North Fulton Business Radio Archives - Page 54 of 72

Roderick Ricks and Bailey Cooper, The MP Group

August 5, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Roderick Ricks and Bailey Cooper, The MP Group

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Roderick Ricks and Bailey Cooper, The MP Group (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 267)

The MP Group’s Roderick Ricks and Bailey Cooper join host John Ray to discuss their merchant card processing services, why they operate without long-term contracts, how they help their clients network, and much more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

The MP Group

The MP Group is a leading merchant service provider proudly serving the North Georgia area. Their team’s background includes a combined 30+ years of industry experience. Their expertise includes every phase of the business including: sales training, underwriting, implementation, tech support, customer service, risk management, and settlement.

Roderick Ricks is the sales manager for The MP Group. Bailey Cooper is a sales person and integration specialist with The MP Group. They have been with The MP Group for about 4 years. They spend their time networking and trying to create connections for other people. They love supporting small businesses with their energy, and in turn, small businesses support them.

Company website

Facebook

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

merchant services and credit card processing
The MP Group’s policy of no long-term contracts
integrating credit card processing with existing software applications
helping clients network

North Fulton Business Radio” is hosted by John Ray and produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® 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, 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.

Bruce Peoples, Peoples Marketing Insights

August 4, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Bruce Peoples, Peoples Marketing Insights

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Bruce Peoples, Peoples Marketing Insights (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 266)

Bruce Peoples brings Fortune 500 marketing research expertise to the clients he now works with in his own firm. In a conversation with host John Ray, Bruce discusses his qualitative market research approach and how the insights he uncovers assist companies with their branding, marketing, pricing, and more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Bruce Peoples

Bruce Peoples applies a broad and deep marketing background to all of his research projects. He began his career in brand management at Sara Lee Corporation, where he managed brands and developed new products. He later served in marketing management roles at beverage, foodservice, prescription and OTC companies. In these roles Bruce learned the value of, and how to apply, qualitative and quantitative research and consumer insights.

Bruce’s hands-on experience managing all elements of the marketing mix helps him quickly understand his clients’ research needs and objectives. Bruce practices all qualitative methodologies, from focus groups and in-depth interviews to online platforms.

Bruce was trained in qualitative research at RIVA and is a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA). He was a presenter at the 2011 Symposium on Excellence in Qualitative Research, and authored and article on B2B phone interviews for Quirk’s marketing research magazine.

He has a BA from Vanderbilt University, and an MBA in Marketing from Indiana University. Bruce lives in the Atlanta area.

Point of Contact for Bruce Peoples

Company website

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

Overview of in-person (qualitative) marketing research and customer insights.
Why do it
The process – objectives ; deliverable; recruiting profile; incentives; facility; moderating; report out; etc.
Importance of having an objective 3rd party do it – Qual vs. quant research: Explain
Stories and examples and case studies:
Consumer vs. B2B
Technology and online tools
Old school low budget: phone interviews
How to do it on the cheap: you do the recruiting,

“North Fulton Business Radio” is hosted by John Ray and is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® 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, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Evelyn Asher, Strategic Communication Coach

July 27, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Evelyn Asher, Strategic Communication Coach

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Evelyn Asher, Strategic Communication Coach (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 263)

Evelyn Asher thrives on helping women in technology and others who want to improve their communications skills so that their value shines through. Evelyn joined host John Ray to discuss her insights on persuasive communication, the importance of understanding how others perceive you, and much more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Evelyn Asher

Evelyn Asher has a passion for every voice to be heard and respected. She is the founder of Wisdom Collective, a community designed to connect women through online writing experiences.

She opened her consulting practice in 2014 when she moved back to Gainesville, after serving as Certified Small Business Center Director for Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute on two campuses – Hudson and Boone, NC. She has served in the marketing departments of three Fortune 500 companies.

