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Mission Critical: Closing the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap E34

January 31, 2023 by Karen

Mission Critical: Closing the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap E34

Did you know that the global cybersecurity workforce gap is roughly 3.4 million people? This means that the supply of skilled cybersecurity workers needed to protect businesses from cyber threats has struggled to keep up with growing demand.

The January 2023 episode of the Arizona Technology Council’s AZTechCast podcast featured experts including Dara Gibson, AZ president of WiCyS Phoenix and senior manager at Optiv; Susan Morris, co-owner of ABL Cyber Academy and Cogent Cyber Range; and Andrew Roberts, chief cybersecurity strategist at cStor, A MicroAge Company. These leaders joined Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, and Bianca Buliga, the Council’s director of marketing and communications, in discussing how Arizona can more effectively close the gap and connect with skilled cybersecurity talent.

Throughout this hour-long episode, the panel of three experts discussed how they became interested in cybersecurity careers, the current global state of cybersecurity, the top cyber threats to watch out for and how businesses are more closely integrating cybersecurity within their business operations to protect themselves, their employees and their clients. On multiple occasions, the experts emphasized the growing disparity between open cybersecurity positions and the pool of skilled talent, and highlighted that people don’t need to be cybersecurity experts to land careers in the growing field.

The mission of WiCyS (pronounced We Sis) is to help build a strong gender-diverse cybersecurity workforce by facilitating recruitment, retention and advancement for women in the field.

WiCyS is a global community of women, allies and advocates, that are dedicated to bringing talented women together to celebrate and foster their passion and drive for cybersecurity.

The organization unites local communities of aspiring and thriving women cybersecurity professionals across the world to collaborate, share their knowledge, network and mentor.

Optiv is the cyber advisory and solutions leader in the United States. It is critical for any organization to achieve its full potential, cyber risk must be understood and overcome. Optiv cybersecurity experts will work alongside clients to manage cyber risk and equip them with perspectives and programs to accelerate business progress.

Real-world experience, deep vertical expertise and diverse teams enables the subject matter experts to face any challenge with confidence. Optiv will put the organizations at the center of our unmatched ecosystem of people, products, partners and programs to design and implement agile solutions. The adaptive approach continually assesses risk in the context of cyber and broader objectives to secure today’s business and fortify it for the future.

Optiv professionals manage cyber risk so all businesses can secure the full potential.

Dara Gibson has developed and managed cybersecurity services for 5 years. By blending cutting-edge technologies, unique skill sets, and proven cyber strategies, she can create lasting partnerships with clients to protect shareholder value and corporate reputations.

As a nationally recognized information security leader, Mrs. Gibson is responsible for designing cybersecurity awareness programs to foster expertise in relationship management with industry leading cyber insurance and legal providers for proactive and reactive cybersecurity capabilities.

Connect with Dara on LinkedIn.

cStor helps organizations strategize, design and implement cybersecurity, modern infrastructure, and digital transformation solutions and services that address the evolving needs of today’s enterprise. cStor’s proven capabilities with best-in-class technologies provide peace of mind and put organizations on a path to success.

cStor serves clients throughout the Southwest with a focused, collaborative approach and superior results.

As the Chief Cybersecurity Strategist for cStor, Andrew Roberts partners with clients to help them achieve great accomplishments in their cybersecurity, governance, risk and compliance programs.

He is building a successful cybersecurity practice by focusing on client success, sales enablement and partner alignment.

Andrew brings a wealth of experience in audit, advisory and cybersecurity leadership and freely shares that knowledge to help put clients on the path to success.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn.

ABL has been a workforce effectiveness provider for 24 years. Clients include the US Navy, Department of Energy, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and numerous Fortune 1000 organizations including Allstate, Esurance, eBay, Microfocus, Avnet, Haliburton, and PepsiCo.

ABL takes a hands-on approach to learning and development and has followed the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cyber Range Project Team’s recommendation for the use of cyber ranges to improve individual and team cyber security knowledge and capabilities.

In response to the significant threats facing every organization today, ABL includes hands on skills development for all students through ABL’s Cyber Range, for ensuring higher levels of cyber skills competencies in identifying vulnerabilities and threats to mitigate and thwart.

ABL’s mission is to develop and validate cyber security skills for incumbent individuals, teams and the incoming workforce.

ABL’s newest range, the Cogent OT Cyber Education and Skills Range launched in October 2022. A “cogent” approach to large scale education and skills development has never been more crucial. Through cloud range access, training resources for organizations, educational institutions and individuals are available from anywhere, at any time, ensuring individuals have the knowledge and practical skills to identify poorly designed code, legacy and vulnerable device configuration issues, critical to protecting any organization.

