S6E2: Capitalize your Finances with Chris Panagiotu

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“Exposure to financial planning at an early age gives people an edge on their finances that can open their minds in understating numbers in the future.” Chris Panagiotu

Chris is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Professional and a Certified and Chartered Retirement Plans SpecialistSM (CRPS®, conferred by College for Financial Planning). In addition, he holds the following licenses with LPL Financial: series 7 and series 66. In 2020, Chris was recognized as a Five Star Wealth Manager* by the Seattle Times.

Outside the office, Chris hosts the podcast “CAPitalize” (available on Spotify), roots for his Oregon Ducks, and, most importantly, loves spending time with his wife, Stephanie. He gives thanks to God for every blessing that comes his way.

Christopher, the CAP in CAPitalize, investment journey began when he was ten years old. Over the years, he has grown his business by going beyond just having clients and investing in the same platforms he recommends to his clients.

Chris learned that in the journey of being a financial planner, personal touch when dealing with your clients is better. Please get to know your clients before engaging them on their needs. In most cases, the planning process is usually in reverse. According to Chris, you start with the market and the trends before you understand the client’s needs since, in most cases, the clients also do not know what they need in investment.

Simple language that every person can understand is the key to getting more clients, retaining your clients, and getting referrals for your business. Chris is big on understanding his client’s passion, which makes him want the best for his clients and the outcomes they can receive.

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S5E48: Unscripted Give and Take: Using Business Improv to Resolve Disputes and Negotiate Deals (Part 1)

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“Emotional resistance to negotiation wastes time and makes working with others hard. Negotiation is a relationship builder and not a war zone.” Peter Margaritis

In today’s episode, Peter Margaritis talks about Unscripted Give-and-Take and how to use Business Improv to resolve disputes and negotiate deals.

Sometimes during negotiations, we must understand that you can negotiate up instead of down. Therefore, be able to negotiate to your best and have a win-win outcome.

As a business owner, entrepreneur, consultant, or employee of an organization, even when you feel that you are not a great negotiator, it’s good to learn the skills for your business and yourself and give credit to your skills and experience. Then, be confident to sell your expertise to the best you can.

S5E45: Communication Skills are Essential in the Accounting Profession with Joe Taylor and Courtney McKay

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“Communications is the piece that underlines everything you do. Being able to articulate your idea or the message you want and having it perceived the way you wanted to.” Joe Taylor and Courtney McKay

Today’s guests are; Joe Taylor, a founding member of JTaylor in 1999 and currently Chairman of the Board of Managers. Joe delivers a full complement of business advisory and tax planning expertise to their clients with a particular emphasis on the areas of business formation and structural planning, business reorganizations, business, buy, sell, structuring, estate, and gift tax planning, business valuation, business planning, development, and more. Courtney McKay is also a founding member of JTaylor 1999 and has over 25 years of public accounting experience primarily focused on consulting and Business Advisory Services. She has extensive knowledge of business enterprise valuations, incentive compensation plans, and damage assessments. In addition, she has assisted clients with strategic planning, including joint venturing, business acquisition, and due diligence services.

According to Joe and Courtney, Communications plays a vital role in business, especially when accounting language seems so foreign to the test of the other departments in the organization. They agree that practicing and repeating communication to make accounting more approachable is essential to its effects on the rest of the organization.

Communication is an essential skill that separates those successful in the accounting industry. It’s not just running numbers but what you do with the numbers that make the difference. The skills you learn will enable you to know how to deal with different situations and people and what response you need to give them. Drawing examples from amongst themselves, they agree that communicating with colleagues is very different from how you will disseminate information to a client or the rest of the departments.

Listen to Joe and Courtney as they give tips on what they have learned in their journey and how they can help you navigate the ups and downs of accounting and personal growth and development.

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S5E24: Networking Even Accountants Can Mingle

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone.” Peter Margaritis

If the thought of networking makes you sweat, it’s time to rethink what networking is. Anytime you are at an event or even in a meeting where you don’t know someone, you have the opportunity to network. It’s about introducing yourself and getting to know someone. This involves having the right attitude, believing in yourself, having a plan, and remembering to smile.

By taking just a little time to get in the right mindset, you’ll have a lot more confidence walking into any event, and simply smiling can make anyone more approachable. Any gathering of individuals, no matter how large or small, is an opportunity to meet someone. Preparation is vital in making connections, and this means doing your homework. Engage people by being curious about them. It is a great way to break the ice and create a rapport with someone. The key to effective implementation is to be a good listener with your eyes and ears. Always end a conversation by asking someone to feel free to contact you at any time, if you could do anything for them

S5E21: Burn Ladders Build Bridges with Dr. Alan Patterson

From the desk of Peter Margaritis

“The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships.’ Dr. Alan Patterson

My guests today are Dr. Alan Patterson and Jenny Knuth. Alan has more than three decades of international business experience. In 2006, he formed Mentore, a consulting practice specializing in leadership and organizational development. Many global and national businesses and organizations have tapped his expertise, including Anheuser Busch, Biogen, Federal Reserve Bank, Johnson and Johnson, Hewlett Packard, Major League Baseball, and the United States Navy. He’s the author of ‘Leader evolution: From Technical Expertise to Strategic Leadership.’ In addition, Alan has been a college lecturer and frequent presenter at several state and national conferences. He released his new book ‘Burn ladders, Build Bridges: Pursuing Work with Meaning and Purpose,’ on May 6 of this year, and can be found on Amazon. Jenny, Dr. Alan’s marketing person, also joins us in our conversation.

While working with my clients, I realized that there is blind faith in career progression and that people were on this treadmill that inherently held that someone else would decide for them the next step. Despite the need for such judgments, it is evident that devastation has taken place because people have become very limited, thus the need for a better concept and a better mindset.

Many people feel like the moves they need to make are out of their control, and I beg to differ. There’s a lot within your control, but the approach has to be different. If you’re looking for meaning and purpose, you’re not going to find it on the ladder. That meaning and purpose comes through meeting and working with people.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all when it comes to who is a ladder burner. However, the people you find on the edge of the organizations have created these multiple relationships across the organization. So people that speak up have this broader view of their job and are looking to make a difference would be characterized as ladder burners.

A ladder climber puts themselves in the middle of their universe, but it is about how they can help ladder burners and is never about themselves. The idea of burning the ladder is a shifting mindset, and building bridges is the action that creates opportunities to build relationships.

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