Right About Now – Legendary Business Advice
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- 13. Nov. 2026
Über den Podcast
The #1 Marketing & Business Show on Apple Podcasts
Welcome to Right About Now, where real American business gets a megaphone—and the B.S. gets the boot.
Hosted by marketing disrupter Ryan Alford, entrepreneur, founder, and the guy brands call when they want attention, this show slices through the noise with uncensored insights, hard-earned wisdom, and straight-up truths from the frontlines of business.
Every week, you’ll get two punchy Guest episodes where Ryan talks with legendary business founders, trending authors, and industry titans about what it takes to build a business and some of the most cutting edge tools and services available.
Forget the LinkedIn fluff. This is for doers, builders, and dreamers who want results, not recycled soundbites.
Business the way it really works. Real people. Real wins. Real screw-ups.
No MBA required. Just guts, hustle, and a sense of humor.
Subscribe, listen, and get Right About Now.
Because business isn’t broken—it’s just been boring & stale. Until now.
Folgen 683
How Your Young Sales Reps Can Hit Six Figures by 21 | Mara Dorne
Mara Dorne built a sales team that has passed $1 billion in sales, and she did it by being honest about what she was selling. Ryan Alford sits down with the self-made health insurance sales leader, best-selling …
Shownotes
Mara Dorne built a sales team that has passed $1 billion in sales, and she did it by being honest about what she was selling. Ryan Alford sits down with the self-made health insurance sales leader, best-selling author and “Boss I’d Like to Follow” to break down the biggest misconception in sales. As Mara puts it, the best salespeople aren’t selling, they’re advising.
Mara shares what it was like to be underestimated as a young woman in an industry run by older men, and why “looks get you in the door, but brains keep you in the house.” She explains how showing up and dressing the part affects your energy, performance and close rate, even on Zoom. She also walks through how she now duplicates her system and culture across offices nationwide, with young agents earning six figures by 21.
Ryan and Mara also get real about work ethic in the next generation, from get-rich-quick culture to having every tool at their fingertips but no drive to use it. They finish with her book, Perfect Imperfections, and why your setbacks can become your comebacks.
**Topics Covered:**
* Why great salespeople advise instead of sell
* Honesty as a sales strategy
* First impressions and dressing for success
* Building culture with 1099 sales teams
* Scaling a sales system across multiple offices
* Work ethic and motivating the next generation
* How sales changed from door to door to online
* Turning insecurities into comebacks
⚡ **POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL**
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
👉 [https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford](https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford)
**Connect with Mara Dorne:**
* Website: [https://maradorne.com/](https://maradorne.com/)
* Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/maradorne](https://www.instagram.com/maradorne)
* LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maradorne/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/maradorne/)
* TikTok: [https://www.tiktok.com/@mara.dorne](https://www.tiktok.com/@mara.dorne)
**Connect with Ryan Alford:**
* Website: [https://www.ryanisright.com/](https://www.ryanisright.com/)
* Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/](https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/)
* LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/)
* YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford](https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford)
#Sales #SalesTips #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #InsuranceSales #WomenInBusiness #WorkEthic #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford
The Hidden Cost of AI, Marketing to Bots and Why Retention Wins with Brevo’s Channing Ferrer
Ryan Alford talks with Channing Ferrer, Chief Revenue Officer and CEO Americas at Brevo, who helped grow HubSpot from about $200 million to $1.5 billion in revenue. Channing makes the case that repeat customers …
Shownotes
Ryan Alford talks with Channing Ferrer, Chief Revenue Officer and CEO Americas at Brevo, who helped grow HubSpot from about $200 million to $1.5 billion in revenue. Channing makes the case that repeat customers are the lowest-cost revenue a business has. He explains how loyalty programs can turn everyday buyers into advocates who bring in new customers.
The conversation covers why personalization starts with clean, unified data, and the resourcing balance every leader now faces as AI costs climb. Channing also shares why strategy is really a list of things you say no to.
Channing closes with where marketing is headed: AI shopping agents buying on people’s behalf, conversational CRMs, and marketing engines you can hand a budget and a revenue goal. Humans still keep watch.
Topics Covered:
- Retention and loyalty as a growth strategy
- Turning customers into advocates
- Data as the foundation of personalization
- Balancing people and AI spend
- Strategy through saying no
- Marketing to AI shopping agents
- The future of AI-driven marketing
⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordConnect with Channing Ferrer & Brevo:
- Channing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/channing-ferrer-981437/
- Website: https://www.brevo.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brevo/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brevo/
- X: https://x.com/brevo_official
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brevo_official
Connect with Ryan Alford:
- Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
#Marketing #CustomerRetention #AIForBusiness #AIAgents #CRM #Leadership #MarTech #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford
Magnet, Not a Mandate: How Cisco's Bob Cicero Is Redesigning the Office for the AI Era
Companies are still fighting over the office: bring people back, stay remote or land somewhere in between. Ryan Alford sits down with Bob Cicero, a director of Future-Proofed Workplaces at Cisco, who says the …
Shownotes
Companies are still fighting over the office: bring people back, stay remote or land somewhere in between. Ryan Alford sits down with Bob Cicero, a director of Future-Proofed Workplaces at Cisco, who says the real question isn’t whether people come in. It’s whether the office is worth the trip. Bob explains why return-to-office mandates haven’t worked and why the space has to earn the commute.
Bob breaks down how Cisco flipped the traditional office from 70% desks and 30% collaboration space to the reverse. He also explains why technology should come second in office design instead of dead last, and how data on how people actually use a space shapes smarter design. Ryan shares his own 180 on remote work as a small business owner. He also offers an honest pushback: at the end of the day, it’s called a job.
They finish on where AI fits. As digital workers take over the routine tasks, Bob argues, the office becomes the place where humans come together for the creative, collaborative work machines can’t do.
