Growing with Purpose

Paul Spiegelman
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Growing with Purpose

Small Giants Community co-founder, Paul Spiegelman chats with business leaders about what shaped their business and life.

  1. Kevin Schnieders: Living the Servant Leader Life

    3 DAYS AGO

    Kevin Schnieders: Living the Servant Leader Life

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Kevin Schnieders, Chief Servant Leader and CEO at Educational Data Systems, Inc. (EDSI).  From sports broadcaster to English teacher to owner of the family business, Kevin has tried on several seemingly different careers, but he’s always had a throughline: a passion for connecting with people. When he stumbled into working for his father’s business, he realized he could make an impact, and enjoyed the opportunity to work with his dad. EDSI has grown from a team that was in the single digits to an employee population of 900 over the decades. Kevin still finds purpose in the work the company does to help people who are economically disadvantaged, and has successfully scaled their people-focused culture. Tune into this episode to hear how Kevin was one of the early adopters of the term “servant leadership”, how he stays connected with all 900 of his employees, and why he’s continually trying to be a better listener.    Show Notes: 3:30 - What is a Chief Servant Leader? 12:47 - Early influences + family business matters 22:20 - Translating the culture to the customers 33:00 - Advice to young people

    45 min
  2. Amy Courter: Flying High and Staying Grounded

    JAN 7

    Amy Courter: Flying High and Staying Grounded

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Amy Courter, the Principle of Azimuth Centers of Excellence and a Certified EOS Implementer. Amy grew up outside of Flint, MI with humble beginnings and parents who lived out their heart-first, community values. She adopted those same values and wanted to find ways to be a part of and give back to her community. After excelling at a law enforcement program in high school and wanting to stay involved, she enrolled in the Civil Air Patrol, and has been a member ever since.  From the Civil Air Patrol and beyond, Amy has found ways to marry career and community. While working for a large tech company, she found purpose and alignment in her small, entrepreneurial clients. And now, as an EOS implementer, she appreciates working with a wide array of clients, many of which do meaningful work. Tune in to this episode to hear Amy and Paul discuss how she’s adapted her experiences to fit many different roles, how being an athlete influenced her professional life, and why she took theater classes in college.  Show Notes:   2:35 - EOS and culture 8:57 - Early influences 18:37 - Joining the Civil Air Patrol 24:00 - Not a career path, but a scavenger hunt 30:15 - Sports and community involvement

    50 min
  3. Kyle David: The Doogie Howser of Tech Consulting

    12/01/2024

    Kyle David: The Doogie Howser of Tech Consulting

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Kyle David, CEO of The Kyle David Group. He is also a graduate of the Small Giants Leadership Academy Class of 2021. Kyle got his professional career started earlier than most. Due to childhood autoimmune issues, he couldn’t participate in a lot of physical activities, and instead turned to reading – mostly books about technology and business. This self education led to a job with a consulting firm at just 14 years old. Thanks to a meritocracy culture and supportive mentors, Kyle was able to grow his skills as a technology consultant well before he could drive himself to his clients (good thing his colleagues didn’t mind giving him a lift!).  When Kyle started his own firm after school, he took the values from both his previous job and his church upbringing and instilled them into his own culture. Now, Kyle takes pride in leading an organization that gives back to its people and works with values-aligned clients.  Listen to this episode to hear about Kyle’s jump start in the consulting world, his grandfather’s wise words about entrepreneurship, and what growing up in a church-focused household taught him about leadership.    Show Notes: 1:11 - In his Doogie Howser era 13:33 - A grandfather’s wisdom 24:10 - Challenges & humbling moments 32:35 - “Establish humility young”

    42 min
  4. Bill Roark: ESOPs and Integrity

    11/05/2024

    Bill Roark: ESOPs and Integrity

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Bill Roark, co-founder of Torch Technologies, Inc., as well as the founder of Starfish Holdings, Inc. and Freedom Real Estate & Capital, LLC. He is also the author of Built with Purpose.    Bill grew up in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky, in a small community where people looked out for one another. From a young age, he learned the importance of a strong work ethic and treating people with kindness and respect. By the time he had gained some defense work experience and started Torch Technologies, he knew that if he took care of his employees, they would in turn take care of the company and their customers.   With this employee-focused mindset, as well as his desire to create a long-term, sustainable company, it felt like the natural decision for Bill to turn Torch into an ESOP right away. And that has proved to be a crucial component of the company’s cooperative culture, especially in a competitive contracting industry.   Listen to this episode to hear about Bill’s passion for employee ownership, why he emphasizes integrity in his companies’ cultures, and the very important lesson that carpet samples taught him.    Show Notes: 7:20 - What is a defense contracting business? 10:27 - Employee-focused napkin manifesto 15:50 - “The mountain people are good people” 21:40 - Life lessons from carpet samples 32:10 - Define your principles

