Prime Seasoned Wisdom

Darius A. Tent

Candid convos with savvy leaders willing to cascade from their experience, revealing the nitty-gritty of business and management. As we deep dive into the essentials and the not-so-rosy bits, we slice and dice the challenges and secrets to long-term success in various careers, roles, jobs, and industries. Your host Darius Tent is a seasoned Management Consultant and Interim GM with vast experience in helping global businesses get from point A to point B where they actually want to be, by smooth sailing between unplanned, unexpected, or unwanted events. "Dry version" eps = solo podcast.

  1. 04/05/2024

    Joining the #Blueground Revolution: From Consulting to Managing a 600 M $ SOONICORN 🦄

    #consulting #blueground #soonicorn #series #bizops How to succeed in a BizOps role: Managing a Series D Soonicorn that pioneered its way into a ± 600 M USD untapped market potential. How managing over 15 markets around the world might be impossible without a solid educational foundation and key skills that are sharpened by working at a top-tier consulting firm. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of management aspirants out there find the right way to start on this career path, understand the skills that are required to walk in such shoes regardless of the industry, and how only an analytical mindset backed by EQ can help you flourish as a liaison between executives and delivery teams. Questions addressed: 1. When’s the right moment to start preparing for our future dream job? 2. How do we measure the ROI wrt our education and how do we choose the right path that will get us closer to our desired career path? 3. How can you spot a former top Management Consultant from a crowd of consultants? 4. Most valuable lessons learned from working in BCG? 5. Advantages and disadvantages of working at such an intense and high level 6. Top 5 tips for those out there competing for a job in such companies 7. Advantages and disadvantages of selling/playing between Booking and AirBnB - uncharted territory (business travel customers + real estate suppliers) 8. What’s your USP (Unique Selling Point)? Why Blueground and not others? 9. Advantages and disadvantages of converting the original plan into a digital product 10. The most important lessons learned during the pandemic 11. Lessons learned from the current recession - so far 12. How much do culture and origin weigh when you’re aiming for an executive role in a scale-up phase? Why? 13. The role of VC in building and crashing dreams 14. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 15. The most important KPIs to watch daily 16. East or West - what options are being explored from a sales/expansion POV and why there? 17. The most important aspects to have in mind when working directly with Senior Executives or high-net-worth clients 18. Have cultural barriers or factors within a company pushed you away from it or pulled you towards it? Share some of them that are important to you :) 19. First 100-day agenda (new role) - where does your focus go towards? 20. Do seasoned executives need to keep leveling up their executive game? If yes, how? How do we make sure we grow with the business? 21. Tips on how to quickly appraise the worthiness of a decision/investment/action (building estimations) 22. The AI revolutions - job cuts or job enrichments - why it's essential to learn how to work with AI 23. As a BizOps how do we mitigate - the battles between sales and delivery - what do we do when there’s a lack of chemistry here? 24. Tips to have in mind as a liaison between the client and delivery teams 25. Tips for managing global teams in a Soonicorn Full YouTube video episode (click here)

  2. 03/07/2024

    How to spot a PROFESSIONAL #coach | Starting in #executive, #career or START-UP COACHING

    #coach #coaching #executivecoaching #careercoach #coachingtips #coachingonline How to spot a professional coach? Professional coaching for a living 1. Everyone’s a coach/consultant/trainer these days, but how do we spot a genuine executive coach/trainer? 2. Advantages and disadvantages of selling/playing in - coaching industry 3. Advantages and disadvantages of selling/playing in - training and professional development industry 4. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 5. How does a general roadmap look like for those starting in this career? 6. The most important lessons learned during the pandemic 7. Lessons learned from the current recession - so far 8. What are the biggest expectations from an executive/career coach? 9. Can anyone become an executive coach? E.g. how doable is this without practical experience in #business? What does it take? 10. Culturally fit in coaching - client vs coach - does the geography or business type matter? 11. The importance of accreditations in coaching - e.g. #icf 12. Executive coaching vs Strat-up coaching vs Career coaching - similarities and differences between them 13. When’s the right moment to consider such a coaching career move? 14. Tips for finding your dream career or making a smart career change 15. Strategies to keep and win clients that are price sensitive - especially those who are reluctant to invest in coaching 16. East or West - the top differences between these clients and how challenges differ e.g. working with a Series A IT Owner from the US vs the UAE sheik that’s leading a mammoth public company or running a huge investment fund 17. What have you learned from your start-up experience and applied in MNCs successfully? Vice versa? 18. How dependent is the success of the company on the executive team leading and what to consider when picking/building such a leadership team? 19. Clear signals that it is time to change your job + especially your boss 20. Your cure to fight attrition and keep spirits high within the team 21. Do seasoned executives need to keep leveling up their executive game? If yes, how? How do we make sure we grow with the business? Talk about the learning community from Humanistic 22. Top Tips for selling in this coaching role & how to promote your services worldwide 23. What’s important when pitching an idea or a project? (Reviro exp) 24. How do you stand out from being labeled as a vanilla recruiter? Top advice for recruiters these days: e.g. very few understand their impact - as a first line with a future FTE - wrt to employer branding 25. After you become a coach what’s next? What’s the plan and how do you move forward? These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with seasoned and international executive/career/start-up coach, Mr. Mihai Zant. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of coaching aspirants out there find the right way to start in this business, become part of an internationally accredited community, and help others using the best practices vetted by seasoned professionals. Full YouTube episode - click here

