Insights

Nick Reich is the co-founder of Abundant Empowerment and the founder of CoLab - a peer-powered community for consultants and leaders. A first-gen college kid from Evansville, Indiana, Nick went from school social worker to building the fastest state championship basketball program in Indiana high school history, and then spent the next 15 years turning those lessons into a people first framework for building high performing teams. His book, Every Player is Bigger Than the Program, drops September 8th. This one covers a lot of ground. Topics covered in this episode: How Nick's blue collar upbringing as a first-gen kid in Evansville shaped his people first philosophy His first job in 1995: quality-testing an early online dating app - officially scrappy The hat, haircut, or tattoo framework for cutting analysis paralysis and making faster decisions How Nick built Indiana's fastest state championship basketball program starting from a school with no gym Why people first leadership is NOT soft - it means high expectations and high accountability How Abundant Empowerment came together when Nick merged River and Green with Andrea's decade-old vision What give first actually means and why Nick deliberately disconnects generosity from expecting anything back The book Every Player is Bigger Than the Program - what it's about, when it drops, and where to get it 0:00 - Welcome and fun fact: palm trees are actually grass 1:07 - Blue collar roots: first-gen college kid from Evansville 3:47 - First job: quality-testing a 1995 online dating app 8:31 - Hat, haircut, or tattoo - the decision framework that changes everything 11:25 - Quitting the team and what it taught about second chances 14:56 - Coaching teens vs. coaching executives - the correlation 18:54 - Indiana's fastest state championship, built from scratch 22:38 - Defining success when there's no scoreboard 26:38 - From River and Green to Abundant Empowerment 30:25 - Faking it till you make it - and still doing it 33:46 - Rapid fire: texts, audiobooks, and the networking escape plan 39:42 - Give first: disconnecting generosity from the ask 43:31 - Every Player is Bigger Than the Program Connect with Nick: https://www.abundantempowerment.com https://www.peoplefirstplaybook.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-reich05/ Connect with Jack: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-tompkins/ https://www.pineapplecf.com https://www.pineapplejacktompkins.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalnj5yLU0ZH9y_tVl1J4ng

Ryen Salo is the Client Experience Manager at CherryBecker, a 10-year CX veteran, Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) member and speaker, Finnish sauna enthusiast, and self-described "one and fun" mom living just outside Portland, Oregon. In this episode, Ryen takes us from selling candy and running a seven-dollar blackberry stand in Grants Pass, to driving a 50-mph Mug Root Beer VW Bug for Pepsi Cola, to dropping in and out of college for years before finally finishing her degree through an adult completion program - all while working full-time and being newly married. She breaks down what client experience actually requires (spoiler: it's curiosity), why you have to stop making it about yourself, and why she and Jack are both speaking at the AAM Summit in Palm Springs this May. In this episode: 00:00 - Intro and the bell pepper bump fun fact you will never forget 02:42 - Growing up scrappy in Grants Pass, Oregon and a mom who quietly ran the school 08:15 - Learning differently, the teachers who really saw her, and why grades don't tell the whole story 11:21 - Raising her son in a Title I school and celebrating neurodiversity in 2025 16:06 - The winding college road - Eugene to California to Portland, food stamps, and finally finishing 18:50 - Driving the Mug Bug - Pepsi Cola's 50-mph soda car and sampling at events 26:46 - Working at The Climb (while not outdoorsy at all) and winning the guac off two years running 28:50 - What client experience actually requires - curiosity, listening, and getting out of your own way 33:28 - The CX partnership philosophy - becoming an extension of the client's team 35:45 - The Jefferson Memorial and the five whys - how Jack and Ryen both think about root causes 37:20 - AIM (Association for Accounting Marketing) and what to expect at the Palm Springs summit 42:28 - Lightning round - airports, inbox philosophy, JBL earbuds, and the final scrappy vs. sophisticated verdict Connect with Ryen Salo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryen-salo/ AAM (Association for Accounting Marketing): https://accountingmarketing.org/ Listen on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zSMlS41U0FfttadYBYbri?si=f856281edcae4c53 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scrappy-but-successful-consultants-personalities-when/id1878384628 Connect with Jack Tompkins: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-tompkins/ Pineapple Consulting Firm: https://www.pineapplecf.com Speaking: https://www.pineapplejacktompkins.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalnj5yLU0ZH9y_tVl1J4ng

BigQuery Custom AI Analyst lets you query, chart, and summarize your data with free built-in AI agents - no extra tools needed. - What BigQuery's AI analyst can do - Live demo with customer return data - Sales impact analysis by state - Forecasting and executive summaries - Custom AI analyst option for your business See how we do this for clients: https://www.pineapplecf.com/ai-analyst-implementation Want a custom AI analyst and dashboard built for your data? Reach out at support@pineapplecf.com #BigQuery #AIAnalyst #GoogleCloud #DataAnalytics #BusinessIntelligence #AITools #Shorts

