

The How of Business - How to start, run, grow and exit a small business.
Henry Lopez
The How of Business - how to start, run and grow a small business - is a weekly show for aspiring Entrepreneurs and existing Small Business Owners. If you are looking for actionable advice, tips and techniques on how to start (including launching or buying your first small business), run and grow your small business, this is the podcast for you! In each episode we either discuss a business topic, or interview an existing small business owner or business service provider. The How of Business is hosted by Henry Lopez who shares the knowledge and experience he has acquired over his corporate and entrepreneurial careers.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 23, 2024 • 23min
539: Is Your Small Business Scalable?
Is your small business Scalable? How do you know if you are ready to scale, and how do you grow your business to the next level? Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/539-is-your-business-scalable/ How and when do you plan to scale? Particularly, when will you be able to scale past just yourself? On a previous episode of The How of Business podcast, episode 532, Henry Lopez addressed the higher-level question: Is Your Business Model Broken? How can you tell, and how do you fix it? A strong and healthy business model supports a business that is consistently profitable, can scale and remains competitive. Then on episode 537 Henry Lopez focused on Profitability. This episode help you determine if Your Small Business is Scalable. Topics include: What is Scaling? Signs Your Business is Ready to Scale. Why Should You Scale Your Small Business? Common Fears or Concerns. How Do You Scale Your Small Business? It's fine if you simply want to be a solopreneur. But if you want to grow a business that is completely or somewhat owner-independent, if you want to be an entrepreneur, and perhaps be able to exit your business, then you need to scale to the next level. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Sep 16, 2024 • 49min
538: Five Pillars of Leadership with Brian Gottlieb
The Five Pillars of Leadership to help you lead a high-performing small business, with Brian Gottlieb. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/538-brian-gottlieb-5-leadership-pillars/ Brian shares his entrepreneurial journey and introduces the five foundational pillars of leadership. Executing on these five leadership pillars allows you to develop a high-performing organization. And help your managers get out of crisis mode so they can effectively lead their teams. Brian Gottlieb is an inspirational business leader who in 2009, founded Tundraland Home Improvements on a plastic folding table with $3,000. Twelve years later, when he sold the family of businesses he created, they had diversified products, expanded across multiple states, grown to 600 employees, and neared $1 billion in lifetime sales. The company was recognized by INC 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in America. Brian's leadership principles are simple: Have a well-defined strategy, empower your teams, provide world-class training, and execute with consistency. He believes that if you want to build a business, you must commit to building people. This clarity of focus created a meaningful culture, making his company the best place to work in his home state. Brian's book "Beyond the Hammer: A Fresh Approach to Leadership, Culture, and Building High Performance Teams" is being published by Forbes and will be available September 10, 2024. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Sep 9, 2024 • 22min
537: Is Your Small Business Profitable?
Is your small business profitable, and is the business consistently and sufficiently profitable? Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/537-profitable-small-business/ And if you've not started your business yet, when do you plan to be profitable? On a previous episode of The How of Business podcast, episode 532, Henry Lopez addresses higher-level question: Is Your Business Model Broken? How can you tell, and how do you fix it? A strong and healthy business model supports a business that is consistently profitable, can scale and remains competitive. On this episode Henry Lopez shares additional thoughts on Profitability. Because generating a consistent and sufficient profit is the primary reason we are in a for-profit business! This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Sep 2, 2024 • 54min
536: Exceptional Customer Experiences with Samantha Irwin
Creating Exceptional Customer Experiences in your small business with customer service expert Samantha Irwin. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/536-samantha-irwin-customer-expereinces/ On this episode we discuss how to create consistently exceptional experiences for our customers. Samantha Irwin is an entrepreneur, speaker, and the founder of Kaizen Small Business Solutions. She is inspiring and educating teams to create exceptional Customer Experiences that foster loyalty and advocacy, driving both financial success and heartfelt service for brick-and-mortar businesses. With over 25 years of experience in leadership, Samantha's dual background in middle school teaching and boutique hotel ownership has uniquely positioned her to empower and educate business leaders and their front-line customer service staff. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Aug 26, 2024 • 52min
535: Accounting & Taxes with Jessica Zoraida
Accounting and tax considerations for small business with Jessica Zoraida, the Founder and CEO of Big Picture Results. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/535-jessica-zoraida-accounting-tax/ Jessica shares her inspirational journey and tax and accounting tips and guidance for small business owners. Jessica Zoraida is an entrepreneur, speaker investor in women and person-of-color owned companies, and the CEO of Big Picture Results Inc., an Accounting and Tax company that helps small to mid-sized businesses bring more to the bottom line. Over the past 25 years, Jessica has learned hands-on best practices across Corporate Banking, Government and Small Business. Question topics addressed in this episode include: What are your recommendations for small business owners as to when and how to leverage the knowledge and expertise of a Bookkeeper and CPA? When should I hire a bookkeeper or CPA for my small business? What should I expect from a good CPA firm? How do I find a CPA for my small business? When should a small business owner consider engaging a Fractional CFO? What are one or two common mistakes small business owners make that keep them from being able to potentially realize tax savings? What's a common mistake small business owners make that could potentially result in getting in trouble with the IRS? If my small business financials are a mess, where should I start? This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Aug 19, 2024 • 20min
534: Before You Spend on Marketing...
You need a Marketing Strategy before you spend on marketing or advertisement for your small business. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/534-before-you-spend-on-marketing/ Henry Lopez, host of The How of Business podcast for small business, shares his tips and guidance on how to develop an effective marketing strategy before you spend any money, or any more money, on marketing or advertisement. The primary goal of marketing is to generate interest in a company's products or services, attract new customers, retain existing ones, and ultimately drive sales and profitability. Marketing helps businesses understand their customers, build strong brands, and create value both for the company and its customers. This episode highlights the 7 components of an effective marketing strategy for your business: Define Your Avatar or Ideal Client. Understand their Pains or Aspirations (that you can help them with). Describe the transformation you will help them achieve. Explain how your product or service will help them. Develop your Branding. Create and execute a Marketing Plan. Measure performance and adjust. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

