Scaling Up Business with Bill Gallagher

Today’s topic expert shares how she scaled her business, created multiple companies, and even pivoted during the pandemic when her primary customers, tourists, ran dry. Lisa Song Sutton is an Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor, and former Miss Nevada. She started her business career working in a top Las Vegas law firm and has since gone on to create multiple companies of her own. Her first business, Sin City Cupcakes, is an iconic Las Vegas treat that delights tens of thousands of locals and visitors each year. Lisa is also the co-founder of Ship Las Vegas, Elite Homes – Christie’s International Real Estate, and Liquid & Lace swimwear. How does one go from law school to then becoming an entrepreneur? Lisa loved law school and thought it was a great foundation for her because she learned right away how to NOT get sued. She ended up starting her cupcake company in 2012 while she was still working as an Associate at a law firm. It was a fun side hustle until it grew into a full-fledged business about a year later. Las Vegas has 44 million visitors a year. It’s insane, and having a company that catered directly to the party scene, was almost a no-brainer. Lisa’s “boozy” cupcakes ended up striking big with both the local and tourist crowd. You name it, bachelorette parties, weddings, and more, they were catering at these events. However, 2020 was a very scary year for Lisa. 80% of her business ended up canceling for the rest of the year. It was a huge shock. Lisa was fortunate that her thriving business was nine years old by this point, and they had some cash reserves to pivot and test out a new product offering. When it comes to an emergency, you have to think on your feet, and creatively, to get the job done.   Interview Links: Sponsored by: Sweetprocess.com Lisasongsutton.com Lisa on LinkedIn   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube

Are you feeling nervous or unsure what to work on? Every CEO knows what it’s like to have emergencies, breakdowns, and little fires to put out, but when you’re doing this all day, everyday, it can almost feel daunting trying to figure out which fire or task to focus on. Bill had a client that faced exactly this problem. A great exercise to do is the ‘Net Promoter System’ (NPS) scoring. This exercise gives you a bird’s eye view on everything that’s happening and any disconnects that’s appearing in the business. It gives CEOs a clear vision on what needs immediate attention, and where customers feel like the business is falling short. Try it out and you’ll quickly see some of the gaps that need filling. Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then head over to iTunes and leave a review. Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts. Scaling Up is the best-selling business growth book by Verne Harnish and our team of coaches. My name is Bill Gallagher, host of the Scaling Up Business Podcast and a leading coach. We help leadership teams with 4 Decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash, and the 5th Decision about what kind of leader you want to be. Our purpose is helping you Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth success.  

This week’s entrepreneur is a Technical Producer, Creative Producer, and Filmmaker. He is the Founder of SFG Productions, and they focus on live events, broadcasts, virtual conferences, and so much more. Let’s dive into Sean’s entrepreneurial story! Sean was forced to become an entrepreneur. This was definitely not on his radar when he was a kid. Sean was slowly freelancing here and there, and eventually, his clients said that they needed him to be a company. As a freelancer, he had a hard time saying no, and the number of clients coming through his door made him realize he had to hire and scale or else he’d be losing some great opportunities. Sean’s lucky break happened when he got a production gig for TED Talks. At the time, it was not nearly as big as it was before, but he took on the challenge and it led to fantastic press for his company. The video production on the TED Talk stages was much better quality than any “standard” conference at the time. When Sean joined EO, it was like a curtain being pulled back and he saw how much knowledge he was missing out on to successfully grow his business. It took him roughly two years to be in the program before he hit his first million in sales, and it’s just been a blessing of a resource.   Interview Links: Sfgproductions.com Sean on LinkedIn Sponsored by: Eonetwork.org   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube

We sometimes pick up some bad patterns and habits, and no matter how hard we try, we still fall back to old routines. This week’s guest shows you what you can do to break out of this vicious cycle and instead 3X your ability to achieve your goals! Eric Partaker is a Peak Performance Expert that helps CEOs and Entrepreneurs scale themselves and their companies, while also improving their well-being. Eric is a big believer in the power of threes, and shares why it doesn’t have to be a huge and complex routine to create new habits! Eric has a competitive spirit, but he had a massive wake-up call. One day he realized that all of this drive and ambition was really fueled by his insecurity, and it was impacting his health. He found himself having a heart attack on an airplane. He didn’t want to die, he had a five-year-old son to take care of, yet he would often spend 100 hours at work. Something just didn’t add up right. Eric shares how his three alarms are such a simple shift in mindset that anyone can incorporate it. One of his clients would set an alarm that said “70-year old me” on it whenever it went off. This gave him the motivation needed to lose 25 pounds within a three-month period. He tapped into identity-driven change by constantly imagining his future self. What makes this trick so effective is that you’re envisioning the best version of yourself at a specific time of day. This way, you can create small implemental changes without trying to push the whole boulder up a mountain. It gives your mind a psychological boost to act in a simple way and create a positive change.   Interview Links: Sponsored by: Sweetprocess.com Ericpartaker.com Eric on LinkedIn   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube  

Oh no! Do you hate your job or feel like you’re trapped in your business? Don’t worry. It happens to all of us from time to time but there is a way to proactively tackle this dilemma Bill walks his clients through an eye-opening exercise called: FACE: Functional Accountability Chart Exercise. It forces the CEO to look at all the jobs an organization has and it’s critical importance. It turned out that the CEO actually didn’t ant most of the jobs that were listed in FACE despite his name being responsible for most of those roles. Are you someone who loves your business, but not all the ‘moving’ parts of the business? By going through FACE, you can quickly see what makes sense to outsource right away to get some of your energy back, and bring you to a more enjoyable work space. You can give all these roles away and make other people, who would be excellent for the role, more accountable in these different seats. This free up so much time and you’ll find a new love for your business once again.   Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then head over to iTunes and leave a review. Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.   Scaling Up is the best-selling business growth book by Verne Harnish and our team of coaches. My name is Bill Gallagher, host of the Scaling Up Business Podcast and a leading coach. We help leadership teams with 4 Decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash, and the 5th Decision about what kind of leader you want to be. Our purpose is helping you Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth success.  

This week’s entrepreneur talks about breaking out of the status quo and creating a company that goes against the grain from the other companies like it within the industry. Tatiana Soldatova has a passion for bringing great minds together on complex projects to push boundaries and innovate. She is the co-founder of Syllable Inc., an award-winning retail, corporate, and multi-unit residential design firm based in Toronto, Canada. When Tatiana was in design school, she knew she wanted to have her own practice, and she knew she wanted to do things slightly differently than the way it’s always been done. “Stay in your lane,” was often advice she’d receive from older designers in the industry and Tatiana wanted to create a more collaborative environment in her company. One of her biggest challenges is cash flow and putting a premium price on the type of work her company provides. Despite Tatiana’s extensive experience, she struggled at the beginning with undervaluing some of her offers and consulting bids. However, she realized really quickly that you can’t grow as a company if you’re not pricing yourself according to your value.   Interview Links: Syllable.design Tatiana on LinkedIn Sponsored by: Eonetwork.org   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube

Marketing can be a big monster to tackle all at once. Everyone knows its importance, yet it seems no one really has enough time for it. Today’s guest shares how to get ahead of marketing so that you can lead it, direct it, and be intentional with it. Karen Tiber Leland is the Founder of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding and marketing strategy and implementation firm helping CEOs, executives, and Entrepreneurs develop strong personal, business, and thought leadership brands. One of the biggest breakdowns people have is, how do they make time for marketing when they have “real” business things to focus on? Believe it or not, even marketing firms struggle with this! They’re so busy helping other people’s marketing that they end up neglecting their own. Truth is, it’s hard to make time for your own thing. Everything going on in the background, the news, the pandemic, the economy; all these external things that you can’t control, it slows things down in your brain and they steal your focus. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re feeling not “as productive” lately. Your brain is absorbing all the wrong things. Do you have magical thinking when it comes to your to-do list? Meaning, the moment you write it down, you know it’s “magically” just going to happen? For the most part, the things that we write on our to-do list for that day, do not get done. How do you win at this? Pick only one to four things that are critical for today’s success, and be okay with that result.   Interview Links: Sponsored by: Sweetprocess.com Sterlingmarketinggroup.com Karen on LinkedIn   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube

How many entrepreneurs, CEOs, and leaders feel stressed out that they can’t seem to work on the business? If you’re one of them, don’t worry, you’re not alone. With everything a leader has to manage, it can be hard to even find time to think! It doesn’t matter what size you are. Bill hears this same problem across all industries, company sizes, and revenues. If you just can’t find the time to work on the business, Bill knows how to help! One of Bill’s clients always seemed to be putting out fires within the business and had absolutely zero time to work with Bill after setting their quarterly goals and expectations. They couldn’t move the needle within the company. This is a big warning sign that the business is not sustainable. You have to be proactive with your meeting rhythms. It’s critical team members meet regularly to talk about their next steps. Set a recurring meeting time for the entire team and make sure no one double books or prioritizes something else over it. There will always be fires you’ll want to put out, but by setting these consistent rhythms, you’ll actually be able to work on having fewer fires, not more!   Resources: Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube   Did you enjoy today’s episode? If so, then head over to iTunes and leave a review. Help other business leaders discover the Scaling Up Business Podcast so they, too, can benefit from the ideas shared in these podcasts.   Scaling Up is the best-selling business growth book by Verne Harnish and our team of coaches. My name is Bill Gallagher, host of the Scaling Up Business Podcast and a leading coach.   We help leadership teams with 4 Decisions around People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash, and the 5th Decision about what kind of leader you want to be. Our purpose is helping you Scale Up successfully and beat the odds of business growth success.  

Today’s entrepreneur shares her love for movement, the outdoors, yoga, and the importance of living and leading a joyous life through connection with your body and mind. Brittany Phelps is the Founder of Prana Preneurs, a mentorship program for entrepreneurs passionate about creating conscious businesses. She works with her clients to help them feel good about the business they’re building and the wealth they’re receiving from it. Brittany fell in love with yoga and when the owner of her local yoga studio expressed interest in moving on or selling the business, Brittany jumped on the opportunity and decided to dive headfirst into the yoga business. With her yoga studio being so in-person, how has COVID-19 affected her business? Brittany had to close in the beginning, and they later opened with 30% capacity. She had to get smart and pivot. She now hosts classes online as well as outside. Brittany was lucky, she had no business debt, so she was able to do things a little smarter and pivot in a way that did not overstrength her financials.   Interview Links: Prana-preneurs.com Brittany on LinkedIn Sponsored by: Eonetwork.org   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners!Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube

New technologies are coming up everyday and it’s difficult to keep up. However, this actually has been true in our society for thousands of years. Our guest shares a couple of interesting history lessons about how our technology has developed over the years and why it makes sense that we’ve finally arrived -here-.    Guy Perelmuter is the Founder of GRIDS Capital, a deep tech venture capital firm focusing on artificial intelligence, robotics, life sciences, and technological infrastructure. His new book, Present Future, was recognized as the Best Science Book of 2020. Guy is a first-generation Brazilian, having had both of his parents migrate to Brazil to escape world war 2.    Things are changing really fast and we’re entering a new era of deep technology. Our society can now leverage 3d printing, robotics, machine learning, and self-driving vehicles are within our reality. In Guy’s book, Present Future, he provides context as to how our technology is both helping us, but also damaging the planet if we’re not careful.    If you think things have evolved quickly over the past 4-5 decades, wait till we’re 3-4 decades into the future. It will be a brand new world that you will not recognize. Things will be getting even wilder and faster. Interview Links: Sponsored by: Sweetprocess.com Grab Guy’s book, Present Future Guy on LinkedIn   Resources: Scaling Up Workshop: Interested in attending one of our workshops? We have a few $100 discounts for our loyal podcast listeners! Scaling Up for Business Growth Workshop: Take the first step to mastering the Rockefeller Habits by attending one of our workshops. Scaling Up Summits (Select Bill Gallagher as your coach during registration for a discount.) Bill on YouTube