Scale Tales

Alicia Butler Pierre
  • 5.0 (16)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Scale Tales is a weekly business storytelling podcast. Join us as entrepreneurs, experts, and executives share entertaining accounts of their extraordinary moments at work while revealing how they did it. These true stories will take you on a journey from the conception of an idea to its growth and transformation into something seemingly impossible. Our interviews go beyond the typical Q&A format, providing both inspiration and practical tips to help you achieve similar success in your business or career. With a focus on operations, each episode ends with a summary of key lessons and resources to help you replicate these results. Whether you're an ambitious founder or a leader in a fast-growing organization, this show is for you if you're looking for actionable strategies to scale the operations of your business, service, product line, or team despite your busy schedule.

  1. Ep. 49: How Clarence Levy Scaled His Project Management Skillset Through Entrepreneurship

    FEB 1

    Ep. 49: How Clarence Levy Scaled His Project Management Skillset Through Entrepreneurship

    Scale Tales

    40 min
  2. Ep. 48: How Karen Rands Connects Founders to Capital and Grew a Network of Thousands of Angel Investors, Part 2

    JAN 4

    Ep. 48: How Karen Rands Connects Founders to Capital and Grew a Network of Thousands of Angel Investors, Part 2

    Behind every breakout company is a hidden layer of capital decisions, investor psychology, and timing that most founders never see. In Part 2 of this conversation, Karen Rands, CEO of Kugarand Capital Holdings and a 24-year veteran of the angel investing ecosystem, pulls back the curtain on how founders actually get funded and why passion, preparation, and positioning matter more than pedigree. From her years at IBM to building one of the most active angel investor networks in the U.S., Karen reveals how capital truly flows behind the scenes.   This episode picks up where Part 1 left off, as Karen shares behind-the-scenes stories from evaluating hundreds of deals, including a surprising case where seasoned software investors nearly funded a vampire movie because the founders deeply understood their market, distribution strategy, and investor psychology. She traces her path from screening venture-ready companies at IBM to leading the Network of Business Angels and Investors through both economic booms and the Great Recession. Along the way, Karen explains how investor emotion intersects with hard investment criteria, why many strong ideas fail to raise capital, and how education, not access, is the biggest barrier preventing more people from becoming angel investors.   Key Takeaways: How angel investors make final funding decisions and why emotional alignment matters after criteria are met What founders must demonstrate in their capital strategy, use of funds, and go-to-market plan to earn investor confidence Why unconventional ideas can still get funded when investors believe in both the mission and the return potential The long-term implications of raising capital and what it truly means to be accountable to investors How operators and executives can evolve into investors using portfolio-based thinking and education   Join us with Karen Rands as she unpacks Part 2 of her scale tale and shows how founders can align strategy, storytelling, and investor psychology to access capital and how leaders can build wealth by investing with purpose, passion, and profit.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    31 min
  3. Ep. 47: How Karen Rands Connects Founders to Capital and Grew a Network of Thousands of Angel Investors, Part 1

    12/21/2025

    Ep. 47: How Karen Rands Connects Founders to Capital and Grew a Network of Thousands of Angel Investors, Part 1