    47 min
  5. Danielle Krischik: Love, Loss, and a Chocolate Factory

    10/08/2024

    Danielle Krischik: Love, Loss, and a Chocolate Factory

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman sits down with Danielle Krischik, Partner and Chief Strategy Officer of Knight Agency.  It’s no wonder that Danielle has a passion and a talent for storytelling, because her life has all of the trappings of a good story: joy and heartbreak, struggle and triumph. Danielle grew up in a house alive with love, family, and even a chocolate factory in the basement! But in a condensed amount of time, she lost all of the most important adults in her life, and was forced to grow up and take care of herself to survive. She moved from New York to Florida for college, got a job out of her internship, and has been building her career steadily ever since.  Although she experienced heartbreak from a young age, Danielle exudes warmth and positivity, and has made her story into one about growth and compassion. Tune into this episode to hear Paul and Danielle discuss the importance of human connection in business, Danielle’s transformative work trip to Dubai, and why she roots for the villain in movies.    Show Notes: 5:13 - The power of purpose-driven storytelling 9:35 - Life is like a box of chocolates  24:40 - Human connection in business  31:46 - “Do not aim for perfection”

    42 min
  6. David Friedfeld: Clear Vision, Full Hearts

    09/03/2024

    David Friedfeld: Clear Vision, Full Hearts

    On this live recorded episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with David Friedfeld, president of ClearVision Optical, one of the largest family-owned eye distributors in North America.    The Clear Vision story starts with David’s father, a Navy veteran who was looking for his next chapter in life, and found it in a six-week optometry program. After becoming licensed and working for someone else for several years, he began his own business, looping family in along the way. Now the company is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and with David and his brother Peter at the helm, it remains a family affair.   And while working with family naturally comes with its tough moments, ClearVision is a testament to how a family can come together to create a successful, healthy, and welcoming business that positively impacts a community far larger than their own family tree.   Tune in to this episode to hear Paul and David bond over being failed-attorneys-turned-entrepreneurs, the highs and lows of scaling culture alongside a growing business, and David’s fragrant race routine from his track days.    Show Notes: 4:08 - A culture that's 75 years strong 16:35 - Getting the real family stories 27:53 - Scaling culture

    53 min
  7. Matt Hoying: The Value of Stargazing

    08/06/2024

    Matt Hoying: The Value of Stargazing

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Matt Hoying, President of Choice One Engineering.    Matt grew up on a farm in Ohio with a loving and supportive family. And while both his parents held jobs in addition to running the farm, Matt’s mom always found the time to go out to the edge of their rural property with him and look up at the stars. This ritual not only taught Matt the value in slowing down, but showed him that he was a part of a world much bigger than himself, and he had a responsibility to make sure his contribution was a positive one.   Fast forward to 2004, when Matt interned at Choice One. He saw that the founders of the engineering firm had created a special culture where people mattered and integrity was central, and he wanted to be a part of it. As Matt’s risen through the ranks, he’s maintained his stargazing mentality: to appreciate what was created before him, while also committing to positively impacting the company and its legacy.    Tune into this episode to hear about Matt’s personal vision and how it influences his leadership style, Choice One’s emphasis on two-way communication, and the importance of teachers in shaping Matt’s career path.    Show Notes: 2:09 - Clarity in culture 6:10 - Bolstering the feedback loop 9:40 - From intern to president 12:28 - Early influences 33:02 - Getting checked by his own culture

    53 min
  8. Mikel Berger: Investing in Good Business

    07/16/2024

    Mikel Berger: Investing in Good Business

    On this episode of the Growing with Purpose podcast, host Paul Spiegelman speaks with Mikel Berger, a self-proclaimed uncertified entrepreneur and Chief of Staff of Little Engine Ventures.   Mikel grew up on a farm in northern Indiana, and while his upbringing taught him to love building things and problem solving, he also wanted to distance himself from that lifestyle. He saw his father, a farmer, as somebody whose livelihood was reliant on the weather and other things out of his control. So Mikel went into software engineering, or “typing for a living”, and eventually wound up creating Little Engine Ventures alongside his business partner. What he realizes now is that his father was a small business owner all along, and that every single career path has elements that will inevitably be out of your control.   Tune into this episode to hear Paul and Mikel discuss the delicate act of transitioning a business to a new owner, the good kind of pressure needed for businesses to thrive, and why Mikel likes working in the skydiving industry.    Show Notes: 10:05 - “It’s really your people” 12:30 - The good kind of pressure 17:58 - Early days of leadership learning 30:46 - Humbling experiences

    52 min
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5
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

Small Giants Community co-founder, Paul Spiegelman chats with business leaders about what shaped their business and life.

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Spiegelman
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2020 Paul Spiegelman, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Growing with Purpose

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