It is ABL’s mission to build and continue to initiate alliances and partnerships for real change with private organizations and government agencies who are leaders in the field for OT workforce development, to attenuate the global OT/IT cyber vulnerabilities. A few of our current partnerships include, but are not limited to, the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA) and ACTRA’s initiative, the North American Cyber Range Alliance, NACRA.

Susan Morris’ areas of expertise include business consulting, research, design, development, and implementation of workforce effectiveness solutions and corporate change initiatives that produce bottom-line results for ABL’s clients, including the Fortune 1000 and the Federal Government.

Ms. Morris amended ABL’s mission in 2015 to include a focus on the critical threat to both private and public sectors – the shortage of cyber OT and IT workforce talent. In her role, Ms. Morris researches and utilizes the most current learning strategies, methodologies, education processes and resources in workforce development for ABL’s clients and partners.

As part of establishing ABL’s strategic direction and vision, she ensures ABL has alliances and partnerships with private organizations and government agencies who are leaders in the field for real change and attenuation of the global OT/IT cyber vulnerabilities. She continually diversifies ABL’s portfolio and worked to secure ABL as a cyber certification training provider to the US Army, US Navy, and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

From over 30 years’ experience in workforce effectiveness, she understands reducing human error-caused data breaches requires more than building employee knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marymount College in New York.

About AZ TechCast

AZ TechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond.

Through the art of connected conversation, AZ TechCast’s guests will share their expertise, success stories, news and analysis about the region’s leading startups, companies and emerging technologies, as well as the latest industry trends and critical issues propelling the state’s growing technology ecosystem.

About Your Hosts

Steve Zylstra serves as president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council, a role he assumed in 2007. He is responsible for strategy, operations, finance and policy development. Zylstra is a vocal spokesman for the value technology can provide in raising social and economic standards in Arizona.

Zylstra serves on numerous councils, committees and boards, was named “Leader of the Year, Technology,” by the Arizona Capitol Times, and “Most Admired Leader” by the Phoenix Business Journal. In addition, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of science in technology from the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Ariz.

Zylstra earned a bachelor’s degree in automotive engineering technology from Western Michigan University.

Karen Nowicki is a successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™. She is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. Karen was crowned the first-ever “Mompreneur of the Year” Award in 2010 for the southwestern states. She was recognized for her leadership, business acumen, and work-life balance.

Karen has been an expert guest on regional TV and radio shows, including Fox Phoenix Morning Show, Sonoran Living, Good Morning Arizona, The Chat Room, and Mid-Day Arizona. She has been a regular contributor to many print and online magazines – publishing articles and blogs for business and education.

In addition to working with private coaching clients, Karen is also the Owner & President of Phoenix Business RadioX. The Business RadioX Network amplifies the voice of business – serving the Fortune 500,000, not just the Fortune 500. Phoenix Business RadioX helps local businesses and professional associations get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, profession, and community.

Of all the experiences Karen has had the privilege of participating in over her vast career, she shares that Phoenix Business RadioX is a pinnacle adventure!

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn and follow Phoenix Business RadioX on Facebook and Instagram.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Bianca Buliga is a trilingual first-generation American of Romanian ethnicity. A marketing professional with experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, Bianca currently works as Director, Marketing & Communications for the Arizona Technology Council.

Previously, Bianca worked as Marketing Communications Lead at Proctorio, a learning integrity platform that offers remote proctoring software ensuring exam integrity for learners around the world.

Bianca also worked as Senior Marketing Manager at SEED SPOT, a social impact incubator that educates, accelerates, and invests in impact-driven entrepreneurs creating market-based solutions to social problems. In January of 2020, Bianca was selected as an awardee of the Mandela Washington Reciprocal Exchange Program and traveled to the African island of Mauritius to run entrepreneurship programming for 15 impact-driven ecopreneurs on behalf of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Bianca has also completed comprehensive consulting projects for IBM, ESAN Business School, and the Peruvian government, and interned at the Arizona House of Representatives and U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, Romania.

Bianca earned her Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University in 2014 and her Master’s degree in Global Affairs and Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2017. She is an avid reader, yogi, and world traveler always planning her next trip.

Connect with Bianca on LinkedIn.

About Our Sponsor

The Arizona Technology Council, Arizona’s only statewide organization serving the technology sector, fosters a climate of innovation to enhance technology in Arizona.

A trusted resource in strengthening Arizona’s technology industry, the Council proactively eliminates impediments that companies face, accelerates the entrepreneurial mindset in the state’s expanding innovation ecosystem, and works to create a destination for companies to be, thrive and stay.

