John Ray, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Dee Barnes, Evans Tool & Die, Inc. and Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

August 18, 2021 by John Ray

Business Beat

Dee Barnes, Evans Tool & Die, Inc. and Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

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Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat: Dee Barnes, Evans Tool & Die, Inc. and Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

Dee Barnes, CEO of Evans Tool & Die, Inc. and Evans Metal Stamping, Inc., joined this edition of “Business Beat” with host Roger Lusby and special guest David Deeter, Frazier & Deeter Co-Founder. Dee discussed the evolution of the family-run business, the effective planning Frazier & Deeter advised on, recent shifts in production due to the pandemic, planning for the next generation, and much more. Business Beat is presented by Alpharetta CPA firm Frazier & Deeter.

Evans Tool & Die, Inc. and Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

Evans is a one-stop metal manufacturer that reduces supply chain risk for OEMs.

Seventy years ago, in 1948, Leonard L. Evans, Jr. established Evans Tool & Die, Inc. in Decatur, Georgia. Leonard and his wife Mary Alice Evans had four children: Len III, Dale, Craig, and Fran. Leonard and Mary Alice were both tool & die makers who began their first shop in their daughter’s playhouse. As the business grew, with much hard work and dedication, it expanded to later incorporate Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

The second generation of the Evans family that would lead to their success through the next years included Len III, Craig and son-in-law Ray Duensing. The company has expanded several times at its Conyers location which now boasts 200,000 square feet of manufacturing space with a full-service tool & die shop and over 67 punch presses. The company is now in its third generation of leadership with Dee Barnes, granddaughter of Leonard Evans, as President and CEO. Leonard and Mary Alice Evans, as well as Craig Evans, passed away in 2013, 2011, and 2010, respectively. The legacy that they began lives on. While Evans Tool & Die and Metal Stamping has grown in size and influence, our values, inspired by Leonard and Mary Alice Evans, remain the same – Integrity, Accountability, Excellence, and Generosity.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Dee Barnes, President/CEO, Evans Tool & Die, Inc./Evans Metal Stamping, Inc.

Deanne “Dee” Barnes has served as Chief Executive Officer and President of Evans Tool & Die/Evans Metal Stamping, Inc. since 2011. Dee is the granddaughter of company founder, Leonard Evans, Jr., and represents the company’s third generation of family leadership. A seasoned industry leader, she is the driving force behind Evan’s ongoing commitment to “Made in the USA” manufacturing and delivering the highest caliber of customer service.

After attending Georgia College and State University, Dee has contributed in every aspect of the company for more than 30 years. Now as CEO, she continues the family legacy as an example of prosperous domestic manufacturing since 1948.

David Deeter, CPA, Founder & Tax Partner, Frazier & Deeter

As a co-founder of Frazier & Deeter, David Deeter has a major role in facilitating the growth of the firm. From 2001-2009, during his term as Managing Partner, the firm experienced an average growth of 20% annually and became a Top 100 Firm in the U.S. In a recent survey conducted by Inside Public Accounting, David was recognized by his peers as one of the 5 most admired leaders in U.S. accounting firms.

Most of David’s work centers around income tax and financial planning. He is advisor to many of Atlanta’s leading families. He has extensive experience with companies in the real estate, entertainment, finance, manufacturing, services and non-profit industries.

Frazier & Deeter

The Alpharetta office of Frazier & Deeter is home to a thriving CPA tax practice, a growing advisory practice and an Employee Benefit Plan Services group. CPAs and advisors in the Frazier & Deeter Alpharetta office serve clients across North Georgia and around the country with services such as personal tax planning, estate planning, business tax planning, business tax compliance, state and local tax planning, financial statement reviews, financial statement audits, employee benefit plan audits, internal audit outsourcing, cyber security, data privacy, SOX and other regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions and more. Alpharetta CPAs serve clients ranging from business owners and executives to large corporations.

Roger Lusby, host of Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat, is an Alpharetta CPA and Alpharetta Office Managing Partner for Frazier & Deeter. He is also a member of the Tax Department in charge of coordinating tax and accounting services for our clientele. His responsibilities include a review of a variety of tax returns with an emphasis in the individual, estate, and corporate areas. Client assistance is also provided in the areas of financial planning, executive compensation and stock option planning, estate and succession planning, international planning (FBAR, SFOP), health care, real estate, manufacturing, technology, and service companies.

You can find Frazier & Deeter on social media:

LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

An episode archive of Frazier & Deeter’s Business Beat can be found here.

Gregg Burkhalter, “The LinkedIn Guy”

August 18, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Gregg Burkhalter, "The LinkedIn Guy"

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Gregg Burkhalter, “The LinkedIn Guy” (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 379)

Gregg Burkhalter, “The LinkedIn Guy,” joined host John Ray to address recent developments in LinkedIn which users need to know, including why hashtags have become so important, new video meeting functionality, and more. Gregg also discussed his increased work with corporations and universities across the United States and internationally. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Gregg Burkhalter, Personal Branding, LinkedIn Training, Speaker

It is very important to have a strong personal brand. Companies understand that their employees’ brand contributes largely to the company’s success.

Everyone has a personal brand. Your brand is built one of two ways: 1) By default: do nothing and you have to settle for how it turns out, or 2) By design: if you consistently focus on developing and building your brand, you can help shape the outcome.

LinkedIn has over 770 million users and is the digital home of your personal brand. LinkedIn is also a great place to build relationships and grow your professional network.

When you set up your LinkedIn profile, you’re defining what you’d like your brand to be. It is not your personal brand until others believe it.

Gregg Burkhalter is a recognized authority on personal branding and LinkedIn. He has helped countless professionals in the U.S. and around the world define and grow their personal brand using LinkedIn.

Gregg is known by many as “The LinkedIn Guy”. He provides Personal Branding Coaching and LinkedIn Training via one-on-one and group training sessions, corporate presentations, and webinars.

Website | LinkedIn

Questions and Topics in This Interview

It’s been a while since you’ve been in the studio. How is everything in your world and in the world of LinkedIn?
You appear to be doing a lot more corporate and collegiate LinkedIn training sessions these days. Why is this?
Should we be using hashtags? If so, how, where, and how many?
In addition to hashtags, what other new LinkedIn features do we need to know about?
As LinkedIn has evolved, has your daily strategy changed along the way?
What would you say is the biggest mistake people make on LinkedIn?
So what should folks be doing on LinkedIn?

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.

Chandria Harris, HireCultures

August 17, 2021 by John Ray

Nashville Business Radio

Chandria Harris, HireCultures

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Chandria Harris, HireCultures (Nashville Business Radio, Episode 28)

Being a first-generation college graduate, Chandria Harris worked her way through school and learned her lessons the hard way. She turned her experience into her new book, The Not So Buttoned-Up Approach. Chandria joined host John Ray to discuss her journey, her book, and how her work at HireCultures has evolved into executive coaching for CEOs and corporate leaders who want to successfully hire and lead a more diverse team. Nashville Business Radio is produced virtually from the Nashville studio of Business RadioX®.

HireCultures

HireCultures is a professional development firm that provides exceptional recommendations and best practices to recruit, retain and develop employees.

They assist manufacturing companies by providing consulting, inclusion training, recruiting, and more. People want to belong at work. Leaders want to keep employees. HireCultures makes both possible.

Since 2016, HireCultures has developed 15,000 students, staffed over 150 companies, and coached over 50 executives.

Company website | LinkedIn

Chandria Harris, CEO/Principal Consultant, HireCultures

Chandria Harris is a Global Career Development Consultant and Certified Career Services Provider who has served in human resources at Fortune 500 companies and in higher education.

Chandria has proven experience in leading people strategy, organizational design and diversity initiatives that drive impactful results. Admired for developing professionals of color and coaching mid-level managers to executive status, Chandria is a trusted Career and Human Resource professional with an exceptional history of success facilitating leadership training in higher education and health care organizations.

Prior to launching her consulting firm, Chandria served as a Program Manager for Executive Leadership within a fortune 500 company in which she oversaw executive training for Chief Executive Officers and Chief Operation Officers. She facilitated an international training event with CEOS attending from the UK and 20 US states. She also served as a Performance Coach for recent graduates entering the workforce and was recognized for helping over 300 students land business professional internships.

Chandria has a Masters’s degree from The University of West Alabama, a Bachelors Degree in Social Science from Mississippi University from Women, and an Associates Degree from Meridian Community College. She holds certifications: Global Career Development, Career Services Provider, and Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Chandra has also just published her new book, The Not So Buttoned-Up Approach.

LinkedIn | Instagram

Questions and Topics in This Interview

Chandria’s new book for recent graduates The Not So Buttoned-Up Approach
HireCultures and how we support companies with recruiting and retaining professionals of color
Chandria transition from career development to executive coaching
How organizations can embrace the gig economy to attract young professionals

Nashville Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the Nashville studio of Business RadioX®. 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.

Daryl and April Watkins, Studio Figura ATL

August 17, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Daryl and April Watkins, Studio Figura ATL

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Daryl and April Watkins, Studio Figura ATL (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 378)

Studio Figura ATL, just recently opened in Alpharetta by Daryl and April Watkins, offers body shaping, body sculpting, fitness, and wellness services. Daryl and April joined host John Ray to cover all the services and holistic wellness products they offer to help women (and men!) feel and look their best, achieving the healthy body they thought was impossible. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Studio Figura ATL

Studio Figura ATL is a professional body shaping studio providing amazing transformations using patented technology, innovative devices, modern treatments, & efficient techniques.

Bolstering an extraordinary, unique, and feminine atmosphere, our professional and qualified staff offers the highest quality services to help women fulfill their dreams of a beautiful body and a great frame of mind.

Each of their clients is treated individually and receives a comprehensive recipe for achieving her goal.

They are proud to serve guests in Atlanta Metro Communities.

Company website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Daryl and April Watkins, Owners, Studio Figura ATL

Daryl and April Watkins are the husband-and-wife team at the helm of Studio Figura ATL. Daryl and April’s entrepreneurial roots developed after they met at the business school where they both received their MBAs. They started a successful sports marketing agency while in school and since then have made entrepreneurship and diversification a focus.

April Watkins has had a unique career of starting, improving, and growing businesses for corporate and non-corporate entities. She intimately knows the challenges of juggling the demands of business goals, operations management, human capital, and ever-changing environments and works to synthesize, simplify, and problem-solve with clients.

Daryl Watkins has spent his career in consulting, leading transformation initiatives, and advancing businesses operations maturity to enable growth and achieve competitive advantage through optimizing business value. He has an exceptional track record of building key relationships, winning new accounts, and client loyalty.

The extended and growing team of the Studio Figura ATL has extensive experience in marketing, consulting, engineering, broadcasting, advertising, journalism, social media, digital platforms, project management, human capital, operations, strategic sourcing, and community relations. Our vision for this concept is to help others make positive changes in their lives by focusing on their nutrition, fitness, wellness, and beauty.

Showing them a way to fit in self-care with minimal effort in a welcoming, private, judgement-free environment by providing an affordable array of treatments and programs. Their goal is to expand and open more locations of SFATL. They believe in servant and situational leadership and thus strive to establish rapport with fellow colleagues in a way that fosters understanding and open communication.

Questions and Topics in This Interview

What drew your interest to this business and concept?
When did you first open?
What services do you offer?
Describe the process to get started.
Who is your target audience for these services?
Are there any side effects?
Why are these treatments good for you?
How long does it take to see results?
This seems to be more than just aesthetics. How so?
Do you track and monitor your client’s progress?
Do you allow walk-ins or do you have to have an appointment?
Are men allowed to receive services as well?
Do you offer products as well?
What can someone expect after a treatment?
Where are you located?

Gloria Russell, Russell Resources LLC

August 16, 2021 by John Ray

Minneapolis St. Paul Business Radio

Gloria Russell, Russell Resources LLC

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Gloria Russell, Russell Resources LLC (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Episode 17)

More than just a copywriter, Gloria Russell of Russell Resources brings wide-ranging corporate experience to the table as she helps her B2B services clients clarify their target customers and shift their marketing point of view toward customer-centric and solutions-driven. Gloria and host John Ray covered these topics, characteristics of a successful web site, success stories, and much more. Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is produced virtually by the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX®.

