We recently caught up with Nancy Duarte, CEO of the design firm Duarte, and author of the great book Slide:ology. Nancy was incredibly gracious to actually do two interviews with us, since the first interview we recorded had some technical issues on our side. Nancy told us about her experiences getting off the ground as a family business, how those early experiences and opportunities led Duarte to become the premier design firm for presentations. Nancy related how Duarte came to create the visuals for the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Nancy also ruminated on the tools, tips and techniques of world class presenters.

[ Running Time: 45:34 | Download File (Right-click, choose "Save as...") ]

Join us for a lively interview with Paul Farris and Phillip Pfeifer co-authors of Marketing Metrics: 50+ Metrics Every Executive Should Master.  We talked with Paul and Phil about their first exposure to marketing metrics.  How small businesses and startups can gain access to and use valuable metrics.  The authors shep light on how to get products through traditional supply chains and working with channell partners.  Paul and Phil elucidate on the relative costs and values of retaining customers versus gaining new customers.  The limits and benefits of customer segmentation to help with marketing demands are discussed.  How to price dynamically with discounts versus additional fees is expounded upon.  

Paul Farris and Phillip Pfeifer both teach marketing at the Darden School of Management at the Univerisity of Virginia. 

[ Running Time: 59:18 | Download File (Right-click, choose "Save as...") ]

Phot Credit: Thomas Hawk

Recently we caught up with famed speaker, blogger, twitterati member, venture capitalist, author and entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki.  Guy discusses the arc of his career, and how he went from the jewelry industry to evangelizing the first Macintosh, to his most recent venture Alltop.  We also get a sneak peak at how much he really uses his iPod, what his daily schedule entails (yes it includes a lot of time on twitter), and some of the craziest business ideas he’s heard.   

Guy Kawasaki is the author of 9 books including The Art of the Start, and most recently Reality Check.  You can check out his blog, How to Change the World here.  You can follow him on twitter at all hours by clicking follow here (as a bonus he’ll follow you back, and he’s great at returning Direct Messages if you want to ask him something).   You can also stop by his website Alltop, where you can follow all the best bloggers on just about any topic (including egos).  If you want to pitch something to him for VC funding, you’ll want to go through his Garage Technology Ventures, but make sure you stick to the 10-20-30 rule when presenting to him.

[ Running Time: 49:14 | Download File (Right-click, choose "Save as...") ]

Marketing expert Lisa Johnson joins us to discuss her latest project, The Free Agent Formula, and how entrepreneurs are evolving in our modern connected lifestyle. Lisa also recounts her own career path, starting with aquatic exercise equipment which led indirectly to her first book, Don’t Think Pink.

Lisa tells her story of writing her second book, Mind Your X’s and Y’s, as a way to prime her own knowledge about the latest phenomena in the connected generations. Lisa discusses her symbiotic relationship with her younger business partner Cassie Pruett, and helps to shed light on the need for people to connect across generational lines.

[ Running Time: 44:23 | Download File (Right-click, choose "Save as...") ]

Photo Credit: MA1974

Welcome to our interview with the popular blogger and author Seth Godin. Seth’s the author of the popular blog Seth’s Blog, which recently celebrated his 3000th post. Seth’s bibliography also includes several great business books including All Marketers Are Liars, The Purple Cow, The Dip, Small is the New Big, Meatball Sundae, and most recently Tribes.

Seth discusses the twists and turns of his career, from starting at Spinnaker Software right out of Tufts University through his founding of Yoyodyne, its acquisition of Yahoo, and ultimately his founding of Squidoo. Along the way Seth shares some great anecdotes, his thoughts on communities and leadership, and ultimately some hot tracks on his iPod.

[ Running Time: 35:04 | Download File (Right-click, choose "Save as...") ]