John Ray, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Don Lang, Blue Key Partners

December 5, 2022 by John Ray

Don Lang, Blue Key Partners (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 586)

Don Lang, Co-Founder of Blue Key Partners, joined John Ray to discuss talent and all things hiring. He talked about the importance of getting the right person for the job, the staggering costs of a bad hire, how to prepare for and begin the hiring process, how to assess candidates, common interviewing mistakes, success stories, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Blue Key Partners

Blue Key Partners helps clients to assess, select and develop talent with customized leadership development and learning solutions. We also provide expert advisory and training services that support organizations to hire the best.

Formed in 2013, Blue Key Partners brings together the capabilities of Talent Effects, led by Don Lang and The Learning Point, led by Laura Butcher. Don and Laura have collectively served clients of all sizes across numerous industries around the world for more than 60 years. In 2022, Don and Laura released their book, Hire the Best: Find, Interview, and Select Top Talent—a must read guide designed for managers, team leaders, and anyone else who has responsibility for finding, assessing and selecting talent.

Website | Twitter | LinkedIn

Don Lang, Co-Founder, Blue Key Partners

For over fifteen years, Don has focused his work on coaching and developing leaders and teams. He leverages a diverse background that spans from human resources management, line operations, account management, and P&L responsibility, to enhance his contribution to leader development through coaching and related advanced learning programs.

Don works with leaders to develop strategies, build collaborative relationships, form, and lead high performing teams, and to develop, execute and achieve key business objectives. For leaders and organizations operating across borders, Don contributes key insights and perspective from years of hands-on consulting assignments in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Don support to leaders and organizations includes:

Team and leadership coaching
Leadership development program design, development, and delivery
Talent assessment for hiring, succession, and M&A
Key talent acquisition consulting and training prior roles

Don’s prior roles included human resources management assignments in Fortune 500, information management and financial services for firms at both the corporate and field levels. Later, Don held several line operations and technology management roles in insurance/health care services. He also was Director of Healthcare Systems for a systems solution firm where he served as channel marketing development lead. He then became a VP and Principal at Mainstream Access, Inc., a global consulting firm focusing on talent assessment and development. Later, he served in a P&L leadership role as a Managing Director in the Human Capital Consulting Group of Spherion Corporation, a global outsourcing and consulting firm.

He founded an independent coaching and leadership development business in 2022, and in 2012 Don co-founded Blue Key Partners, providing advisory and training services to support organizations in their objective to hire the best. Don holds an MBA from Georgia State University and a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Lafayette College. He has completed an Executive Coaching certification program at Columbia University. For over ten years, Don lectured on high performing teaming and coaching for leaders in the Executive MBA program at Kennesaw State University. He continues as adjunct faculty for KSU’s Coles College fo Business Executive Education programs.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Importance of getting the right person in the right job (costs of a bad hire)
Importance of leaders/Manager to have a talent mindset (building a talent brand and creating a virtual bench)
Beginning the hiring process with job and candidate specifications (what is each and how to prepare)
How to prepare for the interview process
What are the skills anyone interviewing needs to be effective in
How to assess candidates
Common mistakes interviewing candidates
How to on-boarding and retain talent

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Tiffany C. Wright, The Resourceful CEO, and the Author of The Funding Is Out There! Access the Cash You Need to Impact Your Business

December 5, 2022 by John Ray

Tiffany C. Wright, The Resourceful CEO, and the Author of The Funding Is Out There! Access the Cash You Need to Impact Your Business (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 585)

Tiffany C. Wright, President of The Resourceful CEO and Author of The Funding Is Out There! Access the Cash You Need to Impact Your Business, joined host John Ray on this edition of North Fulton Business Radio. Tiffany discussed how valuable it is when owners set and communicate goals with their team, the disconnect between owners and their own goals vs. their team as it relates to an exit, what to look for if you are preparing to buy or invest in a business, how she works with companies, success stories, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Tiffany C. Wright, The Resourceful CEO

**Tiffany C. Wright, President, The Resourceful CEO**

Tiffany helps small to medium B2B companies restructure their operations and finances to generate stronger cash flow, higher profits and greater revenue. Her clients have experienced revenue increases of 10 to 40%, profitability increases of 20% to 250%, and doubling to quadrupling of cash flow in <=1 year. She’s also the author of The Funding Is Out There! Access the Cash You Need to Impact Your Business. Whether you’ve got a $300,000 transportation business, a $20 million business services company, or are an aspiring entrepreneur with options – Tiffany C. Wright has information and strategies for your business success.

