In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, host Michael Bernzweig sits down with Travis Fox, the visionary co-founder of Build Your Fortress, to explore how innovative building technologies are transforming the construction industry. Travis shares his journey from real estate and psychology to spearheading a revolution in housing through high-performance panels. These advanced materials, inspired by military applications, promise faster construction, reduced waste, and unparalleled durability—offering a lifeline for disaster recovery and affordable housing.

Travis discusses his passion for empowering veterans and first responders by providing them with opportunities to rebuild their communities while creating sustainable housing solutions. From addressing America’s 8-million-home deficit to tackling inefficiencies in traditional construction methods, Travis outlines a bold vision for rebuilding America’s infrastructure.

Tune in to learn how Build Your Fortress is combining mobility, innovation, and community-driven efforts to reshape the future of housing. Whether you’re a developer, investor, or simply curious about cutting-edge construction trends, this episode delivers actionable insights and inspiration.

Key Discussion Points:
- Revolutionizing construction with high-performance panels
- How Build Your Fortress reduces construction waste by 30%
- Speed-to-build: Completing homes in hours instead of weeks
- Addressing the 8-million-home deficit in the U.S. housing market
- Empowering veterans and first responders with career opportunities
- The role of mobile manufacturing units in disaster recovery
- Cost savings: Up to 70% reduction in HVAC energy use
- Building stronger, greener homes that withstand extreme weather
- Partnering with Habitat for Humanity for large-scale developments
- Challenges in navigating government bureaucracy and capital constraints
- The future of attainable housing and community building

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, host Michael Bernzweig sits down with Kristi Mitchell, founder of Marketing Uncomplicated and host of the Unfudge Your Marketing podcast. Kristi shares her inspiring journey from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship, celebrating six years of helping over 100 businesses streamline their marketing strategies. With a background in higher education and corporate marketing, Kristi’s transition to consulting was driven by her desire to balance family priorities and professional fulfillment.

Kristi discusses her evolution from offering full-service marketing execution to focusing exclusively on strategic consulting. She highlights how she helps service-based businesses overcome marketing overwhelm by building a solid organic foundation before diving into paid advertising. Through her signature two-month consulting package, Kristi provides actionable strategies tailored to each client’s unique needs, enabling them to attract leads, nurture relationships, and close deals effectively.

Listeners will gain valuable insights into Kristi’s four-phase Marketing Funnel Framework—Attract, Convert, Nurture, and Close—and learn how to optimize their digital presence for measurable results. Whether you're a business owner struggling with disjointed tactics or seeking to build a cohesive marketing strategy, this episode is packed with practical advice and success stories.

Key Discussion Points:
- Transitioning from corporate marketing to entrepreneurship
- Overcoming challenges as a solo entrepreneur during the pandemic
- The importance of building an organic marketing foundation
- Breaking down the four phases of the Marketing Funnel Framework
- Why businesses should focus on strategy before execution
- Common mistakes in social media and how to avoid them
- How Kristi’s clients achieved results like increased website leads
- The role of data in refining marketing strategies
- Managing overwhelm by prioritizing actionable steps
- The benefits of focusing on quality over quantity in audience engagement
- Insights into Kristi’s Unfudge Your Marketing podcast
- Why forward-thinking businesses invest in strategic marketing

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, we feature Alex Yaroslavsky, founder of Conflict Yes and a certified mediator specializing in workplace dispute resolution. Born in the Soviet Union and immigrating to the US at age 10, Alex transformed his early experiences with cultural adaptation into expertise in conflict resolution and leadership coaching.

Starting his career as an IT consultant, Alex developed a unique approach to understanding human psychology and negotiation. His journey from studying car deal negotiations to becoming a certified mediator demonstrates the evolution of his expertise in transforming workplace disputes into collaborative solutions.

Today, Alex works with technology professionals and executives, coaching them to become more effective leaders while helping organizations establish conflict-resolution frameworks. His approach combines individual coaching with team facilitation, offering both personalized guidance and organizational conflict mediation.

Key Discussion Points
- The Three Pillars of Conflict: Logical/rational, relationship/trust, and nature/nurture perspectives
- Impact of Remote Work: How virtual platforms have made conflict resolution more accessible and cost-effective
- The Four C's Framework: Care, Clarity, Curiosity, and Choice in conflict resolution
- Cultural Influence: How personal background shapes conflict handling approaches
- Executive Coaching: Working with reluctant clients and "coaching jail" scenarios
- Process Implementation: Strategies for minimizing organizational conflict
- Leadership Communication: Common mistakes in handling team conflicts
- Corporate Client Focus: Working with doctors, lawyers, and professional organizations

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, Michelle Weinstein, founder of The Abundant Accountant and renowned sales strategist, shares her transformative journey from financial analyst to successful business coach. Her expertise lies in helping accounting, tax, and bookkeeping firm owners transform their practices through value-based pricing and strategic sales processes.

After starting her career at Moss Adams in M&A, Michelle's entrepreneurial spirit led her through various ventures, including a pivotal appearance on Shark Tank with her health food company, Fitzy Foods. Though faced with rejection, this experience became a stepping stone to her current success in helping accounting professionals master high-ticket sales.

Since 2018, Michelle has dedicated herself to helping countless firm owners double their revenue while achieving better work-life balance. Her approach focuses on eliminating hourly billing, moving away from demanding clients, and implementing value-based pricing strategies that reflect true worth.

Key Discussion Points
- Transitioning from corporate finance to entrepreneurship
- Building and scaling a food company that reached Costco and major sports teams
- Overcoming Shark Tank rejection and pivoting to business coaching
- Implementing value-based pricing in accounting firms
- Creating effective sales workflows for professional services
- Converting free consultations into paid diagnostic reviews
- Leveraging AI while maintaining human connection in accounting
- Developing premium pricing strategies for accounting services

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, we sit down with Bill Dillmeier, Principal at Aperture Advisors in Seattle, who brings over two decades of financial leadership experience spanning from Vanguard to Silicon Valley startups. Bill shares his transformation from traditional investment banking to becoming a trusted advisor for Series A through C stage SaaS companies, where he helps founders navigate critical growth challenges and optimize their go-to-market strategies.

Starting his career at Vanguard Brokerage and later working with industry giants like Morgan Stanley and Washington Mutual, Bill eventually transitioned to the startup world, including a stint working for Bill Gates' media company. Now, he specializes in partnering with SaaS founders, bringing his unique perspective on efficient growth, sales operations, and financial modeling to help companies scale successfully.

Key Discussion Points:
- Transitioning from traditional finance to SaaS consulting
- Building effective go-to-market strategies for early-stage companies
- Implementing usage-based pricing models in modern SaaS businesses
- Managing cash flow optimization for Series A through C companies
- Creating alignment between sales and marketing teams
- Developing investor-ready financial models and storytelling
- Evaluating venture debt vs. traditional funding options
- Leveraging $20M ARR for non-dilutive financing solutions
- Measuring key metrics: CAC, LTV, and churn analysis
- Implementing two-page marketing and sales accountability frameworks
- Building relationships with venture capital partners
- Optimizing SaaS pricing strategies for sustainable growth

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, we sit down with Steve Wallace, Chief Revenue Officer of Maverick App, a groundbreaking business development automation and prospecting platform. Steve shares his journey from being a full-cycle insurance agent to leading sales innovation at Maverick App, where he has personally sent over 150,000 cold emails and helped transform how businesses approach prospecting.

Steve reveals how Maverick App was born from the fundamental pain points of sales teams spending excessive time on administrative tasks instead of selling. Under his leadership, the platform has evolved to help sales professionals reclaim their productive hours while maintaining consistently high email open rates of 40-60% through strategic segmentation and personalization.

Key Discussion Points:
- The evolution from manual prospecting to AI-powered automation
- Why sales reps spend most of their day on low-value administrative tasks
- How proper list segmentation drives higher response rates
- The importance of domain reputation and email deliverability
- Best practices for cold email personalization at scale
- The critical balance between automation and human touch
- Why consistency trumps perfection in sales outreach
- The future of omnichannel prospecting and actionable insights
- How AI integration is transforming cold email templates
- The shift from product-focused to consultative selling

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In this episode of Consulting Spotlight, we sit down with Salvatore Tirabassi, founder of CFO ProPlus Analytics, who transformed his 15-year venture capital experience into an innovative fractional CFO service. As a native New Yorker with extensive experience in growth equity partnerships and consumer services, Sal launched CFO ProPlus Analytics in early 2024 to bring enterprise-level financial expertise to businesses ranging from startups to $100 million in revenue.

## Key Discussion Points
- Building a methodology-driven approach to fractional CFO services focused on value creation, due diligence readiness, and single source of truth
- Transforming traditional bookkeeping into strategic financial planning
- Implementing weekly cash flow models for enhanced working capital management
- Navigating the transition from bootstrapped growth to taking on debt or equity
- Establishing business credit and banking relationships for young companies
- Integrating business intelligence and analytics into financial operations

## Strategic Insights
**Value Creation Framework**
- Value creation orientation for building business worth
- Due diligence readiness for capital raising
- Single source of truth for operational data

**Service Delivery Model**
- Scalable CFO services for businesses from startup to $100M revenue
- Combined CFO and analytics offerings
- Customized team composition based on business complexity

**Financial Growth Strategies**
- Bootstrap optimization through customer acquisition efficiency
- Strategic debt vs equity considerations
- Working capital management techniques

## Call to Action
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In this episode of Software Consulting Spotlight, we sit down with Vygandas Pliasas, founder and CEO of Cortip, who specializes in fractional CTO services and executive consulting. Vygandas shares his journey from developer to strategic technology leader, offering invaluable insights into transforming engineering processes and building effective remote teams.

Through his work with early-stage companies and SMBs up to Series A, Vygandas has developed a methodical approach to diagnosing and solving complex organizational challenges. His expertise lies in streamlining the entire product development cycle, from stakeholder ideation to final delivery.

Key Discussion Points:
- Transitioning from agency models to in-house development teams
- Managing stakeholder expectations and prioritization
- Technical maturity assessment methodologies
- Remote team management strategies
- Knowledge transfer and documentation approaches
- Scaling SaaS products effectively
- Metrics for measuring development success
- Building consensus across organizational levels

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