today I'm talking to Wesley and Emma Teague, a husband and wife super-duo that run their own photography business, Wesley & Emma Photography (www.wesleyandemma.com). They're all around super folks and have some great insights into running a small business, how authenticity and kindness help you differentiate your services, and even have some great blooper stories at the end. If you enjoy The Dispatch, consider hopping over to the Apple Podcast store and leaving us a review. Thanks! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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REV Birmingham's Taylor Clark 45:16

6 years ago45:16

45:16

In today's episode I talk with Taylor Clark, REV Birmingham's Director of Business Recruitment and Growth about a wide range of topics from work she's done with food deserts in Birmingham, to non-profit funding, all the way to creating an environment for small businesses to thrive in the Magic City. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedispatchncs/support…

The Dispatch

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What Startups Get Wrong 7:12

6 years ago7:12