

The Thoughtful Entrepreneur
Josh Elledge · UpMyInfluence.com & PodVerified.com
The Thoughtful Entrepreneur features candid, commercial-free conversations with the founders, CEOs, and B2B leaders building the companies and ideas shaping their industries.
Each episode runs 15-25 minutes, built for busy professionals who want substance without the filler. Guests include agency owners, consultants, coaches, and executives with real stories, hard-won lessons, and specific insight for business leaders focused on growth.
Host Josh Elledge has conducted 3,000+ interviews, helped launch 300+ podcasts, and has been directly involved in generating $40M+ in client results through relationship-driven media. He knows what makes a guest worth featuring and what makes an appearance actually worth the guest's time.
Want to be featured?
Guests are selected through PodVerified, the platform built by podcast hosts to restore trust and quality to podcast guesting. If you're a serious B2B expert with a clear message and a story worth sharing, apply here:
👉 https://PodVerified.com/podcast
Each episode runs 15-25 minutes, built for busy professionals who want substance without the filler. Guests include agency owners, consultants, coaches, and executives with real stories, hard-won lessons, and specific insight for business leaders focused on growth.
Host Josh Elledge has conducted 3,000+ interviews, helped launch 300+ podcasts, and has been directly involved in generating $40M+ in client results through relationship-driven media. He knows what makes a guest worth featuring and what makes an appearance actually worth the guest's time.
Want to be featured?
Guests are selected through PodVerified, the platform built by podcast hosts to restore trust and quality to podcast guesting. If you're a serious B2B expert with a clear message and a story worth sharing, apply here:
👉 https://PodVerified.com/podcast
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 13, 2022 • 21min
1193 - Finding the Perfect Business Buyers, Sellers, and Deals with Transworld Business Advisors' Andy Cagnetta
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with the CEO of Transworld Business Advisors, Andy Cagnetta.Transworld Business Advisors is a brokerage firm that helps buyers and sellers acquire or sell businesses. They sell all sorts of business at varying stages of growth, though they generally work with 1 – 5 million-dollar businesses. Transworld sets themselves apart by creating competition for deals through its vast network. They like to maximize profit potential for sellers and offer competitive deals for buyers. Andy shares that Transworld likes to find good deals for good people. Andy shares that he bought Transworld when it was still a very small company, but over the years, he has turned it into a franchise with over 250 locations worldwide and hundreds of on-the-ground team members. Transworld works with business owners who are ready to sell or those planning to exit in a few years. It’s important to plan for your exit from early on; Transworld can certainly help you grow and increase your revenue streams in preparation for your exit later. Josh and Andy also explore buyers. Who buys businesses in this context? Andy shares that 95% of those who buy these businesses are operators. Andy shares that there are many buyers who are immigrating or relocating and wish to have branches or businesses based in the US. There are also many younger entrepreneurs who are looking to acquire a business they can add to and optimize. There are a variety of types buyers in the marketplace.According to Transworld’s website, when a company owner needs to sell their business, they can’t just stick a for sale sign in the window. They need the assistance of a business broker to locate and vet potential buyers. On the other side, buyers rely on the broker to help facilitate the process of evaluating potential businesses and franchises for sale. Transworld Business Advisors offers solutions for both scenarios. Transworld Business Advisors focuses on three core concepts: business brokerage, franchise consulting, and franchise development.With over 40 years of experience, over 10,000 businesses sold, over 600 experienced brokers, and over 250 offices worldwide, it’s no wonder that Transworld Business Advisors is considered one of the top brokerage firms in the industry. If you’re looking to buy or sell a business, or you want to begin planning your exit, reach out to the Transworld Advisors team here. Want to learn more? Check out Transworld Business Advisors’ website at https://www.tworld.com/. Check out Transworld Business Advisors on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/transworld-business-advisors/. Check out Andy Cagnetta on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/acagnetta/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 12, 2022 • 28min
1192 - The Go-Giver Philosophy with Bob Burg
