The CEO's Heart for Service | Scaling Business Without Compromise

Unleashing Potential | The Everett Chamber Transformation with Wendy Poischbeg

What does it actually take to build a thriving chamber of commerce from absolute zero — no staff, no members, not even a pad of paper — in under 18 months? Wendy Poischbeg did exactly that, scaling the Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce to 300 members in a year and a half by doing something deceptively simple: listening. Wendy, CEO of the Greater Everett Chamber, joins co-hosts Matt Wolfe and Sarah Pattisall of Brand3 to share how she resurrected a chamber that had been missing from Everett for 15 years — and why she built it completely differently this time. From curating member experiences inspired by the book Unreasonable Hospitality, to deploying AI to run lean, to quietly supporting Everett's Hispanic business community during a turbulent political climate, Wendy reveals what it looks like to lead with heart, hustle, and a hype-person mentality. Highlights * Wendy path to become a rock star — and trained in a prestigious Seattle girl choir before reality (and Boeing) intervened * The Greater Everett Chamber launched January 1, 2025, starting from absolute ground zero — no assets, no EIN, not even office supplies * 300 members in 18 months, 55+ events in year one, on track for 80 events in year two * The chamber was rebuilt intentionally as "not your grandpa's chamber" — with AI tools, streamlined automation, and yes, a DJ at events * Wendy drew leadership inspiration from Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara, applying fine-dining service principles to chamber membership * Member feedback drives everything: surveys, CRM-tracked pain points, and in-person business visits shape every program and workshop * Permitting is the #1 barrier to business growth in Everett — the chamber is actively advocating for AI-assisted permitting reform at the state level * The ambassador program launched 6 months ahead of schedule when membership hit 150 — volunteers are rewarded, never charged * AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude) helped Wendy accomplish in one week what used to take a month, from nonprofit filing to contract drafting * The chamber does quiet, behind-the-scenes work to support Everett's Hispanic business community, including a private health district licensing event to help food cart operators get licensed safely * Wendy's personal "why" (discovered through Simon Sinek's framework): amplifying and promoting others is what makes her thrive Chapters 0:31 — Welcome & Episode Preview 2:12 — Meet Wendy Poischbeg 3:31 — From Aspiring Rock Star to Chamber CEO 6:14 — The History Behind the Greater Everett Chamber 9:56 — Unreasonable Hospitality & the Member Experience Philosophy 12:29 — Curating Experiences, Not Just Events 13:58 — How Wendy Gathers & Acts on Member Feedback 17:34 — Advocacy: The Chamber as a Policy Voice 19:53 — Growth by the Numbers: 300 Members in 18 Months 22:15 — The Chamber's Four Pillars 25:05 — Everett's Transformation: The Marina & South Everett 27:31 — Scaling Without Losing the Human Touch 28:51 — Challenges of Rapid Growth & the Ambassador Program 31:45 — How AI Is Running the Chamber (And Disrupting the Legal Industry) 33:47 — Supporting Everett's Hispanic Business Community 37:42 — Creativity as a Business Strategy (FIFA 2026 & Beyond) 40:30 — Wendy's Coffee Shop Origin Story 42:49 — The Story the Chamber Tells: Be Engaged to Get Value 47:57 — The Heart Behind the Hype Person: Rapid-Fire Q&A 54:39 — Wendy's "Why" (Simon Sinek & the Two-Hour Couch Conversation) Resources Mentioned * Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce — everettchamber.org [https://www.everettchamber.org/] * Unreasonable Hospitality [https://www.unreasonablehospitality.com/] by Will Guidara * Start With Why [https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why] by Simon Sinek * Economic Alliance Snohomish County [https://www.economicalliancesc.org/] — regional economic development organization that preceded and now complements the chamber The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net [http://brand3.net]. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead.  The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co [http://forgepodcast.co]

Scaling Through Core Values with Orsi Herbein | The Brand3 Journey

What happens when a business built on genuine relationships tries to grow — and nearly loses everything that made it special in the process? That's the honest, behind-the-scenes story we're unpacking today with Brand3 founder and President Orsi Herbein. Orsi shares the real lessons from 10 years of building a branding and marketing agency, including a painful season of chasing the wrong definition of success, why hastily delegating client relationships almost cost the company, and how getting clear on your own definition of success changes everything. If you lead a service-based business and feel the pull between growth and staying true to what matters most, this one is for you. Highlights * What "CEO's heart for service" actually means — and why it's the lens Brand3 uses to choose who they work with * Why branding done right is simply the truth about your business * The real reason service-based B2B businesses struggle to define themselves (hint: you're too close to your own stuff) * How Brand3 helped a client achieve an extraordinary EBITDA multiplier in a private equity exit — by giving them the confidence to stand their ground * The PCS Technology story: how a heart-shaped logo became an internal emoji and the whole team started to "catch the vision" * Orsi's honest account of a season when growth goals overrode core values — and what that cost * Why hastily delegating client relationships in a relational business is a recipe for trouble * How to brag about your clients instead of yourself (and why that's the most authentic marketing a service provider can do) * The Brand3 core values: Difference Makers, True to Self, Creative Thinkers, Clarity Seekers, Collaborators, and Adaptive Advocates * Your definition of success doesn't have to look like anyone else's Chapters 1:14 – Meet the Hosts 2:26 – Welcome Orsi & Brand3 2:37 – What Brand3 Does 4:12 – Heart for Service Defined 7:03 – Redefining Client Success 9:11 – Impact Stories & Wins 13:38 – Branding as Truth 16:27 – Scaling Without Losing Values 17:15 – Brand3 Core Values 18:26 – Origins as a Design Shop 21:34 – Branding Beyond Marketing 23:34 – Values Mirror the Founder 26:01 – Core Values in Action 26:58 – Scaling Slippery Slopes 31:11 – Redefining Success Metrics 35:14 – Helping People Who Help 36:23 – Brand Strategy Rapid Fire 37:16 – Marketing Goes Relational 38:36 – Sales Truth Telling 40:12 – Client Experience by Design 41:38 – Client Highlights, Not Bragging 43:18 – Behind the Brand Quiz 46:48 – Closing Thanks & Where to Find Us The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net [http://brand3.net]. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead.  The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co [http://forgepodcast.co]

Beginning with the End in Mind | Exit Strategy Redefined with Anna Halaburda

What you focus on when you start in business has a massive impact on what happens when you grow. Anna Halaburda has been focusing on quality service at scale — not because she stumbled into it, but because she built Be Ready Exit Solutions with the end in mind from the very start. As a CPA, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, and founder of one of the few true exit planning firms in the lower middle market, Anna has spent her career helping business owners protect and transfer what they've spent their lives creating. What makes Anna's perspective so sharp is that she doesn't just advise her clients on scalable systems and quality control — she applies those same standards ruthlessly to her own business. Be Ready is her most important client. And the way she's navigated growth, managed collaborating advisors, and protected her brand vision while staying true to what made her unique is a masterclass in principled scaling. If you lead a service business and you've ever felt the tension between growing bigger and staying great, this conversation will give you language and a framework for that challenge you probably didn't have before. Highlights * Why Anna treats Be Ready Exit Solutions as her most important client — and what that actually looks like in practice * The "eat your own cooking" principle: you can't advise clients on systems and scalability if you haven't built them yourself * How Anna used collaborative business models to grow — and why finding clients through other advisors is far more efficient than going direct * The employee mindset vs. the entrepreneur mindset — and why the difference matters enormously when you're scaling through partners * Why "exit planning" has a perception problem, and how Anna reframes the conversation with business owners * The engagement map: how making your internal process visible to clients builds trust and eliminates the silence that drives them crazy * Why Anna deliberately does not try to become her clients' friend — and how that actually serves them better * The importance of industry-standard SOPs: if you're telling your clients they need them and you don't have them yourself, you shouldn't be in business * What private equity firms contacting Anna twice a day says about where the exit planning industry is heading Chapters 5:38 — What's at Stake: The Emotional Weight of Business Exit 6:31 — Scaling Was Never an Accident: Built In from Day One 8:21 — Eat Your Own Cooking: Be Ready as Its Own Best Client 12:45 — The Collaborative Model: Finding Clients Through Advisors 16:34 — The Messaging Challenge: Defining the Brand Under Pressure 25:24 — SOPs, Workflow, and Value Billing: Building the Spine of the Business 40:45 — The Partner Mindset Shift: Employee Thinking vs. Entrepreneurial Thinking 44:42 — Messaging at Scale: Getting Other Advisors to Believe It 47:54 — The Human Element: Why Speaking Beats Everything Else in B2B 1:00:17 — Advice to Younger Anna: Stay the Course 1:01:49 — Behind the Brand: Getting to Know the Human Resources Mentioned * Be Ready Exit Solutions — bereadyexits.com [http://bereadyexits.com/] * International Exit Planning Association (IEPA) — The certification body for exit planning advisors: theiepa.com [https://theiepa.com/] The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net [http://brand3.net]. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead.  The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co [http://forgepodcast.co]

