The Liquid Lunch Project

Picture it: It’s 2005 and you’ve just been laid off from your corporate banking job. You’re recently married, have a brand new car, a mortgage, and are six figures in debt with $100 left in your pocket.   What now?   Today’s guest doesn’t have to picture it - he lived it, and came out the other side with an amazing story to tell. Meet Matt Shoup: Author, keynote speaker, serial entrepreneur, Brazilian Ji Jitsu black belt, and Spanish coffee addict who took that $100 and transformed it into M&E Painting, an award winning business with $30 million in revenue. From there, he grew five more profitable businesses and is now on a mission to inspire entrepreneurs and business owners find the same success through leadership platforms and programs.    This episode is a vulnerable look at his origin story, and a reminder that sometimes the only limits you have are the ones you put on yourself. And for those watching on YouTube, you’ll get to see our bonus guest and newest (and littlest) member of The Liquid Lunch posse as James Rosabianca makes his podcast debut!   Episode Highlights:   The three phrases of business: A.C.D.C. The two primary ways he marketed his painting business The type of marketing new entrepreneurs should focus on The key to knowing when to bring new people on board How he grew M&E Painting to a $30 million dollar enterprise  How he founded and grew five more successful companies from the ground up How you can travel with him to Spain! Favorite Quote:   “At the end of the day, whatever I’m doing, it always has to contribute to helping people get better.”   Connect with Matt: www.mattshoup.com Facebook: Matt Shoup Instagram: @matthewshoup   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com.   Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.  

Albert Einstein once remarked that “the measure of intelligence is the ability to change,” and we can’t think of a better way to sum up this week’s episode with Aaron Bare.    A Change Agent, Strategic Educator, and a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 Amazon best-selling author, Aaron is one of the top facilitators in the world and has worked with (just to name a few) NASA, Coa-Cola, Facebook, Amazon, and Adobe, generating over $4 billion in documented results. And now he’s taking that experience and knowledge he’s collected from these elite Board Rooms and making it accessible to help small and medium businesses.    As Aaron points out, our world is evolving at a remarkable pace, and if businesses don’t change with it, they die. As a facilitator, he helps leaders and owners shift to a “yes, and” mentality, teaching them to be willing to make decisions quickly and accept that there’s always a better business model out there. Companies like Bed Bath & Beyond may blame Amazon for running them out of business, but they - like so many others - had the opportunity to adjust and adapt. Aaron wants to help leadership teams think as change agents.    Ask yourself: Do I want to be part of the change, or do I want to let the change happen to me?  Episode Highlights:   Why embracing change is vital to survival Why wisdom will get you so much further than knowledge Why relationships will only take you so far in business Which industry is ripe for AI disruption A look at his best-selling book, ‘Exponential Theory, the Power of Thinking Big.’ Which industry is going to impact every other industry How AI could help companies 10x their work Favorite Quote:   “The world is changing faster than you want it to. You can either resist it and let the world go by you, or you can embrace that change and lean into it.”    Connect with Aaron: www.Aaronbare.com Instagram: @aaronbare Linkedin: Aaron Bare   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com.   Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.  

“If you build it, they will come.”   While that might work for a baseball field in the middle of Iowa, most business owners know that the building part is just the beginning.    If you want to stay ahead of the competition, increase your profits, and keep the lights on and the employees paid, you can’t just open a business and wait for the customers to start streaming in; you need a plan to scale and grow.   And who better to talk on this topic than the founder of Build Scale Grow, Inc., Benjamin F. Friedman? Pulling from his years of experience in finance and operations (including M&A, capital raising, debt financing, team building, and management collaboration, just to name a few), he now helps founders and leaders activate their own visions to build systems and facilitate new growth opportunities and exit plans.    This is a must-listen episode for any startup, founder, or owner who is ready to take the next practical steps to scale their business.  Episode Highlights:   The mistakes most founders make Artificial intelligence vs artificial augmentation Why “being human” in the age of AI is more important than ever The potential negatives of taking vc funding Why he loves working with founders who don’t know everything Succession protocols for successful exits Which industry he would choose to enter into now (hint: health and education) Why he believes everyone should have coaches and mentors A look at his book, Scale: Reach Your Peak Favorite Quote:    “The worst thing in the world is not to fail in your business; it’s to succeed in other people’s eyes and be incredibly miserable through that experience.” Connect with Benjamin:   https://www.webuildscalegrow.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/buildscalegrow/   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.  

