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In this freewheeling episode, Alex goes toe-to-toe with CEO of Witz Education, Greg Witz and together they solve all of our political problems, teach us how to be our best selves in business and in life, help us have better romantic relationships, and so much more. You definitely don’t want to miss out on this one! Notes A South African Canadian’s perspective on the current state of US politics A US citizen’s perspective on Canada  Psychological warfare, the media, and the different lenses we use to view politics and the world Greg’s journey from dropout to successful author, podcaster, and entrepreneur How common threads transform hierarchies into circular communities The thing that prevents people from being their best selves Managing stress and dealing with unexpressed emotions The 3 Principles of Emotional Intelligence The step after accepting who you are The S.T.O.P Concept How to have better romantic relationships State, story, strategy, and the secret sauce to getting unstuck The power of

In this edition of My Colossal Failure, Alex sits down with Gary Klaben, president of Coyle Financial to discuss how determination and perseverance led Gary to go from a failing insurance agent to the owner and president of a highly successful wealth/asset management and financial counsel company. Links: Coyle Financial: https://www.coylefinancial.com/ Strategic Coach: https://www.strategiccoach.com/ Gary’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-klaben-9aa199/ Ep 58 – A Business Mindset – Meet Gary Klaben: https://www.thebestpodcastever.com/ep58-gary-klaben/

On this edition of the My Colossal Failure mini-series, Alex and Mike Ferrante, associate broker for Century 21 HomeStar and team leader of the 21 Mike Team, discuss how Mike’s youthful stubbornness kept him in a failing painting business for 15 years before he realized it was finally time to throw in the towel. Mike’s Page on 21 Century HomeStar21 Mike TeamMike’s LinkedInEp 90 – How to Rise to the Top and Stay There – Meet Mike Ferrante

On this episode of the “My Colossal Failure” mini-series, Alex talks with Traci Miller, president of Color 3 Embroidery, a wholesale embroidery and screen-print business about the importance of resilience, and how she rebuilt her life and her business after experiencing considerable tragedy. Links: Color 3 Embroidery Traci’s LinkedIn Simon Sinek Other Colossal Failures

On this episode of a new mini-series called, “My Colossal Failure” Alex sits down with Andrew Spott, CEO of VividFront, a strategic Digital Marketing, Web Design & Web Development Agency to discuss not only how his colossal failure forced him to fire people and give away his shares in his business, but also how that failure led to VividFront. Links:Andrew’s LinkedInVividFront“Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman EOS

In the first episode of a new mini-series called, “My Colossal Failure” Alex sits down with Aaron Grossman, CEO of TalentLaunch, a $130 million staffing and talent company to discuss how his ego led to not one but two colossal failures and how he had to learn to put his ego aside to become a better businessman and entrepreneur. LinksEp 122 – Talent Search – Meet Aaron Grossman, plus an inspirational message from Alex’s Corona BunkerAaron’s LinkedInTalentLaunchAbleEntrepreneur’s Organization (EO)Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

Alex has a chat with CEO of emaginit Daniel Moneypenny, aka the guy who knows a guy, about branding, marketing, networking, and business development. Daniel also shares a bit of his journey which includes serving in the Army, becoming a male model, attempting to steal something from Phil Knight, and more. As Alex says, “to know Danny is to be in awe of him.” We think you’ll agree. Notes How Alex and Daniel met The secret to Daniel’s energy Daniel describes his childhood Moving to California and becoming a Forest Fighter Enlisting in the Army and joining the US Prix Leclerc Team Having a ton of interesting jobs including becoming a make model, running antique shops, and starting a fitness shoe store College and starting emaginit Naming, branding, and building his reputation Shifting from branding to networking and business development Big failures and big rebounds Creating the correct work environment Lightning Round Links Emaginit“The Laws of Nature”  by Robert Greene “Shoe Dog: A

Alex and returning co-host Molly Gebler welcome back superintendents Nancy Santilli and Bob Hunt of Kenston and Chagrin Falls, who update us on this challenging semester and what’s in store for the next one (so far) in light of the pandemic. Notes  Introductions and personal updates Current virtual learning status in each district Managing staff in and outside of the classroom Which is better? Letting every district make decisions or having everyone do the same thing. “If I knew then what I know now…” Handling the stress personally Highs and lows from this semester Teachers’ concerns Managing staff stress Lightning round Links Chagrin Falls Exempted Village SchoolsKenston SchoolsChagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce“Schools and Child Care: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” – Minnesota Department of EducationEp 34 – School House Rock – Meet Nancy SantilliEp 45 – Head of the Class – Reconnect with Bob Hunt and Nancy SantilliEp 77 – Bob Hunt and Nancy Santilli: Solving Problems Students Care About

