Today's guest is not your ordinary entrepreneur who just miraculously found herself in business. Rather, she's a driven, determined and persistent visionary. She is Jessica Butcher. Jessica is a well known personality and was named on the BBC’s international list of ‘100 Women’ in 2014, Fortune Magazine's global 'Top 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs' in 2012 and she was the winner of the Natwest EveryWoman Iris (tech) award in 2013, amongst her other accolades.

If that doesn't excite you enough to listen to this episode, I don't think you're aware of what you're going to miss in this episode. To give you a brief overview of what we've discussed, we tackled:

• The contributing factors that made her the extraordinary person that she is today
• How she came up with the idea and eventually built a business around Blippar
• Her personal thoughts on culture and its importance
• The company she admires the most
• And a whole lot more...

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode36 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Coach Matt Donohue is the Head Coach of women's basketball at The Catholic University of America. He is fresh off a record setting six year period of achieving the Landmark Conference Coach of the Year and leading the Cardinals to its phenomenal wins in the NCAA Tournament and Conference championships. And on the back of all the accolades and praises he has received, we'll get to know how it is to be a coach, a father, and a husband.

In this interview, we'll delve into:

• Who inspires Coach Matt
• Why he thinks we need to help people develop as leaders 
• Why he thinks patience is essential 
• Coach Matt's thoughts on investing in people
• The importance of creating a process and understanding that we are all a work in progress

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode35 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

The challenge of living in a foreign country is no easy task. You have to learn the language, study the culture, and cope with homesickness. But for Bernhard Mehl, who was raised in Germany, moving to the US did not hinder his fulfilment of his American Dream. Instead, while he's busy learning the language, the people and the culture, he also started building a company.

Tune in to this episode and follow through the story of how Bernhard found the success that he didn't get in his own country of Germany. Some key points in this interview include: :

• How Bernhard overcame his challenge with the English language
• What his foundation was that propelled him to be the entrepreneur he is today
• The genesis of his business idea and the birth of Kisi
• His thoughts on company culture
• Which company he admires the most and why

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode34 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

In years to come, the secret to building a successful business will still remain the same. Find the need and provide a solution to that need. Paul Mecca, Co-Founder of KwikBoost, had that in mind when he and his brother Joe started with their business. Their main mission is to solve the growing problem of the need for access to power in public places, specifically for mobile devices. Surely enough, the business idea has fueled itself and has resulted in what is now KwikBoost.

In this episode, we'll explore and learn more about:

• How Paul and his brother started the business
• Why he thinks attitude plays a big role in business success
• His future plans for KwikBoost
• What company he admires most and why

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode33 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

With technology at its peak, you'd probably think that there are no more opportunities left to be discovered or invented. But this witty and brilliant man, Marc Brodeur, whose passion for creating products that he couldn't find to fill a niche, has definitely found a gap in the market that has enabled him to come up with a product called Brode Electrolyte Vitamin.

So if you want to be energized, be sure to stick around and listen to the full interview as we discussed:

• Who exactly Marc Brodeur is and what made Brode so phenomenal
• How he came up with the idea and actually worked on that idea to fruition
• Why the "turnaround factor" is critical in building a business
• What you should keep in mind when thinking of getting a business partner on board

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode32 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Gender equality has been one of the hot debates in recent years. But as more and more women are taking the helm of leadership it's becoming even clearer and obvious that women are no lesser than their male counterparts. In this episode, we'll talk to Michelle Tartalio. Michelle is the Co-Founder, Research Director, and Chair of the Advisory Board at Enlight Research, LLC. We'll dig into her experience running a company that's ran mostly by women and a couple of other topics including.

• A look at one of the best things they've done as a business
• Her personal thoughts on how office layout and design drive teamwork and collaboration
• Her advice to companies who wants to attract the millenials into their firm
• How their company culture is impacted by being a mostly "female" ran company
• Why she thinks figuring out your marketplace and focusing on your revenue engine are the two critical aspects of business growth

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode31 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Can education be a hindrance for someone to make a mark and be successful? Jacob Katsof can proudly say, it isn't, and it shouldn't. He stands with what Mark Twain once said, "I wouldn't let school interfere with my education." And looking at Jacob's story, a high school dropout, he's proven that there are other places where you get "real" education for real life.

In this short chat with Jacob, I've picked up his brains and have had the privilege to get to know him and what made a simple dropout become a CEO and Co-Founder of AppCow. Stick your earbuds as we discuss:

• The story behind AppCow and how it all started
• What Jacob thinks about culture 
• His vision and future plans for AppCow
• His experience with finding investors and his advice for those who are looking at VC funding

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode30 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Dr Sherry Rankins is the Associate Vice Chancellor at University of Arkansas, Little Rock, where she currently works on Student Success, Retention and Online Extended Learning. She received her PhD in Rhetoric, Composition and Linguistics at Arizona State University.

In this interview, Dr Rankins shared her thoughts on various culture related topics and how it relates to her role. We've discussed:

• Her personal journey and how she got to where she is now
• What inspired her to pursue her studies and her career in education
• Her thoughts on culture and its impact in company morale
• Why she thinks companies and businesses need to pay more attention to their employees
• The role of millennials and why she takes a different kind of approach in engaging them

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode29 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Jason Fray is the Director of Cushman and Wakefield, a recognized leader in local and global real estate research. He grew up in Central New Jersey and after college was faced with a crossroad and a life changing question, "What do I want to do with my life?"

In this interview, we'll dig deeper on Jason's story and see how things turned out and how he eventually stepped into the corporate real estate world. In addition, Jason also shared some thoughts on:

• How an open access to information and collaborative environment worked for Cushman's advantage
• How Cushman & Wakefield built and maintained their brand
• Why "Google it" doesn't work at Cushman & Wakefield
• Why you should look for a company that is willing to invest in you
• How to attract talent by simply staying in a more desirable neighborhood

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode28 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Dean Soukeras is a co-founder and COO of HomeSwipe, the only mobile app that helps renters find their next apartment and connect with agents, by incentivizing the best listings, immediate contact through in app chat and pushing strategic, valuable notifications, so the renter is always a step ahead.

In this episode of Be Culture Radio, we've had the privilege to chat with Dean and ask him some interesting questions that will help us get a glimpse of who this man is. You'll get to know Dean's thoughts on::

• How should you take mistakes
• Why it's important to be authentic
• What Dean thinks is the best measure of a true company culture
• Why is there a need to individualize rather than generalize
• What Dean thinks is true failure

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode27 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Lloyd Rosenberg is the President and CEO of DMR Architects. He’s a well-traveled person and it’s through his travels that he’s gleaned some of the fundamentals that he’s applied to his company in terms of building an exciting and long lasting company culture.

In this interview, we dove deep into the many secrets of how he’s built his company to be world class and well respected. Some of the topics we’ve discussed include:

• How his journey of Architecture and design molded him into who he is right now
• How traveling to different countries influenced his company’s culture
• We’ll also get to know which project he’s most proud of
• Why he thinks empowering the people in your team is key to building a successful company culture

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode26 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

Katie Kimball is the Operations Manager of Chartbeat, a company focused on unusual behavior happening across the social web and how that affects constantly changing content. In this interview, Katie and I talked about:

• How she got her job as Operations Manager at Chartbeat
• What she thinks of dogs in the workplace
• The reason behind Chartbeat's floor plan change every six weeks
• What company she admires as it relates to culture
• Future plans and updates coming to Chartbeat

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode25 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.

The challenge of building a great company culture cannot be solved by a single bullet. There is no silver bullet to do that. It's a consolidated and collaborative effort.

In today's episode, we'll see how interior design helps in achieving that innovative company culture. Our guest is Billy Hallisky, an architect and a project manager for Interior Architects.

In this interview, Billy shares with us:

• A brief intro on who Billy is and what he does
• His personal experience working with companies in transforming their interior design
• What's his idea of an effective office design that compliments company culture
• How budget plays in the scene when designing for clients
• Why he thinks culture should not be defined, but should be responded to

To get the full show notes, transcripts on this episode check us out at www.befurniture.com/episode24 

You can also connect with us on Twitter @BeFurniture or personally to me, @BEJohnGardner

Click the links to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher.