The Business of Success

Parul Bhandari

The Business of Success is a podcast for business leaders, founders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who want to build better, more sustainable businesses and create meaningful growth. Hosted by Parul Bhandari, an award-winning customer success leader, author, and advocate for sustainable business and individual growth, the podcast explores what it really takes to build successful organizations, stronger teams, and better customer experiences. @Parul Bhandari Author Each episode features honest conversations about business growth, leadership, customer success, customer experience, employee experience, professional development, workplace culture, technology, innovation, and sustainable growth. We go beyond quick business tips and explore the strategies, experiences, and lessons that help leaders make better decisions, build high-performing teams, improve customer relationships, and create businesses designed for long-term success. Whether you're a founder growing a company, a business leader navigating change, an entrepreneur building your next venture, or a professional looking to grow your career and leadership skills, The Business of Success delivers practical insights and thought-provoking conversations. Topics we explore include: Business Strategy • Business Growth • Leadership • Customer Success • Customer Experience • Employee Experience • Professional Development • Workplace Culture • Technology • AI • Entrepreneurship • Sustainable Business • Organizational Growth Parul Bhandari is an Author and Speaker, and CEO of CustomerXSuccess you can find out more about her at www.parullbhandari.com The Business of Success brings together leaders and experts who are building businesses more intentionally, more thoughtfully, and with a clear understanding of what sustainable success looks like. Follow the podcast for new conversations, insights, and practical ideas to help you build better businesses and better experiences. Follow us: Instagram: @businessofsuccesspodcast YouTube: @TheBusinessofSuccessPodcast TikTok: @the.business.of.s

  1. Jul 23

    Season 1 Finale : The 13 Lessons for Building Better Business

    Welcome to the Season 1 Finale of The Business of Success! After 13 powerful episodes, we're looking back at the biggest lessons, expert insights, and actionable strategies that can help you build a stronger, more sustainable business. Throughout Season 1, we've explored the topics that matter most to modern leaders from leadership, company culture, employee experience, customer success, business growth, hiring, burnout prevention, women in leadership, inclusive workplaces, recruitment, flexible work, go to market strategy, and long term business success . In this special finale, host Parul Bhandari recaps the most valuable takeaways from all 13 episodes, highlighting the key business lessons shared by industry leaders and experts. Whether you've watched every episode or you're just discovering the series, this recap gives you the essential insights you need to build a better business. In this episode, we revisit:Ep. 1 - The New Rules of Women's Work - with Priya Bathija (Nyoo Health) Priya Bathija Ep. 2 - The Success Multiplier - Investing in Employee and Customer Experience to Drive Growth Parul Bhandari Ep. 3 - Tackle the triggers which burnout leaders and burn your growth - with Princess Castleberry Princess Castleberry Ep. 4 - The Unexpected Value In Experience: Could your Next Hire be a Former Leader? with Mike Lemon Mike Lemon Ep 5. - A Leader's Time is Valuable, Here's How to Optimize it with Andrea Bumstead Andrea Bumstead Special Ep. 6 - A review of the past 5 episodes to build better businesses - with Parul Bhandari Parul Bhandari Ep. 7 - Elder Care Conundrum: How Dr. Pooja Patel is Preparing for Employee Caregivers Pooja Patel Ep. 8 - Marketing for the Long Game | What Actually Drives Revenue Growth With Alan Gonsenhauser Alan Gonsenhauser Ep - 9 - Culture is a Full Time Job: Intentional Employee Experience & Leadership with Molly Whybrow Molly Whybrow Ep 10 - Building Future Ready Leaders at P&G: Career Growth and Innovation with Naazli Sado Naazli Sado Ep 11 - A Bad Hire Costs 30% of a Salary | How to Recruit Right with Swati Garg Swati Garg Ep 12 - How Flexible Work is Changing Everything Gen Z Killed the 9-5: Flexibility with Evgenia (Jenny) Evgenia (Jenny) Ep 13 - How Bias is Costing Your Company in More Ways Than One with Cindu Thomas-George Cindu Thomas-George

  2. Jul 9

    Ep 13 - How Bias is Costing Your Company in More Ways Than One with Cindu Thomas-George

