Vertin’s Post

Awards should only teach you that Success is achieved when you work with the right team in the right spirit

Everyday people with an opportunity to build an extraordinary business with freedom! If you’re topped out or stuck in your current career, let’s have a chat to learn about your aspirations of greatness for your Family!

The last six years have been a leadership masterclass of sorts, at the Bob Wetherbee Wetherbee School for Lucky Communicators. Bob was named CEO the day after my second interview, making mine an easy decision to join ATI. If you know him, you know what I mean. I’ve learned so much from Bob, but one experience stands out. Early in my tenure, he invited me to an meeting with the executive team, about a strategic confidential topic. I listened and I wondered, but I was not prepared for what would happen at the end of the meeting. Bob went around the table and asked, “Do you have what you need to be successful?” As you can imagine, it was a rapid fire succession of yeses. As it got closer to my turn, I started to panic. Clearly, everyone else got it. But… I was lost. And I was there to develop the communications strategy to carry it forward. Did I mention I’m a terrible liar? Bob got to me and I took a deep breath and said the understatement of the day. “Actually, I have some questions.” Bob didn’t even hesitate when he responded, “No problem. Let’s find time to go over it again.” Perhaps not coincidentally, a few who followed me around the table also needed a bit more to be successful. We all continued the conversation. I’d like to believe that our tremendous implementation was because we all took the time — and had the confidence — to put in place what we needed. So what’s my takeaway? Find your voice. Give others a voice. Ask questions. Listen. Success doesn’t come by luck. But you can be lucky to work with the right people. As to the future, we go forward with certainty. Our entire team has been studying at their own Bob masterclasses…. and Kimberly Fields has been a star in the Bob School for Future CEOs. As you’ll see in this video, we’re building on our strong foundation.

It was an honor to have worked with Preetish Nijhawan and an even greater honor to have known him. Preetish was the first one to truly believe in StackShare. We met in 2016 when I was fundraising. A small handful of investors wanted to be a part of the round but no one wanted to lead. Then Jocelyn Goldfein introduced me to Preetish and Neeraj Gupta and everything changed. Cervin ended up leading StackShare's seed round and investing $1M. It's hard to overstate how important that was for the company. Not only was it the largest investment we'd received, but at the time, being able to raise $1M+ as an unproven founder with no experience was extremely rare. Add to that, StackShare was focused on building a community so it wasn't the typical enterprise software company that Cervin invests in. In so many ways, Preetish made a huge bet on me. Preetish joined StackShare's board as part of the seed round, and over the years he coached me and helped me learn how to run a company. And more importantly, he did it with compassion. Because he had been a founder himself, it always felt like he understood exactly what I was going through and the true weight of the decisions that I faced. I've said this before, but a lot of investors say that they're founder friendly, while few actually are. Preetish was one of the few. He showed me some tough love but he was always fair and gave it to me straight, and I respected him tremendously for that. The level of dedication and compassion Preetish showed for founders was incredible. It didn't matter what time of day or what was going on in his own life, he always made my company a priority. Whether it was hopping on a quick call at 3am to give me advice or signing documents on the way back from a doctor's visit. There are countless stories I could tell from the 9+ years I knew Preetish that show how dedicated he was to supporting me, so I can't imagine how many other founders he's impacted throughout his career. Preetish, thank you for changing the lives of so many founders, including mine.

The first blog of February for F.S Sports. check it out here.

Hi Elisabet, Well done 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 and well presented! Good with practical guidance and examples in the book.

Mr. Holtz, let Vein Access Technologies improve the 'blood donation procedure' for your Techs and your Donors. VAT's STEM-method for the venipuncture and for the POC finger stick blood collection improve the success rate of the donation, reduces the compromise and failure rate, & improves the likelihood of a repeat donation. Current POC methods result in hemolysis of the blood sample, falsely indicating they are 'anemic', when they aren't. The new VAT method (gravity method) does NOT causes hemolysis - ACCURATE RESULTS follow. Current venipuncture methods frequently cause vein rupture, bruising, pain, fear - and sometimes long term recovery (from what should have been an inspirational donation), not to mention the occasional permanent injury. Not all veins are created equal; and not all veins should be stuck. PLEASE - THERE IS NOTHING TO LOSE by investigating VATmethod.com Or visit STEM21cVA.com for the science of it - The Science Behind the Skill of Vein Access for Blood Donation book describes it all. This is a new era for ARC, with a new leader - it's time for a new/next generation venipuncture and POC blood collection. 😊

You may have a seen a post I shared a few weeks ago receiving an award and wondering why it took me a year to celebrate that win publicly (this photo is from that same event). Upon reflection, I've realized that my hesitance to celebrate is part of a larger pattern. I have never stopped to really celebrate my wins.  I am guilty of constantly moving on to the next thing dismissing past achievements as if they were mere steps on an endless escalator. The win, once it's in the rearview mirror, somehow loses its sheen because it's "in the past." I cannot be the only one who is like this.  Am I?  Help me out here.  But I am coming to understand that celebrating our achievements isn't about living in the past; it's about recognizing the journey and the growth that comes with each milestone. Many of us, myself included, are wired to look forward, to chase the horizon. There's always a new goal, a new challenge. And while that drive is valuable, it's equally important to pause, look back, and honour how far we've come. Our wins, big or small, are not just trophies to collect but reminders of our resilience, hard work, and the support we've had along the way. Even in writing this I know I will still find it challenging to do, so, I'm making a commitment to not only chase the future but to also honour the present and respect the past. I endeavour to celebrate my wins, to savour the moments of success, and to appreciate the journey because the future is never guaranteed. Will you join me in this practice if you have battled this same malady?

I had a great time talking with Barb Wilson about leadership. Listen in at the link below to hear the conversation. #leadership #seasonsleadership #podcast

Being a part of Pisces Wealth Team has been such a fun experience and to see the team make the list for a 2nd year in a row is amazing! Way to go James, Greg, and the rest of the team. ______________________________________________________________________ 2024 Forbes America's Top Wealth Management Teams Best-in-State The 2024 Forbes ranking of America's Top Wealth Management Teams Best-In-State, developed by SHOOK Research, is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, mostly gained through telephone and in-person due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. This ranking is based upon the period from 3/31/2022 to 3/31/2023 and was released on 01/09/2024. Advisor teams that are considered must have one advisor with a minimum of seven years of experience, have been in existence as a team for at least one year, have at least 5 team members, and have been nominated by their firm. The algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their practices and approach to working with clients. Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Out of approximately 10,100 team nominations, 4,100 advisor teams received the award based on thresholds. This ranking is not indicative of an advisor's future performance, is not an endorsement, and may not be representative of individual clients' experience. Neither Raymond James nor any of its Financial Advisors or RIA firms pay a fee in exchange for this award/rating. Raymond James is not affiliated with Forbes or Shook Research, LLC. Please see https://lnkd.in/gEimwwwh for more info.