Meet our Experts
- Carol Tice is a Seattle-based business writer for Forbes, Entrepreneur, and many others. She writes the award-winning Make a Living Writing blog and for corporate clients including Costco, American Express, and Delta Airlines. Her new e-book for Oberlo is Crowdfunding for Entrepreneurs.
- A serial entrepreneur who has launched, grown, and sold numerous businesses, David Finkel is also a Wall Street Journal and Business Week best-selling author of over 40 business and books and courses, including the wildly successful The Maui Millionaires for Business and Build a Business Not a Job: How to Build Your Business to Sell, Scale, or Own Passively.
- Nathan Beckord is the CEO of Foundersuite.com, which makes software for startups raising capital. Nathan is also the CEO of Fundingstack.com, which is a new platform for VCs and investment bankers to both raise capital and assist clients and portfolio companies. Users of these platforms have raised over $9.7 billion since 2016.
- Credit and financing expert Gerri Detweiler has answered more than 10,000 credit and financing questions online and has been interviewed for more than 4,000 news stories. She is the author or coauthor of five books, including Finance Your Own Business: Get on the Financing Fast Track with attorney Garrett Sutton. Her articles have been widely syndicated and she has testified before Congress about credit legislation.
- Karen Axelton creates custom content for business clients ranging from entrepreneurs to enterprises. She has written or ghostwritten for companies including Amazon, American Express, Cox Media, Experian, Intel, Intuit, Microsoft and Xerox.
- Denise O’Berry is a small business expert who’s been helping small business owners take action to build sustainable businesses since 1996. Denise has worked with hundreds of small business owners over the years and continues to be inspired by their enthusiasm and ability to overcome huge obstacles. You can connect with Denise at her website at www.DeniseOBerry.com, follow her on Twitter @deniseoberry, or connect on Facebook.
- David Worrell is a serial entrepreneur, consulting CFO, and financial analyst. His new book, Entrepreneur's Guide to Financial Statements, has been called "mandatory reading for small business owners." David's tips and tricks for running a more profitable small business can be found here and on his business blog, www.FuseFinancialPartners.com.
- Rick has significant legal and business experience in contracts, financings, institutional lending, international business transactions (with an emphasis on China), venture capital and mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, he was the VP of Business Development and Legal Affairs for Globitech, Inc., a semiconductor manufacturer, and prior to that, a partner in venture fund KLM Capital Group. Previously, he served as the general counsel of Talegen Holdings, Inc. (1993–1998), the former holding company for the insurance operations of Xerox. Rick has also served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Business Law Section of the California State Bar (1991–1992) and was a corporate and banking partner at the law firm of Pettit & Martin (1981–1993).
- Mike Bal is the Director of Audience & Revenue at 10up, where he leads a team of strategists to develop and execute data-informed digital strategies for organizational growth and business impact. With over a decade of experience in digital innovation, Mike brings new ideas and proven strategies to the table, covering topics like remote team management, digital marketing, data strategy, leadership, and product management. When he's not neck-deep in digital, you can find Mike playing music with his Star Wars-themed band "The Han Solo Project." To contact Mike, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
- Jim Hoffman is the author of the IT Due Diligence Guide. He has over twenty years of experience in technology companies in the healthcare, financial, and telecommunications industries. Throughout his career, he has been called upon to lead many due diligence efforts, including mergers & acquisitions on both the buy and sell side. He has held numerous senior management and executive positions, and is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Besler Consulting. Jim is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
- Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at yec.co.
- Michel Theriault is an author, speaker, and consultant focusing on topics relevant to Managers and aspiring Managers in businesses of all sizes who want to get results, get attention, and get ahead. He is the author of Write To Influence (from the Quick Guides for Managers series), Win More Business–Write Better Proposals, and Managing Facilities & Real Estate. Write To Influence is currently available as a free download in ebook and audiobook format. As the founder of Success Fuel for Managers, Michel’s work includes training, consulting, seminars, and business-oriented books. Connect with Michel or read his blogs about management and leadership on his site at www.successfuelformanagers.com.
- Haris leads the creative and growth strategy at Bacic Media Group, a data publishing agency focusing on knowledge sharing and consumer education. If you enjoyed this article, you can also follow Haris on Twitter.
- Melanie is a luxury home stager, real estate agent, and real estate investor with CURATED in Miami, Fla. She has always been fascinated with technology and previously wrote about mobile apps, accumulating millions of views on her articles. She now specializes in real estate and shares insights for realtors, investors, and contractors. Follow Melanie's projects on Instagram @thinkcurated. To learn more, visit thecurated.group.
- Rebecca Mazin creates usable solutions for employers to meet increasingly complicated human resources challenges. Her Recruit Right consulting, training, and writing produces consistently measurable results in organizations from small startups to industry giants. Rebecca is the author of First Time Firing, The Employee Benefits Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Business Owners and co-authored The HR Answer Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and Human Resources Professionals. Follow Rebecca on Twitter @thehranswer.
