Right About Now - Legendary Business Advice

The Radcast Network
  • 4.1 (128)
  • Marketing
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The #1 Marketing & Business Show on Apple Podcasts Welcome to Right About Now, where real American business gets a megaphone—and the B.S. gets the boot. Hosted by marketing disrupter Ryan Alford, entrepreneur, founder, and the guy brands call when they want attention, this show slices through the noise with uncensored insights, hard-earned wisdom, and straight-up truths from the frontlines of business. Every week, you’ll get two punchy Guest episodes where Ryan talks with legendary business founders, trending authors, and industry titans about what it takes to build a business and some of the most cutting edge tools and services available.  Forget the LinkedIn fluff. This is for doers, builders, and dreamers who want results, not recycled soundbites. Business the way it really works. Real people. Real wins. Real screw-ups. No MBA required. Just guts, hustle, and a sense of humor. Subscribe, listen, and get Right About Now. Because business isn’t broken—it’s just been boring & stale. Until now.

  1. 2d ago

    The Hidden Cost of AI, Marketing to Bots and Why Retention Wins with Brevo’s Channing Ferrer

    Ryan Alford talks with Channing Ferrer, Chief Revenue Officer and CEO Americas at Brevo, who helped grow HubSpot from about $200 million to $1.5 billion in revenue. Channing makes the case that repeat customers are the lowest-cost revenue a business has. He explains how loyalty programs can turn everyday buyers into advocates who bring in new customers. The conversation covers why personalization starts with clean, unified data, and the resourcing balance every leader now faces as AI costs climb. Channing also shares why strategy is really a list of things you say no to. Channing closes with where marketing is headed: AI shopping agents buying on people’s behalf, conversational CRMs, and marketing engines you can hand a budget and a revenue goal. Humans still keep watch. Topics Covered: Retention and loyalty as a growth strategy Turning customers into advocates Data as the foundation of personalization Balancing people and AI spend Strategy through saying no Marketing to AI shopping agents The future of AI-driven marketing ⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: 👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Connect with Channing Ferrer & Brevo: Channing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/channing-ferrer-981437/ Website: https://www.brevo.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brevo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brevo/ X: https://x.com/brevo_official YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brevo_official Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford #Marketing #CustomerRetention #AIForBusiness #AIAgents #CRM #Leadership #MarTech #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford

    The Hidden Cost of AI, Marketing to Bots and Why Retention Wins with Brevo’s Channing Ferrer

  2. 6d ago

    Magnet, Not a Mandate: How Cisco's Bob Cicero Is Redesigning the Office for the AI Era

    Companies are still fighting over the office: bring people back, stay remote or land somewhere in between. Ryan Alford sits down with Bob Cicero, a director of Future-Proofed Workplaces at Cisco, who says the real question isn’t whether people come in. It’s whether the office is worth the trip. Bob explains why return-to-office mandates haven’t worked and why the space has to earn the commute. Bob breaks down how Cisco flipped the traditional office from 70% desks and 30% collaboration space to the reverse. He also explains why technology should come second in office design instead of dead last, and how data on how people actually use a space shapes smarter design. Ryan shares his own 180 on remote work as a small business owner. He also offers an honest pushback: at the end of the day, it’s called a job. They finish on where AI fits. As digital workers take over the routine tasks, Bob argues, the office becomes the place where humans come together for the creative, collaborative work machines can’t do. Topics Covered: * Why return-to-office mandates fail * Building a hybrid model that works for your business * The “me vs. we” approach to office layout * Earning the commute: making the office worth the trip * Technology-first design for hybrid meetings * Engaged leadership and continuous change management * How AI and digital workers will change what we do in person * Using workplace data to cut costs and design better spaces ⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: 👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Connect with Bob Cicero & Cisco: * Bob on Cisco Blogs: https://blogs.cisco.com/author/rcicero * Cisco Future-Proofed Workplaces: https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/about/why-cisco/future-proofed-workplaces/index.html * Cisco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco Connect with Ryan Alford: * Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford #ReturnToOffice #HybridWork #FutureOfWork #Leadership #Cisco #AIForBusiness #WorkplaceStrategy #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford

    Magnet, Not a Mandate: How Cisco's Bob Cicero Is Redesigning the Office for the AI Era

  3. Nov 3

    Wake Up Ready: How Marine Veteran and CEO Kate Monroe Builds Grit and Bounces Back Faster

