The final days of 2017 are ticking down and smart business owners and professionals are once angling for any legal strategy they can uncover to cut their tax bill before the ball again drops in Times Square on New Year’s eve. Rob Eagleston, who along with his brother John, runs Eagleston Financial Group in Mesa, AZ, is both hunting for great ideas to use for their own successful financial planning agency, and dispensing some of the best ideas that Rob has accumulated during his 18-plus-year career serving entrepreneurial clients. Rob shares his common-sense approach to year-end business tax strategy with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, a fellow entrepreneur, beginning with the first thing every business owner and professional absolutely must do, if they haven’t already. Rob’s advice isn’t flashy or revolutionary. It is, however, bankable. Photo: Rob Eagleston, Eagleston Financial Group Posted: December 4, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 19 minutes 34 seconds 

This week’s special guest – award-winning journalist Elisabeth Leamy, may know more than anyone else in America about helping people and organizations locate and capture unclaimed money – funds due them from a variety of governmental, banking, insurance, and other organizations. Even refunds for unclaimed gift certificates and gift cards may be there – just waiting for you to ask for your money back. Many listeners will know Elisabeth from her on-air work for the Dr. Oz Show and Good Morning America. She also writes regular columns in The Washington Post and is the author of two engaging books – The Savvy Consumer and Save Big. This past June, Elisabeth joined the podcasting universe, launching her own weekly program – Easy Money with Elisabeth Leamy. Her podcast teaches listeners not only how to find unclaimed money – but also how to earn more money and how to save money. You can find Easy Money at EasyMoneyShow.com or subscribe to it for free from the iTunes store. Before Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart even spoke to Elisabeth, she found seven different accounts, including ones at Sprint, Charles Schwab, and Citibank, that have money on hold for Dean. Granted, he won’t be able to retire on those recoupable funds. But he should be able to purchase some extra special holiday gifts for his family and friends this year. Elisabeth estimates it will take Monday Morning Radio listeners less than five minutes to discover what is – or is not – owed to them. Discover all the details on this week’s episode. Photo: Elisabeth Leamy, Easy Money with Elisabeth Leamy Posted: November 27, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 35 minutes 07 seconds 

Scott Mautz learned how to motivate employees and managers at Procter & Gamble, where he ran several of the giant’s largest multi-billion dollar businesses. Now, as CEO of his own company, Profound Performance, he helps owners and leaders transform their organizational culture. In his new book, Find the Fire: Ignite Your Inspiration and Make Work Exciting Again, Scott pinpoints nine forces that block business and personal success. This week, Scott reveals to host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart exactly how to disintegrate the most common obstacles that stand between us and living and working an inspired life.  Photo: Scott Mautz, Profound Performance Posted: November 20, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 42 minutes 21 seconds 

If you could cross the late, great, sales coach Zig Ziglar – a master of face-to-face relationship selling and networking – with Gary Vaynerchuk, the digital marketing and social-media pioneer – what you’d get would think and act an awful lot like David J.P. Fisher.  David, who everyone calls “D. Fish,” is an expert on the convergence of old-school sales skills and 21st Century e-commerce. His “hyper-connected” approach to sales allows businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed by building and leveraging their networks and personal influence. Fish combines nuanced strategy and real-world tactics to guide individuals and organizations as they navigate and leverage the evolving landscape of sales. As he tells Monday Morning Radio host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, D. Fish’s home office overlooks a vast cemetery in Evanston, IL. His view serves as a potent daily reminder of what happens to companies that fail to keep up with the times. MONDAY MORNING RADIO BONUS: To download a free copy of D Fish’s 19 Ways to Immediately Skyrocket Your Sales Network, visit www.DavidJPFisher.com/mondaymorning.  Photo: David 'D. Fish' Fisher, Hyper-Connected Selling Posted: November 6, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 27 seconds 

Filmmaker Graham Meriwether is hoping his newest documentary, Farmers for America, four years in the making, will help inspire a new, younger, generation of farmers to replace the rapidly aging population of growers. The film, narrated by TV star Mike Rowe, had its national premier last week. Rather than distribute Farmers for America the conventional way, Graham is partnering 50-50 with entrepreneurs and others who host local screenings of the film and split ticket sales with him. Already, more than 600 people have signed up be partners. This week, Graham shares his vision and unique financing strategy with Wizard Academy alumnus Lem Lewis, who along with Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart produce the popular rural business podcast, RANCHCAST with Lem Lewis. Rotbart says he may be a hayseed when it comes to farming, but even a yokel can see that farmers and city dwellers alike can harvest some organic business insights from Graham Meriwether. Photo: Graham Meriwether, Farmers for America Posted: October 30, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 35 minutes 43 seconds   

Will Wise isn’t a journalist, although host and veteran editor Dean Rotbart swears he’d make one fine correspondent. That’s because Wise has mastered the art of asking insightful questions – those designed to reveal truths that often go unspoken. Wise uses his ample probative skills to help companies - including GE, JetBlue, and Mead – transform their workplaces, by creating authentic connections and building trust with employees through well-thought dialogue. Ten years in the making, Wise just published his first book, Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations that Matter, which not only covers how to ask the right questions, but how to listen to the answers, and what to do with them.  He and Rotbart cross-examine one another in a battle of the inquisitors on this week’s Monday Morning Radio. Photo: Will Wise, Ask Powerful Questions Posted: October 23, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 43 minutes 30 seconds   

This week’s guest, Daniel Burrus is a time-traveler of sorts. He regularly journeys to our collective future and returns with recommendations for companies large and small on how to prepare for what’s to come.  Having previously written six New York Times bestsellers, including Flash Foresight, Daniel has just published The Anticipatory Organization, a book that teaches we business owners and entrepreneurs how to accurately forecast and shape our  future. So strap in, as Daniel brings host Dean Rotbart and listeners along for a trip in his time machine, and provides all of us with strategies we can put to work in our businesses today to ensure success tomorrow. Photo: Daniel Burrus, The Anticipatory Organization Posted: October 16, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 31 minutes 43 seconds 

Fear and perfectionism – not laziness – are two of the leading causes of procrastination. Overcome those two obstacles, and you’ll be amazed at how all of those projects, decisions, and chores you’ve been putting off will quickly get checked off your to-do list. Eric M. Twiggs is the Anti-Procrastinator. Author of “The Discipline of Now: 12 Practical Principles to Overcome Procrastination,” Eric has coached more than 28,000 clients on methods to overcome their procrastination habits and unleash their full potential. This week host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart put the challenge to Eric to share with listeners some specific steps they can take - right now, to stop procrastinating, and Eric did just that. You’ll find his valuable advice when you click on this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio. What are you waiting for? Photo: Eric M. Twiggs, The Discipline of Now Posted: October 9, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 27 seconds 

This is Dean Rotbart, host of Monday Morning Radio and a proud supporter of Chapel Dulcinea at Wizard Academy. On a recent podcast, we explored the tale of Chapel Dulcinea, the world’s first and most popular free wedding chapel. Launched in 2005 by Wizard Academy co-founders Pennie and Roy H. Williams, the magical venue now plays hosts to more than 1,000 new unions each and every year.  That’s 1,000 couples, many of them with not a dime to their name, who can secure a gorgeous wedding chapel for not a penny. My wife Talya and I, who were married in 1984 in the chambers of a criminal court judge in Dallas, have pledged our support to keep Chapel Dulcinea solvent for years to come.  You can become a Dulcinea Darling for as little as $5 a month – a bargain price to be part of a newlywed couple’s lives forever. To join Talya and me as Dulcinea Darlings – and to learn more about the wonder and magic of a dream wedding chapel -- visit FreeWeddingChapel.org, and scroll down the page until you see the icon for Dulcinea Darlings. That’s FreeWeddingChapel.org – and Dulcinea Darlings.

Sometimes the best business stories are UnBusiness stories. The tale of Chapel Dulcinea is one of those, the world’s first and most popular free wedding chapel – launched in 2005 by Wizard Academy co-founders Pennie and Roy H. William – and playing host to more than 1,000 new unions each and every year. Pennie and Roy, who were married with hardly a dime to their name in 1976, envisioned Chapel Dulcinea as a sanctuary to help cash-strapped couples take their vows and first steps forward as a married couple. This week, host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart joins Pennie and Roy on a special edition of Monday Morning Radio, to share the wonder and magic of a dream wedding chapel come true. What’s your UnBusiness dream? [To contribute as little as $5 a month to help defray the cost of keeping Chapel Dulcinea free, click here.] Photo: Pennie and Roy H. Williams - 1976 Posted: October 2, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 36 minutes 43 seconds 

Since its humble beginnings in 1981 as a small storefront in Astoria, Queens, New Yorker Bagels has grown into the universe’s largest baker of fresh, crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside Sesame, Poppy, Cinnamon Raisin, and Pumpernickel bagels, among other popular varieties. Stephanos Evangelinos, president and COO, and his crew already produce one out of every two bagels consumed daily in the greater New York area. Now, as Stephanos and his masterful digital strategist Rob Kenney tell our bagel-loving host Dean Rotbart, New Yorker Bagels is expanding its distribution nationwide, offering fresh next-day delivery direct to consumers everywhere. The story of how New Yorker Bagels overcame the incredible odds and obstacles, and how it now plans to spread its bagels nationwide, is one worth chewing on, right now, along with your favorite hot morning beverage and, of course, a healthy schmear of cream cheese. Posted: September 25, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 32 minutes 46 seconds   

Mark Nation has developed and managed businesses in five diverse industries for companies including SAP, Oracle, and UNUM. Doing so, led him to conclude that the vast majority of people have the innate talent to live amazing personal and professional lives, but don’t know how to identify and release their unique abilities. Mark, a former Ironman triathlete and founder of Nation Leadership, has made it his mission as an executive coach, speaker, and author to help people transform their lives from ordinary to superlative. On this episode featuring host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, Mark will be previewing some of the best insights gleaned from his forthcoming book, Made for Amazing – due out in late October. The book is an inspiring self-help parable designed to motivate each of us to see our own, deeper meaning in life, and reach our fullest potential. Mark believes each of us has a voice – an internal song – that we need to nurture and share with the world. This week … a podcast version of Name That Tune – Your Personal Song, featuring Mark Nation and Made for Amazing. Photo: Mark Nation, Made for Amazing Posted: September 18, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 36 minutes 32 seconds 

From his home in Houston, Wizard of Ads Gulf Coast partner, Charlie Moger, witnessed some of the worst – and best – of Hurricane Harvey. As the rising waters came within two inches of his home, Charlie took to Facebook and Facebook Live to keep friends, family, neighbors, and complete strangers current on the unfolding story. Charlie’s on-the-scene reports were informative and magnetic, as he spoke from the heart in ways that made Hurricane Harvey more relatable.  Last week, still unable to drive off his property, Charlie took time out to share his personal story with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, and to talk about how businesses – big and small – stepped up AND failed to step up when they were needed most. Photo: Charlie Moger, MogerMedia.com Posted: September 11, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 49 minutes 45 seconds 