Tiffany now combines her passion for financial independence and business ownership into helping B2B business owners who are frustrated, bored, upset and scared about the state of their business operations. Acting in a business consultant or a fractional COO/CEO capacity, The Resourceful CEO leads owners through successful, impactful financial and operational business restructurings that drives higher cash flow, stronger profits, greater owner flexibility and freedom…and successful owner exits.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

How Owners setting and communicating goals with their team can impact value
What is the disconnect with owners and goals for themselves, their team, and staff as it relates to exit?
How much time and effort does it take to get these things in place?
What is one more key area you see that is not done well enough?
If you are looking to buy a company now and another before the end of the year, what are the top five attributes you are looking at and how are those shaping up with your current negotiations?

Best Practices for Employee Offer Letters

December 2, 2022 by John Ray

Best Practices for Employee Offer Letters (Advisory Insights Podcast, Episode 20)

On this episode of Advisory Insights, Stuart Oberman of Oberman Law Firm discusses why offer letters for employees are so vital and best practices for offer letters. He emphasizes that offer letters can make or break a company, and advises employers to document salary, benefits, performance reviews, and special conditions in their offer letters.

Advisory Insights is presented by Oberman Law Firm and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®. The series can be found on all the major podcast apps. You can find the complete show archive here.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:01] Broadcasting from the studios of Business RadioX, it’s time for Advisory Insights. Brought to you by Oberman Law Firm, serving clients nationwide with tailored service and exceptional results. Now, here’s your host.

Stuart Oberman: [00:00:20] Welcome everyone to Advisory Insights, Stuart Oberman. Folks, we’re going to drill it down today. So, in the Great Resignation, in the Great Boomerang, in the great process of I’m going to hang around for the job for a while and see what it does, I’m gonna lay low, assuming that you had an interview that was squeaky clean – as we mentioned on some other podcasts – assume that you did everything correct, you loved your candidate, now you’re going to offer them the job. This is where it gets sort of tricky.

Stuart Oberman: [00:00:53] We’re going to take you through the topic for today, Best practices for employee offer letters. You’re probably thinking, “Well, I really don’t even offer my employees an offer letter.” That’s a big mistake. Every employee that you hire should have some type of offer letter. I don’t care what the industry you’re in, your employees need an offer letter.

Stuart Oberman: [00:01:19] Now, we’ve seen some disastrous offer letters. We’ve seen some good ones. I would walk through some basics. I mean, our offer letters that we offer our employees at the firm, obviously, are very long. Some may be very short. But I want to walk through some basics.

Stuart Oberman: [00:01:36] So, first and foremost, the key is that employee offer letters should never, ever, ever be considered an employee contract. If you have any doubt whether or not your offer letter is an employee contract, I would urge you to call your local council, whoever your general counsel is for the business. Ask them, “Does this have employment contract language in it? Am I going to get burned?” I want all language that creates an employment contract out. I want all that language out. At no time should your offer letters ever, ever, ever have language in there regarding employment contract.

Stuart Oberman: [00:02:23] Now, I want to walk through some basics. You know, for every job, there are so many variables for an employment contract. I get that, but I want an offer letter. What’s the guidelines? What are you doing upfront? What are the obligations of you? What are the obligations of your employee without even entering into an employment contract? There’s millions and millions of people that have jobs that don’t have contracts, but they should have offer letters which outlines certain things.

Stuart Oberman: [00:02:53] I want to know what your start date is, that should be in an offer letter. When you start, do you start two weeks? Is it tentative? Is it depending on whether or not your candidate has to get fired, laid off from the other job, or quit?

Stuart Oberman: [00:03:10] Contingencies – first and foremost, you’ve got to be careful with this one – are you requiring that employee to pass a drug test? Now, why do I say that? Because states are starting to limit drug tests.

Stuart Oberman: [00:03:24] Now, in our previous podcast, we talked about employees and employers that are dealing with the marijuana issue. That’s a huge topic right now. Are employers working around the marijuana issue? Some of them want to test for it, some of them want to go into panels. Drug tests, but you got to be careful. So, people in this podcast are listening not only in different countries but different parts of the region in the States, what does your local state say, what does the federal law say about drug tests?

