Monday Morning Radio

Can you teach yourself and your colleagues to generate great ideas — ideas genuinely worth pursuing? Robin Landa, an author and professor of design at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, has made a career studying where breakthrough ideas come from — so-called ideation —  and how anyone can conjure concepts that will be revolutionary. Robin’s latest book is The New Art of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential. In it, she identifies the required foundation of every good idea: Goal, Gap, and Gain - or what she terms the 3Gs. Robin doesn’t promise that if you read her book, you or your employees will become the next Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, or Steve Jobs. But she doesn’t rule it out either. Play along as host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart quizzes Robin — a Jeopardy enthusiast — on her mastery of various categories of creativity. And be sure your response is in the form of a question. Photo: Robin Landa, The New Art of IdeasPosted: January 16, 2023Monday Morning Run Time: 41:42

Stephen Semple is a marketing and advertising wizard. Moreover, he is an iconoclast - creating winning campaigns for his grateful clients and his own agency by marching to a different drummer. Officially, Stephen is the Director of Wizard of Ads Canada and one of the elite Wizard of Ads partners who work in collaboration with other creative geniuses around the globe. He is also the co-host of The Empire Builders Podcast, where each week, he and his co-host reverse engineer the playbook of some of today’s most admired and successful companies, traveling back in time to their early years to study their growth formula. Host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart speaks with Stephen on this week’s Monday Morning Radio, covering a wide range of topics and dispensing invaluable business wisdom nuggets. Among the topics, Stephen explains why cutting-edge online titans - including Google, Amazon, eBay, and Airbnb — are shifting their promotional dollars to traditional media, including TV, radio, direct mail, and bil

These were the ten most-listened to episodes of Monday Morning Radio in 2022. Hear for yourself why business owners and entrepreneurs around the world found them fascinating. #1: Want a Standing Ovation for Your Company’s Financial Performance? Veteran Acting Coach Craig Archibald Raises the Curtain on the Correct Entrepreneur’s Mindset #2: Set Off Emotional “Fireworks:” Writing Heartfelt Letters That Recipients Will Cherish: Lynette M. Smith on How to Show Genuine Gratitude to Colleagues, Family, and Friends #3: Lift the Hood of Rapidly Growing DermatologistOnCall, and You’ll Discover An Engine Powered By Best-in-Class Technology: Investment Banker and CEO Douglas Holmes’s Insights Are Just What the Doctor Ordered #4: This Couple, Both in Their 60s, Pedaled Coast-to-Coast on a Tandem Bike: Life and Career Lessons From an Inspirational 3,819-Mile Ride Across America #5: Look Before You Leap into the Entrepreneurial Life: Bestselling Author Gino Wickman Asks, “Do You Have What It Takes?” to Succeed #6:

If you have scoleciphobia — fear of worms, you may want to skip this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio.  Host Dean Rotbart’s guest, Cathy Nesbitt, is a passionate worm advocate and Canadian worm royalty. Since 2002, Cathy, owner of Cathy’s Crawly Composters, has bred and sold red wigglers and European nightcrawlers by the pound to enthusiastic customers who use the live squigglers for composting — converting household garbage into nutrient-rich fertilizer. Many would-be entrepreneurs are unwilling to get their hands dirty in the pursuit of profit. The story of Cathy’s success is sure to make the clean freaks out there squirm. Photo: Cathy Nesbitt, Cathy’s Crawly Composters Posted: January 2, 2023Monday Morning Run Time: 51:59

When recruiting new hires, Andrea Hoffer leaves little to chance. After ten years of running her own business with a hit-and-all-too-frequent-miss record recruiting and retaining staff, Andrea concluded there must be a better way. She not only developed a structured process for attracting and keeping employees but found her method to be so successful that she built and now is CEO of AHA! Recruiting Experts, an agency that helps clients identify, hire, and retain great employees. Andrea has managed hundreds of employees and has experience in the higher education system, revenue-producing operation management, franchise business ownership, and business consulting. She is the author of Hire Higher: How To Attract, Interview & Grow Your Dream Team. The book provides proven strategies and a proactive approach to hiring. If Andrea has a single piece of advice for business owners and leaders, she tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, it’s this: ABR - Always Be Recruiting. Photo: Andrea Hoffer, AHA!

