Standout With Cheryl Tan

Having an entrepreneurial mindset is critical for success. Facing challenges head on, putting in the work, listening to customers and adapting to what they want, surrounding yourself with smart advisors, planning for growth - all are keys to moving up in the business world. Duane Thompson, the CEO of Sabrosa Foods, did just that. The Norfolk, Virginia-based company produces an all-natural specialty salsa. But it was Duane's willingness to pay attention, to take risks, and to say yes that propelled his business to another level. Today, Sabrosa Foods is a multi-million dollar engine that not only creates products but the company has expanded to include food service, facilities management, and event catering. What you'll learn in this episode: *The problem he solved by creating his specialty salsa and how he knew it would become a product people would buy *When Duane knew it was the right time to leave the corporate world and start his own company *Why that decision to leave a job was the best thing he did

Ever have a great idea you know will make money? An idea that has the potential to grow into something really, really big? What do you do then? Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said this: “Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who implement them are priceless.” Teresa Denham took her idea and ran with with it. I met Teresa Denham several years ago. I was hosting a lifestyle TV show at the time and her story caught our attention. She had created gloves with pompoms sewn onto the ends of the fingers as an inexpensive way to show team spirit. She turned that invention into a million-dollar business. What you'll learn in this episode: *How a self-proclaimed non-crafter created a piece of popular fanwear *The process Teresa used to determine whether people would be interested in buying her product *Why Teresa says timing played a huge role in her company's success *The entrepreneurial habits she picked up as a kid that helped her in business as an adult *What Teresa did to get major media coverage (

I love listening to podcasts. Pick a topic, choose a show, listen when you want to. The format allows you to get to know the hosts and the interviewees. It's why I have wanted to create my own show. In fact in 2015, I created two of them. The first one outlines the steps you can take to get media exposure for yourself or your company. You can listen to those episodes here. The second one allows me to ask questions - a lot of them. The entrepreneurs I'm talking with are standouts in their industries - tech, marketing, communications, product licensing - and they have agreed to share their strategies to success. I'm so thrilled to have Todd Cochrane on the show. He's a podcaster, the creator of GeekNewsCentral, a blogger, and the owner of RawVoice, which is well known for its Blubrry Powerpress plug-in for podcasters. What you will learn in this episode: *How Todd transitioned from a career in the military to becoming a successful entrepreneur *The different ways a podcaster can make money, an