“Creative nerdery is my personal brand.” – Mike Montague Imagine for a moment you’re an HR rep reviewing resumes. Along comes a successful web designer turned DJ who later became an acclaimed sales expert, podcast host, and author, who later became an improv comedian—all while being a smash at each thing. Where would you put this person in your organization? If you’re completely stumped, join the club. No one has ever known exactly where to put Mike. That never stopped him. Like many entrepreneurs, Mike’s resume is long and varied. But what makes him unique is that, whether inside a massive organization like Sandler or within his own company, his “creative nerdery”—best defined as playful intelligence—shines through. Every job becomes uniquely his own, whether it was asked for or not. And that’s made all the difference. If stories of challenging the status quo & imparting your personal brand on your work make you happy, this is the episode for you.

Famed author Dodinsky said, “Be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.” It sums Mike up perfectly. It’s also great advice for each of us.

Find him on LinkedIn or at PlayfulHumans .

“I’m just generally curious about a lot of things.” – Hollis Carter Entrepreneurs, inquisitive & risk-tolerant by nature, tend to have diverse backgrounds. Hollis’ is almost dizzying. This master of the side hustle has started more companies than you can count, beginning in early childhood. But it’s the SAAS company he built into a 7-figure virtual business in less than a year & becoming a (very young) founding investor in one of the nation’s most unique ski resorts that grabs your attention. Then, of course, there’s his membership-based community for entrepreneurs (with arguably the funniest name you’ve ever heard) that makes you wonder. Is he just skipping randomly from one thing to the next? Hardly. Coursing through the heart of every one of Hollis’ companies is community, & his knack for building it in the most natural & mutually beneficial ways will leave you wondering why it’s ever been tried any other way. To learn more: Find him at BabyBathwater.com or @HollisC on Instagram. Hollis’ endeavors are proof of Akio Morita’s assertion: “Curiosity is the key to creativity.”

“I’m a relationship person at my core.” – Todd Hirschfeld Growing up, Todd had a seat at some impressive dinner tables, a perk of being the son of a celebrity attorney. Athletes, movie stars, and even the legendary Muhammad Ali graced his family’s dinner table on many occasions. For most people, kids especially, that kind of limelight would be blinding. For Todd, it illuminated a vital lesson: Connections and genuine personal relationships, over everything else, open doors & bring life to new opportunities. It’s a lesson he’s carried with him ever since. Whether trying to break into NASCAR as a driver, becoming a team liaison, or now marketing and directing over-the-top experiences for sporting and special event guests, Todd has prioritized people and relationships to conceptualize new businesses and overdeliver on expectations. The result? He’s created one of the most unique, successful, and diversified companies his customers adore, and he’s not done yet. To learn more, find him at HMSworldwide.com or LinkedIn. Looking at Todd, it’s easy to see that Alan Cohen was right. “Success in business depends more on relationships than spreadsheets.”

"Business… that's just a vehicle to make community impact." -Chris Moxley Those of us lucky enough to call Charlotte, NC, home often joke about how rare it is to meet a native Charlottean (so many of us moved here for new opportunities). But Chris is one of those unicorns, born and raised in Charlotte, and his love for his city and its people has inspired one of its most unique brands. Chris and his former UNC roommates co-founded a lifestyle brand that merges hometown pride and premium apparel. But it's what 704 Shop does outside its South End storefront that makes it so unique: radical community building that promotes upward mobility and connecting community members who love the city as much as they do. Chris' entrepreneurial journey is rooted in a pay-it-forward philosophy, a lesson he imbibed while growing up in some of Charlotte's most challenging neighborhoods. His belief is simple yet powerful: Every hurdle can be surmounted when good-hearted individuals invest in one another. To learn more: Find him at 704shop.com & connect on LinkedIn. When President John F. Kennedy said, "One person can make a difference, & everyone should try," Chris must have been listening.

“I get a real sense of purpose out of providing for others.” – Marc Hutto Expensive, frustrating, and typical—these are the words most employers and job seekers use to describe their experiences with recruiters. Sure, the position is eventually filled, but it costs a fortune, and there’s no guarantee the new employee will stick around. That’s why Marc turned traditional recruiting on its ear. Forget aggressive recruiters desperate to earn their placement fees. Forget overinflated profiles of unemployed job seekers desperate to find “anyplace” to land. Forget it all. It doesn’t work. Uncovering people’s purpose, values, and individual “career drivers” and then introducing them to the employers who share them does. Marc has made it his life’s mission to help businesses & employees find their perfect long-term match & do it in the most cost-effective way possible. Talk about a noble purpose. To learn more: Find him at RevealGlobal.com & connect on LinkedIn. Tom Rath said, “Make work a purpose, not just a place.” In such a typically cut-throat industry, seeing someone take that idea to heart is refreshing.

“I want someone when they look at what I’m doing, to say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’” – Chris J. Loucy For many years, Chris’ entrepreneurial journey was the stuff of dreams. Following a successful stint in sales, he rolled the dice on his own flooring company & won…big time. He blew his competition out of the water & experienced almost unreal growth. Until one day, when the dream became a nightmare. An unfair lawsuit filed against his company eventually became too big to fight. Chris was forced to close his doors. Which is where the story would end if he was a “typical” entrepreneur. Of course, he’s anything but! Today, you’ll find Chris helping small business owners mitigate their financial risk in their own companies by establishing business credit & the company’s financial foundation. His mission? To prevent others from experiencing the kind of heartache & ruin he personally experienced. Service & purpose. Well done, indeed. To learn more: Check out how Chris is impacting others at JGalt.io Serving others instead of wallowing in self-pity... It’s like Rick Warren said, “Don’t waste your pain; use it to help others.”

"We think that we are providing benefits to somebody and incentives. Actually, we're creating little fires and warring factions." - Kevin D. Monaghan Most organizations incentivize key employees with creative pay & perks like equity splits. Better pay + better benefits = obviously happy employees who stick around, work hard, & grow the company. t's easy and great math, except for the fact that it doesn't work. As Kevin can speak to personally, equity splits often produce arguments, jealousy, and resentment. Key employees are left at risk. It's a tough pill he was forced to swallow, sleeping on the floor of a 9'x9' apartment, rebuilding his life after losing everything to a work "family" who promised him the moon & then burned him badly. So, what's the alternative to splitting equity & keeping good people? Kevin knows now, & he's on a mission to tell the world. Check out IntuitiveCompensation.com for more info & download his FREE book at BucketsBook.com.

“I hated it, hated it with a passion.” — George Ramsay When George looks back on music lessons of his youth, he remembers only misery. Stuffy piano teachers, monotonous scales, and the dread of upcoming recitals made faking sickness a weekly occurrence. Music lessons were the enemy, and he’d do anything to miss them. But watching a high school friend learn from a teacher who taught improvisation & the rock music he loved changed his perspective. Music instruction could bring students alive, not just “make them better.” It could be FUN! He picked up the guitar with that teacher in mind and fell in love. Then he knew, “I just had to do something in music.” Together with his business partner, George has turned in-home music instruction on its ear. Equally as important, his business model provides a level of financial security for gig workers (his instructors) unheard of in the industry. People, passion, perspective. It’s all here! To learn more: 👉Find him on LinkedIn & at BoldMusicLessons.com Robert Ballard said, “Follow your own passion—not your parents’, not your teachers’—yours.” George did.