Russell Resources LLC

Gloria Russell knows that your clients—present and future—are ready to hear how you can help them and why you are exactly what they’ve been searching for to fill those gaps that are haunting them or holding them back. These wonderful people need your services, and you are meant to serve them.

Working together, Gloria and you will get clear on who you serve best and create a plan to speak to them. With clarity in the message, they’ll clearly understand that you and your company are exactly what they need to solve their problems and achieve their vision for the future. As you serve others in this way, you help reduce their stress by giving them peace of mind with honest solutions—and they’ll love you for it.

Gloria makes things easier on you, too, with a process and a plan to create and edit powerful, written content for your website: web pages, landing pages, case studies, bios, articles, blogs, e-books, workshops, and promotional marketing campaigns. These will all make it easier for your ideal clients to find you, hear your reassuring message and be excited to work with you.

You’ll find that our Gloria’s programs meet you where you are and help you on the path to where you’d like to be. Everyone is at different stages of progress on the journey to greater success. Russell Resources is ready to help you move more quickly from your current stage toward your growth goals. With compelling content, you’re set to attract more of your ideal clients and enhance your exposure.

Company website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Gloria Russell, Founder, Russell Resources LLC

Eight years ago, Gloria Russell launched Russell Resources LLC to help small business owners upgrade their marketing strategy and website copywriting. She works with service-based businesses to gain clarity on their preferred markets, ideal clients, and services that provide in-demand solutions. Her compelling content enhances visibility, credibility, and marketability by sending the right message to the right audience.

After a lengthy corporate career in the metro, Gloria now enjoys working with clients across the country from her office in west-central Minnesota where she lives closer to family. And, she treasures all those special times with her children and grandchildren who live out of state. Her son, Ryan, and family live in Virginia, and Michigan is home to her daughter, Odessa, and family.

When time allows, Gloria enjoys travel, reading, Fast and Furious movies, home improvement projects and the cheery sound of birds chirping.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Why did you leave the corporate arena and start your own business?
What types of businesses do you serve?
Which primary services do you provide for these service-based businesses?
What are the biggest struggles for these companies with their marketing content?
Can you give us some examples of results have they received?
Any particular insights they have gained while working with you?
How has networking helped you in your business?
What’s the best way for business owners to reach out to you?

Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the Minneapolis St. Paul studio of Business RadioX® . 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.

Loren Schmerler, Bottom Line Management

August 16, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Loren Schmerler, Bottom Line Management

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Loren Schmerler, Bottom Line Management (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 377)

In a conversation with host John Ray, veteran business broker Loren Schmerler of Bottom Line Management detailed many of the preparations and good business practices which create the conditions for a successful sale. Loren also discussed common mistakes sellers make, why a seller needs to take on a buyer’s mindset, and much more. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Bottom Line Management, Inc.

Bottom Line Management, Inc. was established in September of 1987 as a Business Brokerage/Business Intermediary(M&A) Organization with an extensive background in Business Consulting Services. Their primary focus is to help Business Owners sell their Businesses for the highest price with the most favorable terms. Additionally, the firm assists qualified Buyers in their efforts to explore acquisition opportunities that closely match their skill sets.

The firm offers an Opinion of Value service that helps Business Owners understand the “street value” of their businesses. Additionally, the firm offers a Buyer’s Program where Clients pay an initial Retainer that is credited against its fee on the day of closing. This service has been extremely well received over the years because Buyers no longer feel alone during their search process. There is never a fee for a free initial consultation.

The firm is licensed in Georgia and can sell businesses anywhere in the United States either alone or through co-brokerage. Dozens of glowing testimonial letters can be found on the firm’s BOTLINE.COM website. Also, there are two YouTube videos that assist both Sellers and Buyers during their respective efforts.

Bottom Line Management, Inc. is known for its altruistic pro bono services when Clients are in need of expert representation when they lack the economic resources for Retainers or Listing Fees.