A life-long learner, Evelyn attributes much of her knowledge to research she has edited over the past twenty years in a solo-entrepreneurial venture, She has published a caregiver anthology and a collection of poetry entitled “A Gypsy’s Tapestry: A Woman Observed. A Woman Observing. Currently she is crafting her second collection of poetry highlight profiles of courage she witnesses in the immigrant population in her community.

This will be her 13th year mentoring elementary school children. She values each thread in her tapestry of global friendships. She explores painting techniques including those proffered by one of her granddaughters during their FaceTime, writing and poetry groups.

Point of Contact for Evelyn Asher

Evelyn’s website

Facebook

Instagram

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

The value of mentoring and communication in an uncertain climate
Ensuring crystal clear, persuasive communication that denotes the why with all stakeholders
Understanding how others perceive you
The value of having an external confidant who understands your business and is a radical listener
When employees are trying to keep things together at home and work which can be the same environment, they benefit from being heard.
Creating space for wonder in each day – even in small increments – being accountable with a mentor will weave wonder into workplace.
Customer service communication (I received communication from four different companies that were first grade, not first-rate.)

North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® 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, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

How to Improve Profitability in Any Company, with Dave Boss, The Operations Group, LLC

July 23, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

How to Improve Profitability in Any Company, with Dave Boss, The Operations Group, LLC

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How to Improve Profitability in Any Company, with Dave Boss, The Operations Group, LLC (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 262)

Gains from business process improvement helps improve profitability in any company, argues Dave Boss of The Operations Group, LLC. Dave joined host John Ray to talk about his business process consulting practice. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

The Operations Group, LLC

The Operations Group, LLC consultants have been business leaders, with real Profit and Loss responsibility. Unlike lifelong process improvement professionals, they know that the company exists to serve its customers and to generate profits for its stakeholders. Hence, process improvement projects are not the priority for most organizations, nor should they be. The Operations Group consultants don’t fix anything. Clients do. They are the experts in performing the work of the company. Therefore, they are integral to process improvement success, both while The Operations Group consultants are deployed and long after they leave. They all have day jobs.

Their consultants develop realistic schedules, accommodating the possible limited availability of team members, and the fact that due to customer demand and other priorities, schedules are subject to change. If a client wants rapid results, and can dedicate the people to work with them, the schedules will be aggressive, but achievable.

They also don’t ask you to drink the Lean or Six Sigma “Kool-Aid”. If a full-blown Lean Manufacturing implementation is what’s called for, they will do that. But most organizations thrive better under a gentler approach, incorporating Lean and Six Sigma concepts on a more tactical basis, bringing employees along during a transition from possible disorder, to a continuously learning and improving environment. The Operations Group can help clients put together a Continuous Improvement Roadmap, that will bring new phases of the program into place as their employee base is ready for them.

Dave Boss, Managing Partner

Dave Boss is a Consultant and Managing Partner with The Operations Group, with over 30 years of industry and consulting experience in multiple industries and corporate environments, including Manufacturing, Industrial Services, Financial Services, and others. Dave has held senior executive positions in industry where he led efforts resulting in substantial achievements in manufacturing and supply chain operations, including in highly regulated, quality control environments. He brings in-depth process improvement experience including defining and executing strategies for productivity growth.

Dave received his Operational Excellence certification as a Six Sigma Master Black Belt at GE Energy. As leader of a team of 9 Black Belts, he had primary responsibility for support of 14 plants around the world, and secondary responsibility for another 40+ locations. Under his guidance, the team was credited with leading or mentoring hundreds of process improvement projects taken on by employees in various disciplines. These projects resulted in cost savings of millions of dollars, and revenue increases of millions more. An example accomplishment was the use of Lean and Six Sigma tools to find hidden capacity in a remanufacturing facility, enabling it to process an extra $2 million annually in revenue.

