Latest Interviews
Showing 61–75 of 75 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Bank of America26 min
Changing the Game: Holly O’Neill & CVS Health Chief Customer Officer Michelle Peluso
Holly O’Neill, Michelle Peluso, Telebah Woods, Taliba Woods
In the inaugural "Game Changers" episode, Bank of America's Holly O'Neill interviews CVS Health's Michelle Peluso to explore a customer-centric leadership philosophy built on a "learn-it-all" mindset and the integration of high-tech and high-touch strategies. Peluso details how CVS Health addresses the U.S. mental health crisis by combining virtual and physical care while citing Nike and Chewy as benchmarks for innovation and emotional connection in retail. Complementing this business discussion, a separate segment features Taliba Woods, who highlights the critical role of homeownership in generational wealth creation and shares her journey advancing financial literacy within multicultural communities.
- Bank of America26 min
Small Business Financing Tips for 2017: Banks, Family and Additional Resources
Carol Roth, David Burch, Steve Strauss, Gerri Detweiler
Addressing the financing needs of over 50% of U.S. small business owners planning growth, experts including David Burch of Bank of America and Steve Strauss outline strategies to navigate traditional lending and family funding. The presentation details the critical preparation required for the "Three Cs" of credit, emphasizing accurate financial reporting and formal contracts to mitigate relationship risks with family investors. Panelists further advocate for leveraging free advisory networks like SCORE and SBDCs to build robust capital reserves before crises occur, ensuring businesses can transition from informal financing to institutional support.
- Bank of America24 min
Rewarding Employees & Giving Back to Your Local Community
Carol Roth, Sharon Miller, Steve Strauss, Cali Williams Yost
This analysis of the 2016 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report reveals that post-election optimism has surged as entrepreneurs leverage flexibility and community engagement to enhance employee retention and local economic stability. Key figures including Steve Strauss, Sharon Miller, and Callie Williams-Yost outline strategic resolutions for 2017 that emphasize diversifying profit centers, formalizing remote work policies, and establishing long-term charitable partnerships to drive sustainable growth. The event underscores that balancing operational adaptability with personal well-being is essential for small businesses navigating an uncertain economic landscape.
- Bank of America34 min
Spotlight on Issues Affecting Women Entrepreneurs
Carol Roth, Maisha Walker, Erin Andrew, Elizabeth Romero
A joint panel featuring SBA officials and Bank of America representatives highlighted the rapid growth of women-owned businesses, which generate over $1 trillion in annual sales, while addressing persistent barriers such as unequal access to capital and the "glass ceiling." The event detailed strategic initiatives like the SBA's revised underwriting and the "Blink" platform designed to bridge financing gaps, alongside actionable advice on early relationship building with financial institutions and leveraging mentorship networks. Despite historical challenges in federal contracting and supply chain access, the discussion projected continued economic growth driven by women's entrepreneurship and their significant share of U.S. purchasing power.
- Bank of America23 min
Strategies for Navigating the Hiring Process
Carol Roth, Jon Dowst, Stephanie Bevegni, Steve Strauss
Based on Bank of America data, small business owners prioritize unteachable traits like work ethic and cultural fit over formal education when leveraging referrals, job boards, and social networks to recruit talent. To ensure alignment and mitigate legal risks, hiring managers employ behavioral questioning and reference checks while carefully distinguishing between full-time employees and independent contractors. This strategy capitalizes on the growing millennial preference for smaller organizations by offering personal interaction and professional development to secure high-quality, long-term staff.
- Bank of America21 min
2016 Tax Season: What small business owners need to know
Carol Roth, David Solis, Ebong Eka, Steve Strauss
Small business owners are advised to avoid DIY tax preparation and instead cultivate a year-round professional team of CPAs and financial advisors to ensure compliance and optimize financial outcomes. This strategic approach integrates automated record-keeping with real-time collaboration to navigate complex 2015 regulatory shifts, including the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate reduction and revised IRS contribution limits. By treating tax planning as a continuous process rather than an annual event, businesses can prevent costly penalties, secure necessary capital, and leverage significant deductions like the $2 million Section 179 equipment allowance.
- Bank of America22 min
The Evolving Small Business Workplace: How to Adapt for the Future to Recruit, Retain, and Optimi...
Carol Roth, Rob Hilson, Alexandra Levitt, Steve Strauss
Bank of America's Fall Small Business Center Report reveals that 72% of small business owners anticipate growth next year, driving a strategic shift toward hiring Millennials while Baby Boomers retire. Experts advise entrepreneurs to mitigate these expansions through standardized interview processes, revenue guarantees, and the cautious integration of technology that aligns with specific team needs. Successful retention now depends on fostering cognitive diversity and offering tailored perks like telecommuting, ensuring employees feel valued rather than merely incentivized.
- Bank of America22 min
Effectively Managing Your Small Business’s Cash Flow
Carol Roth, Will Barr, Max Eliscu, Rieva Lesonsky, Steve Strauss, Cheryl Roth, Max Elliske, Riva Lassonski
Expert panels define cash flow as the critical narrative tool for business survival, emphasizing that small business owners face the primary challenge of delayed client payments that often exceed standard Net 30 terms. To mitigate risks such as missed opportunities and payroll failures, stakeholders recommend implementing daily monitoring, maintaining a six-month operating reserve, and utilizing technology to accelerate revenue inflows. The consensus strategy for stabilizing finances involves securing lines of credit proactively and adopting the "cash flow yoga" approach of collecting payments faster than expenses are paid.