    #DEI #InclusiveLeadership #SouthAsianSuccess In this episode of South Asian Success, we sit down with Cindu a 22-year inclusion, belonging, and workplace communication expert, tenured professor, and founder of Shakti Consulting to talk about how bias is silently costing companies millions, and why DEI isn't a "dirty word" but a business imperative. From growing up as the only family of color in her town, to becoming a sought-after inclusive leadership coach for organizations across industries, Cindu shares her powerful journey and the real, actionable strategies leaders need to build inclusive, high-performing workplaces. 🔗 Connect with Cindu and learn more about Shakti Consulting, Power to Rise podcast, CWLA, and the South Asian Solidarity Movement links in the show notes. Visit Website:Cindu Thomas George Visit Cindu Linkedin:Cindu Thomas George Visit Cindu Instagram: Cindu Thomas George ✨ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE: ✔️ Why it costs companies roughly 15% of an employee's salary every time someone quits ✔️ The real difference between diversity and inclusion (and why metrics alone lie) ✔️ The science of bias affinity bias, attribution bias, and how to actually "de-bias" yourself ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 – Welcome to South Asian Success with Cindu 01:21 – Cindu's immigrant journey begins 03:02 – Growing up as the only family of color: racism & xenophobia 04:25 – Why DEI became a "dirty word" in workplaces 05:17 – Inside Shakti Consulting: how Cindu works with organizations 07:34 – Bias in recruiting & manager training 08:23 – The science of bias: affinity bias & attribution bias 09:28 – The real cost: 15% of salary to replace an employee 10:38 – Teaching intercultural communication in the classroom 14:47 – Vulnerability, mental health & Gen Z students 17:44 – The #1 barrier inclusive leaders face 20:20 – Diversity vs. inclusion: why metrics can lie 21:55 – The gender pay gap & leadership gap, by the numbers 24:39 – When a diverse leader isn't an inclusive one 26:27 – Everyone's responsibility: building a DEI committee 28:38 – "If you see something, say something" 29:08 – Recognition & psychological safety at work 31:52 – Introverts, indirect communication & quiet voices 32:56 – Chicago Women's Leadership Accelerator (CWLA) 36:18 – Leading with intentionality 36:31 – Where to find Cindu + closing thoughts —----------------------------------------------------------------------- Level up your business with Fathom AI I use Fathom AI to streamline meeting workflows and improve content production. My work includes recording and transcribing meetings, extracting key insights, and converting discussions into structured summaries and actionable notes. Fathom AI Partner ----------------------------------------------------------------- This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at http://www.customerxsuccess.com 👉 Subscribe to South Asian Success for more real conversations on building better businesses, better leaders, and better workplaces.

  3. Jun 25

    Ep 12 - How Flexible Work is Changing Everything Gen Z Killed the 9-5: Flexibility with Evgenia

    In this powerful episode of The Business of Success, Evgenia (Jenny) – Founder of ZCOMMS – shares groundbreaking research on the future of work. Discover why 71% of Gen Z now prioritize flexible schedules over higher pay, how remote work is reshaping careers, and why flexibility has become the new baseline for the workforce. From women leaving corporate jobs to multi-generational team management, career pivots after 40, and building trust in fully remote teams this episode is packed with actionable insights for founders, leaders, and professionals. Guest Bio: Evgenia Zaslavskaya is an award-winning PR and communications strategist with 10+ years of experience advising startups, VCs, and global enterprises. In 2022, she founded Zecomms, which has supported 50+ companies across sectors including fintech, femtech, robotics, and cybersecurity. Her work has earned international recognition, including honors from the Davos Communications Awards and features in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and PRWeek. Visit Website:                 ZECOMMS Evgenia Linkedin:        Linkedin  Evgenia instagram     Evgeniya Zaslavskaya  What You’ll Learn:Why flexibility now beats salary for Gen ZThe massive shift in workforce expectations after COVIDHow Gen Z & Millennials view work differentlyHow to build trust and productivity in remote teamsCareer change trends after age 40 + power of online learningThe growing role of AI in the future of workPractical advice for managing multi-generational teams Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction07:17 - Evgenia’s Journey & ZCOMMS Story09:29 - The Research Behind Flexible Work12:45 - Why Gen Z Demands Flexibility (71% Stat)15:52 - Gen Z vs Previous Generations17:30 - Building Trust in Remote Teams22:08 - Key Research Stats & Burnout Reality24:38 - Managing Multi-Generational Teams26:44 - Career Pivots After 4028:41 - Future Trends: Online Learning & AI33:06 - Final Advice & Closing —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com #FlexibleWork #GenZ #FutureOfWork #RemoteWork #WorkLifeBalance #CareerPivot #BusinessPodcast #WomenInBusiness #GenZWorkforce #WorkFromAnywhere #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #BusinessOfSuccess