Dave earned an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He also received a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University,

Point of Contact for Dave Boss

Company website

Facebook

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

What is Business Process Excellence? Isn’t it just the time and motion studies by efficiency experts that have been around since the early 1900’s?
What are the methods your company uses to help companies improve profitability? Please explain them.
What about functions that aren’t manufacturing, like sales people or doctors? Are you going to tell a doctor how to more efficiently examine her patient, or teach a sales rep how to sell?
Once you help a company fix things, what else is to be done?
How long does it take for you to know what needs to be done at your next client?
But won’t this telling employees how to do their jobs demotivate them, driving them away to other companies?
How does a company know they need outside help? What should they be looking for?
This also sounds interesting to Manufacturing, even for other types of B2B companies, but surely it doesn’t do much to help in the B2C world?
Surely you don’t have expertise in all aspects of business. Do you ever say “no” to a potential client?
How can a company engage with you to see if you can help them improve profitability of their business?,

Ron Wilder, 1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton

July 16, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Ron Wilder, 1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton

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Ron Wilder, 1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 260)

The owner of 1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton, Ron Wilder, joined host John Ray to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and why his desire to serve people is fulfilled through his business. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton

Unexpected flooding, fire, or sewage disasters take a great toll on home or business owners and leave damage in their wake. Their local restoration experts use advanced equipment and techniques to perform property damage restoration in Fulton and DeKalb Counties in Georgia. Their IICRC-certified restoration professionals deal with damage stemming from water, smoke, fire, sewage, and mold. 1-800 WATER DAMAGE is trusted nationwide for high quality restoration services, and they are proud to bring those services to the North Fulton community. With over a decade of experience, their restoration professionals have the tools and knowledge necessary to get customer’s property looking like new again.

Ron Wilder, Owner/Operator, 1-800 Water Damage of North Fulton

Ron’s career began in the Army National Guard where he served 8 years. It was the launching pad for his graduation from The Ohio State University as a Certified Public Accountant. Ron’s career included over 23 years in the accounting profession helping people.

As next phase, he now leads the 1-800 WATER DAMAGE of North Fulton team with a continued focus on helping people.

Point of Contact for Ron Wilder

Company website

Twitter

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

How has your company been since COVID-19?
What makes you different from all the other companies in your industry?
Why the change from Corporate America to being an Entrepreneur?
Why did you pick the Property Restoration industry?
How would previous customers describe you all?
As a business owner, what are your top three priorities?
How do you define success?
Explain a time when you exceed a customer’s expectation

“How a Fractional Chief Operating Officer Helps Businesses,” with Cary Matthews, Opal Partners Group

July 15, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

"How a Fractional Chief Operating Officer Helps Businesses," with Cary Matthews, Opal Partners Group

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“How a Fractional Chief Operating Officer Helps Businesses,” with Cary Matthews, Opal Partners Group (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 259)

Opal Partners Group Founder Cary Matthews joins host John Ray to discuss the value a fractional chief operating officer brings to a business, including helping scale, tackling vital operational projects, and more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Opal Partners Group, LLC

Opal Partners Group, LLC (OPG) is an operations consulting firm. They work with business owners to ensure all aspects of their operations are sound and aligned with their strategic and short-term goals.

They break down client challenges into three levels of the operations hierarchy: Process, Structure, and Strategy.

From younger companies that need to add structure and process to support their growing organization to more established firms that need to solve a singular challenge, OPG can help.

For a company struggling with identifying the root of their challenges, Opal can perform an operations audit to help hone in on the areas that need improvement.

Cary Matthews, Managing Partner, Opal Partners Group

Prior to starting OPG, Cary was COO at Trextel, LLC, a multi-technology solutions provider in the Atlanta area that performed installation, project management, and managed services for Fortune 500 companies servicing their edge networking.

In that role, Cary led the project management, support services, accounting, and human resources departments.

At Trextel, he restructured the project management and support services teams to increase employee utilization and efficiency, reduced time to invoice, improved cash flow through new vendor agreements, and formalized employee coaching and other human resources practices.

Cary earned a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration, both from Auburn University.

Activities include serving as a member of the MBA Advisory Board for Anderson University, board member and treasurer for Vision USA, and a member of Vistage International.

