Changing Lives Selling Knives
442 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 240 ratingsThis is Changing Lives Selling Knives — a podcast that shares transformational life and business lessons from highly successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. All the guests on this podcast have two things in common. First, they’re all changing lives today through their work and their influence. Second, they all got their start in business by selling Cutco knives with Vector Marketing.
This podcast was created to share inspiring stories from Cutco’s most prominent alumni and current leaders. On this show, you’ll meet successful entrepreneurs, best-selling authors, superstar business executives, and transformational leaders from many walks of life. The lessons of the Cutco/Vector experience are numerous, are compelling, and are REAL-WORLD concepts for business and life. Through hearing real-life stories and hands-on experiences, you’ll gain insights that can help you in whatever it is that you do in life. Press play to learn how you apply these life-changing lessons.
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Episodes
042: Jackie Stavros - Conversations Worth Having
October 10, 2019 10:00 - 42 minutes - 24.3 MBDr. Jacqueline Stavros has a passion for working with others to create positive change. She is a professor of Business and IT at Lawrence Technological University, and is recognized for her creation of SOAR, a positive approach to strategic change. The foundation of her work is Appreciative Inquiry, one of the most widely-used approaches for positive change. Jackie has worked in over 30 countries using AI and SOAR to affect the lives of thousands of people and hundreds of organizations. She ...
041: Drew Frank - Building Something Great
October 07, 2019 10:00 - 52 minutes - 30.2 MBDrew Frank is the Rocky Mountain Division Manager for Cutco/Vector Marketing, headquartered in Denver CO. He is THE top field manager in the company, having run a championship Office in 9 of the past 12 years, and a championship Division in 4 of the past 5 years. His South Denver office holds the all-time company record with over $3.7 million in annual sales, and his Division is #1 again in 2019. With over $67 million in total career sales, Drew is a member of the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame...
040: Mike Lancellot - From Sales Rep To CEO
October 03, 2019 10:00 - 56 minutes - 32.3 MBMike Lancellot has the greatest track record of any other person in the history of the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization. As a sales rep, Mike was the #1 College All-American. After graduating from the University of Delaware, Mike became a District Manager and was the company’s #1 DM for three years in a row. He then became a Division Manager, and again was #1 for three years in a row. He then became a Region Manager, and was #1 for four years in a row, before taking on an Executive role a...
039: Jim Stitt Jr. - A Company That Truly Puts People First
September 30, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 25.3 MBJim Stitt Jr. is the current CEO of Cutco Corporation. When he was about 10 years old, his family was part of the team that purchased Cutco from ALCOA. Since that time, the entire organization has been molded in the image of the Stitt and Laine families. “People first” values have become a bedrock principle upon which Cutco Corporation has been built. Jim worked on the factory floor before graduating from the University of Dayton. About 2 years after graduating, Jim joined Cutco and has rise...
038: Rachel Richards - Financially Independent At Age 27
September 26, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 24.9 MBRachel Richards is an incredible example of financial success at a young age. As a Cutco/Vector sales rep, Rachel succeeded at a level high enough to pay her way through a private college, Centre College in Kentucky, and graduated debt-free with a degree in Finance. She worked as a Financial Advisor for a while, then moved over to working in the Real Estate industry, where she developed the skills to successfully invest in rental properties. Over the past few years, Rachel and her husband ha...
037: Colton Horn - Vector Branch Manager Champion Summer 2019
September 23, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 25.8 MBColton Horn has been working with Cutco/Vector for just over 2 years. In that short time, he has truly distinguished himself as an amazing leader and an inspiration to many. As a Branch Manager in the Summer of 2019, Colton was responsible for every aspect of a Vector field sales office, from recruiting to training to development of the team to admin and financial controls. His team finished #1 out of about 300 Branch Offices nationwide. Colton is a student at Northwestern University, and hi...
036: Jon Levy - A Life-Changing Network of Influence
September 19, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 25.6 MBJon Levy is a behavioral scientist and author who works in the fields of influence, community/customer engagement, and adventure. He specializes in helping companies and individuals apply behavioral research to areas such as marketing, sales, product development, and connecting with people both professionally and personally. Jon is best-known for founding “The Influencers,” a secret dining experience and community whose participants have now included more than 1400 leaders across all industr...