Company website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Loren Schmerler, Founder and President, Bottom Line Management

Loren Marc Schmerler is President and Founder of Bottom Line Management, Inc., an Atlanta-based business brokerage and consulting firm. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of the prestigious Boston University School of Management and recipient of the Harold C. Case Scholarship for Academic Excellence, he holds an MBA with Honors from Georgia State University. Prior to entering the business brokerage and consulting field, he served as Chief Financial Officer or Controller for several firms ranging from start-up to Fortune 500 subsidiary.

Mr. Schmerler is a Certified Professional Consultant with experience in over 200 industries and types of businesses and has helped thousands of business owners in his career. He was a 1998 national business seminar presenter for STAPLES, the world’s largest office products chain. Loren was INC. Magazine’s Cash Flow and Negotiation expert for INC. World EXPOs in 1994 and a speaker for that publication’s “Growing the Company” conference in 1991 and 1992.

His workshops and seminars have been offered by more than two dozen colleges, universities, organizations and municipalities including: Entrepreneur Magazine, BellSouth, IBM, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, Manulife Financial, Virginia Power, Ohio Bell, Ameritech, Builder Magazine, International Association for Financial Planning, Small Business Administration, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, City of Atlanta, Dekalb County Board of Education, Private Industry Council of Georgia, University of Tennessee, University of Kentucky, Emory University, Kennesaw State University, University of Georgia, University of Miami, Miami-Dade Community College, Oglethorpe University, and Florida International University.

As the former business advice columnist for Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Club, more than 20 million business owners have read his advice. Mr. Schmerler has been broadcast over more than 50 radio stations, and he was selected by the Small Business Administration to conduct “austerity survival” workshops for communities hardest hit by the Persian Gulf War.

Bottom Line Management’s federally registered slogan, “Your Bottom Line Is Our Foremost Concern”, reinforces its constant desire to put the client’s best interests ahead of its own. The firm has saved its clients millions of dollars by showing them how to “work smarter” and use their resources more effectively and efficiently to maximize the value of their businesses when they are ready to exit. Mr. Schmerler is a member of the Georgia Association of Business Brokers (GABB) and International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). The firm also offers a “Buyer’s Broker Program” to assist qualified buyers in their search for business acquisition opportunities.

Questions and Topics in This Interview

What must a Business Owner do to prepare their Business for sale?
When is the best time to list a Business for sale?
What should a Business Buyer do before commencing a search for a prospective acquisition?
How does one determine what a Business is truly worth?
How does the SBA or a SBA Preferred Lender determine how large a loan they can comfortably approve?
Can you please discuss the very sensitive topic of “skimming” where not all monetary or non-monetary transactions are recorded “on the books” of the legal entity?

Andy Kalajian of Fort Leadership, Dixie McCurley with Cherry Bekaert, Tanya Osensky of Osensky Law LLC

August 16, 2021 by John Ray

Family Business Radio

Andy Kalajian of Fort Leadership, Dixie McCurley with Cherry Bekaert, Tanya Osensky of Osensky Law LLC

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Andy Kalajian of Fort Leadership, Dixie McCurley with Cherry Bekaert, and Tanya Osensky of Osensky Law LLC (Family Business Radio, Episode 23)

Legal, accounting, and executive leadership development may be something business owners consider doing themselves, but host Anthony Chen’s guests on this Family Business Radio episode discuss when its time to get professional support to deliver faster and more reliable results. Andy Kalajian with Fort Leadership discussed how mindset impacts the success of a business, Dixie McCurley talked about the need for proactive expert accounting, and attorney Tanya Osensky discussed how properly written contracts are necessary for any business. Finally, Anthony offers some advice about when to bring in an outside perspective. Family Business Radio is underwritten and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network.

Andy Kalajian, Founder and President, Fort Leadership and Sales Consulting, LLC

Fort Leadership and Sales Consulting, LLC is a Professional and Personal Development company that creates healthy corporate cultures by developing the personal and professional leadership capacity of the person. Fort Leadership and Sales Consulting, LLC believes that a healthy Corporate Culture benefits the business leader and the employee alike, and it enhances the customer experience.