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the author of The Go-Giver, Bob Burg. The Go-Giver philosophy starts with shifting your focus from getting to giving, Bob explains. In this context, it means providing immense value to others regardless of return. If you execute this correctly, you’ll not only conduct business in a more fulfilling way, but you’ll earn more business organically. When you can take your focus off of yourself and put it into helping others just for the sake of doing so, people feel good about you. This is a key element of the know, like, and trust process. Consumers have been so saturated with advertisements and marketing that now, there’s a serious disdain for feeling ‘sold at’ across verticals, and many prospects are hyper aware of sales tactics. It can be felt in a very nuanced way and now, you have to leverage more of a Go-Giver philosophy in order to see results. People won’t buy from you because you have a quota to meet, or even because you’re nice and likable. People only buy things when they feel they’re better off with your product than without. If you take a service-based approach and focus on offering value, then making sales will be a natural result of that approach. Always go the extra mile to actually know your customers. When you first meet someone, focus on them. Who are they? How did they start their business? What matters to them? People don’t hang up on you when they’re the ones talking to you, so engage with them and let them tell you their story. Giving them this time not only allows you to get to know them better, but it helps them begin to know, like, and trust you. Prospects can feel when they’re being sold at, but they also know when your focus is to bring them value. Paint that picture clearly and build the relationship organically; don't rush. The fastest way to get people to deeply know, like, and trust you is to focus on them genuinely and authentically.Josh and Bob also discuss the important that your words and intentions are aligned, because prospects can tell when they aren’t. Making this mindset shift truly and deeply requires acknowledging a false premise; focusing on yourself won’t make the sale move faster. If you really need to close a sale, dig deep to the root of any objections and work together with the prospect to move forward. You should always connect the benefits of what you offer to the exact and specific problems they need to solve. No matter how you’re hurting for cashflow, you can always lead with service and generosity. Want to learn more? Check out The Go-Giver’s website at https://thegogiver.com/. Check out Bob’s books, The Go-Giver and his other works, at https://thegogiver.com/order-now/. Check out Bob Burg on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobburg/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 11, 2022 • 18min
1191 - Deeply Understanding the Basics of Business with John Gardiner
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the author of The 3 Secrets of Business Success, John Gardiner.John shares that he didn’t actually mean to write his book from the very beginning. He began by writing some business articles for LinkedIn with the intention of helping his followers or maybe even business students with his plethora of knowledge. He wrote some 24 articles before he realized he had the makings of a book. He decided to sell the information he’d written as an affordable book – both to get the word out and build authority and to help his readers and followers. John explains that he began selling sunglasses as a franchisee in the 90’s. His small shops did very well, bringing in well over a million dollars annually. He shares that this was a time where retail flourished – but as the web and computer technology developed, John read the writing on the wall. This is what led him to start some IT businesses just as the age of the internet was beginning. He had one of these companies do well while the other crashed and burned (all of which he details in chapter three of his book). No matter how you slice it, John has extensive experience as a business owner. Josh and John explore the fundamentals of business. You wouldn’t run out onto a football field if you didn’t know the basics of the game, and the same concept applies to business. You have to deeply understand the basics before you go into business. This is one of the biggest mistakes inexperienced entrepreneurs make and it’s also one of the easiest to avoid. This is why John wrote his book, he says. Your business goal, ultimately, is to achieve specific financial goals. Your personal reasons for going into business aren’t going to be the same reasons that the business exists. However, you can’t enter a sales or marketing conversation with your financial goals sitting in the back of your mind as the primary motivation. Always set the actual true purpose of your business at the forefront, because ultimately, your business functions to serve and solve problems. Always approach sales conversations with a culture of deep service and generosity; you don’t want to ‘sell’ to them, you simply want to foster the know, like, and trust process. John details this and more in his book, which is aimed at beginner business owners who want to deeply learn the basics of business. Want to learn more? Check out John’s website at https://www.3secretsofbusiness.com/. Check out John’s book, The 3 Secrets of Business Success at https://www.3secretsofbusiness.com/product/the-3-secrets-of-business-success-book/1?cs=true&cst=custom. Check out The 3 Secrets of Business Success on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-3-secrets-of-business-success/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 10, 2022 • 23min
