The Connecting Business Vodcast
Hear from real business experts talking about real business solutions. Discover simple, smart ways to grow your business today.
Download now on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google Podcast.
Kinetic Business by Windstream is launching a podcast/vodcast to help carry out our very mission: Connecting Businesses. We’ll tap into subject matter experts’ personal insights and professional experiences, so you can explore how your business can better connect with your own customers, as well as craft solutions to fit your business needs and respond to opportunities faster, more efficiently, and with greater productivity.
January 2022: The Future is Predictable
For companies both large and small, there’s always one lingering question: what’s coming in the future and how do I get my business there? The future is predictable, but the outcomes are not. As we kickoff 2022, we sit down with Business Futurist, Cecily Sommers to discuss business trends, habits of mind, organizational needs and more to help your business stay the course no matter what the future holds.
December 2021: A look back at #ConnectingBusiness
As we look back on the year–and what a year it was– Connecting Business brought insightful conversations on how businesses have thrived and pivoted when it matters most. Through challenging times, our guests brought their A-games. We sat down with independent retailers, LinkedIn employees and a chief human resources officer to discuss remote work, businesses’ responses to the pandemic, and had open and honest conversations on diversity, equity and inclusion and black entrepreneurship, just to name a few. Here’s a look back at where we’ve been. We can’t wait to see what 2022 holds!
November 2021: The Power Behind Marketing Your Core Values to Bring Your Brand to Life
Every brand has a story. From Green Beret soldiers fighting in Afghanistan to award winning bourbon, the team behind Horse Soldier Bourbon uses authentic storytelling and shared values to market their all-american spirits. In this episode, we sit down with Scott Neil, COO of Horse Soldier Bourbon. We talk about the story behind the brand, the importance of unique and meaningful details, and how they use their core values to make their brand stand out.
October 2021: Experts Bring Insight on Protecting Your Business Amid Rising Cybersecurity Concerns
Cybersecurity, identity theft, data backup. If you’re plugged in, these are all terms you should familiarize yourself with as cyber-attacks are on the rise with hackers continually getting more creative. In this episode, cybersecurity experts from all over the US talk about how cyber-attacks got started, what makes you the most vulnerable, and what you should do to protect your home and business from a breach. Find Bonus Content Here
Episode 12: K-12 Leaders & Educators Embrace Technology in Education
Chromebooks, Smartboards and ClassDojo. Long before the pandemic, technology was becoming a staple and enabling students, teachers and parents to engage in new and exciting ways beyond the classroom. Last year, technology kept students and educators connected with remote learning solutions. Now, as schools are back in session for in-person learning, we sit down with Adam Hooker, business manager of the Laurel County School District in Laurel County, Kentucky to talk about how technology in education has redefined learning.
Episode 11: The New Hybrid Workspace & How Businesses Are Adapting
: A LinkedIn Editor and a Chief Human Resource Officer - What do they have in common? A passion for people. Jordyn Dahl, Entrepreneurship Editor at LinkedIn and Mary Michaels, Chief Human Resources Officer at Windstream Communications discuss how the past 18 months of hybrid workspaces have impacted the way we will do business for years to come. Christina Munoz leads the discussion as Dahl and Michaels share the unprecedented challenges faced in 2020 while remaining committed to employee wellness and to changing the way leadership approaches internal communications.
Episode 10: How Digital Transformation has Helped Independent Retailers Find Success
Cookie dough and stationery. They’re not typically associated with retail success through digital transformation. So how did Kelsey Moreira of Doughp: Legit Cookie Dough and Chandra Greer of Greer Chicago find themselves on top of the retail game - without a storefront - in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic? By already having strong and successful e-commerce businesses. Host Christina Munoz leads the discussion as Greer and Moreira share the keys to building a strong independent retail e-commerce business - focusing on direct communications with customers, listening to their feedback, and evolving your brand to meet their needs.