The culture on the inside of a company is what the customer experiences on the outside of the company. That is the customer experience. But if this is true, why do so many employees feel that their corporate culture is not where it needs to be? Why do some employees describe their corporate culture as dysfunctional or even toxic? How does this dysfunction impact the customer experience? Furthermore, why do some business leaders when asked “how many employees work for you?” respond by saying, “about 1/2”!
Demographic studies indicate that in 5 years up to 75% of the employees will be millennials. That means that for a business leader to be able to attract and retain the best talent from the biggest pool of talent, the business leader must have a healthy corporate culture.

But if a healthy corporate culture is what the employer and the employee is looking for, what does a healthy corporate culture look like? How is a healthy corporate culture created? The answer is Leadership! Fort Leadership and Sales Consulting creates healthy corporate cultures through Leadership Development. Leadership development is all about Character. After all, when we talk about corporate culture, what we are really talking about is corporate character. Corporations are made up of people. And people bring their character to work. So, it only stands to reason that when a collection of people brings their collective characters to work, a corporate character or a corporate culture is created.

Fort Leadership and Sales Consulting, LLC is creating healthy corporate cultures.

Company website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Dixie McCurley, Principal, Digital Advisory, Client Accounting Services Lead, Cherry Bekaert

Ranked among the largest accounting and consulting firms in the country, Cherry Bekaert LLP provides guidance and support that helps our clients move forward to reach their organizational goals. We will ignite growth with integrated, forward-looking industry solutions that effectively deliver on our Client Promise, and we will deliver this growth by empowering our people and investing in efficient innovative processes to become the Firm of the Future.

Company website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Tanya Osensky, Owner, Osensky Law LLC

Osensky Law’s business model is designed around being more cost-effective and efficient for clients. No fancy office space. No staff. No run-around. When you call Tanya, you get Tanya. Not a paralegal; not an administrative assistant; not a receptionist. You won’t be transferred among several people. You don’t have to explain things twice to someone else. Nothing gets lost in translation.

Osensky Law is different from other law firms because Tanya’s experience comes from working inside the business, rather than an outside law firm. Unlike a traditional law firm, which is motivated to bill more hours by unnecessarily prolonging or over-complicating matters, Tanya’s focus is on providing business value to clients. Being a company’s in-house legal counsel gives a lawyer a unique insight into what kind of legal support a business wants and needs – not just technically correct legal advice, but strategic problem-solving.

Company website | LinkedIn

Anthony Chen, Host of Family Business Radio

family owned craft breweries — **Anthony Chen**

This show is sponsored and brought to you by Anthony Chen with Lighthouse Financial Network. Securities and advisory services offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. (RAA), member FINRA/SIPC. RAA is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of RAA. The main office address is 575 Broadhollow Rd. Melville, NY 11747. You can reach Anthony at 631-465-9090 ext 5075 or by email at anthonychen@lfnllc.com.

Anthony Chen started his career in financial services with MetLife in Buffalo, NY in 2008. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, he considers himself a full-blooded New Yorker while now enjoying his Atlanta, GA home. Specializing in family businesses and their owners, Anthony works to protect what is most important to them. From preserving to creating wealth, Anthony partners with CPAs and attorneys to help address all of the concerns and help clients achieve their goals. By using a combination of financial products ranging from life, disability, and long term care insurance to many investment options through Royal Alliance. Anthony looks to be the eyes and ears for his client’s financial foundation. In his spare time, Anthony is an avid long-distance runner.

The complete show archive of “Family Business Radio” can be found at familybusinessradioshow.com.

Why the Future, For Everyone, is Some Form of Entrepreneurship, with Monique Mills, TPM Focus

August 16, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Why the Future, For Everyone, is Some Form of Entrepreneurship, with Monique Mills, TPM Focus

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Why the Future, For Everyone, is Some Form of Entrepreneurship, with Monique Mills, TPM Focus

Monique Mills: [00:00:00] Corporate America has turned into a place that’s not reliable. And I think people are understanding that you hold your future in your hands. If you put it in the hands of a company, there’s no such thing as loyalty anymore. When they need to make cuts, when they need to go in a different direction, no matter how much they like you, you got to go. And so, you need to have a skillset to know how to create something out of nothing.