    Kate Monroe has survived the Marine Corps, stage four cancer and the fight to win back a company that was taken from her, and she’s come out stronger every time. The CEO of VETCOM and author of Wake Up Ready joins Ryan Alford to share how she shortens the distance between defeat and victory. Kate shares the lesson that taught her to decide how far she carries a setback, why she believes doing hard things early builds lasting grit, and why she had to leave behind people who wanted to keep her small. She also talks about serving veterans and her community, and why getting out of “the disease of me” changes everything. She also lays out practical habits from Wake Up Ready, including routines, putting everything on your calendar and the five-second rule. Topics Covered: Resilience and bouncing back from adversity Building grit through hardship Self-talk, identity and reinventing yourself Service and serving veterans High-performance habits and routines Going from “me” to “we” to scale POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: Wake Up Ready: https://www.wakeupreadybook.com/ VETCOM: https://vetcom.us/ Kate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katemonroeceo/ Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemonroeceo/ Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

    Wake Up Ready: How Marine Veteran and CEO Kate Monroe Builds Grit and Bounces Back Faster

  4. Oct 30

    Agentic AI for Entrepreneurs: Build, Launch & Monetize From One Prompt with Ethan Ouyang of Atoms

    Ryan Alford talks with Ethan Ouyang, head of US at Atoms by DeepWisdom, about agentic AI that doesn’t just assist but executes. Atoms uses a team of coordinated AI agents to research markets, design products, build full-stack apps, launch them and optimize them for revenue, all from a single prompt. Ethan explains why execution is now close to instant, which leaves judgment and taste as an entrepreneur’s real edge. He also covers how Atoms handles databases, payments, Stripe integrations and deployment, how running on multiple AI models keeps costs down, and how non-technical founders can push through bugs. Ryan and Ethan wrap up with real small-business examples and a clear message for anyone worried about AI: stop fearing it and start using it. Topics Covered: • What agentic AI is and how multi-agent systems work • Going from rough idea to launched, revenue-ready product • Why judgment and taste matter more than technical skill • Atoms vs. prompt-to-app tools like Base44 • Cost efficiency through model-agnostic AI • Real use cases for small businesses • Overcoming the fear of AI replacing jobs ⚡ POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: 👉 https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Connect with Ethan Ouyang & Atoms: • Website: https://atoms.dev/ • X: https://x.com/atoms_dev • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/atoms-dev • Discord: https://discord.gg/NMrp44aahe • Foundation Agents: https://foundationagents.org/ Connect with Ryan Alford: • Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford #AgenticAI #AIAgents #Entrepreneurship #NoCode #AIForBusiness #Startups #RightAboutNow #RyanAlford

    Agentic AI for Entrepreneurs: Build, Launch & Monetize From One Prompt with Ethan Ouyang of Atoms

  5. Oct 27

    The Science of Scaling: How to 10X Your Business in 3 Years with Blake Erickson

    Why do some businesses stay stuck for 10 years while others 10X in three? Blake Erickson, co-founder of Scaling.com and co-author of The Science of Scaling with Dr. Benjamin Hardy, joins Ryan Alford to explain the mindset and moves behind rapid growth. Blake walks through his four steps to scale, from focusing on the future to building a team for the company you want to become. He explains why scaling is 80% psychology, why founders need to stop playing defense, and how big thinkers attract other big thinkers. He also shares a real case study of a company that grew from $20 million to $200 million in 12 months, and how to get The Science of Scaling audiobook for free. Topics Covered: • Four practical steps to scale a business • Focus and doing less, better • Hiring for the future, not the present • Scarcity, fear and the psychology of growth • Playing offense in business • A $20M to $200M case study POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: • Scaling.com: https://scaling.com/ • Free audiobook: https://scaling.com/free • The Science of Scaling (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Transformation-Science-Achieving-Impossible/dp/1401967639 • Blake on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblakeerickson/ Connect with Ryan Alford: • Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

    The Science of Scaling: How to 10X Your Business in 3 Years with Blake Erickson

  6. Oct 23

    AI Security for Business: Human Risk, Data Hygiene and Safer AI Adoption with Fable Security’s Nicole Jiang