An English aristocrat, a French nobleman, and a future President of the United States were all players during one of the greatest boom-and-bust periods in American history. Long before Silicon Valley, rollercoaster real estate speculation, and even the American industrial revolution, the cattle barons and cowboys of Wyoming and the Old West, including Teddy Roosevelt, were engaged in an investment mania that rivals any the world has witnessed before or since. This week on Monday Morning Radio, host Dean Rotbart and Wizard Academy alumnus Lem Lewis, aka The Ranch Broker, jointly interview Christopher Knowlton, a former Fortune magazine staff writer and London bureau chief, about his new book, Cattle Kingdom, detailing the hidden history of the cowboy west. Saddle up for some eye-opening, mind-boggling insights as to how today’s entrepreneurial stage was set way back in the 1870s.   Photo: Christopher Knowlton, Cattle Kingdom Posted: September 4, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 37 minutes 06 seconds  You can pick up your copy of Christopher Knowlton’s captivating book, Cattle Kingdom: The Hidden History of the Cowboy West, from our exclusive Monday Morning Radio book club. Travel back in time to an era when Cattle Barons and Cowboys ruled the open range and Cheyenne, Wyoming played host to some of the world’s richest speculators.  Discover why Cowboys, in their own right, were the forefathers of the American entrepreneur and the pursuit of individual freedom and economic opportunity. Visit http://amzn.to/2vz5dUV.   When you purchase your book using this URL, you help sustain Monday Morning Radio as a free podcast.  This week’s episode is dedicated to Max Rotbart, of blessed memory, founder of Max’s Mobile Market: May 3, 1924 – September 4, 1982.

Last week, in a publicity stunt ripped from the pages of host Dean Rotbart’s Wizard Academy Buzz Snatching course, KIND Healthy Snacks dumped 45,485 pounds of sugar right in the heart of New York’s Times Square. The audacious move won instant global recognition for the company’s new line of no-added-sugar fruit snacks by highlighting the mountain of sugar (20-feet tall and 30-feet wide) that America’s kids consume every five minutes. This week on Monday Morning Radio, KIND’s Drew Nannis, vice president of integrated communication, shares the details of his company’s elaborate planning, as well as his #1 recommendation for other companies – big or small – considering similar buzz snatching events. Photo: Drew Nannis, KIND Healthy Snacks Posted: August 28, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 31 minutes 15 seconds 

82-year-old Kendrick Mercer is a 21st century philosopher who, in the spirit of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, has spent his life in the pursuit of truth.  Kendrick lives, works, and writes from his home on Wahsumka Island on Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho. Despite the fact that the island has no roads or motor vehicles and is only accessible by boat, corporate CEOS, business owners, politicians and professionals of all variety regularly make the pilgrimage to Kendrick’s scenic home, Stonehaven Cottage, to seek his wise counsel. Kendrick’s core philosophy centers on what he describes as Whole Self, an instinctive human talent that evolution has chiseled over billions of years into our DNA; but one that most people have lost touch with. This week, host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart treks to Stonehaven Cottage to talk with Kendrick about his life, human history, his new book titled Whole Self, and what the world might look like if only more people would join Kendrick in his search for truth. You can begin your own pursuit of truth right now at MondayMorningRadio.com.

Over the past three decades Al Zdenek, CEO of Traust Sollus Wealth Management in Manhattan, has honed an approach to managing money that helps those business owners on the brink of financial collapse bounce back – and those with lots of money already in the bank grow it richly. Apropos a financial wizard, Al is the creator of “The Wealth Building Formula,” an approach to successful money management that he spells out in his Amazon bestselling book, Master Your Cash Flow. This week, Al brings Monday Morning Radio listeners into his inner sanctum to reveal the magic-like steps that every business owner can take to grow and retain their wealth. Best of all, it’s free. Photo: Albert J. Zdenek, Jr., Traust Sollus Wealth Management Posted: August 14, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 34 minutes 47 seconds    You can pick up your copy of Al Zenek’s Amazon bestseller, Master Your Cash Flow, from our exclusive Monday Morning Radio Book Club: You’ll discover the key to grow and retain your wealth in this sophisticated, yet easy-to-read and understand volume. Visit tinyurl.com/BestBizBooks060 or see the link on our MondayMorningRadio.com site.  When you purchase your book using this URL, you help sustain Monday Morning Radio as a free podcast.

One of Ray Bard’s favorite quotes in Fired Up! Selling, his compilation of great quotes out today (Monday, August 7th), comes from comedian Steve Martin: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”     Which, says host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, is an apt description of every book that Ray and his Bard Press publishing house produce, including bestsellers The ONE Thing; The Little Book of Selling; and, of course, The Wizard of Ads Trilogy, by Roy H. Williams. In asking more than 1,200 quotes judges to help him select the 324 quotes used in Fired Up! Selling, Ray’s intention was to inspire, energize, and help salespeople succeed. But as Rotbart and Ray demonstrate on this week’s special edition of Monday Morning Radio, Fired Up! Selling is overflowing with wise words to motivate us all. To order your copy of Fired Up! Selling right now, visit www.TinyUrl.com/RayBard.   Photo: Ray Bard, Fired Up! Selling  Posted: August 7, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 42 minutes 42 seconds 

