Podcasts

  • Be more than just about profit, and profit follows.

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-MoreThanProfit01.mp3Fictional Wall Street tycoon Gordon Gekko famously uttered the words, “greed is good.” But, for real life CEOs with...

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  • Bank Failures Start with Human Failures

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-BankFail00.mp3Silicon Valley Bank was not the only bank to fail in early 2023, but it shines as an example...

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  • “Crap Happens”

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-Crap-Happens01.mp3“The Failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was a prime example of people and organizations who seek to place...

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  • Belt Tightening in Recession

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-BeltTightening01.mp3You can’t control the world, but you can lead your company through a downturn. How? In this Tough Things...

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  • Confirmation Bias!

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-ConfirmationBias01.mp3Do you want it to be true so badly that you sink the ship? In this Tough Things First...

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  • The Pitch: Audience

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-PitchAudience01.mp3No matter how dialed-in, intriguing, and dynamic, your startup pitch is, if you try to sell hamburgers to an...

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  • Working hard or Work-a-holic? There’s a costly difference.

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-WorkaHolic01.mp3Is it easy to fall into the work-a-holic trap. Did you know that working 80 hours a week does...

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  • Quiet Quitting: How to reverse it in the age of remote work.

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-QuietQuitting01.mp3Quiet quitting isn’t just a buzzword, it’s happening. In this Tough Things First podcast, Ray Zinn discussing this costly...

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  • Proof of Concept

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-Experimentation01.mp3It is one of the toughest tasks for the successful entrepreneur. That’s why your proof of concept should get...

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  • The Clock is Ticking: Does your pitch have a clear mission and strategy?

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Rar-Rob-MissionStrategy01.mp3Mission and strategy are not afterthoughts. Just seconds for your first impression. Minutes to sell the idea. Don’t blow...

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  • Ray Zinn: “An excuse is nothing more than a reason wrapped in a bag of poop.”

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-Excuses01.mp3Ray Zinn, the longer serving CEO in Silicon Valley, was well known for fostering a culture of  “do whatever...

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  • The Cryptocurrency Gamble

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-Crypto01.mp3Not too long ago we talked about chasing unicorns in Silicon Valley and the downfall of Elizabeth Holmes. Now...

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  • Is Your Startup Doomed? It doesn’t Have to Be.

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-StartupRealities01.mp3Is your startup doomed, or headed in the right direction? What it comes down to is will people trust...

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  • Micromanagement for Success

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-MicroManage01.mp3Micromanagement. Does it get a bad rap? As head of Micrel Semiconductor for 37 years, Ray Zinn took a...

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  • The Right Company Hires the Right Person

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    http://toughthingsfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/Ray-Rob-HiringAdvice01.mp3In thirty-seven years as CEO of Micrel Semiconductor, Ray Zinn has done his share of hiring at all levels....

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