Follow Arizona Technology Council on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Woman-Owned E40

January 27, 2023 by Karen

Woman-Owned E40

Are you a female business owner or is your business partner a woman? Have you ever considered getting certified as a woman-owned business? Do you work with your spouse and wonder how others manage their family-owned business?

If you answered yes, then check out this episode of Collaborative Connections Radio Show and Podcast. Dr. Pamela Williamson with WBEC West, Brandi Byers, co-owner of Arizona Automotive Equipment, and Lauri Erickson, Founder of The Project Pros shared stories, lessons learned, and more with host, Kelly Lorenzen.

They talked about everything from the journey to entrepreneurship to communication and connection, mixing family with business to how to obtain woman-owned certifications, and more.

Intrigued? Then check out this podcast episode sponsored by KLM Consulting, Marketing and Management.

WBEC-West’s mission is to increase economic vitality in the communities we serve by advocating for procurement opportunities for Women Business Enterprise.
Delivering innovative educational programs and providing trusted and relevant certification programs.

Dr. Pamela Williamson is the President and CEO of The Women’s Business Enterprise Council West. She works with Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) connecting them to opportunities with corporate America and each other through targeted networking, education, and certification.

She believes that she can contribute to the movement towards financial parity between women-owned businesses and their male counterparts by creating programs to enhance the growth and development of women entrepreneurs with the goal of building up successful women-owned businesses and a vibrant WBE ecosystem.

During her tenure at WBEC-West, the organization has launched multiple educational programs and has made almost one hundred thousand connections between WBEs and corporate America. Pamela holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s degree in Organization Management, and bachelor’s degrees in both Psychology and Social Work.

She currently sits on the Women on Boards Advisory Committee, The Arizona Better Business Bureau. And, also serves as a Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmarks Expert Panelist for The Centre for Global Inclusion.

Follow WBEC-West on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Project Pros was inspired by one simple yet profound thought… What are the missing pieces holding small businesses back? The answer we came up with was skilled, reliable assistance. Hence, we constructed a dynamic team that our clients could benefit from while keeping overhead low.

In 2015, Lauri identified that there is a need in small businesses for extra administrative labor, without the time and expense of hiring an employee, onboarding them, and then once on payroll, having to manage them. They started The Project Pros as a team of talented administrative assistants that could accomplish the tasks and jobs needed to support their small business customers.

The Project Pros services include answering phones and scheduling appointments, bookkeeping, email management, HR administration, producing and filing title transfer documents, mobile notary, and much more. Whether a company needs 5 hours a month or 40 hours per week, Lauri and the team would like to talk about how they can support you and your company.

Lauri Erickson’s inspiration and experience in various companies and positions gave her the executive-level expertise to understand where and how help was needed in business and led her to create, The Project Pros. Her background in human resources, bookkeeping, customer service, and sales gave her the insight to really understand what small businesses need.

Lauri’s success, is also in part, due to her 5 years of running a non-profit, which gave her other valuable perspectives that she can bring in support of her customers.

Lauri’s intention is to help build and grow small businesses. She does this by aligning herself with a team of like minded, highly talented, forward thinking, energetic, and supportive people who love what they do and our customers can sense it.

Work-life balance has always been a very important value to Lauri. She likes to spend time with her husband Todd, daughter Taylor, and their two rescue dogs, Sassy and Little Boy. Watching Taylor play sand volleyball, traveling, and doing projects around the house keeps Lauri well balanced.

Connect with Lauri on LinkedIn and follow The Project Pros on Facebook and Instagram.

Arizona Automotive Equipment, LLC, also known as Mohawk Automotive Lifts Southwest, started in 2004 by Mike and Karen Green. Their goal was to provide annual lift safety inspections and supply detailed inspection reports for customers to stay OSHA-compliant. After careful consideration, they decided to retire in 2021 and spend more time up north.

Enter, Jason and Brandi Byers, a husband and wife team committed to carrying on and improving upon the legacy created by Mike and Karen. Always encouraged to take risks and embrace opportunities by their families, Brandi and Jason tackled the opportunity to take ownership in January 2021.

“Our Mission is simple,” says Brandi. “We strive to be our customer’s trusted company in the automotive lift and equipment industry.”

Brandi Byers had an interesting career being a high school business teacher, Project Manager, and Consultant. She has vivid childhood memories playing business owner in her parents basement.

Growing up, she was always curious about the entrepreneurs she admired in her family – her father and both her grandfathers.

Follow Arizona Automotive Equipment, LLC on Instagram.

About Collaborative Connections

Kelly Lorenzen started the “Collaborative Connections” show to bring her clients and favorite charities together to meet each other, connect and collaborate in life and business.

She hopes to build a stronger community one show at a time.

About Our Sponsor

KLM is a one-stop support shop for small business owners who are starting, growing, or trying to sustain. Our purpose is to foster the growth and prosperity of small businesses in our community.

Entrepreneurs & small business owners come to KLM for support in all areas of business. KLM clients think of us as a concierge, business snuggy, another arm, or duplicate for the business owner; They call us when they need us. Business owners can continue to do what they love while having the support they need when they need it.

About Your Host

Kelly Lorenzen, CEO of KLM, is an award-winning entrepreneur with over 15 years of business-ownership experience. She is also a certified project management professional.

Kelly’s expertise is in business development, customer service, marketing, and sales.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn, and follow KLM Consulting on Facebook.

Jeff Eschliman with LEAD Consulting Group

January 26, 2023 by Karen

Jeff Eschliman with LEAD Consulting Group

LEAD Consulting Group focuses on executive leadership development and helping their clients creating award winning team culture and performance.

Jeff Eschliman is an executive coach with 30 years of progressive leadership experience from combat in Iraq to the corporate boardroom. Personal development, consistency and a tenacious work ethic are hallmarks of Jeff’s leadership style. Jeff communicates crystal clear vision and bold expectations with his collaborative approach.

Jeff is a sought-after expert for building and scaling results driven teams. He believes hiring the right people, equipping them with the tools they need to be successful and then holding them accountable is the secret to exceptional business success. Jeff has created award-winning employee engagement and company culture by cultivating personal relationships then emphasizing both individual and team accountability.

What makes Jeff unique is a lifestyle of harmony he creates for himself and his clients by using his zen for success formula of careful planning and continual reflection guided by his one-page strategic plan for life.

Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Mark Hanchett and Annie Pratt with Atlis Motor Vehicles

January 25, 2023 by Karen

Mark Hanchett and Annie Pratt with Atlis Motor Vehicles

Atlis Motor Vehicles is a vertically integrated EV technology ecosystem company and the first battery manufacturer to be fully owned and operated in the US. The company is leveraging its intellectual properties and U.S. manufactured battery innovations to support electric mobility and energy storage solutions.

The Atlis Ecosystem consists of superior Battery Cell and Pack technologies, Grid Level Energy Storage Solutions, Charging Infrastructure, Platform and Medium-Duty Electric Mobility Solutions, and Over-Air Cloud Management – all wrapped in AMV’s seamless subscription-based models.

Mark Hanchett is the CEO & Founder of Atlis Motor Vehicles. With more than 10 years of experience in product development engineering body camera and Taser products for law enforcement at Axon, Mark pivoted to combine his engineering technology expertise with his love of trucks.

He founded Atlis Motor Vehicles in 2016 in his garage, near Mesa, Arizona, to meet the need for an electric work truck.  A native of northern Michigan, Mark is a graduate of Arizona State University.

Annie Pratt, President of Atlis Motor Vehicles, is a creative problem solver with a background in product management, design, and business. After studying Product Design at Stanford, she kicked off her career at Axon Enterprise, where she built an independent business unit on its own P&L with dedicated sales, marketing, manufacturing, and quality functions.

In 2019, she joined Atlis, serving as the company’s President since April 2020, and overseeing marketing, sales, finance, people operations, and legal functions to build the electrified future of work.

Connect with Mark and Annie on LinkedIn and follow Atlis Motor Vehicles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Find out more about career opportunities at AMV here.

Tom Malengo with Brandjectory and The Litchfield Fund

January 24, 2023 by Karen

Tom Malengo with Brandjectory and The Litchfield Fund

Brandjectory provides business education to get CPG brands investor-ready, a social media platform to be discovered by investors, and multiple meetings every month where founders can hear from CPG investors, connect & meet with them, and even get 1 on1 coaching on questions of their concern, from investors & industry experts.

We have founder-only discussions, with special guests who will join the discussion and offer advice and suggestions. The Knowledge Base is widely acclaimed by investors as one of the best sources for brands to learn how to build a solid CPG business and work with investors.

The Knowledge Base now has more than 250 articles! We are growing daily, adding brands & investors, and now have close to 240 brands on the platform, 115+ who are part of our Premium package. We have more than 85 engaged investors & another 500 investors in our network. Brandjectory now has facilitated more than 1,500 founder/investor connections & 250 founder/investor mentoring sessions.

The Litchfield Fund Advises, Consults & Invests with emerging consumer product brands in the Natural/Organic food, beverage, health & wellness segments.

