Strategy and Leadership Podcast with Anthony Taylor What does it take to scale a business? Join me as I talk with Anthony Taylor about how I managed to climb the stairs to success. Moving onto the corporate ladder takes a lot of effort, but being …
Blog
Preparing New Leaders to Inspire Their Teams
If you’re like me, you’ve wondered about this. Companies identify young people with promise and look for ways to promote them. The goal usually is to support their growth and also to not lose them to greener pastures. As they move up the ladder, their …
Podcast
The Remarkable Leadership Podcast
Check out my latest interview on The Remarkable Leadership Podcast hosted by Kevin Eikenberry. We had a great conversation about leadership, lessons learned during my journey, and how you can apply them for your greater success. Ways to watch: LinkedIn Facebook Twitter YouTube
Blog
The Inspiration Pathway
If your journey’s been anything like mine, you’ve heard plenty of leadership advice. First my career and then my business have taught me a lot about leadership, starting with the nuts and bolts of making a strategy (creating products and services that our customer’s value) …
Blog
What Defines You: The Hero or the Shadow? (Part II)
When I go to the movies, I notice that there always seems to be a fine line between good and evil in those stories that captivates me. The Marvel superhero-villain movie franchise has been hugely successful, and I think it’s at least partly because of …
Blog
Cultivating Infectious Energy: The Key to Personal and Professional Success
In the latest episode of Crestcom’s Leadership Habit podcast, host Jenn DeWall invites Keith to delve into cultivating infectious energy. They share their enthusiasm for the concept and explore its profound impact on relationships, leadership, and personal development.
Blog
What Defines You: The Hero or the Shadow? (Part I)
You may be like me, where you serve many roles or titles in your career and life, but underneath titles, who you are is much deeper than the roles you serve. For me, it took a crucible moment – divorce, as it does many – …
Blog
Setting a Better Course for Yourself
In my experience, February is usually the month where people run into the wall of reality in their efforts to make changes in the new year. It may seem like a painful question to consider, but do you know why you’ve failed so far? Obviously, …
News
Keith Receives 2023 Wisconsin Titan 100 Award
On Thursday, January 12th, more than 500 guests celebrated the 2023 Wisconsin Titan 100 at Fiserv Forum and I’m excited to share the official awards video! Click below to watch highlights from this incredible event spent honoring the inaugural Wisconsin Titan 100. I was one …
Blog
Be a Strengths Finder
A defining event early in my career was the day a manager said he saw leadership potential in me. He was willing to invest in me because of that, which gave me a huge amount of confidence. That confidence, in turn, allowed me to see …
News
Announcing the recipients of the 2023 Wisconsin Titan 100
Titan CEO and headline sponsor Wipfli LLP are pleased to announce Keith Smith, president of Vonco Products, LLC as a 2023 Wisconsin Titan 100. The Titan 100 program recognizes Wisconsin’s Top 100 CEO’s & C-level executives. They are the area’s most accomplished business leaders in …
Blog
Closing Loops and Overcoming Procrastination
I‘m not sure if you are like me, but I recently reflected on the personal impact of breaking promises to myself. You know, the ones where no one else knows but yourself. ‘Hey – I didn’t commit this to anyone else, it’s not hurting anything …
Podcast
It’s Time to Create Value Through Good Leadership
Keith was selected as a featured guest on an episode of IT’S TIME, a podcast featuring UWO faculty and industry experts discussing leadership development and business strategy in northeast Wisconsin. Join Professor Dale Feinauer and Keith Smith as they discuss business strategies and leadership concepts …
Blog
Getting Personal with Customers: You Can’t Create Trust without Connection
Just curious… have you ever heard the advice from a boss to leave your problems at home? I have and if you are like me, I became the king of compartmentalizing. We tend to separate business and personal, keeping home life in a different compartment …
Blog
Authenticity and Innovation in Team Leadership
When I bought my company, I became its CEO and was very focused on trying to prove myself to my new employees. There was an image I constantly worked to portray of the knowledgeable, tenacious leader. I wanted to always say the right thing and …
Podcast
Cultivating Infectious Energy
Do you remember the last time you felt infectious energy? If you struggle to maintain higher energy and infectious leadership, this week’s podcast post can help. https://letsgrowleaders.com/2022/08/12/cultivating-infectious-energy-with-keith-smith/
Blog
4 Kinds of Energy
What it Means to Cultivate Infectious Energy Among the most important skills I’ve learned in my entrepreneurial journey is how to manage my energy. I want my energy to be infectious because I want to make a positive impact on everyone I come into contact …