    Where does your data go when you hand it to AI? Nicole Jiang, co-founder and CEO of Fable Security, joins Ryan Alford to break down the real security risks of AI adoption, and why most of them start with people, not technology. Nicole explains how messy data and loose permissions can turn AI tools into a liability, how attackers use AI to make phishing and impersonation scams more convincing, and why Fable’s personalized, just-in-time coaching works better than annual training videos. She also leaves listeners with easy habits to start today, from asking AI to sanitize sensitive information to regularly checking what’s being shared that shouldn’t be. Topics Covered: * The human side of cybersecurity * AI adoption across different industries * Data hygiene and AI integrations * AI-powered phishing and social engineering * Rethinking security training * Practical AI security habits POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: * Fable Security: https://fablesecurity.com/ * About Fable Security: https://fablesecurity.com/about/ Connect with Ryan Alford: * Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

    AI Security for Business: Human Risk, Data Hygiene and Safer AI Adoption with Fable Security’s Nicole Jiang

  7. Oct 20

    Why Your Ads Aren’t Converting: Landing Pages, Attribution and Paid Media ROI with Unbounce CEO Steve Oriola

    Getting the click is the easy part. Steve Oriola, CEO of Unbounce, joins Ryan Alford to explain what happens after it, and why so many businesses waste ad budget by sending paid traffic to generic pages instead of focused landing pages. Steve explains how to think about customer acquisition cost all the way through to the sale, how attribution can tell you which traffic sources bring your best customers, and how Unbounce uses more than 2 billion conversion events to benchmark performance by industry. He also covers how AI is speeding up page creation and testing. He also shares the lesson every leader is learning in the AI era: when building software gets cheap, focus becomes your biggest advantage. Topics Covered: • Post-click strategy and landing pages • Acquisition cost, lifetime value and attribution • Conversion benchmarks from 2 billion events • AI in conversion rate optimization • Staying focused when software is cheap to build POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: • Unbounce: https://unbounce.com/ • Conversion Benchmark Report: https://unbounce.com/conversion-benchmark-report/ • The State of Paid Media ROI 2026: https://unbounce.com/paid-media-roi-report/ Connect with Ryan Alford: • Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

    Why Your Ads Aren’t Converting: Landing Pages, Attribution and Paid Media ROI with Unbounce CEO Steve Oriola

  8. Oct 16

    Tenacious: How Scott Scovill Beat His Fear of Failure and Built a Life Worth Writing About

    Scott Scovill was a self-described broken kid. He finished near the bottom of his class and flunked out of college, until a chance encounter with U2’s touring crew showed him a life he wanted badly enough to fight for. He joins Ryan Alford to talk about his new book, Tenacious: The Art of Relentlessly Pursuing Your Wildest Dreams, and the promise he made himself that night. Scott and Ryan unpack the real fear behind not trying, which is proving your doubters right, and why the fear of failure is usually worse than failing. Scott also shares how living like he was “writing a book” led him to astronaut training, Antarctica and touring Europe as Brad Paisley’s opening act. He also explains why grit and resilience can be learned, and how being grateful for the struggle helped him find his why. Topics Covered: Fear of failure and fear of judgment The moment that changed Scott’s life Taking the first step and staying tenacious Living your life like you’re writing a book Grit, resilience and finding your why POWER YOUR BUSINESS WITH HIGHLEVEL Turn more leads into customers with one platform for CRM, marketing automation, appointment booking, Voice AI and customer follow-up. Start your 30-day free trial using Ryan’s link: https://www.gohighlevel.com/ryanalford Links & Resources: Tenacious (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637633874 Scott Scovill: https://scottscovill.com/ Scott on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottscovill Connect with Ryan Alford: Website: https://www.ryanisright.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanalford/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-alford/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RightAboutNowwithRyanAlford

    Tenacious: How Scott Scovill Beat His Fear of Failure and Built a Life Worth Writing About
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4.1
out of 5
128 Ratings

About

The #1 Marketing & Business Show on Apple Podcasts Welcome to Right About Now, where real American business gets a megaphone—and the B.S. gets the boot. Hosted by marketing disrupter Ryan Alford, entrepreneur, founder, and the guy brands call when they want attention, this show slices through the noise with uncensored insights, hard-earned wisdom, and straight-up truths from the frontlines of business. Every week, you’ll get two punchy Guest episodes where Ryan talks with legendary business founders, trending authors, and industry titans about what it takes to build a business and some of the most cutting edge tools and services available.  Forget the LinkedIn fluff. This is for doers, builders, and dreamers who want results, not recycled soundbites. Business the way it really works. Real people. Real wins. Real screw-ups. No MBA required. Just guts, hustle, and a sense of humor. Subscribe, listen, and get Right About Now. Because business isn’t broken—it’s just been boring & stale. Until now.

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