5 Power Plays
Are you tired of feeling stuck despite consuming tons of "expert advice"?
These five conversations delivered actionable intelligence from leaders who've actually built the results you want—from enterprise sales systems that attract investors to personal presence strategies that open doors to influence.
The insights from Mark Phinick with his interviews with Guc Ozenci and Donna Serdula; Top Voice Tuesday episode with Michael Lopez and Lorraine K. Lee; Blue TV episode with Denise Murtha Bachmann; Andy Wang and his all-star panel (Whitney Johnson, J. Kelly Hoey, Claire Wasserman, & Jason Vitug) in Inspired Money Podcast; and the episode of the Crypto Zombies team (Nick Larson, Hooman Khalili, Chris Kelly, & Bryn Nguyen) with Jonathan Padilla don't just sound impressive—they deliver measurable outcomes when implemented strategically.
Power Play No. 1: How to Build Repeatable Revenue That Investors Actually Fund
Stop chasing every deal that moves. The harsh reality?
Investors don't fund hustle—they fund predictable systems that scale without you.
Mark Phinick, with four decades of enterprise sales experience helping three companies go public and seven get acquired, shared the critical distinction between early traction and investor-worthy revenue streams across two game-changing conversations.
Here's what most founders miss: Activity isn't progress, and deals aren't revenue if they can't be replicated systematically.
"Investors don't fund traction. They're funding repeatable sales on a path to helping them get their ROI." — Mark Phinick
The Deep Dive: Systems That Scale
When venture-backed founder Guc Ozenci brought Mark on his show, the conversation cut through startup mythology to reveal what actually creates scalable revenue. Mark's framework centers on three qualifying questions that separate real opportunities from time-wasting distractions:
- Does the prospect have a problem worth spending money to solve?
Not just any problem—one that creates genuine urgency and budget allocation
- Can they actually fund the solution?
Too many founders waste months with prospects who love the idea but lack decision-making authority or financial resources.
- Does winning this deal signal to future customers and investors where you're heading?
Every deal should validate your market positioning and create momentum for the next one.
Here's the breakthrough insight:
Most deals fail from weak alignment, not pricing. While technical evaluators might champion your solution, economic buyers often lack urgency, clarity on value, and sometimes don't even know the deal exists.
The solution?
Stop trying to convince. Start equipping your internal champions to sell when you're not in the room.
Dream Big with Big Dreamers: LinkedIn Leadership Strategy
During Mark’s appearance on the show hosted by Donna Serdula, he expanded on how executive presence directly impacts sales credibility and investor confidence. This wasn't theory—this was tactical intelligence from someone who's navigated multiple successful exits.
The conversation revealed why personal branding isn't vanity—it's revenue infrastructure. When prospects research you (and they will), what they find determines whether they see you as a credible solution or another vendor.
"Most buying happens when you're not in the room. So it's not about convincing, it's about equipping our champion to walk into a meeting with our solution." — Mark Phinick
Revenue Reality Check:
- 77% of B2B buyers describe their last purchase as "complex or difficult" (Gartner)
- Only 17% of the buying process involves meeting suppliers; the rest happens internally (Gartner)
Your Action Item: Audit your current pipeline using Mark's three-question filter. How many of your "opportunities" would survive this qualification process?
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Conversations:
- Founder’s Institute: Scaling GTM for Startups with Guc Ozenci
🔎 Explore more from our Spotlight Voices here:
🔹Mark Phinick
→ Company Website: Let’s Make It Rain
→ YouTube Channel: Mark Phinick
🔹 Guc Ozenci
→ Company Websites:
https://fi.co/pennwest
🔹 Donna Serdula
→ Company Website: Vision Board Media
→ Podcast Website: Dream Big with Big Dreamers
→ Personal Website: Donna Serdula
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Power Play No. 2: Are You Visible in All the Right Places? A Modern Presence Playbook
Forget everything you think you know about executive presence.
The old rules—commanding boardrooms and delivering polished presentations—represent maybe 20% of how influence actually gets built in 2025.
This week’s Top Voice Tuesday featuring host Michael Lopez and keynote speaker Lorraine K. Lee, author of Unforgettable Presence, demolished traditional "executive presence" thinking and rebuilt it for today's fragmented professional reality.
Here's what's different now: Your presence spans virtual meetings, LinkedIn interactions, email communication, chat channels, and yes, still those high-stakes conference rooms.
The leaders who thrive understand this isn't about being "always on"—it's about being intentionally present in moments that matter.
The Leadership Lab: Rethinking Workplace Impact
Their dynamic conversation tackled the exhaustion many professionals feel trying to maintain "executive presence" across endless digital touchpoints.
Lorraine's approach? Sustainable authenticity over performative perfection.
"The way that I'm defining presence is both how and where you are seen." — Lorraine K. Lee
The incremental approach wins every time. Lorraine's research shows that sustainable growth comes from focusing on "smaller moments" rather than dramatic overhauls. Think micro-improvements in how you show up, not personality makeovers.
Michael connected this to a critical workplace reality most leaders ignore:
"We're so focused on the experience of the work. We're not always focused on the experience of the work space and environment."
This is where most professionals lose competitive advantage. They optimize for deliverables while neglecting the relational infrastructure that actually drives career progression.
Presence by the Numbers:
- First impressions form in 7 seconds (Korn Ferry)
- LinkedIn facilitated 122 million job interviews and 35 million hires worldwide in 2023 (Sagar Hedau)
- Employees with sponsors are 23% more likely to advance their careers (Coqual)
Your Action Item: Choose three "smaller moments" this week where you can be more intentionally present—a team call, a LinkedIn comment, a hallway conversation. Notice the difference in response.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of “How to Build Your Unforgettable Presence”
- In YouTube
- In LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/events/7360073502147665920/
📬 Get the most of the insights from our featured Top Voices in this episode!
→ Purchase her book “Unforgettable Presence” on Amazon!
→ Newsletter: Friday Focus
→ YouTube Channel: Michael J. Lopez
→ Purchase his book “CHANGE” on Amazon!
==============================================Power Play No. 3: FIVE Steps to Transform LinkedIn Comments into Revenue-Generating Relationships
Stop celebrating vanity metrics. Those likes and comments on your LinkedIn posts?
They're worthless unless they convert to actual business relationships. LinkedIn Top Voice Denise Murtha Bachmann showed exactly how to systematically turn surface-level social engagement into revenue-generating connections.
Most professionals get this backwards. They invest hours creating content, measure success by engagement, then wonder why their LinkedIn activity doesn't translate to business results. Denise's Blue TV appearance revealed the systematic approach that transforms social engagement into strategic relationships.
The game-changing insight: The real value isn't in public engagement—it's in what happens in the DMs after someone engages with your content.
The Business Blueprint: From Comments to Conversions
During her featured segment, Denise shared the specific frameworks that transformed her consultancy's lead generation. She didn't just theorize about LinkedIn strategy—she demonstrated how most professionals waste LinkedIn's relationship-building potential by stopping at public engagement.
"Your investment in LinkedIn should give you a return. That return doesn't come from impressions—it comes from the relationships you build in the DMs." — Denise Murtha Bachmann
The DM Success Framework that Denise uses operates on five principles that compound over time:
- Lead with Curiosity — Move beyond "I'm doing great" to understand the deeper context of someone's success or challenges. Ask questions that matter.
- Listen Actively — Process responses thoughtfully and demonstrate genuine investment through meaningful follow-ups that reference specific details.
- Be Audible Ready — Have insights, stories, or resources prepared to add value at the right moment. Don't wing important conversations.
- Offer Value Before Pitching — Allow conversations to develop depth and trust before making asks or offers. Relationship first, transaction second.
- Apply the Law of Reciprocity — Give referrals, insights, and introductions generously before expecting returns. Build your reputation as a connector.
The data proves this approach works. Cold email reply rates average 5.1% (Inframail), while LinkedIn DM and InMail outreach achieves approximately 10.3% (LinkedIn Sales Solutions)—more than double the engagement.
"When you DM not to sell, but to connect—you build trust, credibility, and visibility that no algorithm can replace." — Denise Murtha Bachmann
Your Action Item: Identify three people who engaged meaningfully with your content. Send thoughtful DMs that reference their specific comments and ask genuine follow-up questions.
Replay + Resources
📺 Replay the Full Episode: The LinkedIn Backchannel: Where Business Conversations Begin
🔷 Learn more from LinkedIn Top Voice Denise Murtha Bachmann
🔷 [Sellovatorz]
🔷 Book a 1:1 Sales Strategy Call with Denise → Scheduling Link
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Power Play No. 4: How to Invest in Your Personal Growth as Your Most Inflation-Proof Asset
Your biggest investment mistake?
Focusing on external assets while neglecting your most valuable holding.
The latest Inspired Money livestream, hosted by Runnymede Capital Management’'s Andy Wang, delivered a masterclass in treating personal development as a financial strategy rather than a feel-good luxury.
This wasn't motivational speaking—this was strategic asset allocation applied to human capital development.
The Wealth Wisdom Panel: All-Star Investment Insights
Andy assembled a powerhouse lineup that reads like a personal development dream team: Whitney Johnson (CEO of Disruption Advisors), J. Kelly Hoey (Author & Speaker), Claire Wasserman (Founder of Ladies Get Paid), and Jason Vitug (Author & Founder of Phroogal).
Their collective expertise spanned career disruption theory, strategic networking, financial feminism, and behavioral finance. But more importantly, they shared frameworks for measuring and maximizing the ROI of self-investment.
"You are not just an investor in your portfolio. You are the most valuable asset in your portfolio. Your skills, your network, your reputation—these are assets you can invest in for growth." — Andy Wang
The Growth Engine Approach that emerged from this conversation centered on Jason’s "microlearning"—daily deposits of knowledge through podcasts, summaries, and short lessons that compound like investment returns.
His insight: Most people overwhelm themselves with ambitious learning goals.
Whitney's solution:
"If you're not learning at all, start with five minutes. Those small steps build a neural pathway for continuous growth."
Networks as durable assets received significant strategic attention. J. Kelly reframed the traditional networking equation:
"It's not who you know or what you know. It's who knows what you know."
Claire challenged participants to think beyond personal branding:
"Don't just ask what you should be known for—ask what you want to be known for."
Perhaps the most counterintuitive insight: Rest as infrastructure, not luxury.
Whitney shared her transformation:
"I once wore 90-hour work weeks as a badge of honor. Today, I see rest as technology—it makes everything work better."
Investment Returns Data:
Amazon’s American Upskilling Study reports that 30% of workers who upskill say they moved into a better-paying or more skilled job after completing the training.
Your Action Item: Calculate your current self-investment ratio. What percentage of your income goes toward developing your skills, network, and reputation?
Most high performers invest 10-20%.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full 88th Episode of Inspired Money
Join the next episode of Inspired Money on LinkedIn and YouTube Live! Stay tuned.
🔎 Explore more from our Inspired Money host and panel of experts in this episode!
🔹Whitney Johnson
→ Company Website: Disruption Advisors
🔹J. Kelly Hoey
→ Personal Website: J Kelly Hoey
→ Newsletter: J Kelly Hoey
→ Company Website: Ladies Get Paid
→ Personal Website: Coach Me Claire
→ Project: The Practice: Master Your Mind
→ Instagram: Claire Gets Paid
→ Company Website: Phroogal
→ Personal Website: Jason Vitug
→ LinkedIn Newsletter: Personal Growth & Reflections
→ Grab a copy of Jason’s books:
🔹Andy Wang
→ Company Website: Runnymede Capital Management
→ YouTube Channel: Subscribe here!
→ Free 3-minute Financial Plan: Calculate your Retirement Income
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Power Play No. 5: FIVE Policy Realities Shaping the Next Digital Power Shift
The next five years will determine whether America maintains its financial dominance or watches it shift to China.
That was the sobering message from the latest Crypto Zombies episode, where former PayPal stablecoin architect and political strategist Jonathan Padilla revealed how stablecoins, AI infrastructure, and regulatory battles are converging in ways most business leaders completely miss.
This wasn't crypto hype or political theory—this was strategic intelligence from someone who's architected financial systems and navigated policy corridors at the highest levels.
The Policy War Room: Washington Meets Silicon Valley
Jonathan brought a unique perspective to the Silicon Valley-based Crypto Zombies team (Nick Larson, Hooman Khalili, Chris Kelly, & Bryn Nguyen): dual expertise in financial technology and policy strategy.
Having designed PayPal's PyUSD architecture in 2020, he understands both the technical possibilities and political realities shaping the digital economy.
The stablecoin opportunity represents America's best shot at sustained dollar dominance in the digital age. Jonathan didn't mince words:
"The US has a unique opportunity... this is probably our chance to actually have dollarization take hold."
The urgency becomes clear when you consider China's progress: the People's Bank of China has piloted its e-CNY with over 260 million wallets, demonstrating how quickly digital currency leadership can shift.
AI's 5-7 year bubble trajectory dominated much of the conversation. Jonathan predicted sustained infrastructure spending as companies invest in data centers and compute capacity, but emphasized the critical strategic question:
"The real thing you have to figure out is: is it going to be decentralized or centralized?"
The regulatory arbitrage costs are already materializing in ways that should concern every American business leader. By 2023, over 400 crypto firms relocated overseas—from London to Singapore—due to unclear U.S. policies.
Jonathan didn't hold back on the SEC's impact:
"Gary Gensler has been a black mark on the Democratic Party... regulatory arbitrage is a real thing."
Power Shift Statistics:
- McKinsey reports that stablecoin transaction volume has exceeded $27 trillion per year recently, surpassing traditional networks like Visa and Mastercard.
- Global capital expenditures on AI infrastructure are projected to total up to $6.7 trillion by 2030 to support the compute demands of advanced AI systems. (McKinsey)
- Analysts forecast $10.8 billion in political ad spending during the 2026 election cycle, and 2024’s total federal election costs hit $15.9B with digital platforms capturing a major share. (Tech for Campaigns)
Your Action Item: Assess how regulatory or technological shifts in AI, digital currency, or data policy could impact your industry over the next 24 months. Most leaders are unprepared for the speed of change coming.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of “CZ 9: CryptoZombies ft. Jonathan Padilla”
Join the next episode of Crypto Zombies on LinkedIn and YouTube Live! Stay tuned.
🤝 Connect with our Crypto Zombies guest speaker and hosts!
🔹 Jonathan Padilla
→ Company Website: Beelines
→ X (Formerly Twitter): Jonathan Padilla
🔹 Hooman Khalili
→ Personal Website: Hooman.tv
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Company Website: Silicon Zombies
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Need Advice? Book a 1:1 with Nick in Hubble!
→ Subscribe to Nick’s LinkedIn Newsletter: Brain Food
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Your Next Move: From Insights to Implementation
Here's what separates the winners: They don't just consume insights—they implement systems.
Across all five conversations, three execution principles emerged that separate peak performers from everyone else:
- Systems beat hustle — Whether building sales processes, establishing presence, or scaling networks, sustainable systems outperform individual heroics every time.
- Authenticity drives ROI — From LinkedIn DMs to personal branding, genuine connection consistently outperforms transactional approaches in measurable ways.
- Strategic positioning wins — Understanding the broader landscape—regulatory, technological, and competitive—enables smarter resource allocation and timing.
The leaders featured this week didn't just share tactics; they revealed the thinking frameworks that create sustainable competitive advantage.
As Mark Phinick summarized the entire approach:
"Execution, in my experience, beats expansion."
Your 5-Day Action Plan:
- Monday: Audit your sales process using Mark's three-question filter—eliminate time-wasting opportunities that don't meet all three criteria.
- Tuesday: Implement Lorraine's incremental presence strategy by choosing three "smaller moments" to be more intentionally present.
- Wednesday: Move three LinkedIn comments into meaningful DM conversations using Denise's curiosity-first framework.
- Thursday: Schedule your first hour of microlearning following the insights from Andy’s panel—start with five minutes if necessary.
- Friday: Assess which regulatory or technological shifts could impact your industry per Jonathan's analysis and adjust your 2025 strategy accordingly.
The gap between those who consume content and those who implement insights determines who leads in 2025's evolving landscape.
These conversations provided the blueprint.
Now, your execution determines your outcome.
==============================================In-Person Events from Our Voices: Get Ready to Connect!
Our Top and Emerging Voices are bringing their expertise to you at their 2 most-awaited in-person events.
It’s your chance to grow your connections with the opportunity to gain firsthand insights and network with other leaders!
- When: October 10, 2025
- Where: Silicon Valley
- Focus: Join Nick Larson and his Silicon Zombies team, Dr. Aubrey de Grey, Mark Cofano, Syama Buten, Dr. Hilary Lin, and many more future-minded leaders to discuss longevity, performance living, and the future of human optimization!
- When: November 5, 2025
- Where: San Francisco
- Focus: An event for enterprise leaders to turn AI from concept into reality where one of our Top Voices Nitin Gupta will be speaking. Learn from over 35 practitioners and see over 600 AI deployments in action.
Explore more and reserve your spot for these exclusive events!
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