Ted Clark, author of Buy & Build CEO: Leveraging Private Equity to Build a Winning Global Business, is an expert on how successful business owners and entrepreneurs can become uber-wealthy. He has spent more than four decades as a business executive and investor, and is currently a partner in Nashville-based Iron Path Capital.  After starting out as a shipping clerk, has climbed the heights of the wealth ladder. He now advises other people on how to leverage their way into society’s upper crust. The best part, as Ted explains this week to host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, is that his wealth-building strategies rely on using other people’s money to acquire and build winning global businesses. Photo: Ted Clark, Iron Path CapitalPosted: December 19, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 45:55

A computer engineer by training, Joseph Fung has founded five technology companies, helped to back 20 startups, and now is the CEO of Uvaro, a rapidly growing career success company that provides lifelong training for those in a variety of professional roles, including sales, account management, customer service, and leadership. Host Dean Rotbart describes Joseph as a walking encyclopedia of business wisdom. This week the two discuss a variety of timely topics, including generating a quality company culture, preparing employees for long-term success, investing in early-stage companies, and harnessing the rewards of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Photo: Joseph Fung, UvaroPosted: December 12, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 43:45

At the peak of his popularity in the 1980s, electronics retailer “Crazy Eddie” was better known for his screaming and gesticulating television commercials promoting “insane” prices than were then-Mayor Ed Koch and President Ronald Regan. Thousands of customers would flock to store openings, hoping to nab a free t-shirt and get a glimpse of the unhinged pitchman. Behind the scenes, however, Eddie Antar — the real Crazy Eddie, not the TV actor who portrayed him in the commercials — was a thieving, lying, cheat who defrauded just about everyone who ever trusted him, and was ultimately sentenced to eight years in prison. Veteran investigative reporter Gary Weiss has written a page-turning biographical exposé of Eddie Antar: Retail Gangster: The Insane, Real-Life Story of Crazy Eddie. This week Gary and host Dean Rotbart explore both the genius and insanity of Crazy Eddie, a business crook unlike any other in American history. Photo: Gary Weiss, Retail Gangster Posted: December 5, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 41:4

[November 29th is Giving Tuesday, a day for lending your support to worthy non-profits. This week’s podcast opens with a brief interview with Lisa Weyer, executive director of the All Kids Bike campaign and its parent, the Strider Education Foundation. All Kids Bike is on a mission to teach every child in America how to ride a bike in kindergarten PE class.] Michael Beckley, an author and professor of political science, has briefed high-level policymakers, military leaders, and members of the U.S. intelligence services on his judgment that China is a nation on the descent, and that is likely to lead America into a direct conflict with the People’s Republic much sooner than anyone expects. Beckley is the co-author — along with Hal Brands — of Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China. This week, Beckley explains the thinking behind his assessment and why business owners and entrepreneurs, not just policy wonks and the political class, would be wise to recognize the threat China poses and take steps now to

Forty days remain in 2022. Forty days to wrap up unfinished business and set course for the New Year. What can you accomplish between now and year-end to further your goals and check worrisome tasks off your to-do list? Dr. Sarah Reiff-Hekking answers, “Plenty.”  Dr. Sarah, a psychologist with more than 20 years of experience, is one of the nation’s preeminent experts on coaching entrepreneurs and professionals on how to get past their sense of being overwhelmed and the procrastination that often results. She is the founder of True Focus Coaching, which offers a variety of time management programs and consulting designed to get even the most time-challenged procrastinators unstuck. In working with clients over the years, Dr. Sarah has zeroed in on five steps that can bulldoze through the obstacles that undermine our productivity, keep us from achieving our goals, and set us on a negative emotional spiral. This week, Dr. Sarah shares with host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart the proprietary system s