Topics Covered:
* Why return-to-office mandates fail
* Building a hybrid model that works for your business
* The “me vs. we” approach to office layout
* Earning the commute: making the office worth the trip
* Technology-first design for hybrid meetings
* Engaged leadership and continuous change management
* How AI and digital workers will change what we do in person
* Using workplace data to cut costs and design better spaces
⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Connect with Bob Cicero & Cisco:
* Bob on Cisco Blogs: https://blogs.cisco.com/author/rcicero
* Cisco Future-Proofed Workplaces: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/about/why-cisco/future-proofed-workplaces/index.html
* Cisco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco
Connect with Ryan Alford:
* Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
#ReturnToOffice #HybridWork #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Cisco #AIForBusiness #WorkplaceStrategy #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford
Wake Up Ready: How Marine Veteran and CEO Kate Monroe Builds Grit and Bounces Back Faster
Kate Monroe has survived the Marine Corps, stage four cancer and the fight to win back a company that was taken from her, and she’s come out stronger every time. The CEO of VETCOM and author of Wake Up Ready …
Shownotes
Kate Monroe has survived the Marine Corps, stage four cancer and the fight to win back a company that was taken from her, and she’s come out stronger every time. The CEO of VETCOM and author of Wake Up Ready joins Ryan Alford to share how she shortens the distance between defeat and victory.
Kate shares the lesson that taught her to decide how far she carries a setback, why she believes doing hard things early builds lasting grit, and why she had to leave behind people who wanted to keep her small. She also talks about serving veterans and her community, and why getting out of “the disease of me” changes everything.
She also lays out practical habits from Wake Up Ready, including routines, putting everything on your calendar and the five-second rule.
Topics Covered:
- Resilience and bouncing back from adversity
- Building grit through hardship
- Self-talk, identity and reinventing yourself
- Service and serving veterans
- High-performance habits and routines
- Going from “me” to “we” to scale
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- Wake Up Ready: https://www.wakeupreadybook.com/
- VETCOM: https://vetcom.us/
- Kate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katemonroeceo/
- Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemonroeceo/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Agentic AI for Entrepreneurs: Build, Launch & Monetize From One Prompt with Ethan Ouyang of Atoms
Ryan Alford talks with Ethan Ouyang, head of US at Atoms by DeepWisdom, about agentic AI that doesn’t just assist but executes. Atoms uses a team of coordinated AI agents to research markets, design products …
Shownotes
Ryan Alford talks with Ethan Ouyang, head of US at Atoms by DeepWisdom, about agentic AI that doesn’t just assist but executes. Atoms uses a team of coordinated AI agents to research markets, design products, build full-stack apps, launch them and optimize them for revenue, all from a single prompt.
Ethan explains why execution is now close to instant, which leaves judgment and taste as an entrepreneur’s real edge. He also covers how Atoms handles databases, payments, Stripe integrations and deployment, how running on multiple AI models keeps costs down, and how non-technical founders can push through bugs.
Ryan and Ethan wrap up with real small-business examples and a clear message for anyone worried about AI: stop fearing it and start using it.
Topics Covered:
• What agentic AI is and how multi-agent systems work
• Going from rough idea to launched, revenue-ready product
• Why judgment and taste matter more than technical skill
• Atoms vs. prompt-to-app tools like Base44
• Cost efficiency through model-agnostic AI
• Real use cases for small businesses
• Overcoming the fear of AI replacing jobs
⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Connect with Ethan Ouyang & Atoms:
• Website: https://atoms.dev/
• X: https://x.com/atoms_dev
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/atoms-dev
• Discord: https://discord.gg/NMrp44aahe
• Foundation Agents: https://foundationagents.org/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
• Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
#AgenticAI #AIAgents #Entrepreneurship #NoCode #AIForBusiness #Startups #RightAboutNow #RyanAlfordThe Science of Scaling: How to 10X Your Business in 3 Years with Blake Erickson
Why do some businesses stay stuck for 10 years while others 10X in three? Blake Erickson, co-founder of Scaling.com and co-author of The Science of Scaling with Dr. Benjamin Hardy, joins Ryan Alford to explain …
Shownotes
Why do some businesses stay stuck for 10 years while others 10X in three? Blake Erickson, co-founder of Scaling.com and co-author of The Science of Scaling with Dr. Benjamin Hardy, joins Ryan Alford to explain the mindset and moves behind rapid growth.
Blake walks through his four steps to scale, from focusing on the future to building a team for the company you want to become. He explains why scaling is 80% psychology, why founders need to stop playing defense, and how big thinkers attract other big thinkers.
He also shares a real case study of a company that grew from $20 million to $200 million in 12 months, and how to get The Science of Scaling audiobook for free.
Topics Covered:
• Four practical steps to scale a business
• Focus and doing less, better
• Hiring for the future, not the present
• Scarcity, fear and the psychology of growth
• Playing offense in business
• A $20M to $200M case study
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Links & Resources:
• Scaling.com: https://scaling.com/
• Free audiobook: https://scaling.com/free
• The Science of Scaling (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Transformation-Science-Achieving-Impossible/dp/1401967639
• Blake on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblakeerickson/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
• Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
AI Security for Business: Human Risk, Data Hygiene and Safer AI Adoption with Fable Security’s Nicole Jiang
Where does your data go when you hand it to AI? Nicole Jiang, co-founder and CEO of Fable Security, joins Ryan Alford to break down the real security risks of AI adoption, and why most of them start with …
Shownotes
Where does your data go when you hand it to AI? Nicole Jiang, co-founder and CEO of Fable Security, joins Ryan Alford to break down the real security risks of AI adoption, and why most of them start with people, not technology.
Nicole explains how messy data and loose permissions can turn AI tools into a liability, how attackers use AI to make phishing and impersonation scams more convincing, and why Fable’s personalized, just-in-time coaching works better than annual training videos.
She also leaves listeners with easy habits to start today, from asking AI to sanitize sensitive information to regularly checking what’s being shared that shouldn’t be.
Topics Covered:
* The human side of cybersecurity
* AI adoption across different industries
* Data hygiene and AI integrations
* AI-powered phishing and social engineering
* Rethinking security training
* Practical AI security habits
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Links & Resources:
* Fable Security: https://fablesecurity.com/
* About Fable Security: https://fablesecurity.com/about/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
* Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
Why Your Ads Aren’t Converting: Landing Pages, Attribution and Paid Media ROI with Unbounce CEO Steve Oriola
Getting the click is the easy part. Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce, joins Ryan Alford to explain what happens after it, and why so many businesses waste ad budget by sending paid traffic to generic pages instead …
Shownotes
Getting the click is the easy part. Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce, joins Ryan Alford to explain what happens after it, and why so many businesses waste ad budget by sending paid traffic to generic pages instead of focused landing pages.
Steve explains how to think about customer acquisition cost all the way through to the sale, how attribution can tell you which traffic sources bring your best customers, and how Unbounce uses more than 2 billion conversion events to benchmark performance by industry. He also covers how AI is speeding up page creation and testing.