    Karen Rands, founder and CEO of Kugarand Capital Holdings, tells a founder-first funding story that flips the usual investor-driven growth script. Drawing on years of experience running an angel group and advising hundreds of founders, she demonstrates how a thoughtful funding strategy, not just "raising money," enables founders to scale on their own terms and build businesses that buyers actually value.   Behind the scenes, Karen walks through a real case: an Atlanta entrepreneur who avoided traditional angel dilution by using an anchor-tenant expansion strategy, securing large property owners as paying customers to fund new markets. This approach enabled her to scale across the Southeast, exit successfully, and later return as an angel investor herself. Karen also demystifies the capital landscape by breaking down a practical funding glossary, including compassionate vs. conscious capitalism, angel vs. venture capital, and accredited investor requirements, along with how check sizes, syndicates, and VC fund structure shape founder outcomes.   Key Takeaways: Use customer-funded expansion (the anchor-tenant model) to cover operating costs while entering new markets without giving up equity. Build business infrastructure and systems that allow the company to operate without daily founder involvement. Buyers pay for scalable operations, not founder dependence. Meet investors' objective criteria (market, revenue model, ARR expectations) while recognizing that final investment decisions are often emotional. Choose the right capital partner: angel investors write personal checks (often $10k–$25k each in groups), while VCs deploy larger sums into companies with proven traction. Understand the language and rules of capital from accredited investor thresholds to terms like "dry powder" to position your raise with confidence and credibility.   Join us with Karen Rands as she shares founder-centric funding strategies that help entrepreneurs retain control, scale with intention, and build businesses designed for successful exits.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    27 min
  4. Ep. 46: How Cathey Armillas Created a Viral Marketing Campaign Before YouTube, Leading to over 1M Website Visitors in One Month

    12/07/2025

    Ep. 46: How Cathey Armillas Created a Viral Marketing Campaign Before YouTube, Leading to over 1M Website Visitors in One Month

    When a bored marketing director at an industrial-shredder manufacturer dared to put oddball demo videos online before YouTube existed, she accidentally invented a playbook for low-cost, high-impact viral marketing. Cathey Armillas - TED coach, CEO and co-founder of Speaker Skills Academy - turned a grassroots idea (watchitshred.com) into a phenomenon that drove roughly 1 million+ visitors in about six weeks, landed the company on David Letterman and international TV, and flipped industry norms on their head.   In this episode, Cathey walks through the exact choices that made the campaign work: treating the product as the hero (shredding torpedoes, VW "hippie bugs," boats), leaning into storytelling with a monthly campaign format, and backing creative content with trade-targeted placements. She also explains the real costs and operational lessons - from lead-triage overload and manufacturing strain to the need for infrastructure to absorb sudden growth - and shares how that run propelled SSI from roughly $17M to $42M in under two years. Cathey closes by connecting those lessons to her current work teaching speakers and leaders how to find and articulate the single idea that moves audiences (her Idea Map).   Key Takeaways: Use the product as the story: design campaigns that show transformation (the shredder in action) rather than only listing specs. Run small, scrappy experiments with clear business ties - low media spend, high creative conviction - and measure organic impact (search rank, earned media). Prepare operations for success: build lead-qualification and fulfillment processes before viral spikes so demand converts instead of overwhelming teams. Turn marketing wins into strategic positioning: aim to own the keyword/category (Cathey's team ranked #1 for "shredder") to capture long-term value. Distill and deliver your idea: use an Idea Map (Cathey's coaching tool) to create a tight opening, supporting evidence, and a closing that compels action.   Join us with Cathey Armillas as you learn how to turn a single, well-crafted idea into viral reach, measurable revenue, and the infrastructure decisions that scale it sustainably.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬  𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    38 min
  5. Ep. 45: How Rich Kahn Built and Scaled a Company that Protects over 2 Million Domains from Ad Fraud

    11/20/2025

    Ep. 45: How Rich Kahn Built and Scaled a Company that Protects over 2 Million Domains from Ad Fraud

    What happens when innovation collides with integrity in the fast-moving world of digital advertising? For Rich Kahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Anura.io, the answer lay in a problem often overlooked: Ad fraud. From bootstrapping his first online venture in the early days of the internet to building a technology that now protects over 2 million domains worldwide, Rich's journey is a masterclass in resilience, reinvention, and relentless pursuit of quality.   In this episode, Rich shares how he and his wife transformed an early ad network into a cutting-edge fraud detection company after discovering the scale of fraudulent traffic plaguing advertisers. Through rigorous testing, self-funded R&D, and countless iterations, they developed a platform that outperformed industry competitors and became a trusted safeguard for global brands. Along the way, Rich reveals how he personally emailed thousands of LinkedIn contacts to land Anura's first clients, why he chose to scale through relationships rather than paid acquisition, and how disciplined operations, structured processes, and tools like Trainual, Slack, Zoom, and HubSpot now keep his growing team aligned. His story underscores that true scale isn't just about growth - it's about clarity, communication, and culture.   Key Takeaways: How Rich identified ad fraud as a billion-dollar blind spot and turned it into a profitable SaaS opportunity. The testing process that validated Anura's fraud detection accuracy and gave them market credibility. Why proof of concept and customer validation are essential before seeking exponential growth. Leadership lessons from scaling with a spouse, building trust-based teams, and fostering a culture of transparency. The operational frameworks and daily rituals—like morning huddles and structured onboarding—that keep Anura agile as it expands.   Join us with Rich Kahn as he reveals how discipline, data, and a deep sense of purpose can transform a bootstrapped startup into a trusted global leader in digital fraud prevention.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    37 min
  6. Ep. 44: How Julie Kratz Impacted the Work Performance of Over 10,000 People Through Her Allyship Programs, And Almost Lost it All.

    10/07/2025

    Ep. 44: How Julie Kratz Impacted the Work Performance of Over 10,000 People Through Her Allyship Programs, And Almost Lost it All.

    Organizations that treat inclusion as a day of slogans will be outpaced by those that build it into how leaders actually behave. Julie Kratz professor at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and CEO of Next Pivot Point, turned a decade of consulting into repeatable allyship programs that have trained hundreds of leaders at the likes of Amazon, TripAdvisor, Hitachi, and Fast Company.   Julie walks listeners through a practical, cohort-based approach: pre- and post-assessments on knowledge, ability to practice, and confidence, weekly skill deep dives, then back-to-work application and coached reflection. The model scaled from one leadership team to five cohorts and 200 leaders, producing measured lifts (roughly 20–30%) in people's ability to use inclusive skills, and it's paired with Julie's books, podcasts, a 19-minute program infomercial, and downloadable workbooks at NextPivotPoint.com.   Key Takeaways: Implement a cohort learning loop: design a learning cycle that teaches one skill, sends leaders back to practice, and uses reflection sessions for peer coaching and troubleshooting. Build assessment-driven programs: create pre/post tools that measure knowledge, confidence, and frequency of practice to demonstrate learning impact. Institutionalize allyship: convert individual skills into concrete policies and processes across hiring, promotions, and pay equity so practices endure. Influence decision-makers: craft "what's in it for me" messaging and ROI conversations that engage executives and secure budgets for inclusive initiatives. Future-proof talent strategy: apply cultural-intelligence practices and proactive pipeline techniques to attract Gen Z and a more diverse, neurodivergent workforce.   Join us with Julie Kratz as she teaches leaders how to convert allyship from a nice-to-have into measurable practices that strengthen teams, protect talent pipelines, and drive real organizational change.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    41 min
  7. Ep. 43: How Dr. Frank Harper Trained Project Managers to Become Better Leaders and Executives in Over 65 Countries - Part 2

    09/14/2025

    Ep. 43: How Dr. Frank Harper Trained Project Managers to Become Better Leaders and Executives in Over 65 Countries - Part 2

