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Identifying the Best Startup Strategy with Ray Nolan Founder of XSellco
Ray Nolan is one of Irelands most successful internet entrepreneurs. He founded Raven Computing (later known as Coretime Ltd) in 1989. Coretime Ltd was sold to Sage in 2004. In 1999, he founded the hugely successful online room reservation group Hostelworld.com. It was a leading worldwide brand with distribution contracts in 170 countries and more than 12MM visitors a month. He sold it in November 2009, returning more than $500MM on just $150K total investment.
Ray is also the former chairman of Skyscanner. He founded and is acting CEO for XSellco Software, they provide market-leading eCommerce SaaS tools.

Permission To Be Yourself with Ed O’Keefe Founder of TimeCollapsing.com
Today we have Ed O’Keefe, Father of seven, grew up in a household of 13 children. He is the author of the book, “Time Collapsing! The New Art of Speed, Money, Power, and Meaning!” He has used his time collapsing methods to leap to the top of industries. He has started multiple companies from scratch to multiple seven and even eight figures.
In dentistry, Ed sold over $50,000,000 in marketing systems and seminars. He started Marine Essentials and has sold over $60,000,000 in health supplements. On top of having seven kids and running the businesses mentioned, Ed was a Kokoro 40 Graduate! A 51-hour mini-hell week created by commander Mark Divine.
Ed invested in KNOWfoods.com a health food company that is disrupting the food industry.

E-Commerce Applications with Brandon Checketts Co-Founder of Seller Labs
Today we have Brandon Checketts cofounder of seller labs with Paul Johnson. They make awesome tools for E-commerce Sellers including Feedback Genius, Snagshout, and Scope.
Brandon also founded BookScouter.com that is responsible for tens of millions of dollars of book buyback sales annually.

The Story Behind the Brand with Megan Reamer Founder of Jackson’s Honest
Megan Reamer is the founder of the potato chip company Jackson’s Honest. She sells them all over the US and in eight countries in places like Whole Foods, Bed Bath and Beyond, Woodman’s to name a few. Early on they were even selected by the Academy Awards to be an exclusive snack food for the green room, executive suites, and backstage. Megan is a mother of four and the company was inspired by their son Jackson’s illness.

Finding Your Truth with Edmond Torbati Founder of Label Choices
Today we have the Edmond Torbati the Founder of Label Choices. They provide labels for some of the industry’s most recognized brands. For more than a decade Label Choices has delivered some of the highest quality labels for the cosmetic, bath and body, food and beverage industries including… Makeup Geek, Medulla Beauty, Coconut Girl Icecream, Nutty but Nice and much more.

Hiring Dependable Employees with Charles Moyer Founder of Badass Beardcare
Today we have Charlie Moyer who went from an unemployed military veteran with no eCommerce or online marketing experience to growing his men’s grooming company, Badass Beardcare from $3000 per month to $375,000 in monthly sales. It all started with a simple $20 investment, and now he employs over 12 people in their El Dorado Hills facility.

Going ALL IN on a Business Acquisition with Pete Spenuzza Founder of Rise Bar
Today we have Pete Spenuzza Founder of RiseBar. After acquiring a small operation in San Diego Pete turned around the healthy snack company. RiseBar can be found in select Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmer’s Market, Vitamin Shoppe and much more online and offline. Their facility is entirely free of wheat, cane sugar, GMO’s, meat, eggs and peanuts ensuring the products are gluten-free and soy-free.