He also shares the lesson every leader is learning in the AI era: when building software gets cheap, focus becomes your biggest advantage.
Topics Covered:
• Post-click strategy and landing pages
• Acquisition cost, lifetime value and attribution
• Conversion benchmarks from 2 billion events
• AI in conversion rate optimization
• Staying focused when software is cheap to build
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
Links & Resources:
• Unbounce: https://unbounce.com/
• Conversion Benchmark Report: https://unbounce.com/conversion-benchmark-report/
• The State of Paid Media ROI 2026: https://unbounce.com/paid-media-roi-report/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
• Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
Tenacious: How Scott Scovill Beat His Fear of Failure and Built a Life Worth Writing About
Scott Scovill was a self-described broken kid. He finished near the bottom of his class and flunked out of college, until a chance encounter with U2’s touring crew showed him a life he wanted badly enough to …
Shownotes
Scott Scovill was a self-described broken kid. He finished near the bottom of his class and flunked out of college, until a chance encounter with U2’s touring crew showed him a life he wanted badly enough to fight for. He joins Ryan Alford to talk about his new book, Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams, and the promise he made himself that night.
Scott and Ryan unpack the real fear behind not trying, which is proving your doubters right, and why the fear of failure is usually worse than failing. Scott also shares how living like he was “writing a book” led him to astronaut training, Antarctica and touring Europe as Brad Paisley’s opening act.
He also explains why grit and resilience can be learned, and how being grateful for the struggle helped him find his why.
Topics Covered:
- Fear of failure and fear of judgment
- The moment that changed Scott’s life
- Taking the first step and staying tenacious
- Living your life like you’re writing a book
- Grit, resilience and finding your why
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- Tenacious (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637633874
- Scott Scovill: https://scottscovill.com/
- Scott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottscovill
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Agentic AI for Business Leaders: Trust, Guardrails and Rollout Lessons from Cisco’s Joe Vaccaro
Cisco put AI agents in the hands of all 90,000 of its employees, and Joe Vaccaro, an SVP at Cisco, is here to share what they learned. He joins Ryan Alford to break down how business leaders can roll out …
Shownotes
Cisco put AI agents in the hands of all 90,000 of its employees, and Joe Vaccaro, an SVP at Cisco, is here to share what they learned. He joins Ryan Alford to break down how business leaders can roll out agentic AI quickly while still keeping the trust and guardrails that critical systems need.
Joe explains why agents act like overconfident teenagers, why clear and specific direction beats vague prompts, and how giving AI the right context changes everything. He also covers the real cost of AI tokens, how model routing will bring that cost down, and when a company should train its own model on its own data.
His closing advice is simple: don’t hand AI off to someone else. Use it yourself, because that’s the only way to see where it can really transform your business.
Topics Covered:
- Lessons from Cisco’s company-wide AI agent rollout
- Why AI is moving faster than any past revolution
- Guardrails, trust and safety for AI agents
- Prompting with clarity and context
- AI costs, model routing and on-device models
- Turning your data into a competitive advantage
- Why leaders need to be hands-on with AI
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- Cisco: https://www.cisco.com/
- Joe Vaccaro (Cisco): https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/r/newsroom/en/us/executives/joe-vaccaro.html
- Joe on X: https://x.com/joevaccaro
- Project Glasswing: https://www.anthropic.com/glasswing
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Stop Being a Hobby Hustler: How Derrick Hayes Took Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks from a Gas Station to a Franchise
Derrick Hayes promised his father he would open a business. Years later, that promise became Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, a Philly-born, Atlanta-built brand now franchising across the Southeast. The founder and CEO …
Shownotes
Derrick Hayes promised his father he would open a business. Years later, that promise became Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, a Philly-born, Atlanta-built brand now franchising across the Southeast. The founder and CEO joins Ryan Alford to tell the story of going from selling Italian ice nobody understood to running a cheesesteak spot people fly into Atlanta just to try.
Derrick explains what fishing taught him about patience in business, why the winners keep going without proof, and why hustling without mastering your craft just makes you a “hobby hustler.” He also shares his biggest scaling lesson: be humble enough to build a team that challenges you.
He also talks about the impact of bringing a business into a community, hiring locally, and his Blue Apron program, which gives young employees a real career path.
Topics Covered:
- The Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks origin story
- Patience, belief and working without proof
- Hustling vs. mastering your craft
- Scaling and franchising a restaurant brand
- Building the right team and advisors
- Community impact and creating careers
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/
- Franchise info: https://www.bigdavescheesesteaks.com/franchise
- Big Dave’s on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigdavescheesesteaks/
- Derrick on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialdhayes/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Stop Trying to Fit In: How to Navigate Corporate Culture Without Losing Yourself with Arturo Nuñez
Arturo Nuñez has told stories for some of the biggest brands on earth, including Nike, Apple, the NBA and Pepsi. He joins Ryan Alford to explain what separates great marketing from expensive noise, and why a …
Shownotes
Arturo Nuñez has told stories for some of the biggest brands on earth, including Nike, Apple, the NBA and Pepsi. He joins Ryan Alford to explain what separates great marketing from expensive noise, and why a customer telling your story beats anything a brand can say.
Arturo shares rare stories about Kobe Bryant's savage competitiveness, Nike's open, inspirational culture versus Apple's need-to-know secrecy, and the "Bleed Blue" campaign people in India still remember 15 years later. He also predicts that AI could make apps obsolete within two years.
It all ties back to his new book, The Culture Compass: Navigate the Corporate World Without Losing Yourself. Arturo makes the case that your culture and your perspective are your edge at work, and that in a world where AI has all the answers, being uniquely human matters more than ever.
Topics Covered:
- Authentic storytelling and word-of-mouth marketing
- Nike vs. Apple culture from the inside
- Lessons from Kobe Bryant's obsession with the craft
- Apple's business model and the future of apps in an AI world
- Selling what customers actually want
- Culture as a business advantage
- Bringing your whole self to work without losing credibility
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- The Culture Compass (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Compass-Navigate-Corporate-Yourself/dp/1668032171
- Arturo Nuñez: https://www.arturo-speaks.com/
- Arturo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arturonunezspeaks/
- Arturo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arturo-nunez-79329177
Connect with Ryan Alford:
How to Build a Profitable Turo Rental Fleet with George Madden
What if the most profitable car in your driveway is the cheapest one? George Madden, co-founder of Car Rental Coach, joins Ryan Alford to explain how older economy cars under $12,000 can rent for the same price …
Shownotes
What if the most profitable car in your driveway is the cheapest one? George Madden, co-founder of Car Rental Coach, joins Ryan Alford to explain how older economy cars under $12,000 can rent for the same price as $30,000 cars. He shares how one $8,300 SUV brought in more than $15,000 in a year.
George gives the honest numbers: about $1,000 a month in revenue per car, not the $3,000 people claim online. He also covers the commercial insurance most new hosts get wrong, why you should start with fewer than five cars, and how busy professionals can co-host their fleet and simply collect the check.
Ryan also pulls out a lesson for any entrepreneur: document what you learn as you build, because your experience can become a business of its own.
Topics Covered:
- Starting and scaling a Turo car rental business
- Choosing cars with the best return on investment
- Real revenue and profit numbers per car
- Commercial rental insurance and avoiding denied claims
- Theft, trackers and keeping cars rented
- Depreciation and tax benefits
- Co-hosting for hands-off investors
- Turning expertise into a coaching business
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordLinks & Resources:
- Car Rental Coach: https://www.carrentalcoach.com/
- Car Rental Coach on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@carrentalcoach
- Car Rental Coach on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrentalcoach/
- George on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-madden-b824142a3/
Connect with Ryan Alford:
Generation AI: Why Coding, College Degrees and Slow CEOs Are on the Clock with Matt Britton
Is your job a "star" role or an "extra" role? Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy and author of Generation AI, tells Ryan Alford that AI will multiply the impact of creative problem solvers. Meanwhile, anyone …
Shownotes
Is your job a "star" role or an "extra" role? Matt Britton, founder and CEO of Suzy and author of Generation AI, tells Ryan Alford that AI will multiply the impact of creative problem solvers. Meanwhile, anyone who shows up waiting to be told what to do is at risk.
Matt explains why Gen Alpha, the first generation raised with AI, will bring the biggest change to business and culture since the internet. He covers why the knowledge economy is collapsing, why he'd put coding and advanced math on the chopping block, and how parents can build creativity into their kids early.
Matt also breaks down the three levels of AI, from prompts to automations to fully autonomous agents that can book your family vacation. He finishes with a warning for leaders: companies that don't reorganize for speed now will be the next Circuit City.
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan's link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordTopics Covered:
- Gen Alpha and the AI-native generation
- Why AI is replacing "extras" and 10x-ing "stars"
- The future of college, trade skills and the knowledge economy
- Should kids still learn coding and math?
- Why prompt engineering is already dead
- The 3 levels of AI: prompts, automations and agents
- Robotics, AI wearables and life after the smartphone
- Voice cloning, AI avatars and the "real human" backlash
- Speed, organizational design and why many CEOs won't change
Links & Resources:
- Generation AI by Matt Britton: https://www.amazon.com/Generation-AI-Alpha-Change-Everything/dp/139430885X/
- Matt Britton: https://www.mattbritton.com/
- Suzy: https://www.suzy.com/
- Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbbritton/
- Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbrittonnyc
Connect with Ryan Alford:
The End of Traditional SEO: Jason Kocina on Getting Found in the Age of AI
Marketing channels have changed dramatically since Jason Kocina began helping companies build websites in the 1990s, but he argues that the foundation of effective marketing remains the same. The Publicity.com …
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Marketing channels have changed dramatically since Jason Kocina began helping companies build websites in the 1990s, but he argues that the foundation of effective marketing remains the same. The Publicity.com partner and digital marketing president joins Ryan Alford to explain how businesses can protect their visibility as audiences move from traditional search engines to AI-generated answers.
Ryan and Jason explore the evolving relationship between earned media, SEO, content marketing, paid advertising, social media, and sales automation. Jason explains why companies need documented messaging, a clearly defined audience, and consistent brand language before an agency or AI platform can market them effectively.
They also discuss how skilled professionals use AI to work faster without sacrificing originality, strategy, or human judgment. This episode gives business owners a practical approach to choosing marketing channels, building authority, and remaining discoverable as search behavior continues to change.
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
HighLevel helps businesses manage leads, automate follow-up, book appointments, and use AI to keep opportunities moving. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
TOPICS COVERED
- Jason Kocina’s experience in digital marketing
- The similarities between the internet revolution and AI
- Declining organic search traffic
- Referral traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok
- AI visibility and the future of SEO
- Creating consistent company messaging
- Earned media and third-party credibility
- Public relations, paid media, and content marketing
- Selecting channels based on the target customer
- Marketing automation and sales follow-up
- Using AI to improve professional efficiency
- The marketing fundamentals that never change
CONNECT WITH JASON KOCINA
Publicity.com: https://www.publicity.com/
About Publicity.com: https://www.publicity.com/our-story/
Marketing Resources: https://www.publicity.com/publicity-resources/
The CEO’s Guide to Marketing: https://greenleafbookgroup.com/titles/the-ceos-guide-to-marketing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/media-relations-inc-/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
Turn Your Expertise Into Income: Mitch Matthews on Coaching, Speaking and the Authority Bridge
Many successful professionals are already coaching people for free without realizing their experience could become a meaningful source of income. Mitch Matthews joins Ryan Alford to share the Authority Bridge …
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Many successful professionals are already coaching people for free without realizing their experience could become a meaningful source of income. Mitch Matthews joins Ryan Alford to share the Authority Bridge, his framework for adding coaching, speaking, and consulting to an existing career without destroying the life you have already built.
They discuss why a small, well-defined audience can outperform a massive following, what most coach-training programs leave out, and how value-based promotion creates trust and consistent content. Mitch also explains why imposter syndrome can signal growth, how human connection keeps coaches valuable in the age of AI, and why the best coaches help clients uncover answers they already possess.
The conversation offers a practical way to define success, dream bigger, and turn your knowledge into greater income, impact, and freedom.