  3. 02/22/2024

    How to SELL what CLIENTS need 🧩| Boost your white glove BPO service #SALES 📈| CLIENT #PARTNERSHIP

    Best advice for those aiming to become BPO/IT #sales #executives : 1. How do we stand out as a trusted and seasoned sales partner? 2. Advantages and disadvantages of selling/playing in - automotive industry + most important lessons learned during the online marketing revolution (Facebook, Youtube, email marketing etc.) 3. Advantages and disadvantages of selling/playing in - BPO & IT industry 4. The most important lessons learned during the pandemic - as a sales guru 5. Lessons learned from the current recession - so far 6. How is European talent seen from abroad? Are we getting too expensive? Why pay the premium? 7. Staff #augmentation #partnerships, nearshore/offshore partnerships - where’s the future heading from your POV? 8. What’s your USP (Unique Selling Point)? Why @Helpware and not others? 9. A few steps in “evaluating each client's core business values and culture to create stepping stones linking potential customers with a dynamic media experience that ignites a passion for the brand” - why is this process important? 10. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 11. Strategies to keep and win clients that are price sensitive - especially those that have zero staff augmentation/delivery partnership background 12. East or West - what options are being explored from a sales POV? E.g. clients are transitioning towards talent/solutions in Asia - ok, why? 13. What have you learned from your start-up experience and applied in MNCs successfully? Vice versa? 14. How dependent is the success of the company on the executive team leading and what to consider when picking/building such a leadership team? 15 Explore cultural barriers or factors within a company that pushed you away from it or pulled you towards it? 16. Have you considered building a GCC (Global Capacity Center)/Delivery Center in Asia? +/-s you see 17. How do you set your yearly targets and break them down for others? 18. Your cure to fight attrition and keep spirits high within the team 19. WFH? How are clients seeing this work/delivery model? 20. How do we bridge the gap between #sales and #delivery in a way that satisfies most #stakeholders 21. US Sales Experience vs the World? What is different, better, worse, faster, bigger etc.? 22. How can we create a need where there’s no current room for our solutions/services? 23. What we sell vs reality - the battles between sales and delivery - what do we do when there’s a lack of chemistry here? 24. Tips to have in mind as a liaison between the client, delivery teams, C-level executives and the board of advisors 25. Finding the solution by drilling into the client's problem 25. The "you eat what you kill" vs "catch and release" mentality in sales 26. Selling without selling - how one small favor can turn into a big sale...one day perhaps! 27. How MNCs are not always right and what opportunities are there to explore instead of waiting for your employer to take action 28. How to adapt in a context where rules are constantly changing + keep up with them also 29. How European talent is pivotal for any big player that serves a global market 30. Switching from a criticizing mentality to what can we do differently 31. Top tips before opening your own business 32. People follow people - does this apply to corporate sales also? 33. How vital is discipline in sales? 34. A final piece of advice for the audience These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with seasoned Sales Executive and VP of Business Development at Helpware, Mr. Paul Feder. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of #sales folks out there find the right #strategy that will streamline their sales funnel, build relationships that will eventually bring in #revenue, and boost #sales through #partnerships not transactions while increasing each customer's lifetime value, reducing churn rate as we speak! YouTube EPS (click)

  4. 02/12/2024

    From ❄️ 0 to ☀️ MILLIONS: Turn a niche 🚜 start-up into a MARKET DISRUPTOR | COURAGE in #leadership

