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Business Growth Spotlight
Welcome to Business Growth Spotlight, the podcast where we shine a light on innovative business leaders, cutting-edge strategies, and the latest trends shaping the world of business growth. Whether you're a corporate leader, entrepreneur, or online educator, this podcast delivers actionable insights and expert conversations to help you scale your business, increase revenue, and stay ahead in a competitive market.
Join host Heidi Schalk as we dive deep into the stories and strategies of industry leaders, uncovering the tools and tactics they use to drive success. From navigating corporate challenges to mastering online visibility, this podcast is your go-to resource for scaling your business and reaching your goals.
Tune in weekly for inspiring conversations, practical advice, and a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to thrive in today’s ever-evolving business landscape.
Episodes
129 episodes
Ep. 128 How The Grit Game Scaled to 30 Employees in Under 3 Years: Real Growth Strategies That Work
Show Notes:In this high-energy episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Laci Davis: entrepreneur, operations expert, and co-founder of The Grit Game, one of the fastest-scaling rep firms in the swim...
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Episode 128
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47:56
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Ep. 127 Avoiding Spam Jail: The Do’s and Don’ts of Cold Email Campaigns with Aurora Alvarado
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk talks with Aurora Alvarado, executive and operations leader at Senders, a fast-growing company that focuses on cold email deliverability, outbound strategy, and g...
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33:43
Ep. 126 Belief, Evidence & Entrepreneurship: Gloria’s Path to Creating a New Industry with Gloria DeGaetano
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk, sits down with Gloria DeGaetano founder of the Parent Coaching Institute (PCI) and pioneer of the parent-coaching movement.Gloria shares how she ...
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Episode 126
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39:32
Ep. 125 Why Language Learning Is the Next Big Competitive Edge for Growing Companies
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk, Co-Founder of HLH Growth Solutions, sits down with Stacy Richter, CEO of Live Lingua, a global online language school serving students in 80+ countries.&...
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Episode 125
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46:27
Ep. 124 From Simulation to Success: Why Gamified Learning Builds Better Leaders with Matthew Confer
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Matthew Confer, Head of Strategy at Abilitie, an experiential learning company transforming leadership development through simulation-...
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Episode 124
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21:24
Ep.123 Scaling Smart in EdTech: Inside Bibliu’s 8-Year Growth Journey
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk, Co-Founder of HLH Growth Solutions, sits down with Alex McPherson, VP of Digital Operations at BibliU, to explore how innovative leadership, technol...
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Episode 128
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25:42
Ep. 122 Human-to-Human Leadership: Building Trust in a Data-Driven World with Wayland Lum
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Wayland Lum, Founder and CEO of Copperbox Leadership Advisory, for a deep conversation on what it really means to lead with p...
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Episode 122
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53:13
Ep. 121 Selling Without Pressure: How Aslan’s “Other-Centered” Approach Transforms Sales Teams
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Jesse Rome, VP of Training and Solutions at Aslan Sales, to explore what it truly means to sell by serving, not by pushing. Together, they...
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Episode 121
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36:08
Ep. 120 Inside the Economic Recovery Center: Funding, AI, and Resilience for Small Businesses
Show Notes:In this insightful episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Chase Henderson, President of the Economic Recovery Center, to explore how small businesses can recover and thrive after natura...
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39:45
Ep. 119 Scrappy and Scaling: How Sturdy AI Turns Customer Conversations into Churn Prevention Gold
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Alex Atkins, VP of Growth and Operations at Sturdy, the world’s first business intelligence platform powered by customer conversations.Alex ...
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Episode 119
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43:07
Ep. 118 The Future of Cloud Infrastructure: Performance-Driven Growth with Harper
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Drew Chambers, EVP of Marketing at Harper, a next-generation cloud application platform built for speed, scalability, and devel...
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31:16
Ep. 117 Leading with Heart: How Compassionate Leaders Empower Others to Lead
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk welcomes Laurel Donnellan, founder and CEO of Compassionate Leaders Circle, a media and learning solutions company with a 26-year legacy in helping i...