Tom Malengo has more than 40 years experience in leadership & consulting roles in General Business, Operations, Technology, Finance, Retail Delivery & Consumer Product Groups. His broad experience includes C-Level Production Management, Client Experience, Risk Management, Continuous Process Improvement, Business Process Re-engineering, & 3rd Party Production/Vendor Management.

With an extensive strategic planning and program/project implementation background, Tom has led multiple large scale operations, technology & merger implementations. Tom’s M&A, change management, & technology innovation experience has given him the insight and capability to help teams realize value by successfully creating, implementing and embracing change & growth.

Tom holds a BS in Mathematics from John Carroll University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School. Tom is currently co-founder of Brandjectory & co-founder & chief business officer of The Litchfield Fund.

Follow Brandjectory on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Empowering People to Thrive E12

January 23, 2023 by Karen

Empowering People to Thrive E12

In this episode, host David Steinmetz and guest Dr. Hui Wu-Curtis talked about the importance of removing barriers to employment and creating a culture that values diversity and promotes inclusion for all.

Dr. Curtis stated that she believes the existing BPO model is flawed and set out to create a new organization the right way. Culture and belongingness are critical in our business model – to provide a workplace that leverages the diversity of people, empowers them to make decisions and learn from mistakes, have fun, and gives all employees a safe place to be themselves. Everything from our technology stack, recruitment and hiring, processes, and compensation plans have all been designed with our people in mind. And they, in turn, are more loyal and deliver outstanding service to our clients.

SupportU is a woman, minority-owned business process outsourcing (BPO) company specializing in contact center operations, including customer service, technical support, sales, and back-office support. Our teams work across all channels with inbound and outbound Voice, SMS Text, Chat, and Email.

We believe the existing BPO model is flawed and set out to create a new organization the right way. Culture and belongingness are critical in our business model – to provide a workplace that leverages the diversity of people, empowers them to make decisions and learn from mistakes, have fun, and gives all employees a safe place to be themselves. Everything from our technology stack, recruitment and hiring, processes, and compensation plans have all been designed with our people in mind. And they, in turn, are more loyal and deliver outstanding service to our clients.

SupportU is also a mission-driven organization that believes strongly in providing opportunities to our underserved communities and their people. We recognize that marginalized groups of people are often overlooked and undervalued thus we set out to create a company that is purposeful in correcting these disparities and providing opportunity, mentoring, and development to everyone.

Dr. Hui Wu-Curtis is an executive who specializes in contact center operations. She has spent the last 20+ working in healthcare, hospitality, utilities, finance, and telecommunication companies leading call center/contact center teams across 65 countries. Hui is a forward-thinking innovator and thought leader for customer experience and has worked with organizations to transform their technology, processes and procedures, and overall contact center operations.

Hui is an active speaker at numerous customer experience conferences sharing stories of operational innovation, driving customer experience, leveraging data and analytics, and transformational leadership, in addition to publishing several industry articles. She received the 2022 Globee Silver award for Woman Owned Startup of the Year in Business Services, Women Owned and Led business of the Year, and Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Business Services, listed in 2022 CCWomen Top 20 Luminaries, 2022 ACEL Entrepreneurial of the Year, 2022 Stevie’s Bronze award for Lifetime Achievement category, 2021 Silver Globee award for Executive Excellence/Influencer of the year, 2021 IAOP and HCL Red Ladder Women in Outsourcing Award winner for Women Empowering Women and listed in CIOLook’s Top 10 Businesswomen to admire in 2021.

Connect with Hui on LinkedIn.

About Your Host

As the manager of Community and Public Relations, David Steinmetz uses his expertise, education, and personal experiences to “change the perception of blindness.”

Diagnosed with RP, a blinding retinal disease, at the age of 19, David uses his personal story to drive change that leads to improved employment outcomes and community integration for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Mr. Steinmetz graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Economics. Additionally, Steinmetz has continued his education by graduating from the Business Management Training (BMT) program provided by Darden Graduate School of Business, University of Virginia.

In 2008, David was the national recipient of the National Industries for the Blind Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement award. This prestigious award recognized Mr. Steinmetz for his career achievements and community service work.

David Steinmetz is a member of the Governors’ Council on Blindness & Visual Impairments, is a Board Member at the Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired (ACBVI) and serves his community through the Chandler Lions Club.

Connect with David on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Show

Changing the Perception of Blindness; One Conversation at a Time is dedicated to breaking down barriers, de-mystifying blindness and promoting real world solutions that empower people who are blind to live a full and inclusive life.