035: Dane Espegard - Designing and Living Your Dreams
September 16, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 25.6 MBDane Espegard lives life by design. He and his wife, Brookelyn, identify specific dreams for their life, and then take the steps to achieve those dreams. For the past several years, Dane has been spreading this dreams mentality throughout his entire organization. His people are living their dreams, and results in the organization have doubled in the past 5 years. If you aspire to live more of your dreams and help others around you to do the same, the time is now and the place is here. Than...
034: Dan Casetta - The Power of Choice
September 12, 2019 10:00 - 28 minutes - 16.6 MBDan Casetta is the Western Region Manager for Cutco/Vector Marketing, and also hosts the Changing Lives Selling Knives podcast. Dan has been one of the most in-demand speakers at company events throughout the U.S. for many years. He’s a regular guest speaker at universities throughout the Bay Area, and has been welcomed into multiple organizations to share insights in areas of sales training, leadership development, and culture creation. He also hosts a mastermind group containing some of th...
033: Tony Carlston - Pioneering A New Corporate Sales Channel
September 09, 2019 10:00 - 40 minutes - 23.2 MBTony Carlston is a true pioneer in Cutco history. He started with the company as a sales rep in 1998, and quickly turned into one of the top reps in the company. After a short stint in a management position, he decided to pursue full-time sales as a Cutco Sales Professional. After hearing the legendary John Ruhlin talk about the concept of business gifting with Cutco, Tony hatched his ideas for the Cutco Closing Gifts program, targeted primarily at realtors, and he quickly rose to the top of...
032: Charlene Li - Cultivating The Disruption Mindset
September 04, 2019 09:00 - 38 minutes - 22.3 MBFor the past two decades, Charlene Li has been helping people see the future. A graduate of Harvard Business School, she is the author of six books, including the NYT bestseller Open Leadership. Her latest book is The Disruption Mindset: Why Some Businesses Transform While Others Fail. With over 20 years of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, Charlene is an expert in digital transformation & strategy, customer experience, and the future of work. She has spoken at TED, the World Busine...
031: Joe Cardillo - The Luckiest Man in Vector
August 19, 2019 12:12 - 36 minutes - 20.3 MBJoe Cardillo considers himself “the luckiest man in Vector” because of all of the amazing connections that he has developed through his work experiences. He was born in Canada, but started with Vector/Cutco while in college in Michigan. He became a part of the Canadian start-up team for Cutco, then developed into the long-time head of the company’s Canadian operations, now General Manager. He is widely-known as one of the all-time greatest leaders in the company’s history. He and his wife Je...
030: Jim Lawrence - A Great American Success Story
August 15, 2019 10:00 - 39 minutes - 22.9 MBA college scholarship athlete graduates and marries his high school sweetheart. He gets a job he wasn’t supposed to be qualified for, then rewrites the record books for his company. Eventually, he starts his own company, and parlays that experience into amazing personal and financial success. He and his wife raise two great daughters and build their own substantial portfolio of real estate holdings in the San Jose / Silicon Valley area. He has a powerful influence on others, both in his work...
029: Rich Plaskon - How to Overcome Labels and Unlock Your Full Potential
August 12, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 31.1 MBRich Plaskon is a 30-year veteran of the Cutco/Vector business who has produced over $80 million in sales. As the long-time Division Manager of the Virginia Division, Rich established himself as one of the company’s top executives, and became a model of success, consistency, and financial well-being for many others. Now, he’s working in new role as National Sales Manager of the company’s NextGen organization, working to expand the Cutco sales opportunity to people outside the company’s tradi...
028: Amber Vilhauer - Multiplying Influence Through Your Online Presence
August 08, 2019 10:00 - 42 minutes - 24.7 MBAmber Vilhauer is an online digital marketing expert who supports business owners to establish a powerful, integrated online presence that gets results and empowers them to make a difference in their industry. After working in Cutco/Vector Marketing for several years, she started her own company called NGNG Enterprises (standing for No Guts No Glory) in 2007. Over the past 12 years, Amber has supported more than one thousand entrepreneurs on six continents to get results. She is the launch m...
027: Amiee and Josh Mueller - Two Different Paths To Success Together
August 05, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 29.5 MBJosh and Amiee Mueller have teamed up to create a formidable “power couple” in the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. In his 18-year career with the company, Josh has risen to become the #3 all-time sales rep in the history of Cutco, with almost $6 million in career personal sales and three National Championships. Amiee has been influential in the company in multiple roles, and more notably, has elevated herself from very challenging circumstances in her early life to become a best-s...
026: Hiro Rodriguez - How Mentorship Can Change Your Life
August 01, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 27.8 MBHiro Rodriguez has spent a lifetime building mentoring relationships, on both sides of the spectrum. He started as a Cutco rep in my San Jose office, then was largely developed in the South Coast Division organization while at school at University of San Diego, and for several years after his graduation. He spent 2 years at Salesforce, then left to board the “rocket ship” at DocuSign. There, Hiro became the right hand man to CEO Keith Krach, one of the foremost business leaders in America, ...
025: Brandon Brown - What Makes A Sales Champion?
July 29, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 32.2 MBBrandon Brown is on a short list of THE most talented and accomplished salespeople in the 70-year history of the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. He has won the Silver Cup (representing #1 in the Nation) three of the past four years, and has broken numerous company records during his rocket-like ascent to the top of the company’s sales charts. Beyond his own success, he has mentored numerous other reps to elevate their performance into the levels of elite status in the company. Bra...
024: Michael Coscetta - An Upward Spiral Of Career Success
July 25, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 25.3 MBMichael Coscetta graduated from Harvard in 2003, and has already held powerful Executive positions in four different companies over his relatively short business career. Starting with the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization where he began as a student, Michael advanced to the position of Division Manager, responsible for the entire NYC Metro and surrounding areas. He later worked as the VP of Sales & Marketing for Structured Web, then moved to San Francisco to join Square, where he adv...
023: John Wasserman - Everywhere You Go, Leave It Better
July 22, 2019 10:00 - 41 minutes - 23.8 MBJohn Wasserman is currently the Division Manager of the PA/NJ Powerhouse Division, centered around the Philadelphia metro. During his illustrious 28-year career with the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization, John has become one of the highest-producing field managers of all time, with two National Championships and dozens of sales records. Even more importantly, he’s one of the company’s greatest developers of all time, having developed National Champions at every level of the business, and p...
022: Fi Mazanke - Directly Connecting People To The Power Of Possibility
July 18, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 27.5 MBFi Mazanke is a successful life and business coach who has had a profound impact on thousands of leaders throughout her career. She spent 12 years working as the right-hand person to the legendary Marty Domitrovich in the Central Region of the Cutco/Vector Marketing sales organization. Eventually, she founded Direct Connect Coaching in order to bring her influence to a much wider-ranging group of people in many walks of life. Fi is on the cutting edge of getting people to explore their stren...
021: Jeff Gamboa - We Are #VectorTrained
July 15, 2019 10:00 - 40 minutes - 23.3 MBJeff Gamboa is currently the Division Manager of two Divisions in the Cutco/Vector organization, spanning much of the state of Florida, plus Puerto Rico. He’s a 22-year veteran with the company and member of the company’s Hall of Fame. He coined the term “VectorTrained” to represent the wide range of skills and competencies that people gain through selling Cutco, participating in Vector’s Leadership Academy program, and advancing into leadership positions with the company. Jeff has been one ...
020: John Israel - What You Appreciate Appreciates
July 11, 2019 11:13 - 54 minutes - 31.3 MBJohn Israel is known simply as Mr. Thank You these days. After a stellar 16-year career as a Hall of Fame Cutco sales rep, influential manager, and coach or mentor to many other successful sales reps, John has embarked on a new journey to elevate the level of gratitude on the planet. This began with his “Year Of The Thank You,” continued with the release of his book “The Mr. Thank You Project,” and has culminated with John launching his new career as a motivational speaker, teaching others ...
019: Cathy Christen - Life As A Masterpiece
July 08, 2019 10:00 - 41 minutes - 23.8 MBCathy Christen is the current Division Manager of Cutco/Vector’s Gulf Coast Division, headquartered in Houston, TX. She is a 9-time National Champion in Office or District sales, and a member of the company’s Hall of Fame. She also runs multiple other businesses in several industries, and she mentors entrepreneurs across multiple markets to succeed in their business and life. Cathy is the best-selling author of “Life As A Masterpiece,” and is in-demand as a keynote speaker. A 17-year veteran...
018: Ramez Helou - Nothing Happens Until Something Is Sold
July 04, 2019 10:00 - 45 minutes - 26.1 MBKnown as “The Sales Doctor,” Ramez Helou is the Founder & CEO of The Academy For Sales Excellence, headquartered in the amazing city of Dubai. Ramez has trained over 100,000 salespeople in at least 30 countries on 5 different continents over his illustrious career. He spent 15 years with Cutco/Vector, advancing up to the position of Division Manager, and another 6 years with Unilever where he developed their sales organization all across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. For the past nine y...
017: J. Brad Britton - To Be A Great Leader, First Be A Good Person
July 01, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 25.8 MBBrad Britton is the current Southland Division Manager of the Cutco/Vector organization, headquartered in Anaheim, CA. His career with the company dates back to 1988, when he started as a sales rep in Texas. His path led him to Oklahoma and then California, where he was a National Champion District Manager in Sacramento in 1993. He became one of the top-producing Division Managers in the company, and ultimately took on the role of Regional Executive in the Western Region from 1999 through 20...
016: Jeremy "Brotha James" Reisig - Our Words Create Our Worlds
June 27, 2019 10:00 - 45 minutes - 26.1 MBJeremy Reisig is a Hall of Fame Cutco sales rep who was #1 in the company in personal sales in 2002. He has pursued his passion for bringing inspirational music to the world as “Brotha James.” As a facilitator of group genius, he combines his skill for speaking and hosting events centered around personal development with the energy, fun, and positivity of his music. He is the Co-Founder of Fambundance, an organization where entrepreneurial families develop the tools, network, and experiences...
015: Dan Casetta - Creating A Dynamic Team Culture
June 24, 2019 10:00 - 36 minutes - 20.8 MBThe host for Changing Lives Selling Knives is also the Western Region Manager for Cutco/Vector Marketing. Dan is a 7-time National Champion manager in Cutco/Vector, and has developed at least 12 other National Champions at various positions in the business. He has been known for building powerful and dynamic team cultures and helping many others to do so. This episode details the epic story of Dan’s summer Branch Office back in 1991, and some quick lessons that arose from that experience. ...
014: Jennifer Gluckow - If She Can Make It There, You Can Make It Anywhere
June 20, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 25.4 MBJennifer Gluckow is a renowned national sales and sales management expert. She’s the best-selling author of “Sales in a New York Minute,” CEO & Founder of her own sales training organization, and hosts the very popular “Sell or Die” podcast with Jeffrey Gitomer. Jen has made it in New York City, and her mission is to help you make it anywhere. Show notes: ChangingLivesPodcast.com
013: Jeff Bry - Being Someone People Want To Follow
June 17, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBJeff Bry is the Midwest Region Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization. A member of the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame, Jeff is widely considered to be one of the most emulatable leaders throughout the entire company. His combination of internal characteristics, outward professionalism, and excellent results has made Jeff an amazing role model for thousands of people over his 30-year career with the company. He’s a proud Michigan State Spartan and lives near Detroit with his wife and ...
012: Jon Vroman - Living Life in the Front Row
June 13, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MBJon Vroman is an award-winning National speaker, and author of an amazing book, “The Front Row Factor.” He founded the Front Row Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps people with life-threatening illnesses experience the event of their dreams from the front row. His experiences in leading that organization have led him to develop a clear understanding of how to “live life in the Front Row,” and he explains the facets of that in this interview. More recently, Jon is the Founder of ...
011: Scott Dennis - Becoming An Engineer of People
June 10, 2019 10:00 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBScott Dennis is the Eastern Region Manager for Cutco / Vector Marketing. Scott has been one of the most prolific achievers in the company throughout his 29-year career. While attending the University of Notre Dame, he was one of the top college-student sales reps in the company. He was National Champion Branch Manager, set all-time records as a District Manager, and advanced to Division Manager, then Region Executive. He’s married with 3 kids, and a fourth on the way. Scott has been an amazi...
010: Adam Stock - Insights For Financial Success
June 06, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 23.7 MBAdam Stock runs several businesses which touch many different aspects of personal finance. He’s the Founder and President of The Next Level Planning Group, one of the top revenue-producing wealth managers in the U.S. He’s also the Founder of Rising Stock, a profitability coaching program, and MyBooks.pro, a bookkeeping service. Adam worked in Cutco/Vector Marketing for about 6 years while in college and after graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota. He lives in the Chicago area with hi...
009: Mike Muriel - The Sign You Need To Leverage Your True Potential
June 03, 2019 10:00 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBMike Muriel is the Central Region Manager for Cutco/Vector Marketing, responsible for an organization encompassing parts of 16 states. A 27-year veteran with the company, Mike is a multiple time National champion, member of the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame, and has inspired the entire company through his strong, driven leadership. Mike graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, and lives near Chicago with his wife and 2 boys. Show notes: ChangingLivesPodcast.com
008: John Ruhlin - How A Goat-Milking Farm Boy Became A World Leader In the Gifting Industry
May 30, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBJohn Ruhlin is the #1 sales rep in the 70-year history of Cutco, with over $8.5 million in personal sales. He pioneered the idea of leveraging Cutco as a high-class gift for clients and employees and has since developed that idea in the creation of the largest business gifting company in North America, the Giftology Group. His clients include major corporations across North America and at least 25 major pro sports franchises, who leverage John’s ideas to increase client retention. John’s bes...
007: Earl Kelly - How A Father's Words Inspired Growth And Excellence
May 27, 2019 10:00 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBEarl Kelly is the Northeast Region Manager for the Cutco/Vector Marketing organization. A 30-year veteran with the company, he has served in an Executive leadership role in three different Regions, and is a member of the company’s Hall of Fame. Earl graduated from the Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania, and is married with three kids. Show notes: ChangingLivesPodcast.com
006: Andrew Bosworth - Attitudes vs. Outcomes: How the Right Internal Mindset Leads to Spectacular External Success
May 23, 2019 10:00 - 31 minutes - 19 MBAndrew Bosworth is one of the top Executives at Facebook today. He sold Cutco for two Summers while in college at Harvard, achieving College All-American status and becoming as Assistant Manager. He joined Facebook in early 2006 and became their Director of Engineering. While in this role, Boz invented Newsfeed, Messenger, and Groups. A true member of Mark Zuckerberg’s inner circle, Boz spent several years as VP of Advertising, and now serves as VP in charge of Augmented Reality and Virtual ...
005: Loyd Reagan - The Compelling Story of a Champion Cutco Executive
May 20, 2019 16:50 - 40 minutes - 37.2 MBLoyd Reagan is the current Southwest Region Manager for the Cutco/Vector sales organization. His region has been #1 in the company the last five consecutive years. He has a compelling story of success and achievement through some unique challenges in his life. Loyd is the father of five children, three of whom have sold Cutco at this point. He is one of the most respected leaders in the entire Cutco/Vector organization. Show Notes: ChangingLivesPodcast.com
004: Hal Elrod - Leveraging The Miracle Equation to Succeed in Business and Life
May 16, 2019 06:00 - 53 minutes - 28.8 MBHal Elrod is one of the leading self-help authors and speakers in America today. As the author of The Miracle Morning book series, Hal has impacted well over a million readers around the world. He started with Cutco/Vector in 1998 and achieved Hall of Fame status as a sales rep with the company, before moving on to his own business, coaching, writing, and speaking. He survived a near-fatal car accident and more recently, he conquered a very rare and aggressive form of cancer. He’s accomplish...
003: Angie Macdougall - A Powerful Role Model - Successful Executive, Mother of Two, Ironman Triathlete
May 16, 2019 05:00 - 45 minutes - 42.2 MBAngie Macdougall is a powerful role model, both inside and outside of the Cutco/Vector organization. As a top-flight manager in Vector, Angie achieved Hall of Fame status in the company, while balancing the challenge of having two children. She is also an accomplished triathlete, having completed events of the Ironman distance. She’s an all-around example of professional and personal success. Show notes: ChangingLivesPodcast.com
002: Jon Berghoff - From Revolutionizing Cutco Sales to Revolutionizing The Future of Leadership
May 16, 2019 04:30 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBToday I'm speaking with Jon Berghoff, who was the youngest person ever inducted into the Cutco/Vector Hall of Fame. He revolutionized the Cutco sales opportunity by producing results that were far beyond anything that had ever been accomplished. After 4 years as the Director of Sales with Vitamix in which he quadrupled their results, Jon began the process of starting his own company to teach methods of leadership, creating engagement, and large group facilitation to companies and clients aro...
001: Dan Casetta - Welcome to Changing Lives Selling Knives
May 16, 2019 04:00 - 17 minutes - 10.6 MBThere’s a new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders who are positively impacting the world through lessons they first learned from a unique sales job with Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing. Vector recruits tens of thousands of people every year for the opportunity to sell Cutco, the vast majority of these being college students. For those who stick with the company for at least a Summer, the experience can be truly transformational. This podcast is hosted by Dan Casetta, a 30...