Touchstone Talks

Business advisory podcast that discusses the latest trends and projectors with leading influencers in that space.

Touchstone Talks is a business podcast hosted by Deborah Agrafojo, with 29 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Deborah Agrafojo hosts Touchstone Talks, a business show with 29 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #28

  EP 28: Leveraging AI the Right Way - A Fractional CMO on Governance

  Sep 24, 202632 min

  Stephen Cassell, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer Chief Outsiders LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenacassell/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_co... Website: https://www.chiefoutsiders.com/ Leveraging AI the Right Way: A Fractional CMO on Governance Most business owners are already using AI somewhere in their company. The question is whether anyone is steering it. In this episode of Touchstone Talks, Stephen Cassell, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer with Chief Outsiders, explains why AI without governance can cost you time today and value tomorrow. After years of work with large corporations, Stephen now works with lower middle market and middle market companies finding growth opportunities or fixing whats standing in the way of growth. He shares how AI is speeding up market research, lead generation and go-to-market planning, and why speed without human oversight is not always better. When employees each use their own tools with no shared guidelines, the result is wasted effort, inconsistent branding and risk that could surface later. The conversation also turns to what this means for owners thinking about a sale, as how a company uses AI is becoming part of due diligence. A clear, repeatable approach can become a durable asset that adds value over time. Now is the time to decide what role AI should play in your business. touchstoneadvisors.com linkedin.com/company/touchstone-advisors-m-a directlinemediaproductions.com/professional-podcast-production

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  Episode #27

  Ep 27: Signals Before the Storm - Spotting Trouble Early

  Sep 10, 202631 min

  Most business problems don't start as crises. They start small and quiet, until an owner is spending nearly all of their time putting out fires instead of running the company. In this episode, Bert Weil, an interim CEO, CRO, and CFO who has spent more than 35 years guiding companies through difficult transitions, joins Touchstone Talks to talk about staying ahead of that curve. Drawing on decades of experience stepping into businesses at their most vulnerable moments, Bert shares what separates the owners who catch trouble early from those who don't, and why the answer often has less to do with the numbers than with the habits and people around them. It's a conversation about protecting what you've built, before you ever need someone like him. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bert-weil-28baa52/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3BYcME%2BnedRKK9u60q%2FVx1fQ%3D%3D https://kcpadvisory.com/bert-weil/ touchstoneadvisors.com linkedin.com/company/touchstone-advisors-m-a directlinemediaproductions.com/professional-podcast-production

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  Episode #26

  Ep 26: Financially Prepared, Financially Protected - Exit Planning Done Right

  Aug 13, 202634 min

  Touchstone Talks Episode 26 features Dave Altman, Principal and Wealth Advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management, on the mission behind his work with business owners. Dave went through his own transaction with poor guidance from his advisors. He came out owing money rather than having the resources he expected. That experience became the foundation for his career. He educates entrepreneurs so they can go into a transaction empowered and come out of it with choices, not obligations. He is direct about what that means in practice. He tells clients upfront when he may not be the right person for their situation, something he wishes someone had told him. He guides business owners to be financially prepared and protected well before, during and after their transaction, so they avoid the mistakes he made and walk away with real options for what comes next. touchstoneadvisors.com linkedin.com/company/touchstone-advisors-m-a directlinemediaproductions.com/professional-podcast-production

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  Episode #25

  EP 25: Dick Albu - From Vision to Action: Mastering Strategy Management

  Jul 16, 202631 min

  Most business owners have a strategy. Almost none of them execute it, and that gap is why 80% of companies never realize the plans they set out to achieve. In this episode, Dick Albu, founder of Albu Consulting and author of Mastering Strategy Management , draws on more than fifty years of corporate and consulting experience to unpack why strategy has to be forward-looking, continuous, and collaborative rather than a once-a-year exercise in reviewing the past. Dick shares his four-step framework for turning vision into results (discovery, planning, translating into action, and measuring progress), a candid look at how change really plays out inside a company (expect a third of your people to support it, a third to resist it, and a third to wait and see), and his take on where AI fits into modern strategy work. It's a practical wake-up call for any owner who has built a plan and watched it gather dust. Book link www.tinyurl.com/masteringstrategymanagement Website www.albuconsulting.com LinkedIn www.LinkedIn.com/in/DickAlbu touchstoneadvisors.com linkedin.com/company/touchstone-advisors-m-a directlinemediaproductions.com/professional-podcast-production

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  Episode #24

  Ep 24: How to Grow a Company Without Sacrificing Yourself in the Process

  Jul 2, 202626 min

  Running a business is demanding enough, and the pressure can feel unsustainable when you are working constantly but not getting ahead. In Episode 24 of Touchstone Talks, productivity coach and industrial-organizational psychologist Juli Shulem offers a practical reset for business owners who find themselves in that position. The problem, she explains, often isn't effort. It's focus. Busy leaders chase activity; productive leaders prioritize outcomes. The path forward starts with stepping back, auditing where time is actually going, and making intentional choices about what deserves leadership attention versus what belongs on someone else's plate. Juli also addresses a point worth noting for any business owner: stress isn't just a personal burden. It travels, and it affects the whole organization. For owners navigating a sale or ownership transition, where demands compound quickly, that dynamic becomes especially consequential. This episode offers straightforward, actionable guidance on delegation, time blocking, and breaking the multitasking habit, making it a useful listen for owners at any stage. The Efficiency Advantage podcast https://theefficiencyadvantage.com Website: https://coachjuli.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachjulishulem-productivityexpert/ touchstoneadvisors.com linkedin.com/company/touchstone-advisors-m-a directlinemediaproductions.com/professional-podcast-production

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