Alex welcomes the COO of North Coast Auto Mall, Oleg Kislyansky onto the show to talk about vision, failure, growth, going from a non-data driven organization to a data-driven one, and much more. Buckle up and get ready for one inspiring and entertaining ride! Notes: Crazy ways to say hello and epiphanies of a new father  Oleg’s curiosity, hyperfocus, how he used that to better his business during COVID  “Punching above your weight” and moving up within the auto industry Impostor syndrome and underestimating yourself vs other people underestimating you Oleg’s “secret sauce” for a good business The importance of getting employees to follow your vision and how to get them to do that The format of Oleg’s sales meetings The format of Alex’s meetings Oleg’s failures and how he’s learned from them  Going from a non-data driven organization to a data-driven organization  Alex’s book recommendations Links: North Coast Auto Mall: https://www.ncautoauction.com/ Alex’s Insider Fix: https://gertsburglaw.c

Alex and Chas mow through what led him to go from rebellious teenager to owner of one of the largest landscaping businesses in Northeast Ohio, how to build the right team, learning to properly communicate with your employees, and much more. Notes  Alex’s childhood landscaping experiences and Chas’s journey Crises he has faced while running the same business for over 20 years How a big decision and a semester at sea transformed him into a world-class entrepreneur Discovering EO and the importance of having a sense of belonging How Chas discovered Culture Index and what led him to become a CI advisor Using data to put the right butts in the right seats The importance of learning how to properly communicate with your employees Reducing turnover How COVID has affected his businesses And much more… Links Moscarino Landscape and Design: https://createmylandscape.com/ Culture Index: https://www.cindexinc.com/Chas’ Website: https://chasmoscarino.com/Chas’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chas-mosca

Alex invites Tom Jackson, current candidate for the Ohio State Senate to come on the show and explain to us why we should vote for him. They discuss what made him decide to run, the problem of government corruption, and how his plans to challenge the status quo will change the lives of Ohio’s residents for the better.  Notes: Kids keeping you up all night and why on earth someone would voluntarily choose to run 100 miles  Comparing silent training to meditation and the flow state Tom’s bio and how he lost his accent How he went from the insurance business to politics and what led him to run for the Ohio State Senate Why should we vote for him? Discussing the issues of inequality, education, and women’s reproductive rights Why not Matt Dolan? What will Tom Jackson do to challenge the status quo? Is Tom Jackson anti-business? The problem with politics today House Bill 6 and the corruption in Columbus Running against a big name Campaigning in the age of social media Systemic vs. institutional raci

Alex interrogates criminal defense attorney Ashley Jones and together they examine the ins and outs of criminal law, starting your own law firm, the challenges facing small business owners, cults, and much more. Notes: Turning phones on silent, newbie court fails, and getting chastised by judges The case Ashley is the most proud of and the one that still haunts her Representing people Ashley thinks may be guilty Difficult cases and clients Deal emotionally with an unfair criminal justice system Why Ashley started her own firm and the challenges of a business owner Recognizing burnout, learning your limits, and how to be ruthless with your time “A-ha” moments in business ownership The importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded business owners Links: Ashley Jones LawAlex’s Insider FixJoin the Gertsburg Lawfirm

In this freewheeling conversation, Alex and Paul tackle the world’s problems, from pandemics to elections to media bias. They discuss how different businesses, sectors and industries have reacted and adapted to COVID, and how local government helps or hurts the process, and they both make predictions on how it will all play out. Notes: ·  Paul’s recent promotion and the importance of calling people by their proper title ·  Hot button issues in the City of North Royalton ·  How businesses and industries both big and small have reacted and adapted to COVID ·  How COVID has affected the arts, the artists, production, tech, and related industries as well ·  Predictions on how this will all play out ·  If Alex was a dictator… ·  The loss of credibility in the media ·  Extinction level events and evolution ·  Traveling through history ·  Exercising emotional intelligence ·  Fixing election issues Links: Ep 15 – Meet Paul MarnecheckCity of North RoyaltonGreater Cleveland PartnershipEp 123 – How Bow Ties can Save t