- Leah Goold-Haws is currently the Deputy Sector Navigator for Global Trade & Logistics, in Far North California as part of the Doing What Matters Initiative. This initiative, of the California Community Colleges Chancellor's office is part of a state-wide effort for jobs and the economy. Leah is part of the CITD (Centers for International Trade Development) network and consults with businesses involved in global trade, promotes international business courses on behalf of the community college system, assists small business in developing global entry strategies, and increases exposure to global trade and logistics opportunities throughout the region. Connect with Leah on LinkedIn.
- Alex Morris is the Content Manager for an industry leading tourism company. He's also worked as a copywriter and SEO executive for several leading small businesses in the UK; he's been a content writer in business since completing a Masters Journalism degree in 2007. He spends his spare time developing a satirical website whilst writing novels and short stories.
- Ken Lyons is an online marketer with a nine-year track record of driving qualified traffic and leads to websites. He specializes in SEO and strategic content marketing initiatives. He also co-founded Cornerstone Content, a free digital resource for content marketing education.
- Andrew Cravenho is the CEO of CBAC Funding, an innovative invoice finance company. As a serial entrepreneur, Andrew focuses on helping both small and medium sized businesses take control of their cash flow.
- Sarah Dalton is the founder of Able Mind Able Body, a Portland-based company offering corporate wellness services and online personal training and nutrition coaching. She takes an integrative approach to healthy living, and educates others on the benefits of fitness, nutrition, and self-awareness.
- Gini Dietrich is the founder, CEO, and author of Spin Sucks, host of the Spin Sucks podcast, and author of Spin Sucks (the book). She is the creator of the PESO Model and has crafted a certification for it in partnership with Syracuse University. She has run and grown an agency for the past 15 years. She is co-author of Marketing in the Round, co-host of Inside PR, and co-host of The Agency Leadership podcast.
- Amanda Han is a managing director of Keystone CPA, Inc., a firm which specializes in comprehensive financial and tax strategies for business owners and investors. Extensive experience has allowed Amanda to take top-notch tax and financial strategies that are traditionally only available to Fortune 500 companies and bring them to the small business owners' community. Amanda is a frequent contributor and educator to some of the nation's top investment companies and is a leading expert on retirement investing.
- Sylvia F. Dion, CPA, is the Founder and Managing Partner of PrietoDion Consulting Partners LLC, a tax consulting firm specializing in providing State & Local Tax and Employment Tax Consulting Services. Sylvia is also a speaker and tax writer whose articles have been published in the Journal of Accountancy, Bloomberg BNA’s Multistate Tax Report, and in other leading professional journals. Sylvia is also avid blogger, speaker, and recognized authority on state tax issues whose work has received favorable mention in Forbes.com and is often quoted on taxes in media reports, such as Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Sylvia is also a proud Latina, is fluent in Spanish, and was recently named a top 50 Accountant on Twitter (@SylviaDionCPA).
- Nick Armstrong is unapologetically awesome at making marketing FUN for small business owners, helping them swear less and profit more. He rocks at explaining difficult-to-grasp marketing and web technology concepts, making them much less scary.
- Gregg Schwartz is the director of sales at Strategic Sales & Marketing, a leader among appointment setting companies, providing lead generation consulting to hundreds of businesses. To follow the latest discussions in best-practices for lead generation, join Gregg’s Linkedin Group with over 6,500 sales professionals and business owners, Manage Your Leads.
- Nellie Akalp is a passionate entrepreneur, business expert, professional speaker, author, and mother of four. She is the Founder and CEO of CorpNet.com, a trusted resource and service provider for business incorporation, LLC filings, and corporate compliance services in all 50 states. Nellie and her team recently launched a partner program for legal, tax and business professionals to help them streamline the business incorporation and compliance process for their clients.
- For nearly three decades, Chris Marentis, Founder and CEO of Surefire Social, has been responsible for driving innovation and sales growth for large media and e-commerce brands as well as start-ups. With a long-history of counseling local businesses about their marketing efforts, Marentis provides insight on what it takes for small businesses to succeed and thrive in today’s evolving digital environment. His notable career includes creating the foundational blueprints for online marketing, e-commerce and content branding for AOL's Interactive Marketing group, where he served as Senior Vice President. While CEO of Clearspring Technologies (now Add This), Marentis developed one of the most widely adopted venture-backed Web 2.0 content distribution technology platforms in the world.
- Bob Voss has been starting and growing businesses for the last 35 years. He is the holder of two patents for Optical Code Technology and has raised over $8M for the companies he has started. In 2002 he was given the opportunity to start a Business Entrepreneur Certificate program at Dakota County Technical College in Minnesota. In 2006 he was awarded the Instructor of the Year at the college, and in 2008 was awarded the National Business Entrepreneur Instructor of the Year for NACCE (National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship). His advice and counsel has helped hundreds of business start successfully. If you have a question for Bob, he can be contacted at [email protected].
- Brad Shorr is Director of Content Strategy for Straight North, an Internet marketing agency in the Chicago area. With in-house, freelance and agency experience, he writes frequently about content marketing, SEO, social media and small business strategy.
- Miranda is a financial journalist. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, online and off, and been mentioned by the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NPR, and Consumerist. Miranda is a contributor to U.S. News & World Report, and writes at the blog Planting Money Seeds. She is also a panelist for the Money Mastermind Show, and the Money Tree Investing Podcast.
- Carrie Smith is the founder of www.carefulcents.com, a site for like-minded solopreneurs who want to make a living from their craft and build successful businesses. In May 2013 she quit her full-time accounting job, and recently launched her new course, Solopreneur Finance: Managing Money On Your Own Terms. She's been featured in The Huffington Post, Kiplinger, Glamour Magazine, and other financial websites. Find her on Twitter @carefulcents.
- Serial entrepreneur, investor, author and Fortune Hunter TV presenter, Lyndon Wood is one of the UK's most successful and dynamic entrepreneurs and a world-class mentor to mentors. With a no BS realist approach and straight talking with a quirky persona, Lyndon loves to help business and mostly for free. Giving back is what he believes in most. Lyndon has been involved in various industries such as; Online Trading, Finance & Insurance, Retail, Hospitality, Private Doctors, Publishing, Media, Property, Wholesale. Confidentiality, ethics, and morals are at the top of Lyndon's business and life values. Lyndon has created a net worth in excess of eight figures and still growing with established and various startups in his portfolio. Lyndon set up his first business at the tender age of 19 in August 1990 at the start of the big recession with zero capital, £14,000 in debt, and no qualifications after leaving school at the age of 14. In a very challenging and highly competitive industry he took his insurance business constructaquote.com and Moorhouse Group to be a UK top 100 insurance broker specialising in the SME market both online and offline.
- TJ McCue owns Refine Digital, a marketing lab focused on 3D technologies, and is currently traveling the United States on an 8-month RV roadtrip to get the pulse of 3D printing, 3D scanning, and 3D design across America. Follow him at 3DRV continues as GoExplore3D or via Twitter @TJMcCue.
- Gresham Harkless is a media consultant for Blue16Media and Blogger-in-Chief for CEO Blog Nation. He regularly writes and contributes to support entrepreneurs, startups, and business owners.
- Jonathan Farrington is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author and sales thought leader, who has guided hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals around the world towards optimum performance levels. He is the Senior Partner at Jonathan Farrington & Associates, based in London and Paris, and also the CEO of Top Sales World.
- Marco Carbajo is a nationally recognized expert on building business credit and consumer credit restoration. He is founder of the Business Credit Insiders Circle, the nation's leading step-by-step business credit building system providing access to vendor lines of credit, fleet cards, business credit cards, funding sources, and lenders that report to all the major business credit agencies. Marco has been featured in FOX Small Business, AllBusiness, Dun and Bradstreet Credibility Corp, the SBA Community, American Express Small Business, Business Week, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Tribune, and Entrepreneur Connect.
- Yaniv Masjedi is the vice president of marketing at Nextiva (@Nextiva), a leading provider of cloud-based, unified communication services. In his role, Yaniv manages the firm's marketing and branding efforts by working to create strategies that drive awareness, strengthen the Nextiva brand and share the story of the company's unique customer-centric culture (dubbed "Amazing Service"). His responsibilities also include brand management, demand generation, advertising, marketing communications, nurturing programs, and thought leadership. Prior to joining Nextiva, Yaniv led teams at IPOWER and the Endurance International Group. He studied political science and history at the University of California, Los Angeles. Keep up with Yaniv on Twitter @YanivMasjedi.
- Gary Morgan is an avid blogger, outdoorsman, and car enthusiast. His day job is as a content manager and public relations specialist for a network of relocation websites, including CarMoves.com and TopMoving.com.
- Chris Warden is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive. Starting his entrepreneurial career at age 19, he has performed in numerous capacities owning and managing both offline and online companies. You can connect with Chris via Linkedin or Twitter @ChrisWarden_ML.
- Ramon Ray is Editor of Smart Hustle Magazine. Ramon is a 4x entrepreneur, bestselling author, and international speaker. Smart Hustle Magazine, in print every 3 months and online 24/7, is a community chronicling the story of small business owners with an entrepreneurial mindset. Get to know Ramon at www.ramonray.com or follow him on Twitter @RamonRay
- Matt Faustman is the co-founder of UpCounsel, the fastest growing online workplace for businesses to easily hire and manage trusted attorneys. Matt writes on business legal issues, efficiency, and the future of labor. Hit him up on Twitter @UpCounsel anytime.
- Michael L. Evans is Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer for the Newport, LLC, a partnership of board directors and senior executive leaders with deep knowledge of business strategy, operations, and capital markets. Previous to Newport, Michael had been with Ernst & Young. During his 34 years with the firm, he served as a tax, audit, and consulting services partner, specializing in real estate companies and publicly traded entities. Michael is a frequent writer on business topics and has authored two books. He can be reached at (415) 990-1844 or via email at [email protected].
- Meredith Wood is the founding editor of the Fundera Ledger and a vice president at Fundera. She has specialized in financial advice for small business owners for almost a decade and is frequently sought out for her expertise in small business lending. She is a monthly columnist for AllBusiness, and her advice has appeared in the SBA, SCORE, Yahoo, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, American Banker, Small Business Trends, MyCorporation, Small Biz Daily, StartupNation, and more.
- Small businesses from Main Street, USA, to corporate agencies have relied on Katie Hellmuth-Martin, Co-Founder of Tin Shingle, the national entrepreneurship and small business community and resource, for insight and forward-thinking approaches to using today’s technology to lock in online branding to increase sales. As lead producer and digital strategist at StudioPixelated, Katie has developed e-commerce and content-based websites, and devised SEO and social strategies for businesses of all types, including retail and service. Katie speaks and teaches SEO and online marketing, and has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, New York Daily News, and other publications. At Tin Shingle, Katie and her partner Sabina Ptacin are growing one of the most widely depended upon editorial, PR, and online marketing platforms for small businesses. Connect with her on Twitter @tinshingle. Join Tin Shingle's free newsletter, #SmallBizGoodness for more insightful resource articles you can use today to build buzz about your business.
- W. Kenneth Yancey, Jr., is the former CEO of the SCORE Association. During his tenure with SCORE, Mr. Yancey was responsible for developing SCORE into one of the most efficient, effective job creation and business formation engines in the nation. Prior to joining SCORE, Yancey served as Executive Director for the National Business Association. He is recognized as one of the nation's leading advocates for small business and represented SCORE nationally before the media, industry leaders, and in Congressional testimony. He speaks across the country on the topics of entrepreneurship and small business trends and serves as a member of the HuffPost Small Business Board of Directors.
- Josiane Feigon is a pioneer, maverick, and visionary in the inside sales community. She is the founder of TeleSmart Communications and the author of Smart Sales Manager and Smart Selling on the Phone and Online. For more on inside sales strategies and trends, subscribe to Josiane's newsletter.
- The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, advises prospective franchise owners on how to carefully choose and properly research a franchise. He wrote Become a Franchise Owner! The Start-Up Guide to Lowering Risk, Making Money, and Owning What You Do. Joel’s much-needed franchise advisory services come with a 100% money-back guarantee.
- John Jantsch has been called the World’s Most Practical Small Business Expert for consistently delivering real-world, proven small business marketing ideas and strategies. John is a marketing consultant, speaker, and bestselling author of Duct Tape Marketing, The Commitment Engine and The Referral Engine. He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing System and Duct Tape Marketing Consulting Network that trains and licenses small business marketing consultants around the world.
- Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at [email protected], follow her on Twitter @Rieva, and visit her website SmallBusinessCurrents.com to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free Currents newsletter.
- Miguel Salcido is a veteran search marketing executive with a focus on SEO and link building. He has provided SEO consulting to enterprise brands such as McDonald's, State Farm, Chicago Title, Expedia, Qualcomm, and others. In his 11+ years in the industry, Miguel has built and led large search agencies, holding executive and VP level positions. He is currently providing SEO consulting services to select clients via his boutique SEO agency, Organic Media Group.
- Katherine Kotaw is CEO of KOTAW Content Marketing, an international marketing strategy company headquartered in Los Angeles. KOTAW tells, and sells, stories across multi-channel marketing platforms for SMBs and Fortune 500 companies as large as HBO, Disney, and Mattel. Katherine teaches storytelling for the Content Marketing Institute. Connect with Katherine on social media to learn more about personal and corporate branding.
- Jan Triplett, Ph.D., CBTAC, is an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and advocate for small business. Triplett is CEO of the Business Success Center (BSC), award-winning sustainability experts focusing on improving the client’s triple bottom line: profit, people, and the planet. She was a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business, the Congressional Summit on Small Business, and selected as Texas’ Small Business Advocate by the SBA. She has led successful trade missions and served on company and non-profit boards. Her books include The Networker's Guide to Success, Thinking Big, Staying Small, and Easy to Be Green: Ideas for Small Companies. In addition to writing on growth readiness, business improvement, small business advocacy, and networking at ownersview.com, she teaches regulation, governance, finance, and accounting in the Master of Business Administration Program at Mary Baldwin University. You can find her Thursdays at noon Central Time when she hosts BSC's weekly Nationwide Rebuilding Business Online Forum, with experts and mentors from around the country.
- Christophe is the co-founder of GetApp, the #1 Cloud Business Apps Marketplace. In his blog he shares his opinion on cloud computing trends and provides tips on how businesses can benefit from cloud-based apps to improve their profit. He likes mountaineering, water sports and long-distance triathlons. He is a proud IronMan finisher! Christophe can be reached at [email protected].
- Sarah Santacroce helps small business owners get clients online. She will teach you how to increase your online visibility so you can quit chasing clients and get found; how to tap into the power of social media to increase your leads; and how to understand and master the intricacies of internet marketing. LinkedIn is her favorite platform, and she helps businesses and entrepreneurs to use it in order to capitalize their growth. Sarah's expertise and eagerness to share her knowledge with others have made her an in-demand expert and a sought-after presenter at numerous workshops and webinars. Sarah lives and works in beautiful Switzerland but works with people from all over the world.
- Su Guillory is a spiritual coach and business content creator. She helps women discover what it means to live authentically after a trauma like divorce, empty nest, or the loss of a loved one. Su has been published on AllBusiness, Forbes, SoFi, Lantern, Nav, and more, and writes about entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing.
- Megan Totka is a freelance writer and business expert. She was the marketing and editorial director at ChamberofCommerce.com for over a decade. As a business expert, she specializes in reporting the latest business news, helpful tips, and reliable resources as well as providing business advice. She has significant experience with business marketing and has spent several years exploring topics like copywriting, content marketing, list building, social media, and any hot topics to help people run their business successfully. Megan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MeganTotka.
- Mindy Thomas is a cutting-edge career consultant, professional résumé writer, professor, and entrepreneur. Through her company, Thomas Career Consulting located in Philadelphia, she leverages her 25-year business background with a solid foundation of career solutions for challenging times. Email Mindy at [email protected], follow her on LinkedIn, and visit her website to learn more about her expert career consulting services.
- Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com, which provides incorporation and LLC formation filing services to entrepreneurs. Follow her on Twitter @mycorporation and on Facebook.
- Richard L. Weinberger, PhD, CPA has over 30 years experience as a management and financial consultant dealing exclusively with small businesses. Dr. Weinberger, an international speaker, currently serves in the capacity as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Accredited Small Business Consultants. In addition to his business experience, Dr. Weinberger has been a full-time and adjunct professor. He holds a PhD degree in organization and management, an MBA in management, a BBA in marketing, and a BBA degree cum laude in accounting.
- Urmas Purde is co-founder of Pipedrive, maker of popular web-based CRM software. Urmas has more than 15 years of experience as a sales trainer and software entrepreneur.
- Drake Forester is the chief legal strategy officer at Northwest Registered Agent Services. Drake guides the company and its clients through the vast world of bureaucracy we all deal with when running a business. He specializes in researching and understanding the complexities of business entity compliance and tax strategies.
- Hafiz Muhammad Ali is a serial entrepreneur and the author of Digital Passport. He is Founder and Advisor at Omnicore, a location-independent healthcare digital marketing agency that helps businesses through Internet Marketing Services. Muhammad is a Digital Marketing Career & Leadership Expert who consults both aspiring digital marketers and companies in getting up to speed with what's working in the digital world. His recent projects include a Digital Marketing Salary Survey and a Digital Marketing Psychometric Test. He has written for publications like Entrepreneur, KillerStartups, CrazyEgg, and more.
- Charlotte Westfall is a corporate law partner at Squire Patton Boggs. She focuses her corporate practice on venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC compliance. She counsels public companies on corporate governance, public disclosure issues, and other business matters. She assists blockchain and cryptocurrency companies with navigating the regulatory landscape to achieve their objectives. Charlotte advises clients on cross-border U.S.-China business transactions as well as market-entry strategy, corporate development, and branding for Chinese companies seeking investment opportunities in the United States, as well as U.S. companies seeking access to the Chinese market. A native Chinese speaker, Charlotte is well versed in the legal systems and cultures of both the United States and China.
- Brenda S. Stoltz is the Founding Partner of Ariad Partners,a growth agency specializing in helping companies improve their marketing, sales, and brand loyalty. Connect with Brenda on LinkedIn.
- Over the past 18 years, Kelly has successfully coached business leaders and people from all walks of life to reach their highest potential. With a Master’s in counseling, professional coach and mediation certifications, and 20 years of human resources experience, she has successfully helped others define their dreams and create pathways to success. She is the creator and owner of 1 Smart Life, LLC, a new style of personal coaching with a team of experts in all of life’s challenging areas, as well as creator of 1 Smart Career, with a focus on the special needs of executives and leadership development.
- Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur and author Andy Bailey, Petra Coach is a business coaching organization working with leaders, teams, and corporations across the country. Through guidance based on Bailey's entrepreneurial experience and the book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, Petra Coach helps companies align their leaders and team to meet clear goals and improve company culture. Through an interactive, people-focused curriculum, members have experienced an average of 50% growth in revenue per year as a result of their work with Petra Coach.
- Jayson DeMers is the founder & CEO of EmailAnalytics, an email analytics tool that enables you to visualize your email activity (or your team's) in Gmail and G Suite. Jayson also co-hosts the popular podcast The Entrepreneur Cast. He is a long-time contributor to Forbes, Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, and dozens of other major media publications.
- Maura Schreier-Fleming is president of Best@Selling, a sales training and sales consulting company. She works with business and sales professionals to increase sales and earn larger profits. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips. Maura focuses on sales strategies and tactics that lead to better sales results. Maura is a sales expert for WomenSalesPros. She is part of their group of top sales experts who inspire, educate, and develop salespeople and sales teams.She speaks internationally on influence, selling skills, and strategic selling at trade association and sales meetings, demonstrating how her principles can be applied to get results. She successfully worked for over 20 years in the male-dominated oil industry with two major corporations, beginning at Mobil Oil and ending at Chevron Corp. She was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. and was one of Chevron’s top five salespeople in the U.S. having sold over $9 million annually. Maura writes several columns to share her sales philosophies. She's been quoted in the New York Times, Selling Power, and Entrepreneur.