Stuart Oberman: [00:03:57] Next, background test screening. We’re seeing a lot of pushback on this issue. You’ve got to make sure you understand what your Local and State Law is for this. Job title, “Well, I don’t really have a job title. We just come to work.” That’s not going to work in today’s world. They need a job title. What’s their title? And then, does it correspond with the employee manual? So, I have a job title, but I have no job description. So, really, the title is worthless because you’ve got no description as to what that guideline is. How are you tracking your employees and what their protocols are? Job titles, job descriptions in that employee manual.

Stuart Oberman: [00:04:39] I would tell you, the podcasts we’re doing and articles that we write as a firm, we can’t stress enough employee manuals. And it’s going to vary from industry, but if you don’t have an employee manual, folks, you’ve got to get one. Because, otherwise, you’re going to lose a lot of governmental arguments that relate to employment law and those kind of things.

Stuart Oberman: [00:05:00] So, salary, how are you paid? Are you exempt, non-exempt? Here’s a new one, are your salary non-exempt? Are you hourly non-exempt? How are you categorized? You need to know that. Is what you’re categorizing legal? What are your benefits? Health insurance, paid vacation. What does your employee manual say? PTO, leave. Folks, you’ve got to put your benefits down, 401(k)s matching, simple IRAs matching. What’s the protocols? What do you need to put in there?

Stuart Oberman: [00:05:40] Now, what we see a lot of times missing is performance reviews. How often are you going to do performance reviews once a year, once a quarter, every six months? Now, when a candidate starts, do you have a 90 day review period? Hopefully, the answer to that is, “Yes, I do.” If not, get one.

Stuart Oberman: [00:06:05] Now, the biggest question, employment at will. Every person you hire should be at will. Depending on the state, it will depend on how they define at will. But every, every, every offer letter needs to say at will.

Stuart Oberman: [00:06:21] Next, special conditions, two very hot topics on the local, state, and national level, non-competes. Folks, we’re seeing a lot and a lot of pushback on these areas. We’re starting to see some trends regarding how much you make as an employee. Do you even apply to that non-compete? If you make over 100,000 or 120, you know, what profession are you in? Do you have restrictions on your non-competes? You’ve got to look at that, folks, especially if you are a cross-border company where you may have 20 employees that work in 20 different states.

Stuart Oberman: [00:07:00] You know, sometimes I’ll ask the question to our employers, what states are your employees in and what states do you need guidance on? And their answer is, it’s easier to tell you what states we’re not in than the states that we are in. So, again, what are we looking at? Non-solicitation, I don’t care what your title is or what your job description is if you’re an employee, folks, your employees need non-solicitation. If they leave, they’re taking their stuff, they’re taking their list, they’re taking their confidential information, they’re taking your letterhead, they’re taking everything they’re using because they’re going to the next level, they’re going to the next company, and they’re going to utilize whatever they learned from you or Skyped from you or lifted from you, whatever you want to call the term.

Stuart Oberman: [00:07:50] Folks, I tell you, that’s a quick podcast but it is so very important that, one, you interview your candidate in the proper way, and we’ve discussed that on previous podcasts. Two, that you know exactly what you can do as far as drug tests and background tests. Do you even allow those? Once you get past that step, I want you to do offer letters. Again, if you don’t have an offer letter that you need council to review, get one. I cannot stress that enough. You’ve got to have guidelines for your employees. Salary, benefits, performance reviews, special conditions, folks, they’re all critical. Sometimes they will make or break a company depending on who’s coming and who’s going.

Stuart Oberman: [00:08:39] Folks, that is all for today’s podcast. Offer letters, you got to have them, folks. You got to have them. Stuart Oberman, Advisory Insights. Thank you so much for joining us today. If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call, Oberman Law Firm, 770-886-2400 or email me, stuart – that’s S-T-U-A-R-T – @obermanlaw.com. Folks, thanks so much. Thanks for listening. Have a fantastic day.

Outro: [00:09:10] Thank you for joining us on Advisory Insights. This show is brought to you by Oberman Law Firm, a business-centric law firm representing local, regional, and national clients in a wide range of practice areas, including health care, mergers and acquisitions, corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance.