  4. Jun 11

    Ep 11 - A Bad Hire Costs 30% of a Salary | How to Recruit Right with Swati Garg

    A Bad Hire Costs 30% of A Salary | How to Recruit RIGHT | Swati Garg In this powerful episode of The Business of Success, Parul Bhandari sits down with Swati Garg Award winning Talent Leader, Executive Recruiter & Co-author of "The Customer Success Talent Playbook. Learn why most companies make costly hiring mistakes and how to build high performing teams with intention and alignment. Guest Bio:-Swati Garg is a serial entrepreneur who launched her first venture in 2016 with the creation of Melo Associates, an award winning talent firm specializing in revenue roles. With a deep rooted focus on Customer Success, she also co-founded CuSP: A Chicago Customer Success community, that brings professionals together to connect, learn, and grow.Visit Website:                              Website Swati Linkedin:                               Linkedin  Melo Associates Linkedin:        MELO ASSOCIATES Book: The Customer Success Talent Playbook What You'll Learn: - The real cost of a bad hire (30% of annual salary + lost productivity) - Why alignment is the #1 factor in successful recruiting - How to write job descriptions that attract the right talent - Equitable & inclusive hiring practices that actually work - How AI is changing talent acquisition in 2026 - Expert advice for job seekers: How to position yourself as THE expert - Short term vs Long term hiring strategy - Tips from The Customer Success Talent Playbook Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:03 - Swati Garg’s Journey into Talent Acquisition 03:07 - The Real Cost of a Bad Hire 05:37 - What Goes Wrong When You Hire the Wrong Person 08:09 - What Great Recruiting Looks Like (Alignment is Everything) 10:26 - Equitable & Inclusive Hiring Practices 14:08 - How AI is Impacting Recruiting in 2026 17:42 - The Customer Success Talent Playbook Explained 24:07 - Advice for Companies Building Teams 26:08 - Advice for Job Seekers in Tough Market 28:53 - Final Thoughts & Book Recommendation If you're a founder, hiring manager, or someone looking for their next role in Customer Success / Revenue  Tech this episode is a must-watch —------------------------------------------------------------ This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com #TalentAcquisition #HiringTips #Recruiting  #Leadership #BadHire #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #AIinRecruiting #JobSearch #HiringStrategy #BusinessPodcast #SwatiGarg #TeamBuilding #StartupHiring #InclusiveHiring #2026Hiring

  5. May 28

    Ep 10 - Building Future Ready Leaders at P&G: Career Growth and Innovation with Naazli Sado

    In Episode 10 of The Business of Success, Parul Bhandari sits down with Naazli Sado, Naazli Sado is the Vice President New Business: COO, HR, Communication, IT at Procter and Gamble. Naazli shares her remarkable leadership journey from HR and global roles to leading innovation at one of the world’s most iconic companies. She opens up about following passion projects, creating high-impact learning programs like “Think Like a GM”, the importance of great managers, retention strategies, and how to develop agile leaders in an AI-driven world. This episode is packed with practical leadership lessons on career growth, skill-building, innovation inside legacy organizations, and creating meaningful work that drives long-term success. Guest:Naazli Sado Naazli Sado is the Vice President New Business: COO, HR, Communication, IT at Procter and Gamble. Chief HR & Communications Officer for the business unit responsible for New Business Development; Innovation Accelerator responsible for developing innovative solutions to help solve the unique business challenges and barriers faced by new businesses multifunctionally. What You’ll Learn: How to develop future-ready leaders at every levelThe power of “Think Like a GM” program at P&GCareer growth strategies: passion projects vs traditional pathsWhy great managers are the key to retentionLeading innovation and capability building in large organizationsMarathon mindset for long-term career successTimestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to Episode 6 01:16 – Introducing Naazli Sado, VP New Business at P&G Ventures 02:39 – Naazli’s Career Journey & Bold Moves 04:35 – Building P&G Ventures & Best of Both Worlds Approach 07:12 – Think Like a GM: Developing Business Leaders at Every Level 09:59 – Career Development & Retention Strategies 11:34 – The Importance of Great Managers 14:05 – Leadership in the Age of AI & Rapid Change 17:00 – Marathon Mindset vs Sprint in Career Growth 20:59 – Advice for Aspiring Leaders & Future-Ready Teams ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com #FutureReadyLeaders #LeadershipDevelopment #PGVentures #CareerGrowth #ThinkLikeAGM #WomenInLeadership #TalentDevelopment #Innovation #BusinessOfSuccess #LeadershipLessons

  6. May 14

    Ep - 9 Culture is a Full Time Job: Intentional Employee Experience & Leadership with Molly Whybrow

