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This week, Nicole and I unpack the ugly truth of modern networking: we spend time, money, and energy “connecting,” only to get funneled into cold, automated pitches that make you want to fake your own death and sail off the Florida coast. (We’ve considered it.)

PS: We did not digitally YEET co-host Laine Belcastro—she’s on a well-earned vacation in the great Northeast and will be back at the table.

What we get into:

• Why 90% of business cards end up in the trash (and the other 10% live in your glove box)
• Contact collecting vs. relationship building (hint: one works)
• Non-cringey, human follow-up that isn’t “Dear {FirstName}…”
• How to be intentional at events (and online) without feeling like a one-person off-Broadway show
• Mining events for ideas and intel—even when the room isn’t your market
• Use your existing network: stop ghosting the people who helped you when they change jobs
• LinkedIn hygiene: who stays, who goes, and why activity matters

FTW / WTF this week:

• FTW: College football is back and the weather finally stopped trying to melt us.
• WTF: Ketchup smoothies (Hines x Smoothie King). Also: the Bronx rollercoaster—Yankees fans, we ride at dawn.

Chandler check: “Could I be any less interested in your pitch?”—yes, if it’s an auto-drip

If you’re over the networking hangover, ditch the card-collecting and build real relationships. Like, comment, and share if you’ve ever been ghosted mid-pitch—or dropped into someone’s bot funnel against your will.

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Before we built businesses, we survived the trenches.

In this episode of The Ron Table, Nicole Gray, Laine Belcastro and I unpack how corporate America—love it or hate it—can actually sharpen you for entrepreneurship. From bad bosses and office politics to endless approvals and Kool-Aid culture, corporate life is less a career ladder and more like Shawshank: you crawl through the muck, but you come out tougher.

We talk about:

• Why a tour through corporate is the best (and cheapest) training for future entrepreneurs.
• The “Five Ps” corporate life teaches you: Process, Policy, Politics, People, and Pacing.
• Learning when to play the game… and when to break the rules.
• How scars from corporate trauma actually prepare you to survive entrepreneurship’s chaos.
• Why burning bridges on the way out is the worst rookie mistake you can make.

Don’t downplay the time you spent in the system—it might just be the playbook that fuels your rebellion.

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Is AI your new best friend… or the smug guy in skinny jeans pretending to be your brand voice while low-key gunning for your job?

In this episode of The Ron Table, Nicole Gray, Laine Belcastro and I rip the “AI will save us” narrative wide open. We get real about the facts (and the feelings), why most small businesses are using AI wrong, and why efficiency without empathy is just a spreadsheet with an attitude.

From hallucinating chatbots to résumé-shredding ATS systems, self-checkout culture, and LinkedIn authenticity wars—we call out what AI can do, what it can’t do, and why you still need a human behind the wheel.

Also in this episode:

• Micro-retirements (and why Gen X is side-eyeing them hard)
• The Texas floods, humanity over politics, and wins worth celebrating
• Celebrity privilege, public trials, and why the court of public opinion smells exactly like your dad said it did

Use the tool—don’t become one.

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Is your business haunted? No, seriously.

This week on The Ron Table, Ron Miller is joined by co-hosts Nicole Gray and Laine Belcastro for a no-BS séance to call out one of the most infuriating trends in business: ghosting.

We’re talking:

• Clients who vanish mid-project
• Vendors who disappear after the quote
• Partners who swear they’re “in”—then never call back
• Podcasts that love your insights but forget to return the invite

This episode is part roast, part therapy, part entrepreneurial reality check. It’s raw, hilarious, painfully true, and packed with real stories (yes, including Ron’s infamous Long Island ghost job saga).

If you’ve ever been ghosted in business, recruiting, or your own network—this one's for you.

🎧 Listen now, and don’t forget:

Find us at:
www.elevate-talent-solutions.com/podcast

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Ever been told, “Let’s circle back” or “Your goals don’t align with ours”? That’s not leadership—it’s corporate cowardice. In this episode of The Ron Table, Ron, Nicole, and Laine go full throttle on:

• The BS behind corporate speak
• Why entrepreneurs don’t have to play those games anymore
• Clients who waste your time
• When to walk away—even if you're desperate for business
• A brutal story of a candidate ghosted after four interviews, a project, AND dinner with the spouse

If you’re tired of buzzwords and ready for some real talk—this one’s for you.

Raw. Real. Relatable.

Subscribe, like, and share—unless you still think “synergies” is a real word.

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Tired of the noise online? This episode is your reset button.

It was also a reset at the table as the original episode had a technical glitch and we digitally yeeted Laine out like she was in a back to the future photograph!

So in this REDO, Nicole Gray, Laine Belcastro and I (Ron Miller) dig into the exhausting pressure to keep up with highlight reels, fake flexes, and algorithm-approved nonsense. We talk honestly about the impact this has on real business owners trying to build something meaningful—without losing their minds (or their money).

Expect 80s references, real talk, and one big reminder:
You don’t need to go viral—you need to stay in your lane.

If you’re ready to ditch the comparison trap and get back to what matters, this one’s for you.

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A Business Deal About Nothing dives into one of the most valuable skills in entrepreneurship: knowing when to walk away. Ron, Nicole, and Lainey swap stories about bad partnerships, unpaid invoices, and those all-too-familiar “let’s collaborate” traps that turn into free labor.

From gas station sushi energy to envelope-licking red flags, this episode pulls no punches on what it really means to protect your time, your value, and your sanity in business.

If you've ever chased a payment, ignored your gut, or said yes when you should’ve said “hell no,” this one’s for you.

Three entrepreneurs. One microphone. Endless opinions—and even more movie references. In this episode, the Ron Table crew dives into the myth of rapid scaling, why headcount doesn’t equal success, and how subcontractors (or sister wives, apparently) might be the secret sauce to keeping your business sane.

In this Episode we explore:
• Why scaling too fast is often a red flag, not a win
• When employees are the answer—and when they’re a headache
• The magic of subcontractors and the power of staying small
• How bloated org charts kill creativity (and your culture)
• And yes, how Dr. Now and Ferris Bueller still have business lessons to teach us

If you’re building a business that actually works—and not just one that looks good online—this one’s for you.

Spoiler: Your pint-sized business might just be the secret weapon.

🎧 Listen now, laugh later, and unsubscribe from the scaling shame spiral.