Navigating Business Risk with Brad Weimert Founder of Easy Pay Direct
Today we have Brad Weimert, he started Easy Pay Direct in 2009 – It is an online credit card processing company for high-level e-commerce businesses. They especially help high volume businesses susceptible to consumer disputes.
![[Top Author Series] Business Expansion with Adam Witty Founder of Advantage Media Group](https://www.inspiredinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Adam_Witty.png)
[Top Author Series] Business Expansion with Adam Witty Founder of Advantage Media Group
Adam Witty is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Advantage Media Group. What began in the spare bedroom of his home is now an international publishing company. Advantage has been named to the prestigious Inc. 500/5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and as one of the Best Places to Work in South Carolina multiple years in a row. Adam is the author of five books and he is a chairman for both Nonprofit Youth Entrepreneurship S.C. and Clemson Entrepreneurship Institute.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- [0:55] Jeremy’s introduction to this episode.
- [1:50] Adam talks about his company’s partnership with Forbes Media.
- [3:30] How did Adam connect with Forbes Media?
- [7:30] Adam talks about entrepreneurs become thought leaders by authoring a book.
- [11:50] How to make a big deal.
- [18:20] How will Adam and his team differentiate between publishing authors through Advantage or Forbes?
- [20:30] Adam talks about how he got his start with book publishing.
- [29:50] Who are some of Advantage’s best sellers?
- [32:00] Adam talks about his dream of owning a professional basketball team.
- [35:30] Challenges along the way.
- [38:50] Successful traits in entrepreneurs.
- [41:40] How to connect with Adam.
- [42:40] Adam talks about his company’s growth over the years.
- [47:00] Creating a healthy work environment.
In this episode…
Everyone wants to know the secret to business expansion. What will it take to see exponential growth and success? The secret to growth and expansion is typically sold as something that can happen overnight – don’t listen to that! Those are the exception, not the rule. Most growth comes with patience over time. On this episode of Inspired Insider, you will hear from business leader Adam Witty. Adam started young with a big dream, to someday own a professional basketball team. Step by step Adam is getting closer to that dream with his dedicated path toward success in business. You have a chance to learn from one of the most successful business leaders in his industry – make sure to listen to this episode!
Have you ever wondered how you would respond in a high-stakes business situation? If you had the chance to pitch your great idea or product to a high-level investor or go into a meeting with a potential strategic partner, how would you respond? Adam Witty recently had the opportunity to pitch a strategic partnership that would expand his business with one of the most recognizable names out there, Forbes. On this episode of Inspired Insider, you will hear Adam’s key insights and lessons that he took away from that experience and how you can implement them on your journey toward success. You don’t want to miss this episode!
How can you get an advantage over your competition? What will it take to get you and your business over the top on your journey toward success? It might be time for you to consider writing a book! On this episode of Inspired Insider, Adam Witty makes an excellent case explaining how business leaders can become thought leaders by taking the step to author a book. This is a huge way entrepreneurs can work toward expanding their business. It might sound daunting and impossible but you’ve got to check out Adam’s great case study that will convince you to consider writing a book today!
What keeps you up at night? What is your big audacious dream for life? What steps are you taking to achieve your dream? Entrepreneur Adam Witty knew his dream from a very young age, he wanted to own or manage a professional basketball team. That dream led him to contact Pat Williams, the owner of the NBA team, the Orlando Magic. This set Adam on the path of a lifelong friendship with Pat. Over the years they have worked together and at a crucial point in Adam’s life, Pat gave Adam some key advice. Find out more about Adam’s friendship with Pat and the lessons you can learn on this episode of Inspired Insider.
Do you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? Do have grit? In order to succeed as a business leader, you have to cultivate a mental toughness that refuses to let anything keep you down. Challenges will arise and you have to be ready to face them. On this episode of Inspired Insider, you will hear from business leader Adam Witty. He knows what it takes to be successful and he knows what it’s like to fail. Make sure to listen to this episode to hear Adams insights and lessons so you can learn from his mistakes as well as his success!
Resources Mentioned on this episode
- Advantage’s website: advantagefamily.com
- Forbes Books – The Best in Business
- Adam’s website: adamwitty.com
- Adam’s Twitter page: twitter.com/adamwitty
- Speakeasy Solutions
- Scott Grey
- Pat Williams
- National Speakers Association
- Steve Gilliland
- Jennifer Nicole Lee
- Sully Sullenberger
- Sally Hogshead
Sponsor for this episode
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Rise25 Cofounders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.
Insider Stories from Top Leaders & Entrepreneurs…

Holistic Health with Briana Borten Founder of DragonTree
Briana Borten has built three spas into an eight figure business encompassing a variety of wellness products, including nutritional supplements and the life planner called the Dream Book. She is also the cofounder of DragonTree.

Promoting Quality Customer Service with Jay Steinfeld Founder of Blinds.com
Jay Steinfeld is Founder of Blinds.com. He set up the original eCommerce site NoBrainerBlinds for $3000 in 1996 and has since grown the eCommerce company to over $200 million in annual revenue. It is the world’s top retailer for blinds and shades and provides blinds for over a million windows every year. The company was acquired in 2014 by Home Depot.

Creative Marketing with Ian Stanley Founder of Fixt Water
Today we have Ian Stanley who is a top direct response marketer. He has written email copy for large seven and eight figure companies with email lists topping 1.2 million subscribers.
Ian is the founder of Fixt Water and is on a mission to change people’s lives by providing drinkable water, no matter the condition. He even has a disgusting video where he collected water with mud and waste and then drinks it after being filtered by a Fixt water pitcher.