What do a $180 driveway shoveling gig, a fake million dollar bill at the Houston airport, and raising over $2 billion in capital all have in common? Brad Blazar. This week on Scrappy But Successful, Jack sits down with the founder of Capital Connections - a knighted speaker, bestselling author, podcast host, and genuinely one of the most interesting people to ever sit across from Jack. Brad breaks down his trademarked philosophy "Beliefology," the psychology behind raising capital without desperation, and some legendary scrappy moves that prove you don't always need a marketing budget - just a Starbucks tab and the right mindset. In this episode: (00:03) Intro - Snails, scrappiness, and meet Brad Blazar (01:55) Moving city to city as a kid and becoming a social chameleon (06:51) Paper routes, snow shoveling, and the $180 driveway hustle (10:17) Investing, philanthropy, and why distributions beat W-2 income (16:27) Beliefology - the trademarked philosophy and the story of Jack going from 480 lbs to Men's Fitness cover (20:19) Fear = False Evidence that Appears Real - and why comfort is your worst enemy (24:02) How to raise capital without sounding desperate - slow down, discovery first, pitch last (33:05) The $3 Starbucks strategy that unlocked Dallas's wealthiest doors (40:24) Lightning round - first class, Centurion Lounge, and metal business cards (43:43) The million dollar bill, AirTag luggage hacks, and surviving CrowdStrike Day in flip flops Learn more about Brad: https://www.bradblazar.com Connect with Jack: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-tompkins/ Company: https://www.pineapplecf.com Speaking: https://www.pineapplejacktompkins.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalnj5yLU0ZH9y_tVl1J4ng

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Steve Hopper spent years climbing the corporate ladder before a toxic work environment - and a nudge from his wife - pushed him to bet on himself. In 2004, he founded Inviscid Consulting, a supply chain and warehouse operations firm that has since worked with clients ranging from $80B corporations to PE-backed startups. What started as turning over rocks with a small network has grown into 21 years of steady upward trajectory, a thriving expert witness practice across 65-plus legal cases, and a side life as the drummer for the Falls Brothers Band. Steve breaks down exactly how to think about consulting ROI (a client once passed on a 200% return because of the wrong budget bucket), why the mid-market is where the real opportunity lives, and the difference between being accountable and being set up to fail. How a Ben Franklin pros/cons list convinced Steve to turn down a corporate offer and start his own firm in 2004 The "authority and accountability relationship" framework Steve teaches every client - and lived through himself Breaking down the market pyramid: why Steve ignores the top and bottom and focuses everything on the $200M-$2B middle Why Inviscid has been on 65-plus expert witness cases - and what it actually means to "advocate for the truth" on the stand The $31M jury verdict, 1,000+ documents, and why this work is nothing like the TV version How to calculate real consulting ROI - and the auto parts company that wouldn't act on a 6-month payback Lightning round: timewithsteve.com, 4-5 phone numbers (one for band bookings), 100+ unread emails, and Googling someone mid-meeting Chapters: 0:00 - Intro and Fun Fact: Ducks Have Regional Accents 1:44 - Growing Up in Charlotte and Atlanta 3:40 - The Entrepreneurial Bug and Cub Scout Sales 5:23 - Turning Down the Corporate Offer and Taking the Leap 7:57 - The Early Days of Inviscid: Turning Over Rocks 11:44 - Stability vs. Control: The Real Trade-off of Entrepreneurship 14:30 - Authority, Accountability, and Driving Your Own Destiny 19:13 - KPIs in Warehousing: From DC-Level to Individual Workers 21:08 - The Market Pyramid: Why Steve Focuses on the Mid-Market 27:03 - Consulting ROI: The Auto Parts Company That Passed on 200% 32:59 - The Expert Witness Practice: 65+ Cases, $31M Verdicts, Advocating for Truth 40:14 - Lightning Round: timewithsteve.com, Band Bookings, and Googling Mid-Meeting Guest: Steve Hopper - Founder, Inviscid Consulting Website: https://inviscidconsulting.com Host: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-tompkins/ Company: https://www.pineapplecf.com Speaking: https://www.pineapplejacktompkins.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalnj5yLU0ZH9y_tVl1J4ng

Are you tracking the right KPIs to know when it's time to slow down and scale smart? La Tonya Roberts breaks down the key metrics every business owner should watch - from average monthly sales to MRR - and why niching down your service offerings is the move. Scrappy but Successful podcast: https://www.pineapplecf.com/scrappy-but-successful 🎯 Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/-IA0Se8PFcE #BusinessGrowth #KPIs #MRR #NicheDown #ScaleYourBusiness #EntrepreneurTips #SmallBusinessOwner #YouTubeShorts

Most people think success = hitting your numbers. But what if that's only half the story? In this clip, we break down what actually drives sustainable success - the activities, behaviors, and team dynamics that lead to results before the scoreboard ever changes. Whether you're a business owner, team leader, or working with a coach, this is the mindset shift that changes everything. 🎙️ This is a clip from the Scrappy but Successful podcast - where we have real, unfiltered conversations about building and growing a business without overcomplicating it. 🎬 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/QH25E02kkCw?si=__Sbt0M_yqADYZcU 🎯 Topics covered: Why outcome-only thinking holds people back The role of daily activities in achieving your goals How accountability coaching changes the game Building a team culture around the right success metrics 📌 Subscribe for more conversations on business growth, coaching, and building a scrappy but successful mindset.