Aug 12, 2024 • 49min
533: Travel Consulting Business with Pam Lopez
Pam Lopez, a small business owner and travel consultant since 2014, shares her journey from flight attendant to entrepreneurship. She discusses the joys and challenges of collaborating with family in her business. Pam emphasizes the importance of tailored travel plans and building client relationships over competing on price. She also highlights the rise in travel post-COVID and unveils popular destinations for 2023, including Mexico and Italy. Her insights offer valuable advice for aspiring travel consultants looking to thrive in a competitive landscape.

Aug 5, 2024 • 21min
532: Is Your Business Model Broken?
Is your business model up to par? Explore the critical differences between a business idea and a business model. Discover the importance of scalability and how it impacts growth while preventing bottlenecks. Dive into tactics for competing against larger rivals and learn why merely competing on price isn't sustainable. Lastly, get tips on reassessing and reinventing your business model to ensure continued profitability and efficiency. It's a deep dive into making your business not just survive, but thrive!

Jul 29, 2024 • 49min
531: Growing a Medical Practice with Dr. Rao
Dr. Ramesh Rao, an immigrant who arrived in America with just $200, shares his inspiring journey in medicine and entrepreneurship. He discusses the growth of his wife’s practice, Prima Medicine, and their efforts to establish a network of urgent care centers. Ramesh emphasizes the challenges of merging patient care with business operations, the importance of technology in practices, and lessons learned from navigating the healthcare landscape. His insights offer a unique perspective on building a successful medical practice as a couple.

6 snips
Jul 22, 2024 • 56min
530: Complex Decision Making
How to make Complex Decisions in your small business. Show Notes Page: https://www.thehowofbusiness.com/530-complex-decision-making/ Learn more about Complex Decision Making with co-hosts Henry Lopez and David Begin. How do you make those critical or complex decisions that significantly impact the success of your business and your life? Henry and David dive deeper into the topic of Complex Decision Making. They explored everyday Decision Making on episode 526, and on this episode, they share their techniques and recommended method for complex decision making. Small Business Owners must make decisions. Big decisions, small choices; all day, every day! While you can and should delegate most of the day-to-day decisions, as the CEO of your business you remain responsible for the big complex decisions that must be made. And often, there may not be an obvious or "right" answer. Making big decisions can be daunting for small business owners, but following a structured approach can help ensure the best possible outcomes for the bigger decisions. And then over time, you develop the habit and ability to make big decisions more effectively. The 4-step decision making structure we propose includes the Decision Matrix Analysis (also known as the Weighted Decision Matrix or Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis). This tool helps you systematically evaluate and compare different options based on a set of defined criteria, allowing for a more structured and objective decision-making process. This episode is hosted by Henry Lopez. The How of Business podcast focuses on helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, small business coaching, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com


