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What if the secret to unlocking extraordinary business performance isn't found in complex strategies, but in your approach to leadership? That's the compelling premise James Robbins, mountain climber turned leadership expert, explores in this thought-provoking conversation.

Robbins takes us on a journey that begins in the Rocky Mountain foothills where he grew up and traces his unexpected path through ministry to business leadership consulting. Along the way, he reveals a fundamental truth many leaders miss: the skills that make someone excel as an individual contributor are rarely the same skills needed to lead others effectively.

"You can always hire a hand, but you can't hire a heart," Robbins explains, highlighting the critical distinction between compliance and commitment. True leadership happens when you trust people with meaningful work while providing both challenge and support. It's this delicate balance that creates cultures where people willingly contribute parts of themselves they've never given any previous employer.

The conversation tackles the leadership challenges facing today's multi-generational workforce, with Robbins offering a refreshing perspective on Gen Z workers. Rather than viewing them as difficult, he suggests their demand for authentic leadership actually raises standards for everyone. "The problem isn't with Gen Z, the problem is with leaders," he observes, suggesting that approaching younger generations as volunteers rather than subordinates can transform engagement.

Perhaps most powerfully, Robbins s

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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What if your greatest business opportunity isn't something new, but something you already possess? In this eye-opening conversation with business growth expert Ann Carden, we explore how entrepreneurs can transform their expertise into thriving, profitable businesses.

Cardens journey from teaching neighborhood craft classes at age eight to building and selling five successful companies offers a masterclass in business evolution. Rather than chasing the next shiny opportunity, she reveals how staying three steps ahead of market trends allowed her to pivot seamlessly from a global doll business to health clubs to high-ticket coaching—all while maintaining profitability.

For creative professionals who struggle with the business side of their operations, Carden offers refreshingly practical advice. "The creative side is where you can really expand and grow the business," she explains, "but you have to treat it like a business. Otherwise, what you love is not going to be fun." Her approach balances creative fulfillment with sound business strategy, ensuring entrepreneurs don't burn out on their passions.

Perhaps most valuable is Carden's concept of "growing money trees"—developing multiple revenue streams rather than relying on a single business model. This orchard approach provides stability even during market disruptions, as evidenced by how she weathered changes in both the craft and fitness industries.

Carden's "Expert in You" methodology helps entrepreneurs package their brilliance for premium pricing, often uncovering blind spots where they can't recognize their most valuable skil

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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Are you exhausted trying to keep up with endless social media demands while running your business? What if you could achieve better results with just four strategic posts?

Katie Brinkley, founder of Next Step Social, author, and podcast host, reveals a game-changing approach to social media that's perfect for photo retailers, lab owners, and camera stores who need an effective digital presence without sacrificing their core operations. Having built her agency from a single client to a team of eleven, Brinkley understands the struggle to maintain authentic social connections while managing a growing business.

"The last thing we need is more content," Brinkley explains, noting that more than 75 million pieces of content hit Instagram daily. Her four-post strategy works with platform algorithms rather than against them, generating significantly higher engagement while requiring less time and effort. This methodical approach - awareness, elaboration, community, and action - creates a natural journey that builds trust before asking for anything from potential customers.

Perhaps most surprising is Brinkley's advice about where to post. She reveals why personal profiles dramatically outperform business pages for organic reach, and why company leaders should become the social face of their business despite potential discomfort. For photo industry professionals who've built YouTube channels as content libraries, Brinkley offers specific guidance on integrating video content with social platforms for maximum impact.

The best part? This strategy delivers measurable results quick

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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What does true leadership look like in today's business landscape? Dr. Kevin Mays reveals it begins not with controlling others, but with mastering yourself. His journey from aerospace engineering student to leadership consultant offers profound insights on building organizations that thrive beyond their founders.

Dr. Mays challenges conventional wisdom about leadership, arguing that before you can effectively lead others, you must first understand your thought patterns and intentions. This self-awareness forms the foundation for creating environments where people feel empowered to bring their best selves to work.

Many business owners fall victim to "founder syndrome," where their tight grip on every aspect of operations prevents growth and stifles talented employees. As Dr. Mays explains, "Too many leaders focus on the next quarter at the expense of the human beings actually doing the work." The result? Disengagement, high turnover of top talent, and ultimately, a business that depends entirely on its owner.

For those looking toward retirement or succession planning, Dr. Mays offers practical advice: Document your processes, clarify roles and responsibilities, develop your team members, and most importantly - let go of control. "Your business should be working for you," he emphasizes, "not you working for your business."