Host, David Steinmetz connects with organizations, industry professionals and thought leaders who are working to bridge the gap that creates a world accessible for all.

About Arizona Industries for the Blind

Arizona Industries for the Blind is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating employment opportunities for people who are blind. It’s employees, more than half of whom are blind, deliver a variety of products and services, including a full-service Warehousing and Distribution Center, confidential Digital Data Scan (DDS) services for private businesses and government and the operation of Base Supply Centers located at each of Arizona’s three military bases under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Labor’s AbilityOne program.

Follow AIFB on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Creative Planning E139

January 19, 2023 by Karen

Creative Planning E139

Joy Lynskey joined Tycoons to share about her unique journey in starting her interior design business, Jewel Toned Interiors. Joy spoke about the challenges of starting a business and raising a family. She also shared about finding a business partner several years after she started the business.

Tune in to hear Joy speak about the creative ideas and solutions that she has found to bring her business to life. To learn more about Joy and Jewel Toned Interiors, find her on Instagram @jeweltonedinteriors, Facebook, LinkedIn and at jeweltonedinteriors.com.

People work with Jewel Toned Interiors (JTI) to realize their vision for the various spaces that serve their lives. It’s a true collaboration between the team at JTI, the architect, the general contractor, and their shared client. The result of this collaboration is a space that supports and inspires comfort, creativity, and the desire to live an optimal life. At Jewel Toned Interiors, the intent goes beyond transforming interiors.

They design and deliver dynamic and engaging environments while fostering conscious connections that transcend spaces, developing into lifelong relationships. As creatives, the gems at JTI want to help tell your story through thoughtfully designed interiors that explore your history and culture, welcome your inner child, and inspire and invigorate each and every individual who walks through your doors.

Their passionate and talented team with over 40 years of combined experience thrives on innovation and brings an eclectic array of perspectives and talents to each project. Their diverse backgrounds include the corporate, healthcare, retail, and hospitality sectors. The team at JTI puts their knowledge and experience to work, designing your future through interior architecture.

Their wide range of competencies allows them to meet your needs while staying within your parameters. By challenging each other to use their collective experience, they address each client’s unique intention, financial ability, and functional concerns. They believe that well-designed interior environments are sensory-rich experiences that support the growth, self-expression, and interpersonal connections of the people who use them.

The JTI gems believe that giving of their time, talent and treasure creates a multi-generational ripple effect. They are committed to making a difference — in your life, in your interiors, and in the world around you.

With a natural ability to envision, communicate and execute creative ideas, Joy Lynskey is a genuine talent in the world of interior design. She is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Toned Interiors (JTI), an award-winning interior design studio located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Joy and her team are dedicated to creating spaces that inspire while giving back to the community. The JTI Team participates and fundraises annually for Habitat for Humanity and Be Strong. Recently they completed their first bedroom makeover for a Make-A-Wish recipient.

A Lifework Leadership alum, Joy is a board member of the Fort Lauderdale Executive’s Association and an associate member of the South Florida Chapter of IIDA (the International Interior Design Association.) In 2023 Joy is serving as the first female President of the Construction Executive’s Association. She also co-chairs Communications for the Board of Trustees of StrikeForce 421.

In 2017, Joy was awarded the Entrepreneur of Excellence award from the Entrepreneur’s Organization and in 2019 Joy received the South Florida IIDA Star of the Year Award at their annual BRAGG award gala. In 2021 and 2022 Joy and Jewel Toned Interiors were recognized as one of the top women-led businesses in Florida by The Women’s Edge.

Also in 2021, Fort Lauderdale Magazine named JTI the Best Interior Designer. Joy was an honoree at Rebuilding Broward’s Black Dresses and Blueprints, Celebrating Women in Construction event in 2021 for her philanthropic ventures via JTI.

Joy is the sixth child from a blended family as well as a sixth-generation Floridian. Outside of the design studio, she can be found spending time outdoors with her most cherished gifts, the members of her family. Her British ex-pat husband and their four children ranging from age four to twenty-two are her constant sources of inspiration and motivation.

About the Show

Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts, Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.

About Your Hosts

Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.

He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA.

After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter. In 2021, Austin became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses.

Austin and his wife of 23 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (21) and Ella (18) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and co-founder of Backbone Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He rebranded his practice in 2020 to focus on serving small business owners after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”

Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of Backbone Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At Backbone Planning, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.

In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, Backbone Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners. In 2021, Landon became a Certified Business Exit Consultant® (CBEC®) to help entrepreneurs plan to exit their businesses by counseling owners about exit options, estimating the value of the business, preparing the business for exit and tax considerations.

Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries to make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

How to Choose an eCommerce Platform E3

January 19, 2023 by Karen

How to Choose an eCommerce Platform E3

There are an estimated 12 to 24 million eCommerce sites across the world, with more being added daily. eCommerce is expanding and becoming a more important part of the consumer experience. So, how does a business choose an eCommerce platform that is best for their business? In this episode, atmosol discusses how to choose a platform.

This episode covered the whats, whys and hows to choosing an e-commerce platform for your business. Deeper than comparing platforms, the discussion was about business and how to prepare for your e-commerce journey.

Thom Stricklin is a Solution Engineer for atmosol and has been with the company for nine years. He has been involved in web development since creating his first simple website as a high-school sophomore over 25 years ago.

Through the years, Thom has picked up a wide range of related skills, from front-end development, design and UX; to back-end development and application architecture; and as diverse as server management, DevOps, branding, logo design, and sales.

The marriage of technology and creativity is a driving force for Thom’s interest in the Web. Though he spends less time these days working on front-end development, his “first love” as technologies go is CSS. This same joining of the technical and creative can be seen outside of work, as well–some of his favorite personal interests are photography, woodworking, and smart-home technology.

Before joining atmosol, Thom worked in the public sector, helping to develop a world-class content management system for K-12 education as well as undertaking one of the largest re-branding projects in the state of Arizona.

This background has formed his career at atmosol, as he brings the same spirit of service and care to each and every merchant. He knows all too well that businesses with limited technical resources depend on their partner agencies to make informed choices, and strives to maintain atmosol’s reputation as a company that merchants can trust.

Connect with Thom on LinkedIn.

About eCommerce Insights

eCommerce Insights is about bringing people together to discuss the vast landscape of eCommerce covering topics like technology, conversion optimization, branding, and marketing. The show focuses on how to build, manage and grow your online business using scientific and predictable methods thereby reducing uncertainty and risk. Our guests include vendors, merchants, experts, and technology partners shaping the world of eCommerce.

About Our Hosts

Ram Mohan is CEO and partner at atmosol, an ecommerce and technology company. He has spent over two decades in technology and eCommerce consulting helping companies ranging from small to fortune 100 achieve their business goals using technology.

As CEO, Ram leads atmosol’s eCommerce and SaaS services business working with our clients. In addition, he leads a team that runs an eCommerce portal in the meetings and events sector focusing on the EMEA market. He is also responsible for several SaaS products that are envisioned, built, and marketed by atmosol in different verticals and geographies.

Ram enjoys keeping up with and gaining a deep understanding of the latest trends in technology and eCommerce so he can help atmosol and our clients avoid hype and adopt trends that offer a tangible impact on our businesses.

Honey Olesen is the Director of Operations with atmosol and has substantial experience in leadership, management, operations, project management, digital marketing, human resources and data analysis. She deeply understands how businesses work and can take complex concepts and make them easy to understand for both employees and customers. She has worked at atmosol for over 11 years and has had the opportunity to work with some great brands and people in ecommerce, marketing and business.

Before entering the world of technology, Honey worked with some fantastic business owners in the building industry – soaking up knowledge of business day-to-day operations and growing her professional development.

She believes that in order for businesses to be successful, they need to have a clear mission and purpose, make sure the business goals are aligned with the values and stay focused on what’s important. She believes this is the same for individual success: find a place where your mission, purpose, goals, and values align with the company.

About Our Sponsor

Atmosol is a technology company working at the intersection of eCommerce and SaaS software. Our deep expertise in web development in addition to our long partnership with eCommerce platforms enables our clients to break through eCommerce platform barriers and build experiences that amaze their customers. Being in the eCommerce business ourselves running a meeting and events sales portal in the EMEA, we know the trials and tribulations our customers face firsthand.

In addition to eCommerce, we also build highly scalable SaaS products for our clients. We’ve also built and marketed our own successful SaaS products in different verticals.

Follow atmosol on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

It is Bigger Than You and We Are Bigger Than It E13

January 18, 2023 by Karen

It is Bigger Than You and We Are Bigger Than It E13

How do we come back to our true selves, especially when challenged and lead from that values-based place? Augusto Muench, President of Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico, Central America and Caribbean wears a bracelet that reminds him to be humble, especially when he feels triggered. Is this thought coming from my higher self or is it my ego who is trying to take over and force a solution?

He shares how fear-based reactions lead to fear-based outcomes. Being aware gives us the wherewithal to step out of this downward cycle, reground ourselves and choose again. Stepping out of our fears, we discover a space that is peaceful, vast and kind. This space provides us with the perspective to see that all is well, even if we by ourselves may not be able to create the solution we want. The problem we face may be bigger than our individual selves. However, collectively, coming from our higher selves, we are bigger than the problem.