SPONSOR
HighLevel gives entrepreneurs one platform for lead management, marketing automation, appointment booking, and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
TOPICS COVERED
- The Authority Bridge business model
- Monetizing your professional knowledge and experience
- Starting a coaching business without leaving your career
- Building substantial income without a massive following
- Creating a clear audience, offer, and outcome
- The business education missing from coaching certifications
- Teaching from your journey instead of your destination
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and comparison
- Coaching, human connection, and artificial intelligence
- Asking questions that inspire action
- The Dream Think Do approach to personal growth
- Creating more income, impact, and career flexibility
CONNECT WITH MITCH MATTHEWS
Official Website: https://mitchmatthews.com/
Authority Bridge: https://mitchmatthews.com/authoritybridge/
DREAM THINK DO Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dream-think-do-motivation-encouragement-strategy/id958773768
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitch.matthews/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchmatthews/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
The AI Skills Gap: Why Entry-Level Jobs Are Disappearing with Ryan Lufkin
Artificial intelligence is transforming the workforce faster than schools and employers can update how they prepare people for it. Ryan Lufkin, Vice President of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, joins …
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Artificial intelligence is transforming the workforce faster than schools and employers can update how they prepare people for it. Ryan Lufkin, Vice President of Global Academic Strategy at Instructure, joins Ryan Alford to examine the widening gap between traditional education and the skills modern businesses actually need.
They discuss whether college degrees still hold value, why lifelong learning has become essential, and how certificates and microcredentials can help professionals remain competitive. Ryan also explains why communication, creativity, judgment, collaboration, and subject-matter expertise become more valuable as AI takes over routine work.
The conversation offers a practical look at AI literacy, employee training, the future of entry-level jobs, and what businesses must do to develop an adaptable workforce.
POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL
Save time, strengthen your follow-up, and manage more of your business from one AI-powered platform. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford
TOPICS COVERED
- The widening gap between education and employment
- AI’s effect on entry-level career opportunities
- Why workers feel unprepared for the modern workplace
- Degrees versus skills-based hiring
- Certificates, credentials, and continuing education
- The importance of AI literacy
- Why subject-matter expertise still matters
- Human skills that are difficult to automate
- The changing value of coding
- Employer responsibility for employee development
- The risks of failing to train existing employees
- Using AI to expand employee capabilities
- How Canvas supports modern education
- Preparing students for an AI-powered workforce
CONNECT WITH RYAN LUFKIN
Instructure: https://www.instructure.com/
Canvas: https://www.instructure.com/canvas
Educast 3000: https://www.instructure.com/resources/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/educast-3000/id1751576704
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2QTGC57NLu4id9FhV8GWZu
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
This One Platform Could Replace Your Entire Business Tech Stack | Robin Alex
Robin Alex, co-founder of GoHighLevel, joins Ryan Alford to explain how better systems can make businesses more productive, profitable, and prepared to scale. He shares how GoHighLevel brings CRM, marketing …
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Robin Alex, co-founder of GoHighLevel, joins Ryan Alford to explain how better systems can make businesses more productive, profitable, and prepared to scale. He shares how GoHighLevel brings CRM, marketing automation, lead management, customer communication, scheduling, and other essential tools into one platform.
Robin and Ryan examine the hidden costs of disconnected technology, manual follow-up, and inefficient workflows. They also discuss how business owners can use automation and AI to respond to leads faster, provide a stronger customer experience, and give their teams more time to focus on revenue-producing work.
This episode offers a practical look at how the right technology can simplify business operations without eliminating the human relationships that drive long-term growth.
BUILD A MORE EFFICIENT BUSINESS WITH GOHIGHLEVELReplace disconnected tools, automate time-consuming tasks, and manage your marketing, sales, and customer relationships from one platform.
EXPLORE GOHIGHLEVEL WITH RYAN:
Topics Covered
https://gohighlevel.com/ryanalford- How GoHighLevel simplifies business operations
- Replacing disconnected tools with one central platform
- Improving lead management and response times
- Automating repetitive marketing and sales tasks
- Creating more consistent customer communication
- Increasing team efficiency and productivity
- Using AI without losing the human element
- Building scalable systems for sustainable growth
Get started with GoHighLevel:
https://gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordRobin Alex on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinalexGoHighLevel:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/Ryan Alford:
https://www.ryanalford.com/Ryan on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/Building Wealth With Other People’s Money: Justin Brennan on Multifamily Real Estate
Real estate investor Justin Brennan grew up around construction and watched his father’s business collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. He joins Ryan Alford on Right About Now to explain how that …
Shownotes
Real estate investor Justin Brennan grew up around construction and watched his father’s business collapse during the 2008 financial crisis. He joins Ryan Alford on Right About Now to explain how that experience led him toward recurring-income assets, apartment investing, and a collaborative approach to raising capital.
Ryan and Justin discuss real estate syndication, cash flow, bonus depreciation, and the two forms of value an investor can bring to a deal: check equity or sweat equity. Justin explains how someone with limited capital can become valuable by finding, analyzing, structuring, and managing promising multifamily properties.
Beyond the financial strategies, they examine money as a tool for freedom, philanthropy, generational wealth, and greater control over your time. This conversation is educational and should not replace personalized financial, legal, or tax advice.
THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOHIGHLEVEL
GoHighLevel helps businesses and agencies manage leads, automate follow-up, book appointments, and keep customer conversations moving from one platform.
Explore GoHighLevel with Ryan Alford:
gohighlevel.com/ryanalfordTOPICS COVERED
- Justin Brennan’s third-generation real estate background
- Lessons from his family’s bankruptcy in 2008
- Purchasing his first rental with partner capital
- Building recurring income through multifamily real estate
- Moving from owning a job to owning investments
- Raising capital through real estate syndication
- Other people’s money and strategic partnerships
- Bringing sweat equity when you lack capital
- Finding, underwriting, and managing apartment deals
- Potential tax advantages of real estate ownership
- The limits of passive-income promises
- Philanthropy, freedom, and generational wealth
CONNECT WITH JUSTIN BRENNAN
Justin Brennan: https://www.justincbrennan.com/
Brennan Pohle Group: https://www.brennanpohle.com/
Multifamily Schooled: https://www.multifamilyschooled.com/
Free Multifamily Playbook: https://www.multifamilyschooled.com/free-guide
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjustinbrennan/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JustinBrennan
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinbrennan
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
Are You Marketing Jobs or Just Posting Them? The Critical Difference
The workforce shortage is not only a labor problem. According to Nicole Feenstra, it is also a storytelling and marketing problem created by companies that fail to make their opportunities meaningful.The DNA …
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The workforce shortage is not only a labor problem. According to Nicole Feenstra, it is also a storytelling and marketing problem created by companies that fail to make their opportunities meaningful.
The DNA Agency founder joins Ryan Alford on Right About Now to discuss employer branding, workforce development, skilled trades, artificial intelligence, employee retention, and the changing expectations of younger workers. They explain why employers should communicate purpose, career growth, impact, and culture instead of relying on generic job descriptions.
Nicole also shares how digital advertising, audience targeting, geofencing, customer journeys, and rapid campaign testing can help organizations reach the right candidates. This conversation gives business owners a practical framework for making their companies more attractive to the people they want to hire.
THIS EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOHIGHLEVEL
GoHighLevel helps businesses and agencies manage leads, automate follow-up, book appointments, and keep customer conversations moving from one platform.
Explore GoHighLevel with Ryan Alford:
https://www.gohighlevel.com/?fp_ref=ryanalfordTOPICS COVERED
- Employer branding and recruitment marketing
- Why job descriptions have become “word salad”
- Communicating the value of work
- Marketing jobs as opportunities
- The construction and skilled-trades shortage
- How AI could reshape the workforce
- Careers that still require human skills
- Attracting candidates through storytelling
- Employee retention, training, and advancement
- Purpose-driven work and younger generations
- Improving the online application funnel
- Geofencing workforce-development events
- Measuring recruitment campaigns
- Niche marketing and audience identification
- Testing messages before perfecting campaigns
CONNECT WITH NICOLE FEENSTRA
The DNA Agency: https://thednagency.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolefeenstra
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenicolefeenstra/
The DNA Agency on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-dna-agency
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
From Broke to Six Figures and Back: Jason Brown on Options Trading, Risk and Rebuilding Wealth
Jason Brown grew up sleeping in sleeping bags, entered the stock market with $500, and eventually transformed a $10,000 student loan into a six-figure trading account. After one emotional trade wiped out …
Shownotes
Jason Brown grew up sleeping in sleeping bags, entered the stock market with $500, and eventually transformed a $10,000 student loan into a six-figure trading account. After one emotional trade wiped out approximately $250,000, he was forced to move home and rebuild his finances and investment strategy from the beginning.
On Right About Now, The Brown Report founder and Five-Year Millionaire author joins Ryan Alford to explain how that failure reshaped his approach to risk, options trading, and wealth accumulation. Together, Ryan and Jason discuss financial advisors, stock charts, paper trading, financial literacy, and the importance of knowing when to exit a losing position.
Jason also outlines his Five-Year Millionaire framework while emphasizing the education, practice, and discipline required before risking real money. This episode is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.
TOPICS COVERED
- Jason Brown’s childhood and early interest in wealth
- Losing most of his first professionally managed investment
- Making his first $100 trading Sprint stock
- Growing a student loan into a six-figure account
- The trade that wiped out approximately $250,000
- Greed, ego, and emotional investing
- Risk management and predetermined exit points
- Stock charts, fundamentals, and market patterns
- Using options for leverage and portfolio protection
- Paper trading and practicing with realistic amounts
- Evaluating financial advisors and investment funds
- The Five-Year Millionaire wealth-building framework
- Teaching financial literacy at an earlier age
CONNECT WITH JASON BROWN
The Brown Report: https://thebrownreport.com/
Free Trading Resources: https://thebrownreport.com/account/
Five-Year Millionaire: https://fiveyearmillionaire.com/
Power Trades University: https://powertradesuniversity.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brownreport/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbrown1124/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
How Earned Media Gets Your Business Recommended by AI with Brett Farmiloe
Brett Farmiloe built Featured after seeing small-business owners with deep expertise but no reliable way to get quoted by the media. He joins Ryan Alford to discuss earned media, digital PR, AI search …
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Brett Farmiloe built Featured after seeing small-business owners with deep expertise but no reliable way to get quoted by the media. He joins Ryan Alford to discuss earned media, digital PR, AI search visibility, and the revival of Help a Reporter Out.
They explain how media citations may influence LLM recommendations, why AI is compressing the marketing funnel, and why a single high-profile feature rarely produces instant revenue. Brett also shares how Featured and HARO connect journalists with verified experts while giving publishers greater control over AI-generated responses.
The conversation offers a realistic strategy for building authority, earning backlinks, reaching customers, and becoming more visible across traditional search and AI platforms.
TOPICS COVERED
- Brett Farmiloe’s journey from agency owner to Featured founder
- The difference between paid media and earned media
- How businesses can earn credible media coverage
- AI search optimization, AEO, and GEO
- Getting cited and recommended by large language models
- How ChatGPT is changing the customer journey
- Why PR results are difficult to measure
- Consistency, quality, and quantity in media outreach
- The acquisition and relaunch of Help a Reporter Out
- Connecting journalists with verified expert sources
- Using AI without removing human expertise
- Free and paid ways to begin using Featured and HARO
CONNECT WITH BRETT FARMILOE
Featured: https://featured.com/
Help a Reporter Out: https://www.helpareporter.com/
Brett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettfarmiloe
Brett on X: https://x.com/BrettFarmiloe
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/right-about-now-legendary-business-advice/id1346054199
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gy9HkTiwpAAgu1DFyIW9h
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
How Mercedes-Benz, Marriott, and TIGER 21 Build Brand Loyalty | Lisa Holladay
Lisa Holladay has spent her career building loyalty for Mercedes-Benz, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and now TIGER 21. She joins Ryan Alford to explain how intentional customer experience turns transactions into …
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Lisa Holladay has spent her career building loyalty for Mercedes-Benz, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, and now TIGER 21. She joins Ryan Alford to explain how intentional customer experience turns transactions into lasting relationships and why product quality alone cannot create brand love.
Their conversation covers customer journey mapping, experiential marketing, surprise-and-delight moments, community building, and the challenge of creating meaningful value for ultra-high-net-worth members. Lisa also takes Ryan inside TIGER 21’s peer-learning model, where entrepreneurs and executives connect around investing, family, philanthropy, health, and life after a major business exit.
Lisa and Ryan discuss what changed when she moved from global corporations with massive sponsorship budgets to an entrepreneurial organization where ideas can be tested quickly and leaders are trusted to take risks.
TOPICS COVERED
- Lisa Holladay’s career at Mercedes-Benz and Marriott
- Building luxury customer experiences
- The relationship between brand love and customer loyalty
- Why a strong product is only one part of retention
- Designing an intentional customer journey
- Creating memorable experiential marketing
- Building communities instead of customer lists
- TIGER 21’s peer-to-peer learning model
- Serving entrepreneurs after a major liquidity event
- Connecting wealth, family, philanthropy, and purpose
- Maintaining engagement through digital and in-person experiences
- Creating an entrepreneurial culture inside a growing organization
CONNECT WITH LISA HOLLADAY
TIGER 21: https://tiger21.com/
Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaholladay01
Lisa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holladaytime/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/right-about-now-legendary-business-advice/id1346054199
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gy9HkTiwpAAgu1DFyIW9h
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
Why Is Your Best-Selling Product Losing You Money?