Corey Poirier is a big talker. In fact, by his reckoning, he has given more than 2,000 speeches before a total of more than 200,000 attendees during his career as an award-winning keynote speaker, author, radio host, and speech coach. Corey specializes in helping business owners and entrepreneurs leverage speeches to grow their companies, brands, and income.     This week Corey takes Monday Morning Radio listeners behind the podium to reveal his tricks of the trade. Corey and host Dean Rotbart will cover Corey’s formula for securing and delivering a world-class TEDx talk; Corey’s storytelling strategy designed specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners; and how even those leaders who aren’t natural-born speakers can learn to hone the craft and wow their audiences. Corey tells Dean that one of the secrets of being a great speaker is to be a great listener. Well, this week’s podcast is your opportunity to begin testing out your listening skills. Photo: Corey Poirier  Posted: July 31, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 39 minutes 36 seconds 

Forty-five years ago, comedian George Carlin immortalized seven words too profane for the broadcast airways. When you heard them, you knew exactly why the government banned them. By contrast, the eleven words that are the focus of The Woman’s Book of Dirty Words, by businesswoman Mary Fran Bontempo, seem perfectly innocuous on the surface, including: vacation, dinner, holidays, adventure, and change. Yet Mary Fran’s premise is that some everyday words, such as these, carry a powerful emotional load – especially for middle-age women like her – that marketers, journalists, and middle-age women themselves seldom recognize as being explosive – but most definitely are. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart says not everyone will agree with Mary Fran’s list of dirty words – but her book is an important reminder of the care that all wordsmiths must take in realizing that what they write and speak may be skewed by the prisms of age, gender, race, nationality, and life experience. Photo: Mary Fran Bontempo, The Woman's Book of Dirty Words  Posted: July 24, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 46 seconds 

  Last night – Sunday, July 16th – was the Season 7 premiere of HBO’s smash hit, Game of Thrones, which consistently averages more than 23 million viewers per episode. One byproduct of the show’s huge popularity is that it has ignited global demand for genuine Viking and medieval collectibles. This week, on a special double-header edition, host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart showcases two businesses that have ridden the Game of Thrones coattails to phenomenal success. First, Dean interviews Bob Dodge, co-founder of Artemis Gallery, a leading U.S. auction house selling Viking artifacts and jewelry; and then Dean sets sail on an entrepreneurial voyage of discovery with http://www.artemisgallery.com/, a senior executive with LiveAuctioneers.com, which runs live auctions in 47 countries worldwide and has hard data on just how “hot” the Viking collectibles market is right now.

This week, on a special holiday-weekend edition of Monday Morning Radio, host Dean Rotbart interviews Richard G. “Rick” Ross, founder and owner of GALERIE Candy & Gifts. GALERIE is known the world over for creating highly original, trendy novelties and gifts around candies, including collector’s items, interactive toys, plush characters, and the like. Rick’s company also produces and distributes branded treats for Hershey, Disney, Warner Brothers, Marvel – and tons of popular movies, including Star Wars, Despicable Me, Minions, and Trolls. The interview is a reunion of sorts for Dean and Rick, who first met back in 1981 – when Rick was a 19-year-old jelly bean entrepreneur and Dean, then 24, was a cub reporter working for The Wall Street Journal in its Cleveland bureau.  That year, Dean actually profiled Rick on the front page of the Journal, a distinction that few small business owners will ever be lucky or successful enough to merit. Rick, now 56, is in the Candy Hall of Fame.  This week, Rick not only catches up with Dean, he shares his storybook journey from teen tycoon to candy industry senior statesman, and talks about the pluses and minuses of achieving success and recognition at such an early age. Fittingly, Rick’s mother, Helen, makes a cameo on the podcast, as it was Rick’s mother who really launched him on his path to success. Photo: Richard G. "Rick" Ross, GALERIE  Posted: July 3, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 40 seconds 

  Renee Lopez spent 14 years coaching college soccer, turning around losing teams, recruiting all-conference talent, and being named by her peers in the NCAA, Coach of the Year.  These days, Renee is coaching teams of business owners, entrepreneurs, and their employees on the art of winning, leadership development, and recruiting all-American workplace talent. Renee, head of Renee Lopez Coaching, says that the competitive fields of college athletics and Corporate America have more in common than most people realize.  This week on Monday Morning Radio, Renee shares her insights with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart on ways to properly set business goals and score them. [One difference between soccer and business that Dean is quick to point out – and Renee readily concedes, is that in business you don’t get to kick your rivals in the shins, as satisfying as that can be.] Photo: Renee Lopez, RL Academy  Posted: June 26, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 36 minutes 17 seconds 

  This week’s guest, Dr. Cristal Glangchai, is a successful entrepreneur and educator, who runs the Austin-based nonprofit, VentureLab. Beginning at the tender age of five, VentureLab teaches students to think like entrepreneurs – by anticipating needs, innovating, creating, and taking calculated risks. VentureLab, which Dr. Glangchai founded and heads, enjoys a nationwide reputation, in particular, for helping students – especially girls – fuel their passion for STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics. By putting VentureLab’s courses online for free, Dr. Glangchai is on track to have three out of every four high school students in America complete at least one of her classes before they graduate. Dr. Glangchai tells host Dean Rotbart, her “graduates” will be well positioned to be the innovators and builders of our future. Photo: Dr. Cristal Glangchai, VentureLab  Posted: June 19, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 53 seconds 

Daniel DiPiazza is a successful, 29-year-old entrepreneur, who has built a massive, cult-like social networking following by advising other 20 and 30-somethings how to escape average jobs and become self-directed entrepreneurs. Daniel’s website and freshly minted book are titled Rich20Something. But this week, in a surprising interview with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, Daniel reveals that his advice actually is not aimed exclusively at those born after 1977. Instead, Daniel sees all of us who own or operate businesses in 2017 as being part of the millennial generation – because, he contends, it is the tools, ideas, and philosophies of the millennial generation that are currently disrupting the business world. [Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) is 33; Evan Spiegel (Snap) is 27; Kevin Systrom (Instagram) is 33; and Brian Chesky (Airbnb) is 35.] “Millennial,” Daniel says, is a frame of mind, not a birthdate. How old is your thinking? Photo: Daniel DiPiazza, Rich20Something.com  Posted: June 12, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 34 minutes 54 seconds 