1190 - Building Machine Learning Data Algorithms with Arricor's Luke Arrigoni
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the CEO and Principal Data Scientist at Arricor, Luke Arrigoni.Arricor helps enterprise-sized companies solve data science problems by providing complex machine learning solutions and systems. Arricor can develop algorithms that will help enterprises better understand and predict their customer bases. They help companies unlock the power of their data to solve big problems. Data is everywhere and we all create it, Luke explains. No matter how you slice it, data is what drives enterprise-level marketing. According to their website, Arricor’s machine learning process is designed to guide discovery, arrive at cost-effective solutions, and account for staff training. They have designed this process in a way that removes the mystery around machine learning programs and allows companies to control and iterate on their own machine learning goals.Josh and Luke discuss what SMBs should do to better leverage the power of their data. Luke explains there are two things to consider; first, do a vendor analysis. Every single one of your vendors will have an AI product offering that they will try to sell to you in the next few years, Luke says. Always carefully evaluate these claims carefully. Ask for proof and be skeptical. Secondly, tackle how you collect data as you grow. You don’t want to wish you had been collecting data for the last five years when your business hits a milestone. There are likely profit centers in your business that you haven’t even considered, hidden within the data your business generates. There are always new revenue streams to be found when it comes to data. Don’t miss opportunities to leverage your data, even if it means you need to think outside the box a little. Keep your mind open to how data can solve other problems for your customers. Data is in everything, as Luke stated. You can inform all of your messaging and marketing by looking closely at data relating to customer prediction. Arricor mainly does their business via referrals, and they offer a four-step process to help their clients uncover the power of their data; discovery, prototype, production, and training. During the discovery phase, they discuss your goals and existing data. Next, during the prototype phase, they outline your machine learning solution. During production, they build a production-quality model for their client to try out. During training, Arricor helps its clients understand the process of their new machine learning data algorithm. Learn more about their process here. Want to learn more? Check out Arricor’s website at https://arricor.com/. Check out Arricor on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/arricor-incorporated/. Check out Luke Arrigoni on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukearrigoni/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 9, 2022 • 18min
1189 - The Power of Broadcast Media with Sharrarne Morton
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks with media celebrity, SiriusXM Radio host, speaker, writer, and media consultant, Sharrarne Morton.Sharrarne explains that she majored in broadcast journalism and even had a radio show. She knew it was her calling as she left college. She was then asked to do some commentary on an ABC affiliate for a one-off appearance, where their ratings went through the roof as a result. Because of the audience’s reaction to her, they asked her to come back again and again. That turned into a 14 year long career with ABC. During that time, Sharrarne opened a media company. After 14 years with ABC, SiriusXM Radio offered her a position as a radio host, which is where Sharrarne has been for the past seven years. Sharrarne is on SiriusXM/HUR Voices Channel 141 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Sharrarne is also a media coach. People often ask her how to get on television and radio. She shares it’s not as glamorous as it seems and it takes a lot of meticulous hard work and mentoring. The biggest part of being in media is networking; you need to constantly been on the competitive cutting edge and bring fresh ideas to the table. Sharrarne shares that she coaches on how to interview and resonate with an audience. On radio especially, your voice has to truly shine through. It requires more work to captivate an audience. There are many coaches, consuiltants, and business owners out there who want to increase their authority and credibility. The best way to do this is to appear on TV, radio, and in podcasts. Now matter how big social media becomes, broadcast media is still as prevalent and influential as ever. Josh and Sharrarne also discuss the mistakes many business owners make when persuing media appearances. Sharrarne shares that many entrepreneurs overestimate the value of the visibility of their