- Bank of America30 min
Small Business Lending: Navigating the Current Environment
Carol Roth, Joe DiNicola, Barbara Weltman, Steve Strauss
Bank of America and expert panelists Steve Strauss, Joe DiNicola, and Barbara Weltman discuss how small business owners can leverage favorable financing conditions by maintaining strong FICO scores and demonstrating two years of positive financial trends to negotiate better terms. The event advises entrepreneurs to strategically blend traditional bank loans with alternative sources like crowdfunding while strictly avoiding predatory lenders by adhering to the Responsible Business Lending Coalition's Bill of Rights. Finally, the panel emphasizes that securing capital requires early banker relationships, accurate financial forecasting, and a clear growth plan to ensure borrowed funds drive business expansion rather than creating a debt spiral.
- Bank of America39 min
Small Business Success: Finding Talent and Balance
Steve Strauss, Jill Calabrese Bain, Rieva Lesonsky, Nikhil Arora
The 2023 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report reveals that a majority of entrepreneurs sacrifice personal compensation and work excessive hours to sustain their ventures, often relying on personal credit to cover business needs. Industry leaders and experts subsequently recommend redefining success through work-life integration, strategic delegation, and a "for-purpose" mindset to mitigate burnout and foster sustainable growth. By prioritizing employee retention through non-monetary recognition and self-compassion, owners can align organizational health with the critical need for personal recharge and innovation.
- Bank of America31 min
Exploring Generational Differences among Small Businesses Owners
Carol Roth, Robb Hilson, Dan Schawbel, Steve Strauss
Hosted by Carol Roth for Bank of America's Small Business Social Series, this panel featured experts Rob Hilsen, Steve Strauss, and Dan Schaubel to analyze intergenerational dynamics in entrepreneurship. The discussion highlighted how Millennials and Boomers can leverage co-mentorship to combine technological innovation with risk-avoidance strategies, while addressing critical financial barriers like credit gaps and diverse funding sources such as crowdfunding versus traditional lending. Ultimately, the speakers urged business owners to build mixed-generational advisory boards and cultivate early banking relationships to navigate an unpredictable market and secure long-term stability.
- Bank of America35 min
How Small Businesses Can Take Advantage of the Biggest Technology Developments
Carol Roth, David Solis, Jason Teichman, Steve Strauss
This presentation outlines how small businesses can leverage affordable, foundational technologies like mobile-optimized websites and cloud computing to secure credibility and align with modern consumer behaviors. Experts emphasize that strategic adoption, rather than chasing every innovation, requires vetting vendors, utilizing productivity tools selectively, and prioritizing data-driven decisions to maximize return on investment. Ultimately, success depends on overcoming implementation fears by treating technology as a continuous, integrated investment that supports core business goals through strategic partnerships and careful resource management.
- Bank of America32 min
Small Business Social Series: Women in Business: Rising Revenues, Optimism, and Power – How to Ta...
Carol Roth, Jill Calabrese Bain, Kimberly Weisul, Darla Beggs
Hosted by Bank of America, the Small Business Social Series convened Carol Roth, Jill Calabrese-Bain, Darla Beggs, and Kimberly Weisel to analyze the doubling rate of women-owned businesses and the strategic shift toward long-term corporate culture and succession planning. The panelists emphasized how empathy-driven leadership, digital tools like The Mentor Cloud, and a focus on specific personal branding attributes are dismantling entry barriers while capital access improves through crowdfunding and female investor support. With 70% of female entrepreneurs anticipating revenue growth, the discussion concluded that audacious goal-setting and organic mentorship are critical for navigating the transition from tactical execution to exponential expansion.
- Bank of America34 min
Small Business Social Series -- Getting Time Back in Your Day
Carol Roth, Andy Rowe, Steve Strauss, Jeff Korhan, Tom Misson
Small business experts Tom Massone, Andy Rowe, Steve Strauss, and Jeff Corhan address the critical trade-offs between operational efficiency and personal well-being, noting that 75% of owners sacrifice significant personal time due to poor prioritization. The panel advocates for specific frameworks such as letter-based task ranking and the distinction between return on investment versus return on ego to combat distractions and micromanagement pitfalls. Furthermore, the speakers recommend adopting targeted technologies like Basecamp and Bank of Bank of America integration alongside systematic delegation to enable sustainable growth and competitive parity against larger enterprises.
- Bank of America9 min
Bank of America tech exec talks to Institutional Investor
A financial institution successfully completed a 15-year strategic initiative to consolidate its US consumer and small business operations onto a single core banking platform, a process culminating in the migration of 10 million customers and 19.5 million accounts in California. This massive transition, executed over two weekends, retired 110 legacy applications and removed approximately 200 non-standard products while adhering to a "rebuild, replace, and reduce" modernization framework. The organization now focuses on shifting from legacy maintenance to future growth through mobile-first solutions, advanced AI analytics, and a revised talent acquisition strategy prioritizing problem-solving skills over specific programming languages.