- Bethany Qualls has written and edited content across the globe. A seasoned business writer, she has never met a topic she couldn't research with panache and flair, from closet organization to hunting gear, handmade ceramics to international localization. She specializes in SEO-driven content for clients both large and small across a variety of platforms, primarily as a ghostwriter. With over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and content strategist, she has hands-on experience with both B2B and B2C communication preparation and execution.
- Barbara Swenson has several years work experience in the areas of accounting, real estate investing, marketing, financial management, insurance, and independent book publishing. She’s written numerous articles for AllBusiness.com, and is a Contributing Writer for Retailing Insight. She was also a Contributing Editor for the international magazine Magical Blend, and has penned articles for Aquarius and NAPRA Review magazines. She has written and published 25 personal transformation books in the last twenty years. Barbara holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University Sonoma (with honors), and a Masters Degree in Science from California State University Sacramento (with honors). She lives in the Sierra foothills with her husband and son, two huge white dogs, and four cats.
- Don Sadler is a freelance commercial writer focusing in the areas of business and finance. He specializes in grasping niche business and financial markets and industries quickly and then writing high-quality content targeted specifically to these audiences. Don writes ghost articles, blogs, SEO website copy, white papers, case studies, magazine articles, brochures, and corporate collateral. Reach him at [email protected] or visit www.donsadlerwriter.com.
- B.J. Hinshaw is a freelance writer based in Davis, California. He holds MAs in cultural geography and creative writing, and has previously been manager of a small business in London, England.
- Howard Yeh is a founder and president of HealthCare.com, a healthcare search and comparison website, and co-founder of ContactUs.com, a software-as-a-service for online customer acquisition providing advanced contact forms, lead capture, and lead management solutions for small businesses. Howard Yeh has been in the online lead generation business for over a decade, as an investor (VantagePoint Venture Partners, PeopleFund), entrepreneur (HealthCare.com, BrokersWeb, ContactUs.com), and performance marketer. He co-founded ContactUs.com in 2012. He was previously co-founder and COO of BrokersWeb, an insurance-focused online advertising marketplace which was twice named to the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in 2010 and 2011 until a successful sale.
- Tom Panaggio, author of The Risk Advantage: Embracing the Entrepreneur's Unexpected Edge, has enjoyed a 30-year entrepreneurial career as co-founder of two successful direct marketing companies: Direct Mail Express (which now employs over 400 people and is a leading direct marketing company) and Response Mail Express (which was eventually sold to an equity fund, Huron Capital Partners). As a result, he can give a true perspective on starting and running a small business. His practical approach to business concepts and leadership is grounded in the belief that success is the result of a commitment to embracing risk as a way to ensure opportunity. Today Tom lives in Tampa with his wife, Shemi. When he's not speaking or advising entrepreneurs and small businesses, he's spending time with his family—his three daughters, Ashley, Christine, and Elizabeth, are all pursuing their college degrees—or he's out on a racetrack.
- Mike Kappel is the founder and CEO of Patriot Software, a leading provider of SaaS accounting software and payroll services for businesses and their accountants nationwide. With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience, Mike knows what business owners face because he's faced it himself. For more information, please visit www.patriotsoftware.com. Follow @PatriotSoftware on Twitter.
- Doña Storey is the American Express OPEN Advisor on Scale Up, advising entrepreneurs on how to find rapid growth through corporate and government procurement as well as helping large organizations scale their entrepreneurial partners to better meet demand in both the commercial and government marketplaces. She is an entrepreneur herself with extensive experience running and scaling up a business. For more information, visit www.openforum.com/governmentcontracting.
- Dr. Ann Gatty is a business learning specialist, author, and keynote speaker. She is the co-founder of www.StrategicPeopleSolutions.com, an organization that helps businesses develop strong leaders while creating a culture where self-improvement is an intrinsic part of the organization’s value system. With over 30 years of organizational management and teaching experience, Ann has designed the Business Sphere of Excellence® to help businesses create strategic business plans that provide profitable, sustainable results.
- Rich Ellinger is a serial software entrepreneur with a passion for investing. His latest company, Wealthminder, strives to help do-it-yourself investors create a workable financial plan and then marry that plan to a sensible investing strategy, all online.
- Tom is a financial analyst and personal finance expert. He's been featured on Forbes, Globe and Mail, Mint, Entrepreneur, and Inc. He can also be found on his own sites, including MapleMoney and Financial Highway.
- Murray Newlands FRSA is an entrepreneur, investor, business advisor, and speaker. He is founder of Due, an online invoicing company based in San Francisco that helps 75K+ businesses. Newlands is also an advisor to the Draper Nexus Network of Things Fund that invests in IoT companies. He advises entrepreneurs and startups on various subjects, from funding to growth strategies. He is the author of Online Marketing: A User’s Manual published by John Wiley & Sons. Murray regularly contributes to Forbes and Entrepreneur.
- Marketing strategist connecting influencers and providing results for small businesses. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, my focus shifted to small business content marketing strategy. My site GrowMap.com is listed by leading global media intelligence company Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers. Small Business Trends has awarded me three Small Business Influencer Awards. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow me @GrowMap and on LinkedIn. I'm a regular contributor to AllBusiness, Business.com, Small Business Trends, and Social Media Today.