appearances in media. You need to focus more on establishing authority, because this is what’s going to help you network and make your way into other media appearances. Sharrarne’s show is always looking for guests who her audience will resonate with. She shares that her guests need to have authority in their space, but that she makes it easy and accessible to reach her if you’re interested in being a guest. Her show is open to any market or niche expert that can serve value to her audience. If you think you’d be a great guest on Sharrarne’s show, you can reach out to her at shar@sharrarnemorton.com. Want to learn more? Check out Sharrarne Morton’s website at https://www.sharrarnemorton.com/. Check out Sharrarne Morton on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharrarnemorton/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 8, 2022 • 19min
1188 - An Innovative Automotive Peelable Paint with Clarity Coat's Adam Huber
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the co-founder of Clairty Coat, Adam Huber. Clarity Coat is a peelable paint, also known as a liquid car wrap. It can be used on a variety of types of vehicles with ease. This is a new option for automotive body shops to utilize so that they can expand their business operations outside of working with insurance companies. Adam shares that it’s never a good idea to put all of your eggs into the ‘insurance’ basket when it comes to what you do as a body shop. Clarity Coat can be applied clear to any part of a vehicle to protect it from dents, scratches, or fading. If you want to recolor your car, that’s another option Clarity Coat offers. This peelable paint is a new and innovative paint approach for body shops to offer. According to their website, ClarityCoat has been developed with common paint protection/vinyl wrap issues taken into consideration. With the highest grade materials and years of testing, they have developed this best-in-class product that is successfully being used globally. Clarity Coat goes on the vehicle seamlessly but can be removed with ease as well. With a minimum of 200 microns (8 mils) up to 350 microns (14 mils) worth of 'protection,' there is no alternative on the market.Clarity Coat is sprayed on, so there are no panels or wrap lines on your car after the job is done. It was invented about nine years ago in America, but has grown immensely. Other notable companies have also offered their rendition of peelable paint. What sets Clarity Coat apart is that their competitors stick to whatever region they’re based in; Clarity Coat is global. The peelable paint industry is rather niche, so quality and availability go a long way quickly. Clarity Coat utilizes social media and other various marketing channels – their business comes from a solid combination of those efforts, Adam explains. In the US, the biggest issue Clarity Coat has experienced when getting their product into shops is that they have a proprietary application system. Any shop that wants to add this product to their line of services has to be trained on applying Clarity Coat. Many shopowners balk at the idea of needing to be taught how to apply this type of product, but what Clarity Coat delivers is by far worth the training efforts. Want to learn more? Check out Clarity Coat’s website at https://claritycoat.com/. Check out Clarity Coat on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/claritycoat/. Check out Adam Huber on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-huber-claritycoat/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 7, 2022 • 21min
1187 - Tackling Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome with I-Fearless's David Stone
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the co-founder of I-Fearless, David Stone. I-Fearless helps left-brainers in tech and engineering conquer self-doubt and imposter syndrome. David shares that from the beginning, many of us are conditioned to believe everything we do is not enough. Fear is the common denominator throughout all of this. Infants are only born with two fears; falling and loud noises, David shares. Every fear we pick up on in life is conditioned at some point. Many of us live in fear and anxiety everyday, but this isn’t healthy or sustainable. For one thing, the solution to imposter sydrome isn’t merely achieving more success. David shares his three step framework when it comes to tackling this pervasive form of self doubt. The first step is to shift your thoughts in order to stop the spiral of imposter syndrome. You need to shift your thinking to focus on your accomplishments as they are. If you interrupt the imposter syndrome habits and negativity patterns with this method, you will establish a focused achievement pattern in your thinking. The next step is to release your anxiety. David walks his clients through a guided meditation, especially relating to where the body physically stores this stress. The third step is to lock in these practices by establishing these habits; replace your negative thoughts with thoughts of gratitude and purpose, and always take instant action when feeling sensations of self-doubt. Taking control of your fear and imposter syndrome