Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Coffee with Jon -Formerly THINK Business Deep, soulful conversations with executives, managers, and sales professionals who are making a real difference — in their companies, their communities, and within themselves. Inspired by the legendary Larry King, Coffee with Jon brings you 1:1 interviews built around curiosity, authenticity, and the art of truly listening. Like King, host Jon Dwoskin puts the guest and their journey at the center of every conversation — asking the questions that uncover not just what people do, but why they do it, and what drives them to show up and lead the way they do. Every episode is a chan...
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Lawyers Don't Sell Expertise They Sell Trust with Marty Frenkel
3 Takeaways from my conversation with Marty Frankel <p>Co-Chair, Financial Services & Real Property Litigation Group, Executive Committee Member, Maddin Hauser</p> <p>1. Lawyers sell trust — not expertise. Competence is the baseline. What clients really need is someone on their team who owns their problem with urgency.</p> <p>2. Find the issue behind the issue. Ask questions. Build rapport. What someone walks in with is rarely what's really keeping them up at night.</p> <p>3. Delay gratification. Plan long. Reverse engineer from three years out. That's not just career advice — that's a life strategy.</p> <p> </p> <p>---</p> <p>MART...
We're in the Golden Age of Learning with Bernadette Burke
<h2>3 Takeaways from my conversation with Bernadette Burke, CEO of Brella Productions:</h2> <p>1. We're in the golden age of learning.<br /> Everyone learns differently. The tools finally exist to meet people where they are. Use them.</p> <p>2. Know the outcome before you design the training.<br /> What do you want people to DO differently? Start there. Everything else follows.</p> <p>3. Quantify the cost of failure.<br /> One lost sale. One bad customer experience. One slow onboard. Do the math — then invest in training.</p> <p> </p> <p>---</p> <p>Bernadette Burke is the President and Co-founder of...
The Moonshot Idea That Could Change Manufacturing with Deniz Kent
<h2>3 Takeaways from my conversation with Deniz Kent, CEO of Prolific Machines:</h2> <p>1. Moonshot thinking starts with a real problem.<br /> Deniz saw conflict over resources and asked: what if cells could make everything we need? That question built a company.</p> <p>2. The best technology has the lowest cost AND highest quality.<br /> When those two things align — adoption follows. Every time.</p> <p>3. Assemble people smarter than you.<br /> Deniz conceived the idea. Then got out of the way and hired scientists better than himself. That's leadership.</p> <p> </p> <p>---</p> <p>About Deniz Kent, PhD...
Stop Waiting for Capital and Start Building with Oz Konar
<p>3 Takeaways from my conversation with CEO Oz Konar, Founder of Business Lending Blueprint:</p> <p>1. Proof of concept before capital.<br /> Don't hide behind someone else's money. Sell the product first. If people are buying — then scale.</p> <p>2. Financial literacy is a superpower.<br /> Build credit early. Understand debt. Know your margins. Money follows the prepared.</p> <p>3. Take imperfect action.<br /> Stop waiting until everything is figured out. It never will be. Start now, learn fast.</p> <p>Watch How to Get Rich Interview with Alex Hormozi and Dave Ramsey: https://youtu.be/jvXOOddDg_s?si=FL2Hlm...
The Leadership Lessons Behind a 40-Year Legacy with Ron Sollish and Steve Sallen
<p>A masterclass on leadership, legacy, and succession.</p> <p>With Ron Solish (CEO) and Steve Sallen (CFO) of Maddin Hauser.</p> <p>---</p> <p>STEVEN ("STEVE") D. SALLEN joined Maddin Hauser as a law clerk in 1983. He served as the firm's president and CEO for fifteen years and is currently the CFO. Steve earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Detroit School of Law. There he served as Case and Comment Editor of the University of Detroit Law Review.</p> <p>Steve concentrates his practice in...
Stop Taking Notes and Start Having Better Conversations with Richard White
<p>3 Takeaways from my conversation with Rich White, CEO of Fathom AI:</p> <p>1. Stop taking notes. Start having conversations.<br /> AI handles the details so you can focus on the people in the room.</p> <p>2. The cost of a lost idea is greater than $15/month.<br /> One missed action item. One forgotten commitment. One misquoted client. Do the math.</p> <p>3. Meetings should be great.<br /> The right people. The right agenda. The right tools. No excuses.</p> <p> </p> <p>---</p> <p>Richard White is the founder and CEO of Fathom.video, a free app that r...
Build Simple, Sell More: Thomas Smith on What Customers Really Want
<p>I sat down with Thomas Smith, founder of skinatwork.com.</p> <p>Here are 3 takeaways.</p> <p>1. Simple is a strategy.<br /> Nearly 70% of Thomas's customers buy a full kit on the first visit. Simplicity is doing the hard work so your customer doesn't have to.</p> <p>2. Know your numbers.<br /> Acquisition cost. Lifetime value. Repeat rate. Chase one metric and wonder why you're losing.</p> <p>3. Build for a need, not a moment.<br /> Thomas launched during the pandemic , when everyone said don't. He did it anyway because the customer pain was real. That's the only reason...
What Are You Good At: : The Playbook for Smart Scaling with Alisa & Jeff
<h2>If you're looking to Franchise your business, or thinking about it, CEO Alisa Sparks with Linden Creek will guide you how to do it!</h2> <h3>3 highlights from our conversation:</h3> <p>1. Turn what works into a system<br /> Don't just grow… replicate -When your process is clear and teachable, others can run it—and you can scale it.</p> <p>2. Test before you expand<br /> Don't assume demand. Prove it - Start small, validate the market, then go all in with confidence.</p> <p>3. Build the playbook<br /> Success isn't only talent—it's systems - Document what works so it...
Jon Ostenson on AI Proof Your Franchise The Smarter Path to Business Ownership
<p>Most people think franchising is the easy path to business ownership.</p> <p>It's not. But it might be a smart path.</p> <p>I sat down with John Ostenson — top 1% franchise broker and CEO of FranBridge Consulting — and here's what stood out:</p> <h3>3 Takeaways:</h3> <p>1. AI-proof your investment. The smart money is flowing into trades and home services — businesses AI can use but never replace.</p> <p>2. Activity breeds activity. Stop waiting for the perfect time. It doesn't exist. Start moving toward option A or B — option C shows up when you're in motion.</p> <p>3. Your first...
The Long Game Wins: Business Lessons from a Soft Serve Stand with Gemma Geldmacher
<p>Playing the Long Game: Lessons from a HUD Specialist and a Soft Serve Stand</p> <p>I sat down with Gemma Geldmacher, Managing Director of Mortgage Banking at Berkadia, to talk about her successful career and her blog — Playing the Long Game: Hard Lessons Through Soft Serve. It's the story of watching her parents immigrate from Australia in 1984 with three kids, buy a local community ice cream shop, and the lessons that came with it. The business lessons inside that shop can help all of us in business and life.</p> <p>Here are a handful of the lessons Ge...
