Mike McDerment is the Co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, the #1 accounting software in the cloud, designed exclusively for freelancers and growing service-based business owners. Built-in 2003 after he accidentally saved over an invoice, Mike spent 3.5 years growing FreshBooks from his parents’ basement. Since then, over 24 million people have used FreshBooks to save time billing, and collect billions of dollars.

In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, Mike McDerment, Co-founder and CEO of FreshBooks, gets interviewed by John Corcoran about building FreshBooks and helping build small businesses. Mike also shares with John how he started his company, his secrets to building business relationships, and how raising money through venture capital has impacted his company.

Jonathan Slain is a recession expert, traction implementer, and speaker. He coaches high growth leadership teams across the United States and helps them implement the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). He focuses on working with entrepreneurial niche specialty firms and large corporations with over $10 million in annual revenue. 

Jonathan released a book about how to survive and thrive in a recession right before the Coronavirus global pandemic hit. The book is called Rock the Recession: How Successful Leaders Prepare for, Thrive During, and Create Wealth After Downturns which came out in September of 2019. He is also active in the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and has been active in leadership positions within the organization. 

John Corcoran, host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast is joined by Jonathan Slain, an author and recession expert, to talk about surviving and thriving in a recession. Jonathan explains to John why he wrote a book on recession right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he also discusses the benefits of implementing the EOS process in any company.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz is the Co-founder of Rise25 Media, a company that helps B2B business owners connect with their ideal prospects, referral partners, and strategic partners through a done-for-you podcast service. Dr. Weisz has also been running his own podcast, Inspired Insider, since 2011. He has featured top entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs of companies such as P90X, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, the Orlando Magic, and many more through video interviews on his podcast.

In this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, John Corcoran is joined by his Rise25 Media co-founder, Dr. Jeremy Weisz, to explain whether or not a podcast's download numbers matter. They also talk about how a podcast can help with solving business and personal problems, how to get amazing guests for a podcast, and how SEMrush can help podcasters with getting website traffic data.

Cynthia Cleveland is a five-time CEO/President who has led companies that have generated over $4 billion in worldwide sales across consumer products, entertainment, and retail. She is an expert in developing, translating, and monetizing intellectual property rights into major global consumer brands and new businesses across diverse industries. Her 30+ year career has spanned well-known companies including Universal Studios, Mattel Toys, and Teleflora driving significant growth and profitability. She has also worked on brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Jurassic Park, Myers Briggs assessment, and Imaginarium.

Cynthia was named “One of the Top 100 Visionary Leaders” by Real Leaders Magazine. She is an experienced board member having served on over 10 boards including top leadership in Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), the premier leadership organization of chief executives having served as Chapter Chair, on the regional board and selected for International Leadership.

Cynthia Cleveland, Partner at CEO Coaching International, is John Corcoran's guest in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast. They will be talking about Cynthia’s leadership experience in different companies, how businesses have been pivoting in light of COVID-19, and the changes she has seen over the years on women in leadership roles.

Rob Greenlee is the VP of Content and Partnerships at Libsyn. He is a podcasting legend, a seasoned veteran expert, and evangelist for the podcast industry. A 2017 Inductee into The Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame, Rob spent many years focused on the early development of the internet, the world wide web and technology with a nationally syndicated radio show called WebTalk World Radio Show, which started in 1999 and went through to 2006. 

Rob is also the chairperson of a relatively newer organization called The Podcast Academy and The Podcast Academy Awards, and co-host of the New Media Show with Todd Cochrane, CEO of Blubrry Podcasting. 

Rob Greenlee, VP of Content and Partnerships at Libsyn, joins John Corcoran in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast to talk about the evolution of the podcast industry. They also discuss the fundamental structure of podcasting as well as implications of recent developments by Spotify, SiriusXM, Apple, and Amazon's Audible app on the podcasting space.

Craig Handley is the Co-founder and CEO of ListenTrust, a bilingual call center services company which has been ranked multiple times on the Inc 500 and 5000 list. ListenTrust is currently doing about $150 million in sales for their clients and they answer hundreds of thousands of customer service calls and lead generation calls. It employs close to 1000 people working thousands of miles away in Mexico. Craig is also the author of the best selling book, Hired to Quit. 

Craig recently started a new business and in just 60 days took it to $600,000 in revenue despite being in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also had crazy experiences like cage diving with great white sharks, jumping out of airplanes, and meeting and hanging out with famous people like Richard Branson and Paul McCartney. 

John Corcoran, host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast interviews Craig Handley, Co-founder and CEO of ListenTrust, about what it takes to build a 1000 employee-strong company. Craig also talks about some of the crazy experiences he has had in life, his time in the army and his eventual transition into sales, and how he started and grew a new business to over $600,000 in 60 days.

Brendon Lemon is a comedian and author from Detroit, where he started performing regularly at the famous Comedy Castle at the age of 16. Two years in, he was filmed for the documentary "Be Funny" which featured Christopher Titus and Mike Green. He moved to Paris in the summer of 2013 to write and perform stand-up in both French and English. He returned to the US and lived between Boulder, Colorado and Chicago performing and writing plays, as well as being featured on the TV show "Sex Sent Me to The ER", and the movie "Do You Believe". Brendon's new book is called "The Power Bible".

Bredon Lemon, a comedian and author, joins John Corcoran in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast to talk about political comedy, what his new book is all about, and the leadership aspect of being a comic.

Aaron Walker has founded more than a dozen companies over the past 41 years of his entrepreneurial career. He attributes much of his success to surrounding himself with mastermind counterparts and he has spent a decade meeting weekly with Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham, and other amazing entrepreneurs.

He is the founder of Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind which hosts 19 groups with national and international members around the globe. He is an author and the creator of View from the Top, which provides content around how to live a life of success and significance. Aaron is the founder of The Mastermind Playbook which is an incredible resource for starting, running, and scaling masterminds.

Aaron Walker, Founder and President of Iron Sharpens Iron Mastermind, is John Corcoran's guest in this episode of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast where he talks about the benefits of business people being members of mastermind groups. Aaron shares details of his background as a coach, how he met and started working with Dave Ramsey and Dan Miller, and the challenges he faced in growing his own mastermind group.