    #heavymachinery #heavyequipment #easterneurope #entrepreneurs #leadership #businesssuccess #businessmotivation #heavydutytrucks #utilben 1. How to build something from nothing? How to build a successful #business from scratch? 2. Why choose to make a business selling heavy (duty)/construction equipment & machinery? 3. Advantages and disadvantages of working with family members 4. Advantages and disadvantages of - aggressive - #growth 5. Why diversify your business portfolio with businesses from different industries (Regivero)? 6. How do you decide on what to invest/what industry? Is there a formula or methodology to follow? 7. Why is it important to grow new LoBs (lines of business)? E.g. equipment servicing or other after-sale services etc. 8. What’s your USP (Unique Selling Point)? Why Utilben and not others? Why Regivero? 9. Most valuable business lessons from the #bible 10. Christian principles in business - a plus or a minus? 11. Top 5 #leadership skills to make it in the long run in this #industry 12. Can you still be profitable and prosper by following the RIGHT path? 13. East or West - where’s the real #market headroom for Utilben? 14. After passing the start-up milestone and becoming a bigger company what did you (re)invest in and why? 15. How dependent is the success of the company on your executive team and how do you pick them? 16. The importance of company culture and giving back to society 17. The dangers of mixing business with friendship 18. Your cure to fight #attrition and keep spirits high within the #team 19. Do co-founding CEOs need to keep leveling up their executive game? If yes, how? How do we make sure we grow with the business? 20. Board of advisors - have you explored this? How do you think such a concept can help a company? 21. US Experience - what have we learned? 22. Getting the company listed - if yes at this thought, then why? 23. The importance of planning, delegating, and empowering from your exp 24. Tips on work-life-family balance, once you’ve taken such an executive role 25. About the GUILD community and mission 26. The importance of having mentors and role models 27. What's next - we have the money and the reputation, but what now? 28. Final words and outro These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with seasoned Utilben CEO and serial entrepreneur Mr. Ruben Marian. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of #entrepreneurs out there find the motivation needed to keep pushing and trying until they finally break the ice or see the light at the end of the laborious tunnel. Full YouTube episode (here)

  5. 02/10/2024

    🪓6🩸FATAL MISTAKES in #business | How an ENTREPRENEUR can KILL a #business / #startup☠️

    #failed #business #startups #entrepeneurship #businessmistakes What NOT to do when starting a BUSINESS? How to avoid #bankruptcy after starting a #business? 1. LUST vs. PASSION / DREAM vs. REALITY Always ensure that you're starting this #business because it's your mission. Understand what it entails, as it is genuinely part of your vision. See yourself doing it with enthusiasm every day, be passionate about the direction you're heading, and accept the price that must be paid (in advance and in full). Ensure you are DETERMINED and, above all, DISCIPLINED! Note: I recommend going through the test presented in the first part of this video! 2. PLAN and DIRECTION - what to do with the money? Define as precisely as possible what you will do with the money, even before you have the money. Otherwise, when you have #money, there's a risk that any investment direction becomes attractive, regardless of the resulting return. The plan provides us with some clarity and direction even if, when we obtain the desired capital, we may need to update or modify it! 3. ADDITIONAL - STRANGLING COSTS | PERSONAL vs BUSINESS COSTS Your lifestyle has changed, implying a much higher cost of living that burdens the business and suffocates the #cashflow, along with opportunities for business development. Note: Your business pocket is not your own pocket; higher expenses do not always lead to a higher yield! 3. GREED makes SHORTCUTS attractive! In the desire to milk/skim/squeeze/produce/generate more #profit from our business, there is a temptation to take shortcuts, abandoning what has brought us a reputation for the sake of immediate gain, but only in the short term. Note: Avoid such situations; do not deviate from the straight path that brought you here. Make sure you keep the #greed that is present in each of us in a tight corner and you don't allow it to grow once your business grows! 5. Getting comfortable = MISSED OPPORTUNITIES - from the mountaintop! Don't forget where you started, and don't start chasing opportunities that require ZERO effort but seem to attract #maximum #gain just because you consider yourself at a higher level and are only focused on frying bigger fish. Note: Falling from the mountaintop is easy and painful even if it took you years to get there! 6. Work with the right CONSULTANTS or EXPERTS - Access to #knowhow that is useful! If the #business #consultant hasn't delivered what was promised, ask yourself how #diligent your selection process was before starting that #partnership: - What were your selection criteria? - Was he or she well-spoken and presentable? - Did he or she tell you what you wanted to hear? - Did he or she mention reading 1000 books in that field? - Does he or she have advertising all over the city? - Was he or she recommended by a family friend's wife? Without such a thorough process, such "specialized help" could complicate things rather than actually help, while others might take full advantage of our situation. Note: Ask for details about their portfolio and case studies: - request recommendations - how many people have they coordinated, - what budgets, - what risks have they managed, - what problems have they solved and - what solutions have they found, - in what locations, - in what #context, and - under what pressure? #bonus If they can tell you specifics about their own PERSONAL such investments and the challenges faced, then you truly have a worthy and qualified #partner in front of you, to help you take your business to new horizons! Good luck for the next round in #business! Full video YouTube episode (click here)