Podcast
The Growth Process Podcast
I had a great time appearing on The Growth Process Podcast with host Tim Rohling. Check it out. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1785391/10832775-connect-with-yourself-for-authentic-personal-business-growth-with-keith-smith
News
BizTimes Media’s Annual M&A Forum: Growth Through Acquisition
I recently had the pleasure of presenting at the 2022 BizTimes M&A Forum. This event helps buyers and sellers learn what they need to know as they consider their options and move through the process. Each year, the Forum provides valuable insight on a host of buy-sell …
Podcast
Cool Change Podcast
Check out the new Cool Change podcast hosted by Chuck Allen, and featuring me, Keith Smith. I’ve walked a well-worn path to success. I made business the priority and fit in everything else after. Not that unusual, really. And neither was the result: divorce, stress, …
Podcast
The Unlabeled Leadership Podcast
The Unlabeled Leadership Podcast April 28, 2022 BONUS COVERAGE: in episode 142 of the Unlabeled Leadership podcast, host Gary DePaul, PhD continues his interview with Keith. https://www.garyadepaul.com/Podcast/
Blog
Leading the Charge: How I Inspire My Team
I work to inspire my team the same way I’ve learned to inspire myself: by using every tool at my disposal to manage my energy. I lead by example and teach along the way, reminding everyone that there are three or four big things in …
Podcast
The Unlabeled Leadership Podcast
On episode 141 of the Unlabeled Leadership podcast, Keith is interviewed by host Gary DePaul, PhD and discusses how anyone can harness the power of focus, insight, and accountability to achieve the results you crave. https://www.garyadepaul.com/Podcast/
Blog
The Power Unleashed By Sense of Purpose
Ikigai and the Energy Unleashed by Identifying Your Purpose Entrepreneurs are often dubious about “personal growth” activities like identifying their sense of purpose or spending time getting to know themselves. It all sounds new-agey and beside the point. “My purpose is to make money with …
Blog
My time in the jungle (literally): Facing my fears
As men, we love to portray the persona that we aren’t afraid of anything. If you’re like me, however, the biggest fear I have is admitting how much control fear has over my life. The past couple years, I’ve been blessed to be part of a …
Blog
Unlocking the potential to having it all: Part II, the Path of Power
I had to reach rock bottom to find the Path of Power. My wife asked for a divorce, and no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t fix our relationship. No amount of effort allowed me to prevent the end of our marriage. It was …
Blog
Unlocking the Potential of Having it All: Part I – the Path of Force
I had owned my first company for a few years when my wife realized that she’d given all she could. She asked me for a divorce. This came after waiting for me every night, handling everything at home by herself, including our kids, because I …
Blog
Surviving and thriving through and past COVID
An approach that’s been key for me in my career is looking for the opportunity in a difficult situation. A silver lining of COVID-19 was the chance it offered to exercise that muscle. It’s tested me, our team and Vonco’s business. At first, it was …
Podcast
2020 Foresight Podcast
The 2020 Foresight Podcast is designed exclusively for CEOs of small – medium sized companies who wish to share their insights. It is six questions in six minutes because Top CEOs know how to listen and be concise.
Blog
Entrepreneurial Energy: How to invest in yourself to attract positive outcomes
When I finally bought my company, it was after two years of searching with my partners. I knew it came with a lot of work and responsibility, but it was my dream to own my own company, and in 2012 I acquired Vonco Products and …
Podcast
MD&M West Interview 2021
I had the privilege of being interviewed by Ed Heiland at MD&M West 2021 in August. It was great to have thought-provoking discussions about the present and future of Medical Devices. It was nice to see all the attendees that stopped to watch the interview …
Blog
My name is Keith, welcome to my blog!
Thank you for visiting my website. I’m so excited you’re here and I look forward to starting a dialogue, listening to your unique story, and sharing what I have to offer. To start, let me address a phrase that is near and dear to me: …
News
Parkside Ranger Athletics
Parkside Ranger Athletics Director of Athletics Andrew Gavin meets with Keith Smith of Vonco Products for this edition of Telling Our Story.
News
FaB Wisconsin
The Scaler Forum is for owners and leadership teams that no longer consider themselves a start-up and are now established with proven business models and increased sales year over year.
News
BizTimes Media
The annual Next Generation Manufacturing Summit, presented by BizTimes Media, features an exciting interactive discussion with chief executive officers of southeastern Wisconsin companies. The CEOs will share their companies’ best operational strategies and discuss their solutions for competing in a global marketplace.