In the third season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, B-List actor Robert Kerbeck played a Cardassian soldier, unrecognizable under facial prosthetics and heavy makeup. But the alien disguise was child’s play compared to the many real-life guises Robert adopted over his long career as a highly paid corporate spy, absconding with invaluable, private intelligence so detailed it would make the CIA proud. Business-on-business spying is a huge industry — full of deceit and lies. No company is too small or unimportant to be confident that its competitors aren’t deploying snoops to extract valuable, actionable, proprietary information.  Robert is the author of RUSE: Lying the American Dream from Hollywood to Wall Street. In the book, he regales readers with his adventures as a corporate spy - pretending to be someone he wasn’t to coax people inside giant corporations to reveal information and secrets that could lead to their downfall - and land Robert in jail for a long, long time. This week Robert shares the secrets

As a veteran manager of hundreds of employees, London-based author Jim Edwards would grade himself only a solid “B” as a supervisor. So why do business owners and entrepreneurs on both sides of the Atlantic turn to Jim in impressive numbers for his recommendations on how they can perform better in leadership roles? The reason, says Jim, the author of Say Thank You For Everything, is that you don’t have to be a management superstar to be good enough to outperform your peers and competitors. Jim, a talented reporter and writer, gleaned his insights in his previous supervisory roles, including managing editor at Adweek, founding editor-in-chief at Business Insider UK, and editor-in-chief at Insider. Alyson Shontell, editor-in-chief of FORTUNE, describes Jim’s book as “equal parts smart, funny, blunt and helpful.” Adds Eric Schurenberg, former editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine: “Jim knows how the leadership game is played and, better yet, he knows how to coach his readers to play it as well.” Monday Morning Radi

Todd Mitchell is an award-winning author of novels for young readers. He teaches writing and literature at Colorado State University and has worked with thousands of writers. But Todd is much more than a university professor. He’s a creativity sherpa for all writers, artists, musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, and innovators who, at times, experience doubt, struggle, and failure. While Todd’s latest book, Breakthrough, speaks most directly to those who call themselves writers, he notes that the challenges writers face — and can overcome — resemble the challenges that almost everyone faces when they send their creations out into the world to be admired, criticized, or ignored. [Todd’s paradigm is similar to that of Craig Archibald, who was featured on a popular episode of Monday Morning Radio in June 2022. Craig, a well-established acting coach and author, posits that the mindset necessary to be a successful actor and a successful business person is pretty much one and the same]. The subtitle of Breakthrough

Sitting in jail - facing a 13-year sentence - Rob Lohman had plenty of time to review his past: alcohol and drug addiction, gambling, bankruptcies, and even a suicide attempt.  That was in 2012. Since then, Rob, who was released from prison after less than a year, has not only turned his life around, he’s used savvy self-marketing to build a for-profit business guiding thousands of other men and women who’ve hit rock bottom — be it in their personal or business lives — to a fresh start. As Rob tells host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart, his life story teaches that the same character traits that feed personal failure can be harnessed to rebound and achieve unprecedented success. Pick up a copy of Rob’s book: The Addition IntERvention. Photo: Rob Lohman, Lifted From The Rut Posted: October 24, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 42.23

Over the past decade, if you paid taxes, borrowed money, invested, or bought goods and services, no single elected or appointed government official has had more influence over your wallet than Janet Yellen.  In fact, no person in American history has served — as Yellen has — in three influential government economic posts: Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, then Chair of the Federal Reserve, and since January 2021, as Secretary of the Treasury. Jon Hilsenrath, an award-winning senior writer for The Wall Street Journal covering economics and finance, has written the definitive biography of Janet Yellen and her Nobel Prize-winning economist husband, George Akerlof: “Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval.” The book, due from HarperCollins on November 1st, can be pre-ordered at www.tinyurl.com/MMRYellen. Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart characterizes “Yellen” as an engaging read that will appeal to a broad audience, with unique value to younger readers who a

The title of Chris De Santis’s new book is sure to resonate with employers and employees alike: Why I Find You Irritating: Navigating Generational Friction at Work. Many business owners and veteran company employees find their younger colleagues irritating —  failing to share their values and work ethic. Guess what? The feeling is mutual, as Millennials and GenZers often lack respect for their older co-workers. Chris, an organization expert and former director of training and development for the American Medical Association, has studied generational differences for 18 years. He's discovered that — when well understood — the generational conflict that is so prevalent these days can be leveraged to the benefit of the organization and all its staff. Who buys that theory? Among Chris’s clients, you’ll find Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Lilly, and Bank of America. This week, Chris shares with host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart his take on what most companies get wrong and how to avoid squandering the value in

Steve Curtin, ranked as one of the top 30 customer service experts in the world — with clients that include Carnival Cruise Line, NAPA Auto Parts, and TJ Maxx — believes that every owner and manager needs to have “The Revelation Conversation” with each of their employees. The conversation, which is the focus of Steve’s latest book, is designed to address the question of why their job and their company matter. As Steve tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, “we’ve all heard the story of the NASA janitor who wasn’t mopping floors; he was helping to send a man to the moon.” Imagine what would happen to each worker’s productivity and job satisfaction, Curtin asks, if your employees felt the same way about the greater purpose of the work they do. After a 20-year career with Marriott International working in hotel operations, sales and marketing, and training and development, Steve now devotes his time to speaking, consulting, and writing on the topic of extraordinary customer service. Photo: Steve Curt

You may have never heard of Jonathan Dahl. But six times a year, he produces a glossy magazine that reaches 1.8 million high-powered global executives and owners, in addition to a weekly online newsletter that has surpassed 3.5 million annual page views. What’s special about Jonathan is that he doesn’t work for a mainstream news organization. Rather, he generates what he calls “dazzling corporate content” for Korn Ferry, the highly respected privately held global consulting firm. Whether you own or operate a company with 50 or 50,000 employees, Jonathan tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart that you need to be generating regular articles and blog posts that showcase how you operate, your values, and how today’s broader news and trends relate to your business and your customers. Photo: Jonathan Dahl, Korn FerryPosted: September 26, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 43:02

Sean Castrina says there are eight unbreakable rules that entrepreneurs who want to be a success must follow. Given that Sean has launched more than 20 companies over the past two decades — most of them successes — he knows more than a little about the dos and don’ts of competing effectively in the cutthroat business marketplace. Sean is by no means lazy, but as he tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart, his millionaire-producing formula has always been to create high-margin businesses in less-crowded fields and then let others do all the hard work.  Be sure to download a copy of Sean’s book, 8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Start-Up Success, for free. Photos: Sean Castrina,  8 Unbreakable Rules for Business Start-Up SuccessPosted: September 19, 2022Monday Morning Run Time: 38:09

Among the robber barons of the late 19th century, none was more ruthless and unscrupulous than Jay Gould, who amassed a fortune greater than that of the Rockefellers. During Gould’s life, he controlled the country’s largest railroad empire, Western Union, and even the New York World newspaper (which he sold to Joseph Pulitzer in 1883). Today, Gould is all but forgotten outside of academia. But his influence and the regulations put in place to try and prevent future stock manipulators such as he from succeeding continue to have a significant influence over American businesses and financial markets. Greg Steinmetz, a partner at a New York money management firm, has just published an authoritative biography of the clever and quirky Gould, American Rascal: How Jay Gould Built Wall Street’s Biggest Fortune. Hate Gould or outright despise him, Steinmetz tells host and award-winning author Dean Rotbart that it’s not possible to deny that Gould played a domineering role in America’s transformative economic expansion