Augusto Muench leads Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for Boehringer Ingelheim, a Pharmaceutical Company.

Since he joined BI in July 1999, he has held several positions from Infrastructure Manager within Information Technology, to leadership business roles in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Augusto is passionate about development of societies through consciousness and leadership evolution through different cultures. He therefore added Management Degrees to his Information Technology background. Further preparation included Courses at INSEAD and Columbia Business School.

Augusto’s interest in Multi-culture Organizational Leadership guided him to Fred Kofman’s Philosophy at Conscious Business Center International and Hylke Faber’s Leader as Coach training. Further more, he obtained a certification on Alef Trust’s Transpersonal Coaching Psychology principles that allow for a holistic coaching approach.

Core Values he strives to live by on a daily basis are Honesty and Integrity, Justice and Fairness, as well as Respect.

Augusto loves Music and Photography.

Connect with Augusto on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

About Rooted & Unwavering

Peace, Compassion, Wisdom, Purposefulness, Creativity and Strength come online in us when we deeply connect with the true, unwavering greatness that lives within ourselves and others.

In this podcast and radio show, Hylke Faber, seasoned transformational coach and author of the award-winning Taming Your Crocodiles series, engages in deep inquiry with leaders from all walks of life about courageously connecting with our true selves, others and the world at large.

How do we stay connected to our true selves and our greatness, especially when we are challenged? How do we rest in the heart, also when our mind keeps us restless? What becomes possible when we truly stay committed to our own and others’ best selves, also when we don’t feel it? How do we practice staying connected to our true selves, in the midst of our busy lives?

Join us and leave inspired to act on your heart’s greatness and that of the people around you.

About Our Host

For as long as he can remember Hylke Faber has been curious about what this life is about. His ongoing inquiry has become his work: helping people individually and collectively to discover what is possible in life and express that authentically and fearlessly.

Hylke started his work life with Towers Perrin as consultant and then as Partner with Strategic Decisions Group, serving a wide range of industries, including financial services, manufacturing, consumer electronics and life sciences companies. A major shift occurred during this critical phase of his life. He had become the typical, hard-charging, 16-hours-a-day strategy consultant, and was burning out at a rapid clip.

When he discovered meditation, everything changed. He was so taken by his new discoveries that he chose to bring to business what he was learning: that there is a way we can have it all – we can be fulfilled, do work we love, and create extraordinary results with others. He thinks of it as creating a sense of ease in business.

He learned how to coach and facilitate human transformation completing his coaching certification with Newfield Network and by working at Axialent, the culture and leadership company. After a few years, he founded Co-Creation Partners together with other leaders in the field of transformation and personal development. Then he formed Constancee to help people grow by creating the conditions where deep personal, interpersonal and organizational shifts happen routinely.

He leads Growth Leaders Network, the culture and team development consultancy. He has also taught coaching at Columbia Business School Executive Education and has contributed to Harvard Business Review. He is currently teaching a course on Climate Conscious Leadership at Arizona State University. His award-winning book, Taming Your Crocodiles: Unlearn Fear & Become a True Leader, was published by Dover in 2018.

His next book, Taming Your Crocodiles Practices for Leadership Depth, came out in 2020. Besides helping others grow, which he loves, he is a trained opera singer, enjoys hiking and writing, is an avid reader, in particular of biographies, and is always in the process of growing himself. He integrates all of what he learns in his work with executives.

Connect with Hylke on LinkedIn.

About Our Sponsor

Realizing Your Greatness

We are a team of experienced facilitators and coaches dedicated to helping individuals, teams and organizations thrive by helping them recognize their innate greatness and putting it to work.

- Executive Coaching: we work with clients individually to help them connect to their calling and use every challenge as an opportunity to help them grow more into what makes them great.
- Team Performance: we help teams evolve to their next level of excellence, connectedness and impact by working on the root drivers of team performance.
- Culture Development: we help organizations to evolve their culture by creating clarity about where they aspire to go, and by building role models, coaches and systems that catalyze people being energized to work the new way.

Key Notes: we deliver powerful speeches at conferences and other events that help audiences become energized, more connected to themselves and each other, more open to discovery and ready to commit to the next stage of learning in their career and life journeys.

Growth Leaders Network (GLN) serves Fortune 500 companies, smaller organizations and non-profits globally.

GLN clients report that we catalyze significant business transformational impact and profound shifts in people, team and organizations at the root cause level.

Learn more about the Growth Leaders network here.