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Episode 117
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26:26
Ep. 116 The Future of Software Development: AI, No-Code, and the Rise of “Vibe Coding”
Show Notes:In this episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk, Co-Founder of HLH Growth Solutions, sits down with Maksym (Max) Petruk, CEO and Co-Founder of WeSoftYou, a custom software development company with ...
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Episode 116
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30:36
Ep. 115 Faith, Fun & HR Tech: How Tammy and Santiago Castro Built a Purpose-Driven Business
Show Notes:In this heartfelt and fun episode of The Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with the dynamic husband-and-wife duo Tammy and Santiago Castro, co-founders of I AM HCM Consulting. Together, they share...
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Episode 115
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43:26
Ep. 114 Transforming Supply Chain Tech and Building a Venture-Backed Startup
Show Notes:Host Heidi Schalk welcomes Kathleen Chan, Founder and CEO of Calico, for an in-depth discussion on entrepreneurship, innovation, and resilience. Kathleen shares her journey from building successful DTC brands to tackling the c...
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Episode 114
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20:45
Ep.113 Reimagining Startup Investing: Inside Systematic Ventures’ Global Strategy with Max Wolff
Show Notes:In this episode, Heidi Schalk sits down with Max Wolf, Managing Partner at Systematic Ventures, to explore how his firm is transforming the venture capital landscape through data-driven strategies and global insight. Ma...
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Episode 113
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33:04
Ep. 112 The Power of Intelligent Data: How Ocean IO Helps Businesses Connect Smarter
Show Notes:In this episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Michael Heiberg, founder of Ocean IO, to explore how intelligent data and AI are reshaping the way businesses connect wit...
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Episode 112
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43:51
Ep. 111 Building Smarter: How Sunman Engineering Stays Ahead in a Rigid Market
Show Notes:In this episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Allen Nejah, founder of SunMan Engineering, to explore how his company is transforming the engineering landscape through innova...
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19:11
Ep. 110 Inside Qrvey: How All-in-One Analytics Platforms Empower SaaS Growth
Show Notes:In this episode, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Arman Eshraghi, Founding CEO of Qrvey, to explore how embedded analytics is transforming the SaaS landscape. Arman shares the story behind building Qrvey’s all-in-one analytics...
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26:19
Ep.109 The Human Side of AI: How Aecho AI Is Redefining Recruitment Through Voice Technology
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Adam Hocek, founder of Aecho AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of recruitment. Adam dives into the growin...
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Episode 109
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33:52
Ep. 108 How AI Agents Will Transform Business: Shashank Sripada on Gaia’s Vision
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Shashank Sripada, co-founder and COO of Gaia, a decentralized AI network transforming how businesses and communities connect.Shasha...
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Episode 108
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29:44
Ep. 107 Scaling Startups and the Rise of Go-to-Market Engineers with Evolve AI
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Megan Wells, VP of Marketing at Evolve AI, to explore the future of marketing leadership in an AI-driven world. Megan shares her perspecti...
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28:49
Ep. 106 How Civic is Shaping the Future of Authentication and AI Innovation
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Titus Capilnean, VP Go to Market at Civic Technologies, to explore how technology and especially artificial intelligence (AI), is tr...
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Episode 106
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34:14
Ep. 105 The Power of Direct Mail + Digital Integration for Business Growth
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk interviews Dennis Kelly, CEO of Postalytics, a leading platform that is revolutionizing direct mail automation. Dennis shares his journey in the startup ...
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34:31
Ep. 104 Linda Albright on AI Misconceptions, Business Growth, and Women in Leadership
Show Notes:In this episode of Business Growth Spotlight, host Heidi Schalk sits down with Linda Albright, founder of Albright AI, to explore how entrepreneurs can harness the power of artificial intelligence in business strategy...
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Episode 104
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19:16