    Culture doesn’t happen by accident, it must be treated as a full-time priority. In Episode 9 of The Business of Success, Parul Bhandari sits down with Molly Whybrow, Senior Director of Talent & Culture at VelocityEHS, to explore what it really takes to build and maintain a thriving workplace culture. Molly shares practical insights from scaling culture in a fast growing tech company from moving beyond ping pong tables and beer taps to creating intentional programs that drive real engagement and retention. Learn how to design employee experiences that evolve with your organization, the power of feedback loops, why great managers are the biggest retention tool, and how to build inclusive, remote-first cultures that actually work. Whether you’re a founder, HR leader, or people manager, this episode will change how you think about culture not as a nice to have, but as a strategic full time responsibility. Guest: Molly Whybrow Senior Director of Talent and Culture, VelocityEHS https://www.ehs.com/ What You’ll Learn: Why culture must be treated as a full-time job, not a side projectHow to build intentional employee experience at every stage of company growthPractical ways to improve retention through culture and great managementThe power of employee feedback, affinity groups, and remote-first designHow to evolve culture as your company maturesLeadership strategies for creating inclusive and engaging workplaces Timestamps: 00:00 – Welcome to Episode 9 01:09 – Introducing Molly Whybrow, Senior Director of Talent & Culture at VelocityEHS 02:15 – Culture as a Full-Time Job vs Side Project 04:19 – Differences Between Intentional vs Accidental Culture 06:08 – Simple Building Blocks for Early-Stage Companies 09:04 – How Culture Evolves with Company Maturity 13:11 – Cultural Add vs Cultural Fit in Hiring 15:17 – Retention Strategies & The Cost of Poor Culture 18:25 – Employee Feedback, Surveys & Actioning Insights 22:27 – DEI Practices & Inclusive Culture Building 26:45 – AI’s Impact on Talent & Culture 29:32 – Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways —----------------------------------------------------------- Level up your business with Fathom AI: I use Fathom AI to streamline meeting workflows and improve content production. My work includes recording and transcribing meetings, extracting key insights, and converting discussions into structured summaries and actionable notes.  https://fathom.partnerlinks.io/ivwwc3e8ss9s —----------------------------------------------------------------- This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com #CultureIsAFullTimeJob #EmployeeExperience #IntentionalCulture #CompanyCulture #EmployeeRetention #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkplaceCulture #TalentAndCulture #HRLeadership #RemoteFirst #DEI #BusinessOfSuccess

  7. Apr 30

    Ep. 8 - Marketing for the Long Game | What Actually Drives Revenue Growth With Alan Gonsenhauser

    In this episode of The Business of Success, we sit down with Alan Gonsenhauser, a 7x Chief Marketing Officer and expert in customer growth strategy, to uncover why most companies are focused on the wrong thing chasing sales instead of building sustainable revenue. If your business is struggling with churn, poor customer retention, or inconsistent growth, this conversation will completely change how you think about marketing, sales, and customer success. Alan breaks down the real drivers of long-term revenue, including ideal customer profiles (ICP), net revenue retention (NRR), customer experience, and how top companies align marketing, sales, and finance to scale effectively. About Alan: Alan Gonsenhauser, CEO of DemandRevenue, LLC., is an 11-times CMO, and 3-times P&L GM experience in marketing, sales, finance, and operations. He’s a CMO Coach & Mentor, Interim / Fractional CMO, and GTM Advisor for Private Equity portfolio companies. At Forrester (previously SiriusDecisions), and afterwords he mentored 150+ CMOs and marketing leaders to become indispensable to their organizations.Since 2021 at Demand Revenue, Alan has been a CMO Coach and Interim CMO at 10+ private equity portfolio companies, focusing on infrastructure driving value creation and customer-led growth with hundreds of models and frameworks to scale GTM alignment and intelligent growth. Recently, Alan also became a GTM Partners certified advisor.Alan has presented at multiple industry conferences and global kickoff meetings and is a frequent podcast guest: https://www.demandrevenue.com/podcasts/Website-  www.demandrevenue.com Social Media - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alangonsenhauser/ —--------------------------------------------------------- Whether you're a startup founder, marketer, or business leader, this episode will help you understand: Why chasing sales is hurting your growthHow to identify and target the right customers (ICP)The truth about churn and customer retentionHow to build a customer-first growth strategyWhy most companies fail at customer successHow to turn customers into your best salespeople ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Intro & Guest Introduction 01:00 – Alan’s Journey: From Finance to 7x CMO 03:45 – What is a “Customer Capitalist”? 06:00 – Why Revenue is a Lagging Indicator 07:45 – The Real Problem with Chasing Sales 09:00 – Startup Phases: Problem-Market Fit vs Product-Market Fit 10:35 – How to Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 14:00 – Biggest Mistakes Companies Make with ICP 16:00 – Sales Incentives & Wrong Behavior 17:30 – Net Promoter Score (NPS) — Truth vs Myth 20:00 – Red Flags: When Your Business Is Doing It Wrong 22:30 – Why Customer Experience Starts BEFORE Sales 23:45 – Turning Customers into Advocates 26:00 – Why Negative Feedback is Gold 29:00 – How to Align Teams for Growth 31:00 – AI, Hiring & Future of Marketing Teams 34:00 – Final Advice for Startups & Leaders - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com