- Sam Meenasian is the Operations Director of USA Business Insurance and BISU Insurance and an expert in commercial lines insurance products. With over 10 years of experience and knowledge in the commercial insurance industry, Meenasian contributes his level of expertise as a leader and an agent to educate and secure online business insurance for thousands of clients within the Insurance family.
- Jeremy Miller is a brand builder, keynote speaker, and president of Sticky Branding, a brand building agency. Jeremy helps companies stand out, challenge the giants of their industry, and grow Sticky Brands. He is the author of Sticky Branding: 12.5 Principles to Stand Out, Attract Customers, and Grow an Incredible Brand—it's your branding playbook. For more information or to connect with Jeremy, visit www.StickyBranding.com.
- Personalincome.org and IdeaHacks.com was founded by Donny Gamble, a published author and investor. He graduated from The Ohio State University and has a passion for teaching others about alternative investment and retirement strategies. He is also a contributor for Huffington Post and has been featured on Yahoo Finance as well as other personal finance websites.
- Andrew McDermott is the co-author of Hook: Why Websites Fail to Make Money and the co-founder of HooktoWin.com. Subscribe to his 5-day mini course and you'll learn how to attract and convert website visitors automatically.
- CEO & Co-founder of Alignable, Previously at Constant Contact for 10 years where he led Sales, Business Development, and Strategy growing the business from startup stage to 400,000 customers and $200M in revenue. Groves authored The Word-of-Mouth e-book and The Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing, and is recognized as an expert on Engagement Marketing, Email Marketing, and local business, appearing on MSNBC's Your Business, Small Business Trends, Fast Company and The Small Business Advocate. Prior to Constant Contact, Eric held various leadership positions in sales, business development, and mergers and acquisitions at AltaVista, iAtlas, InfoUSA, MFS Communications, SBC (AT&T), and Citigroup. Eric has served as a board member for LogoWorks, uTest, BigCommerce, and More Than Words. Eric holds a B.A. in Economics from Grinnell College and an MBA from the University of Iowa.
- Connie Certusi is Executive Vice President and General Manager, Small Business Solutions of Sage North America. Connie leads the startup and small business solutions business, encompassing Sage One, Sage Accountants Network, and Sage 50 Accounting. She is also responsible for the Sage Employer Solutions products. With over 20 years of experience in the technology market serving small businesses, she has a passion for helping entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed. She lives in Atlanta and is known for liking fast cars and Aerosmith.
- Jon Forknell is the Vice President and General Manager of Atlas Business Solutions, Inc., a software marketing company specializing in employee scheduling software, including ScheduleAnywhere and ScheduleBase, and other business software solutions. In the past, Jon has been recognized by the Small Business Administration as an SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Atlas Business Solutions was named as one of Software Magazine’s Top 500 Software Companies 2004-2007 and again in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
- Karen Tiber Leland is the founder of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding, marketing and color strategy and implementation firm helping CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs develop stronger personal, business and team brands. Her clients include Cisco, American Express, Marriott Hotels, Apple Computer, LinkedIn and Twitter. She is also the best-selling author of nine traditionally published business books, which have sold over 400,000 copies and been translated into 10 languages. Her most recent book is The Brand Mapping Strategy: Design, Build and Accelerate Your Brand. She regularly writes for Inc.com and Entrepreneur.com and has had articles published in Self, The Los Angeles Times, American Way, The Boston Globe, and many others. Karen has spoken for Harvard, The AMA, Direct Marketing Association and Stanford, among others. She has been interviewed on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC and Oprah.
- Dave is a seasoned marketer with experience spanning both B2B and B2C marketing. His resume includes extensive work for several high-profile brands including Salesforce.com, IGN Entertainment, and Myspace (remember that?). He loves his work and is fascinated by the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, two daughters, and their crazy cat, Martin.
- Neil Hare is an attorney with the law firm McCarthy Wilson LLP, and the president of GVC Strategies, an agency specializing in government relations, public affairs, and strategic communications. Neil specializes in small business policy and has run small business outreach campaigns for major organizations such as Visa, MasterCard, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Neil is a writer and expert on communications and business strategy. He is a sought-after speaker at business events on marketing and communications, both inside and outside the Beltway. Neil is the author of two novels, An Animal Cries and God in Hell’s Kitchen.
- Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. In addition to writing, he’s also active in his community and spends weekends volunteering with a local nonprofit literacy organization and rock climbing. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
- Ty Kiisel is a contributing author focusing on small business financing at OnDeck, a technology company solving small business’s biggest challenge: access to capital. With over 25 years of experience in the trenches of small business, Ty shares personal experiences and valuable tips to help small business owners become more financially responsible. OnDeck can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.
- Erik Harbison is the Chief Marketing Officer at AWeber where he oversees AWeber's overall marketing operations, vision, and strategy. Erik has more than 20 years of experience in the marketing and advertising space that includes starting and selling a boutique agency, growing award-winning marketing teams, and performance-based campaigns. His areas of expertise range from emerging marketing strategies and customer retention/loyalty to email marketing, social media, and performance-based marketing recipes. He also expresses his passion for marketing by serving as a guest instructor for New Media Marketing courses at Drexel University and as a Strategic Advisor for the Philadelphia Interactive Marketing Association.
- Goutham Bhadri is the CEO of Marketing Samurai, a digital marketing firm that helps businesses gain customers online by increasing traffic and website conversions. Through his help, his clients understand how to generate recurring revenue and automate their inbound marketing to scale their business in a smart, strategic manner. If you are interested in getting more customers, maximizing lifetime-customer-value (LTV) and scaling your business, set up a free consultation at Marketing Samurai or follow Goutham on Twitter @mktgsamurai or Facebook for digital marketing tips.
- Danny Wong is the co-founder of Blank Label, an award-winning luxury menswear company. He is also the marketer-at-large for Tenfold (a modern phone intelligence platform) and Big Drop, Inc. (a premier web design and development firm). To connect, tweet him @dannywong1190 or message him on LinkedIn. For more of his clips, visit his portfolio.
- Itai Elizur is the COO at Inbound Junction, a Tel-Aviv based marketing agency. Prior to joining Inbound Junction, Itai worked as a Creative Manager at Wix.com, and as the Director of Marketing at Infolinks, the third-largest website network in the world. Itai is an active public speaker and contributor in the Israeli and European tech scene.
- Lynne C. Hermle is a partner specializing in employment law at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in Silicon Valley. She was the successful lead defense counsel for Kleiner Perkins in the high-stakes gender discrimination and retaliation case brought by Ellen Pao. She has handled hundreds of employment claims involving sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination throughout her career, and continues to litigate such cases before juries and in arbitration. She is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and received the Daily Journal “California Lawyer of the Year” as well as other awards for trial successes. She writes frequently on employment and trial topics. Lynne has represented a number of the largest corporations in the world, including software, media, Internet, and other technology companies.
- Dawn Carrington is an award-winning public relations mogul and writer. She has worked for the BBC, the UK Royal Family, and a UK Prime Minister. Dawn has over 20 years of consulting experience working with organisations on three continents, ranging from startups to global Fortune 500 companies.
- Meeta Vengapally is the Founder & CEO of Garnysh, a Silicon Valley-based fitness and technology company that uses real-time tracking and motivation to support fitness goals. Meeta is also a top influencer on social media, empowering women, entrepreneurs, and organizations of all types. Thus far, she is a spokesperson for over 500 brands and growing. Follow Meeta on Instagram to become part of her motivational and positive community, and read a profile of Meeta Vengapally on Forbes.
- Michele Ruiz is a former Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and CEO of BiasSync, a science-based technology platform to measure, assess, train, and mitigate unconscious bias in the workplace. Follow her on Twitter @MicheleRuiz01.
- Alec is Partner and General Counsel of Blue Skies Consulting, where he leads the West Coast practice and the Program Leadership and Digital Strategy service lines. Alec is passionate about the intersection of emerging technology and law, and how innovation impacts the way people work and interact with each other. Alec didn’t take a straight path to consulting. He has dabbled in investment services, business law, and television distribution, and has always had an eye on how technology played a role in everything we do. His passion is now business transformation enabled by technology, and he is an expert at creating structure out of chaos and setting up digital transformation program governance.
- Lyle Solomon has significant expertise in legal research and writing. He is a member of the State Bar of California and has extensive litigation experience. Currently, he serves as a principal attorney at www.ovlg.com. Lyle has written columns in popular publications such as Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Texas Bar, Legal Readers, DC Bar, and JURIST.
- Nahla Davies is a software developer and tech writer. Before devoting her work full time to technical writing, she managed—among other intriguing things—to serve as a lead programmer at an Inc. 5,000 experiential branding organization whose clients include Samsung, Time Warner, Netflix, and Sony.
- Manick Bhan is the founder and CTO of LinkGraph, an award-winning, mission-driven SEO and digital marketing agency. Manick is also the creator, founder, and CEO of the SearchAtlas SEO software suite. As a growth hacker, data scientist, and skilled programmer, SEO is Manick’s greatest passion and his life’s work. Follow him on Twitter @madmanick.
- Nathan Resnick is the CEO of Sourcify, the fastest growing sourcing platform backed by YCombinator that helps hundreds of companies manufacture products around the world. In the past, Nathan has brought dozens of products to market, ran three ecommerce companies (sold one), and been a part of projects on Kickstarter raising over seven figures. Nathan also used to live in China and speaks Mandarin fluently. When he’s not in a factory or selling software, he can be found mountain biking, sailing, skiing, fishing, or hiking.
- Frankie J. Costa, Jr., is the CEO of Helios Service Partners, a private equity-backed group of HVAC and refrigeration businesses across the United States. Frankie is also a writer who has published articles on business topics and legal scholarship. He holds a JD from Yale Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His team of 500 (and growing) service technicians operate nationwide and continue to teach Frankie lessons he didn’t learn in business school. Connect with him on LinkedIn.