John Corcoran is a recovering attorney, an author, and a former White House writer and speechwriter to the Governor of California. Throughout his career, John has worked in Hollywood, the heart of Silicon Valley, and ran his boutique law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area, catering to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

Since 2012, John has been the host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast, where he has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, founders, authors, and entrepreneurs, including Peter Diamandis, Adam Grant, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Marie Forleo.

John is also the Co-founder of Rise25, a company that connects B2B businesses with their ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners. They help their clients generate ROI through their done-for-you podcast service.

Many professionals understand the value of building relationships to grow a business, but they often struggle with scalable methods that are both authentic and efficient. Podcasting appears attractive but feels overwhelming — time-consuming, technical, and often uncertain in its ROI. So, how can business owners harness podcasting to build meaningful connections and drive growth without getting lost in the details?

John Corcoran, a former White House writer and expert in lead generation, outlines how done-for-you podcasting provides a repeatable system for building strategic relationships. He emphasizes that the key lies in focusing on the conversations rather than obsessing over production. He highlights actionable strategies like creating a Top 100 guest blueprint, overcoming imposter syndrome by forming a podcaster identity, and leveraging each interview to foster genuine partnerships. John also underscores the importance of delegation and training your team to handle client communications effectively.

In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews John Corcoran, Co-founder of Rise25, about the power of podcasting to grow B2B businesses. John shares how podcasting accelerates relationship-building and strategies to overcome imposter syndrome, improve client communication, and incorporate AI for better customer service.

Arnulf Hsu is the CEO and Founder of GReminders, an AI-powered end-to-end meeting management platform tailored for financial advisors. With over two decades of experience in B2B enterprise software, he has held leadership roles including CEO, CTO, and board member, successfully guiding multiple startups from inception to acquisition. His previous ventures include SalesDirector.ai, Central Desktop, and Upgradebase, demonstrating a consistent track record of innovation and growth in the tech industry. An alumnus of the University of California, Irvine, where he studied electrical engineering, Arnulf is also an active advisor to early-stage technology companies.

Managing client meetings, follow-ups, and CRM entries can consume hundreds of hours for financial advisors each year, taking them away from higher-value tasks. Even with existing tools, the lack of deep system integration and automation leads to inefficient workflows and missed opportunities. So, how can advisors truly leverage AI to streamline operations without sacrificing accuracy or compliance?

Arnulf Hsu, a seasoned product and technology leader in B2B software, shares how narrowing AI’s focus to specific use cases and deeply integrating with industry-specific systems can unlock massive efficiencies. He outlines how advisors can automate the full meeting lifecycle — from client outreach and scheduling to transcriptions and CRM updates — by implementing AI tools that align closely with existing workflows. He emphasizes the importance of interoperability, targeted data contexts to reduce AI hallucinations, and robust feedback loops to ensure quality outputs. His approach centers on solving advisor pain points rather than deploying generic AI for its own sake.

In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Arnulf Hsu, CEO of GReminders, about AI-driven meeting automation for financial advisors. Arnulf discusses how his platform helps advisors recover up to 600 hours per year, the evolution from simple reminders to intelligent automation, and why compliance and data accuracy matter. He also explores agent-to-agent communication, CRM integration depth, and the future of personalized AI assistants.

Marla Sofer is the Founder and CEO of Knomee, a fintech platform that empowers individuals to align their financial decisions with their personal values and goals. With over two decades of experience in financial services — including leadership roles at JP Morgan, BlackRock, Microsoft, and Carta — she has consistently championed client-centric innovation in the industry. Motivated by the industry's shortcomings in truly understanding clients, Marla launched Knomee to redefine client discovery through behavioral science and self-reflection. Beyond her professional endeavors, she is a renowned speaker on financial services evolution and a passionate advocate for women's empowerment.

Financial advisors often believe they understand their clients well, yet many rely on shallow, one-size-fits-all planning strategies. The industry's product-driven incentives and limited client engagement usually prevent advisors from exploring what motivates their clients. How can financial professionals move beyond basic data points to foster deeper, more meaningful client relationships?

Marla Sofer, a seasoned financial services expert with over 20 years of experience across banking, asset management, and fintech, shares that most advisors lack the tools and frameworks to dig deeper into the values and goals of their clients. She emphasizes the importance of guided self-discovery and behavioral insight to replace outdated planning models. Marla explains how advisors can encourage clients to reflect on what brings them joy, articulate their goals in greater detail, and build trust by moving beyond conventional metrics like age or retirement numbers. These techniques differentiate an advisor’s practice, leading to stronger engagement and retention.

In this episode of The Customer Wins, Richard Walker interviews Marla Sofer, Founder and CEO of Knomee, about redefining financial planning through behavioral science. Marla discusses how self-reflection leads to smarter financial decisions, the challenges of legacy planning, advisor-client dynamics, and the need for scalable client segmentation. She also shares her entrepreneurial journey, leadership influences, and long-term vision for the industry.