Episode 9: Why Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is Good for Business ROI
Join host Christina Munoz as she discusses the importance of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) with Blake Woolsey, Chief Communications and Development Officer at Heartland Forward, and Michael McCathern, Executive Director at the John Maxwell Team. Supporting DE&I efforts improve the bottom line and create a better work culture for all employees. Leaders who invest in DE&I see positive ROI through a more productive workforce and better employee retention. Inclusivity allows people with different backgrounds to have a voice, creating a culture where everyone feels valued. Businesses benefit from understanding that the cost of not supporting a culture of DE&I is much greater than the cost of doing it.
Episode 8: How To Be A Military Friendly Business
Join host Christina Munoz and her guests, Sergeant First Class Kris Perkins – Principal Lewisburg HS, AR Army National Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Mason– Arkansas National Guard and Gary Wynn – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, as they discuss a variety of topics ranging from the importance of education and working with people from all walks of life to being mission focused and how to be a military friendly business. Christina’s guests share stories of how military training provides invaluable skills, such as efficiency, leadership, and team building, that help achieve success in the business world.
Episode 7: The Cost-Effectiveness of Employee Assistance Programs
Join host Christina Munoz for her conversation with Maggie Young, President of Southwest EAP about helping employees manage their mental health and work stresses. Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) support employee wellbeing by providing resources and training to raise awareness about managing stress and investing in self-care. With a 10 to 1 return on investment, businesses who offer Employee Assistance Programs to their workers see improvements to business productivity, morale, and company culture.
Episode 6: The Keys to Mentorship and Professional Development in Building Successful Sales Teams
Join host Christina Munoz for her interview of Jennifer Lindsey, Director of Sales for Kinetic Business Kentucky. Jennifer discusses the importance of mentors and professional development as keys to being a successful sales leader. Ms. Lindsey shares how strong women and great mentors shaped her sales leadership career. She explains how the values her mentors instilled--work-life balance, continuous learning, coaching and teaching, being a good listener, and accountability--helped her achieve success in her career and let her prioritize nurturing her team members’ professional growth.
Episode 5: Community Involvement and Relationship Building for Black Entrepreneurs
Join host Christina Munoz as she interviews Dr. Fitz Hill, Executive Director of the Scott Ford Center for Entrepreneurship. Hill discusses the importance of relationship building between African American owned businesses, banks, lending institutions, government, and businesses in the community. Kinetic Business’ Black Business Support Fund help business owners achieve their goals by enabling entrepreneurs to apply for $5,000 business grants.
Episode 4: Business Networking and Relationship Building in a Pandemic
Join host Christina Munoz as she interviews Jesse Purcell, director of the Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance in Kenton, Ohio. Purcell tells us how businesses need to pivot to be successful without the benefit of face-to-face networking and in-person events. Purcell discusses how her team has helped businesses navigate the challenges of growing and thriving during the pandemic by offering virtual networking and collaboration events.
Episode 3: Starting and Growing a Business: How One Tech Entrepreneur Beat the Pandemic
Host Christina Munoz interviews Renee Sobotka, financial analyst and banker, and now technology business owner. In this episode, Sobotka talks about how the hectic and dynamic pace of a startup also allowed her to leverage communications technologies and learn how to “fail fast” by recovering quickly from mistakes to put her business on solid ground.
Episode 2: The Importance of Building Professional Networks
Host Christina Munoz interviews Alana Muller, entrepreneur and author of the book “Coffee Lunch Coffee.” In this episode, Muller talks about the importance of professional networking and how connecting with others is a critical part of building a business.
Episode 1: Keeping Business Connected in a Remote Work Environment
Host Christina Munoz interviews Lorenzo Clark, National Vice President of Inside Sales and Account Management at Kinetic by Windstream. In this episode, Clark provides his insight into how Kinetic by Windstream rapidly moved to a remote work environment as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the company to support the communications and IT security needs of hundreds of employees who are working from home.