In Process Podcast

John Sheppard's 30-year career has prepared him well for the calamities of 2020. So, when the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa wanted a seasoned executive to talk about managing through a crisis, Sheppard got the call. In the 1990s, Sheppard was about a week into his new job as president of Coca-Cola’s European Division when the company was forced to recall over 15 million bottles of Coke after it was suspected of making over 100 school children sick. The largest product recall in history began to unfold, and he was at the center of it. Every company experiences crises. And whether it’s a worldwide pandemic or a temporary manufacturing glitch, the fundamentals of crisis management are the same. John weathered that early crisis and went on to have a successful career at Cola-Cola spanning nearly two decades. Today, he is the CEO and president of OttLite Technologies, a company that makes LED lights calibrated reduce eyestrain and improve wellness. They’re also preparing to launch a produ

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon lead a new podcast series on leading during COVID-19: planning and action. Their first guest was Jane Gentry, CEO of Fusion, an experiential and trade show staffing company. During the course of the podcast, C-level executives and business owners will learn about: How to lead your organization during this unprecedented health pandemic – COVID-19 How Fusion brainstormed pivoting ideas to reinvent their business during COVID-19 to survive Why staying connected to clients and furloughed employees is a good thing Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Did you enjoy this podcast episode? Please give a review, this will help our show be found by other people. Do you have any questions about this epi

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Partner John Monahon speak with Alan McKeon, President and CEO of Alexander Babbage. Fifteen years ago McKeon bought a market research company focused on shopping centers. Shortly thereafter, he recognized an opportunity for growth and embarked on the company’s first strategic business transformation. In the following years, he has successfully led Alexander Babbage through two more business transformations and has consistently grown his cash flow funded company. During the course of the podcast, C-level executives will learn about: What external factors led Alexander Babbage, a location-based analytics firm to go through three business transformations Tips to quickly get employees onboard with business transformation Key performance indicators that Alexander Babbage used to measure success for their business transformations How to lead a successful business transforma

This week on Trusted Counsel’s podcast show “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we interview Dan Drechel, Senior Vice President of BIP Capital, a venture capital firm based in Atlanta about his experience as the lead investor overseeing Saas, fintech, and devtools investments and in business transformations as an actual operator. Dan was part of a successful transformation during the dotcom boom era. In 1998, he interviewed for the Chief Operating Officer position at Security First Network Bank, a relatively new bank founded in 1994. Security First Network Bank was actually the first internet bank worldwide. During the interview, he learned the bank was in the process of a transformation and the COO would take the lead. Why did Security First Network Bank leadership make this decision after a mere four years in business? According to Dan, the bank was doing well at attracting deposits but lousy as a lender. With little revenues and stiff competition including large banking institut

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. In our final installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley of Trusted Counsel and Partner, John Monahon, speak with Michael Levy, Partner-in-charge of Aprio’s Transaction Advisory Services practice and Yelena Epova, Partner-in-Charge of Aprio’s International Services Practice about financial and tax considerations. Aprio is Georgia’s largest full-service CPA-led advisory firm. For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com. During the course of the podcast, entrepreneurs, busi

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. In this fifth installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley of Trusted Counsel and Partner, John Monahon, speak with Alvina Lo, Chief Wealth Strategist of Wilmington Trust. She oversees the wealth planning, strategic advice, and thought leadership services for Wilmington Trust’s fast-growing wealth advisory division. Wilmington Trust is a premier provider of wealth and institutional services for M&T Bank, one of the most financially sound and successful companies in the U.S. financial services industry. Many entrepreneurs and business leaders tend to put off thinking about selling their business, and what will happen to their assets without them, until it’s too late. The results of not planning ahead of time are often felt by families as well as business partners. From freezing assets to

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. In this fourth installment of our six-part podcast series, Partner, John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speaks with firm colleagues Partner, Allen Bradley and Attorney Valerie Barton regarding the legal side of selling a business. Trusted Counsel has led numerous businesses through the exit process and this interview provides very practical advice on what business owners need to do now to prepare legally to get their legal house in order, before an exit. For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information, and to download our free e-book, visit our virtual event happening now at www.preppingtheprincess.com. During t

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. In this third installment of our six-part podcast series, Partner, John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speaks with Massachusetts Executive, Peter Paglia. Paglia led two businesses through the exit process in the 2000s. He is the former President and CEO of Azimuth Systems that was acquired by Anritsu, a Japanese public company in 2016. He is also the former COO and Chief Revenue Officer of OnBoard Security, Inc., a top cyber security solutions provider for automotive and IoT organizations. He led the sale of OnBoard Security, Inc. to Qualcomm Technologies Inc. (QTI) in 2019. For this series of podcast episodes, Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm. Is Your Business Ready to Sell? For more in

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we continue our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. According to a 2019 business trends study, 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy and many business owners are unprepared to sell. In this second installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speak with Trey James, co-founder and (former) CEO of Atlanta-based Xcentric, a managed network services company, that sold to Right Networks in 2017. Trey is also a technology thought leader to the accounting profession who is recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the industry by Accounting Today. In this in-depth interview, he discusses the founding of Xcentric, the business model, and the industry externalities that eventually led him down the path to sell. Trey says, “what I learned in the end is that selling a business is

This week on “In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century,” we begin our third annual series of podcast episodes dedicated to the topic of preparing to sell your business. According to a 2019 business trends study, 48% of business owners who want to sell have no exit strategy and many business owners are unprepared to sell. In the first installment of our six-part podcast series, Managing Partner, Evelyn Ashley and Valerie Barton of Trusted Counsel speak with Vijay Rawat, the Managing Director GrowthPoint Technology Partners for his insight. GrowthPoint Technology Partners is a Silicon Valley based technology investment bank that provides financial and M&A advisory services to technology companies. Trusted Counsel has united with GrowthPoint Technology Partners, Wilmington Trust, Aprio, Xcentric which sold to Right Networks, and OnBoard Security which sold to Qualcomm to prepare “Prepping the Princess for the Party: Is Your Business Ready to Sell?” For more information visit our virtual e

In this episode of In Process Podcast: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Trusted Counsel’s John Monahon talks with Trusted Counsel colleagues Allen Bradley and Valerie Barton about some of the most common legal mistakes they encounter on a regular basis and their thoughts on how to avoid them. In Monahon’s view, there is a recognition element that entrepreneurs sometimes miss. For example, not putting restrictive covenants on employees of your organization, or not protecting your intellectual property. In this episode, we’ll help you understand the ways in which the law is a tool that can help you capture value and prevent costly problems (such as additional legal fees) down the road. During the podcast CEO's, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: Legal landmines to avoid Ways to avoid paying large tax fees Commonly confused legal terms  

In this episode of In Process Podcast: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Trusted Counsel’s John Monahon speaks with Marty Schultz, a successful technology entrepreneur with a background in software engineering about an app development company he founded in 2014 called Blindfold Games. “The idea came out of an after-school program I was teaching at my daughters’ school for kids in the app club,” Marty told us. “The kids wanted to build a game, and I said okay, I’m willing to do the programming to build a game and show you how games are designed, but it has to be a game that’s really different than other games because if I’m programming, I want to do something interesting and different.” Today, more than 25,000 visually impaired people of all ages from around the world enjoy the wildly successful games of Blindfold Games.    During the podcast CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: How ideas become technology Marty's process for research and testing for the new app How a "hob

In this episode of In Process Podcast, Trusted Counsel speaks to former CEO/President of Xcentric, Trey James. A little bit about Trey: He is a technology thought leader to the Accounting profession and he has been recognized as one of the "top 100 Most Influential People" in the accounting industry by Accounting today."  In 2017, his Atlanta based company Xcentric was acquired by Right Networks and is now Right Networks. Right Networks is the leading provider of cloud-based accounting and business solutions for CPA firms, accounting professionals and small businesses. Xcentric is a leader in managed IT solutions for accounting firms. Today, the expanded Right Networks continues to offer Xcentric’s complete cloud solution AND is accelerating the growth of their customer base while providing exceptional customer services. Listen to this fascinating interview of how Trey decided he wanted to sell, how he and his team made the business attractive for the sale, surprises he had along the way and more!   

In this episode of In Process Podcast: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Trusted Counsel’s Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon speak with Michael Jones, Attorney at Trusted Counsel  who has a strong background in business-oriented technology. In this episode, he explains trends in data privacy in the United States. Listen to the conversation and understand what is meant by “intentional data privacy.” A strong point emphasized in the podcast is as a business owner, you should assume your business must comply with the new regulation in California, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). According to Michael, “if you are in the business of data collection – and nearly all businesses today are – or if your business involves California residents, you most likely will need to comply.”   During the course of the podcast CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: The definition of the CCPA Recommendations for best practices for your business on compliance Understand what is mean by “int

In this episode of In Process Podcast: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, Trusted Counsel’s John Monahon and Valerie Barton speak to Dan Bradbary, Founder and Managing Partner of PMI Advisors. An accomplished entrepreneur, speaker and author, he has extensive experience with founding and selling various businesses. He founded PMI Advisors in 2017 upon recognizing the under-served needs of mid-market companies regarding post-merger integration. Since its founding, PMI Advisors has since become involved in the other phases of business management and operations ranging from business continuity planning, sale preparation, business process optimization and divestiture and carve out.   During the course of the podcast CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: The PMI Advisors process when assisting business owners looking to sell What is meant by having an emergency operations plan The difference between an advisory board versus a board of directors Post-sale final thoughts Don’t mi

Trusted Counsel’s Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon speak to Erik Bush, CEO and Founder of Demand Driven Technologies (DD Tech). DD Tech was founded in 2011 and specializes in cloud-based supply chain software solutions. In 2018, the company was selected as a Venture Atlanta Presenting Company, the Southeast’s premier event for connecting technology innovation and investment capital. In 2010, Bush retired from IBM after 31 years with the company, the majority in executive management roles. He told us during the podcast, “when I retired, I thought I might do something entrepreneurial, because I’ve always had the itch to go out and try my luck at that.” A year later, he started DD Tech. This was a fascinating interview as he shared a lot of insight about what it’s like to be a CEO and more! During the course of the podcast CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: What really led Bush to form DD Tech after he retired from IBM DD Techs process for raising venture capital Erik Bush’s sales lessons f

Bluetooth, the Apple iPhone, Facebook, and 4G (the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications), are undoubtedly some of the most important inventions of the 21st century. Colossal ideas of the future that required some serious innovation processes to reach each of their respective launches. This is where end-to-end process comes in, according to innovation strategist Susan Reed. In other words, to reach launch quickly and effectively, organizations need to place decision and success metrics in front of their innovation processes in order succeed.     In this episode of In Process: Conversations about Business in the 21st Century, hosts Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon of Trusted Counsel speak with strategist Susan Reed about innovation. Reed is the founder and CEO of EdgeDweller, which for 30 years has transformed organizations and individuals through front-end innovation practices that are powerful, practical and proven. She and the team at EdgeDweller have helped launch more than 150 products and services

In this special holiday episode, number 84, Trusted Counsel’s Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon spoke to Ryan Kenny, inventor of The Christmas Tree Hugger, a seasonal holiday product that he invented in 2016. In addition, podcast co-host John happens to be the business partner of Ryan Kenny! The Christmas Tree Hugger makes artificial trees look more festive, fun and real. The product comes in several holiday-inspired designs and is simply wrapped around the bottom of any fake tree. This is a very inspiring interview with entrepreneur Ryan Kenny and a must listen to interview for any entrepreneur that is seeking to take their invention on television in front of thousands of viewers. During the course of the podcast, CEOs, business owners, C-level executives and entrepreneurs will learn: Ryan’s strategy for getting retail buyers to talk to him on the phone The insider’s view on the various stages that contestants need to go through in order to get selected to appear on Shark Tank How Ryan prepared for the actual

In this episode, Trusted Counsel’s Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon spoke to Steve Teel, President and CEO of ServiceCentral. ServiceCentral has gone through two acquisitions; the first in 2005, the second in 2017. As a result, their employee base has grown by 30% and the company has increased revenue by 50% (some of which is attributed to the joint venture opportunities their software enabled). Steve said, “we’re getting a lot of traction in the industry that I didn’t think we would’ve had, had we not done the deal.” About ServiceCentral The company was founded in 1991 and is a private company. The company provides web-based reverse logistics, service and repair management software solutions to companies to transform the after-sales service of product into a profit stream.     During the course of the podcast, CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: How ServiceCentral found the businesses it decided to acquire The proactive steps that ServiceCentral took to address cultural differences post-

In this episode, Trusted Counsel’s Evelyn Ashley and John Monahon speak to Jack Berlin, CEO of a technology company called Accusoft. Accusoft is a leading document and imaging software company based in Tampa, Florida. It was founded in 1991 as Pegasus Imaging Corporation. It’s a privately held company that has grown to approximately 160 employees. Having gone through several acquisitions, the company now provides a wide array of technology solutions to developers worldwide.   During the course of the podcast, CEOs, business owners, and C-level executives will learn: The acquisition challenges that Accusoft faced Lessons learned from three deals that actually never closed Accusoft’s strategy for finding businesses to acquire Accusoft’s communication strategy regarding employee change management Don’t miss a single episode of our podcast show. Subscribe to our show “In Process Podcast” on iTunes and now on Google Play to receive this episode as well as future episodes to your smartphone. Did you enjoy this ep