Ironically I got connected to Tahl through a mutual friend. He is the co-author of “Never Eat Alone” and studied the art of connecting and how “Connectors” used networking as a way to achieve great things in life. As a studier of connections I was super excited to set down with Tahl and get some great insights into this fascinating topic. He is also working on a new book about resilience and how some people rise above traumatic situations and others don’t. I love what he studies and loved being connected to him and to his work.

Bryn is known for her connecting abilities, in fact she knows everyone! She is also the founder and CEO of Bryn Johnson Consulting and calls herself a community building expert. I was so excited to get her own take on connecting and what she does to make a perfect connection. I know you will enjoy hearing what she has to say on this essential business building skill!

What is a brand? Craig Markus knows. He is an executive creative director at McCann Erickson in New York city. He has been there for almost twenty years and has worked on big accounts, most recently the US Army. He has been helping fortune 500 companies get clear on their brand and I thought his thoughts on branding would be valuable to my audience of small business owners that are passion driven. I hope you enjoy the interview and thank you Craig for your thoughts!

Carolyn Herfurth is the CEO of the Biz Truth and a great friend. From the moment we met we connected on many levels.  I have also worked with her to fine tune my sales process. Her take on sales is all about connecting, which is right up my alley. I admire her because she has been an entrepreneur for ten years and makes stuff happen. She is someone who does what she does because it allows her the freedom to live the life she wants. She also walks her talk and is as authentic as they come. We often talk about business and she would say that she is always hiring people to help her be better at her business. In fact up until recently she always had a full time coach. I knew she was perfect to interview for the topic of support and how it has impacted her business success. She is honest and we get into the pros and cons of working with others. Check it out, she is someone to learn from!!

I met Melody through my involvement with Savor Success. She has been running her own business for 14 years and was willing to share her trials and tribulations. She has a music school in addition to being a coach and speaker for her work with Time Millionaire. She helps entrepreneurs manage their businesses in a way that makes them time wealthy. Who doesn’t want more time? She inspired me with how much she has learned and what has created the most success for her. I hope you will enjoy learning from her, she is someone who welcomes challenge and continues to grow from all that life and entrepreneurship involves. Enjoy!

I reached out to Debbie because she is a seasoned entrepreneur and we seemed to share a lot of the same beliefs on business growth. She believes that you should create a business that is true to you and create marketing plans that reflect your core strengths. I loved the topics she spoke and wrote about and wanted to interview her on what created her business success. Lucky for me she agreed. Her 13 years of business experience has taught her great lessons and I am excited to share two of them with you. Enjoy the video and feel free to go to her website to learn more.

Nika Stewart is the Founder and President of Laptop Moms. She is a seasoned business woman and a great friend. I wanted to interview her about what has been the secrets to her business growth and success. Watch the video and I am sure you will agree that she is a beacon for all women business owners and someone who is full of joy. Her latest product launch has been twitter for you. If you need someone to manage your social media campaigns, I encourage you to reach out to her. She will save you tons of time and get you clients through her full service offerings. Enjoy!

I met Pip over the holiday season. I talked about him in my blog post entitled Host with the Mostess, so feel free to review that for some more detail on his brilliance at hosting dinners as well as a review of his background and bio. He is one of those people that I knew I wanted to feature on my site as a great person immediately. As you can see from his answers he lives to help others and that is obvious when you meet him in person. His life achievements are astounding yet when you meet him you feel like he is more interested in learning from you than the other way around. He is a true example of a great person and I am honored to have his thoughts recorded here. In fact as I am uploading this post the passage from George Bernard Shaw has completely inspired me and given me a beautiful start to the day. Thanks Pip and I hope you all get as much from his thoughts as I have.

George Bernard Shaw

“This is the true joy in life … being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one … being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy … I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It’s a sort of splendid torch which I’ve got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing on to future generations.”

Mentors… Who care deeply for others and are skilled at helping me see what gets in my way… They have patience, persistence, skill, deftness in helping me see and then grow

I don’t really give advice as I have enough trouble figuring out my own life!! I DO think there is an infinite opportunity to have a richer and richer life…

Sometimes amazing people and events fall into my lap and those moments are ones that I cherish. Last night was one of those moments. I was introduced to Peter by a friend and he immediately invited me and my friend Justin to join him at an event that was happening in an adjacent room. My friend Justin and I were in the midst of a networking event and there was a Young Professional Swedish club that was meeting next door. Peter was sponsoring the event with his Vodka company  Karlsson’s Vodka (a side hobby) and speaking. He creates Vodka from potatoes that he grows on a farm in Sweden.  Again, this is just his hobby as he is an Executive at Baker Capital in Manhattan full time and has a resume that is both diverse and impressive.

Prior to Baker Capital, Mr. Ekelund was Managing Director of AB Novestra, a Stockholm-based public investment company with portfolio companies in Scandinavia and the US. Prior to Novestra, Mr. Ekelund was the Chairman of Framfab and the Managing Director of FilmNet Benelux, a new pay television company. He also worked as the business development manager of Nethold, b.v., the FilmNet parent and was involved in the introduction of digital TV and international acquisitions in Europe and Asia.

In addition to sharing his amazing vodka, he spoke to the group about his life, what he has learned and what he would suggest to others who want to to be great. He was thoughtful, energetic, funny, smart and a true delight. He loves life and when I see people who radiate greatness I have to share them with you and understand what they have done to get to this point. In his talk he insisted on two very critical things to be great, take risks and have a sense of humor. I couldn’t agree more. Check out more of his thoughts below, while brief, they are wise and in all caps! Enjoy and look out for some Karlsson’s Vodka at my next event. I have a feeling its going to be the best selling vodka around and I can’t provide anything less than great!

1.) What is your definition of being great?

BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF, COMPASSIONATE AND SEEKING SOLUTIONS RATHER THAN FINDING PROBLEMS

2.) What tools have you used in achieving your own greatness?

LIFE IS TO SHORT TO DRINK CHEAP WINE. GET YOUR MIND AND BODY AND SOUL WELL CONNECTED – MY WAY IS YOGA. WATCH MONTHY PYTHON AND LEARN FROM IT

TAKE IT EASY, IT COMES TO YOU ONLY WHEN YOU ARE STABLE AND ARE ABLE TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. DON’T BE SOAP PERSON OR SOMEONE THAT STEALS ENERGY. GIVE!

SURVIVED 9/11 AS I WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDST OF IT

DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY , AVOID THE FAME GAME, BE PRESENT