He has taken professional development classes at MIT and Georgia Tech.

Point of Contact for Cary Matthews

Company website

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

What is a fractional COO?
What are the characteristics of companies who hire fractional executives?
What types of problems does Opal Partners help clients solve?
Operations can be vary from industry to industry. How does that impact how you help your clients?
What are some of the most common questions or challenges clients bring to you?
From an operations perspective, how has the pandemic changed how companies operate?
What is the biggest takeaway or lesson learned that businesses should be aware of going forward?
How has the rapid move to remote work arrangements affected companies and their operations?

Jacqueline Grant, The Management Academy

July 15, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Jacqueline Grant, The Management Academy

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Jacqueline Grant, The Management Academy (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 258)

Jacqueline Grant joins host John Ray to discuss why now is a great time for experienced corporate professionals to start their own consulting business, how to determine what consulting services you can offer, and much more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

The Management Academy

The Management Academy offers client assessment, individual achievement plans, individualized coaching, one-on-one tutoring, coaching and consulting,

They offer coaching in:

Project Management
PMP & CAPM
Scrum & Agile
Risk Management
Business & Marketing Management
Sales & Marketing
Information Technology Management, and
Healthcare Information Management

The Project Management Office (PMO) has a team of Subject Matter Expert Consultants who contribute to client projects with detail-oriented professionalism. Consultants specialize in the areas of IT, Construction, Engineering, Product Development, Marketing, Real Estate, Healthcare, Corporate Communications, Talent Acquisition, Business Development, Entrepreneurship, and many more. They have extensive experience in project management, business development, process improvement, technology infrastructure and career coaching strategies. They can design a step-by-step, cost-effective plan for clients to achieve optimum ongoing productivity for career planning and professional development.

To learn more, visit the company website.

Jacqueline Grant, MBA, PMP, SMC, SPOC, SCT, AEC, SCMS-P, SCCS-P

Ms. Jacqueline Grant is Founder & Director of The Management Academy, LLC (TMA) and its subsidiary, the Women’s Consulting Business Summit. Her company serves entrepreneurs, small and large businesses, providing full circle business management consulting and professional development programs, courses, workshops and seminars. The focus of TMA is to provide its clients with current project management, business, marketing, leadership, career development courses and activities, to promote personal growth and professional advancement.

As a professional trainer, speaker, author and certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Jacqueline’s passion and enthusiasm for empowerment and life-long learning are the key elements which make her effective with her clients. She is the author of the upcoming, “Start Your Consulting Business NOW!” as well as “What to Expect When Taking the PMP Exam” and “Where are the Risks in Your Organization?” Ms. Grant serves on the Advisory Board of Gwinnett Technical College’s Business Division. She also successfully served a two-year term as a leadership board member of Project Management Institute (PMI) Atlanta Chapter, where she was the VP of Professional Growth.

Ms. Grant possesses over 20 years of experience working with several national non-profit organizations and substantial for-profit corporations, previously having worked as Director of Marketing for a New York based HMO, Consultant for the National Headquarters of the Girl Scouts of the USA and as Executive Director of a regional YMCA, where she was responsible for 13 locations.

Ms. Grant has provided business management and project management training to employees of the corporate headquarters of Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Coca Cola, as well as ATT, Verizon, and HP, to name a few. She has an extensive background in corporate communications, marketing, public relations, sales, and business development, across a number of business verticals. Her expertise lies in the areas of strategic development, recruitment, community development, vendor relations, and budget development/administration. This skill set has successfully achieved significant corporate goals and objectives, which increased profitability and visibility for a variety of businesses.

Ms. Grant is a graduate of Syracuse University, with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Communications. She is also a graduate of Capella University, with a Masters in Business Administration. She specialized with a double major in Project Management and Information Technology Management and earned a “Graduate with Distinction” honor. Ms. Grant is married with two children.