is a vital piece of establishing these habits. Don’t doubt your ability to achieve the challenges in front of you; when it all comes down to it, the worst time to have self-doubt is when you’re in problem solving mode. David says to consider everything you’ve ever overcome until that point in your life and to trust you have the ability to achieve whatever you set out to do. When you have a thought like, “I don’t belong here,” reflect on everything you have done until that point to achieve the success you have. You do belong, because you got yourself there in the first place. Trust yourself and reframe your thinking around your self-doubt. David shares a great morning ritual to practice when working on self-doubt. First, wake up and find things to be grateful for. Don’t be vague, either; find very specific and different things to have gratitude for every day. He also recommends listening to a meditation each morning to help to ground yourself and help to instill mindfulness. Check out David’s FREE guide, The Left-Brainer’s Guide to Anti-Anxiety Journaling at https://www.i-fearless.com/josh. Want to learn more? Check out I-Fearless’s website at https://www.i-fearless.com/. Check out I-Fearless on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/i-fearless/. Check out David Stone on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstone-ifearless/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 6, 2022 • 18min
1186 - Making Finance Management and Tax Credits Easier for Small Businesses with MainStreet's Doug Ludlow
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the founder and CEO of MainStreet, Doug Ludlow. MainStreet works with small businesses to help them use their time more efficiently to build their business. Between managing administrative tasks and finances, business owners have no time left to actually grow their company. MainStreet makes it easier than ever and puts your fintech stack in one place. MainStreet started with wedge products that provided unique value to their customers. The first product they launched was a tax credit offering – less than 2% of small startups and businesses collect the tax credits they’re eligible for. MainStreet made it easier than ever to sign up for their engine so that you could be informed on how to take advantage of those tax credits. You first have to consider what advantages the larger, more successful companies have in order to determine what products to design for small businesses. Doug shares that MainStreet takes these concepts and advantages and shrinks them down into democratized product offerings that are more accessible to a small business owner. Doug explains that their products are meant to replace teams – their goal is to replace banking services for small business owners, who act a lot more like consumers than enterprises. You have to make financial tools easy and seamless in order to appeal to a SMB owner. Josh and Doug discuss the need for a product that makes getting tax credits easy for entrepreneurs. According to MainStreet’s website, “The Federal R&D Credit is designed to incentivize companies who bring new products to market. Think of this program as the IRS’s way of rewarding businesses that prioritize innovation. Startups and Fortune 500 companies alike claim billions of dollars a year in R&D tax credits — but the process to access this money is complex and time-consuming. That's where MainStreet comes in. They take the guesswork (and the legwork) out of tax credits and pass the savings onto you.”There’s a scientific method when it comes to experimenting with tax credits. The government wants to incentivize innovation, but it takes trial and error to figure out what your business is eligible for. Their website states that, “MainStreet takes a holistic approach to small business management so you can grow your business smarter, not harder. From government tax credits to treasury management to exclusive savings on the tools you use every day, they save you thousands of dollars, hundreds of hours, and countless headaches.”Want to learn more? Check out MainStreet’s website at https://www.mainstreet.com/. Check out MainStreet on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/workonmainstreet/. Check out Doug Ludlow on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougludlow/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 5, 2022 • 18min
1185 - Writing Expert Level Technical Content with Draft.Dev's Karl Hughes