About Advisory Insights Podcast

Presented by Oberman Law Firm, Advisory Insights Podcast covers legal, business, HR, and other topics of vital concern to healthcare practices and other business owners. This show series can be found here as well as on all the major podcast apps.

Stuart Oberman, Oberman Law Firm

Stuart Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 25 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company. Mr. Oberman is widely regarded as the go-to attorney in the area of Dental Law, which includes DSO formation, corporate business structures, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, advertising regulations, HIPAA, Compliance, and employment law regulations that affect dental practices.

In addition, Mr. Oberman’s expertise in the healthcare industry includes advising clients in the complex regulatory landscape as it relates to telehealth and telemedicine, including compliance of corporate structures, third-party reimbursement, contract negotiations, technology, health care fraud, and abuse law (Anti-Kickback Statute and the State Law), professional liability risk management, federal and state regulations.

As the long-term care industry evolves, Mr. Oberman has the knowledge and experience to guide clients in the long-term care sector with respect to corporate and regulatory matters, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). In addition, Mr. Oberman’s practice also focuses on health care facility acquisitions and other changes of ownership, as well as related licensure and Medicare/Medicaid certification matters, CCRC registrations, long-term care/skilled nursing facility management, operating agreements, assisted living licensure matters, and health care joint ventures.

In addition to his expertise in the health care industry, Mr. Oberman has a nationwide practice that focuses on all facets of contractual disputes, including corporate governance, fiduciary duty, trade secrets, unfair competition, covenants not to compete, trademark and copyright infringement, fraud, and deceptive trade practices, and other business-related matters. Mr. Oberman also represents clients throughout the United States in a wide range of practice areas, including mergers & acquisitions, partnership agreements, commercial real estate, entity formation, employment law, commercial leasing, intellectual property, and HIPAA/OSHA compliance.

Mr. Oberman is a national lecturer and has published articles in the U.S. and Canada.

Oberman Law Firm

Oberman Law Firm has a long history of civic service, noted national, regional, and local clients, and stands among the Southeast’s eminent and fast-growing full-service law firms. Oberman Law Firm’s areas of practice include Business Planning, Commercial & Technology Transactions, Corporate, Employment & Labor, Estate Planning, Health Care, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Privacy & Data Security, and Real Estate.

By meeting their client’s goals and becoming a trusted partner and advocate for our clients, their attorneys are recognized as legal go-getters who provide value-added service. Their attorneys understand that in a rapidly changing legal market, clients have new expectations, constantly evolving choices, and operate in an environment of heightened reputational and commercial risk.

Oberman Law Firm’s strength is its ability to solve complex legal problems by collaborating across borders and practice areas.

Connect with Oberman Law Firm:

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Comedian and Podcaster Joel Byars

December 2, 2022 by John Ray

Comedian and Podcaster Joel Byars (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 584)

Joel Byars joined host John Ray to share his story and how he became a comedian. Joel discussed his Hot Breath! Podcast, how comedy can have a positive impact in the world and its value in business, how more humor in the workplace builds employee morale and draws teams together, and so much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Joel Byars

Joel Byars is a comedian, podcaster, and trophy husband with over 12 years’ experience performing clean comedy for everyone from the grandkids to grandparents and even granddogs!

Not only has he toured the world doing stand-up, but he has also interviewed over 400 comedians like Jeff Foxworthy and Cedric the Entertainer on his award-winning Hot Breath! Podcast.

Joel’s mission is to connect the world one laugh at a time with his “Feel Good Funny” comedy.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Why did you become a comedian?
What have you learned from interviewing over 400 comedians?
What lessons have you learned from comedy that apply to business?
Why should a company have more laughter in the workplace?
How do you balance work and personal life?
How can people hire you?

