What's Working With Cam Marston

I've long been suspcious that social media can do anything for me. For kids today, yes. For me, a middle aged guy? Hardly. Domenick D'Andrea and I met at a conference and he assured me that if I learn how and when to post and what subject matters people want to see, it will generate profitable business leads. I commit to try it, postng primarily to LinkedIn, to see what will happen. And Domenick says it can't exclusively be business stuff, it has to be personal, too, like me zipping my suitcase and leaving the hotel room with a very short commentary. Seems crazy. Domenick is convinced. I commit to giving it a try.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realy Persons Services Corps Find my book, What Works, highlighting the best ideas of the first 200 episodes on Amazon.

Dr Matt Barber loves his work as a orthopedic surgeon. It's a combination of of skills that hits his sweet spot, including the advances in technology which peak his intersts. In the studio with me, Dr Barber has a sample of a knee made from a 3D printer of a patient's scan including the slight imperfections caused by the patient's age and wear and tear. Dr Barber and I discuss how technology continues to shape the profession, how people like him stay sharp and how you and I can talk to an orthopedist to determine if they're on top of their game or not. It's a thought provoking conversation that I loved.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Buddy Persons - Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Find my book What Works at Amazon.com.

Cigar Aficionado magazine loves EP Carrillo cigars. And they should. The cigars are fantastic. The patriarch of the company is Ernesto Perez-Carrillo. He's third generation in the business after his (thankfully) failed attempt to become a jazz drummer in New York City as a much younger man. Today he leads the company as they develop new product, supervise the growth of a variety of tobaccos in Central America, train rollers, and market across the world. His son and daughter - both brilliant - are also in the business and he's grooming them to lead. This year they're on track to make four million cigars. We talk family business, hurricanes, the youth market, and much more. And you'll hear me geek out a bit because Mr Carrillo is a bit of a celebrity to me - so dang cool to get to talk to him. Check out What Works - my book highlighting the top ten business lessons I learned from the first 200 episodes of the show.  Show Sponsors: Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite and Pest Control Roy Lewis Constru

Customer service still matters, though we don't hear about it today like we used to. We know customers are increasingly disappointed in the service they receive. They have no problems blowing up social media when they get treated poorly. But customer service training and eduction is woefully lacking. And cheap, online customer service training...stinks. Pam Denham has trained customer service for years. She and I talk about what's missing today and she offers some simple tips for taking service skills into your company.  Find my book, What Works, online. Show Sponsors: Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty E3 Termite and Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent

Scot Hunsaker was on the show last year talking about how to prepare employees to take over once the CEO decided to leave. He has a recipe for the process which we discussed in a very engaging conversation. Scot and his wife then boarded his boat and began a slow ride up the east coast, around Nova Scotia, and down the St Lawrence river. His boat is now in storage near Chicago. He and his wife then flew to New Zealand and then Australia for a six week trip. From Australia, Scott called. "Cam," he said, "there's something I need to tell your listeners that I'm learning from this trip. They need to not wait too long before starting their retirement. I'm seeing too many people who are too old and frail to enjoy it the way they dreamed." Well worth a listen. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty What Works is my book written about the bes

Bonus Episode: On 3/21/23, about 8:35am, I suffered a stroke in the right side of my brain. The quick actions of those around me plus the Stroke Code team at USA Hospital in Mobile saved me. This podcast is the recording of the radio broadcast with FMTalk 106.5 Midday Mobile show host (and friend) Sean Sullivan as I recount the story.  Take a listen - some things to learn here that my save you or someone else some day. 

Angelo DePaola keeps up with the second home market via his real estate company in Orange Beach, Alabama. Interest rates have changed but there is still a big demand. Home owners are turning over, too. The Boomers who bought vacation homes to bring the kids while they grew up are getting weary of taking care of those homes since the kids and grandkids are visiting less and less. Angelo is a savvy business man who has been very proactive in spreading his name and serving his clients. He's not the cheapest realtor in Orange Beach but his clients seldom go anywhere else once they've used his services.  Show Sponsors: E3 Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Persons Services Corp The Coastal Connection Realty

The sophistication of check fraud is something I knew nothing about until chatting with my old friend Rusty Pickering and then, only days later, hearing from two colleagues who had it happen to them. Rusty is President and COO of payment processing company Ingo Money in Alpharetta, Georgia. He and I chat about how check fraud happens, who's at risk, who is at fault, and how to avoid having to constantly replace your credit card or debit card. Special bonus podcast version - an off-script chat with Rusty. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp

Richard Jolly believes that the only true differentiator between competitive businesses in the future will be their culture. Every other competitive advantage can be copied. And what is culture? It's the way things get done. It's the "smell of the place." And so much more. We talk "hurry sickness", "reciprocity", manager's new roles, why culture has become so important post-pandemic, etc. This one's jam packed with content. Show Sponsers: Persons Service Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Roy Lewis Construction Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty

Live Oak Bank is a completely virtual bank. Megan Owens serves as one of the bank's M&A experts and her expertise allows her to serve the bank anywhere in the nation where M&A expertise is needed. Need banking expertise for your veteranarian clinic, for example? Your Live Oak expert may as likely be local as from anywhere in the US but they will have deep, deep expertise in the veteranarian business. And that's one example from the 30+ verticles where Live Oak aims to expertly serve clients. It's a brilliant model.  Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corp Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Ben Strout thought "there has to be a better way." As a home remodeling contractor, the frantic rush between roof removal and building the new one often leads to hurried work and - worse - rain ruining the house interior. He's designed a patent-pending system that allows the new roof to go up first, then frame the interior of the addition, and the final step it to remove the old roof and add stairs from underneath. It's a game changer. (This episode is a monthly collaboration with Business Alabama Magazine.) Show Sponsors: Roy Lewis Construction Persons Services Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Be Visionary is Marty Strong's new book. In his consulting he found challenges with CEOs who worked to optimize their organizations but did it at the cost of being strategic. Marty says our society's drive towards short term goals often cause busiensses to suffer long term since little effort is put into building a vision and a strategy to achieve it. Marty is a great interview and his background as a Navy SEAL plays into our conversation.  Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Roy Lewis Construction Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty

Patrick Werrlein said his company could not have won this award six years ago. The company culture needed a big overhaul. He's president and owner of a Swagelok sales and service center in Birmingham, Alabama. Once he got the right team together and became clear about "who we are and what we do," he went to work on the culture. The strategy? Simple, says Patrick - empathy, care, concern, spontaneity and some fun. Patrick offers a list of tactics that any business leader can apply. Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Service Corp Roy Lewis Construction

Mel Washington is Regional Director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of South Alabama. He coaches and consults and guides small businesses as they work to become stable, viable businesses. He and I discuss what it takes to get started and where many errors are made by small business owners. If you're thinking of becoming and entrepreneur, this episode offers simple recipees that will mitigate your failure risk. If you're trying to grow to the next level, this episode offers thoughts for how to target the next level and how to pursue it. Show Sponsors: Persons Services Corp E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Roy Lewis Construction Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors

Buddy Persons has never seen as much property damage from a hurricane than what he saw in south Florida after Hurrican Ian. He was there representing the disaster recovery division of Persons Services Corp, of the several divisions of his company. Buddy's background includes such work in Haiti, Albania and Hondurus to name but a few. The company began years ago with his father's plumbing business and Buddy has grown it tremendously. Hear his remarkable story and meet this humble entrepreneur. Show Sponsors: Allison Horner - State Farm Agent E3 Termite & Pest Control Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction  

It's a fun experience being on the other side of the mic early Saturday morning for Tony Truitt's News Radio show out of Birmingham. It was a quick chat in which he asked me to tell a bit of the story of my show. 

All the talk of recession pushed me to reach out to friend of the show Peter Ricchiuti to get his take on things. Always a very entertaining guest, Peter gives us a sense of what to focus on, what "tea leaves" he's reading, and perhaps most importantly, he tells us what the businesses he and his students study do when recession looms on the horizon. The businesses are a part of Burkenroad Reports which has brought him and his classes wonderful acclaim over the years. Want predictions for the economy in the new year? Start here.  Show Sponsors: E3 Termite and Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction

Lauren Weber left LA for LA (lower Alabama). She had a hunch this stretch of the Gulf Coast was home to some great stories that needed to be told. After renting a car in Pensacola, she eventually made her way to Fairhope looked around, and parked the car. Fairhope would become her new home. She relocated her production company, Tremont Road, to town, started meeting people, and eventually made a concept pitch based on what she saw to a well known streaming service. They bought it immediately. Today Lauren is finalizing the show, filming in Fairhope and shuttling to the other LA to work on editing. It's "scripted reality TV" featuring women of various ages in various stages of relationships to begin streaming in the fall. Show Sponsors: E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Bud-Busch Distribution Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Persons Services Corps Roy Lewis Construction

Troy knew nothing of coffee when he heard a call from the Lord, obeyed, and now serves the homeless in Birmingham through his Modern House Coffee Shop (www.CoffeeAndCommunity.com). He employs them at the coffee shop and the profits go to support the homeless in the area. Troy is another example of someone who was guided by a higher power and is finding success much easier now that he's doing was he was told to do. His growth plans include roasting his own coffee in the very near future. Troy is motived, is motivational, and is a great story for the final What's Working episode of 2022. Show Sponsors: The Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor E3 Termite & Pest Control Persons Services Corps Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty Persons Services Corps Bud-Busch Distribution Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors United Bank Roy Lewis Construction Get The Tea

Jim Cox is a regular visitor to the show this time of year, bringing wine for us to tase (not drink, it's a subtle but real difference) and discuss. He and his wife own Southern Napa Wine Store in Daphne, Alabama. Jim and I discuss the new popular wines that have emerged over the year (sauvignon blanc) and the soaring prices of Napa cabernets as well as some new "mocktail" mixes that are actually verty tasty - good news for the designated drivers and teetotalers. Jim is always a fun and loquacious guest. This is another of my favorite guests that come back each December. Cheers! Show Sponsors: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE) - Presenting Sponsor Get The Tea E3 Termite & Pest Control Allison Horner - State Farm Agent Trey Langus - Transworld Business Advisors Angelo DePaola - The Coastal Connection Realty United Bank Burr Forman Attorneys Persons Services Corp Roy Lewis Construction Bud-Busch Distribution