    In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, project management is no longer just about hitting deadlines—it's about enabling strategy, transformation, and leadership. Few people understand this better than Dr. Frank L. Harper, a world-renowned corporate educator, project management professional, and author who has trained leaders in over 65 countries. With decades of C-suite experience and a Ph.D. to his name, Dr. Harper brings a rare blend of technical mastery, executive insight, and academic rigor to the conversation.   In this second part of his interview, Dr. Harper confronts the startling reality that only 35% of projects worldwide succeed and explains why rigid methodologies often fail organizations. Instead, he advocates for frameworks—flexible, customizable structures that leaders can adapt to their unique environments. Drawing from his work building more than 20 global PMOs and Centers of Excellence, Dr. Harper outlines the growing importance of soft skills, business acumen, and emotional intelligence in leadership. He also shares insights from his book A.G.I.L.E. L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P. with a G.R.I.P., revealing the mindsets and frameworks leaders need to transform projects into strategic successes.   Key Takeaways: Why the global project success rate remains stuck at 35% and how leaders can break the cycle. The critical difference between methodologies and frameworks, and why frameworks drive adaptability. How to balance technical expertise with soft skills and business acumen to lead effectively. The role of emotional intelligence has proven to be 400% more predictive of success than IQ in scaling leadership impact. A breakdown of the A.G.I.L.E. leadership mindsets (Adaptive, Growth, Intelligent, Learning, Ethical/Effective) and how to apply them.   Join us with Dr. Frank Harper as he equips you with the frameworks, mindsets, and leadership strategies to transform projects into engines of sustainable business growth.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    30 min
  8. Ep. 42: How Dr. Frank Harper Trained Project Managers to Become Better Leaders and Executives in Over 65 Countries.

    08/21/2025

    Ep. 42: How Dr. Frank Harper Trained Project Managers to Become Better Leaders and Executives in Over 65 Countries.

    In the fast-paced world of technology and corporate leadership, few journeys are as expansive and transformative as that of Dr. Frank Harper Jr. From a budding software coder in 1980s Connecticut to a globally recognized corporate educator, author, and transformation architect, Dr. Harper has shaped leaders and executives across more than 65 countries. His unique blend of hands-on project management experience, C-suite leadership, and academic rigor makes him an authority on guiding organizations and individuals toward operational excellence.   Dr. Harper shares how early experiences at CAT Incorporated and Pitney Bowes set the foundation for a career dedicated to education, training, and project leadership. From implementing earned value management on a $2.2 billion modernization project in Nigeria to establishing his own company and achieving his first million-dollar sale, he has continually combined technical expertise with the art of leadership. His post-doctoral research and collaborations with institutions like the Project Management Institute and Swiss corporate universities shaped his philosophy of the "Strategic Hustler," a multidimensional innovation futurist capable of leading transformation in today's VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) world.   Key Takeaways: Discover the power of experience-driven teaching and storytelling in corporate education. Learn the principles of earned value management and how breaking down projects into $25,000 work packages dramatically increases success rates. Understand the concept of the "Strategic Hustler" and why project managers must evolve into multidimensional leaders. Explore the eight essential disciplines for successful business transformation, from strategy and risk management to organizational change and competency management. Gain insights on bridging theory and practice to lead projects globally, across industries, and in the age of AI and digital transformation.   Join us with Dr. Frank Harper Jr. as he shares a blueprint for transforming project managers into strategic leaders capable of navigating complexity, driving innovation, and achieving operational excellence worldwide.   🏆𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐏𝐌𝐏? 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐃𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭! 👉View this Episode's Full Show Notes at ScaleTalesPodcast.com. © Copyright 2025. Scale Tales is an Equilibria, Inc. podcast. We're dedicated to providing resources to support founders, leaders, and project managers of fast-growing organizations in scaling back-office operations without pain and chaos. Visit our website to learn more.

    31 min
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About

Scale Tales is a weekly business storytelling podcast. Join us as entrepreneurs, experts, and executives share entertaining accounts of their extraordinary moments at work while revealing how they did it. These true stories will take you on a journey from the conception of an idea to its growth and transformation into something seemingly impossible. Our interviews go beyond the typical Q&A format, providing both inspiration and practical tips to help you achieve similar success in your business or career. With a focus on operations, each episode ends with a summary of key lessons and resources to help you replicate these results. Whether you're an ambitious founder or a leader in a fast-growing organization, this show is for you if you're looking for actionable strategies to scale the operations of your business, service, product line, or team despite your busy schedule.

Information

  • Creator
    Alicia Butler Pierre
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Scale Tales