There are only two things in life we have complete control over: Our attitude and our activity. And if you’re struggling with managing one (or both) of these, this episode is for you.   Today’s guest is JM Ryerson, creator of the Let’s Go Win process. He helps high-performing leaders define and execute their own individual leadership styles to grow and scale their businesses. And that’s something he knows quite a bit about. After building - and successfully exiting - two companies, he realized he wanted to help others obtain the same levels of personal and financial freedom that he did.    We cover a lot of ground in this episode; from how he helps people unlock their potential, why showing up authentically is so essential, the importance of routines and habits, and why discipline actually makes room for more freedom. We also talk a bit about his latest book, Champions Daily Playbook. If you’re serious about accomplishing your goals, and willing to hold yourself accountable, this is the same guide he uses with his clients to help them meet those goals in just 90 days.    If you’re feeling stuck or need a bit of an attitude adjustment to get yourself back on track, carve out 20 minutes today to tune in. You’ll Learn:   Why having fun is an important part of company culture Tips for overcoming limiting beliefs How a market crash actually helped his company grow How to boost your self-confidence How you SHOULD react to somebody elses success Favorite Quote:   “It’s not about wins and losses. It’s about setting yourself up to win every single day.” Connect with JM: www.letsgowin.com  Let's Go Win Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsgowin365 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsgowin365/  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/letsgowin365      How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

It’s no secret that nearly everything is getting outsourced today. From house cleaning to car maintenance to food delivery, the convenience and accessibility of hiring someone else to do a task you A) Don’t know how to do or B) Have no interest in doing has become big business.    This is particularly true in the world of home improvement and renovations; while a good percentage of the population still goes the DIY route, more and more are seeing the benefits of hiring a professional to do it right the first time, saving both time, money, headaches - and probably marriages. And since so many people are spending more time IN their homes thanks to remote work, they’re much more eager to invest in outdoor living spaces, remodeling bathrooms, and upgrading their kitchens.    But anyone who has hired (or attempted to hire) a handyman knows finding trustworthy and reliable contractors can be challenging. Vice versa, if you’re a handyman or contractor, you know the difficulty of managing customer expectations, dealing with paperwork and contracts, and handling admin while doing the job itself. Far too often, neither side comes out ahead.    This is an opportunity that Chris Lalomia has capitalized on. (Very successfully, we might add.) Leaving the “corporate zoo,” he ventured out on his own and started The Trusted Toolbox, a home repair and remodeling service. He employs a team of specialized technicians whose only responsibility is to do what they do best. By managing the communication, the paperwork, and the “busy work,” he has more control over the final outcome, making both customer and contractor happy.   If you’re in any type of service-based business, tune into this episode for some great advice on customer service, business planning, mistakes to avoid, and more.   What You’ll Learn:   Lessons he learned from building a business plan Marketing mistakes he made first starting out What the number one priority should be today for advertising Why it’s essential to show your client your work Why he puts a premium on customer service His exit strategy …and much more! Favorite Quote:   “We can’t be a master and expert of everything.” Connect with Chris: www.chrislalomia.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrislalomia/ Instagram: @customerservice.freak   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.      

Here’s a sobering statistic:    Over 50% of businesses that get ransomware close up shop in two years.   That is a significant number.    And yet, cybersecurity continues to be something often overlooked by small to medium-sized business owners. It’s considered to be a problem for big corporations, like Goldman Sachs or Citigroup, not the Mom & Pop Tire shop on Main Street. But the unfortunate truth is that cyber hacking has evolved into a sort of business of itself - and for that reason, smaller companies are finding themselves the targets with more and more frequency over the last several  years.    Sounds like it’s time to beef up your cybersecurity, no? That’s exactly what Scott McCrady, CEO of SolCyber, discusses in today’s episode. His company is revolutionizing the cybersecurity business for small to medium-sized businesses that lack the manpower, resources, and know-how to handle it on their own. With a “security subscription model,” you pay a monthly fee and get a team of dedicated, talented professionals who manage and respond to your security needs.    If you’re someone who “doesn’t think it can happen to them,” think again. As the world continues to digitize, the threats will continue to grow. It’s like Luigi asked, why isn’t EVERY small and medium-sized business in America tapping into this resource? What You’ll Learn: Why he left the corporate world to become an entrepreneur What he loves about working for a smaller company (hint: culture & innovation!) The three primary checkpoints you should take to reduce the risk of cyber threats The onboarding process for new clients How they can assist businesses in obtaining cyber insurance How their program has helped their clients score big contracts with their own customers …and much more! Favorite Quote: “You have to have the plan, you have to have the tools, and you have to have the people to do it.” Connect with Scott: www.Solcyber.com Scott@solcyber.com    How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

Remember when The Jetsons seemed like a fun, far-fetched fantasy of what the future would (or could) look like? Nowadays, it doesn’t seem so crazy. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, with everyone racing to stay ahead.    We’ve said it before on the show (and it’s 1000% likely we’ll say it again), but your business, regardless of industry, must be partnering closely with technology. Of course, not everyone is a tech whiz. While large corporations have entire teams of specialists and developers on the payroll, that’s a luxury many startups and small to medium-sized businesses cannot afford.    But with every problem comes the opportunity for a solution. Meet Alex Svinov, co-founder and CEO of Insquad, a Talent Cloud platform to hire senior startup developers globally. Their mission is simple: Find the best engineering talent from around the world, put them through a rigorous vetting process, and then connect them with CEOs who need to outsource software development tasks.    This is no small feat; with IT professionals making up just 1.5% of the population, good help can be hard to find, not to mention the difficulty of hiring for a role you may not completely understand. That’s why a service like Insquad is so valuable; they can get you matched with someone to start on your project in two weeks and save you roughly 50 hours with each hire.   Tune in to learn how Insquad can take the hassle out of outsourcing for your next project, plus thoughts on ChatGPT, AI, and more.  What You’ll Learn:   The screening and assessment process their engineers go through to ensure they’re up to the task His journey from investment banker to the world of startups Real-world example of how their services were able to assist a local coffee shop Understanding cultural differences when managing and working with clients and employees from around the world Why he believes the future of the economy is in the software segment Favorite Quote:   “The reason I switched from investment banking to startups wasn’t about money; it was about making good things for the world.“ Connect with Alex:   www.insquad.com LinkedIn: Alex Svinov https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-svinov/   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

In the words of the illustrious British pop group sensation, The Spice Girls, "So tell me what you want, what you really, really want."   Why TF are we bringing up a 90s girl group on The Liquid Lunch Project podcast? Because that's the theme of today's episode. (Plus, it's a banger of a hit.)   Chris Hood, digital strategist, speaker, and former Head of Business Innovation and Strategy at Google, is here to talk about customer empathy. It's a simple idea: Understand the customer's wants, needs, desires, and expectations and translate that into products and services that will meet those wants, needs, desires, and expectations.    Straightforward, right? And not a new concept. But that might just be the reason it doesn't get the attention it deserves. In Chris' experience, too often, companies, leaders, CEOs, etc. THINK they know what the people want, but they haven't actually ASKED the people what they want. They have their own agenda and "big" ideas and create products and provide services without actual insight into what the customer desires. Customers are driving business like never before, which means you must be plugged in like never before. By understanding a company's biases and getting down to the basics, aka just ask, he helps them uncover what their customer ACTUALLY wants.    Chris also touches on the (perceived) job security of working for a large company vs. venturing out on your own, why many entrepreneurs will fail - and why that's OK, and makes a case for starting something new that you have to figure out along the way.  So, if you want to know what your customer wants (what they really, really want), don't miss this episode. What You’ll Learn: His favorite project he worked on at Google His transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship A look at his new book coming out in May Why it’s so critical to have a viable fallback option in your career     Favorite Quote: “Customer empathy basically just boils down to walking in somebody else's shoes. Connect with Chris: www.chrishood.com    How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

There’s a lot more to growing and scaling a business than wishful thinking or taking shots in the dark; it requires an intentional and sustainable strategy. After all, the average lifespan of a company is only 8 years. If you don’t want to be one of the 185,000 businesses that disappear each year, you’ll want to listen to this episode.   Steve Preda is a bestselling author and Leadership Team Coach of Pinnacle, a custom, no-ceiling business operating system. He’s passionate about helping the economy flourish and keeping businesses in perpetual growth mode by building strategies from the ground up. In this episode, we get a peak at his new book, “Strategy OS: Implement an Advanced Business Operating System in Six Simple Steps,” and discuss the accompanying Learning Management System portal  - designed to empower business owners to coach themselves and implement these tools into their own businesses. What You’ll Learn: What is a Strategy Stack Why overcoming big obstacles in a unique way is great for your business His journey from investment banker to entrepreneur A preview of the six simple steps from his book, Strategy OS European entrepreneurial mindset vs. American entrepreneurial mindset Favorite Quote:   “I believe with great coaching and great tools, none of these businesses would have to disappear.” Connect with Steve:   LinkedIn Twitter @stevepreda  www.stevepreda.com   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

Drumroll, please!   Cue the champagne and the confetti because THIS is the 100th episode of The Liquid Lunch Project Podcast!   On today’s show, Matt and Luigi reflect back on how this all got started (thanks, COVID), discuss some of their most memorable guests (don’t worry, they love all their children equally), and the future of The LLP (hint - they’re just getting started!).   They’re also covering bromances and man crushes, who deserves the “Big Jock on Campus” award, Matt’s lifelong ambition to have his own Tequilla brand, what they look for when deciding to invest in a company, which guests drank them under the table, and their shared goal to continue growing a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and business owners.    They also pull back the curtain and give a behind-the-scenes look at the process of writing their first book, Buying the American Dream (available for purchase April 7, 2023), and why they’re so bullish about small businesses.   Enjoy this trip down memory lane, and cheers to the next 100 episodes of The Liquid Lunch Project Podcast!   How To Get Involved: Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca use their combined experience to provide insight and strategic advice to help small and medium-sized businesses in America have the same opportunities as corporate 500 companies. If you’re looking for tailor-made solutions to grow your small biz, learn more at www.shieldadvisorygroup.com. Stay Connected: Connect with Matt and Luigi on Instagram: @matthew.r.meehan @luigi_rosabianca @theLiquidLunchProject @ShieldAdvisoryGroup. Visit The Liquid Lunch Project website and subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more. www.theliquidlunchproject.com Make sure you never miss an episode — check out The Liquid Lunch Project on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review.