All great businesses begin with an idea. But what’s the secret behind turning an idea into a thriving enterprise?
Find out in this episode, as Kevin Kaylakie speaks with Kim Overton, the founder and CEO of SPIbelt. Kim reveals how SPIbelt went from a small, local startup to a globally successful company with sales in over 40 countries. She also shares the biggest mistakes that she made during her entrepreneurial journey — and how she overcame them.
Kim discusses:
How the idea for SPIbelt was born
Key organic growth strategies that she used during SPIbelt’s first year
How SPIbelt ended up getting significant media coverage (including the QVC television network!)
Kim Overton is the Founder and CEO of SPIBelt (small personal item belt). In 2006, Kim went for a run and faced a problem familiar to runners, where to stash her keys. Frustrated but motivated, Kim purchased the materials for the initial prototype, and began creating an answer. Soon, Kim had assembled the first belt and quickly knew she was onto something, officially launching SPIbelt at the Austin Marathon in February of 2007. Today, you can find SPIbelt products in over a thousand stores across the US and in over 40 countries!
With every dollar you save in taxes, you have the opportunity to spend more on the betterment of your community.
Are you ready to get the biggest charitable bang for your buck?
In this episode, Kevin Kaylakie speaks with Brandon O’Neill, CFP®, CAP®, a charitable planning consultant for Fidelity Charitable. They unpack strategies to help you amplify your charitable impact through donor-advised funds (DAFs). Brandon also shares ways in which Fidelity Charitable® helps donors make tax-efficient contributions to their favorite charities.
Brandon discusses:
The benefits of DAFs over private foundations and Charitable LLCs
How to know if DAFs are ideal for you
Reasons to donate appreciated assets (including cryptocurrency!) instead of cash
Unique gift planning ideas to improve tax deductibility
Brandon O’Neill, is a Charitable Planning Consultant for Fidelity Charitable, an independent public charity that has helped donors support more than 328,000 nonprofit organizations with nearly $51 billion in grants since its inception in 1991. In this role, Brandon serves as a premier resource for charitable planning in the South Central Region of the United States. Where it is his responsibility to build relationships with financial advisors, to discuss ways to incorporate charitable giving into clients’ overall financial and wealth management plans. Brandon has held the Certified Financial Planner designation since 2011 and is also a Charter Advisor in Philanthropy holder.
Electric, natural gas, hydrogen, and nuclear energy. You probably don’t realize how much you rely on them until they are no longer there.
General Ken Eickmann is a senior research fellow and deputy director at the Center for Energy Security at the University of Texas. Among his many accomplishments, he has chaired committees for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council on energy efficiency and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign fuel.
In this episode, Kevin Kaylakie talks with Ken about building energy for the future. Ken explains the level of dependence the United States has on electric power and whether we have the infrastructure to support the growing demand for electric power. He also discusses how the electric power grid operates and advocates for why we should have a more coordinated approach to how we deal with power issues.
Ken discusses:
The U.S. dependence on electric power
What he believes is the future of energy production
His thoughts on small modular reactors (SMR)
How a large well-functioning power grid could support the economy
Advice for the next generation of leaders in the United States
General Kenneth E. Eickmann is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading energy experts. He is a Senior Research Affiliate with the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin and works to bring the emerging knowledge and expertise of the University to bear on the technological needs of the Department of Defense. At the request of the US Air Force and the Department of Defense, Gen. Eickmann chaired three committees for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council focused on energy efficiency. He also facilitated a National Forum to identify strategic energy goals for the US Air Force and the nation. In addition, Lt. Gen. Eickmann chaired an Air Force Installation Energy Study designed to determine how best to ensure our nation’s military installations have energy for mission-critical capabilities. As a follow-up to that study, he chaired a national workshop at the National Academy of Sciences focused on energy and water reduction in the industrial processes at Department of Defense laboratories, test centers, and depots. General Eickmann spent 6 years on the Air Force Science & Technology Board (now the AF Studies Board) and several years on the Military Advisory Board for the Center for Naval Analysis which published studies laying out the National Security Imperative to Reduce U.S. Oil Dependence, the National Security Implications of Global Climate Change, and a review of the link between National Security & Assured Electrical Power. More recently he worked with the Center on an assessment of the strategic implications of limited access to clean water around the world.
During his active duty career, General Eickmann completed 22 assignments, including serving as the Commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, the largest military industrial complex in the United States, and later as Commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, where he led the nation’s largest center of excellence for research, development, and acquisition of aircraft, aeronautical equipment, and munitions. Prior to those assignments, General Eickmann served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for two of the Air Force’s Major Commands; the Pacific Air Forces and Air Force Materiel Command. In addition, the General played an integral role in the rescue and recovery efforts for several disasters including, the San Francisco Earthquake, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines, and the Oklahoma City Bombing. The State of Oklahoma declared July 11, 1995, as “General Ken Eickmann Day” in recognition of his leadership and assistance to Federal and State rescue and recovery efforts following the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. General Eickmann also served for a number of years as the State Vice Chairman of the Texas Engineers Task Force for Homeland Security.
General Eickmann is a Registered Professional Engineer and is certified as an Acquisition Professional in Logistics, Program Management, and Systems Planning, Research, Development & Engineering. He is also a recognized expert in propulsion technology and has published several papers in technical journals in the U.S. and overseas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas, the University of Michigan Executive Business Program, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Air War College, and the National Defense University.