Point of Contact for Jacqueline Grant

Company website

Twitter

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

How to use the knowledge and experience you already have to start your online consulting business
Transitioning successfully through job loss by taking control of your time, dollar & destiny
What has always been on your heart or mind to do… someday? Today is that day!
How to determine what you can offer the world as your own business venture
How to position your knowledge and expertise as an authority for your new business
How to REALLY network in today’s online environment
How to fill the gaps in your own knowledge or business with your sphere of influence members
What’s your WHY and how to use it to generate business

Kevin Hill, Igigo Communications

July 13, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Kevin Hill, Igigo Communications

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Kevin Hill, Igigo Communications (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 257)

Kevin Hill of Igigo Communications joins host John Ray to discuss live streaming and why businesses and other organizations should be utilizing this fast growing medium. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Igigo Communications

Igigo Communications specializes in helping individuals and organizations live stream content to their audiences. Demystifying the process of live streaming and explaining their options, Igigo offers affordable solutions to connecting live content with viewers. There are differences between being “in the room” and watching content live online. Igigo works with their clients to understand those differences. They built a webcast that is informative and keeps online viewers engaged.

Streaming technology and equipment are ever changing and Igigo keeps up with that change. Using industry best practices, they keep their clients “live” and in front of their audience. Their team of technicians are knowledgeable, friendly and use only professional production gear to give a client’s content the quality it deserves.

They are experts in multi-channel live streaming and professional video production. Over ten years of online streaming experience and twenty plus years of video production experience has made Igigo a company clients can count on to deliver on their next project.

Whether in the Atlanta area, Southeast region, United States or International, Igigo can bring organizations, clients, followers and audiences together through streaming online.

Kevin Hill, President and Founder, Igigo Communications, Inc.

Kevin founded Igigo Communications, Inc. after an award-winning career in television news where he wore many hats from a videographer and editor, to a live operations technician and producer for more than 15 years. His love for live events drew him to live streaming, where he can use his problem-solving abilities to broadcast content to the masses.

Kevin has worked on streaming projects for Fortune 500 companies to micro-businesses. His passion for video production, technical knowledge and creativity has kept him in high demand as a consultant with a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of live video production.

Point of Contact for Kevin Hill

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

What is live streaming?
Kevin’s experience in television news and deep live streaming experience
How can live streaming help a business or organization?
How has Covid-19 changed the environment for live streaming?
What is the different between video conferencing (such as Zoom) and live streaming?
What is a virtual event?
Tips for live streaming
How should a person look for when choosing a live stream provider?
Where do you think the future is headed for live streaming?
“With the internet and faster speeds, anyone can broadcast and get as big of an audience as the biggest networks around today.”

Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc.

July 9, 2020 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc.

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Alicia Butler Pierre, Equilibria, Inc. (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 255)

Alicia Butler Pierre joins host John Ray to discuss how vital business infrastructure is to a fast growing company, how customer experience is directly connected to the back office, the myth of the solopreneur, and much more. “North Fulton Business Radio” is produced virtually by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® in Alpharetta.

Alicia Butler Pierre, Founder and CEO, Equilibria, Inc.

Alicia Butler Pierre is the founder and CEO of Equilibria, Inc., a 15-year-old operations management firm. She specializes in increasing bandwidth for fast-growing organizations via business infrastructure. Alicia has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana State University, an MBA from Tulane University, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification. Combined, her content has over three-quarters of a million views across various online platforms.

Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure: Curing Back Office Blues podcast which recently celebrated its 100th episode. She’s also the author of the 2x Amazon bestseller, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success. Committed to doing the right things the right way, Alicia’s mantra is “to leave it better than you found it.”

Point of Contact for Alicia Butler Pierre

Questions/Topics Discussed in this Show

What is Business Infrastructure?
How business infrastructure and customer experience are intertwined
How has your business changed as a result of COVID-19?
Why do you say business infrastructure is a blessing and a curse?
The myth of the solopreneur
What home office setup tips do you have for people working from home for the first time?
Alicia’s book and her podcast