Above The Business

Bradley recently asked a super healthy, fit person what he was doing differently to gain his results. The response? "It's just time under the bar." Learn how you can apply this principle of spending time under the bar to your business.

This week on the podcast, Ryan Larson joins Bradley to discuss his lifelong passion for helping others mitigate risk, and his unique approach to leadership. Ryan Larson is a seasoned wealth advisor and the founder and CEO of FirstLine Financial, LLC, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ryan embodies the qualities of a trustworthy leader and believes everyone deserves a chance to lead a life they can be proud of as they enter retirement. He credits his empathetic leadership approach to his experience as a firefighter, a career that gave him a sense of purpose and a lifelong passion for helping others mitigate risk.In his new business memoir, Ladder to Leader: My Journey from Failure to Fire to Financial Freedom (Calling Card Books, May 2022), Ryan shares the true story of his evolution from a troubled youth to a successful founder and CEO—and the many life and business lessons he learned along the way. He recounts the struggles he experienced in school, how he felt like an outsider at home, and the unexpected turns his life took, including some of the lowest points that eventually led him to where he is today. It was Ryan’s mom who first encouraged him to join the Fire Department Explorer Program, where the entrance exam transformed his mindset and gave him the confidence that would carry him through challenges he had yet to face.Later, he discovered his passion for investing and financial education, becoming an expert in helping people protect their life savings from unnecessary risks and market fluctuations by creating tax efficiencies. In his practice at FirstLine Financial, he focuses on supporting retirees and transitioning boomers with all of their wealth management needs. Whether helping them grow assets for the future, or preserving and reallocating them in retirement, he utilizes a unique combination of time-tested strategies for both securities and insurance offerings.Ryan and his wife, Kate, co-founder of FirstLine Financial, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. Together, they enjoy the hustle of being business partners and raising their two children, Mia and Bryson.For more information, please visit https://firstlinefin.com/.

Even the greatest players need coaches - Tiger Woods taught Bradley that when he was a kid. He had people on his team who helped with athletic training, running a business, and everything in between.The same is true for entrepreneurs and business owners. Leadership and ownership can get really lonely, but you can build a leadership team! This team could be an "executive" board of colleagues outside your business to provide honest feedback. Or, you can consider bringing a business coach into your team.Listen to this episode to learn more about how Tiger Woods modeled an important business principle.

This week on the Leadership Podcast, Dr. Brad Harris, Ph.D. joins Bradley to discuss leadership development, people priorities, and more.  Brad is an award winning researcher and teacher focused on topics like human resource management, group and team dynamics, leadership, and people analytics. He is a founding member of People Leader Accelerator and serves as key advisor on curriculum design and research engagement.  A few key nuggets Brad shared were:There is no single right answer when dealing with people.  People are complex, so the phrase “it depends” often applies.Leadership and sales have distinct parallels that boil down to influence.The role of core values and core behaviors.Being you…but more.Brad also co-authored the book Scaling for Success: People Priorities for High-Growth Organizations. This book is the definitive guide for leaders of high-growth organizations seeking to understand and execute the people-management principles that are essential to continued success. His program, People Leader Accelerator is the premier development program for the top HR leaders of high growth organizations. Admission is application-only for a very small cohort and is equivalent in rigor and intensity to an executive MBA program.If you’re ready to grow your leadership, listen to this episode!

When you want to renovate or build a house, you need a blueprint from an architect. Then, you need a plan from a builder to get the house that blueprint illustrates. Without one, or both, you'll never have the house you want!The same is true in business. In this quick, actionable podcast, Bradley shares why you need a vision (aka a blueprint) AND a plan to create the business you want. Check it out to begin creating your clear vision and actionable plan.

This week on the Leadership Podcast, Andy Andrews - noted by Zig Ziglar as the “best speaker I have ever seen” -  joins Bradley to talk about truth, growing a business, and how challenges can become your hero journey.A few of the nuggets he shared in this episode are:Everyone says, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” but all the small stuff adds up.  You’d better sweat it!How you choose to see things is truly perspective, and the good news is that it’s a choice!There is a difference between what is true to you and what truth actually is.Having a deeper understanding of something is different than having a deep understanding.

If you’ve ever been in a place with your business where you feel like everything is going right, you may view risk as your friend.  It seems like nothing can fail, so why not take your best shot, right?  Unfortunately, when you operate from this mindset, you are more likely to set yourself up for an unwelcome surprise.Instead, you should control risk by implementing a few simple practices. Find out what they are when you catch Episode 136: The Bottom Line - Risk.

In this episode, Bradley sits down with Rob Dubé to discuss The 10 Disciplines.  Rob is the author of donothing: the most rewarding leadership challenge you will ever take, a speaker, writer, podcaster, and hosts an annual mindfulness retreat for entrepreneurs.   Mastering the 10 Disciplines provided Rob the space in his life to hire a CEO to run imageOne allowing him to focus on making a greater impact in the world by helping entrepreneurs master their inner self. This proven process will enable you to create space in your life while managing and maximizing your energy.These 10 Disciplines include…Tend your thinkingTime offKnow thyselfBe stillKnow your 100%Say no oftenDon’t do 25 hour workPrepare every nightPut everything in one placeBe humbleIf you’re ready to unlock these disciplines in your life, listen to this episode!

Most of the business owners I meet are not great managers. While leadership is a journey, and quite a few of my clients are great leaders, the majority of owners in the world have a visionary approach. You may feel like you have “bright, shiny object syndrome,” and it can hurt your management abilities. Ask yourself these questions:“Do my team members accomplish my expectations?”Then, “Are my team members equipped and trained to do the tasks I expect?”Finally, “Are my team members aware of my expectations?”If you are unsure about any of these, or if the results in your business do not reflect your answers to those questions, listen for a simple managerial framework that you can use to grow your leadership.

This week on the leadership podcast, Carey Wallace joins Bradley to discuss buying and selling independent insurance agencies.  Carey is the founder of Agency Focus, and her business helps independent owners determine their value and put together a plan to sell or buy an agency.  In this episode, you’ll learn:The importance of building business assetsStrong, tight financialsEducating yourself on the process of buying or selling a businessYou’ll also learn many important terms around buying and selling businesses that you’ll need to know as you explore this opportunity.Over the past 14 years, Carey Wallace has worked with hundreds of independent insurance agencies helping them understand their agency’s value and turn that knowledge into an actionable plan for their future. Carey is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, CEPA and provides a variety of business consulting services through the company she founded, Agency Focus, LLC.  Learn more about Carey’s agency when you visit www.agency-focus.com