Join Alex and Traction Lab founder, Gene Roberts as they dive deeply into the entrepreneurial mindset to explore how to go from incremental to exponential. They also discuss learning how to let go and delegate, the common frustrations of entrepreneurs and how to get rid of them, accountability hacks, and so much more. Notes Gene’s journey from entrepreneur to EOS Implementer How does failure lead to credibility? The importance of bringing experience, not advice to the table Why you should spend more time with entrepreneurs The common frustrations of entrepreneurs and how to get rid of them The key components to every business, which one entrepreneurs have the most issues with, and how to fix it Gene’s accountability hack Update on Believe in Dreams Links The Traction LabBelieve in Dreams Ep 69 – How a Business Operates – Meet Ron KaminskiEOS Self-Implementers Unite!EOS WorldwideTraction by Gino Wickman Get a Grip by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton The E-Myth Series by Michael Gerber Good

Alex catches up with returning guest John DiJulius, five-time author, customer service ninja, head of The DiJulius Group, John Robert’s Spa and Believe In Dreams, and modern day renaissance man. They discuss the importance of empathy, understanding both customer and employee needs, inspiration and effective communication with your team, positive energy, and so much more. This episode is full of powerful tips, philosophy, and humor. Notes Recent wins CX Executive Academy, EO, and the importance of peer discussion and coaching Why and how to be empathic and understanding of both your customers’ and employees’ needs How to effectively communicate with employees How re-opening has gone with John Robert’s and what they are doing to meet demand That one time John got arrested… Creative positive energy moments Leadership, creativity, and flow John’s hacks to shift negative to positive energy Why you should binge learning Updates on Believe in Dreams Links The DiJulius GroupJohn Robert’s SpaBelieve in

Alex gets moving with certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, nutritional and wellness consultant, founder, and co-founder of multiple businesses including Kijia and the Brain Ops Group, Ali Hively. They discuss how achieving small wins through having the right mentality, building a strong foundation, and proper stress management techniques can build to much greater wins later on. This episode is as jampacked as your favorite (or least favorite depending on how you look at it) HIIT workout. You don’t want to miss it!  Notes: Alex asks selfish personal questions about getting back into regular fitness habits during the quarantine and Ali gives some quarantine fitness tips How to get over not wanting to answer to others  How the “how much do you want it” mindset may be harmful and what to do to change it How Ali connects with her clients and how her framework helps them decide what works for them while identifying their goals and creating solid foundations Ali’s #1 hack for getting immediate

What are we really disagreeing about? A special message from Alex Gertsburg. https://youtu.be/ZIFcULcvX_w

After an introduction about protests, riots and police brutality, Alex grills Brandon Chrostowski, President and Founder of EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, to find out how he managed to achieve 52% revenue growth during these trying times. They also discuss all the new things happening at EDWINS, how COVID-19 has disproportionately affected poorer communities, how to increase minority management and presence in fine dining restaurants, what we can do to help, and much more. https://youtu.be/lw1K3GsmWMM   Notes Recent personal and professional wins How Brandon's purpose-driven mission generated 52% revenue growth during the pandemic Updates on what's going on at EDWINS    How COVID-19 has affected his students/employees The power and value of strong support systems and promoting good self-esteem How to increase minority management and presence in fine dining restaurants  What the community can do to help and how a special spoon represents the importance of details an

After taking part in the protests in Chagrin Falls, Alex sits down with attorney and president of the Cleveland Bar Association, Ian Friedman to discuss the George Floyd murder, the resulting protests, riots, and the changes that need to happen within the criminal justice system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoJDsoR_X8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIDSANIEv-4 Notes Introducing Ian and what led him to give a speech during one of the protests in Cleveland What makes George Floyd’s case and the events surrounding it different from all of the others Ian and Alex discuss what should vs. what will happen moving forward What has the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association done in the past and what is it planning to do to for criminal justice reform The difficulty of breaking through the “blue wall” Protesting vs. Rioting, what really happened in Cleveland, and how to encourage younger people to let their voices be heard. Links Friedman & Nemecek, L

What do swimming with horses, making fresh pasta, and recycling computers have in common? Tune in as Alex chats with entrepreneur and life coach Mellissa Hathaway and find out! They cover escaping from difficult relationships, imposter syndrome, the power of being an underdog, learning how to quiet negative inner voices, and so much more.   Notes Personal and professional wins Melissa shares how she and her young son escaped an abusive relationship and what it’s like to start over in your forties How she went from driving trucks to selling fresh pasta, to becoming a partner in the computer recycling business How swimming with horses changed her life Dealing with impostor syndrome and the power of being an underdog Tony Robbins, quieting the negative voices, meditation, Mindvalley, and the importance of creative outlets Links Melissa’s Website Melissa’s Facebook page Melissa’s Instagram Alex’s Guest Interview on “The Daily Bread Podcast” Mindvalley’s “6-Phase Meditation Quest - Learn How