Christine Santos, Boarding Pass Coffee

November 30, 2022 by John Ray

Christine Santos, Boarding Pass Coffee (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 583)

Christine Santos, Owner and Co-Founder of Boarding Pass Coffee, joined host John Ray to share all things coffee. They discussed how Boarding Pass Coffee got started and what it was like opening during the height of Covid, what makes them different than other coffee roasters, how they tie in travel to their packaging and store design, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Christine Santos, Owner & Co-Founder of Boarding Pass Coffee

It all started with coffee, travel, and a little bit of fate when Murilo and Christine Santos met in 2013! Since then, many cups of coffee have been had, and the two have traveled the world together. In 2020, they decided to pour their love for coffee and travel into something new: Boarding Pass Coffee. Offering specialty coffee from Murilo’s family farm in Brazil, as well as roasts from some of their favorite destinations, Boarding Pass Coffee has become a premier selection for coffee lovers from all blends of life. With a growing list of roasts and coffee tastings to educate even the most knowledgeable coffee enthusiasts, Boarding Pass Coffee has something for everyone on their unique coffee journey!

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Questions and Topics in this Interview

How did you get started?
There are a lot of coffee shops and coffee roasters out there, what makes you different?
Tell us about your packaging and the travel tie-ins
What was it like to launch during the height of Covid?
What is the growth plan for Boarding Pass Coffee?

Adam Bardi, Bardi Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Heather Fleming, MST

November 30, 2022 by John Ray

Adam Bardi, Bardi Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, and Heather Fleming, MST (ProfitSense with Bill McDermott, Episode 38)

On this episode of ProfitSense, host Bill McDermott welcomed two outstanding business leaders. Adam Bardi, Owner and CEO of Bardi Heating, Cooling, Plumbing, talked about growth and scaling a business, attracting talent, and more. Heather Fleming, Business Development Manager at MST, discussed the hot topics in accounting right now, what brought her back to the workforce, and more. Bill closed the show with a commentary on four crucial issues all business owners need to consider as they look ahead to 2023.

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton Studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Bardi Heating, Cooling, Plumbing

Bardi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing has served the greater Atlanta area since 1989, specializing in expert solutions for residential communities. We are family-owned, and we invoke our core values- honesty, family, respect, and a positive attitude in every professional project we obtain.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Adam Bardi, Owner & CEO, Bardi Heating, Cooling, Plumbing

Adam Bardi is many things: loving husband to his wife Heather, Girl Dad of two beautiful daughters, and the proud Owner/CEO of Bardi Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing. Adam has several primary influences that he credits to making him a successful entrepreneur. The first being family. Growing up as a First Generation American, Adam learned the importance of work ethic and the privilege of pursuing the American Dream. Adam’s father instilled important values in him.

Adam believes that being reared by an entrepreneur was the key to his success because he saw first-hand what it takes to be successful. Sports also heavily influenced Adam. As an avid sports fan and former athlete, sports taught Adam how to be a team player and the power of collective action.

He believes that Bardi is the best home service company to work for in Atlanta because of its employees. Adam loves being an entrepreneur because it gives him the ability to provide opportunity. For Adam, it’s not just about the success of his company, it’s about changing lives.

MSTiller LLC (“MST”)

MSTiller LLC (“MST”) celebrates its 66th anniversary this year. The Firm has 4 offices, 3 located in Georgia and 1 in New York. They have over 130 staff members serving clients in a variety of industries. MST is noted by Accounting Today as a “Firm to Watch”, ranked as one of the “Top 25 Accounting Firms” by Atlanta Business Chronicle and ranked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as “Top Work Places”.

What makes them different? They advocate for their clients continuously. Their clients view them as problem solvers and trusted advisors that anticipate issues and planning opportunities. They believe that their client service approach is what truly defines their firm. Resources and experience are meaningless without a desire to use those tools to help organizations achieve their goals. MST’s client service approach can best be described as hands-on, proactive and ongoing. They aim to be involved beyond the year-end services. Their client relationships typically are for the long-term, often extending over decades and the continuity of these client relationships is the ultimate testament to their service approach.

MST specializes in serving closely held and privately-owned businesses ranging in size from $10 million to over $300 million in revenue. Their services are composed of a broad range of audit, tax and strategic consulting matters. They have substantial experience in serving as the outside accountant for a wide range of growth and mature professional service providers.

Additionally, MST is a member of the Moore Global network of firms, which provides them immediate access to industry expertise from similar firms throughout the United States and internationally.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Heather Fleming, Business Development Manager, MST

Heather Fleming is a Business Development Manager with MST and has helped get this new practice at the firm up and running over the last year and a half. Heather started her professional career at SunTrust Bank in 1998 as a part of their Commercial Banking Training Program. After finishing the training program and working with a commercial banking team in Lawrenceville, she was named a Relationship Manager in 2000. She worked with privately held companies in Gwinnett County as their main point of contact and advocate at SunTrust Bank.