  Do you own a business or a job? Perhaps, all you really own is an expensive hobby. David C. Barnett, an expert on business valuations and how to buy or sell small businesses, meets with many small business owners who are disappointed to learn that their companies have zero market value without them. To own a genuine business, David tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, you must have systems, procedures, and processes in place that aren’t reliant on any single individual.  [Visit David's website at www.HowToSellMyOwnBusiness.com] If one day you plan to sell your business, or you would like to transform your business from one wholly reliant on you to one that will attract serious buyers, you’ll want to hear what David has to say on this week’s Monday Morning Radio. Photo: David C. Barnett, www.HowToSellMyOwnBusiness.com Posted: June 5, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 41 minutes 52 seconds 

  One of the best untold stories in Silicon Valley has been how Mark Zuckerberg and his talented team of associates, built Facebook from the successful started up depicted in the book – Accidental Billionaire – and its movie version – The Social Network, into the globally dominant corporation that Facebook is today, with more than 2 billion users. That coming of age story, following Facebook from its IPO to becoming a $300 billion-plus powerhouse, is chronicled in Becoming Facebook, a riveting new book by this week’s guest, Mike Hoefflinger. From 2008 to 2015, Mike worked in the upper-most echelons of Facebook, not only with Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, but with other legendary Facebook visionaries including: Chief Product Officer Chris Cox, Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, and People Vice President Lori Goler. Becoming Facebook, Mike’s first book, does much more than give readers a seat at the table inside of Facebook. Subtitled, The 10 Challenges That Defined the Company That’s Disrupting the World, the book takes a big step back to ask – and answer – the question: What it is that has made Facebook such a huge success – and what lessons can everyone in business draw from the Facebook formula. Mike Hoefflinger now services as entrepreneur-in-residence at XSeed Capital, a Silicon Valley seed stage venture capital fund. His job now, in part, is to try and spot the next Facebook, and the ones after that. Beyond sharing with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart his Facebook experience, Mike reveals where he’s looking for the next big breakout company and technology.  Photo: Mike Hoefflinger, Becoming Facebook Posted: May 29, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 37 minutes 32 seconds 

This week's episode of Monday Morning Radio is ripped from this month's business headlines. It will be of special interest to listeners who own or operate online businesses. Our guest is Tom Kemp, CEO and co-founder of Centrify, one of the fastest growing security vendors in the industry, serving more than 5,000 customers, including a majority of the Fortune 50. Initially, our plan was to speak Tom about data breaches - such as those that hit Yahoo and Target. These much-publicized cyber attacks are becoming more frequent, more costly, and more widespread among all online businesses - big and small. Then the WannaCry ransomware attack hit, impacting hundreds of thousands of the world’s computers in more than 150 countries. The malware forced some businesses to close while their IT people scrambled to find solutions. So we expanded the scope of our interview with Tom Kemp to include data breaches and ransomware. - They are, after all, cyber attack first cousins. Centrify recently commissioned an independent study, conducted by the Ponemon Institute, to gauge the impact of data breaches on companies and their customers. The study is unique in that it incorporates the view of three diverse groups: IT experts; senior level marketing and corporate communication professionals; and consumers. What Centrify discovered are insights that every CEO and business owner should be aware of: Cyber attacks are never confined to your IT staff. They impact every aspect of your company, including sales, marketing, finances - and for publicly held companies - shareholder value. Whether you work at  an Inc. 5000 company, a Fortune 50 company, or simply a business that does business with these companies, you need to know how to protect yourself from data breaches and other cyber attacks sure to make you - and your customers - wanna cry.

Lem Lewis, aka The Ranch Broker, steps to the mellifluous Monday Morning Radio microphone this week as guest host. Lem, who in addition to his duties as a trusted advisor to ranch buyers and sellers, is a certified whiskey sommelier, having earned his credentials from The Whisk(e)y Marketing School – part of Wizard Academy. For Lem's popular podcast, RANCHCAST with LEM LEWIS, he recently interviewed Dan Garrison proprietor of the award-winning Garrison Brothers Distillery. When Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart heard Lem’s RANCHCAST interview with Dan, Dean told Lem, “I have to share Dan’s story with my Monday Morning Radio listeners.” Lem graciously consented. Dan’s is a great business and whiskey story. Headquartered on a ranch in tiny Hye, Texas, Garrison Brothers defied all the naysayers who warned Dan and his loyal crew that quality bourbon was strictly the province of distillers in Kentucky and Tennessee. First distributed in 2011, Garrison Brothers bourbons have become so popular that like the best Texas barbecue, they regularly are sold out. In fact, Dan’s bourbons have such a cult-like fan base that his wait list for volunteers to help him inspect, seal and box his spirits has grown to 9,000 names and counting. Dan’s secret: those volunteers who agree to spend two days helping out are rewarded with a shot of “courage” every half hour during the workday. As you’ll hear, Dan Garrison is overflowing with big-as-Texas swagger and valuable entrepreneurial insights that you’ll want to drink in slowly. But be forewarned: Dan’s language, like his prize-winning unfiltered and uncut Cowboy Bourbon, is occasionally 137 proof. If four-letter words offend you, you may wish to skip this week’s episode. Photo: Dan Garrison, Garrison Brothers Distillery Posted: May 15, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 39 seconds 