  6. 02/08/2024

    👨‍💻🚀Becoming a CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: A full-stack roadmap from developer to CTO | Life as CTO

    #fullstack #cto #chief #techleaders #softwareskills #softwaredevelopment #softwaredeveloper #executivechair Best advice for those aiming to become CTOs! 1. Intro 2. How do you become a CTO? What does it take to reach a Chief Technology Officer role? 3. What do founders/owners expect from their CTOs? Focus also on Non-IT ones 4. Advantages and disadvantages of being a CTO in a #product vs an #outsourcing company 5. Advantages and disadvantages of working with local vs foreign Managers/Founders/Owners 6. The most important lessons learned during the #pandemic 7. Lessons learned from the current #recession - so far 8. How is #Romanian talent seen from abroad? Are we getting too expensive? Why pay the premium? 9. Industries en-vogue for digitalization funding e.g. edu, healthcare etc. - who sets the trend? 10. What should become a developer’s USP? Tips to stand out 11. Working with start-ups that attracted external finance (e.g. Series A,B etc.) - top 5 aspects to have in mind when working with such founders 12. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 13. #Strategies for becoming the perfect buffer between client, team and owners 14. East or West - pros and cost of working with global talent/teams 15. After passing the #start-up milestone and becoming a bigger company what should owners (re)invest in and why? 16. How dependent is the success of the company on their #executive team and how should they pick them? Is culturally fit just a buzzword? 17. Pros and Cons for hiring people that had or have a #business 18. Have you considered building a GCC (Global Capacity Center)/Delivery Center in Asia? +/-s you see 19. Your cure to fight attrition and keep spirits high within the team 20. Top 5 mistakes when building an #MVP 21. Do CTOs need to keep leveling up their executive game? If yes, how? How do we make sure we grow with the business? 22. #AI tools - job enrichment and efficiency or job cuts and redundancies? 23. US Entrepreneurial culture vs EU culture - if possible to debate on differences 24. Stay as an FTE with an agency or direct hire as a contractor working for the client? Trends 25. If you were to take a new CTO role what would you establish from the beginning/how would you set the expectations with the owners/shareholders/board? 26. How to build, keep and maintain work chemistry at C-level - tips for talent synergies 27. Trilingual in IT, does it matter? Do employers see this as a big deal? Any significant premiums or should we better focus on niche programming skills? 28. Conclusions These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with seasoned CTO and Chief Product Officer Mr. Filip Chereches-Tosa. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of #developers out there find support in climbing the corporate ladder toward becoming a CTO that, one day, will lead by example! Full YouTube video episode (click here)

  7. 01/29/2024

    Tips for CUSTOMER SERVICE #managers and #executives: Achieve CUSTOMER CENTRIC Operational Excellence

    #bpo #cs #cx #customerservice #customerexperience #customersatisfaction #executive #nps #csat #customerloyalty #kpis 1. Guests to present their background and roles 2. What made you choose a #Customer #Service #career and how would you define this industry 3. Challenges in serving a #global #market vs US market 4. What’s unique about the US market and clients + what changed in the past 10 years 5. Advantages and disadvantages of working in a 15k FTEs company vs 100k FTEs MNC 6. The most important lessons learned during the pandemic 7. Lessons learned from the current recession- so far 8. Tips for climbing the corporate ladder 9. Challenges in leading others 10. What do you look for when choosing to join a new company 11. Volatility of the client sentiment - one day you're loved the other day you're slaughtered 12. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 13. What to do when NPS/CSAT is affected by client-related factors - how do we start mitigating this 14. Most important aspects of a #RCA analysis and a #mitigation #plan. 15. Is #price the most important aspect for today’s clients? 16. How dependent is the #success of the company on your team and how do you pick them 17. Day-to-day #ops life vs SoW KPIs - where’s the delta coming from? 18. How do you set your yearly targets and break them down for others? 19. Your cure to fight #attrition and keep spirits high within the team 20. Impact of controllable detractors - skipping support structure roles and the absence of governance 21. B&M, WHF, or Hybrid - what trend do you see? Which would you opt for and why? 22. Dealing with the pressure generated by the expectation of immediate/quick results 23. Tips on work-life-family balance, once you’ve taken such an executive role 24. A final piece of advice for the audience These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with #movate AVP U.S. Operations Mr. Karim Farouki and Operational Excellence director, Miss Brittney Angemi. The end in mind of this detailed video #podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of #entrepreneurs and #businesses understand what's the ROI for going the extra mile, paying the higher buck, and investing in talent/departments while taking their customer service game at the next level. Full YouTube episode on my channel: https://youtu.be/yJwNWdjst_4?si=bnCougA_dTFsVZCL

  8. 01/15/2024

    How to RUN and GROW a company that stands out🦄 | Swimming in a RED #software #development OCEAN

    #startups #startups #bootstrap #mvp #marketanalysis #digitalproducts - Best advice before deciding to START your own #software #development company 1. How did it all start for #linnify ? 2. How do we stand out in a vanilla #software #development pool of agencies? 3. Advantages and disadvantages of a company with several co-founders 4. Advantages and disadvantages of - aggressive - #growth 5. The most important lessons learned during the pandemic 6. Lessons learned from the current recession- so far 7. How is Romanian talent seen from abroad? Are we getting too expensive? Why pay the #premium? 8. Body lease vs B.O.T solution for others vs invest/promote your own product? Where’s the future from your POV? 9. What’s your USP (Unique Selling Point)? Why #Linnify and not others? 10. Working with start-ups that attracted external #finance (e.g. Series A,B etc.) - top 5 aspects to have in mind when working with such founders 11. Top 5 skills to make it in the long run in this industry 12. #Strategies to keep and win #clients that are price sensitive - especially those that have zero IT background 13. East or West - what options are being explored from a #sales POV? E.g. Barriers seen in DACH region, global competition level in UK etc. 14. After passing the #start-up milestone and becoming a bigger company what did you (re)invest in and why? 15. How dependent is the success of the company on your #executive team and how do you pick them? 16. Have you considered building a GCC (Global Capacity Center)/Delivery Center in Asia? +/-s you see 17. How do you set your yearly targets and break them down for others? 18. Your cure to fight #attrition and keep spirits high within the team 19. What would you do differently if as of tomorrow, the money to disrupt the market or change the game for the better was no longer a problem? 20. Do co-founding CEOs need to keep leveling up their executive game? If yes, how? How do we make sure we grow with the business? 21. Board of advisors - have you explored this? how do you think such a concept can help a company? 22. US Experience - what have we learned so far from opening an office in #Texas? 23. Getting the company listed - if yes at this thought, then why? 24. The importance of planning, delegating, and empowering from your exp 25. Tips on work-life-family balance, once you’ve taken such an executive role 26. Talk about how you promote or position such a business in the global scene - top tips if possible 27. Final recap - from both parties 28. A final piece of advice for the audience These are just some of the challenging questions #Management #Consultant Darius A. Tent has been exploring with LINNIFY's Co-founder & Co-CEO, Mr. Alexandru Bogdan. The end in mind of this detailed video podcast is to, hopefully, help thousands of #entrepreneurs out there find the courage, strength, and confidence to take a leap of faith and open their own software development agency, regardless of the fierce global #competition out there. Full YouTube episode: https://youtu.be/zfur3TsmrKQ?si=HJ1uTzvqLS_XOa78

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About

Candid convos with savvy leaders willing to cascade from their experience, revealing the nitty-gritty of business and management. As we deep dive into the essentials and the not-so-rosy bits, we slice and dice the challenges and secrets to long-term success in various careers, roles, jobs, and industries. Your host Darius Tent is a seasoned Management Consultant and Interim GM with vast experience in helping global businesses get from point A to point B where they actually want to be, by smooth sailing between unplanned, unexpected, or unwanted events. "Dry version" eps = solo podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Darius A. Tent
  • Years Active
    2024
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Darius A. Tent
  • Show Website
    Prime Seasoned Wisdom