Monique Mills: [00:00:27] And that’s what I talked about in the beginning, about how once I received my MBA, I did it at Georgia Tech. And I took the track where we had to actually create a startup as our capstone project. So, the skillset is there. I can spin up a business literally in a week. Like, I know all the things to do, get it going, and get things set up. And so, I think that everyone is going to have to learn that skill because, whether it’s freelancing or just being a member of the gig economy, that’s still entrepreneurship in some way.

Monique Mills: [00:01:07] And as I’m noticing now, because I’m in this space of people that’s creating things and plucking talent from different things in order to create their businesses, is that, I may have a business and they may have a business and I hire their business to work for clients of my business. Does that make sense? So, it’s like it’s more of that happening where, you know, someone may have a business that does social media marketing. I have a client that needs social media marketing, so I’ll basically subcontract them to service my client.

Monique Mills: [00:01:46] But I’m still – as we say in construction – that one throat to choke. So, I’m that main person, but I make sure the work gets done. And so, a lot of that happens, especially in the small business world of people who understand how to do this. And I think it’s going to become more and more prevalent as people get laid off, and things become more automated, and just companies become less and less reliable for that paycheck.

Monique Mills, CEO, TPM Focus, LLC

Monique Mills is a degreed electrical engineer turned serial entrepreneur. She attended Rochester Institute of Technology for her engineering degree and completed her MBA, with a concentration on Management of Technology, at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a licensed Realtor(R) as well as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Monique began her career in the semiconductor industry then went on to hold positions in the energy, aviation, real estate, and technology industries. Monique’s earliest entrepreneurial experience began while simultaneously working in her engineering career. As a result of her love of real estate, construction, and desire to manage her personal investment transactions, she became a licensed Realtor and launched a real estate sales and consulting business to assist other investors in strategic planning and execution of their real estate ventures. Monique has expertise in buying, selling, leasing, and construction management of both residential and commercial properties. She is a Member of the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.

Monique has founded four companies, one of which was a SaaS technology startup targeting the commercial real estate and retail industry. Currently, she is the CEO of TPM Focus, a strategy consulting firm providing revenue-focused strategy and execution services to startups and SMB’s launching new products.

Monique lends her talents to startup incubators and accelerators around the country including serving as a Mentor for Founder Institute, a Startup Coach for the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech, and serving as an Advisory Board Member for Stem to Market, a Kauffman Foundation-funded accelerator of the Association for Women in Science that supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) entrepreneurs seeking commercialization of their research and technology. She is an advocate for the diversification of STEM careers, expanded leadership, and equitable entrepreneurial opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.

Monique is an Adjunct Instructor of Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University in the College of Business as part of the University’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute teaching students how to apply evidence-based entrepreneurship methods to go from an idea to a sustainable business model.

Company website

Monique on LinkedIn

Listen to the full Alpharetta Tech Talk interview here.

The “One Minute Interview” series is produced by John Ray and in the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link.

Daniel Noto, Noto Consulting Group

August 13, 2021 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Daniel Noto, Noto Consulting Group

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Daniel Noto, Noto Consulting Group (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 376)

Over the course of his career, Daniel Noto of Noto Consulting Group was increasingly drawn to the problem-solving aspects of HVAC engineering. Forming his own consulting firm allowed him to do both the expert witness work and problem diagnosis in HVAC systems he loves to do. Daniel joined host John Ray to explain how he solves the “too hot” or “too cold” problems which go beyond repairing or replacing an HVAC unit. North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Noto Consulting Group

Noto Consulting Group provides expert witness testimony and consulting related to Mechanical (HVAC) Building Design. Additionally, they are available to provide 3rd Party (Peer) Review Services on Mechanical Building System Design.

Company website

Daniel Noto, P.E., Owner, Noto Consulting Group

Daniel Noto has nearly 20 years of HVAC Design and Senior Level Project Management experience. After graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2002, Mr. Noto has worked for engineering firms in New York City, San Diego, and Atlanta.

While most of those 20 years were involved with Healthcare projects, Mr. Noto has experience designing and reviewing projects in many market sectors including Higher Education, K-12, Science and Technology, and Commercial Projects.