  8. Apr 16

    Ep. 7 - Elder Care Conundrum: How Dr. Pooja Patel is Preparing for Employee Caregivers

    The Caregiving Conundrum most companies and families ignore until it’s too late. Dr. Pooja Patel, double board-certified occupational therapist and gerontologist, exposes the hidden crisis of elder care and how working professionals (especially women) are left unprepared. In this powerful episode of Business of Success with Parul Bhandari, Dr. Pooja Patel (founder of Aging Together) reveals: Why workplaces treat elder care as a “nice to have” while parenting gets full supportThe shocking FMLA truth: It doesn’t cover in laws a wake up call for South Asian familiesWhy daughters and daughters in law carry most of the elder care burdenHow caregiving starts quietly and escalates into crisis without proactive planningPractical solutions: Proactive care planning workbook, emergency & end of life discussions, aging in placeWhat employers can actually do flexible work, caregiver support, and retention strategiesThe coming demographic crisis: Baby boomers + working Gen X/Millennials = massive impact on economy and familiesIf you’re a working daughter, son, manager, or business leader - this conversation will change how you think about family responsibility, employee support, and long term planning. 👉 Visit Aging Together: https://aging-together.com 👉 Book by Dr. Pooja Patel: You Don’t Know When the Bridge Is Coming: A Roadmap for Timestamps: 00:00 – The Caregiving Conundrum Intro 02:35 – Dr. Pooja’s Journey & Why Proactive Care Matters 05:16 – Elder Care Support in the Workplace (Almost Nothing) 08:09 – FMLA Limitations & In Laws Reality Check 11:27 – Proactive Care Planning Workbook Explained 15:38 – Heavy Burden on Women & South Asian Families 24:33 – Flexible Work Ideas for Employee Caregivers 30:44 – The Looming Elder Care Crisis & Call to Action #CaregivingConundrum #ElderCare #DrPoojaPatel #AgingTogether #SouthAsianCaregiving #WomenCaregivers #EmployeeCaregivers #CaregiverBurnout #ProactiveAging #BusinessOfSuccess #FamilyCaregiving —-- This podcast is sponsored by CustomerXSuccess, a consultancy which helps drive Company Growth through a focus on Customer Success. Follow along at www.customerxsuccess.com

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Business of Success is a podcast for business leaders, founders, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who want to build better, more sustainable businesses and create meaningful growth. Hosted by Parul Bhandari, an award-winning customer success leader, author, and advocate for sustainable business and individual growth, the podcast explores what it really takes to build successful organizations, stronger teams, and better customer experiences. @Parul Bhandari Author Each episode features honest conversations about business growth, leadership, customer success, customer experience, employee experience, professional development, workplace culture, technology, innovation, and sustainable growth. We go beyond quick business tips and explore the strategies, experiences, and lessons that help leaders make better decisions, build high-performing teams, improve customer relationships, and create businesses designed for long-term success. Whether you're a founder growing a company, a business leader navigating change, an entrepreneur building your next venture, or a professional looking to grow your career and leadership skills, The Business of Success delivers practical insights and thought-provoking conversations. Topics we explore include: Business Strategy • Business Growth • Leadership • Customer Success • Customer Experience • Employee Experience • Professional Development • Workplace Culture • Technology • AI • Entrepreneurship • Sustainable Business • Organizational Growth Parul Bhandari is an Author and Speaker, and CEO of CustomerXSuccess you can find out more about her at www.parullbhandari.com The Business of Success brings together leaders and experts who are building businesses more intentionally, more thoughtfully, and with a clear understanding of what sustainable success looks like. Follow the podcast for new conversations, insights, and practical ideas to help you build better businesses and better experiences. Follow us: Instagram: @businessofsuccesspodcast YouTube: @TheBusinessofSuccessPodcast TikTok: @the.business.of.s

Information

  • Creator
    Parul Bhandari
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Parul Bhandari