One Next Step: Management Tips & Tools for Small Business Owners

Small businesses have to maximize the effectiveness and contribution of every investment and every resource to grow. Acquiring new customers is a priority with or without a team member dedicated solely to sales or marketing. Sales and marketing cannot wait if you want to grow beyond where you are. So, what do you do if you’re short on time to do-it-yourself and don’t have enough money to hire someone else? Today, we’re going to answer that question. In this episode, we’ll be talking about how to market your business without a marketing person on your team and introducing a strategy referred to as ‘marketing by committee.’ We’ll be joined by Amy Appleton, BELAY’s Director of Marketing. She is going to help you leverage your existing resources to market and grow your organization. Welcome to episode eight of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Focus can multiply the impact of an organization’s efforts. However, distractions divide and diffuse impact. One of the greatest sources of distractions in most small businesses is us — the leaders. It’s in our nature to see all of the things that can be improved and all of the trends we need to capitalize on, but it’s on us to keep our team focused on the main thing. Luckily, there are strategies that allow us to explore the possibilities without derailing our team.  In this episode, we’ll be learning how and when to prototype and pilot new ideas before we launch them, and we’ll be joined by David Farmer, the Vice President of Restaurant Experience at Chick-fil-A — the third-largest restaurant chain in America. Welcome to episode seven of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Industry peers, work colleagues and business media tells us all the things we need to be doing to grow our business. However, even for growing businesses, there’s not enough time or money to do everything. So, we’re left with questions like ‘Where do we start?’ and ‘How do I hire first? In this episode, we tackle these questions and share a few tips on how you can fill the first three roles you need on your marketing team without prematurely taking on the financial burden of full-time staff positions. We’ve asked BELAY’s Director of Marketing, Amy Appleton, to join us on the podcast and guide us so we make the right investment in the growth of our organizations. Welcome to episode six of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sangram Vajre, co-founder of Terminus, shares how building a community can help build your business. They discuss the challenges of marketing a new product and the importance of focusing on customer satisfaction and retention. The podcast also highlights the importance of owning your narrative and provides a resource guide for community building.

As business leaders, we’re still experiencing the effects of COVID-19 on the economy and we likely will for some time. It flipped hiring and recruiting things to an employer’s market, it pushed all events online turning the event planning and production companies into technology and digital media businesses, and it expedited the global era of remote work. Today, we’re going to learn how it’s possible to go fully remote quickly without hindering productivity or team culture and what possibilities emerge as a result. In this episode, we’ll be discovering how the company Pushpay went 100% remote almost overnight and never missed a beat with clients or team members, and we’ll be joined by their Chief Ambassador, Troy Pollock, to guide us through their experience, what they learned, and how it’s changing work at Pushpay permanently. Welcome to episode four of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As social issues related to inequalities and inequities re-emerge near the top of our national conversation, many business leaders are appropriately trying to leverage their influence to make a difference. However, you must first lead yourself well before you can lead others. Going a step further, we should lead our organizations well before our organizations attempt to influence and lead our communities. For most organizations, this should start with building a diverse and inclusive culture. In this episode, we’ll be talking about how building a diverse team helps us build a  stronger business, and we’ll be joined by Dethra U. Giles, CEO of ExecuPrep — an HR consultancy — to help us create organizations that leverage our team members’ differences as an advantage. Welcome to episode three of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leading in 2020 has not been easy for anyone, but communication is a not-so-obvious reason why many businesses are dealing with challenges better than others. Winning organizations start with effective communication. They have strong communication capable of navigating the inevitable highs and lows of business.  In this episode, we’re going to learn how great companies communicate to create clarity, alignment and focus among leaders and team members from Daniel Tardy, Executive Vice President of EntreLeadership at Ramsey Solution — Dave Ramsey’s organization. Welcome to episode two of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the leader’s job to chart the direction of the business. However, even with a clear vision, selecting the right goals can be challenging and overwhelming, especially when there are more options and opportunities than resources. Without specific goals, you and your team will struggle to focus and maximize the return on your effort.  Tracking progress often feels just as confusing. Even the most profit-minded leaders sometimes question if they’re headed in the right direction and wonder how if what they’re doing is working.  The challenges of 2020 have only made setting goals and tracking progress harder. In this episode, we interview entrepreneur, best-selling author, and investor of ABC Network’s Shark Tank Daymond John about taking control of your game by setting goals and tracking progress for your business. Welcome to episode one of One Next Step.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before our first official episode releases on Tuesday, July 7, we wanted to give you a preview of what’s ahead in the One Next Step podcast. In our podcast preview, BELAY's CEO, Tricia Sciortino, and COO, Lisa Zeeveld, share what you can expect from the podcast each week. You'll also learn how to submit your business questions to be answered on the podcast and hear a sneak peek into a few of the interviews ahead on upcoming episodes. Listen, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and join us on July 7 for our first official episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The hosts of One Next Step – BELAY CEO Tricia Sciortino and COO Lisa Zeeveld – share their stories about how they came to BELAY, how their differences have made them work so well together, and how they plan on making this – wait for it – the most practical business podcast in the world.  Subtle and understated, right? We thought so, too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.