High Performing Teams with Vinnie Fisher Founder of Fully Accountable & Total CEO
Today we have a top entrepreneur and business strategist – Vinnie Fisher. Using over ten years experience as a tax and business lawyer he started his entrepreneurial journey in 2007 and since has grown businesses to 7, 8 and 9 figures generating over $300 million in gross revenue for his own companies.
Just to give you an example He has started 9 locations for adults with disabilities, information publishing, a web hosting company brain host that grossed over $100 million, a website security company site trust, a health supplement company, and is presently Founder and CEO of Fully Accountable, they act as CFO for your company – a done for you back office solution that allows you to make data-driven decisions based on your numbers.
Vinnie is also the Founder of Total CEO, an education company that caters to CEO’s to help them grow and scale their company.

Automation Solutions with Wade Foster Founder of Zapier
Today we have Wade Foster CoFounder of Zapier. Zapier gives you internet automation superpowers by making it easy to get your web apps to talk to each other. For example, I use Zapier in two ways – when someone fills out our type form application for Rise 25 it automatically imports it in Infusionsoft so we can make sure to stay in touch. Also for Inspired insider, when a blog post gets published it automatically posts the link on Twitter and Facebook. It’s like having a virtual staff member focused on automation for a fraction of the price. Zapier went from zero to over 1.4 million users and grew to 50 staff in five years.

Successful Cold Emailing with Jake Atwood Founder of Buzzbuilder
Today we have Jake Atwood founder of Buzzbuilder, which is software that allows sales professionals to automate their cold email outreach. His singular focus is to make it easy for salespeople to pack their pipeline with qualified leads. He shows a warmer approach for prospecting to busy executives besides the dreaded cold calling methods. Buzzbuilderpro.com has tools and programs that have been implemented by over 25,000 sales professionals. Click to Watch – Successful Cold Emailing

Happiness Beyond Success, with Tony Grebmeier Co-Founder of ShipOffers
Tony Grebmeier is co-founder Ship Offers that he built with two of his Childhood friends, Doug Roberts and Gil Gerstein. Fifteen years later, ShipOffers is an eight-figure business that has been an INC 5000 Company for the past three years in a row. They ship out over 1 million orders per year. In 2008, Tony almost lost it all. He also runs the podcast the Tony G. Show — bringing together his love for business and self-improvement.
Click to Watch – Discover Happiness Beyond Success

Guerrilla Marketing with Russell Saks Founder of Campus Protein
Today we have Russell Saks founder of Campus Protein. He started a national supplement company while attending Indiana University and grew it to over 1200 sales reps and he went from zero to 7 figures in revenue.

Building A Customer Service Legacy, with Eddie Lichstein of Autoplicity
Very few companies can claim to have a customer service legacy. But Eddie Lichstein, coFounder of Autoplicity.com can point to the customer service approach they’ve taken to build the company. His auto parts company has gone from 0 to 50 million dollars in 4 years. He is also the Founder of THMotorsports.com that sells car parts – and the company celebrated 10 years and over 100,000 customers just recently. Eddie is also the coFounder of Rejoiner.com, an email marketing automation software for Ecommerce companies.

Successful Product Introduction with David Rabie of Tovala
David Rabie is Founder of Tovala which is a smart oven that is paired with a meal delivery service. Essentially you get a fresh healthy packaged meal delivered and you scan the package and pop it in the smart oven and it knows the precise time and method to cook to perfection whether it be broiling, baking steaming or convection. They sold 250K worth of Tovala ovens on Kickstarter and 100K of that in one day. And won the University of Chicago New Venture Challenge in 2015. To date they have raised over 700K.
Click to Watch – Successful Product Intro

Amazon FBA Tips From An Amazon Insider with James Thomson of MarketplaceAccelerator
Amazon FBA is one of the places James Thomson is a specialist. He is founder of MarketplaceAccelerator.com which is a consulting company for large Amazon sellers typically over $10million. James is the former business head of “Selling on Amazon”. He developed the initial Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) NUDGE program that helped Amazon sellers generate an extra $1 billion in annual sales. He also has a Ph.D. in Marketing Strategy from Northwestern University. His primary focus is President of the PROSPER Show, an educational conference focused on helping online sellers become more profitable.