TEE 022: Habits Of Successful Entrepreneurs with David Pickron

David Pickron

This week David Pickron entrepreneur, CEO and Founder of CrimShield, Inc. based in Arizona joins us for episode 22 of The Executive Edge Podcast. This episode focuses on the habits of successful entrepreneurs. Whether or not you are an entrepreneur the ideas shared will assist you in realizing your potential.

David was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Northern Arizona University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Communications in 1992.

David joined AAA Landlord Services, Inc., in 1992 as the Company President. Under his direction, AAA Landlord soon became the largest company of its kind in Arizona. In 2001 the company expanded, adding Investigative Screening and Consulting which is a Private Investigational Screening Firm that focuses on credit and criminal background checks for landlords. Investigative also provides ongoing training to their clients on how to recognize and avoid bad tenants minimizing costly evictions.

In 2007, David saw a need for a higher level of investigative screening for those home service providers that are around our families. He then launched CrimShield, Inc. a nationwide leader in contractor background investigations. CrimShield services fortune 500 companies as well as smaller local companies and is slowly becoming a household name.

David’s strength is taking ideas and creating systems to make those ideas come to life. In addition, David has written several articles for industry publications and has been a guest speaker on radio talk shows. He is a licensed Private Investigator and Officer of the Court.

David has had a long association with several organizations and is regularly invited to speak at seminars for the following groups:
• Arizona Manufactured Housing Association
• Arizona Multi-housing Association
• International Crime Free Association
• Arpola, Azrei, Management Seminars

He provides personal training for several police departments and multi-housing clients.

David is described as focused, funny, passionate, sincere, hard-charging and dynamic; he has infused CrimShield with his own brand of energetic leadership, vision and spirit over the years and serves as a mentor for his staff members. He is a prominent community member who is active in Scouting, Church youth programs and Little League. David also serves on the board of Tumbleweed youth shelters for homeless children.

Highlights and ideas from this episode to reach success:
– Realizing what your strengths are and how to play to them
– Traits of true entrepreneurs
– Habits of high performers
– Look at what your customers want and then deliver more than they expect
– No one knows you or your business like you do – trust yourself
– Staying one step ahead on your marketing and technology
– Being available to your customers
– Clients are your best sales force
– 360 degree feedback from your customers
– Bonding with children
– The importance of defining your purpose
– How to pick your support team

There were some great ideas featured in this episode. To learn more about CrimShield, Inc. goto: www.CrimShield.com.

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TEE 020: Sam Zietz – 5 Principles to Success

Sam Zietz

As a entrepreneur it is critical to understand what the principles to success are and how to achieve them. This episode features a successful entrepreneur who teaches, practices and mentors others on tapping into their edge.

Sam Zietz is the founder and CEO of the financial technology company TouchSuite® and its affiliated companies. Since its inception in 2003, the company has been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the esteemed Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 500” list of the fastest growing private companies in America – with 2014 marking its sixth time on the prestigious list.

TouchSuite was also recently named the #1 Fastest Growing Company in South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal, and fastest growing technology company in the state by the compilation of The Business Journals’ various Florida publications.

Sam sits on the executive board of the Palm Beach chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and is on the executive board of the South Florida chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO). He is also a member of the Orange Bowl Committee. A regular guest speaker at universities, Sam is extremely devoted to supporting young entrepreneurs and serves as a mentor to budding businessmen and women. He is also an active angel investor with a number of investments under management. Prior to entering the merchant processing industry, Zietz was a corporate attorney specializing in structured finance with the New York-based law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, LLP.

Prior to Skadden, he worked in the business tax planning department at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Sam Zietz earned a LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law, and received his JD from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, where he graduated first in his class. Zietz earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan.

Besides his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship his personal passion is his children, ages 14, 13 and 8, watching and coaching them in sports such as lacrosse and football. He currently lives in Boca Raton, FL with his children and his wife, Sheila.

What we learned from this podcast:

– Hire top talent
– Putting people in the right position
– Getting experience
– Entrepreneurial culture
– Laser focus
– The benefit of hard work
– How applying core values and principles can guide your decisions to success

TouchSuite is one of America’s leading technology companies focused on the electronic payment space. Its award-winning, patented point of sale systems are fully integrated with payment processing and credit card services catering to restaurants, salons and spas. The systems are designed to help small- and medium-size merchants increase revenue by using the provided tools and solutions.

For more information goto www.touchsuite.com or reach out to Sam at szietz@touchsuite.com.

Thank you for listening to The Executive Edge podcast! Please share your thoughts, comments and topics you would like covered in the comment section below.

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Business Building Tips

Business Building Tips

Being an entrepreneur has been a fascinating journey and one that has lessons through every turn. Business building is as important if not more so than working in the business. Taking time to focus on what you want will create the pathway to achieve all of your goals and objectives.

In business building it’s okay to change direction just as if you were planning a road trip. There may be several different routes you could take that will all get you to your destination. If you were to get into the car and just start driving with no thought of your destination, or a plan to reach that destination at a certain time, you would find yourself wasting valuable energy and precious resources.

One of the best business building strategies and tips I have found is to set aside a couple of hours each month devoted strictly to reviewing goals and laying out a path to complete them.

These are the things I have to do in order to have a successful business building session:

1. Schedule a time on my calendar
2. Turn off my phone
3. Shut down email alerts
4. Work in a relaxed atmosphere – sometimes I like to go offsite
5. Stay hydrated

Each of these tips has created a positive environment and experience to my business building sessions. After I have spent time working on my business, I feel higher motivation to achieve my goals and the momentum carries me through the next few weeks of doing the business.

Your business deserves your full attention. The focus on building your business, rather than just being in the business, will pave the road to faster and more stable growth. Are you ready to watch your business grow? Then pull your calendar out now and book it!