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge speaks to the founder and CEO of Draft.Dev, Karl Hughes. Draft.Dev writes technical content for companies that want to reach software engineers. Typically, the companies Draft.Dev works with are businesses that design tools for software engineers. They create content around things like continuous integration platforms and other complex software tools. The main issue companies experience is that they actually need someone with a software development background to write this technical content. This is where Draft.Dev comes in - they have the software expertise and a background in creating strong content. They married these ideas and Draft.Dev was born. Karl explains that Draft.Dev typically works with publicly traded companies that build platforms and tools for software developers and engineers. He shares that, when marketing to this demographic, you have to not only explain the benefits of your tool or platform; you have to demonstrate the practical uses and applications of it. This requires a level of technical expertise, and traditional marketing teams struggle immensely with this. Josh and Karl also discuss what the market traditionally does outside of the solutions Draft.Dev offers. Karl says that developers are notoriously hard to reach and market to. They’ll block ads or email addresses – marketing to such a savvy group of prospects requires avoiding hard selling to them. You have to come off as authentic and authoritative in the space; in other words, your marketing team needs to know their stuff. When you’re writing complex and deep content, you need to come off as an expert. The standard freelance copywriter won’t always know if what they’re saying is totally accurate in such niches. You have to outsource the expertise itself to capture that essence in your content. Many companies now hire specialized developer marketing teams because these issues with content are so pervasive in the space. Draft.Dev manages to differentiate themselves in their niche, which has resulted in rapid growth for them.Draft.Dev doesn’t have many competitors at this time. They stand out in their space and much of their business is word of mouth. Their team has over 150 writers (and they’re still growing). They have blown up with success in the year and a half since they launched. Karl explains that their team of technical writers and editors is their major differentiator; they’re dedicated to accurate, expert technical information paired with remarkable content creation and storytelling. Want to learn more? Check out Draft.Dev’s website at https://draft.dev/. Check out Draft.Dev on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/draft-dev/. Check out Karl Hughes on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.

May 4, 2022 • 22min
1184 - A Better Sales Compensation Model with Forma.ai's Nabeil Alazzam
In this episode of the Thoughtful Entrepreneur, your host Josh Elledge talks to the CEO and founder of Forma.ai, Nabeil Alazzam.Forma.ai changes the way large organizations pay and motivate their sales teams. There are 50 million sales representatives across North America that are paid on a variable compensation structure. How they’re paid is based on how well they do. Poorly managed compensation is one of the biggest pain points in this space right now. Forma.ai not only automates the payout process for these incentives, but they leverage AI to curate the best incentive structures to drive the right behaviors and ultimately raise the whole company’s top line. But how do payout disputes even happen? Nabeil explains that in sales, because it’s dynamic, it’s calculated using business rules. If you consider the flux of an organization, sales compensation isn’t static. Enterprises have to individually calculate what to pay each of their sales reps and you have to be able to transparently iterate this to your rep. Nabeil says that software development has paved the way to fix this issue through the form of automation. The problem is that there isn’t yet data to show what really incentives sales teams. Not enough businesses actually look at this data and pivot their compensation model. This is one of many things that Forma.ai seeks to shine light on in the niche focus that is sales rep compensation.There are a few issues Nabeil shares that he’s seen in his space. He shares ultimately, some of these enterprises aren’t properly paying for performance. The ideal compensation structure should see your top performers getting paid 2 to 3 times the average. If a handful of sales reps are the revenue engine of your business, pay them generously; you don't want them seeking out your competitors. You have to pay for performance. On the other hand, you can’t overpay underperformers. If you pay more for your best performers and don’t keep on those that underperform, what you spend won’t change, your money will just be better spent. This is the model Forma.ai follows. Businesses require agility and stay on top of trends to future proof. Looking at your sales compensation model is a crucial piece of looking at your business on a fundamental and operational level. Assess your business, leverage data to be more agile, and pay properly for performance. Want to learn more? Check out Formai.ai’ website at https://www.forma.ai/. Check out Forma.ai on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/forma-ai/. Check out Nabeil Alazzam on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nabeilalazzam/. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Thoughtful Entrepreneur and thank you for listening. Tune in next time!More from UpMyInfluence:✅ We are actively booking guests for our DAILY Entrepreneur Success Podcast. Schedule HERE.✅ Are you a 6-figure consultant? Let us fill your sales schedule and move you to 7-figures. Learn more here.✅ Check out our free Authority Transformation Masterclass.