Yarin Gaon started his first company at 14, built and sold Israel’s largest military-goods e-commerce platform, and now helps founder-led businesses make smarter decisions about growth. On Right About Now, he …
Shownotes
Yarin Gaon started his first company at 14, built and sold Israel’s largest military-goods e-commerce platform, and now helps founder-led businesses make smarter decisions about growth. On Right About Now, he joins Ryan Alford to explain why so many companies stall after reaching $1 million to $5 million in revenue and how “growth by subtraction” can improve profitability.
Their conversation covers profit mapping, unprofitable bestsellers, ideal customer profiles, leadership alignment, and the hidden risks of building custom technology. Yarin also explains why entrepreneurs should establish predictable cash flow before raising outside capital and why keeping equity can matter more than chasing a bigger revenue number.
This episode offers a practical framework for business owners who want stronger margins, fewer distractions, and a company that actually pays them more.
TOPICS COVERED
- Starting a software business at 14
- Building and selling an Israeli e-commerce company
- Why custom-built technology can hurt a business exit
- The difference between revenue, profit, and EBITDA
- Why founder-led companies stall between $1 million and $5 million
- Growth by addition versus growth by subtraction
- Finding negative-margin products through profit mapping
- The plumbing company whose popular service lost hundreds of thousands
- Identifying the right customers, offers, and marketing channels
- Why hustle and operational systems are not substitutes for strategy
- Bootstrapping versus raising venture capital
- Preserving founder equity while building a profitable business
CONNECT WITH YARIN GAON
Fractional Partners: https://www.fractional.partners/
Growth Decisions Canvas: https://canvas.fractional.partners/
Growth Bottleneck Snapshot: https://snapshot.fractional.partners/
Free Profit Map: https://www.fractional.partners/free-tools/profit-map
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaringaon/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
The Self-Made Millionaire: Why Struggle Was His Greatest Advantage
Before founding Global Processing Systems, Moses Heredia worked crop fields with his immigrant mother, entered merchant services at $4.25 an hour, and survived a period when he could not afford basic utilities …
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Before founding Global Processing Systems, Moses Heredia worked crop fields with his immigrant mother, entered merchant services at $4.25 an hour, and survived a period when he could not afford basic utilities. One Spanish-language sales appointment showed him what commission could unlock; after becoming a top performer and rising through management, he walked away from an executive track to build his own company.
On Right About Now, Ryan Alford asks Moses what actually sustained that climb, from fierce competition and disciplined selling to honest relationships and customer-first leadership. They discuss starting from a pickup truck, taking the first financial hit as CEO, protecting employees during economic crises, and building a culture that keeps people for decades.
Moses also shares why faith, service, and helping others advance matter more to him than the number in his bank account.
TOPICS COVERED
- Moses Heredia’s immigrant family and agricultural upbringing
- Discipline, faith, competition, and the desire to win
- Entering the merchant-services industry
- Learning to sell on commission
- Identifying an underserved Spanish-speaking market
- Founding and scaling Global Processing Systems
- Human customer service in the payment-processing industry
- Servant leadership and the inverted-pyramid model
- Creating long-term employee loyalty
- Leading through recessions and the pandemic
- Honesty and accountability in business
- Redefining wealth, leadership, and success
CONNECT WITH MOSES HEREDIA
Official website: https://www.mosesheredia.com/
Fields to Fortune: https://www.mosesheredia.com/book
Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F84H46R8
Global Processing Systems: https://globalprocessingsystems.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosesheredia_/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/moses-heredia-17390098/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD AND RIGHT ABOUT NOW
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan Alford: https://www.ryanalford.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford
Build a Brand That Sells: Lessons From Blue Moon, White Claw, and mōcean
Tony Vieira spent 36 years in beverage science and operations, helping Blue Moon recover from near cancellation and supporting White Claw through one of the fastest growth periods in the alcohol business.Now …
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Tony Vieira spent 36 years in beverage science and operations, helping Blue Moon recover from near cancellation and supporting White Claw through one of the fastest growth periods in the alcohol business.
Now the former brewmaster and quality executive has left the corporate safety net to build mōcean drinkwerx with his son, Christian. Tony joins Ryan Alford to explain how product quality, consumer psychology, viral culture and production capacity turned two beverage brands into category leaders.
They examine the risks hidden inside explosive growth, including pre-sold inventory, three enormous breweries built during COVID and excess capacity after demand peaked. Ryan and Tony also discuss building a company with family, creating an energy drink for adults and why founders must challenge the ideas they are most tempted to protect.
TOPICS COVERED
- Tony Vieira’s 36-year beverage career
- Taking Blue Moon to number one in craft beer
- The product strategy behind Blue Moon’s drinkability
- White Claw’s rise and the creation of hard seltzer
- Consumer psychology and viral brand growth
- Scaling production during extreme demand
- The danger of overbuilding manufacturing capacity
- Separating pipeline fill from recurring sales
- Working with a family member and co-founder
- Developing an energy drink for adult consumers
- Challenging assumptions during product development
- Solving customer problems instead of protecting ideas
CONNECT WITH TONY VIEIRA
Mōcean: https://drinkmocean.energy/
Mōcean on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/MOCEAN-Mandarin-Caffeine-Adaptogens-Sucralose/dp/B0FSDHYS4N
Mōcean on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moceandrinkwerx/
Tony Vieira on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyvieira1/
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
Podcast Advertising Is About to Change Everything | Jeff Umbro
The podcast industry no longer looks like the creative, audio-first business it was a decade ago.Jeff Umbro, founder and CEO of The Podglomerate and host of Podcast Perspectives, joins Ryan Alford to examine …
Shownotes
The podcast industry no longer looks like the creative, audio-first business it was a decade ago.
Jeff Umbro, founder and CEO of The Podglomerate and host of Podcast Perspectives, joins Ryan Alford to examine the rise of video podcasting, media consolidation, programmatic advertising and the decline of high-cost narrative shows. Jeff explains how creators can separate audience acquisition from retention, establish clearer goals and determine how much production quality actually serves the business.