The conversation explores how business owners can shift from being "in the weeds" to taking a strategic position at the "top of the mountain," guiding the organization's future direction while empowering others to handle day-to-day operations. This transiti

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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Celi Arias knows what it means to struggle as a creative entrepreneur. From sleeping on an air mattress on her factory floor to building and selling multi-seven-figure businesses, her journey has been anything but linear. Now, as the founder of Grown Ass Business, she's on a mission to help other creative entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses without burning out.

The truth about turning passion into profit isn't what most business coaches want you to hear. As Arias reveals, passion alone is a "finicky lover" that can't sustain you through the challenges of entrepreneurship. What truly matters is recognizing that business itself is an art form with its own set of rules—rules you need to understand before you can successfully break them.

At the heart of entrepreneurial burnout lies a fundamental problem: working without clear direction. When you're "just working to work" without a defined end goal, exhaustion inevitably follows. Whether your vision involves a specific revenue target, lifestyle freedom, or building a legacy brand, knowing what you're working toward transforms how you approach each day's challenges.

The most successful creative entrepreneurs resist "shiny object syndrome" by building proper business systems. They think in terms of departments and metrics even when working solo. They understand that delegation isn't just about offloading tasks—it's about creating a business that can eventually run without them constantly "pulling all the levers."

For t

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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Ever wondered if your "failing" memory cards might just need some TLC? Larry O'Connor, founder and CEO of OWC (Other World Computing), shatters common misconceptions about technology lifespan while revealing game-changing approaches to extending the life of your digital gear.

Since founding OWC in 1988, O'Connor has maintained a singular focus: "giving users more from the technology they have." What began as memory upgrades for Apple computers has evolved into comprehensive storage solutions, docks, and software tools designed to maximize performance and longevity.

O'Connor reveals why so many photographers and videographers prematurely discard perfectly good memory cards. Most perceived "failures" simply result from dirty caches rather than actual hardware deterioration. OWC's Energize software can sanitize these cards and restore factory-original performance in seconds, potentially saving creative professionals substantial money while reducing electronic waste.

O'Connor also explains Thunderbolt technology, explaining why its universal compatibility, maximum performance, and ability to handle both power and data through a single cable make it indispensable for creators who need reliable equipment. "If you are a mission creator, you want to be in a situation where you don't have to think about what you're connecting," he notes.

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Ever found yourself frantically scrolling through thousands of photos trying to find that one perfect shot you know exists somewhere? This frustration sparked the creation of MediaViz AI when founder Troy DeBraal's business partner slammed his phone down in a restaurant after failing to locate a crucial photo of his son. "Why can't you build something that can keep track of all my good photos and get rid of all this junk?" he demanded – and a revolutionary AI photo curation platform was born.

DeBraal shares how his background in document management and digital strategy uniquely prepared him to tackle the universal problem of photo overload. After spending years observing how people interact with technology across various industries, he recognized that helping people organize and find meaning in their expanding photo collections represented both a massive challenge and opportunity. MediaViz evolved into a sophisticated B2B platform that empowers businesses with Google-like capabilities through a simple API integration.

The conversation explores how MediaViz's "agentic AI" approach differs from traditional systems by acting intelligently on users' behalf rather than merely responding to commands. DeBraal explains how their technology creates personalized AI models that learn individual preferences in composition, subject matter, and aesthetics to provide truly customized curation. This approach has profound implications for several industries, including photo printing, where cart abandonment plagues photobook creation because consumers simply can't find

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One unexpected phone call changed Jerry Grossman's career path forever, moving him from advertising Charmin toilet paper to promoting Nikon cameras—a shift that would place him at ground zero of photography's most transformative era.

The International Photographic Council (IPC) will host its annual IPC Hall of Fame and Professional Photographer Achievement Awards Luncheon on May 14, 2025. The IPC Service Award honoree, Jerry Grossman is co-owner and Editor-in-Chief of Digital Imaging Reporter.

In this nostalgic yet insightful conversation, Grossman takes us through his remarkable journey from Nikon's communications manager to co-founder of Digital Imaging Reporter, sharing firsthand experiences of seismic industry shifts. Remember when digital images were dismissed as inferior to film? Or when increasing from 2 to 3 megapixels was revolutionary? Grossman was there, watching skepticism transform into acceptance as technology rapidly evolved.

The digital revolution brought extraordinary challenges. Camera companies simultaneously sold film cameras while developing digital alternatives, all while the internet emerged as a mysterious new frontier. Grossman recalls being suddenly appointed "Vice President of Internet Development" with the mandate to create Nikon's first website, when most people couldn't even define what a website was.

Perhaps most fascinating is Grossman's perspective on today's photography landscape. After smartphones decimated the point-and-shoot market, he'

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Hosted and produced by Gary Pageau
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