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.

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.

When the business case for inclusion meets political backlash, leaders must decide whether to abandon the work or make it more durable. Julie Kratz, professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and CEO of Next Pivot Point, built allyship programs that have directly influenced tens of thousands of people and then watched revenue drop to zero, forcing a hard pivot that reshaped how she teaches, consults, and packages this work.

Behind the headlines, Julie walks us through a practical, measurable model: multi-month cohorts (typically 3–4 months) that combine short skill bursts on cultural intelligence, inclusive language, microaggressions, and bias with an apply and unpack cycle - leaders learn, practice with their teams, then return to reflect in live coaching. Her Amazon case study expanded from one leadership team to multiple cohorts (about 200 leaders so far), and pre/post assessments show roughly a 20–30% lift in participants’ ability to practice these skills; Julie pairs that client work with university teaching, books (including We Want You - An Allyship Guide for People With Power), a podcast, and free resources to scale impact.

• Embed allyship into existing leadership curricula, teach specific skills, require application, then measure knowledge, confidence, and ability with pre/post checks.
• Use a cohort-based apply → practice → debrief loop to increase accountability, psychological safety, and real behavior change.
• Run discreet systemic audits (hiring, promotion, pay-management) as “quiet cleanup” so policy and practice align before public reporting.
• Engage people with power through bridge-building: frame allyship in terms of decision rights, budgets, and operational impact so leaders adopt and codify changes.
• Treat disruption as a long game plan that pivots, protect founder resilience (allow grief, diversify channels such as teaching and books), and maintain the capacity to re-scale when demand returns.

Join us with Julie Kratz as she shows leaders how to turn allyship from talk into measurable leadership practice that strengthens teams, talent pipelines, and long-term organizational resilience.

🏆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.

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.

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.

In a world where countless graduates emerge with certificates yet still struggle to land their first job, why hasn’t practical upskilling unlocked those global opportunities? That’s the question Temidayo Adefioye set out to answer. What followed was a journey from selling his first C-Sharp CBT tool in Lagos lecture halls to building Talenvo a platform that, in just 14 months, has united 1,500 core members and empowered over 30,000 learners across Africa with real, hands-on experience.

In this episode, Temidayo takes us behind the scenes of Talenvo’s rapid ascent from coding the very first MVP himself to scaling a community centric talent engine. He shares how his own frustration with theory only education drove him to spend years mastering enterprise software processes, why he chose empathy and user calls over chasing the “next big tech stack,” and how a simple open WhatsApp policy built trust in a market shadowed by stereotypes.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• How to turn a rough MVP into a continent-spanning talent network.
• The power of micro-learning and gamification in building true skill mastery.
• Why real innovation starts with listening, not scaling.
• What it means to lead a team through early-stage scaling pressures and limited resources.
• How focusing on open-door customer trust, not flashy tech features, became their biggest differentiator.

Join us for a conversation that’s equal parts strategic playbook, founder memoir, and on the ground community building perfect for edtech entrepreneurs, talent platform builders, and anyone passionate about turning potential into performance.

🏆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.

In a world where AI touches everything from the way we drive to the way we shop why hasn’t it truly transformed the way we manage our money? That’s the question Alexander Harmsen, co-founder and CEO of PortfolioPilot.com, set out to answer. What followed was a bold leap from aerospace and autonomous systems into the deeply personal world of financial advice building a platform that now helps over 30,000 users manage $30 billion in assets.

In this episode, Alex takes us behind the scenes of PortfolioPilot’s rapid rise from writing the first lines of code himself to becoming an SEC-registered RIA offering real, personalized, AI-powered financial coaching. He shares how his frustration with generic robo-advisors led to a bigger vision: creating an always-on optimization engine for the everyday investor. With candid insights into startup risk, early product failures, hiring through uncertainty, and building trust in a compliance-heavy industry, Alex proves that sometimes the best ideas come when you’re trying to solve your own problems.

Here’s what you’ll take away:

• How to turn a “clunky prototype” into a category-defining fintech product.
• The power of simplification in a world of financial complexity.
• Why real innovation starts with listening not scaling.
• What it means to lead a team through ambiguity (and limited payroll).
• How focusing on user trust, not features, became their biggest differentiator.

Join us for a conversation that’s equal parts technical, tactical, and deeply human perfect for founders, PMs, and curious minds who believe in building not just smarter products, but more empowered users.

🏆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.

In today’s fast-paced business landscape, scaling isn’t merely about expansion—it’s about smart, strategic growth. For Chris Heffernan, founder and CEO of dlivrd, the road from a casual cheesesteak lunch in Florida to building a multi-market catering delivery powerhouse was fueled by vision, tenacity, and a keen sense for untapped potential.

In this episode, Chris opens up about his entrepreneurial journey—from balancing a corporate telecom role while launching a modest delivery service with just a leased Toyota Camry, to pioneering a logistics platform now operating in over 170 markets across the US and Canada. Facing challenges like onboarding restaurants and drivers, weathering pandemic cash flow crises, and shifting focus to the lucrative catering sector, Chris reveals how adaptability and technology partnerships transformed his startup into an industry disruptor.

Key Takeaways:

• How spotting early market shifts can position you ahead of the curve.
• Lessons in resilience through operational hurdles and financial pressure.
• Insider tactics for scaling complex delivery networks efficiently.
• The power of pivoting to niche markets for sustainable growth.
• How tech integration and collaborative alliances drive long-term success.

Join us for an honest and motivating conversation packed with grit, innovation, and a slice of cheesesteak wisdom — perfect for founders, leaders, and anyone looking to scale with purpose and creativity.

Tune in to hear how Engin Özer is revolutionizing cross-language communication and what every entrepreneur can learn about scaling with resilience, insight, and a commitment to solving real-world problems.

🏆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.