Drawing on his experience producing more than 700 episodes, Ryan opens up about overproduction, niche audiences and creating a show that generates relationships instead of chasing vanity metrics. Together, Ryan and Jeff offer a practical strategy for sustainable podcast growth: understand what the listener receives, diversify distribution and revenue, and avoid depending on one platform.
TOPICS COVERED
- The evolution of the podcast industry
- Podcasting’s growing identity crisis
- Audio podcasts versus video podcasts
- Audience acquisition and listener retention
- Podcast production costs and scope creep
- Direct sponsorships and programmatic advertising
- Media consolidation and platform dependence
- The decline of narrative podcasting
- Subscription, membership and live-event revenue
- Building a podcast that supports business objectives
CONNECT WITH JEFF UMBRO
The Podglomerate: https://podglomerate.com/
Work With The Podglomerate: https://podglomerate.com/connect/
Jeff Umbro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffumbro/
Podcast Perspectives: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives
Podcast Perspectives on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-perspectives/id1699652108
CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now: https://www.ryanisright.com/
Ryan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/
Building a $25M Business From the Attention Economy with Dan Novaes
Mode Mobile co-founder and CEO Dan Novaes joins Ryan Alford for a conversation about entrepreneurship, business pivots and turning smartphone activity into income. Dan shares how his instinct for finding …
Shownotes
Mode Mobile co-founder and CEO Dan Novaes joins Ryan Alford for a conversation about entrepreneurship, business pivots and turning smartphone activity into income. Dan shares how his instinct for finding overlooked opportunities took him from selling Pokémon cards as a kid to building a multimillion-dollar international electronics business before he finished college.
Ryan and Dan unpack the creation of Mode Mobile, its growth from less than $100,000 in revenue to more than $25 million by 2022, and the development of an operating system that rewards people for everyday mobile activity. Dan explains why consumer attention becomes significantly more valuable when paired with action and how that relationship creates measurable value for users, advertisers and technology partners.
The conversation also explores launching the EarnPhone, the challenges of entering the hardware business, the danger of pursuing growth at all costs and why Dan views the ability to pivot as his greatest entrepreneurial skill.
TOPICS COVERED
• Dan Novaes’ early entrepreneurial ventures
• Building a $2 million business during college
• The creation and growth of Mode Mobile
• How EarnPhone and EarnOS work
• Smartphone habits and the attention economy
• How brands value consumer attention and action
• Knowing when to pivot a business model
• Hardware, software and licensing partnerships
• Profitable growth versus growth at all costs
• Mode Mobile’s future and potential IPO plansCONNECT WITH DAN NOVAES
Mode Mobile:
https://www.modemobile.com/EarnPhone:
https://www.modephone.com/Mode Mobile Investment Information:
https://invest.modemobile.com/Dan Novaes on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnovaesMode Mobile on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/modemobile/CONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/Instagram and LinkedIn:
@ryanalfordYouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlfordHow One Book Generated $7M in Sales | Selfpublishing.com with Chandler Bolt
Chandler Bolt, founder and CEO of SelfPublishing.com, joins Ryan Alford for a tactical conversation about writing, publishing, and using a book to grow a business. Chandler shares the eight milestones his team …
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Chandler Bolt, founder and CEO of SelfPublishing.com, joins Ryan Alford for a tactical conversation about writing, publishing, and using a book to grow a business. Chandler shares the eight milestones his team uses to move authors from an idea to a finished launch and explains the four Ps behind a book that connects with the right reader.
Ryan pushes on the questions entrepreneurs actually care about: how much publishing costs, how long the process takes, whether self-publishing beats traditional publishing, and what kind of ROI a book can realistically create. Chandler explains how the right book can generate leads, strengthen sales conversations, increase referrals, train customers and teams, and continue producing value years after publication.
The conversation also challenges the obsession with bestseller lists and makes the case that for a business owner, revenue, authority and impact are far more important metrics of success.
TOPICS COVERED
• Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
• Chandler Bolt’s eight publishing milestones
• The MORE writing method
• The four Ps of positioning a book
• Publishing costs, time and ROI
• Using books to generate leads and close sales
• Books as authority and credibility assets
• Print books vs. ebooks
• Why business outcomes matter more than bestseller listsCONNECT WITH CHANDLER BOLT
SelfPublishing.com:
https://selfpublishing.com/Episode Offer / Consultation:
https://selfpublishing.com/writeaboutnowInstagram:
https://www.instagram.com/realchandlerbolt/LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandlerbolt/YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ChandlerBoltOfficialCONNECT WITH RYAN ALFORD
Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/Earn Attention, Don’t Steal It: Steve Pratt on Creative Bravery and Better Marketing
Steve Pratt joins Ryan Alford to explain why brands can no longer force people to pay attention. As the author of Earn It and co-founder of Pacific Content, Steve has spent decades studying what makes audiences …
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Steve Pratt joins Ryan Alford to explain why brands can no longer force people to pay attention. As the author of Earn It and co-founder of Pacific Content, Steve has spent decades studying what makes audiences willingly choose, remember and return to content.
The conversation explores why traditional advertising metrics often reward weak marketing, how short-term thinking undermines long-term growth and why valuable content should feel like a genuine gift to its audience. Steve shares his framework for creative bravery and explains how brands can connect their expertise to content people would consume even if the company name disappeared.
Ryan and Steve also discuss niche audiences, branded podcasts and the difference between paying for impressions and paying to generate an actual sample. This episode offers a practical strategy for marketers, founders and creators trying to stand out without becoming another interruption.
Topics Covered- Steve Pratt’s career in television, music and podcasting
- The creation of Pacific Content
- Why the traditional media and advertising model broke
- Earning attention in an unlimited-content economy
- Creative bravery and memorable marketing
- Connecting audience value to business outcomes
- Why sales-driven content destroys trust
- Marketing to prospects who are not ready to buy
- Super-serving an underserved audience
- Designing a distinctive content format
- Promoting content to smaller, qualified audiences
- Cost per sample versus traditional CPM
- Building an audience that chooses to return
Steve Pratt:
https://www.stevepratt.com/Earn It book page:
https://www.stevepratt.com/bookBuy Earn It on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Earn-Unconventional-Strategies-Brave-Marketers/dp/177458476XSteve on LinkedIn:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/steveprattcaThe Creativity Business:
Connect With Ryan Alford
https://creativitybusiness.substack.com/Right About Now:
https://www.ryanisright.com/Ryan Alford:
https://www.ryanalford.com/Ryan on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/
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