The Candy Valentino Show

Something that I see so many entrepreneurs missing the mark on is how they view the trajectory of their business, more specifically, how to reverse engineer their goals to set out on that trajectory. If there comes a time when you want to grow your revenue and scale your business, you have to start with the end in mind, planning your exit from day one. By reverse engineering your goals, you avoid the hamster wheel effect and can position yourself for a lucrative exit. In today’s episode, I break down the main exit strategies, the pros and cons of each method, and how they affect your current business decisions. I also touch on the four things that potential buyers look for and what I personally dig into when I’m thinking about investing in a business.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: What happens when you don’t intelligently plan your exit  The difference between mergers, acquisitions, selling to someone you know, and IPOs  Tips for getting the full return on your EBITA How to create realistic and competitive profit margin goals  Why it’s critical that your financial documents are pristine and transparent   RESOURCES Buy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now! Join me in my new 12-week course “Multi-Million Dollar Business” at candyvalentino.com   CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m joined by Todd Davis, co-founder of LifeLock, to talk about the ups and downs of his identity theft protection startup, which was acquired by Symantec for $2.3 billion just 12 years after he launched the company. He shares the stories behind LifeLock’s iconic marketing strategies, like the $1 million guarantee and publishing his Social Security Number all over billboards and commercials. We discuss how he confronted his insecurities and self-doubt as a CEO, and what his hiring approach was for building a world-class team. He also dives into how he decided to take on venture capital and what his advice is for anyone who hears ‘no’ during an investment pitch.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: How to differentiate yourself through innovation  Building your presence via bold and unconventional branding techniques  The top leadership tips he learned from his time working with Michael Dell, CEO of Dell Technologies How Todd quickly recovered from losing $1 billion of market capital in one day  How Todd is applying what he learned during his career at LifeLock to his new ventures in the CBD industry   RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH TODDConnect on LinkedIn: Todd Davis Learn more about LifeLock: lifelock.com  CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m joined by Alison Lumbatis, the CEO of Outfit Formulas®, speaker, and best-selling author. Outfit Formulas® is an online styling program that has taught over 100,000 members how to curate a functional, fashionable wardrobe they feel confident wearing. We discuss the tipping point that inspired her to take the leap, leave her steady corporate job, and embark on her entrepreneurial journey. She shares her number one piece of advice to anyone starting out, what her biggest mistake was as a rookie entrepreneur, and how community and mentorship have impacted her growth as a business owner. We also discuss the power of strategic collaborations and using ‘old school’ marketing techniques like SEO and email lists.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: What prompted Alison to start blogging, even though it wasn’t generating any income at the time Why getting your customer’s feedback and buy-in is crucial for growth  Key techniques that Alison has used to grow her email list Recognizing that you bring something valuable into masterminds and networking events, regardless of your current revenue or business experience  Getting clear on what has really worked well in your business, but you’ve stopped doing  RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH ALISON Follow Alison: @alisonlumbatis Follow Outfit Formulas®:  @outfitformulasofficial Shop Outfit Formulas®: outfitformulas.com Learn more about Alison: alisonlumbatis.com  CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m joined by Amy Lacey, founder of Cali’flour Foods and national best-selling author of Cali’flour Kitchen and The Clean Switch. After being diagnosed with lupus in 2010, she needed to make major changes in her diet and give up one of her favorite traditions: pizza with her family on Friday nights. She decided to get creative in the kitchen and ended up developing the OG cauliflower pizza crust that actually satisfied her cravings, but helped her stay on track with her health goals.  Amy talks candidly about mistakes that she’s made along the way, including not having solid legal contracts in place and not trusting her intuition. She gives her top tips when it comes to finding the right business partner and investors. We discuss her non-traditional exit, valuing the success of the company over your own ego, and what her role at Cali’flour Foods is nowadays. Amy shares so much wisdom about branding, scaling, and the power of showing up, so tune in to hear her story and learn more!  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: How making your customer the hero will transform your profitability and growth  Amy’s process of getting Cali’flour Foods in supermarkets  How Amy’s ‘handshake mentality’ backfired  The story behind how Cali’flour Foods went from -$269,000 in profit to $5.6 million (and then $20 million the year after that!)  