Primetime for Empowerment | Building Community Across Generations with Bernadette Wagner

What does it really take to change the way we think about aging — and build a community that proves it? Bernadette Wagner, founder and CEO of Primetime for Women, has spent years doing exactly that. What started as a mission to bring women 40 and over together around three research-backed pillars — positive social connections, lifelong learning, and healthy lifestyles — has grown into a vibrant, intergenerational community rooted in a simple but powerful idea: give and gain. From a weekly walking group that hasn't missed a single Wednesday in four years, to an International Women's Day conference that draws speakers from across the country, to a golf league for complete beginners called "Connections Over Competition," Bernadette shows us what it looks like to scale an organization without losing its soul. And she does it all as an all-volunteer nonprofit — fueled by community, collaboration, and the unshakeable belief that you don't know until you try. Highlights * Primetime for Women was founded on three research-based factors that influence physical health, emotional wellbeing, and longevity: positive social connections, lifelong learning, and healthy lifestyles — or as Bernadette puts it, "people, passion, and purpose." * Walking to Wellness has welcomed 398 different participants and walks every single Wednesday — indoors, outdoors, rain or shine — for four years without missing once. * The International Women's Day conference, now in its third year, is held in partnership with a local college, features speakers who volunteer their time, and is driven entirely by community sponsorships and donations. * The golf league "Connections Over Competition" was created to introduce women — including Bernadette herself, who had never touched a club — to golf in a welcoming, low-pressure environment. * A program called "A Year of Hikes" took Bernadette on the same 4-mile section of the Appalachian Trail with 52 different women during the pandemic — creating what she calls "trail intimacy" and a blog series published on the Primetime for Women website. * Scaling isn't always smooth — Bernadette shares candid stories about transitioning Walking to Wellness from outdoor parks to an indoor college track, navigating grant funding roadblocks, and the honest question of what happens to the organization when she's ready to step back. * The smoothie bike started as a beat-up donated bicycle with a blender duct-taped to it, and eventually became a professionally built piece of equipment funded by a grant — and now a potential revenue source at community events. * Men show up too. Three male regulars now set up the Primetime for Women banner every week — and shirts reading "Prime Time for Women and the Smart Men Who Support Them" have become part of the community. * The "give and gain" philosophy that Bernadette instills in the women she serves is the same mindset she applies to leading and growing the organization itself. Chapters 0:00 — Welcome Back Intro 0:50 — Key Takeaways Preview 2:50 — Meet Bernadette Wagner 3:13 — Changing the Script on Aging 4:57 — Saturday in the Park 6:05 — International Women's Day Conference 9:22 — Walking to Wellness Magic 11:52 — Why Connections Get Hard 13:14 — Golf League for Beginners 16:43 — Measuring Service Impact 18:22 — Stories of Transformation 23:31 — Book Club & Lifelong Learning 26:30 — Scaling Challenges Ahead 30:22 — Unexpected Support Arrives 32:26 — Scaling Walking to Wellness 34:56 — The Smoothie Bike Breakthrough 37:16 — Collaboration Over Competition 40:53 — Evolving the Audience Story 44:07 — Inclusive Giving and Donors 45:46 — Member Voices and Amplification 48:32 — Brand Story and Funding Hurdles 52:56 — Behind the Brand Q&A 55:44 — Final Takeaways & Where to Find Them Resources * Primetime for Women [https://www.primetimeforwomen.org/] — Learn more, donate, find events, and read the blog (including Cultures, Cooking and Connections and the 52 Weeks hiking series) * Infinite Legacy [https://www.infinitelegacy.org/] — Organ and tissue donation organization; a speaker from Infinite Legacy (Taylor Massey) presented at a Walking to Wellness session The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net [http://brand3.net]. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead.  The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co [http://forgepodcast.co]

Exceptional Service in Insurance: The Gerety Way

What does it really take to grow a service business without losing the personal touch that made it great in the first place? That tension — between scaling and staying true to your clients — is one every service-based business owner knows. After 28 years of building Gerety Insurance from a one-person operation into a thriving independent agency, Rick Gerety has found a way to do both. His secret? It's not complicated. It's just consistent. HIGHLIGHTS * Gerety Insurance's five core values — proactive, transparent, relationship-oriented, resourceful, and fun — aren't wall art. They drive hiring decisions, client interactions, and weekly team conversations. * When you call Gerety Insurance, a real human answers. Every time. No phone trees, no waiting. That one decision has defined the client experience for nearly three decades. * Rick's team proactively pulls renewal lists every week and reaches out to clients facing bigger-than-expected rate increases — before the client ever calls them. * A commercial client that started with one guy and one truck has grown to 40 trucks and 100 employees over 25 years — and Gerety has been there every step of the way. * Becoming an independent agency (after years as an exclusive Nationwide agent) nearly quadrupled growth — access to 25+ carriers meant they could finally match clients to the right coverage. * Separating sales from service roles 10–12 years ago was a turning point that dramatically improved efficiency and the quality of both functions. * The EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework helped Rick's team clarify their ideal client, establish written processes, and get the right people in the right seats. * Working with Brand3 led to the tagline "Partners for Your Protection" — three words that crystallized what Rick's team had already been doing for years. * Gerety now holds over 500 five-star Google reviews and has won the Best of Harford Award for insurance agencies two years running. * Rick's advice for navigating the growth-vs.-service tension: keep doing the little things right, and the big things will follow. CHAPTERS 0:00 – Welcome and Introductions 0:32 – Core Values and EOS 3:11 – Small Touches Big Service 6:01 – Defining Exceptional Service 7:56 – Client Partnerships That Last 9:40 – Going Independent and Proactive Renewals 12:25 – Scaling the Agency and AI Questions 18:18 – Growth Costs and Hiring Reality 19:22 – Hardest Values to Keep 20:30 – Brand Beyond Marketing 21:13 – Partners for Your Protection 23:26 – Proof the Message Landed 25:39 – Brand3 Strategy Process 28:54 – EOS and Written Processes 29:42 – Client Experience Relationships 30:27 – Little Things and Leadership 33:36 – Behind the Brand Quiz 34:59 – Personal Joy and Hobbies 38:35 – Defining Success and Next Steps RESOURCES * Gerety Insurance — geretyinsurance.com [https://www.geretyinsurance.com/] * Contact Rick directly — rick@geretyinsurance.com * EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) — eosworldwide.com [https://www.eosworldwide.com/] The CEO’s Heart for Service is a production of Brand3. If you’re a B2B service provider who delivers exceptional service but struggles to get your marketing to connect with the right people, find us at brand3.net [http://brand3.net]. And sign up for our Brand3 Newsletter that only sends marketing insights worthy of your inbox - genuinely helpful stuff for the road ahead.  The CEO’s Heart for Service is also supported by Forge Podcast Company, a turnkey production solution for using podcasts to reach a wider audience, win new clients, and grow. Find them at forgepodcast.co [http://forgepodcast.co]