She joins the MST team with a great understanding of the financial world and how to connect with local business owners in the Atlanta market. Her goal is to help businesses determine what accounting services match their strategic or compliance needs and connect them with the partner and team that is going to be best for them and their team.

In her free time, she is raising 3 teenagers, is on the board for a couple non profit organizations, gives back to her community through her membership in YMSL and NCL with her kids, teaches Sunday School to high school girls and enjoys working out at a local CrossFit gym.

About ProfitSense and Your Host, Bill McDermott

ProfitSense with Bill McDermott dives into the stories behind some of Atlanta’s successful businesses and business owners and the professionals that advise them. This show helps local business leaders get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, their community, and their profession. The show is presented by McDermott Financial Solutions. McDermott Financial helps business owners improve cash flow and profitability, find financing, break through barriers to expansion, and financially prepare to exit their business. The show archive can be found at profitsenseradio.com.

Bill McDermott is the Founder and CEO of McDermott Financial Solutions. When business owners want to increase their profitability, they don’t have the expertise to know where to start or what to do. Bill leverages his knowledge and relationships from 32 years as a banker to identify the hurdles getting in the way and create a plan to deliver profitability they never thought possible.

Bill currently serves as Treasurer for the Atlanta Executive Forum and has held previous positions as a board member for the Kennesaw State University Entrepreneurship Center and Gwinnett Habitat for Humanity and Treasurer for CEO NetWeavers. Bill is a graduate of Wake Forest University and he and his wife, Martha have called Atlanta home for over 40 years. Outside of work, Bill enjoys golf, traveling, and gardening.

Connect with Bill on LinkedIn and Twitter and follow McDermott Financial Solutions on LinkedIn.

Razor Blades, Discounts, and Your Practice

November 29, 2022 by John Ray

Razor Blades, Discounts, and Your Practice

Even a single human hair can chip a razor blade, and that first chip leads to much greater damage as the blade is used. This imagery is a superb metaphor for how pricing discounts in a professional services practice can dull the business.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray The Price and Value Journey — **John Ray, Host of “The Price and Value Journey”**

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.

John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,600 podcast episodes.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Peter Webster and Scott Ward, ITRA Global Atlanta

November 29, 2022 by John Ray

Peter Webster and Scott Ward, ITRA Global Atlanta (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 582)

Peter Webster and Scott Ward of ITRA Global Atlanta joined host John Ray to discuss corporate real estate tenant and buyer advisement. Peter and Scott talked about the trusted network of ITRA Global professionals around the world that serve as corporate real estate advisors, mistakes business owners make with their office space needs, advising during negotiations, the current state of office space in the metro Atlanta area, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

ITRA Global Atlanta

ITRA Global is an organization of Real Estate Professionals specializing in representing tenants and buyers in the leasing, acquisition, and disposition of office, industrial and retail real estate. ITRA Global is one of the largest organizations in the world dedicated to representing corporate tenants and occupiers of commercial real estate in major markets across the globe.

Corporate Real Estate Advisors is a privately owned real estate firm that provides tenant representation and site selection expertise exclusively for tenants and buyers of office, industrial and retail space. Chosen by the prestigious ITRA Global (International Tenant Representative Alliance) as the regional representative for Atlanta, they offer corporate clients principal-level expertise in Atlanta and worldwide.

With each Principal’s 30+ years of experience, Corporate Real Estate Advisors provides intelligent strategies and creative solutions for companies, whether large or small, in their real estate matters. They are committed not only to achieving our client’s goals but also to exceeding their expectations by maximizing the value of their lease terms, resulting in long-term relationships reaching far beyond the initial transactional stage.

Website | LinkedIn

Peter Webster, Principal, ITRA Global Atlanta

Peter Webster has been an active member of the Atlanta Commercial Real Estate Community for over three decades. During that time, he has developed a deep and abiding knowledge of the market and has worked with clients both locally and nationally on assignments including multi-market account management, international representation, build-to-suit, and tenant advocacy. All of this experience has given Webster a unique perspective on the industry and driven the formation of a work ethic and style whose hallmarks are a dedication to the client’s goals and objectives coupled with a keen sensitivity to delivering value tied to the clients’ business strategies.

Peter has been a top producer for both local and national real estate companies. Notably, nine years with CB Richard Ellis where he received the Distinguished Achievement Award for being “Rookie of the Year” and was promoted to the level of Vice President. Peter left that position to join The Staubach Company where he was responsible for managing the marketing efforts for the Atlanta region. More recently, Peter founded a successful commercial real estate brokerage, Davidson Webster Associates and Advocate Commercial Real Estate.

During his career in Atlanta, Peter has been recognized six times for completing a Top Twenty-Five Office Deal of the Year by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. In addition, he has received the President’s Award and is a Phoenix Award and a Lifetime Member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors Million Dollar Club.

Peter has served as a Director for the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors and the Chairman of the Forms Committee. He is also presently serving on the Governors Board of the Georgia Institute of Real Estate. In addition, Peter currently serves on the ITRA Global Locations Committee.

Peter is a graduate of The University of Georgia’s Business School where he majored in real estate. Peter lives in Roswell, Georgia with his wife and children. He is active with the city of Roswell and has served as the President of the HOA for his community. Peter is an avid golfer, has a passion for music, and is enjoying raising his family.

Scott Ward, Vice President, ITRA Global Atlanta

Scott Ward is a veteran of over 25 years of owning businesses. Successfully representing and consulting other business owners in lease negotiations in the technology, creative media, retail, and manufacturing industries, Scott’s unique perspective keeps in mind the owner/tenant’s long-term cash flow needs as a catalyst for the future health of his client’s company.

Examples of Scott’s work include a young tech company expanding for the first time and helping to enable its current growth to include private and government clients worldwide. An industrial cabinet manufacturer successfully expanding to handle over 40 percent growth. Media agencies that need flexibility in their space to address the demands of sudden surges or shrinkage in client needs. And retail/franchise situations that come with issues of territory, visibility, and access. Scott has mentored five former employees to own their own businesses and applies these techniques in formulating winning space solutions for his clients.

Scott’s contacts and involvement in citywide groups give him an innovative perspective on trends in traffic, population, education, and economics. He is part of enabling organizations throughout metro Atlanta in realizing their missions by serving on boards or as an officer in Rotary International (Treasurer/International Director), The Chattahoochee Nature Center Board, The North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Scouts BSA (adult training), Toastmasters International, The Georgia Production Partnership (membership, industry relations, and governmental relations) and Atlanta Theatre to Go Board. He is also a member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.

Scott is a graduate of the University of Florida. Scott is also a public speaker and presentation coach. He loves fly fishing, and sailing and has been known to swing a golf club or two! His family’s accomplishments overwhelm him with pride. If you would like to share a coffee please reach out!

Questions and Topics in this Interview

About ITRA Global Atlanta
Mistakes business owners make in real estate
Sublease space
Adjusting to post-Covid conditions
Success stories

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Sarabeth Stine, TriNet HR Corporation

November 29, 2022 by John Ray

Sarabeth Stine, TriNet HR Corporation (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 581)

Sarabeth Stine, Executive Director of Sales at TriNet HR Corporation, joined host John Ray and discussed women in business, the importance of lifting one another up and helping them find their voice, retaining talent, why a PEO, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

TriNet HR Corporation

TriNet is a professional employer organization, or PEO, which provides small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR solutions tailored by industry. To free SMBs from HR complexities, TriNet offers access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation and compliance, payroll, and real-time technology.

From Main Street to Wall Street, TriNet empowers SMBs to focus on what matters most—growing their business.

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Sarabeth Stine, Executive Director, Sales, TriNet HR Corporation

Sarabeth has been in business sales for close to 18 years having spent the last 9 years in sales leadership. She leads the Mid-Atlantic sales organization at TriNet where she focuses on the strategic and tactical initiatives to grow business in her 3 key markets which include Atlanta, Pennsylvania, and the DC, Virginia, and Maryland area.

Sarabeth sits on the Board of Directors at the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce as well as at Feel Beautiful Today, a Roswell-based non-profit. She’s highly involved at Buckhead Church and resides in West Midtown Atlanta with her husband Rich and 6-year-old son, Steele.