Accepting that you have limited skills and partnering with people who complement your abilities  The bittersweet nature of operational efficiency and realizing that your brand can run without you    RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH AMYFollow Amy: @heyamylacey Shop Cali’flour Foods: califlourfoods.comFollow Cali’flour Foods:  @califlourfoods CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A common misunderstanding with business owners is that they don’t truly understand the difference between a business that is growing and a business that is scaling. They see signs of growth and get super excited that they’re business is gaining traction, but with that, they’re expenses are also increasing at the same rate as the growth. So in turn, they’re not actually scaling. And that’s because they’re not actively and constantly measuring the KPIs that determine how to scale a business. Today, I’m diving into what these KPIs are, plus some additional ways to stop creating a job for yourself, and instead create a well-oiled machine that can generate revenue on its own. IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: A concrete example showing the difference between growth and scale The most important KPIs you need to measure to start scaling The most common, and detrimental, “diseases” that I see many business owners adopt When and how to scale  RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH CANDYInstagram: @candyvalentinoListen to Generation WealthLearn more about Founders OrganizationWork with Candy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m joined by Tom Hatten, founder of Mountainside Fitness, the number one health club in Arizona and number 14 in the entire country. The gym membership is the OG recurring payment program, so I ask Tom to share his wisdom on customer acquisition and retention. As a lifelong athlete, Tom unpacks how his competitive mentality has both helped and hindered Mountainside’s growth, and how he’s learned to move out of the way and trust his team.  When Governor Ducey forced gyms to shut down during the pandmeic, Tom sued him and the state of Arizona, and made national news for fighting back. He refused to step aside and just accept that gyms were ‘super-spreaders’ during the pandemic, despite adhering to the CDC guidelines and doing everything he could to be part of the solution. His resilience and dedication to his community gained him thousands of customers, including me! We round out this session with questions from the audience about team building, consistent branding, and scalability.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: Tom’s strategies for standing out and setting trends in the fitness industry  How customer acquisition has changed since Mountainside opened its first location in the 90s  The importance of staying authentic to yourself and proudly showing your customers what you stand for  Getting comfortable in the unknown Efficiently working with the customers that you already have Why you need to get really clear about your KPIs and create a plan for scaling   RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH TOMConnect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/tom-hatten Learn more about Mountainside Fitness: mountainsidefitness.com  CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I’m highlighting another fascinating Q&A session from our first Wealth & Business Summit, and this time I’m joined by Rick Steele, the founder and CMO of Select Blinds. I ask Rick to break down his process for totally disrupting the window coverings industry and becoming an e-commerce titan. Rick and I talk about his unconventional, but highly effective, scaling method and how to set your business up for a big exit strategy. He shares his advice for how to create your own motivation, what he considers when bringing on a partner or co-founder, and how he would build himself back up if he lost it all tomorrow. Rick also takes questions from the crowd and covers topics like building a business on a credit card, responding to negative feedback, and mastering backend data analytics on a budget.  IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: How firing himself from his own business led to massive, company-wide growth  Learning to embrace the process instead of rushing to the finish line  The importance of having both negative and positive online reviews  Surrounding yourself with people of the opposite skillset  How Rick balances business, Ironman training, and spending quality time with family  Rick’s experience and perspective on sharing equity with partners and co-founders   RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH RICKFollow Rick: @ricksteeleofficial Shop Select Blinds: selectblinds.com  CONNECT WITH CANDYFollow me: @candyvalentinoJoin Founders Organization  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I get asked all too often how I have built and exited several multi-million dollar businesses, and I can tell that whoever is asking, is looking for some hidden, mind-blowing secret that I heard in a super exclusive meeting. Well, good news! It’s really not that complicated. There are truly just four ways you can increase your business revenue and in today’s episode, I’m sharing what those four ways are, plus some of the strategies you can implement to really move the needle on your monthly revenue. IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT: How to increase your number of customers 5 ways to increase your average transaction amount on a single purchase How to keep customers coming back A cautionary tale on raising your prices  RESOURCESBuy your ticket for the next Wealth & Business Summit on November 9-11 in Scottsdale, AZ. Early bird pricing is available now!  CONNECT WITH CANDYInstagram: @candyvalentinoListen to Generation WealthLearn more about Founders OrganizationWork with Candy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why aiming high and falling short is always better than the alternative How to reverse engineer your goals.How the lack of specificity is preventing you from getting what you want.My spin on one of Beyonce’s songs… oh boy lol.The dress rehearsal and its importance to your dreams.BONUS: Listen to the end for 2 kryptonites that are killing your dreamsText your questions to 480-781-0363 Connect with me on Instagram: @candyvalentinoLearn more: candyvalentino.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What you may be doing right now that is actually de-valuing your brand.How to use this time to do, create, and start all of those projects you've always wanted to do but never had the time to implement.Why this time can be an opportunity in your business to organize and plan while gaining marketshare and exposure.The keys pieces to focus on right now to get the most impact later.Text your pressing business questions to have them answered on air at 480-781-0363Connect with me on Instagram: @candyvalentinoLearn more: candyvalentino.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices