—Systemic change begins with personal change—
Dave Kerpen is a serial entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and global keynote speaker. Dave is the co-founder and co-CEO of Apprentice, a platform that connects entrepreneurs with the brightest college students to solve their biggest business challenges. Kerpen has authored several best-selling books, including “The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want,””Likeable Social Media: How To Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, & Be Generally Amazing On All Social Networks That Matter,””Likeable Business:Why Today’s Consumers Demand More and How Leaders Can Deliver,” and “Likeable Leadership: A Collection of 65+ Inspirational Stories on Marketing, Your Career, Social Media & More. Kerpen’s latest book, ‘Get Over Yourself! How to Lead and Delegate Effectively for More Time, More Freedom, and More Success,’ offers invaluable insights into effective leadership and delegation.
Kerpen is among the most popular writers in LinkedIn’s Influencer program, one of the most-read contributors for Inc.com , and has been featured by CNBC, BBC, ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Early Show, the TODAY Show, the New York Times, and more. Additionally, Dave has keynoted at dozens of conferences across the globe including Singapore, Athens, Dubai, San Francisco, and Mexico City.
Dave is the Executive Chairman of Nursing Beat, a healthcare media company for nurses, and is the co-founder and CEO of Remembering Live, a virtual memorial service company.
Previously in his career, Dave co-founded Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word-of-mouth marketing agency for big brands, with his wife Carrie. In April 2021, Dave and Carrie sold Likeable Media to 10Pearls. Additionally, Dave was the Founder and Chairman of Likeable Local, a social media software company serving thousands of small businesses.
Following Kerpen’s sponsored wedding, which raised over $100,000 including $20K for charity, he and his wife Carrie started and transformed theKBuzz (founded in 2007) into Likeable Media, the only 3-time WOMMY Award winner for excellence from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and one of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the US according to INC Magazine for consecutive years.
This conversation was brief, but covered the important points, particularly the challenges of changing habits. Dave didn't do everything he intended, though I thought he succeeded more than he did. The goal of the Spodek Method isn't to make big changes, though some do, but to share and act on intrinsic motivation relevant to nature and the environment. Just accessing intrinsic motivation at all can be a challenge in a world where most messages on the environment are based in lecture and telling people what to do. Yet we care about the environment. If we expect to be told what to or lectured at, we hold back from sharing. Dave seemed partly to hold back, but he also works in leadership so overcame the inhibition and shared. He didn't do as much as he hoped, but the parts he did he enjoyed. If you're concerned about acting yourself, you might appreciate Dave's experience. Starting new habits or even just acting once or twice for the first time can be challenging. When done for intrinsic motivation, you'll feel meaning and want to continue. Dave also skipped some Dunkin' Donuts, which seems like a big success to me. He ends considering taking on a bigger challenge affecting others. We'll see in a future episode if it connects.
Dave and I go back years, to when we both wrote columns at Inc. I'm surprised I didn't bring him on before. He helps entrepreneurs, leaders, and aspiring leaders develop social and emotional skills, as well as college students aspiring to internships. We recorded now on the occasion of his new book, Get Over Yourself! How to Lead and Delegate Effectively for More Time, More Freedom, and More Success, on improving your skills working with others, like all his books. He shares stories of himself and clients, often personal, leading to practical advice. Sustainability requires changing American and global culture, which requires entrepreneurship and leadership.