This week is exactly ten years since Mark Moore, a 46-year-old multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur, had back-to-back strokes that nearly killed him. His recovery was arduous and life-changing. When he could walk again, Mark walked away from the business world and now dedicates all his talents and energies to helping other people rebound from some of life’s most debilitating challenges. Mark is the author of a just-off-the-presses book titled, A Stroke of Faith: A Stroke Survivor’s Story of a Second Chance at Living a Life of Significance. The book retells the uplifting story of Mark’s recovery and rebirth, and is an inspiration for anyone – not just stroke survivors – who are faced with what may seem like insurmountable obstacles. Mark is interviewed on this week's program by host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart. Photo: Mark Moore, A Stroke of Faith Posted: May 8, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 55 seconds 

How do you take your coffee: cream, sugar, politics? Like so many other retailers today, the coffee industry - led by giant Starbucks - has made buying a cup of java not just about taste, but also about where you stand on the hot-button issues of our day. In late 2014, Evan Hafer, a former Green Beret who did tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, saw an opportunity to appeal to fellow military veterans and 2nd Amendment advocates by launching a coffee brand aimed at them: Black Rifle Coffee Company.  Sure enough, the firearms specialist hit a bullseye. Salt Lake City-based Black Rifle Coffee has seen explosive sales growth and he has pledged to hire 10,000 veterans over the next six years to staff his rapidly expanding mail-order and franchise business.  This week pistol-toting Hafer joins host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart to talk about coffee beans, veterans, guns, and earning profits in an increasingly politicized marketplace. Photo: Evan Hafer, Black Rifle Coffee Company Posted: May 1, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 50 seconds 

  Our guest this week, Steven Buchwald, founding partner of Manhattan-based Buchwald & Associates, specializes in helping business startups – and those companies seeking capital infusions – to navigate the legal, regulatory, and operational mine fields that await. Steven is especially experienced in providing valuable legal counsel to tech startups, advising them on the most appropriate legal structure for their companies; non-disclosure agreements and other tools to protect their intellectual property; employee retention and employee equity agreements; and the best ways to prepare for outside investors – be they venture capitalists, crowdfunders, or your retired Uncle Phil.  Steven defines a startup – his specialty – more broadly than most people.  Whether you’re just now putting together a business plan or whether you’ve been in business for a decade, if you’re moving in a fresh direction – especially one that entails third-party investors – in Steven’s eyes you’re a startup. On this week’s episode, Steven and host Dean Rotbart will discuss a range of legal issues that face business startups and he’ll cast a spotlight on common mistakes you’ll want to avoid. Photo: Steven Buchwald, Buchwald & Associates Posted: April 24, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 35 minutes 51 seconds 

Universities and colleges profit from their alumni networks, so why not businesses? That’s one of the innovative concepts that serial entrepreneur Lee Caraher explores in her newly released book, “The Boomerang Principle: Inspire Lifetime Loyalty from Your Employees.” Ex-employees, if you treat them right when they still work for you, can become great resources for posting positive reviews, providing referrals, recommending potential employees, and even arranging for outside investments and partnerships. Indeed, Lee tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart – whose own publishing and consulting business counts more than 500 ex-employees in its “alumni” network – that some of a company’s most valuable workers may well be those who no longer work there. Photo: Lee Caraher, Double Forte Posted: April 17, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 07 seconds 

On this week’s edition of Monday Morning Radio, we introduce a new an improved version of your host Dean Rotbart. Effectively immediately, Dean is now – objectively speaking – the best podcast host on the planet. That’s because Dean read the half-satirical, half-serious book, “100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings,” by author Sarah Cooper, our guest this week. Many, many of the tricks in Sarah’s book apply to any type of business meeting – even podcasts. [Trick #19: If you start a sentence with “objectively speaking,” anything you say afterwards must be 100 percent correct.] Sarah learned the tricks of appearing smart while sitting through countless meetings at Yahoo! and Google, where she worked before leaving to become an author and stand-up comedian. [Amazing how well her tricks advanced her career, isn’t it?] Sarah’s book is one of the funniest business books you’ll read this year. Perhaps ever. It’s also chock full of actionable ways to use words like “actionable” in order to sound smart.  Keep your ears open for other savvy image tricks as Dean and Sarah converse; including interrupting an important meeting to take a call; and repeating what the other person just said, very, very slowly. So…be sure to listen in, and you too, will immediately appear smarter and earn lots more money. Objectively speaking, of course. Photo: Sarah Cooper, The Cooper ReviewPosted: April 10, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 29 minutes 31 seconds 

Maria Uspenski’s company, The Tea Spot, is in the sweet spot of the $170 billion American beverage industry, which is undergoing a sea change, as consumers shift from sugary drinks and those that rely on artificial sweeteners, to all-natural refreshers. Maria’s signature whole leaf blends and single-estate teas not only offer satisfying alternatives to sodas and coffee, they are rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, and other healthful ingredients. An MIT educated mechanical engineer, Maria discovered the marvels of tea after surviving a harrowing battle with cancer. Tea transformed Maria’s life and health. In addition to serving as CEO of The Tea Spot, Maria is the author of the recently published Cancer Hates Tea – a paperback that is part easy-to-understand health primer, part tea bible, and part lushly illustrated recipe book. Host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart, an avowed coffee drinker, recently visited with Maria at The Tea Spot’s world headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, and drank in her business and health wisdom, as well as some freshly brewed organic Sugar Tamer exotic herbal infusion. Photo: Maria Uspenski, Cancer Hates TeaPosted: April 3, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes 15 seconds 

Todd Lemense built a highly successful business with 80-plus employees and seemingly could do no wrong.  At least that’s what he thought. Turns out Todd let his success-fueled pride get the better of him and, confident in his judgment above all else, led his business to crash and burn. From the ashes, Todd rebuilt his life and developed a passion for helping others escape his ill-fated ego trip. His bestselling e-book, Lose Your Ego – Gain the World, has helped tens of thousands of CEOs, owners, and entrepreneurs better manage their success and keep their proper perspective. Todd shares his life story, his hard-earned insights, and his infectious inspiration on this week’s podcast with host and reputation Dean Rotbart. Photo: Todd Lemense, Lose Your Ego Posted: March 27, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 16 seconds   

Last year, Lem Lewis attended The Wizard Academy’s Reputation Tool Chest workshop taught by our very host Dean Rotbart. The two entrepreneurs hit it off, and earlier this year, with Dean's help, Lem launched his very own podcast – RANCHCAST –  that serves ranchers, farmers, and other rural producers. This week DEan and Lem co-host a joint edition of Monday Morning Radio and RANCHCAST featuring special guest Michele Payn, a nationally recognized influencer in the large, growing, and very successful farm-to-table movement. Michele is CEO of Cause Matters Corp., a consulting firm that advises companies and individuals on how to influence public discourse surrounding agriculture, health, and nutrition topics. This week is the official publication of Michele’s newest book: “Farm Truths – From Farm to Table.” The pairing of Dean and Lem is ideal, especially this week. Lem is a 4th generation Texas Rancher, who knows cattle, crops, wildlife, and rural real estate. Dean, of course, is an award-winning business journalist, small business expert, and reputation coach. Dean and Lem: Just one of thousands of productive partnerships and new friendships made possible by Wizard Academy. Photo: Michele Payn, Cause Matters Posted: March 20, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 37 minutes 52 seconds   

They are everyday business-world expressions that we all use and take for granted. But they are costing American companies a fortune in missed opportunities and bad decisions. For example:  The customer is always right We can probably do that in-house You get what you pay for We’re too swamped for that now Jack Quarles, an entrepreneur and procurement expert, is author of “Expenses Sentences,” a book that promises to debunk our most common expressions and rewrite the business vernacular. Tune in this week as Jack not only shares with host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart some of the business world’s costliest sentences, he also offers wise ways to reply to the bosses and colleagues who utter them. Photo: Jack Quarles, Expensive Sentences Posted: March 13, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 48 minutes 34 seconds 

Do you have what it takes to be the next Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla? You might just be surprised. Filip Valica, a freelance engineer and founder of The Product Startup, specializes in empowering small business owners and professionals – especially doctors – to succeed at do-it-yourself product development; coaching first-time inventors along a 16-step path from idea, to prototype, to manufacture, and ultimately, to shipping. Join Filip and host Dean Rotbart as they explain how you, too, can turn a product idea into a profitable reality. Photo: Filip Valica, The Product Startup Posted: March 6, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 48 seconds 

  When surgeon Ryan Jones isn’t operating on patients, Dr. Jones is a busy entrepreneur aiming to redefine how students of all ages learn boring, but necessary course material. Dr. Jones is co-founder of CoursePics, an impressive Phoenix-based start-up that combines elements often used in effective marketing – strong visuals, storytelling, surprise, and originality – to teach otherwise leaden topics such as biology, pharmacy, and social and behavioral science. Join host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart as he tests the CoursePics method of learning, challenging Dr. Jones – and listeners – to quickly visualize and create a story based on ten randomly selected objects, and then commit those objects to long-term memory.  Photo: Dr. Ryan Jones, CoursePics Posted: February 27, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 47 minutes 29 seconds 

This week on a special “Spring Training” edition of Monday Morning Radio, host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart interviews master storyteller Philip Revzin, author of “Just One Before I Die: A Cub’s Fan’s Chronicle of a Championship Season.” A Chicago native, Phil’s career in journalism spans more than 40 years, and includes stints as Editor and Publisher of The Wall Street Journal Europe; senior editor at St. Martin’s Press; and Editor at Large at Bloomberg News. In a wide-ranging discussion, Phil shares his insights on how others can publish a so-called instant book; the business lessons that can be gleaned from the Cubs’ World Series success; and why good writing and storytelling will never go out of style.  You can pick up your very own copy of “Just One Before I Die” from our Monday Morning Radio Book Club. Whether or not you’re a Cubs fan, or even a baseball fan, you’ll find yourself caught up in Phil Revzin’s storytelling. To purchase your e-book and begin reading instantly, visit: http://tinyurl.com/BestBizBooks056. Photo: Phil Revzin and his wife, Betsy Berry Posted: February 20, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 1 hour 10 minutes  

  Ever wonder what happens after the cameras stop rolling on the CBS hit show, Undercover Boss? For Gina Rivera, who along with her company, Phenix Salon Suites were featured on Undercover Boss two years ago, her appearance launched enormous revenue growth and new opportunities. In fact, with a boost from Undercover Boss, Phenix Salon Suites has become the fastest growing salon suite franchise in the U.S., zeroing in on 200 nationwide locations, and soon to enter the Chinese market. This week, Gina regales host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart with the story of her exploding franchise business; her expansion into multiple beauty products lines; and her budding film career. Photo: Gina Rivera, Phenix Salon Suites Posted: February 13, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 41 minutes 05 seconds   

  Brian O’Shea is in the business of stopping corporate spies and vandals from doing harm to businesses and professional practices. For every company, regardless of its size, Brian says there’s a criminal just salivating at the prospect of exploiting your security gaps. Brian founded Striker Pierce Private Investigations in 2009, and has since conducted more than 3,000 investigations. Striker Pierce not only catches the bad guys, it also trains owners and executives how to prevent criminals from doing damage in the first place.  This week, Brian tells host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart what every business executive, owner, and entrepreneur must know about crime prevention.  Photo: Brian O'Shea, Striker Pierce Investigations Posted: February 6, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 38 minutes 22 seconds 

Nancy Rosborough is a modern-day gold miner; only the nuggets she mines are wonderfully fragrant white truffles that despite their $500-a-pound price tag, are in great demand by gourmet chefs around the world. Nancy’s company, Mycorrhiza Biotech, spent more than a decade figuring out how to successfully grow genuine Bianchetto truffles on loblolly pine trees – the only company in all of North America that’s cracked the code. This week, our truffle sniffing host Dean Rotbart, not only shares Nancy’s story of perseverance and success, he reveals how other entrepreneurs can stake their own gilded truffle harvesting claims. Photo: Nancy Rosborough, Mycorrhiza Biotech Posted: January 30, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 34 minutes 

When it comes to leadership advice, Bill Treasurer doesn’t mince words. What great leaders need, he’s found, is a good kick in the A#%. Okay, so in his latest book, A Leadership Kick in the Ass, Bill doesn’t euphemize the word ass. We do here strictly to placate those readers and listeners who are easily offended. Bill is the founder and chief encouragement officer at Giant Leap Consulting, which excels at leadership development, strategic coaching, and team building. Bill’s corporate clients include Bank of America, Accenture, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Hugo Boss, among many other blue-chip businesses. Bill believes there are only two types of leaders: those of us who have been humbled, and those who are about to be. Sooner or later, Bill opines, every business owner, entrepreneur, and executive – regardless of the size of his or her company – will run into a wall of incompetence, weakness, or hubris. Join Bill and host Dean Rotbart, who has run into more than a few walls of his own, this week as Bill shares for some powerful tips on how to transform embarrassing career setbacks into leadership gold.   Photo: Bill Treasurer, Giant Leap Consulting Posted: January 23, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 36 minutes  Are you an early adopter? We’re looking for a few creative individuals to join the Monday Morning Radio team in launching and promoting the “Small Business Cures America” campaign to harness the energy and resources of entrepreneurs in the fight against some of America’s most brutal diseases. Our first “target” is cancer. If you are a cancer survivor or have a loved one who has battled the dreaded illness, we especially need your help. Email us at: [email protected] or phone host Dean Rotbart at 303-800-6081.  

Can a single, solitary word change the nature and success of your business? Evan Carmichael says it can. His special word, unique to him, has transformed his young entrepreneurial life into that of a widely acknowledged social networking guru, not to mention a Toronto salsa-dancing legend.  In his new book, Your One Word, Evan spells out what he says is the “powerful secret to creating a business and life that matters.” This week, Evan reveals his “one word” and shows our hoofing host, Dean Rotbart, how he and his listeners can find and utilize their own special life-changing term. Photo: Evan Carmichael, Your One Word Posted: January 16, 2017 Monday Morning Run Time: 33 minutes 19 seconds   

  Every business owner has blind spots. It’s just the downside of being talented. Gene Naftulyev is a business seeing-eye dog, sniffing out ways for small business owners to significantly increase productivity, reduce expenses, and eliminate problems. Frustrations go down. Profits go up. And the owners join the chorus of entrepreneurs who sing Gene’s praises. Gene, author of Business Growth Roadblocks: How to Use Uncommon Sense to Surpass $5 Million, hangs his shingle at CompanyOverhaul.com. This week he joins host and reputation coach Dean Rotbart to guide him and our listeners around the major obstacles that stymy so many business owners. You can pick up your copy of Business Growth Roadblock by Gene Naftulyev from our all-new Monday Morning Radio book club: Discover how your business can blast through the $5 million glass ceiling at: tinyurl.com/BestBizBooks055. Photo: Gene Naftulyev, CompanyOverhaul.com Posted: December 19, 2016 Monday Morning Run Time: 40 minutes 42 seconds Editor-in-Chief.com offers same-day and next-day copyediting services, from a staff of veteran editors.   Visit Editor-in-Chief.com or call 1-866-NEWS-070, ext. 7. Founded by Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart, Editor-in-Chief.com is a service of NewsBios.

David Hoffeld, CEO and Chief Sales Trainer at Minnesota-based Hoffeld Group, has made a career of studying the science of selling, and he’s discovered that the number of common misconceptions – often peddled by highly respected sales gurus – is off the charts. Based on extensive research into a variety of disciplines – including cognitive psychology, social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics – David has compiled a new book, The Science of Selling, that is rewriting decades of erroneous sales advice. As certain as two parts hydrogen combined with one-part oxygen will produce water, David tells Monday Morning Radio Host Dean Rotbart that those who master the scientific formula of selling will produce a veritable cloudburst of record sales. You can pick up your copy of "The Science of Selling" from our all-new Monday Morning Radio Book Club: You’ll find plenty of scientifically proven sales formulas at tinyurl.com/BestBizBooks050.  Photo: David Hoffeld, The Science of Selling Posted: December 12, 2016 Monday Morning Run Time: 35 minutes 11 seconds Editor-in-Chief.com offers same-day and next-day copyediting services, from a staff of veteran editors.   Visit Editor-in-Chief.com or call 1-866-NEWS-070, ext. 7. Founded by Monday Morning Radio host Dean Rotbart, Editor-in-Chief.com is a service of NewsBios.